Solaroids News

Hello Solaroids players around the world - literally. It was high time that the supported languages get an overhaul after adding so much TEXT to the game. So, with this release I'm happy to announce that all major supported languages will be complete once again - now or very soon. They are actively being worked on by localization experts around the world so expect a few small patches to complete to the work over the coming weeks.



Oh and another thing... It's also time to drop the Prologue from the title and branding. I conceived of the Prologue sub-text as my way of introducing an incomplete game to the Steam Early Access community. While I still plan more updates before leaving Early Access, the game has grown out of its Prologue moniker. In addition, I've noticed a lot of demos being branded as Prologues over 2020, and Solaroids: Prologue is not a demo! Hopefully, this reconciles that annoyance as well. I still have to make a new trailer and update screenshots, but if you see any references to Prologue lurking about, let me know!

Those are the big things this round, but on a smaller scale I've tweaked the default options to something that I think will improve the first player experience. If you want to "trust me" and try them for yourself, just go to the Miscellaneous menu and hit that Reset button ːsteamsaltyː.

Enjoy!

Chad (Kiates)

• Add back button to difficulty selection screen.
  
• Optimization to the vector renderer.
  
• High score listing now shows up after 5 seconds instead of 10.
  
• Allow rebinding of ENTER and ESC keys for use in-game.
  
• Language option is sorted by popularity now.
  
• Switch from Solaroids: Prologue branding to Solaroids.
  
• Change default zoom level from 100% to 130%.
  
• Change default inertial dampening from 20% to 50%.
  
• Change default HUD size from 100% to 125%.
  
• Change default reticle size from 100% to 150%.
  
• Change default controller vibration to 50%.
  
• Change default music volume from 60% to 40%.
  
• Change default vector focus from 100% to 80%.
  
• Updates to FNA/SDL libraries under the hood.
  
• Language updates:
  
  • German - now current!
    
  • Spanish - now current!
    
  • French - now current!
    
  • Portuguese (Brazilian) - now current!
    
  • Serbian - now current!
    
  • Russian - in progress
    
  • Simplified Chinese - in progress
    
  • Japanese - in progress
    
  • Italian - in progress
    
  • Polish - in progress
    
• New languages:
  
  • Greek - complete
    
  • Hungarian - in progress
    
  • Traditional Chinese - in progress
    

• Fixes to the vector renderer related to color/thickness.
  
• Fix a regression that would cause the game to exit when a controller was disconnected.
  
• Fix issue where key icons were not responding to language changes.
  
• Fix issue with demo expiration screen (DEMO build only).
  
• Fix some typos in English text.
  

*Asteroids vector theme shown

Welcome new and veteran players! Thank you for playing and competing in the :solaroidsS::solaroidsO:ːsolaroidsLːːsolaroidsAː:solaroidsR::solaroidsO::solaroidsI:ːsolaroidsDː:solaroidsS: monthly high score challenge.

Congratulations to all!

[h3]1st - Piegos / 109,757,510[/h3]
Taking 1st for the 2nd month in a row with their new top all-time score of 109,757,510, Piegos continues holds their position as top player this month. Also, a congratulations on just making it into the top-ten all-time list (10th) place, just pushing uber-longtime player gonzalocasado out of their slot. Does someone want to give them the news? ːsteamsaltyː

[h3]2nd - Harnulfson / 92,236,490[/h3]
2nd place goes again to Harnulfson with a score of 92,236,490. Not that far off from 1st, when you consider the scores we are talking about, but definitely widening the gap from last month.

[h3]3rd - BLURR / 50,333,210[/h3]
BLURR is back in the monthly ranks, taking 3rd place with 50,333,210. BLURR currently holds 5th in the all-time charts!

Note: Only the First Credit leaderboards are used for the monthly challenge.

All three top players this month are competing in with the Classic control style, which though much more difficult, due to no automatic pilot (dual-stick) controls, does grant the player additional benefits with a somewhat stronger ship hull, and a more aggressive multiplier. Also, it's safe to say that they are also competing in the Normal difficulty mode based both on the score, and (since the last patch), do not have an E superscript next to their score which would indicate it was in Easy mode.

[h2]Extra Challenge - COMPLETED ːsteamhappyː[/h2]

We made it again -- is this the 2nd, or third month in a row? The monthly boards are full. I'm a developer of his word, so as promised, I have Solaroids OST digital cards/keys for those in the winner’s circle. Use it yourself, give it away, or sell it if you can. The soundtrack is no longer tied to the game, it's been freed from DLC prison.

I've figured out an easier way to communicate to individual players is through the Steam Group Chat feature in the Community Hub ːsteamhappyː. Join the group chat and let me know, and I can transfer the card/code to you via a direct message. If you already have one and don't want another, also ping me in the Group Chat in the Steam Community HUB, or like I said, pass it on to someone that might enjoy it ːsolaroidshaloː.



I'll be keeping this extra challenge open for a while, so we'll see if there are enough competing players next month!

Cheers!

