Oct 10, 2023

Patch 1.4.2 - Witch It on Unreal Engine 5!

Witch It - Exenoxx

Patch 1.4.2 marks the start of Witch It's bright future - the introduction of Unreal Engine 5! In addition, we've improved controller support, and have now made significant progress on many of Witch It's supported languages, as well as added Hungarian, Ukrainian and Galician. Read on! 🎉

Unreal Engine 5

As our game grows bigger and better each year, we've been looking for ways to upgrade our technology - so Witch It can remain the best prop hunt experience for many years to come! Unreal Engine 5 empowers us with innovative, new tools to bring our creative vision to life far more efficiently than before. 🚀

The transition to UE5 is mostly seamless for you, the players. Your progress and maps are safe, and you won't see many significant changes to how the game looks and plays at this time, but UE5 will give us far more possibilities in future development!

Witch It now has a new physics engine, which should now feel more stable than before. However, if you find anything that's odd, please do let us know! 📝

What about my computer specifications?
The introduction of Unreal Engine 5 will improve optimisation on mid-to-high tier computers, but is not compatible with Windows 7 or 8. As of January 1st, 2024, the Steam Client will no longer run on Windows 7 or Windows 8, so if you are running on an older system, we highly recommend to update it as soon as possible! ✔️

Improved Controller Support

Controller support has been drastically improved across Witch It, and features a new default layout!
Please note that custom key bindings have been reset and will need to be input again.

Please give it a try and send us your feedback to our Discord server, our Steam discussions, or in the comments below this announcement. Creative Mode does not have controller support at this time - but we're working on it for a future update! 🎮

Hungarian, Ukrainian and Galician Languages

Within a day or two of our translators announcement, we had over 100 community members reach out to us offering their support towards translating Witch It! Thank you to everyone who reached out to us.

Over the past few weeks, we've been working with many talented new translators on finishing our existing languages. Italian, Korean and Polish are now complete, and Danish, Japanese and Portuguese (Brazil) are not far from finished! 🌍

We also had many community members reach out for us expressing interest in new languages they'd like to see supported. We're excited to announce that we're now supporting Hungarian, Ukrainian and Galician, which are available to use in-game. To change your language, go to Settings > Game > Language.

Patch Notes:

Switched to Unreal Engine 5.3

+ Added: Uncommon recipes
+ Added: You can now select the Anti Aliasing Method
+ Added: 3 new languages: Ukrainian, Hungarian and Galician

↻ Changed: Chat now shows team color of writer
↻ Changed: Updated several menu screens to the new text input field
↻ Changed: Voodoo dolls in the corresponding Imposturous task now scream when being hit

✓ Fixed: Controllers not working in most parts of the game
✓ Fixed: Server list not showing the name of featured player maps
✓ Fixed: ‘Edit Map Cycle’ screen not adjusting to different screen resolutions
✓ Fixed: ‘Average Prop Size’ medals being shown in Hunt-a-Hag result screen
✓ Fixed: Sunshade having blocked first person view
✓ Fixed: Changing from Kula Kula Islands to Loakiki Paradise in next match not possible
✓ Fixed: Empty details icon in Smash Bench if screen was left and re-entered
✓ Fixed: Smash Bench freezing instead of properly switching to next available skin item if the last recipe was smashed in the ‘All’ category
✓ Fixed: Recipe quantity displayed as 0 in Witches’ Cauldron
✓ Fixed: ‘Show Auto Saves’ checkbox selection in Custom Map tab not properly saved if menu is left and re-entered
✓ Fixed: Witch portals highlighted in Imposturous after the WItch has left one of the portals
✓ Fixed: Various Imposturous task issues due to missing, floating or blocking meshes
✓ Fixed: Spectator camera sometimes being wrong after the wood chop task in Imposturous
✓ Fixed: Study witch skills task rotation speed in Imposturous
✓ Fixed: Jump Pad animation is triggered delayed when its used offscreen
✓ Fixed: Audio reverb from the mushroom confusion is not working
✓ Fixed: Possess is not working correctly close to a wardrobe
✓ Fixed: Bodyslam area smaller than intended
✓ Fixed: Hitting a decoy with bodyslam triggers the hit effect where the decoy was spawned
✓ Fixed: Witches exploding after switching from an exploding prop that has been activated
✓ Fixed: Players being able to always spawn as hunters if they press ready at the last second
✓ Fixed: Witches in “Fill a Pot” no longer see the cauldron list on the right side of their screen after being revived

Sep 25, 2023

Witch It Needs Translators!

