This is the roadmap for Spirit Drop. It shows all the planned modes and upgrades to the game. Updates are subject to rearrange at any time. The black bars are spoilers, hover over or select them to reveal.
Released: 2020/9/25
A set of 3 incomplete modes were introduced in singleplayer
They were Pull, Fall, and Rise
More details found in v0.1
Released: 2021/2/16
A set of 5 modes were introduced in singleplayer
Pull - Lock delay based line mode
Fall - Gravity based instant lock
Rise - Rising async garbage
Dynamic - Game speed based on performance
Evolution - Objectives, branching paths
Released: 2021/5/14
Replaced the menu system with a thematic one that allows mouse controls
Several aspects of the menu were redesigned, including the account system
Various aspects of the game were optimized for v0.2
The Freeform All Clear mode was added on the side
Released: 2023/8/15
Multiplayer system was replaced with a substantially more stable and thoroughly tested version with reinforced custom versus ruleset support, made from JSON data
Line Race and Timed got a Paced subtype
Freeform All Clear mode also indicates unwinnable state
There were dozens of other gameplay changes as well, such as Re-Hold and Control Rules
Some of the requests from v0.1.0 and v0.1.1 will be handled here
Adds Accolades, where certain feats add an icon to your Profile, and Badges, a type of accolade that require achieving a significant feat
Most badges have multiple levels; a profile can have up to 8 accolades displayed
The custom versus ruleset in-game editor will also be added, along with the remainder of the requests from v0.1 and v0.2
This is a huge refactoring job that has started since v0.1.1 which moves the game into a custom engine called RayBlast Engine, which runs on .NET (more specifically, the engine for this version is called RayBlast WebGL)
The hope is that the game becomes much smaller and faster while still possessing the same capabilities as the Unity version, if not more
Notable performance improvements include the display and audio systems
Specifically, this port focuses on multiplayer and excludes the singleplayer content and 3D rendering
This version will be playable on spiritdrop.net in all browsers that support WebGL 2
The Nexus may also open depending on demand; be able to share versus rulesets and their Lua scripts, and then upvote your favorites
Adds difficulty levels, which can be set at any time; the game will suggest a difficulty on the first clear of Line Race, which will also get some modifications
Difficulty will determine minimum levels to clear, how many qualification attempts are needed, etc.
Some refactoring will be done to make all singleplayer and multiplayer modes use multiple rulesets
Singleplayer modes will migrate their logic to rulesets that will be uploaded to the Nexus (Transcension and Ascension logic will not be included however)
This will also introduce some overhauls to the ruleset in-game editor to make it easier to use
Medals will also be introduced, a type of accolade given for top leaderboard placements
A continuation of the WebGL port which includes a standalone version powered by SDL3
The hope is that the RayBlast version will outperform the Unity version
Polyomino practice modes will also be added on the side
Target minimum requirements:
CPU count: 4
Memory - 600 MB
Disk - 400 MB
Video memory - 200 MB
A new mode called Divination gets added
A set of 20 levels that mixes the other 5 singleplayer modes
Perform well in the other singleplayer modes to earn lives for this mode
Recent singleplayer clears provide a time bonus for this mode
Dynamic difficulty, along with 10 set difficulties
Puzzles will also be introduced; created by players, they can challenge other players on how to clear certain goals (they can also use custom rulesets)
Puzzles are categorized and are monitored on success rates and completion times
There is technically no Puzzle mode, but a new mode called Puzzle Blitz will also be introduced where you solve many puzzles under a time limit, with increasing difficulty
Constructed by players, it is effectively the knowledge base of all the players
Users can create Courses, which are interactive tutorials and quizzes
Courses have the option to offer Certificates, a type of accolade
Anyone can contribute, but changes have to be approved by consensus or moderators for the popular ones
There is technically no Tutorial mode, because tutorials run on other modes; each tutorial is essentially a group of rules (but not a ruleset) with specialized dialogue procedure
All tutorials are hands-on and they can automatically undo incorrect moves or respond to failure
They can also present some unique visuals that help illustrate the more technical details of the gameplay
This is a large backend job that allows replays to be validated within minutes of submission
Any replays that are questionable will still be manually validated
This is necessary for Ranked; it may come earlier if the game is popular before then
Attack calculation and rulesets used are added to the validation
Fun fact: this uses another version of the RayBlast Engine called RayBlastCLI (which lacks graphics or sound support)
Side project not determined yet
Matchmaker gets added to multiplayer with temporary ratings
Ruleset becomes harder each round you win, making it more difficult to sweep another player; tiebreakers are climactic rounds
Classes are assigned to players, divided into ranks with promotion and demotion ranks at the ends
Everyone participates to unlock more classes; each class will use certain settings for the Ranked Ruleset
All users can vote on changes to the ruleset and the settings used in each class, updated monthly
Due to the testing nature of requiring multiple skill levels and the meta constantly evolving amongst the tiers, player ratings will be erased in v0.5 to distribute new ratings properly
Ranked matches are officially added after wiping the slate clean
This will allow you to completely customize your board display using a number of widgets, graphics and text, and it will reflect in other player's clients if they allow it (no custom graphics though)
Customization ranges from piece results, board timings, stats, piece inventory, and mode text, and you can reserve a space for other players to put their own widgets for your board which will match the theme you set
Rulesets are able to control the interface or simply add their own elements in the reserved space
Side project not determined yet
Adds variety to Quick Play instead of segmenting the playerbase with multiple modes
KO Mondays - Timed KOs: earn the most KOs under a time limit! Deathmatch: earn a certain number of KOs first!
