Broken Roads cover
Broken Roads screenshot
Genre: Role-playing (RPG), Turn-based strategy (TBS), Indie

Broken Roads

Patch Notes - 6 March 2025 🔥

Broken Roads Patch Notes - 6 March 2025



Greetings all - another month and another patch sees more features, bug fixes, and additional content added to Broken Roads.





Party-wide skill checks



Many players requested we allow party companions’ skills to be used in dialogue skill-check moments. This is now in, with some still set to player-only where it makes more sense. Expect more skill checks to be added, and the current skill checks in the game to likely be balanced (almost certainly to be made more challenging)



Container naming and (empty) check



This was hotfixed last month, but in case you missed it, another player-requested quality-of-life feature was to know when a container or downed enemy had already been looted. This is now in!



Additional dialogue options on the English-only branch



We’ve started expanding the content from origin stories all the way through the game, changing the tone of some of the characters, adding additional dialogue, moral or skill-check options, adjusting quest design, journal objectives, and more.



Next up will be some specific bugs in Lake Deborah and adjusting Southern Cross according to player feedback. Ideally, the next patch will be live around the 20th of March, but any issues that come up during QA may see this slip into April.

Closed Discord playtesting channel



We’ve got a private Steam beta branch for community playtesting on our official Discord server. If you’re interested in helping out test the game and play the latest versions before they’re released to the public, join our Discord and ask in the #general channel.



Full Patch Notes:




  • Added party-wide skill-check functionality. Some skills are still set to be player-only, but where it makes sense, any companion’s stats can now factor into the skill check.
  • Fixed an issue where Jasper could sometimes disappear from the game and not respawn back either in Merredin or her office. Players who have experienced this in their current game may need to enter her office, leave, and enter again.
  • Removed confusing 'punt' check to kick the ball back to kids in Brookton.
  • Adjusted some of the Surveyor dialogue with Tina in Kokeby, giving the interactions a more mature tone.
  • Adjusted some companion banter between Ella and Mad at the convoy.
  • Adjusted some of Jess and Mick’s responses when first meeting the player in Kokeby.
  • Added additional player options and skill checks when first meeting Mick in Kokeby.
  • Fixed inconsistencies with some of Mick’s VO and the written lines.
  • Fixed missing colliders meaning characters could walk straight through the bushes next to the Brookton gazebo.
  • Solved an error where some users were stuck in the convoy conversation the morning after the pub debate.
  • Fixed some random encounter maps that were showing a blank white screen when trying to access the minimap.
  • Fixed missing language-switching functionality on the default branch (for those wanting to play the latest fixes in English only).
  • Fixed another instance of ‘teleporting’ the player when leaving a Merredin interior.


Thanks again to everyone who continues to follow and support Broken Roads!

PLAY NOW:



https://store.steampowered.com/app/1403440/Broken_Roads/


That's all for today, ‘ol cobber! Follow Broken Roads to stay updated and don't forget, your choices are the key.



SOCIAL: DISCORD | TWITTER | YOUTUBE | WIKI



- The Drop Bear Bytes team

4 February 2025 Hotfix



4 February 2025 hotfix details:




  • Container names are now displayed when pressing TAB
  • Containers/bodies which have been looted will display " (empty)"
  • The names of items which can be picked up are now also displayed when pressing TAB
  • Fixed various human and animal combatants' blood splatter VFX not playing in combat

Broken Roads’ Early 2025 Roadmap

Hello everyone and welcome to 2025!



We hope you’ve all had a good break over the new year and like us you’re likely back in the swing of work, study, or whatever you usually do with your time.

A few community members have asked for a roadmap for what to expect this year. We’re hesitant to commit more than just a few months, so below is a rundown of what is on the way in early 2025.
The biggest change is that from today’s patch, we now have a means to switch branches to the English-only updates, which is where we’ll be posting all of the new content fixes, narrative changes, journal improvements and so on, and once done we will work on localising for all languages.

Roadmap for Fixes and Patches





We’ve seen some players asking about a roadmap of what they can expect in Broken Roads this year, so here is the basic list outlining the key areas the team is tackling first:


  • We have high confidence it is now sorted, but if any Steam Achievements still aren't unlocking for some players after today’s patch, we’ll keep digging into the matter until it is solved.
  • Southern Cross is a high-priority area receiving improvements to player interactions, expanded choices, and enhanced role-playing opportunities in key moments.
  • Merredin Election issues will be addressed with clearer details and options for the player to engage (or not) as they choose.
  • Refugees will see significant changes and improvements, with more interactions and resolution options. This update may take a few months to fully implement and test.
  • Eliminating 'teleportation'/instant fast traveling for story beats or other locations wherever possible. This will require time to test properly.
  • Companions and smaller NPCs will be significantly fleshed out, with some receiving complete overhauls, particularly companion interactions at the convoy in Merredin.
  • Continuing to address and squash bugs along the way.

