Something unbelievable happened to me last week… my humble, small interactive story was nominated alongside some of my favorite games ever. That’s right, The First Tree has been nominated for Best Game and Best Music at the Emotional Games Awards, and I’m accompanied by masterpieces like INSIDE, Hellblade, and Abzû.
I know I said I wouldn’t put the game on sale for a while, but to honor the unexpected event I’m discounting the game by the same price as before for any interested newcomers. The First Tree has also been receiving lots of attention from Asia overall (8.4 review from IGN Japan, whoa!), so I thought now’s a great time to be part of the Lunar New Year sale. Take care friends, and thanks for the support!
New languages!
I’m pleased to announce that The First Tree just added official subtitles for 10 different languages! Originally I was using a fan translation system where players could post their own subtitle files for others to use, but now you can find them in the game’s settings menu. I’m also discounting the game by 20%, which is the same price as during the Steam Winter Sale, just so all the new international players get a chance to take a journey to the first tree. This will also be the last time to buy the game on sale for a while, so now’s the time to buy! (And so you can help fund the upcoming console ports :D )
Here are the languages:
French
German
Spanish
Italian
Portuguese (Brazil)
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Russian
Japanese
Korean
The interface is also localized, and you can change that by right clicking on the game in your Steam library, clicking Properties, then clicking on the Languages tab. Finally, I added a lot of small tweaks and optimizations to make the game better and less frustrating. Special thanks to Level Up Translation, Bruna Oliveira, Thomas Faust, and Alex Fortes for their services, and a million thanks to all of you for the support. I hope 2018 smiles upon you!
A little bit of my story in Polygon
Two super cool guys drove out to my home and talked about my story and what it's like making a game in Utah. I put a lot of my love for the land and my family into The First Tree, so I thought you guys might find it interesting. I hope all of you enjoy the holidays, and thanks for listening.
20% off! + What's next?
Thanks for the continued support of The First Tree, it naturally means a lot to me and my family! I just had shoulder surgery, almost got laid off from my job (long story), and we have a second baby on the way, so these sales really make a difference and you have my thanks! And you probably noticed the game is 20% off for Autumn and Winter sales, so now's a good time to try it out.
You might be wondering what's next for updates. Well, I'm finalizing polished subtitles for a variety of languages, and they'll be included in the game itself, so that's coming soon (the fan translation subtitle files are still available in the forum however). I'm also finalizing details for porting to consoles! Nothing set in stone yet, but I definitely want it to happen in 2018.
Is there any other updates you're dying to see? Any compatibility issues that need to be fixed? Input and suggestions are welcomed. Please take care, and I'll talk to you guys soon.
- David
Huge update! Now on Linux, most gamepads supported, and more!
I’ve been hard at work rebuilding and fixing, and now it’s ready! Here’s the list:
A totally rebuilt input manager, meaning any dual-analog gamepad on any OS should work now. No more spinning cameras!
Invert Y-axis and Camera Sensitivity options added.
Music now loops.
More icons and hints added so fewer players get stuck.
Jumping and platforming adjusted to be more forgiving and less frustrating.
Fixed a ton of bugs, including a rare one in the last level where the fox can get stuck on a rock.
The other big news: a beta version of The First Tree is now available on Linux (64-bit)! Thanks to all the multiple people on reddit who tested it and gave feedback. And for the players requesting a DRM-free version, the game is now available on itch.io. Thanks everyone for all the constructive feedback, emotional personal experiences, and praise. It means the world, and the messages will be something I carry with me for a long time. Take care.
Important fixes - Version 1.1
Thank you again for all the kind comments and constructive criticism, all of this attention has honestly been very overwhelming but absolutely worth it. Even if I haven’t been able to respond, I’ve read almost everyone’s thoughts and I’m working hard to squash these bugs and complaints. I’ve uploaded a new build now with the following changes:
For Mac users, the crash while loading the epilogue level should be gone now. If it still crashes, your data will still be saved at the proper spot, so boot up the game again and press Continue. Please also make sure your machine matches the minimum system requirements.
