Tower Unite News

Hello everyone, and welcome to the Weekly Dev Log for April 19th, 2021, detailing all the changes that have happened since April 12th, 2021. Note: Devs that don't appear in the weekly log are not necessarily away or not doing work, but may be working on things currently not announced or backend work that doesn't need to be detailed.

[h2]Update 0.14.1.2 & Update 0.14.1.3[/h2]
Last week, we released Update 0.14.1.2, which added improvements to the PVP mode, as well as bug and crash fixes. You can read more about what that update contained here.

We're currently working on Update 0.14.1.3, which will include various new bug and crash fixes, as well as new upgrades and changes. You can read more about what is planned for this update here.

[h2]April 2021 Condo Contest Begins![/h2]
As we're celebrating the 5th anniversary of Tower Unite this month, the theme for this month's condo contest is "party"! Design a condo fit for a party. To help with this, the Anniversary update will also include new party themed items, but you can feel free to use whatever items you like.

This contest will end on April 31st, 2021. First place winner will take home at least 1,000,000 units, and all participants may be rewarded 75,000 units! You can read the details here.

[h2]Accessibility Suggestions[/h2]
We've created a forum post asking the community for suggestions on how we can improve gameplay for players with certain conditions such as colorblindness, dyslexia, or anything else that might affect a players ability to use the standard presentation and controls of the game.

If you have any ideas or suggestions, and possible solutions on how to solve a particular issue, please check out the forum post here.

[h2]Minigolf: Out of Bounds Changes[/h2]
macdguy worked on changing how "out of bounds" works in Minigolf for Update 0.14.1.3.

Currently, if the Minigolf ball hits any object outside of the course, it will automatically be treated as "out of bounds" and the player will need to putt again.

Starting next update, as long as the Minigolf ball does not come to a stop or is on an object outside of the course for awhile, it will not count as a “out of bounds”. This allows for the use of trick shots and using the environment to your advantage.

[h3]Minigolf: Out of Bounds Changes Rocks (Before / After)[/h3]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
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[h3]Minigolf: Out of Bounds Changes Course Props (Before / After)[/h3]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
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[h2]Minigolf: Altitude Course Walls[/h2]
Johanna worked on completing the the course walls for Minigolf: Altitude.

Johanna also fixed the moving platform desyncs on Altitude and Treasure Cove.

[h3]Minigolf: Altitude Course Walls[/h3]



[h2]Little Crusaders Improvements[/h2]
macdguy started working on improvements to Little Crusaders for a future update. This week, he worked on making the Dragon turn smoothly.

You can view everything planned for the improvement update here.

[h3]Little Crusaders: Smooth Dragon Turning (Before / After)[/h3]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h2]Condo: New Condo Progress[/h2]
Lifeless continued working on the new condo, creating systems for hiding doors, making doors open and close automatically, and allowing for the pool to be hidden.

[h3]Condo: New Condo Doors[/h3]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h3]Condo: New Condo Pool Cover[/h3]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h3]Condo: New Condo Basketball Court[/h3]



[h2]Condo: Highrise Fixes[/h2]
Sketchman started working on small fixes for the Highrise condo.

[h3]Condo: Highrise Various Fixes (Before / After)[/h3]



[h2]Condo: Toggleable Item Collision[/h2]
macdguy worked on a toggle for items allowing the condo owner to turn collision on or off for specific items.

[h3]Condo: Toggleable Item Collision[/h3]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h2]Plaza: Ridable Shooting Gallery Attraction Building WIP[/h2]
Johanna continued working on the building for the upcoming ridable shooting gallery.

[h3]Plaza: Ridable Shooting Gallery Attraction Building WIP[/h3]



[h2]Plaza: Celebrations Store Art Pass[/h2]
Johanna continued working on the art pass for the Celebrations store.

[h3]Plaza: Celebrations Store Art Pass WIP[/h3]



[h2]Plaza: Arcade NPC Art Pass[/h2]
JJosh worked on an art pass for the new Arcade Store NPCs.

[h3]Arcade NPC (Chilly Billy) Side Profile (Before / After)[/h3]



[h3]Arcade NPC (Chilly Billy) Front (Before / After)[/h3]



[h3]Arcade NPC (Chilly Billy) New Face Closeup[/h3]



[h2]Miscellany[/h2]

Caboose700 worked on backend server improvements.

macdguy added the ability for players to ride other players using the Dolphin potion.

