May 31, 2022

Witch It - Exenoxx

We appreciate you!

5 years ago today, we cautiously pushed the Early Access release button... anxious, yet hyped for the world to play our wacky little game.

Positive reactions to our Alpha and Beta testing periods gave us a spark of confidence we desperately needed to hit that button, no matter how daunting the following journey may be. Since releasing a game was a first for the team, we didn't set our ambitions too high - our only goal: to bring as much joy to our players as to us making the game. 💜

Within a matter of months, we were absolutely blown away by the abundance of support for Witch It!

To describe ourselves as fortunate would be an understatement; there's simply no words that can articulate how grateful and proud we are to have turned our passion project into a full-time career. And as cliché as it sounds... we really couldn't have done it without you. Whether you joined us in the Alpha, Beta, Early Access, after the full release, during a sale, during an event or after watching your favourite creator, we deeply appreciate you being here and supporting us all these years.

And we're not just saying that...

5 years is a long time, especially when working on content non-stop. Any rational person would probably tell us we need a break. However, remember that spark we felt right before we pressed that release button? It never left us.

So we're not going anywhere. In fact, we're doubling down.
We've taken substantial steps over the past year to multiply the size of our development team, so we can continue working on Witch It for the years to come! We strongly believe our best years are still ahead of us. So whether you're a new player or a seasoned veteran, we hope you stick with us!

Thank you for everything. We owe it all to you! ːluaqː

~ Barrel Roll Games

A Nostalgic Timeline

Let's take a trip to the past. Below is a timeline of all the major news that followed the release of Witch It Early Access on May 31st, 2017. It's so fascinating to see how far the game has evolved over the past 5 years! At which part of the timeline did you join us? 📅

5th Anniversary Hats

Every celebration needs a cake. Pick up the "5th Anniversary Cake Hat" for the Witch, and the "5th Anniversary Witch Hat" for the Hunter by playing at least one round in an Official server! 🎂

5th Anniversary Player Icon

Is it really a Witch It event if there's no player icon? 🐔🥚
Of course not! And since it's such a special occasion, we've made it animated too!
Open up the game and play at least one round in an Official server to obtain it!

Anniversary Servers

We've released a fresh batch of 'anniversary' servers which you can now find on the server list. In these servers, we've altered the game rules so that every skill is more powerful than before! The gameplay is a lot more manic and unpredictable, but extremely fun! Please let us know what you think, as we may make some changes and additions to these servers over the next few weeks. We also plan to give players the ability to use these game rules in custom servers soon!

We've also enabled double rewards for quests during the Anniversary event - however, these will only apply to newly generated quests. Complete or skip your current quests to see the double rewards in action! 🎁

Patch Notes

+ Added: 5th Anniversary Hat for Witches
+ Added: 5th Anniversary Hat for Hunters
+ Added: 5th Anniversary Player Icon
+ Added: Third prop layout to ‘Shipwreck Hollow’

↻ Changed: Inspecting props and utilities in Creative Mode now shows which switches are directly connected to them in addition to the existing feature of switches showing all props and utilities directly and indirectly connected to them
↻ Changed: Performance optimization to improve FPS. Mainly the UI and Animations got optimized, but this should increase the CPU performance
↻ Changed: The default rendering is updated to dx12. Therefore a launch option for dx11 was added for players with Windows 7 or 8
↻ Changed: Updated smoke effects to use the new particle system
↻ Changed: Removed level requirements for skills

✓ Fixed: Cloning witch bug in Creative Mode
✓ Fixed: Chickens alerting to palace doors
✓ Fixed: Pinwheel prop fps dependency affecting movement generated wheel spinning
✓ Fixed: Broken spots on Oasis Temple, Kasbah le Ribat, Shipwreck Hollow, Powersource & Pizza Factory
✓ Fixed: First layout of Witch House is now available again
✓ Fixed: The wood chop task in Imposturous Mode now ends properly if a meeting is called
✓ Fixed: Camera focus for ghosts in wood chop task and study witch skills task in Imposturous Mode
✓ Fixed: Pressure plate switch being triggered by Witches that turned into props
✓ Fixed: Switch connection info in Creative Mode if more than one switch is in the selected group
✓ Fixed: Reselecting group member in Creative Mode not removing it from group

Apr 14, 2022

Patch 1.2.6 - Spring Fever!

