The Zone: Stalker Stories News

It's been a hell of a month -- I may make another update about that -- but I've managed to keep progress coming. Fixes, new features, new art, new content.

Next update should feature the conclusion of Chapter 2, which is exciting. It's a sprawling mess of a lot of interconnecting parts so I'll be glad when it's done!

v0.6.5.7 Changelog:

• Fixed area transition pop-up sticking around when it shouldn't
  
• Player can no longer transition areas during a combat encounter
  
• Fixed issue with combat slowdown after playing certain cards
  
• Fixed crash when using Grim Vision
  
• Fixed crash when mouseovering certain item passives
  
• Fixed items in shop not updating to new/fixed versions
  
• Fixed some card text displaying incorrectly
  
• Started adding missing sound effect for Hospital boss fights
  
• Added icon and explanation for two-handed items
  
• Added animation when Reflux triggers in combat
  
• Added animation when player gets an Ailment
  
• New Ailments now show up on the passives bar immediately
  
• Added more options to use adventuring rope
  
• Improved support for multiple story NPCs on screen
  
• Shop now occasionally clears sold items
  
• Added on-discard card effects
  
• Replaced temp battle background in train yard
  
• Reduced Blink Organ requirement for 'Organs for Dom' quest
  
• New visually-distinct Confusion card borders
  
• Brushed up old Psi card borders
  
• New worm anomaly
  
• New story NPC - Hunter Captain
  
• New Confusion cards
  
• New enemy
  

In the time since the last update, I've been chasing down every issue our wonderful players have reported, as well as many that went unnoticed. The list below is but a condensed version of all the fixes! (Trust me, it took up literal days.)

And in the between times, I've been working on furthering Chapter 2. Running into an old friend will raise even more questions about the mysterious Org and their activities in Esper...





Ambitions for next time are to have our fourth biome at least partly completed, and potentially to complete Chapter 2, which will be by far the longest in the game.

(If you know any artists who are okay working for tiny indie rates or rev share, please encourage them to contact me at [email protected] )

Remember to report any issues you might be experiencing -- it helps improve the game for everyone, and I want players to have the best possible experience!

Until next time... Happy Stalking, and see you out there in the Zone.


Changelog:

• Fixed multiple crashes related to enemies in wharf
  
• Fixed issues with wharf progression and ending
  
• Fixed crash in Buzzard side quest
  
• Fixed crashes and other problems when handing in story side quests
  
• Reworked side quest minimap behaviour
  
• Fixed some story combats not ending properly when lost
  
• Fixed issue with train yard area transitions showing up too soon
  
• Fixed options menu locking up on rare occasions
  
• Fixed problems with window focus on 16:10 screen resolution (hopefully!)
  
• Removed unstable right-click area transitions
  
• New NPC Kate with new conversations
  
• Added new encounters in wharf
  
• Added proper reward after wharf boss
  
• Improved wharf boss fight visuals
  
• Added some new cards
  
• New animations for certain cards
  

I won't lie, things have been extremely rough for me this past month. All sorts of crises keep cropping up left and right -- personal, financial, and medical, with a stubborn dental infection that left me unable to do much of anything for over a week.

Obviously this has hurt progress on the game and delayed our next update. Things are still in the works, however! For example, we recently finished art and animation for a key NPC which will let us move forward with the City Hall part of the storyline: the Mayor of Esper.




In the meantime, I'm conducting a full review of the plot, looking to trim some fat so we can stay on target for our 1.0 release.

Stay tuned for further developments. We won't quit until the game is out.

We're one month on from the EA release, and it's been a hell of a time! Trying to catch up on all the things I put off while crunching for the launch.

That's the reason why this update is mostly fixes rather than new content. However, expect new stuff in the next update!

Changes:

• Fixed an error with some fog not displaying properly
  
• Fixed error with repeating train yard story encounter
  
• Tweaked train yard story ending 3
  
• Fixed issue with choice buttons showing too soon
  
• Fixed combat loss not working correctly in some cases
  
• Added sanity check for combat loss due to damage over time
  

Another load of fixes. If you run into a problem, please report it, and I'll get to work!

• Added option slider for adjusting random combat frequency
  
• Changed Stalker mode Supplies behaviour
  
• Fixed softlock in Chapter 2
  
• Fixed crash on loading some Stalker mode bosses
  
• Fixed crash when opening jobs board
  
• Fixed containers not showing when equipped during loot
  
• Fixed encounter buttons showing too soon
  
• Fixed error with certain sounds cutting off