Madmijk fixed a crash related to canvas resolution.

Sketchman continued working on backend server improvements and optimizations.

Wheezwer worked on icons for the Ball Race pickup upgrades. She also worked on dialogue icons for the Upgrades store catsacks, and worked on concept art for the Appearance Store, Oasis NPC, and Bowling NPCs.

Will worked on recording sounds and music.

[h3]Plaza: Players with Dolphin Potion Ridable[/h3]



[h2]Wrap It Up[/h2]
That about covers everything that happened since April 12th, 2021 at PixelTail Games. We'll see you all next week!

---

Join our Discord for development updates and community fun! https://discord.gg/pixeltail
We love awesome people like you!

We're also active on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PixelTailGames

Follow our developments on our Trello in near real-time: https://trello.com/b/6BwRMiPw/tower-unite-roadmap

Take a peek at what's being worked on every week in our weekly dev logs! There's bound to be something interesting every week! https://forums.pixeltailgames.com/c/devupdates/weekly-dev-logs

Please report bugs & submit suggestions on our forums. We're active everyday & here to help.
For bug reports: https://forums.pixeltailgames.com/c/bug-report/18
For suggestions: https://forums.pixeltailgames.com/c/suggestions/7

This hot fix addresses several issues that have been reported, along with addressing performance issues with condos. It also adds a new ragdoll and expands on PVP features.

Changes

• Added a performance setting to disable workshop item shadows (and disabled workshop item shadows by default)
  
• Completely redid the workshop player model ragdoll
  
• Optimized workshop NPCs
  
• Optimized condo item rendering
  
• Only players who have PVP damage enabled can damage other players with PVP damage enabled
  
• Added an icon next to player's tags if the player has PVP enabled
  
• Added PVP toggle option to the C menu
  
• Projectile based weapons now do damage with PVP mode on
  
• Reduced volume of Anniversary Coin earning sound
  
• Reduced Kalleira's Star explode effects
  
• Players you have blocked will no longer display a floating "X" symbol
  
• Weapon effects now hide for players you have blocked (ex. firework launcher effects)
  
• Blocking a player now hides any vehicles they are in
  
• Dying while holding the Holdable Balloon now makes your ragdoll float
  
• Optimized footstep sound system
  
• Improved rocket jumping reliability

Bug Fixes

• Fixed Kalleira's Wand stars flying through items
  
• Fixed Holdable Balloon not drawing when far away from players
  
• Little Crusaders: Fixed fluffy dragon skin not applying
  
• Fixed seats not leaving after being killed with PVP setting on
  
• Fixed not leaving emote state after being killed with PVP setting on
  
• Whirl-a-Fish: Fixed jackpot not being awarded (and score zones not always triggering)
  
• Zombie Massacre: Fixed webs staying after losing boss battle
  
• Condo: Fixed balloons being popped not networking to other players
  
• Fixed balloons rescaling with potions
  
• Fixed Pinhead bowling NPC not looking at players like the other NPCs do
  
• Fixed NPCs looking at players from a long distance
  
• Fixed a crash with canvases that are larger than 8K resolution for DX10 (canvases between 8K and 16K will fail to load in DX10, larger than 16K will fail to load in general)
  
• Fixed wrong par requirement for Minigolf Kingdom Mastered achievement
  
• Fixed an issue where you can die while fishing with PVP mode on
  
• Fixed Early Access prompt showing up each time you launch the game
  
• Fixed being able to open locked doors while in a workshop condo
  
• Fixed being able to enter advanced edit mode while in a workshop condo
  
• Plaza: Fixed footstep sounds for sand
  
• Plaza: Fixed footstep sounds for paths still playing sand/dirt noise
  
• Fixed weapons showing up for players you have blocked
  
• Arcade: Fixed third person Bug Bytes hammer drawing when it shouldn't be
  
• Arcade: Fixed tickets ejecting wrong for Planetary Piano
  
• Arcade: Fixed 2 of the 3 Ring God machines having wrong placement of the bottles
  
• Arcade: Fixed 1 of the Offering machines having LEDs flying off the cabinet

Join our Discord for development updates and community fun! https://discord.gg/pixeltail
We love awesome people like you!