Witch It - Exenoxx

Spring Fever is here! Patch 1.2.6 introduces new skins, a themed player icon, new props (and layouts), as well as switchable doors for Creative mode. Read on to learn more! :rollingbarrel:

Spring Fever 2022

Opening Witch It during the Spring Fever 2022 event will grant you 10 "Spring Baskets"!
A Spring Basket contains a random Spring Fever item (rare or above), which can only be opened if you earn a "Colorful Egg".
To earn a Colorful Egg, fill up the Item Cauldron with 250 experience points. You can see the progress during the level up screen at the end of the round.
For every Item Cauldron you open, there is a 20% chance that you'll receive 1 Colorful Egg!

Every Spring Fever item is tradable and craftable even after the event is over.
If you use up all your baskets, you can craft a new basket by combining 5 Colorful Eggs together! 🥚
Note: Colorful Eggs can only be obtained in Official servers.

Snow Bunny Set

Alongside our popular bunny outfits, we're excited to introduce the new "snow bunny" set! Snow bunny is rare rarity, part of the 'Spring Fever' event item pool, and can be obtained through the limited-time event (opening spring baskets), crafting (witches' cauldron), or as a normal drop (a small chance after filling up the item cauldron at the end of a round). 🐰

New Achievement & Sandwi(t)ch Hat

Achievement collectors! We invite you to attempt our latest challenge - collecting 50 secret props hidden in our maps. Find 50, and you'll unlock our delicious new "Sandwi(t)ch Hat" for your Witch! 🥪
Note: Achievement progress is limited to Official servers.

Spring Fever 2022 Player Icon

Receive the "Spring Fever 2022" icon by playing a round of Witch It during our Spring Fever event!
This icon is only obtainable for a limited time, so don't miss out! 🐣

10+ new props and new prop layouts

Spring-themed props are here, including a water can, an Easter wreath, paper windmills and much more! Alongside our new props are new prop layouts for 'Twisted House', 'Shard of Wiqqarra', 'Amara's Fountain', 'Cursed Ruins' and ‘Port Plunder’ - get hiding! 👀

Switchable Doors

Switchable doors block both witches and hunters if closed by a switch. If opened, these act like completely normal doors. Use this to lock-off secret rooms, invent new obstacles, or add some mechanical depth to your awesome maps. That reminds me - we've now reached over 1000+ Steam workshop submissions, so you'll never be short of a new experience or landscape to hide within! 🗺️

Note - in Creative mode, switchable doors visually stay open to indicate they can be walked through during a match, or closed if they cannot be walked through currently.

Note: The switchable palace door cannot be lowered if a prop is blocking its underside.

Featured Maps & Light Baking

You'll now find "Featured Maps" in the map selection menu, which includes all the contest winner maps. Additionally, all remaining "Featured Maps" have baked lighting now.

Full Patch Notes

+ Added: New color variation of the Hunter Bunny Set (Snow Bunny)
+ Added: New Achievement ‘Hungry for secrets’
+ Added: New unlock item ‘Sandwi(t)ch Hat’
+ Added: New Spring Fever Player Icon
+ Added: 10+ new props
+ Added: Second prop layout to ‘Twisted House’, ‘Shard of Wiqqarra’ & ‘Amara’s Fountain’
+ Added: Third prop layout to ‘Cursed Ruins’ & ‘Port Plunder’
+ Added: Switchable player-blocking doors for Creative Mode

