Jul 24, 2023

Hubris - Cyborn

Dear OOO-members,

We are thrilled to announce the launch of our much anticipated 2.0 update for the SteamVR version 'Hubris', available now to download.

In response to our wonderful community's invaluable feedback, we've embarked on the enormous task of implementing over 800 updates since our last patch, ranging from minor tweaks to major overhauls, in an endeavor to make Hubris one of the best possible VR experiences today. Additionally, we’ve finally brought over some exciting new features that we built for the PSVR2 port of the game to PCVR.

Key Features of the SteamVR 2.0 Update:
Reload Mechanism: Players can now manually reload their firearms, enhancing the intensity of gunplay during battles. Additionally, for controllers, you can now force reload the clip by pressing the right joystick, further streamlining gameplay and keeping you ready for your next encounter.
Battle Dynamics: We've increased enemy variety, fine-tuned their AI, and enhanced reaction logic, rendering each combat scenario more exciting, engaging, and immersive.

Difficulty Levels: If you're looking for a true test of skill, the difficulty on the hardest difficulty option has been enhanced, while easy mode has been refined to allow for an even more enjoyable, story-focused experience for those who enjoy a more explorative adventure.

Narrative Enhancement: Based on extensive player feedback, we've re-recorded the voice for the main protagonist, Lucia. We've also introduced an option to turn off Lucia's in-game tips, allowing players to explore the world and uncover secrets on their own without assistance from their companion.
Audio Upgrades: we've composed a gorgeous and fitting dynamic soundtrack that adapts based on the player's environment and actions, adding an additional emotional intensity to the player’s journey and experience.

Visual Improvements: To enhance the visual quality, we've implemented Nvidia’s machine learning upscaling tech DLSS for RTX cards, providing better performance and visuals than before. For players with high-performance PC setups, we've also added advanced graphical options, allowing you to disable TAAU and super sample the game for unparalleled sharpness and graphical fidelity.
Release Discount: To make sure no one misses out on Hubris, we have a limited-time 25% off Steam sale!

Get ready to dive into our exciting 2.0 update of Hubris, making one of the most gorgeous looking PCVR games even better with both graphic and gameplay enhancements that truly bring the game to the next level!

Full patch notes can be found here:

Gameplay
• Added manual reload mechanic. All guns except the torpedogun now have a clip that ejects when ammo runs out. To reload the gun, push it back in. The recharge reload mechanic can be toggled in the gameplay settings.
• Implemented an option for players to force reload the gun by pressing the Right Joystick.
• Enemy balancing and difficulty changes. Recruit (easy) will now be a lot easier with less enemies and less damage, while on agent (hard) more enemies will spawn which will provide a real challenge for the unprepared.
• Rebalanced enemy spawning. Prioritized spawning of drones and Heavies over normal troopers.
• Heavies have been made more aggressive and will prefer bombarding the player from afar rather than closing the distance.
• Increased the number of grenades fired by the grenade drone on normal difficulty by one. Watch out for those explosions.
• Squids, mines and drones now have different stats depending on the difficulty, adjusting their health, damage, speed, and rate of fire.
• Significantly shortened the trooper reaction time across all difficulties.
• Squidrope throwing has been made easier.
• Gameplay and audio options will no longer reset to default when closing and restarting the application.
• Made the robot arms more sensitive to make printing easier.
• Lucia drone now less likely to hinder the player or block enemy projectiles when moving through the cyanpump and pillar forest.
• Fixed typos in save game naming.
• Headshot rebalancing: the OOO gun now has a 3x modifier on headshot damage, the burst rifle a 1.25, the shotgun remains unchanged.
• Heavies are now immune to headshots.
• Added more safeties to the SpiB flow, preventing the elevator from opening to soon or to late.
• Fixed an issue where the gun.
• Multiple collisions added to prevent rare clipping issues.
• The hatch in terraformer interior now closes to prevent the player falling to their dead right after the level load.
• Screen shake is now a toggleable option.
• Fixed occurrence where you spawn standing in the water at SpiB instead of swimming.
• Fixed several handcollisions.
• Added missing climbables.
• The bridge drone in SPiA now takes damage from all sources.
• Rebalanced haptic timings and intensity across the board.
• Flipped container handle direction.
• Lucia Drone now moves faster at the start of the Cyanpump.
• Discharge pillars now correctly ignore batteries when they recently discharged.
• Tweaked the effects on dying and respawning and made sound cut off immediately on dead.
• Added a button in the menu that allows for easy return to the start screen, facilitating chapter selection or starting new games.
• Improved the climbing mechanics to recognize correct hand grabs more easily, regardless of hand angle.
• Made it easier to grab a gun with two hands after reloading.

