Droplet: States of Matter News

[p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]Hey guys! Krayfishkarl here and welcome to another Droplet: States of Matter update! Early Access 1.53 is now available! This update adds some extra polish to the game as part of the last few finishing touches before the 1.0 release.[/p][p]The most notable addition is that footstep sounds now play depending on what sort of terrain you are walking on, from grass to dirt to sand and more. If you wish, you can change the volume of the footsteps in the options menu. I've also made adjustments to player animations with the inclusion of several special effects. For example, now when you hold a charge shot, you will see a glowing ball of energy around your right hand. You will also see more particles when swimming and diving underwater.[/p][p]With this update, I'm happy to report that all planned features are now implemented. The game as it is at the moment fully represents what I envision the final product to be like. You might be wondering. What happens now? Well, while the game itself is practically done, I need to do some marketing before I officially release it. I need to record a new trailer which I've held off to ensure its visuals accurately reflect what is currently in the game. And of course, I need to promote it on social media. This is where you come in.[/p][p]Any one of the following will be tremendously helpful. In order for the game to have a fair shot, I need to boost its presence on the algorithm. Starting off, if you haven't already, you can wishlist the game on Steam. Next, you can follow my socials. I am most active on my YouTube and Twitter accounts but any of the platforms I have presence in will still be useful. After that, tell your friends about the game. You can share gameplay clips, social media posts and anything else Droplet-related with others, even word of mouth. If you have played the game before, you can also leave a review of your experiences. And finally, if you're a content creator, let me know if you want to stream my game or make videos about it. A first impressions playthrough of the demo is already amazing help. If you want to do a full in-depth video review of the entire game, I would reach out directly via my socials. Perhaps I can arrange to send over a game key.[/p][p]While I make updates to the game's store page and other social media assets, I will continue testing the game on my own to catch anything else that I may have missed. I anticipate that any further updates will be small changes that are unlikely to receive a dedicated video log. Naturally, if you have any feedback yourself, please send it my way. This will be the last opportunity to get any more fixes in before the game's 1.0 release later this year.[/p][p]That's all for now, and with that, thank for you following the development of Droplet: States of Matter.[/p][h2]Gameplay[/h2]

• [p]Physics adjustments when jumping from sloped terrain.[/p]
• [p]Physics adjustments with the formation of freezing the surface of liquids.[/p]
• [p]Updated physics for controlling the Mendeleev.[/p]
• [p]Reduced the number of switches you have to trigger at the end of Particle Accelerator. (Dev note: This is to balance the difficulty when playing on Steam Deck.)[/p]
• [p]Changed the spawn point of projectiles when firing.[/p]
• [p]You now move faster while crouching and crawling on top of ice.[/p]
• [p]Terrain adjustments to Weather Machine Tower.[/p]
• [p]Minor changes to the environment of the final boss fight.[/p]
• [p]You now go back into third person mode if you trigger an idle animation.[/p]
• [p]Lowered the minimum X and Y sensitivity in the options menu.[/p]
• [p]Adjusted how far down projectiles will freeze water.[/p]
• [p]Lowered damage radius for Coriphants.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an edge case where items dropped during the Salty Peter fight might block the cinematics.[/p]
• [p]Falling anvils now properly despawn during the Lord Krypton boss fight under certain circumstances.[/p]
• [p]Added another entrance to the backstage area.[/p]

[h2]Graphics[/h2]

• [p]Added animations for: attempting to dive while in ice form, crouching while on frozen surfaces, sprinting while crouching in mid-air in cloud form, landing from jumping, and warping to another level.[/p]
• [p]Touched up a few existing animations on Droplet and Molly-QL, most notably the walking and sprinting animations.[/p]
• [p]Added a small camera animation when entering a level.[/p]
• [p]Parts of the player character are now visible while in first person mode.[/p]
• [p]Special effect added for holding down a charged shot.[/p]
• [p]Added particle effect for diving underwater.[/p]
• [p]Minor special effects added to player projectiles.[/p]
• [p]Adjusted some texturing in Abyssal Fissure.[/p]
• [p]Fixed some incorrect normals in Particle Accelerator.[/p]

[h2]Audio[/h2]

• [p]Footstep sounds added to the player character. They will be different depending on what surface you are standing on.[/p]
• [p]Added several new menu selection sounds.[/p]
• [p]Updated sound for Sill E. Con’s rocket attack.[/p]
• [p]Adjusted the audio mixing of the Krayfish Entertainment logo video’s jingle.[/p]

