Chernobylite Complete Edition News

[h3]Hello Stalkers![/h3]
We wouldn't be offended if spring came a little earlier. It isn’t about the temperature, but about the weather itself - sun and snow, sometimes even rain and snow. Indeed, the weather in spring can be really unpredictable.

LIKE A STORY IN CHERNOBYLITE.

With this clever transition, let’s dive into the latest report.

[h3]Tests, fixes, bugs[/h3]
Last week, we mentioned that the game has the Release Candidate status. This means that we’ve entered the final testing phase of the game. We redirected almost all work force to fixing bugs, as well as optimization for weaker PCs and consoles. Thus, we limit throwing new things into the game to the necessary minimum. With a slight difference, but more about that at the end of this report.

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1016800/view/3038212890022339780

Speaking of fixes, it's worth mentioning that you report most of the smaller bugs on Steam, such as disappearing icons on maps or dialog lines that extend outside the box. But there were also bigger, much more serious ones. For example, it’s worth mentioning the optimization and corrections of building collisions on the Moscow Eye and Pripyat maps. It’s also an almost complete reconstruction of car wreckage models. The textures alone used to take up a lot of memory.



[h3]Voices all over again[/h3]
Tests and bugs fixing are also a good opportunity for serious changes. First, we are continuing the process of replacing placeholder voice overs with newly recorded ones. In addition, we’re organizing and completing the voice overs where they were missing before. If you haven't had the chance to hear the new dialogues yet, below is an excerpt from the game.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Secondly, we're tweaking some in-game sounds to make them sound as realistic as possible, and to trigger them at the right moment. In this case, we also fill in the gaps.

[h3]Mega patch[/h3]
At this point it’s worth mentioning something, that you have been asking for a long time. Namely, all the fixes mentioned above, as well as those that we wrote about in previous reports, will be delivered to you in the form of a Mega Patch. We know that you’re waiting for it and we still need a few weeks to deliver - the simple reason for that is that we’ve started to cooperate with a big localization studio to deliver more subtitle languages than was originally planned and to achieve the best possible quality of translations. It takes a bit more time than we had on our original roadmap to finalize and check in all the localizations into the game. But...

Prepare space on your hard drives! The Mega Patch is near.

[h3]At the end...[/h3]
At the same time, we're working hard on the end of the game. As always, due to spoilers, we can't reveal too much. We can only say that we’re very close to the end and… it looks impressive right now. Let's put it this way: it’ll be worth the wait.

To make your appetite, below you will find small fragments of the last stages of the game, more or less censored.



Seriously, this last gif really looks like an excerpt from Doom on the SNES.

[h3]That's it for today![/h3]
Take care, Stalkers!

[h3]Hello Stalkers![/h3]
When preparing new reports for you, we dig through the pile of materials. Sometimes there are graphics and sometimes also short descriptions of what we’re working on. At this stage of production, the majority of notes are "bug fixes" or "testing". This means one thing: there is so much going on that our heads start to crack.



However, a few notes caught our attention in particular. One of our colleagues left a note on which he wrote "an implementation of drinking vodka". Another one - a sound technician - wrote "complement of sounds in the animation of drinking alcohol". And someone will tell us that we don't care about details and realism in the game ;)

Before we can show this new feature, we invite you to read the latest report!

[h3]Closer to the end than farther[/h3]
We are not exaggerating when we write a lot is happening here. About a month ago we mentioned we will be re-recording all voiceovers of all characters in the game. Well, today we can boast we recently finished doing that! The last week in particular was very intense but you will be surprised by the end result. But this is not the end of the news.

We have started the final testing phase.

This means that the game has a Release Candidate status. We are currently expanding the team of testers, looking for & fixing the identified bugs, optimizing the game for weaker PCs and consoles. At the same time, we are working on the promised new content for DLC and a lot more.

[h3]Quiz with pixels[/h3]
Last time we included a gameplay clip from the Chernobylite stage that is not yet available to mortal eyes. In short: it was an action scene that was heavily pixelated by us. Because, you know, spoilers.

If we could, we would show you everything. But we won't do it because
a) we like you too much and don't want to spoil the ending of the game for you,
b) we don't want the HIGHER INSTANCE to blow our heads off.

This doesn't mean we can't smuggle something in. Here’s another, small fragment of what you will be able to find in the game in just a few months. Do you recognize this character? Let us know in the comments!



[h3]A beautiful, naked piece of torso[/h3]
Speaking of showing things for which we can lose our heads. A few weeks ago, we showed the initial draft of the monster that will be the next opponent in Chernobylite. We are currently tweaking and adding some details. You’ll see the full silhouette soon in the game. Meanwhile, we’re serving you its rich interior.



[h3]Something for the eyes[/h3]
From the series "we add and improve so that it does not hurt the eyes”. We cleaned up a bit of the board in the Web of Lies. It also gained chalk drawings, as well as fragments of documents and handwritten notes written down by one of the key figures in the game.



