We have a lot planned for FOREWARNED this year and are excited to share details about the first update of the year, arriving January 13th, 2023, at around 1:00PM EST! The new update largely focuses on all new functionality and changes to each of the Mejai during their physical manifestation, including a large rework to Rathos. We've also made some tool changes, as well as implemented other new content, fixes, and performance improvements.
This update is also designed to make treasure collection more fun and rewarding in several ways, including a new "turn in" spot closer to each tomb entrance for dropping off treasure and recovered documents!
We look forward to your feedback and wish you a great year ahead! -Dreambyte Games Team
Fixes • Fixed an issue where Dekan could hear sounds outside of his intended hearing range
Changes • Added logic to prevent Dekan from hearing player footsteps for a short time after respawning through the Osiris gate to prevent spawn kills
Development Update (v.44)
The very first tomb variation, found in the Cursed Sand Ruins, Crypt of the Great Pyramid, and tutorial, has received a complete visual overhaul, introducing higher quality models, materials, and textures throughout. These changes graphically bring this tomb up to par with the quality found in the other tomb variations.
All ushabti puzzle room props, including button pedestals, Sons of Horus podiums, light ray stands, and more, have received unique designs to fit their corresponding tomb theme:
The death room walls have been replaced with cave-like meshes and materials to better match with the visuals seen during the river journey through the afterlife. Additionally, post-processing visual effects have been added for players while in the death room for a more "otherworldly" experience:
The Oasis and Underground Palace tomb variations have received new sarcophagus designs:
The gold found throughout the tombs, including the piles found within treasuries, has been updated to fit the Egyptian theme:
Dekan's core behavior has been significantly improved to up the fun factor when dealing with him.
As before, when Dekan hears a sound, he will rush towards the source of the noise. However, if the sound stops, he will now travel to the last known position where the noise was made instead of tracking it to its new position.
Dekan will now retarget louder sounds even while in pursuit of a target
Handheld radios have been improved to draw more attention from Dekan compared to footsteps
Dekan's kill animation has been improved
Added foot and leg IK to Dekan to allow for more realistic angles as he travels across varying surfaces
Fixed an issue that erroneously allowed Dekan to hear flashlights being equipped from a player's inventory even if the flashlight was already turned on
Scaled Dekan's movement speed per difficulty setting
When reanimated mummies are burned during rituals, a new dispersion effect will occur instead of disappearing from thin air. This will also apply for player mummies when burned
Reanimated mummies may now randomly begin sprinting towards the player or ritual altar during certain rituals. The chance of this occurring increases per difficulty level
Logic has been added to ensure players respawning via the Blessing of Osiris will be far enough from the Mejai to avoid "spawn camp" kills due to unlucky timing
The current lobby region the player is connected to will now appear next to the room code when hosting a room
When players "escape" the lobby's character customization menu, the settings will now automatically apply without having to click the Apply button
Added further robustness to the reconnection logic, accounting for cases of disconnection during the loading of different scenes
Adjusted the held position of the metal detector so that the detection disc is closer to the player’s crosshair
Made the metal detector more sensitive when detecting spike traps
Added a barrel and past explorer note to the tomb variation #1 spike trap room that includes a hint for new players
Players can now disable the spikes in the tomb variation #1 spike trap room by activating a mechanism found on the other side
Lowered the volume of sounds the Mejai's spirit form makes when within close range
Removed the default "i" binding that shows/hides the inventory to prevent confusion for players unaware the bind exists. If desired, this can be rebound via the Controls menu
When VR players click the Controls menu in VR, they will now be brought directly to the VR controls instead of showing Keyboard/Gamepad/VR
Set the VR vignette effect option to off by default due to the double-lens issue. If desired, this can be set back on in the VR controls menu
Increased the chance for the Anubis statues to turn in the tomb variation #1 room
Added a depth of field effect for PC players when viewing the PDA journal
Slightly expanded and repositioned the relic socket position on the ritual altar
Added smooth colliders to the stairs in Nekhbet Chasm
Added a reverb zone to the quarry area of Nekhbet Chasm
