I'M ON ANOTHER PODCAST! ------------------------------------------
Back around October last year, shortly after ERSATZ' release, I had the pleasure of appearing on my good friend Max Pears' podcast, 'The Level Design Lobby'. The episode has just gone live on iTUNES, SOUNDCLOUD & YOUTUBE
SPECIAL 40% OFF PROMO ------------------------------------------
To celebrate appearing on the podcast, I've joined forces with Max to provide anyone who has a look in the episode description for a link to 40% OFF ERSATZ! Feel free to share the link with as many friends as you want, but I'd really appreciate it if you could check out what Max is trying to do as well :)
WHO'S MAX? ------------------------------------------
Not only did I study game design at university with Max, and take on the Dare to Be Digital challenge with him as our team lead, but he has worked as a level designer for Ubisoft Reflections and is now at the prestigious CDProjeckt, working away on their next big thing.
ERSATZ Download Milestone + v1.44
Hey all, Paris here!
Just a little update with a few small fixes in v1.44 of ERSATZ. And woo, it just hit 2000 keys activated!! In all honesty, it hasn't translated in a lot of money, but that doesn't take away from the achievement at all.
I have another announcement tomorrow too so stay tuned!
JOURNEY MODE -Fixed time penalty display at the end for real this time (this doesn't effect your recorded final time just what is presented to you)
-Grade no longer shows in pause or game over screens as it isn't relevant to this mode
SYNTH RUSH -Time start is consistent between restarting from game over and restarting manually on Grovelin Chief fight.
LEVELS -Level 02 'REGULATION' - Footstep and landing SFX would not be correctly set for a level under certain circumstances, this has now been fixed
MISC -Fixed issue where pausing the game on the same frame you fall into a pit would cause a crash
50% off ERSATZ on Itch.io & Steam!
BIG SALE! Hello everyone! It's time for the last big sale before the summer, so get your mitts on ERSATZ with a whopping 50% off now!
Offer ends 21st April at 7am Pacific Time!
Despite a slightly old script (I posted some corrections in the comment section of the video), it's another super positive look at ERSATZ, which is just fan-bloody-tastic!
V1.44 UPLOADED Also today, I uploaded v1.44 with a couple of small fixes for the Boss rush mode 'SYNTH RUSH', where the game would crash if beating The Neutralizer boss under specific circumstances.
ERSATZ v1.43 - Halt Foul Bugs!
Youtuber Peppage pointed out a minor crticism in his video yesterday, which I have now rectified with this update with the help of Klianc09! Well you can't say I don't respond to feedback ;)
I fixed a few other things found as well along the way :)
LEVELS -Level 02 'REGULATION' - Optimised drawing of falling icicles
-Level 04 'RESPIRATION' - Stopped slamming from triggering when trapped in a Catcher Bubble
-Level 05 'REPRODUCTION' - Fixed a number of pistons where you could or would not get crushed
-Level 07 'TRANSPORT' - Can no longer get through forcefields when in invincible state
-Level 07 'TRANSPORT' - Stopped slamming from triggering when stuck in a Detainer CEL
-Level 07 'TRANSPORT' - Should have fixed issue where dying after defeating The Neutralizer boss battle would cause the music not to reset after continuing
-Level 08 'SYNTHESIS' - Can't be healed after dying between final boss phases
TYPE GAMMA -Can no longer dash through forcefields in Type Gamma
MISC -Fixed all known spawn issues where players could take extra damage outside of their own control
Rock Paper Shotgun Article + Peppage Review + ERSATZ v1.42
ROCK PAPER SHOTGUN 'HAVE YOU PLAYED....' ARTICLE In case you missed it, Jack Yarwood wrote a delightful little piece about ERSATZ for Rock Paper Shotgun. You can read the full article over HERE
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PEPPAGE VIDEO REVIEW Also today, YouTuber Peppage has said some super nice words over on his channel, in his video review of ERSATZ! You can check it out HERE
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ERSATZ v1.42 And finally, another small update for Windows & Linux. Sorry Mac users, I'll get a hold of that Macbook again as soon as I can!
CONTROLS -Fixed issue where your dash slide height could be altered in very specific instances, causing you to get unfairly hit
MODES -Fixed unlocking of infinite modes and secret messages A, B & C
LEVELS -Level 03 'NUTRITION' - Raised ceiling in room with key as it was too low before
-Level 04 'RESPIRATION' - Hopefully fixed issue in room with strong back current where you could get a soft lock by getting shoved into the the wall on the left
-Level 06 'EXCRETION' - It is much more difficult to skip the trigger for the Pollugeist which would cause a softlock
v1.41 + More Crazy Player Times!
