Budget Cuts
Patch #2 is now live!
- Improvements to crucial progression items in Showroom to fix progression blockers.
- Improved performance of dead NPCs.
- Reverted change that made it very hard to throw knives with Oculus Touch controllers in SteamVR.
Some of you have also been asking for Oculus SDK support instead of Steam VR - we have a new beta version for that too! If you want to try that out, enroll to the "oculussdk" beta branch in your Steam settings (see here for information on how to opt in to beta versions).
If you're still having problems, please check out our Problem Solving FAQ, and if you want to know what's planned for future patches you can find that information in this post.
Patch #2 in beta
We are still bug hunting and fixing issues that you all run into, and another patch is ready to go out very soon. Once again, we are very sorry that we did not find all the issues that you all have run into and are still working 24/7 to make the game run as well as it should for everyone.
Here are the main points of improvements for this build:
- Improvements to crucial progression items in Showroom to fix progression blockers.
- Improved performance of dead NPCs.
- Reverted change that made it very hard to throw knives with Oculus Touch controllers in SteamVR.
Some of you have also been asking for Oculus SDK support instead of Steam VR - we have a new beta version for that too! The more betas the better! If you want to try that out, enroll to the "oculussdk" beta branch in your Steam settings.
If you've never joined a Beta branch on Steam before, here's HOW TO.
Patch testing branch: "openbeta"
Oculus SDK branch: "oculussdk"
Thanks for sticking with us and giving us a chance to sort all of this out! Budget Cuts is here for the long run and so are we. ♥
Try the new patch early [Update: Now applied for everyone!]
Hi gang!
We heard that we didn't squish bugs and squeeze performance enough for a lot of computers out there, so we've been at it some (a lot) more.
If you've been having issues and/or would like to help us beta test the upcoming patch, there is a branch called "open beta" for upcoming patches. Right now, this means v1022, which is going out as a patch to everyone as soon as we know it's stable.
Need help opting in? Here is a [URL="https://www.wikihow.com/Enable-Steam-Beta"]GUIDE[/URL].
Thank you all for being so darn nice to both us and each other! ♥
//Team Budget Cuts
Changes in Budget Cuts version 1022
Highlights:
- Fixed a bug where user Graphics settings were not properly saved
- Adjusted settings for "Fast" settings to render faster
- Added a new "Faster" graphics setting for lower-end graphics card
- Fixed an issue where the lower half of the screen would corrupt on "Fast" graphics settings
- Optimizations for lower-end hardware
- Fixes for cases where items would take too long to show up in Lost & Found on several levels
General fixes:
- Fixes for objects flickering
- Particles from edible items now have the correct visuals
- Improved VFX positioning when moving the portal close to your face
- Fixed unlocking sounds that were not obeying the appropriate volume sliders
- Fixed UV mapping for lamps
- Fixed sound priorities on some sounds that would sometimes not be heard
Genesis:
- Fixed a bug where pager messages could come in the wrong order after respawning
- Fixed a bug where the pager could get stuck on the elevator roof after dying in certain cases
- Fixed a bug that caused items or buildings to flicker in and out of existence
- Fixed roomba not having proper collision settings
Finding April:
- Performance optimizations
- Fixed graphical clipping issues
Showroom:
- Fixed lighting issues on pillars
- Relabeled confusing elevator sign
Human Resources:
- Improved material of the ceiling space
- Fixed collectible item being stuck inside a wall
- Fixed soundboard
BUDGET CUTS OUT NOW!
You are an employee at mega conglomerate TransCorp to stamp papers and file files! Unfortunately TransCorp is an expert in the business of manufacturing cost-cutting robots, and soon your job will be in danger.
As another one of your coworkers is being dragged off to the terrifying HR department, a mysterious package arrives at your cubicle. Will you be able to save your job?
Release Date: June 14th
We’re finally releasing Budget Cuts! Thursday the 14th of June, 2018 at 10 am, PST*.
*With an exception for natural disasters, the office burning down, alien invasion or we all turn into pickles in our sleep.
See you at the TransCorp office!
Best,
Team Budget Cuts
We have to delay Budget Cuts a little further
We're sorry to say that we've come to the conclusion that Budget Cuts needs to be delayed a tiny bit longer.
