NeuroNet: Mendax Proxy News

Thank you to everyone that bought and has been enjoying the game, it means a lot to the team and I.
We've been gathering the list of bugs and improvement requests from everyone and will be pushing out a number of updates over the coming weeks and months.

We know that some of you have been getting this awful save game bug and all I can say is that we're super sorry. The issue turned out to be way more complex than we initially thought and stems from a handful of early decisions we made during the development of the game regarding how data was handled, which then went un-noticed as the game changed format from a "card" game-like experience into a more narrative-driven story experience.

The good news is that Sven has hopefully found a solution to the problem and will be working over the coming days to get the fix in place. In addition to this fix, there are a whole bunch of other fixes we're adding which can be seen below:

Patch Notes V1.0.3 - Bug Squash
- Save game bug fixed
- Fixed registry problem that caused issues booting the game.
- Corrected text for reputation tooltip
- Fixed missing ‘>’ causing markups to appear in timeline event entries
- Fixed issue with chapters ending in an empty screen that required a reload to continue
- Fixed issue with codex entries starting in an unlocked state
- Fixed issue with objective text overlapping
- Fixed issue with missing characters on the codex
- Fixed issue with text not rendering correctly
- Fixed the issue with the game failing to load on the second playthrough



Once this patch is out we'll be shifting onto the QOL patch along with Mac/Linux support.
This Patch will include some, but not all of the following (Would be good to know what you feel we should prioritize):

Patch Notes V1.0.4 QOL + Linux/Mac Update
- Linux Support
- Mac Support
- Notification system that shows when new Codex info is unlocked or when an important decision has been made
- Adjustable font size
- Faster auto text
- Make auto text appear instantly on click
- Tooltips for resource trackers
- Explanation of how the resource and world state systems work
- Option to disable visible resource pips
- Controls Remap
- Decision Tree Visualization or choice history log
- Right-click to leave the Options menu
- Make the whole left/right of the screen clickable for answers
- Additional tooltips are needed for things like PA-AI, Some things to help with Aurora’s choice of where to get food/water or employment - cases where the choice isn't obvious and causes a negative outcome even though there’s no moral quandary.
- Change it so Speech has a different font/look compared to Narrative Text.
- Remove Text scrolling from Narrative cards and apply it to Character Speech instead



And finally, we have a bigger update planned for a bit later:

Patch Notes V1.1.0 The New Game+ Mode with Failure States
- Upon completing the game, New Game+ Mode unlocks
- It introduces Failure states
- Changes to the Resource system
- Min/Max values have been increased
- Hitting a min or a max will with one or more resources will cause a Failure to trigger
- The Resource Icons at the top of the screen have had an update to show the new thresholds with +/- 0-29 being a Neutral World state, +/- 30-59 being a + or - 1 to World state, and hitting +/- 90 causing a Failure and Reset.
- Upon getting a Failure you will be Reset to the last checkpoint (usually the end of the last narrative sequence you played) and your Resources will be reset to the last value threshold, ie 0, or +/- 60.
- You will then be presented with a new random batch of moral dilemmas to complete.
- The number of Moral dilemmas you can get in a sequence has been reduced, so Chapters 3,4, and 5 should be a bit more streamlined.
- There are 29 possible Failures to unlock
- There is a new Codex Page to view all of the ones you have found
- There are several new Achievements to unlock associated with Failures.



Hope you're excited about the patches and as usual let us know what you think in the discussion forums or come speak with us more directly via our Discord

Justin & The Dream Harvest Team

Hi everyone, just a quick, minor update based on the bug reports we've been receiving from some of you.

Here's the change log:

• Fix rare cases where the save file could get corrupted. This is now fixed and a corrupt save file affected by this should be automatically repaired.
  
• Show an error if a save file is corrupt beyond repair
  
• Fix some data issues
  
• Add option to disable vsync and set a framerate limit
  
• Some other minor fixes to tooltips and card wording
  

Thanks for playing.

The Dream Harvest Team

Take on the role of a newly created sentient AI and navigate the ethical complexities of managing a cyberpunk city in the gripping visual novel, NeuroNet: Mendax Proxy - a cyberpunk visual novel where you play as a new sentient AI guiding the city's populace! Will you lead them to prosperity or ruin?

NeuroNet: Mendax Proxy is a cyberpunk visual novel inspired by 'Reigns,' featuring light city management and moral dilemma mechanics. Players assume the role of an AI created to manage a city and act as an advisor. As citizens come to them with their problems, they will be challenged to balance the needs and wants of the city's many inhabitants, ultimately determining its fate.

