Hey everyone! I hope y'all are doing well. I'm back with a new status update all about version 0.8 of Baldi's Basics Plus! Let's start by discussing a couple new features that will be in the next update.

Play Style

This first one is pretty simple, but I think it will be an addition welcomed by many of you. I've added a new play style option that allows you to change how lives work to make for a harder or easier experience. The options are:

• Normal - You start each level with three power tubes (This is how the game has worked since launch).
• Arcade - You start with three power tubes, but do not get any more each level.
• Strict - You only get one power tube per-game. Lose once and it's game over!

If you've found the game to be a bit too easy, or are looking for a more typical roguelike gameplay experience, this option can be adjusted to your liking! Normal helps balance the sometimes unfair chaos of the game by giving you a chance to learn levels and adapt accordingly, arcade still offers some leeway, but makes losing much more punishing, and strict won't let you have any second chances. Choose whichever option you think makes the game more enjoyable! Note that this option won't impact the power bonus. The power bonus will be based on the number of attempts it takes to beat a level. So on the Arcade setting for example, if you go into a level with one power tube and beat it on your first try, you'll still get a 3X power bonus. With that explained, let's talk about a much bigger new feature coming in the next update.

Hurry Up!

Recently I asked on Twitter what y'all's average times were per-level. I wanted to know to help balance a mysterious new feature. Well, I'm ready to reveal what that new feature is!

Time Limits

Yep, in version 0.8 you'll want to make sure you don't spend too much time in a level because school is only going to be in session for so long! This is a feature I've been planning on adding for a long time and I think it will add a good sense of urgency to the game. Finding good places to hide will still be important, but you won't want to hide forever! With this new feature, once the game begins, you'll be able to see how much time you have via a timer near the elevators. I also plan on making the time viewable via the map. As time runs out, the Baldi TV will occasionally notify you as well. Once the clock hits zero, school is out! Things will start changing fast!
First off, Baldi will begin speeding up over time. The longer you stick around, the harder it will become to avoid getting caught! Principal of the Thing will also try to send you to detention for being in school after hours. Even after getting sent to detention for this reason, you will remain guilty in his eyes so be sure he doesn't see you again!

Lights Out

Characters aren't the only things that change when school is out though. The level changes as well! As soon as time is up, lights in the hallways will start dimming, and the Principal of the Thing will turn out the lights of rooms he exits. Things will get pretty dark fast, and you'll need to take advantage of this if you want to survive as Baldi gets faster and faster!
How can you take advantage of the lights going out? Well, this update will add a new mechanic that allows you to hide in dark areas! If you are standing on a tile that is as dark as possible, you'll become hidden and NPCs will not be able to see you. You'll need to find dark spots to survive and finish the level as Baldi begins reaching terrifying speeds. In the future I plan on adding more content that utilizes lighting, but for now this is all I've implemented. To accommodate these changes I've also slightly reworked the lighting system to make super dark areas easier to see in. There is now a much more noticeable contrast when objects are in dark areas, and the minimum brightness is now limited so not everything becomes pitch black.
I may adjust lighting further to ensure things don't get so dark it's too hard to see. I might add more effects for when you run out of time, but for now this is what I've implemented. In my testing I've found that trying to survive after time has run out is super intense, so it should be a lot of fun for those rounds that take a bit longer to beat than usual! Of course, I'll try to balance the time limits to make sure there is still time to thoroughly explore levels, you'll just have to be sure not too much time is wasted.

Level Generator

Aside from those new features, I've also dived back into the level generator to tackle several issues that have been on my to-do list for a while. One issue, which I've now successfully solved, is eliminating dead-ends and bottlenecks in hallway generation. In previous versions of the game it has not been uncommon for huge, unpredictable dead-ends to form in levels which can unfairly end a round. Another issue was bottlenecks, where certain areas of a level could only be accessed via a single hallway. I created a new algorithm to more intelligently generate halls and avoid these issues. This will allow me to, in the future, be intentional about dead-ends generating in levels and better balance the risk involved with them. Another issue, which I am currently working on, is that of open areas. When a level is generated the game scans it for open areas. Open areas are any parts of a level that have a 2x2 or larger group of cells connected to each other. Rooms are mainly where open areas are found. In order for NPCs to be able to navigate these spaces and avoid colliding with objects in them, the game generates a NavMesh and other data which makes this possible.
The blue grids are NavMeshes which have been generated in open areas. The issue with the way this has worked in previous versions is that this data is only generated once when the level is first generated. If the level layout changes to change the shape of an open area (For example, it multiple portal posters are placed next to each other) none of that open area info is updated. So, I'm currently reworking this system to make it possible to update this info as the level layout changes and to optimize it so that this can be done with very little performance impact. It's proven to be pretty challenging, but I've made good progress and I'm pretty confident I'll be finished with this soon. Perhaps not in time for 0.8, but this is high on my priority list for now. Aside from that I'm also improving the way structures (swinging doors, conveyor belts, roto halls, etc.) are generated/loaded to pave the way for new ones! I really want to get some new structures in the game for 0.8 to really spice up the level generation since it's been a while since that aspect of the game has seen any new content. With that said...