Recently Addressed Issues





  • Fixed a bug affecting some save games (caused by a null reference related to Moral Traits used in combat) not loading.
  • Steam Achievements not unlocking should be fixed with the new patch, but will wait for players to confirm. Any time you enter Brookton, Merredin, Kalgoorlie or (spoilers) the final scene in the game it runs a full check on any achievements you have locally which are not registered on Steam.



  • Fixed a bug where enemies (random encounter raiders and animals) would lose their weapons or loot if fought in a previous random encounter. No more dingoes attacking with fists!
  • Certain weapons, such as cleavers, now have a small percentage chance to inflict the bleeding status effect, rather than guaranteeing it on every hit.
  • There was a very late-game moment that could teleport you to an unavoidable combat encounter if you asked about a particular character too many times. Without saying too much more at the risk of spoilers, this no longer moves you from the conversation you are in but instead will wait for a future scene load, and will likely be iterated on further to make this feel more natural.
  • There were some instances where objects in combat had the incorrect cover applied, making it impossible to shoot over the hood of some cars or past certain tall trees. These have now been assigned the correct cover type.
  • Fixed a bug where Jake Anderson was sometimes incorrectly spawning in Bally Bally Hall during the Barter Crew origin story.



Responding to Player Feedback



  • All new Steam reviews from the last 1-2 months will be read and responded to.
  • All Steam comments and discussions have been answered this week.

Steam Branch Switching Feature



  • Players can now easily switch to the English-only branch via Steam’s branch switching feature.
  • This branch includes all new narrative, quest, companion, and other changes.

Update Cadence



  • Based on reactions to our previous major patch, we will prioritize smaller, more frequent updates rather than waiting a few months for larger patches.



Non-English Versions



  • For now, non-English players can continue to enjoy the game in its current state with the latest fixes as of today.
  • The new changes will be available in the English-only branch. Once the updates are complete, localization and translation will follow.

Bug-Free Quest Resolutions



  • Commitment to achieving 100% bug-free quest resolutions.
  • Ongoing patches to address edge cases discovered post-release, some involving unexpected sequence breaks.
  • Players are encouraged to report bugs via the Discord report-a-bug channel.

Steam Deck Status



  • Fully playable on Steam Deck with Playable Status confirmed by Steam.
  • Verified Status withheld due to text size concerns, despite recent increases.
  • Valve’s specific feedback on glyphs and text size will be addressed in an upcoming update.

Again, we don’t want to commit to specific timelines for these. Given that QA and bug-fixing can take who knows how long if unforeseen issues arise, any dates we put out now are likely to change.
Thank you to all players for their continued feedback and support as we work to improve Broken Roads!


PLAY NOW:



https://store.steampowered.com/app/1403440/Broken_Roads/


That's all for today, ‘ol cobber! Follow Broken Roads to stay updated and don't forget, your choices are the key.



SOCIAL: DISCORD | TWITTER | YOUTUBE | WIKI



- The Drop Bear Bytes team

Patch Notes - 1.3.12859

Hey everyone,

We’ve just released another small polish patch and also wanted to share an update on our user reviews.


Steam User Reviews:



Recent Reviews hit Very Positive


We’re extremely happy to see the upturn in positive user reviews on Steam. While the number is still of course small, having enough people post reviews recently to see the shift not just to Mostly Positive, but Very Positive has been incredible.



The number of players to reviewers has varied quite a lot throughout the year, with the unsurprising trend of unsatisfied players leaving negative reviews more often than happy players post a positive review.

In April and May we were looking at 30-40 players per review, which is around the Steam average. As the patches improved the quality of the game we started to see a significant drop off to the point where recently we’ve seen one review posted for every ~90 to 100 players. What matters, though, is that more and more people are recommending Broken Roads, so a huge, sincere thank you to everyone who does so.



After the rough launch, we released a number of patches and hotfixes based upon player feedback, adding in requested features, more dialogue, VO and additional combat, plus fixing numerous bugs. The above image shows that 75% of players between 28th April and now have reviewed the game positively.

By the late May patch we had added over 10,000 words to the game, opened up the Overworld map in the origin stories, additional companion reactivity, fixed literally hundreds of bugs, more ways to resolve certain quest objectives, and much more.

The team continued to update the game to a total of 10 patches and hotfixes, and the reactions during and immediately after the recent Steam Autumn Sale have blown us away. It’s very rewarding to see the efforts pay off and the comments in the Steam discussion threads getting more positive, so thanks to everyone who has been supporting, posting bugs, making suggestions and generally just engaging with the community as we continue to improve Broken Roads.



We’re very proud that the patches have created such a steady increase in player sentiment to the point where 82% of players after the May patch have recommended the game on Steam. There’s nothing more beneficial for us at the moment, so if you liked Broken Roads and appreciate the improvements made since launch, please post a review.

