Thanks for supporting Betrayer and all the feedback you've been posting!
We are still investigating the UI crash and the "out of video memory" issue some players are encountering, but wanted to get some other fixes and features out in the meantime.
We also want to encourage players to check the Reminders entry of the Notes screen periodically, as it summarizes gameplay tips and tutorial information in case you miss the pop-ups.
New Difficulty Options:
There are now three difficulty options instead of two. The default, Deadly Enemies, is similar to Normal difficulty in a traditional single player game. The original, more punishing default setting is now called Deadlier Enemies. There's also a new Less Deadly Enemies that is intended for players who are more interested in an adventure than a challenge.
Loot dropping on death is now optional and defaults off. We recommend that players who want a greater challenge and heightened tension enable it in the general options. The reason for defaulting it off is that we assume more hardcore players will have an easier time finding and enabling the option than less hardcore players would have finding and disabling it. Note that enemies still repopulate areas with either setting.
Game Balance:
Enemy perception has been tweaked to make Conquistadors more perceptive and certain other enemies less so.
Enemy vision ranges have been reduced in general.
The Listen HUD option now defaults on.
Bug Fixes:
Fixed issue with several treasure chests in the Fort St. George region losing their red color and chime sound when loading a saved game or returning to the area at a later time. Note that depending which chests you've found, there may be some that still show the issue, but they should be the easier ones to find.
Fixed a treasure chest in Outlying Settlements not switching to the dull material when opened.
Fixed an issue that could cause player loot to become unrecoverable in certain situations.
Fixed skeletons sometimes playing the wrong attack animation.
Additional navmesh cleanup to help with enemy pathfinding in some areas where they were struggling.
Fix for certain enemies not being present if you fast traveled to certain destinations in Outlying Settlements.
Wall check removed for player loot drops. Should reduce instances of not being able to recover loot.
Fix for not being able to get the All Graves Found announcement (and Achievement) in Forbidden Wilds in certain cases.
Reduced the volume of the corrupted totem sound cue.
Fixed issue with a dragged inventory item showing the wrong detail.
Fixed a visible seam on the musket powder horn.
Fixed an issue with a couple of ash figures getting set to the wrong collision type when destroyed.
Fixed an issue with those same ash figures playing the chime sound when they shouldn't.
Fixed a case where you can get the "nothing more to hear" message too soon in Outlying Settlements if you completed things in a certain order.
Beware of potential spoilers below!
Fixed issues with the Tabitha Markley and Maiden in Red investigations not completing. The fix will prevent the issue from occurring but won't retroactively update the journal if you've passed the point where each occurs.
Updated the description for one of the victims to match the dialogue.
Fixed a post-completion issue where you're directed to return to the Forbidden Wilds.
Fixed issue with Maiden in Red being present at Fort Hope if you die during the assault.
Fixed issue with Listen leading you to James Markley after he's been released.
Fixed issue with the fire being relit if you return to Forbidden Wilds after completing the game.
Fixed a topic that shouldn't display if you've already learned the name of the Maiden in Red.
Betrayer Completed! Launches March 24th!
We are very happy to report that the game is finished and will be released on March 24th for a retail price of $19.99. The $14.99 Early Access price will still be available until then.
We're grateful for all the feedback and suggestions the community provided during our Early Access. Your involvement resulted in many new features and refinements and helped us make a better, richer game experience.
Status Update!
We apologize for the lack of news lately, but it’s only because of how busy we’ve been!
After the last update, we decided to shift our focus to getting the rest of the game done instead of continuing with staged releases. One reason was that preparing each update took a lot of time away from moving the game forward and making it better. Another was that we didn’t want to keep resetting everyone’s progress over and over. We also feel Betrayer will be best enjoyed by playing at your own pace instead of being at the mercy of our release schedule.
NOTE: YOU’LL NEED TO START A NEW GAME IF YOU HAVEN’T PLAYED SINCE UPDATE #2!
Update #4 adds some new features and fixes. You might want to avoid reading them if you’re a first time player or haven’t checked out Update #3 yet, as they contain some minor spoilers.
As always, let us know what you think!
Update #4:
Firearms now do significantly more damage and are balanced more directly by range and reload speed.
Dropped items are more visible on the ground, reducing the need to rely on the compass to find them.
Your input is no longer paused by the Cannot Fast Travel message.
Adjusted senses and fortitude of the new enemy type.
Equipment descriptions now show when mousing over equipped item slots.
