File structureThe following files are remnants from sound editing and should not be present in the release version:-
\Music\
Collision_Imminent.ogg.sfk
Collision_Imminent.ogg.sfl
Hull_Breach.ogg.sfk
Hull_Breach.ogg.sfl
Intruder_Alert.ogg.sfk
Intruder_Alert.ogg.sfl
\sounds\alarms\
outerhatch_opening.sfk
outerhatch_opening2.sfk
\sounds\rooms\
electric_destroyed.sfk
Size of .wav files noted. Maybe convert to .ogg or .mp3 at a later date for size reduction?
--------------------------------------
Missing Internet Explorer 32-bit bug remains.If the user doesn't have Internet Explorer 32-bit installed, the game will cause a recoverable error and fail to open the link webpage.
- Startup Screen both in tutorial video area and changes area.
- On Exit game.
Is it possible to have the game attempt to launch the user's default browser instead?
--------------------------------------
Non-Bug Note: Startup ScreenClicking 'Continue' causes the dialog box to be displayed in the middle of the screen, even in windowed mode. The non-moveable dialog box type is used.
Further note: This is happening with all of the stock Gamemaker dialog boxes. It looks strange and incorrect when the game is being played in windowed mode, but the window isn't in the center of the screen. I wonder what happens when using multiple monitors?
--------------------------------------
More on dialog boxes1. Reinstalled the game.
2. Loaded the game and went into windowed mode.
3. Clicked on "Construction" on the main menu.
4. Clicked on the "Project" drop down menu.
5. Observed the strange position of the help box that suddenly appeared. (Game window is in the center of the screen).
Attachment:
OffsetDialogBox.jpg [ 64.9 KiB | Viewed 11407 times ]
--------------------------------------
Redefining Keys'Help' key cannot be rebound back to F1 after changing. Rebinding the 'Help' key doesn't remove F1 binding.
'Undo' key is bound to 'strg+Z' but reset key settings binds it to 'Ctrl+Z'. It can't be rebound to Ctrl+Z manually, since pressing Ctrl immediately rebinds the key to that key alone.
Redefining keys notes halted here. There are lots of issues to sort out with redefining keys. I feel that investigating further at this point is unnecessary for V1.0.7.
Edit: Reset keys to defaults after rooms began powering themselves on/off as if a key was being held down.
---------------------------------------
Main Menu - Tutorials ButtonClicking on the tutorials text on the main menu isn't really bringing up a tutorials screen, since the startup screen is now different. Misleading for new players. But a transient condition due to the Alpha state of the game.
---------------------------------------
TutorialShouldn't 'Engineroom' in the tutorial text be 'Engine Room' as per the name of the room itself?
The flashing tutorial box that appears around various build tabs (e.g. "Corridors/Doors") is a bit difficult to see. Maybe a down pointing little arrow to go with it would help?
Step 21: Crew Quarters - "...und place it at the recommended location." should read: "...and place it at the recommended location.".
The transparent tutorial area can be clicked through. This can cause the new player to accidentally place rooms and powergrid squares. For example, when clicking on the next button and still holding a room or powergrid on the mouse pointer.
Step 36: Power Connection. The tutorial doesn't tell the player to go to the other floor of the ship. Or which direction the power connection should go, (although up is the only valid direction).
The tutorial area is slightly overlapping the tooltip area, in the bottom right part of the screen, that describes each room. This would be irritating to a new player that is reading room descriptions for the first time.
Step 38: The player isn't reminded that additional power generators will also require connecting to a power grid. In this case, a medium generator to power grid 1.
Step 41: Missing apostrophes for two uses of the word "Rooms". As follows:
"You can see the rooms cooling need..." should read "You can see a room's cooling need...".
"...Grid Mode over a rooms plug." should read "...Grid Mode over a room's plug.".
Throughout the tutorial there is irregular use of concatenation and capitalisation: "powergrid", "Power Grid", "coolinggrid", "Cooling Grid Mode", "Watertreatment", "Lifesupport", "Powerline", "powerlines". All text needs reviewing and a single method of writing each word decided. For example, is it a "Powergrid" or "Power Grid"? And in mid sentence, is the capitalisation to be present "Power Grid" or "power grid"?
Step 43: This step could be confusing to a new player. Within one step, (and, indeed, one nearly contradictory sentence!), the player must both connect a cooling grid and power grid. The player may not yet be fully skilled at changing grid types and with the auto activation of grid square placement when clicking on a building. In this case, clicking on a cooling unit causes auto activation of cooling grid placement. The new player may have difficulty understanding how to switch to power grid placement for this room if this has been their method of accessing grid placement so far. I recommend separating Step 43 into two parts: One for connecting power to the cooling units and one for connecting the cooling units to rooms.
Step 47: The player isn't reminded to connect the cooling hatch to the power grid.
Step 55: The EEV's require doors. The player isn't reminded to connect those doors to the power grid.
--------------------------------------
Undo FileI noted that the file 'undo' in the game folder reached 32.8MB after doing only the tutorial. Maybe this file should be truncated to 0 bytes after closing the game or maybe even when a ship design is closed?
Edit: Now I see that it's that big on game installation. Why is that? I tried deleting it and replacing it with a 0 byte file. But that just killed the undo feature completely.
---------------------------------------
Grid EditingNoted that you can't edit a grid while there are no rooms on the ship that provide to that grid. For example, without any cooling units, any previously placed cooling grid can't be edited as the related grid can't be accessed.
Noted that I can't set the default room order for a power generator to power, in the event that there isn't enough power for all connected rooms. By opening the circuit on a power switch room, I observed that an isolated power generator powered rooms in a fixed order, that I couldn't identify for manipulation. Being able to manipulate power priorities would really help when the power supply becomes insufficient at any point during a mission. The manual method is to click around on various rooms and doors and individually power off the ones that are less important, (and individually power them back on when power is restored). An expensive, (in game terms), work around would be to add several more power grid to the ship (e.g. one for certain groups of rooms and doors that the player considers to have lower priority for receiving power) and then to use a power switch to isolate grids as necessary.
---------------------------------------
Ship Design - Export Button under mission ratingDoes the export button really have to flash non-stop as soon as I have a valid design? Even the arrow flashes when the "Mission Progress" area is minimised.
---------------------------------------
Ship Design - CorridorsNoted that corridors are curiously yellowish in colour, (as if unbaked), until connected to another adjacent corridor using the Ctrl key method, (then they turn blue). Working as intended?
---------------------------------------
Unlimited UndoIt undoes the placement of rooms. But it doesn't touch the grids
.
---------------------------------------
SpellingNoted multiple spellings of the word "has" as "hast". For example: "A crew member hast to be present in the room to use the power button."
---------------------------------------
Multiple InstancesNoted that multiple instances of the game can be run. If your computer can handle it, it's possible to run multiple missions/designs in parallel. Could be useful for side by side ship design comparison.
---------------------------------------
Crew PatrolsNoted crew members' patrols sometimes fail and they no longer perform maintenance, (e.g. a medic not maintaining life support and water treatment rooms). Can't pin down a way to reproduce the problem.
---------------------------------------
Unlisted Key ControlsG = Toggles a red grid overlay that massively slows down the game.
TAB = During a Crew Management mission, hold this key to show your grids.
---------------------------------------
Power/Cooling Grids: Supply amount per room and gridValues are definitely wrong, at times, for both grids and individual rooms that supply power and cooling. Unable to determine exactly what causes them to display incorrect values at this time. Investigating.