In case you missed it, as of 7th August we now have an improved modding framework and also STEAM WORKSHOP INTEGRATION - on the beta branch only.

It's on the beta branch because I'm still adding features and fixing bugs. There have been a couple more patches since the 7th, mostly to improve localisation support. There's a couple of other bits, though...

v2020.8.a.3; 'The Bottled Ink'

- available languages are now specified by the 'culture' entity in /core/cultures - which you can mod by adding a culture entity to your json.
- 'culture' also specifies UI labels, so you can add them for a given localisation
- you can also specify which base font script a mod will use - Latin, cyrillic, or 'cjk' for a font which should support Simplified Chinese, Japanese and Korean. This is pretty primitive and you're out of luck if you want to localise into e.g. Arabic. I'll update if there's any demand for that.
- in response to modder pleas: it is now possible to have the same entity id specified twice in two different mods (or in the same mod, if you're being weird). Specifying an entity id in a mod for an existing entity will merge-overwrite the two, with the mod values taking precedence. This is also how mods will now affect existing entities. NB, then
(a) if you want to remove existing values from a core entity, specify an empty string or dictionary [I'm much happier with this, because it makes altered behaviour explicit]
(b) you no longer want or need to use 'extends' to build on an entity with the same id - just merge-overwrite it.

v2020.8.a.2; 'The Correspondence of Origin'

- updated to latest major version of Unity
- /images/ui added to modding framework. You can now use tablecoverimage:, tablesurfaceimage:, and tableedgeimage: on Legacies to customise table appearance.
- Fixed Chinese loc
- Fixed Chinese and Russian slot labels, which were showing in English
- loc files renamed to loc_[culture]
- loc files are now loaded *after* mods - so if you've extended an entity in your mod, any relevant loc will still apply to it
- you can now add loc files to a mod (or create a mod consisting only of loc files) - just add loc json files to loc/loc_[culture]

v2020.8.a.1; 'The Solution of Memory'
- substantial code rewrite; there may be odd bugs.
- mod framework rework and upgrade
- Steam Workshop integration, styled as 'The Invisible Serapeum'. (GOG players: the mods will work if you install them locally.)",

--
More on modding Cultist:

https://weatherfactory.biz/daybreak-in-the-invisible-serapeum/

https://steamcommunity.com/app/718670/discussions/1/2800629075194099834/

If you couldn't tell, Cultist Simulator is heavily influenced by weird fiction, and weird fiction by H. P. Lovecraft. He turns 130 next Thursday, so we're running a week-long merch giveaway to say YAY to his ghost.

You could win any of the following...



All you need to enter are any social media account on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. Pick your poison, then check out the relevant post!

• Twitter - retweet this tweet and follow @factoryweather
  
• Facebook - like the Cultist Simulator page and comment on this post
  
• Instagram - tag a friend on this post and follow @weatherfactory

There's a full FAQ on the blog about how it all works. Winners will be announced on 20th August - good luck!

Happy Friday! I come bearing two bits of info.




Alexis just published our new Steam Workshop - AKA the Invisible Serapeum - to beta. If you're on the gateofhorn beta branch, this means you can now use the Workshop to upload, browse and use mods for Cultist Simulator. Lots more info on the particular set-up here.

It's pretty bare at the moment, for obvious reasons! But we know there're a lot of mods out there already - and I hope to have 'em corralled in Steam Workshop soon.




I also announced on the blog that I'm working on a new deck of occult cards, similar in magic but not motif to the Tarot of the Hours. They'll be a standard 52-card deck of poker-sized playing cards, which you can use for all normal card games, but they'll also double as a fortune-telling deck, a la early 20th-century carnival magicians and gypsy oracles. Also I'm planning to have them gold-foiled, so they'll be exceedingly shiny.

I leave you with news that we're running a fun giveaway competition next week, in the run up to #lovecraftday - so keep your eyes peeled for the announcement, and a chance to win a bunch of delectable merch. More info on localisation soon, but for now, happy weekend.

Hey cultists! A quick update from us on what we've been up to recently.


Each month, we give 10% of our profits to charity. June was a bumper month for us because of Cultist Simulator's free weekend and the release of EXILE, so we've given away our largest ever charity donation of nearly £10,000!

