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The observant of you will have noticed yesterday that we updated Shield Cat's store pages with a new sub-title: The Lost Conductor. What's that about? And what's the future of the game? Let's talk about it. (Note: We didn't post this announcement yesterday for obvious reasons.)
Hello Shield Cat fans! Today I'm posting to announce that my small project Cosmogelica now has a Steam page! I've been working on this small project in the hopes that I can use revenue from it to help fund the completion of Shield Cat, so please check it out and give it ye olde wishlist if you like https://store.steampowered.com/app/2598330/Cosmogelica/ As a reminder, Shield Cat is still on hiatus until this is done and I figure out how I'm gonna proceed with Shield Cat. In the meantime, I hope you like what you see with Cosmogelica! Cosmogelica shouldn't take much longer to finish, so please be excited for it!!
EDIT: A couple bugs were immediately found due to some last minute changes I didn't fully test out. If you've played the game and you see your save file says something like "Fish Scales: 300/0" you've got the bad version, so please restart your Steam client (if you're on steam) to fetch the latest version. Sorry for the inconvenience! This one also fixes a game crash in the video menu. Original text is as follows: No, you don't need to adjust your set, that says Shield Cat there. I wanted to update it before the Cosmogelica demo goes live, just in case people play that and want to check out Shield Cat too. This update introduces no new content and is only bug fixes UNLESS you didn't play the Chapter 1 update from January and ONLY played the SAGE 2022 demo. In that case, I did do a lot of QoL stuff in January, so feel free to check it out! The interesting thing about Shield Cat and Cosmogelica is that they share quite a bit of code, so bug fixes I did on code from Shield Cat I was able to backport back into Shield Cat. I also wanted to add Fullscreen Borderless, because Gamemaker didn't do it at the time I put the Chapter 1 update, but it does it now. This paragraph is for Linux players only! If you're not on Linux, you can skip this paragraph! The final thing I want to note in this segment is that the Linux version is back. If you're playing on Steam, and the game won't launch after updating, it may still be using the Windows version. Try uninstalling and re-installing it, and if that doesn't work, try going to the game properties and toggling "Use compatibility tool with this software" on and then back off (even if it's off anyways.) Updating the game to a version of Gamemaker that's like 8 months newer introduced a lot of bugs, so I think I'm just gonna do a runaround on the game every time I update Gamemaker just to see if it's broken anything or not. So, does this mean I'm working on Shield Cat again? No, I will be finishing Cosmogelica first. Please look forward to Cosmogelica's demo in SAGE 2023 on September 1st! I'm making this update to Shield Cat though to fix some bug reports I got from the Chapter 1 demo, to fix bugs I found from porting the code to Cosmogelica, to add the Fullscreen Borderless mode (highly requested feature) and just to let people know that yes, I still want to make Shield Cat. I didn't abandon it! Hopefully I will have some news for you guys after Cosmogelica. We'll see! Anyways, here are the patch notes:
Howdy! Coming at you today with - yes - a build of Shield Cat! I went back to the demo version and made a ton of quality of life improvements, to bring the game up to the standard I wanted for the SAGE 2022 demo, but did not have time. First thing's first: In this version, I've revamped the lighting system. Lighting on every screen has been tweaked and adjusted with the new lighting system, and I'm able to make much richer colors than I was before. You'll also see that visibility on some screens has been improved greatly, while still maintaining the vivid colors I was going for originally. Also, I improved the echo effects in caves to use the new Gamemaker audio effects. I've also made a lot of changes to the dialogue and cutscene system. Dialogue renders much more smoothly now, with better text box resizing to make it easier to read. Cutscenes have also been improved, with more dynamism to really sell the game's most crucial moments. Finally, I made general gameplay improvements, including several improvements aimed at making traversal and platforming easier. Next: I've made quite a few changes related to stage layout and progression. I've moved around a few things to make it easier to 100% the game, as well as added two new Train Stations to allow for more fast travel, making it easier to get around the current game world. You'll also find Mr. Scaleman in much more optimal positions, making it much easier to turn in your Fish Scales for the Cat Coin. All of these changes, however, mean that any file that was 100% in the prior build will no longer be 100%. Sorry! Speaking of Mr. Scaleman, he