- The cosmetics "Love Struck Wedges" and "Prom Queen" have been removed from all players. Players that purchased the Sweetheart Set bundle while it was in the store have been given 800 FanBux as compensation.
Matchmaking Lobbies
- Additional session security for players connected to a matchmaking lobby
HotFix 1.0.79507
NOTE: These notes include some changes that were already in Thursday’s update, but weren’t called out in the previous set of notes.
Weapons
- The time that damage lingers on the monster after they escape Flamethrower flames has been reduced by 20%. (DESIGNER'S NOTE: The Flamethrower is a tricky weapon to tune so that it feels effective without being oppressive. We have pulled the increase we made Thursday back slightly based on feedback.)
Perks
- The Disrupted duration bonus granted by the monster perk Scream Fest was reduced to 8%/16%/24% (from 10%/20%/30%).
W.A.R.T.
- The reduction to Leap's cooldown granted by the Kinetic mutation was reduced to 20% (from 25%).
Deathwire
- The Voltage Vise mutation Sensor Spike drawback now increases activation time by 20% (down from 30%).
Cosmetics
- Added ‘kiss’ particle effects to the teen emotes S.W.A.K. and MWAH!, as well as the W.A.R.T., Werewolf and Doll Master’s Kiss of Death emotes.
Bug Fixes
- Fixed an issue where the connection quality icons for your selected matchmaking region were not displaying on the Game Mode selection screen. - Fixed an issue where the ‘Dance it Out’ teen emote was accidentally replaced with an animation intended for a new emote. - Fixed an issue with certain Doll Master costumes where the candle flames on the hook would not appear on certain graphics settings. - Fixed an issue where HUD indicators would not appear for teens that are off-screen and exposed by the Anomaly’s Scour power. - Fixed an issue where teen perks Friend Zone 1 and Friend Zone 2 were giving the same benefit as Friend Zone 3. - Fixed an issue where the aura of the monster would be revealed before they transformed by certain effects such as Friend Zone. - Fixed an issue where the Doll Master himself would also get revealed when a noisemaker revealed a possessed Doll. - Fixed an issue where the teens' legs would unnaturally bend when using the Shiver emote. - Fixed an issue where the duration circle around the teen player’s reticle would sometimes not appear when a teen’s actions were temporarily disabled by the monster. - Fixed an issue where several aura reveals granted by teen perks or weapon mods were not showing while a teen was controlling an RC Flyer or Infernal Eye. - Fixed an issue where a Solar Flare sentry would look inert when a teen was performing any action, rather than only when their weapon was disabled by the monster. - Fixed an issue where prize boxes earned since Thursday’s update would not always display correctly on the prize box screen. - Fixed the wording of the Lethal Weapon perk description to clarify that the multiplier is applied to Life loss inflicted not total Life. - Made more updates to Raygun netcode to improve hit detection accuracy in higher latency situations. - Fixed a few sections on the stage portion of the Eviscerator map where game audio would not play correctly. - Addressed an issue where players would sometimes get stuck on an “Updating..” prompt at the end of a match. - Fixed an issue where the visual effect when Deathwire focuses Voltage Vise would sometimes not play and adjusted the appearance of the Voltage Vise focus animation.
Eat Your Heart Out Valentine’s Event
Love is in the air and hearts are racing... It’s Valentine’s Day in the beyond! Welcome to Video Horror Society’s Eat Your Heart Out Valentine’s Event! We’ve got a totally dreamy patch full of free rewards, lovely cosmetics, an all new movie and gameplay features sure to get your blood pumping!
Free Daily Login Rewards
Rewards are like a box of chocolates... except we’re telling you exactly what you’re gonna get! Login everyday to unlock all of these sweet prizes for free!
My Furever Love
It’s Valentine’s day and Faith is working an especially slow night shift behind the Video Video Video front desk. Writing a secret romance in her diary seems like a good way to pass the time... Until she drowsily forgets it in the register where it will be subject to prying eyes after sunrise...
Faith’s diary has been sucked into the beyond! For the first time ever, read a homemade movie straight from Faith’s love-struck imagination... And read Leo’s scribbled attempts to ruin her fantasy romance. Play My Furever Love Part I FREE for a limited time and complete Faith and Leo’s back-and-forth scenes to unlock some beary cute rewards!
Purchase the Furever Love store bundle exclusive to complete your movie set and and own both parts... FUREVER! Don't wait for your favorite items to show up in store-- get them today and unlock an EXCLUSIVE Noneshine Bear costume only available in this special set.
Eat Your Heart Out Store Rotation
The daily store rotation is packed full of gorgeous and gory Valentine’s cosmetics and emotes! Sighhhh, we just love love <3
New Features
And this patch comes complete with all new features designed to improve the new player experience and monster QOL! Here’s how we’re spreading the love:
Quick Matchmaking game mode
Introducing Quick Matchmaking! Want to skip the line with the fastest possible queue time? Try the new Quick Matchmaking game mode! With one click, our Dynamic Bounty system automatically selects the monster or teen in highest demand to get you in a game as fast as possible. Plus, you'll get the maximum flux bonus for playing the role our community needs most. Fast forward your queue now!
