Hi all! We've decided to create a new beta branch for Sublevel Zero, where you can try out features and fixes before we push out updates.
If you're interested, go to the properties for Sublevel Zero, select the 'Betas' tab, and choose 'latest' from the drop-down.
Please backup your PlayerData folder before switching to or from this branch!
We've just uploaded an update to this branch, which should fix some issues people have been having with stats and unlocks. On which note - you may get a large amount of unlocks the first time you die or complete a run, so don't worry if that happens!
A bit of Background
As some of you may know, our publisher Mastertronic unfortunately went into administration just before Christmas, and as such we don't have access to a QA team any more. While we try to make sure that when we fix bugs we don't create others, it turns out that's been really hard without a proper team behind us!
So we're hoping that some of you guys can help us out a bit. By playing the new beta branch, you can help us make sure that there are no major issues with the fixes we're putting out, and give us feedback on the changes and new features we're working on. Obviously, this is both a big ask and entirely optional, and we're grateful for anyone who can find the time to pitch in!
Many thanks.
-Luke
Bugfixes, FAQs and 20% Off!
Hi all! A couple of days ago we updated the game with a couple of important fixes.
Firstly, we've fixed some cases of people getting random hard crashes. These were only happening to a very small number of people, but happening a lot go those who were getting them. These should be cleared up now, but please let us know if anyone's still having issues!
Secondly, we've added proper support for aspect ratios other than 16:9. So feel free to play in everything from 5:4 (urgh) to 21:9 (ooooh), and the menus will now resize accordingly :)
We've added a FAQs/Troubleshooting sticky to the forum. So until that (unfortunately mythical) time when the game becomes 100% perfect, it should be your first stop should anything go wrong! You should also check it for the latest notes on the VR beta version.
Finally, Sublevel Zero is at 20% off for the Christmas sale! Perhaps you've been holding off or have friends who would appreciate the gift of 6DoF... Either way, with our newly released Oculus Rift beta support, there's never been a better time to buy(TM) :)
Merry Christmas, and thanks for playing!
- The Team
VR Beta Launched!
We're super-excited to announce we've just launched the Oculus VR DK2 Beta for Sublevel Zero! We hope you have fun getting lost (both literally and metaphorically) in our 3D, 6DoF world!
To try the beta:
Go to Sublevel Zero in your Steam library.
Right click and select Properties.
Under the Betas tab, select dk2beta in the drop down.
This requires an Oculus Rift DK2 with runtime 0.8 and the latest graphics drivers on Windows. Oculus Runtime 0.8 here: https://developer.oculus.com/downloads/pc/0.8.0.0-beta/Oculus_Runtime_for_Windows/
A few important notes -
Firstly, and most importantly - THIS IS A BETA! There's lots of work to be done, not just on Sublevel Zero, but on VR hardware and drivers. In terms of our work, there's a lot of performance optimisation to be done, as well as including more VR friendly features and tweaks. Frame rates will probably drop below VSync now and then, and there will be some stutters.
We strongly recommend turning off Autolevelling. Roll is always the most disorienting movement you can make in VR even if you're in control of it, and having the game do it automatically can be... bad.
We strongly recommend turning off Volumetric Lighting. Even on high spec GPUs, this effect will probably drop your framerate below VSync.
Loading screens are static, NOT yet VR-friendly!
The HUD in particular will be improved for VR.
Try to take it slow to begin with, ease yourself into flying around on all axes, and have fun!
-Luke
P.S. I personally recommend flying around the lava caves :)
Mac and Linux support, Minibosses, and a VR announcement!
Hi all! This update's a big one, and it's taken longer than originally planned, so thanks for your patience.
We've got a video explaining most of the details below - check it out here!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxByx-OBrv0
There are two major parts of this update, and a big announcement too. First and foremost - Sublevel Zero is now available on Mac and Linux! Feels good to finally get these out the door :) Specific release notes are at the bottom of this post.
