I’ve just finished testing the latest Machine Runner updates…

The first thing you would notice is that I’ve made the title screen much darker, with sharper angles that hopefully give the game a much more foreboding atmosphere, although I not sure if this is too dark for the gameplay now?

Secondly I’ve introduced the spinning fan and pumping electro-magnet tiles to the play-area. The fans blow R.0.B upwards (to a ceiling height of three tiles, given enough time) as it runs over the tile, and the magnets keep R.0.B firmly stuck to the ground as it goes over the magnet tile.

A death animation has also been added, along with a new ‘You Died’ pop-up screen showing your current and best scores. This pop-up can be dismissed to instantly begin a new game.

I’ve also introduced some particle effects, to show sparks when R.0.B grinds over the magnets, and a fire effect when R.0.B has hit an object, or the bottom of the screen.

I’ve also fixed some timing and hit-routine bug, although they weren’t all that obvious to begin with. Oh, and I’ve decided to drop the re-spawn idea, it just wasn’t working with the gameplay, and broke more than it helped.

And that’s about it so far. I’m still working on the on-line hi scores option, and hopefully all will be ready before my projected Desura launch date – although I still don’t expect anybody will buy it!