[h2]Menus[/h2]

• [p]Fixed a bug where the option to reset all settings wasn’t showing the correct menu.[/p]
• [p]Option to adjust footstep volume added.[/p]
• [p]Option to reset extras added.[/p]
• [p]Onscreen unlock messages now hide when a dialogue box is open.[/p]
• [p]Save prompt has been relocated to not overlap other HUD elements.[/p]
• [p]Minor adjustments to save file graphics.[/p]
• [p]Erasing a save file now takes slightly longer.[/p]
• [p]Fixed some cursor bugs on the title screen.[/p]

[p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]Hey guys! Krayfishkarl here and welcome to another Droplet: States of Matter update! Early Access 1.52 is now available! This update adds a few extra bells and whistles to help polish up the game for the upcoming 1.0 release.[/p][p]Firstly, I have made another pass at the game's mappings for controllers. Most notably, the Left Trigger is now the crouch button, taking the place of sprinting which is now set to tap mode by default. For more information, check the in-game options menu. There are three different alternate control schemes you can choose from. I've also taken the opportunity to improve the player's physics all around.[/p][p]Additionally, I've added several new options to the extras menu. Among them include the following: A filter that can emulate the look of a CRT television; several new skins that Droplet and Molly-QL can change into; and an option to enable infinite lives which serves to alleviate the difficulty if you find the game too challenging. There's plenty more extras and other bonuses you can unlock if you manage to complete the hard versions of the time trials.[/p][p]Alongside these changes, I've added a number of quality of life features and bug fixes. One that particularly stands out is an update to the pink crystal challenges in Xenon Lagoon and Krypton Estate. The state of the levers is now preserved, even if you exit the level or quit the game. Now, there is far less pressure to solve what may be a complicated puzzle in one go. Of course, this only applies to these two areas because they are hub worlds. In main levels, buttons and levers will still reset when you leave the area.[/p][p]In other news, I've added some friendly NPC's to the Galactic Science Festival. I thought it would be important narratively to depict the very people that you are trying to save from the forces of Lord Krypton. Not to mention, it would be only right if there was an audience for the professor to give his presentation to. You will also see them during the game's title sequence, watching Droplet and Molly-QL perform.[/p][p]That's all for now, and with that, thank for you following the development of Droplet: States of Matter.[/p][p][/p][h2]Gameplay[/h2]

• [p]General improvements to player physics and collision, particularly with swimming.[/p]
• [p]Holding crouch while in midair and then landing on the ground will now automatically make you crouch.[/p]
• [p]Remapped controller controls so that sprint and crouch are swapped.[/p]
• [p]Changed some of the mappings of the Type A control scheme for controllers. [/p]
• [p]The switches you activate in hub worlds are now saved, even if you leave the area. This should make solving the puzzles in Xenon Lagoon and Krypton Estate more fair.[/p]
• [p]Updated camera collision for a few objects.[/p]
• [p]Enemies will no longer chase you during cutscenes.[/p]
• [p]Fixed edge case of the wrong animation playing under certain circumstances after being hit with an explosion.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an edge case where the green crystal obtained from defeating a boss would not spawn correctly.[/p]
• [p]Enemy collision now gets turned off when you defeat one.[/p]
• [p]Added Cumulus next to every superluminal scanner.[/p]
• [p]Hardlight switches now slowly blink when they are idle.[/p]
• [p]Minor changes to Galactic Science Festival to help players if they get lost.[/p]
• [p]Autosave now triggers when changing levels, not just when exiting to the hub world.[/p]

[h2]Graphics[/h2]

• [p]Droplet and Molly-QL show their custom skins throughout the game, including on checkpoints and in cutscenes. (Does not apply to Reshape Mode.)[/p]
• [p]Splash effect added when making contact with water.[/p]
• [p]New eye textures for Droplet and Molly-QL.[/p]
• [p]Subtle changes to Droplet’s face.[/p]
• [p]Various tweaks to player animation logic.[/p]
• [p]Backend changes to player character material slots.[/p]
• [p]Minor visual bugs fixed with Lord Krypton’s boss fight intro cutscene.[/p]
• [p]Textures added to napkins in Macro Kitchen.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a few bugs with cutscene logic.[/p]

[h2]Audio[/h2]

