Big changes coming soon!

It's been a while since I released the Snake mode update back in January, and I've been busy working on the next content update. Along the way, I've redesigned some systems and started making a lot of sweeping changes to how the game is structured. Due to these large changes, the next update has been delayed a little, but I'm getting closer to having a good solid build that we're happy with, and I hope this next update improves the game in a number of ways.

If people don't know, I work in the games industry full time. I most recently worked on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac port of Sniper Elite 4. I also have five kids, and try to make the most of my morning and evening time with them. Outside of this, in my 'spare time' is when I sometimes get time to work on Positron. It's slow progress, usually only getting a few hours per week to work on the game, but the deeper I get in to it, the more time I'm spending, and I have a lot of things on the go at the moment:

Porting the game

Positron is written in C++, and is not using a prebuilt engine (like Unity or Unreal). This gives me a lot of freedom in how I implement game features, and allows me to heavily optimise the game to run on all platforms.

That being said, actually porting the game to run on all platforms, getting the rendering working correctly, and supporting all the platform features like leaderboards, and achievements, takes time.

I'm currently working on porting the game fully to Nintendo Switch, with the intention to release on Switch while still in Early Access. I'm also working on my Metal renderer for the Mac version, because My Wife recently bought me an M4 Mac Mini to use as a demo machine when we attend expos. This tiny beast of a machine is light and portable and is much easier to lug around to events than my huge Alienware Aurora desktop PC! I'm also working on the D3D12 renderer for Xbox, and my PS4 and PS5 renderers need a little work to get the game running on those aswell.

Game updates

Development of game features, and updating the game here on Steam is still the priority, but there's a lot more that we have going on at the moment too. The next update here on Steam Early Access will include:

• Arena Mode - Deathmatch arena mode with up to 16 bikes in one arena.

• Star ratings - Each level now has targets to reach for 1/2/3 stars on completion.

• Zones - Levels are to be mixed up and split in to separate zones. Each with their own distinct visual style, and possibly also introducing game mechanics as you progress. Earn enough stars by completing levels in a zone to unlock access to one of the two connecting zones, which again unlocks further levels.

• Ghosts - In Maze mode, a ghost bike showing your previous attempt will run ahead of you. Also toying with the idea of recording ghosts for leaderboard entries so you can try to follow the run of the top score setters. Possibly only enable that option if you yourself have already completed a maze.

• Snake mode changes - With the star ratings, come targets to hit in terms of orbs to collect in Snake. Approximately 15/25/35 orbs for the smaller levels to hit the star ratings. Targets are determined by having our AI