It’s been a while since our last update, owing to the fact that we’ve been working on the most requested feature from you, our players.
During the past few months, we have been building and implementing free saving within the game – allowing players to save almost whenever and wherever during the game, and being able to pickup where they left off.
On top of that, we’ve also finally implemented Brazilian Portuguese localisation – something a lot of you folks have been waiting for.
But do note, we have decided to release this version as a public Beta version first (accessible by all players), before releasing it as the default version.
The reason we do this is despite having tested the build thoroughly in the past month, we want to make absolutely sure we don't miss a crucial issue or bug before we release it as the new default build. By making this a Beta, we ensure that only Players who want to actively participate in testing the new feature will do so, while those who want to wait for a more stable and tested build can stick to the current default build.
Accessing this Beta build is quite simple.
Simply open your Steam Library and go to the Chinatown Detective Agency page.
Click on the little cog icon (Settings) and click on “Properties”. Click on the “BETA” tab and select openbeta.
You’ll now be playing version 1.1.05-beta every time you launch the game. If you want to go back to playing the default build, simply select ‘None’ in the same drop down menu.
Here’s the full patch notes for this version:
Added a new Manual Save function that allows Players to save at any point in the game (EXCEPT when in the middle of a conversation, during a puzzle or timed puzzle and when in a flight).
Added Brazilian Portuguese localisation.
Multiple localisation corrections.
Added new audio (voice-over, music and SFX). Also made corrections in some existing audio files.
Fixed SFX from certain locations persisting through whole game.
Fixed wrong employee name showing up in some missions.
Fixed multiple soundbank issues.
We will be opening a new pinned topic on our discussion boards dedicated to this build, and our producer will be checking in regularly, so please do report any issues or errors you encounter when playing this build.
We hope to move this new build out of beta and into default within a week or so, and we're really counting on your support through your feedback and bug reports.
We hope you enjoy the new version, and good luck out there in Chinatown!
The CDA Team
Update: Version 1.0.16
Chinatown Detective Agency v1.0.16
Good morning, afternoon and evening, detectives. We worked on a few more minor fixes this week. Here’s what’s been resolved:
Mission: “Volonta La Libertate” – Fixed Sergey giving the clues in the wrong order.
Mission: “Broken Chains” – Delete a misleading lead instructing players to call Mei Ting when they shouldn’t.
Made the background music at the White Mare and Haiphong Club changeable via the music volume slider.
Multiple localisation corrections.
Hope you’re all enjoying the game and getting all those 15 achievements!
Happy weekend, everyone!
The General Interactive Co. Team
Update notes for v1.0.15
In this patch, we've done the following:
Fixed a bug that prevented players from getting the best ending.
Added optional leads in each mission to remind players that they can ask Mei Ting for help with the puzzles.
Fixed a bug that caused the UI to lock and the memory mini-game to reappear in "A Picnic at Midnight"
Fixed a bug that caused the game to not recognise answers to puzzles as correct in the Spanish language.
Tweaked the save system to that it always displays the newest save regardless of whether it is an autosave or a manual save.
Made corrections to the decryption puzzle in "For the Tyrants Fear Your Might".
Update: More Fixes!
Chinatown Detective Agency v1.0.15
More improvements, more fixes.
Hey, gumshoes! We've got more fixes coming your way.
In this patch, we've done the following:
Fixed a bug that prevented players from getting the best ending.
Added optional leads in each mission to remind players that they can ask Mei Ting for help with the puzzles.
Fixed a bug that caused the UI to lock and the memory mini-game to reappear in "A Picnic at Midnight"
Fixed a bug that caused the game to not recognise answers to puzzles as correct in the Spanish language.
Tweaked the save system to that it always displays the newest save regardless of whether it is an autosave or a manual save.
Made corrections to the decryption puzzle in "For the Tyrants Fear Your Might".
That wraps up our fork for this week. We're continuing to work on changes to the save system to allow for manual saves in the middle of a mission, as well as other quality of life feature improvements.
See you all again next week!
The General Interactive Team
Update: Fixes Galore!
Chinatown Detective Agency v1.0.14
We're listening - and we're working around the clock to improve Chinatown Detective Agency
In this first official patch, we have resolved a majority of the issues found by both the community and our team during the days following release.
Here's the changelog:
Fixed autosave before picking a client not showing any leads.
Fixed not being able to resume the game when opening SETTINGS when you're at Changi.
Fixed getting stuck after returning from the main menu when you click SETTINGS when you're on the train.
Fixed morse code audio error.
Mission: "A Cloven Pine" -- Fixed mystery numbers to show 30 and 7 correctly.
Mission: "A Cloven Pine" -- Fixed a case where the warning message about going to the morgue wouldn't show.
Mission: "Broken Chains" -- Fixed UI getting blocked in Burger Joint after solving crossword.
Updated localisation spreadsheet (this includes fixing typos and VO mistakes).
Fixed footsteps playing when they shouldn't.
Fixed Steam stat achievements (The Tourist and Frequent Flier).
Added pixel versions of paintings to the mission, "Sale of the Century".
Changed default font to the more accessible alternative font. Original font is still an option. This only applies to new games.
On an important side note, we've heard your concerns around the save system. We have decided to work on a new update to allow manual saves in the middle of the missions. This will require deep QA testing to make sure everything is running smoothly, so please give us some time to make it possible.
Please be assured that we're continuing to scour the boards and our social media channels for any bugs or issues that players are experiencing. We're also constantly testing internally to catch any new issues.
We're committed to making Chinatown Detective Agency as good as it can be.
Thank you for all your support.