↻ Changed: Witches no longer leave props behind in Creative Mode
↻ Changed: Switchable props and utilities now show that info in their thumbnail instead of their tooltip when using the Creative Mode menu
↻ Changed: Creative Mode Prop Info when editing now displays activated / deactivated state
↻ Changed: All remaining Featured Maps got now baked lighting to bring them more in line with the official Maps
↻ Changed: All Featured Maps got new Icons
↻ Changed: Updated the Welcome Screen

✓ Fixed: Collision of the Library roof window structure
✓ Fixed: Several broken spots on Citadel of the Sunkeeper
✓ Fixed: Broken spot on Northern Whispers
✓ Fixed: Out of map spot on Palace of Heka
✓ Fixed: Cliff area under the Hunter spawn on Morgaryl Forest
✓ Fixed: Collision of switch
✓ Fixed: Duplicating and dragging a selected group with a switch as anchor
✓ Fixed: Faulty placement outline color of props like ‘Caged Luaq’ and ‘Sunshade’ in Creative Mode
✓ Fixed: Hunterblocking witch door collision in Creative Mode
✓ Fixed: Escape spot for the spectator on the Imposturous Map

Mar 3, 2022

Patch 1.2.5 - Including 6 Precious Palaces Maps!

Witch It - Exenoxx

Patch 1.2.5 has arrived, featuring 6 new player-created maps added to the Official map pool, our new Portal 2 item, and a handful of magnificent additions to Creative Mode (including two new switch variations). Read on! ːluaqː

Precious Palaces Maps

The Djinn's twin brother is finally satisfied. The world met his cries with countless palaces to pick from. Without rest, the Djinn's twin brother scooped up the keys to his 6 favourite palaces and ran off into the sunset without delay...

Following the result of the community vote, we spent a few weeks deciding on the maps we felt fit best into the wonderful world of Witch It. Today, we reveal the 6 winning maps that you can play right now in any Hide & Seek, Mobification, or Hunt a Hag server!

All entrants, winners or not, will receive the bonus "Pyramid Hat" reward shortly!
The Pyramid Hat has also been added to the Mystic Sands item pool within the very rare rarity.
In addition, all entrants who have not won during community voting or the main prize will receive 3 additional Crystallized Moonlight! Thank you to all our entrants for their incredible efforts. ːrollingbarrelː

Each winner is now considered a Grand Architect, and will each be granted a Witch It Steam key, 10x Crystallized Moonlight, their name added to the description of the new "Precious Palaces Winners Trophy" Creative Mode structure, and the Pyramid Hat bonus reward. Check out the winners below, in no particular order:

🥇 Lost Temple

Created by ShadZ
"Thousands of years ago, the Temple of Aetes was once a magnificent and resplendent temple in the middle of the desert. The temple was surrounded by plentiful water and fertile land, which they owe to the magic of Aetes and crystals. However, this magic disappeared from time to time. Increasingly frequent sandstorms destroyed the temple in all possible parts. After a while, the temple sank into the ground and disappeared. Only a small oasis remains. A Rumor says that the spirit of Aetes still lurks within the halls of the temple."

🥇 Oasis Temple

Created by Candybober
"Filled with palms and water, the magical Oasis Temple was discovered by our great Lord. Our Lord is interested in the witches' magic crystals; he believes they can be harnessed to control the world! We wish to steal as many crystals as we can from the temple to repurpose it in our own technology. However, the witches are upset and have returned to the temple to enact their revenge. Catch these pesky witches, and we will reward you with countless riches beyond your imagination!"

🥇 Vermilion Valley

Created by Farbenkeks & David / Cubey
At the end of the endless desert where the golden horizon turns red, the Vermilion Valley streches to the darkness of forgotten shadows. Legend has it that somewhere in the valley lies a powerful source of magic. In no other place did the Djinn build a palace to meet many guests and to pass the time with games.

The reputation of the wonderful new palace finally reached his brother who could not hide his envy: "No one will ever have a more beautiful palace than me!" he shouted and sent out his army.

