HEY, Levelheads! As you may have seen yesterday, we now have an official launch date of April 30! That's about 6 weeks from today, and today's patch represents the final patch of Early Access as we prepare everything for launch. As such, this patch is pretty light in terms of new stuff, but does contain quite a lot of miscellaneous improvements and fixes.
Localization!
For starters, this is our first fully localized patch. With our previous release schedule, we would simply release content whenever that content was "finished," and localized text would just catch up to that content at sporadic points, in batches. That meant our non-English players would often end up with partial or out-of-date translations. But now that we are releasing worldwide on 7 platforms, we are updating our strategy. Going forward, we don't consider content to be "finished" until all of our players have the ability to engage with that content, no matter what language they speak.
This does mean that we will be unable to just make a feature and deploy it the next day, if that feature has any text involved (which it usually does). Instead, there will be a lag between the time a feature is made, and the time the feature gets into the public's hands.
If you're still looking to be on the bleeding edge of features, though, you can still hop into the Steam beta channel! As soon as we begin the process of preparing a patch for release, it will go into that channel, even without full localization. So if that's your thing, we've still got your back!
Multiplayer Controller Management
I mentioned in a previous developer blog that we were doing some updates on the way the PC version of Levelhead handles multiplayer. Well, IT'S HERE!
I won't go into great detail, since that's already covered in the Developer Blog, but the short story is: You won't accidentally lose progress in a level when you connect (or disconnect) a controller. Hooray!
Controller Updates
To prepare the game for its console debut, this patch updates many of the Editor controls, allowing you to much more easily edit using a controller. We've also updated the default "Grab" hotkey to use the Right Trigger instead of the "X" button (on an Xbox controller), which feels a lot cooler and opens up some easier movement tech, but will take some getting used to for our more experienced players!
Because of the control schema updates, some of you may get hit by a note on boot-up that your controls have been reset due to conflicts. If that's you, you can always pop into the Controls section of the settings and update your keybindings back to whatever you want!
What's next?
We're working hard on the 1.0 launch, which is going to span 7 platforms at once. There are a lot of dominoes to set up before we kick this thing out the door, ranging from marketing, to testing, to bug fixing, UX touch-ups, localization, optimization, and feature development.
We've also been taking a hard look at our analytics to find weak points in the game's overall stickiness. We've used that information to build a fully-featured tutorial that will be available at launch. And to top it off, we're finalizing all the aspects of the game's Training, including some fantastic new art, new music, a bunch of new Presentations, and even some new levels!
Mobile Testing THIS WEEKEND!
We'll be aiming to host a mid-sized Mobile beta test this weekend. To get in on the Mobile beta, sign up at this form. We'll close the form down by end-of-day Friday, so sign up as soon as possible for your chance of getting selected!
We also recommend using a device with more than 2GB of RAM, as we have found that once you go down to 2GB or below, Levelhead's performance can be sporadic. Although we are working on optimizations, Levelhead is a pretty big game for mobile, so it's going to take a bit of heavy lifting to run it well (or in some cases, at all)!
A note on the Pandemic
On a more serious note, I want to take a minute to talk about the spread of COVID-19, and how it's affecting the launch of Levelhead. We've taken measures to try to keep ourselves safe and healthy during this crucial time, so we can deliver this game to our players. We're all working remotely now, and we're building a bit more slack into our launch plans in case something goes wrong along the way. So as of right now, everything is on target. If anything changes on that front, we will announce as soon as possible.
We'll see you at launch!
That wraps up Early Access! We won't have any Developer Blogs in the coming weeks, since we are preparing for 1.0 and are keeping things somewhat under wraps. The Community Spotlight will continue every Friday, and if there are any announcements to be made about the game, the launch, or anything else, we'll post them here!
We want to thank everyone who took the leap of faith to buy the game during Early Access and gave us feedback. It has truly been humbling to have such a great community, and we couldn't have gotten the game to such a great state without all of your passionate support.
Android and iOS should now be able to copy and paste level sharecodes.
On iOS and Android, if the player has played for more than 90 minutes total and has played in the current session for more than 5 minutes, they will be asked on the main menu if they would like to leave a review. This will only occur once per player.
