GameGuru MAX News

[h2]December 2025 Zero Bug Update[/h2][p]We are pleased to announce that for the first time since starting the development of GameGuru MAX, we achieved a zero bug count on the issues board. There are a few bugs still awaiting more information to determine if they are real or imagined, but we have never had a zero count on the outstanding reports before, and it's great to have hit this milestone![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]If you have Steam auto-update activated, you will receive the latest update the next time you log into the Steam client and launch MAX from there. Now that we've mostly eliminated all legacy reports, it's time to transition to the next phase of development: reliability. It's not enough that we've fixed all the known bugs; we now need to reinforce the tool and the games exported so that they perform well and meet expectations in the real world. The good news is that several large-scale MAX game projects are underway that actively find edge cases involved in finishing and publishing a game, and we will be using this feedback to make MAX stronger.[/p][p]This release represents several months of focused work and the final push that allowed us to reach a zero outstanding bug count on the issues board:[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][h3]Core Gameplay & Standalone Fixes[/h3]

• [p]Fixed long-standing issues with starting underwater, swimming arms, and player start positions being affected by gravity.[/p]
• [p]Resolved multiple standalone-only problems including missing quest images, custom explosions and sounds, particle effects, video playback, and music volume control.[/p]
• [p]Doors, collisions, bullet holes, lights, fog, probes, and underwater detection are now consistent across single and multi-level games.[/p]
• [p]Prevented cases where older or corrupt level data could cause crashes during export or gameplay.[/p]

[h3]AI, Navigation & NPC Improvements[/h3]

• [p]Navmesh generation is now full-level and higher quality, no longer dependent on camera position during generation.[/p]
• [p]Navmesh debug view now follows the camera, making AI navigation easier to inspect across large levels.[/p]
• [p]NPC behaviour has been refined extensively: better patrol logic, melee and ranged switching, cover usage, flashlight logic, threat states, neutral allies, and death triggers.[/p]
• [p]Default NPC movement speed adjusted to remove unintentionally comical walk animations introduced by earlier performance upgrades.[/p]

[h3]Behavior System Expansion & Polish[/h3]

• [p]Added new behaviors such as Entity In Zone, Mesh Sensor, Communicator, WPE Activator, and enhanced resource nodes with multi-spawn support.[/p]
• [p]Major internal fixes across dozens of existing behaviors including quests, weather, day/night, oxygen, stamina, food, carry objects, ladders, turrets, traps, vehicles, aircraft, and HUD interfaces.[/p]
• [p]Many behaviors now support external triggers, optional globals, better prompts, and more predictable logic flow.[/p]

[h3]Editor & Workflow Improvements[/h3]

• [p]Fixed freezes, crashes, and UI issues when saving, loading, duplicating, or grouping large levels.[/p]
• [p]Improved handling of custom HUDs, custom fonts, storyboards, loading screens, and title screens in the project system.[/p]
• [p]Added resolution emulation and scaling tools to preview how games look on widescreen and ultrawide displays.[/p]
• [p]Reduced editor “not responding” moments by improving threading, memory handling, and background processes.[/p]

[h3]Visuals, Effects & Audio[/h3]

• [p]Added and refined blood damage shaders, environmental reflections, decal handling, and bullet hole controls.[/p]
• [p]Particle systems gained better placement controls (X/Z offsets), preview support, and export reliability.[/p]
• [p]Fixed long-standing sound slot issues and improved looping and transition logic for music and storyboards.[/p]

[h3]Performance & Memory Management[/h3]

• [p]Improved DDS conversion and texture handling to reduce VRAM usage, especially in large levels.[/p]
• [p]Freed GPU memory between level loads to improve performance and prevent slowdowns in extended play sessions.[/p]
• [p]Faster loading for decals, storyboards, objects, and editor thumbnails.[/p]

[h3]Under-the-Hood Refactoring[/h3]

• [p]Large-scale cleanup of legacy code, unused functions, and old conditional paths to improve maintainability and reduce future bug risk.[/p]
• [p]Improved crash logging now produces full crash dumps for faster diagnosis and resolution.[/p]
• [p]Multiple safeguards added to prevent deadlocks, freezes, and hard-to-reproduce edge-case crashes.[/p]

