` block, followed by `---` divider, then the content. Same layout FlashOS uses on each of its tracked pages. - **CHANGELOG nav header.** This file now opens with a matching centred title block (`Changelog` H1 + README · Changelog nav-bar). - **Bottom Prev/Next navigation** on README (`Next: Changelog →`) and this file (`← Prev: README · Back to start (README) ↺`), modelled on the per-doc footer in FlashOS. ## [v1.0.2] - 2026-05-23 Cross-project fingerprint pass. Harmonises the README surface with its sibling repos (eeco, FlashOS) so the three portfolio projects read as one body of work. No gameplay, save-file, or build-tooling changes — existing saves and custom levels load as-is. ### Project - **README badge row** — adopts the canonical 5-badge fingerprint modelled on FlashOS: CI · Version · License · Python · target. Same ordering and same `shields.io` colour vocabulary the other two repos now share. The Coverage badge is deliberately omitted — codecov is not wired into the-way-out yet; it will join the row when coverage reporting lands as a separate slice. - **`## See also` section** — new section at the foot of the README cross-links [FlashOS](https://github.com/ajhahnde/FlashOS) and [eeco](https://github.com/ajhahnde/eeco). Mirrors the matching section both sibling repos added in the same fingerprint pass. - **Stale version line removed.** The standalone `**Version:** v1.0.1` line below the title is superseded by the new badge row; the badge is now the single source of the displayed version. Reduces maintenance to one location. ## [v1.0.1] - 2026-05-21 Repo-hygiene release. No gameplay or save-file changes; existing saves and custom levels load as-is. Brings the project's tooling in line with its sibling repos (eeco, FlashOS) so it can be forked, built and contributed to without the operator in the loop. ### Project - **LICENSE** — Apache 2.0. The repo had no license until now, which meant the source was legally all-rights-reserved and nobody could fork it. Matches the licence both sibling repos already use. - **`pyproject.toml`** — pins the runtime (`pygame==2.6.1`), the build toolchain (`pyinstaller==6.20.0`, `certifi==2026.5.20`) and the dev tools (`ruff==0.15.14`, `pytest==9.0.3`) so a fresh clone resolves to the same versions that produced the v1.0.0 .app. Carries the project's Ruff config (E/F/I/UP/B, 79-col, py312) — `.ruff_cache/` existed in the tree but the config was missing, so contributors couldn't format identically. - **GitHub Actions CI** (`.github/workflows/ci.yml`) — two jobs on every push and PR. `check` (ubuntu): `ruff check`, `pytest`, and a headless `import main` smoke under the dummy SDL drivers. `build` (macos): runs `build_mac.sh` and uploads `dist/TheWayOut-mac.zip` as a workflow artifact. - **Test suite** (`tests/`, 26 tests) — first ever. Covers the level parser helpers (`_split_cells` / `_cell_variant` / `_pair_id`), the `PressurePlate` charge/trip lifecycle, `Lever.use` single-shot, and the `Character` attack + ability cooldown bookkeeping. Headless via a conftest that wires the dummy SDL drivers before `pygame.init()`. ### Fixed - `main.py` now wraps the game loop in `if __name__ == "__main__":`, so `import main` is safe in tests and CI. Without this the loop ran at module import and the smoke test would have hung forever. - README's version line said `v0.2.2` (stale from v1.0.0); now `v1.0.1`. ## [v1.0.0] - 2026-05-21 The first real release. Bundles the v0.3.0 → v0.10.0 cuts into one banner: two new built-in levels, a per-character signature ability for each playable, a full editor-as-UGC loop (Load picker + theme picker + riddle/interactable palette), a game-feel pass (hit-pause + particles + fades), 18 new sound effects across every gameplay and menu event, and an inter-level loading screen. No save-file format changes; existing saves and custom levels load as-is. ### Content - Two new built-in levels lift the campaign from three rooms to five. - **Level 4 "The Foundry"** — a four-chamber forge map: bellows hall, spike-gauntlet pressure plate, key vault, boss arena. Three reading-order trigger/gate pairs chain the chambers. - **Level 5 "The Sunken Archive"** — a five-room library ruin with a bookshelf-lined atrium, a two-spike-row crossing, a vault antechamber, an optional reading-room