The DarKnot Team is back with a new devlog diary. Today, we'd like to share with you the latest updates coming soon to the game.
The candle The instructions for the Ritual of Immersion say: "The candle leads you to the Nightmare ..." and the truth is, if you do not put this item in the summoning book, it becomes completely unclear whether the Ritual is progressing or not. The candle contained too little bone salt, but we fixed this error so that it is now easier to follow the rules of the Ritual.
The knife We strongly recommend that you do not buy sharp objects such as knives, katanas, or bayonets before performing forbidden rituals!
Gregor did not follow our advice and bought a new kitchen knife yesterday! You can see the result on horror streams without SMS and registration.
The dogs We recently went to the park on Mathewson Street and noticed that the dogs got dirty in low-poly textures! After bringing a shovel, an ax, and a file, we decided to wash them. The result exceeded all expectations.
We hope you enjoy the new Dev Diary! Follow DarKnot on Steam to be the first to know about all the changes in the game.
Best Regards! DarKnot Team.
DarKnot - Journal Entry #3 - Part 2
Hey everyone!
The DarKnot Team is back with a second part to our June Journal Entry as promised!
Today we’ll focus on more changes made to our exclusive alpha build, but you can still check out our public demo, available on Steam here.
So, without further ado, let’s jump right in!
The Park
One of the main changes in The Park was the introduction of a brand new character, the ever sinister and foreboding Crow!
The crows addition comes with a lot of flavor, and small interactions with the player. We added the perfect ambiance from a cold winter night, and you’ll get to hear more crows in the background - friends, or foes?
Our new winged friends will periodically gather at The Park, and it would be wise for the player to avoid them; if you get too close they will cackle and fly away, alerting the entire district of your presence there. Watch your step!
A bit sneakier than their real life counterparts, The Park’s crows will be a constant worry for the player, and come for their items. If they are successful, they will steal items from the player’s inventory, and take away a nice chunk of health as well.
But don’t worry, the crows aren’t just here to make your day miserable. Not only can you fight back and throw objects at them, but they’re also the only way to access the key to progress DarKnot’s story. No spoilers however!
While exploring the area, you can find the Crow’s Nest, where you might find a defunct specimen, and also a Trash Cannon! You can use it on garbage cans, turning them into a deadly stationary weapon. Why would such a powerful weapon be hiding here?
But that’s not everything for The Park! Our team has significantly enhanced the area, adding more encounters and polishing the ambiance.
Upon starting the level, the player wakes up on a bench in The Park, a candle burning in their hand, weakly illuminating the impenetrable darkness. The following cutscene has been added, focusing on the player getting up and trying to assess their surroundings.
Another cutscene about the Cultist Party Van’s exit, and the player’s possible death scene has also been added.
The sound has been reworked, adding various noises to the environment:
Whispers of the cultists
Shouts of the cultists
Rumbling sound of a cage
The Park also received more foes - a pack of wandering stray dogs has been added. It’s best that you don’t try to feed them!
A bell was added in The Park, and the player can interact with it at the gates. Be careful not to alert the surrounding enemies!
The Rituals
The Rituals, available in our free Demo, received a nice overhaul in our Exclusive Alpha Build as well. But before, we expanded the Tarot cards available to the player:
The Blindness card has been added, granting the player 25% more stealth upon their awakening
The Pretender card has been added, granting a candle on the table upon awakening
Our artists have been hard at work, creating numerous new icons and UI pieces to make the DarKnot experience a whole lot smoother:
Added new damage and durability icons
Added an icon with a finger on the control buttons for small objects (radio buttons, etc.)
Added an icon with a slightly bent finger for rotation
A lot of items received an inspection screen, providing you with more details about what happened in The Ritual Room:
Added an inspection screen for the armored lock after the player breaks it
Added an inspection screen for the insect
Added an inspection screen for the Cthulhu Box
We also have some small changes, and miscellaneous items:
Added a note about a candle and possible damage from getting too close to a candle
Spider webs will trap the player, but can now be burnt down by candles
In the Ritual room, footstep sounds are now synchronized with animations
The Mancinell faction now has proper sounds and health bars
When reloading a gun, the items that were in your hands will conceal properly
Improved brightness settings
And that’s it for June everyone! This Journal Entry was a big one and we hope you liked it! If you want more, make sure to join us on Discord for more sneak peeks at what we’re working on!
Signing off,
DarKnot Team
DarKnot - Developer Journal Entry #3
Hey everyone, DarKnot Team here with another Developer Journal Entry for you!
