A beta with Steam Workshop and the new engine is up! Here's how to get it

[Pentadact]

Update: whether you join the beta or not, you may get a Gunpoint update that wants to install some standard installery stuff: a particular vintage of DirectX, VC++, OpenAL. The new engine needs to make sure these are all there, and they can only be turned on globally, so everyone gets 'em. Won't interfere with anything, but it will fix the no-music issue some might have had with the new beta.

Short version

We're nearly ready to release an update for Gunpoint that'll add Steam Workshop support to let you share your custom levels, and hopefully fix any remaining technical issues people are having with the old build.

Before we send it out to everyone, it'd be helpful if you guys could give it a try and see if you encounter any issues. Here's how:

1. Right click Gunpoint in your Steam menu and click Properties.
2. Go to the Betas tab, and under 'Enter access code' type: workshopbeta
3. You should now be able to choose the Steam Workshop Beta from the list there.
4. Click close, and Gunpoint should update. Might take a second before the download starts.
5. While you wait, join this Steam group.

You need to be a member of that group for Steam Workshop to work in this beta, but it won't be necessary once the update goes public.

If it fixes anything or breaks anything for you, or just to tell us how it works out, post in this thread!

More info

This version of Gunpoint has been converted by Abstraction Games into their own engine. Previously it was made by me in Game Maker 8, a very old framework that still has a few compatibility issues with some modern machines, and doesn't support Steam Workshop, Mac or Linux.

This first update will be the Windows version, with Steam Workshop support. If that all works, they'll start work on the Mac and Linux versions next. Here are the tentative patch notes:

- New engine. Should run faster for everyone and resolve a few compatibility issues, including that charmingly satirical one where it would pretend to run really slowly on really fast machines.
- Steam Workshop support for sharing user-made levels. Yes, we listened to the 1,779 post petition you guys confusingly started some time after we'd already announced we would do it.
- Option to turn off swearing. Up to you whether this makes "Grow a ####ing #### and shove it up your ###" kid-safe.
- Reconfigurable keyboard controls. To be honest, this is late is partly because one of the people who asked was such a jerk about it that I lost my eagerness to get it done.
- Vertical sync option. I didn't know we needed this, but the folks at Abstraction added it and now the animation is at least 23% more beautiful.
- Level editor. The level editor has been in there since launch, but some people still ask for one so I'm just going to keep announcing I've added it until everyone knows it's there.
- You can now place multiple elevators in a level without it crashing. That's more than I could do when I was making the game, so I expect your levels to be at least twice as good as mine.

As ever, no ETA on Mac or Linux versions - you never really know with these things until they're basically done.

Cheers everyone,

Tom

[Capt_Raven]

So, patch feedback goes in here?
I tried the first couple of levels, basically everything works, but I found some minor bugs:

• I had no music ingame whatsoever. Music was turned up in the options, "m" did nothing. (Note: I did uninstall OpenAL a couple of days ago.)
  
• There was a solid, dark blue rectangle in the lower left hand corner at the start of the very first Katie-Mission. Probably just some misaligned tile.
  
• I am no native speaker but: Isn't "to be boned" a swear word, kinda? It wasn't filtered out (came up during the first or second mission, said by Conway)
  
• Just a minor gripe: Controls can be reconfigured nicely, but I would love to see an option to revert them all to the default scheme.

That's all for now, thanks for the upcoming update. If you guys need any PC specs or whatever, let me know.

[Teamw0rk]

Cool just noticed the update. I wasn't one to encounter any problems i can remember. Very enjoyable game, nice to see you keeping it working.
I would definatly look forward to more of the main characters story, in what ever format you decide to put him in.

[Teamw0rk]

Have encountered a tiny bug in the level creator, where now if you place anything too far to the left of the screen it is deleted. This comes into effect pass the interface where you grab objects from.

[Bast]

It was always this way: trying to place an object too close to the left or top of the level will automatically delete it. So that it doesn't interfere with the UI, I suppose.

I've noticed something else about the level editor though, and it's clearly beta-related. Every time a level is loaded and saved, a group of three zeros is added to the .lvl file. Loading a level and saving several times will only add one group of zeros, but every time a level is loaded and saved a new group is added. Here's what the end of one of my .lvl files looks like:

356
1416
150
0
0
0
0
0
0

We have the usual id/x/y, but followed by several "empty" entity coordinates. It only adds a few useless bytes to the file, but I don't think it was intended.

I've also noticed that if changes have been made in the options menu, quiting the game from the level editor will not save the settings. Also, turning the music off and then back on seems to kill the main menu music. The music will play fine in the campaign levels, but won't play at all in the main menu. Restarting the game doesn't do anything.

That being said, thanks a lot for the update. I haven't noticed anything else, and being able to reconfigure the controls is really nice. Playing games with an AZERTY keyboard isn't always an easy thing.

[maxine]

My my, Abstraction as ever does not disappoint. I find this absolutely great.

Some general notes:

• The mouse cursor was captured when in menus. Feels like it should only happen when in-game, as it is done this way by most games - increased comfort, etc.
  
• All DLC content was available. I assume that's just for the period of testing?
  
• I still noticed significant screen tearing with VSync on - especially so in credits.

[a razor named qualia]

My issues:

- Lack of an option to turn the sound up, the music was quite loud. But the sound was not.

