Moving Forwards | Development Preview #12 | 26/07/23
Welcome back, we've got some news for you!
Any information and images are Work In Progress (WIP) and may change drastically before releasing
Here's a breakdown of some of the major progression changes coming with the update:
Experience and money
Experience and money values are now tied, if you earn $100, you'll also be earning 100xp. Nice and simple.
The amount of money and experience you'll be earning has skyrocketed when compared to the live version of the game. Individual values have been tweaked (like moving the bone out of the reward multiplier) to make gameplay feel more rewarding and encourage players to complete the main objectives.
Money, money, money...
Levelling and prestiging
Each level's required experience increases as you level, and that amount increases further the closer you get to level 100. For example; you'll need 100xp to get from level 1 to 2, but over 5000xp to get from level 99 to 100.
When you finally reach level 100 you'll be presented with a choice:
Continue playing as you are, levelling past 100*
Or at any time, you can opt to prestige; resetting your money, level and equipment, in favour of gaining an additional Loadout Slot, a new unique badge and title for your ID card, and a new patch for your player's arm
Consumables
With the equipment system, some items will be labelled [CONSUMABLE] in the shop. If one of these items is used at all during a contract, it will need to be rebought** when you return to the lobby. Some upgrades for consumable items actually remove the need to rebuy them each time too!
Some of you may remember in our Ultraviolet preview that we mentioned Salt specifically, so we thought it was time to dive deeper into some details.
As you know, with the new Ultraviolet changes, Salt will become an aid in gathering evidence. If your ghost isn't feeling interactive enough and just won't touch a door or window, you can place some Salt and gather Footprints instead!
With Equipment Upgrades, Salt is a little more useful than it was previously:
Tier I is the Ghost Huntin' Salt shaker, it can place two piles per canister, and you can bring three canisters into each contract. The Footprints created by stepping in this pile will act in the same way as fingerprints for that ghost e.g. an Obake may leave fewer footprints than other ghosts!
Tier II is a wooden container filled with a special pink Himalayan Salt. With its larger capacity, you can place three piles down, but instead of a small spot, you can place a line of salt, perfect for blocking doorways or corridors.
Tier III brings lots more to the table: A glass bottle filled with a custom blend of Black Salt that has been blessed.
If a ghost steps in this during its passive state, it will be repelled back the way it came. Allowing you to effectively trap a ghost in its room if you place the salt correctly.
During the ghost's hunting state; if a ghost passes through this special salt, it will be slowed down considerably for a short time.
This poor Oni didn't stand a chance:
* to a maximum of level 999
** an auto-refill button will be added to the loadout screen, so you don't need to manually buy things after every contract.
That's it for Development Preview #12. We'll catch you with some more teasers soon!
If you experience any issues or want to give feedback, please join the official Phasmophobia Discord: https://discord.gg/phasmophobia
Thanks,
The Kinetic Games Team
Phasmophobia is finally coming to consoles!
We heard you loud and clear, and now it's finally coming...
Phasmophobia will enter Early Access for consoles on Xbox One Series X | S, PlayStation 5, and PlayStationVR2 this August. Keep your eyes peeled for a more detailed release date in the coming weeks.
When Phasmophobia launches on consoles it will start with the Progression 2.0 update, and be updated regularly alongside the PC version with content and bug fixes.
Reporting and player bans will work across all platforms, and we've added the ability to block other players from the journal, which will mute them indefinitely until you unblock them.
Lastly, all platforms will feature optional crossplay, and players can see which platforms their teammates are playing on by the icon displayed on their ID card.
We hope you're just as excited as we are to welcome in a new community of Ghost Huntin' Investigators!
A preview of the ID Cards showing platform icons
If you experience any issues or want to give feedback, please join the official Phasmophobia Discord: https://discord.gg/phasmophobia
Thanks,
The Kinetic Games Team
Ultraviolet | Development Preview #11 | 19/05/23
Welcome back, we've got some news for you!
Any information and images are Work In Progress (WIP) and may change drastically before releasing
Fingerprints have been one of the more reliable evidence types in Phasmophobia. But we felt it could have a few things adjusted to make it feel more immersive, more fun in certain situations (we're looking at you High-School gym...), and more interactive.
Firstly, we've renamed 'Fingerprints' to 'Ultraviolet'. The main reason was to address getting Fingerprints in some of those more open areas that are really frustrating for players. If your ghost refused to move somewhere with doors or other interactables, you might never get that Evidence!