can now give you a hint as to where Fish Scales are! One of the most requested features of the demo was some sort of way to be able to track down the last few collectibles that you're missing, and I'm hoping that this helps you out! However, these hints don't come cheap, so only get the hint when you're ready to throw in the towel and just want to move on. As an aside, I'm sorry to say that the Linux version of Shield Cat has been discontinued, and subsequently has been removed from download. It was just too difficult to maintain a Linux version with it's many, many quirks, as a solo developer. However, you'll find that the game runs just fine in Proton, so you can still play it that way. If you're concerned about the map rendering bug that specifically affected Proton players with certain hardware, don't worry: I fixed that. I should note: This version is more or less the same as the SAGE 2022 demo, so if you're expecting a major expansion or to visit a new area, you will not find it here. Instead, I've gone back into the game and tweaked and updated a ton of stuff to bring it more in line with the original vision I had for the demo. I hope that you enjoy the updates and having a second run around on the game. And, if you didn't get round to playing it the first time, well, now is your chance! As always, here are the patch notes:
Howdy! Coming at you today with an update to the Shield Cat demo. This mainly focuses on bug fixes and QoL improvements to enhance the longevity of the demo. Here are the details:
Howdy! Coming at you today with a patch to the Shield Cat Demo! This aims to fix many small quirks and bugs that were found, as well as make balance changes and tweaks aimed at making the game a better experience. All in all, the launch was great, with minimal problems! I want to thank all the beta testers who made that possible, so thank you! Important to note, the version of the demo on Sonic Fangames HQ was just for SAGE, and won't be updated going forward (it's being left up for archival purposes.) If you downloaded the demo from SFGHQ, you'll have to download the update from the store pages for the game. Here are the patch notes:
Hey guys! I just want to let you know that Shield Cat is 100% compatible with the Steam Deck! You can choose either to play it using Proton, or using the native Linux version - both work just fine, and your game saves will be available thanks to the Steam Cloud. Also, since the game's base resolution is 360p, it has a pixel perfect 2x upscale on the Deck's screen. If you DO happen to run into any issues while running it on Steam Deck (as this game is in active development) please let me know!
[previewyoutube=_6-1eOsYNuQ;full][/previewyoutube] Howdy folks! After nearly 2 years of hard work, Shield Cat is finally ready for a brand new demo! Features of this demo include:
Howdy! Coming at you with a patch build to the build I've uploaded last week. Actually, I've been updating the game here and there throughout the last week or so with minor fixes, but I decided it'd be more productive to just post about all of the changes at once, rather than to post individual changes. So, here are all the changes since the last build! Mainly I have been focusing on bug fixes, QoL stuff, and polishing up the game to get it ready for the next demo. Please let me know if you find any issues or anything that generally looks "unfinished" (except the intro story, I'm working on it!) As always, here are the patch notes:
Hey guys! Coming at you today with a new build of Shield Cat! There's a few things I'm gonna talk about here, so let's do it! First, I've finally got Julie in the game. It took a while, but she's real and she's in there, and you can go talk to her! The minecart minigame is also in now, so you can go check that out too. Secondly, the Playtest build has been removed! If you were using the Playtest build and wish to join the Demo Beta, please contact me! People with the retail version of the game don't need to do this. It's only for Playtesters! Next, I removed the Steam Leaderboard functionality from the game for numerous reasons that are too extensive to cover here (but mainly have to do with cheaters.) I believe it'll be better for the game in the long run, though. Finally, this build should be feature complete in terms of collectibles. You should be able to do everything except find Parker and ride the trains. This means that you should be able to get 100% in every stage. If you're not able to, let me know! As always, I have the full patch notes below:
Hey guys! Coming at you today with another patch to the game! This one fixes a bunch of bugs, as well as adds an overhauled map screen. Please let me know what you think of the higher resolution map! As always, here are the patch notes:
You know when I put a new build, a patch will soon follow LOL here it is. There are only changes and bug fixes in this one, but please make sure that you've got it as it does fix some input issues and a game crash. Here are the details!