This month the team heavily focused on reworking different game locations and levels, while getting ready for Early Access. As this month has been very busy for us, we’ve decided to split the Journal Entry in two parts: The first half now, and the rest in two weeks. Stay tuned!
The Apartment
One of the most interesting places of our exclusive Alpha Build, the Apartment has received a substantial update and a lot of new mechanics. You’ll be able to see them for yourself in our next Closed Alpha, keep an eye out for it! In the meantime, here’s what we’ve been working on for this location.
To make the apartment more lively (and definitely not to lure the player into a false sense of security), we filled the place with interactive cabinets and drawers, and added a lot of common, day-to-day objects. Most of them won’t be of any use really, but you can always take your frustration out on those and throw them across the room.
We have made some changes to the child in the apartment, and tweaked their behavior a little bit - now making the encounter even creepier than before.
The apartment has been filled with the child’s drawings, further highlighting the deteriorating mental state of the kid. Their in-game behavior was also improved: They will begin talking to the player as soon as the study is opened, and linger longer in the father’s room when roaming the apartment, as they naturally miss their papa.
On top of the AI improvements, the audio for the child has been improved: The child attacks will have proper sounds, and we also made them less talkative overall. However, the apartment will be filled with their sighs and whimpers while they are asleep.
The apartment’s bathroom is now… inhabited by a spirit that will take the player for a spin, should they enter the room uninvited. Jumpscares, bloody hands on the sink’s glass, mysterious footsteps… The ghost will use every trick in the book to force the player out of their room.
Anger has also received their signature sounds, and you’ll have the joy of hearing the screams of those who were burned alive... Come prepared! We also added the sounds of heartbeats and heavy breathing at the sight of the ghost.
The cultist also received some love from the dev team, they will now spawn closer to the door, giving you a good opportunity to get a close look at them, before they send you flying through the door. Speaking of which, we have reworked the cutscene, added the sounds of the body falling and hitting the floor, as well as some expected swearing from the player’s character.
A lot of time was spent adding, modifying, and polishing the details of our terrifying world and doing our best to make your experience in DarKnot a lot more immersive. Some of those changes are listed below:
Additions:
Added the ability for NPCs to aim down (they were limited to a horizontal point of aime previously).
Added voice acting for the cutscene after the ritual completion.
Added an inspection of the fallen frame.
Added the live camera effect and the open window effect.
Added sounds for doors - clicking the door handle, slamming it shut, and creaking when opening.
Added physics: the doors now are interactive.
Added the sound of burning paper notes.
Added more hints to the book describing the “Ritual of Immersion”.
Added sound to candles.
Sound occlusion has been added when the windows are closed.
Tuned the attenuation: when approaching an open window, the sounds of the thunderstorm increase.
Fixes:
The awakening cutscene has been fixed.
Worked out animations for the cultist's hands.
Fixed errors in the ritual description’s text on the table.
Fixed the sitting animations for the child.
Misc:
The office’s key description is now available.
Added the Witch's Brushwood description.
Worked out a complete list of options for the title screen.
A log list is now available for saves.
Newspaper fonts have been improved.
Added an “Open palm” icon on doors and large objects the player can lift.
Improved the doors and drawers in the study, now they open more smoothly.
And that’s the first part of our dev log for this month! Part 2 will be available very soon, with even more exciting changes. Stay tuned, and tell us your thoughts on Discord!
Signing off, DarKnot Team
DarKnot - Screenshot Contest
Monsters, Puzzles, Battles, Oh My!
We have been in awe of your in-game screenshots, shared online and on our Discord, and decided to have some community fun by challenging you to a screenshot contest! Starting now, and until June 24th at 12 AM CST, you will be able to possibly win prizes for your horrifying DarKnot images taken from our Demo!
To do so, join our Discord and submit your best, scariest screenshot from your DarKnot playthrough, and post it in the submission channel!
The winners will get a 20$ Steam Gift Card, and keys to the exclusive version of our Demo! More information below:
First place:
1x Steam Gift Card (20$)
1x Exclusive Alpha Build Key
Second place:
1x Exclusive Alpha Build Key
Third place:
1x Exclusive Alpha Build Key
Rules:
Only one submission per person is allowed.
Small editing/Photoshop is allowed, but do not go overboard! It’s supposed to be a screen capture from your playthrough.
The original image must be created by you, of course. Any stolen screenshots won’t be considered. ALL submissions must be newly created content.
Must be submitted on Discord by June 24th at 12 AM CST in the #submissions channel.
No discussions in the event channel please, but feel free to react to the artist’s posts and show some love! Your reactions will help with the final judging. Any discussions will be deleted from the channel to keep submissions easy to see.
