Randy & Manilla - Two sibs in a Quantum Travel (Early Access available)

[ofihombre7]

Warning! Randy & Manilla it will unfortunately be on temporary on hold, in protest of Unity's new measures for 2024.

Full article link: https://randyandmanilla.weebly.com/news/...ncellation

It could be canceled if it reaches more than 200,000 installations (due to new taxes).

[ofihombre7]

Great news! Randy & Manilla won't longer have the risk of paying installation fees (at least not reaching 200,000), so the project will remain active (until further notice).

[ofihombre7]

Randy & Manilla wish you a happy year 2024.
However, for this year it can be a very decisive point for the project, so an important announcement will come at any time.

[ofihombre7]

After to overcome various obstacles and problems, I can tell you that we will soon have an important announcement that will mark the next development phase for Randy & Manilla.



The following new features of the game will be presented from a new trailer that will be scheduled for February 29.

[ofihombre7]

I'm glad that I finally bring back a lot of information about Randy & Manilla project.
And also that it will come in early access in a couple of months.
All being shown by the one who will come next:



Although it may give even a little intrigue, at the same time, this raises some questions as to why I decided to opt for Early Access.
The truth is that it was a very difficult decision for me. The ideal would have been to have launched it completely by these dates,
but however they were unrealistic estimates due to several factors such as the lack of time available on the part of me and our freelancers team.
It also took me a long time to arrange as many details as possible, along with a tight budget.

All of them were factors why its development took longer than necessary, and in the end I opted for Early Access,
because I didn't want to delay any longer to show what we have done with the game so far.

But without a doubt, the worst part and the one that would have led the game to inevitable cancellation,
it was the enormous controversy that Unity had since September of last 2023 about the fact that they would pay a fee in their runtime.
However, thinking coldly, in the case of this project it is very unlikely that this is the case, specially since now it is no longer retroactive and they wouldn't charge fees until Unity Pro,
a relief thanks to the enormous pressure of the community.
But even with that, few confidence it has remained (at least for the long term), so I have no doubt that Randy & Manilla would be the last project made with Unity.
Returning to the topic, we review some of the new features shown in the trailer for Early Access:






If the minimap alone wasn't enough to orient yourself to the selectable Net-Cubes, it will be possible to enlarge it and also to be able to rotate it to obtain a full map picture.
That makes for a great guide to directing the ship to the Net-Cube it needs to go to.






Surely one of the most criticized and requested points of the game, is that Randy moves slowly.
Although in reality it isn't that Randy is slow, but because of his animation he seems slow.
That's why the sprint button has been added for Randy (and also Manilla).






The giant cyan Net-Cube from the center of the colorful cumulus is Quantum City.
It's a big electronic city where both E-Mailer and Blue Quantáramo reside.
With the inclusion of this Net-Cube along with the rest of those already available, there is a total of more than 30 levels that will come in advance for Early Access.




As a last point, and as a curiosity for those who have been more attentive when watching the end of the trailer.
Why the Steam & GOG logos have loading bars?
Well, that is because as of the date of this article, its pages its files are still under construction, and they also need approval from their respective store managers.
If approved, you can add the game to wishlists until May 10.
In any case, it can also be obtained on both the itch.io and Patreon pages.

Depending on how the game receives from launch day, it could even slightly speed up the development of new content that will come through free updates.

Meanwhile, you can also see a preview of the first game cutscene:



We hope there are players who come wanting to try the game.

[ofihombre7]

It's been two weeks since I announced that Randy & Manilla would also appear in Early Access on Steam
(you can see it at the end of the trailer):



And after several long processes for the game to be accepted on the platform, I can finally declare that Randy & Manilla is officially on Steam!
If you are interested in the project, I leave you the following link to include in your wishlists:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/28812..._y_Manilla

And the thing doesn't end here. As the launch day approaches, new details will be revealed (including the price), so the page will be updated accordingly.

[ofihombre7]

A new keyblade & heartbinder for Kingdom Hearts IV has leaked! Both based on Randy & Manilla:

[ofihombre7]

After finding out that Early Access was only a month away, I dedicated a shorter and more summarized trailer:



In addition to that, also a 3-minute gameplay video:




(Note: At the end of them, the GOG icon doesn't appear, because I didn't get an official response from their respective administrators, or basically it wasn't accepted to be included in their store).