We shared it across two charities, 'cause £10k seemed huge: Cybersmile (against the internet being horrible) and the Arthur Ashe Institute (for equal healthcare and racial equality in the US).



Not bad for a two-person team who work out of their flat. Woohoo! As ever, it's the Cultist community that enables us to do this, so thank you very much. ♥


We mentioned a while back on the blog that I'm working on a host of new pins which you'll be able to buy individually or in the mega BEACH-CROW'S TREASURE bundle. The last pin finally arrived - take your time, Marinette - so they and the whole bundle will go live at the end of this month. Keep your eye on the Church o' Merch for this!



I also received our first Kindle cases, which I teased last update. We've made Christopher Illopoly's Travelling at Night into a universal eReader case which should fit almost all eReaders and Kindles. Here's what they look like IRL, now with added cat.



I'll probably put these live at the end of next month, so again, keep yo' eyes on our Etsy.


Finally, I leave you with a new Skeleton Songs episode on Alexis's and my weird, gothic family tales. A heroic great-uncle? A poisonous hat? Listen on, sweet summer child. And if this is the first time you're hearing about our podcast, you can listen on all the usual podcasty places, all listed here. Enjoy!

Hey everyone! Happy Steam summer sale! Just a quick update for y'all about what we're up to at the moment.




Yesterday, out of the blue, we received this flush bundle of goodies from TapTap, one of China's largest mobile communities. Cultist Simulator's mobile port was nominated for Best Gameplay, Best Indie Game and ★ Best Game ★ in 2019's awards!

...............We totally didn't win any of them but HEY it's really nice to be singled out anyway. If you haven't already, check out the port on the App Store or the Google Play Store and never venture far from the Mansus again.




As you probably know, we run a small merch shop which we regularly stock with weird, occult things I happen to think of at the time. Our latest offering will be Kindle and eReader covers, in the style of one of Cultist's best know texts: Travelling at Night, by the 'only readable occultist' Christopher Illopoly.

"Illopoly describes how he came to make repeated visits to a dream-Wood via what he calls silver dreams. 'Trying to think your way to the Wood,' he explains, 'is like thinking your way to being in love. But I did find a Secret that helped.'"

CxT forever. 💔




Finally, we're at a crossroads in development! We've finished EXILE, we're refactoring and tidying and finishing up localisation and yadda yadda yadda, so we want to know which thing we're thinking of working on excites you the most. Vote for what you want most on the blog!

THE EXILE DLC IS NOW LIVE!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1259930/Cultist_Simulator_The_Exile/

At 32,000 words, the EXILE DLC is almost as large as Cultist Simulator was at launch. Step into the dangerous world of 1920s Europe where you must choose: do you fight your way through countries and cut-throats until your inevitable showdown with your Foe? Or do you slip away into the mists, to make nice with the Nameless Name of the Velvet? Alternatively, you can chuck a cat at someone and run away.

EXILE includes a new map, new enemies, new friends and an entirely new set of rules to figure out. Some there are who will not yield.

We'll release EXILE on mobile later this year, along with simplified Chinese and Russian versions. I should have some more translation news for you too, in the not too distant future...




Cultist Simulator launched on the 31st May 2018, so it turns two this Sunday! We're throwing a frankly not terribly spooky party all weekend, starting with a totally free weekend. Anyone and their undergoer mum can play Cultist absolutely free until 6PM GMT / 10AM PDT on Monday 1st June. Woohoo!




While the free weekend's live, we're also running some mega discounts on the whole of the Cultist Sim franchise. Cultist itself is half price, while the Dancer, Priest, Ghoul and OST are all 33% off. These deals will end when the free weekend does, on Monday 1st June at 6PM GMT / 10AM PDT.

Thanks for coming with us these last two years! Whether you backed the Kickstarter, found us on Steam or saw a streamer say 'what the hell is this piece of nonsense', you're a vital member of this cult. We will in no way sacrifice you to the Foe. We love you! Thank you! Spooky mwah! ♥♥♥

Love,

Alexis and Lottie

EXILE'S NEARLY READY, BELIEVERS! We're almost finished with content and art in the run-up to launch at the end of this month. It's releasing on Cultist's second birthday, so spooky cake for all.