All submissions must follow the server's rules, Steam User Agreement, and Discord Terms of Service.
Get ready everyone! We can’t wait to see what you can capture!
Signing off,
DarKnot Team
Horror Game Developer AMA!
Hey Everyone!
To celebrate our Demo update, we're hosting an AMA on Reddit!
We'll be answering your questions for 24 hours, so get ready to ask us all your burning questions!
There is also a chance to win a 20$ gift card on r/unrealengine to make it even better!
Hi everyone! Our first stage of development is coming to an end, and we're going to be running closed alphas on the new part of the game soon!
We are going to cancel all previously issued keys in Steam as we will be uploading a new build for testing, but don't worry, you will be able to get a new Alpha Key by signing up for our closed alpha events when we start them! So be sure to stay tuned!
Thank you so much for everyone's support and attention to our project!
Signing off, DarKnot Team
Think you have what it takes to survive in DarKnot?
You can play the game the way you want, according to your ‘modus vivendi’, so to speak:
- As a Warrior, if you like to pick a fight. Gather weapons, and set out to destroy your enemies.
- As an Explorer, search for hidden objects, avoid fights, and meticulously explore the gloomy locations and lore of DarKnot.
- As a Survivor, gather resources, craft items, and pick your fights wisely. Crafted weapons and explosives will help overcome enemies, but are costly.
- Or as a Fugitive, scared and paranoid, avoid the monsters, and cover your tracks. Using tarot cards will help you stay unnoticed, but it will cost you your health and sanity.
The task will not be easy, and the game will make you live your failures over and over again until you succeed. How you approach those challenges is up to you, but remember, you are shaping your story, and the consequences of your choices will haunt you if you do not choose wisely...
Going Rogue: A festival of Persistence
Hey Everyone!
Think you have what it takes to survive in DarKnot?
Prove your worth, and come enjoy our demo in the Steam Going Rogue: A Festival of Persistence until May 9th!
Explore the vast world of DarKnot to your heart's content, and experience true survival. You can take on DarKnot in a gameplay style that best suits how you like to play.
You can play the game the way you want, according to your ‘modus vivendi’, so to speak:
As a Warrior, if you like to pick a fight. Gather weapons, and set out to destroy your enemies.
As an Explorer, search for hidden objects, avoid fights, and meticulously explore the gloomy locations and lore of DarKnot.
As a Survivor, gather resources, craft items, and pick your fights wisely. Crafted weapons and explosives will help overcome enemies, but are costly.
Or as a Fugitive, scared and paranoid, avoid the monsters, and cover your tracks. Using tarot cards will help you stay unnoticed, but it will cost you your health and sanity.
The task will not be easy, and the game will make you live your failures over and over again until you succeed. How you approach those challenges is up to you, but remember, you are shaping your story, and the consequences of your choices will haunt you if you do not choose wisely...
Make sure to join us on Discord for more content, previews, and to find other horror fanatics! We would love to hear your feedback on your playthrough as well, so be sure to drop us a line with your thoughts on how our demo was!
See you there!
DarKnot - Developer Journal Entry #2
Hello everyone! DarKnot Team here, back with another Journal Entry!
These few months have been spent taking a deep dive into some of our games’ objects and mechanics, as well as a brand new Diary UI and ambient sounds! So hold onto that flashlight as we take you through some of our adrenaline-inducing changes.
NEW DIARY UI
Your only companion in the streets of DarKnot, the diary got some QOL changes and improvements, starting by the addition of a page turning animation while scrolling down the elements, not to mention the improvement of its general operation and usability in-game.
Read through new notes about DarKnot’s lore too, and to educate yourself about the Cult, the Ghosts, and other morbid entities roaming the world. You can find these notes in safe places, or from a certain “friend”, who will describe some of his experiences in the Nightmare world….
NEW BURNER MECHANIC
We’re turning up the heat with our new burner mechanic, that you can find and use against your foes! The flames deal heavy damage to your enemies, but the fuel supply is limited. Spend it wisely…
MORE EFFECTS AND ATMOSPHERE
Our Catacombs have been reworked to include new hair-raising sounds, as well as the addition of ghosts locked up behind the stone wall. Remember to always be on your guard.
The Nightmare World also received a ghoulish upgrade - the Ghost will now be a more frequent encounter, and he will be able to summon his “brothers” to attack you from the same walls of these gloomy and decrepit corridors. Be wary though; they have learned to attack you from a distance, while the formidable boss Ghost became much stronger as well! You’ll have to think through every step to survive.
