We have some exciting news! We just updated The Crimson Maid demo with a new version that includes lots of improvements. Excited to find out more? Here are some of the changes:

• lots of UI improvements and animations to make the game more intuitive
  
• new interaction icons
  
• proper Steam Deck support, including specific graphical settings for the best on device quality with a playable fps
  
• UI adjustments for Steam Deck to make it easier to read texts
  
• added vibrations for various interactions and cutscenes
  
• more tutorials for the game's actions

• the intro cutscenes were renamed to Prologue and the playable acts are now Act 1 and Act 2
  
• you must now find the bird seeds in Act 2 to be able to feed the robin
  
• improved the well puzzle with animations, vibrations and extra hints
  
• journal is now opened automatically in key moments
  
• character movement improvements, including overall speed, head bobbing, different speed for strafing
  
• improved controller support
  
• interact icons now appear from further away
  
• changed how character names are displayed during dialogues to make it easier to follow who is speaking
  
• journal entries now fade in when they've just been unlocked to make it easier to track your progress
  
• lots of bug fixes, including the LOD distances for the characters, subtitles not showing on Steam Deck, bird cage inside the car not being hidden during Act 1 intro

Regarding Steam Deck, there is an important note. While the game works perfectly fine on it, you will need to install the UE prerequisites when you boot the game. If you've previously installed them, then you'll need to uninstall them. This is a known issue and it happens because we had to update Unreal Engine to version 5.4. Unfortunately, there is no current fix as far as we know and we're waiting either for Epic to solve this on their end or for Valve to update their redistributables list with a newer version of Visual C++. In the meantime, you can run the game as long as with each run you either install or reinstall the UE prerequisites.



While we're not sure of the timing, we do plan to add more content to the demo at some point. It's likely going to be sometime closer to release, but in the meantime be sure to wishilst and follow the game so you can stay up to date with all future announcements.

Fixed some miscellaneous bugs
Reduced hazards in hell room
Second ending is now possible to get

Improved convenience with the addition of a pause key, saving settings, and UI changes.

• The Sorcerer's Passive 2nd Bonus now correctly shows '1% more damage per 2 mana cost, up to 50% more'

• Evade tooltip no longer shows <n><n> twice
  
• Improvements to French Localization
  
• Corrected an erroneous '=' in the Old Tome dialogue

• Fixed an issue where interacting with the Alter of Oblivion with a controller could cause a crash

• Void Cleaver now correctly shows which weapon this is a cosmetic for.
  
• Aberroth's Memento now correctly shows it's name when moused over.
  
• Abyssal Legend and Abyssal Vanquisher supporter pack videos have been updated
  
• Oblivion shot bow image has been updated to show representative VFX
  
• Argentum Myrmidon gameplay video update - previously it showed a level of VFX that wasn't representative

• Counterpick Labs is now out (for free) on Steam Early Access! The web and Steam versions of the game remain equivalent, with cross-play, cross-progression, and account linking.
• The banana stand is now open on Steam and has been re-opened on web. Thanks for your support!

• Added a new single player mode: Story Missions. Learn about Jim and his fellow interns in the first three missions of Season 1: Intern Drama. New Story Missions will be released periodically.
• As with all offline modes, you can play Story Missions while queueing for quickplay.

• Added dash attacks for all primary weapons.
• With auto dash attack turned on, input a dash attack by pressing light attack while running. You can disable auto dash attacks in the controls menu.
• You can also dash attack by pressing any two attack buttons (light attack, strong attack, grab) simultaneously.

• Added a Roadmap under Main Menu > Extras.
• Reorganized menu structure to hopefully be less overwhelming for new players.
• In modes where players have infinite lives, added a new infinite hearts icon (previously 3 hearts were shown).
• Added a "quit" button to main menu for Steam version.

• Slightly increased overall knockback. Knockback from most attacks is now slightly higher at the start of the knockback trajectory. This is intended to give hits more impact and make knockback feel less floaty.
• Slightly to moderately increased base knockback of most tilt attacks (directional light attacks).

• Instant transmission (teleport) no longer inflicts self damage.

• Slightly increased fall speed.

• Slightly increased fall speed and ground speed.
• (Visual only) Made Skelebob shorter.
• Slightly reduced jump height.

• Slightly increased fall speed.

• Self-detonate no longer sends you into knockdown/tumble and has set endlag regardless of percent. Distance knocked back still scales with percent.

• Increased base knockback of down light, forward light (close hitbox only) and forward air (close hitbox only).
• Forward light: Reduced endlag by 3f.
• Up air: slightly decreased knockback scaling.

• Increased base knockback of forward light.
• Forward and up strong: Reduced start and end lag by 1f, and slightly decreased size of uncharged hurtbox.
• Down strong: Reduced start lag by 1f.
• Up air: Reduced start lag by 1f.
• Forward air: First and second hitboxes are lower. This is intended to reduce instances of whiffing slightly over your opponent's head.

• Increased base knock back of forward light, down light, up light, and forward air.
• Forward strong: Reduced end lag by 2f.