We're also active on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PixelTailGames

Follow our developments on our Trello in near real-time:
https://trello.com/b/6BwRMiPw/tower-unite-roadmap

Take a peek at what's being worked on every week in our weekly dev logs! There's bound to be something interesting every week! http://forums.pixeltailgames.com/c/devupdates/weekly-dev-logs

Please report bugs & submit suggestions on our forums. We're active everyday & here to help.
For bug reports: https://forums.pixeltailgames.com/c/bug-report/18
For suggestions: https://forums.pixeltailgames.com/c/suggestions/7

Hello everyone, and welcome to the Weekly Dev Log for April 12th, 2021, detailing all the changes that have happened since April 5th, 2021. Note: Devs that don't appear in the weekly log are not necessarily away or not doing work, but may be working on things currently not announced or backend work that doesn't need to be detailed.

[h2]Update 0.14.1.0 - Tower Unite 5th Anniversary Events[/h2]
Last week, we released Update 0.14.1.0, which kicked off the start of our Anniversary Events, celebrating Tower Unite's early access debut.

This update added Anniversary Tokens, which can be used to buy new Anniversary Items and Upgrades, as well as all of the previous holiday items. This update also added bug fixes and new changes, such as NPC head movement, shadows on Workshop items, and the ability to enable PVP damage.

You can read about everything in that update here.

[h3]Update 0.14.1.0: NPC Head Movement[/h3]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
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[h3]Update 0.14.1.0: Anniversary Item (Kalleria's Wand)[/h3]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h3]Update 0.14.1.0: Anniversary Items (Condo Confetti and Sparklers)[/h3]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h3]Update 0.14.1.0: Workshop Item Shadows (On / Off)[/h3]



[h2]Update 0.14.1.1 & Update 0.14.1.2 & Update 0.14.1.3[/h2]
Immediately after we released Update 0.14.1.0, we released a unversioned hotfix (Update 0.14.1.1) to fix a small issue with Minigolf, Forest.

We're currently working on Update 0.14.1.2, which will add even more bug and crash fixes, as well as some improvements based on feedback. This update adds a setting to disable Workshop Item Shadows and changes how the toggleable PVP mode works.
You can read more about what is planned for this update here.

After Update 0.14.1.2, we have plans for Update 0.14.1.3, which will contain even more bug fixes, as well as new Minigolf and Ball Race upgrades.
You can read more about what is planned for this update here.

[h2]April 2021 Condo Contest Begins![/h2]
As we're celebrating the 5th anniversary of Tower Unite this month, the theme for this month's condo contest is "party"! Design a condo fit for a party. To help with this, the Anniversary update will also include new party themed items, but you can feel free to use whatever items you like.

This contest will end on April 31st, 2021. First place winner will take home at least 1,000,000 units, and all participants may be rewarded 75,000 units! You can read the details here.

[h2]Accessibility Suggestions[/h2]
We've created a forum post asking the community for suggestions on how we can improve gameplay for players with certain conditions such as colorblindness, dyslexia, or anything else that might affect a players ability to use the standard presentation and controls of the game.

If you have any ideas or suggestions, and possible solutions on how to solve a particular issue, please check out the forum post here.

[h2]Plaza: Celebrations Store Art Pass[/h2]
Johanna worked on the art pass for the Celebrations store in the plaza.

Wheezwer helped work on wall decals for the Celebrations store art pass.

[h3]Celebrations Store Art Pass WIP[/h3]



[h2]Miscellany[/h2]

Caboose700 worked on backend server improvements.

Johanna worked on the Celebrations art pass, as well as the Laser Tag arena overhaul.

JJosh worked on new upgrades, as well as the new Virus infected model.

Lifeless continued working on the new condo map.

macdguy worked on releasing the Anniversary update, as well as fixing bugs.

Madmijk worked on some anniversary items.

Sketchman continued working on backend server improvements and optimizations.

Wheezwer finished up murals for Laser Tag.

Will worked on recording sounds for upgrades.

[h3]Laser Tag Arena Overhaul: Murals WIP[/h3]



[h2]Wrap It Up[/h2]
That about covers everything that happened since April 5th, 2021 at PixelTail Games. We'll see you all next week!

---

Join our Discord for development updates and community fun! https://discord.gg/pixeltail
We love awesome people like you!

We're also active on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PixelTailGames

Follow our developments on our Trello in near real-time: https://trello.com/b/6BwRMiPw/tower-unite-roadmap

Take a peek at what's being worked on every week in our weekly dev logs! There's bound to be something interesting every week! https://forums.pixeltailgames.com/c/devupdates/weekly-dev-logs

Please report bugs & submit suggestions on our forums. We're active everyday & here to help.
For bug reports: https://forums.pixeltailgames.com/c/bug-report/18
For suggestions: https://forums.pixeltailgames.com/c/suggestions/7

This hot fixes addresses some issues from the Anniversary Events.