Tips System
Introducing Tips! Want to take your play to the next level? Try tips! Whether you're a teen player or monster main, our new tip system is designed to give you situation-specific tips right when you need them. Start with Basic tips to learn the rules of The Beyond and work your way up to Advanced tips for strategic slays. Don't forget to enable Bonus tips for event specific hints and more.
Danger Sense
Danger Sense is a visual cue designed to help monsters avoid ambushes. When an armed teen is within 15 meters of the monster, their targeting reticle will visibly change, warning them of a potential ambush. It doesn't indicate the direction of danger and works much like the tension loop teens hear when the monster is near!
New Movies Every Other Tuesday
Free Limited Edition Movies! Video Video Video is now offering a FREE limited edition movie every second Tuesday! Rent out a brand new movie, or a returning fan favorite for rad rewards and lore every 2 weeks. Don't let your rental expire-- own the set today and never run out of time to complete scenes. Watch for exclusive collector's sets in the store to build your movie collection AND unlock instant exclusive cosmetics!
Patch Notes 1.0.79364
Seasonal Events - The "Eat Your Heart Out" seasonal event will be active until Feb 17th! Enjoy daily login rewards, themed store cosmetics, time-limited movie challenges and a redecorated Video Video Video!
Terminology - A teen is only considered 'armed' if they are holding an energized weapon. This change affects certain perks such as Low Profile, allowing teens holding an unenergized weapon to still benefit from it.
Menus - The loadout Weapons screen has been fully overhauled with a new, improved design.
Matchmaking - Bounty rewards for playing matches with specific characters are no longer fixed. Instead the amount of bonus flux earned for a given character is now influenced by the current state of the matchmaking queue in your chosen region. - A "Quick Matchmaking" mode has been added to the available game mode options. When used, the game will automatically select the character that should provide the fastest match time. We encourage players to give this feature a try! - Matchmaking region selection will now display the estimated match connection quality, based on the ping time to the matchmaking service in that region. - The lower population matchmaking regions Asia, Oceania and South America have been disabled to help improve matchmaking wait times. (DEVELOPER’S NOTE: The changes listed here are all aimed at getting players into matches faster, but require usage data and feedback from our community to help adjust and refine their performance. We will continue to improve on these systems in the weeks ahead as we work to give players the best queue times possible.)
Controls Game controllers will no longer send input to the game when it is not the focused window.
Maps - Added additional sound effects and ambience to the Ice Station preview map.
Tips System - As part of our efforts to improve the new player experience, a Tips system has been added. It can be configured on the Game tab of the Options menu. Tips are context sensitive and will appear under certain game conditions to provide the new player with timely advice and information that will help them learn how to play Video Horror Society. Additional tips are planned for future patches to continue to improve this system.
Movies - When certain movies become available for rental for a limited time, it will now be possible to purchase them from our in-game store. Doing so will remove any time-limitations on the movie so that it can be completed at the player's leisure. In addition, purchasing movies can unlock exclusive new editions and rewards!
Performance - Made numerous optimizations to CPU and GPU usage to improve frame rate and performance throughout the game.
Monster - All monsters (with the exception of possessed Dolls) now have an innate Danger Sense that is represented by an animating indicator around their targeting reticle. This will warn the monster when an active, armed teen is within 15 meters of them. There are times when this sense is not available (e.g. while Feasting, Banished, Possessing, Mimicking or Dispersed). (DESIGNER'S NOTE: The aim of this change is to reduce some of the stress playing monster by creating more times in the match where the monster feels safer to move around freely and making it more difficult to ambush them as a single teen.) - Monsters are now able to hit teens to continue to earn progress towards their next Plague even when they are already carrying a Plague. - The Plague that is fetched by a monster is no longer entirely random. Certain Plagues that are unlikely to be useful to the monster based on the current state of the match will no longer be fetched (e.g. Monsters will not fetch the Plague of Agony when there is only one teen remaining in a match). - When the monster hits a teen their player card in the HUD will shake to provide visual feedback. - Many more monster emotes now have sound effects to make them more expressive.
Teens - The total time required to finish crafting all weapons has been reduced by ~5%. Additionally, the time required to fully energize the Sacred Staff and Enigma has been decreased by ~10%. (DESIGNER'S NOTE: With the addition of the innate monster Danger Sense we’ve found it has become more important for teens to be capable of having weapons a little more quickly). - Increased the range at which teens can see the auras of the dead while carrying the Book of the Dead to 26 meters (from 10 meters). - Teens can now be given pickups from other teens while they are getting up from being prone. - Teens will now drop any pickups they are carrying on the ground if they disconnect from a match before it ends. - In addition to crafting and healing, the Jammed status now also applies the slowing effect to energizing weapons (e.g. the passive energy gained by Sacred Staff and Enigma, using a Fuse Box with Shock Sphere, etc). - To assist with team communication through the HUD player cards, the icon color of an equipped weapon will now change based on how much weapon charge is remaining. The colors will indicate whether the charge is high, moderate or low. - To assist with team communication through the HUD player cards, the flashing speed of the icon of a weapon being crafted will get faster the closer the weapon is to being finished.
Werewolf - The focus time required to activate Berserk has been reduced by 25%. - The Berserk mutation Grim now reduces the focus time required to activate Berserk by 30% (down from 50%).