Festivities in the Vermilion Valley go on as usual when suddenly at sunrise ominous riders appear on the horizon. Pale and frightened the Djinn whispers, "We must try to wake the dragons."

🥇 Palace of Heka

Created by Reekyu
"A magical palace with many stories told! Deep in the Amara desert resides the Palace of Heka, a residence so expansive that even the Djinn is envious... Nimble Hunters and Witches alike can vault across the various walkways and rooftops to reach different rooms within the layered structure of the building. For those wanting a quicker option, various jump-pads can be utilised to swiftly reach the inner regions of the palace from the outer passages and vice versa."

🥇 Citadel of the Sun Keeper

Created by algiac
"The ancient Citadel of the Sun Keeper lies secluded in an unknown location in the middle of the desert. It was built by a mighty Djinn who assigned the construction to a grand architect of his time with an unspeakable name. The magnificent palace is faced towards east, so during sunset the sunlight suffuses the splendid throne hall and shines through the whole building. Underneath the throne hall you will find a cozy lounge with armchairs, pillows and carpets, but the ground floor also holds the grave chambers of the Djinn's ancestors. His unbelievable wealth is undoubted as the whole palace is ornated with shining blue crystals, although the origin of them remains a mystery. Some say they contain incredible magic powers and thus ensured the authority of the Djinn."

🥇 Kasbah le Ribat

Created by Gelato, Assisted by Emote
"Word spread far and wide across the land of the djinn's new palace. Many people had come to visit it and see for themselves. It was both lavish and ornate. Everyone that saw it showered the djinn with compliments. The djinn's brother, however, was not to be outdone. Hearing of his brother's success, he was overwhelmed with jealousy, and decided to do something about it. "The witches in the Morgaryll Forest might be willing to help me, if I pay them handsomely with moonlight shards.", he said to himself. And so he traveled by land and sea to the great and distant Morgaryll Forest to seek the aid of its witches. Trespassers had better have good reason to seek them out or be prepared to face dire consequences." [Full Story Here]

Honourable Mentions

The talent levels showcased during Precious Palaces were next level! Judging was extremely tough and we struggled to settle on our final 6. That being said, here's a few of our favourites that weren't showcased during community voting. Please check them out! ːpurplewitchhatː

Sanctum by Reekyu
Ruined Palace by Candybober
Djinn Delta by Reekyu
Sessoya's Palace by Obscura
Desert Paradise by hgbf
Don't forget to check out all Precious Palaces Entries here!

PotatOS Projectile (Portal 2)

Your favourite omnipotent potato companion has arrived... PotatOS is now instantly available for all owners of Portal 2 on Steam! To obtain it, open Witch It and play at least one round on any Official server. ːpotatothrowː🧡

Switch Variations + Single-Use Switches

For those wanting to spice up their mapping skills, we've added two new switch variations! The pressure pad will be active as long as someone is stood on the pad. The lever switch functions the same to the original stone switch. Toggling the "Break After Use" option will cause them to stop functioning after being activated once. We can't wait to see what wacky contraptions and mechanics you create with this new option!

Find the new switches by accessing the 'utilities' tab in the Creative Mode menu.

Filtering Switchable Props

As our assortment of switches grows bigger, we felt it was only right to add a handy new filter for all switchable props. Open up the menu while in Creative Mode and press the checkbox to the right of the search bar to show only props with features that can be toggled on/off!

Full Patch Notes

+ Added: Precious Palaces Winners Maps
Palace of Heka by Reekyu
Lost Temple by ShadZ
Vermillion Valley by Farbenkeks & Cubey
Kasbah le Ribat by Gelato & Emote >:D
Citadel of the Sunkeeper by algiac
Oasis Temple by Candybober
+ Added: 2 new Precious Palaces Winner Trophy structures for the Creative mode.
+ Added: PotatOS as a gift for every player who owns Portal 2.
+ Added: Option to filter for switchable Props/Structures in Creative Mode.
+ Added: 2 new switch types: the visibly turning lever switch and the pressure plate switch which is blocked while its button is held down and reactivates upon its release.
+ Added: Option to create single use switches in Creative Mode.
+ Added: Swedish localisation.

