Hello ranchers,

We're excited to announce that Ranch Sim's huge Unreal Engine 5 update is out now, delivering enhanced visuals, lighting, environments, oil production and much more! This also marks the end of our Early Access period. While this is an exciting milestone it is certainly not the end - we have plenty more to come as we will be continuing to support the game after launch including with free updates and patches.


This update features...

• Enriched visuals (environments, lighting and more)
  
• Optimisation improvements
  
• New animal models
  
• New animations
  
• Oil production
  
• New vehicle physics
  
• And more

We want to offer a special thanks to those of you who played the unstable versions of this update and helped to test it!



We know that your ranch progress is important to you, so we want to be as clear as possible regarding save wipes. Please be aware that your old saves from the previous Unreal Engine 4 version of the game will not work with the new Unreal Engine 5 version. (And if you have played an unstable version of the UE5 update your save may not work with the public version of the update)

Now that we have hit v1.0, we foresee no further save wipes.


While we strongly encourage everyone to play the new and improved UE5 version of Ranch Sim, we also wanted to offer you the option of sticking to the old UE4 version and continuing to play with your existing saves.

Please be aware that all future Ranch Sim updates and patches will only be released for the UE5 version of the game. In addition, to play multiplayer with others, all players will need to be on the same branch (e.g. if you are playing the UE4 version you will not be able to play online with a friend who is playing the UE5 version).

To access the old UE4 version of the game, you will need to switch to the Unreal Engine 4 branch.

To access the UE4 branch, do the following:
- Load up Steam and head to your Library
- Right click on Ranch Simulator and then select ‘Properties’
- Head to the Beta tab and in the drop down select ‘unreal_engine_4_branch’ (no password needed)
- This will then download the old UE4 version for you




We will be continuing to support the game after launch including with free updates and patches - focusing on bug fixes, quality of life improvements and optimisation. Do keep the feedback coming and let us know how you're getting on!

The first post-launch content update we will release is the much requested pets update! Keep an eye out for news on your fluffy friends - we'll be adding cats and dogs to the game.



We can also confirm that Steam achievements are on the way!

In the new year we'll reveal our post-launch roadmap. As always, we want to hear your thoughts and suggestions - make sure to join the Discord and let us know what you'd like to see added!




If you've been considering gifting a copy of Ranch Sim to a friend so you can take on the rancher's life together, now's a fantastic time to do it. We're celebrating the game's v1.0 launch with our biggest discount yet.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1119730

• Lumen global lighting system added (option for high end PCs. Increases GPU resource consumption, recommended to be used in conjunction with DLSS)
  
• Improved version of the game world, using all the features of the new engine
  
• New TSR anti-aliasing system
  
• New improved wolf model and animations
  
• New improved models and animations of roosters and chicks
  
• Ability to skip all introductory quests at the start of the game
  
• Ability to build an oil rig for additional passive income
  
• Improved performance with a large number of animals
  
• Now you can destroy the tent
  
• Added new horse locomotion with additional animations and movements
  
• Full controller support (key remapping for controllers coming soon)
  
• Reworked animations
  
• New car physics
  
• The garage and old barn are now completely destructible
  
• New items icons in the store
  
• Increased cooler capacity
  
• Sound from rain and wind is now muffled indoors
  
• Leaves flying in the air in a strong wind

Lastly, we just wanted to say a massive thank you to every single one of you who have supported us by purchasing Ranch Sim in Early Access. It sounds cliché, but we genuinely couldn't have done any of this without you - without your passion, feedback, suggestions, bug reports and everything else.

We hope you enjoy the UE5 update and are looking forward to our post-launch updates!

Thanks,
The Ranch Sim Team

• Reworked Red Dust tower defense map
  
• Added language support for Brazilian Portuguese, French, Italian, Russian, Spanish and Turkish
  
• Supporting most common characters for usernames

• Fixed problem where damage wasn't applied correctly to shields
  
• Fixed problem where enemy bases in tower defense were invincible
  
• Several minor bug fixes

Hello there,

We are in the midst of refining the game. After providing the game for testing to 10-15 players, we've gathered a lot of valuable feedback. Our aim is to improve the player experience. While Guards have simple game rules, some players found them unclear. To address this, we've enhanced several menus and introduced a "Game Info" menu that contains 20 game tips, each explaining different game mechanics.

In this announcement, we've shared 10 of these tips. Our designer has strived to make them as clear as possible, and we believe he has succeeded. It's worth noting that the original game had only four such tips, highlighting how the game has significantly evolved into something more comprehensive. We've added four types of damage mechanics and two hero stances, which have had a notable impact on the gameplay.





Additionally, we're actively working on in-story comics. Considerable effort has been dedicated to this aspect, and we believe we've finally achieved the quality we aimed for. These comics will be relatively small but play a crucial role in enhancing the game's story involvement. All slides and text have been approved, and our artist is currently working on the final versions. We will showcase them at a later date.