[hr][/hr][h3]General Observations[/h3][p]2025 has been an exciting year for GameGuru MAX, not least its transition of development from TGC to DBS. To hit a zero bug count, even for a few days, is a great way to end the year on a high note. The general feeling internally is that we can start to look tentatively at helping get a few good games out the door and out into the world. As they say, the proof is in the pudding, and maybe in 2026, we can start enjoying the fruits of a lovely game-making pie :)[/p][p]As this may be the last long-form announcement of 2025, we wish you a very merry festive holiday and look forward to bringing you more updates and news throughout 2026. Happy Game Making!![/p][p][/p]

[p]The wait is over! Join us today at 7 PM GMT for our live broadcast where we’ll be answering the questions you submitted. 🎙️✨[/p][p][/p][p]How to tune in:[/p]

• [p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p][/p]

[p]What to expect:[/p]

• [p]Real‑time answers to the top community questions.[/p]
• [p]A Q&A session where you can still drop quick follow‑up thoughts in the chat.[/p]

[p][/p][p]Don’t miss it—set a reminder, grab a drink, and be ready to engage![/p][p][/p][p]See you at 7 PM GMT![/p]

[p]Hello, and welcome to our new monthly updates on what's happening with GameGuru MAX. This month, we've been focusing on a number of issues with the Save Standalone functionality reported by our community, We've fixed several Standalone bugs and quirks, improved stability, and added support for wide screen monitors for compatibility with more systems. [/p][p]In addition, you will find more improvements to AI, several behaviour updates, a number of visual improvements for both the engine, and the editor, and of course, more bug fixes.[/p][p][/p][p]All of these updates are currently live in the Devtest Build, and you can test them out right now before they are released in the official build.[/p][p][/p][p]Here's a full list of what's new:[/p][p][/p][h3]1. Core Engine Clean‑up[/h3][p]All legacy #ifdef blocks and dead code removed – the engine is slimmer and easier to maintain.[/p][p]Common.h tidied up and empty functions stripped out.[/p][p]Import tools improved: custom scales now work in batch imports and TSV files can include extra columns.[/p][h3]2. Smarter NPCs & Behaviours[/h3][p]New sense modes and external death triggers give AI richer perception.[/p][p]Critical fixes for detection, threat handling, and stationary characters.[/p][p]Fresh behaviours added:[/p][p]Mesh Sensor – detects object meshes (new icon).[/p][p]Updated scripts (npc_incover, npc_flashlight, helmet, atlas_cycler, resource_node, imageinzone, patrol) with bug fixes and new options (e.g., one‑time displays, sound‑activated patrols).[/p][h3]3. Performance Editor (PE) Boosts[/h3][p]Emulate Resolution – preview scenes in any aspect ratio (ultra‑wide, etc.).[/p][p]Resolution Scaling – lock visuals to a 1:1 pixel ratio regardless of screen size.[/p][p]Loop‑music support for storyboards, DPI scaling for 2D‑to‑3D commands, and “bullets pass through no‑collision objects” option.[/p][p]New Blood Damage shader (now envMap‑aware) and much faster win/loss screen loading.[/p][p]Numerous bug fixes (video playback, npc_flashlight load‑game errors, assorted PE quirks).[/p][h3]4. Visual & Gameplay Polish[/h3][p]Storyboard tools and shader pipelines refined.[/p][p]Minor internal tweaks across many behaviours and gameplay loops.[/p][p]What this means for you:[/p][p]A leaner codebase makes future updates smoother.[/p][p]NPCs behave more intelligently and reliably, opening up deeper gameplay possibilities.[/p][p]The Performance Editor now gives you precise control over how your game looks on any device.[/p]

[p][/p][p]We’re gearing up for our upcoming live broadcast, and we want your voice to be heard! 🎙️[/p][p]Got something you’re curious about? A burning question for our guests? Drop your questions in the comments below or send them to  [email protected] by the 5th of December![/p][p][/p][p]We’ll select the top picks and answer them live on air. Don’t miss the chance to shape the conversation![/p]

