Shadow SX Beta V1
Pre-releaseFirst Beta release of Shadow SX! The majority of the changes I want are in, and now we just need to focus on the finishing touches and getting player feedback on how things are currently.
Along with a few adjustment to the default emulator settings, below are the changes since Alpha-V2:
Fast Secret Door Opening
If you have all 5 keys for a level, the Secret Door will now automatically open, just like it would if you had opened it normally, and reentered the area after a death. This was how one could speed up Individual Levels (IL) in the original game. Now it's available to everyone without needing to interact with it first. This also allows for Story Mode and ILs to use similar strategies.
Infinite Lives
This one is pretty minor, you no longer need to worry about running out of lives. Fantastic for practicing and ILs. A nice bonus for Story Runs.
Option to Always Skip Cutscenes
Optional setting to always skip cutscenes. A quality of life change that will allow new file runs to be faster in real time.
Custom Textures
Custom Textures to show the game as Shadow SX and a few adjustments to have some of the textures look better when using higher internal resolutions. Also included are replacement UI textures for different controllers like PS2 or Xbox, and a few for adjusting the amount of gloss highlighting seen on character models.
Launcher Program
ShadowSXLauncher.exe is a Windows application that allows you to more easily boot Shadow SX as a standalone window instead of having the Dolphin Interface opened as well. The application also has shortcuts to the game file directories and quick access to configurable settings which will manage options and custom textures.
There's a handful more I would like to do before we have a proper full release. But besides that, the majority of the changes I want for the game are in. What is really important now is to dial in the emulator settings to be something the majority of players will have no trouble playing with. Please reach out if you have any issues or recommendations for what those settings should be.