Chad (kiates)

[h3]Have a Feature Request or Discover a Lingering Issue?[/h3]
Do you have a feature request or find a lingering bug/issue? If so, then post it to the Steam Solaroids Community. Many of the tweaks, features, other additions, or future plans for Solaroids have originated with the community.

[h3]Sign-up[/h3]
Sign up on my Early Access Page to be notified at full launch across all platforms, not just Steam.

[h3]Track me down on Discord![/h3]
Come join the (Solaroids Discord Server), exercise some much needed bragging rights, say high to other players, share some tips, and give me your thoughts about what would make the Best Asteroids Style Space Shooter on the planet.

Minor feature updates and/or bug fixes.

[h2]New Features / Tweaks[/h2]

• Improved background stars.
  
• Vectorize splash screen.
  
• Remove the VECTOR MODE IS EXPERIMENTAL warning now that everything has been "vectorized".
  
• Updates to SDL/FNA frameworks under the hood.
  

[h2]Issues Addressed[/h2]

• Fix initial resolution selection.
  

Minor feature updates and/or bug fixes, but one requested visual enhancement worth calling out...

[h2]Vector Explosions[/h2]

Vector mode now adds vector styled explosions in addition to the point "particles" it previously used. Thank you community for the great idea.


Solaroids Palette


Asteroids Palette

[h2]New Features / Tweaks[/h2]

• Refresh icon.
  
• Vector mode now has "vector" explosion effects in addition to single point explosion "particles".
  
• Removed "Exclusive" FullScreen mode (FullScreen=On, Borderless=Off). This mode is not necessary these days and has become an uncommon mode that made it difficult to switch back and forth between screens and other windows. In addition it made it more difficult to work with some screen recording software. Now the only full-screen mode is "Borderless" FullScreen, so as such, the Borderless option has been removed. Alt-Enter also still toggles between full screen and windowed as common among games.
  
• OSX Version now uses Vulkan for graphics which improves/restores lost performance for low-powered Macs (tested with 2016 era Mac Mini).
  
• Updates to FNA used on Linux/OSX versions.
  

[h2]Issues Addressed[/h2]

• Fix issue with invalid unicode characters in Steam leaderboard names.
  
• Fix an issue with mouse behavior in the game and menus when running at non 1920x1080 resolutions in full screen modes.
  

Welcome new players and thank you for playing and competing in the :solaroidsS::solaroidsO:ːsolaroidsLːːsolaroidsAː:solaroidsR::solaroidsO::solaroidsI:ːsolaroidsDː:solaroidsS: monthly high score challenge.

Congratulations to all!

[h3]1st - Piegos / 76,025,430[/h3]
1st place this month goes to Piegos with their top all-time score of 76,025,430 (11th). I've been seeing Piegos regularly on the periodic leaderboards, climbing higher each time and even taking 2nd place last month. They have obviously mastered the game, now playing in the most uber-difficult Classic control style that is true to the roots that Solaroids springs from. Piegos has definitely earned their place in the top position this month! Congrats!! Looking forward to seeing you in the top 10 all-time ranks real soon!

[h3]2nd - Harnulfson / 68,439,670[/h3]
2nd place goes to a regular in the top scores, Harnulfson with a score of 68,439,670. You've been beaten down a notch this month, but it was a pretty close run considering your scores are within 10% of each other and this wasn't your all-time best.

[h3]3rd - Starcrunch / 16,152,385[/h3]
Finally, 3rd place goes Starcrunch with 16,152,385. While trailing the others in raw points, Starcrunch is competing using the Modern (dual-stick) control style, which though easier to control with its automatic thrusters, takes more stamina to rack up really high scores, and agility to keep a multiplier going under full attack. Pros and cons.

Note: Only the First Credit leaderboards are used for the monthly challenge.

[h2]Extra Challenge - COMPLETED ːsteamhappyː[/h2]

We made it again, the monthly boards are full this month. I'm a developer of his word, so as promised, I have Solaroids OST digital cards/keys for those in the winner’s circle. Use it yourself, give it away, or sell it if you can. The soundtrack is no longer tied to the game, it's been freed from DLC prison.

I think the easiest way to verify and transfer the digital card/key is probably via Steam’s friend/chat system. If you are in the top 3 this month, send me a friend request via Steam to claim your prize, and I'll send you a digital card/key via chat. You can de-friend me afterwards! ːsteamsaltyː



I'll be keeping this extra challenge open for a while, so we'll see if there are enough competing players next month!

Cheers!

Chad (kiates)

[h3]Have a Feature Request or Discover a Lingering Issue?[/h3]
Do you have a feature request or find a lingering bug/issue? If so, then post it to the Steam Solaroids Community. Many of the tweaks, features, other additions, or future plans for Solaroids have originated with the community.

[h3]Sign-up[/h3]
Sign up on my Early Access Page to be notified at full launch across all platforms, not just Steam.

[h3]Track me down on Discord![/h3]
Come join the (Solaroids Discord Server), exercise some much needed bragging rights, say high to other players, share some tips, and give me your thoughts about what would make the Best Asteroids Style Space Shooter on the planet.