Exploration Playground

Exploration Playground is an open world game developed by Ethan Dahlberg. It was released in an early access state on March 15, 2021 and was fully-released on June 25, 2021.
==Version history==
Version	Date 	Name 	Changelog
0.1 	March 15, 2021 	Original Release 	
Additions: 
*Added the Main Menu screen.
*Added a Play button to the Main Menu that starts the game.
*Added an Options button to the Main Menu that includes a Volume slider.
*Added a Quit button to the Main Menu that quits the game.
*Added a x64 and x86 version of the game.
*Added a red ground object.
*Added 2 objects that are now in the playground.
*Added 1 set resolution.
0.2 	March 16, 2021 	Twilight 	
Additions: 
*Added 3 new objects to the playground (Cage, Cake, Swing Set).
*Added Invisible Barriers around the playground so you no longer fall off the edge.
Changes:
*Adjusted the lighting so it's near a twilight theme (hence the name: Version 0.2.0 Twilight).
Fixes: 
*Fixed the Main Menu screen.
*Fixed the jumping mechanics (no longer like "Moon Gravity").
0.3 	March 17, 2021 	Kart Racer 	
Additions: 
*Added a new feature called Kart Racer Mode (hence the name: Version 0.3.0 Kart Racer).
*Added more barriers for the Swing.
Changes:
*Changed main resolution from 1024x768 to 1280x720 (Note: The Main Menu screen is still in 1024x768).
*Sized down the Cake model, along with it's barrier.
*Increased gravity (I still need to fix the velocity so you don't snap down when falling off a platform).
*Changed the position of the lighting for a more Twilight theme. Version 0.2.0 Twilight's lighting was more of a sunrise.
*Stretched the green block and renamed it to the Green Screen.
*Raised the Slope.
0.3 SE 	March 17, 2021 	Hotfixes 	
Changes:
*Changed some textures.
Fixes:
*Fixed the Main Menu screen (changed resolution from 1024x768 to 1280x720).
0.4 	March 18, 2021 	Environment 	
Additions:
*Added some Trees around the playground.
*Added a new-ish model to the game. If you were a supporter of The Awakening then you'd know what I'm talking about.
*Added new ways to experience Exploration Playground: Crouching and Running
*Added the ability to change the camera to a Top Down View
*Added a texture to the ground. No longer will you be walking on a red flat surface!
Changes:
*Changed the 'Exploration Playground.exe' icon.
*Sized down the Swing barriers on the side a tiny bit.
*In Kart Racer Mode, the camera is now attached to the player.
*Mouse Sensitivity was increased to 150 for normal gameplay and 200 for Kart Racer Mode.
*Lowered the Ramp.
*Moved objects apart again.
*Adjusted the lighting again.
0.5 	March 19, 2021 	Physics 	
Additions:
*Added a new object to the playground: Frame
*Added a cape to the new BEAN!
*Added Flight Mode.
Changes:
*Evolved the character from a Cylinder to a BEAN - GO BEANS! YEAH!
Fixes:
*If the player managed to get onto Roy's left arm, the player would be stuck. This bug has been fixed.
Removals:
*Removed the Ground Check.
0.6 	March 27, 2021 	Office 	
Additions:
*Added a macOS and Linux version of the game.
*There is an office now! Walk into the new building and press '9' to arrive there.
Changes:
*Turned the sensitivity down from 125 back to 100 for Explorer Mode.
*Changed the frame to a Mesh Collider instead of a Box Collider.
*Redesigned the menu screen (again) but this time apart from a new image, the text and buttons are moved.
*Lights were shoved back into the oven to be rebaked.
0.7 	April 7, 2021 	Music 	
Additions:
*Wait? What's that sound? It's Actual Audio! Thanks to Alon and Henry for the music.
*Crafted a new BEAN! This tiny, little, pink BEAN is meant to follow you everywhere in the Main Playground.
Changes: 
*Redesigned the Main Menu screen again! Instead of being just a solid image, it now has actual objects in the background.
*The Options Menu works... kinda. Right now the only thing that will change is the resolution.
*The Open Source is now stored in a 7z archive and needs a password to extract.
0.7.1 	May 10, 2021 	Control 	
Additions: 
*Added a ceiling to the Office.
