Hiya folks :yoyo:. Just finished uploading a weekend patch, and I want to list the updates/fixes here:
1) Resolved bug where in Mom's chapter, if you kill a Servant while he is moving to another area, the game blacks out (thank you Fozzy!).
2) Once Mom is around, if you retreat all the way to the first save point (next to the clock), then reload your save, you will find Mom frozen still (thanks again Fozzy!).
3) Fixed bug where in Mom's chapter, if you attempt to peek through the tutorial doors, the game breaks (thanks again Jam!).
Also, it turns out there are players who prefer to have those loud running footsteps! The majority are happy the feature is gone, though. What I have done is create a cheat code for players to toggle this functionality.
Here is what you do. On the menu screen, type 0101. You will hear a chime to confirm the loud footsteps are back. The config is now saved, so when you restart the game, there is no need to type 0101 again. Whenever you re-type 0101 on the menu screen, the feature will turn back off.
As you can imagine, I will not be able to create these one off features all the time! I truly am thankful for this awesome community, though (in less than a week, too), so I will do what I can while things are hot.
And again, there will be more news to come. Bigger and bigger, dare I say, and it is because of your support, so thank you once again.
Mouse out :whappy:!
Optional tutorial room added
Hi everyone :whappy:! As promised, I have pushed a new build that includes an optional tutorial room. It can be accessed via the first room in chapter 1.
What inspired this update? Last weekend, I attended a con (Smash!) and got to watch a lot of people play the demo build in person. Here is what I have observed:
1) Just because you show the controls at the start does not mean players will read them.
2) Peek left/right was easy enough to figure out, but the peek through doors feature was missed by many players. They would get caught by a hunter upon switching rooms, then no doubt conclude the game is unfair.
3) Many players never checked what the arcane candles did, and so never took advantage of them, making the demo harder than it needed to be.
So yes, big surprise, you learn a lot from watching people play in person! I have developed a design instinct from being a gamer for 30+ years, but clearly, I still have much to learn.
Cons usually are not great profit wise (i.e. you will leave at a loss). However, they are good for networking, and also, as I have learned, receiving solid feedback even if players do not say a word. This is a lesson I will take on board for future projects. Thanks to Clea, and to all of you, I have once again evolved as a game creator.
Also, we are all friends here, so I am cool with telling you—around 10% of total players have refunded Clea. This is a fairly poor percentage. Quite a few stated "too difficult" as the reason for their refunds. Again, I hope this tutorial room will help out some. I love learning through death (Resident Evil 1 style), but I am also open to adapting to what players want.
Oh, and also! You know how Clea's running footsteps were super loud? Please let me explain. Previously, with each running step Clea made, a single heartbeat thud also played. I wanted to inform players that hey, when you run, you will alert the enemies and put yourself at risk. This, however, clearly did not communicate that message enough. The tutorial room is in now, anyway, so I have removed the heartbeat thud. Hopefully Clea's run feature will now be much more to your liking!
And guess what? This is not even the last update. Several players have mentioned they wish the game explored some of characters/lore a bit more. They make a great point. I am still learning to produce that perfect blend of story and gameplay. In the meantime, I plan to release an update that will add 2 more lore books into the campaign. The translations will all have to come in first, so it may take a little time, but I will make sure this happens.
Beyond that, even bigger news to come, but a bit early to talk about those for now. Thank you for your support, everyone :sasa:!
Thank you / 谢谢 / ありがとう / благодарю вас / Gracias / Je vous remercie / Danke dir / Obrigado
Hello there. Launch week has ended, and I want to thank every single one of you for supporting Clea. A heartfelt thanks, in fact, because things have not been great over the past 2-3 years.
In the span of one week, Clea has shipped more copies than some of my previous visual novels combined. While I am of course thrilled, I also hope this gives a glimpse into my recent struggles. Behind the scenes, there has been all kinds of rejections, loss of money, all the negative stuff. Honestly, during the final months of development, I would often be consumed by frustration, unable to sleep in the dead middle of the night.
As you can imagine, I played through Clea countless times during development. In the final weeks? Many, many more runs. By the time I hit publish, I had lost all sense of perspective. Honestly, even if Clea had bombed, I would have moved straight onto the next project. I cannot imagine myself ever not making games, but if this failure kept up, in a few years, I may not have much of a choice. Clouded by worry, I hit the publish button.