• Increased base knockback of up light, forward light, down light.
• Up light: Slightly reduced range and reduced end lag by 3 frames.
• Forward strong: Increased endlag by 2 frames.

• Optimized rendering of various graphical elements. This should hopefully address rare crashes experienced by a few individuals.

• Removed "Shield Dmg Up", "Reaper" (heal on KO), and "Regenerate" (heal while shielding) from the upgrade pool.
• These upgrades consistently felt unimpactful.

• Fixed bug where it was impossible to interrupt Jet Boot hover with aerial Spiked Fist.
• Fixed glitch where attempting to input a shield drop with a gadget input while not on a platform would cause you to momentarily drop your shield.
• Freezing Grease: fixed glitch where oleg wouldn't get unfrozen properly if frozen while charging a strong attack with super armor.
• Fixed UI bug where arrows were sometimes difficult to click on horizontal value selector menu items.

I planned to have a new gear piece and new cosmetics ready for this patch, but unfortunately adding the new single player mode took much longer than anticipated. I'll work on this next! And now that the structure's in place, future missions will be easier to add. Thanks for you patience.

UI Changes:

• Moved split further down the list of options

Player Changes:

• Bioluminescence is now activated with ‘T’ instead of ‘5’
• Incrreased radius of bioluminescence light

Crafting and Vendor Changes:

• Roland now carries the recipe for salvage kits
• Lowered cost of salvage kit

Combat changes:

• Acid Elementals are now immune to poison

Other changes:

• Added some more pickupable furniture to Big Steve’s arena and a cat ‘Little Steve’

Bug Fixes:

• Keela no longer stays in bed forever

UI Tweaks and Optimizations

Hi everyone!

I'm thrilled to announce that my mini-game, Castaway, is launching on August 16th across all major platforms (PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox) for $7.99 USD!


I believe this is a fair price for a mini-game like Castaway. Many people ask, "How mini is the game?" So, let me give you a better idea to set realistic expectations:

The game has two parts. The first part, Story Mode (The Island), will keep you engaged for about an hour, or much longer if you aim to unlock all the achievements, beat the Unfair mode, or play in Speedrun Mode. The second part, Survivor Mode (The Tower), varies based on the skills you've developed and your strategy, but on average, it adds another couple of hours of gameplay.

Additionally, with the Pacifist and Invincible Modes, I hope Castaway can serve as an introduction to the genre for younger players or newcomers.

Lastly, I've always planned to add more content to Castaway. However, as a solo developer, this will largely depend on the game's reception and sales. Clearly, the better the launch, the sooner I can determine if my dream of continuing to work on Castaway can become a reality!



Thank you so much for your support! <3

Johan

I am excited to announce that my previous game Thief Simulator 2 has officially launched on PlayStation 5! I hope you will enjoy it!

Thief Simulator is now available on PlayStation 5 at the same price as for PC - $19.99:

I am excited to announce that my previous game Thief Simulator 2 has officially launched on PlayStation 5! I hope you will enjoy it!

Thief Simulator is now available on PlayStation 5 at the same price as for PC - $19.99:

Hello dear Ghost Hunter community,

We have sensational news for you! Our latest update brings exciting improvements and features that take ghost hunting to a whole new level. Today it's all about the COOP integration in the retro PC and other groundbreaking features that are currently in the testing phase.

News about AI:

We are developing a brand new perception sensor for the ghost, which will start the testing phase next week. This sensor is able to recognize players in both single player and COOP mode, taking the player's state of mind into account. This innovative feature will make the game even more exciting and challenging.

News about equipment:

All equipment items will receive completely new functionalities, which will also go into internal testing starting next week. These changes will fundamentally change the way you use your equipment in the game and ensure an even more intense gaming experience.

What's new in COOP:

1. COOP integration in Retro PC: The "Players" category in Retro PC now shows all COOP players. This way you can see at a glance who is ready for the next big ghost hunt. This feature will revolutionize cooperation and coordination in your COOP missions. Put together your dream teams and prepare for exciting adventures!
   
2. Spontaneous joining via the friends list: Flexibility is the key to success! You can now join ongoing COOP sessions via the friends list. Whether you've just come online or are in the middle of an adventure - just jump in and support your team in crucial moments!

Anti-cheat system and reporting system:

But that's not all! Next Monday we will implement our self-developed anti-cheat system and a new reporting system for the COOP mode. Our goal: fairness and an unparalleled gaming experience! If our new system makes mistakes and bans you wrongly, don't worry. Contact our support and we will investigate the case immediately. If a ban is wrong, it will be lifted immediately. Your feedback is crucial to improving our system and ensuring a fair gaming environment for everyone.

Our test report will be published soon in a new progress blog. We can't say exactly when yet, but stay tuned! We will also soon report when we will release the first playable update version so that you can experience some of the gameplay for yourself.

We would like to thank all buyers for their patience in allowing the internal testing to take so long to enable a first playable version.

In anticipation,
The Ghost - The Ghost Hunters' Quest development team

Note: All new features and the entire COOP mode are currently in the internal testing phase. Stay tuned for more updates and exciting new features!