[ofihombre7]

May 10th has already passed, and the Randy & Manilla's Early Access is now available on Steam, itch.io & Patreon.
(Unfortunately it wasn't released on GOG, because there wasn't response or agreement from the store administrators).

The early access comes with more than 30 levels spread across 7 different Net-Cubes,
and among all those levels, they also offer the following things:
- 9 different mechanic types (3D Platformer, 2D Platformer, Arcade, Rogue-Lite, etc.)
- 6 boss battles
- +70 OST compositions

After its release, a roadmap for the big updates will be revealed and will also include some patches if required.

For all those who want to play the game, enjoy it

Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/28812...__Manilla/
itch.io: https://ofihombre.itch.io/randy-manilla
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ofihombre/shop

[ofihombre7]

Randy & Manilla has been enlisted to participate in the Indie Revolution Expo 2024 from the time and date noted in its schedule: https://www.indierevolutionexpo.com/schedule/

[ofihombre7]

Weeks after the Early Access release, and thanks to the feedback obtained by a small but not insignificant community, some of the following improvements and additions have been applied, which will be summarized below:



First of all, the levels of the Net-Cube Abstractia have been redesigned to be shorter or more concise for the challenges they propose. For example, level 5-1 now has a gigantic fuscia tree indicating the goal, but there are reach by means of teleporters to which three of them are the correct ones.




First of all, the levels of the Net-Cube Abstractia have been redesigned to be shorter or more concise for the challenges they propose. For example, level 5-1 now has a gigantic fuscia tree indicating the goal, but there are reach by means of teleporters to which three of them are the correct ones.




And speaking of saving the game, a toggle has also been included to activate the autosave option to the right of the help buttons for the controls.

Among other things that were included:

• The FixedTime was reduced to 0.02 at 0.0166 for better performing on 60 Fps mode, and certain parts of the code that were affected by these changes were adapted.
  
• Sprint automatic activated after 3 seconds walking.
  
• The scroll of the graphics option in the pause menu can now be up and down with the right joystick of the controls.
  
• Checkpoints added in levels 1-4 & 2-5 Randy's phase.
  
• Some bugs & detail fixes.
  

After the patch release, others may come if necessary. However, this marks the beginning of a new and great stage of development for Randy & Manilla, and throughout the Early Access period, the game will be completed through 3 big updates:



As shown on the roadmap, the first updates continues with what remains pending in Quantum City, followed by Randy and Manilla arriving at a new but sinister Net-Cube called "Fakepeace Area", and in it two new characters will appear: One will be the new but rude companion, and the another will be a new but fearsome minion of Cracksom Virus. The update finally ends with a full version of Blacksquare Qubit Battle.

The second and the most important, It's about Randy and Manilla arriving at Quantum HND and finally discovering their origin and purpose and why they were created together as the Net-Cubes.
They will then arrive at Cracksom's fortress, where they will have an epic final battle for the future of the Net-Cubes. Along with an included post-game, this update will mark as the full version of the game, as far as the base content is concerned.

The third & last update it's a secret extra. It can be any of the four mentioned in the roadmap or all of them at once.
The community can openly participate about what new things they want to see in the game (as long as they are applicable to the game).

With these three major updates, if completed, they will reach the final version of Randy & Manilla.
The planned year to start the big updates is 2025 (according to the current pace of development), but if you are really interested in the project, a good support can speed up the process and get the material sooner.

It's not enough to just wishlist the game, it also requires supporting and playing the current Early Access version. Sharing and talking about the game in community will also help in reaching its final version, but it must be more than ever.

If you are one of the people who has decided to play the game in Early Access, enjoy it and you will soon see the new content .

Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/28812...__Manilla/
itch.io: https://ofihombre.itch.io/randy-manilla
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ofihombre/shop

[ofihombre7]

In case you didn't know, it has announced a roadmap along with the launch of a patch that talked about three big updates that will come in the future.
But before starting the first of the big ones, a second patch has been released that doesn't add new features or redesign levels, but at least has renewed certain parts of the code, small additions and some small physics and gameplay improvements that They provide a slightly better experience.