Hopefully this gives a peek into how overwhelmed I felt by all of your support. From the pits back to a glimpse of hope over the span of this launch week. I cannot thank you enough. This may sound strange, but to every person who has cleared the campaign, I feel like I had a nice conversation with them. I often feel this way when I enjoy other creators' game, too. Though Clea can be unforgiving, I am thankful everyone has embraced this challenge. I am especially happy to find Steam users using Clea as their account avatars!
Best of all, this is not the end of Clea. There will be another update on the way (hopefully this weekend), because you know what? Just because launch week went well does not mean the game cannot be improved. Let me see what I can do. After that, there will be more news to come. Let's all keep in touch!
Thank you,
InvertMouse
P.S. Do I regret not moving to traditional games sooner? The thought of The Last Birdling not existing hurts my heart, so I despite my struggles financially, I cannot bring myself to accept that.
Updated costume mod template
Hi everyone :yoyo:! A new version of the costume mod template is up. Clea's shoes, eyes, bow etc now have their outlines and colors split into separate layers. I hope this will make the modding process easier than ever. Here is the mods article again:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1789431541
Thank you to 凤之兮原 for encouraging me to improve the template!
By the way, did you know on the game over screen, if you rapidly switch between panels, the game will lock up? What? You want to try it out? Well, too bad, because I uploaded a fix just now :sasalewd:.
Thank you レム for finding this bug! Honestly, I may have never discovered it on my own.
Best of all, this is not even the end. There will be more improvements coming up within the next few days. Hope you can look forward to them!
Thanks everyone :whappy:.
Launch week update!
Hi everyone :bibi:! I cannot thank you all enough for the support you have shown throughout launch week. Once the launch period ends, I will write up something a bit more formal. In the meantime, a new build just went up, and I would like to share with you what has been changed:
1) Fixed bug where on some systems, a certain enemy moves much faster than intended (thank you Jam!).
2) Added save points near side quest doors to alleviate frustration (thank you YandereDev!).
3) Fixed bug where the save menu can cause a game block under specific circumstances (thanks Lost Hypnotik and Ophys!).
That is not all, either. I showcased Clea at a convention last week, and when I got to see tons of people try out the demo face to face, I learned so much from their reactions. Quite a few people skimmed past the controls screen, and as a result, did not know about some of the mechanics required to conquer the trial chapter. Later in the week, I plan to add a couple of extra doors in the first area that will take you to more of a friendly mechanics tutorial. Experienced players can simply ignore these doors and proceed right on ahead.
On top of all that, I may have more exciting Clea related news planned in the near future! I hope you can join our community and keep an eye out on this space.
Thank you everyone! Mouse out :yoyo:.
Clea is out on Steam!
Hi everyone :sasa:. Clea has just been released on Steam! No pre-scripted scares—your skills alone determine Clea's fate as she escapes from the Whitlock Mansion.
With multiple endings, secret chapters, as well as unlockable costumes and gallery images, I hope you will enjoy your time with Clea. Perhaps you might challenge and conquer Chaos Mode, which unlocks after your first run :neonya:?
Please remember to pick up that launch week costume via the in-game menu, by the way! Feel free to check out the demo version, which contains 1 of the 2 bonus dresses :vintydelusional:.
Thank you so much for your support :yoyo:.
Costume mods summary!
Hi everyone :yoyo:. We are only a few days away from Clea's release! In case you missed the smaller updates throughout this costume-themed week, I would love to give you an overview.
First, it is possible to create costume mods for Clea to wear! You can find out how here:
By the way, check out this beautiful render of Skadi by artist Raeyxia!
Thank you so much for being here throughout this journey! Hope to have your support next week, and please tell all your friends etc. The usual good stuff :whappy:.
Official trailer + demo!
Happy weekend, everyone :lulululu:. Less than 2 weeks to go until Clea's release! Today, I would love to share with you the freshly released trailer:
https://youtu.be/Ck-1GAEUpRk Some of you may remember that prototype from earlier in the year. Well, now the final, official demo is available! The Windows, Mac and Linux versions can all be downloaded from Clea's webpage:
The final, official demo will drop next weekend! There will be smaller updates throughout the coming weeks. If you are interested, please join our community over on Facebook:
Hey there friends :yoyo:. Do you notice something different about Clea in the shot above? Yes, this is one of the unlockable dresses hinted at earlier! The above costume can be obtained after you have seen the game's best ending.
To avoid spoilers, this is the only dress I will show today. Here are some more sketches, though:
I am also happy to say players can create their own costumes for use in the game. As we approach the release date, I will make sure to post some more info.
As usual, it would be a huge help if you could spread the word, and also consider wishlisting the game. Thank you!