To remedy this, if a ghost steps into a Salt Pile* it will now only show Footprints if it has Ultraviolet Evidence! Non 'Ultraviolet' ghosts will still step in the pile and give you the initial photo, and Wraiths will still never step in the pile.
Next, we found that taking photos of Fingerprints and Footprints never made much sense. You would see the print with your UV light, put it away, then proceed to take a photo of nothing.
With Progression 2.0, we've added UV charging:
When shining a UV light onto Fingerprints or Footprints, you will still see it straight away, but additionally, the light will charge up the print. After putting your UV light away, the print will stay visible for a short period (depending on how long you charged it for), allowing you to take a photo**!
Tier I is the Glowstick, after snapping it to turn it on, it projects a short-range area light that lasts around one minute before dimming***.
Tier II is a UV Flashlight with a brighter, longer range, narrow spotlight, boasting a much faster UV charge time!
Tier III is the UV Light Pro, a chunky flashlight that has a much brighter and wider cone of light, as well as an even quicker charge time! Perfect for locating Ultraviolet Evidence quickly on a larger scale!
*Salt Piles will also be getting some neat new features which you'll have to wait and see for yourself soon. What could they be?
**This also fixes the major issue of trying to sell off your blank photos to Ghost Huntin' Distribution and expecting reasonable payment!
***You can always give it another shake to give it some extra life!
That's it for Development Preview #11. We'll catch you with some more teasers soon!
If you experience any issues or want to give feedback, please join the official Phasmophobia Discord: https://discord.gg/phasmophobia
Thanks,
The Kinetic Games Team
Tempest | Hotfix v0.8.1.7
The Slow And Steady weekly challenge will now have the correct hunt settings
If you experience any issues or want to give feedback, please join the official Phasmophobia Discord : https://discord.gg/phasmophobia Thanks,
The Kinetic Games Team
Progression 2.0 Development Preview #10 | 12/05/23
Welcome back, we've got some news for you!
Any information and images are Work In Progress (WIP) and may change drastically before releasing
We've had a lot of questions about how Equipment Upgrades will actually work in-game, so this week we're showing you some WIP images on the UI, and how you'll be upgrading your ghost-hunting items!
As everyone will be reset back to level 1 (prestige 1), you'll have to start fresh with little money, and only Tier I starter items to complete your contracts. As you complete contracts you'll level up, earn more money than ever, and start to unlock new equipment items in the shop.
As you progress, certain levels will unlock the ability to purchase different Equipment Upgrades. To Upgrade an item you'll need to save up some cash, (as upgrades aren't cheap!) but fear not, each tier of equipment costs the same amount to bring into the contract. Once an upgrade is paid for, it's permanently unlocked, unless you Prestige of course.
For example:
EMF readers always cost $45, regardless of Tier
Upon reaching level 20 you'll have the option to upgrade from Tier I to Tier II
Save up some money and upgrade
When adding your Equipment, choose which Tier you want to bring!*
Upgrades are a choice, if you die often and don't manage your money, you may not end each prestige with every item at Tier III. Having to save a lump sum of cash for an upgrade will change how you spend your money and should encourage completing as many objectives as possible! You can decide which upgrades you feel are most important to you, if you're happy with your Tier 1 DOTS Projector, save that money for the EMF Reader Upgrade!
As we're on the topic of EMF Readers and Upgrades, let's dive into some detail.
Tier I is an old-analog Meter, it has a small range, it's not very accurate, and the sounds it makes are reasonably quiet. Luckily enough, the needle will go into overdrive when hitting those valuable EMF 5 spots left by a ghost!
Tier II is the trusted, ol' reliable, K2 Meter. When moving within a medium range of EMF spots, it will display an accurate value from two to five, and make a clear, audible sound.
Tier III is a high-tech ParaReader. This device can track up to three EMF spots at once, not only that, it'll tell you the direction, range, and value of each one, all at once! Additionally, it plays sounds for each EMF spot that's being tracked, so you can hear from a distance how many and how strong the reading is! This makes tracking which objects a ghost has been in contact with super easy! It even has a higher range than the previous two tiers!
*Each player can only bring one Tier of Equipment, but multiple players can bring different Tiers if they bring their own stuff!
That's it for Development Preview #10. We'll catch you with some more teasers soon!
If you experience any issues or want to give feedback, please join the official Phasmophobia Discord: https://discord.gg/phasmophobia
Thanks,
The Kinetic Games Team
Roadmap and Progression 2.0 Development Preview #9 | 02/05/23
Welcome, back we've got some news for you!