- The Workshop wanted me to publsh an update, despite the fact I made no changes to my map.

That's all.

[Aarrggghhhh]

Game (beta) becomes unresponsive at splash screen. Can't play it at all!

I've diagnosed the problem as a conflict with EVGA PrecisionX.

[BMad5]

1) On startup there are two splash screens (see pic: https://www.dropbox.com/s/jsl4hcnsaqth65m/2_Starting_Windows.jpg) but other than looking weird they seem to cause no problems and both disappear on exit.

2) Music level not being saved (Turned music off, exit, restart -tada- music playing again.)

[Egg Salad Sandwich]

Overall, the transition was pretty slick. I did run into a couple issues.

I subscribed to a workshop map, clicked on it to play it, and then the music stopped and the UI stopped responding. Presumably it was downloading a map, but it would be good for there to be an indicator of this.

When I exited the game, the process (and window) stuck around sucking up CPU until I killed it manually.

[sleepyzane]

This isn't a bug per se, but I did notice that any upgrades one may have from the main campaign carry over to the custom levels, effectively making it impossible for map makers to balance the levels for all of the strange permutations of upgrades players may have (or simply every unlock, as was my case).

I suppose a solution would be to make item loadouts a property of each level, so the map makers are establishing a common baseline set of tools for every player to use.

Aside from that, I've not noticed any bugs or issues others haven't already mentioned. Thanks for the update.

[Rosy Maple]

Yay update! I've noticed one fairly annoying bug though. Guards seem to shoot you immediately if you come out of the stairs in front of them, even if the room is dark and they're far away.

Also while we're talking about desired features it would be cool to let us set the resolver time limit in our custom maps, so the sniper doesn't show up at the end the moment we fire it.

[Frans Kasper]

Originally posted by Vengeance:

Game (beta) becomes unresponsive at splash screen. Can't play it at all!

I've diagnosed the problem as a conflict with EVGA PrecisionX.

Thanks for the feedback!

If you would, it'd be a great help if you could provide your dxdiag output. You can get this by running the command 'dxdiag' from the start menu's Run option and pressing 'save all information' in the dialog box that pops up. Send the text file it generates to frans.kasper [at] abstractiongames.com please. Thanks!

[Frans Kasper]

Originally posted by soeb:

My my, Abstraction as ever does not disappoint. I find this absolutely great.

Some general notes:

• The mouse cursor was captured when in menus. Feels like it should only happen when in-game, as it is done this way by most games - increased comfort, etc.
  
• All DLC content was available. I assume that's just for the period of testing?
  
• I still noticed significant screen tearing with VSync on - especially so in credits.

Excellent, thanks! The mouse-cursor being captured in the menus was an oversight on our end. Will make sure it's part of the next update!

Are you playing full-screen when you have v-sync turned on? If so; could you please try enabling v-sync through your driver settings and see if you get the same results? (Depending on your GPU this will be either NVIDIA Control Panel, Catalyst Control Center or Intel HD Graphics Settings tool).

[Frans Kasper]

Originally posted by Capt. Raven:

So, patch feedback goes in here?
I tried the first couple of levels, basically everything works, but I found some minor bugs:

• I had no music ingame whatsoever. Music was turned up in the options, "m" did nothing. (Note: I did uninstall OpenAL a couple of days ago.)
  
• There was a solid, dark blue rectangle in the lower left hand corner at the start of the very first Katie-Mission. Probably just some misaligned tile.
  
• I am no native speaker but: Isn't "to be boned" a swear word, kinda? It wasn't filtered out (came up during the first or second mission, said by Conway)
  
• Just a minor gripe: Controls can be reconfigured nicely, but I would love to see an option to revert them all to the default scheme.

That's all for now, thanks for the upcoming update. If you guys need any PC specs or whatever, let me know.

Thanks for your feedback, we'll look into it! We've added OpenAL installers to the Steam configuration, are you still not getting any music now? If so; are you getting sound?

[Frans Kasper]

Originally posted by Bast:

It was always this way: trying to place an object too close to the left or top of the level will automatically delete it. So that it doesn't interfere with the UI, I suppose.

I've noticed something else about the level editor though, and it's clearly beta-related. Every time a level is loaded and saved, a group of three zeros is added to the .lvl file. Loading a level and saving several times will only add one group of zeros, but every time a level is loaded and saved a new group is added. Here's what the end of one of my .lvl files looks like:

356
1416
150
0
0
0
0
0
0

We have the usual id/x/y, but followed by several "empty" entity coordinates. It only adds a few useless bytes to the file, but I don't think it was intended.

I've also noticed that if changes have been made in the options menu, quiting the game from the level editor will not save the settings. Also, turning the music off and then back on seems to kill the main menu music. The music will play fine in the campaign levels, but won't play at all in the main menu. Restarting the game doesn't do anything.

That being said, thanks a lot for the update. I haven't noticed anything else, and being able to reconfigure the controls is really nice. Playing games with an AZERTY keyboard isn't always an easy thing.

Thanks for the feedback! Good job spotting those extra lines in the .lvls, will look into it!

If you go into your savegames folder and delete all the .gun files (except Progress.gun, or you'll lose your progress !!!) you should get your menu music back for now. The issue with the music stopping should be fixed in the next update.