Multiplayer
The system for adding and removing controllers has been rebuilt. Now, when you connect a new controller, a Multiplayer Manager popup appears that allows you to add or remove players. If you have changed the number of players during gameplay, a warning will tell you that the level will restart.
Improvements
Developer
The Multi-Screenshotter has been updated to allow for cycling through languages without taking screenshots, for spot-checking.
UX
The "Pullstart" sequence at the beginning of the game will now respond to any button press, and will happen whether you hold the button or just press it.
If you are about to play a delisted level from its Level Card, you will get a confirmation dialogue warning that the creator probably doesn't want anyone to play it.
You should no longer see the same loading tip twice in a row, and you should no longer hear the same snarky presentation exit voiceover twice in a row.
Editor
The multiselect hotkey (with controller or keyboard) will now begin multiselecting at your cursor's location when pressed, instead of requiring you to first select the Multiselect tool and then click.
You can now grab items in the editor by just hovering over them and pressing the "Grab" hotkey, instead of needing to change to the Grab tool first and then clicking on them.
Updated the Editor to have all tools be bound to keys, even when using a controller.
For consistency, Switch start states have been changed from "On/Off" to "Active/Inactive" in the item properties window, and those states have been color-coded to match the "Switch Requirement" colors for receivers.
GR-18 now blinks in the Editor.
You can now place Squished Scrubbs and Squished Oculas in the Editor.
Updated the visuals for the "Copy" cursor to no longer use the Eyedropper icon, and changed the "Copy" button to gold instead of blue.
You can now open item properties when using the Grab tool.
Optimization
Removed some old, unused textures that were taking up space. Get outta here!
Removed some unused audio files.
If you paint bucket a large number of switches, the game should no longer hitch for a long time.
Optimized Pressure Switches so they consume less CPU per frame.
Visuals
The Fuchsia GR-18's face is now a lighter pink color, since it was eerily dark compared to the rest of the GR-18 faces.
Idle GR-18s will now whistle music notes that match their face colors.
Training
Deliver the Package, GR-18 has been updated with mobile tutorial controls.
Package Jump Temple's hardlights are now green, its signage has been updated, and its start position moved to prevent a silly soft-lock.
Bomb Traveler will now zoom-out if 2+ players are in it, to make rapid movement easier.
Fly, GR-18! is now zoomed out during all Ripcord sections, to assist in co-op.
Tempswitch Rush now zooms in on the players as the enter the spike tunnel, for reasons.
Updated the "Headphones" suggestion before the opening presentation with a better background.
Rebuilt the opening presentation to use the new Presentation system, making it skippable via the same means as the others.
Added voiceovers if you exit a Training presentation.
Multiplayer
The "Start" button is no longer used to disconnect controllers. Instead, you can either turn the controller off, or go to the pause menu or the Settings menu. These interfaces have had a "Controller Manager" button displayed if you have multiple players connected, and this button summons the new Multiplayer Manager interface.
Controller
Previously, whenever you used the keyboard or mouse without Keyboard Co-op mode active, all controllers would be removed, putting you back in "Single Player Mode." Now, if you aren't in Keyboard Co-op Mode and have multiple controllers connected, using the keyboard & mouse will simply replace Player 1's control method, and not disconnect the remaining players.
Gameplay
Updated default "Grab" key to be Right Trigger (or right bumper if using a single Joycon).
UI
Confirmation windows now use "A" or "B" with a controller, instead of "Start" and "B".
Stacked the "Random Playlist" and "Tower Trial" buttons vertically instead of horizontally in the Tower, so that in certain UI configurations they won't overlap with the level cards.
Updated the text above the Workshop cloud levels to be more explicit that they are going into the Rumpus cloud and are associated with your Rumpus account.
Updated the Publish Level confirmation message to be less alarmist.
Added a loading screen tip about being able to add a powerup to GR-18 in the editor.
Added popup text when you change your Exposure Bucks tip amount.
Settings
Settings can now have different names depending on the platform they are on, to adhere to certain certification requirements.
Localization
Updated icon names to have a higher character limit for translation.
