Firstly, thank you to everyone who has left a review for the game (positive and negative) we've been working since we launched to introduce a far better series of mechanics for Sunshine Bear ... here is what is coming soon!
Camp Spawn Mechanic
We have heard from many players that the most frustrating thing is navigating the camp with a constant threat of the Bear spawning and slashing at you super fast. So we've wracked our brains and we think we've come up with a far better method of Bear operations.
Now, when you are outside in the camp, Sunshine Bear will not spawn at all ...
What? We hear you cry ...
Well that's because he will ALWAYS be there looking for you.
We have a pretty great pathfinding algorithm in place for Sunshine Bear already, and we're putting this to the test around the camp. So be warned, Sunshine Bear will always be there ... are you ready?
He will de-spawn as he does now when he hits you. However, in hard mode - he won’t. You’ll be knocked back a few paces and then he’ll come after you again!
3D Spatial Audio in the Camp
Now we have a killer bear being ever-present in the camp we also realised we need a way of telling you that’s he’s close by. So now you can hear him walking around and talking to anybody that will listen … the only trouble is you’ll only hear him when he’s close by.
Softly, Softly, Catchy Jez-y
Not content with taking a good long look at the Camp exterior. We’ve also tweaked how Sunshine Bear operates when he’s inside too. The semi-random nature has now gone and you are now being watched the moment you go inside … keep a low profile and you might be ok! Rush and clatter about and he’ll find you fast.
The thing we’re happiest with is that Sunshine Bear now has a great line of sight mechanic meaning that he will only chase you when he can see you (and he'll tell you when he can). A great addition is also that you can now run around walls and bunk beds to get out of his line of sight where there's a chance he'll stop and continue his search of the cabin.
Other Update Notes
* Added a note about F4 switching to windowed mode in the Controller diagram
* Improved the dialog semantics.
* Improved the story thanks to your suggestions!
Seriously, thank you all so much for your feedback. We truly appreciate it.
Camp Sunshine releases at Midnight EST
Thank you to all of your support, we're delighted to say that Camp Sunshine will release at Midnight Eastern Standard Time ... get ready ... the gates are about to open!
Win a Limited Edition Camp Sunshine Poster
We've recently partnered with the fantastic guys (and gals) over at Alleycat Graphics to give-away a few limited edition posters that we think are just unreal ... take a look ...
All you need to do to win one is comment on this announcement and tell us how you would survive a night at Camp Sunshine with a maniac in a bear costume hunting you down ...
We'll announce the winners on Monday the 24th of October, so we can hopefully get it to the winner on release day (post permitting)
Modern Horrors take a trip to Camp Sunshine
Yesterday, we anxiously sent over our first press copy (a pre-polished one no less) to the wonderful guys over at Modern Horrors. We've been absolutely blown away by what they've said and you can take a listen by clicking the link below ...
Afterwards we asked them for a few little quotes, and here is what they said ...
Camp Sunshine is the SNES game that Horror fans never got, honestly who knew that a guy in a bear costume could be so intense! It has all the nostalgia of Stranger Things but has TWICE the fear and is the perfect blend of nostalgia, self-awareness and anxiety inducing killer bear attacks!
Dev Diary - End of September 2016
So we're now just over a month away from release and we're really happy with what we have in store for you at Camp Sunshine! Here's what has been achieved this month ...
Better Ending
The ending of a game always has to be special, and we really think we've upped our game on this one. It's scary, tense and pretty darned hard! We've also been super careful not to let any information about the game ending leak, there's A LOT more to Camp Sunshine that meets the eye!
New Secrets
By now (hopefully) you're aware that Camp Sunshine is littered with secret areas, quests, objects and more and we've just added one that we think is just pure fun ... i'm sure you'll take a "seat" and find it!
Revised Introduction
We wanted a way to get players into the "action" as quicky as possible and now we think we've struck a nice balance. You're introduced to the game mechanics early on and then left to fend for yourself ... will your survive?
Full Controller Support
This one has been on our "to-do" list for an absolute age and finally we've got it working exactly as we wanted. Now you don't have to use a keyboard if you would prefer a true 16-bit experience. Just plug in an xbox type controller and off you go ...
Soundtrack DLC
The OST has now been uploaded to Steam and will be available to purchase on launch! A good portion of all funds received from sales of the Soundtrack go to benefit a great UK charity too!
So for the next two weeks it's polishing and a little more bug testing ... then it's almost time for the gates to open!
