Phantasmal: City of Darkness
Update 15: Bug Fix Extravaganza!
The gamma/brightness has been a huge pain in the ass, but we have mostly fixed it.
Unfortunately as the settings were spread across 3 scenes and our implementation wasn’t very good, they conflicted with each other, so we’ve removed it from the intro area. ːsteamfacepalmː
It should by in large be working properly now, although there are a couple of final niggles we need to iron out.
Other fixes:
- Reticule changed to a dot to make it less intrusive
- Multiple changes/refinements to art assets
- Slight change to loading screen
- Fix to intro scene lighting
- Fixed effects for subsequent playthroughs of the game
- UI fixes (sometimes became too dark)
- Minor balancing tweaks
- Initial Unity Dialog box removed - now all resolution/quality settings are done in game
- More Voice Acting
As usual, we’ll continue to try to squash as many bugs as possible.
One you’ll notice is the floors in the sewers have missing textures so they will show up bright pink at the moment. We’ll try and rectify that sooner than later. The junkies also have a minor issue with their idle behaviour currently.
ːsteamfacepalmːːPhantasmalBoardː
Massive thank you to all our player for helping us out!
Fan shout outs
Thanks to sbobo3113 for his help and support.
Thanks to the following peepz for excellent screenshots! I'll be posting these up in our Facebook/Twitter soon.
Check them out here:
Phantasmal Facebook
- Fernando Esra
- Mystra
- siddNullus
- IronHam
- NECROCANNIBAL
We have a couple of additional easter eggs for the fans in the intro level - see if you can find them! ːPhantasmalEyeː
@Fernando Ezra & @Mystra, see if you notice anything different in the starting area ːPhantasmalSkullːːsteamhappyː
Update 14: Tons of New Achievements!
We've just released a set of new achievements, bringing the total from the original 10 to a much bigger 50+! :PhantasmalSkull:
Please feel free to look for them - most are shown but there are a few secret ones to look for too :PhantasmalEye:
Enjoy!
Ash
NB: We're still hard at work on the gamma issue - the bug is a bit deeper than what we anticipated, but we will fix it! :PhantasmalBoard: :PhantasmalBoard:
Update 13: A few more fixes
Just a quick deployment with some of the latest fixes:
- Fixed some incorrectly placed item spawns
- Out of breath sound reinstated
- Anims fixed up for Sniper & mp5
- VA added for end level and starting comics
- Journal note 1 added
- Map refined further to show T & X crossings
The gamma/brightness options are still a bit broken, but we are making progress. Apologies this one has been a right pain in the butt to correct - but bear with us, we will sort it out.
As recommended by Fernando, the clicking the hide UI checkbox will now also hide the cross hairs. You can now take screenshots with zero UI!
Note that we still have that previous bug that won't allow you to unhide the UI until you uncheck the box and restart - we are still working on that as well. One of the issues there is tied to the gamma problem (Arghh! Such an annoying bug!).
Player Shout Outs
Thanks to @Fernando Ezra and @Mystra for more amazing screenshots! They're so amazing we will be using some of them officially for our press material ːsteamhappyː
Thanks to @Iasperic for helping us identify a long-standing player data issue that has prevented proper shop purchases!
Thanks to @chillywilly2345 & @sbobo for more great suggestions and feedback in general!
We're so close to launch we can almost taste it :) Kind of freaking out now, but also super excited. Thanks to everyone for your ongoing support! ːsteamhappyː
Update 12, and Steam Full Release Date Announced!
We have another bug fix build! We're getting much closer now :)
The map now shows tiles within a greater radius
- A bug with the AI Director now stops creatures from spawning to close to you
- Mouse smoothing can now be turned off
- ALL player stats and progress can now be completely reset. It’s called Preferences Reset. You will be prompted “Are you sure” first.
- Gamma/Brightness Settings are still a bit janky since last build, but we are making some progress fixing it up. It’s now an exponential increase when when you adjust the slider.
- More achievements have been added
- Some bugs with cabinets not dropping items has been fixed (let us know if you notice any others)
- A bunch of new Voice Overs from the awesome Joe Kelly have been added to the journal sections and the intro. These aren’t all finished yet - and some more will be added over time.
Player Shoutouts!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Huge thanks to sbobo3113 for his helpful feedback! He has been with us since the beginning of our journey. His first build was the prealpha 0.36.33 way back when we were doing a kickstarter!!
As per usual there is still a list of bugs to work through (as well as a couple that have crept in, e.g. no out of breath sound currently), but we are working our way through.
We’ve now established a firm end date for full release on April 14th, so will be working hard to clean the game up for then.
If you enjoy the game, please give us a “Thumbs Up” in Steam, every vote and good review will help us, and allow us to keep working on the game, and many more in the future!