The development of comics and the Game Info menu have introduced additional text lines. Consequently, we have prioritized finalizing these aspects before completing the remaining text work. We have now successfully achieved this milestone, and our colleague Rea is in the process of editing the last of the text. Following this, we can proceed with the game's localizations.

In terms of translations, our colleagues Raffael, Jose, and Almos have already completed the German, Portuguese-Brazil, and Hungarian translations. Thus, five out of the planned 12 languages are already integrated into the game.





Finally, we have commenced work on sound design. Our sound designer has concluded his work on Age of Defense, allowing him to dedicate time to Guards 2.

All these developments signify that Guards II no longer has any unresolved issues. We're now just a few weeks away from completing all the work. We appreciate your continued support, and you'll be able to play the game soon!

Stay, with us

Hi! As promised, here’s Muspelheim beta!

You will find tons of demons, black stone golems and many Logi enemies! (Logi meaning “fire” in Old Norse).
Face three new challenging bosses and become a master of this volcanic area! ːNA_Expertː



As you may notice, there’s no lava on the ground. We will update the beta in a few days to add a “floor is lava” mechanic.


We hope you find this beta cool (or warm)! And please let us know your feedback, we always love reading all of your comments!
Thanks in advance for letting us know any issues or suggestions 😊
🔸 Discord.
🔸 Steam Community.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2068280/Nordic_Ashes_Survivors_of_Ragnarok/


REMEMBER: To play the beta, you will need to have purchased Nordic Ashes previously.

1. Open the Steam application.
   
2. Go to the Steam library and select Nordic Ashes.
   
3. Right click on it and select Properties.
   
4. A panel will open, select the Beta option.
   
5. Enter the following code: NordicAshesBeta
   
6. Click the button to verify that it is correct.
   
7. If everything is OK, you will have the Beta option in the drop-down menu. Select it and the game will be updated.

Thank you very much for helping us improve the game. You are an amazing community 😄
First of all, we’d like to share the following disclaimer (don’t forget to read #8)

1. Keep in mind that this is a Beta and therefore it may contain bugs and balancing issues.
   
2. The purpose of the Beta is that you have access to an early version of the game, so you can help us to fix bugs, balance the game and give suggestions.
   
3. The Betas last for a certain period of time. We will release them as new updates are released. This particular one will be open for 1 week.
   
4. There is a specific discussion for beta feedback in Steam.
   
5. The Beta progress will be saved in your actual account.
   
6. You can unlock the Steam achievements already published, but the new ones that will be released will not be available. However, once the Beta version is released, you will receive all achievements you have already earned.
   
7. You may upload or stream Beta content if you wish. However, please add a disclaimer to your videos/streams to announce that it is the Beta you are playing, not the public version of the game.
   
8. IMPORTANT: To avoid any loss of your progress please follow the next steps:
   a. Create a backup of your saving files just in case. There should be no issues but just to be safe please do. You may find them here:
   i. windows: %USERPROFILE%/AppData/LocalLow/Noxfall Studios/Nordic Ashes/Backup
   ii. macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/com.NoxfallStudios.NordicAshes/Backup
   iii. linux: ~/.config/unity3d/Noxfall Studios/Nordic Ashes/Backup
   b. After playing the Beta, if you wish to return to the main version of the game and deactivate the Beta, please notice that your Beta progress will be lost.

DISCLAIMER
It is possible that you find bugs or content that has yet to be implemented, such as sounds. We thank you for notifying us of any bug or issue through our discord or steam discussions, in the specific Beta section. This way we can access all the information and fix any issues. Thank you so much!

Patch 2.1.0 contains multiple simulation changes, which not only fixes several bugs but also overall improves and changes how we handle the coaster simulation.

These changes only apply for newly created coasters. Therefore, you may notice odd or buggy looking behavior on your already placed coasters or downloaded prefabs. Simply open the coaster editor and run the course test again, afterwards it should work as normal again and you can overwrite your old prefab. If needed, you may have to do slight adjustments to the tracks or modules to make sure the safety test is successful.

If you have a coaster prefab uploaded to the community content, you may encounter the same issue. You can fix it by following the same steps as above: Enter the coaster editor, re-test the safety of your coaster, and then upload the updated prefab to the community content.
We are looking forward to your feedback and seeing many more of your creations!

• Added a search function to the helpcenter making it possible to look for specific helpscreens

• Fixed The “Prefab” Tag missing on shared prefabs
  
• Updated multiple outdated Help screens and fixed localization issues
  
• Fixed a localisation issue with Japanese language with the community content terms of use pop up
  
• Added a section for community content provided by Limbic

• Multiple improvements and smaller fixes for the coaster simulation
  
• Fixed multiple instances in which cars would teleport forward or backwards
  
• Added the second car lift variant
  
• Fixed an issue where the game would shortly freeze when switching between car styles
  
• Fixed an issue with the trains randomly halting their movement upon splitting
  
• Improved the consistency of coaster simulation after the first run and after loading a save
  
• Fixed an issue were having a spring right in front of the station would instantly stop the train
  
