CHANGELOG.txt

ARMOR ALLEY: REMASTERED
Changelog / Revision History
----------------------------

WORK IN PROGRESS: 2023-2024 updates since last major release
(V2.01.20230520: 10th Anniversary "Remastered" Edition Addendum)

--- 10/17/2024, uncategorized ---

Bug fix: Expired (falling) smart missiles weren't hitting friendly units. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/887212346756293922c2c2d8abf31f9e2d343e17

--- 10/16/2024, uncategorized ---

Enemy helicopter can now drop "decoy" paratroopers when targeted by a new smart missile. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/9be834c50a6d3bbc083c780b179593bd27be610a

Enemy helicopter tries to dodge, and shoot down incoming smart missiles (and parachute infantry) in its path. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/1b5bc6a61cccf8ecf7aa09c9e0c947b3fb812aac

Energy UI refactor: Draw on canvas, use a circle instead of a line. WIP. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/23acbaa651a0ee914e6ec2e069a3bacc139d1b73

Behavior change: Make chopper gunfire slower on easy, faster on hard + extreme. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/0533af9037ae5ccbe1bf52025ea53e39fcd0cc77

--- 10/08/2024, uncategorized ---

Expand/collapse "more info" section on some modal dialogs.

Dropped red targeting dots in UI - halo or glow deemed sufficient. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/d3e7ad8598d169b7d6b5ecd4a14946680a2ab726

Last missing weapon from the original game, "aimed missiles" (AKA "dumb" missiles) - they replace regular gunfire ammo on certain levels. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/5c2060c807f596056abfbc05d89feb45b9418cb1

Bug fix: Sounds weren't looping, e.g., helicopter engine. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/56480791fbaea6e02b2f8036c8c42df8587ccd7f

Additional mid-flight rubber chicken smart missile sounds. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/e0116c5c3d73019b35bb2ea43aa61a28d8446c51

New sound for tank flamethrowers. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/7abc9e167574597b23084f13c4d456d2188e40d6

Reduced BnB "chatter" when landing pad repair media / TV is active. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/279f65d7f357ddf613b47f1cabbc69c1ab779991

Double-click / tap can now toggle landing pad muzak. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/0d992f3c1f2447c5d421038923aabf4e2f46ee86

Fix transition effect on turret + missile launcher scan nodes. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/75115f5d872094b432d9805036f0f1b0fdd68481

Radar UI updates: More-detailed balloons and bunker icons. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/50308fb8527fad39a74494ceb637645c9e29dcfa

Updated enemy helicopter "AI": seek, evade, wander and so on - now using improved vectors and "autonomous agent"-style steering logic. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/33d9e2e4d0b7ac6b2fbf56bf628dfeafddcc3b33 https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/301916da8ee0ebbd3f1b54c6688a061e33c6e5c8

--- 09/01/2024, uncategorized ---

Refueling rate slowed down, made closer to original game.

Updated home screen menu, battle + difficulty now set and updated via preferences modal.

Battle "flags" now listed and mostly implemented, similar to original game: Bullets, Napalm, Stealth, Jamming, and Fairness (battlefield L/R bias)

"Napalm" battle flag: bombs spark on the ground, vs. wider explosion when they have napalm - more effective at taking out infantry + engineers.

"Stealth" battle flag: Enemy helicopter is always hidden on radar.

"Jamming" battle flag: Radar is always jammed, unavailable.

Tweak enemy helicopter acceleration, accounting for inclusion of tilt for gunfire.

Fixed random distribution of paratroopers on chopper eject

Larger random wind effect on paratroopers.

Per original game, always drop five paratroopers when ejecting helicopter.

Helicopter "eject" button added to mobile UI. 🥀 https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/6e45a1d1b749f0f55fce49f5f30e2d475d920390

Drop helicopter screen "boundary" in network games, possible range / visibility issue. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/39d59e67386f2c1fc75a91ec3fb06e20b849d2fb

---

Updated and improved layout for mobile and touch-screen devices
"Installable" PWA-style web app, iOS home screen / Chrome "app" support

"Unlimited lives" preference, on by default. You can now purchase additional helicopters via "H" (20 funds each), and lose if you run out of choppers. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/55937c5928fe3cba52007fdc8dc6872ab55e4fce

Bug fixes
Unit / convoy production could get stuck due to "traffic control" https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/4708ef4e8d104f68fd3f838eb8accee011f10f6e

Traffic control: Allow a tank to roll up beside another which has stopped to fire. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/7a29cf13644d335d9aff3cdb7d11fea791b4b57a

Traffic control: Fix production halt case if item being ordered is destroyed. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/1dc9e360f0267a44d753797fdfc66583952e89e6

Bottom bar UI would sometimes overlap battlefield in Safari, capturing clicks. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/6b79bda5ef637743ef15ce5608cbc20e592c2a92

Turret radar item was not reflecting enemy/friendly ownership change. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/361b72aa129aefc27c2f03cc1b32a9cb95c9645a

Fix dead / respawning turret, "not dead" when at 25%. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/902616a7e4f44c8e2a18f30f14086fc71a2f0d95

Show energy while restoring dead turrets. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/cf0bd11dc3a9c2ec0e2b4e3c5d4ca3a3678246f4

Helicopter auto-eject drops correct number of paratroopers.
https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/a9b8738acd3c2e9b4f6200530be84be01b23a93b