Witch It - Exenoxx

⚠️ (26th Sep) Translator Notice ⚠️

Applications are now closed for all languages!

However, if you still wish to translate for us in the future, head over to the Witch It Discord server, go to the #roles channel and read the latest announcement. Here, you can sign-up as a prospective translator, and be among the first to be notified whenever we're looking for new translators to join the team!

Do you natively speak Japanese, Danish, Italian, Portuguese, Korean or Polish?
We are looking for people ready to help us translate Witch It into your local language! 🌏

Help us bring one of the following languages to 100% completion:

🔹 Japanese - 43%
🔹 Danish - 56%
🔹 Italian - 68%
🔹 Portuguese (Brazil) - 73%
🔹 Korean - 79%
🔹 Polish - 82%

And in return, we'll grant you an exclusive in-game Translator Hat for the witch, as well as give you a spot in Witch It's credits (a great achievement when applying for new jobs or opportunities)! You will also receive a special Official Translator role over on Witch It's Discord server. ✨

✔️ As a translator, you must:
1. Be able to speak and write your language natively, or just as fluent as a native speaker. We may ask for proof, if necessary.
2. Be fluent in English, so you can understand Witch It's source strings and translate them into your language.

📝 How do I sign-up?
1. https://www.discord.gg/witchit.
2. Press the "What role do you want?" drop-down box.
3. Click "Official Translator".
4. Fill in the short form and await a response!

If you can't use Discord but are still interested, please reach out to us on support@barrelrollgames.com!

Jul 6, 2023

Patch 1.4.1 - Custom Map Cycles are here!

Witch It - Exenoxx

Behold, Patch 1.4.1! Introducing custom map cycles, allowing you to create your own combination of different maps when hosting a custom match and save your favourite cycles for later! In addition, we've introduced new ways of keeping track of your achievements, some possess balancing changes, and spinning weathervanes... check it out below! 📢

[Important] Stats Transfer

All player stats and achievements have now been migrated to our own backend servers instead of Steam. This includes all player progress including levels, prop collection progress, and so on. These stats will automatically transfer upon your first login. ⚠️

If you notice any issues with the stats transfer, please let us know in the comments below this announcement, or in the Witch It Discord.

Custom Map Cycles

Custom map cycles are finally here! You now have the option to create, edit, save and load custom map cycles when hosting a custom match.

Custom map cycles can be made from any combination of Official, Featured, or Custom maps you've created or subscribed to on the Steam Workshop. 🧰

Creating a Map Cycle

To begin, press the "Edit Map Cycle" button when selecting a map to play on.

You'll now see a new interface appear on the right. Here is where your map cycle will appear!

Add a map to the cycle by clicking on it in the map list, and remove a map from the cycle by clicking on it in the map cycle preview. Chosen maps display a tick to show that they have been selected. Hit 'Reset' just below the map interface to remove all your choices and start again.

Select up to 20 maps for your map cycle from any category - mix a few of your favourite Official or Featured maps with a handful of Steam Workshop maps for a undeniably fun time! 🙌

Saving/Loading Map Cycles

Just like Match Rules +, you can save your map cycle configurations and load them later.

To save or load a map cycle, click on the "Save/Load Map Cycle' button while editing a map cycle.

Type in the name of your map cycle in the "Map Cycle Name" box, and then press "save".
The map cycle you just named will now appear in the list of saved cycles. 💾

You can load a previously saved cycle by clicking on it's name and pressing 'load'.
You can delete a previously saved cycle by clicking on it's name and pressing 'delete'. 🗑️

Additional Map Cycle Features

Randomizing Cycles
At the bottom of the map cycle preview, there is a 'random sequence' checkbox.

☐ If the box is unchecked: your chosen map cycle will play in a linear sequence, playing each map in order of selection before looping back to the beginning when all maps have been played.

☒ If the box is checked: your chosen map cycle will play in a random sequence, meaning any other map besides the one you are currently playing will be played in the following round.