Another thing was to check and fix a bug where the texture was sticking out of the ground and the collision wasn't working properly.

This is what it looked like:



And this is what it should look like:



[h3]A futuristic gateway[/h3]
And one last thing for today. Do you remember the biometric gateway that Igor had to pass through at the very beginning of the game? It looks a bit like from the previous epoch, doesn't it? Well, what if we tell you that at the end of the game you will come across a slightly modernized gateway?

Check out our comparison.



[h3]That's it for today![/h3]
Take care, Stalkers!

[h3]Hello Stalkers![/h3]
Boom! February is almost behind us. It flew away quickly, even painlessly. We should celebrate it. For example, with a Chernobylite gameplay captured in a section of the game that isn’t yet available to your eyes. There is action. There are explosions. Adrenaline!



Of course, we had to censor it a bit to avoid spoilers. The effect is a bit like the Doom version for the SNES, only in worse quality.

It’s called “retro”. And it’s art.

[h3]Information on the gamepads[/h3]

Work on the console version of the game continues. Here's another proof of that: PlayStation 4 controler layout. The screen will tell console players which buttons are for what.



By the way, as promised, we remind you of the last big message related to the premiere of Chernobylite on PC and consoles.

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1016800/view/3042715219434760154

We do this so that you DON’T HAVE TO SHAKE US EVERY SINGLE TIME!



Joking, we like you writing us 😏

[h3]Toot, toot![/h3]
We have something for the automotive fans. When optimizing all-terrain vehicles of the reliable UAZ brand, we thought it would be good to show you what these cars look like from the inside.

First, the body, where the optimization concerned mainly the roof. But also other, smaller elements.



Then we had to dismantle the UAZ car and work on the insides. Literally.



After optimization and corrections, it was a time to make a few variations - just to have more unpredictable levels. The image below shows some of the vehicles created in this way in all their glory.



And now for a change, something for railway fans. Here, too, we decided to work on optimization, which this time concerns the railroad tracks. Additionally, we put together new track models (approx. 30 km long!) in various combinations.



We haven’t forgotten about their smallest elements.



[h3]Stairs to...[/h3]
While we're on "how it's done" part, let us show you how steps are made. The occasion was perfect - we had to make some necessary corrections to one of the objects. This meant creating it almost completely from scratch.

We put the appropriate textures on the model of stairs and adjust them so that they reflect reality as closely as possible.



Then we test the stairs in a specific space and with specific surroundings. The effect is visible after a few final touches.



They look real, right? How about we show you how serious we are about the realism in the game? On the left, a photo that we took during one of our trips to Chernobyl. On the right - the interior of a cottage created thanks to 3D scanning. Looks great isn’t it? We think so too. That’s why we have tons and tons of scanned objects from the Zone, so that you can really feel as if you were actually there! If some of you visit the real Zone one day, look for the places we put in the game and see for yourself how amazing they are!



And to conclude this wonderful report, another exciting patent that we are working on: DIVERSE FIREWORKS!



Who will provide you with that much emotion if not us?

[h3]That's it for today![/h3]
Take care, Stalkers!

[h3]Hello Stalkers![/h3]
On the occasion of the last report, we forgot to mention the most important event of last week! And it's not about Valentine's Day - after all, you know we love y’all
On Thursday 11 February, we celebrated Fat Thursday in Poland. It’s the only day of the year when everyone can forget about diets and low-carb meals and buy or make their own donuts. Tons of donuts - with jelly, cream, pudding or chocolate filling - and eat as many as they can! Regardless of the calories!

We also crafted a Chernobyl donut specially for you. If you didn’t have one last week, grab one today! It’s a tradition after all ;)



If you want to give a try and taste how a traditional Polish Pączek (Donut) tastes like - try out this recipe.

Ok, enough sensitivity for this year. Here we go!

[h3]Helpful tutorial[/h3]
At the beginning, quite an important change. Those of you, who are just beginning their adventure with Chernobylite, will be definitely pleased. We don't want you to feel lost at the very beginning of the game. That is why, we have included numerous hints and tips in the prologue. However, we got so far with it that we forgot about the most important thing - a tutorial in the mission selection.

As you can see in the image below, we’re working on this issue. The appropriate windows will tell you, what it is for and what those specific icons mean.



[h3]Graphics![/h3]
We don't know why, but we have a lot of fun showing you how the Chernobylite world is made. And literally, even in the smallest pieces. We conclude from your reactions that you like such materials. So we’ve prepared another batch of graphics for you.

Something small to start with. When checking if the crafting tables are at the right height (remember the stair railings we wrote about recently?), we added a few things to them to make them REALLY LOOK like tables in a workshop. For example, mats that cover an ugly, washed-out top.



Now for something a bit more complex. We like to share graphics that show in detail the objects we are working on. Goggles, weapons, armor - it was a lot. Now it's time for something different.

If you thought it would take a lot of rusty pipes to make one, big stacked pipes, then… you’re very, very wrong. In fact, a pile of pipes is one huge asset that takes a long time to design and assemble. But it's still a better and less memory-consuming solution than creating 20 pipes and tying them together. And the final effect is even better.



Now a small sample of how we use our resources from our Chernobyl trips. You know, scanning buildings is not a piece of cake. Often there are some areas that are missing, destroyed or different than we need them to be. That is when our 3D artists step in. For example, in one of the cellars, we had to "patch up" small holes in the mesh of the cellar. On this mesh, we put textures from 3D scans of rooms that we took in Chernobyl.



[h3]Pictures from the past[/h3]
In the last report, we wrote about the notes and documents that can be found in the game that tell a lot about the Chernobylite world. Of course, we didn't show them all due to spoilers. But we promise there will be plenty to read about. Plus, the notes themselves look so good!



But you will also find a lot of old photos. Some of them will contain handwritten notes about something strongly related to the plot.

Can you recognize who these men are in the photos?



[h3]Raindrops[/h3]
And finally, a moving picture. For good reason, as we want to show you how we improved the falling raindrops on ALL levels. This is especially visible on the surface of the puddles.

Very relaxing...



[h3]That's it for today![/h3]
Take care, Stalkers!

Screenshot in banner by Hannahnasje

[h3]Hello Stalkers![/h3]

The questions about the launch of Chernobylite both on PC and consoles just keep coming back. If you’re eager for information about this, we refer to the news from a few weeks ago, where we’ve laid our cards on the table and explained everything.

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1016800/view/3043838585268106021

In the meantime, we invite you to read the latest report. This time, we devote a lot of space to the bug fixes you report to us on Steam and Discord, as well as the ones we found ourselves. The closer to the premiere, the more attention we will pay to them.

[h3]Bugs, bugs, bugs[/h3]

And that's no wonder. We emphasize many times that we want to deliver the game to you in the best possible condition - free from most of the bugs. And these can appear even in moments that are very well known to us. Here’s an example: while recording a video for the presentation of new voice-overs, at the very beginning of the game, we encountered an error that caused the Anton or Olivier dialogue window to be blocked on the screen. That window followed us on the screen until the end. And video recording had to be started again...

However, we’re focusing heavily on fixing those bugs that we find in the final stages of the game, including our mission "The Heist". Probably it won’t be a big spoiler when we say that the errors concern displayed dialogues, teleporters or save points.

And of course optimization, optimization and optimization. The main emphasis was on optimizing materials so that they won’t load unnecessary textures. As a result, they won’t take up more memory than they really should, and the game will run smoother.

[h3]Items on the train seats[/h3]

And now for fans of our graphic works. We’ve improved the brightness and quality of the textures placed on various objects you can find in the trains. We were especially delighted with the mouse. Or at least we hope it's a mouse...



A little fun fact related to these items. As you know, the Chernobyl power plant employees travelled to the power plant by train on several routes, usually in the early morning hours. In these trains it was customary to "reserve" a seat. People threw random items on the seats - a glove, a hat, keys, even money! If there was anything on the seat, it meant that nobody could sit on it. You couldn’t even sit on the opposite seat! This way one person could have reserved a space normally four people would use. Look at the items that can be found on the train in the prologue - they didn’t end up there by accident.

[h3]Stairway to heaven[/h3]

In recent reports, we devoted a lot of attention to elements of nature. As you know, we make sure that Igor spends a lot of time in the fresh (?) air. However, the world of Chernobylite is also made of numerous buildings from the Soviet era that give the whole game its unique atmosphere. Concrete apartment blocks are one of the typical, monumental structures characteristic for those times. They already look very convincing - both from the inside and outside. But according to our philosophy, there is always room for improvement.

We looked at some photos and plans of old buildings and also took into account our experience of living in blocks of flats. Thanks to this, we were able to make a small correction of the height of the railings in the staircases.



As you can see in the photo above, the rails were originally set a bit too low - at the height of the buttocks, and they should be above the waist. In the real world, they would be inconvenient for people who need such barriers. And of course, it's easy to fall through them.

We’ve made changes to every building with stairs.



In the photo below you can see what it all looked like in the game itself before and after the changes. There are definitely differences.



[h3]Notes and documents[/h3]

At the end we left the most interesting, in our opinion, things - one of the best narrative elements of any self-respecting game. In Chernobylite you’ll find a lot of KGB notes and documents, reading which will tell you a bit about the Chernobylite world. Of course, we won’t reveal all of them (because of spoilers), only the most interesting ones in our opinion. Do you like the way they look? Are their visuals convincing to you?



[h3]That's it for today![/h3]
Take care, Stalkers!