Improved inventory ordering timing + spacing, closer to original. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/6e4ca041450c0a6126726f43a7220a0755f10941

Improved home screen / menu on Windows 10. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/4682cc84901baf48a4858a2316cd0f93b5c72163

Bring chopper boundary closer to original game, 25% on each side of screen. Originally 5%. 😅 https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/9c82367356c67651d39985e7b0d2f7ccf696f168

Touch events had regressed on mobile Android / Chrome. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/344fe9d297028d391f053860ffdaced2a2ddda63

Rendering
Desktop Safari: Scale + transform hacks on certain UI elements to retain sharp rendering. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/ec66d3ee13853d5a7e1f5e14f9e570739988089d

Super bunkers now fire at vans, as in the original game. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/b8ab6a1e2b44383a6b39ece13dca6ffc00c62fd1

Turret gunfire should hit bunkers. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/1b706529619cd17ed2c4036c00bf09cf8531b591

Misc
Simplified boot loading

UX/UI

Redesigned radar UI with more detail, shape of units vs. rectangles. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/e7238d8ed7c1da274245cb8b78a487b0bfbd051d

More detail for buildings (e.g., Super Bunkers) on radar. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/c532fe4048eec7ea081cb59938d42e82ea4a398a

Game pref / default: 60 FPS, where supported. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/b5fbbb8588af8fd8f74cac89e849e1cfeb0d9868

Always show vans on radar (previously: only if friendly, or playing tutorial.) https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/7f2da30d3ab4451cf6ef215c12c94d7b58b9064d

"Remastered" 8-bit sprites from V1.1 of Mac game. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/9e7c9f163884c88df4d7799aa9ac89678aa7aebb

New sounds for production stop/start, borrowing from another classic https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/fc4759a1964e4f77b1caf94a349a97f19db4fe0f

"Cash money" sound when stealing from end bunker. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/add457c874b5a89090a01bc8e03cfdc8ad3c2d53

Redesigned home / start screen, more responsive.

Notification toasts can be set to L/R on mobile, too. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/25071680ac5232aeebc7c5e105dbc7084992facf

Improve smart missile targeting UX/UI on radar + battlefield sprites https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/082d7383d424a735fddf9c5d32003cdb0595ef34

Pseudo-3D parallax starfield effect, rendering on <canvas>. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/3e6b00a5197a26759c289ee25f94c892b3eba17f https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/74fd11910a35aa1f51915558ee7fc9257a746a56

Added terrain decor on network battles, e.g., "Network Mania." https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/dc8f088d8767581d1e8a452a79d9d9b182eee2d6

Balloons now show friendly / enemy state on radar. (Original game did not.) https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/15b64edcc5c88c154ad26b9e66614555171502bb

Balloons now turn with the wind / their direction, like the original game. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/94098383103a45ac686e8bdfff416f3407ac2fd1

Added base burning animation at game end, finally. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/6dd7c88a84a56991eaf3f2bb0b4529a0c9c9d74c

Push dynamic gravestones back behind most other sprites. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/be395ae78b64c8c1a7c3aa2e0220665e9393bf96

Smoother fuel line animation. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/6c3e5d40b41c44824c61c67ba0ccfddac6ceea49

Nicer "woven" balloon cables / chains. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/327f482268d7bf573edff167f504ff87ae5a2fbf

Preferences

By default, disable banana and rubber chickens on mobile. (Can be enabled in prefs.) https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/3aa328c00b2beb3a0b4a957099cfe3aba6a4f433

Red / green radar theme, based on unreleased iPhone prototype from 2010. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/dfc1da2dc79033d8074baced816cc96309149a1f

Gratuitous battle-over pref + animation sequence. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/f7659cad93c29b9b26d7900687509141a8b3dfb5 https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/7f03cf7fba2f802d11fd70b7a3419c94351a8bf3
 helicopter auto-flip / rotate based on heading, like the original
(Double-tap on mobile to toggle feature, single-tap with second finger to flip.) https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/fe58683712c6b651531b7d8fdaaab703829deee3

Game speed option, like the original. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/0d620f1101647bba5c9d73a3943ae9988529669e

Apply 80% game speed by default on mobile/touch devices, a bit more balanced. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/cece24fc4729630861d63727797532a1db4e80d0

Clouds on radar. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/7742ad1358c588e232e5dce89e6a1c83ff84b063

"Show landing pads on radar." Some can be obscured by shrubbery. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/b06ce3bbe31cf06bc4af53e761c1462b71bdbc48 https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/cadace06b03db418069f4909652ce0ef43b44894

Super Bunker: "Show arrow" pref, including friendly / hostile / enemy. Original game did not. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/10d1f870e9f4cbf16b41d97d5d2b07d0e6643f38

Smart Missile Upgrades pref: targeting, retargeting, and delay features.