Challenge Rooms
Secondly, we've added an entirely new feature to the game - 'challenge rooms'. To reward exploration, the game will now often put one of these rooms at dead ends. When you go into a challenge room there are no enemies. But when you use or shoot the loot chest, the door locks and enemies spawn. You're locked in until you kill all the enemies, but you'll get a load of nanites and loot for your trouble. Furthermore, sometimes there'll be a miniboss in the room, which when killed drops a bonus nanocart to buff your ship!
We think this adds an extra bit of variety to the combat, and we really hope you have fun with it! Remember that these are optional though - if you want to take it easy, maybe think twice before shooting that chest :p
We've also added 20 new rooms to the procedural generation :)
Finally, the announcement. It's a pretty big one.
VR Beta
On Monday, we'll be launching the Oculus Rift beta. If you own a DK2, you'll soon be able to fully immerse yourself in the glowing, low-poly, 6DoF world of Sublevel Zero!
A few caveats - it is explicitly a beta! There are issues with it, we can't guarantee it'll run perfectly all the time, and there are a lot of features we plan to add. Minimum specs are of course higher than the 2D version of the game - we aim to hit Oculus' recommended minimum spec. The VR build will be Windows-only, as the Oculus runtime no longer supports other platforms.
We aim to come out of beta when the consumer version of the Rift launches next year. This is a huge new frontier, so we're really looking forward to getting feedback from you guys to help us develop it!
Release Notes
Linux
Some AMD cards and drivers (particularly, in our experience, the proprietary drivers) crash when using antialiasing in Unity. If you experience this, try to run the game with "-screen-quality noaa" minus the quotes. If this doesn't work, we recommend trying the open drivers.
Some users may have issues with switching resolutions. As far as we can tell this is also a Unity-wide issue.
Volumetric lighting is bugged on most cards/drivers. It's turned off by default in the Linux version but you can still try it from the Video menu if you like. You're likely to get white flashes and/or strange black triangles appearing. We're looking into solving this.
Mice will tend to be less responsive. We recommend increasing sensitivity in the control options for now.
We're actively working to fix or work around all of the above!
General We've also fixed some small bugs and generally improved performance on all platforms. Much of this is small and won't be particularly obvious, but the main ones are fixing the drop rates of hulls, and improving stuttering when picking up/comparing items.
Thanks again for your patience on this one - we think it's been worth the wait, and we hope you agree!
Mac/Linux Support, New Content
Hi everyone!
Very happy to announce that the Mac and Linux versions of Sublevel Zero will be launching next week along with another free content update.
We hope you're all enjoying the game!
-Gary
Update: Fixes, OST, and new content, oh my
Hi everyone! We've got a bunch of fixes and tweaks for you, as well as some new rooms in the industrial biome both as a thank you for your support and a small peek at what's to come!
We've also just made Will Bedford's incredible OST available to purchase on Steam!
Changelog:
- 10 new rooms for the Industrial biome
- Keys appear on map
- Scrolling unlock and inventory panels
- Fixed run stats persisting after winning run
- Turrets no longer spawn on doors
- Made Stormtrooper unlock easier
- Quit dialogs notify player that run progress will be lost
- Changed starting loadout for some ship classes
- Fixed 'using' things at closer ranges
- Flux Drive Component now requires manual pickup
Thanks again!
-Sigtrap
Bugfix update - more updates soon!
We've just updated the game to fix a number of major bugs; we'll have another update in the next day or so with some more tweaks, fixes, and that extra bit of content we promised!
Patch notes:
- Fixed portal occasionally appearing in inaccessible location
- Fixed engine crafting
- Fixed ammo pickups occasionally getting 'stuck' over player's view
- Added mouse rebinding (does not yet allow mouse axes to be rebound)
- Fixed SOME cases of bindings being lost
Hope that's helpful!
Luke
Pricing Announced!
Hi everyone!
We've finalised pricing for Sublevel Zero and are very excited to get people playing the game. Here are the breakdowns:
£10.99 / $14.99 / €13.99
As a special treat, we will be launching the game at a 15% discount for the first week as thanks to early buyers!
