Hey folks, we put out a new update today (version 0.8) that changes the engine that Signs of Life runs on and adds a few quality of life improvements as well as a sweet new grappling laser function for your wrist device. We changed the engine that the game runs on from XNA to MonoGame because XNA has been abandoned by Microsoft for awhile now, and MonoGame fixes a lot of issues that we had with XNA as well as lets us support platforms other than Windows. That said, If we did our jobs right you probably won't notice much of a change right now. The performance seems a bit better for us on our machines and it fixes some crash bugs that we were unable to fix with XNA, but really this update is about opening the door for more stuff down the line and making sure the game is as future-proof as possible. While the new version fixes some things, I'm sure there will be some new problems as well, so let us know what issues you run into.

New Features

• Added Linux OS support
  
• Added support for resolutions higher than 2048x2048 (tested up to 4k)
  
• Added Grapple Laser function to the MEG tool. Activated by holding and releasing C by default and uses energy to stick you to walls and ceilings. You can press S by default to release the grapple. The grapple laser is still a bit of a work in progress, but we figured it was too useful to hold back until we get it just right. Expect some changes to this over time.
  
  
• Emeralds - Can be inserted into the MEG tool in order to increase the efficiency of the grapple laser
  
• Added an option for the minimap that lets you use a UI popup instead of the projected minimap. The option is in the settings menu, and the popup is opened with the minimap key and can then be docked wherever you'd like on your screen.
  
  
• Reworked start screen menus to be easier to use and work better on all resolutions
  

Known Issues

• The new version of the game requires at least Windows 7 and an OpenGL 3.0 compatible graphics device. We believe that the vast majority of players should still be able to play, but there will be some players who will be unable to play the new version even if they were able to play old versions. We're still investigating what we can do to lower the requirements further, so if you are unable to play the game after this update please email your system information (OS version and graphics device) to playsignsoflife@gmail.com. We've put up the previous version as a beta option (xna_version_0.7.6.6) which you should still be able to play, but that version will not get future fixes or new content.
  
• Occasionally, certain sounds will play louder than they should. We fixed most of the instances of this, but let us know if/when you notice it.
  

Gameplay Changes

• Increased the width of all map sizes by about 50%, we'll increase it even further after we spend some time optimizing the world generation speed.
  
• Tweaked some parts of the bases on the world to make them a bit more interesting
  
• Increased the player's base jump height slightly
  
• Reduced the damage of the infected sheep from 25 per hit to 10
  
• Made cooked food give you more fullness
  

This update doesn't add a lot of new content, but that is somewhat intentional. We've actually been working on two updates at the same time, and we wanted to get this version of the game out to players as soon as possible so we can get to fixing the issues that crop up with the engine change first. The next update should be ready in a few weeks, and will add several new creatures, a new boss, and a bunch of other fun stuff. Here is a teaser: