Apr 5

Positron - Retroburn

Hello Positron fans!

It's been a while since I released the Snake mode update back in January, and I've been busy working on the next content update. Along the way, I've redesigned some systems and started making a lot of sweeping changes to how the game is structured. Due to these large changes, the next update has been delayed a little, but I'm getting closer to having a good solid build that we're happy with, and I hope this next update improves the game in a number of ways.

If people don't know, I work in the games industry full time. I most recently worked on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac port of Sniper Elite 4. I also have five kids, and try to make the most of my morning and evening time with them. Outside of this, in my 'spare time' is when I sometimes get time to work on Positron. It's slow progress, usually only getting a few hours per week to work on the game, but the deeper I get in to it, the more time I'm spending, and I have a lot of things on the go at the moment:

Porting the game

Positron is written in C++, and is not using a prebuilt engine (like Unity or Unreal). This gives me a lot of freedom in how I implement game features, and allows me to heavily optimise the game to run on all platforms.

That being said, actually porting the game to run on all platforms, getting the rendering working correctly, and supporting all the platform features like leaderboards, and achievements, takes time.

I'm currently working on porting the game fully to Nintendo Switch, with the intention to release on Switch while still in Early Access. I'm also working on my Metal renderer for the Mac version, because My Wife recently bought me an M4 Mac Mini to use as a demo machine when we attend expos. This tiny beast of a machine is light and portable and is much easier to lug around to events than my huge Alienware Aurora desktop PC! I'm also working on the D3D12 renderer for Xbox, and my PS4 and PS5 renderers need a little work to get the game running on those aswell.

Game updates

Development of game features, and updating the game here on Steam is still the priority, but there's a lot more that we have going on at the moment too. The next update here on Steam Early Access will include:

Arena Mode - Deathmatch arena mode with up to 16 bikes in one arena.
Star ratings - Each level now has targets to reach for 1/2/3 stars on completion.
Zones - Levels are to be mixed up and split in to separate zones. Each with their own distinct visual style, and possibly also introducing game mechanics as you progress. Earn enough stars by completing levels in a zone to unlock access to one of the two connecting zones, which again unlocks further levels.
Ghosts - In Maze mode, a ghost bike showing your previous attempt will run ahead of you. Also toying with the idea of recording ghosts for leaderboard entries so you can try to follow the run of the top score setters. Possibly only enable that option if you yourself have already completed a maze.
Snake mode changes - With the star ratings, come targets to hit in terms of orbs to collect in Snake. Approximately 15/25/35 orbs for the smaller levels to hit the star ratings. Targets are determined by having our AI play the level and determine appropriate values.
Level dimensions and sizes modified - I've reduced the amount of space between the walls in the easier difficulties (with extreme remaining as it was). This means that the levels are now 'smaller' in dimension, and are quicker to complete, but gives less room for U turns (which are pretty useless in the maze, if you're trying to beat the leaderboard scores). This will mean all current leaderboards will be wiped with this coming update!
More achievements - I only added the single achievement on launch, to get achievements working, but I'm looking to add about a dozen or so achievements with the next update.
FOV Adjustment - The FOV is currently fixes, but I've been testing 9:16 mode for capturing social media videos, and it looked very odd, so I've added variable FOV adjustment which adjusts based on the screen aspect. This means those people running super wide monitors will now get a slightly different FOV, but I'll also be adding in a slider in the options menu to allow for some adjustment too.

Some updates, I have been planning, but I'm holding off making the changes for the moment while I work on getting our current update finished:

Bike customisation - I'm toying with the idea of allowing players to customise the look of their bike, choose from a selection of slightly different textures, reflection models, and defining a fixed colour (with reflective highlight colour). It's something people have asked for, and I see the benefit in it. Having differently textured bikes with slightly different styles will also help distinguish them further in arena mode.
Splitscreen multiplayer - Something I've already put a lot of work in to. I have four 2/3/4 player splitscreen modes already working well, but I need to fix audio issues, reflection issues, and more with these to ensure the game flow is smooth and the performance remains high too. I even have a vertical splitscreen for Steam Deck where you can sit across the table from someone and play two player versus games, which works great!
UI overhaul - The current UI is a hardcoded mess of C++. I intend to have the UI write to an intermediate rendertarget (freeing it from the restrictions of the game's aspect ratio)., and also be defined in data files, so it's easier to modify as I extend the game.
Button remapping - Adding the ability to remap the keyboard controls and also modify the game controller controls if required.

Steam Deck Verified

Anyone who's played the game on Steam Deck knows I've ensured it runs optimally on there, full 60/90hz running full resolution. As I mentioned earlier, being written from scratch gives me the ability to optimise at the lowest level, ensuring rendering and CPU usage remain within budget and don't push the hardware too hard.

The only thing stopping me from getting the official Steam Deck Verified status, is that I don't show button icons in onscreen prompts, like 'Press (A) to Start' that's it! So I'm looking at pushing out a small update at some point which will remedy this and I can apply for Steam Deck Verified status.

Thank you

Thank you for playing the game (if you've bought it). It means a lot to me. A positive review means the world to an indie developer like me, and the more positive reviews we get, the better our chances are of getting features more prominently throughout the Steam Store.

