Here’s a look at some cool things being worked on.
Koala Art
The koala characters are coming along nicely, having the animations implemented.
Angler Fish Swimming
Anglerfish now have the ability to swim!
New Font
We’ve updated the font being used - to one that has much higher readability. We’re simplifying the presentation of the text moving away from the randomized per character colour and sticking with a more consistent and less prominent shadow colour.
Kicking
Its always fun to be able to give each other a little nudge. We’re kicking ourselves we didn’t do this sooner.
Hand Holding
Sometimes trying to be in sync is a little hard. Grab hold and move together, or reluctantly be dragged into the void. Hand holding will allow characters to join hands and move like they are one under single control, but feel free to break away at any point.
Stay Up to Date
Come join us on Facebook Tweet to us on Twitter Find us on Instagram Come join us in Discord
Need a Friend?
You could try using Parsec [parsecgaming.com] Because Lanterns is currently only local-coop, If your friends are too far away, Parsec is a great way to play local games online. Parsec is free and relatively easy to setup.
- The Artefact Team
Hey, it’s been a while
We’ve been pretty quiet for some time and are very sorry about that. We’re going to rectify that by getting back on the communications and keeping everyone up to date. We still really want to deliver this game. A lot of things have changed while we’ve been working on Lanterns, for example, when we started we didn’t all have full time jobs, we do now. Juggling work, life stuff and trying to finish a fully fledged game is tricky, but we are still tinkering away to make sure Lanterns gets out the door and is super enjoyable. Hopefully this little update gives a glimpse into what we’re working with.
Any other challenges?
We had some challenges locking down our art direction but have rejigged some of the vision and are pushing forward with new assets to bring the game to life. We’re a bit behind where we want to be, however the team has been flexible and is moving forward.
Some of the team also experienced personal loss and the challenges that come with that over the last 9 months. This isn’t so much of an excuse but it’s worth mentioning.
So when can I play the thing?
We want Lanterns to be in your hands well before Christmas but looking to release by Thanksgiving.
A couple things we’ve been working on:
Character Art
Few comments on the direction -maintaining some the feel of our old placeholder art but trying to bring a little more detail and character to our brave anthropomorphs. We mentioned art style before and we have developed the pixel art style to be a little more detailed and capture a bit more personality.
Content
With some of our in house tech sorted out and our art being locked down our levels will be reworked and mostly remade to feel more like a full game. Many of the levels in the current build are test levels for how our mechanics work and often make the difficulty curve feel janky. We’ll smooth that out as we rebuild the content structure over the next couple months.
There's a few more things we're playing with behind the scenes but we'll lift the curtain again soon.
If you got this far, thanks for reading. We really appreciate those who have kept encouraging us and stuck with us all this time. If you have any feedback for us feel free to drop us a line via Steam or our Discord server.
- The Artefact Team
Lanterns Update v0.7.0
Lanterns Update v0.7.0
In this post PAX POX Lanterns update:
{
Character Set Collectables
Each character set now has Character Set Collectables (CSC). These collectables count towards unlocking a new character set. Character Select portals in the character select level now show the amount of CSC's required to unlock the next character set. Portals in level selects show which levels contain a CSC.
New - Character Set Collectable Sprites & Animations.
New - Character Set Collectable Particles.
New - Character Set Collectable Trails.
New - Character Set Collectable UI Feedback.
Updated - Character Select Portals include CSC progress.
Updated - Level Select Portals to include CSC progress.
All character sets are still currently unlocked and playable - but collecting them will still accumulate progress - for when progression is refined and complete.
Miscellaneous Changes
Drastically increased the Lantern recharge rate for Axolotl, Moth and Anglerfish.
Updated the (controller) Lantern ray activation threshold.
Added a radial image to the tutorialisation image of player resetting in tutorial phase 3.
Dissolving blocks now have a transparent representation of where the original block is.
Morphing blocks now have a small delay before morphing (expanding and shrinking).
Added a confirm quit game UI panel.
Updated transitions between levels from a simple fade in and out to different (randomised) patterns.
Coloured coins now have a highlight every few seconds.
Re-arranged and increased the size of the main character select level.
Re-arranged tutorial sequence. Last phase tutorialises Character Set Collectables and unlocks play of Koala character set.
Audio
Updated spring block SFX.
Updated head bump SFX.
Updated portal opening SFX.
Updated checkpoint activation SFX.
Bug Fixes
AI collisions now properly kills the player.
Player reset particles now spawn in the correct position.