EXILE is now the same size as the entire of Cultist Simulator was at launch. Here's the most important info to know:

• Releasing on Wednesday 27th May at 6PM GMT / 10AM PDT
  
• Available on Steam, GOG and Humble
  
• It’ll cost £7.99 / $9.99 / €8.99. It’s really big.
  
• If you’re a Perpetual Edition owner, it’s ✨ FREE ✨
  
• Only English at launch – did we mention it’s really big? Simplified Chinese and Russian loc coming ASAP!
  
• Will be coming to mobile, but no release date yet!

It's a bummer about having to wait for localisation, but it's much better than releasing something that's janky and doesn't make any sense. So - please bear with us, Chinese and Russian speakers! 🙏🙏🙏

We've been beta-ing the hell out of EXILE, and I've been working on a bunch of new art...



...while Alexis has been dropping little beads of lore into things like cherries into cream.

“The eyes of the owls in the hawthorn tree glimmer pale gold. There’s a flare of light, too, beneath the tree. A tall man in a snakeskin jacket has just lit a cigarette. In the match-light, his face is lean, dark, and familiar. ‘Hello again,’ he says. ‘This is a surprise. I suppose the Double-Edged brought you here to make a point? She won’t want any new Edge dyads in the world… do you have something to show me?'”

Aside from just being a really big bunch of new content, EXILE adds two very different things to Cultist Sim. One is a brand new system of mechanics: there's no Mansus; you don't grind your way through Glover & Glover; you don't spend all your hard-earned Funds at Morland's. The other is an interactive map on your tabletop, giving you a few subtle hints and keeping a record of your travels.

The map's hand-drawn and historically accurate for Europe in the mid 1920s, which was, I now know, insane.



More info on the above and some updated merchandise - restocked Iris pins, new Tarot of the Hours drop later today, etc - on the blog. Wish us luck in the final countdown. NOT LONG TO WAIT NOW!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1259930/Cultist_Simulator_The_Exile/

Happy May, Believers! I come bearing EXILE updates, new tarot, charity donations and podcasts about blood. Yum!


First and foremost, Exile's Steam page is now live! You can wishlist it and make sure you don't miss nuffink on the day. We're launching on Wednesday 27th May a 6PM GMT / 10AM PDT.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1259930/Cultist_Simulator_The_Exile/

Its release coincides with Cultist Simulator's second anniversary, so keep a beady eye out for more fun culty stuff around then. :)

The key thing to note about Exile is that it's really big. Alexis is busy finishing off all the content for his thirty-three city epic, where you're chased through an occult, alternative 1920s world by your past. And your Foe. And the Madrugad if you don't literally play your cards well. BUT HEY HOW WRONG CAN IT GO?

I drew up a map to show you roughly what the world looks like:



We've also been working our way through an intimidatingly long list of art assets, revolving around cats, phobias, weapons, intangible metahpors and, of course, a truckload of cities. Here's some of the art we finished this sprint, as a taster!



Watch out for the gentleman in red. His name is Vasil, and I think you'll like him.

More info and a few snippets o' text in our latest sprint update.




If you missed our announcements about it, we're now releasing 200 decks of the Tarot of the Hours every few weeks so I have time to post everything but also do my day job. The next batch goes live on Etsy in a few hours, so GOOD LUCK to anyone who's hoping to nab a deck!

To help keep people in the loop, you can now join our specific tarot mailing list that'll ping you the moment a new batch goes live. Sign up here if you're interested.




We've pledged to donate 10% of our profits each month to admirable charities fighting the good fight against coronavirus. Last month we raised £1,030 for . This month, you helped us raise £2,552 for Médecins Sans Frontières' coronavirus appeal.

I'm really chuffed with that number! If you bought anything from us or shared anything online or even just told one of your friends about something funny we said, you contributed. Thank you! ♥




And just to end the week on a high, why not listen to Alexis and me talk about menstruation? This sprint's Skeleton Songs is all about MADNESS and BLOOD and the fact that gothic writers really couldn't bring themselves to talk to ladies.

Listen on all your usual podcast places (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc), or on our YouTube channel. All links here on the blog.

A quick update from the blog!

Firstly, the EXILE beta is now live. Keys are going out to everyone today after a bit of delay - sorry!

If you weren't randomly picked for the first test, don't worry. We'll add some more testers later down the line. We're launching EXILE on Wednesday 27th May so we expect to be in beta for a month or so.