W.A.R.T - The speed that WART moves during a Leap while not taking weapon damage has been increased by 9%. - The Leap mutation Throttle now increases movement during a Leap when not taking weapon damage by 15% (down from 24%). - The Leap mutation Kinetic no longer removes the Leap shockwave entirely, but instead reduces the Shockwave radius by 80%. - The Leap mutation Bombshell now increases the duration of the Stagger effect on teens by 20% (up from 10%). - The Acid Armor mutation Toxic has been redesigned. The additional life loss applied on an Armored hit has been changed to 5% (down from 8%) and the hit also applies the Torn status on a teen for 10 seconds. The Torn status increases the frequency, duration, and size of Chroma pools that drop while a teen is injured and changes their color. - The WART Echolocation mutation Detect now specifies that it affects teens that are carrying a weapon rather than armed teens.
Doll Master - The minimum Doll Trap count that the Doll Master can be reduced to is now 2 (was 1). (DESIGNER'S NOTE: In a previous patch, the minimum Doll Trap count was set to 1 to help address an issue where the Doll Master felt oppressive towards the end of a match due to its ability to easily cover the final stations with its body and Doll Traps. We have observed that this had too much of an impact on Doll Master vs. experienced teens and made them feel ineffective when reduced to only one Doll Trap. With the overall speed increase to weapon crafting times we feel this change isn't right for the Doll Master anymore). - The focusing time required to place a Doll Trap was lowered to 0.6 seconds (from 1.0 seconds). - Doll Traps now need to fully settle and complete their animations after being thrown before they can be interacted with. - A prone teen with a weapon equipped due to Vice Grip will no longer alert the Doll Master with the colored border while they are possessing a Doll. - If a Doll Trap is Alarmed when it is possessed, the cooldown for the first use of Jump is now reduced by 50% (Note this does not stack with the bonus granted by the Rebound mutation).
Deathwire - The maximum uses of Voltage Vise that can be stored has been increased to 3 (from 2). - The cooldown of a use of Voltage Vise has been increased to 18 seconds (from 15 seconds). - The focus time required to use Voltage Vise has been increased to 1 second (from 0.85 seconds). - The size of the affected area of Voltage Vise has been reduced by 25%. - The Voltage Vise lockout time after hitting a teen has been reduced to 5 seconds (from 7 seconds). - The Beam Matrix lockout time after hitting a teen has been reduced to 6 seconds (from 8 seconds). - In addition to its previous effects, the 'Juiced' status granted to Deathwire after successfully shocking a teen now reduces the movement penalty for using Voltage Vise by 50%. - Deathwire can now swap out of Drift mode while taking damage from weapons. - The Voltage Vise visual effect is now uniquely colored when using the Sensor Spike mutation and the Circuit Breaker mutation. - The Voltage Vise mutation Chaos Coil has been redesigned. It will now increase the affected area of Voltage Vise by 25%, but will not affect the movement speed of unarmed teens shocked by Voltage Vise. - The Beam Matrix mutation Risk Radar now specifies that it affects teens that are equipped with a weapon rather than armed teens. - In addition to its original effects, the Beam Matrix mutation Risk Radar now displays the auras of teens with a weapon in a different color and exposes teens without a weapon for a 50% shorter duration (up from 30%). - When using the Death Drift mutation Nitro Booster, the Death Drift lockout time after hitting a teen has been reduced to 6 seconds (from 7.5 seconds). - The Voltage Vise mutation Sensor Spike drawback now increases activation time by 30% (down from 40%).
Anomaly - Improved or added several work-in-progress visual effects for the Anomaly's powers. - Smoke Screens will now blind the Anomaly if they enter the smoke cloud while in Mimic form.
Perks - The teen perk Lightning Fast now only affects unarmed teens. - The monster perk Lethal Weapon was redesigned. It now removes 6%/12%/18% (up from 4%/8%/12%) more Life when the monster hits a Teen while Enraged and costs 3/6/9 perk points (down from 4/8/12). - The monster perk Demonic point cost has been increased to 5/6/7 (from 4/5/6). - The monster perk Ambush has been updated. In addition to its original effects, it will also increase the frequency of crafting skill checks when a teen is within the monster's Tension Track by 30%/60%/90%. - The monster perk Hidden Agenda has been updated. In addition to its original effects, it will also increase the speed at which hiding places can be searched by 33%/66%/100%.
Weapons - The time that damage lingers on the monster after they escape Flamethrower flames has been increased by 50%. - The time it takes the Radiant Cross light beam to reach its maximum effective range after firing has been reduced by 40%. - The duration of the wake from a Cursed Sword swing has been increased by 10%. - While the monster is in view of a Solar Flare sentry, the time required for the resulting weapon drain to reach max intensity has been increased by 30%.
Weapon Mods - The weapon mods Cursed Blade, Stunning Victory, Crucifier and Cheap Fuel now increase crafting speed of the corresponding weapon by 12% (changed from 15%/15%/10%/15% respectively). - The RC Flyer mod Engine Amp now increases the speed the RC Flyer flies by 8% (down from 10%). - The Sacred Staff mod Miraculous Recovery benefit has been redesigned. Instead of its previous effect, it now grants 18% progress towards energizing the staff when the wielder revives a prone teen. - In addition to its previous effects, the Sacred Staff mod Trial of Suffering now grants the wielder 12% progress towards energizing the staff if they injure themselves on crafting completion.