We've posted a thorough explanation with information about the detailed reasons behind this decision. Please check out the full info here!
Winner Announcement - Demo Speedrun Comp
It's finally time to announce the winner of our Demo Speedrun Competition that's been on-going for a few weeks. The contestants had the chance to get their name of choice represented in Budget Cuts, and we were blown away by the entries.
With inhuman speed and robotic precision, the winner is none other than Mussolenguini with a fantastic run time of 00:55 - a big congratulations from all of us at Neat Corp!
You will be able to find Evan Robertson as one of the robots working at TransCorp once you start your employment - say hi from us! ;)
You can find the full speedrun below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zv0VaQeJ-X0&feature=youtu.be
Developer Spotlight - Freya
Hello Freya! Can you tell us what you do?
Hey! I'm Freya Holmér, co-founder and technical artist here at Neat Corp! I generally hover around the tech artist role, which is a bit of a hybrid between a coder and a graphics artist. I spend most of my time with gameplay/systems/tool/shader programming and 3D-modeling. Given the small size of the team though, I sometimes do some game design as well as level design when needed!
What’s your background with games?
Ever since I got a hold of a game with a level editor, it set me on a trajectory to work in games. I found it deeply engaging to both experience games and to create those experiences myself. Aside from making smaller tile-based levels in simple games, I think my first attempt at making something in a 3D engine proper was at the age of 9, in the Serious Sam level editor. This was shortly followed by creating levels for Unreal Tournament and The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. The second big stepping stone for me was when I started using Hammer, the Source engine level editor, to create levels for Garry's Mod, Half-Life 2, Team Fortress 2, Portal, and Left 4 Dead. This was the first time I did playtest sessions with several iterations, and eventually found my levels nearing the level of quality the original game's levels had.
After that, I eventually used those levels together with a document outlining the creation process to apply for a game design school here in Stockholm. Among other smaller projects, I joined the team working on Unmechanical to do modeling, shaders and level art, followed by working on a few levels for The Ball. After that, I got introduced to the Unity engine, which opened up not just modding and level creation, but proper game creation once I got used to coding. By the end of that education, I started my internship at Avalanche Studios. During my time there, even though it was a great work environment, I slowly realized I belong in smaller teams. I worked for a few smaller studios doing freelance work, before developing Shader Forge, a node-based shader editor for Unity. Around this time is where Neat Corp was founded together with Jenny Nordenborg, which eventually led us to where we are now with Budget Cuts!
What’s your all time favourite video game?
I'm going to cheat and pick multiple favorites because there are too many good games.
Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus was my favorite growing up, because of it's well-balanced mix of puzzles and action, together with a simple but engaging story. Some of its mechanics are pretty genius as well. It had a feature where you could possess enemies and control them instead of your main character. The reason it's cool is that even though it makes you powerful, it makes sure that enemies still are threatening, because you know how powerful they can be. They never stopped being intimidating for this reason, so wherever you couldn't possess your foes, you had to find other ways around the threat they posed.
I rarely play racing games, but TrackMania is probably the game series I've spent most time playing of all. The appeal of it was less about cars and more about having fun and mastering your skills in interesting tracks. Its level editor is partially what got me into game development in the first place as well.
As for more recent games, for its atmosphere and experience of playing, I'd put Kentucky Route Zero, Thumper and Life is Strange high on the list.
Games that left a lasting emotional impression on me has been Undertale, The Talos Principle and Night in the Woods.
Finally, at least once I week I put on my neon orange dancing shoes to play Dance Dance Revolution. It's my workout routine nowadays.
What does a normal day in development look like for you?
I usually arrive at the office a bit late, due to my malfunctioning circadian rhythm of 26 hours instead of 24. After getting myself a nice cup of non-coffee, I sit down at my desk and start working on the task that I either left unfinished the day before, or the one I should be focusing on based on our priorities. At least, ideally. It's often hard to resist working on the most recent thing that popped up. I'll usually be coding and fixing bugs, especially now nearing release, which ranges from behind-the-scenes systems like the save system, rendering tech, internal tools for our level designers, hardware support, or the more user-facing stuff like gameplay code, setting up the main menu, and so on.