• Fixed multiple module related collision issues which resulted in incorrect error messages
  
• Fixed multiple visual issues with the spring and Free-Fall module
  
• Fixed an issue occurring when cars bump into each other losing their speed
  
• Fixed Cars teleporting when colliding and merging
  
• Fixed the hooks “Unchained” and “Give me a Brake” failing regardless of their requirements
  
• Updated all Park Beyond coaster prefabs to make sure that all above changes apply to them

• Fixed Mission 06 outro water being displayed with incorrect texture

• Fixed a crash occuring when cloning an object group within an object group
  
• Fixed a crash that can occur after loading when having a coaster with multiple stations with different lengths
  
• Fixed a crash related to the park cleanliness
  
• Fixed a crash that randomly occurred during car movement
  
• Fixed more random crashes

• Fixed LOD of the Racoon Jump Animatronic

We add some new levels before the game start. It is about Training not caught by monster.

You can play this in a "new game". We hope that help people don't injury from endless caught.

Welcome to your loyal, allegiance and honest comments!

• Fixed an issue where using Avatar of the Night did not correctly reset the spawn timer on the bats
  
• Fixed some issues with Critical Hit Chance on minions
  
• Fixed an issue where entering a secret area would kill you
  
• Fixed an issue where killing an Astral Incursion boss after a secret area had spawned would scroll the screen and skip the secret area
  
• Fixed an issue where entering a secret area while an Astral Incursion boss was still alive would cause the screen to scroll past the boss once you returned to the main area

Lazr Devlog #80

Mission 13: The Recyc Center

In this update we'll take a look at levels 73-78, a new magnet boss fight, and upgrades to fire, smoke, weather, spatter, trash, glass shards, and more. Finally we'll explore new band practice spaces.

• Naturally supports Ultrawide (21:9) & Super Ultrawide monitors (32:9), no settings changes required
  
• The UI is horizontally centered to 16:9 for comfortable viewing instead stretching to the edges
  
• Updated all Backgrounds to support the additional aspect ratios
  
• Ravebow's Pink & Blue Lasers fill the entire width of the screen
  
• Doc's Static Mines stay active for the entire width of the screen
  
• Added visual teleportation effect to all enemies & Elites when they appear, because they will spawn on screen at the left and right sides to maintain performance and game balance

Katanas

• Blue Katana Speed replaces the Blue Katana Duration Upgrade
  
• Blue Katana Speed affects both the Attack Duration & Cooldown, removing the negative DPS
  
• Blue Katana Max Speed increased from 2x to 5x

Gold Outpost

• Visual change to Gold dropped while in the Gold Outpost vs regular Gold pickups
  
  • Smaller Orange Pieces = Regular Gold
    
  • Larger Brighter Yellow Pieces = Gold Dropped While in Gold Outpost

Elite Final Boss

• Fix - Slow movement when punched by Boxing Gloves

Build #1115 Changes:

• Potential Fix for getting stuck on Loading Profile screen

It was a bit of a slow week on our side. As these things happen, there simply were too many distractions. Still we managed to fix a fair number of bugs and add an option to disable controller support entirely. Next week we’ll pick up the pace of those fixes a notch or two once more!

New Features
- Option to disable controller support entirely.

Bug Fixes
- The flowshard sword you get from the flow elemental has no encumbrance.
- Ratskin boots can have positive, rare, and negative qualities.
- When you gain fatigue during climbing it is not applied twice.
- Caught another instance where ferocious and other status effects granted by equipment could incorrectly wear off.
- The shadowglade constraint failing to resolve automatically is no longer flagged as critical.
- When loading a save the ‘fire burning’ flag is ignored because the campsite is not saved either.
- The recharging effect is added to spears, axes, and quarterstaves that have 1 or more sky sigils.
- The feeding effect is added to spears that have 2 root sigils.
- The brittle rocks in gates at the ancient bathhouse are just as difficult to destroy as the regular brittle rocks.
- Frequently changing levels within a site doesn’t throw the water data out of sync causing invisible walls over water.
- The Mighty Gift achievement no longer requires the obsolete magentol mine map and instead unlocks when you inform a clan about the magentol mine.
- Replacing a missing bookshelf in temple Duskfeather in new worlds that is linked to unlocking an achievement.
- Random content options cannot choose curated world, experimental content, or latest content options.

UPDATE 17 NOVEMBER:

As promised, today patch 1.5.11 will arrive on the beta branch on Steam and the QA branch on Epic. If you like to check out what we have been up to this is your chance!

The main course of this update overhauls the underlying systems for quests and rumors completely. I am not saying much about it as it all should be self-explanatory. However, it is still a work in progress. Most regular rumors have been adapted to the new system. Many of the main quest lines still need to be adapted. So far only the temples quest, and the serpent gates quest should follow the new regime.

There is also another big change that I will leave for you to discover on your own. That way we can see if those changes are also actually clear enough.

In any case, it is best to create a new world if you plan on trying out the beta.

I've added two dedicated channels here to report bugs and discuss the changes.