Character Select - Fox portal now has correct sprites above.
Characters no longer slide with minimal (controller) joystick movement.
Morph blocks now have a transparent sprite to show the rest of the block.
Spring blocks ignores player jump input.
Character head bump particles / audio feedback function again.
Character sprites now accurately walk on top of blocks.
}
What's To Come?
Known Issues
Missing Playstation 4 Controller support - We're in the process of updating controller support entirely which will result in many more controllers being compatible with the game.
The last level of Axolotl character set has issues with standing on the sideways sensor blocks.
Full screen/Windowed mode toggling/Cursor issues.
Coloured degrading blocks are lacking the visual of dissolving.
Finishing the last level in a character set doesn't revert to the Character Select level - instead continues to the first level of the next character set.
Level Editor This will be a lengthy process - but we hope to keep everyone informed on the progress being made.
Levels Refined level progression and level sets for all characters. We'll also be in the process of removing all of the current level set and replacing them with more permanent levels. Theres a good chance that a lot of the current levels in v0.7.0 will start to be shifted into an archive location or completely removed.
You could try using Parsec [parsecgaming.com]
Because Lanterns is currently only local-coop, If your friends are too far away, Parsec is a great way to play local games online. Parsec is free and relatively easy to setup.
- The Artefact Team
Lanterns Hotfix Update v0.6.1
In this Lanterns hotfix update:
{
Bug Fixes
Morphing blocks not responding to Lantern rays or auras.
Fox Character set - Lantern aura turns off when lantern charge is zero. (Fixed not turning off on level reload).
Playable characters slipping off corners of blocks.
Turret projectile lifetime tweaked per level.
Inverted blocks glow sprite not showing.
Minor Changes
Fox Character set - Lantern recharge collectables now respawn when a playable character dies.
AI has had an improvement on its path-finding ability.
Spring blocks now launch just a little bit higher.
}
- The Artefact Team
Lanterns Is Going To PAX Aus
We're proud to announce that Lanterns will be showcased at PAX Australia. If you're making your way to Melbourne in October, make sure to come and visit us on the PAX Rising floor!
Lanterns Update v0.6.0
Lanterns Update v0.6.0
In this Lanterns update:
{
Character Art
All Character art has been updated to make the Lantern centred to the characters body.
New + Updated - Koala Character Set Art.
New + Updated - Axolotl Character Set Art.
Updated - Moth Character Set Art.
Updated - Anglerfish Character Set Art.
Updated - Fox Character Set Art.
Removed - Skull Characters. (This was going to be the Owl set)
Removed - Original Character Set.
Character Sets & Progression
Character Sets in (intended) play order is:
Koala Set - No Lantern charge depletion rate.
Axolotl Set - Lantern charge depletion rate introduced.
Moth Set - Lantern Aura deactivated when Ray is active.
Anglerfish Set - No Aura, only Ray.
Fox Set - No Lantern re-recharge rate. Re-charge by collectibles.
Enemy
[First Pass] We've added an enemy. It has a specific area which it patrols in and will only begin pursuit if revealed by a lantern. Once revealed it will not stop until all players have exited the patrol zone or have been caught. It's only the first pass of the enemy, so its movement might be a bit clunky or make some silly moves.
New - Enemy Art.
New - Enemy Patrol Zone Art - Web.
Tutorial Sequence
A 6 phase tutorial sequence has been added to the start of the game. This tutorial sequence will automatically load the first time the game is being played. For now, existing lanterns players will be presented with this sequence next time the game is booted. After the sequence has been completed, normal game play will resume.
There's a smaller door (with Lanterns) on the right hand side of the Character Select Level which will replay the tutorial sequence at any time.
Koala Character Set Levels
Koala character set now has 20 playable levels.
Fox Character Set Levels
Fox character set now has 5 (new) playable levels.
Recharge Collectible
Updated - Lantern Recharge Collectible Art.
New - Particle Effects for Lantern Recharge Collectible.
Device Input UI Panel
[Functionality] Added Functionality for Device Assign. This panel now allows players to choose who plays Red and who plays Blue and on what (available) input device. Apply can be pressed when changes have been made - characters will respond to the new input device assigned to them when the pause menu is closed. Switching input device won’t immediately effect how the UI is navigated - it will apply after the the menu is closed and reopened.
Screen Resolution UI Panel
[Preparation] In the pause menu > options, there is a new button [Screen Res]. This button opens a panel where the screen resolution settings can be adjusted. Full Screen works, but adjusting the screen resolution won’t actually change the screen resolution at this point.