Secondly, the Tarot of the Hours is back in stock on Etsy! We're capping it to 200-deck bursts, so I (the sole person who manages this shop) don't get snowed under with orders. But don't worry: if you find the deck's sold out again, I'll renew the listing on a weekly cycle so you'll be able to get it SOME time. :)



Thirdly, we have MORE merch on the way. I'm designing four new pins - the Marinette, Hint, Lunatic and Maid pins - which will be sold individually, but also go into the Beach-Comber's Treasures bundle along with our original Iris pin and our glitter witch pin.



And next week, we're launching an Hours postcard set of seven randomly-chosen postcards, so we can all keep in spooky touch with one another during this isolating pandemic.



Finally, here is a picture of Sulochana the cat. May she keep you safe in lockdown and stop eating my plants. 🙏

Yesterday we launched the Priest and Ghoul DLC on mobile! You can finally devour the dreams of the dead and/or self-flagellate on the go. You can get 'em on the App Store or the Google Play Store as £1.99 / $1.99 IAPs.



Cultist Simulator was launched one year ago on mobile, so it's 50% off for the rest of the week in birthday celebration. Enjoy!


Cultist is a deceptively big game, and writing DLC for it had got really difficult. Alexis needed to find interesting mechanics each time, and those mechanics needed to interlock meaningfully with the mechanics that were out there. It’s even harder now that we’ve localised the whole game, because it’s very difficult for Alexis to go back and change existing content.

Then he watched a couple of seasons of Ozark. The protagonist is burdened with an extraordinary sum of extremely illegally obtained money that they need to dispose of quickly and safely. It was the total opposite of the usual Cultist Funds tension. What if, in Cultist, you had as much money as you needed, but you were in constant danger and had to think hard about how you could safely spend it and stay ahead of your pursuers?



It didn’t sound practical as a DLC theme, because it would mean completely re-inventing half the game. If you were on the run, you couldn’t send out expeditions or built up books in the same way. The Suspicion mechanics would have to work very differently. You probably wouldn’t even have a cult.

Then it occurred to Alexis that this was also an opportunity. If he blew up all the mechanics the player was used to, then he wouldn’t have to integrate all my new systems with them, and they’d have the fun of rediscovering how everything works from scratch. It might just take too long to build, but it might also take less time starting over without worrying about fitting everything that already existed.



He spent a week prototyping. He got enough working to be confident that it would be a big chunk of work, but not a crazy big chunk of work. The core loop was this: you’d land in a city, you’d set up capers and operations with your contacts, you’d convert the stolen goods into cash, and then you’d pick your moment to run. Run too early, and you’d lose opportunities. Run too late, and your pursuers might catch up with you. He had an idea for the stolen goods and the pursuers, too, something he’d wanted to get into the game for a while: the reckoner mobs, the illicit dealers in years who existed uneasily alongside the taxonomy of Know and Long.

Your final goal would be to disappear, with as much luxury as you could arrange for a comfortable retirement. Your other final goal would be an Edge ascension – something our players had long hungered for – but that would come in an unexpected way. Exile’s got seven different shades of the victory conditions at the moment.

It’s a big one – right now, it looks like it might be as big as the Dancer, Priest and Ghoul DLCs put together. (😱) Let’s hope it works out! At least – and he didn’t expect this at all when he started in January – after a couple of months of lockdown, people might be more in the mood for a dramatic flight across Europe and beyond.



We'll be randomly selecting a pool of people to help test Exile next week, so now's your last chance to register your interest in the beta. Help us make Exile................................ exilent. 😎




In case anybody missed it, we sold out of our 500 limited edition Tarot of the Hours in less than two days. But DON'T FRET! We've ordered 1,000 more, and while they won't be hand-numbered, they'll otherwise be exactly the same.



These'll be back in the Church of Merch in mid-April, so keep an eye on our Etsy shop or wait for me to shout about it here when they're back in stock.


We promised to donate 10% of our company profits each month to a charity which'll help people in these difficult COVID-y times. First up was the National Emergencies Trust, and with your help, we raised £1,030. That's a significant sum that may actually save lives in its own right - so thank you! <3



Next month is Médecins Sans Frontières' turn. Spread the word if you can, and see you then!