today I am forced to make this announcement due to a change in rules, which you can read about here (its public, so I can post it - can be found with google easily): https://store.steampowered.com/news/group/4145017?emclan=103582791433666425&emgid=3700310527377680731
TL:DR is:
- Games need to have a minimum price of $1 in each country - currency exchange rates got adapted in 2022 - Game is now below $1 in some specific countries (during sales!) - and therefore hidden in these countries during sales.
So, I have to choose between:
- The game being unbuyable in those countries during sales (so these countries would never get sales again (as long as the game is on sale for 90% off or similar)) - Adjust pricing to valves new standards from 2022.
What will happen now?
- All prices (except €/$ - they stay as they are) will be adapted (at the beginning of september) to the new standards set by valve in 2022 - In some countries the games wont be buyable during the next Sale - nothing (reasonable) I can do about that now.
How much does pricing change?
- No change for €/$ (I wont even adapt to inflation ːsteamhappyː - this should cover most of you.) - For most other countries, not much, some may go up, some down - depends on what Valve set as conversion rate* - Turkey: 18.50 TL -> 105.00 TL - Argentina: 192.99 ARS$ -> 765.00 ARS$
Before you get your pitchforks...
This is not me "being greedy", its a rulechange forced onto me. I did not touch pricing since 2017, and did also not increase pricing for the significantly larger new games. There was no intention to change pricing (up) from my side, and thats exactly what I told those who asked me about it once Valve introduced the new default prices.
Why did Valve put this rule in place?
I dont know, but I guess it has to do with transaction fees and abuse of low-value currencies in the last years. But until valve speaks out on this (which they most likely wont do), I am as clueless as anyone else.
Sorry.
Not much I can do about this situation, it just puts me in a very awkward spot... a spot I dont want to be in.
If default prices should go down significantly in the future, I will also adjust pricing to the lower prices - as long/much as the rules allow for it.
I will only post this on RT1, since most people who have the newer games also have this one (it should reach most people, without spamming everyone with multiple announcements.)
*I do not have the knowledge about 30 something currencies to accurately set a price relative to the money people have (aside from $/€) - so I have to trust Valve here.
ReThink 4
Hello everyone,
I dont usually write about new games on the old games Communityhub, but the new game evolved enough from the original that I think it might be of interest to some of you.
ReThink 4 has a lot of new features if compared to the original ReThink, features that players liked in the previous games (ReThink 2 and 3), and obviously is a amore refined game than ReThink 1 ever was.
The game is a lot less linear, it "opens up" as you progress through the game and offers you the choice of "where to go" and "what to solve" in (mostly) whatever order you want to.
ReThink 4s core element, the cubes, are much more flexible now. They are not limited to fixed rotations and positions like they are in this game, while there are also new variants and improved versions of cubes you know from this game. (There are also many more improvements/additions, too many to list them here.)
There are also exactly zero "jumping puzzles" or "platforming things" in the game, unlike the first iteration of ReThink 1 - yes, I did get the message :P
So, if you are still interested in this kind of game, or the idea, maybe give it a try and wishlist it. If you dont like it, you can always refund it (within 14 days of purchase, or 2 hours of gameplay - whichever you reach first.) There is zero risk, at worst you get your money back.
Thanks for reading through the above, have a nice day.
[Update 16] - Patchnotes
As i said yesterday, here are some (more in depth) Patchnotes for the Rework:
This Update fixed the two most critizised things of the game, the Jumping Puzzles and the Performance.
Overview:
- Jumping Puzzles have been removed
- Performance has been improved
- New Content has been added
- New Features have been added
- New Menu and UI
- Slightly improved visuals
- Improved Tutorial
Jumping Puzzles:
All of them have been removed and replaced with new Laser-Puzzles.
The "Floor Tile" Puzzles have also been removed and partly replaced. (In Puzzles where they were mandatory for progress.)
Performance:
GPU-Performance has been massively improved, up to 2x or more. (Depends on Hardware, Drivers and other factors.)
The game is now a bit more CPU-Heavy than it was previously.
Changed Puzzles (these are the old Numbers, they might also have been relocated in the new version.):
3, 4, 32, 27, 29, 30
New Features:
A 4th Cube has been added to the game.
A new mechanic to replace the old "Energy Cells" has been added.
New Menu and UI
The game now uses the Menu and UI from Rethink 2, and also some of its Assets.
Slightly improved visuals
Visuals have been improved in some Areas.
