Broken Roads News

[h3]Greetings all - another month and another patch sees more features, bug fixes, and additional content added to Broken Roads.[/h3]



[h2]Party-wide skill checks[/h2]

Many players requested we allow party companions’ skills to be used in dialogue skill-check moments. This is now in, with some still set to player-only where it makes more sense. Expect more skill checks to be added, and the current skill checks in the game to likely be balanced (almost certainly to be made more challenging)



[h2]Container naming and (empty) check[/h2]

This was hotfixed last month, but in case you missed it, another player-requested quality-of-life feature was to know when a container or downed enemy had already been looted. This is now in!



[h2]Additional dialogue options on the English-only branch[/h2]

We’ve started expanding the content from origin stories all the way through the game, changing the tone of some of the characters, adding additional dialogue, moral or skill-check options, adjusting quest design, journal objectives, and more.



Next up will be some specific bugs in Lake Deborah and adjusting Southern Cross according to player feedback. Ideally, the next patch will be live around the 20th of March, but any issues that come up during QA may see this slip into April.

[h2]Closed Discord playtesting channel[/h2]

We’ve got a private Steam beta branch for community playtesting on our official Discord server. If you’re interested in helping out test the game and play the latest versions before they’re released to the public, join our Discord and ask in the #general channel.



[h2]Full Patch Notes:[/h2]

• Added party-wide skill-check functionality. Some skills are still set to be player-only, but where it makes sense, any companion’s stats can now factor into the skill check.
  
• Fixed an issue where Jasper could sometimes disappear from the game and not respawn back either in Merredin or her office. Players who have experienced this in their current game may need to enter her office, leave, and enter again.
  
• Removed confusing 'punt' check to kick the ball back to kids in Brookton.
  
• Adjusted some of the Surveyor dialogue with Tina in Kokeby, giving the interactions a more mature tone.
  
• Adjusted some companion banter between Ella and Mad at the convoy.
  
• Adjusted some of Jess and Mick’s responses when first meeting the player in Kokeby.
  
• Added additional player options and skill checks when first meeting Mick in Kokeby.
  
• Fixed inconsistencies with some of Mick’s VO and the written lines.
  
• Fixed missing colliders meaning characters could walk straight through the bushes next to the Brookton gazebo.
  
• Solved an error where some users were stuck in the convoy conversation the morning after the pub debate.
  
• Fixed some random encounter maps that were showing a blank white screen when trying to access the minimap.
  
• Fixed missing language-switching functionality on the default branch (for those wanting to play the latest fixes in English only).
  
• Fixed another instance of ‘teleporting’ the player when leaving a Merredin interior.
  

Thanks again to everyone who continues to follow and support Broken Roads!
[hr][/hr][h3]PLAY NOW:[/h3]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1403440/Broken_Roads/

[hr][/hr] That's all for today, ‘ol cobber! Follow Broken Roads to stay updated and don't forget, your choices are the key.
[hr][/hr]
[h3]SOCIAL: DISCORD | TWITTER | YOUTUBE | WIKI [/h3]

- The Drop Bear Bytes team

[h2]4 February 2025 hotfix details:[/h2]

• Container names are now displayed when pressing TAB
  
• Containers/bodies which have been looted will display " (empty)"
  
• The names of items which can be picked up are now also displayed when pressing TAB
  
• Fixed various human and animal combatants' blood splatter VFX not playing in combat
  

We hope you’ve all had a good break over the new year and like us you’re likely back in the swing of work, study, or whatever you usually do with your time.

A few community members have asked for a roadmap for what to expect this year. We’re hesitant to commit more than just a few months, so below is a rundown of what is on the way in early 2025.
The biggest change is that from today’s patch, we now have a means to switch branches to the English-only updates, which is where we’ll be posting all of the new content fixes, narrative changes, journal improvements and so on, and once done we will work on localising for all languages.

[h2]Roadmap for Fixes and Patches [/h2]



We’ve seen some players asking about a roadmap of what they can expect in Broken Roads this year, so here is the basic list outlining the key areas the team is tackling first:

• We have high confidence it is now sorted, but if any Steam Achievements still aren't unlocking for some players after today’s patch, we’ll keep digging into the matter until it is solved.
  
• Southern Cross is a high-priority area receiving improvements to player interactions, expanded choices, and enhanced role-playing opportunities in key moments.
  
• Merredin Election issues will be addressed with clearer details and options for the player to engage (or not) as they choose.
  