Mobile
Added a scene before the first presentation starts on mobile, recommending that you use headphones or have sound on.
Web
The default message for a login failure has been updated to state that we had difficulty communicating with Rumpus.
Fixes
Localization
Loading screen tips weren't being translated, so they are currently not being shown unless the language is set to English. When we get them translated, they will be shown in other languages!
When you change languages, the next time you hit the Main Menu, you will pull down the proper text for Perk names and descriptions. You will generally only see these when clicking on icons that you haven't unlocked yet. For now!
Fixed an issue where certain text could overlap in Spanish in the Settings page.
The automatic localization system will no longer upload Training Presentation text that is just an empty space.
In some languages, in Full-Bodied UI Mode, some item property names would overlap with the value text. This was most noticeable in Spanish with the translations of "Switch Requirement" were quite long. Text in the properties window should no longer overlap.
A font update rendered our Russian language characters invisible. This has been fixed
Updated fonts to include "Ёё" for the Russian language. (thanks to Wailer)
UI
When using Keyboard + Controller Co-op, player 2+ could not activate some Editor buttons with the controller. This has been fixed.
Leaving the Level Details page would put you into a weird state where some of your Editor keys wouldn't work. This should now be resolved. (thanks to Spekio)
You can now once again use "Start" on the controller to close the pause menu.
Rumpus confirmation windows now display Controller key binds.
Some confirmation windows had empty buttons. Now they don't!
Due to an issue with the new input system, the "Delete" and "Path Node Delete" buttons became both active in the editor at the same time. This should now be fixed.
The frame rate display now has its own housing and is off to the side in the editor, preventing it from clashing with the level name. (thanks to Wumpamber Zowazippee)
If you hit "Back" when looking at someone's profile with an empty page on it, you would see the name of the profile you are going "Back" to on that page for a moment. This should no longer be the case. (thanks to DNin)
Fixed some spacing issues under the header in the Profiles page.
There was a bit too much empty space in the Marketing Department beneath the explanation text and above the levels. This gap has been enshrinkened.
If you played through a playlist and had the top score or time in a level, the score or time on the playlist summary page would be shown in gold even if you hadn't set that record during this particular play through. Now, it should only be gold if the record was set during the current Playlist playthrough.
"Eyedropper" has been replaced with "Copy" in the key bindings page.
Editor
The Editor Grid Ruler now draws values when you are holding hotkey buttons. (thanks to TalkGibberish)
Fixed an issue where relays were failing to read states from inactive switches on first spawn. (thanks to Spekio)
Fixed an issue where using the Eyedropper hotkey would copy the properties of the path you had selected, not the path you were hovering over.
Fixed an issue where controller inputs weren't being registered on the Cheese Details page.
Fixed an issue where player 2+ couldn't use the new "click and hold" tools in the Editor.
It should no longer be possible to use Multiselect in the Editor's Path Mode, since... it doesn't work there. Yet.
When holding a button (such as grab or Multi-select), the Editor camera will now respond to your cursor being at the edge of the screen.
Prize Blocks now draw their correct image when being dragged if they have a Receiver ID.
In some cases, placing solid-requiring objects using multi-drag or multi-paste would delete the solid item instead of filling in the solid areas above or below it. This has been fixed. (thanks to TalkGibberish)
Clicking the "Grab" tool in Path Edit mode would select your most recently selected item, putting you into a weird state. Now, the Grab Tool in Path Edit mode works like the rest of the path tools -- clicking it when you are already using it does nothing.
When "Show Editor Hotkeys" is disabled, you will no longer see controller key bindings in the Editor.
If you right-click or use the Copy tool via a hotkey while dragging something, it will no longer copy. You have to put down the thing you are dragging first! (thanks to TalkGibberish)
Changing to the Path Editor once again selects a path tool instead of an item.
Changing to the Path Editor and back, or playtesting your level and going back to the editor, will now keep your previously selected item.
If you are in the middle of dragging a path node and then hit "Escape" while you are still dragging, the path would enter a weird visually bugged state until you played the level. This has been fixed. (thanks to Crushnoil Varkzapee)
Gameplay
If you are holding a button and then alt-tab, the button will not continue to be held. (thanks to Rompylol Quietguy)
If GR-18 flew outside of a level's bounds and there was an enclosure against the bounds, the enclosure would be revealed. This is no longer the case.
