Hey Loners! We have big news to share. If you tuned in to the OTK Expo today you may have already heard: Atomic Picnic will hit Early Access this September.

But that’s not all, we are kicking off a new playtest right now. If you’ve playtested the title before, you have access here on Steam and can jump right in. If you haven’t yet, head over to http://OTK.to/AP to join the community and get your Steam key.

The feedback that you’ve given us in the last playtests has had a major impact on our development. Check out a new trailer with some of what's new, and then read on for all the details:



New Features

• New weapon: the powerful Pistol!
  
• New Mini-boss: Jonathan, a Turtle mini-boss that can be found in the Twilight Dam map.
  
• New Enemies: Flying Shooter that sprays a pattern of shots, and JellyEgg who spawns several Mini Jelly.
  
• New Upgrade (Curio): Doom on Device, adds a Doom effect on the enemies that are hit by your device.
  
• New character skills: Both active and passive skills (more details below)!
  
• New character base statistics: Each character now has 4 different base stats.
  
• New device models: Your grenades have new looks.
  
• Hidden OTK influencer tags

You read that right, each character now has their own abilities. More info on each:

Active abilities, activated by pressing the ‘Q’ key:

• Hani / Handyman: Hani charges his hammer and smashes it on the ground, damaging enemies and healing teammates. He can charge the hammer for up to 3 seconds, the longer the charge and more damage taken while charging, the more damage and healing he does.
  
• JD / Tacticbot: JD summons a flying drone that follows him around and shoots enemies.
  
• Bonnie / Dive Bomb: Bonnie jumps into the air and lands with an impact that deals damage in an area around her.
  
• Ash / Dash Bomb: Ash dashes through the air, ending with an explosion that deals damage to nearby enemies.

Passive abilities, always affecting individual characters:

• Hani / Closer: Hani does more damage per each nearby enemy, up to 20% more damage.
  
• JD / Multitap - When JD throws a Device, he causes all Fast Reloads Curios to activate automatically.
  
• Bonnie / Headbutt - When Gear Dashing or Super Jumping through enemies, Bonnie deals damage and applies the Concussion debuff. Concussion slows enemies.
  
• Ash / Scout: Ash has one extra Air Gear charge.

These Passive Skills are now affected by Mementos too:

• Hani Passive Skill is now affect by Area Size
  
• Bonnie Passive Skill is now affected by Cooldown and Damage
  
• JD Passive Skill is now affected by Cooldown

New UX / UI Elements & Changes

• New screen: Start a Picnic
  
• A new map selection screen to check which maps you have unlocked or not (still with placeholder graphics)
  
• New UI background
  
• Animated background in all screens
  
• New game flow: Removed main menu
  
• New Esc menu
  
• New social tab with Steam friend list display
  
• Now players can join others when already inside their own Camp
  
• Now if the player is solo on a hosted Camp the game will auto change to single-player mode (no connection needed) during a Picnic
  
• New Discoveries screen unlock animations

New Audio:

• Healing Shrine SFX
  
• Offerings SFX
  
• Loner's Camp OST

Balancing & Other Changes:

• Overall rebalancing to make game harder
  
• Harder mini-bosses
  
• Harder enemies
  
• Rebalanced time needed to revive others
  
• Weapons fast reload thresholds balancing
  
• New XP curve
  
• Rebalanced Mementos
  
• New Berserker VFX
  
• Controller Support now working for Social screen, and Start Picnic screen
  
• Teddybear and some other AoE Curios now break destructible items
  
• Added a delay after the players complete a Picnic (kill the final boss), so they have time to collect the loot before the End Game screen shows up
  
• New camera configuration for all characters
  
• New animation for Map selection screen
  
• Increased Air Gear invulnerability, or iFrames time
  
• Changed the active abilities UI (Devices, Air Gear, Active Skills) to fit the new Active Skills button
  
• Changed the Discoveries screen to allow for more Discoveries on the same screen, and fill the whole screen area
  
• Restricting Steam join to only when inside Camp
  
• Performance changes in Loner's Camp scene related to shadows
  
• Rework on enemy despawn system to deprioritize enemies that are not actively engaging in combat, and are not being seen by players

Fixes:

• Rework on Jellyfish shield code that fixes some Curios that bypassed Octavio’s shield
  
• MiniJelly base stats fixed
  
• Ricochet ability now working properly
  
• Changed Memento title instead of Curio in the Tab screen in-game
  
• Rojo device area preview size is now the same as its collider
  
• Ghost story now dealing damage to all enemies
  
• First upgrade no longer automatically selected when using a mouse in the Level Up screen
  
• Peace Time title now showing up when a boss is killed
  
• All maps no longer use the same enemy configuration
  
• In the in-game HUD, in the Objectives widget, the Jelly Fish boss's name is now correct (Octavio)

As you can see, there’s a ton of new stuff to check out in this playtest. But heads up on some known issues as well…

Known Issues:

• Some buttons have localization for gamepad support, and the strings go beyond the intended area
  
• Active Reloads and other gameplay mechanics used in the Camp should not count towards the Discoveries
  
• Some new upgrades still don't have detail stats in the Level Up screen (the lower text with stat changes)
  
• In the Twilight Dam map, the collision in the Dam area can cause the player to not move properly
  
• Discovery "Starting with the basics": Tracking each enemy defeat multiple times on clients
  
• "Peace time" text does not show up properly after a boss is defeated.
  