The changes & add of the 2nd patch are the next:



In first place, If you complete the scores of levels 1-2 and 4-4, you can obtain the rare occasion of two temporal skills at the same time.

Gameplay & physics changes:

• It is given greater mobility in the air.
  
• After colliding the springs, you can move more freely in the air, which allows you to avoid many undue falls into the void due to going in the wrong direction (especially in Terra-Qubit).
  
• The animations of Randy and Manilla being weak to only one HP has changed places, and there (almost)  aren't interruptions in jump power.
  
• For the ship, it won't switch from joystick and keyboard controls to mouse when it is moving.
  
• In level 4-2, the key input for Manilla's shield was changed, as it was inappropriately on the G key instead of E.
  

Other changes:

• The small arrow on the Net-Cubes minimap is now a 3D model.
  
• Spelling microcorrections in Wonder Race.
  
• Racing levels lap counter starts with 1/4 instead of 0/4
  

Another patch will possibly come before the big updates when needed, but you can still give this game a chance at what it currently offers.


Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/28812...__Manilla/
itch.io: https://ofihombre.itch.io/randy-manilla
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ofihombre/shop

[ofihombre7]

Another patch had to come at the start of the big updates, as there were some bugs that went unnoticed or weren't included in the previous patch, but we start with what it offers below:



To begin with, it was taken into account that sometimes the rings that catapult don't work properly (specially when jumping when you are about to fall into the voids), and also because some weren't fixed correctly after the changes in the first patch.
As if the missing fixes weren't enough, with one life left, all of them will be replaced by teleporters that just by stepping on them will take you from one place to another without running so much risk of losing the level due to intermittent rings failures (It is possible that in a future patch or update we will find out how to make the rings functional at 99.9%)




Another case happens with healing points, but for another reason. Many who have played the game since 2nd beta, upon reaching one of these points with 3 or more HP, will have wondered why they didn't work, and the answer is very simple: Randy or Manilla's HP was still full and will regain life once they receive damage.
To make it more visually understandable, the points will begin to go off, and will light up when they detect that they have received damage.




In Manilla's runner levels, a small screen has been included in the UI that predicts the next obstacle to jump (useful for those who don't have such good reflects), and the representative icon will change shape when the next one matches the shape from itself.

Among other changes and additions:

Gameplay and physics changes:

• Fixed an animation bug when stepping on a spring in Terra-Qubit 1-2.
  
• Punching and kicking animations from Randy and Manilla now have a transition from when they are in the air.
  
• Slightly increased double kick chance in Rol & Rogue.
  

Other changes:

• Small height and texture fixes for certain enemies.
  
• The red screen is better integrated into the 2D levels.
  

Up to this point, project development will be paused for vacation before starting a fourth patch or something like that. Anyway enjoy the game for what it offers so far


Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/28812...__Manilla/
itch.io: https://ofihombre.itch.io/randy-manilla
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ofihombre/shop

[ofihombre7]

Surely some of you have asked for Randy & Manilla their own Steam demo. Since unlike other sites, it didn't have its own, since it's very important for the devs, especially to present it at the Steam Next Fest.
In my personal experience, for the 2024 Next Fest, I couldn't submit the February fest because the page wasn't created yet, and I couldn't also submit the June fest either because I couldn't afford to delay the Early Access release.

Although anyway, I finally decided to upload a demo, because I felt that even with the patches and lowering the base price or by offers weren't enough to convince a good number of players to add at least the game to their wishlists. And also found the easiest method to make a demo.

Basically it's like Early Access but with a limitation: Only the first two Net-Cubes can be played (Terra-Qubit & Gamezone Cube), and the rest of the game will remain locked with an "End of the Demo" screen until it has previously acquired Early Access.
And the best part, is that once it has acquired early access, it will be able to load the game from the saved point on the demo.

What the demo offers might be more than enough for it to decide whether or not it works for its PC requirements, or whether or not is worth purchasing the game or add on the wishlist.

Anyway enjoy the demo of Randy & Manilla .


Demo available on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/28812...__Manilla/


(Note: The demo will be updated periodically in line with major updates or patches with important feature changes.)