Notifications: Position and sorting (L/R, top-down / bottom-up) options. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/26a3dfb6c1d71ce95afd2b9c0cf43024cec6a03c

"Extra-fancy" radar jamming effects: in-game, and home screen. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/d82b209a7c20da8421800e42450d90d0b03a418d https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/103079cdc5f7e1f66a64879ad4cff7424abbde14

Allow tank gunfire to pass thru bunkers and super bunkers. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/7a9df0ea8e664f14e1ce8fe5855a75d219d5e594

Radar scaling and scrolling feature, useful particularly for mobile devices. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/37c452972163ea1c00a7c72a65660d40d46b6042

Mobile / touch
Improved handling of device rotation and game scaling, portrait vs. landscape. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/00ba9bbdef609e01d14eb0db79f853af76fcb833

Show keyboard labels if keypresses are detected, e.g., an iPad "folio" keyboard. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/4a687a39264ad601822d45c711845a9b6db83279

Don't pause the game on screen rotate any more. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/327bd67ace135f41a3c7ddc8073c4246c1db05e9

Bug fix: Always add touch and mouse event listeners. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/d7ce04f1641dd4d4ccf30df5138c198d61a73dec

Gameplay

Tanks are now more evenly-balanced; CPU tanks no longer have the advantage of slightly-faster gunfire rates in hard + extreme mode. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/71435b3cec21afc46e2b7113c17ce0a5d461abf5

Helicopter "responsiveness" tweaks, CPU + human. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/1faeb7bd099cdd559b0eee6aaea602e16683e8a9

Fuel burn rate reduced, closer to original game: ~30% (instead of ~50%) of a tank to fly across battlefield. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/55db1bcd13de3b6e7166b95181867cd7923829f3

Smart missile "repair" (reloading) rate increased, closer to original: one for every 32 ammo added. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/e8a6fb20a025e9916d1ee35a0a8f85775c6abff4

Infantry gunfire now takes a long time to take out turrets, like the original. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/1e1ec2587dd4d4db419edef1dcc5791019b5dcf5

Slightly longer delays between enemy convoys on hard + extreme mode, it was pretty tough. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/ae4583bf262b69fc99bb69b59e1b6c04cd8ba849

Allow CPU helicopters to use "tilt," vs. purely horizontal gunfire. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/9b5120be9237acbfc7f45c88c014b427261fb3e9

Responsiveness: Make helicopter react ASAP to user action. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/8be1eeced1069aa2a68479ae904ab2be9a963959 https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/589eee62cde85403e6a4b9e183b96b575c05746a

Tighter collision checks. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/9b057c122bd7b654259ddde6660425567dbf7607

Match gunfire position with angled tip of turrets when firing. 🎯 https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/e121f0b51211d6ebd3f2e4505b216eca18d74e5c

Adjusted velocities on bombs, gravity vs. "lobbing" https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/dd3336cadb1c0f91d2009dd1039645490e546eee

Tweaks to shrapnel velocities. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/4ba35240ee213fa0c0673605f7165aee7819060e

Original game: "Z" for bombs, retaining the remake-introduced Ctrl. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/db568ac235b09db3f02439bf77ad85d93651eac2

New keyboard entry: ` (backtick) = eject. Keeping old backspace key for legacy, for now. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/fd1d1f4efbb58b5b6b9faac34e3f6923fc72ab19

Paratroopers drop faster when flying, slower when landed. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/19d6f61d20cf35a6debf3c95c3b443d35acd0a3e

Slightly slower bombing rate. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/641d31a6b6aba2baacad0076075fead61babafe9

By request: "Classic" helicopter controls option, slower gunfire + bomb intervals etc. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/c8605659167e24a3280319e3ee7d1c8c6219b32f
 helicopters can now escape smart missile tracking by entering a cloud for 1.5 seconds. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/b05e618effac881e2cf755f846863962977b94db

Allow respawning helicopter "a chance" if an enemy turret is within firing range of your landing pad. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/2d7c78fd99284d9fe9124739c3b2fbf1da542815

Super Bunkers fire faster, slightly greater range. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/fc4c4c470d2cb6d858c60d257b4dcab6e932b657

"Envelope": Letters from The Old Tanker for each battle, based on the story from the printed combat handbook. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/dac4bd195c631af135649b2b3a66a6e246ac6ba4

Clouds don't "bounce" off top / bottom of world, but now smoothly drift. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/f3c9a5b83a51b970153a1079955b1a173a8035cf

Clouds reverse direction over world boundaries more smoothly. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/cdf87d3aad1c312525e7e49277704666f8884abf

Choppers cause clouds to start drifting toward the opposing base. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/a6a92bdfc695318d77a64ac452673fb4ea5bc694

Battlefield now "warp"-scrolls back to respawn point, and to enemy base at end of game. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/5e6d8ea5149cc27f5e5b8cf1e77851d3b5cceab6

Smart missiles no longer target balloons attached to bunkers. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/718386f480d097c6b752d19794e48f16f3b282e7

"Smarter" smart missiles: Don't target ground units behind impervious super bunkers. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/61db3f4a555d19831d428193d78ed6652ea9788c

Enemy helicopter now takes off slowly on respawn. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/410c2b6ade89ccd468594155933b08f057f066b2

Network / multiplayer

Basic network troubleshooting UI for guest connection trouble. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/a3c4150a143d1bcde3aae021c7ab99da25301fb0

Fix de-sync of balloons between clients in network games. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/0b6c5293a8bd2a9c0a91bae2a034013d0cedd234

Use fixed wind values for balloons, "random" and related wind changes were causing de-sync. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/74a19e1fe5c800056256ea5309f4a24c8c8059d7

"Scan range" UI for turrets and missile launchers, in radar and/or battlefield. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/cf70b247c92479b84d64d3009d2c3e15dba7d6da

Possible fix for annoying explosion-on-respawn bug. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/14cecdab94d672835fcd2b923bf7a756dad0190a

Omit random parachute on helicopter die, de-sync risk. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/0b39d18467b73d8c50cc26f975275a84c3549d45