Stability & Performance
• Significantly increased the stability and performance of Hubris. Optimizations across the board make the game run smoother than ever.
• Faster load time due to optimized texture streaming.
• Fixed numerous rare crashes.
• Added pooling for particles.
• Addressed numerous crashes to enhance overall stability.
• Resolved an issue where players could become stuck on loading screens indefinitely.
• Fixed a problem where the food printed by the food printer could disappear.
• Resolved an issue where the gun could become trapped in an upgrade loop in the 3D printer.
• Fixed a bug where Wack's repair tool could vanish before being given to the player.
• Improved the movement of Lucia drone in certain scenes to appear smoother.
• Rectified an issue where the loading Pods remained open even when starting a new game.
• Fixed a problem where players could get stuck in swimming mode while climbing out of the aquarium container.
• Corrected an issue where the drop ships in the Loft scene did not fly over correctly.

Animations
• Resolved a visual bug when holding one of the operation tools in the loft.

Visuals
• Updated older particles to bring them more in line with the newer ones.
• Added the Quest 2 and Quest pro controllers.
• Fixed bullets not tracing on certain meshes.
• Fixed particles not correctly spawning or destroying.
• Fixed Wack’s holoscreen pointing in the wrong direction. Wack can now read his own holograph.
• Fixed the hard cut fadeout of the credit screen background.
• Fixed laser pointer suddenly changing material when calibrating arms.
• Adjusted laser pointer position on the remote in menus.
• Added lights to the light train.
• Rebaked all level lighting to account for moved meshes.

Audio
• Each level now has an own unique and dynamic score with variations for combat and under water scenes.
• New Lucia Drone voice lines. More line with the game’s atmosphere.
• Balanced dialogue volume to make it more clear.
• Added priority to dialogue over other sounds.
• Tweaked ambient sound fading depending on proximity.
• Added new sounds to menubuttons.

Localisation
• Added localisation for new dialogue lines.
• Added missing localisations.
• Fixed localisation issues where certain languages got mixed up.
• Fixed certain subtitles being cut before they fully showed up.

Jul 24, 2023

Offroad Mechanic Simulator is available now!

Offroad Mechanic Simulator: Prologue - First Job - marek.grzywacz

Hi, offroad enjoyers!

Offroad Mechanic Simulator has finally arrived! You can now start your career as a specialist in repairing and customizing the best offroad cars in the world. Be ready to get your hands dirty - there is plenty of grease, mud, and sand on your way. Especially when you get your newly modified cars for an exciting test drive!

Remember that there is a launch celebration discount, which means that you can enjoy 15% off the base price of 19.99 USD - for a limited time! Or check out our bundles to get one more game in a discounted package.

Offroad Mechanic Simulator is available now!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1387500/Offroad_Mechanic_Simulator/

In Offroad Mechanic Simulator, you take the job that all car enthusiasts dream about. Your mission is to transform off-road vehicles into powerful beasts capable of conquering the toughest challenges. By equipping the vehicles with top-quality parts, you can significantly enhance their performance. You will also have to personally ensure that the vehicles meet the expectations of your customers. However, this will not be an easy task, as each project must be accomplished within a fixed budget.

Push the boundaries of safety as you boldly venture into treacherous terrains, fearlessly climbing rocky cliffs, and bravely crossing muddy rivers. Enjoy the breathtaking views of the scenic landscapes. Just remember to thoroughly clean the vehicle before returning it to the customer!

Offroad Mechanic Simulator – key features:

🚙 What a monster! – repair, modify, and upgrade powerful machines that you will then personally take on demanding tests.
🚙 Become a master – career mode with story missions will challenge you to demonstrate your expertise and skills like no one else.
🚙 The kingdom of wrenches and grease – in your workshop, you will have everything a mechanic could dream of. The availability of professional equipment makes the work even more enjoyable.
🚙 Grit in your teeth – a realistic driving model that embraces the true challenges of off-road style driving. The whole experience is accompanied by beautiful forest and desert landscapes, where there are plenty of obstacles to overcome.