Hey guys! Coming at you today with a new build of Shield Cat! This one doesn't really add much in terms of new content, but it does have quite a few important fixes and improvements. Specifically, if you had trouble with input devices on Linux (especially remapping controllers) please try this build and let me know if it works now. As always, the patch notes are below here:
Howdy! Coming at you today with (hopefully) the last patch build for a while, so I can get back to implementing big things! This update focuses mainly on bug fixes and general improvements as I work on polishing up the game to be presentable for the upcoming demo. There's some important stuff in the patch notes, so please be sure to check them out!
Howdy! Here again with another patch that mainly fixes bugs, but this one also improves some things too! Notably, the Mail Toss minigame now has a proper NPC and also has been improved to be more fun and engaging. Please try it out and let me know what you think! Also, Marcus' Adventure and the River Challenge now count up how much time you've spent playing the minigame, rather than counting down. You now have unlimited time to play the minigame, but you will only get the achievements, Cat Coins, and bonus Pretty Petals for completing it within the time shown. The extra time though will give you more time to practice difficult segments! Finally, a bug fix I did recently made small platforms a lot trickier than expected. I made them slightly bigger and also improved how the game handles your interactions on platforms to help you stay on them (see notes for details.) As always, here are the patch notes:
Howdy! Coming at you with another patch because people found out you could easily softlock the game right at the start, and also because we might have linux back? I've been testing it out, and it seems to work great? Please let me know how it works for you! Here's a full list of what changed:
Oops, well! I knew I'd be seeing you guys again soon, but not so quickly! A game crashing bug was found so I had to update it very quickly. Sorry about that! I fixed some other stuff too while I was at it.
Howdy! It's been a long time coming, but I finally have the new build for you! I've added and changed *a lot* since the last build, so I hope you enjoy it! I have several things to talk about, so please read on!
Howdy! Coming at you today with a small patch build of the game that fixes a few issues. Nothing major is in this update, it's purely focused on bug fixes. However, you can still read the changes below:
Howdy! Coming at you with a patch build today that focuses mainly on cleaning up a lot of rough spots in the game, as well as adding some additional QoL features! Here's a full list of changes:
Howdy! Here's a small patch update to fix a few things as well as improve some things. Let me know about any other things that need fixing or improving!
Howdy! Coming at you today with a new Shield Cat build. This one introduces a brand new mini-stage as well as a new minigame! There's also been a significant overhaul to the map, as well as a ton of small changes and QoL improvements. If you haven't checked out the game in a while (or even if you have) this update is worth checking out, I think! A couple more things to note here: First, I've made changes to the River Challenge. It now gives out more Petals for each run (detailed below) and also gives you bonus Petals every time you complete it while grabbing all the stars. If you find yourself short on Petals, it's not a bad way to build some up. The second thing is that I've made it so that collectibles *do not respawn* when going back to the stage. I made this change so it's easier to figure out if you've already gotten stuff or not. If you go to a place and nothing's there, you've cleared it out already! Because of the way the lighting is in some places, it was hard to tell for instance if you had already grabbed the Fish Scales in the sunlight or not. To counteract the fact you can't run through the stage again to build up Pretty Petals, each collectible gives you Petals for picking it up. Please let me know what you think about this new build, and also, for supporters there's a little bonus in there. Hope you find it! As always, here's the patch notes:
Howdy! Coming at you with one last patch build before I start adding new features! I've been taking a bit of a break from the game to work on art and whatnot, so I've been using this time to mainly focus on small bug fixes (this means any bugs you find now will take a while before I patch them, but I'm confident this build is pretty nice.) Here are the changes:
