v1.1 Released!

v1.1 has just been released! Thanks to some more rigorous playtesting and critical feedback from the WSU game dev club, Balls Balls Balls is now better than ever! This update includes various bug fixes, tweaks, and entirely new content. Here are some of the highlights:

• Paddle spinning has been reworked! I was initially pretty adverse to changing this system, but I think I found a compromise that is more precise while still maintaining the frantic energy of the previous system. The paddles are still "charged" with a circle input (e.g., W-A-S-D), but once paddles are charged, the spin is then initiated by a single input. This also means that every input set now has an additional "special" input to accommodate this move. For example, ASWD uses E or Q to initiate their spin. Hopefully this system will help players feel like they have more control over the spin while still maintaining its role as an optional mechanic with a higher skill-ceiling.
• Previously, the "accelerator" ball type was pretty inconsequential, and the "spinner" type was WAY to erratic. The former has been removed and replaced with the "angler" ball type, which should be much more noticeable during gameplay. The latter (spinners) have been reworked to reduce the overall radius of the spin, including making it independent from ball speed. They're much easier to deal with this way, trust me. In addition, all ball behaviors now utilize some simple particle effect to help differentiate them.
• Powerups were conferred much too infrequently in the previous builds, and their random nature reduced the incentive to play offensively. Now, powerups are given out after certain "goal" thresholds have been reached, consistently rewarding more aggressive playstyles and making powerups a larger part of the core gameplay loop.
• Ball size has been added to settings along with the new "preset" option. This gives players a way to jump right into curated game modes and experiment with some of the more interesting settings!
• Various smaller bug fixes and tweaks were also implemented across numerous systems. If I did my job right, you won't notice any of them ;)

Thanks for playing!