Training - Removed some unnecessary teen training dummies from the monster training. - Fixed an issue where the floating text in the teen training was not rotated to face the camera.
Game Audio - Game audio is now briefly dampened when the camera transitions to show the final moments of a match. Previously the sudden loud noise could startle players.
Cosmetics - T-Radd now shoots freaking laser beams out of its eyes
Bug Fixes - Fixed a timing bug that allowed players to bypass the crafting restrictions of the weapon mods Cursed Blade, Stunning Victory, Crucifier and Cheap Fuel. - Fixed an issue where the Holy Cross beam effect was not scaling correctly to match the actual damaging area. - Fixed an issue where Deathwire's HUD would not update correctly after recovering from being Stunned while in Drift mode. - Fixed a rare attack timing issue where it was possible to lose a charge of the Cursed Sword but not fire a projectile. - Fixed an issue where the match identifier was not displaying for players at the end of a matchmaking match. - Fixed an issue where Vice Grip would get used up when an armed teen was killed even though the teen did not keep their weapon. - Fixed an issue where Omens that transformed back into props would play impact noises that could confuse players. - Fixed an issue where a teen that was stumbling after falling from a great height or after a vault had a larger hitbox than intended.
01.23 DevNotes
This DevNotes, Syd, Chris, E Man and Jeff are wishing you a Happy New Year, a Happy Lunar New Year, and letting you in on all the exciting things coming in 2023. We're talking Valentine's, monster gameplay changes, and new limited movies!
Happy New Year!
Huge congratulations to you for completing our first ever community challenge! The Video Horror Society put over 450k ornaments on the Communitree, beating our 3 tier goals with days to spare! How’s that for Holiday spirit?!
We know some players who participated in the challenge after the final goal was met weren’t able to collect the rewards. If that sounds like you, please reach out at contact@hellbentgames.com and we will do our best to get you those rewards!
Overall our Video Holiday Special was a huge success and we learned a lot so stay tuned for future community challenges.
Happy Lunar New Year!
We also celebrated Lunar New Year last weekend! Hope you had a chance to check out our Lucky Lunar Collection:
Lunar Lady Set
Year of the Rabbit costume
Men’s Crimson Changshan
WART Fortune Dragon
Gameplay Updates
At the studio, our current focus is on making Video Horror Society more accessible and creating a more engaging onboarding experience for new players. Here’s what we’re working on:
Dynamic Bounties coming in February!
Get ready for even better bounties! Our current fixed bounty system awards a flux bonus to monster players to help speed up queue times and encourage more players to try the role.
The new Dynamic Bounty system will use live matchmaking data plus individual player skill ratings to award the highest flux to roles that will result in the fastest queue time.
That means bounties will change dynamically to get you the maximum bonus flux AND faster queues. Score!
Quick Matchmaking game mode
Want to skip the line with the fastest possible queue time? Try the new Quick Matchmaking game mode! Quick Matchmaking uses our new Dynamic Bounty system to automatically select the monster or teen in highest demand to get you in a game as fast as possible. Plus, you'll get the maximum flux bonus for playing the role our community needs most. Fast forward your queue now!
Also coming in February: Hints & Tips!
Want to take your play to the next level? Try tips! Whether you're a teen player or monster main, our new tip system is designed to give you situation-specific tips right when you need them.
This will be our first iteration of tips and we are looking forward to getting your feedback on how it works and where to improve.
Danger Sense in testing!
We’ve had lots of questions about how we’re combatting monster ambushes and we are currently testing a promising new solution: Danger Sense!
After experimenting with audio cues like ambient weapon noise, we found that adding more to the soundscape felt overwhelming, cluttered and inaccessible for impaired players.
Danger Sense is a visual cue similar to the coloured vignette Dollmaster sees when his body is threatened. When an armed teen is within 15 meters of the monster, their targeting reticle will visibly change, warning them of a potential ambush.
It’s a big change but we’ve found in our internal playtests that it works really well in balancing the teen and monster experience: it doesn't indicate the direction of danger and feels a lot like the tension loop teens hear when the monster is near!
We are excited to hear your feedback as soon as Danger Sense is added to the game!
Performance Optimization
We’re always listening to your feedback on game performance and are already in the testing phase of some optimization changes to make things run more smoothly. Look forward to better framerates soon.
Valentine's Day!
Love is almost in the air. Get ready for our Valentine’s event on Feb 10th!
Lovely login rewards
An all new store rotation of cosmetics de cœur
FREE limited Valentine’s movie straight from Faith’s diary! Be sure to read the lore and reap the exclusive rewards when My Furever Love is sucked into The Beyond next month!
New Limited Movies
Video Video Video is now offering a FREE limited edition movie rental every second Tuesday! That’s right, a brand new movie, or returning fan favorite, will be available to play every 2 weeks.
Rental about to expire and you’re not done with your movie? Soon you’ll be able to buy a copy of your own! Purchase the collectors edition and get unlimited time to complete the movie at your leisure PLUS get an exclusive cosmetic that auto unlocks on Day 1. Of course you’ll always have time to play through movies for free first!
Coming spoon to a limited movie near you: Team Wolf, Enter the Eviscerator, Cyberwulf, and WART X!
Best of 2022
We asked you what cosmetics you missed in 2022 and we listened! Get ready for all your favs to return in 2023. Keep an eye on the daily rotation for fan favorites as soon as this week all the way into March! Look forward to seeing Best of Bundles in the near future.