• [p]Sound added for attempting to do an invalid action (i.e. selecting an unavailable option or pressing the state cancel button when there’s no state to change to.)[/p]
• [p]New sound for beating a record in a time trial.[/p]
• [p]Sound added for hitting your head on a ceiling.[/p]
• [p]New sound for bombs thrown by pirates.[/p]
• [p]New sound for activating a battery.[/p]
• [p]The reset camera sound now only plays if the camera is sufficiently far away from its reset rotation.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug where the music in the Galactic Science Festival may stop playing if skipping a cutscene.[/p]

[h2]Menus[/h2]

• [p]Added more skins to the Extras menu. Some of these skins are now available at the start of the game.[/p]
• [p]Added an optional CRT filter.[/p]
• [p]Added option to enable infinite lives. This is intended to more or less be a beginner mode should a less experienced player find the lives system frustrating.[/p]
• [p]Added options to enable infinite health and ammo. This requires completing all Kray Times. (Dev note: They will not be available during time trials.)[/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug where the Extras menu was not saving correctly.[/p]
• [p]Unpausing then pausing will now take you back to the menu you were just at.[/p]
• [p]A message now appears for when you discover secret levels.[/p]
• [p]Pause Menu now slowly flashes red while hardcore mode is active.[/p]
• [p]Tap to sprint is now the default.[/p]

[p]Hey guys! Krayfishkarl here. This post will detail what sort of experience to expect from playing Droplet: States of Matter on Steam Deck.[/p][p]One of the primary features is cloud saving. Provided you have the feature enabled in your Steam profile, you will now be able to seamlessly transfer your save files between Steam Deck and PC. Whatever you have configured in the options menu, however, will remain local to your machine.[/p][p]For a more tailored, optimized experience, some menu options have been made exclusive to the PC version. Therefore, while on Steam Deck, the game will be locked to the following settings:[/p]

• [p]Resolution to 1280 x 800.[/p]
• [p]Button display to show Steam controller buttons.[/p]
• [p]Graphics quality to Medium.[/p]
• [p]Framerate limited to 60 FPS[/p]

[p]Hope you enjoy playing Droplet: States of Matter on the go![/p]

[p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]Hey guys! Krayfishkarl here and welcome to another Droplet: States of Matter update! Early Access 1.51 is now available! This update adds support for Steam achievements and Steam Deck playability.[/p][p]As you play through the main game, you will start obtaining achievements depending on certain milestones. This could be anything from visiting new areas for the first time to completing specific challenges. Some of them are hidden, since I intend for them to be discovered accidentally as you play the game. While you'll be able to earn achievements on an existing save file prior to this update, it is still recommended to start from the beginning for the best experience.[/p][p]Additionally, cloud saving is now available. Your progress will transfer between devices if you have the setting enabled in your Steam profile. Whatever you have configured in the options menu, however, will remain local to your machine. This way, you can change your settings as needed should your devices differ in graphical capability.[/p][p]I have also made some backend changes to better support playing on the Steam Deck. Not only have there been UI and resolution changes, but tailored button prompts should now automatically display upon starting the game on a Steam Deck. I've also overhauled the game's default settings and controller bindings, so I would take another look at the options menu for the newly available control schemes. You can expect a separate announcement when the game has been officially verified as Steam Deck compatible.[/p][p]In other news, I've added several small touchups to character interactions. NPC's and other creatures now have the ability to blink, and some will turn to look at you as you pass by them. This is to help make the game feel a bit more alive and expressive.[/p][p]Now that all planned major features are implemented, I am expecting for the game's 1.0 release to come out within the next few months. Keep a look out for an official release date announcement and a new trailer. In the meantime, while I continue adding further refinements and polish, you can wishlist the game on its store page. Or, if you have already played it, consider leaving a review of your experience. Either one of these actions will be greatly appreciated.[/p][p]That's all for now, and with that, thank for you following the development of Droplet: States of Matter.[/p][p][/p][h2]Gameplay[/h2]

• [p]Steam achievements added. You can obtain them on existing save files prior to this update, but it is recommended to start a new game for the best experience.[/p]
• [p]Support for cloud saving added. Your save files will now transfer between devices but your configuration settings will remain local.[/p]
• [p]Remapped the controls for game controllers and Steam Deck. (Dev note: Due to a large number of backend changes, it is highly recommended to reset your options to their defaults on any device you previously launched the game on.)[/p]