We’ll keep patching and improving in the coming weeks and months. Thanks again to everyone who has played and reviewed Broken Roads!

Patch Notes



WARNING: SOME SPOILERS INCLUDED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PATCH NOTES:

  • Fixed a logic issue with Lake Deborah's main quest not showing the next objectives at certain points.
  • Additional objectives were added for Lake Deborah to clarify how to progress The Revealed Religion.
  • Polished some party and NPC locations during the first arrival and opening sequence at Lake Deborah.
  • Polished some of the player options when discussing returned books with Talia in the Lake Deborah library.
  • Removed prompts to ask questions related to gaining entrance to Southern Cross once the player has already completed the quiz.
  • Corrected some enemy inventories to line up with their equipped weapons.
  • SPOILER: Reduced the time between returning Machiavellian books in Lake Deborah and triggering Talia telling the player that Brooke was reading them.
  • SPOILER: Reduced the time it takes to construct Lake Deborah’s watchtowers from 48 to 24 hours.




PLAY NOW:



https://store.steampowered.com/app/1403440/Broken_Roads/


That's all for today, ‘ol cobber! Follow Broken Roads to stay updated and don't forget, your choices are the key.



SOCIAL: DISCORD | TWITTER | YOUTUBE | WIKI



- The Drop Bear Bytes team

Hotfix: Version 1.3.12743 🔥

The 4 December 2024 Hotfix is now live!



We know It’s only been a few days since our big November patch but we wanted to get this update live as soon as possible. Four of the issues were reported by community members on Discord or Steam, so a huge thanks to everyone who reported bugs or problems they encountered during their playthroughs.

- The team at Drop Bear Bytes



Patch Notes



WARNING: SOME SPOILERS INCLUDED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PATCH NOTES:

  • Fixed an issue where some users would not see an option to return the bullet casings to Hunter.
  • Fixed an issue where the Moral Compass leaning could be inaccurate after loading a saved game immediately after Character Creation.
  • Adjusted the loot that some early-game enemies are carrying.
  • Replaced one of the ropes that can be found on the skeletons in their random encounter. Players will find a small first aid kit and a few extra dollars instead.
  • Changed the name of two Kulja enemies to avoid confusion with other characters (Ripper is now Trash Magnet and Hunter is now Sniffer).
  • Removed multiple incorrect instances of “shot” bringing up the Aussie ‘cyclopedia.
  • Corrected Alex Wilson’s (the wounded merchant in Aldersyde) inventory to only have empty water bottles.
  • Minor adjustments to the positioning of some of the dead bodies in Brookton to reduce instances where they appeared slightly above the ground.
  • Corrected some instances where animals would have the inspection icon instead of the audio icon when they play a sound.
  • SPOILER: You can now only send the feral kids to Lake Deborah if you have visited it at least once.
  • SPOILER: You can now only send the feral kids to Kalgoorlie if you have visited it at least once.


PLAY NOW:



https://store.steampowered.com/app/1403440/Broken_Roads/


That's all for today, ‘ol cobber! Follow Broken Roads to stay updated and don't forget, your choices are the key.



SOCIAL: DISCORD | TWITTER | YOUTUBE | WIKI



- The Drop Bear Bytes team

November 2024 Update blog

We’re very happy to bring you another polish update to Broken Roads, including increased font size when using the Large Font setting (especially handy on Steam Deck), improved companion reactions depending on player choices, removing some of the ‘teleporting’ moments that some players found rail-roady, TONS of combat, weapon and consumable balancing, plus a couple of spoilery bits and pieces we won’t mention here.

What’s Been Happening with Broken Roads’ development?


We have racked up hundreds of pages of feedback, notes, suggestions and draft material for improving Broken Roads, and now is the time to implement. We’ve been focusing on improvements that don’t require translations for now, with a lot of focus on improving the weapons and consumables (in terms of AP required, damage, range, reload time, and dollar value).

We’ve also worked on removing some of the moments in the game that used to instantly transport the player to the next location or to complete a quest objective. This approach involves a lot of testing as many things can go wrong, so it’s slow work, but there’s more of this to come.

We’ve also identified some specific quest, journal and objective issues that can still be made considerably clearer for players (we’ll be focusing on Lake Deborah, Merredin and Southern Cross for the next patch).



Steam Deck Verification Update


Broken Roads is now officially classified as Playable on Steam Deck, with the feedback that some of the text and controller glyphs were still too small even with the Large Font option enabled. We’ve addressed all of the points requested by Valve and are resubmitting for full Steam Deck Verified status along with this patch going live.

What’s Next?


More polish and bug fixes, but also the bulk of the work to expand on and improve pretty much every area of the game. We’re doing all of this in English only at first, and will be releasing these updates on the English-Only branch. There’s a new feature in Steam that allows players to seamlessly switch branches without any technical knowhow, and that’s what we’re focusing the next update on.

