Gettin' Squirrely - version 0.3a is now available

This alpha update brings many bug fixes and improvements to gameplay based on play-testing and user feedback. The most exciting part of this update is the completion of Music and SFX for the game which are completely custom made! Sound FX were all recorded using Foley methods (manually recorded, not using samples from packs or downloads), this includes real animal sounds, crushing and dropping of nuts, moving foliage, etc.

New Features

• Nuts will now periodically fall from trees. Each tree will drop a one or more nuts at randomized intervals, this helps improve the number of nuts available later in the stage as time is running out.
• A jump gauge indicator has been added to the game HUD to help the player visualize the amount of charged power in their jump.
• Upon losing all health, the squirrel will now ragdoll. This also includes a fade out which then restarts the level.
• Camera clear shot and de-occlude functionality. When getting close to trees or other objects the camera is pulled closer to the character to prevent the character from becoming hidden.
• Sound FX and Music have been added to the game.
• Grass and shrubs have been added to the game
• Ambient Occlusion improves shadows around edges of rocks, trees, buildings and other elements
• Atmospheric fog effects and LOD groups have been added, this is necessary with the addition of grass and leaves on background trees and helps with GPU performance.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed tree collision. Trees had an issue related to wind which was not updating the collision mesh of the climbable trees in the main level. Trees are now simplified to improve gameplay control when climbing.
• An issue where the game time would continue to run even after the player has died has been corrected.
• Exit button is not needed in a web build and has been removed to prevent game lockup.
• Issues with dog's animation have been corrected, improving visuals
• Corrupted terrain data caused an issue with terrain collision. Terrain needed to be fully rebuilt.
• A mesh instancing issue which caused background trees not to have any leaves has been corrected

Coming Soon

• Release schedule - would you like to see Gettin' Squirrely on Steam or other platforms? Should a Kickstarter campaign be started to make this game even better? Currently I am considering various release and funding options. Let me know your thoughts on CoffeeMakerGames.com!
• An options menu will be added to allow users to configure Audio Levels and Input Mapping. For non-web version this will also include Display Resolution and Windowed/Fullscreen options
• More stages in the neighborhood, with new yards and areas to explore
• A stage selection menu
• More Squirrels! I am still working out all of the details on how new Squirrels will be acquired, the current leaning is to unlock new Squirrels as levels are completed.
• Other unlocks and customization. Considering other improvements and upgrades and/or power ups.