Change log

[Julian]

Change log for the demo and full release, starting in October 2023. Check in here whenever you see an update to the game in your Steam client!

[Julian]

Build version 0.3.0, 2023-10-09

Demo release build aka "Steam Next 1.0".

[Julian]

Build version 0.5.0, 2023-10-13

Mid-sized patch aka "Steam Next 1.1", mostly fixes and improvements based on reports by demo players, a lot of them pertaining to user interfaces.

User Interfaces

PDA UI

• Fixed a bug where mouse controls would break after quickly toggling through tabs
  
• Fixed a bug where multiple sounds would play at once when switching PDA tabs
  
• Added hover state for unselected PDA tab
  
• Fixed a bug where locations on the Map weren't selectable by mouse
  
• Fixed a bug where leaving Dashboard tab would result in lost UI focus

Dialog UI

• Added ability to progress dialog using LMB
  
• Increased size
  
• Visual and layout tweaks

Other UI

• PDA dashboard feed now updates in accordance with game state
  
• Main & pause menu, dialog, show evidence, PDA, and all world space UI now use better font
  
• Improved overall look of main menu UI & background

Other fixes

• Fixed a bug where VO would duck music volume even when turned off
  
• Removed a clue that was accidentally added at game start
  
• Removed a PDA conversation that was accidentally added at game start
  
• Miscellaneous small text updates

[Julian]

Build version 0.6.3, 2023-11-11

Mid-sized patch aka "PDA glow-up". The main changes in a nutshell:

• Major usability and visual upgrades to the PDA
  
• Reworked Network Area pattern puzzle
  
• Integrated more player feedback, e.g. better tutorial controls
  
• Added some new random encounters

User Interfaces

PDA UI

• Simplified & standardized layouts, sizes etc. across all tabs
  
• Universally prettier UI sprites, consistent color scheme, new tab icons
  
• Merged Journal tab into Cases tab
  
• Massively simplified Evidence tab
  
• Improved Messages tab layout
  
• Fixed mouse scrolling (click & drag, mouse wheel) on map
  
• Corrected mixed up clue texts

Other UI

• Advancing tutorial no longer requires hold to press
  
• Added LMB to advance tutorials and disclaimers
  
• Major visual improvement to "show evidence" UI
  
• Added dpad support for scroll bars
  
• Fixed settings toggles not (always) being saved & loaded
  
• Reduced & simplified tutorials

Content

• Completely reworked pattern puzzle & related texts of Intruder case
  
• Replaced blackscreen during opening monolog with cinematic Zephyr shot
  
• Changed dialog in William's bunk
  
• Added Sergeants briefing prior to Intruder case
  
• Added Chichi (Stella's pet)
  
• Added interaction with Erik & Elliot
  
• Added interaction with Bodo & Yahya
  
• Changed Luis dialog

Misc improvements

• Added sign posts & animated screens to hallway floors
  
• Scan ability is now disabled until introduced

Other fixes

• Fixed a bug where dialogues could erroneously be started again
  
• Speculative fix for "stuck in elevator" bug
  
• Fixed rare stairs overshooting bug
  
• Added dpad support for lane switch controls
  
• Sitting characters no longer turn around when addressed
  
• Fixed rare camera jumps at scene start
  
• Fixed interaction UI (not) (dis)appearing at the wrong time
  
• Fixed placement of "ping scan" effect on all elevators
  
• Countless additional small fixes & tweaks

[Julian]

Build version 0.7.0, 2024-03-01

Mid-sized patch aka "Pre-Release". The main changes in a nutshell:

• Added the Comms PDA tab, featuring logs of all past dialogues alongside messages
  
• More UI improvements concerning visuals & usability
  
• Various optimizations and fixes

User Interfaces

• The Comms PDA tab featuring dialog logs & messages now unlocks early in the demo
  
• Loading screens: improved layout, now showing gameplay tips after a short time
  
• Added custom mouse cursor with context-sensitive appearance & behavior
  
• Added double-check before overriding existing save game
  
• Continue game button is now only visible if there is a save game
  
• More intuitive keyboard & gamepad navigation across the PDA
  
• Closed cases are now greyed out, move down in the list, say "case closed"
  