Howdy! Here's another small patch update to the build from a week ago. This one mainly focuses on bug fixes, including one that could despawn Lance right out of the room, so be sure to update! Some of the changes I made may cause their own issues, so please let me know if you encounter anything weird as a result of this update. The full list of changes is below:
Howdy! Coming at you with a small patch to yesterday's build. Here's the details of what changed:
Howdy! Coming at you today with a new build of Shield Cat! This update focuses mainly on finishing up the Abandoned Mine stage, which is now complete (except for the boss is not yet present.) To celebrate, I'm letting everyone test out the cave! However, if you're using the Playtest Build, you'll have to fulfill some requirements in-game to get in. Speak to Roxy in-game to the west of the O'Fox shop to find out more. Again, if you're using the full version, you do not need to do anything extra! Here are all the changes that are in this build:
Howdy! Today I'm releasing a patch for the recent build which fixes numerous issues which were found with it. Because of all the core stuff I changed to make ASync stuff work, I expected that there would be bugs. Please note that this release is ONLY bug fixes, no new features have been added. Here's a full list of things that were fixed:
Howdy guys! Coming at you today with a new build of Shield Cat! This build brings *huge* changes to the graphics as well as many new and improved features! Without further ado, let's get right into it!
Howdy! Come at you guys today with a new Shield Cat build! In the title of this post it says I have a message, so let's get right to that.
Hey guys! Coming at you today with a revised build from yesterday. A lot of people had trouble with the river challenge, including people with better computers than mine? It was really inconsistent and I'm not sure exactly what it was, but in this update I rewrote how all of the river challenge elements are drawn and it *should* fix the issues! Also, there *may* be a bug that's resetting progress? If you've already beaten the mushroom boss but you find that you can fight him again, or you don't have the extra health from him, please let me know! I'm not sure if it was me doing debug stuff with the flags or if it's actually a glitch. This build also fixes a few other issues, including a major memory leak that was able to take up gigabytes of RAM in just minutes LOL many apologies for that. As always, here's the full patch notes
Howdy! Coming at you today with a new build of Shield Cat! There's two highlights with this build, the first being that the River Challenge is finally in! There's only one course for now, but there will be more as time goes on. Please check it out! There's an achievement and Cat Coin in it for you if you get 100% on it. The second highlight is that Linux builds are back! Please let me know how it works out! I've configured the Steam cloud to use saves from Windows and Linux, so if you were using Proton before, the saves *should* transfer. Oh yea also, this version adds a little cutscene to the beginning of the game, but to maintain compatibility, this version of the game will reset your save location to Lance's house so you can see it (otherwise it'll be invoked improperly!) My apologies for the inconvenience! Finally, I rewrote the title screen menu and the way it works. You'll see a preview of where you saved, but it'll look blocky. Rest assured, after you've played the game and saved again, the preview will no longer be blocky. Let me know if there are any issues. As always, here are the patch notes:
Howdy! Usually I don't put two builds in a single day, but I had to fix several bugs that were reported, so here we go! IMPORTANT: With the previous build, there was a scale integrity issue where you lose Fish Scales randomly by going between stages. I think I fixed it, but if you go between stages and lose any progress, please let me know immediately! Also, this version of the game updates file names and cleans up some leftover data. If your game suddenly says you have no save data, do not touch anything and message me. Most likely the data is still there, just the game can't see it now. Here's the full patch notes:
Howdy! It's been a bit since I made a new build of Shield Cat, and I think the rather long patch notes below should reflect this LOL I decided to rewrite the menu subsystem, which took a fair bit longer than I expected, so I worked on other stuff while I was doing this. As always, if the update doesn't appear, please restart your Steam client. Here's the full list of patch notes!
