Hello and Happy 2025!

I hope everyone had a great holiday season! I took it easy over the past few weeks to enjoy the holidays but still managed to dedicate some time to KAUNA's development. I’m excited to announce the release of the 0.12 update, packed with new features and improvements.

Highlights of the 0.12 update

• Object Carrying Mechanics: Players can now pick up and carry objects! While the current options include a coffee cup and explosive barrel, this feature is intended to add more interactivity to the world, with plans to expand on it in the future.
• Global Illumination Toggle: A new option allows players to disable Global Illumination for better performance. While I’m still undecided about fully implementing Global Illumination in KAUNA (as not all levels currently use it), this toggle offers more flexibility for players.
• Performance Optimizations: Significant optimizations have been made to address issues with multiple enemies, ensuring smoother gameplay overall.
• Expanded E1M3: The Forgotten Village level continues to evolve. The end area has been expanded, offering more challenges and exploration before reaching the portal.
• Inverted Look Option: For players who prefer inverted controls, this feature is now available.

Looking Ahead: Plans for 2025

My big goal for this year is to launch KAUNA's Steam page and potentially participate in Steam Next Fest. I’ll continue updating the Itch.io build, which will remain free for now.

2024 was a fantastic year of progress for KAUNA, and I’m determined to keep that momentum going in 2025. As always, this project remains a fun, creative hobby for me, and I look forward to sharing more with you as it grows.

Thank you for your continued support, and here's to another exciting year of development!

- Antti

Release Notes:

• added invert look option (y-axis)
• added Global Illumination toggle setting
• added mouse hover tooltips to options
• added pitch variations to gun sounds
• performance optimizations
• enemies killed count in level completion screen and pause menu
• secrets found count in level completion screen and pause menu
• explosive barrel (and coffee cup) can now be picked up and carried
• Map updates:
  • E0M1: added coffee cups
  • E0M1: added glass window to start room
  • E0M1: Changed border trees to tree wall.
  • E0M1: added pathway to portal. No more swimming whole distance to the portal.
  • E1M3: added details to buildings
  • E1M3: end area expansion and new secret
  • E1M3: Overall level polish
• bug fixes:
  • fixed misbehaving weapon animations
  • optimized weapon bullet flashes