Some visual effects not working properly on Android

[AlexKhayrullin]

This is a big one.

Some special effects that make use of either shaders or some draw modes (didn't look into it yet) don't work properly on Android, and might not work on other platforms the game might be ported to. So far, I've seen two clear cases:

• The wave on the title screen, while the names of developers and contributors are listed, is either all white, or only parts of it are visible.
• The visual effect when switching time periods is also messed up: when it covers the screen on the first map, it's all white, and when it leaves the screen on the second map, it's all black.

So, to resolve this, this is what needs to be done:

• Once all the other developments are done, and the port is 100% playable (because I absolutely need to test it on hardware) , make a list of all the visual effets that are messing up.
• Try to find the common cause, if any. See if it can be easily fixed.
• Maybe design and implement alternative, simpler, visual effects. I don't think I will be able to do this one alone.

[overbound]

This may be a bug in Game Maker Studio. Via: Here

If all else fails I will replace the effects static animations. But I will wait to resolve this issue until the port is nearly complete.

[AlexKhayrullin]

Yes, I absolutely agree, it needs to be done at the very end of the development of the port, so there's no emergency here. Just something to keep in mind.

Also, I'd say that these newer, simpler animations absolutely should not replace those that are already in place. My rationale is this: if the default effects work as expected on a platform the game is being ported to, then use them; if they don't, use simpler animations, maybe implement a script "are_animations_supported()" that returns true or false depending on the platform, and work from there? I would absolutely hate to replace the very good looking effects that are already in place with simpler ones on platforms that don't need this switch...

[overbound]

Agreed we can check the OS before determining which one to use.

[AlexKhayrullin]

As I know nothing about shaders, I decided to do much simpler effects. There are three times where the Time Travel shader appears:

• During the rundown of the game's creators before the title screen: replaced the background with the wave by a black background.
• While time travelling in a level: a simple quick fade to white.
• During the cinematic where Metal Sonic catches up to the team in the past, a white flash is seen at the start of the Metal Sonic sound effect, making it look like Metal Sonic had time traveled just slightly off screen.

I know that these aren't perfect alternatives, but they look... serviceable.

I can confirm that the Time Travel shader is the only visual effect not supported on Android.

If someone wants to remake these animations into something better, feel free to open a new issue.