Duplicate Maps
You can select the same map multiple times when editing a custom map cycle.
This can be used to increase the chances of a specific map appearing in the random sequence, or to repeat specific maps after each round in the linear sequence.

For example, select each map twice so you and your friends can swap sides on the same map before cycling to a new map! 🔄

Editing Cycles during a Match
Map cycles can be edited mid-game by the host, in case you change your mind about the order or selection of maps. To do so, press the ESC key during a match and click "Next Match Settings" to open up the match settings and access the maps as you would when creating a custom match. Press "Save For Next Match" to apply your map cycle changes once the current round is complete. ✔️

Achievement Improvements

Achievements now pop-up on screen when you earn them! 🌟

You can now view your achievements and their progress in the "collection" screen on the main menu (just under the Prop Collection button)! 📜

⚠️ Known Issue: Achievement dates are not displaying correctly - this will be fixed in an upcoming hotfix.

Possess Balancing

We've made some adjustments to the balancing of the witches' possess skill to keep it as an effective mobility option while ironing out some of the problems that made it far too overpowered.

Mana Cost
To begin, our patch 1.4.0 changed the visual effects of the possess, significantly reducing the visibility of which direction the witch possessed towards. While we are enjoying this change so far, the time between possesses feels far too short, making escapes a lot less risky than before when combined with the new visual effects. ✨

As a result, we have increased the mana cost of possess from 40 to 50.

Possessed Props
In our last major patch, we made a change that meant players left their original prop behind when possessing a new prop. Originally, this assisted witches in confusing the hunters during a pursuit, but now is very commonly used to scatter huge props - blocking doorways and disrupting the gameplay far more than we intended. ⛔

To fix this while keeping our original idea intact, props left behind by possess now dissolve after 5 seconds, unless they're repossessed. Please give the possess skill a try and let us know what you think!

Weathervanes

Weathervanes now spin when hit by a projectile or touched! 💫

Weathervanes can now only be uniformly scaled in Creative Mode to ensure they can spin when your map is being played. If you have any non-uniformly scaled weathervanes in your maps, they will be adjusted when loading the map to ensure their functionality. Weathervanes will not spin while your map is being edited in Creative Mode, but will function once you are playing your map in a custom match.

Patch Notes:

Major Change:
All player stats and achievements are now coming from our own backend instead of Steam. This includes all player progress including levels, prop unlocks and so on. The values will be transferred upon first login. Please report any issues.

+ Added: Option to create, edit, save and load custom map cycles consisting of any combination of official, featured and own custom maps to use when hosting custom matches and play in random or set sequence
+ Added: Menu in Collections to view all achievements and their progress
+ Added: Pop-ups when getting achievements
+ Added: Power Ups that drop off the map on “Shards of Wiqqarra“ are now lifted by the tornado

↻ Changed: Players turned into toads in “Imposturous” can no longer initiate kick player votes
↻ Changed: Props left behind by Possess dissolve after 5 seconds (except if repossessed)
↻ Changed: Possess now costs 50 mana instead of 40
↻ Changed: Weathervanes now spin when shot by a potato or touched (except while in Creative Mode)
↻ Changed: Weathervanes can now only be uniformly scaled in Creative Mode and already non-uniformly scales weathervanes will be adjusted on map load to ensure functionality

✓ Fixed: Quest pop-ups sometimes not working for the last witch standing
✓ Fixed: Muting players not muting their chat messages
✓ Fixed: Using the chat to move when movement should be impossible
✓ Fixed: Small gap in the collision border of ‘Sunset Swamp’
✓ Fixed: Incorrect tab opened if map list is opened by the custom match screen and a featured map was initially selected
✓ Fixed: Props duplicating in Creative Mode if you load the same layout again
✓ Fixed: Switching between single map and random map cycle in custom matches not updating whether the map vote screen is shown at the end of the match
✓ Fixed: Several issues causing the first map of the map vote options to be wrong or the map vote options to be empty

May 4, 2023

Hotfix 1.4.0.1

Witch It - BarrelRollGames

Patchnotes

+ Added: Reset buttons for Skill and Game Modifiers in Match Rules +
+ Added: Wardrobe utility for Creative Mode

