[b]Important: [/b]this update is currently on the [b]beta[/b] branch only! This is quite a significant update, but some things are not finalized, so it only goes into the [b]beta [/b]branch on Steam for now. Here are the major changes: [olist] [*] Completely new Companion - this covers all the "non-game" part of the game, and it sets the stage for how the story will be delivered too. [list] [*] Full mouse, controller and keyboard support for the companion [*] Dynamic color change based on level [/list] [*] New tutorial - this is a video-based approach, vaguely inspired by Frostpunk. [list] [*] New levels/introduction to key concepts [*] A read/unread flag for all of the tutorial entries [*] Tutorial entries available for later viewing in the Companion [/list] [*] Level start transitions - a "scanline" approach to fading the levels in that provides depth, while being very performance focused [*] Performance improvements - some of this was for the new stuff, but lots of work went into performance. Timeline performance still needs addressing, but that's a bigger piece for a future update. [*] Some UI/look changes and working towards eventual consistency and what buttons are and how they behave across the entire game. [*] All music is now back into the game (currently just randomized, not location-specific) [*] Lots of other small changes, including shadows/lighting improvements, bugfixes, etc. [/olist] Here's an example on how the "scanline" transition looks for the Asian location: [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35599771/ce0d155737bc8795a615a1365b1d0d6c5d102d75.gif[/img] And a poorly compressed gif of the companion showing the perspective and color change: [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35599771/0859bc60c877e152b103a335b711d66c51eb4317.gif[/img]