Remember that you can ask us anything on Discord:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1387500/Offroad_Mechanic_Simulator/

Jul 24, 2023

Offroad Mechanic Simulator is available now!

Offroad Mechanic Simulator - marek.grzywacz

Offroad Mechanic Simulator is available now!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1387500/Offroad_Mechanic_Simulator/

Remember that you can ask us anything on Discord:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1387500/Offroad_Mechanic_Simulator/

Jul 24, 2023

Another bug bites the dust - New Farm DLC hotfix!

House Flipper - Reczberg

Howdy, Flippers!

We've been away for a while, but we're back with another batch of fixes. We're constantly looking to enhance your gaming experience, so check out what's been fixed.
ps: don't forget to update your game and make sure you have the correct version [release] 1.23204 (3e183)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1832960/House_Flipper__Farm_DLC/

General fixes:

Fixed the sorting of newest items.
Stairs will no longer be automatically sold when selling a nearby window.
Fixed an issue that prevented the full installation of the anti-gravity lift when using a gamepad.
Fixed a variety of wall glitches that occurred when placing two doors in the same segment.
Weed removal quests will no longer appear unless the Garden DLC is installed.
Mobile scaffolding will no longer go out of bounds.
Placing down a Mobile Scaffolding will now automatically reset it to base height.
Purchasing doors without sufficient funds will no longer lead to endless wall destruction.
Painted ceiling tiles will now save their progress consistently.
Fixed loose wall segments left by the hammer during very wide door installations.
Fixed mismatched collisions on “Taggy stacked staircase” item.

Animal fixes:

Chickens will now utilize all three nests in the triple chicken nest item.
Added new icons for grooming cows, horses, and goats.
Fixed cyclic frame stutters caused by farm animals.
The AI of farm animals has been enhanced to reduce instances of them getting their heads stuck inside walls.

Map fixes:

Increased the size of the Ladder Room in the "Thank You Renovation" order.
Restored missing balcony previews on “Grandpa’s Summer Surprise” order.
Unseen floors in Pets DLC and Farm DLC maps will no longer be rendered, resulting in a notable performance improvement.
Fence previews on “Don't Spare the Horses” order will no longer lose their transparency.

House Builder Tool fixes:

Outer walls will no longer have holes due to previously placed inner walls.
Eliminated significant frame drops caused by large foundations.
Small buildings will now properly cut out grass when placed.
Fixed an issue that caused wooden floor tiles to appear on unmodified buildings after loading a saved game.
First floor of deleted buildings will no longer leave their ceiling behind.
Deleting buildings is now significantly faster.
Mobile scaffoldings placed on the first floor of a created building will no longer be able to fly or disappear under certain conditions.

So, that would be it for today, Flippers! We hope those changes will improve your gaming experience, and you won’t encounter any new bugs.
If you’d like to keep up to date, follow our social media channels.

Have a lovely time flipping!

~ Reczberg, Fufu, and a bunch of grateful developers from Frozen Way!

Jul 24, 2023

The Patch Is Up!

Brewpub Simulator - מרים

Hi All!

At the beginning, we would like to thank everyone for playing our game. We see how much you enjoy the gameplay, even with encountered bugs. We will do anything we can to fix as many issues as you have encountered asap. We are launching the first update NOW. You can check the patch notes below :)

We also want to thank all those who reported their errors to us. Each submission with a description, attached save, or recorded video of the error allows us to find and fix the problem faster.

If you’re still experiencing problems, please share them with us so we can fix them.

Report the bug through this form: https://mov.gs/support/
Include your PC specification: CPU, GPU, RAM
If you encountered a crash, include a crash log from this folder: C:\Users\Username\AppData\LocalLow\Star Drifters\Brewpub Simulator - simply zip up the whole Brewpub Simulator folder and attach the compressed file to your message

Patch Notes

Please mind that in order to work, some fixes will require you to start a new game.

If you choose to start a new game, head to the following directory on your PC: C:\Users\Username\AppData\LocalLow\Star Drifters\Brewpub Simulator, and delete the Brewpub Simulator folder.

Doing this will ensure deletion of issues present in the previous game version. Please keep in mind that deleting AppData deletes all save data.