Network bug: Remote engineers were showing as infantry. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/64ec9927a9115d4aff982ea096a7e0b37c75a80f

De-sync risk: Ignore wind on paratroopers. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/668d37ecc15cbd556c041d4e644229cfb2783cc3

Performance

"Boot loader" for game start, and dynamic load / unload of assets. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/fab72decc8a046d498a0d9a9c6a670d7da635b41

Code splitting of JS + CSS modules, dynamic fetch and unload where feasible. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/e22fe9785855dbef7fc85879996e81e714b9ab78 https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/dd643d32bdc15b8c55e2b02b980c30ec3913ed32

Code splitting: HTML fragments. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/346708b71c2d053c8d81ad8ce6c1e237a6e9b9d3

Drop preview and level editor on game start. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/91a7c0348cd5e4862ac8aca35a82dfa3e71acf5a

Almost all radar UI, shrapnel, gunfire, smoke, confetti, battlefield and sprites now rendered on <canvas> for performance. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/40600cfdcf7e28951609b91891756ae7098a4c7c https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/6d156e05b30a304a1c59809d585d69b5ca09baf7 https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/b9b4ded6f8309e91ea7fc74cfff49d9106696b3b

Google Lighthouse improvements - first paint, load, game start etc.

"BnB: Virtual Stupidity"

"I am the great Cornholio!" 😝👕👐 https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/7768c46457f4e484d81d5052a8111c14552d902e

Update BnB end-of-battle sequence, now with proper desert scene. 🤣💨🧨🔥 https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/49274f6b739e9ec1d8793fa5703d4a4064115fbf

Development / build process

Reorganized codebase into conventional src/ and dist/ subdirectories. Better file structure.

gulp build script, spritesheets for image and audio. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/bec179f1d97f42dfa189a4783406baf9265372ea https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/dc7b574e87b83e552035b22e8452898c4ec23973

.webp-based spritesheet, ~50% savings vs. PNG. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/071a1ae3aab37ae2df2d1b024577bc8042447cc6

Preloading of spritesheets. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/0eb8d28076f39657e24cd4e5006877768891842d

Canvas-based spritesheet image extractor + cache mechanism for rendering. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/dcf541baaf15f9773dfbad1272e5e2d715ba91f6

Floppy disk version: 5.25" (360K) and 3.5" (1.44 MB) builds of the game

Floppy version boot loader https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/6f69bf96568c1b04ebd030405ef9de7f5f75d2a2

💾 build-floppy gulp task. Build target: floppy-version/ https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/bca9aa22e5d280f69ae262a6cf34a71ea65b2c7b

Floppy build: +aa.bat (web server portion) on Windows. https://github.com/scottschiller/ArmorAlley/commit/4385d85eecb4496bc0fb1c3af0920313dd4144dc

+ V2.01.20230520: 10th Anniversary "Remastered" Edition Addendum

  + 10th Anniversary summary video (3m 45s): https://youtu.be/oYUCUvg02rY
  + History, review, tutorial, demos, "Midnight Oasis" walk-through: (1h 12m 55s): https://youtu.be/6wEMcssFJ-E

  + Bug fixes of note
    • Don't let helicopter reach absolute edge of screen; buffer 5% on each side.
    • Mobile / touchscreen: Bananas weren't firing sometimes, due to incorrect keyboard mappings.
    • Sound: Always wait for sound load before firing `onplay()`.
    • Sound: Relative, in terms of distance to the helicopter.
    • Video: Ensure video is active when initial request / preload completes before playing.
    • Editor: Engineers were being output as infantry.
    • Update positioning of helicopter trailers for both sides, and when rotated.
    • BnB: Show existing "Cornholio" turrets at start of game.
    • "Midnight Oasis" network level: Added terrain decor - gravestones, trees etc.

  + Miscellaneous
    • Project now has its own site: https://armor-alley.net/
    • Nice progressive web app-style icon set.
    • Updated "Armor Alley" wordmark to resemble the original boxed software one, based on the "Stencil Compress D" font.

  + For developers
    • Added developer notes, `gulp-cli`-based build via `npm`: src/README.md.
    • Concatenated + minified / bundled JS + CSS files, see [gulpfile.js](gulpfile.js) for build script.
    • SM2 + Snowstorm are now ES6 modules, included vs. concatenated into bundle.

+ V2.0.20230501: 10th Anniversary "Remastered" Edition

  + 10th Anniversary summary video (3m 45s): https://youtu.be/oYUCUvg02rY

  + New features
    • Mobile / touch screen support. Updated UX / UI, better playability and feature parity vs. desktop. Portrait is playable, but landscape is preferable on smaller screens.
    • Network multiplayer, like the original game. PvP, or co-op. Can be played with or against CPU players, as well.
    • 22 game levels. 10 original game "campaign" battles, plus 12 levels designed for network games.
    • Level editor. Create or modify existing levels. Data stored in URL at present - terrible, I know. Also compatible with network games.
    • Optional "Virtual Stupidity" theme pack. 🎸🤘

  + Performance improvements
    • Reduced CPU load, in general, across the board between JavaScript execution, layout, and paint / compositing.
    • Game Loop: Adjustments to target 30FPS on 120 Hz monitors. [01f9f43]
    • Collision "zones", greatly reducing object comparison work and function calls. 20,000 collision checks per second, down to 500 or less. https://twitter.com/schill/status/1627725917345955840
    • DOM node pool / recycling: `poolBoy.js` - for things like gunfire and smoke. Less paint / repaint, more GPU compositing. https://twitter.com/schill/status/1628833430988554240
    • Reduced variable / object creation in game loop.
    • Battlefield DOM node no longer being transformed for scroll; now, only on-screen sprites.

