website/content/features.md

title	draft
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The following are the game's current features and its planned features before the game leaves "alpha" status. There is a list of crucial "1.0" features and some ideas for where I may take this game further down the road. I plan on making this game my "forever project" and keep adding to it and releasing updates for as long as I find it interesting.

"1.0" Features

The expected feature list for the "1.0" version of the game, and how far along I am. The general idea of what "1.0" will look like is that it will have these features:

• Single Player Campaigns:
  • The game would come with at least one single-player campaign of built-in levels which are completed in sequence.
  • The free (shareware) version gets at least one campaign available to play.
  • The full version unlocks additional campaigns/chapters.
• Level Editor & Custom Levels:
  • A fully featured level and doodad editor is included, with all the tools needed to create custom content.
  • Custom doodads can be created or downloaded manually (and placed in the right game folder), and can be used in custom levels.
• Full Version Extras:
  • The full version adds extra qualify-of-life improvements in support of custom user content, to make it easier to share custom levels which use custom doodads.
  • "Publish" a .level file which embeds all of its custom doodads inside the level data, so that it "just plays" on someone else's computer, if they also have the full version of the game.
  • In the future there may be in-game features to upload and download custom levels and doodads online, for full versions of the game only.

Some details of features and current progress towards the 1.0 release:

• Single Player:
  • Campaigns system to define one or more series of levels.
  • One chapter of built-in levels. May be a small set at first, but free updates can bring more levels.
• Level Features:
  • Set of built-in wallpaper images of paper-themed level backgrounds.
  • User can pick a custom wallpaper image which attaches to the level file.
  • Page Types:
    • Bounded: a limited size sheet of paper with a top and left margin.
    • No Negative Space: a sheet of paper with infinite room to grow.
    • Unbounded: an "infinite" sheet of paper with room to grow in all directions.
    • Bordered: a bounded sheet of paper with decorations wrapping around all four edges.
    • Player can configure the limits of bounded levels.
  • Patterns for your level colors to give them textures like pencil graphite or marker when drawn onto your level.
  • User can "publish" their level with custom doodads attached to it, for easy sharing with others (full version only)
• Level Editor:
  • Easily switch between Play Mode and Edit Mode to test your level.
  • Draw your own pixels anywhere you want.
  • Basic Drawing Tools: Pencil, Line, Rectangle, Ellipse, Eraser
  • Undo/Redo
  • Zoom In/Out (--experimental)
  • Editable Palette to add and modify colors and their properties.
• Wallpaper Themes:
  • Notebook: standard blue ruled notebook paper.
  • Blueprint: dark blueprint paper.
  • Legal pad: yellow legal pad with blue and red lines.
  • Blank sheet: a texture of a blank white sheet of paper.
  • Grid paper: a white page with grid pattern.
  • Pure white: just a solid white background with no texture.
  • Placemat: a wavy pattern meant to decorate all four sides of a Bordered map.
  • Custom Wallpaper: users will be able to bundle a custom wallpaper texture inside their level file.
• Doodad Editor:
  • Fully create all artwork (multiple frames) using in-game tools
  • Attach and manage JavaScript source to the doodad in-game (note: external code editor for writing the JS will be used)
• Custom Content and Mod Support:
  • All tools included to create custom levels and doodads and share custom creations with other players.

Future

Some ideas I have for where the game can go after "1.0":

• Online services in-game for sharing levels and doodads with others.
  • For full versions of the game.
  • Players would be able to log on, browse levels and doodads uploaded by other players, and easily download and play them.
• Multiplayer features:
  • Two-player level gameplay mode. (Possibly more than two players).
  • Multiplayer collaboration for the Level Editor?
  • Ability to play and edit a level both in real time?
• Mobile ports of the game (Android, Pinephone)
  • There is an example Go SDL2 Android app so getting an Android build may not be too difficult.
  • The game already "kinda works" on the Pine64 Pinephone running GNU/Linux. That device will be used to develop/test more touch-friendly user interfaces for the game ahead of any effort being put into Android.
  • Don't hold your breath for iOS support.