Reduced the risk of crashes.
Improved general optimization.
Fixed the issue where connecting kegs to the bucket disabled interaction with the latter.
Fixed the issue with items that stopped being interactive.
Patrons don’t break the minigames when you ask them to leave anymore.
Long game sessions now do not cause the game to slow down.
Restarting a day does not cause you to lose bonuses anymore.
Levitating stains now follow the rules of physics.
Fixed the American Black Ale recipe.
Brewing Black Ale does not result in a Porter anymore.
Fixed the dialogue windows not being able to contain all the requirements of more demanding customers.
Other brewing and recipe-related fixes.
Other minor fixes.

We hope that this update will improve your experience, Brewers! And don’t forget to leave a Steam review (or update your review if you already left one).

Jul 24, 2023

AMA 1# with the developers

Danghost - Idillys

Last month, we did a livestream on Twitch to chat with the community!

You met with some members of our team who were so happy to talk more about Danghost with you!

Antoine (Lead developer)
Sacha (developer)
Leo (developer)
Qara (Head of communication)

You had a lot of questions for us and so we decided to share them on Steam with everyone!

1/ What was Danghost's biggest technical challenge?
Sacha: The boss fights in story mode! We're trying to change the way players think by incorporating slightly more complex designs. The project wasn't originally designed for these, so there was a lot of thinking and iteration. This was particularly true for the final boss, which was subject to several rounds of improvements.

We thought the powers would be the hardest part, but in the end the architecture we used made it easy to add them!

2/ Is an online mode planned?
Qara: That's something we'd love to do, but it will depend on how the game will perform. For the time being, you can already play together with local multiplayer or through Remote Play via Steam!

3/When will the game be released?
Qara: The game will be released in September 2023! We will tell you more soon.

4/ Will there be a Switch version?
Qara: That's something we'd like to do, and a lot of you have asked us about it. It will depend on how well the game is received!

5/ How long has the game been in development?
Sacha: For 1 year and a half, with a few breaks to work on other projects.

6/ Are there any plans to add more characters in the future?
Sacha: Depending on how the game is received and what the community would like to see, we'd love to add more characters later on!

7/ What is your process for designing the characters' powers?
Antoine: We're looking for powers that are compatible with each other but different enough from the existing ones so that they don't clash.

The goal was to create either a completely different game feel from a character to on other, or other the player to use and privilege different skills: Will they have to spam or solve a puzzle like with Tutut's power, or is it a memory-based penalty like with Yiyifu's? We're trying to play with the possibility powers offer to reverse the player's way of thinking.

8/ Did any of the powers cause issues with other powers?
Sacha: There are two powers (that we don't want to reveal just yet) that are especially complex and were very difficult to combine.

There's no problem with the 1v1 powers, but as you can go up to 4 players and therefore be affected by 3 powers, it starts causing chaos in terms of code and gameplay.

Antoine: Naturally the powers generate a lot of unique cases, for example: Tatana's move and what destroys Kukupin's rocks. And that's only for 2 powers, but when there are 12, that's a lot more possible interactions to take into account. So each time a new power is added, you have to check that it's compatible with the many already existing powers.

9/ What did you enjoy working on most in the game?
Sacha: The powers! A lot of the powers we created didn’t make it in the game. It was interesting to look for that balance: what appeals to players, what is easy to understand. There were powers that were easy to understand, but not at all readable so we did a lot of iterations. I found that loop really interesting!

Leo: For me, it was more the visual effects and particularly the explosion effects when you absorb the little danghosts. There were a lot of iterations on that because it's something you're going to see all the time. It was interesting to find a way of creating something that was satisfying and not too visually heavy over the long term.

Antoine: I really liked the writing process for the story mode because that's where we really tried to convey the personalities of each character. And that's something we all did together over the months. It was a very interesting exercise!

10/ How many powers were discarded?
Sacha: It must be around 20 powers. Some characters have had a lot of iterations, like Tatana for example! At first, her power just removed the lines of her enemies. It was good for breaking combos, but we realised that beginner players were quite happy to have their pieces taken away. For some characters, we had to go through 5 to 6 different powers before having one that worked.

Antoine: For the powers, we had around 40 ideas and we tried to take the 12 that worked best.

11/ Would a team mode be possible?
Qara: There is one already! You can get together as a team to share the score and the combos, and when you use your attack it only affects your opponents.

12/ Can we also share our bonus/defence powers as a team?
Sacha: We thought about this a lot, but the problem is that not all powers are nice to receive as an ally *laughs*. When you make a big combo and Yiyifu's power paints all your danghosts with one colour, it can be frustrating.