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed wearables drawing in first person
  

Join our Discord for development updates and community fun! https://discord.gg/pixeltail
We love awesome people like you!

We're also active on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PixelTailGames

Follow our developments on our Trello in near real-time:
https://trello.com/b/6BwRMiPw/tower-unite-roadmap

Take a peek at what's being worked on every week in our weekly dev logs! There's bound to be something interesting every week! http://forums.pixeltailgames.com/c/devupdates/weekly-dev-logs

Please report bugs & submit suggestions on our forums. We're active everyday & here to help.
For bug reports: https://forums.pixeltailgames.com/c/bug-report/18
For suggestions: https://forums.pixeltailgames.com/c/suggestions/7

To celebrate Tower Unite's debut to Early Access, we've created a celebration event this year!

Kalleira, wanting to celebrate with everyone, caused mayhem by bringing in all the characters and minigames from all the holiday events. Due to her magic, this event features minigames from Halloween events and Winter Holiday events all at the same time!

You can also earn Anniversary Coins from playing any of the game worlds or minigames in Tower and unlock anniversary themed items, Halloween items, and Winter Holiday items!

This event will last for the entire month of April, so you'll be able to take your time getting coins! We plan to roll out additional anniversary items soon as well!




New Anniversary Store Items:

• Anniversary Cake Hat
  
• Holdable Balloon
  
• Party Gun
  
• Kalleira's Wand

New Anniversary Store Items for Condo:

• Anniversary Cake
  
• Balloon
  
• Confetti FX
  
• Sparkles FX
  
• Starfield FX
  
• Starfield Flowing FX
  
• Sparkle Fountain FX
  
• Sparkle Fountain Extravaganza FX

Changes:

• Added Anniversary Coins
  
• Added a few new Anniversary items: Anniversary Cake, Anniversary Cake Hat, Holdable Balloon, Balloon, Confetti FX, Sparkles FX, Starfield FX, Starfield Flowing FX, Sparkle Fountain FX, Sparkle Fountain Extravaganza FX, Party Gun, and Kalleira's Wand
  
• Enabled shadow casting on workshop items
  
• Added a setting to enable PVP damage while in Plaza/Condo
  
• Projectiles now bounce off players. This includes Throwable Basketball, Bert Gun, Boomerang, Throwable Bowling Ball and Pin, Throwable Egg, Throwable Golfball, Throwable Fruit, Throwable Keyboard, Paper Airplane, Potato Gun, Throwable Skeeball, Snowball, Throwable Plushy, Throwable Wheel of Money
  
• Store NPCs now look at you
  
• Condo: Workshop NPCs now look at you
  
• New icons for: Confetti Gun, Firework Launcher, Spooky Gun, Potato Gun, Throwable Bowling Pin/Ball, Throwable Units, Unit Bills, and all the Jetpacks

Bug Fixes:

• Minigolf: Fixed moving platform desyncs in Sweet Tooth, Kingdom, Island, Forest, and Waterhole
  
• Improved mirrors and fixed mirrors not displaying wearables
  
• Fixed Karaoke prices being incorrectly displayed
  
• Fixed lighter position for the lighter sway emote
  
• Fixed jetpack strafing not working
  
• Fixed elevators causing you to fall through them in Underwater condo
  
• Little Crusaders: Fixed dragon not recharging sprint stamina when entering water on Mystic Grove
  
• Little Crusaders: Fixed ghost food/wine being offset and not in its hands
  
• Little Crusaders: Fixed a few collision issues in Mystic Grove

Join our Discord for development updates and community fun! https://discord.gg/pixeltail
We love awesome people like you!

We're also active on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PixelTailGames

Follow our developments on our Trello in near real-time:
https://trello.com/b/6BwRMiPw/tower-unite-roadmap

Take a peek at what's being worked on every week in our weekly dev logs! There's bound to be something interesting every week! http://forums.pixeltailgames.com/c/devupdates/weekly-dev-logs

Please report bugs & submit suggestions on our forums. We're active everyday & here to help.
For bug reports: https://forums.pixeltailgames.com/c/bug-report/18
For suggestions: https://forums.pixeltailgames.com/c/suggestions/7