  + Sound
    • Even more sound effects.
    • Some sounds can use ±5% playback speed for a little variety.
    • Sounds can now be heard "in the distance," to the left and right.
    • "Virtual Stupidity": 500+ meticulously-picked samples. [21f7726]

  + UX / UI
    • "Live Graveyard" feature: decorate the battlefield over time. [032f845]
    • "Remastered" 8-bit sprite assets from Armor Alley V1.1 for Macintosh. The original 1.0 and PC-DOS version had up to 4-bit colour.
    • Nice home page logo, "scanned" from the combat handbook that came with the original boxed game.
    • Network games use Windows 95's `LIGHTS.EXE` taskbar UI showing tx/rx traffic, very important. ;) https://twitter.com/schill/status/1636449071140605958 [17c0a9b]
    • Four types of stormy weather: rain, hail, snow, and one other that's a surprise.
    • Radar jamming: New visual noise overlay.
    • "Extra-fancy" bunker explosions, particles, burning, and smoke effects.
    • Nicer bomb explosion on ground. Hat tip: "Dirt Explosion" by SrGrafo on DeviantArt - https://www.deviantart.com/srgrafo/art/Dirt-Explosion-774442026
    • "DOMFetti" confetti explosions, colours based on the target being hit.
    • Notifications: Verbiage for different actions, e.g., "your tank steamrolled an infantry", or gunfire "popped a balloon" etc.

  + Bug fixes
    • Refactor of Traffic Control, so vehicles are less likely to get "stuck" waiting for one another.
    • Helicopter bombs could be delayed after key press. They should now be consistent and fire on the next frame.
    • Super Bunkers would sometimes stay yellow, even when friendly.
    • Additional "arrow signs" on battlefield were missing from bases since 2013. Oops. ;)
    • Paratroopers (dropped from helicopter) no longer get a recycle (reaching end of battlefield) reward.
    • Balloon respawning at top of screen: fixed.
    • Allow balloons to be moving up or down at init, previously always downward.
    • Fixed bomb spark / hidden / bottom-align logic.
    • Tighten up inventory ordering / queueing, consistent spacing + avoiding overlapping between sprites.

  + Gameplay

    + Helicopters
      • Only the local player's helicopter blinks on the radar; all others are solid, as in the original game.
      • Desktop: double-click no longer toggles helicopter auto-rotate feature.

    + Smart Missiles
      • Notify user when trying to fire a smart missile, but no eligible targets nearby.
      • Smart missiles can now take damage, and plow through up to four infantry (ground units only) before dying.
      • Smart Missile targeting refactor. Removed former "missile facing target" requirement. Prefer shortest distance, unless just above ground. Hat tip: Pythagoras. :wink: :triangular_ruler:
      • Smart Missiles now target your vertical offset, plus half your height.
      • Smart Missiles now blink on launch, and take a moment (0.5 seconds) to arm themselves, and are not as dangerous (1 damage point) until then. This is implemented as the "Ramius frame count" (delay) [1d71faf] - as inspired by "The Hunt For Red October." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgTc3cYaLdo&t=112s
      • New feature: Smart Missile "decoy" ability, - about 1/3 of a second to see and retarget a newly-deployed paratrooper when the initial target was the helicopter. [926b16f]

    + Gunfire
      • Gunfire can now collide with gunfire.
      • Turret gun firing rates have been reduced significantly for easy + hard levels.
      • Gunfire can now ricochet off the roof of a Super Bunker.
      • Desktop: Helicopter gunfire now stops when landing on, and cannot start while on a landing pad.

    + Bombs
      • Bombs now "pass-thru" infantry, as opposed to dying 1:1.
      • Bomb explosions on the ground can now take out larger groups of infantry.
      • Bombs can be hit by gunfire in extreme mode.

    + Tanks
      • Tanks have finally been given flamethrowsers (as in the original game,) which they use on infantry, engineers, super bunkers and end bunkers. [e3de57e]
      • Game preferences refactor. Volume control, UX/UI, and optional gameplay features.
      • Enemy tanks fire every 11 frames in "hard" mode, 12 in "easy" (and tutorial), and 10 in "extreme." Previously, all were 10.
      • Tanks now repair more incrementally, larger gains every 1 second.

    + Other
      • Engineers start repairing bunkers (if enabled) at the doorway, "shielded" by bunker vs. previously standing outside.
      • Landing pads can be "The Danger Zone" if enabled in prefs. This was inspired by the 2022 Top Gun movie release. See also: "The Girl From Ipanema, "I Got You Babe," "Mucha Muchacha," and more.
      • Base explosions can now also damage units passing by.
      • Bases can fire rubber chickens + bananas if "match missile type" enabled in prefs.
      • "GOURANGA!" - inspired by the original Grand Theft Auto.
      • When the battle is over, the losing team's units all contribute to the explosion party.