Without having to get the text translated or put through localisation QA, the turnaround will be much faster. We’re also no longer limited by word count restrictions and can flesh out all of the dialogues we couldn’t at launch, and have the freedom to completely rewrite entire characters, conversations and quests to make the game as good as it possibly can be.

Once this is done, we’ll get to work on localisation and translation and of course patching consoles to get to the same point.

Thanks again for your patience and to everyone who continues to support us as we press on with making Broken Roads the best it can be.



Patch Notes


WARNING: SOME SPOILERS INCLUDED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PATCH NOTES:


  • - Increased various font sizes and controller glyphs for Steam Deck. These can be accessed by all users when the Large Font checkbox in the settings menu is ticked.
  • - Increased the size of some tutorial images for better readability on portable devices.
  • - Reworked all companion reactions in the Merredin convoy banter to make them considerably less likely to respond unfavourably towards the player.
  • - When leaving Merredin interiors, the game no longer teleports the player character back to the convoy area for convoy events. These now only occur when returning to Merredin from the overworld map, except for two specific story cases.
  • - Gated certain rude or tactless player options behind low Charisma checks.
  • - Fixed a bug where characters could incur attacks of opportunity when getting closer to their targets.
  • - Adjusted the contents of Col’s shop (Hunters and Collectors) and various Vendor inventories in Merredin.
  • Adjusted the prices of many consumables in the game.
  • Adjusted HP recovery and secondary benefits of various consumables.
  • Adjusted the prices of almost every weapon.
  • It now costs less AP to switch to secondary weapon than to reload for all weapons except Pistols.
  • Changed Blasers and SR98s (as well as the upgraded versions) to require 2AP to reload.
  • Changed min and max damage for numerous weapons, including Spiked Clubs, SR98 upgrades, and Hunting Rifle upgrades.
  • Changed the Min, Max and Optimal ranges between weapon types to further distinguish between them and require differing strategies.
  • Reduced the damage of the SR98 +3 to be more in line with other max upgraded weapons.
  • Reworked Revolvers to now have a small Knockdown chance, a larger optimal range and a wider damage range than Pistols.
  • Revolvers now require 2AP to reload.
  • Pistols are now the only ranged weapons that require 1AP to reload.
  • Shotguns have from 10% Knockdown chance to 30% Knockdown chance depending on the upgrade.
  • Spears are now optimal between 1 and 2 units away from the target.
  • Mad’s Bat and Makeshift Axe have a range from 0 to 1.5 units and are always optimal when in range.
  • All other melee weapons require being 0 to 1 units away from the target and are optimal in this range.
  • All Cleavers now inflict bleeding.
  • Hammers have from 10% Knockdown chance to 50% Knockdown chance depending on the upgrade.
  • Spiked Clubs have 5% Knockdown chance to 30% Knockdown chance depending on the upgrade.
  • Many small tweaks to difficulty of various combat throughout the game based upon where the average player level and party composition would be at that point.
  • Small adjustments to enemy combatants' equipment and loot throughout the game.
  • Changed a few animations for some of Merredin’s residents and NPCs.
  • SPOILER: Priss no longer kidnaps the player if they talk to Scott Measure a second time. This can still be triggered by antagonising Angela Smith after the first meeting with Priss.
  • SPOILER: Fixed a bug what was incorrectly determining Angela Smith’s reactions to the player when they threaten or antagonise her prior to the pub debate.
  • SPOILER: Removed a dialogue break when talking to Mick after Priss first threatens the player.
  • SPOILER: Reworked companion calculations in the final dialogue in Kalgoorlie to decrease their likelihood of abandoning the player character.



PLAY NOW:



https://store.steampowered.com/app/1403440/Broken_Roads/


That's all for today, ‘ol cobber! Follow Broken Roads to stay updated and don't forget, your choices are the key.



SOCIAL: DISCORD | TWITTER | YOUTUBE | WIKI



- Craig Ritchie,
Game Director - The Drop Bear Bytes team

AUGUST PATCH 2024 🔥

Hey everyone!

We have a new patch for you and we've updated and fixed quite a bit. One of the big things here is we just took so much (I believe all) of the flirtatious/sexual advances out of the game. The feedback and general community consensus was that they were very poorly executed and there was not a good balance of them. We would have rather we did them right or not at all, and so now they are out of the game until we can do them properly.

Then there are also a lot of small bug fixes, quest polish, little bits and pieces that improve certain interactions, and a lot of changes to remove unnecessary or repetitious dialogue choices that didn't result in a different outcome for the player. Much of this is the result of the feedback and consultation with George and Olga, whose content/writing work will be coming in a future update.

