We are presently wrapping up the first iteration of full controller support for Rough Justice: '84, and are commencing internal testing. This has been a requested feature from many folks, and we're excited to be able to deliver it soon!
By definition, with full controller support, all functionality is accessible via a controller using the default configuration. We probably won't have key mapping or controller mapping done for the release (but maybe?).
Having the full controller support enables us to then also prepare for eventual ports as well as submit the build to Steam for the Steamdeck verification, which is something that we're very keen on doing.
Here's the default controller mapping so far:
Here are the default settings for mouse and keyboard:
Are you more of a mouse and keyboard player, or rather a controller aficionado? Let us know in the comments below.
Our discord server is alive! You can join the conversation and hang out with other fans on the discord server and talk directly to us regarding your thoughts and ideas about Rough Justice.
Agent Traits
When agents level up, one option is to select a trait. Traits are only available to upgrade every 3 levels. That is, at levels 3, 6, and 9. This can be done at the bottom of the screen by selecting UNLOCK TRAIT. Traits are valuable game-changing mechanics that give your agents great advantages out in the field.
When selecting the trait upgrade, the player is presented with 3 different traits to choose from. One can be chosen.
Traits, along with any other upgrades can be reset by clicking the RESET button.
Listed below are the presently available traits.
Nitro Got a bit of a lead foot. Watch out! Action Point distance cost reduced.
Gearhead Knows their equipment and where to get the best prices on it. Agency-wide gear purchases are reduced by 10% while this agent is in the roster; stackable.
Hardy Never seems to catch a cold. Blessed with a resilient immune system. Increase ACTION POINTS base value permanently by 5.
Grapevine Very connected to a wide variety of folks who love sharing info. Informant cost reduction by 25%.
Money Pot Great with money and efficiency on the job.</> 5% monetary gain on all successfully completed cases.
Stand By Me Loyal to a fault. Always on your side. A real team player. 15% increase in Loyalty rewards.
Lucky Allows your agent to brush off Critical Failures. Skips critical fail.Now ain't that fancy?
Pro 5's Triple 5's now reward you with a Critical Success.
Pro 4's Triple 4's now reward you with a Critical Success.
Pro 3's Triple 3's now reward you with a Critical Success.
Puzzle Master Recovers quickly from exertions and gets back in the game quickly.</> Action Point recoup increased on puzzles.
Puzzle Time Time is money! Additional 10-second timer added to all puzzles challenges.
Ladder Up Hungry for more responsibility and eager for success.</> Total experience points gained are increased by 5%.
Hardy 1 AP refunded when a Strength-based stat roll is successful.</>
Smarty Gain 1 AP refund when an Intelligence-based stat roll is successful.
Quickie Gain 1 AP refund when a Reflexes-based stat roll is successful.
Charmer Gain 1 AP refund when an Empathy based stat roll is successful.
Eagle Eye Gain 1 AP refund when a Perception-based stat roll is successful.
The Gambler Upon achieving a Critical Success draw TWO reward cards.
High Stakes Full AP refund on successful tier 3 cases.
Security Pro High risk, high reward! The agent excels at Security Cases.</> 15% XP gain on successful completion of this case type.
Repo Pro High risk, high reward! The agent excels at Repossession Cases.</> 15% XP gain on successful completion of this case type.
24/7 Pro High risk, high reward! The agent excels at 24/7 Cases 15% XP gain on successful completion of this case type.
Moonlighting Pro High risk, high reward! The agent excels at Moonlighting Cases. 15% XP gain on successful completion of this case type.
Fugitive Pro High risk, high reward! The agent excels at Fugitive Recovery Cases.</> 15% XP gain on successful completion of this case type.
Security Cash 10% monetary gain on all successfully completed Security cases.
Repo Cash 10% monetary gain on all successfully completed Repossession cases.
24/7 Cash 10% monetary gain on all successfully completed 24/7 cases.
Moonlighting Cash 10% monetary gain on all successfully completed Moonlighting cases.
Fugitive Cash 10% monetary gain on all successfully completed Fugitive Recovery cases.
