Hey there, Cave here!
I'm pleased to present to you the final major update for Prototype 2: The Better Maps Update! Get ready to explore old and new maps alike with greatly improved visuals. Rediscover your favorite maps all the while enjoying a whole lot of quality of life improvements. In this dev log I will talk in-depth about some of the bigger additions and changes to the game including relevant thoughts behind them. At the end of this post you will find the changelog and an outlook on what awaits in Prototype 3.

Better Island Visuals

First of all, let's appreciate the greatest visual upgrade the game has received so far. I can’t tell if the game is beautiful, or whether I am just biased because of the ridiculous amount of work I put into it, but I like it! I always imagined Spread to take place on some islands somewhere in the ocean, giving off tropical-ish vacation-y vibes which I think I was able to accomplish. It emphasizes the casual nature of Spread together with the waves and occasional background music.

Map Variations

Have you ever wondered what your favorite maps would be like without any one-ways? Or what about Four Communities, but instead it was just one? Or perhaps a different community? Well, that’s what I have been wondering anyway, which is why I introduced map variations into the game! There are currently more than 10 map variations, effectively doubling the number of maps you can play!





Map variations are reimaginations of existing concepts. As you may know, most maps are based on a certain idea, for example Four Communities is about having four, rather disconnected parts of the map with only one entry and one exit cell. Or Crossroads is about having parts of the map only be connected by a chokepoint. Or Crater is about having a map without any one-ways, while only ever having to deal with attacks from two sides. I can go on and on about all the ideas and thoughts I spent on each individual map (and I will! In a separate dev post someday), but the general gist of it is that I wanted to try out different interpretations of the same concept. Some of which have a similar amount of thought put into, some were made just for fun, and some were created by accident.

Event Feed

There is a lot going on in Spread and during your insane 100 combo you are bound to miss the elimination of your rival at some point, especially when you are having many different rivals. No more! The event feed will now capture the most critical parts of the game, so you will never forget the devastating 137 combo in turn 48 that left you with nothing but a single cell surviving.



Currently the event feed is still rather simple, just a much-needed quality of life improvement, but I hope to expand on this in the future. Perhaps adding the ability to review past moves so you can make educated guesses on your opponent's next moves, or a filter to choose the data important to you specifically.

Reworked Primary Grid

This is a small one, but I still wanted to point it out: I remade the primary grid! Yup, I just ever so kindly asked the grid to merge with the floor and so they did, greatly improving performance and readability, rendering the hundreds of lines of code for the old grid completely useless. Oh, the joy of game development! Anyway, they can even remember whether you had the grid turned on during previous games in your session. This was not supposed to happen, they kinda did this on their own. So, if you ever hear the floor whispering, do not submit.

Replay Controls

The last things I want to cover in this dev log are the new replay controls. Previously, replays would just play at regular speed. It was impossible to pause or rewind, very much like you were spectating a match. In-fact it was exactly the same, except the players were super humans that could come up with their turn in just over a second.



Now we have it all, the play, the pause, the rewind, the fast forward, the take-me-back-just-a-single-spread-so-I-can-appreciate-eliminating-my-rival-all-over-again… and more. It’s not much, but it’s one step closer to one day being able to use analytical tools to discover the best spreads and reevaluating your life choices.

So, what’s next?

We are at the end of Prototype 2’s life cycle and I am very pleased with the results. One of my original goals was to prepare Spread for Steam as much as possible, adding various features and most importantly remaking the entire net code to be more reliable and resilient. For now I believe this goal has been met and I will introduce more Steam related features whenever I can. Another important goal for Prototype 2 was to lay the foundations for the menu elements that will once populate Spread with new options. It was mostly behind-the-scenes stuff, but it empowered me to create menus like the lobby and the replay controls, so this goal for the prototype was very much met as well. With the next prototype I will continue the work I have started.

In Prototype 3, I will finally introduce the first new game mode to Spread: The bridge lab! Bridges in Spread are cells that temporarily connect different parts of the map, until eventually moving once certain conditions have been met. This will introduce a whole new dynamic, as players will not only have to consider where the cells will be whenever they need them, but also from where enemy cells will invade their territory.

Also, next up in Prototype 3 is the much-needed tutorial. While Spread at its core is rather simple, it is still not easy to explain, at least with only words. In most cases beginners make the same fundamental mistakes when playing Spread for the first time and I want to avoid that. I want to give players everything they need to start off as a decent competitor and I hope to achieve that with the upcoming, interactive tutorial.

The last nameworthy thing planned for Prototype 3 are settings, not just turn time limits but also graphic and sound settings. I realize that not having any settings at all is quite an inconvenience for some players and I want to fix this with the upcoming update. So, this might be something you’ll look forward to.

While it is mostly a quality of life update, I still hope you can appreciate the game more with all the major improvements included in this update. I also hope you will enjoy all the new maps available to explore. I am really excited for the future, and I hope so are you. Thanks for playing the preview! ːluvː

Changelog

Highlights

• Completely revamped map generation, enjoy the view!
  
• Introducing map variations, discover your favorite maps reimagined
  

Features

• Endless fun, thanks to the new ability to load and play custom maps
  
• Never miss out on what's happening with the event feed
  
• Rewatch your favorite spreads on loop using the significantly improved replay controls
  
• Discord is back, invite or join your Steam Friends on Discord
  

Changes

• We kindly asked the primary grid to merge with the floor for improved performance and better visibility
  
• Unclickable and recently clicked cells are now easier to read
  

Fixes

• Fixed anti-aliasing and related rendering issues on higher graphic settings
  
• Fixed obnoxious menu sound effects and related issues
  

Other

A documentation of undocumented changes

• Use startup argument --low to turn down the most demanding quality settings (highly recommended on low-end devices)
  
• Added animations for changing the selected board in the lobby
  
• The replay list now starts at the bottom (in the future, the list will be reversed and your most recent replays will be at the top)
  
• Several file size optimizations (I am required to point out, that this is in-fact the smallest version of Prototype 2)
  
• As a result of the file size optimizations, the font may look different now
  
• Fixed the main menu map list (yup, it was not working as intended)
  
• Fixed the map time estimation (yup, also did not work as intended)
  
• Fixed everything breaking when hiding the UI
  
• Improved how UI animations work in-game, so it doesn't break anything else anymore