*Added the Controls scene.
*Added a "Controls" button to the pause menu.
*Added a way to properly exit Top-Down View.
Changes:
*Replaced the Milk Carton with a Milk Bottle.
*Changed the position of the Main Menu camera.
*Changed Options Title text to "Options".
*Instead of holding down 'PageDown' to enter Slow Mode, you now just need to press it once! Isn't that great?
*Changed the sensitivity of PlayerCam to 150.
*Changed the width of the pause menu buttons to accommodate for the new "Controls" button.
*Changed the Office pause menu to be of the Playground pause menu.
Fixes:
*Fixed the position of objects in the Main Menu, Office and Playground.
Removals:
*Removed the 'OfficeBarrier.cs' script and the Office Barrier object.
0.7.2 	May 12, 2021 	Improvements 	
Additions:
*Added a wall to the Options menu.
Changes:
*Changed all the Main Menu text to a gold colour.
*Split Main Menu V&C text into 'Version' and 'Copyright'.
*Changed the ground in the Main Menu and Playground to a grass texture.
*Replaced the Main Menu Milk Carton to a Milk Bottle.
Fixes:
*Fixed the position of objects in the Playground and Office.
*Fixed the text in the Playground and Office.
0.7.3 	May 24, 2021 	Origin 	
Additions:
*Added a Top Barrier.
*Added a Bottom Barrier (this is what causes the game to crash).
*Added an easter egg.
*Added the Cake Camera. To enter/exit, press "8".
*Added a way to reload the scene via the pause menu (this is a feature brought from Update 0.8 Corruption).
Changes:
*Now when you crouch/enter Kart Racer Mode you will be sized down rather than being switched to another camera.
Fixes:
*Fixed the rotation of the Player Camera.
*Fixed the scaling of the North, South, East and West Barriers.
*Fixed the position of the Top Down Camera.
*Fixed the image colour of the Main Menu buttons.
0.7.4 	May 27, 2021 	Tag! Now... BEAN 2.0?	
Additions:
*Added a working Volume slider to the Options menu.
*Added the ability to go to the Options menu via the Playground and Office.
*Added a way to change the Quality of the game via the Options menu.
*Added a saving feature to the Options Menu.
*Added a System Clock (another feature brought from Update 0.8 Corruption)
*Added BEAN 2.0 which uses the NewPlayerMovement script.
*Added a TestMap to the Open Source.
*Added new audio: "Alon - Andante in F-sharp minor, "Set Back" (PoW 47)" which plays in the TestMap.
*Fully added Tag! Now Hide! Version 0.2.0 into the game!
Changes:
*Merged the Options scene into the Main Menu scene.
*Merged the Controls scene into the Playground scene.
*Merged the ControlsOffice scene into the Office scene.
*Completely rewrote the PlayerMovement script.
*The Follower BEAN will now target BEAN 2.0, this means if you switch to BEAN 1.0 it won't target you.
*Changed the position of the Main Menu camera yet again.
Fixes:
*You can no longer get stuck in the Swing Set.
Removals:
*Removed the Options scene.
*Removed the Controls scene.
*Removed the ControlsOffice scene.
0.8 	May 8, 2021 	Corruption 	
Additions:
*Added a campsite to the open source release.
*Added a Hall of Fame.
*Added a 12-hour system clock.
*Added a way to mute and unmute audio by pressing "F1".
*Added the ability to reload the game via the pause menu.
*ITCH.IO EXCLUSIVE: Added a little audio secret that happens when you press F12 in the Playground.
Changes:
*'Yandere-Dev'ified the CamSwitch.cs file.
*Merged the Office into the same scene as the Playground. Due to this, the Office is now completely broken.
Removals:
*Removed the Follower BEAN due to Unity NavMesh issues.
0.9 	May 28, 2021 	Revival 	
Additions:
*Added a ceiling to the Office.
*You can now view the Controls of the game via the pause menu.
*Added a way to properly exit Top-Down View.
*Added a Top Barrier and Bottom Barrier to the Playground.
*Added an easter egg. Go beneath the promise, use your new abilities and if done correctly you shall find yourself in the origin.
