Salty Hounds News

Dear Players of Salty Hounds,

Here is a short news on the state of this project and our steps going forward. You must’ve been worried about the lack of an announcement since the last patch note.

Firstly, we would like to apologize for the poor state of the game since its release.

As you know, we have diligently worked on improving the game with patches and content updates in the first weeks after release, but unfortunately, our efforts were rendered moot when the programmer refused to cooperate and instead demanded more money, even though he/they had/have already been paid much more than what was agreed on and still couldn’t deliver.

The programmer has denied his responsibility and refused to fix the game or fulfill his end of the contract, which entailed delivering a complete game - which he/they definitely hasn't/haven't done.

Furthermore, the programmer has actively worked against our efforts to improve the game as soon as possible, by refusing to send over the requested parts of the code, refusing to add even just a few lines of text and codes, and by implementing machine-translated texts without our consent.



However, we are pleased to inform you that we have successfully found a highly experienced programmer who is now rewriting the game from scratch.
The former programmer's code was in a dire state, making it impossible to salvage a single line for reuse.

But with our new programmer's expertise, we are confident that we can deliver an entirely new and improved build within the next 1.7~2 months, if not sooner - seeing how he has now achieved more progress in the last few weeks.

We kindly ask for your patience during this time.

While we focus on creating the best possible version of Salty Hounds from scratch, there will be no further patches for the current build on Steam, as the current build is not worth investing additional time and resources into due to its fundamentally broken codes.

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We wanted to keep these internal circumstances to ourselves and deal with the repercussions of the programmer’s actions by ourselves, as a team.

However, we had no choice but to explain all this to you because you need to be informed about why no updates will be coming to the current build on Steam, until we can replace it September.
We will take all the necessary legal actions against the former programmer who has forced our hands.

The currently planned delivery timeline of the game updates looks as follows.
We are sincerely sorry for the delay.


2023 September: Update to version 0.8
We are going to completely remove the currently available version of the game, and replace it with an entirely new build that has been re-developed from scratch, with the help of the new programmer.
This version will feature improved stability, redesigns to the core gameplay with the goal of achieving a better pacing, and many more interactions across the map.

2023 End October: Update to version 0.9
There will be a major content update, including the dating feature.

2023 End December: Update to version 1.0. and official release
We plan to push the game to version 1.0 by this time.
The special phone call DLCs will also become available for purchase.

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Once again, we truly appreciate your support and understanding.
Your enthusiasm and understanding for Salty Hounds has been our driving force, and we can't wait to deliver a truly exceptional gaming experience, as it should have been.

Warmest regards,

Your Game Development Team, Topping Palette.

We are bringing you some fixes and patches that should further address more of the known issues and add some additional contents.

We are fully aware of the state this game is currently in. We are taking drastic measures to amend it as quickly as possible in the foreseeable future. Please stay tuned for more updates.

• Fixed Yujin's random encounter character position
  
  
• Fixed the artifacts on the Riverside map
  
  
• Fixed the messages not matching the performance reports properly
  
  
• Fixed the issue of the skill rank not increasing at the Taekwondo gym
  
  
• Fixed various bugs at the Brunch Cafe
  
  
• Fixed the bugs in the phone calls of Noru and Seha (up to Affection level 3)
  
  
• Fixed the known bugs in the phone calls of Yujin and Taemin
  
  
• Fixed the language setting bug when you start the game on the title screen
  
  
• Fixed the message log
  
  
• Fixed the font size of the time display during the prologue being to small
  
  
• Adjusted Sohee's position in front of the hospital
  

• There are machine-translated English text in Junho's later events (at the office) which the programmer has injected without permission
  
  
• A bug preventing saving at the office, saying 'I have to go to the office until 12 PM' even though it's not the first day
  
  
• The persisting low encounter rate of the main characters
  
  
• The random encounter events of Seha, Yujin and Junho aren't meant to appear before the player goes through their intro events
  
  
• Possible freezing issues during the work phase
  

This hotfix contains a collection of minor and major fixes all around the game.
It should further increase the stability of the game and reduce many oddities.

We are planning to bring you a major update in the next couple of days, which should finally address the issue of the main NPCs playing hard-to-get and not showing up often enough.

• Added some new lines to the bartender at the bar.
  
• Talking to the guys via random encounter won't freeze up the game, so there's a little bit more to look forward to.
  