Improved AI pathing in tomb variation #1
Updated the chalkboard menu messaging for players who opt in to the beta branch
Performance improvements and mesh LOD optimizations have been made across the board, including during the initial entrance into the tomb as well as during the afterlife journey / death room transition
Fixed an issue in which the game would stutter significantly if a gamepad was plugged in and the player was trying to play using keyboard and mouse
Fixed an issue that would cause players to remain stuck at a black screen at the end of a round without a means of returning to the lobby
Fixed several issues with the relic behaving inconsistently when being placed in the jeep / relic altar
Fixed an issue with the rotation of the "Protector of Thebes" relic when being placed in the jeep / relic altar
Fixed an issue in which the Mejai spirit would ignore questions / commands from the Transmitter in tomb variation #1
Fixed an issue in which placing the relic on the ritual altar and re-entering the room later re-enables the red placeholder mesh
Fixed an issue with the relic not playing any sound effect when being placed in the jeep / relic altar
Fixed an issue for VR players in which one hand is set in Toggle mode while the other is set in Hold mode after opening a door
Fixed an issue in which Smooth Turn displays in the settings menu as default, despite the VR player spawning in with Snap Turn
Fixed an issue in which players would not be repositioned when falling out of bounds in the lobby area
Fixed several issues with environment lighting in the Dread Valley and Nekhbet Chasm maps
Fixed an issue in which zealots would attempt to spawn in prior to the tomb opening
Fixed an issue in which the reconnection routine had no time limit, causing disconnected players to remain stuck with the disconnected UI overlay
Fixed an issue resulting in a desync between players related to Rathos' enraged state
Fixed an issue in which guest VR players could not slow Talgor's movement through speech
Fixed an issue in which live VR players could end up with a mummy player journal
Fixed an issue in which mummy players could erroneously trigger the ritual portal from a floor above
Fixed an issue in which dying from a snake attack during a ritual showed the incorrect death recap
Fixed an issue in which players who died without gold would still spawn a pile of gold, worth 0g
Fixed an issue in which the mummy journal would not stay linked to the player in VR
Fixed an issue in which recovered documents would overlay one another when placed in the jeep's document tray
Fixed an issue in which mummy UI would remain on in the death room
Fixed an issue in which evil mummies could Shriek in the death room
Fixed an issue that could occur when attempting to open the PDA journal while being killed by the Mejai
Fixed an issue with player control for VR mummy players if the headset was removed while moving
Fixed an issue in which treasury doors would poke through the map for tomb variation #3
Fixed an issue in which AI could erroneously re-target a player after another player leaves the tomb
Fixed an issue in which audio wall occlusion would remain on during Mejai kill animations
Fixed an issue in which items in a player's belt could trigger certain traps
Fixed an issue that caused the tomb variation #5 carpet to look like it was floating above the ground
Nominate FOREWARNED for the Labor of Love Award!
Hey everyone!
This year's Steam Awards are upon us, giving you a chance to vote for your favorite games in various categories. For those that aren't aware, we're a small, two-developer team that works on FOREWARNED in the entirety of our spare time. Working on this game is our passion, and we love watching it grow not only from our own vision, but from the invaluable feedback provided by you, our community, with every update we release.
We would be honored and humbled to receive your vote to nominate FOREWARNED in this year's Labor of Love category: "...The team is well past the debut of their creative baby, but being the good parents they are, these devs continue to nurture and support their creation. This game, to this day, is still getting new content..."
To nominate FOREWARNED, leave a review of the game if you haven't already, and then cast your vote!
We're happy to announce that FOREWARNED's next development update arrives December 2nd, 2022, at roughly 1:00PM EST!
This update will include a complete visual overhaul to tomb variation #1, the original map style that came with FOREWARNED when it first entered Early Access. This overhaul will bring the visuals of this tomb up to par with the newer tomb designs we've released over this past year.
Additional new design implementations will also be introduced, as well as a significant rework for Dekan, a bunch of additional content, fixes, and quality of life enhancements. As always, the full patch notes will be included with the release of the update. In the meantime, here's a preview of some of the new designs!