Bell now animates when rung.
Reverted the script font used on notes while we figure out a more legible solution.
Fixed issue with Listen not always firing off.
Fixed Crouch Toggle getting reset to “C” on startup, taking the binding away from other controls.
Fixed certain skulls becoming unretrievable if you quit the game after talking to their owners but before recovering the skull.
Fixed issue with color values less than 0.4 getting clamped to 0.0.
Fixed issue where you could respawn with the knife in hand instead of the equipped weapon if you die while performing a melee attack.
Update #3 Launched!
NOTE: PLEASE START A NEW GAME!
This is a major update featuring a new area, a completely new enemy type, new things to do, and numerous improvements and fixes.
Please see the summary for more information, although note that many entries are left intentionally vague so as not to ruin any surprises. That said, first-time players should beware that the list may still contain some minor spoilers. As always, let us know what you think!
Summary:
A new area!
A new enemy type!
Additional notes, clues, etc.
Revised the “talking skull” element.
Lots of new or refined enemy behaviors.
Added a save prompt when exiting the game and an autosave after shopping.
Massive AI refactor for more consistent behavior with fewer “thoughtful pauses”.
Massive enemy navigation and navmesh overhaul for better pathfinding and handling of situations where the player is unreachable.
Improved enemy encounters in the otherworld.
Various stealth refinements.
Reworked some tutorial messages and added a couple of new ones to explain game mechanics people seem to consistently overlook.
Enemy weapons no longer go flying when dropped.
Charms are now auto
equipped in empty slots.
Audio sliders are hooked up now.
Lots of balance adjustments. Be warned the game got harder.
Shortbow quiver works properly.
Lots of visual tweaks, optimizations, and polish.
Notes now use a script font.
Esc key now works in the main menu.
Equipped items are now marked in the Inventory menu.
Scrollbars should look better and work more reliably.
Bow animation polish.
Fixed an issue where lightmaps could become irreversibly black in certain cases, causing shadows to appear pitch black and the otherworld to become featureless and very hard to navigate.
Fixed potential issue where otherworld enemies could spawn in the normal world.
Fixed a related issue where progression could get blocked in certain save/load situations.
The South Gate will now only open in the normal world.
Longbow now starts with 12 arrows instead of 20.
Fixed issue where you could get the "nothing more to hear in this region" notice prematurely.
Update #2 Launched
Update #2: Thanks for supporting Betrayer!
The next playable area is almost ready, but in the meantime, we have some new features, tweaks, and fixes.
The big news for this update is a color slider for those who requested it. Note that the original look is completely unchanged, so this is a purely optional alternative. The finished game will allow you to restore the default values, but for the time being you can find them listed in the pinned Contrast Settings topic on the Steam community forums.
Please see the changelist for a complete summary of tweaks, fixes, and optimizations, but beware that it may contain some minor spoilers! And as always, let us know what you think!
New Features:
-Added a color slider. Accessible from the Main Menu or in the Pause Menu while in-game.
Gameplay Changes:
-You now move at aim speed with the bow drawn, making you more vulnerable to enemy fire while lining up a shot.
-Melee stealth kills should be working again.
-Opened chests will no longer glimmer.
-Toned down the cicada sounds.
-Re-added the missing dialogue that discloses William Eastgrove's name. Oops.
-Characters will now always say something to you even if you've exhausted all topics.
-Added a reminder to Listen if you haven't done so at least twice in 80 seconds. It will also be displayed the first time you enter the otherworld after gaining the Listen ability and displays if you continue from a saved game in which you hadn’t listened at least twice.
-Adjusted shortbow arrow speed and gravity.
-Reduced the damage of the ghost enemies’ ranged attack.
-Examining a health barrel will now drink from it so that you don’t have to activate it a second time.
-You now collect the arrows from the sentry towers in Fort Henry when examining them.
Fixes:
-Fixed issue with not being able to buy arrows.
-Added a custom file to prevent user settings from getting wiped between builds.
-Additional navmesh cleanup to try to fix some problem areas southwest of Fort Henry.
-Fixed a potential progression blocker if you quit too soon after examining a crime scene.
-Fixed an issue with enemies not always appearing in correct numbers after you die and respawn.
-Fixed ammo refill exploit in Coastal Path.
-Fixed issue with wind not gusting in Coastal Path.
-Fixed issue with birds singing cheerfully in the otherworld.
