The first major update for Ghostland Yard is now available! Named "The Submarine Base", this update brings a brand new world with his new race and boss, a new feature, some bug fixes and more!
Still inspired by the early access of Against the Storm developped by the amazing Eremite Games, we are going to indicate which changes were inspired by the community with a 💎
💎New feature: race mode
You can now race against your replay... or the replay of one of your friend! We added a new panel letting you chose if you want to just watch the replay, or race against it!
Do not hesitate to check the options menu to customize the look of the other "ghost" (it is not a ghost for technical reasons, maybe one day it will become a ghost but that is absolutely not planned for now)
New world: the submarine base
Explore a brand new world under the sea! Twenty new stages, one bonus stage and one boss are now available in this last update, with a brand new game mechanic!
Bug fixes and modifications:
💎Fixed the unlock race animation in the level selection menu which was not being played most of the time (still missing an audio feedback)
💎Fixed some spatialization issue on some sound effects
💎Added a windowed / fullscreen mode in the options
💎Fixed an issue on the 4th boss where the boss couldn't be caught by the slingshot
💎Removed some dangers zone on the 3-06
We are very proud to deliver today this major update, we still have a lot to do but we are getting closer to the v.1.0!
The next steps for us are to balance some levels with the data we gathered from the past weeks, finish the 6th World, polish and debug what we can and add the final cutscenes to the game.
We are still eager to hear your feedback, do not hesitate to use the "feedback" panel in game or to join us on discord. We are building this game for you the players, so if you like or dislike anything, let us know and we will see what we can do to improve your experience!
Talk to you soon!
Update 0.7.5.0
Ghostland Yard update 0.7.5.0 is now available! This update brings UX improvement on the replay panel and a windowed / fullscreen mode (resolution picker is coming someday)
The changes indicated with a 💎 were inspired by your feedback, thank you for your support!
💎Replay panel: -Added a button to play directly the current level, avoiding some tedious menu navigation
💎Options: -Added a windowed / fullscreen button
And some minor bugfixes
Update 0.7.4.3
Ghostland Yard update 0.7.4.3 is now available! This update brings bug fixes, a visual upgrade on the character, a new customization option and more!
The changes indicated with a 💎 were inspired by your feedback, thank you for your support!
VFX: -Fixed an issue where the VFX on the character didn't work after restarting a level
Navigation: -Fixed an issue where you could still navigate in the endpanel just after pressing the next or restart button
💎SFX: -Fixed an issue where you could disable all audio sources except the music while pressing start in a middle of a quick restart
💎Slingshot: -Fixed an issue where if you where grabbed by a slingshot while on a sticky platform, your first jump input wasn't ejecting you from the slingshot -Added a visual help on the slingshot
💎Mode speedrun: -Fixed an issue when restarting a "single world" speedrun changed the mode into "all world", and it wasn't cool
💎Dev medals: -Added the required time in the endpanel if you met the required conditions -Added the required time in the in-game timer (top left of the screen) if you met the required conditions
💎UI: -Added dualshock icons -Added nintendo switch icons
Main character: -Minors adjustments so the visuals better fit the player's collider -Added a rotation speed-based for Poe's hairs (it was really important) -Added a rotation orientation-based for Poe's face (it was even more important)
Options: -Added a color picker for Poe in the options -Minor fixes to harmonize the different options panels
Levels 403-408-410: -Changed some graphical assets to improve the level navigation (guidance)
Known issues: -Some text aren't changed in real time in the options menu, you have to exit then re-enter the menu to update the text language (will be fixed in the next patch)
We wanted to thank you again for every feedback you provide us, it is really, really helping us making the game better every day.
So far, it's been a pleasure discussing with you on the steam forum, discord or even twitch chat gathering comments about the game!
The first major update is on his way and should released at the end of the month, stay tuned!
