Version Progress

[verntest]

Hi all,

Sorry I haven't posted much about progress on the game!

My wife and I recently moved to Texas, so we've been busy for a few months with the move. But I've been working on the game again, and continue making good progress!

I'd like to share some updates here to show what I've been up to.

---

When a developer commits changes to a codebase, he often will type a brief commit message -- a super short summary of what he changed. Here are some of my summaries from 2025.

---

Feb 2025

New features:
feat: started porting save-game code. Add Start Game button that loads mansion from local zip without file dilaog
feat: added save pedestal and circle-of-light animation
feat: add save pedestal and early save file JSON download
feat: added pedestals and statues
feat: added candle sprite and glow effect
feat: make Jack's pile-of-bones and pile-of-stone sink into lava too

BUG FIXES:

fix: fix sound stereoPos NaN console warning
fix: convert more sound.play to soundManager calls
fix: fix overloaded sounds for lever actions
fix: fix bug where moving left to another room could instantly put Jack back in the previous room
chore: require pressing 'k' to get a key that can open any door
fix: fix trap doors so left half opens too
fix: fixed bug where skull spiders wouldn't walk right across brick switches
fix: fixed bug where Jack can't climb ladder in Castle Doom, 2 rows below starting room
fix: fixed bug where holding Return would keep pulling a lever indefinitely
fix: fixed bug with key repeats (hold down, hold jump, then release down resulted in double jump)
fix: fixed Jack's ducking insetRect so he can duck under low-flying ravens
ported Jack's dead skeleton movement

---

March 2025

Got music fade/resume working
Got Jack's statues working
Got pausing of other SpriteLayers during save/restore animation working

---

May 2025

Show stats (items, lives, score)
Convert to true HD
Add pause/resume with basic dialog
Add beginnings of Title Screen
Add new loading screen
some fixes

---

[Busy moving June through August]

Aug 2025

Fixes:
Command-arrow keys on Mac
Alpha masks always computed AFTER sprites are finished loading (async)
Stats area not black on 1st game start
Scenes folder structure improvements

---

Sep 2025

Features:
Improve layout of game within web browser
Add loading screen
Add early Game Over screen
Add walking skeleton
Add proper button sprites to Title Screen
Upscale stats sprites, skeleton fish, walking skeleton, and more using AI
added missing code add extra lives every 1000 points and increment numFrames
ported globals.timeSpentInMansion and updateTimeSpentInMansion() for saved games

Fixes:

Fix sprite and tile depths to be correct
fix paused dialog to not be under layer 6 bricks
require mouse click to start game
fix frame cycling bug in fell-too-far death
fix Jack dying when ducking under blue bird in HD
fix skeleton fish size
Fix missing large red candle
fix items and dead Jack to move with horizontal moving platforms
fix skeleton sinking into lava glitch
fix bug where pausing then resuming while Jack is doing death skeleton...
replace 1024 res images with 1280 res
make torch animate with flame

[Semi-Native]

Thanks for the update, Vern, and for doing all of this!

[niguli]

Hi all,

Sorry I haven't posted much about progress on the game!

My wife and I recently moved to Texas, so we've been busy for a few months with the move. But I've been working on the game again, and continue making good progress!

I'd like to share some updates here to show what I've been up to.

---

When a developer commits changes to a codebase, he often will type a brief commit message -- a super short summary of what he changed. Here are some of my summaries from 2025.

---

Feb 2025

New features:
feat: started porting save-game code. Add Start Game button that loads mansion from local zip without file dilaog
feat: added save pedestal and circle-of-light animation
feat: add save pedestal and early save file JSON download
feat: added pedestals and statues
feat: added candle sprite and glow effect
feat: make Jack's pile-of-bones and pile-of-stone sink into lava too

BUG FIXES:

fix: fix sound stereoPos NaN console warning
fix: convert more sound.play to soundManager calls
fix: fix overloaded sounds for lever actions
fix: fix bug where moving left to another room could instantly put Jack back in the previous room
chore: require pressing 'k' to get a key that can open any door
fix: fix trap doors so left half opens too
fix: fixed bug where skull spiders wouldn't walk right across brick switches
fix: fixed bug where Jack can't climb ladder in Castle Doom, 2 rows below starting room
fix: fixed bug where holding Return would keep pulling a lever indefinitely
fix: fixed bug with key repeats (hold down, hold jump, then release down resulted in double jump)
fix: fixed Jack's ducking insetRect so he can duck under low-flying ravens
ported Jack's dead skeleton movement

---

March 2025

Got music fade/resume working
Got Jack's statues working
Got pausing of other SpriteLayers during save/restore animation working

---

May 2025

Show stats (items, lives, score)
Convert to true HD
Add pause/resume with basic dialog
Add beginnings of Title Screen
Add new loading screen
some fixes

---

[Busy moving June through August]

Aug 2025

Fixes:
Command-arrow keys on Mac
Alpha masks always computed AFTER sprites are finished loading (async)
Stats area not black on 1st game start
Scenes folder structure improvements

---

Sep 2025

Features:
Improve layout of game within web browser
Add loading screen
Add early Game Over screen
Add walking skeleton
Add proper button sprites to Title Screen
Upscale stats sprites, skeleton fish, walking skeleton, and more using AI
added missing code add extra lives every 1000 points and increment numFrames
ported globals.timeSpentInMansion and updateTimeSpentInMansion() for saved games

Fixes:

Fix sprite and tile depths to be correct
fix paused dialog to not be under layer 6 bricks
require mouse click to start game
fix frame cycling bug in fell-too-far death
fix Jack dying when ducking under blue bird in HD
fix skeleton fish size
Fix missing large red candle
fix items and dead Jack to move with horizontal moving platforms
fix skeleton sinking into lava glitch
fix bug where pausing then resuming while Jack is doing death skeleton...
replace 1024 res images with 1280 res
make torch animate with flame

thanks for your updates!!