    + Technical
      • Codebase migration to ES6 modules, patterns and syntax.
      • SoundManager 2: hacked-together version of Web Audio API for playback, vs. HTML5. [a44bc81]
      • Refactoring of game type and objects system; e.g., `tank` -> `TYPES.tank`, and `game.objects.tanks[]` -> `game.objects.tank[]` so look-ups and interating by type are logical.
      • `game.objects.players` now has local, remote, cpu etc., which point to helicopters. Previously, many assumptions were made about `game.objects.helicopters[0]` and `[1]`.
      • Network feature uses [PeerJS](https://peerjs.com/) (MIT license) for peer-to-peer communication via WebRTC.

    + Miscellaneous
      • It turns out there are _three_ types of cloud sprites in the original game, not two. [4a561c4]
      • 12 smoke frames in the original game too, vs. my 9. [53f08aa]
      • Nicer ASCII block-character logo.
      • Updated favicon + related app / tile images.

----

+ V1.6.20220101: Massive update for 2022, based on work from 2020 + 2021
  
  + Video oveview
  • Demo, features and walk-through of "extreme" mode (55 minutes): https://youtu.be/9BQ62c7u2JM 

  + Performance improvements
  • The game should be smoother, targeting 30FPS. It is OK full-screen @ 1080p and windowed @ 4K in Chrome on a 2018 Mac Mini, 3.2 GHz 6-core i7 w/Intel UHD Graphics 630 1536 MB.
  • More GPU-accelerated rendering, reduced DOM nodes by removing when off-screen (e.g., static terrain items)
  • All sprites should be on the GPU and moved using transforms, reducing paint operations
  • All transforms (CSS + JS) for positioning + animation are 3d, with the goal of GPU acceleration - e.g., translate3d(), rotate3d(), scale3d()
  • DOM nodes are not appended at object create time - now deferred until the object is on-screen for the first time.
  • All "sub-sprites" should now be GPU-accelerated via CSS animations, transforms and transitions
  • Sound: Only create `Audio()` when actively playing sounds, and destroy when they finish playing. Browsers are starting to limit the number of `Audio()` instances.
  • Sound: Queue and play sounds all at once with each animation frame callback, vs. prior ad-hoc behaviour.
  • Refactored game tip scroller to only show two nodes at a time, 1024px width vs. 102,400px. Front-end tech / Chrome Dev Tools demo: https://youtu.be/eVW0WgTdK3A
  • Performance: Don't update known static radar items: turret, base, bunkers (bunker, end bunker, super bunker) unless marked as "stale" during resize / world scaling
  • Performance: CSS / `contentVisibility` to reduce / optimize rendering costs
  • Animation loop: improved timing, target 30 fps. Request next frame right away. Exit early if next frame arrives too quickly.
  • Turret "scan" is now a CSS animation; previously, animated via JS.
  • Smart missiles and helicopter trailers are now GPU-accelerated.
  • Performance: Battlefield and radar units are now positioned via transform: translate3d() - no more legacy CSS shenanigans using `bottom: 0px`.
  • Memory leak fixes: DOM nodes, audio events, and a few others.

  + Sound
  • Over 100 sound assets now in use
  • New and updated sound effects: Infantry and engineer gunfire, injury and death, credit +/-, helicopter and turret guns, shell casings on turrets,
    bullets hitting the ground, turret being disabled and enabled (restored.)

  + UX / UI
  • Proper "game options" modal with radio buttons and checkboxes for various UX/UI and gameplay features
  • "It was a dark and stormy night" - option for snow on the battlefield. (May be slow on some computers.)
  • Bunkers, balloons and super-bunkers now use graphics from the Macintosh (68K) version of Armor Alley; a bit more orange, and less garish yellow.
  • Dune ][-style credit / debit UI and sounds
  • Toast-style game notifications
  • Health status bars when units are being hit or repaired
  • New and improved smoke / particle effects, more explosions and shrapnel, more fun!
  • Order queue: Refactored UI to show letters (e.g., MTVIE), with superscript numbers as appropriate.
  • Missiles smoke more, and in extreme mode, have a burst of thrust (as in the original game) as they near expiry
  • Pseudo-3D effect on shrapnel: Increase size slightly with vertical position on screen
  • Ground units are "behind" most terrain elements like trees, bushes etc.

  + Bug fixes
  • Bombing floating balloons no longer causes an explosion on the ground
  • Improved bomb and shrapnel alignment / collision positioning with balloons, tanks, bunkers, and super-bunkers
  • Fixed bug with quickly-respawning balloons (shooting balloon while infantry are passing under bunker, for example.)
  • Fixed UI bug where the "incoming missile" white line would not always disappear.
  • Game end: Improve alignment of view and base
  • Adjusted initial position of game, centering view on the helicopter + base
  • Helicopter / super-bunker: Improve vertical alignment if helicopter crashes on superbunker "roof."
  • Fixed radar item for Super Bunkers, now shows correct friendly / enemy status.
  • Cloud "wind" accelerates / decelerates more smoothly
  • Clouds no longer "bounce" when they drift off the end of the world, but get a nice bit of wind to bring them back into view.
  • Slight vertical alignment tweaks on gunfire and balloons in radar view.
  • Improved orientation of heat-seeking smart missiles (and rubber chickens and bananas) as they track their target
  • Tweaked movement and velocity of smart missiles, making them potentially faster / more random
  • Enemy helicopter will now turn to face targets. Sometimes it would fire the other way. ;)
  • Improved helicopter motion when approaching landing pad - "bounce" has largely been eliminated.
  • Improved off-screen / on-screen DOM pruning, restoration of 3D transforms when re-appending DOM elements
  • Fixed end-game bug, sometimes ground units (e.g. van) did not appear at base when blowing up.
  • Adjusted collision detection: if helicopter is hiding "in" a friendly super-bunker, bombs should hit the roof of the super bunker and not the helicopter.