Update 0.7.3.2
Ghostland Yard update 0.7.3.2 is now available! This update brings mostly bug fixes
Level 4-20: -Fixed a layer issue on a steel beam asset -Fixed the hidden path disappearance not disabling one of the sprites
Level selection menu: -Fixed the world 4 (mountains) race button not showing the required souls to unlock the stage
Credits: -Fixed broken english -Fixed name not written correctly (sorry Andréas)
Replay: -Fixed replay system: local replay is now saved only if it's a better time than the previous one
Endpanel: -You can now quickrestart at the end of a level in the endpanel -Changed the default feedback key binding (it's now left click stick)
Fix attempt:
Controller & Keyboard: -You could experience weird jumps if you were playing on a keyboard with a controller plugged-in, this was caused by very small drift on your controller, we added a small deadzone to avoid this issue
Update 0.7.3.1
Ghostland Yard update 0.7.3.1 is now available! This update brings bug fixes and few achievements!
Still inspired by the early access of Against the Storm developped by the amazing Eremit Games, we are going to indicate which changes were inspired by the community with a 💎
Fixes:
Level 3-12: -Fixed a layer issue on a rope asset
💎Level 4-13: -Fixed a layer issue on the hidden path
💎Speedrun mode: -Fixed an issue with the speedrun options being set back to default after the end of a run -Fixed an issue where the speedrun mode didn't quit properly -Fixed an issue where you could have a small offset between the timer of the first level and the total speedrun timer after restarting a run
💎Input remapping: -Fixed an issue where the directional keys (moving left or right) couldn't be remapped
Achievements:
Added achievement for unlocking one dev medal
Added achievement for defeating boss 1
Added achievement for defeating boss 2
Added achievement for defeating boss 3
Added achievemens for defeating boss 4
If you already met the conditions to unlock the achievements, you'll earn them once you start the game after the update.
Known issues:
Sometime, your best time isn't upload properly to the leaderboard. This is a steam issues -sometimes the upload just fails- and we are going to implement a safeguard, no ETA for this though.
You can't clear a default binding key and leave it empty
Update 0.7.2.0
Ghostland Yard update 0.7.2.0 is now available! This update brings bug fixes, balance changes and some quality-of-life improvements, thanks to your feedback!
Inspired by the early access of Against the Storm developped by the amazing Eremit Games, we are going to indicate which changes were inspired by the community with a 💎
💎 Level 1-03: -Fixed a lighting glitch on the foreground
💎 Level 1-13: -The animation on the door was not always triggering, fixed the size of the door trigger
Level 1-22 (Boss): -Changed the ending sor the transition between the boss and the next level feels less abrupt -Fixed size of particle system on falling columns in phase 2 and phase 3
Level 2-22 (Boss): -Added a 2nd type of rock for the final sprint
💎Level 3-17: -Fixed the size of a collider of the first air blower
💎Level 4-13: -Changed the layout right before the hidden path, it's no longer possible to take it in the wrong direction -Changed the gold and dev time to fit the new layout -⚠The old time is invalidated, you will see a 39'59'99 display in game and the steam leaderboard for this level is wiped obtained medal
💎World 4 - The Mountains: -Added a light on each door to improve visibility
💎End panel: - Fixed a bug where you made the exact same time as the medal and the panel didnt show you the - Fixed text display "watch friend replay" - Fixed text display for the bonus level
💎All the panels: -Fixed gamepad icon display issue
💎Dev medals: -You can now see the required time for the dev medals in the level selection panel once you beat the game once or if you used the "unlock all levels" in the options or if you already unlocked the dev medal
💎Pause menu: -Now display the name of the actual level
Early access launch
It's live!
It's happening: Ghostland Yard is now live in early access on Steam!
We are really happy to launch the game in early access, it's been a long journey and this is not over yet! Thank you for all the early buyers, your support is really important for us.
We already get tons of feedback and are working on the first minor update which will fix some issues. Our priority is to fix the game breaking bugs, fix the minor ones, improve the user experience while working on the first major update to deliver the 5th world in the coming weeks!
Thank you again for your support, do not hesitate to jump into our discord or to leave a feedback on the steam forum (or in game, there's a dedicated panel for that!)