We’ve also turned the fear factor up on the Catacombs’ sound effects and music, adding distinct and terrifying sounds each time a ghost’s hand appears from the walls. On your way to the cell of the escapee too, we’ve added even more sinister sounds and effects.
And it’s worth noting, that dark corners may not be safe to hide in anymore either, as the ghosts of the Nightmare world are said to roam the unlit areas of the catacombs…
IMPROVEMENTS AND ADDITIONS
The Champion just became EVEN. MORE. DANGEROUS.
This three-meter monster now attacks faster. Oh and if you do not keep your distance from him, you might catch a huge gear to the head! While his throwing is good, his ax-wielding skills are unmatched, and a full magazine will not be enough to bring him down.
But don’t worry! We’ve also added more weapons. Try your hands at our new machetes and swords that can be taken from the Cultists you killed. Cut, slash and force your way through with ease, as seen in our previous Journal Entry.
Many of our items can be interacted with too, when in first person mode! Simply pick up, turn, and throw to your heart’s content. Don’t litter, however…you never know who’s watching you.
BUG FIXES AND MISCELLANEOUS
Improved NPC behavior in the game.
Improved visuals in the level design.
Improved, fixed and added animations.
Improved cutscenes in the game (improved player viewing angles and added missing sounds).
Added more in-game art and item icons to almost all interaction items. Also added the child's drawings that the MPC will find in the future.
Added another crafting recipe for an energy bar to the Demo. It prevents the MPC from dying of hunger.
Bots do not attack through walls; their intelligence and behavior has been improved.
Fixed the positions of objects in the character's hands.
Adjusted the in-game camera.
Now go recover from this adrenaline-raising Journal Entry! And be sure to join us on Discord for more teasers every week and to meet more DarKnot fans. The Champion will know if you don’t…
Signing off,
DarKnot Team
DarKnot - Developer Journal Entry #1
Welcome everyone, to our first Journal Entry of our new development cycle! Here at Elbrus Lab, we want to make sure you get those updates regularly moving forward, and we’re super happy to show off some of the latest features we’ve been working on!
Without further ado, let’s jump right in!
Cultist Weapons
We have made our cultists much more deadly by giving them their own weapons! Blunt weapons, 1887 Winchesters, double barrel shotguns, and much more. Our new armed Cultists will be tough opponents to fight, and you will have to stay on your toes to survive.
One of the most iconic weapons we added is a custom Mauser C96 Pistol. We chose this firearm as it perfectly describes the organization it’s serving. It’s Archaic and conservative, with fundations going back to decades before, but also technologically sound and stylish, adapted to the needs of the Cult. The perfect fit for a creepy secret society, and its creepy secret affairs.
We have also given the MPC the ability to disarm the cultists, and take the weapons as their own. While dangerous, it’ll give you a fighting chance!
Torn Clothes
We wanted to make sure decisions and events had a visual effect on the MPC, so we have now made it possible to tear the MPC’s clothing! After a tough fight, damage from the environment, or following a cutscene, your character's clothes will show signs of wear and tear. We feel it really adds personality to the playthrough, and allows the players to see the troubles the MPC has had to face more realistically.
Level Design
We reworked the rooms and infrastructure leading out of the “Fight Club”, a place where some scientific experiment went awry. We expanded the subway station where the Ancient Cult set up its subterranean headquarters, and the player's path will lead to another victim of DarKnot. It is still impossible to understand what happened there, as we can only visit the containment room, look at the terrible scene, and read about what kind of experiments this “experiment” went through.
In the depths of the corridors you will be able to find escapees of those experiments, and only an acute explorer will be able to uncover the secret of this entire faction.
Knock Knock
Prepare yourselves, the enemies can now open doors…how will you adapt and survive with this game-changing feature? Point of advice - nowhere is ever really “safe”.
New Effects
After receiving community feedback, and learning how to improve our SFX, we have been working hard on improving the visuals and effects in different areas of the game. A notable one is in the Ritual Room, where the locks will appear red hot and melt away when unlocked. We won’t tell you where the keys are or how to open it however.. You’ll have to figure it out yourself!
Quality of Life Improvement
Having to re-collect recipes after each death was pretty tedious for players in the current demo, and to be fair, everyone hates it when you have to go hunt for pages or information you already had before dying.. It’s even more true in a game like DarKnot where dying is part of the experience. So we made it so recipes are now stored in your journal, and you won’t need to collect them again after dying!
That’s it for our first Journal Entry for this development cycle! We hope you’re as excited as we are for all the new improvements to the game. Make sure to join fellow DarKnot survivors on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Discord, and don’t forget to download our Demo. Stay tuned for the second entry next month!