If you hit a checkpoint and Jems were flying at you but you hadn't collected them yet, when you respawned at the checkpiont, the Jems would have returned to their original spot and not get collected. Now, the "magnetized" state of Jems is properly restored at checkpoints.
Squished Oculas are once again affected by item purge gates.
If you pressed and held "Jump" Before bouncing off an enemy's head and then touched a wall within 0.2 seconds while using the Tiptow, you would perform a wall jump. Now, the "jump" input timer gets consumed when you bounced off the enemy's head, so the unexpected wall jump will no longer occur. (thanks to Intuition?!)
Tempswitches would retrigger and make a sound when you resumed the game. Now, when the game is paused, their state should not change. (thanks to Crushnoil Varkzapee)
Colorblind assistance icons were missing from Hardlights in Low Graphics mode. This has been fixed.
Meta
Updated game icons and splash screens for all Android, iOS, and Windows.
Nintendo Switch
Players 2-4 should now be able to scroll in the Editor using a single Joy-Con, for real this time.
Single Joy-Cons in the Editor should now all be able to pan the camera in the same way, no matter what player number they are.
Fixed a suite of issues where the touchscreen would only register an initial click, and all "tap and hold" actions would fail. You should be able to now click and drag elements in the Editor, use Dropdown menus, use all Editor tools including Multiselect, create and drag path nodes, and do everything else!
When using the touchscreen, buttons should no longer be highlighted, and your cursor should no longer be drawn to the screen.
If you are using touch controls during gameplay, virtual controls should appear on-screen, allowing you to continue using the touchscreen.
Player 2 should now be able to pan the camera in Single Joy-Con Mode.
The instructions cards that would normally show a Right Trigger should now show a Right Bumper when the first player is using a single Joy-Con.
Mobile
Fixed an issue on mobile where the virtual touch controls were spawning and despawning, causing repeated key presses.
When you have Rounded Corners on your mobile device, the "Skip" button for training presentations should now be inset so that it isn't under the curve of your screen.
If you were using a controller on mobile and were dragging an item using the Grab hotkey, the item wouldn't be drawn. This has been fixed.
Touch controls for gameplay should no longer display while the pause menu or other fullscreen interfaces are active.
Fixed a depth-sorting issue with the Tutorial Hands ending up underneath the on-screen controls.
The Random Playlist retriever on Mobile could give you multiplayer levels that you can't play. This has been fixed.
Multiplayer
Fixed an issue that may cause certain controllers to register as two controllers simultaneously under the new Multiplayer Manager window.
Perks
Several categories of perks were previously being checked in batches, making their acquisition somewhat lagged in time from the actual event that triggered the perk. Those perks should now trigger much closer in time to when they are acquired. These include all of the Training perks, publishing a daily build, publishing your first level, and earning Tower Trophies.
Hotkeys
You should once again be able to enter the Cheese Details page when using a controller.
Developer
The multi-screenshotter should now always capture the correct resolutions.
Web
If you were on the last page of a search in the Tower and that page had fewer than 10 levels available, the Random Playlist button would say that you didn't have enough results to make a Random Playlist. This should now work as expected -- if you are past page 1, we know you have enough results, and you can play a random playlist in that scenario.
If you are on the scoreboard for a level (in any slot), the level will definitely show that you have played (and beaten) it. This was only an issue for much older levels that were around before our more up-to-date tracking of this information.
The Tower Trial "First" and "Last" page buttons should once again function properly. (thanks to Ulym)
If a level download fails, you will no longer get stuck on the Loading page.
The Random Playlist retriever would give you the same playlist sometimes. Now it doesn't!
Android
The music on Android is crackling. Replaced one of the sound files (the Training map music) to test whether a change in format will resolve the crackling.
Training
Cleaned up the art on the "Headphones Recommended" screen at the start of the opening cutscene on mobile.
You can no longer see a fireball in Dense Fog Ridge.