To date we have sold 131 copies of the game (since our launch in Early Access last November). It's not a lot, but it's nice to see people have enjoyed the game and have had positive things to say about it. I'm really hoping this next update brings people back to play the game who haven't played it since launch, and hopefully brings more players to the game too.

Apr 5

DEVELOPMENT ROAD MAP – JUNE UPDATE

Pharmacy Simulator - I am literally gyan rosling

Dear players,

We’re thrilled to share the development roadmap for our major June update!
Based on the amazing feedback from our community, we're taking the first big step toward creating a more playable, more fun, and more vibrant game world.
A larger world, more interaction, and an immersive experience are on the way!

🎯 Your feedback means a lot to us!
👉 Don’t forget to join our Discord server.

Here is the details:

System Changes

Magistral system
Prescription system changes
Decoration system revision

User Interface

UI (User Interface) redesign
Main menu redesign
Animation Improvements

New Items and Systems

New shelves and furniture
Customizable furniture
New cash registers and cashier system

NPC & Characters

Unique NPC characters
Voiced NPC system dialogue
NPC-Worker system with shelf arrangement tasks

Health & Care Systems

Blood pressure measurement
Medkit crafting and selling system
Making magistral medicine on the chemistry bench

Digital & Online Systems

Online sales and shipping system
In-game computer games

Sound & Music

Music system
Ambient sounds and effects enhancement

General Experience

A vibrant and interactive world design
A larger game map

THE DEVS ARE HERE!

Developer's Note: Even if some systems are not ready by June, they will definitely be included in the next update.

Apr 5

BANSHEE: Demon Girl - FIRST TEASE AT TOKYO GAME SHOW 2024!

BANSHEE: Demon Girl - Psycholl44

BANSHEE: Demon Girl Announced at TGS 2024!

TOKYO – 26th September 2024

Today, indie development studio False Prophet reveals their next project, code named BANSHEE: Demon Girl, at Tokyo Game Show 2024. BANSHEE offers an action packed single player stealth experience inspired by soulsborne games and will be developed in Unreal Engine 5 using top tier talent from the industry in sound, music and gameplay design.

Piotr Pacynko, founder and director explains: “The vision for BANSHEE is to be a mix between games such as Sekiro, Tenchu and Red Ninja, with unique gameplay elements only found in our game.”

In the late 1500s (Sengoku period), a female shinobi-samurai. A kunoichi in geisha disguise arrives with a secret mission in Europe with the first Japanese Embassy. Betrayed, she dies a gruesome death and becomes a demon (similar to European vampires like “Vampyr”, “Strzyga” or “Banshee”). As a player you will be able to send away or devour restless souls to grow in strength and discover secrets. Fight with Japanese swords, parrying death blows without a trace of fatigue. Raise fear and terror in European medieval cities & castles not only as a shinobi but also as a demon and devil incarnate in a beautiful human body.

The team is in Japan to gather early feedback from players and partners to get the look and feel right for the game as it enters early stages of production. Pacynko explains:

“With our previous game release “BEAST”, we waited for years during development to ask players for feedback. This time, we’re starting off early explaining the vision for the game and showcasing a first look demo of this vision to a genre fan expert audience such as the Japanese players.”

BANSHEE is described by the developers as a passion project they have planned for years to work on, Piotr continues: “The soulsborne genre is close to our hearts and so is Japanese and European history, we wanted to find a strong way using all our previous industry experience to combine those and tell a unique larger than life story using a fresh way to play this type of genre.”

BANSHEE is played in a unique way with something the studio calls the “Dance of Death Music System”. Col Walder – Composer for BANSHEE explains:

“Banshee’s Dance of Death music system builds on the cutting edge Quartz and Harmonix technology in Unreal Engine 5 to synchronize the gameplay action and audio. Enemy AI and animations follow the timing and rhythm of the music to create a gameplay experience that is both cinematic and interactive. Custom music themes for enemies composed alongside the gameplay design mean that players can learn the rhythms of light, heavy, and combo attacks and by listening to the music defeat powerful enemies even with their eyes closed.

Taking it further, Dance of Death features bi-directional synchronization; even as the gameplay and enemy actions are synchronized to the music, the music is dynamically responding to the player. Musical themes and leitmotifs do battle in the score, echoing the action on screen, as the player becomes an active part of the composition with the sounds of their parries, blocks, and attacks.”

BANSHEE is targeted for PC Early Access in September 2025.

The main theme to BANSHEE will be sung by award winning singer Jillian Aversa.

About False Prophet Studio:

False Prophet consists of 25 veteran developers based in Warsaw, Poland.

The team self published their first game, “BEAST: False Prophet” in Early Access on Steam in 2023 with good reception and recognition from media and players alike.

About BANSHEE:

BANSHEE offers an action packed single player stealth experience inspired by soulsborne games and will be developed in Unreal Engine 5 using top tier talent from the industry in sound, music and gameplay design. Slice and dice your way through Europe in larger than life battles all synced to False Prophet’s Dance of Death Music System. BANSHEE is scheduled for release in Early Access on PC in September 2025.