Slowing Down

I've decided to delay the next update by a month. I plan on resuming the two month schedule again afterwards, but for a number of reasons I feel like it will be best to give 0.8 some more time in the oven. So the plan now is to release 0.8 in early December. My main reason for delaying the update is that, due to how much time has been spent working on technical aspects of the level generator, I haven't had much time to actually create new content. I don't want 0.8 to just be the time limit and a new option so my plan now is to try wrapping up all the technical work I'm doing by the end of October and spend the entirety of November creating new structures and other content for the game. Another reason for the delay just comes down to the fact I probably won't get a ton of work done in December due to the holidays, so it makes sense to crunch a little bit at the end of November to wrap up a big update and then be able to relax in December. With that in mind, 0.9 (Which will likely release at the beginning of February) will probably be focused on bug fixes since the list of known issues getting quite large and that will be a good way to warm back up after taking a short break. Oh, and just a note since there seems to be some confusion regarding version numbers; Baldi's Basics Plus is using semantic versioning, so after 0.9 will come 0.10, 0.11, etc. I wanted to clarify this since I've seen that some people think 0.9 will be the last early access version of the game. I don't currently know what the last early access version will be, but it will be well beyond 0.9!

Conclusion

I think that pretty much covers everything that's going on regarding version 0.8 at the moment. I hope the delay doesn't come as too big a disappointment, but I will try my best to make sure the wait is worth it!

[ 2024-10-28 17:21:51 CET ] [ Original post ]

Baldi's Basics Plus is like the original game, but PLUS! The same cruddy edutainment horror type parody theme is back, but with hugely expanded gameplay features, including procedurally generated levels, field trip minigames, crazy random events, PLUS more characters, more items, and more chaos!

This game is not what it seems...

Baldi's Basics Plus is a survival horror roguelite that parodies cheap 90's edutainment and never takes itself too seriously. You will encounter strange characters, find useful items, go on field trips and more as you explore Baldi's ever changing super schoolhouse, and as you explore the game itself, you'll start to realize it is not what it seems...


So, what exactly do you do in this game? You collect notebooks while playing hide and seek with Baldi! Sounds easy right? Wrong. Baldi can hear many of your actions, and he uses those sounds to try and find you. He's also invited many friends to come and play, who can cause a lot of trouble. Get to know them though and you can use them to your advantage! You'll also find lots of items scattered around the school. These are the key to success. Use them wisely if you want to have a chance at beating Baldi!

Near infinite replayability

Baldi's Basics Plus randomizes so many different things, every time you play will be a different experience!

• Procedurally generated levels - The levels change every time you play! Not only will the layout change, but the types of rooms and obstacles, you find will change too!
  
• Random events - One moment everything is fine, the next the school is flooding, or fills with fog! Random events can begin at any moment, so make sure you're ready for them!
  
• Mixing and matching characters - Each time you play, you'll get to see random combination of characters.

All these variables add up to make each playthrough a unique experience!

Lots of ways to play

Baldi's Basics Plus features many different modes to test players in different ways!

• Main Mode - Complete a series of randomly generated levels to win! Run out of lives and you'll have to start over.
  
• Endless Mode - See how many notebooks you can collect before being caught by Baldi! Compete by playing on pre-made levels, or go crazy and try playing on a randomly generated one.
  
• Challenge Mode - As you play more of the Main Mode, you'll unlock challenges! Challenges offer unique scenarios you won't find in the main game. One might have you sneaking around the school to avoid being seen by the Principal of the Thing, another might have both you and Baldi running at super high speeds!
  
• Field Trips Mode - Play field trips found in the main game whenever you like! You can try to set high scores, or just practice!