Beta 4 : some more coating...

After a break of one month without any coding, the 4th beta build has just been uploaded to the Beta Download site. The registered testers can get it right now, using their private key file.

This beta comes with a new graphic feature that should push the immersion a step further : the Vectrex chassis can now be drawn around the emulated screen.

This great idea came from Heiko L., a friendly beta-tester, who already helped a lot when it came to fix the problem with 64 bits native library deployment under Linux. Not only did he had the idea, he also kindly provided me with all the graphics needed to implement it (hand-made, using the Gimp) !

Thanks a lot for your hard work on this, Heiko! :)

If you don't like this new feature, it can of course be turned off in the options: there's a dedicated settings panel that lets you zoom in/out, and specify which parts you want to see drawn (chassis, screen refraction, cartridge, joystick cables, ...).

Chassis Zoom Level

Screen Zoom Level

As you can see, the result is quite eye-pleasing ; it's even better when you see it live. Well, I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I do.

There's still no official release data planned though, as I still need to integrate the darkening shader described in the previous post.
Let's hope it won't take too long!