Some Final Community Questions
Anomaly when? We’re aiming to have The Anomaly playable in the main game for March!
Did Kenzo get better at fire bombs? No. But he’s better than Tech.
Is a roadmap coming soon? Lots of changes are in the works for Early Access but we would like to have a roadmap ready for you soon.
Is VHS coming to console? We would love to come to console and have plans to do so long term. Just need a bigger team with more resources!
More Rewinders soon? We have a shortlist of creators that we are in the process of vetting right now! Expect a new wave of Rewinders spoon!
Thanks everyone for your support moving into 2023! See you next DevNotes :)
Patch 1.0.77590
Fixes for the Video Holiday Special, coming in hot.
Patch Notes
Movies - Reduced the count required for many movie scene tasks in the Greeblies and Two Feet Under the Tree movies to make them easier to complete.
Holiday Community Challenge - Removed the text '(max 2 times per match)' from the Community Challenge task description. The number of times per match you can contribute to the task is unbounded, so this text was misleading. - Improved the visibility of the information on the Community Event screen (e.g. widening the space event rewards are displayed.)
Perks - Gutter Punch will no longer activate when teens holding Trinkets used to decorate the Communitree are hit by the monster.
Bug Fixes - Fixed an issue where the chance of receiving a Frostbit Biscuit or Candy Cane Key prize out of Holiday Prize boxes was much lower than intended. - Fixed an issue where Walkie Talkies brought in with a Walkie Talkie prize would start with 0 battery life remaining. - Fixed an issue where players would hear the Werewolf Howl while controlling a spectral if their teen's body was within range of the Howl. - Fixed an issue where pickups would glint while being used by a teen (e.g. deploying a Noisemaker) - Fixed an issue where in-flight weapon projectiles would not get removed after the firing weapon successfully struck the monster. - Fixed an issue where some Nice Gift spawn locations could not be searched on the Facility and Highschool maps. - Fixed an issue where a Mimic performing emotes involving props would not remove them after turning back into the Anomaly. - Fixed an issue with the snowballs thrown by monsters in their Snowball Fight emotes had no texture. - Fixed an issue where a teen could get trapped in a 'feasted on' state if a Doll that was feasting on them was destroyed by a weapon. - Fixed an issue where the monster AI in Teen training would not pursue and attack the player correctly. Additionally, the monster AI will now attack the RC Flyer. - Fixed an issue where certain elements of the UI would not refresh properly when party changes occurred. - Fixed an issue where the wrong active reward tier was being displayed in the Community Challenge widget. - Fixed an issue where the 'New Item' icon would show on several screens for items that were scrolled off screen.
HotFix 1.0.77441
Bug fixes for the Video Holiday Special update.
Video Holiday Special
Added an information screen to give players an overview of the event.
Bug Fixes
Fixed an issue where the movie task "Contributing to the decorating of a completed Communitree" would not be credited if a trinket or bauble was added after the tree was finished.
Fixed an issue where the movie task "Use any Prize from the Video Holiday Special event" would not progress.
Fixed an issue where the Community Event ornament count would not update after finishing a match.
Fixed an issue where a Banished monster could place ornaments on the Communitree.
Fixed an issue where the monster could be defeated in Monster Training by being hit by weapons from the teen AI.
Fixed an issue where the wake from a Cursed Sword would not disappear after the monster was struck by a weapon.
Fixed an issue where the Anomaly would not cancel Scouring after being struck by a weapon.
Fixed an issue where crafting progress was not being reset properly when changing which weapon you want to craft at a table after you had already made progress.
Fixed an issue where a player would be credited with energizing the Sacred Staff after crafting it.
Fixed an issue where the names of weapons was not displaying correctly at the AI Spawning table in Monster Training.
Added in a missing reward from the Greeblies movie.
Fixed the spacing of infromation on the Community Event info screen to not overlap with other game elements.
Fixed an issue where inverting controls on mouse would invert both horizontal and vertical when it was only supposed to be vertical.
Fixed an issue where Anomaly was missing its flavor text on the Character Select screen.
Fixed an issue where weapon skins equipped for the Infernal Eye would not change its appearance or sounds.
The names of Reggie's perks have been updated to their final versions.
An echo of Reggie is no longer trapped in the Beyond.
The Video Holiday Special
Come on in out of the cold and join us for the holiday event you’ve been waiting all year for. Broadcasting live from Pine Bluff, Video Horror Society presents: The Video Holiday Special!
Video Holiday Special Devnotes Vlog 12.14
Grab a Clash Nog and join Kenzo, Eman, Chris, Sydney AND Jeff for a cozy DevNotes around the fire.
Get the fa la la la lowdown on all things Video Holiday Special: from REGGIE to our very first community challenge, and all the festive maps and cosmetics in between, this is a holiday special you won’t want to miss. Watch now or read the written summary below :)
Reggie is HERE!
It’s official! Everyone’s favorite nerd is home just in time for the holidays!
Introducing Reggie, Video Horror Society’s newest playable teen! He may be little, but this whiz kid knows his way around a crafting table. Read up on Reggie’s potential, perks, lore and more right here.
The Video Holiday Special
No need to wait till Christmas morning, let’s get into all the holiday gifts right now!
