Space Jawns version 3.0.1 Alpha is available now for download for Windows, MacOS, Linux, and Android!

Space Jawns version 3.0.0 Alpha is available now for download for Windows, MacOS, Linux, and Android!

The latest installment of Space Jawns, version 2.5.0, is now available. This update includes changes from many smaller updates and changes many mechanics of the game. Because of this, we have reset the player high scores both locally and online. You must upgrade to Space Jawns 2.5.0 Alpha to register to submit your high scores online again. See the full changelog on the download page for all the new changes. Good luck and have fun!

The latest Space Jawns release fixes a bug that was not allowing players to save their name properly before starting the game. This lead to some blank player names being saved on the Space Jawns Top 100 High Scores list. You should now be prompted to add your name if it is blank and that name will update on your high score that is saved on the website the next time your score is updated.

As you may have noticed, there are a few minor version releases missing since the last release. I decided to just roll those changes into this release, as there was a lot of QA and testing that needed to be done before releasing another release after the 2.2.0-Alpha and 2.3.0-Alpha changes. There are also a few bug fixes and new features in the the full 2.4.0-Alpha release.

After coming up with the idea for space jawns, I figured I would use Javascript as the main scripting language for the game logic and storing game variables. This was due to the fact that I am a web developer by trade. Developing my game in Javascript was a way I figured I would be able to practice getting better at Javascript and coding in general, meanwhile I would be able to build the game in the process. THat has paid off considerably so far, as I have started to be able to read and decipher different languages of code much easier since starting the project. It’s helping me understand and execute code as I build the game, and it has also given me a new outlook on my abilities as a Developer in general.

I’ve made some huge advancements in the subsystems of the game in this release. I have also been able to start adding some new content as some of the systems are starting to settle in. There is a new “set it and forget it” style high score submission system that prompts you the first time you play, and will save your name and High Score to compete for the Global High Score online. THere are a bunch of other fixes and improvements in the Changelog. Check it out!

Summer has been a bit slow for development due to a few factors, but changes I have been able to make have been significant. I was able to figure out a very annoying bug that has haunted me since I added the logic for the Enemy Turret. The fix allows the Ememy Turret to aim at the player wherever they are, and have a level of difficulty that can be changed per level. There are some other fixes and tweaks for menu items and other UI elements for ultra-widescreen monitors thanks to a new QA tester, Red.

Once again it took a bit longer than I expected to take for a new release, but I ran into some snags with some of the features I planned to release in 2.0.8-alpha. I figure it’s better to include more features in a release, so hopefully that’s ok with everyone else.

It took longer than I thought it would, over a month, but I have compelted migrating all of the legacy Unity GUI elements to the new Unity 4.6+ UI element. Using both systems together has been causing some odd display issues on different devices. The new UI system introduced in Unity 4.6 scales much better than the legacy GUI system from my testing, and that’s what made me want to update all of the elements to the UI system in the first place. There are many other enhancements that went into this relase like new custom sound effects and visual effects. See the full Changelog for the 2.0.7 Alpha release below.