My own work aside, throughout the day there's a lot of communication between all of us in the team, given the scope and complexity of our project. This can sometimes be a bit exhausting, but it's all very much needed in the end!
What’s the most challenging part of your work?
Balancing features on what we want vs how much time we have vs how valuable it is for players. Some of us in the studio, myself included, are pretty hardcore perfectionists. I used to consider it a good trait to have, which it is, to a certain extent, but when it goes too far it basically means that you never see anything as finished. You only see what's left to be improved upon, forgetting that what you already have is good enough. It's easy to get stuck in the habit of simply adding improvements as you see them, but this is a dangerous path when you have a deadline and more important things to work on. This is something I've personally changed quite a lot in just these last few months. I'm increasingly aware of how much there is we won't be able to make, which is frustrating, but also liberating to see it more clearly instead of blissfully working in the dark.
What’s the most rewarding part of what you do?
Seeing players smile and enjoy playing the game is extremely rewarding. The only thing I find even more rewarding is when our game inspire others to be creative themselves. Personally, I also find game development to be so immensely deep, given that it covers an incredibly wide skill set across an entire studio. There are always new things to learn - solving problems I've never solved before is exciting to me!
What are your hopes for Budget Cuts?
I hope people will enjoy the experience! I'd love to see more full-length games and experiences for VR, which is partially why we started on this journey. I hope we can inspire other developers to do the same. I really do feel like VR is a whole new way of experiencing media, and we need more content tailored specifically for the platform out there, that can show it properly to people, instead of just 360° videos and ports of existing games.
What’s the best/most challenging part about working at an indie studio like Neat Corp.?
The best part of a small team is how close everyone is. You know everyone not just as colleagues, but as friends! It's always nice to eat lunch together and chat just about everything. The most challenging part about an indie team of our size, I would say, is how to balance divergent goals and needs. Sometimes, not everyone wants the same thing. When that happens, it's hard to know how and what call to make, when it's just one person's word against another. We've usually just talked everything out until we reach some sort of conclusion, which works well, but is very time consuming in the long run as the team grows.
How can we spot your work in-game?
I've created the portal locomotion system, from both the translocator device itself, to the portal technology and its design. I've also done most of the hand/tool/weapon interactions and various 3D models! The interior walls/ceiling/floors models are all procedurally generated using my internal level editing tool. I've also worked on many sub-systems such as the save system, reflection rendering and hardware support as well. The rest is somewhat invisible given that it's mostly tools to boost the effectiveness of everyone else :)
Is there anything you’d like to add?
Pi was a mistake, these people are wrong
You can follow Freya on Twitter, Twitch and Youtube to see more of her work (and the funniest game dev tweets!).
That’s all for now! Thank you for supporting us on this crazy journey. <3
Updated Release Date: May 31st, 2018
Dearest future employees of TransCorp,
Due to some unforeseen obstacles in the development of Budget Cuts, we’re going to have to delay the release date of the game. The new release date will be May 31st 2018!
The reason is simply that we want to release Budget Cuts in a state that we’re proud of and know will be enjoyable throughout the entire game (without killing our devs in the process).
We’re very thankful for your understanding, and please stay around for May 31st to enjoy your brand new super-efficient robot colleagues with complimentary motivational guns! You’re going to get so much work done!
- Team Budget Cuts
Community Competition: Demo Speedrun [closed]
[EDIT] Deadline is now set to May 21st, 09.00 CEST, 2018 (due to the new release date)!
The time has come for the first ever Budget Cuts community competition! With the grand prize of getting your name in the game, we present to you the Demo Speedrun Competition - wohoo!
The objective of this competition is to finish the Budget Cuts demo in the shortest amount of time, and provide us with a video as proof. The person with the fastest speedrun will get to name one of the worker robots in-game.
Rules
- Record a video of your speedrun and upload it to Youtube.
- Post a comment to this announcement containing a link to the video + what you would like the character to be named.
- A winner will be announced before the game release.
- No out of bounds play is allowed (eg. teleporting outside of the map to avoid enemies)
- Avoid any copyrighted materials such as video, music, images etc.
- Please note that any material that can be seen as disrespectful, containing profane language, sexual content or similar will be disqualified.
- The team at Neat Corporation will choose the winner and the decision will be final.