SAGE 2022 is coming up! Ball Stars update is happening! I'm uploading it here early because I'll be out of state for the next week.

There's a cool few new features to try with this demo! Admittedly it's not quite as big of an update as I wanted it to be - I moved house back in April and was only recently able to get back to development work - but there was still enough here that I wanted to share it with people. The changelog below is for updates since the Winter 2021 update; if you haven't played since last SAGE, or at all, you might want to check the SAGE showcase booth (not an accessible link at the time of writing, but it will be on the 2nd) for more condensed information that covers previous changes.

Update Notes

• New map: Mirage Street
  • A desert map, set between two sides of a residential/market-esque street. There's still some visual work left to do here, but the foundation is just about ready.
• New mode: Vs. Bots
  • This replaces the original Practice mode and fills a 3v3 match with bots, as a form of offline play. These bots are still heavily WIP and will act silly at times. Match customization options are available, including changing how bot characters are determined and team sizes.
  • As a direct result of this feature, the title screen now has an attract mode if left on the "Press Start" text, which plays AI matches on random maps.
• Camera behavior has been slightly tweaked. The vertical range is increased, horizontal angle should be maintained more consistently, and it should no longer slightly clip into obstacles (which allowed the player to see some weird geometry that was otherwise covered up).
• Menus have been given a mild redesign, to try to make them more consistent and make better use of the alt button. There may be a more exhaustive UI overhaul in the future, but for now this should be a slight improvement.
  • The chat box has been added to the mid-match pause menu when online, as a band-aid fix to allow chatting during a match.
• Gameplay changes:
  • Player movement as a whole has been made a bit tighter and less slippery. A bug involving jumps occasionally getting eaten has also been fixed.
  • Jolene now has a Hammer Lob ability, allowing her to knock the ball into the air as a mixup mechanic.
  • Jean-Pierre now homes in on the ball if Boost Lunge is used near it. This can be overridden by holding a direction away from the ball, and should make him easier to use.
  • Visual and sound effects for most characters have seen some improvements. I'm particularly proud of how Jean-Pierre's have turned out so far. This is a pretty big focus of visual polish for me in the near future.