• Refugees will see significant changes and improvements, with more interactions and resolution options. This update may take a few months to fully implement and test.
  
• Eliminating 'teleportation'/instant fast traveling for story beats or other locations wherever possible. This will require time to test properly.
  
• Companions and smaller NPCs will be significantly fleshed out, with some receiving complete overhauls, particularly companion interactions at the convoy in Merredin.
  
• Continuing to address and squash bugs along the way.
  

[h2]Recently Addressed Issues[/h2]

• Fixed a bug affecting some save games (caused by a null reference related to Moral Traits used in combat) not loading.
  
• Steam Achievements not unlocking should be fixed with the new patch, but will wait for players to confirm. Any time you enter Brookton, Merredin, Kalgoorlie or (spoilers) the final scene in the game it runs a full check on any achievements you have locally which are not registered on Steam.
  
  
  
  
• Fixed a bug where enemies (random encounter raiders and animals) would lose their weapons or loot if fought in a previous random encounter. No more dingoes attacking with fists!
  
• Certain weapons, such as cleavers, now have a small percentage chance to inflict the bleeding status effect, rather than guaranteeing it on every hit.
  
• There was a very late-game moment that could teleport you to an unavoidable combat encounter if you asked about a particular character too many times. Without saying too much more at the risk of spoilers, this no longer moves you from the conversation you are in but instead will wait for a future scene load, and will likely be iterated on further to make this feel more natural.
  
• There were some instances where objects in combat had the incorrect cover applied, making it impossible to shoot over the hood of some cars or past certain tall trees. These have now been assigned the correct cover type.
  
• Fixed a bug where Jake Anderson was sometimes incorrectly spawning in Bally Bally Hall during the Barter Crew origin story.
  
  

[h2]Responding to Player Feedback[/h2]

• All new Steam reviews from the last 1-2 months will be read and responded to.
  
• All Steam comments and discussions have been answered this week.
  

[h2]Steam Branch Switching Feature[/h2]

• Players can now easily switch to the English-only branch via Steam’s branch switching feature.
  
• This branch includes all new narrative, quest, companion, and other changes.
  

[h2]Update Cadence[/h2]

• Based on reactions to our previous major patch, we will prioritize smaller, more frequent updates rather than waiting a few months for larger patches.
  
  

[h2]Non-English Versions[/h2]

• For now, non-English players can continue to enjoy the game in its current state with the latest fixes as of today.
  
• The new changes will be available in the English-only branch. Once the updates are complete, localization and translation will follow.
  

[h2]Bug-Free Quest Resolutions[/h2]

• Commitment to achieving 100% bug-free quest resolutions.
  
• Ongoing patches to address edge cases discovered post-release, some involving unexpected sequence breaks.
  
• Players are encouraged to report bugs via the Discord report-a-bug channel.
  

[h2]Steam Deck Status[/h2]

• Fully playable on Steam Deck with Playable Status confirmed by Steam.
  
• Verified Status withheld due to text size concerns, despite recent increases.
  
• Valve’s specific feedback on glyphs and text size will be addressed in an upcoming update.
  

Again, we don’t want to commit to specific timelines for these. Given that QA and bug-fixing can take who knows how long if unforeseen issues arise, any dates we put out now are likely to change.
Thank you to all players for their continued feedback and support as we work to improve Broken Roads!

[hr][/hr][h3]PLAY NOW:[/h3]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1403440/Broken_Roads/

[hr][/hr] That's all for today, ‘ol cobber! Follow Broken Roads to stay updated and don't forget, your choices are the key.
[hr][/hr]
[h3]SOCIAL: DISCORD | TWITTER | YOUTUBE | WIKI [/h3]

- The Drop Bear Bytes team

Hey everyone,

We’ve just released another small polish patch and also wanted to share an update on our user reviews.


[h2]Steam User Reviews:[/h2]

[h2]Recent Reviews hit Very Positive[/h2]
We’re extremely happy to see the upturn in positive user reviews on Steam. While the number is still of course small, having enough people post reviews recently to see the shift not just to Mostly Positive, but Very Positive has been incredible.



The number of players to reviewers has varied quite a lot throughout the year, with the unsurprising trend of unsatisfied players leaving negative reviews more often than happy players post a positive review.

In April and May we were looking at 30-40 players per review, which is around the Steam average. As the patches improved the quality of the game we started to see a significant drop off to the point where recently we’ve seen one review posted for every ~90 to 100 players. What matters, though, is that more and more people are recommending Broken Roads, so a huge, sincere thank you to everyone who does so.