Tried out the Shield Cat demo and liked it? Want to see how the development is going lately? Now you can! All you have to do is go to the store page, scroll down to "Join the Shield Cat Playtest" and click "Request Access" and you're in! Please keep in mind that the builds you'll be playing are development builds and are not feature complete. They are simply to preview the game and provide feedback as I work toward the Chapter 1 demo. Please feel free to check it out and let me know what you think, thank you!
Do you want to help me test out new builds of Shield Cat? Now you can! You can now test out builds that are newer than the demo for free as I work toward the next demo (that will be a lot bigger.) You'll be able to give feedback and suggestions and help me work on the game! Please note that these builds are not as frequent as builds I offer to Patrons, and are meant to only be preview builds of what to come.
Hey guys! I've created a survey about the Shield Cat demo! In the survey, I ask about what you like or did not like about the demo, as well as your thoughts on some potential changes in the future. The survey will take about 5-10 minutes to complete, and is all multiple choice (with some optional text fields.) Please fill it out if you have the time, it will help me out a lot! I've split the survey into different sections, with each section just having a handful of questions, to hopefully make it easier to fill out. Thank you for your feedback! https://forms.gle/7fJGZ2mFrovLhmx49
Hey guys! Thank you to everyone who tried out the demo! A lot of people really liked it, and I'm glad! Today I'm bringing you the Final Demo Update which adds fixes and Quality of Life changes that will help the demo last for a long time until the next one. Unless game-crashing bugs are found, no more features or changes will be being added to the demo. Here is a list of changes!
Hey guys! Coming at you with a new update to Shield Cat! I want to make it clear that this is for the retail version of the game, NOT the demo (final update will come later) so you'll need to be a Patron or otherwise own a retail copy to see it. Here are the notes:
Hey guys! Coming at you again with some more fixes and QoL improvements! Here's what has changed:
Hey guys! Coming at you today with some small fixes and improvements to the game. Here's a list of changes:
[previewyoutube=YyVl2qSPM5k;full][/previewyoutube] Shield Cat is an Action Adventure Collectathon game where you spin your tail and go go go! Check it out and be sure to join the Discord and let me know what you think! https://discord.gg/NdYQXJUwRd
Howdy! Bringing a small patch that fixes some bugs and adds leaderboards!
Here we go! The final demo build that I will be presenting in a few days. Unless any major bugs are found, this is it! I wont be adding any new features or anything until after the demo. I hope everyone likes it! Here are the patch notes
EDIT: A game breaking bug was found when pausing and unpausing the game. A patch has already been issued that corrects this. Sorry! Howdy! Coming at you today with a new build of Shield Cat as I work toward the March 12th demo! Here are the changes this one brings:
Howdy! Coming at you today with a new build of Shield Cat! This build focuses primarily on fixing bugs and adding features as I prepare to release the Mini-Demo. I added Active Ability upgrades as well as a few more Passive Abilities. Here's the details for all the changes
Hey guys! Coming at you today with a pretty big update! In this update, you can now use all those pretty petals you've been collecting to purchase Lance's abilities. That's right, there are 2 new Active Abilities waiting for you and *several* Passive Abilities! This is the first time Lance's Passive Abilities have been implemented into the game. I hope you enjoy them! All of this work is going toward releasing a public demo, which should be ready by next month. At this point, all I have to do is fix some bugs and fix whatever bugs people find in this build, and get stuff ready for the demo release. Please keep an eye out for that! Here are the changes in this version:
Howdy! Today I'm coming at you with an update that has shorter patch notes, but actually brings quite a bit to the table. With this update. the refactor of Shield Cat is complete! Now I can focus on all new content, so please keep an eye out for that. Several things have been added or changed in this update, so please take a look at the notes:
Shield Cat is on Steam now!! Thank you to my Patrons and everyone who supports me and makes this all possible! Here are the patch notes compared to the previous version of Shield Cat (prior to being on Steam)
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