Cthon
CTHON Update - 4/12/2022
After far too long, CTHON has finally been updated to the Game Maker Studio 2 engine from Game Maker 8.1!
This has been all about making sure the source code doesn't sit there and rot and that the game continues to be stable on newer OSs. A few minor bugs have been fixed here and there, but it's the same game you all know and hopefully love. Theoretically, the game should be much more performative because it is compiled with the YoYo Compiler rather than interpreted.
Please let me know if you encounter any issues with the update.
Sorry it took such a long time to update CTHON, and thank you for sticking with me.
Gravity
Orbweaver Studios - We're now live on Twitter
A couple weeks ago I announced that Gravity Games is becoming Orbweaver Studios and working on a new game -- RUIN. We're working on getting up and running on all the myriad social media outlets; to that end, we've set up a Twitter account which you can find here (we're starting to put some cool stuff about RUIN up!)
We're also planning on updating the website soon with more information on RUIN. Be sure to check back there often if you'd like to keep tabs on what we're up to: Orbweaver Studios
A New Company, and a New Game in the Works
It has been a couple years since there was a concrete update on what is happening with Gravity Games, and CTHON. Here is what is happening:
When I released CTHON, it was under the name of a sole proprietorship, called Gravity Games. In the following years, I partnered with another developer in the same area as me and ever since we have been deep in development on a new game -- RUIN. During these last couple of years of development, we formed a company called Orbweaver Studios.
The CTHON community, even if it might be small compared to so many other communities, is extremely important to me. I can't help but smile anytime I see someone post something new in the Steam discussions, or the occasional video of it on YouTube. CTHON ended up vastly exceeding my expectations for how well it just... resonated with certain folks. That made me feel validated as a game designer, and made me realize that the worlds in my head that I try to convert to code and art -- those worlds have the potential to be great, because of you.
Over the last 1.5 years we've been hard at work on RUIN, overcoming countless technical and design challenges with flying colors (seriously, there are days where I can't believe what we have created so far was so awesome). While it is not another first person shooter or roguelike like CTHON, and not set within the same universe, if you've been waiting to see what I (now we) are working on next, I think you'll find that it shares much of the same rich science-fiction DNA with CTHON.
There is not a huge amount to show right now of RUIN, but be assured that we are working nonstop toward every milestone, and we'll be revealing much more in the coming months. This announcement is here to just let people know that, yes, we are still alive, and still doing what we hope everyone will love.
Because we are only three people, with two primary developers, we have limited resources. Right now, Gravity Games is in a bit of transitional period, where the names might change eventually, but its still the same mind(s) that are behind CTHON. In other words, Orbweaver is the continuation of Gravity, and we have the same mission: make games that we want to play, and hopefully you'll want to play too!
I hope, if you liked CTHON, you'll keep tabs on us to find out more about what we're up to in the next few months!
Check out the Orbweaver website we've been working on here: Orbweaver Studios
Patch Notes for 1-21-18
Just a quick patch to fix a bug:
Bug Fixes
- Fixed a bug where an error would be thrown on the final score screen (after defeating the final boss) if the game was saved and exited right before the final boss level.
Note: If you notice the file sizes are hundreds of megabytes, don't be alarmed; because of the way Game Maker works, I have to overwrite the executable entirely whenever I recompile the game with code changes. Download sizes for CTHON at the moment should be right around 244 MB, though that number will slowly rise as additional code is added.
Patch Notes - 10/28/2017
Bug Fixes
- Fixed another crash bug related to audio playback on Windows 8 and 8.1, at the final boss. Here's hoping this will be the last of it!
Thanks, and enjoy!
Patch Notes - 10-8-2017
EDIT: After further testing, there still appears to be some kind of crash issue with the final boss on Windows 8; I am working on a fix and will update the game with it as soon as it is ready. Thank you for your patience!
Bug Fixes
- Fixed another (and hopefully the last) potential crash bug that is related to audio playback issues on (from what I know so far) Window 8 and 8.1 sound drivers.
- Fixed a bug where one of the attacks used by the final boss would miscalculate its damage.
Stay tuned for more updates soon!
Patch Notes - 10-3-2017
Balance Changes
- Revamped item spawning to be more forgiving, especially on later levels. Resource items (health, ammo, and grenades) reduce less rapidly per level. This is most noticeable in the late game. Each difficulty is different in how rapidly it reduces item count per level; Beginner has a flatter curve, while Hardcore has a steeper curve. Item spawning is still random, but generally not as scarce.
- Revamped the way secrets spawn so that they have less of an overall impact on the game; some secrets can still contain very good loot, not so good loot, and even monsters, but there are now far less secrets on any given level and they more frequently spawn in larger blank areas instead of on obscure corners.
- The player now starts with two inventory slots instead of just one.
Bug Fixes
- Fixed a bug where the score screen would start to incorrectly report the number of total secrets found if you started a new run without closing the application.
Other Changes
- Changed the game's font to something more legible and less wide.
- Added seams to the textures of secret walls to make them easier to find.
Thanks and have fun!
News - 9/12/2017
Hi all!
The going has been slow lately because I've been mostly splitting my time between porting CTHON to a new engine and prototyping what will be Gravity's next game. However, I would like to restart patches to the game to address some of the issues that have particularly come to light now that the game has been out for awhile.
This is a good opportunity for me to change the patch scheduling somewhat, from the previously mentioned once-a-month basis to a more incremental approach that will allow me to push small updates more rapidly.
The first of these new changes I plan to make is with the item spawn rates - I have been dissatisfied with the system lately because I think it doesn't encourage experimentation with different mod combinations as much as I would like. There's also a *lot* of weapon upgrade graphics I made for the game and I want more people to see them.
I also believe that resources like health, ammo, and bombs become too scarce especially in the Hive, making the game a bit of a crap-shoot at that point as to whether you can make it to and kill Cthon, so that is another change I will be looking into.
All in all, I think the item spawning is probably what holds the game back the most from being great, and probably makes the game tougher that it needs to be, so right now these changes will be priority 1 for the next patch.
As always your feedback is greatly appreciated - leave a comment below and let me know what you think: is the item spawning too stingy, mixed, or fine the way it is?
Thanks everyone! Stay tuned for these changes very soon!
CTHON - News - 5/15/2017
Just a quick note to say: no, I have not forgotten about the game; the next patch is taking a little longer due to some extenuating circumstances, but I'm aiming to have a small update within the next couple of weeks.
Your feedback is always appreciated so don't hesitate to leave suggestions and bug reports on the forums.
As always, thanks for playing CTHON and I hope at least most of you are enjoying it!
Patch Notes - 4/17/2017
This update has come early due to a crash bug that needed fixing. Here is what is new in CTHON:
New Features
- Added a new item (this was originally planned for the May update) - Large Nanite Unit. This item provides 25 nanites. This is a subtle change, but it should allow you to be a little more liberal with spending nanites.
Bug Fixes
- Fixed a crash bug related to audio playback issues on Windows 8 and Windows 8.1, caused by Wyrm enemies.
Known Issues
- Alt Tabbing causes the Strafe On control (when mapped to Alt, which is the default) to stick. A workaround is to tap Alt again when you refocus on the game window.
Thank you, and enjoy!