Talk to you soon,
Thibault
Early access
Hi everyone,
Today, I’m going to talk about the release of the game and the future of Ghostland Yard. The game was originally scheduled to be released in February 2023, which was later postponed to the end of March 2023. At Obelisk Studio, we have certain values that are very important to us, one of which is none other than transparency. So let’s be transparent:
We cannot release Ghostland Yard in v.1.0 at the end of March 2023 with the level of quality we want to get.
The hazards of video game production - and life in general - force us to change our plans, and we are sincerely sorry that we have failed to stick to the planned schedule. We seriously looked at our various options and those were the three major possibilities that emerged:
Maintain release in Q1 2023, but release with pain an unfinished product, with lack of polish and try to correct and fix the flaws afterwards
Postpone the release for several weeks/months, but this implies a big reorganisation of our plans and puts the future of Obelisk Studio in danger
Release the game very soon in early access and assume that the game is not finished, and finish it with the help and support of the community
The early access option turns out to be the best decision for us to make at the moment. It was not planned - we had already studied this opportunity a year ago and decided not to go out in early access - but we have no better option to propose.
We therefore announce that Ghostland Yard will be released in early access on March 28, 2023 on Steam! You will have in this early access version:
World 1 with his race and boss (22 levels in total)
World 2 with his race and boss (22 levels in total)
World 3 with his race and boss (22 levels in total)
World 4 with his race and boss (22 levels in total)
The friend leaderboard
Replay mode
Speedrun mode
The introduction cinematic of the game
Early access on PC will help us deliver a quality 1.0 version - both on PC and consoles - while thanking PC buyers for their help and participation in this early access.
Here is the roadmap for this early access:
Early access involves several things:
A reduced early access price compared to the release price: if you buy a product that is not finished, you do not have to pay full price, it seems to us the least of things. In order to thank buyers for early access, we think we will reduce the game by about 30% compared to its final price (we had envisaged a price between €11.99 and €14.99, if we release in early access, the game would be around €9 to €10).
A roadmap with predefined updates: we have proven through the various updates of the demo that we are able to propose improvements and additional content regularly. I must specify that we will not increase the scope of the project during early access but we will take advantage of it to refine and finish the content originally planned.
Special listening to community feedback: in addition to transparency, we believe in design through iteration. Feedback have always had a central place in the development of Ghostland Yard, and with a early access, we will take as many returns as possible into account to improve the quality of our game. We must not forget that we make this game for you, the players.
So compared to what we still have to produce on the game:
The world 5: is realized in terms of level design as well as visuals, it lacks a little visual and sound polish, it will be implemented 4 weeks after the start of the early access
World Boss 5: playable, need some more work on the visual aspect
The world 6: is realized in terms of level design, need some more level art work, it will be added 8 weeks after the early access start
The Boss of the World 6: is being developed
Cinematics: we are on it, each of them require several days of work
The apocalypse world: work has begun! As these are the classic levels revisited, we do not start from scratch, but several weeks of work are still needed.
Race mode: is about 50% complete
In addition to the tasks we still have to do, early access will allow us to correct and modify certain elements of the game that do not seem qualitative enough (while respecting the initial vision of the game).
For those who are not familiar with early access, know that the game will come out while it is still in development. If you want to play the fully finished version of the game, it is wiser to wait for its final release in a few months before buying it.
We are aware that some of you may be disappointed to see the 1.0 release postponed for several months, know that we do not take this decision lightly.
Know that no matter what the future holds, Ghostland Yard will be released in v.1.0 on PC and Nintendo Switch. We just can’t guarantee the final release date accurately, but we are doing our best.
If you want to play early, you will be able to play the game in early access at the end of the month, March 28 2023 to be precise!
Talk to you soon,
Thibault
Demo update
Hi everyone,
The Steam Next Fest is coming to an end, thanks again for your attention to our project! Your feedback are very valuable to us, and as we approach the end of the production, we are redoubling our efforts to incorporate changes based on your feedback.