WARNING: SOME SPOILERS INCLUDED IN THE PATCH NOTES:



  • Removed all flirtatious dialogue from the game
  • Fixed an issue where Barter Crew players could repeat Ian Mason's weapons training dialogue
  • Fixed a save game issue where Ian Mason's thugs would respawn even if you sent Ian Mason away from Kokeby
  • Giving Alex Wilson in Aldersyde water or bandages actually removes those items from the player's inventory
  • Fixed a save game issue where Alex Wilson's corpse in Aldersyde would disappear after talking to him as a Surveyor
  • Fixed a logic issue where Mick and Ames would comment on the player leaving Alex Wilson to bleed out even if they did something else
  • A rock in Brookton can no longer be pet
  • Reduced the number of player options to choose where to go at the start of Brookton after the attack
  • Fixed an issue where Mick's dialogue was always negative towards the player at the Plane Crash
  • Reduced the number of player options that asked Ruben to join the convoy in different ways
  • Moved a container from Plane Crash to Ennuin
  • Fixed a logic issue in the Plane Crash so players do not see dialogue about the lock box in the cockpit if they've already investigated it
  • Removed a first aid kit next to the ambulance in the Plane Crash level
  • Adjusted items in containers found in Merredin
  • Removed a vendor from Aldersyde
  • When saving Cole from Aldersyde, the soldiers that spawn in the ensuing combat start further away to allow a setup round
  • Rotated Lily Petrovic so players can see her face better in Southern Cross
  • Fixed the placement of a container in Southern Cross for easier access
  • Adjusted the XP reward for bringing Siobhan radio parts in Southern Cross
  • Added two radio parts to Locky's shop in Lake Deborah
  • Dead bodies in Kokeby no longer spawn after Chapter 3 ends

Before we end our patch notes we wanted to say thank you to everyone who has supported us and been extremely patient with all our updates, we'll see you next time.


PLAY NOW:



https://store.steampowered.com/app/1403440/Broken_Roads/


That's all for today, ‘ol cobber! Follow Broken Roads to stay updated and don't forget, your choices are the key.



SOCIAL: DISCORD | TWITTER | YOUTUBE | WIKI



- The Drop Bear Bytes team

🔥 HOTFIX - July

Hotfix notes



  • Fixed a bug where some players would not have the required NPCs spawning at The Ingot during the Liberty and Necessity quest. This will be solved the next time the player’s party spawns into Kalgoorlie.
  • Fixed the bug of being able to infinitely pick up one of the Barter Crew Special (jackpot trade) numberplates in Narembeen.
  • Added pine pitch to Karak’s shop and Tin Man’s shop as part of Lily’s quest.
  • Clarified the objective for ‘Of Liberty and Necessity’ that you no longer need to go to the Ingot at night.
  • Reduced the time of a fade to black when meeting Ruby Squier in Kalgoorlie
  • Fixed an issue where you could keep talking to George Webber about ‘dilligaf' even after you’ve met Ruby Squier
  • Fixed an issue where Lily could not be given the quest items for Sensation and Reflection while in Lake Deborah
  • Added unique objectives for Sensation and Reflection if Lily is in Lake Deborah for the quest
  • Fixed an issue where players could not give Lily a Barter Crew Special (jackpot trade) item if she is in Lake Deborah
  • Fixed an issue where Jess would speak when meeting Louise even if she wasn’t in the party
  • Further fixes on items in Wave Rock shops
  • Fixed the issue where Gerald Meyer in Kokeby sold rope for $0.
  • Increased the notification pop-up time from 5 seconds to 8 seconds as some players reported not always being able to read them in time.


PLAY NOW:



https://store.steampowered.com/app/1403440/Broken_Roads/


That's all for today, ‘ol cobber! Follow Broken Roads to stay updated and don't forget, your choices are the key.



SOCIAL: DISCORD | TWITTER | YOUTUBE | WIKI



- The Drop Bear Bytes team

🔥 JUNE 2024 UPDATE 🔥

Hi all,



We’re thrilled to be bringing you our second major update since launch. This should be considered more of a hotfix than a major content update (although that is in the works) as it addresses many small bugs, quest logic fixes, a late-game issue that could cause a soft lock for some players, item and container fixes to vendor inventories, tweaks to certain skill checks, and more.

We’re also very excited to announce two additional Narrative Consultants who are now working with us to make Broken Roads the best game it can be, and you’ll start seeing their changes in our next content updates.

So, without further ado…


George Ziets and Olga Moskvina have joined the team!



We’re extremely pleased to announce that two very experienced RPG writers and designers are now working on Broken Roads. George Ziets, whose titles include Fallout New Vegas, Neverwinter Nights 2, and more recently Wasteland 3, and Olga Moskvina, who worked on Disco Elysium and Stasis: Bone Totem are on board as Narrative Consultants.



George and Olga are examining every part of the narrative and quest design from the origin story through to the end of the game and we’ve already started making numerous small tweaks and improvements throughout.

We’ll share much more in the coming months, with full breakdowns (we’ll try to avoid the spoilery stuff as much as possible!) of the edits and additions for those interested. We’re unsure of the exact word count we’ll be adding, but our last patch introduced over 10,000 words for the origin stories alone (and some small mid-game tweaks and changes), so expect much more to come.


