Full notes
Full Scratchin' Melodii update
Read the full published notes in a cleaner layout. The original post stays linked below.
Repeated intro
Hey there! I felt like it was time for another devlog, it's been longer than usual I think. I felt it was less of a priority since I'd just shown off a gameplay preview, so my deepest apologies to all 7 dedicated devlog readers... Also, this is actually the first time I've tried posting a devlog on Steam, so we'll see how that goes! If you're on Steam and this is your first time reading one of my "Progress Checkups", it's just where I give a little insight on how progress is going with the development of Scratchin' Melodii.
What changed
- Gameplay
- Maps
- UI and audio
- Compatibility
First off, in case you missed it, Lucid Mode was shown off in a recent gameplay preview of Stir & Mix!
During stages, freestyling well enough on two consecutive lines will allow you to ascend into Lucid Mode, a state where there are no charts or suggestions to follow, just your own freestyles! Successfully completing the stage in Lucid will give you a special ending scene and an emblem on your rank as lasting proof of your success.
To answer a few questions about it I saw floating around:
Q: Does this mean the other parts of the song are gone? A: No, going Lucid is something that only happens if you manage to activate it yourself. Otherwise, the song continues as normal.
Q: Can it be disabled? A: Yep, if you're like really good at the game but don't wanna accidentally ascend into Lucid, there will be a toggle in the Options menu to enable/disable the ability for it to activate.
Q: Can this happen in every stage? A: Probably! That's the plan, unless I find a rare reason it wouldn't work well for one.
In the preview, you can also see that Stir & Mix itself has been updated a bit in the vocal and artwork departments! Compared to the 2023 beta version's vocals, 2cada tuned them with a bit more stylization this time. In terms of artwork, the animations were redone in my current art style, as another step towards a consistent art style by release. In the process, I was able to make the animations much more fluid and expressive!
Little fun fact about that, Jamtine's hair actually used to cover up more of her eyes/eyebrows as if they were bangs of some sort, but I eventually moved it out the way so I could have more freedom with her expressions, which I found important for a character like her. An inverse of that philosophy would be Nami, who has her sunglasses and bangs cover up her eyes/eyebrows to give her a more mysterious feel. It's hard to tell what's going on in Nami's head! (If anything at all!)
Now, let's talk about the rhythm system and UI again. Here's a little quickfire of some changes I've made:
The Next Line Tab has a "NEXT" text sign above it and will stay at the end of the Player's line to help with clarity
The background bar of each line now adjusts to the line's length to also help with visual clarity
When points are gained or deducted, it now briefly flashes over the score counter instead of having a separate bubble
Holding the button on pow notes instead of tapping them will accumulate extra points until you either release it or reach the max amount. The more buttons you manage to hold at once, the more points you'll get!
Landing notes on the later end of a beat marker without being off-beat can count as swing rhythm, adding
Source
Changelog.gg summarizes and formats this update. How we read updates.