Over the course of the game, players will learn more about the people of Catena and see how they react to their new AI assistant. Will they see you as a friend and helper, or will they react with fear and suspicion? Each decision you make affects four aspects: the city's order and prosperity, and your reputation and power. Can you keep them all balanced, or will you lose control?

‘Twas the night before Release, and all through the studio, not a creature was stirring, except for the frantic coder debugging the final build!
That’s right, it’s almost there. After much blood, sweat, and tears, we’ve finished NeuroNet: Mendax Proxy and it releases on May 4th!

We're thrilled for you to dive into our story, where we explore the fascinating role of AI in society. Our team chose the cyberpunk setting as the perfect backdrop to delve into this thought-provoking subject. We can't wait to hear what you think!
As you step into our cyberpunk world, you'll have the chance to meet 23 distinct and unforgettable characters. Our cast includes the ambitious Khorto, his devious intern Patrizia, the jolly grill cook Papa Ru, and a mysterious kid lost on the streets of Shentilar. Each character plays a vital role in our exploration of the complex relationship between AI and society.
We’ve been lucky enough to have found some incredibly talented actors to bring our diverse cast of characters to life. You'll hear every emotion and inflection as you journey through our thought-provoking narrative.

We can’t wait to hear what you think and we hope you enjoy our story. Stay tuned for more news as we embark on an exciting new project where terrifying monsters lurk in cobblestone streets!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Hi Everyone,
Justin, project lead here on NeuroNet.

As promised I wanted to give you all an update on where we are with the launch of the game.
For the past few months, we’ve been polishing, balancing, bug fixing and implementing many of the requested features that came up during the Steam Next Fest demo back in October. These include:

1. Adding character animations for every character
   
2. A complete redesign of the user interface for every aspect of the game
   
3. A total redesign of the Social Media Report system where you get your results for each chapter
   
4. An Auto-play feature so you don't have to keep clicking through narrative cards
   
5. A Choice History system so you can review what choices you’ve made and their impact on the city
   
6. A resource Section off the UI that is collapsible, giving you the choice to be able to always see where you’re standing currently is across each.
   
7. Reworked input system to make choices easier to compare.
   
8. Removed the possibility of Card Repeats, creating a more streamlined experience.
   
9. Tooltip system that gives you additional information about things in the city, which can help with making choices.
   

With all of these additions and changes, we ended up having to rework quite a bit of our original code which as a knock-on effect has put us a tiny bit behind schedule.

We originally planned to Launch at the end of Q1 this year, but we need a tiny bit more time to get everything where it needs to be.



We’re super close, with only the following left to do across each aspect of the game:

ANIMATIONS

• Write Importer for Spine Animations
  
• Assign animations to each Event
  
• Test each event to make sure nothing is wrong with animations or transitions
  

UI

• Test that all Codex entries trigger as expected
  
• Test UI layouts across all screen sizes and aspect ratios
  
• Finalize Options menu elements.
  
• Add Tooltip notes for all relevant events.
  
• Test Interface for Mini-Games as they change interactions quite a bit.
  

AUDIO

• Dialogue Mastering (About 50% complete, should be done in the next couple of weeks)
  
• A few additional music pieces need writing
  
• Music Mastering
  
• SFX Mastering
  
• Final Balance mix of each scene
  
• Test all audio triggers and music loop points and fades.
  

ACHIEVEMENTS & OBJECTIVES

• Test that all achievements and objectives trigger as expected and are tracked in-game.
  

GENERAL TESTING

• Make sure all narrative paths work and are completable.
  
• Make sure all endings trigger correctly
  

STEAM/EPIC STORE SETUP

• Trading cards testing
  
• Achievement testing
  
• Build/Deployment setup
  

As you can see from the above, there are lots of little things we need to finish up and polish, but we’re getting there. With just Sven and I working on all of this, with some UI help from Declan we need a bit of extra time.

With this in mind, the launch is going to be delayed a tiny bit. It's not what we want to do, but we do want to make sure NeuroNet: Mendax Proxy is as good as it can possibly be when we launch.

I can't give a definitive launch date yet as some of the stuff above is unpredictable in terms of the amount of time it will take to do, but rest assured that we’re working as fast as we can to get the game into your hands as soon as we can.

Thanks for being a part of the community and as always, if you have any questions about anything feel free to message me or anyone else on the team.

Justin & The Dream Harvest Team.