The General Interactive Team
CDA v1.0.14
Changelog
<*>Fixed autosave before picking a client not showing any leads. <*>Fixed not being able to resume the game when opening SETTINGS when you're at Changi. <*>Fixed getting stuck after returning from the main menu when you click SETTINGS when you're on the train. <*>Fixed morse code audio error. <*>Mission: "A Cloven Pine" -- Fixed mystery numbers to show 30 and 7 correctly. <*>Mission: "A Cloven Pine" -- Fixed a case where the warning message about going to the morgue wouldn't show. <*>Mission: "Broken Chains" -- Fixed UI getting blocked in Burger Joint after solving crossword. <*>Updated localisation spreadsheet (this includes fixing typos and VO mistakes). <*>Fixed footsteps playing when they shouldn't. <*>Fixed Steam stat achievements (The Tourist and Frequent Flier). <*>Added pixel versions of paintings to the mission, "Sale of the Century". <*>Changed default font to the more accessible alternative font. Original font is still an option. This only applies to new games.
Release date
Dear gumshoes,
The past three months have been crazy busy. We've been really disappointed that we haven't been able to update you guys in a while, and that's a combination of just being caught up in so many things, but also because we were waiting for results and news we can share: and we've finally got the best announcements to share with you today.
Without further ado...
CHINATOWN DETECTIVE AGENCY IS OFFICIALLY LAUNCHING ON APRIL 7, 2022.
This is not a drill, this is the real release date! Everyone in the team is so excited for you to step on the shoes of Amira Darma and start a quest around Singapore and the world.
We prepared a new trailer for this special announcement:
[previewyoutube="y7c-D6b2_0A;full"]
Additionally, a special trailer aired a short time ago as part of a showcase, this time featuring Leonie Koh as the voice of Amira Darma:
[previewyoutube="Z2gWW02ySJ4;full"]
We hope you're looking forward to the full game and don't hesitate to reach out if you have questions.
Beta Updates: Unveiling new screenshots of previously unseen areas
Dear gumshoes,
We have a lot of new things to show you as part of our development updates.
Let’s get started with some art
Ricardo's having a lot of fun experimenting with Unity's lighting effects, and some of the end results are just beautiful. Check out the one below - a dark, menacing, dilapidated house where a crucial lead is just begging to be uncovered.
Or check out Tiger Lily's own personal onsen at her health club.
Darkness and light really set the mood in each scene of the game, and that's something we're hoping to consistently deliver.
We've also been working hard on perfecting the implementation of the assets in the game (part of the polishing phase). Here are some gifs of scenes you haven't seen before (no worries, no spoilers!):
Our art team has also been working away on the in-game characters that some of our backers have created. Here are just some samples:
We're also midway through implementing the remaining VO. We had a lot of fun recording some of the key characters in the game. We'd rather not reveal too much information about them, but let's just say they both play a pretty crucial role in the game's many story arcs.
[previewyoutube="xS14wM4w5IA;full"]
[previewyoutube="tfDwQlbod_4;full"]
First round of QA completed
Our first round of QA for the PC build was completed weeks ago, and we've got a laundry list of bugs and issues that our programmers have been focusing on in the coming weeks, followed up by time spent on polish and improvements.
Probably the biggest update now is that we'll be resolving the last Class A bug (a bug that causes a game to crash) in our list -- that means that after that, our latest build will have no more show-stopping bugs, leaving us to focus on the less serious things that need polishing, such as visual and animation hiccups. From a development standpoint, that's fairly important -- Class A bugs are a major obstacle in development progress as they're often indicative of larger issues in the build. Once we finish off the rest of the non-serious bugs and errors, we'll have our first launch candidate build, which is a major milestone. This is something we're hoping to have in a month's time.
Porting Process kicked off
We've also begun the porting process sometime ago for the platforms we'll be releasing in. This is taking place in parallel to our bug fixing/polish phase. We've hired a dedicated UX designer to make sure the game is the best it can be no matter how you play it.
Finally, and we're sure this is on everyone's mind, we've been doing a lot of planning and discussions around the release date. We're going to release an update video in the next few weeks (we just want to finish the next development milestone first). In this video update, we'll make the exclusive announcement here of when Chinatown Detective agency is releasing on all platforms, including PC, Nintendo Switch and Xbox.
Thanks for reading and for all your support to Chinatown Detective Agency.
Steam Next Fest Stream: The Voices of Chinatown Detective Agency
Meet the Chinatown Detective Agency’s very own voice actors! Tune in on Tuesday for a pre-recorded stream hosted by Game Director Mark Fillon!
Stream time: Tuesday (October 5th) at 8am PDT / 11am EDT / 4pm BST / 5pm CEST / 11pm SGT You can set a reminder by clicking the button above!
Chinatown Detective Agency is a cybernoir point and click adventure blending stunning retro design with innovative mechanics. Manage your detective agency and use real world research to solve cases as you unravel a global conspiracy.
---- For the latest on Chinatown Detective Agency, follow our social pages:
Twitter: @genintco Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/genintco Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/genintco TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/generalinteractive And join our wonderful Discord community at http://discord.gg/cda
Investigating the Writing of Chinatown Detective Agency
Join General Interactive's Game Director Mark and Writer Rik live on Saturday for a stream themed around the narrative of Chinatown Detective Agency!
Stream time: Saturday (October 2nd) at 6am PDT / 9am EDT / 2pm BST / 3pm CEST / 9pm SGT You can set a reminder by clicking the button above!
Chinatown Detective Agency is a cybernoir point and click adventure blending stunning retro design with innovative mechanics. Manage your detective agency and use real world research to solve cases as you unravel a global conspiracy.