Night Owl Strength Night-time Strength bonus. Temporary +1 bonus to Strength during the night shift. 6 P.M.to 6 A.M.
Night Owl Perception Night-time Perception bonus. Temporary +1 bonus to Perception during the night shift. 6 P.M.to 6 A.M.
Night Owl Reflexes Night-time Reflexes bonus. Temporary +1 bonus to Reflexes during the night shift. 6 P.M.to 6 A.M.
Night Owl Intelligence Night-time Intelligence bonus. Temporary +1 bonus to Intelligence during the night shift. 6 P.M.to 6 A.M.
Night Owl Empathy Night-time Empathy bonus. Temporary +1 bonus to Empathy during the night shift. 6 P.M.to 6 A.M.
Day Shift Strength Daytime Strength bonus. Temporary +1 bonus to Strength during the day shift. 6 A.M.to 6 P.M.
Day Shift Perception Daytime Perception bonus. Temporary +1 bonus to Perception during the day shift. 6 A.M.to 6 P.M.
Day Shift Reflexes Daytime Reflexes bonus. Temporary +1 bonus to Reflexes during the day shift. 6 A.M.to 6 P.M.
Day Shift Intelligence Daytime Intelligence bonus. Temporary +1 bonus to Intelligence during the day shift.>6 A.M.to 6 P.M.
Day Shift Empathy Daytime Empathy bonus. Temporary +1 bonus to Empathy during the day shift. 6 A.M.to 6 P.M.
Our discord server is alive! You can join the conversation and hang out with other fans on the discord server and talk directly to us regarding your thoughts and ideas about Rough Justice.
Map Drops
One of the newer features that we've added to the game is map drops. This new mechanic ensures that you'll be on your toes! These random map drops either grant your agent additional Action Points, or the coveted Golden Die. Both bonuses are extremely useful and can give your agent a major advantage.
Mechanics
Random drops (10% chance every hour)
Only shown for a limited time
Provide specific BUFFS to the agent sent out to retrieve them
Bonuses
There are two types of map drops, Action Point Bonus, or the "Golden Die".
Action Point Buff
The time-limited Action Point buff gives your agent a bit more energy (additional temporary action points). Up to 9 action points can be divided out per action point buff. This buff stacks and can overflow.
Golden Die Buff
The time-limited Golden Die buff gives your agent an additional die during their next two, three, or four stat rolls.
Our discord server is alive! You can join the conversation and hang out with other fans on the discord server and talk directly to us regarding your thoughts and ideas about Rough Justice.
Achievements
We're happy to announce that Rough Justice: '84 will have a total of 73 achievements. Some of them are hidden, so watch out for those Easter Eggs!
Not gonna lie, we had a blast coming up with these achievements, and we hope you get as much of a kick out of them as we do!
The complete achievement overview will be accessible via Steam, but also within the game. At any time you'll be able to go to the main menu and peruse your accolades and have a sensible chuckle and feel as if you've accomplished something.
Our discord server is alive! You can join the conversation and hang out with other fans on the discord server and talk directly to us regarding your thoughts and ideas about Rough Justice.
Supported Languages
Rough Justice: '84 will initially be released with the following languages supported:
English: Full Audio & Text
German: Full Audio & Text
French: Text
Japanese: Text
Korean: Text
Chinese Simplified: Text
Chinese Traditional: Text
With hundreds of cases and an extensive storyline, the total word count is quite considerable. We've been working closely with t-recs studios, a game localization studio from Düsseldorf, who have been very helpful in this endeavor.
Our hope is that the heart and soul of Rough Justice: '84 be conveyed to countless other players from various cultures.
Is there another language/culture that you think Rough Justice: '84 should be translated to? Let us know if the comments!
Our discord server is alive! You can join the conversation and hang out with other fans on the discord server and talk directly to us regarding your thoughts and ideas about Rough Justice.
Interview With A Former Debt Collector
We had the opportunity to sit down with "Blonde", who worked as a debt collector in a previous life. Not everyone is cut out to be a debt collector. It’s often stressful and is quite a demanding job. In order to be a successful debt collector, a cool head and decorum are required. Critical thinking and negotiable skills are highly valued. By the nature of the job, debt collectors are faced with both typical and unique circumstances. We picked her brain in this interview and delved into the world of a debt collector.