-Fixed some collision issues and inconsistencies with crates, barrels, and chests on the beach.
Visual Improvements:
-Turned off ambient occlusion by default to reduce flickering and artifacts.
-Made the light gray rocks less bright and swapped out some rock materials in the FortHenry region.
-Dirtied up the rocky pebbles texture to blend into the underlying landscape texture better.
-Added new custom “store” asset.
-Smoothed out some layer blending and bumpiness around structures in the Fort Henry area.
-Adjusted the exit gate to not be so dark.
-Addressed some issues with ferns not casting shadows.
-Slightly scaled down foliage directly beside the path in Coastal Path to keep the player from feeling too small.
-Removed a small rock that was completely in shadow.
-Removed a couple of cliff rocks along the coast that weren't useful/visible anymore.
-Set the crates on the beach to cast shadows.
Optimizations:
-Added switch to disable color variation for leaves when it's not used as well as a low quality switch when it is used.
-Added switches to disable ~100 vert instructions of branch motion that's not needed on tree far LODs.
-Updated landscape to support low quality materials.
Update #1 Launched
NOTE: You'll need to start a new game with this update!
We're hoping to release some new content soon, but in the meantime we wanted to push out an update to address some of the requests and suggestions you've been posting and emailing.
First off, you can now adjust the dark and light intensity to suit your tastes!
We've also added initial gamepad support. There are still some kinks to iron out with menus and other UI elements, but it's feeling like a solid foundation.
There are numerous other gameplay tweaks, optimizations and fixes outlined below and plenty more on the way! Thanks for all your feedback and please keep it coming!
CHANGELIST:
New Features:
Added sliders to allow adjustment of dark and light intensity. Accessible from the Main Menu or the Pause Menu while in-game.
Added initial gamepad support. Controls can be remapped, but only while in-game. If keyboard and mouse controls are displayed in the keybindings, back out and try again. Also, menus aren’t navigable by gamepad, so keep a mouse handy!
Gameplay Changes:
Added gravity to arrows.
Melee speed with bow equipped now matches other weapons.
Reduced melee damage for player and Conquistadors.
Compass markers now don't turn on until you discover the corresponding location.
You can no longer sprint backward.
Dead enemies leave behind any projectiles stuck in them when removed.
Musket now zooms in tighter when aimed.
Musket rounds travel slightly faster.
Conquistador musketeers and chargers move a little faster by default. Their sprint speed is unaffected.
Separated shortbow and longbow ammo.
Optimizations:
Post processing runs twice as fast.
Object cull distances updated in the levels to better fit each detail setting.
Dynamic shadows adjusted for better performance in each detail setting that uses them.
Characters now display shadows in Low detail setting.
Fort Henry level now has higher static shadowmap quality for Minimum and Low settings.
All ground foliage temporarily removed from Minimum detail setting.
Grass now visible in Low detail setting.
Fixes:
Vsync is now selectable and works as expected.
Fixed issue for all modifier keys like Shift, Alt and Ctrl than prevented right keys from binding correctly.
Fixed issue with not being able to bind mouse buttons.
Fixed issue with Smoothing and Invert Y changes not getting saved.
Fixed issue with Restore Defaults not affecting Sensitivity, Smoothing, or Invert Y in the Controls menu.
Fixed issue with pressing keys on controls screen sometimes saying "XXX binding moved to XXXX"
Esc now backs out of pause menu screens. Not working in the main menu yet.
Fixed a hard lock caused by toggling quickly between performance settings.
Fixed missing materials on Conquistador and bell when changing detail level.
Fixed issue with space bar restarting the credits instead of skipping them. Esc also skips.
Lowell Vaughan and Steven Walker now called out in the special thanks. Sorry, guys!
Removed anticlimactic countdown timer when selecting the Fullscreen option.
Fixed issue with counters for certain events not getting reset properly if you died prior to completing them.
Fixed issue with not being able to interact with two of the totems if you died after activating them.
Fixed crate item randomizer not getting reset.
Fixed issue with talking skulls being recollectable after loading a saved game.
Fixed issue with red death screen appearing after fast travel.
Fixed issue with the world not being fully streamed when the level starts.
Fixed looping fire issue with musket and pistol.
Fixed issue with arrows and tomahawks disappearing when destroying crates.
Hitting R while running no longer causes the weapon to come up.
Drawing the bow correctly aborts sprint.
Fixed issue with AIs not playing their idle animations.