• Hani's active skill can have an animation glitch if used right when the character levels up
  
• Ping icons are not disappearing, and will accumulate in the map
  
• Some projectiles VFX do not disappear
  
• MiniJelly and JellyEgg are not being damaged by some curios

Get to testing, and let us know what you think here on Steam and in the Discord!

Join us TODAY at 1PM PT here on Steam -OR- on Twitch, where we will be celebrating launch day with the community and streaming Killer Klowns From Outer Space: The Game!

Welcome to the cute-but-deadly world of Claws & Chaos!

Today at the OTK Game Expo we properly revealed Claws & Chaos to the world. In this strategic autobattler, you’ll command teams of cute-but-deadly creatures fighting for survival in a hand-drawn world on the brink of collapse.



This is an accessible auto-chess style game with real tactics, too. You’ll strategically place your creatures on the battlefield, send them out against your foes, and adapt to the opposition after each round by upgrading your troops and sending new ones into the fray.

We’ll have a demo go live as part of Steam Next Fest on June 10. But you can get in on it now by joining our community at http://OTK.to/CC today too.

Watch this space and join our Discord to stay up to date on all things Claws & Chaos between now and launch later this year.

Hail and well met, Punchies!

We’re gearing up for a Fantasy-themed Season 2 of Rumble Club, which will launch on June 24th.



We’ll save the full patch notes for then, of course, but here’s a sneak peak at some of what you can expect in our second season of content:

• New way to play: Rumble Run, a grand prix style multi-round mode where only one Punchie can be crowned champion.
  
• New map: Punchington Castle will support Punch Royale, Goop Cube, King of the Hill, Crab Crush, and more game modes.
  
• Five new seasonal gadgets: Check out the Horsie, Sword and Board, Plunger Crossbow, Fairy Wings, and the Ogre King.
  
• Tons of fantasy cosmetics: Kings, Queens, Dragons, oh my!
  
• OTK creator cosmetics: Custom cosmetics of some of your favorite creators!
  
• Changes to Rumble Pass: Gadget cards are moving from the Premium Track to the Free Track, and more cosmetics are coming to the Premium Track.

We also want to give a HUGE thank you to the Rumble Club community - over 1 million players have jumped into the game across mobile and PC so far and we couldn’t be more grateful, truly! We hope you’re all looking forward to Season 2 on June 24th!

Watch the live stream of the thrilling visual novel Samuel Sage: The Mystery at Penby Inn.

Immerse yourself in a thrilling mystery at the Penby Inn! A luxurious hotel set in the endearing English countryside, Penby Inn is coming under a lot of fire (literally) from mind-boggling mishaps, ghoulish noises, rumours of hauntings and gruesome murder!

To adds to the drama, the rich new owner Samuel Sage, who has conveniently inherited the hotel, is completely clueless about the incendiary incidents, the drama ensuing behind its glamourous doors and the dark secrets it holds!

Will Samuel triumph over the increasingly insurmountable odds, or will he succumb to defeat? Will he shatter under the weight of the heavy burden, or will the sweet refuge of a budding romance see him through the turmoil?

During the course of the game, you will join Samuel Sage to explore the hotel, examine evidence of hauntings, gather clues by talking to customers, contractors and employees; uncover scandalous secrets from his familial past and unravel the dark motives behind the horrific murder in Penby Inn. To take your mind off the grave and increasingly mysterious happenings, you can explore the charming history of the deliciously delightful Penby village and even indulge in a bit of spirited romance!

The game comes with convenient features such as a log for re-examining saved evidence and studying artefacts gathered during exploration. The game is available with English, Spanish, Japanese, Russian, and Simplified Chinese subtitles.

Hi everyone!

I recently made a post about a workshop bug people have been experiencing on Steam Deck:

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1440670/view/4173225272335082654

And I've got a small update on how that's progressing!

The Proton team has tested Zeepkist and confirmed the issue, and have filed an internal bug report so that it can get fixed.

That's all the news I have to share for now. But I'm very thankful of how supportive Steam and the Proton team is, and I'll let you know when I hear more!