[h2]Graphics[/h2]

• [p]Various characters and creatures now blink their eyes.[/p]
• [p]Added some subtle eye movements during cutscenes.[/p]
• [p]Updated model for Krayfishkarl.[/p]
• [p]Updated model for Kasa-obake.[/p]
• [p]Subtle changes to a few other character models.[/p]
• [p]Adjustments to a few player animations.[/p]
• [p]Adjusted the animation frame in which the cutscene skip event is called.[/p]
• [p]Removed a few background objects in the title screen to improve performance.[/p]
• [p]Fixed various minor graphical issues.[/p]

[h2]Audio[/h2]

• [p]Sound effect added for resetting the camera.[/p]
• [p]Fixes bug where the momentum break sound was playing on the title screen.[/p]
• [p]Fixed some audio bugs in a few cutscenes.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a few issues with the wrong sounds playing in menus.[/p]

[h2]Text[/h2]

• [p]Reworded the help menu text describing the game’s control scheme to be more platform neutral. Rerecorded the accompanying voiceover.[/p]
• [p]Added a few more descriptions for various menu options.[/p]
• [p]Fixed some missing dialogue in the final boss.[/p]

[h2]Menus[/h2]

• [p]Optimizations made for play on Steam Deck. HUD has been realigned and the UI now displays buttons for Steam Deck controls.[/p]
• [p]Certain settings in the options menu are now exclusive to PC and will no longer appear on Steam Deck.[/p]
• [p]PC Version: Added support for windowed and windowed fullscreen modes[/p]
• [p]PC Version: Added support to change the game’s resolution.[/p]
• [p]Toned down motion blur.[/p]
• [p]Mapping Configuration option now supports different controller bindings.[/p]
• [p]Changed several default options menu settings.[/p]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Hey guys! Krayfishkarl here and welcome to another Droplet: States of Matter update! Early Access 1.50 is now available! This update refreshes all the animations for Droplet and Molly-QL.

You may have already noticed that Droplet looks very different. I updated his proportions to make his appearance more consistent with all the other characters in the game. And of course, based on some user feedback I couldn't possibly ignore, I made him more handsome. For those of you who are fans of Molly-QL, don't worry. I updated her model too with very subtle changes. The most outwardly visible of which are her repositioned eyebrows and the updated rigging of her skirt.

Naturally, with all these model updates, I went ahead and lip synced all of their dialogue, reorienting the cutscene camera angles along the way. Combined with updating every single movement animation to fit their new models, this was no easy task. Between the two of them were well over two hundred different animations to go through. Thankfully, the results paid off and are fully representative of my vision for the game. Both Droplet and Molly-QL are now more expressive than ever.

I've also added a short animation for collecting a star chart. I want to make sure the player knows the importance of these items for progression. Now, during the ending cutscenes of boss fights, you will see your character physically receiving the star chart with an accompanying celebratory jingle.

Now that all the cinematic updates are completed, you might be wondering what is left to do before the release of the game. Well, barring any last minute bug fixes and minor polish, the final major update before the game's departure from early access will be the addition of Steam achievements and cloud saving. I also intend to have the game run on Steam Deck so I will be working on getting its compatibility verified. After that, the game will officially enter the release candidate phase.

That's all for now, and with that, thank for you following the development of Droplet: States of Matter.

[h2]Patch Notes[/h2]
[h3]Gameplay[/h3]

• The player now always returns to the same location upon defeating a boss.
  
• Slightly moved some checkpoints in boss areas.
  
• Option to change sprint controls now appears in the start-up menu.
  

[h3]Graphics[/h3]

• New model and animations for Droplet.
  
• Tweaked Molly-QL’s model and animations.
  
• Droplet’s and Molly-QL’s dialogue lip synced across the entire game.
  
• Tweaked a few existing dialogue lip sync animations.
  
• New cinematic for obtaining a star chart.
  
• Updated camera angles for cutscenes throughout the game.
  
• Updated animations for the opening credits sequence.
  
• Updated some logic for returning the camera to the player after a cutscene has ended.
  
• Fixed some issues where the player’s body might stretch when shooting projectiles.
  
• Repositioned notification prompt for collecting items.
  
• New splash screen for starting a new game.
  

[h3]Audio[/h3]

• New sound effect for momentum breaking.
  
• Fixed a couple audio issues when skipping cutscenes.