After the rough launch, we released a number of patches and hotfixes based upon player feedback, adding in requested features, more dialogue, VO and additional combat, plus fixing numerous bugs. The above image shows that 75% of players between 28th April and now have reviewed the game positively.

By the late May patch we had added over 10,000 words to the game, opened up the Overworld map in the origin stories, additional companion reactivity, fixed literally hundreds of bugs, more ways to resolve certain quest objectives, and much more.

The team continued to update the game to a total of 10 patches and hotfixes, and the reactions during and immediately after the recent Steam Autumn Sale have blown us away. It’s very rewarding to see the efforts pay off and the comments in the Steam discussion threads getting more positive, so thanks to everyone who has been supporting, posting bugs, making suggestions and generally just engaging with the community as we continue to improve Broken Roads.



We’re very proud that the patches have created such a steady increase in player sentiment to the point where 82% of players after the May patch have recommended the game on Steam. There’s nothing more beneficial for us at the moment, so if you liked Broken Roads and appreciate the improvements made since launch, please post a review.

We’ll keep patching and improving in the coming weeks and months. Thanks again to everyone who has played and reviewed Broken Roads!

[h2]Patch Notes[/h2]

WARNING: SOME SPOILERS INCLUDED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PATCH NOTES:

• Fixed a logic issue with Lake Deborah's main quest not showing the next objectives at certain points.
  
• Additional objectives were added for Lake Deborah to clarify how to progress The Revealed Religion.
  
• Polished some party and NPC locations during the first arrival and opening sequence at Lake Deborah.
  
• Polished some of the player options when discussing returned books with Talia in the Lake Deborah library.
  
• Removed prompts to ask questions related to gaining entrance to Southern Cross once the player has already completed the quiz.
  
• Corrected some enemy inventories to line up with their equipped weapons.
  
• SPOILER: Reduced the time between returning Machiavellian books in Lake Deborah and triggering Talia telling the player that Brooke was reading them.
• SPOILER: Reduced the time it takes to construct Lake Deborah’s watchtowers from 48 to 24 hours.

[hr][/hr][h3]PLAY NOW:[/h3]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1403440/Broken_Roads/

[hr][/hr] That's all for today, ‘ol cobber! Follow Broken Roads to stay updated and don't forget, your choices are the key.
[hr][/hr]
[h3]SOCIAL: DISCORD | TWITTER | YOUTUBE | WIKI [/h3]

- The Drop Bear Bytes team

[h2]The 4 December 2024 Hotfix is now live! [/h2]

Originally posted by author

We know It’s only been a few days since our big November patch but we wanted to get this update live as soon as possible. Four of the issues were reported by community members on Discord or Steam, so a huge thanks to everyone who reported bugs or problems they encountered during their playthroughs.

- The team at Drop Bear Bytes

[h2]Patch Notes[/h2]

WARNING: SOME SPOILERS INCLUDED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PATCH NOTES:

• Fixed an issue where some users would not see an option to return the bullet casings to Hunter.
  
• Fixed an issue where the Moral Compass leaning could be inaccurate after loading a saved game immediately after Character Creation.
  
• Adjusted the loot that some early-game enemies are carrying.
  
• Replaced one of the ropes that can be found on the skeletons in their random encounter. Players will find a small first aid kit and a few extra dollars instead.
  
• Changed the name of two Kulja enemies to avoid confusion with other characters (Ripper is now Trash Magnet and Hunter is now Sniffer).
  
• Removed multiple incorrect instances of “shot” bringing up the Aussie ‘cyclopedia.
  
• Corrected Alex Wilson’s (the wounded merchant in Aldersyde) inventory to only have empty water bottles.
  
• Minor adjustments to the positioning of some of the dead bodies in Brookton to reduce instances where they appeared slightly above the ground.
  
• Corrected some instances where animals would have the inspection icon instead of the audio icon when they play a sound.
  
• SPOILER: You can now only send the feral kids to Lake Deborah if you have visited it at least once.
  
• SPOILER: You can now only send the feral kids to Kalgoorlie if you have visited it at least once.
  

[hr][/hr][h3]PLAY NOW:[/h3]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1403440/Broken_Roads/

[hr][/hr] That's all for today, ‘ol cobber! Follow Broken Roads to stay updated and don't forget, your choices are the key.
[hr][/hr]
[h3]SOCIAL: DISCORD | TWITTER | YOUTUBE | WIKI [/h3]

- The Drop Bear Bytes team