Decorate the Communitree
From today until January 4th, Video Horror Society is celebrating the holiday season with our very first community challenge! Monsters and Teens will work together to Decorate the Communitree. It’s a Christmas miracle!
Search for Naughty and Nice monster and teen presents all around the map. Decorate the Communitree with the ornaments you find inside for a Christmas surprise. Even if you don’t complete the tree with 8 ornaments every match, each ornament you hang counts towards our community goals.
Can we make it to the top tier before the new year? Let’s work together to spruce up this Communitree!
Winter Wardrobe
Eman and Kenzo drop in to talk about all the fun and festive winter cosmetics coming this season!
Wintery weapon skins including Santa’s Sleigh RC Flyer (which Eman says is even better than Gerty?!)
Some sweet teen costumes like the Tough Cookie Gingerbread Suit (which smells even better than the real thing), the Minty Fresh Candy Cane, and Chompie the Snowman!
A bunch of seasonal winter wear from scarves to touques
Frostbit Shivers skins for teens and monsters
Ugly sweaters for Werewolf, hanging mistletoe for WART and Deathwire Giftbox Gear!
Ho Ho Hotel Map
The hotel halls are decked! Our environment team gave the classic inn a cozy new look for the holidays.
Deck the Halls Mechanics
So many seasonal prizes! Use the Candy Cane Key to vote for the Ho Ho Hotel map, eat a Frostbit Biscuit to turn into a snowman, and give all your plagues cute little Santa Hats!
Jeff gives us the deets on how to Decorate the Communitree: Playing as Monster:
Hunt down Naughty Gifts- they’re hidden around every map.
Attack a Gift to unwrap them and claim the Bauble inside.
Get close to the Communitree and your Bauble will be automatically hung on the tree with care.
Playing as Teen:
Search any of the maps for Nice Gifts- they’re hidden around every map.
Search a Nice Gift by holding E to unwrap it and claim the Trinket inside
Find the Communitree and press F to hang your Trinket on the tree with care.
Festive Double Feature!
Sydney and Eman talk about the two limited holiday movies hitting the shelves today.
Greeblies Greeblies are the newest fad and every kid’s asking for one this Christmas. Only these talking toy dolls seem smarter than they look.
Two Feet Under the Tree Jackie has been “missing” since last Halloween and her little sister Holly is heel-bent on finding out why. Returning to the graveyard where she was last seen, a new batch of teens finds the gravedigger’s newest victim.
Play them for FREE before January 4th to unlock exclusive seasonal cosmetics and prizes!
22 Days of Giving
‘Tis the season of giving so we’re giving away a FREE GIFT from our Holiday collection every day from today until January 3rd just for logging in! But wait! There’s more!
HO HO HOLY XP Weekends! Hop into matchmaking to get double the XP on every match every weekend including Christmas and New Years!
The Ice-ing on the Christmas Cake
and we answered... We’re giving you early access to our newest content!
Hop into Private Screening now to try out our new ICE STATION map and our experimental new monster ANOMALY! That’s right, a brand-new winter themed map and monster for you to try!
Anomaly is by far the scariest thing we’ve ever made. It’s not just its terrifying body-horror design, Anomaly introduces a new paranoia-inducing style of gameplay.
Spend the holidays not just playing with friends but pretending to BE your friends. We are so excited to release an experimental version of Anomaly for you to play and we can’t wait to hear your feedback. You’ll scream, you’ll laugh, you’ll die. OH WHAT FUN.
Happy Hellbent Holidays
Thank you all for an amazing year! We hope to see some new players joining us around the Communitree so check out our #new-player-lfg channel on Discord, tune into our Rewinders, and have fun!
Looking forward into 2023, we’ve got a ton of thrilling new stuff in the works. A shelf full of new movies, teens, monsters and the first Issue of our Season Pass! Until then, have a Happy Hellbent Holidays from our family to yours!
Patch Notes
Special Private Screening Monster and Map Preview Our newest monster, the Anomaly is now available for play in an experimental 'Preview' state in Private Screening matches, along with the Ice Station map! Please note that this is not the final release of the monster or the map, and still uses some placeholder sounds, graphics and animations. This monster's powers, mutations and perks may also change significantly for its full release based on player feedback and internal testing.
Private Screening - Private Screening lobbies now show your selected Primary Character for both factions, this allows you to easily swap your preferred character.
Controls - The "Dismiss Minion" action keybinding has now been renamed to "Monster Action" to highlight that its purpose may vary from monster to monster. - Firing Sensitivity Settings were added to the Mouse/Keyboard menu. This was previously only on the Controller settings menu (default is "50")
Teens - Teens are now able to see the aura of crafting stations when they are within 40 meters of them (up from 20 meters). - Teens are now able to see the aura of medkit stations while they are Injured when they are within 24 meters of them (up from 6 meters).
Perks - The teen perk Quick Fix will no longer increase the distance at which you can see the aura of medkit stations. The speed of healing at a medkit station was increased to 7%/11%/15% (up from 6%/10%/14%).
Doll Master - Added an explanation on the use of the "Remove Trap" action to the Doll Trap power description.
Deathwire - Slightly lowered the volume of some of Deathwire's sound effects when playing as Deathwire based on player feedback.
