It's been a while, but I decided a ways back I would step away from the cluster that Subterene had become and take a break to learn how to properly code games for a bit.

Now that I've returned to it, I can happily say that yeah, I've improved a lot, but also, wow.

This thing is a complete mess.

What was supposed to be a quick 2 week October update quickly spiraled into nearly a month of code work, asset construction, and complete codebase overhaul for a tiny game about a tank and some rocks.

I still wasn't able to add all the features that are missing from the game, but quite a few have been put in, such as a Radar Pulse to help you find your way, as well as map waypoints and many missing map assets.



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Here is a complete list of changes:

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Map system overhaul; should use less space and load faster

Probe system overhaul; easier to load, has visual indicators to who what they're doing, and now can repeat their dialogue with a prompted keypress

Jammed Drill indicator now appears over blocks

Added a silent Overheat indicator over the Jam Indicator so you can tell when you're cooking the engine even with override active

Adjusted Override / Overheat. Override now unlocks an additional 20% of overheat meter, letting you burn the engine in exchange for a damage and speed boost

Tank top speed increased

Tank turn speed increased

Tank drill speed increased

Tank vent rate increased

Adjusted tank slowdown behavior when pressing into walls; should no longer drop all your speed when tapping a tunnel edge too hard

Steam: Integrated steam achievements!

Added in a new feature: The Radar Pulse Charger (RPC). Holding the radar toggle key instead charges a powerful sonar pulse that will show all drillable rocks and air pockets in a small radius around the tank. This is a feature mostly to help lost players along; now you have both this, the general map layout, and the probes / relays to help direct you.

Kind of basic, but the Escape menu now also pauses the game.

Audio now initializes properly. Will probably still not be perfect but will be better than before.

Reduced Rockswimmer speed

All maps updated; they have been reduced in size and should now have far less dead space. At the same time, new points of interest have been added.

Cockpit damage; getting hit now causes a visual effect to better immerse the player.

New tutorial layout and opening area. While I wanted to have the "metroid-style" open tutorial, I realize the game is a bit too complex for that. So I've made things more explicit, given more direction, and added lots more dialogue to peruse.

Fungal area has had a major overhaul with new mission objectives and a much smaller, more maze-like layout.

Tank now has a turret! You can aim your bombs with the mouse or right stick. Bombs also have kickback and can be used to move the player in short bursts.

Writing overhaul! The story should now make a modicum more sense but I will be continuing to review it in my spare time as I think it's still missing something.

Misc. visual updates, including tank sprite being changed for readability.



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I plan on coming back to Sub in a bit to continue with quality of life updates, as well as eventually working on a 3D sequel. Stay tuned!