↻ Changed: All player names are now visible in Creative Mode.
↻ Changed: Players no longer change into a Witch after taking a photo in Creative Mode.
↻ Changed: Sorted utilities selection in Creative Mode.
↻ Changed: Switches now make a sound upon activation.
↻ Changed: Smaller player icons in selection menu.
↻ Changed: When witches win, they will now laugh at the end of the round.

✓ Fixed: Flickering prop lights.
✓ Fixed: Creative Mode group select sometimes stopping to transform whole group.
✓ Fixed: Creating switch loops that trigger each other is no longer possible.
✓ Fixed: Multi select in Creative Mode no longer overrides other players’ selections.
✓ Fixed: The utility lights placed in old custom maps are turned back on.
✓ Fixed: Creative Mode 3, 4, 5 key inputs now also work with numpad keys.
✓ Fixed: Players in Creative Mode multiplayer sometimes being in edit mode despite displaying default mode.
✓ Fixed: Wardrobe portal glitches on ‘Twisted House’ .
✓ Fixed: Various broken spots on ‘Northern Whispers’ and ‘Wardwell Wintry’.
✓ Fixed: Disappearing library ladder on ‘Grunewald at Night’.
✓ Fixed: Possessable hidden candles on ‘Amara’s Fountain’.
✓ Fixed: Getting hit by a Clingy Luaq skill will now cancel the Power Ball skill.

Feb 6, 2022

Precious Palaces Community Voting Results & Main Prize Update

Witch It - Exenoxx

Today, we're revealing the results of the Precious Palaces Official Map Contest 2021 community vote, and providing an update about the main prize winners that will be revealed soon.

🗳️ Community Voting Results

Following the deadline of the Precious Palaces contest, we tasked our community to cast votes for their favourite maps. Votes were split into three categories and the winner of each category with the most votes will receive a bonus prize of 10 crystallized moonlight, as well as their name added to the description of a Creative Mode structure! Please note that maps that win the community vote are not guaranteed to be implemented in-game.

✔️ Our Categories:

🎲 = Quality Gameplay - This map is fun to play and feels balanced!
🎨 = Artistic Masterpiece - This map is attractive and enticing to look at!
💡 = Creative Visionary - This map contains interesting and unique ideas!

On Jan 31st, we tallied up all votes at exactly 12:00am UTC and located our winners!

🎲 Precious Palaces | Quality Gameplay Award

🏆 Palace of Heka

Created by Reekyu

Palace of Heka was a popular vote for it's fascinating approach to gameplay and appealing structural layout. The map contains a great mixture of indoor and outdoor areas as well as well-placed jump pads, perfect for a seasoned Hunt a Hag player. A Santorini-like structure is utilised with many rooftops and passages perfect for a quick escape. As one of the previous winners of the 2020 Map Contest, Reekyu has proven yet again that they are exceptionally talented at creating compelling experiences in our map creator. Well done!

🎨 Precious Palaces | Artistic Masterpiece Award

🏆 Vermilion Valley (Joint Winner)

Created by Farbenkeks & David / Cubey

Vermilion Valley took Witch It's Creative Mode to the limits, with it's spectacular use of structures and props for exquisite detail. Two colossal stone dragons tower over the map, and the buildings use an effective mixture of sandstone and brick to create a unique aesthetic alongside carefully placed lights and cloth to simulate windy sand dunes. There's so many tiny details here that we couldn't fit it all in this paragraph - go check out this masterpiece created by Farbenkeks and Cubey!

