I didn’t think I was going to release a build today. I spent some free time playtesting and ruminating about the game. Overall I’m pleased with progress thus far, but there were still some lingering issues with movement.

This build changes how the slope of the terrain is calculated beneath the player. The slope determines how much lateral thrust is applied and in what direction, as well as how to reflect off the terrain on collision. The previous solution did not scale well at higher velocities, leading to unwanted behaviors, like bouncing continuously down slopes or never jumping off ramps.

The new method scales the dimensions of the rectangle used to calculate slope based on the predicted next velocity. Move forward and the rectangle stretches forward. This gives the terrain more leeway at higher velocities, without losing its glue at lower velocities. This makes it easier to drive down most slopes and launch yourself off most inclines.

Tomorrow I get the jab, so I won’t push myself too hard.

It’s the beginning of the end.