Steam User Reviews are now Very Positive



We wanted to send a huge thank you to everyone who has taken the time to post a review on Steam. Nothing helps indie developers before launch as much as wishlists, and nothing helps indie developers after launch as much as posting a review.

Over the last month, our user reviews have gone from Mixed to Mostly Positive to Very Positive, and at the time of writing we’re at 86%. It’s incredibly rewarding to see the work that the team has put into improving the game since launch paying off. We know it takes players time to write reviews, so every single one of them is appreciated!


Steam Summer Sale



The Steam Summer Sale has just begun, and we have discounted Broken Roads on Steam by 20%. If you’ve been waiting for a sale or a new patch, now’s the time!


Auto-Assigning Companions on Level Up



At launch, companions in Broken Roads would level up automatically. We received feedback from players that they would rather manually level up everyone in their party, so we added the ability to do so.


Those who still prefer to focus on their player character only can use Auto Assign on each level up (and can do so in Merredin even if your companions are not in the party). Look out for the exclamation mark over your player character or any companions that indicate that you can level them up.
We’ve also added a dialogue option, shown below, to back out of assembling your companions before departing Merredin. A small quality of life improvement if players happen to accidentally access the Overworld Map without meaning to.



Version Numbers



We’ve had some players point out that the version numbers between the various PC platforms are not always the same. That’s just a part of the build process we have in Unity, and can assure you the contents are identical. Here’s where we are at the moment with regards to the different PC version numbers:

Steam: 1.2.8883
GOG: 1.2.8884
Epic: 1.2.8886


Patch Notes



Details of what you can expect in this update are below, split between general fixes and origin story changes up top, with mid/late game spoiler fixes in their section afterward.

Thanks and have fun playing!
- The team at Drop Bear Bytes



Full patch notes:

(early game and non-spoiler fixes)

  • Cats once again meow when you pet them.
  • There are now more goats on things.
  • Adjusted pricing of certain items.
  • Changed some skill check and attribute check values.
  • Some vendor inventories have general and junk items removed.
  • Some vendor inventories now contain more items used for different quests across the game.
  • The Greater Good and Dignity for All moral traits now check if the targeted enemy is directly between the player character and the allied combatant, and no longer prevents attacking if so.
  • Fixed an issue where setting keybindings would not sometimes persist when reloading.
  • Fixed an issue where the SR98 +1 variant needed 4AP to instead of 3AP to fire.
  • Fixed an issue where a death container had the wrong name for the Jackaroo Origin Story.
  • Alanna now spawns inside of Taylor’s Farm during the Jackaroo Origin Story to reduce load times.
  • Fixed an issue where Sean would be holding the wrong weapon model during the Jackaroo Origin Story combat.
  • Fixed where the player and their party stand when speaking to Charlie Evans during the Prelude.
  • Fixed an issue where an incorrect voice line played for Tina in Kokeby.
  • Added titles to death containers that were previously empty.



Possible spoilers below:




  • Fixed an issue where The Sickness Unto Death quest would not fail after the attack on Brookton.
  • The Sickness Unto Death quest is now marked as abandoned if players do not complete “Talk to Damo Lane in the marketplace about his sick friend“ before Jess puts Sid in the camel cart.
  • Fixed an issue where an objective during The Sickness Unto Death quest would not complete at the appropriate time.
  • Fixed an issue where Cole could be asked how he felt about Ian Mason being killed in Kokeby even though the player is of Surveyor origin.
  • Mick and the player stand closer when speaking after fleeing the attack on Brookton combat.
  • The medkit Sarah asks you to collect during the attack on Brookton now disappears if you tell her to leave before collecting it.
  • Fixed an issue where Alanna would spawn in Merredin even if she was left behind in Brookton.
  • Fixed an issue where Sid would spawn in Merredin even if he was killed or left behind in Brookton.
  • Fixed an issue where retreating from the kangaroo combat in the Plane Crash scene could lead to a soft lock.
  • Cleared more Fog of War when the Plane Crash tyre tracks combat is about to start.
  • Removed a tree that was making it hard to see what was happening during the kangaroo combat in the Plane Crash.
  • Fixed an issue where players had to walk all the way to a character during the Plane Crash just to see their bark.
  • Players can now select “(Don’t leave just yet)” at the start of the party selection process in Merredin.
  • Matty Opik’s name is now revealed much sooner when you meet him in Southern Cross.
  • Fixed an issue where Numbat would spawn in her home in Merredin at night even if she didn’t live in Merredin anymore.
  • Fixed an issue where players could not give Uncle Koya the necessary items to complete The Use Of Spies.
  • Fixed an error that would appear when speaking to Dead Ringer in Ardath.
  • Added a camera pan so players can see the sprinkler Denny is having issues within Lake Deborah.
  • Denny now gives a reward when you fix the sprinkler for him in Lake Deborah.
  • Fixed an issue where players were not allowed into Kalgoorlie if they had fired the Device even though they had done the requisite number of jobs.
  • The objectives “Enter Kalgoorlie as a Scientist” and “Enter Kalgoorlie as a Trader” now close if players lose access to Southern Cross or Koorda respectively while Of A Future State is active.
  • Djet can also be considered sent to Kalgoorlie if Julianne Wakefield keeps her in Aldersyde during The Attack by Fire quest.
  • Fixed a bug where it was possible for Machiavellian players to get the gold nugget from Ruben more than once.
  • Fixed a possible softlock where Ruby Squier would not spawn at the Ingot in Kalgoorlie.
  • Adjusted visual FX timings when using Sally’s Leg as a weapon so enemy is not shown as hit earlier than they should be.
  • Fixed an issue where Kev’s model and portrait did not change to be the opposite moral quadrant of the player.
  • Players now get arrested right after saying no to planting bombs for Ruby Squier in Kalgoorlie.
  • The skeletons you can loot during an Overworld encounter now use the correct SFX.
  • Pan speed during Fast Mode when using a controller has now been normalized.
  • SFX has been added to Auto Assign when using a controller.
  • Revealed some of the Fog of War near the Flaming Galah and Hunters and Collectors after you first speak to Holly and first enter HnC.