This means:
- More "out of Level Decoration"
- More Lights that actually emit Light.
- Higher quality Assets
- New Effects
- Many more small changes and improvements
Improved Tutorial:
The Tutorials have been improved.
They do now show a more detailed explanation and a small video.
Previous Version of the Game:
When launching the game you can now choose which version you want to launch.
Achievements work in both versions, but they wont fit the old one anymore in terms of description.
Your old Savegames still work with the old version of the game.
Savegames of both versions are independent from each other.
Support for the old version will not be provided in the future, it will stay as it is, as long as it works. (This means: If it doesnt work anymore due to a Windows Update etc. i will remove it, until then, it will stay.)
Thats all for now, thank you for your patience and support.
[Update 16] - Rework
Hello,
I just managed to squeeze in the Reworked version of the game before the sale started.
- Full Patchnotes will be released tomorrow
Ii still need to fix one or two minor things. (Only typos and some missing Decoration i didnt get in before the sale due to some issues, game works fine though.)
Shop page will be updated during the next days too, due to the game looking a bit different now, despite still having (mostly) the same gameplay.
Short patchnotes:
- Jumping Puzzles removed
- Performance improved
- New Content has been added
- New Menu and UI
- Size of the game changed to 2.6 GB from 978 MB (due to it including the previous version too.)
Previous version cant be launched in steam currently.
- I will re-enable it as soon as i figured out what went wrong. (I just dont want to do this during a sale, it would be annoying for you)
- You can launch it manually (if you desire to do so), its located in the game folder. (ReThink\ReThink\)
Thanks, thats all for now - more tomorrow.
Rework - Update 6
Hello,
since i got asked about the progress on the rework yesterday i decided to do one last update before the (free) patch will be released.
Graphics and Performance:
I had to remove the "Overkill" Shadow setting for now.
Reason: It was too heavy on the CPU due to the larger maps the game has (in comparison to ReThink 2) - i will re-add it as soon as we have CPUs that are capable of handling this at 60fps (locked).
I did look a bit more into the performance improvements, and the game should now run with 60 fps (maxed out) on midrange graphics cards. (1060 6gb, RX 590, RTX 2060, Vega 56 etc.)
Of course these numbers are estimations based on the gpu-load of my GTX 1070 Ti, but it *should* be in that region.
TL:DR massive performance improvements in comparison to the current version, and lower shadow details for now.
Achievements?
I will replace the current achievements images, but you will be able to get them in both versions of the game.
"Story":
I will keep that tiny bit of Context/Story the game has, but remove these stupid messages you can find in the new version.
Savegames?
Wont be compatible, but they will still work with the (then) "old" version of the game.
I hate the patch!
Thats fine, i cant make it right for everyone, this is why you will be able to choose between the current version of the game and the new one after the patch. (at least thats my plan, need to figure out how to do this in steam :P)
Screenshots?
I tried to keep the overall "blocky" look of the game, otherwise the unchanged parts wouldnt fit together with the newly added ones. (TL:DR: Dont expect the graphics of ReThink 2, it wouldnt fit.)
Here are a few, made with the current maximum shadow details:
Thats all for now, i will write proper patchnotes when the patch is ready, probably a day earlier.
Rework - Update 5
Hello,
i did some initial performance-comparisons between the current version of the game and the unfinished reworked one (which will be a *free patch* for this version), here are the results:
The current version is on the left, and the unfinished reworked one is on the right.
As you can see in the top left corner, the Framerate is 78% higher [52 -> 93]
But it gets even better than that, in this example the Framerate is 109% higher [43 -> 90]
So, we have a performance improvement up to 2x or more on the following hardware:
CPU: Ryzen 1700X (no Overclock)
GPU: GTX 1070 Ti (no Overclock)
RAM: 16GB DDR4 2400
That said, performance increases can vary from system to system, but it should run better in general. ("Overkill" Settings shouldnt be run on minimum requirements-hardware anyway.)
That aside, the game will use the Menu from "ReThink 2", since it is based on the technical foundation of it.
The Menu still doesnt look "AAA"-Quality, but its a bit better than the current one:
Please keep in mind that the Menu has not been adapted to this game yet, and therefore is using the wrong images, etc. (Will of course be changed)
PS: Yes, i am aware that the grass color is "off" in the screenshot, its fixed already.
Rework - Update 4
Hello,
i just thought about "throwing around some more stuff" regarding this games upcoming (free) patch/rework. (Which will come within the next two weeks, from now.)