[Mikee]

Hi all,

Sorry I haven't posted much about progress on the game!

My wife and I recently moved to Texas, so we've been busy for a few months with the move. But I've been working on the game again, and continue making good progress!

I'd like to share some updates here to show what I've been up to.

---

When a developer commits changes to a codebase, he often will type a brief commit message -- a super short summary of what he changed. Here are some of my summaries from 2025.

---

Feb 2025

New features:
feat: started porting save-game code. Add Start Game button that loads mansion from local zip without file dilaog
feat: added save pedestal and circle-of-light animation
feat: add save pedestal and early save file JSON download
feat: added pedestals and statues
feat: added candle sprite and glow effect
feat: make Jack's pile-of-bones and pile-of-stone sink into lava too

BUG FIXES:

fix: fix sound stereoPos NaN console warning
fix: convert more sound.play to soundManager calls
fix: fix overloaded sounds for lever actions
fix: fix bug where moving left to another room could instantly put Jack back in the previous room
chore: require pressing 'k' to get a key that can open any door
fix: fix trap doors so left half opens too
fix: fixed bug where skull spiders wouldn't walk right across brick switches
fix: fixed bug where Jack can't climb ladder in Castle Doom, 2 rows below starting room
fix: fixed bug where holding Return would keep pulling a lever indefinitely
fix: fixed bug with key repeats (hold down, hold jump, then release down resulted in double jump)
fix: fixed Jack's ducking insetRect so he can duck under low-flying ravens
ported Jack's dead skeleton movement

---

March 2025

Got music fade/resume working
Got Jack's statues working
Got pausing of other SpriteLayers during save/restore animation working

---

May 2025

Show stats (items, lives, score)
Convert to true HD
Add pause/resume with basic dialog
Add beginnings of Title Screen
Add new loading screen
some fixes

---

[Busy moving June through August]

Aug 2025

Fixes:
Command-arrow keys on Mac
Alpha masks always computed AFTER sprites are finished loading (async)
Stats area not black on 1st game start
Scenes folder structure improvements

---

Sep 2025

Features:
Improve layout of game within web browser
Add loading screen
Add early Game Over screen
Add walking skeleton
Add proper button sprites to Title Screen
Upscale stats sprites, skeleton fish, walking skeleton, and more using AI
added missing code add extra lives every 1000 points and increment numFrames
ported globals.timeSpentInMansion and updateTimeSpentInMansion() for saved games

Fixes:

Fix sprite and tile depths to be correct
fix paused dialog to not be under layer 6 bricks
require mouse click to start game
fix frame cycling bug in fell-too-far death
fix Jack dying when ducking under blue bird in HD
fix skeleton fish size
Fix missing large red candle
fix items and dead Jack to move with horizontal moving platforms
fix skeleton sinking into lava glitch
fix bug where pausing then resuming while Jack is doing death skeleton...
replace 1024 res images with 1280 res
make torch animate with flame

Thanks for all of your updates Vern! I'm looking forward to more updates and possibly a release of it on the web at some point, keep up the good work 

[verntest]

April 20, 2026 Update

On Jan 16, my first child was born, a sweet baby girl who has kept my wife and I quite busy. At first this meant no progress on the game, but in time I've learned to type with my left hand while holding her as she sleeps in my right at night.

As such I've been able to make progress on the game again.

I've also started alpha testing with 3 users. If you are interested in being an alpha or beta tester, DM the Midnight Mansion page on Facebook. Main requirement is being familiar with the original game so you notice when something isn't quite the same, and time to play entire mansions, as well as willingness to write up bug reports.

Here's a list of what I've done in 2026:
Added:
• Beat Mansion Screen
• Select Difficulty Screen (not animated yet)
• Jack can now exit mansions
• Implemented secrets
• Added Easy/Hard versions of mansions
• Basic player profile that remembers what mansions you’ve beaten in browser cache
• Added signs
• Added '?' hints
• Save Pedestal shows 'Save Game?' confirm dialog first
• Added jack's idle animations (yoyo, sleeping, etc)
• Painting animations
• Proper shield, backpack, map animations
• Added WADX movement keys
Fixes:
• Show lava in dark rooms
• Fixed so custom mansions will open
• Fixed Jack climbing up into room above to not be a huge offset
• Fixed reappear-after-death restore spot to work properly when on ladders
• Fixed vine bug reported from alpha besting
• Improved loading progress bar
• Doors that are marked to be open to start now are
• Tutorial mansion now has 90 lives
• Various sound loop bugs fixed
• Animations for sprites properly resumed on load of saved game
• Fixes for Jack's animations to avoid weird random glitches (esp on death)
• Custom Mansions can now be opened (but not games saved in them)
• Light Sabre floors always remain slightly visible
• Timing issues fixed when going up/down between rooms (formerly Jack died in some rooms of Knight Mansion when sliding down a long pole.)

There is still more to do, but things are getting much closer! This means we might be ready to begin beta testing within 2-3 months.