We’ve been pretty quiet for some time and are very sorry about that. We’re going to rectify that by getting back on the communications and keeping everyone up to date. We still really want to deliver this game. A lot of things have changed while we’ve been working on Lanterns, for example, when we started we didn’t all have full time jobs, we do now. Juggling work, life stuff and trying to finish a fully fledged game is tricky, but we are still tinkering away to make sure Lanterns gets out the door and is super enjoyable. Hopefully this little update gives a glimpse into what we’re working with.

We had some challenges locking down our art direction but have rejigged some of the vision and are pushing forward with new assets to bring the game to life. We’re a bit behind where we want to be, however the team has been flexible and is moving forward.

Some of the team also experienced personal loss and the challenges that come with that over the last 9 months. This isn’t so much of an excuse but it’s worth mentioning.

We want Lanterns to be in your hands well before Christmas but looking to release by Thanksgiving.




Few comments on the direction -maintaining some the feel of our old placeholder art but trying to bring a little more detail and character to our brave anthropomorphs.
We mentioned art style before and we have developed the pixel art style to be a little more detailed and capture a bit more personality.
With some of our in house tech sorted out and our art being locked down our levels will be reworked and mostly remade to feel more like a full game. Many of the levels in the current build are test levels for how our mechanics work and often make the difficulty curve feel janky. We’ll smooth that out as we rebuild the content structure over the next couple months.

There's a few more things we're playing with behind the scenes but we'll lift the curtain again soon.



If you got this far, thanks for reading. We really appreciate those who have kept encouraging us and stuck with us all this time. If you have any feedback for us feel free to drop us a line via Steam or our Discord[discord.gg] server.

- The Artefact Team

In this post PAX POX Lanterns update:
{

Each character set now has Character Set Collectables (CSC). These collectables count towards unlocking a new character set. Character Select portals in the character select level now show the amount of CSC's required to unlock the next character set. Portals in level selects show which levels contain a CSC.

• New - Character Set Collectable Sprites & Animations.
  
• New - Character Set Collectable Particles.
  
• New - Character Set Collectable Trails.
  
• New - Character Set Collectable UI Feedback.
  
• Updated - Character Select Portals include CSC progress.
  
• Updated - Level Select Portals to include CSC progress.

All character sets are still currently unlocked and playable - but collecting them will still accumulate progress - for when progression is refined and complete.

• Drastically increased the Lantern recharge rate for Axolotl, Moth and Anglerfish.
  
• Updated the (controller) Lantern ray activation threshold.
  
• Added a radial image to the tutorialisation image of player resetting in tutorial phase 3.
  
• Dissolving blocks now have a transparent representation of where the original block is.
  
• Morphing blocks now have a small delay before morphing (expanding and shrinking).
  
• Added a confirm quit game UI panel.
  
• Updated transitions between levels from a simple fade in and out to different (randomised) patterns.
  
• Coloured coins now have a highlight every few seconds.
  
• Re-arranged and increased the size of the main character select level.
  
• Re-arranged tutorial sequence. Last phase tutorialises Character Set Collectables and unlocks play of Koala character set.

• Updated spring block SFX.
  
• Updated head bump SFX.
  
• Updated portal opening SFX.
  
• Updated checkpoint activation SFX.

• AI collisions now properly kills the player.
  
• Player reset particles now spawn in the correct position.
  
• Character Select - Fox portal now has correct sprites above.
  
• Characters no longer slide with minimal (controller) joystick movement.
  
• Morph blocks now have a transparent sprite to show the rest of the block.
  
• Spring blocks ignores player jump input.
  
• Character head bump particles / audio feedback function again.
  
• Character sprites now accurately walk on top of blocks.

}

Known Issues

• Missing Playstation 4 Controller support - We're in the process of updating controller support entirely which will result in many more controllers being compatible with the game.
  
• The last level of Axolotl character set has issues with standing on the sideways sensor blocks.
  
• Full screen/Windowed mode toggling/Cursor issues.
  
• Coloured degrading blocks are lacking the visual of dissolving.
  
• Finishing the last level in a character set doesn't revert to the Character Select level - instead continues to the first level of the next character set.

Level Editor
This will be a lengthy process - but we hope to keep everyone informed on the progress being made.

Levels
Refined level progression and level sets for all characters. We'll also be in the process of removing all of the current level set and replacing them with more permanent levels. Theres a good chance that a lot of the current levels in v0.7.0 will start to be shifted into an archive location or completely removed.

Stay up to date by visiting any or all of:
Website[www.artefactassembly.com]
Discord[discord.gg]
Facebook[www.facebook.com]
Twitter
Instagram[www.instagram.com]

You could try using Parsec [parsecgaming.com]
Because Lanterns is currently only local-coop, If your friends are too far away, Parsec is a great way to play local games online. Parsec is free and relatively easy to setup.

- The Artefact Team