Original Tomb Environment - Visual Overhaul
New Wall Torch
New Sarcophagi
New Gold
...and more yet to be revealed!
Feel free to check out our Trello to see other planned content and join our Discord to keep up to date with the latest!
All the best,
-Dreambyte Games Team
Halloween Event Extension + Hotfix (v.41.1)
Changes • Extended the in-game Seasonal Halloween Event until Sunday, 11/6/22 11:59PM (local time) to allow players additional time to unlock the seasonal cosmetic • When a microphone device becomes unplugged, the available input device options will now update when seeking for a new device instead of retaining the unplugged device as an option
Fixes • Fixed an issue in which AI could become stuck at the top of stairs/ramps • Fixed an issue that prevented players from changing their microphone device after starting a game • Fixed a case in which players could get stuck in a reconnect loop when leaving a game • Fixed a case that could result in a race condition when the round ends while in the death room after being burned as a mummy
Halloween Event 2022: New Unlockable Cosmetic!
Note to fellow archaeologists:
A trickster has hidden the jack-o'-lanterns we carved for Halloween throughout all of the excavation sites. Can you find and return them to the archaeological study? We'll happily reward you for your trouble...
A special in-game event is now available in FOREWARNED for a limited time, with an unlockable Anubis Mask cosmetic rewarded for successful completion.
There are Egyptian themed jack-o'-lanterns hidden throughout each map in the areas outside of the tomb. None will be found within the tomb itself.
Interact with the jack-o'-lanterns you find to collect them. Note that everyone must do this if in a group.
This event will expire on November 2nd, 11:59PM local time.
Good luck, and happy Halloween from the FOREWARNED team!
Hotfix (v.40.3)
Changes • Reduced the volume of columns and statues breaking by 25% • Added logic to prevent abominations and crocodiles from roaming the tomb prior to opening the tomb entrance door • Reduced the frequency at which abominations leave their den and patrol the tomb • Patrol duration of abominations is now based upon difficulty • Improved the robustness of the auto-reconnection feature during round end to prevent black screen issues in certain cases
Fixes • Fixed an error occurring as snakes spawn in during the Tomb #2 rituals • Fixed an issue preventing players from auto-reconnecting in the Office after playing more than one round (Client Timeout) • Fixed an issue preventing guest VR players from properly warding off creatures with a Torch • Fixed an issue with the latest tomb variation's ritual portal destination being set too low, causing the player to fall through the map • Fixed an issue where the latest tomb variation's Treasury door would open too high, blocking player's paths above • Added missing Chinese characters • Fixed a gap in the latest tomb variation (Rock tunnel) • Fixed an issue where scene lighting was not properly re-enabled if a player fell through the map • Fixed an issue causing lag for all players when a VR player disconnects from the room • Fixed an issue causing visual glitches for VR players on Dread Valley
Hotfix (v.40.2)
Changes • Improved the Flashlight's ability to stun Ataimon • Buffed Ataimon's movement speed by 20% • Added logic to adjust the rotating fire trap's speed based on selected difficulty
Fixes • Removed the screen fade to black when leaving the nightmare room • Raised the terrain on Nekhbet Chasm to prevent the tomb clipping through • Fixed a mesh clipping issue on the Nekhbet Chasm stairs • Fixed an issue causing the skybox to be visible when leaving the ritual room via portal • Fixed a clipping issue with the hidden corridor on the new tomb variation • Fixed an issue causing stuck AI on tomb variations #3 and #5 • Fixed an issue with player radar arrow color not changing on the map • Fixed rogue levers spawning on the new tomb variation • Fixed an issue with Rathos' enraged state not matching his enraged appearance • Fixed an issue preventing the Tutorial achievement from completing until another round • Fixed the ability for VR players to teleport in the sand portion of the death room
Abominations - Major Development Update - Now Live!
A note from the developers:
The long-awaited arrival of a new Mejai is finally here with the FOREWARNED: Abominations major development update! In addition to the introduction of the 6th Mejai, this update is brimming with new content, including two new maps, a new tomb variation, updates to the afterlife mechanics, an increased ritual challenge, completely revamped phenomena, qualify of life fixes, and more. This update also focuses on making the starting experience smoother in all regards, allowing new players to become acquainted with the core gameplay more quickly while still enjoying the process of discovery.