How did you get into this field of work?
Blonde: I was already working for the Australian Federal Government under the Department of Human Services portfolio and transferred to the (then known as) Child Support Agency for a better career opportunity – it wasn’t until my first day of training that they announced that the team I was recruited for was part of an Intensive Debt Collection initiative, and that was when I became a debt collector. It was certainly a far cry from my days as a child dreaming of what I was going to be when I grew up.
Did you have to often deal with irate customers? Which methods did you utilize?
Blonde: Often people believe that working in debt collection would bear the brunt of irate and volatile customers, but in all honesty, those instances didn’t happen as often as one would think, especially with a caseload of serious avoiders of paying child support. I didn’t often have calls returned or responses to letters I would send, so a lot of the work performed was leaving voicemails. We’re permitted under legislation to enact enforcement action without a court order to recover funds as a last resort, and they usually weren’t very friendly discussions. There’s a lot of resilience training involved, especially when 3 emotive issues are at the core of why someone isn’t paying: money, separation, and children. Usually, if I had someone screaming down the phone at me, I used to say nothing and just let them run out of steam eventually. The key was to try and retain control of the call and listen to any issues/objections they had so that I could also identify ways to help the customer and address the reasons why they fell behind in their payments and ways to move forward to keep the payments sustainable. It takes time to build up confidence, resilience, and the art of distancing yourself emotionally from the discussions at hand however they eventually became second nature.
What was the most difficult time you dealt with a customer? How did you resolve the issue?
Blonde: (T/W) It’s hard to pick an instance as being ‘most difficult’ because there were many difficult times for many reasons, ranging from emotional distress, physical threats made towards themselves, the other parent and/or children, threats made towards staff, etc. One instance that I’ll never forget was speaking with a gentleman who spoke very softly and matter of fact, but something seemed very peculiar during the course of our discussion, which gave me an off gut feeling. While he was speaking, I heard him cock a gun. We had excellent support from managers who were able to tap into our calls to hear what was happening, and I started waving my arms in the air and had my manager contact the police immediately. Not all interactions were to that extent, and my method was a holistic ‘is this debt correct’ approach. I found that I could build a good rapport with my assigned case files to start chipping away at the debt, make ongoing sustainable payments based on their circumstances, and make referrals for counseling, custody arrangements, etc so that those blockers that were preventing them from making payments could be addressed.
Being a debt collector is a stressful profession. How did you handle the stress?
Blonde: Aside from the benefits of working in an office across the road from a pub, usually after a difficult call I would take a walk for 5-10 minutes. I had handheld stress toys in my desk drawer and always made sure to utilize my vacation time regularly. We also implemented a ‘buddy system’ where if we needed to debrief, staff were also available to do this. One of the upsides to working in a phone-based environment is the faces I could also pull while on the phone which helped me through the day on occasion. It was a job I did for almost 10 years, and didn’t encounter a feeling of being burnt out since a good chunk of a typical day was mostly investigating income streams, tax returns, bank statements, and following up on tipoffs, which kept the job interesting.
What aspects of the job did you find most challenging?
Blonde: A major one for me was my filter and ALWAYS making sure it was in check no matter who I was speaking to on the phone and trying my best not to react in a manner less than professional. People would call while they were using the bathroom, people would go into explicit details about what did and didn’t happen during the child’s conception – one of the standout calls I received was from someone asking for advice because as their daughter got older, she was beginning to look more and more like his best friend. It’s so hard not to fall into the ‘oh um well um’ stuttering response, so you almost have to become a bit of a robot in anticipation of what you might hear on the other end of the phone.
What aspects of the job did you find most rewarding?
Blonde: Having those ‘gotcha’ moments on accounts where attempts have been made for YEARS with no success and finding an avenue to recover funds to clear the debt was an awesome feeling, especially for serious avoiders who worked for cash or were self-employed. I had cases where the ‘children’ of the accounts were older than me (the case had ended, but the debt remained) and making that phone call to the other parent to say ‘I just wanted to let you know you will be getting funds disbursed next week’ also made my day.
