WordHopper

WordHopper gives decades-old computers some newer life by making a li'l bunny find words within randomly-generated boards of letters.

Unused Graphics#

Some portions of the graphics files are goofy little Easter eggs that don't show up in-game.

title.pcx#

I HAVE A SELF-IMPOSED REQUIREMENT TO ADD CUBICAT TO ALL OF MY GAMES AND, WELL, I RAN OUT OF TIME ON THIS ONE

YEP, CUBICAT'S STILL HERE.

Seems Cubicat made it into here in the nick of time for the original deadline.

tutorial.pcx#

This guy didn't make it in until v2.01.

JUST REALIZED HE'S IN THE WRONG GAME

The description here explains this guy's predicament pretty clearly.

Revisional Differences#

v1.00 to v2.00#

:: v2.00 - 09 Sep 2023

- Added mouse support, with 8 cursor styles and optional trail
- Added "Rush" game mode (full version only)
- Added custom game modes (full version only)
- Added start letter tip/indicator
- Added point preview
- Added individual volume settings
- Added ability to move letter stack
- Added reduced motion mode
- Added ability to disable control schemes individually
- Added some country, contintent, and language names to valid word list
- Changed main menu design/layout
- Changed random letter distribution function
- Reduced Classic mode time limit by 10 seconds across all difficulties
- Fixed memory leak when replaying from gameover screen
- Fixed stuck rabbit animation when holding arrow keys + confirming a word
- Fixed lack of feedback when typing non-surrounding letters
- Fixed softlock when moving + backspacing on same frame

Main Menu#

v1.00	v2.00

The main menu was completely overhauled, with the bar spanning a vertical space now rather than horizontal.

Classic Mode Gameplay#

v1.00	v2.00

v1.00	v2.00

Letter and point hints were added, and the timer bar got a more slanted aesthetic.

Classic Mode Game Over#

v1.00	v2.00

The Game Over screen got some new icons.

Sound Data#

patch.ibk

The instrument bank gained some tweaks to some instruments.

timed.mid

The Classic Mode BGM got an ever-so-minor change: a tiny 32-unit-long C4 note at position 8448 was removed in v2.00.

v2.00 to v2.01#

:: v2.01 - 30 Sep 2023

- Updated demo
- Added pause button to Zen mode (when mouse is available)
- Fixed crashes under NTVDM
- Fixed stuck reticle when using the mouse + aim keys
- Fixed missing highlights on some mouse regions (hourglass, menu text buttons)
- Fixed single frame of palette weirdness when going from title->game
- Fixed pop-in after fade out upon exiting
- Fixed timerbar effect sticking behind for one frame on field reset
- Fixed broken antialiasing on letters under field transition outline
- Fixed valid word effect performance regression
- Reduced stutter between intro and title

Mouse Highlights#

v2.00	v2.01

Icons like the hourglass gained highlight reactions to the mouse.

Zen Mode Gameplay#

v2.00	v2.01

The status bar for Zen was tweaked, with a pause button taking the place of the hourglass.

Transition Outline Letters#

v2.00	v2.01

In v2.00, the antialiasing on some letters within the pink transition ring rendered incorrectly. Notice how the "O" on the left in each screenshot gets rendered.

Game Start Palette Glitch#

In v2.00, the palette around the title bunny got some white specks on the frame before the gameplay area is entered.

Timer Bar Issue#

In v2.00, the timer bar renders incorrectly for the frame in between board transitions.

Exit Pop-In#

In v2.00, this shows for a split-second before the DOS prompt appears.

v2.01 to v2.01d#

This update doesn't apply to the full version, simply removing some audio data from the demo version.

v2.02 to v2.02-1#

The Mac port got an update not too long after its release.

Game scale now defaults to 1x for better performance
    If you liked the 2x scale in the previous build, press F1 to toggle back to it
Fixed bad mouse mapping under 2x scale
OS cursor is now used instead of the game's soft cursor
    Because performance is still an issue and having the cursor lag behind is annoying
Close button and ⌘Q now map to ESC instead of nothing

References#