Small update to fix matches. They didn't burn the cursed objects due to a small oversight. Should work now! Sorry for the inconvenience.

This update fixes some major bugs, as well as introduces some graphical changes.

PATCH NOTES

• Remade the smoke effect in sage
  
• Revamped some of the wallpaper to make them look more realistic
  
• Made the lobby window wider to allow for longer lobby names
  
• Added text in the lobby to indicate when there are no public lobbies available to join
  
• Added a light effect to matches
  
• Added an indicator to show which nearby object is radioactive when being near it with a geiger counter
  
• Added a loading screen when entering the introduction, as well as when unloading the house map

BUG FIXES

• Rainbow orb should no longer exist
  
• Equipment (EMF and Geiger counter) should now work properly
  
• Failing exorcisms should now properly disable all items involved
  
• Fixed doors being "locked" randomly
  
• Lobbies with 0 players should no longer be visible
  
• Your screen should no longer be obscured while cleansing the house
  
• Fixed leaks in walls
  
• The ghost should no longer chase dead players

Graphics have been significantly upgraded. The game now contains better lights and shadows, volumetric lights and fog, weather effects, new shaders, and more!

PATCH NOTES

• Graphics overhaul.
  
• Improvements to ghost AI pathfinding.
  
• The doors fade away when moving close to them as a ghost.
  
• Improvements to blood FX.
  
• Light and shadow tweaks.
  
• Changed the visual effect of the ghost spawnpoint (visible only as a ghost).
  
• Added rain and lightning.
  
• Added volumetric lights/fog.

BUG FIXES

• Manifestation for the ghost AI should now work.
  
• Fixed some hitbox issues in the garage.

A deadly bug has been fixed, causing many players to not be able to host or join any game. This was an oversight when I went from the playtest over to the demo. It should work properly now!

PATCH NOTES

• Temperatures close to the POD now read lower, around 16-18 degrees. This allows you to find the apporoximation of the POD and then find the centre of it.
  
• Made the range of radiation larger, so it's easier to spot radioactive items while looking for them.
  
• Added localization to more of the in-game text, making most of the game translatable.
  
• With the help of Gaming Blanket, Italian translation has been improved! I might have missed a few lines, so there may still be some missing/not updated.
  
• Moved the living room swan to the bathroom, to more easily separate it from the nearby kettle.
  
• Made the computer windows larger to fix more text.

BUG FIXES

• Fixed a bug preventing ghost orbs from despawning after each match.
  
• The thermometer should no longer shoot a laser through floors.

I finally feel like the playtest time is over, and feel confident to now put Fear the Phantom in a demo stage! It won't make any difference for you, but hopefully it will allow more people to participate in trying out the game since it's further in its development.

Most of the bugs have been cleared out, the game runs properly, and there is enough content for the game to be playable. There might still be some issues, especially surrounding the online services, like connecting, disconnecting etc. This is something that will be resolved shortly!

What's next on the agenda is adding more content, since the gameplay loop is working pretty well now. There will of course be tweaks and changes the gameplay loop too, but for now I think it is quite balanced. I want to add another map soon, as it would be great with some extra variation. New ghost types are also on the drawing board!

Make sure to follow me on Twitter, as it is the platform I am most active on!

Phantom_TheGame on Twitter.

I've been working hard on this new update, and finally see it as ready to be played by the playtesters. There has been some issues, but hopefully most of them have been fixed. Looking forward, I'll be mostly focused on fixing bugs, optimization, and smaller tweaks to make the game look better. I have a lot of work to do regarding cleaning up the code, so I hope this update brings enough joy for a while.

I really have to thank the people who have helped me test the game. Their feedback has been so valuable, and I've used a lot of their input to tweak the game. I hope more people will be interested in testing the game and give me feedback the days ahead of us.

So a little about this update then; I've added a basement to the game. This adds a huge amount of extra space, so the rounds will hopefully last a lot longer. There is a hidden object in the basement, which can be used to counter the ghost. A bunch of tweaks with hitboxes - it's now much harder for objects to clip through furniture. Graphics adjustments. I've also been working a lot on SFX changes.

There is also a language setting for Italian, although it's still in beta.

Enjoy!

So, I've been working on the beta for a while now and I feel like it's getting close to ready for testing. The first round will be a closed beta, so only a select few will be able to play the game. This is so I can fix the biggest and most game breaking bugs before a lot of people start playing. I've been struggling a lot with Steam integration since I don't have a whole lot of knowledge about multiplayer games. This has been the biggest challenge for me the last month. This is also where most of the bugs will be discovered. Anyway, it seems to work okay for a closed beta.

As some of you may know, I've quit my job. This is to allow me to take the time I need to work on the game. It's near impossible to work enough on it next to a 9-5, and I needed to take this step to allow the game to reach its full potential. I just have to work the last two weeks of February and then I can work full time on Fear the Phantom. I have big hopes for the game, and I believe it will be a great game to get me started in the game development career.