[p] [/p][p]Today, we’re excited to release a major restructuring of the way we release and host DLC that puts the community spirit front and centre, while also delivering a bold price reduction: almost all asset packs are now radically reduced in price.[/p][p]Over the past few years, DLC creation by the community has blossomed into a vibrant ecosystem producing countless assets, and we aim to support and encourage this for years to come.[/p][p]Below, we’ll walk through why we made this change, what it means for creators and developers alike, and how you can get the most out of the new model.[/p][p] [/p][h3]Why Restructure?[/h3][p]1. Community First, Profit Second[/p][p]By lowering prices, we lower the barrier for indie teams, hobbyists, and students to experiment with premium‑grade assets—ultimately expanding the audience that can benefit from community work.[/p][p]2. Simplified Pricing Tiers[/p][p]Previously, each pack carried its own pricing logic, called Booster, Asset, and Mini-Kit, at fixed prices.  The new system allows artists themselves to decide on the content and value of their creations, providing more flexibility and freedom to creators and more choice to users.[/p][p]3. Fairer Revenue Distribution[/p][p]With reduced prices, we have increased the royalty rate to all DLC creators to 70%, with the remaining 30% paid as commissions to help prepare and manage the Steam listings. DBS now only make revenue on core product sales. This ensures that the community continues to earn sustainably, encouraging all the talented artists out there to contribute fresh packs.[/p][p][/p][h3]Community Creations[/h3][p]Every single DLC currently available for purchase is community‑created. That means:[/p]

1. [p]Authentic Diversity:  The range of themes reflects the varied styles and cultural backgrounds of our global creator base.[/p]
2. [p]Rapid Innovation: Community creators iterate quickly, responding to trends and feedback far faster than traditional pipelines.[/p][p][/p]

[h3]Benefits for Developers[/h3]

1. [p]Budget‑Friendly Prototyping: Build proof‑of‑concepts or early demos without draining funds.[/p]
2. [p]Scalable Production: As projects grow, upgrade to higher‑tier packs for richer content while staying within budget.[/p]
3. [p]Support the Creators: Even at reduced prices, your purchases directly fund the artists who made the assets possible, fostering a virtuous cycle of creation.[/p]

[p] [/p][h3]How to Make the Most of the New System[/h3]

1. [p]Leave detailed reviews and rate assets: High‑rating packs gain extra exposure, helping creators earn more and provide feedback and encouragement to produce additional content.[/p]
2. [p]Participate in Discord Challenges: With the release of new, themed packs, you can engage in the Photo Competition on our Discord, with winners receiving general kudos and prizes![/p]

[p][/p][h3]So what happened to all the DLC created and owned by DBS?[/h3]

1. [p]We absorbed them all into a new Starter Kit: Admittedly, we only had 3 DLC, but in the spirit of the restructure, we have added Booster Pack, Aztec Game Kit, and Particles Pack to a new bundle and priced it as cheaply as Steam would allow.[/p]
2. [p]More DLC Absorbed: When we consulted with artists a few months ago about our plan, some blew our minds by offering their DLC for the Starter Kit too, 16 DLC to be exact. So basically, thousands of additional assets, all thanks to our amazing artist community![/p]
3. [p]The Latest: At the time of writing, it was not possible to set the absorbed DLC to FREE for the Starter Kit Bundle, this needs to be done by Valve. For now, we have set all the prices to $1 and created a discount that effectively makes "MAX + Absorbed DLC" the same price as MAX alone for new users. For existing users wanting the absorbed DLC for "completely free", hold tight on buying the Starter Kit Bundle and keep watching our DISCORD channel news for the latest. If we cannot make the Bundle work for you (our preferred route), we will round up all the absorbed DLC and make them available via a lovely ZIP file :)[/p]

[p][/p][p]Please let us know if we have missed anything! We invite you to dive in, explore the new Starter Kit Bundle and the newly priced packs, and let us know which assets helped bring your vision to life.[/p][p]If you’re an artist or sound designer and want to see your own creations as the next MAX DLC, please reach out to us at [email protected][/p]