Tiptow presentation now has capital I's in Ingenuity, and the BUGS presentation has capital D's in Dependability.
Updated opening Presentation to time with updated audio, and fixed a typo.
Thorn Cloud Delivery's package jumping room is now too small to sprint through (ya rascals), and its mobile instructions have been shifted slightly.
The Way is Through shouldn't murder players with its first door anymore. WHOOPS.
Attempting to cheese Wait, What?! in co-op will now make you die a horribly fiery death.
Temple Gauntlet's blopfush are now properly hidden.
The Camera should no longer murder players in Sacrifice the Box's bullet section.
Deliver the Package, GR-18! will no longer lock players 2-4 out of the final boss room.
Chamber of Magic will now return the Package to its starting position if you punt it off the ledge like a MANIAC.
If you start a presentation immediately after closing it, the snarky voiceover from the previous presentation will stop as the new presentation starts.
The opening presentation was wildly vibrating. Now it's not.
UX
If you pressed and held on the "Rewatch Opening Presentation" button with a controller, your cursor would pretend to still be held even when you released it, making you skip the presentation. This should no longer be the case.
Xbox
Updated Xbox and UWP save paths so that the guest account and the main user account have shared non-cloud Workshop levels and campaign data.
Visuals
When graphical settings were set to "Off" on an Arrow Hologram that was hooked up to a switch, the Colorblind Icon would not appear on the arrow. This has been fixed.
While we continue to improve Path of Exile: Delirium, another batch of fixes have been completed and are currently being tested for deployment. We're keen to deploy the 3.10.0d patch as soon as possible. In the meantime, check out its patch notes.
Please note that the patch notes listed below may be changed prior to the release of this update.
Delirium Improvements
Delirium modifiers are now applied on a per-pack basis. This means that a given pack of monsters will only have a single Delirium modifier, rather than potentially having a variety of different modifiers.
Reduced the difficulty of Delirium monsters at each mist depth.
Increased the drop rate of Simulacrum Splinters.
Significantly reduced the chance of Delirium modifiers appearing on monsters.
Disgust's mortars no longer deal damage on impact.
Reduced the damage of the stationary volatiles created by Disgust's mortar skill by 30%.
Reduced the damage that Rage monsters deal by 20%.
Reduced the damage of the projectile skill that Spite monsters use by 50%. Additionally, this projectile skill is longer affected by additional projectile modifiers. The explosion damage is unchanged.
Increased the range at which Delirium objects that spawn monsters are triggered.
Increased the number of monster packs that spawn when you are far into the Delirium.
Improved the visibility of Shavronne's Books when under the effects of Delirium.
Fixed a bug where Delirium objects which spawn monsters weren't spawning in maps affected by Delirium Orbs.
Fixed a bug where capturing Bestiary beasts didn't give credit towards reward kill counters for Delirium encounters.
Fixed a bug where corrupting a Unique Jewel into a different Unique Jewel didn't give credit towards the Curious Corruption challenge.
General Improvements
Skills which target monsters when bound to the left mouse button now have a 350ms grace period after being used where they can target a monster if you did not target a monster initially. Additionally, after killing a target while holding down the left mouse button, there is now a 750ms grace period where you can target a new monster and begin attacking it without having to let go of your left mouse button.
Fixed a bug where dual-wielding non-thrusting one-handed swords didn't count as dual-wielding.
Fixed a bug causing Vaal Side Areas to drop fewer maps than intended.
Fixed a bug introduced in 3.10.0 where the "x% increased Attack Damage while you have Fortify" stat found on the Unstoppable Hero ascendancy passive and Rampart passive wasn't working.
Fixed a bug introduced in 3.10.0 causing the Harness the Void ascendancy passive to stop working.
Fixed a client crash that could occur when using Stormbind supported by Spell Totem Support.
While the developers continue to make progress on the improvements outlined in our manifesto from earlier this week, we're looking through this work to see what updates we can provide. We hope to be able to do this soon. Thanks for your patience!
Along with many of the AI changes and additional abilities we also had a close look at Knife/Melee enemies and decided a change was needed to make them feel more effective. There were several ideas tossed around but we settled on giving them an Attack of Opportunity.