↻ Changed: Eliminated Hunters now get a unique text notification
↻ Changed: Enabled Spring fever layout on Morgenstund
↻ Changed: Sound volume of the Humming Bee’s prop

✓ Fixed: Quickmatch is not working
✓ Fixed: Unwanted Wardrobe copies spawning on map load in Creative Mode when using standard layouts
✓ Fixed: Luaq staying on map if host Hunter was hit by the Clingy Luaq skill while using the Wardrobe
✓ Fixed: Mushroom sound effect remains after changing skin in Wardrobe
✓ Fixed: Using Wardrobe while being a prop causes Witches to be standing at odd angles
✓ Fixed: It is possible to use the Wardrobe at greater distance
✓ Fixed: “Hunt a Hag” Hunters that get eliminated because of the Prop Retaliation Modifier respawn instantly
✓ Fixed: “Fill a Pot” cauldrons in interface disappearing after Witch gets caught
✓ Fixed: “Impostorous” rounds are started with a timer causing spectators to also be Hunters
✓ Fixed: “Impostorous” Hunters playing death sounds and creating ragdoll Hunters when turned into toads
✓ Fixed: Mushroom Reverb is staying after Mushroom Confusion is over
✓ Fixed: Mushroom can pick up power-ups
✓ Fixed: Skill selection prompt in customization menu even when player has no skills to choose from due to Match Rules +
✓ Fixed: Match Rules + loading and deleting not working with certain symbols, especially with spaces (If you saved Rules since the last update that weren’t loading correctly they can now be opened properly)
✓ Fixed: Final countdown timers not displaying anymore when opening menus
✓ Fixed: Extra large chickens not attempting to stand on their legs, preferring to use their plus size to roll around

Apr 27, 2023

Patch 1.4.0 - Modify your lobbies with Match Rules +!

Witch It - Exenoxx

Welcome to Patch 1.4.0, featuring Match Rules +, one of our biggest additions since 1.0! We're also excited to announce the wardrobe, a new utility that allows players to switch up their skills and sets mid-round. And as always, we've packed in a bunch of changes and additions - read on! 🎉

Match Rules +

Introducing Match Rules +, a brand new way to modify your custom matches! Change a huge array of different parameters to design a unique match like no other. You can even save and load your favourite configurations for future use! ✨

To access Match Rules +, simply start a custom match through the main menu and select the "Match Rules +" option at the bottom of the screen. From there, you can adjust a range of variables across three tabs: General, Skills, and Game Modifiers. See below for a brief overview of each tab.

General Configurations

On the first tab, you can change the fundamental parameters of your match, such as gravity, movement speed, jump height, player size, and more. 🔧

Move each slider according to your preferences, or enter a specific value in the boxes to the right of each slider. In case you wish to undo a change, click the ↺ button beside each parameter, or select the "reset all to default" button to revert all alterations you've made.

✔️ Become a colossal Hunter using the player size multiplier!

✔️ Lower the gravity and cause chaos!

Skill Configurations

On the second tab, you can modify specific skill parameters, as well as the Hunter's melee and projectiles. Here, you can alter the damage, velocity, radius, mana cost and much more for each individual skill, as well as disable skills you don't want players in your match to use. 🥔

✔️ Buff the mushroom split amount, but reduce the confusion time!

✔️ Increase the Hunter's projectile amount, speed and spread, but lower the damage!

Game Modifiers

On the third tab, you can find our "game modifiers" - these are special modifiers that drastically change the gameplay of your match! Patch 1.4.0 comes with three game modifiers:

🔹 Move It
All witches have to move to survive.

🔹 Dissolving Props
Props will start disappearing over time.

🔹 Prop Retaliation
Hitting non-Witch props will deal damage to Hunters.