- Yannic

Live streaming at STEAM NEXT FEST.
I, the developper tdhr myself, am going to play the demo version of "Fly Me To The Home!"

I would be happy to hear your questions, requests and impressions directly from you.
I look forward to your participation! ツ

Oh hi there. I’m Font, a Senior Game Design Director on The Sims 4. I’ve been living and breathing the Sims for over a decade and have been lucky enough to contribute to The Sims 3, The Sims Mobile, and The Sims 4. I consider myself a Simmer whose day job is to come up with new and unexpected ways to play in The Sims 4. Which brings me to the topic of this development blog: the introduction of Events!


Events are a limited time experience, centered around a fun theme, with free rewards or gameplay that adds new opportunities to your game.

Our team created a platform for these new Events to live. Something that is flexible, easier to update, and will be easy for you to find and claim those rewards. Our designers have been busy making this new system shine and preparing for the first Event, while our artists have been creating new objects and Create-a-Sim pieces.

The first Event will be “The Sims 4 Happy at Home Login Event,” where rewards can be claimed simply by logging in to the Main Menu for a limited time. This Event includes a suite of items that will help create a comfortable hangout space where your Sims can refine their skills with the new Practice Makes Perfect trait.

There will be updates in the future that bring additional layers to what you can see and do. The team is working on adding gameplay to Events, perhaps a quest or two to explore, and even more rewards to claim.

The team will be developing Events with objects and gameplay connected to The Sims’ Season. Events can also be timed to a variety of different occasions in a calendar year or a general theme that we look forward to sharing with you in the future.

1. Each day, new game items are unlocked and ready to claim from The Sims 4 main menu.
   
2. Click the Event tile on the main menu to view the Event screen.
   
3. From the Event screen, select “claim” on any unclaimed Event rewards.
   
4. The claimed rewards will be added to Build Mode or Create-a-Sim. The team has added a new Event filter under the Special category in both Create-a-Sim and Build Mode that can help you quickly find the rewards you’ve claimed.
   
5. Each week a new set of rewards become available to view (each will unlock daily).
   
6. Any days you miss claiming your reward can be claimed at any time during the duration of the Event, and up to one week after the Event ends

Claim these rewards and add them into your game to create a stay-at-home retreat perfect to invite friends and family over to enjoy some snacks and a round of games or choose to mix and match them with other items to tell the story of your choice. Each of the objects come in a variety of color options to help fit your aesthetic.



Toss a round of sharp objects with the Bullseye Dartboard while embracing the evening in this Night Sky Layered Necklace. After a few rounds, grab a snack from the Guerdon Goods Mini Fridge. Earn a few Simoleons by tossing your trash in the matching Guerdon Goods NanoCan garbage bin, now in a less futuristic style.

Let your tresses down with the Serenity Hairstyle and grab a seat at The Cool & Compact Bar. Whether you are practicing your mixology skills or serving up drinks for your friends, The Cool & Compact Bar offers a smaller footprint so you can save on space without compromising on quality.

Give your Sims bed or sofa an extra oomph of cozy vibes with The Pure Pillow clutter item and offer them a comfy backdrop to take a rest after a day of skill gain with the Practice Makes Perfect trait. With this new trait, Sims can learn skills faster, even if they are a bit slower to start.

Dress your sims down in laidback Athleisure Wear and pull up to the functional Guerdon Goods Vending Machine to round out their snack game.


Are these rewards really free?

Yes, these rewards are free when you engage with the Event. Once claimed the rewards for this Event will be available in the Base Game. Each Event may handle rewards a little differently. For instance, this first Event you get rewarded for jumping back into the game while the Event is active. In the future there may be Events that take you on a quest where you’ll complete goals in order to earn rewards.

What about SDX releases, I thought those were to provide free content and updates!

Sims Delivery Express drops aren’t going away, but we're always looking for new and novel ways to deliver gameplay, as well as objects and clothing to add to your Sims' lives. You can still expect SDX releases throughout the year as well as new Events to engage with The Sims 4 throughout the seasons.

What happens if I join the Event late?

There's plenty of time during the Event to jump in if you are coming in late. Each day you launch the game counts as a login to unlock the next available reward. If you come in late to the Event there's still time to catch up, but it will take 8 days of logins to unlock all of the rewards. We've provided an extra week to login and claim those remaining rewards.

The Sims 4 Happy at Home Login Event will be available beginning on May 30, 2024 on PC via EA app™, Mac® via Origin, Epic Games Store and Steam®, PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One systems.

The Sims 4 Happy at Home Login Event requires The Sims 4 base game, available free to download with all game updates. See minimum system requirements for the pack.

• Ghost Voids!

Small Visual updates to the leaderboards