Training - In the Monster Training mode, players can now equip the teen bot with a weapon of their choice. Doing so will cause the bot to energize the weapon (if necessary) and then attack the monster with it, allowing monsters to practice playing against specific weapons.
Bug Fixes - Fixed an issue where using 'Random' perks in Private Screening Match Settings would create loadouts that exceeded the maximum number of perk points allowed. - Fixed an issue where firing the Raygun by clicking the fire button repeatedly rather than holding it down would not rapid fire properly. - Fixed an issue where the Doll Master hitting a vending machine would refresh the Teleport cooldown when using the Aggressive mutation. - Fixed an issue where monster perk discounts weren't taken into account when validating monster perk loadouts, causing them to sometimes get unset. - Fixed an issue where the chosen Matchmaking Region was often reverted after restarting the game if it was changed on the Gamemode selection screen
HotFix 1.0.76174
Bug Fixes for the Private Screening update.
Matchmaking
The currently selected matchmaking region is now displayed on the Game Mode selection button.
Bug Fixes
Fixed an issue where players receiving a Flux compensation for purchasing the Deathwire DLC when Deathwire is already owned would not see their currency update in game until relogging.
Fixed an issue where players that entered a full Private Screening lobby would still be able to hear and speak in the lobby's voice chat.
Fixed an issue where players could sometimes get stuck in-game after losing their connection to the host of a match.
Fixed an issue where teens being chased by dolls would hear the wrong chase music.
Fixed an issue where players in a Private Screening that equipped a weapon skin would sometimes be unable to build a weapon.
Fixed an issue where the Private Screening "No Perks" match setting would prevent a monster from using Mutations.
Fixed an issue where the Steam popup to purchase Fanbux from the store would not appear for some users.
Fixed an issue where monsters would get unlimited perk discounts when equipping perks in Private Screening mode
Fixed a crash that could occur if teens captured a Super Rift after the monster has been hit by all 4 stigma types (possible in Private Screening Unending mode)
Fixed an issue where the menu music would not play after returning from a Training or Tutorial game
Fixed a crash that would sometimes occur when a monster was struck by the Infernal Eye or RC Flyer
Fixed an issue with the "Showtime" Dollmaster trait incorrectly appearing in the Costume slot for some players.
Private Screening is here! Now playing: DevNotes 11.21
This DevNotes, Sydney and Martin sit down to address your feedback and questions. Let's talk Private Screening Game Mode, updates on monster quality of life, and WHERE’S REGGIE?!
First of all, thank you!
We want to thank everyone who participated in the Thrills ‘n’ Chills livestream. We had a great time going live with our community and Rewinders. We heard some great feedback and are planning another event like it in the future *ooooooh*
AND thank you for your patience as we put the finishing touches on our Private Screening Game Mode. We are so excited for you to try it out!
Addressing feedback
We are listening! There has been a ton of feedback and constructive criticism coming through lately and we want you to know we hear and appreciate all of it. That’s why we dedicated this DevNotes to responding to your tweets:
“Me when dead game” We’ve been hearing this since beta so DON’T PANIC we are far from dead. Hellbent has been making VHS for a long time (over 4 years!) and aren’t worried about blowing up overnight. We're really grateful for the amazing community we’ve build during EA without any marketing and have plans to push our game to a bigger audience the moment we are ready!
“get rid of the rotation store, it doesn’t help anyone” We get a lot of feedback on our store format- both the daily rotation and the seasonal catalogs. We iterate each time we have a new store collection and will keep trying new systems until we’ve figured out a way that works. Keep the feedback coming!
“Please add a lot of monster changes next week alongside custom games...” We summoned Jeff for an update on monster gameplay. We’re happy with the response to our latest updates: vending machines, plagues, and scream changes have been a good start to making the monster experience feel more fun. Right now, we’re internally testing our booster packs which will allow us to release new monster perks and mutations at a quicker pace. Plus look out for discounted monster perks in this patch!
“Hello, there will be a translation of the game to take it to the Spanish-speaking public” Translations are coming! We have engaged a localization studio and are finalizing our narrative to be translated into several languages.
“Ooh! Nice! I’ll jdut have to jump on VHS--Oh wait.. it’s never going to be on console." Right now, we are focused on PC but we have plans to come to console in the future.
“Im convinced @VHSTheGame is not into making the game grow with new content but they got that cosmetics game on lock” Our character team is amazing and we love cosmetics but this does not mean that we aren’t still working on other gameplay content. All of our teams work at different paces and our goal is just to get as much new stuff out as quick as we can! There is a lot in the works right now and Private Screening will only improve our ability to test new game ideas and game modes alongside the community.
“But the tutorials kind of do a bad job at explaining. Idk, I wanna give VHS the benefit of the doubt and I wanna continue playing, but it is legitimately difficult to get into it.” We are planning on revamping our tutorial system to make it more fun and informative for new players. In the meantime, Private Screening will give new players the opportunity to try the game with their friends in a low-pressure situation. Single-player Private Screenings will even let you learn the map and practice skills with the place to yourself.
What’s new?
Private Screening is a big deal for us! It is a feature that you’ve been asking for for quite a while and we are so happy to release it.
Private Screening games allow you to play solo or in teams as teen or monster on all maps with all weapons, perks and mutation!
The only difference is there will be no progression in Private Screening games so you are still encouraged to play on our original matchmaking game mode.