Did ever feel as if your personal health and safety were in question throughout your time as a debt collector? If so, how did you deal with it?
Blonde: Never. I never gave out my personal information (aside from my first name), the offices were specifically designed where if there were a face-to-face meeting with a customer, they would enter through one door and I would enter through another. The desks were also specifically designed so that someone attempting to jump over it to get to me wouldn’t be able to reach them because of a unique S-shape design.
Do you feel that being a woman gave you an advantage or a disadvantage on the job?
Blonde: In the beginning yes it was a disadvantage because my caseload comprised of male debtors, and before my time of working there, the agency did have a bad reputation for calling clients ‘ deadbeat dads’ directly to them over the phone. There were trust issues at play by the public, and rightly so, and that perception of the mentality of staff working there never really went away. As time went on, societal changes started to happen, and I found that I had more female debtors than males by the time I had left the agency. Men were starting to have sole custody and therefore eligible to receive child support payments. Often if I had a new client assigned and they were adamant about working with a male, I happily obliged with swapping casefiles with male colleagues – which some have told me is a discriminatory practice – however, I felt that if someone was willing to negotiate to pay down their debt because they felt more comfortable talking to a male instead of me, I saw that as a win. I did have a client once ask me to have a coffee with them for being so helpful, which I politely declined. They kept insisting on this and (as mentioned before about having my filter in check) after several refusals, I said quite firmly ‘sir, you already have 4 cases; I don’t think you can afford to register a 5th one in the near future’ – luckily he had a good laugh about my response.
We’d like to thank Blonde for taking the time to answer our questions and giving us a deeper insight into the whole debt collection process. Our goal is to utilize this information to make Rough Justice: ’84 a more accurate and realistic experience.
Our discord server is alive! You can join the conversation and hang out with other fans on the discord server and talk directly to us regarding your thoughts and ideas about Rough Justice.
DEVS PLAY
Join Art Lead Damien, Associate Producer/Game Designer Tom, A.K.A. "Wolfspeer" and Lead Jeremiah, A.K.A. "Jezza" as they fumble their way through the janky build, but have a blast all the same.
WRAP UP
It goes without saying that Rough Justice: '84 is currently in development and the info as well as the above-showcased videos, images, and GIFs are representations of the current state and are subject to change.
Our discord server is alive! You can join the conversation and hang out with other fans on the discord server and talk directly to us regarding your thoughts and ideas about Rough Justice.
Rough Justice: '84 at Gamescom
Gamma Minus attended gamescom 2022 from August 24-26th in Cologne, Germany.
More than 250,000 visitors from all over the world marveled at the highlights of around 1,100 exhibitors from 53 different countries! By Saturday evening alone, over 130,000,000 views across the entire gamescom show program. 12,000,000 views at the Opening Night Live and more than 100,000 people at the gamescom City festival in Cologne!
Our participation was made possible by Mediennetzwerk.NRW as well as the Film und Medienstiftung NRW, from which we have received numerous support throughout the development journey.
GAMING AREA NRW
The NRW Indie Expo 2022 was funded by the Premier of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and was a big part of the Gamescom Conference 2022 in the business area of the event.
30+ playable game projects were shown on-site, Rough Justice: '84 being one of them!
Here are some impressions of the event:
With over 20 scheduled meetings, quite a number of impromptu ones, 5 interviews and 2 pitch events in front of investors and publishers, we couldn't be happier!
The Gamescom business area is a great location to get noticed and rub shoulders with the crème de la crème of the industry...and get noticed and ofc, attend so many great panel discussions and talks. We're looking forward to attending next year!
We will be sunsetting the Alpha Demo on Friday September 9th 2022. We had a good run, starting on June 14th kicking off the Alpha Demo in conjunction with the Steam Next Fest.
One of the major reasons for this decision is that as a small team it is increasingly difficult to maintain two separate development branches. As you can imagine, since June, we've implemented a lot of changes! Some of which you can read about here and here.
As the name implies, our "Alpha Demo" is not a full-fledged demo, but was rather a snapshot of the development state.