Cursor Size UI Panel
In the pause menu > options, there is a new button [Cursor Size]. This button opens a panel where players who are using a keyboard and mouse to play can change what size the cursor is on screen.
New - Red Cursor.
New - Blue Cursor.
Self Destruct Input Visualisations
Keyboard / Xbox & PlayStation Gamepad visualisations have been added. These can be seen in the tutorial sequence - Phase 5.
Bug Fixes
Checkpoint Candle Fire Visualisation Layer Issue.
Lanterns Staying on after death.
5th Character Set audio cue turning on lantern with zero charge.
}
What's To Come?
Level Editor A level editor is one of our next predominant tasks to tackle. This will be a lengthy process - but we hope to keep everyone informed on the progress being made.
Levels More refined levels for each of the character sets. These levels will start to hone in on the specialties of each character set accompanied by mechanics that suit them best.
Door Audio There's an audio issue with doors at the moment. All door audio has been temporarily disabled. This will be fixed in a hot fix in the coming days.
You could try using Parsec [parsecgaming.com]
Because Lanterns is currently only local-coop, If your friends are too far away, Parsec is a great way to play local games online. Parsec is free and relatively easy to setup.
- The Artefact Team
Lanterns Update v0.5.0
Lanterns Update v0.5.0
In this fortnightly update: {
All Levels Unlocked
[Temporary] All levels have been unlocked so everyone has full access to all the levels. Our progression will be changing drastically over time and we will start to lock levels and return to a refined level / game progression system when the time is right.
Fifth Character Set
We've added a fifth character set. This character set is currently using the original character art. This set's lantern charge does not regenerate. There is a new collectable which restores lantern charge.
Moth Character Set - 6 New Levels
Moth character set now has 6 (new) playable levels and can be navigated to by either:
Finishing the last level in the Owl set levels (temporary Skull Character Set).
The level select door within character selecting.
Angler Fish Character Set - 29 New Levels
Angler Fish character set now has 29 playable levels and can be navigated to by either:
Finishing the last level in the Moth set levels.
The level select door within character selecting.
Device Input UI Panel
[Preparation] In the pause menu > options, there is a new button [Device Assign]. This button opens a panel where players (in a future update) will be able to select what input device they use to play Lanterns with. Players will be able to choose who plays Red and who plays Blue and on what (available) input device.
Self Destruct Input
A new button/key input has been added. On controller this is Y/Triangle, on keyboard it's R. After holding for one second this simulates a playable character dying.
Coin Collection - Door Landing Particles
When a coin is collected and has zoomed towards the door/s - they now create a particle system that explodes within the door frame.
Door Portal Transparency
When doors are activated - their portal now fades in from invisible to fully visible.
Bug Fixes
Fixed wisp transforming into character sets getting stuck in blocks.
Fixed the origin position of angler fish character set's lantern ray, to flip with character facing direction.
Fixed level select UI buttons to load correct levels.
}
What's To Come?
Levels More levels for each of the character sets.
Revised Angler Fish Character Art New Angler Fish character art is in the works. The lure will be centred so the flipping doesn’t effect the ray.
New Game Tutorialisation A new game tutorialisation sequence is in the works. This will only be required to be completed once before core content playability is available. The tutorial sequence will be for first time game play, but will always be available to return to.
Self Destruct Input Visualisation Working on a solution to visualise the input of self destructing.
You could try using Parsec [parsecgaming.com] Because Lanterns is currently only local-coop, If your friends are too far away, Parsec is a great way to play local games online. Parsec is free and relatively easy to setup.
- The Artefact Team
Lanterns Update v0.4.0
Lanterns Update v0.4.0
Hey all, sorry it's been quiet over the last month. There's been a lot of development and tinkering happening behind the curtain. Get ready for new and exciting things!
In this monthly update:
{
Death Particles
When a playable character dies - they now create a particle system that quickly moves towards their respawn location.
Coin Collection Particles
When a coin is collected - they now create a particle system that quickly moves towards the door/s present within the level. If there are multiple doors - each particle system will chain to every door within the level.
Collected Coins UI
When a coin is collected - a counter for the player who collected it fades in underneath their lantern bar, increments, then fades away.
Full Lantern Recharge On Death
When a playable character dies - their lantern charge rapidly recharges to full.
}
What's To Come?
Character Update We have some major design changes in the works that will add a lot of variety to game play - in the form of new playable characters and character specific mechanics.