Thanks again guys, here on the team we can’t express how much we appreciate your support and your passion as gamers. This has been a lifelong dream for all of us to be able to make games. We couldn’t have gotten this far without each and every one of you awesome and amazing people - it’s an honor to make a game for you! ːsteamhappyːːsteamhappyːːsteamhappyː
EDIT: 5 Mar 2016
One major bug that has been introduced recently is around the gamma and brightness settings, which seems to reset itself. Apologies for this, we have set this to top priority to be fixed. For the time being, you can work around by setting it again if the changes don't stick.
Update 11: More Bug Fixes, and an Easter Egg!
We have some more bug fixes and improvements in this build.
All the junky animations have been upgraded, and their sound effects have been replaced. We’re not done with the junky yet! We plan on getting a couple of animations done in future too.
The menus and options have been a bit problematic lately, so we’ve started to tidy them up. We will be continuing to chip away at it.
We found some errors in level generation where stairs weren’t being placed, which made for some quite boring flat levels. This has mostly been fixed now so the verticality we had previously has been reinstated.
Creatures can now spawn from places you haven’t been to for a while.
For our top screenshotters @Mystra and @Fernando Esra, we have a little easter egg on the starting area which has their names on it - see if you can find it! :)
There are still a few bugs out there, and a couple of new ones that have popped up, but overall we are knocking them down pretty fast! As always, let us know if you see any new!
Note that you can take shots without the UI, but restoring the UI has a bug that is in the previous release note (along with the workaround).
Fan Shout Outs:
@Fernando Esra and @Mystra for taking some beautiful screen shots.
@Das Malefitz for being super helpful in assisting us with fielding questions to some people.
@Wooke for finding some great bugs!
Update 10: Bug Fixes and refinements
We've just put together a quick release. We found a serious memory error with the previous build, so we've put in some fixes to deal with it.
Thanks to @chillywilly2345 for confirming that bug and working with us to remedy it.
We've also included a change which will allow you to hide the UI for those of you who are keen on taking cleaner screenshots.
Thanks to @Fernando Esra and @Mystra for making the original suggestion!
Note that there is a current bug where you won't be able to unhide the UI. The workaround is that you will need to uncheck the hide box, and then restart the game.
There are a few other existing bugs (e.g. intro menu options and sound aren't functioning correctly), and a few new ones we found during the last week of testing, but we are working through all of them.
Thanks again for your patience guys! We're getting there! ːsteamhappyː
Ash
Update 9: Final Feature Build with Lots of New Content!
Exciting times!
We have reached a really important milestone: we have our feature complete build of the game ready before we move on to our bug fixing and refinement phase.
There are still some bugs to iron out and gameplay aspects to balance, but the core features are all there now.
We have a ton of new content and changes:
Creature variations
==============
The junkie and starvers now have 5 variations each so they have quite different textures as well as variations with their characteristics.
New level themes and other additions
===========================
- A new level theme has now been added which is quite different from from the default KWC levels.
- There are also now service lifts within each of the levels to give it that extra bit of variety.
- There is now a temple end level.
Many more room types have been added
Secret rooms
==========
There are a number of secret rooms to look for which will have a number of goodies inside!
Store bugs fixed
============
The issues with the store not retaining the player’s cash and stats has now been fixed.
UI
==
The UI has been vastly overhauled. The tentacles in particular look great now!
The Health bar has been improved too.
Story Threads
==========
It is now possible to complete the game several times which will advance the player in the story.
Other minor changes
===============
Small fix to prevent creatures with pathfinding from walking through solid doors
Lightning/rain removed from sewer level
Will have a current list of bugs to work through, but if you find any more, feel free to let us know!
Note that this includes fixing the animations for the junkies, which we will release soon.
And see if you can find some of the cool secret rooms!
We are planning on having a competition around this in the near future
ːsteamhappyː
Thanks again to all our supporters - we couldn't do this without you!
Update 8 Sneak Preview (and shoutout to our star supporters!)
Update 8 is on its way, and there are a ton of improvements incoming. As it is quite likely to be the final feature build before a refinement phase/extended beta, we're making sure that we get it right. It is a little delayed from what we originally had intended, but we're sure you'll be happy with it when we release it in the next couple of weeks or so.
Here is a little sneak preview of some of the main features!
https://youtu.be/twPrldtotyQ
Here is a quick run down of the main features:
- Greater variation for the AI director and general fixes to spawn locations. (e.g. much less spawning of creatures within your cone of vision and reduction of 'lag spikes')
- object clash sounds
- Integrated final Temple level
- Ragdoll disappearance fix
- New tutorial level
- Minimap can be turned off
- Minimap is now vastly improved (only shows areas you've been to and doesn't show the entire map on startup)
- Broken weapons added for all weapons
- Fixes to shop functionality
- UI Upgrades (e.g. tentacle textures upgraded, eye upgraded)
- Final game loop structure
- Updated journal content
- Upgrades to teh Junkie Animations
Huge thanks to some of our standout community members!