Antoine: So we've got things planned to push this cooperative aspect when we play. It's not planned for release, but it's a bit like the online mode, it's one of the things we'd like to work on depending on how the game is received.

13/ Is there a character whose power was right from the start and didn't need to be changed?
Sacha: Kukupin, clearly, from the pre-prod! It was one of the first powers we created, even though the gameplay was very different at the time, and it simply stuck!

Leo: Tutut's power that doubles the pieces hasn't changed either.

Sacha: The offensive powers of Yiyifu and Barbak too.

14/ Who are the strongest characters in your opinion?
Antoine: It's hard to answer that because it really depends on what category of player you are part of. For beginners, there are characters who have powers that seem very, very strong, especially Yiyifu for his blindness. But at higher levels they become less impactful.

Sacha: At a high level, I'd say Tatana is a very good choice throughout.

Antoine: Tutut is really difficult to handle at high level, at high speed. Tatana’s power is something you learn to deal with very quickly, because you always have lines above you that allow you to survive. You just have to know how to play fast to compensate.

Sacha: There's a hack to make Tatana even more dangerous, but I'll never tell you *laughs*.

Kukupin is also very good at defence with his power that stops the board from rising (and seconds count as turns). So even if you don't place your pieces, the other players’ offensive powers are reduced.

15/ When you die, you become a little ghost. So if you play with 4 players, you can have two ghosts at the same time?
Antoine: Yes, there's even a little crown game where the aim is to steal the crown by bumping into each other. It encourages you to move in all directions, which really annoys players who are trying to stay focused!

16/ How many bosses are there in the story mode?
Sacha: There are 5, each with its own alternative gameplay!

17/ How many difficulty levels are there?
Qara: There are 6: beginner, easy, normal, difficult, nightmare and apocalypse. The score adapts to the difficulty to reward you for the way you play and use all the tools you have at your level.
If you're just starting out, you'll be able to do combos very quickly and you'll have lots of power bars, so you'll be able to use them more often!

18/ What does the number at the back of the board stand for?
Antoine: It's the score multiplier! You get +1 for every danghost you absorb and +1 for every chain (which increases if there are several chains in the same combo).

19/ Are all these difficulty levels available in story mode?
Sacha: In the story mode, players don't choose their difficulty level, it's something that increases as the adventure progresses. You start out as a beginner in Arc 1 and gradually work your way up as you learn to play.

Antoine: The story mode is designed to have a soft difficulty curve. By the end of the story mode, you're at about the right level to play the difficult mode.

20/ How many hours did you play?
Sacha: I don't know, I wish I did! I'd say... a good 500 hours maybe.

21/ How did you come up with the idea of little dango ghosts?
Sacha: It was during a pizza night! We already had the idea of a similar game mechanic, but at first it wasn't an object that captures another, but an object that would eat all the pieces in the chain. We were into the idea of eating/capturing and we wondered what would work with that. We came up with the idea of capturing yokai, and because we like to eat, they're not normal yokai but candy yokai!

Antoine: It's difficult to find a theme that makes the pieces visible on the screen for an arcade puzzle. We didn't want to get too close to food, to avoid an aesthetic that was too close to match 3 either. So in the end we found a middle ground!

Sacha: We'd done a test where the pieces were fruits, which was cute but it didn’t quite match with Umeshu Lover’s atmosphere.

22/ So the idea of danghosts came before the idea of an exorcism school?
Antoine: In the end, it was a package deal, it all came together on the same pizza!

Sacha: I'm still hoping it'll be called Danghost Academia *laughs*.

23/ Are arcade pads supported?
Antoine: It's possible, but you need an intermediate software to remap the keys on the pad.

Qara: And speaking of a different controller, the game is fully compatible with Steam Deck!

24/ Is this a game you can share with your children, nephews, nieces...?
Sacha: Yes! At conventions, lots of families came along to try out the game with their children and had a great time!

Antoine: And even for younger children, Dangoal or Crown Catcher are mini-games that we'll be releasing in post-release updates that are perfect for them! They can also be played by up to 4 players, just like the local matches. And having tried it out, it works really well, especially for children aged between 3 and 5 who are less keen on the puzzle mode and the thinking required.

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Thank you to everyone who joined us, we hope to see you next time!