• Calling the guys on their phone from your sofa is bugged and locks up the game. If you are going to try this out, please save beforehand!
  We will fix this as a priority task in the next update, since phone calls are an important part of the game.
  
• Junho, Yujin and Seha are not meant to show up as random encounters before their respective 'intro event' or a string of them. If they do show up in this way, it's an unintended behavior. Fixes and content updates in this area will follow shortly in the next days.
  

[h2]General[/h2]

• Changed the default starting language to English now.
  
• The English version of the Roadmap graphic appears correctly now.
  
• Fixed the game not remembering your language and sound settings. 
  
• Fixed some choices getting saved globally and getting carried over between saves which wasn't intended.
  
• Fixed a character falling through the floor of the restaurant on Sunny Street.
  

[h2]Gameplay[/h2]

• Fixed your energy level not fully recovering after sleep.
  
• Addressed multiple instances of an event playing when you clicked / pressed button too fast, by adding a slight input delay.
  
• Fixed the freezing issue found in certain random encounter events and addressed other minor issues. 
  
• Fixed the player getting stuck in the prosecutor's office. (Still need to keep an eye on this.)
  
• Fixed the freezing issue when you go out of energy and are forced to sleep.
  
• Fixed saving and loading having an effect on your energy level.
  
• Increased the encounter rate of certain NPCs (preliminary solution. to be updated)
  

[h2]Events[/h2]

• Fixed the characters sometimes calling you [name] instead of your custom name.
  
• Fixed the characters not saying good bye and not ending the conversation when you choose the 'chat' option in the random encounter.
  
• Fixed the missing lines in front of the prosecutor's office.
  
• Fixed freezing issues when talking to certain NPCs
  

[h2]Visuals[/h2]

• Fixed the seagulls at the port looking blurry.
  
• Fixed the character animation when interacting with the photo booth at the arcade.
  
• Fixed the texture compression issue of Cedar Street and Lapis Street has been fixed.
  
• Fixed the speech bubble on random encounter characters showing through the standing graphic when they overlap.
  
• Fixed the work phase event at the office not showing the office in the background.
  

[h2]Sound[/h2]

• Reduced the volume of the incoming call buzz SFX.
  
• Re-adjusted the volume of thousands of voiced lines.
  
• Fixed the work phase BGM continuing to play on Friday.
  

[h2]Localization[/h2]

• Fixed some English localization issues, like the missing lines in front of the prosecutor's office.
  

We will continue to work out all the things that are holding this game back.
Thank you for staying for the show. We will not let up.

Dear players,

• We are glad to report that we have just released the first post-release update to address the major issues reported on day 1 - primarily, the crashing to desktop when you tried to enter certain buildings. This was a grave issue that prevented many of you from enjoying the game properly, if at all. Please accept our sincere apologies.
  
  
• We are working on other important issues, such as the main NPCs not showing up as random encounters when you walk or run around the city.
  
  

We will be releasing more hotfixes as soon as possible, maybe even in the next few hours.

Please stay tuned for more.


P.s. Also, please don't forget to save your game at the leftmost office PC or at your home PC on the 2nd floor of the house.
(You will be able to save your progress after the first intro events on the first day.)


Edit: we have tried to push another hotfix, but then we changed our mind and decided to address some additional, minor bugs before we do so.

Dear valued gamers,


We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you for your support and for choosing to embark on this Early Access journey with us.

Early Access can sometimes come with its fair share of bumps and bugs along the way.
We want to assure you that our team is fully committed to delivering the best possible gaming experience, and part of that commitment involves addressing any bugs or issues that are bound to occur.


We encourage you to report any bugs or glitches you encounter during your gameplay.
Your feedback is invaluable to us, as it allows us to identify and resolve these issues promptly.
Rest assured that we will be working tirelessly to release updates and patches to fix these bugs as quickly as possible.

Our speedy debugging of many reported bugs in the last 3 days after the closed beta test should be a testimony to our capability and resolve to fulfil the above promise.



However, we kindly ask for a little bit of your patience and understanding during this process.
Developing and refining a game is a complex undertaking, and some issues may require more time and effort to resolve than others. Your support and understanding as we work diligently to improve the game will greatly contribute to its overall success.


We value your trust and involvement in shaping our game's development. Together, we can create an extraordinary gaming experience that exceeds everyone's expectations. We appreciate your continued support, feedback, and enthusiasm as we strive to deliver an outstanding game.


Thank you once again for being part of this exciting journey with us.


Sincerely,
Topping Palette