Just this morning, we have pressed the switch and made the closed Beta of Octopede PC available. Links are being sent out to testers already on our list, and the intertubes are being scoured for more interested in testing.
If you are interested in having a go on the Beta of Octopede please email testing@orbitalgames.co.uk or head over to www.orbitalgames.co.uk/register.php to register your interest.
The main difference between Octopede Beta 0.2 and Octopede Alpha 0.1 is that we’ve graduated the code into a 2D engine base. While this doesn’t mean a lot of difference to players, it does give a lot of options and tools for us as developers.
The tool we're most pleased with is a console which can be activated while debugging a build. Messages from the game are displayed here, as well as the user having the ability to type in console commands for many useful features. Debugging the boss would have taken a lot longer if we had to battle to him every time – with the console we can spawn him as soon as the game has loaded.
Other changes include:
- New enemy – Injector: Stationary turret which can make things annoying for the worm.
- New enemy- Juggernaught: A turtle-tank! This thing is slow but very strong and has 2 missile launchers on its shoulders.
- New enemy – The Core: The core serves as the boss. The player must find a way to ‘unlock’ the thread and can then enter the thread to convert cached tail into points. This preserves the multiplier, so entering the thread basically shortens the worm’s tail while giving a big boost to points.
- New pickup – Bomb: Explodes when eaten by the worm. Nice for clearing an area.
- New pickup – Glitch: Teleports the worm randomly and creates an explosion where they arrive. Very handy for getting out of tight spots!
- Quickstep – The quickstep now goes much further and creates an explosion when the worm ‘lands’. Boom! A very powerful weapon.
- Statistics – statistics are saved after each game and added to the total statistics. Quite interesting to see how the most damage is done.
- New UI frame with flashing lights (shiny!)
- New projectile graphics
- New projectile trails
- New explosions with more particles (around 100 per explosion if I remember correctly)
- Many new sounds
We invite you all to try and challenge Andy's 4.5 MB high score.
Let's wipe that grin off his face. Good luck!