@Mystra for some fantastic screenshots! We wouldn't expect any less from the goddess of magic! ːsteamhappyː
@FernandoEzra for his amazing screenshots and ongoing support - the team loves you man! ːsteamhappyː
@WillWire for the great minimap suggestion
@Iasperic for his helpful feedback on the store and reset idea
@RyanJames, @TheHillsJaded and @Kirie for their feedback on the battery mechanic proposal
Ben Bonser for his fantastic art - which will feature in the journal notes.
Hopefully I've not forgotten anyone else, but thanks to everyone for their support, we couldn't do this without you! Feel free to remind me if there's any other credit due.
We're not far off the final full release, so excited!!! ːsteamhappyːːsteamhappyː
Update 7 is here finally after some delays
Thanks for your patience - this build took a bit longer than usual to push out. A lot of bugs came up which slowed us down.
We’ve got some really exciting new changes to the game!
For a video summary, feel free to check out my Dev Review:
https://youtu.be/-GDRADIGfFs
Apologies, I mention Update 8 in the video, but it is actually Update 7 only at the moment.
Sanity
=====
The core mechanics of sanity has been upgraded again to be a bit closer to one our favorite horror games Amnesia.
You can now restore your sanity in bright lights (e.g.. switchable lights, and fires). A sparkle will appear next to your Elder Sign, and you will see the sign itself start to darken.
Conversely, if you spend too much time in the complete darkness, after a few seconds your sanity will also begin to deteriorate. You’ll see reddish steam coming off your elder sign.
If you have your torch on, your sanity won’t drop any further, but it won’t go up either.
Having a lowered sanity will also mean that creatures will start spawning more frequently.
The blur effects now have also been capped off so it is still possible to see at maximum shock effect.
Light
===
Standing in brightly lit places previously wouldn’t change the creatures’ awareness of you. They are now able to notice you a lot more easily if you’re standing in bright lights.
Gameplay Balancing
===============
Previously, it would be quite easy to be killed by swarms of creatures.
It’s now possible to survive an attack, as base damage of creatures have been reduced. However most creatures will now also include a small amount of sanity damage in their attacks.
Weirdo Flee behaviour
================
If you attack the Weirdo/Creep, he will now run away briefly before returning to follow you around.
Remember that killing him will attract creatures in a large radius.
Intro Comic
=========
There will now be a intro comic that will start the first time you play the game. You can replay it again in the menu.
New Items
========
Pipe Bomb: You can now pick up a pipe-bomb which will attract creatures before exploding for massive damage. Just be sure not to be too close when it goes off!
Incense: This calms the Sleeper and reduces Ruckus to zero. You will also regain some sanity.
Other minor changes
===============
Small fix to prevent creatures with pathfinding from walking through solid doors
Lightning/rain removed from sewer level
Doors are a bit easier to open now
We had a few other changes that we wanted to push through, but unfortunately we ran right out of time.
Anyway, we hope you enjoy the latest build - let us know what you think!
Thanks to everyone for their great recommendations.
In particular here's a shout out to our top contributors for the month:
@Hive365 | ryanjames1411
@Mr DarkNeT
@Teapot
@lasperic
@Chillywilly2345
@Fernando Esra
@Snowfox
@ConVict -Q-
You all rock!!!! ːsteamhappyːːsteamhappyːːsteamhappyː
(Hopefully I didn't forget anyone - remind me if I did!)
Update 6 Major Changes!
We have a pretty hefty update for you this time. We’ve added a lot more new content and changed the dynamics of the game.
Here is the feature summary video
https://youtu.be/JBLABk79cQw
- Amazing new Voice Acting from Joeseph Kelly - many of the FPS sounds have been replaced, and there is the addition of dialog as you become more insane.
- Cash and Store: We now have a cash system and a store keeper! You can collect cash during the game which will be persistent even after death, which you can use to buy items and upgrades.
- New Map System: You can now see the basic layout of each level you’re on.
- Upgraded Sanity System: Rather than just a bit of screen wiggle, there are now many levels to insanity. The worse it gets, the more effects will come into play, such as auditory and visual hallucinations
- Random Events: The less sane you become, the more likely weird things will start happening around you.
- You can now shoot the sleeper when it’s chasing you to slow it down slightly. If you’re near the exit and need a second to get away, you can now do so. Don’t count on being able to slow him down significantly though - he still wants to turn you inside out!
- Weirdo creature: A new creature is harmless, but it will follow you around. If you kill him, he will attract all nearby creatures.
- Lighting changes: Switchable lights have been significantly decreased, while default lighting around the level has been increased.
- Updates to textures
As per usual, with this amount of content there are some new bugs introduced to the game. We will continue to hack away at the bugs, and run the game through continual testing. If you notice anything, please feel free to let us know!