As always, we look forward to hearing your feedback and suggestions in our official Discord. We hope you enjoy the update!
Discover the horror that is Ataimon the Abominable as the latest Mejai to haunt the ruins. Known to his enemies as "the Fleshwelder," Ataimon possesses unique strengths that make him a challenging - and terrifying - adversary to overcome. Utilize your research notes to learn how to exploit his weakness, but be warned - when desperate, Ataimon will reveal his true power...
Ataimon is now an option to select when entering all ruins' inner tomb
The PDA has been updated to include Ataimon's research notes as well as selection in the Evidence tab
10 new lore pages are available for collection which tell the story of how Ataimon came to be
New inner tomb notes are available specific to Ataimon's behavior
A new achievement is available when Ataimon is banished for the first time
Two new maps have been added to the game.
Thought to have been lost to time, the tomb hidden within the sun-scorched Dread Valley has emerged from the shadows and is ready for you to explore.
After significant excavation efforts, the entrance to a new ruin has been unearthed. Watch your step as you descend into Nekhbet Chasm.
A new procedurally generated tomb variation - Underground Palace - has been added. This new tomb style can be found within the Dread Valley and Nekhbet Chasm maps.
Over 30 new rooms, including several dangerous trap rooms
New tomb door style and lighting within the ruins
New variations of the existing ushabti puzzles fitting to the Underground Palace theme
New, thrilling ritual chamber with unique effects and challenges
New ambience and sound effects
New enemy type lurking throughout
New objectives unique to the ruins
Spectator Mode has been removed from the game. Instead, mummy players who have perished can return again to roam the halls after a short duration
A new experience will now present itself for players that die, transitioning them from death to the "afterlife room" where players choose their path. The afterlife room itself has also been redesigned and revamped with new graphics, sounds, and overall atmosphere changes
Death Recaps have been added to the game, informing players how they died with tips to avoid such a death in the future. Note that these are optional; by default, recaps will only appear once per cause of death, but this can be set to always show in Gameplay settings if desired
More enemies will now spawn during the banishment ritual, with both difficulty and the number of players in the expedition affecting the total number
Enemies will now attempt to disrupt the banishment ritual, striking the altar. As the altar takes damage, pieces of the canopic box will break off. Once the box is completely destroyed, the ritual will fail, dooming your soul to an eternity trapped in the Mejai's tomb...
Further excitement has been added to the evidence gathering phase of the investigation through the revamping of all phenomena, improving upon existing functionality as well as introducing brand new mechanics. These changes, while making things feel more fresh and thrilling, will also allow certain tools to feel more effective, rewarding, and fun to gather evidence with.
Destruction
The Mejai's spirit has grown more powerful and can now destroy more than just pots and vases. Players may now experience pillars, columns, statues, and other objects get destroyed when this phenomenon occurs
Disturbed Tombs
After a sarcophagus has been disturbed, scratch marks left by the spirit can be found in a random spot inside. However, these scratch marks are only visible through the Tablet tool and will expire after a duration. This will provide players an added opportunity to confirm whether or not a tomb was disturbed in case they missed experiencing it firsthand
This phenomenon has also received additional visual and audio enhancements when it occurs, including a chance that the spirit will emit an aura around a sarcophagus before interacting with it
Electronic Disturbance
This phenomenon now also affects the Radio tool, altering and distorting the audio
Flashlights and headlamps now rapidly fluctuate in intensity rather than turning on and off