In the starry night level, the terrain and sky should load properly now during the right moment and you won’t fall off the map. Again, please make sure your machine meets the minimum requirements—this is another performance issue causing this.
Fixed some areas in the terrain where players were getting stuck.
Multiple music tracks shouldn’t play over each other.
Jumping, physics, and timing-based puzzles have been adjusted to be less frustrating.
Re-positioned some missing stars (oops!).
As for the future, here’s what I’m hoping to add soon (but haven’t yet):
Full controller support on PC and Mac including DualShock 4. This will fix all the spinning camera issues too. I will have to redo the entire input manager which will take time, so for now only the Xbox 360 controller on PC is officially supported.
Add invert Y-axis and sensitivity options.
Loop music tracks and other small enhancements.
Thanks for your patience everyone. If your experience has been ruined in anyway, please use the Steam refund system, that’s why it’s there! Thanks for all the help, and take care.
A small update and controller questions answered
First of all, I am at a loss for words on how amazing this launch has gone. Thank you everyone for the kind words, and thank you for the feedback on how to make the game better. I'm really sorry some bugs keep reoccurring, but I'll do my best to fix them over the coming weeks (hopefully days). If a problem keeps popping up and ruining your experience, I wholeheartedly urge you to get a refund, that's why the system is there.
I updated the game to fix the last level where the controller would stop working. However, I am still looking into supporting DualShock 4 controllers, which unfortunately means I will have to redo the entire input manager. Unity's biggest weakness is probably its input system, and that's why you're running into spinning cameras and broken buttons. So for now, the Xbox 360 gamepad on PC is the only official compatible controller for the game. If you're still seeing spinning cameras, make sure all controllers are unplugged and that any virtual joystick or mapping programs are off.
I am looking into the other bugs and hope to fix them soon! Thanks for the help and being awesome! Thanks for the amazing stories you're sending me about how the game made you feel. It's why I do it, seriously.
The First Tree is out!
It's finally ready! You can now play The First Tree on PC and Mac.
I hope you enjoy this poignant, sad, and sometimes happy journey to The First Tree. And please leave a review after you play it, and sharing on social media never hurts either! Thank you again for all the support, I'm looking forward to hearing what everyone thinks.
Tomorrow is the day!
Wow, can't believe it's happening! Tomorrow you'll finally be able to play The First Tree.
Some reviewers have already played the game, and while most of them have liked it, a couple of them practically hated it. So I want to clarify some things, just so we're on the same page! This is a story-driven experience with minimalist gameplay. It isn't a "fox simulator" game, and it's not even a platformer or puzzle game. It's also a one-man indie project with imperfections. However, if you're looking for an atmospheric, emotional story which gives you time to reflect on these characters and their lives, you will probably like the game. :)
Naturally if you run into any weird bugs, let me know in the Discussion Forums! I've already fixed a bunch of stuff, but more are sure to show up unexpectedly. And lastly, nothing would help me more than sharing the game tomorrow as much as you can! Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, Imgur are great places! It would help make this dream of mine come true. Thanks everyone! I hope you enjoy your journey to The First Tree.
PAX West and September 14 Launch!
Soon you will be able to take your journey to The First Tree! September 14 is the official day, and will launch with achievements, trading cards, translated interface in 7 different languages, and English subtitles ready for fan translations. Can't wait to show you this story I've worked on for the past two years which is near and dear to me.
The First Tree has also been accepted into the Indie MEGABOOTH at PAX West 2017! I'll be in the Minibooth section specifically on the first two days, and I hope to see you guys there! I'll have some button pins and flyers to give away, and of course you'll be able to play a special demo I've prepared of the game.
Please share the new launch trailer on Twitter, Reddit, Facebook, etc. That would help so much, it really does! Thanks for the support, and I can't wait for September.