Here is the list of changes made to the demo:
Fix a problem with the “New best” text on the end of level panel where the text was sometimes displayed when it was not a new record
Fixed condition of getting 100% of the demo: it activated a soul too soon, oops
Added option to enable or disable shake cam
Added option to enable or disable joystick vibrations
Added option to limit FPS without going through V-Sync
Added option to enable or disable V-Sync
Added a “next level” button on replay panels at the end of levels
Added navigation caption to leaderboard panels
Replay system change: - Replay files now take much less space on disk - Replay recordings are now independent of the framerate, there will no longer be stuttering on replays recorded with low FPS - Added retry download system for steam to make three attempts to load a replay
Nerf of the world 2 bonus race: the gate is less difficult to reach and its collision zone much bigger
Changing visuals of the ventilation areas: we are in the process of reworking them 100%, this version is temporary and aims to improve the game playback
Added a shakecam when boss 3 takes damage
Added a shakecam when boss 3 performs his laser attack
Added maximum speed on boss 3 projectiles
Fix projectile shots at the beginning of phase 2 and phase 3: it is no longer possible for the boss to fire as soon as he changes phase
Most of the additions and fixes were made thanks to your feedback, do not hesitate to tell us what you think about the game on the steam forum, on our discord or on twitter!
We are looking forward to offering you the final version of the game - which should be coming very soon - and to letting you know the release date. If we manage to meet the deadlines, the game should be ready by March!
In the meantime take care of yourself,
Thibault
Hotfix
Hello everyone,
Thanks to the intervention of two French streamers @Kepin and @Seldell, we realized that a very important problem was present in the demo of Ghostland Yard.
The times displayed at the end of the levels had something... odd. It was very difficult for some people to beat the times of their friends, while the jump curves were perfect and the paths taken were very optimal.
We investigated and created a dedicated test scene to confirm the following hypothesis: "the calculation of time is f****d".
And indeed, the time calculation was slightly broken. Without going into details, you could, by redoing exactly the same inputs, have a 1 frame offset on your time of one level.
For example, if you were at 144 frames per second and you were performing a level in 10 seconds, you should theoretically perform that level in 1440 frames. But sometimes not, the time indicated was 1441 frames, and at 144fps, 1 frame = about 7ms.
This problem also existed with a low framerate, which could create a time lag of more than a tenth of a second, which was not at all fair play.
One of our programmers @Amédée quickly identified and fixed the problem, the times are now perfectly consistent between the different runs, but now the accuracy of the times has been reduced to the hundredth and not the thousandth.
I promised in the post written Monday announced that the removal of leaderboards was normally the last...
...we will remove the times recorded before the start of steam next fest in order to put everyone on an equal footing, because some times recorded with the new calculation mode are no longer physically feasible. The wipe of the leaderboard will be effective as soon as this post goes live.
I am truly sorry for the inconvenience, your local backups will not be impacted, but your times will no longer be saved on the steam servers, and therefore, your replays cannot be launched by your friends.
To take advantage of the latest modifications on the recorded times, we invite you to delete your save in the options
Know that we work hard to make the game as pleasant as possible for its release. Do not hesitate to send us your feedback, they are not only very valuable for us, but also taken into account!
Here is a list of changes since the last release:
Fixed a layer issue where the boss laser gun was rendered on the foreground of the sides of the arena
Fixed a feedback problem in options where when the player was trying to remap a key, all keys displayed the selection feedback
Added R and F keys to navigate in the leaderboard (in addition to page up and page down keys)
Changing fan areas visuals worldwide 3, should be more visible now
Fixed camera for boss 3, boss 3 wasn’t supposed to move with player, oops
Added a visual effect on the medals at the top left of the screen in the classic levels when the target time passes from one medal to another
Added a sound effect when you earn a medal on the end panel
Added a sound effect to the buttons validation in the end level panel
Added caption for return key in main menu
The following is a list of known and unresolved issues at this time:
Some players may encounter stuttering if you have more than 70fps, we have not yet found the cause of the problem, but we are on it
A graphical glitch may appear on the end of world level 2 panel, a piece of carpet that has nothing to do here and that is driving me f*****g crazy
The big mushrooms in the first world lost their dangling stuff :'( I broke the shader this afternoon, but we're on it!