To enable a game modifier, click on the corresponding modifier you wish to use and toggle the "Is enabled" parameter. Each modifier also has a few changeable parameters you can experiment with! 🧪

Save and Load Match Rules +

In the bottom right of the Match Rules + configuration, there is a button labelled "Save/Load Match Rules +". Once clicked, it will take you to a new screen where you can name and save your Match Rules + configuration. You can revisit this area anytime to overwrite your saved Match Rules +, or load a previous one you've created! 💾

Tweak Match Rules + During Custom Matches

When starting a custom match, hosts can now find a new toggle on the page named "Tweakable Match Rules +". Enabling this toggle allows the host to modify parameters in real-time by accessing the in-game menu during a round and clicking the "Match Rules +" button, as shown below:

For players wanting to try Match Rules +, we highly recommend enabling this option and experimenting with the different modifiers and parameters! Changes you make will take effect immediately, without requiring a server restart. So, feel free to get creative and see what kind of unique gameplay experiences you can come up with! 🧰

✔️ Tweak the rules while playing to find the perfect combination, then save your changes!

Swap Skills & Sets Using The Wardrobe

You can now swap your skills and custom sets during a match using the new 'wardrobe', found in the Hunter spawn of all Official and Featured Maps! A quick switch of your skill selection and appearance during play gives you the flexibility to adapt to any situation. And for our map creators: the wardrobe will be added to Creative Mode in a future update! 👖

Custom Match Search Time Capacity Increased

The maximum search time in custom matches has been increased from 10 to 20 minutes, for those wanting to play extra long rounds with less pressure of running out of time! ⏰

Extinguishable Props

Props that emit fire or smoke are now extinguished when they touch water! 🌊

In addition, we've added a temporary Classic Prop Hunt mode on multiple servers to demonstrate the potential of Match Rules +. This mode features no skills for both teams and Hunters are damaged when they attack non-Witch props, but can scan props using melee as much as they want. Give it a try and let us know what you think! 🎮

We'd love to see what wild ideas you come up with Match Rules +, so please share your screenshots and videos with us over on our Steam Hub or our Discord server! 💜

Patch Notes:

+ Added: Match Rules + to make changes to different aspects of a custom match, including skills, Hunter and Witch modifiers, and Game Modifiers that can completely change how a match is played.
+ Added: A Wardrobe in the hunter starting zone to switch skills and skinsets during the match
+ Added: Hoodie Skins for the Hunter
+ Added: Quests are now visible in the in-game menu and Quest progress is shown as a popup during the match
+ Added: Temporary “Classic Prop Hunt” mode, which resembles a more traditional Prop Hunt game
+ Added: Hook Impact Effect when hitting a Witch
+ Added: Infotext in HUD to show that there are no skills in “Hunt a Hag” mode

↻ Changed: Reworked Possess skill:
The old prop is now staying alive after switching to the new prop
Manacost reduced to 40 Mana flat
Updated visual effects
↻ Changed: Players who leave a match while being a Witch can no longer join as a Hunter and will have to wait until next round
↻ Changed: Custom matches can now be started with 20 min search time instead of 10 min
↻ Changed: Props that emit fire or smoke get extinguished by water
↻ Changed: Creative Mode Q skill only visible in default mode
↻ Changed: Vacuum Trap can now be hit by potatoes like the Chicken
↻ Changed. Train skill now damages decoys
↻ Changed: Witch Hit Effect
↻ Changed: Witch Catch Effect
↻ Changed: Prop Transform Effect
↻ Changed: The Server List no longer shows whether a match is a tournament match, but instead shows whether the match is using custom Match Rules + (including hover information for whether in-game tweaking is allowed)

✓ Fixed: Long standing issue with “Play N rounds of X” quest progress not counting under certain circumstances
✓ Fixed: Image in recipe tooltip
✓ Fixed: Exp progress sounds in custom match rewards screen even if player can no longer gain exp
✓ Fixed: Spring pads being triggered without sound by Witch decoy
✓ Fixed: Custom maps having activated single use props like gunpowder barrel in Creative Model if those were activated before saving
✓ Fixed: Prop amount not decreasing in Creative Mode if a Witch re-transforms after possessing a prop and thus deleting it
✓ Fixed: Ingredient inventory in Witches Cauldron sometimes not updating on recipe change
✓ Fixed: Broken spot on Bone Pit
✓ Fixed: Several Localisation Bugs
✓ Fixed: Potato not properly bouncing off of surfaces when hit at an angle for clients
✓ Fixed: “Imposturous” mode voting camera sometimes not seeing the names of some players around the table
✓ Fixed: “Fill a Pot” skill icons in menus sometimes being white squares