This new state allows a melee enemy to make a free automatic attack on anyone that attempts to move away from them. While it’s a somewhat common thing amongst tabletop miniature games it was something that hadn’t graced Feud yet. Due to the fact you can intentionally spend your action points any way you like it was just far too easy to move and then shoot a melee attacker. You could even double move to a spot far away to lure a melee attacker into an ambush. Now when you attempt to use those types of strategies they come with a painful price.
Speaking of “painful prices” we know many, including ourselves are dealing with a number of changes and challenges to life due to the virus making its way around the world. Everyone is a participant in a “strategy challenge” with no reloads and very real consequences. Our hearts go out to everyone who is having to deal with the situation. If we all can remain calm and remember we’re all part of the human posse, we’ll undoubtedly come out the other side stronger, smarter and healthy.
We’ll be back next week with more info. Until then be vigilant and kind.
Set in the planar city of Furiae on the edge of hell, Dark Dreams of Furiae coincides directly with the official Dungeons & Dragons tabletop campaign, Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus!
🔥Dark Dreams of Furiae: A City on the Edge of Hell🔥
In the fallen city of Furiae, ruled by devils and despots, a quiet war wages for the hearts and minds of the people. Into this chaos, a new arcane substance is smuggled: worldwine. Worldwine is deadly to devils, and turns mortals into dream-addled fanatics.
Fight to save a damned city in this planar mystery adventure…
*Note: Due to Steam policies the Discount will activate in 5 days Hey guys, As you all probably know the corona situation has a lot of people stuck in their homes unable to commute, travel or even just go outside. So on that note, I decided to help out as much as I can afford and as much as I am able to. So, in these dark times, I wanted to give a bit of a discount on the game so it may bring some light a smile to a face or two! I wish I could do more, but that's about as much as it is possible from my situation. Another thing is that the updates may be a bit late the following weeks due to the outbreak and me having lots of real-life obligations since our country is in a very strict state with curfews, monetary penalties for leaving the house without a good reason, etc... I have to go out for every single thing since my family cannot.
Cheers guys, hope you are all doing well and that you are all healthy! Love you all!
Sakura Succubus, a new harem visual novel, will be coming out on Steam soon!
Sakura Succubus is about a young man called Hiroki who works as a photographer. One day, he's asked to take a few photos of Japan's most famous idol, Ikue Ayu, and everything spirals out of control.
Hiroki discovers that Ayu is actually a succubus - and she (along with many other women) is insatiably interested in him!
Watch as Hiroki tries to manage his rapidly-growing harem of succubi, all the while trying to keep his newfound relationships under wraps. Dating so many famous, successful women is no easy feat, but the benefits more than make up for it!
In this psychic espionage “game,” one player is the Mind MGMT Recruiter, who must scour the city for new recruits without revealing their position or goals. All other players are Rogue Agents, who must try to stop Mind MGMT before they acquire too many new recruits!
We are happy to announce that our long-awaited DLC for Wartile, Hel's Nightmare, is now set to be released on the 5th of May.
Furthermore, are Wartile coming to the PS4 and Xbox One on the 24th of Marts and can until then be pre-ordered for Xbox One at 10% discount.
These releases are something we have been working on for more than a year, so needless to say, its a tremendous achievement, and we celebrate this with a 50% Spring discount on Wartile.
Evil powers have been awoken, and a horde of Draugr Warriors is pouring into the Norse regions, leaving trails of death and chaos in its wake. The King of the North watches as villages are pillaged, and its civilians captured and brought to Hel's Pillar.
Once again, your fellowship must raise arms against the undead threat.
https://youtu.be/SAuJ6rLvcHo Enjoy five brand new handcrafted battle boards, continuing the story after Niflheim. Each battle board is offering variated tactical challenges, set in a unique mood and style. Lead your Viking fellowship into the Hel's Nightmare accompanied by the new hero Ogier the Dane.
As the world outside comes to a complete standstill, we also work from home, trying to adapt our work and family life with the situation.
Our thoughts and sympathy go to everyone affected by the current events and hope that at least we can bring some joy and happiness into everyday life.