Any information and images are Work In Progress (WIP) and may change drastically before releasing
With Progression 2.0 on the horizon, we thought it was a good time to share how this update will be released, as it's split into several parts.
We're releasing Progression 2.0 in this way so that players can experience the new Equipment and leveling system sooner instead of waiting around for an extra six months.
We know that there's still a reasonable amount of time between now and the update, we're working hard on releasing this as soon as possible, but we also have some additional big news to share in the coming months...
As you can see, the first part of the update will include all of the new Equipment Tiers (which increases our equipment total from twenty to a whopping sixty!), the prestige and new leveling system, and some evidence overhauls. This will create a huge shake-up in how the game feels, as well as reward players for leveling, instead of just a number increasing infinitely.
Once Part One is released, we'll be moving swiftly on to reworking our Photo Rewards system, adding new Tasks, Optional Objectives, and adding new ways to earn money in each contract; Video and Sound evidence*.
Lastly, the third part of Progression 2.0 will add the long-awaited new character models (with customization), replacing player animations, as well as a complete overhaul of the CCTV system in the Truck, allowing you to navigate through placed cameras and location cameras much easier!
*more information on that to come in a later Development Preview
While evaluating our Evidence Types to see what we could improve, we found that 'Freezing Temperatures' was another Evidence that needed a glow-up.
'Freezing Temperatures' had several issues of its own;
Temperatures weren't synced across games, resulting in different players seeing Cold Breath at different times.
The Thermometer had become a redundant piece of Equipment, outside of some very niche situations
Finding Freezing Temperatures was completely passive, there was no gameplay involved outside of noticing a particle effect
Just like our green glowing friend, 'Freezing Temperatures' has also been completely overhauled.
Firstly, Cold Breath didn't make much sense contextually, to remedy this; Cold Breath particles will now appear at around 5-7 degrees Celsius and below. This makes Cold Breath make much more sense, as well as increasing immersion throughout contracts.
For example, if it's snowing and the fuse box starts off, you'll find Cold Breath instantly everywhere, even in the Truck! Alternatively, if the fuse box is on, so that the house is nice and toasty, you'll find Cold Breath appearing only in rooms where the ghost has been long enough to drop their temperature.
So how do we find 'Freezing Temperatures' Evidence? That's where the Thermometer comes in.
Firstly, the Thermometer is now Starter Equipment, meaning you'll get a free one in every contract.
Secondly, you'll need to take your Thermometer into rooms where you've found Cold Breath, and check if the temperature is zero (Celsius) or below!
Thirdly, room temperatures are now synced across players, no longer will one player see Cold Breath before another, and you'll get much more consistent readings on your Thermometers when checking in a group.
Lastly, Equipment Tiers give you different ways of checking 'Freezing Temperatures' and help you to find the ghost room:
Tier I is an old house-Thermometer, ripped straight off of your Investigator's living room wall. This Thermometer has a slow sample rate, meaning you'll have to wait longer to get an accurate reading. You may want to bring one in and check back on it later in the contract.
Tier II looks the same as the one currently in the game, however, the way you use it differs. Instead of turning it on and getting a reading every two seconds, you now have to hold the Use button to scan for temperatures. This makes running around and checking each room's temp much faster than Tier I, alongside this, scanning manually feels much more responsive, instead of updating constantly and not knowing if it's accurate or not.
Tier III is a straight upgrade to Tier II, completing temperature scans at double the speed of its predecessor. Additionally, this more modern Thermometer is more accurate with each reading, allowing players to quickly and efficiently scan rooms to find the ghost or to get 'Freezing Temperatures' ticked off in the Journal.
That's it for Development Preview #9. We'll catch you with some more teasers soon!
If you experience any issues or want to give feedback, please join the official Phasmophobia Discord: https://discord.gg/phasmophobia
Thanks,
The Kinetic Games Team
Progression 2.0 Development Preview #8 | 25/04/23
Welcome back we've got some news for you!
Any information and images are Work In Progress (WIP) and may change drastically before releasing
So as everybody knows, with Progression 2.0 we will be resetting everyone's level back to zero. However, we will be pushing you all to Prestige 1 so that you don't have to unlock difficulties or maps that you are already playing (as well as giving you the first cool badge instantly!).
Alongside this reset, we'll be permanently immortalizing your pre-wipe level with a badge that is displayed on your character's arm.
