The Drifter News

[p]Another round of fixes and tweaks that have built up while I've been working on ports and other things!

Tweaks/minor features-[/p]

• [p]Added controller vibration for XBox controllers. (I did try to get it working on steam deck but the results weren't great, so XBox controllers only for now).[/p]
• [p]Added a few more autosave points (eg. when entering room for first time).[/p]
• [p]Added sfx when navigating left/right on save/restore menu.
  [/p]

[p]And a bunch of fixes-[/p]

• [p]Fixed a small stall on title screen from an unnecessary save slot check.[/p]
• [p]Hiding main menu on fadeout on restore game.[/p]
• [p]"Press Y" tutorial no longer reappears after restoring games.[/p]
• [p]Controller gui no longer flickers on after some interactions (eg. Grave, answering machine, coffin).[/p]
• [p]Camera shakes now stopped on skipping cutscenes.[/p]
• [p]Camera CRT effect now disables when game's running < 540p.[/p]
• [p]Fixed controller HUD inventory cursor outline not showing.[/p]
• [p]Chapter 1: Shadow sorting fix in boxcar.[/p]
• [p]Chapter 2: Could get squeeze multiple times by using the rag on Old Gus.[/p]
• [p]Chapter 3: Door sound effect no longer plays after throwing brick through window.[/p]
• [p]Chapter 4: Pressing B to deselect inventory item no longer also dismisses answering machine.[/p]
• [p]Chapter 6: Detective no longer flips when look at trainline while he's using goggles.[/p]
• [p]Chapter 6: Roth's dialog text now positioned correctly while crawling through vent.[/p]
• [p]Chapter 6: Detective now clickable if talked to him after getting hit by sister, before using cartridge.[/p]
• [p]Chapter 7: Looking at reactor water no longer takes 2 clicks to skip.[/p]
• [p]Chapter 8: Fixed music changing early in Ch8 entering the interface Lab without the cartridge.[/p]
• [p]Chapter 9: Fixed music changing early when running back to Sophia's room after you have the flamer.[/p]
• [p]Chapter 9: Fixed dialogue text not matching VO when reviving Sophia.[/p]
• [p]Chapter 9: Coffee sacks stay ripped.[/p]
• [p]Chapter 9: Fix for boss drifting off screen.[/p]
• [p]Chapter 9: Desert walkable area tweaks and moved Roth down so more obvious he's aiming at Mick.[/p]

[p]Cheers!
- Dave[/p]

Fix for stuffI broke in v1.1.1!

• Controller hotspot points back in their correct spots.
  
• Fixed flag for saving prop data.
  
• Fix for "Craft Items" tutorial appearing on restore game.
  

NB: If you played in the 12 hours v1.1.1 was up - you may encounter weirdness in certain rooms after restoring that game. (bits of the art with the wrong visuals, etc).
Should *mostly* be harmless, but if something's breaking the game for you load a previous save. Or if you don't have one, email me and I'll send you a fixed one (dave @ powerhoof . com).

And I'll try not to break things again ːsteamfacepalmː!

- Dave

Another round of pretty minor fixes...

• Grammar fixes - "grey" and "no one" are consistently spelled now.
  
• Fix to never fading in fully if saved/restored immediately after entering crypt.
  
• Fix to some animated lights not turning on/off character rim-lights in the Chapter 9 corridors.
  
• Fix for nonsensical responses when showing items to Hara in Interface lab, and Klein in Chapter 8.
  
• Fix for cursor vanishing when pressing ESC on the PC in Grace's office.
  
• Tweak to swim movement under water in Chapter 8
• Updated to PowerQuest v0.20.3.
  

A truly excellent point and click adventure game The Drifter is now more easily playable thanks to some official translations, and support for fan additions.

Read the full article here: https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/01/adventure-game-the-drifter-adds-new-localisations-with-support-for-fan-translations/

[p]Just in time for Steam Detective Fest we have another update to The Drifter, and it's 20% off for the festival! [/p][p][/p][p]Today's update adds official support for Italian, French and Spanish![/p][p]By far the most requested feature for The Drifter has been localization into more languages. There's a lot out there though, and with over 50,000 words we couldn't do them all... officially at least...[/p][p]So The Drifter now supports fan translations too! [/p][p][/p][p]Translators can copy this Google Sheet, add their translations, and share it with others. Instructions are included for installing a custom translation. (Basically just download as translation.csv into the game folder.)[/p][p]'Ere be a talk-like-a-pirate translation to get ye started. :D[/p][p][/p][p]Also in this update: [/p]

• [p]A new "wait for click" option can be toggled for subtitles, for players that want to take their time reading. Particularly useful for non-english speakers and hearing impaired players.[/p]
• [p]Tweaks to the controller inventory bar, extra slot and scrolling animation to make it easier to use. [/p]
• [p]A big backlog of bug-fixes, text correction and optimization.[/p]

[p][/p][p]So what else's been happening?[/p][p]The Drifter's won a bunch of awards! :O[/p][p]In October we went to the Australian Game Developer Awards here in Melbourne and picked up awards for Excellence in Art, Sound Design, Narrative, and Game of the Year! We were awarded the Best Aus/NZ Game award in The Indie Game Awards, Best Art Direction in the Smash Jump Awards, and we're a finalist for Story in the DICE awards in Feb. And we've got Honorable Mentions for Art, Sound, and the Grand Prize at the upcoming the IGF awards to top it off![/p][p]It's been amazing seeing us on a bunch of end of year top 10 lists and such too. I know this is all very self-indulgent to post about but it means a great deal after working on the game such a big chunk of our lives ;)[/p][p][/p][p]Lastly, a big thanks to everyone who's made The Drifter an amazing success for us! Looking back at 2025, (the bits I can remember, it's been a real blur!) we couldn't be happier at the reception for our game. We're blown away that folks are digging it as much as they are, and we can't wait to make more stories for you all to play![/p][p][/p][p]All the best for 2026![/p][p]Dave[/p]