side area, and a boss arena. The campaign's first off-path room. ### Gameplay - Each playable character now has one signature active ability on its own cooldown, fired with **Shift**: - **Wizard — Slow:** time bends to 0.35× for every enemy, the boss and their in-flight shots for 3s. The Wizard moves and fires at full speed. - **Shiggy — Dash:** the short, i-framed burst dash that used to be universal, now Shiggy's alone. - **Penguin — Shield:** total damage immunity for 2.5s. - **Elf — Volley:** doubled fire rate for 2s. - **Wolf — Sprint:** a 1.5s burst of peak movement speed with no i-frames — distinct from Shiggy's short dash. - The four other characters no longer have the dash; each is defined by its own ability instead. - Brief hit-pause on impactful events (player hit, boss hit, boss death, player death) so every meaningful strike reads. ### UI - The HUD dash ring is now an ability ring: a per-character glyph, bright while the ability is active, a depleting arc on cooldown. - Character select shows each character's ability — name and a one-line description — below the four stat bars. - Particle bursts on hits, deaths and ability activations. Player hits are red, regular hits are white, boss death sprays gold with a white core, and each character's signature ability blooms in its own colour (Wizard violet, Penguin ice blue, Elf leaf green, Shiggy warm dust, Wolf white). - Levels fade in on start and fade out on completion / death. - New inter-level loading screen shows the level title, tagline, your character, and the control hints. Auto-advances after a few seconds or press Enter / Space / left-click to skip; Esc cancels back to the level menu (or the editor, if launched from Test). Retries (R) and pause-restart bypass it. ### Audio - 18 new sound effects across the board: player and enemy hits, enemy and boss death, the boss's own hit, all five signature abilities (Wizard slow, Penguin shield, Elf volley, Shiggy dash, Wolf sprint), shoot, level complete, player death, lever click, gate open, pressure plate, key pickup, and a menu confirmation beep. The Settings **Sound** toggle silences both music and effects. ### Editor - New **Load** button reopens any custom map you saved — click a row to load it back onto the canvas and keep editing. - New **Theme** button picks one of five floor/wall presets — **Keep**, **Foundry**, **Cellar**, **Archive**, **Frost** — each shown with tile swatches so you see the look before choosing. The chosen theme is saved alongside the map and the level renders with it everywhere. Maps saved before v0.7.0 keep the original look. - The riddle/interactable palette exposes every interactable (spikes, levers, pressure plates, gates, keys) with scroll-wheel pair-id selection so chained puzzles can be authored cleanly. ### Input - macOS system shortcuts (Cmd-Tab, Mission Control, Spaces) no longer steal focus mid-level. The keyboard is grabbed by the game while a level is live and released in menus, pause and the level-end screen. The in-game Cmd-Q quit still works. ### Tools - New `scripts/gen_sfx.py` deterministically (re)generates all 18 SFX WAV files using only stdlib `wave` + `math`, so a tuning tweak ships by running the script and committing the changed assets. Output lives under `assets/audio/sfx/`. ## [v0.10.0] - 2026-05-20 Adds an inter-level loading screen between the level menu and play — one focused beat showing the level title, tagline, your character, and the controls before the room becomes interactive. ### UI - New loading screen between the level menu and play. Shows the level's title and tagline, an idle frame of your selected character, and a control hint bar. Auto-advances after a few seconds, or press Enter / Space / left-click to skip. Esc cancels back to the level menu (or the editor, if launched from Test). - Retries are snappy: pressing R after a death, or Restart from the pause menu, reloads the room directly without the loading screen. - The previous in-level title card that overlaid the live world is gone — the loading screen now carries the title surface, and the fade-in covers the visual handoff into the room. Contact damage is still suspended during the fade so the player can't be hit before they can react. ## [v0.9.0] - 2026-05-20 Hits, abilities, doors and pickups