So, lets get started:
Puzzles:
- 31 to 39 are new
Screenshots:
Here are some comparison screenshots of the current game, versus the unfinished version coming with the patch.
Left: OLD, Right: NEW - Work in Progress! (there are still things missing, etc.)
Decorative Elements do now actually emit light, unlike previously (This is "#2" in the current version):
A lot of things have been changed and replaced with higher quality Assets (This is "#4" in the current version):
There now is more "out of level" decoration, mainly visible through windows and at the roof (This is "#5" in the current version):
Lamps... are still Lamps, i guess (This also is "#2" in the current version):
As you also can see in these screenshots, the games color-tone changed to a "warmer" color, and it got a bit darker, which puts it in line with ReThink 2.
As a side-effect this gets rid of the "overly bright" appearance and looks a bit more defined due to the larger differences between dark and bright areas.
Here is another WIP-Screenshot showing another object now emitting light, while also revealing the new color-scheme for the game, which will be:
Blue -> Red -> Green -> Orange
While it currently is like this:
Blue -> Grey -> Red -> Green
=========
Thats all i have for now, more in the future.
Thanks.
Rework - Update 3
Hello,
since i finally got a working Graphics card again, i can share some progress regarding the rework.
- Puzzle 21 to 25 are new
- 26 is what currently is "32"?
- 27 is 27, but i had to change it slightly due to the green cubes now redirecting at 45 Degrees instead of 90.
- 28 is 28
- 29 is 29, this one also had to be altered, but the general idea is the same.
- 30 is 30, has also been changed so that its solution isnt "buggy" anymore, general idea is the same as previously.
Thats pretty much all for today, but as always, here are some Work in Progress Screenshots of these Puzzles. (Keep in mind, they are not decorated etc, its just the bare layout of the rooms):
The new "23":
New "27":
New "30":
I am trying to keep the original Layout where possible.
The same goes for the overall appearance of the game, despite some colors changing etc. my goal is to still have it look like "it was like this from the beginning".
EDIT: Yes, these are floating doors... im too lazy to solve everything all the tim im running around checking something :P
Rework - Update 2
Hello,
i want to share a bit aout the progress of the Rework today.
It wont be too much, since everything still looks very unfinished, allthough a lot of progress has been made.
The following Puzzles have been moved or added (in addition to the ones i talked about in the first update):
- What currently is "22" is now puzzle 12.
- 13 is new
- 14 is new
- 15 and 16 are what currently is "10" (That huge mess that actually is more than one puzzle)
- What currently is "24" is now 17.
- 18 is new
- 19 is new
- 20 is what currently is "26"
To wrap things up, here are a few Screenshots that are Work in Progress, and generally unfinished - this is not the final thing. (Allthough i will probably keep the Assets from ReThink 2 for the rework, so its consistent between these games)
Performance-wise, i am still targeting a 2x increase in relation to the current performance. (worst case)
11 (currently 9), unfinished, but same layout, more or less:
14 (new):
16 (currently a part of "10"):
20 (currently "26"):
Rework - Update 1
Hello,
i decided to share a bit about the current progress of the rework for this game.
Please keep in mind that the comparisons below are made with a highly unfinished version of the rework, the visuals are not final. (Decoration is missing, its practically using ReThink 2s Assets, etc.)
My goal is to stay close to the current version of the game for Puzzles that dont change. (Left: current, Right: Work in progress):
Some areas will be replaced entirely due to the removal of the jumping-stuff and the floor-tiles. (Left: current, Right: Work in progress):
"4", current vs. new. (There are also changes to the puzzle you cant see on this image, but thats on purpose :P):
And here we have "5", which also keeps the current layout in general.
"3" has been entirely replaced and 4 has been altered.
New Puzzles have been added between (what currently is) 7 and 8, which moves 8 to 10, and 9 to 11 in terms of numbering.
Even without optimizing, the current performance already is 50% better than before (will probably go up to 100% or even more when i start to wrap things up)
The game will also use the new Menu i made for ReThink 2, so that there finally is something that actually looks like a menu.
The "current version" (which you can play right now) is planned to stay besides the new one, it will be re-added after the patch went live.
It will be a FREE Update for everyone who already owns this game, or is going to buy it in the future.
The patch is planned for early december, maybe even end of november, depending on how well everything goes.
Feel free to leave your comments, ideas and opinions below.