PLAY NOW:



https://store.steampowered.com/app/1403440/Broken_Roads/


That's all for today, ‘ol cobber! Follow Broken Roads to stay updated and don't forget, your choices are the key.



SOCIAL: DISCORD | TWITTER | YOUTUBE | WIKI



- The Drop Bear Bytes team

🔥 MAY PATCH UPDATE IS HERE 🔥

Hi everyone!



Thank you for your patience while we worked on this major update to get the Broken Roads 1.2 patch live.

We've taken on board the feedback from your reviews to add features, make changes, include new options, completely open up the early game, and greatly expand on companion reactions.

The work is not at all done and there is much more still to come, but we hope you enjoy this first big patch which focuses on all four origin stories through to the gates of Merredin.

We did also tackle some mid and late game moments that players requested, so take note that THERE ARE SPOILERS IN THE NOTES BELOW.

Have fun, and as always please let us know your feedback!

- The team at Drop Bear Bytes


WARNING: MID AND LATE-GAME SPOILERS INCLUDED IN THE PATCH NOTES:





FEATURES



  • All origin stories now allow you to access the overworld map and explore the opening areas of the game world.
  • Added a Fast mode to increase movement speed while exploring
  • You can now target enemies in combat by clicking on their portrait in the turn queue
  • Added much more companion reactivity in the origin stories through to completing the Plane Crash.
  • Sue and Norm now appear during the Aldersyde during the origin stories and can be spoken to after unlocking the overworld map.
  • Added many more gestures and animations to characters throughout the game.
  • The Overworld travel icon is now your character’s portrait.
  • Added multiple new cyclopedia entries, including essential terms such as Woop Woop, Tucker and Sex Trophies.
  • Added the ability to hide the moral impact of choices for the morality quiz during character creation (and this can be turned on/off in the settings menu at any time)
  • You can now pet dogs, cats, (some) dingoes, and KOALAS. But not drop bears.
  • You can now rebind the keyboard controls
  • Added support for 32:9 aspect ratio



COMPANIONS AND CONVOY



  • Companions react to players killing the dingoes or fleeing from the dingoes
  • Mick reacts if players speak to people in Brookton before he arrives back in town
  • During the chat with Mick in Brookton Pub, he will acknowledge if the player fled combat more than once, or point out specific prelude combats the player fled from and comment accordingly.
  • Ella and Dreamer have a lot more to say in the various origin story interactions.
  • Added additional dialogue, companion interjections and reactions when rescuing Cole from Aldersyde.
  • Party members now respond to Nathaniel Blacke's plan to rescue Cole.
  • Added additional dialogue with Cole once he has joined the convoy after Aldersyde, with different reactivity depending on if the player rescued him or not.
  • There is now a poster on the job board in Hunters and Collectors about Gut Wound
  • Players are now properly warned that Mick will be hung for his crimes if the player tells Hunter, Angela Smith or Malcolm Hogan about Mick being Gut Wound.
  • When players tell Malcolm or Angela about Mick being Gut Wound, he spawns in the convoy as usual (and no longer spawns in the Flaming Galah, thus making it easier to find him)
  • Mick will also warn players not to go around saying his name to others if the player has confronted him about it.
  • Mick’s responses in the pub when talking about Ian Mason's death are now more consistent with his personality.
  • When Mick is given medicine, he now instantly appears in the convoy instead of having to wait 3 days
  • Adjusted party-related variables surrounding their like counters of the player to allow for more variety in the final conversation in The Pit.