now have sound. Adds 18 synthesised chiptune-style sound effects covering every gameplay event and every menu confirmation, plus the missing call sites for the level's interactables. ### Audio - New sound effects across the board: player and enemy hits, enemy and boss death, the boss's own hit, all five character signature abilities (Wizard slow, Penguin shield, Elf volley, Shiggy dash, Wolf sprint), shoot, level complete and player death. - Levers, gates, pressure plates and the key now make sound when you use them. - Menu confirmations beep when you click a button. The Settings **Sound** toggle silences both music and effects. ### Tools - New `scripts/gen_sfx.py` deterministically (re)generates all 18 SFX WAV files using only stdlib `wave` + `math`, so a tuning tweak ships by running the script and committing the changed assets. Output lives under `assets/audio/sfx/`. ## [v0.8.0] - 2026-05-20 Combat now reads — every hit registers. Adds game-feel polish across the level: brief hit-pause on impactful events, particle bursts on hits / deaths / abilities, and a fade between level start and end. ### Gameplay - Brief hit-pause on impactful events: the screen freezes for a few frames when the player takes damage, when the boss is hit, when the boss dies, and when the player dies. The pause is short enough to read as a snap, not a hang, and the camera + transition keep moving through it. ### UI - Particle bursts on hits, kills, ability activations, and boss death. Player hits are red, regular hits are white, boss death sprays gold with a white core, and each character's signature ability blooms in its own colour (Wizard violet, Penguin ice blue, Elf leaf green, Shiggy warm dust, Wolf white). - Levels fade in on start and fade out on completion / death-to-retry so transitions read as a deliberate cut. ## [v0.7.0] - 2026-05-20 Lets you give each custom map its own **visual theme** in the level editor — until now every player-built map used the same floor and wall tiles. ### Editor - New **Theme** button in the editor toolbar. It opens a picker with five floor/wall presets — **Keep**, **Foundry**, **Cellar**, **Archive**, **Frost** — each shown with tile swatches so you see the look before choosing. The button itself shows the current theme. - The chosen theme is saved alongside the map and the level renders with it, in the editor's Test run and in the level menu. Press Esc or click outside to dismiss the picker. - Maps saved before this release keep the original look. ## [v0.6.0] - 2026-05-20 Lets the level editor **reopen a custom map you saved**, closing the loop on the editor as a community-UGC feature — until now a saved map could be played but never edited again. ### Editor - New **Load** button in the editor toolbar. It opens a picker listing every custom map you have saved; click one to load it onto the canvas and keep editing. Press Esc or click outside to dismiss. - The picker scrolls (mouse wheel) when you have more saved maps than fit on screen, and shows a hint when you have none yet. ## [v0.5.0] - 2026-05-20 Gives every playable character a distinct **signature ability** on a cooldown, triggered with **Shift** — the combat differentiator for the v1.0.0 cut. The universal dash is now Shiggy's alone. ### Gameplay - Each character has one signature ability, fired with Shift on its own cooldown: - **Wizard — Slow:** bends time for every enemy, the boss and their in-flight shots for 3s, while the Wizard keeps moving and firing at full speed. - **Shiggy — Dash:** the short, i-framed burst dash every character shared before this release — now Shiggy's signature alone. - **Penguin — Shield:** total damage immunity for 2.5s. - **Elf — Volley:** doubled fire rate for 2s. - **Wolf — Sprint:** a 1.5s burst of peak movement speed (no i-frames, full steering — distinct from Shiggy's dash). - The other four characters no longer have the dash; each is defined by its own ability instead. ### UI - The HUD dash ring is now an ability ring: a per-character glyph, bright while the ability is active, a depleting arc on cooldown. - Character select shows each character's ability — name and a one-line description — below the four stat bars. - Control hints updated from "Shift dash" to "Shift ability". ### Fixes - macOS system shortcuts (Cmd-Tab, Mission Control, Spaces) no longer steal focus mid-level. The keyboard is grabbed by the game while a level is live, so those combos reach the game instead of the OS; the grab is released in menus, pause and the level-end screen so the player can always tab away. The in-game Cmd-Q quit still works. ## [v0.4.0] - 2026-05-20 Adds the second new built-in level for the v1.0.0 cut: **Level 5 — "The Sunken Archive"**, the largest map shipped to date and the first with an optional side area. ### Content - Level 5 "The Sunken Archive": a five-room library-ruin (~55×80) with a bookshelf-lined atrium (player spawn, lever 1), a two-spike-row crossing chamber (pressure plate past the trap), a vault antechamber holding the key and a second lever, a small enclosed reading-room vestibule reachable from the antechamber but not required to clear the level, and a boss arena with the exit. Three reading-order trigger/gate pairs chain the mandatory path: lever → plate → lever open the gates atrium → crossing → vault → boss arena. Loads via the existing generic glyph dispatch in `levels.py` — no code changes. ## [v0.3.0] - 2026-05-20 Adds the first new built-in level since v0.1: **Level 4 — "The Foundry"**, lifting the campaign past the three-room demo line. ### Content - Level 4 "The Foundry": a four-chamber forge map (~50×70) with a bellows-hall entry, a spike-gauntlet pressure-plate puzzle, a key vault, and a boss arena. Three reading-order trigger/gate pairs chain the chambers: a lever opens the gate from the bellows hall into the spike gauntlet; a pressure plate hidden past the southern spike row opens the gate into the key vault; a second lever in the vault opens the gate into the boss arena. Loads via the existing generic glyph dispatch in `levels.py` — no code changes. ## [v0.2.15] - 2026-05-20 A maintenance release. No gameplay, tools, or save-file format changes; existing saves and custom levels load as-is. ### Fixes - Update flow: in-game **UPDATE** now works on packaged macOS `.app` installs that have no system CA bundle (Intel Macs on stock Monterey, arm64 machines without homebrew openssl). The previous build silently fell back to Python's default verify paths, which point at a `cert.pem` that only the python.org installer creates — so HTTPS to `api.github.com` failed `CERTIFICATE_VERIFY_FAILED`, was swallowed as `OSError`, and the player saw **"Update server unreachable - try again later."** on a working network. The build now bundles `certifi`'s CA roots via PyInstaller's `--collect-all certifi`, and `updater.py` pins its TLS context to `certifi.where()` (with a system-default fallback so dev runs on a homebrew openssl or Linux distro keep working). ## [v0.2.14] - 2026-05-20 A maintenance release. No gameplay, tools, or save-file format changes; existing saves and custom levels load as-is. ### Fixes - Level editor: the hover-driven tile palette no longer slides open while the level filename is being edited inline. The hover test now ignores cursor presence over the drawer rail when `editing_name` is true, so typing past the right edge of the field does not accidentally pop the palette out from under the cursor. - Update flow: on the packaged macOS `.app`, a post-update restart that can't resolve the bundle path now exits cleanly instead of falling through to `os.execv`. The `os.execv` path on a frozen darwin build could reproduce B28 ("two windows"); the new `SystemExit(0)` branch closes that hole. The user re-launches manually in the rare case the bundle path can't be derived (dev runs and `/Applications` installs are unaffected). ## [v0.2.13] - 2026-05-20 A maintenance release. No gameplay, tools, or save-file format changes; existing saves and custom levels load as-is. ### Fixes - Update flow: on the packaged macOS `.app`, clicking **UPDATE** in the main menu no longer leaves the old game window open next to the freshly launched one. The post-update restart now hands off via `/usr/bin/open -n` + `SystemExit(0)` (mirroring the existing `/Applications` relocation path in `launcher.py`) instead of `os.execv`'ing the bundle's bootloader — only the new instance survives. Dev runs (`python main.py` / `python launcher.py`) still restart via `os.execv` as before. ## [v0.2.12] - 2026-05-20 A level-editor polish release. No gameplay