Elimination Tuesdays - Eliminations: be the last player alive! Turbo: always at stage 6!
Crown Wednesdays - Crown: occupy the throne the longest! Tag: avoid losing by tagging others!
Team Thursdays - Participate in teams of different sizes chosen by everyone
Boss Fridays - Join together to take out a boss spirit using abilities
Community Saturdays - Reserved for suggestions, otherwise it's one of the other days
Strange Sundays - Experimental or generated rulesets
Mass multiplayer is a focus, so all modes will be 999 player/AI compatible
There are also daily, weekly, and monthly goals to encourage more online play
This will simultaneously upgrade the mino graphics to 64x64 as well as add connected minoes
This might be in an earlier version if a type of mino utilizes connections
Side project not determined yet
Four more singleplayer modes are introduced
These can be played after clearing Divination
Fire - Stale minos require multiple clears
Chaos - Line mode with around 30 periodic board effects
(Evolution is about what you are given, Chaos is manipulation)
Instinct - Hundreds of boards with preloaded garbage each, no lock resets
Mutation - Controlling polyomino size
This opens up the use of any rotation configuration (rotation system + kick set) other than Spirit Drop's Omnikick
Rotation Systems determine how pieces rotate as well as their twist detection
Kick Set Packages determine the offsets to test and use for each rotation state transition
Side project not determined yet
A new mode called Ritual is added
This can be played after clearing Divination
512 generated levels, with a minimum of 40 required to be cleared
Levels are any combination of the 9 singleplayer modes from Acts I and III
Levels divided into stages, based on how many modes are mixed into the level
Difficulty increases during each attempt
Perform very well in the other singleplayer modes to earn continues in their respective modes (recent clears provide two continues)
Progress is saved between stages; some is lost whenever a continue is not used, but so does the difficulty; the mode can be reset
The Evolution and Chaos parts add more replayability
Due to the nature of this mode, everything will change in a way you won't expect...
The last practice mode is revealed, which is Custom
This combines the full power of the mode rulesets with a dedicated mode that allows ruleset creators to author entire new modes with their own leaderboards
More details later
A co-op RPG adventure
Expands on the ability system from Boss Fridays
More details might come later
Only select players can test, and progress will be lost on the next version
Lets everyone be able to play the campaign
Players of the previous version will lose all their progress
Photon Realtime only allows 20 CCU during development; it is entirely possible that buying the 100 CCU plan would become obsolete when v1.0 is released
Game might also benefit from better authentication and purpose-built networking if a custom server was made
A new mode called Navigation is added
Roguelite using all mechanics of the game, as the final planned piece of content
Place pieces for your character to navigate through
Uses the ability system from multiplayer
Is started at the beginning of a playthrough, but you will not be able to complete it without clearing Act IV
More details might come later
Adds mod support to the game; this is also the point where the game goes open-source
Rulesets gain the ability to expose save metadata which goes in the players save file (.sdsf)
Allows players to be able to create their own singleplayer campaigns to upload as a Nexus bundle, or even randomize the existing one
Creators can specify the rotation configuration, the number of Acts, the mode rulesets involved in each (including the ones from the Custom practice mode), their progress-based settings, pre-requisites, purification, ascension, and qualification requirements
Custom modes can reference progress in other custom modes
More details later
Consists of two types of tournaments:
Self-managed matchmakers that find the best player
• In-game notifications when matches are ready
• Match outcomes automatically handled, with optional moderators
• Disconnects do not automatically disqualify; players decide on exceptions
• Match results can be challenged if foul play is involved (cheating, house rules, etc.)
Leaderboard-based with any number of custom leaderboards to submit to
• Able to set the start and end dates of the submission window
• Tournament organizers and selected volunteers are able to review replays manually, on top of the existing automated validation
Likely to break midway, so no official ones shall be hosted
Official tournaments can be hosted in this version, all tournaments are expected to work and can give trophies, a type of accolade which you can get many of
Official tournaments can also supply their own interface themes for the board displays
This update requires a healthy thriving playerbase and may not happen if there are not enough ranked players
Other content will be released over the development of the game, such as practice mode subtypes.
Check back here to see if new versions appear.
This data can be viewed from either rayblastgames.com or in-game.
Discord - AgStarRay
Click here for AgStarRay's YouTube channel
Twitter - @AgStarRay