Dear Players,
If you're interested in seeing an example of how quick you can really go in ERSATZ check out THIS STREAM by Klianc09 of Level 07.
Wow! Even as the developer and armed with an intentional design philosophy to open the game up to skillful play, I've continued to be blown away by the kinds of times I'm seeing from Klianc09 in ERSATZ recently! Whole minutes faster than I ever expected.
If you're keen to know when streams like this happen, jump onto the ERSATZ DISCORD SERVER and join in the fun ^_^
I've also done another small update, mostly focused on the Gorjunter boss fight (Patch notes below). As you can see, the updates are starting to wind down for real now. I'm actually beginning to prototype a new game starting from today, so keep your eyes and ears out for that.
Of course, with all the keys that were obtained during the recent IndieGala bundle, we've got around 1600 new players potentially playing (if their steam backlog allows to them to get round to it!), so any major bugs or necessary changes I'll obviously fix.
MENUS -If you press a keyboard key whilst trying to bind a gamepad action, it now cancels the binding (apparently some devices and/or OSes might be detected as a gamepad and allow players to access gamepad binding even without a gamepad being plugged in, this fixes that)
BOSSES -Gorjunter - Changed code for it's dash left and right attack so there is a consistent gap between dashes
-Gorjunter - Fixed it so the Horusai that blow across the screen during the dash attack pause their movement when the game is paused
-Gorjunter - Made the text that comes up when it heals from eating also say "GORJUNTER EATS" to clarify what is happening
ERSATZ v1.4 - Little Update, Bigger Number
A small update for Windows & Linux today. I think the number 1.4 looks a lot better than 1.39 don't you? A E S T H E T I C S or something am I right?
-JOURNEY MODE- -Restarting from an end level screen now loads music and sound properly
-By having a small buffer after the score screen shows before it'll accept an input, I have made it harder to accidentally restart from an end level screen in this mode
-LEVELS- -Level 01 'GROWTH' - The moving plant platforms now have a small 3D sound that plays when they move
-Level 04 'RESPIRATION' - The moving Spurchin (moving spikey balls) now have a small 3D sound that plays when they move
-Level 04 'RESPIRATION' - The Catcher Bubbles now play their catch and pop noises correctly and audibly
-Level 06 'EXCRETION' - Changed slam collision check for glass floors to fix very rare occasion when it wouldn't break from a slam
-Level 08 'SYNTHESIS' - Added in missing glow for bottomless pits in
-Level 08 'SYNTHESIS' - Running against conveyor belts in level 08 now slows your movement as they do elsewhere
-LINUX ONLY- -Fixed crashing when trying to dash in Type Gamma
New Discord Server for ERSATZ!
I've finally caught up with the times and created a new Discord server for ERSATZ. You can easily join by clicking the link below :) I'll be sorting out text channels and custom emoji today and beyond. If you've got any suggestions or requests for it, please let me know, as I'm new to Discord myself!
https://discord.gg/UrqhWMh
Happy Gaming,
Paris
ALL iN
New & Improved Trailer for ERSATZ!
Hey folks! In response to all the feedback I got about the first trailer & changes to the game since launch, I've put together a brand new one!
Watch the new trailer on the Steam Page or on Youtube HERE
Really happy with the slow momentum build I've been seeing for the game online after all the work I've put in. We're up to v1.39 now! I hope all the new players enjoy the game and the extra spit, polish and love that's gone into trying to make this a great experience (you're the judge of that!).
And don't forget, you can currently get ERSATZ + 11 other games for a pittance over on IndieGala in the Doodle Heroes Bundle HERE
-Level 06 'EXCRETION' - Fixed issue with smog particle depth being messed up if restarting level from the boss
-BOSSES-
-POLLUGEIST - Have attempted to fix issue where the Pollugeist would get stuck in the floor when doing the Smog Bullet Bounce attack, needs further testing
-MISC-
-Changed the way smog poisoning works + reversed and changed the way it is visually displayed. It is now both slightly clearer and more of a threat in more situations
-Stopped dash "overcharging" when you transition from one room to the next with between 2 & 3 dashes
-Fixed issue with Start/Pause key on keyboard input reading making accidental menu skips in at least Synth Rush