• Improved appearance of scanned door UI due to poor readability
  
• Adjusted and consolidated hue of most UI across the game
  
• Scroll bars : no longer require extra button press before use, size no longer inconsistent
  
• Map: locked map areas are now greyed out; map scroll is smoother

Misc additions & improvements

• Added another short monologue
  
• Major clean-up & performance optimizations (shorter loading times, increased FPS)
  
• Added brief tutorial introducing dialog log
  
• Misc small content improvements (such as camera & character movements)
  
• Added sound effects: scanned clue, moving elevator
  
• Improved appearance of outlines to make them less intrusive
  
• Fixed a bug where pre-selected list button was outside of scroll view

Fixes

• Loading screens should no longer cause crashes (changed video file format)
  
• Fixed a bug where entering pause menu would destroy focus in dialog UI
  
• Fixed a bug where time would not freeze in pause menu, causing various issues
  
• Removed some unwanted side effects of the low brightness setting
  
• Handful of additional small bug fixes
  
• Corrected a number of typos

We hope you enjoy this update! It's been a while since the previous one as we've mostly been focussed on late-game content as well as other release preparations such as achievements, Steam Deck Support, cloud saves, and optimization for the Nintendo Switch port.

This is the final major patch before the game's PC release on March 25th, at which point the demo will receive another update (featuring support of all the other languages, among other things). Until that happens, your save games may still not transfer to the full game.

As always, please let us know on the community forum or Discord[discord.gg] if there any issues with today's patch!

[Julian]

Build version 0.7.1, 2024-03-03

Small patch fixing an issue with the save system that was introduced in 0.7.0:

• The game no longer saves and loads in unwanted places such as loading screens & cutscenes
  
• Player animation state is restored to free movement when game is loaded, preventing broken saves
  
• As a result, loading a save should no longer result in spawning out of bounds or in the wrong animation state

Some issues have been brought to our attention since the 0.7.0 update:

* We are aware of startup crashes on some machines. These are related to the graphics API. If your game crashes on startup, updating your GPU drivers may fix the issue.
* In very rare cases, Stella's animation state may break after leaving an elevator. Simply returning to the main menu and reloading the save fixes this bug.
* Loading the save game after finishing the demo may still result in a broken game state.

We are working on fixes for all this to be included in the next patch. Apologies for any inconvenience!

[Julian]

Build version 0.7.5, 2024-03-15

Small patch fixing a host of technical issues related to save/load, stuck loading screens, and crashes. Save game compatibility between versions is still not guaranteed until the full game release. The demo will also be patched again on release day. Not long now!

Major fixes

• Fixed all known issues related to the save/load system. No more broken states when loading the game.
  
• Fixed all known issues that got the game stuck on a loading screen.
  
• Fix for startup crashes on machines not supporting Vulkan.
  
• Massive performance improvements in the PDA, especially for the Map tab.

Minor fixes

• Overall performance improvements addressing stutters during normal gameplay.
  
• Fixed rare instances of Stella's animation state breaking after leaving an elevator.
  
• Fixed an issue where the order of Journal entries was not (re-)stored correctly.
  
• Fixed an issue where the order of Messages was not (re-)stored correctly.
  
• Fixed more typos, of course!

[Julian]

Build version 1.0.0, 2024-03-25

Major demo update bringing it up to speed with the full release version!

Major additions

• Save games are compatible with the full game going forward
  
• Added Steam Cloud support
  
• Added achievements to full game, tracking also transfers over from demo
  
• Added text languages: German, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean -- Japanese still pending, sorry!
  
• Added voice-over languages: German, Mandarin

Other improvements

• Changed splash screen
  
• Added composite maps to environments (more detailed-looking surfaces!)
  
• Added normal maps to all characters (more 3D-looking light & shadows!)
  