New sound effects have been added to affected tools while this phenomenon takes place
Extinguished Flames
A visible gust of wind will often accompany this phenomenon when it occurs
Footsteps
New footstep sounds have been added for greater variety during this phenomenon
Magnetic Distortion
When this phenomenon occurs, the compass needle will now spin for a longer duration and the compass itself will rapidly shake
Metallic Signature/Radioactivity
Ancient Egyptians believed the soul comprised of several parts, one of which was referred to as Sekhem, or the life force of the soul in raw, spiritual-energy form. While roaming the ruins in its spiritual form, the Mejai will now occasionally exude a portion of this energy in the form of ectoplasm. This viscous substance can emit certain energy readings depending on the Mejai’s associated phenomena, such as radioactivity, metallic signature, or both. This energy will fade away after some time however, so be sure to keep an eye out and have the necessary tools ready before it disappears
Note that this is an additional means of gathering the radioactivity/metallic signature phenomena and it’s still possible to pick up readings in the air near the Mejai’s spirit as before
The chance that the Mejai’s spirit produces ectoplasm increases the closer the player is to the spirit. When playing in a group, the chance increases even further when the team is grouped close to one another
Buffed the radioactive sensitivity for levels 1-4 of the Geiger Counter tool
Radar Detection
Radar System
The Radar System leveling system has been reworked to no longer be map zoom-level based. Instead, further upgrades will now unlock icons that will display on the radar map to help players better map out the ruins. Icons for more room types will be added in future updates. Level I: Displays the Mejai other threats (within a radar sensor), and the tomb entrance Level II: Displays the inner tomb on its map once discovered Level III: Displays treasuries and prison chambers on its map once discovered Level IV: Displays the entrance to the tomb's lower level on its map once discovered. Red levers will now appear on the map as well once explorers are within range Level V: Displays the blue escape lever on its map once explorers are within range
The Mejai will no longer appear as a red dot on the radar map display and will now instead appear as a red skull
Slightly increased the duration of time that the Mejai will appear on the radar system when detected by the radar sensor tool
A radar sensor is still required to detect movement of the Mejai and other threats, but all other icons will remain on the map display once discovered for the first time
Players now have the ability to change the color of their radar arrows that display on the Radar System Display, allowing for observers to more easily distinguish and guide players as they traverse the ruins.
Players also now have the ability to zoom in and out of the radar system map display
The Radar System will now display its current level via a new module added to the device itself
Fixed issues in which spiders, snakes, and crocodiles were not appearing on the radar system map when within the range of a Radar Sensor
Radar Sensor
Players can now keep the Radar Sensor tool active while holding it to allow for exploration while a teammate observes the Radar System display from above. Observers can now properly warn of nearby threats as well as keep an eye out for the Mejai’s radar detection evidence. Note that this tool can still be placed on the ground as well
Added additional upgrade functionality to the Radar Sensor that increases the detection speed per level: Level I: 0%+ bonus speed Level II: 10%+ bonus speed Level III: 20%+ bonus speed Level IV: 30%+ bonus speed Level V: 40%+ bonus speed
Updated the item shop’s descriptions of the Radar Sensor to indicate the specific radius increases and detection speed bonuses that come with each upgrade level
Fixed desync issues in which the activation of a Radar Sensor could fail to reflect for all players in some cases
Improved the sound quality of the radar sensor when it is active
Reanimation
Mummies will now have a more realistic reaction when being burned and will no longer disappear, but instead collapse into charred remains.