  + Gameplay
  • New weapon: Heat-seeking bananas
  • Ground unit "Traffic Control" option: Vehicles try to leave space between, and avoid overlapping each other. Tanks will now "park" behind friendly tanks,
    avoiding a pile-up. Tanks normally only stop to fire. Vans and missile launchers will now wait for each other, too. Tanks will not stop for vans or
    missile launchers, giving tanks a greater chance of ending up at the front of a convoy - a preferable offensive position.
  • Units can now be "recycled" if they cross the battlefield, you are rewarded 2x cost in credits
  • Engineers can now steal all funds from enemy bunker
  • Engineers can now repair (but not rebuid) friendly bunkers
  • Bullets now ricochet off non-friendly super-bunkers
  • Shrapnel will ricochet off certain units (tank, super-bunker)
  • "Incoming missile" doesn't show in extreme mode when the radar is jammed.
  • End base, extreme mode: if a defense missile is destroyed, respawn another within 0.5 seconds.
  • Missile launchers trigger when closer to the helicopter, more likely now to be on-screen
  • Helicopter respawn: Delay if certain ground units are obstructing the landing pad.
  • Enemy helicopter AI: Default 10% of dropping bombs when targeting a tank, subject to game difficulty (hard: 15%, extreme: 25%.)
  • Bombs can now collide with smart missiles and take them out
  • Tank gunfire only hits bunkers if tanks are shooting at a helicopter, or another tank
    (bug fix: previously, tanks could destroy a bunker trying to hit an infantry on the other side.)
  • Super bunkers that are un-manned are "neutral" and dangerous to both sides, and will be shown as hostile on the radar.
    (This includes when tanks disarm a bunker by firing at it.)
  • Bomb trajectory now includes the helicopter's Y-axis velocity, and they now rotate along with their trajectory.
  • Helicopters now rise up from the landing pad on game start and respawn, like the original game.
  • Helicopter gunfire takes tilt / angle into account.
  • Helicopter "shake" starts when health is under 70%, gets worse with damage. This affects gunfire trajectory.
  • Your missile launchers only fire at the enemy helicopter when the convoy is "unassisted", e.g., there is no friendly helicopter or turret nearby.
  • Extreme mode: If you shoot down the enemy base's smart missiles while near the base, it will launch new ones that are faster and more difficult to dodge.
  • While on a landing pad, your gunfire may go over infantry's heads most of the time.
  • Don't assume the top of the battlefield is always safe; watch out for balloons!
  • Paratroopers now fall at slightly different rates, and may be affected more by wind
  • A few additional, inspirational [ game paused in background ] messages

  + Technical notes: development / code
  • Migrated core JavaScript to ES6 syntax, retaining functional + prototypal inheritance style. Slightly less verbose.
  • As part of ES6 migration, dropped legacy IE 8 + 9 code and checks: ancient event handlers, lack of transform, `requestAnimationFrame()` polyfill etc.
  • Lots of cleanup: Exit early, reduced `if/else` nesting. Dropped all `setTimeout()` calls, moved to a frame-based approach: `setFrameTimeout()`.
  • `aa.js` (core game code) is massive at ~450 KB, and seems like a good candidate to be broken up into ES6 modules. TBD.

+ V1.51.20181124

  + Performance tweaks
  • More motion / animation is now on the GPU via `transform`, vs. `style.left` / `style.top`.
  • Main animation loop calls `requestAnimationFrame()` first, before anything else (like VSYNC.)
  • Drop legacy SM2 flash options.
  • Turret scan is now driven by CSS animation vs. JS setting an angle transform every frame.

  + Sound
  • New base explosion, tweaked other explosion sound effects.
  • New "heavy mechanics" bunker chain (repair) sound.

+ V1.5.20180201

  + Big feature updates!
  • Game "mostly" now works on mobile devices. Touch-based events for helicopter control, UI for helicopter weapons and inventory / ordering. Tested on iPhone X. Others should work reasonably-well. Hopefully.
  • Inventory order queueing! 🎉 (Finally.) e.g., 3 tanks in a row. Queueing deducts funds immediately. No added UI or cancel ability (yet.)
  • Battlefield view is now bigger on screen. Stats UI is dead, long live stats.
  • Performance improvements. tl;dr: JavaScript tweaks, putting most all sprites onto the GPU. Replaced most common animated .GIF backgrounds with 3d-transform, GPU-accelerated CSS animation-driven sprites. 😅

  + Sound
  • No sound for any Safari (desktop or mobile) for now, including version 11.0. Multiple sounds kill performance on desktop, and "auto-play" is effectively blocked on mobile. https://bugs.webkit.org/show_bug.cgi?id=116145
  • New + improved helicopter machine gun sounds. 9 different samples, played at random.
  • New sound effects: "bomb hatch" (helicopter bomb release), tank gunfire, bunker chain/balloon repair, helicopter gunfire hit.
  • "Medals clanking" sound for bunker chain/balloon repair. (BY-NC 3.0.) https://freesound.org/people/Gareth_H/sounds/365799/
  • New tank gunfire sound: "Tank Fire Mixed.wav" by Cyberkineticfilms/freesound.org (CC0, "No Rights Reserved". 🙇)
  • Hat tip: "Bolo" "tank self hit" sound effect, Copyright (C) Steuart Cheshire 1993. My favourite Mac game of all time. ❤️