• Chichi can now be pet
  
• Added sound effects to all remaining user interfaces
  
• Optimized garbage collection, eradicating lag spikes
  
• Compressed lightmaps for improved memory usage
  
• Fixed an issue where navigation in COMMS was not connected right
  
• Added logic to prevent loading incompatible save games
  
• Changed tutorials so they stand out more from other UI
  
• Fixed an issue where subsequent messages in COMMS would overlap
  
• Scrolling subtitles no longer block mouse clicks
  
• Fixed an issue where UI texts were updated slightly too late
  
• Additional small fixes and polish!

[Julian]

Game release! 1.0.0, 2024-03-25

The patch notes from here on out concern both the demo and the full game.

[Julian]

Build version 1.0.4, 2024-03-25

Tiny day one patch addressing some issues that people reported in the first few hours since release!

• Using DirectX graphics API instead of Vulkan to fix rendering issues on some machines
  
• Fixed a bug where clue sprites were updated at the wrong time
  
• Updated localizations to address typos & outdated texts (esp. Korean)

[Julian]

Build version 1.0.5, 2024-03-27

Another patch just 48 hours after release, addressing more player-reported issues:

• Fixed an issue where the player could clip through stairs & float in Residential Area
  
• The game should no longer save its state in places that make progression impossible
  
• Fixed an issue where save games from the demo wouldn't transfer to the full game
  
• Fixed the "target scene" string missing on two doors when scanned
  
• Fixed UI layout on ultrawide screens in resolutions higher than Full HD
  
• Added a reminder to check the Navigation Room after submitting The Server
  
• Updated localizations again to address typos & overflowing strings (esp. German)

[Julian]

Build version 1.0.6, 2024-03-28

Another small patch addressing a handful additional player-reported issues:

• The game should no longer get stuck on loading screens (edit: apparently not fully fixed )
  
• The game should no longer crash or freeze on startup
  
• Chance encounters are now counted up correctly (for the stats screen at the end)
  
• Added a Journal reminder about cases being available in Navigation Room in the second act
  
• Fixed a bug where Zena's Psych Ward door would be locked again
  
• Fixed a bug where Onara would react to Zena clue before she is admitted

[Julian]

Build version 1.0.7, 2024-03-31

Another small patch addressing a handful additional player-reported issues:

• Fixed a bug where William's sprite would disappear during the opening sequence, leading to a stuck loading screen
  
• Existing Medical Records IDs now return "Entry found"
  
• Fixed a bug where speaker names in the Log would say "Default"
  
• Fixed a bug where the game wouldn't fully register that Paper Trail was solved correctly
  
• Fixed Talya being in two places at once during second act
  
• Fixed a bug where two map locations appeared locked when they weren't
  
• Additional small fixes to scenes and texts

[Julian]

Build version 1.0.8, 2024-04-10

Small but significant patch fixing a major underlying issue and introducing the clues filtering feature:

• Introduced filtering by clue types in Evidence tab and "show evidence" UI
  
• Fixed underlying issue leading to broken game states in GOG builds without GOG Galaxy running
  
• Fixed underlying issue leading to stuck startup and loading screens
  
• Journal scroll bars continue to work even after case submission
  
• Miscellaneous small polish (e.g. new case submission sound)

We worked on some more stuff that isn't in the update yet, but wanted to get this out now to get people unstuck who were wrestling with the various ways in which said underlying issue could manifest. Plus, we didn't want to keep the much requested clue filtering feature from you any longer. The next big addition will be remappable key bindings.

Please let us know if you still experience any issues getting stuck on loading screens or in a weird gameplay state with broken interaction mechanics!

[Julian]

Build version 1.1.0, 2024-05-08

Mid-sized patch adding Japanese language, remappable keys, and a host of small fixes.

• Added keybindings feature: You can now remap keys in the main menu!
  
• Added Japanese translation
  
• Fixed some game logic errors (e.g. characters referring to things that didn't happen in your run)
  
• Fixed a bug where players settings weren't properly saved between sessions
  
• Fixed a bug where evidence stayed highlighted in UI when not selected
  
• Fixed a bug where the mouse cursor would fade out when it shouldn't
  
• Corrected dozens of typos in English language

We are aware that a small number of players still gets stuck starting the game. After trying a series of fixes, the next one unfortunately requires a larger rework of a core system. We're still working on it!