*Added the Cake Camera. To enter/exit, press "8".
*Added a working Volume slider to the Options menu.
*Added the ability to go to the Options menu via the Playground and Office.
*Added a way to change the Quality of the game via the Options menu.
*Added a saving feature to the Options Menu.
*Added BEAN 2.0 which uses the NewPlayerMovement script.
*Fully added Tag! Now Hide! Version 0.2.0 into the game!
*Campsite added. Although its just the tent, its fine. Particles are also on the fire for, well, the fire.
*Added a proper surface for the massive red frame.
*Re-added the Follower BEAN. Have a field day!
Changes:
*Replaced the Milk Carton with a Milk Bottle.
*Changed the position of the Main Menu camera.
*Changed Options Title text to "Options".
*Instead of holding down 'PageDown' to enter Slow Mode, you now just need to press it once! Isn't that great?
*Changed the sensitivity of PlayerCam to 150.
*Changed the width of the pause menu buttons to accommodate for the new "Controls" button.
*Changed the Office pause menu to be that of the Playground pause menu.
*Changed the ordering of the Main Menu.
*Split Main Menu V&C text into 'Version' and 'Copyright'.
*Changed the ground in the Main Menu and Playground to a different grass texture.
*Now when you crouch/enter Kart Racer Mode you will be sized down rather than being switched to another camera.
*Merged the Options scene into the Main Menu scene.
*Completely rewrote the PlayerMovement script.
*The Follower BEAN will now target BEAN 2.0, this means if you switch to BEAN 1.0 it won't target you.
Fixes:
*Fixed the position of objects in the Main Menu, Office and Playground.
*Fixed the text in the Playground and Office.
*Fixed the rotation of the Player Camera.
*Fixed the scaling of the North, South, East and West Barriers.
*Fixed the position of the Top Down Camera.
*Fixed the image colour of the Main Menu buttons.
Removals:
*Removed the 'OfficeBarrier.cs' script and the Office Barrier object.
*Removed the Options scene.
*Removed the Wall of Fame, but moved the frame to the green screen.
1.0 	June 25, 2021 	Water Tower 	
Additions:
*Water Tower scene was added. This idea was inspired by Animaniacs.
Changes:
*Changed all the Main Menu text to a turquoise colour.
Fixes:
*When you entered BEAN 1.0, you would be facing towards a wall. This was fixed by rotating the BEAN.
1.1 	January 13, 2022	Facility 	
Additions:
*Added a completely new level to The Facility.
*Added the Water Tower and a Grid Room to the Main Menu.
Changes:
*Rearranged the Main Menu, with new colour gradients, a dark green atmosphere and a stretched surface to cover the camera pan.
*Defaulted the Follower BEAN so that it is disabled when the Playground loads.
*The ground surface of The Facility building is no longer pink.
*Heavily improved the Pause Menu to the Water Tower.
Fixes:
*Fixed a bug where when the Main Menu loaded, the title of the game did not appear due to the title being placed above the canvas.
*The hammer in the Playground now has actual collision.
Removals:
*Removed the render textures throughout the Water Tower because they caused insane lag.
1.2 	January 21, 2022	Optimizations 	
Additions:
*Added an FPS Counter.
*Added BEAN 3.0 which uses the NewerPlayerMovement script.
*Added working Mouse Sensitivity sliders to the Options menu. Due note that these do not save per game sessions.
*Added Flying Mode to BEAN 3.0!
*Added text in the Facility displaying the Level you are currently in.
*Added text in the Facility displaying the current Mission in mind.
*Added new audio to "Level 1 (???)" of the Facility.
*Added out-of-bounds triggers throughout the entire game.
*Added the ability to die from fire.
*Added more trees to the Playground.
Changes:
*The System Clock (and also the new FPS Counter) will now disappear/reappear when you pause and resume the game respectively.
*Instead of Kart Racer Mode being a switch (5 for ON, 4 for OFF), it is now a toggle (4 for ON/OFF). Isn't that great?
*You can no longer jump when in Kart Racer Mode.
*Renamed every mention of "The Facility" to "Facility".
*Made the sphere in "Level 2 (Tag!)" smaller to compensate for BEAN 3.0's new movement.
*You can no longer pause the game when in Slow Mode.