Dev Diary - September 2016
Good evening Campers, as September looms its head around the corner we're now just about 2 months away from release! We're into our final bug squashing phase at the moment and it's going pretty damn well! Here's a little rundown of what we've done this month ...
Isaac Improvements
Our new pathfinding is just superb, so if you're not hiding you should be! Isaac can now navigate his way perfectly to find you - you better hope you can get away from him pronto!
We've also upgraded his appearance and disappearance sprites too, so he has lovely little animations as he lunges wildly to strike at you!
Full Controller Support
This is something we would like to have finished and we are busy working on it to get it into the game so you can control your flashlight and toggle your map as you make your merry way around camp!
3D Spatialised Audio
We're bloody delighted that the audio in the game is now fully realised in 3D. So you'll be able to hear the wonders of the camp as you progress through the game ... oh and the greatest thing is that when Isaac launches towards you, you know which direction to run!
More Creepy-ness
Finally we've been adding in loads more little items and objects to really give you the creeps ... it's not going to be a fun ride!
Thanks again for all of your support, it means such a lot ... i'll see you on the next one. In the meantime stay up to date with our Twitter :)
Dev Diary - August 2016
So July has come and gone and we're still foot to the floor making everything better, scarier and even more "fun" too! Here's what has been achieved ...
Difficulty System
After multiple requests we have added a difficulty system into the game, so you are now presented with three scaling options of difficulty when you start your game. Be warned ... Hard mode is hard! ːsteammockingː
Sound
The music has now been finished and we have a whopping 36 tracks for the game! All of them are absolutely superb and will be included as part of the OST DLC that has recently been added to steam.
We're also busy in the foley studio at the moment recording additional audio for every object that can be found in the game (well, every object that could make a sound). As one of us is bit of an audiophile, expect this to be pretty cool ːsteamhappyː
Ending
We also discovered the opportunity to making the game ending even better and wrap up the story in a really nice bow! We're so happy with the story, and we can not wait for you to delve into the history we've created. ːsteamhappyː
The Future
August see's us continue with the audio developments, and then we're into round three of bug testing & fixing. But every day we're getting that little bit closer ... ːsteamhappyː
Dev Diary - July 2016
With the first round of beta testing underway, we're over the moon with the game as a whole ... here's a rundown of what has been done, and you'll be glad to hear we're bang on track for our release date!
So here's what's been achieved in June ...
Isaac Improvements
Isaac is now a not-so-lean mean slashing machine. We've really focused our efforts on making improvements to his pathfinding, and now he will happily hunt you down and kill you as long as you're not hiding. Remember, that if you're using your flashlight - he can see you easier too and will run as fast as possible towards you ...
Backstory
All of the backstory is 100% complete and we're really happy with everything we have so far. We're not finished the game, but we're really really close now! You're going to love it ... we hope!
Secrets
Not content with adding in references to our favourite horror movies, we've also included a really juicy easter egg that (if you find it) will really give you a good test ... it's hard, but if you find it you'll be one of a small number who can boast about it to their friends!
Testing & Fixing
We're now heavily into our bug testing and fixing and it's all coming along rather nicely! As usual we found a good amount of game-killers that have been fixed up and sent packing ... but it's almost there!
So soon you'll be able to come and stay at Camp Sunshine!
Dev Diary - June 2016
It's been a busy ol' month here at Fossil HQ and Camp Sunshine is getting better and better! We can't wait for you to play!!! Here's what's been added this month ...
All of our IndieGoGo 'Star' Backers are now in the game!
Isaac Illerman is now smoother, smarter and more deadly!
8 Horror References are now in the game, with more to come - can you find them all?
9 of the 10 'Quests' have been completed and the story is fantastic!
You can fill sinks with water (ground-breaking we know!)
More blood & death!
Thank you all for your support so far, we're amazed at how our little game has been received so far! We're not going to let you down!
If you have any questions, please ask away! We're happy to answer!
Dev Diary - May 2016
Work is still progressing really nicely on the game and we're around 70% complete as of writing this. We've added some great new features we think really up the ante in the gameplay! Here's what's new ...
You can now only save your game in comfortable beds
Isaac / Sunshine Bear is now leaner, smoother and more deadly
The voice acting is now in for our killer and our helpless campers!
We really can't wait for you to play the game, thank you so much for your support so far ... we still can't quite believe we'll be live on Steam this year!
In the meantime, stay tuned to our Instagram page for our latest screenshots and gameplay videos.