We want to make sure that players and potential fans get a good solid impression of what Rough Justice: '84 is all about, and playing an outdated Alpha Demo is not necessarily putting our best foot forward ;)
Never fear though! We are planning on having a Closed Beta Demo soonish..so stay tuned!
We've had a lot of folks not only play the Alpha Demo, but also stream and watch it! Here are the results:
All in all, we're very pleased with the feedback and the results! There have been so many streamers that have really taken a liking to the game and have ended up streaming it multiple times and given us valuable feedback. As far as we're concerned this is the ideal way to hone and tweak the game to make it a fun and enjoyable experience.
We launched our Alpha Demo about two months ago as part of the Steam Next Fest, and we've been busy watching streamers and gathering feedback. We decided to leave the Alpha Demo up on Steam, for now, however, we will not be pushing updates to that particular build.
As a small indie dev team, we have to focus our attention on the further development of the game, and maintaining two parallel development branches would be very time-intensive. But don't fret, before we locked down the demo, we pushed a number of updates, so it's a fairly solid build.
We are planning on having a Beta Demo available in the Fall, so stay tuned! The Beta Demo will essentially be a vastly updated version with more bells and whistles than the Alpha.
PLEASE NOTE: The updates and bug fixes below are not reflected in the Alpha Demo, but rather in our experimental/nightly branch. If you would like access to our experimental build to test these changes, feel free to hop on our discord and ping us. We've already given a number of streamers access to this branch for further testing, and ofc so they can test their skills on the newly balanced puzzles, to compete for bragging rights ;)
Below we've listed, in no particular order some of the new features that are currently in the experimental build.
SETTINGS
We've completely revamped the game settings! Now you can choose the exact resolution you'd like to play the game in, as well as whether you'd like to play in windowed mode, because...I guess that's a thing?
CRITICAL FAIL
In the previous build, rolling double 1's would give you an automatic case fail, but we've taken it a step further ;) Now, not only do you lose, but you have to choose a negative card. Talk about adding insult to injury, amirite?
AGENT REFRESH
This is a feature that many players requested, and it gives you an increased chance of being able to hire the agent that you want. A good example of utilizing this feature to min/max, would be if you have an agent that you really like, but their shift ends, and they clock off; but you'd really like to hire them again. Without paying for a refresh, you may end up waiting for 3 hours only to find that they're STILL not available. Having the "pay to refresh" functionality isn't a sure-fire way of ensuring that the agent you want is going to become available, but the odds are dramatically increased.
NEW MAJOR FEATURES
- Added new hireable agents to pool - Added more events, for a total of 30 - Operation 1 (Leads 1 - 4) - Fugitive case officer + cases - Stat roll Mechanics: - draggable dice to slots - Standard: get X number of successful dice - Run: get a "run" of dice results. [NEW MECHANIC - for fugitive stat rolls] - x3 rolls, critical success/fail triggered on a per roll basis (instead of on the resolution screen) - Fingerprints minigame - Critical failure card selection
NEW MINOR FEATURES
- Menu layout update - Agents in Roster Expand/Collapse buttons - Case monetary reward randomized on spawn (instead of on game load) - Shop Slot as unlockable feature - Gear Cost as unlockable feature - Car Speed as unlockable feature - Unlock Requirements for Events (COs need to be unlocked for specific events)
BUG FIXES
- Water material adjusted - Wave decoder knob highlighting - Removed glare from Morse & Phreaking machines
KNOWN ISSUES
- Operations are currently in the progress of being integrated and are not complete - Fugitive Recovery dice roll mechanic is experimental - New Security Case dice roll mechanic is experimental
NEXT STEPS
For our next milestone- September/October we're planning to add the following features/mechanics: - Agent Leveling System - Agent Traits - Additional unlockable Agent gear slots - Greyline Cases - Moonlighting Cases - Revamping and honing Security dice roll mechanics
FEEDBACK
What was your impression of our Alpha Demo? Fill out this form and let us know!
BUG REPORTING
If you've found a bug, feel free to use this form to log them. It would be a great help to us!