Tremors
Sand/debris now falls from the ceiling in addition to the existing effects that occur when a tremor is discovered using the seismometer
Lowered the cooldown for the tremor effects when the phenomenon occurs
Slightly reduced the calibration recurrence rate of the seismometer per level
Adjusted the verbiage on the screen of the seismometer for clarity
Vocal Response
Added 30+ new phrases/questions/commands the Transmitter tool will recognize as well as new responses the Mejai can vocally reply with
Slightly decreased the minimum spiritual rage required for the Mejai to respond
Slightly increased the base vocal response chance
Increased the maximum number of times a Mejai can vocally respond
Optimized the vocal response audio clips for better performance
The “INCOMING…” UI text on the Transmitter will now come immediately after the Mejai vocally responds rather than right before
The "LISTENING…" UI text on the Transmitter has been reworded to "ASK A QUESTION..." for clarity
The PDA’s Research tab has been redesigned to include a new “Tools” section, which outlines how to utilize each piece of equipment. This redesign also simplifies the means of examining the traits of different Mejai, including helpful clarifying information for new players
Tomb variation #3 (housed in the Hidden City of the Sahara and Sunken Dune Shrine maps) has received an overhaul, improving the visual quality of the ruins with more detailed floors, walls, columns, and more
Added decorative Egyptian boxes throughout tomb variations #1 and #2, which can also be smashed by the Mejai's spirit during the Destruction phenomenon
The particular evidence types each Mejai invokes has been rebalanced to be a maximum of 8 phenomena instead of 9. This ensures all six Mejai have the same number of possible phenomena
Updated tooltips when hovering over evidence in the PDA to reflect the new phenomena changes
The inner tomb door button will now be inactive unless a Mejai’s name has been selected
A usage hint will appear when picking up a tool for the first time for players who haven’t completed the tutorial or are below level 25
Items in the Shop will now list the player level required to unlock the tool’s next upgrade if the player has yet to prestige. The Shop has also received various design improvements, additions for clarity, and updated item descriptions where necessary
When a tool is turned on and then put away in your inventory, it will turn back on when re-equipped instead of being off
Player movement now has a smooth damping effect applied
Added right-hand idle animations when players aren’t moving but holding a tool
Added hand animation when holding a tool and looking left/right
Added 20 additional hints to the loading screens
Implemented audio occlusion for all Mejai
Updated the tutorial where applicable to reflect the new phenomena changes
Added rewards for first-time tutorial completion, including 200 gold and a Steam achievement
The Heka Amulet has received an additional charge per level
Additional precision has been added to player mic volume sliders
Added Halloween decorations to the lobby area
The map selection UI flow has been improved for a smoother experience
Player footsteps will now sound muffled when walking on carpeted surfaces
Improved the visuals when focusing on a document, including a depth of field background blur as well as better positioning/lighting
The Torch tool has received an additional 1m range of illumination.
PDA-related popups will now display the actual keybind selected by the player instead of "Default: L"
Volume normalization of global chat has been tuned in to help reduce cases of players with loud global chat volume input
Implemented a particle system performance optimizer for the more intense effects
New players who begin their first expedition without completing the tutorial will receive additional starting tips for a smoother initial experience
Improved the performance of VR raycasts when interacting with menus
When respawning as a human through Osiris' gate, the ground torch will be pre-lit for easier visibility. Note that the torch will remain unlit if the Mejai is Necreph and he has already physically manifested
Further accuracy and sensitivity has been added to the player volume bars
Added logic to help prevent players from being stuck on a black screen as the round ends
Fixed an issue that could cause players to fall through the floor during the lightning-cage ritual
Fixed an issue that would cause tools to turn off when taking out the PDA
Fixed an issue that allowed the Tablet to enter “selfie mode” while zoomed in one case
Fixed an issue that caused the radio to restart itself instead of continuing playback like a real radio when turned on / off
Fixed an issue in which the Golden Water Pot treasure could extinguish torches
Fixed an issue that allowed tools to bypass being turned off when being placed away in one’s inventory
Fixed an issue preventing VR players from prestiging
Fixed an issue that allowed for collectibles such as rare artifacts to spawn below the floor of tomb variation #3
Fixed an issue with the coloring of certain phenomena icons in the Evidence tab
Fixed an issue in which the Bloom effect would remain on while viewing menus
Fixed an issue in which flames from firestands, torches, and the lighter would ramp up too slowly
Fixed an issue where the sound of player footsteps would continue to play even when stopped moving
Fixed an issue that prevented players from being heard over global chat while their PDA was out
Fixed an issue in which large white blobs would appear at the water drains during the oasis tomb variation rituals
Fixed an issue that could result in canopic jars floating in the middle of a room when spawning in
Fixed an issue in which the player smart watch arm could remain out after death if active while dying
Fixed an issue with AI pathing related to the player's Y position
Fixed an issue in which the VR headlamp would audibly click off on death
Fixed an issue in which certain lore pages were out of order
Fixed an issue with VR players falling through the map when returning from the ritual room portal
Fixed an issue in which Ouphris would not flee to the correct location after being warded away with a Heka Amulet
Fixed an issue that caused mummies to be burned by ritual altar candles
Fixed an issue related to the out of bounds respawn point for the oasis maps