Read the Patch Notes below for more info on Private Screening!
Can we talk about Reggie?
Sydney gives us a refresher on where the Sysop ARG left Reggie. Deathwire stole his spotlight and has him captured somewhere... but Reggie is still out there in the Beyond.
As for a release date, Reggie will not be escaping his metal prison in November... or 2023... The rest is a mystery.
Fun fact: Reggie is the first teen that we ever made! He is a fan favorite at Hellbent and we are all really excited for you to get to know him when the time comes.
Winter Event coming December
We won’t give away any details yet, but we are developing a Winter Event full of seasonal cosmetics, prizes and mini-games. (And maybe you noticed our sponsor's secret seasonal product in the video???)
To end off, we know we responded to criticism today but we really are so grateful for our community and all of the feedback you give us. Positive or negative, we are glad you’re engaging with our game and will continue to be inspired by our players. Thank you!
Patch Notes 1.0.76005
Deathwire DLC Now Available on Steam and Epic Store As of this patch, new playable characters will no longer be for sale for our premium currency FanBux. Instead, DLC content will be offered for both Flux in-game and for purchase outside of game as DLC on 3rd-party stores (Steam & Epic). Along with this change we've added a Flux compensation system. If players have already purchased items in-game and then acquire a DLC that contains the same items, they will receive equivalent Flux compensation for those items. For example, if someone already purchased Deathwire in-game and then purchase the Deathwire DLC, they will receive Flux equal to the value of Deathwire in the in-game store.
Private Screening We're excited to announce the release of our Private Screening feature! Players will find it listed in our revised menu by pressing the 'Selected Game Mode' button. This mode allows players to either host their own private lobby for players to join, or join another player's hosted lobby. In addition to using the party system to take their friends into hosted lobbies, players can also invite anyone to join their lobby using a Custom Lobby Code. This is a 6 digit passcode that is unique to each hosted lobby.
Private Screening matches support between 1-5 players. This mode allows the monster to be randomly chosen from among multiple players who have chosen to play as monster or will automatically choose one of the teens to become the monster if no one in the lobby selects the role prior to the start of a match.
Custom lobbies have some special features, including giving players access to all weapons, weapon mods, perks and mutations whether they've been unlocked on the player's account or not. In addition, most prizes are available in unlimited quantities to use in your Private Screening games (note that map votes and point boosting prizes are not available in this mode). The host of the lobby is also able to set custom match settings. This includes the map, as well as optional game modifications such as randomizing perks, mutations, weapon mods, win conditions and whether the monster will remain in voice chat after the match has begun. We will be looking to add additional features to match settings in the future!
Finally, you can use the Private Screening mode to start a match on your own as either a lone teen or monster to explore the game's maps at your leisure.
Please note that progression is disabled in Private Screenings, so players will not be able to level up their characters and weapons, earn Flux or complete movies in this mode.
We hope you enjoy this new way to play Video Horror Society and we would love to hear your feedback!
Monster
All monsters will now earn a perk discount at the end of every act, analogous to the discounts that teens currently have. Monster perk discounts can be used on any perk, allowing for new perk combinations!
The monster's three pings are now represented by three unique shapes and colors to help the monster player distinguish between them.
Updated several monster emotes to now loop until the player chooses to move.
Emotes
Added sound to the Teen emote The Chiller and the Werewolf emote Chiller Wolf.
Bug Fixes
Fixed an issue where the RC Flyer could sometimes be hit by the monster from a much greater distance than normal after the RC Flyer fires on it.
Fixed an issue where the camera would sometimes shake for teen players when the monster scream shockwave occurred nearby even if the scream did not reach the teen.
Improved the look of the Smoke Screen smoky camera vignette effect.
A rift in the beyond is forming...
Hallways of Horror: Thrills 'n' Chills Livestream
Introducing The Hallways of Horror Thrills 'n' Chills Livestream!
This Thursday @11AM PST, Video Horror Society is hosting a haunted Livestream Playday to preview our new Private Screening Game Mode.
Private Screening
Join the Hellbent Devs and Rewinders for an action-packed day of custom party matches! We'll be trying out our new Private Screening Game Mode, a place where you can team up, dive deep, jump in, or chill out with a custom lobby of friends! Tune in to learn all about Private Screening, coming spoon to a VHS near you!
Giveaways!!!
Drop-in for surprise Giveaways and chances to win exclusive Haunted Hallways prizes! It's a Halloween miracle!
Rewinders and Hellbent Devs
Cheer for your favourite Rewinders or laugh at their molotov blunders (we don't judge). Joining us on Thursday is:
Granny
Jaee
Lilliepie101
ZiggyNova
ARTPOPxGUY
amethyst
Trickster Shadow
Techsmith314
Frenchiecorn
thatkriss
BlazeImmortal_
ThatNerdViolet
bunbunHD
Pixelishious
Join the stream for live Dev commentary and Hellbent vs Hellbent gameplay.
Come hang out with us at The Haunted Hallways Thrills 'n' Chills Livestream on YouTube, Twitch or right here on Steam! It'll be a treat... (or trick?)
Fixes for the Video Holiday Special, coming in hot.
Introducing Reggie, Video Horror Society’s newest playable teen! He may be little, but this whiz kid knows his way around a crafting table. Read up on Reggie’s potential, perks, lore and more 