  + UX / UI
  • "Radar jammed" TV static-like overlay with transform sprite.
  • Slightly faster helicopter bombing rate - more responsive.
  • Chain refactor. Use fixed height, animate via transform, fall with gravity when balloon and/or bunker are lost.
  • Balloons are yellow-ish on radar, and now transform-rotated to elliptical shapes. Bunkers / base color and border tweaks, friendly vs. enemy now look different.
  • Inventory and helicopter ammo, etc., become greyed out when unaffordable / unavailable.
  • Target / "tracking" animation on Smart Missile targets.
  • Smart Missiles can now re-target on the next frame after the original target dies. If a new target can not be immediately acquired, the Smart Missile dies as previously.
  • Radar items, clouds and some other sprites move more smoothly simply by dropping `parseInt()`.
  • "C" / rubber chicken use causes UI to switch to rubber chicken mode.
  • Possible bugfix: If paused and enemy order timer fires, re-start timer. This probably fixes enemy inventory building sometimes breaking.
  • Jam radar all the time on hard + extreme game types.

  + Miscellany
  • Note re: Firefox `will-change` memory consumption warning that might show in console.
  • URL feature flags: `noTranslate3d` and `noRadarGPU`. `frameRate=[60|*]` for testing of `requestAnimationFrame()` timing. camelCase others. Let Opera (now webkit-based) have transforms.
  • +`makeTransformSprite()`, a sort of sub-sprite for CSS transform-based animations (GPU-accelerated animated .GIF alternatives.)
  • `z-index: -1` can be harmful for performance / compositing.
  • iPhone X notch handling based on orientation and whatnot.

+ 12/2017

  + Optimized performance / dropped CPU usage significantly by hiding off-screen elements.
  + Fixed silly blank / empty frame in balloon right -> left animation sequence.
  + Dropped numerous legacy -webkit and -moz prefixes in CSS.
  + DOM Pruning option with offscreen logic

+ 10/2017

  + Fixed up top stats layout in Firefox, Safari, Chrome.
  + Emoji to convey meaning of tutorial, easy, hard, extreme modes.
  + ESLint code clean-up.

+ 09/2015

  + "Extreme" game mode
  • Higher enemy convoy production rate.
  • Turrets fire at a faster rate.
  • Twin enemy turrets near mid-field.
  • Turrets fire at ground vehicles and smart missiles. Infantry and engineers are not targeted, but can be hit.
  • Owning all bunkers does not halt enemy production.

  + Miscellaneous
  • Fix for "negative look-ahead" case - enemy Super Bunker now fires at helicopter on both sides.
  • `Math.abs()` checks on distance for missile launchers
  • Fixed Bunker and Super Bunker vertical alignment / collision detection with helicopter
  • Infantry will not be picked up when the helicopter is on a landing pad and repairing.
  • Shrapnel shows on radar.
  • Background color fixed on bullet and missile "spark" graphic.

+ 08/2014

  + Sound events / sound effects
  • Wrench and related sounds on helicopter repair/refuel, balloon repair, turret claiming/rebuilding/repair
  • Violin notes for friendly capture events: bunker, turret etc. (C5). Enemy note is C4.
  • "Pop" / "vacuum" sounds for infantry pick up + deployment, and turret restoration
  • Door close for passing infantry entering bunkers
  • Splat for infantry and engineer kills
  • Crash-and-glass for bunker explosions
  • Heavy/light impact sounds for bullets hitting metal (tanks) and other structures (bunkers)
  • Turrets audibly "break" when destroyed.

  + Game logic / rules
  • Turret gunfire can now hit infantry, regular bunkers and Super Bunkers. However, only tank gunfire can hit Super Bunkers for damage.
  • For "easy" game mode, turrets now fire at half the previous rate.

  + UI / design
  • Arrows on bunkers now animate to the right/left when claimed by friendly/enemy infantry.

  + Miscellaneous
  • Sound arrays (i.e., 5 bullet/metal sounds) shuffle on each rotation, reducing chance of repetitiveness.
  • Upped turret gunfire sound array, possibly reduce cloning of Audio() in heavy fire cases.
  • Infantry build "faster" now, so they are more closely grouped together (in units of five.)
  • Shrapnel now rotates using CSS animations, rotation direction determined randomly.
  • In tutorial mode, disarm user-armed Super Bunker so it doesn't accidentally kill Missile Launchers that later show up.
  • Fixed enemy infantry + engineer die animation to be bottom-aligned.

+ 07/2014

  • Safari 7.1 and 8 (OS X 10.10/Yosemite preview) still have HTML5 audio jank bug, thus prefer Flash. https://bugs.webkit.org/show_bug.cgi?id=116145
  • Opacity fade on edge of game tips.
  • Font legibility tweaks.

+ 04/2014

  • "Hard" game option, comparable to original game's level 9.
  • Gunfire and shrapnel now shows up on radar.
  • Enemy unit production halts when all bunkers are friendly / player-owned.
  • Heat-seeking rubber chickens (launched with C key.)
  • Turret gunfire can hit tanks, vans and missile launchers in "hard" mode. Protip: Don't approach turrets from low angles.

+ 03/2014

  • Added "Super Bunkers" (pillbox bunkers) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armor_alley#Terrain_elements