or save-file format changes; existing saves and custom levels load as-is. ### Tools - Level editor: the tile palette is now a hover-driven drawer. By default only a 44 px rail sits at the right edge — showing a thumbnail of the currently-selected tile and a vertical "PALETTE" label — so the canvas has the full width to work in. Move the cursor over the rail (or click it) and the drawer slides out to its full size with the tile grid, category headers, and the interactive `<` `>` variant preview added in v0.2.10. Move the cursor away and it slides back. The drawer never reflows the canvas: it overlays on top, so painting near the right edge stays unaffected. Esc / Test / window-focus loss always returns to the collapsed state. ## [v0.2.11] - 2026-05-20 Maintenance release. No gameplay, tools, or save-file format changes; existing saves and custom levels load as-is. ### Repo - Level editor: six source comments described the palette's variant-step buttons as `◄ ►`, but the buttons render — by design — as ASCII `<` `>` (the bundled pixel font has no arrow glyphs). Comments corrected to match the code; no runtime change. ## [v0.2.10] - 2026-05-20 A level-editor polish release. No gameplay or save-file format changes; existing saves and custom levels load as-is. ### Tools - Level editor: the tile palette is narrower, so the canvas has more room to work in. It also gains an interactive preview panel — the selected tile is drawn at a large size with `<` `>` buttons that step through its variants, so a tile and variant can be previewed before being painted. The mouse wheel still cycles variants too. ## [v0.2.9] - 2026-05-20 Maintenance release. No gameplay or save-file format changes. ### Repo - README link points to the correct upstream (`eeco`, not `eecon`). - `.gitignore` no longer tracks the local `.eeco/` workspace or the legacy `ajhahnde/` notes directory. ## [v0.2.8] - 2026-05-19 The packaged macOS app now installs itself into `/Applications`. No save-file format changes; existing saves load as-is. ### App - On launch, `The Way Out.app` copies itself into `/Applications` (replacing any older copy) and relaunches from there, then runs normally. This fixes macOS App Translocation: a quarantined copy opened from Downloads no longer runs from a random read-only path. If `/Applications` needs authentication the standard macOS password prompt is shown; if the copy can't be done for any reason the game still starts in place. Running an already-installed copy is a no-op. ## [v0.2.7] - 2026-05-19 A playable title screen, in the style of an Assassin's Creed loading screen. No save-file format changes; existing saves load as-is. ### Title screen - The main menu is now playable: your selected character spawns on the title screen and can be moved (WASD/Arrows), dashed (Shift) and fired (Space) while the menu buttons stay clickable. The camera does not move — the avatar is confined to the window. - The wandering background figures are purely decorative ghosts: the player walks through them, projectiles pass through them, and they never attack or react. - Left mouse no longer fires on the title screen so clicks only operate the menu buttons; in-game, left mouse still shoots as before. - Picking a different character in the Characters menu immediately updates the avatar shown on the title screen. ## [v0.2.6] - 2026-05-19 A small polish release: two missing-glyph fixes in the UI and a proper macOS Cmd+Q shortcut. No save-file format changes. ### UI - Main-menu hint bar: replaced `&` and the three `·` separators with characters the bundled pixel font actually has glyphs for, so the bar now reads `WASD/Arrows move + aim | Space shoot | Shift dash | E use` instead of showing `?` boxes. - Settings: the music level now reads `Music: 25/100` (etc.) — the previous `%` rendered as a `?