QUESTS



  • All origins can now collect books for Nathaniel Blacke and return in later chapters to return any books they didn’t hand in during the prelude
  • All origins can now help Charlie Evans in Aldersyde
  • Players now have multiple dialogue options that allow them to take Sid with them in the ambulance during Brookton Under Attack to ensure he survives
  • New objectives and quest text written for Brookton Under Attack to tell players what they can do and who needs help
  • Players can definitively choose who they want to escape Brookton with after they’ve spoken to both parties
  • Numerous new objectives and journal text written to assist players in navigating the added content
  • Prose of the World and General Will in Lake Deborah are now marked as main quests
  • Mira now tells you to check Southern Cross and Koorda for suitable books
  • Additional objectives to gain entry for Southern Cross and Koorda have been added and visiting them is now part of the critical path for Lake Deborah
  • Surveyors can also ‘take care of Tina’s pest problem' in Kokeby.
  • Added additional lines for Mira after the showdown if she is leader of Lake Deborah.
  • Made multiple logic fixes to Use of Spies to fix Uncle Koya’s responses for when you deliver items to him.
  • Upped the XP reward for The Use of Spies to 6000XP.




COMBAT



  • Players can now engage in dingo combat in Bally Bally during the prelude
  • Added multiple random encounter combat events to the origin stories
  • Added two combat encounters in the plane crash scene
  • Added new raider enemies
  • Jackaroo players can now fight Sue and Norm in Avon River (cannot retreat) with reactions from Sean, Mick, John, and Franklin Ames
  • Other origin stories can now enter the same Orkney Heights combat from the Barter Crew origin story
  • The player can choose to enter the battle when Brookton is being raided. This combat is unwinnable, and if players choose to ignore the warnings from their companions, this will lead to one of the canon endings of the game.




ADDED NEW TUTORIALS



  • Retreating from combat during the origin stories
  • Using punt to flee from random encounters in the Overworld Map



LOCALISATION



  • Improved Russian and Chinese translations throughout the game
  • Over 10,000 words added in this patch



AUDIO



  • Added more VO for Frida Lamm, Angela Smith, Mad, Sean, and Mick
  • Added emu and dog SFX
  • Added and improved melee SFX
  • Made mixing fixes for Ambient SFX
  • Adjusted some interaction icons from the magnifying glass to the audio icon




BUGS



  • Fixed a potential blocker that purely nihilist characters could encounter when discussing Jonesy’s death with Mick.
  • Fixed an issue where characters could sometimes get unlimited AP after using the Vigilance skill.
  • Fixed missing collision on a fence in Merredin.
  • Fixed an issue with Scott Measure’s walking animation when he is at the plane crash.
  • Adjusted how objectives display for when meeting Ruben at the plane crash.
  • Fixed an issue where Ki Road would not load properly during ‘The Disciple at Second Hand’ quest.
  • Adjusted the animation used when collecting possums in Merredin.
  • Fixed the achievement BIG BADDA BOOM not being completable.
  • Fixed the counter's texture flickering inside Hunters and Collectors.
  • Dreamer's shooting animation now matches her weapon during Brookton Under Attack.
  • Solved a possible soft-lock when interacting with the Rift during the final encounter with Kev.
  • Solved issues with Jason clipping with the merchant, Felix, in Kalgoorlie.
  • Fixed a rare combat soft lock that could occur where the game would not proceed after attacks of opportunity.
  • The Kalgoorlie Jail barrier and their NPCs no longer have their positions reset after detonating the bomb with Ruby.
  • Solved an issue where the mouse would sometimes not pan downwards while in combat.
  • Fixed an issue where you cannot ask Angela for the phone after helping her in Chapter 2.
  • The game no longer gets stuck on ‘Main menu' screen when selecting the ‘Back to Main Menu' option at start of combat.
  • It is no longer possible to exploit handing in books to Talia during Prose of the World in order to gain unlimited XP.
  • The player no longer sees the ‘gather your mates’ dialogue when leaving Rusty the Wandering Trader’s random encounter.
  • Fixed an issue where it was hard to click on Gwen Gold’s file in the archives.
  • $300 is now correctly deducted from the player’s inventory when establishing a trade route with Kane during ‘Revenues and Their Sources’.
  • Fixed an issue where a Cleaver taken from a Kalgoorlie Guard during The Struggle Between Worker and Machine quest could be sold unlimited times.
  • Fixed a possible bug with the Long Distance Relationship achievement not triggering properly.
  • Fixed numerous save game issues where saving in certain places could cause a crash.
  • Fixed an issue where the skills level up notification would pop up when entering a new location for the first time.





PLAY NOW:



https://store.steampowered.com/app/1403440/Broken_Roads/


That's all for today, ‘ol cobber! Follow Broken Roads to stay updated and don't forget, your choices are the key.



SOCIAL: DISCORD | TWITTER | YOUTUBE | WIKI



- The Drop Bear Bytes team