v2.1: practice mode, local multiplayer, and more!

if your main memory of linecook is being overwhelmed (most people, I expect?) try the new practice mode! you only have 1 claw, thank goodness.

I’ve made sure the difficulty modes and new maps(!) work correctly inside practice mode, so feel free to play practice mode for as long as you’d like – I like the chaotic flavor of normal mode, but I know it’s not for everyone.

while I was adding practice mode, I realized it would be easy and VERY GOOD to add local multiplayer. so, tada, now there’s local multiplayer! I’ve also had a lot of fun playing “local multiplayer” alone, using both hands – give it a try

I’ve added 3 new maps! they’re small geometric changes that wildly change the flavor of the game. I’m feeling more and more validated about my thoughts in my original devlog :)

full changelog

major new features

• practice mode – only one claw! try this first
• local multiplayer - set “cooks” to 2 and use ESDF to control player 2
  • also try playing local multiplayer by yourself, with two hands
• 3 new maps (4 total)
  • NEST: the old starter map we all know and love
  • CANON: I like this map a lot. it’s more complex than NEST (but not necessarily harder)
  • RIVER: is this a fun map? I dunno! it has some very different strategies though. possibly an easier map than NEST?
  • SIEVE: this inverts the normal flow of the game – very fun, if you don’t mind the headache ;)
• new menu screen: change map, number of players, and difficulty

minor upgrades and tweaks

• the birds now have names! two of them are secretly dating
• new coat of paint on the recipe book
• new shiny game over screen
• better text readability
• input buffering
• better grab animation + tweening
• added a speedrunner-friendly “restart” to pico8 menu (press enter to access)
• pico8 now has volume controls (pico8 menu > “options”)

I hope you enjoy linecook 2.0! send me your gameover screens – I’d love to see them