Release notes for version 20.10.15.1759

Another day, another build. Here’s what you have to look forward to in version 20.10.15.1759:

I’ve been focused on ports to new platforms for the last couple weeks, which is why things have been slow. Unfortunately, while Xbox seems to be almost done, I’ve hit an issue I’m not sure how to fix.

With Xbox stalled, I shifted focus to mobile. I mentioned doing some NVDA-related TTS work recently. Part of that also involved performance optimization. Essentially, one place in the Android build needed to determine when speech was done before advancing the game (I speak an initial message telling users to turn off their screen reader, and don’t start the game until the message is done.) My initial method for achieving this was having the game loop check whether speech synthesis was done. Unfortunately, this happened roughly 60 times per second, and I suspected it was killing performance on mobile. I then set about adding support in the TTS library for callbacks when speech utterances were finished, and making that support available to the engine.

It does seem to have improved performance, which is the good news. The bad news is that, for me and my ancient version of Android at least, some of the controls are off. In particular, my Xbox controller has LT and RT reversed. LT fires, while RT switches focus modes. Can’t say whether the same happens with a PS4 controller, because my phone’s bluetooth stack is so bad that it won’t even pair with another controller.

This release publishes what I’d consider to be an alpha Android build. If you use Android, I’d appreciate a bit of testing. I’m not going to give elaborate directions, but essentially:

1. You absolutely need a controller, so pair one via bluetooth. USB connection may be possible too, though I’m not sure. A keyboard may also work, though I’ve not tried.
2. Enable the setting to allow app installations from unknown sources. Usually found under Security, though that might change based on manufacturer. Please know what you’re doing when checking this box. I’m not doing anything sketchy but others might be. Then again, everyone will say the exact same thing, so decide whether or not I’m to be trusted. :)
3. Download the APK from the Itch page and either install directly, or push via adb. Something like adb install onslaught.apk should do it.
4. Launch. Don’t worry about disabling your screen reader since a controller is a hard requirement, though if you want to play with the explore-by-touch support, go ahead.
5. Play like you normally would.

Would appreciate input on a) whether the controls are reversed and b) how performance is. I’m still working on an iOS port, but since Android is what I know best, I thought I’d finish that port first.

Thanks and enjoy.