Hey everyone! 🙋‍♂️

This update implements many smaller but equally important points that I've collected as feedback. As always, thank you for your feedback and all the suggestions!

Update 1.0.5 contains the following improvements and fixes:

• Acceleration in the bonus area: After each level, your horses slow down to give you a chance to catch your breath. When you jump in the bonus area, your horses now regain speed more quickly.
  
• Improved level end: Previously, the horses would slow down before reaching the flag at the end of the level to slow down in the bonus area. The end has now been improved so that the horses pass the flag at full speed and only slow down afterward.
  
• Fixed speed in higher levels: If you had a lot of horses with the "Slower" power-up, the speed was much too slow in higher levels (15, 20, etc.). The effect of the power-up has now been slightly reduced so that the speed continues to increase in higher levels and the game remains challenging.

• Improved Linux / Steam Deck version: The native Linux version of Horse Runner DX has been further optimized. The game's size has been reduced from 117 MB to a tiny 66 MB. The full game download is now just 38 MB.

• Improved settings menu: The Settings menu now features improved toggles for changing all settings in both directions—e.g., volume up and down. This makes everything easier to control with a mouse, keyboard, and controller.
  
• Improved resolution settings: The resolution can now be easily adjusted to standard sizes (e.g., 720p, 1080p, full screen) in the settings menu. This feature is very useful when recording a gameplay video. You can still resize the window to any size by dragging a corner.
  
• Easier scrolling in lists: You can now scroll in all lists (leaderboard, horses, etc.) using the mouse wheel. With the keyboard, you can scroll using the Page Up and Page Down keys. With a controller, you can scroll up and down using the shoulder buttons.
  
• Leaderboard in title screen: To make it easier for you to view your previous high scores, the leaderboard is now accessible directly from the title screen.
  
• Leaderboard sample entries: If your leaderboard is still relatively empty, there are now a few sample entries for you to compete with. Your own entries will gradually replace the sample entries.
  
• Adjusted default settings: To be on the safe side, the "Reduced Motion" setting is enabled by default. Your previous settings will, of course, remain unchanged.
  
• Updated the demo: The text within the demo has been updated now that the game has been released. The demo will continue to be updated with the full game, but only contains a limited portion of the full game.

If you have any problems or suggestions, please let me know in the discussions.

Thanks for playing! 🤗
Mat

Hey everyone! 🙋‍♂️

The time has finally come - the release of Horse Runner DX is here! 🐴 I am very excited to release the game and would like to thank you for all the lovely feedback and the many good suggestions.

Version 1.0.4 contains the following improvements and fixes:

• Improved chance of survival: One much-requested feature was that the whole herd is not lost in the event of a mass crash. Previously, you lost all the horses if you jumped right into an obstacle and the horses could no longer avoid it. This has now been mitigated so that only the first horse is lost and the rest of the herd survives.
  
• Compatibility with demo: If you have already played the demo, your progress will be carried over automatically. But if you want to start again from scratch (which I recommend), you can reset your progress individually under Settings\Data. You can, for example, keep the leaderboard and only reset the challenges and your apples.
  
• Improved performance: The game has been further optimized so that it runs very smoothly even on slow PCs. On the Steam Deck, for example, the game still runs smoothly at 60 FPS with 3W TDP. For Steam Deck users, this means even longer battery life.
  
• New logo and Steam image: The previous logo and image, which were a bit too generic, have been redesigned to better reflect the retro and pixel art character of the game.
  
• Adjustment of the speed bonus: The speed bonus at the end of the levels is no longer offset against the "Slower" power-up. Now you always get a bonus for every "Faster" power-up, even if you have "Slower" at the same time.

If you played an older demo of the game, there are now a few new features:

• Unlockable bonus horses: By completing challenges, you can gradually unlock bonus horses. Some of these horses come with several power-ups that you can use right from the start.
  
• Local leaderboard: Your best high scores are now saved in a local leaderboard so that you can better compare your runs.
  
• Screenshot mode: To create a nice screenshot, you can go to the new screenshot mode in the pause menu, which hides everything else.
  
• Tutorial hints: When you play for the first time, you will see short hints that explain the game. You can reset these hints under Settings\Data so that, for example, someone you let play also sees the tutorial.

I hope everyone has a great time with the game. If you have any questions or problems, I'll be happy to help you in the discussions. Feel free to post a screenshot of your leaderboard :-)

Thanks for your support 💝
Mat