Upon logging in for the first time after the Progression update, you will be greeted with a window to select how you want your badge to look. The number of options you have available will be determined by how far you progressed before that update!
Once it's locked in, that's it. So think carefully as there will be no way to adjust this afterward!
Here's a preview of some WIP badges, and what level you'll need to be to unlock each component.
We've had tonnes of questions on how Equipment will change going forwards, so it's time to pull back the curtain and share some info!
A portion of the equipment roster is getting a rework, some bigger than others, to make sure that they feel important and useful in different situations.
The D.O.T.S. Projector has had its fair share of highs and lows over its life, and we thought it was time to give it a re-evaluation of what problems it has and how it can be improved.
The main issue we found is that it was very unintuitive, unpolished visually, and time-consuming. We tried to fix some of these issues by increasing the chance for it to trigger before inevitably adding a fail-safe timer. This led to more issues like two Projectors triggering at the same time, visuals appearing during hunts or events, and feeling really disjointed from the actual ghost.
With Progression 2.0, the D.O.T.S. Projector has been completely rebuilt.
The D.O.T.S. visuals are now the actual ghost, meaning you will need to shine your Infrared lights near the ghost's actual position. This creates much more engaging gameplay for players, you can use D.O.T.S. to see where your ghost is, or if you're struggling to get the evidence, use Salt, Motion Sensors or other equipment to find a better spot for your Projector.
Ghosts with D.O.T.S. evidence can now enter a short “D.O.T.S. state” when wandering; where they are temporarily visible with infrared light, during this time they will wander towards the nearest player (or to a random spot in the room if it's empty) before disappearing.
Alongside this, Equipment Upgrades make finding your D.O.T.S. ghosts easier as you progress:
Tier I is like the real-life equivalent of a D.O.T.S. projector; a Laser Grid Pen. Similar to a flashlight, you can walk around the location and scan quickly for evidence, the only downside being its short range and low light intensity.
Tier II is how you know D.O.T.S. today, a placeable projector emitting an average-sized sphere of light, except now you can encourage the ghost to walk into it by standing nearby!
Tier III cranks up the light to the maximum, again placeable, this Projector scans the room at a much longer range with a wide beam of light, making finding ghosts in those bigger rooms much easier.
Different players can bring different Tiers of equipment, so feel free to try combinations out and see what your team works with best!
That's it for Development Preview #8. We'll catch you with some more teasers soon!
If you experience any issues or want to give feedback, please join the official Phasmophobia Discord: https://discord.gg/phasmophobia Thanks,
The Kinetic Games Team
Easter Event '23 | Hotfix v0.8.1.5
You can now complete the Easter event, if you do not have any other badges. If you had this bug, you will receive the badge and trophy by completing the Easter event on one map again
This weeks weekly challenge will now give the reward and have the correct loadout. This challenge will reset at the correct time and will not be extended
If you experience any issues or want to give feedback, please join the official Phasmophobia Discord : https://discord.gg/phasmophobia Thanks,
The Kinetic Games Team
Easter Event '23 | Update v0.8.1.4
Welcome back ghost hunters, we've got some news for you.
We're currently hard at work getting the Progression 2.0 update together for everyone, but we wanted to give you something fun to do over the Easter period!
In the coming weeks, we will have some Dev Previews to share with you about how the new equipment will work, as well as a few examples!
Happy Easter everyone!
This year's event will run for 1 week, until 00:00 on April 12th (BST)!
Enter any location featuring an Easter sticker on any difficulty in single or multi-player.
Find and collect all of the hidden Easter eggs.
Retreat to the truck and leave! No need to find the ghost type!
Repeat this until all stickers on the contract board are ticked off!
Enjoy the Easter '23 ID Badge and Trophy in your collection!
Event information can be found in the game by pressing the egg sticker button on the main menu!
Happy Huntin'
If you eggsperience any issues or want to give feedback, please join the official Phasmophobia Discord: https://discord.gg/phasmophobia Thanks,
The Kinetic Games Team
Get your very own Voodoo Doll plushie! | Makeship Collab
Welcome back investigators, we have some merch for you!
We had the amazing opportunity to work with Makeship to create a custom, one-of-a-kind, limited-edition plushie for anyone to grab!
The plushie will only be available for a limited time until the 31st of March, once it's gone it's gone!
If you're interested in grabbing one for yourself, head over to Makeship here!
If you experience any issues or want to give feedback, please join the official Phasmophobia Discord : https://discord.gg/phasmophobia
