Since last update, I’ve almost completed the last of the finishing touches on patch 1.0.2.

Much of this was squashing bugs that cropped up from the new galaxy and license gameplay, but I added a couple QoL changes that I think help the game feel less… well, annoying.

The first is that the game properly completes when you reach the end of the mine, rather than requiring players to intentionally “collapse” the mine. For fully clearing a planet the first time, you’ll be awarded a jumpgate token. You can then repeat the mine as many times as you like, to earn more credits.

The second QoL change is that tutorials – after the first one – no longer pop up immediately upon becoming available. Instead, there’s a new question mark button in the top left of the screen. You can tap that button at any point to review any tutorials that have been made available.

When a new tutorial is enabled, you’ll see a glow around that icon. Any tutorials that you haven’t seen yet will appear in that list with a glow around them as well.

I’m still fiddling with how to draw attention to the glow of that icon the first time, since it’s a bit subtle, but I don’t want to delay a patch for something that minor.

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That’s all for now!

I’m definitely not meeting that “mid-month” goal for BAWD 1.0.2, unfortunately. I had hoped that self-quarantine would yield more productive time, but it’s actually been surprisingly disruptive.

That said, I’m pretty happy with the progress anyways. I’ve closed a lot of tickets that have collectively made the game feel much more like the game I want it to be, though that destination is still far away.

The two main categories of work have been to add a new “system licensing” system, and to make the galactic travel experience more intuitive.

System Licensing

Unlocking later stages for successful completion of earlier stages is a comfortable mechanic for puzzle games, and that’s the general idea of what the “licensing” system is: a lightweight, semi-linear stage unlocking mechanism.

The first time you clear a planet (by reaching the bottom of the mine), you earn a star token. Star tokens let you unlock access to a new star and its planets. New stars tend to have higher difficulty planets, but you can re-play any planet you want.

This allows you to continue earning credits and upgrading your modules at your own pace, but to also continue finding new challenges.

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That’s it for now. Stay safe out there!