🏆 Cress and Gold (Joint Winner)

Created by Farbenkeks

Cress and Gold is the joint winner of the artistic masterpiece award, and was also won by Farbenkeks! This map features a flying palace that had collapsed in a swamp following a nasty thunderstorm. The result is a stunning mixture of prestigious, steampunk-inspired buildings and grungy marshes. The palace is tied together by various ropes and bridges, while toxic pools made from cauldrons span the ground below. Thank you to Farbenkeks for this wondrous map!

💡 Precious Palaces | Creative Visionary Award

🏆 Tower of Oceanet

Created by Oceanman, Ekusas, Mudkip and Dunkeroos

Tower of Oceanet is the champion of the creative visionary award, in which Oceanman and their crew were successful in providing a distinctive and peculiar approach to the contest theme. The central tower is made up of magical levitating layers, and surrounded by numerous hovering islands that players can travel to and from using jump pads. Alongside the tornado that sends falling players spiralling through the sky, Tower of Oceanet is a movement player's dream and a unseen approach to the typical gameplay format. To Oceanman, Ekusas, Mudkip and Dunkeroos - well done!

Please congratulate our talented community vote winners!
Your prizes will be sent out once the main prize results are announced (soon).

📢 Main Prize Update

We're having a really tough time picking from all of your incredible entries for our main prizes - each map brings something unique and exciting to the mix and it has been a pleasure judging them!

See for yourself by subscribing to the Precious Palaces Entries Collection here!

Today, we are excited to announce that more than 3 maps will be eligible for in-game implementation to our Official servers. This means we will have more than three main prize winners! However, because of this change, we will need a little more time to decide. We also want to make clear that gameplay will be a important part of judging just as much as visuals, so aspects such as prop placement, prop density and map layout will play a crucial part in these choices.

We are also working on an additional reward for all our architects, as an additional thank you for all your incredible efforts.

We will reveal this reward alongside the results of our main prize this week (assuming we don't run into any further complications). Hang tight! ːluaqː

Jan 25, 2022

Cast your votes for the Precious Palaces Map Contest!

Witch It - Exenoxx

The Precious Palaces map contest has ended, meaning no more entries can be submitted, and community voting can finally begin! 🎉

🎁 Main and Secondary Prizes:

Next week, we will reveal the top three entries judged by the Community Team and Barrel Roll Games! The authors of each winning map will receive a bunch of awesome prizes, including their map being added to the Official server map pool (where it will be played thousands upon thousands of times)!

In addition to the main prize, we are offering secondary prizes to maps which receive the most community votes in three categories. Each creator who obtains the most votes in a category will receive 10 Crystallized Moonlight and their names added to the description of a Creative Mode structure!

Voting is exclusive to members of http://discord.gg/witchit!
This is so we can keep track of all our votes in one place.

🏆 The Categories:

Every entry posted in our #map-entries Discord channel now has 3 new emoji reactions underneath it, in addition to the supportive ❤️ emoji. Each of the new emoji resembles a different category:

🎲 = Quality Gameplay - This map is fun to play and feels balanced!
🎨 = Artistic Masterpiece - This map is attractive and enticing to look at!
💡 = Creative Visionary - This map contains interesting and unique ideas!

🗳️ How To Vote:

1️⃣ Subscribe to all of the new maps (highly recommended)!
Click here for a collection of all the contest entries.
To download them, press the + Subscribe to all button below while logged into Steam.

2️⃣ Play each of the maps! You can create a custom match and play them with friends, or start a private server and explore them on your own for as long or as short as you wish.

3️⃣ Go to #map-entries and decide where to start voting - either from the very top or bottom of the submissions.

4️⃣ Cast your votes for each category - if you think a map deserves to win in a specific category, press the corresponding emoticon. Cast as many or as few votes as you like! Give 5+ maps the 🎨 "Artistic Masterpiece" vote, or just one... it's up to you!

🗓️ Community voting will end on Monday, Jan 31st @ 12:00am UTC!
The results will be revealed later in the same week.

⚠️ Note: Community votes are exclusively for the secondary prizes - the highest voted maps are not guaranteed to be implemented into Official servers!