*Moved a tree in the Playground.
Fixes:
*Fixed a glitch where your movement would be significantly faster than usual upon uncrouching.
*Fixed the Controls Menu inside the Water Tower, Test Map and Facility.
*Fixed several object hitboxes in the Water Tower.
*Fixed the audio in "Level 2 (Tag!)" of the Facility.
*Fixed the Water Tower, Swingset and Cage hitboxes inside the Playground.
*Fixed usage of Slow Mode in the Facility.
*Fixed several object positions, rotations and scalings in the Water Tower.
*Fixed the invisible ceiling of the Office.
*Fixed multiple text in the Facility.
*Fixed a bug where you could pause while having another UI open such as the "Game Over" or "You Won" screens.
*Fixed a glitch allowing you to crouch and use Kart Racer Mode while having another UI open such as the "Game Over" screen.
*Fixed the "Game Over" and "You Won" screens.
*Fixed multiple text in the Main Menu.
Removals:
*Removed the Cake Camera.
*Removed every legacy BEAN from the Playground, Office and Facility.
1.2.1 	January 21, 2022	Important Fix 	
Fixes:
*Fixed an out-of-bounds glitch in Level 2 (Tag!) of the Facility.
1.2.2 	February 8, 2022	Design Tweaks 	
Additions:
*Added the new game logo to the Main Menu.
*Added a way to view the Credits via the copyright text in the Main Menu.
*Added a Credits button to the Pause Menu.
*Added a new building in the Playground that teleports you to the top of the Water Tower.
*Added the ability to exit the Water Tower via the Playground.
Changes:
*Changed the Main Menu screen.
*Changed the highlight of Main Menu text to Black (#000000).
*Changed the gradient of Main Menu text to White (#FFFFFF) and Yellow (#FFFF00).
*Changed the font of Main Menu's "Play", "Options" and "Quit" to be Smallcaps.
*Lowered the volume of the music found in the Water Tower.
*Lowered the volume of the music found in Level 1 (???) of the Facility.
*Moved the position of the Hammer found in Playground.
*Changed the Update text found in the Main Menu.
Fixes:
*Fixed a wall-clip glitch found in the Water Tower.
*Fixed a bug that allowed you to get stuck in walls.
Removals:
*Removed the Water Tower stairs found in the Playground.
1.3 	April 7, 2023 	Finale 	
Additions:
*Added a new Easter-themed video intro that plays when you startup the game.
*Added Level 3 of the Facility. Have fun searching for your way out!
Changes:
*Instead of having to outrageously press different numbers to enter different areas, you can now just press E.
1.3 SE 	April 8, 2023 	Finale Rematch 	
Changes:
*The controls screen has now been updated to reflect on the prior change of being able to press E to enter different areas.
Removals:
*The controls screen has been removed from every scene other than the Playground, for which it is now its only accessible place.
1.3 TE 	April 8, 2023 	Grand Finale 	
Changes:
*The cage present in "Level 3 (Tag!)" of the Facility now actually rises when you collect the third key as it was originally intended to.
Fixes:
*Fixed a bug where the controls screen in the Playground was indefinitely activated, which caused a sort of softlock.
==Trivia== 
*Updates 0.1–0.5 were all made and released in the span of 5 days.
*Updates 0.7.1–0.7.4 were unofficial updates developed solely by Mr. Long in preparation for Update 0.9 Revival.
*Update 0.9 Revival and Update 1.2 Optimizations are the only official major updates not developed by Ethan, but rather Mr. Long.
*The game had been stuck in a limbo state for nearly a whole year since the release of Update 1.2.2 Optimizations until Mr. Long's break from Discord ended on January 9, 2023. This is due to that update being developed solely by Mr. Long and him frequently forgetting to upload the source project for the version so that Ethan could access it and be able to change its contents from the very latest update, rather than 1.2.1 which had already been uploaded previously.
*On April 7, 2023, with the release of Update 1.3 Finale, Ethan announced that he would be stepping away from further development of the game and would be putting Mr. Long in charge for future plans of its updates."Update 1.3 Finale" – @TechGamesPlus on Game Jolt, April 8, 2023 (04:50:22 UTC)
==References==