[ofihombre7]

Originally, this new version was going to be the fourth patch, but, in addition to its long-awaited fixes,
it also brings forward some of the new levels that were planned for the first major update.
Below is an explanation of everything that the next version offers and, further, the reasons behind these decisions:





Firstly, Quantum City is now complete with two new levels. Among them, the debut of a new boss called "Crackscorpio" stands out:



Sent by Cracksom to steal the key that Blue Quantáramo gave Randy and Manilla for their mission.
One must have very good reflexes and timing to dodge the fast attacks of his tenacious pincers and shots.

In addition, two new compositions and another couple of remixes of pre-existing ones are included in the soundtrack.






This is great news if you are one of those players who likes to control Manilla better than Randy.
Randy's sister is also playable in the Rol & Rogue's Net-Cube, and the role of helper is played by Randy himself.
You can switch between characters using the character selection option both at the start and after losing the game.
Additionally, there have also been some code updates to adapt it to Manilla's gameplay and some slight tweaks to the details of the levels.






The footstep sounds, previously limited to cutcsenes, have also been included, in order to provide a wider sound immersion in the game.






If you have read the news of the first patch, you will know that you can automatically sprint in 3 seconds.
In addition to this, a visual indicator has been included to better clarify its activation (at least until you hit the manual run button).






Many of you who played the game, especially in the early stages, will remember how hard it was to steer your ship towards the Net-Cubes
that are essential to the adventure. In case you find it more difficult than it should be, an "auto-travel" option has been added to the main menu.
This is a help mode where, by simply pressing the speed button, your ship will head directly towards the selectable Net-Cubes. One less hassle for
more casual or faster players.

Other improvements include:

• Ability to click on level buttons with the cursor in Quantum City
  
• Fixed tree collision at the goal in level 4-2
  
• Fixed collision micro-bug in level 1-5
  
• Minor fixes in Gamezone Cube
  
• A fix in the Net-Cubes menus in Rol & Rogue and Abstractia, where they could be skipped by pressing the exit button
  
• Fixed a teleport position in level 1-4
  
• New route added to the Quantum City map
  
• Minor modification to the pause menu
  
• The turn and move platform buttons will be disabled when they finish their function
  
• Removal of the running animation when falling from cracking bricks in level 1-3
  
• Moments where springs fail don't abruptly stop jumping (level 1-3)
  
• Randy is less prone to getting stuck in 2D levels
  
• Jumps in the air are limited by coyote time (2D levels)
  
• fixed the height and position of many Terra-Qubit trees, and also little level redesigns
  

Now that all the changes, additions and improvements have been explained, let's see what they mean for the roadmap:



As you can see, the blocks from the first and second update are marked with a vignette indicating that they are in progress
or with content advancing, instead of being complete. To better clarify the function of the vignettes, I explain it in the following image:



If the block vignettes are blank, it is because the blocks haven't yet been developed or are in draft phase, while,
when they are marked with a tick, it means that all their base content is complete (not counting unforeseen imperfections or bugs).
But, returning to the changes in the roadmap, in the first one, where it says "Quantum City and Blacksquare complete",
there is a cyan asterisk indicating that it has been advanced in the current version.
Note: this is only referring to the fact that Quantum City is complete, but Blacksquare is not, although it can be accessed
after leaving the aforementioned Net-Cube. It has remained since the beginning of development,
acting as a kind of "fake post-game" offering 3 levels in advance.

But the most important matter that both points indicate is that there will be changes to the voices of a couple of the
most important characters in the game. I regret to announce the departure of the voices of Randy Qubit and E-Mailer
from the project, whose artists have decided to prioritize and pursue other paths in their careers.
However, plans to replace dubbing are long-term decisions, so the door is always open to the actors should they wish to return.
The option of using AI (artificial intelligence) to replace human voices is NOT being considered,
even though the game is obviously about AI, as the project started in a time before generative AI massification.

Because of all of the above, I ask for your patience for the first major update, which may arrive later than usual.
However, the second update, having almost all of its simpler content in advance, will possibly be released earlier and will continue at the established pace.

Despite the bumps, I encourage you to continue enjoying everything that the game currently offers and will continue to offer.
Their patches will also come and the Steam demo has updated in parallel to everything described.

Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/28812...__Manilla/
itch.io: https://ofihombre.itch.io/randy-manilla
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ofihombre/shop