(Ab)Normal Pong - Post Acerola Jam Update Log

This is an Update Log for the Game Normal Pong.

This game was originally a submission to Acerola Jam 0, a 14 day Game Jam with the theme  "Aberration". This version of Normal Pong is based on user feedback from other Game Jam participants.

The original submission can be found here

The Newly updated version of the game can be found here

Issues raised by Game Jam participants and Remedies

The following issues were raised by Game Jam participants during voting:

• A bug was present where Positive/Negative pair Modifier cards sometimes had effects that cancelled each other out - e.g. "Increase Player Paddle Speed AND Decrease Player Paddle Speed".
• The gameplay starts too slow (especially noticeable on subsequent playthroughs).
• The AI performed poorly as the game progressed and the Speed of the ball increased.

The following remedies were added in this update to address these problems

• The bug where effects could cancel each other out was been fixed.
• The first two rounds are now automatically skipped when replaying the game.
• Increased the Minimum Horizontal Speed of Pong Balls by 25%.
  
• Additional Modifiers were added that affect the speed/movement of the ball - This should lead to the player having more options to speed up the gameplay early on.
• Added a temporary acceleration boost to the AI whenever it loses a round very quickly.

Full Update Log

New Modifiers

• Increase/Decrease the size of Pong Balls
• Spawn Static Barrier in the centre of the Arena - Barrier alternates between active/inactive every 2.5 seconds
• Increase Gravity strength
• Activate Anti-gravity - Only available when Gravity strength is a non-zero value

General Changes

• Increased the Minimum Horizontal Speed of Pong Balls by 25%
• Removed Minimum Vertical Speed constraint
• Improved Opponent AI
  • Added a temporary acceleration boost to the AI whenever it loses a round very quickly
    
  • Reworked Opponent AI movement when the ball is travelling towards the player - Should now position itself closer to the centre of the screen
• Reworked Card Modifier selection Algorithm so that a greater variety of Modifers are generated and displayed
  
• First two rounds are now automatically skipped when replaying the game

Bug Fixes

• Fixed bug where Game Over Screen would also be flipped once the Flip Screen modifier was enabled
  • Also Fixes bug where User could not see text typed into Highscore Tag field when the Flip Screen modifier was enabled
• Fixed bug where Text Size would be vary depending on the Zoom that a Players Browser was set to
• Tweaked one of the Alternative Paddles hitboxes - Fixes issue where Pong Ball could phase through far edges of the Paddle slightly
• Fixed bug where modifiers of the same type but working in opposite directions could appear on the same card
• Fixed bug where player could become effectively invincible by picking all Health related modifier cards, and then repeatedly choosing Negate Damage modifiers

Link to Updated Normal Pong

END