` because the font has no percent glyph. ### Input - Cmd+Q now quits the game instantly from every screen on macOS, matching standard system behaviour. Bare `Q` in the editor still toggles the paint/pick tool — it just ignores the keystroke when the Command key is held. ## [v0.2.3] - 2026-05-19 An icon-polish release. No save-file format changes; existing saves load as-is. ### App - App icon: the "two" wordmark is now set vertically the way Mandarin is written — each glyph upright, stacked top-to-bottom — instead of each letter rotated 90° onto its side. Regenerated by `scripts/make_icon.py` as the bundled macOS `.icns` and the runtime pygame window icon. ## [v0.2.2] - 2026-05-19 A polish release: a new app icon plus editor and input fixes. No save-file format changes; existing saves load as-is. ### App - New app icon: a typographic "two" wordmark — short for The Way Out — set in the game's own font and palette, replacing the wizard-in-a- doorway icon. Regenerated by `scripts/make_icon.py` as the bundled macOS `.icns` and the runtime pygame window icon. ### Tools - Level editor: the toolbar **Test** button now launches a test session. It previously saved silently but never started the level — only the F5 shortcut worked. ### Gameplay - Level-end input no longer leaks: Enter / Space / R on the win or fail screen of an editor-launched test is consumed, so it can't fall through into the editor and commit or extend a half-typed level name. ### Docs - Release history moved from `RELEASE_NOTES.md` into this `CHANGELOG.md`; the former is removed. ## [v0.2.1] - 2026-05-19 A bug-fix patch. No save-file format changes; existing saves load as-is. ### Fixes - Audio: a missing music track is remembered so `play_music`'s unchanged-name guard engages, instead of re-statting the filesystem and re-fading the bed every frame. - Levels: boss and enemy contact damage no longer applies during the level intro — no hits before the room is live. - Editor: Esc on a finished editor-launched test is consumed, so it returns to the editor canvas instead of bouncing to the main menu. - Units: a missing or renamed sprite sheet degrades to a visible magenta placeholder frame instead of crashing with `IndexError`. ## [v0.2.0] - 2026-05-19 A content and polish update. No save-file format changes; v0.1.0 saves load as-is. ### Gameplay - Boss roster: each level now picks one of five generals — Mr. Green, Mr. Orange, Gen. Frost, The Archer, Mr. Shadow — deterministically from the level id, so a given level always fights the same boss across restarts. Mechanics are unchanged; identity is conveyed by sprite and a subtle colour overlay. - Boss UI updates: the health-bar label and objective text reflect the active general's name. ### UI - New animated title scene: a slowly scrolling floor, a small crowd of idle characters wandering the screen, and a soft vignette — the static dust field has been retired for the main menu. - Update status is now a toast under the title. Result messages auto-dismiss after a few seconds; pressing Esc to return to the title also clears any stale status. - Character select animates every row, not just the focused one, with staggered idle frames so the list never feels static. - The mouse cursor is hidden during active gameplay (combat is fully keyboard-driven) and visible everywhere else. ### App - Custom app icon: a wizard standing in a glowing doorway, shipped as a macOS `.icns` bundled into the app and as the runtime pygame window icon. The icon is regenerated by `scripts/make_icon.py`. ### Internal - `theme.py` gains a reusable `draw_toast` primitive and a `MenuScene` background, so future screens can opt into the same ambient look without re-implementing it. ## [v0.1.0] - 2026-05-19 Initial release. ### Gameplay - Top-down pixel-art escape-room shooter with 4-directional aim, ranged combat, and a Shift dash with i-frames. - Five playable characters with distinct HP, speed, damage, and fire-rate profiles: Wizard, Penguin, Elf, Shiggy, Wolf. - Three hand-authored escape rooms with levers, pressure plates, gates, spike hazards, and a two-phase boss (Mr. Green). ### Tools - In-game level editor for the text-based map format. - Data-driven levels (`assets/levels/`, `manifest.json`) — new rooms require no code changes. ### App - Self-updating macOS build; save data is stored outside the app bundle and is preserved across updates. - Accurate connectivity detection: the updater distinguishes "no internet" from "update server unreachable / rate-limited". ### UI - Shared theme across all screens (single palette and font set). - Readable status and stat text; animated character-select preview. [Unreleased]: https://github.com/ajhahnde/the-way-out/compare/v1.0.5...HEAD --- [← Prev: Versioning](VERSIONING.md)