Anthropomorphised Playable Character Sets:
Foxes
Owls (Currently represented as the skull character set)
Moths
Angler Fish
Please note this is not final and has the potential to change.
Level Progression
Currently - lanterns has about 75 playable levels worth of content. It has a very linear progression - and as the game goes on, new mechanics are implemented and slapped on the end of the existing content. It hasn't been tailored in any way. We're getting to the stage in development now where we're going to start refining this progression, especially now the content updates will be related to new character sets. The current levels within the game won't just disappear - they'll remain safe for a long while, if not forever as some of the original content. Although we'll be drawing inspiration for the new content and progression based off our findings and experiences with these levels.
One Last Mechanic
In the recent changes you will notice content updates that include many new mechanics and ways that lanterns light effect and interact with blocks and other objects within the world. There's one more to go - that isn't in this update but will be in one, in the near future. We've prototyped all of the mechanics we set out to, that we felt fit with the game nicely. There were also a few that didn't make the cut. We haven't forgotten about them and they're definitely stored for later on down the track just in case.
Let Us Know What You Think
If you've played the game, seen any content online, have any opinions or feedback with what's currently in the game or where it's heading - Let Us Know. We'd love to hear your thoughts or ideas.
You could try using Parsec [parsecgaming.com]
Because Lanterns is currently only local-coop, If your friends are too far away, Parsec is a great way to play local games online. Parsec is free and relatively easy to setup.
- The Artefact Team
Lanterns Update v0.3.0
Lanterns Update v0.3.0
In this fortnightly update:
{
Coloured Doors Like the regular door - except these individual doors only allow the same coloured player to activate it. Rather than needing both Red & Blue - The door frame colour determines which colour it needs.
Turrets We've added turrets that shoot projectiles at constant intervals. There are normal (always visible), red, blue and purple turret variations.
Blocks
New - Morphing Blocks.
New - Sensor Blocks.
New - Spiked Sensor Blocks.
Block, Turret & Door Art
New - Door Frame (Red & Blue).
New - Turret Art.
New - Turret Projectile Art.
New - Morph Block Art.
New - Sensor Block Art.
New - Spiked Sensor Block Art.
25 New Levels! New levels that showcase coloured doors, turrets, morph blocks, sensor blocks and the new block & spike types.
More levels select doors within Level Select Master and it's subsequent doors that link to levels. If you can complete the last two levels, let us know, They're a bit experimental!
Extra Bits and Bobs
Updated checkpoint VFX and SFX - to make them a little more obvious when activated.
Fixed some blocks that were displaying the incorrect sprites when in certain states of activation.
Merged all of the player related sounds into the SFX grouping. Removed player audio grouping from UI > Audio Panel.
Need a Friend? Because Lanterns is currently only local-coop, and sometimes you're in need of a friend but don't have one at the ready. You could try using Parsec [parsecgaming.com]
- The Artefact Team
Lanterns Update v0.2.0
Lanterns Update v0.2.0
In this fortnightly update:
{
Coloured Coins Like regular coins - except these coins require a light type to be visible and collected. They function the same as normal blocks that go from invisible to visible when the correct light type is shone on it. There's a constant sparkle on each of the coloured coins - so their location is visible.
Block & Spike Types
New - Inverted Spikes.
New - Degrading Blocks.
New - Spring Blocks.
New - Pivot Blocks.
New - Rotation Blocks (Free).
New - Rotation Blocks (Motorised).
Block & Spike Art
Updated - Normal (coloured) blocks now all have the same art.
Updated - Spikes now all have the same art.
New - Moving Blocks Art.
New - Inverting Blocks Art.
New - Absorbing Blocks Art.
New - Degrading Blocks Art.
New - Spring Blocks Art.
New - Pivot Blocks Art.
New - Rotation Blocks (Free) Art.
New - Rotation Blocks (Motorised) Art.
27 New Levels! New levels that showcase coloured coins and the new block & spike types.
More levels select doors within Level Select Master and it's subsequent doors that link to levels.
Collected Coins UI Collected Coins UI for each player has been added in the pause menu. It is located underneath the player death count UI. These numbers increment every time a player collects a coin.
Extra Bits and Bobs Tweaked some level designs.
Existing level design tweaks.
File saving system that works for preparation with Steam Cloud.
This may reset game progress. We apologise for any inconveniences caused
Need a Friend? Because Lanterns is currently only local-coop, and sometimes you're in need of a friend but don't have one at the ready. You could try using Parsec [parsecgaming.com]
