Methods: The Canada Files News

This is a small update that adds a few suggested improvements.

New hotkeys!

• Press H for text history screen
  
• Press Q for quick save
  
• Press L for the load screen
  
• Press S for the save screen
  
• Press O/P for the options screen
  
• Press C to open the casefile
  
• Viu's method now works with WASD and arrow keys on keyboard!
  

In addition to that...

• Added new text to Struess and Viu methods to hopefully explain what to do better
  
• Added fullscreen/windowed toggle to the options menu (was previously only available by pressing 'f')
  
• Increased the size of the hitbox on Perspective eye icons and Pinpoint paths to assist people playing on smaller screens
  
• Quality of images increased from 80% to 95%. Now there should be less noticeable artifacts, yet the game is still much smaller (300mbs) than its uncompressed size (700mbs)
  
• Removed 'CHANGE EVERYDAY' from the note you find in the computer as it may have made the note seem more important than it is
  

This game is a work in progress, and I'm going to keep making improvements. I appreciate the feedback!

Thanks!
— LockedOn.

Methods: The Canada Files Early Access has been released! Join detectives Downs, Viu, Struess, Anadyne, and Tads for the first round of Stage Four in the mysterious Canadian detective competition!



This game is a work in progress.

The Early Access release contains File 01. A Chinese translation and extra features are currently in progress. I hope to release them soon.

Let me know your thoughts so that I can continue to improve the game in future Files! Each File will add an additional $4 to the game, with a final price of $25 for the whole game. I arrived at this decision after seeing how long it took on average to complete the first File, and factoring in development time and cost. If the game ends up not taking as long to play as I thought, or I am unable to deliver on the amount of content I'm planning, then I will reevaluate this pricing plan.

Speaking of future Files, I think it is safe to announce that the next File's mystery will take place in... Montreal! ;)

Enjoy, and I'll see you in the next devlog!

— LockedOn.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2063530/Methods_The_Canada_Files/

View the backlog of devlogs here on my website!

Support the game's development on Patreon!

A Canadian trailer has arrived!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]



I spent the past week putting this trailer together, as well as collecting feedback about the beta version from various people who have played it and making adjustments. I think I can now safely say that any major issues with File 01 have been solved, and the "beta test" phase is complete enough for me to move on to getting the demo together.

My new plan is to release the demo by the end of the month so that more people can experience the story. The demo contains the entirety of File 01, but unlike the Methods demo, will not contain any extras. Once the first two files have been translated, I'll launch it in early access at $5. Then, as I've said before, for each subsequent file I'll increase the price by $2.50 until all six files have been released.

These new files are not additional DLC by the way. Anybody who purchases The Canada Files for $5 when it's first released will be able to play all six files without having to pay any additional cost, same goes for anybody who purchased it at $7.50, or $10, etc. This is very similar to my original rollout for Methods.

If you didn't have access to the beta, well, it won't be that long to wait until you can play it! ;)

Until next time!

— LockedOn.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2063530/Methods_The_Canada_Files/

View the backlog of devlogs here on my website!

Support the game's development on Patreon!

Finally, Canada is here... in beta!



This past week I worked harder than I've worked in a very long time to finish File 01, and I'm very pleased to announce that The Canada Files beta has now been launched for Patrons, Afdian Sponsors, and LockedOn Discord members.

There's still a lot of work to do before I can release the early access version. I need to make a trailer, extras, the elaborate Hangouts feature, and of course, the chapters need to be translated into Chinese first. I don't know when all of that will be ready, but my plan is to keep developing the game as it is being translated, so the next file will be able to come out sooner.

In the meantime, enjoy the beta and getting a first look at the game!

Until next time!

— LockedOn.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2063530/Methods_The_Canada_Files/

View the backlog of devlogs here on my website!

Support the game's development on Patreon!

My break is over, and I've returned to Canada...



This past week I completed a lot of music tracks, and the music for File One is now 77% complete. I have also finished the most difficult part of Chapter 2 — the large number of unique methods minigames.

Chapter 2 has been the main reason File One has taken over fifteen weeks of work. It has the most difficult background to create, the most new UI elements I've ever had to create for one single chapter, as well as the most complex coding.



A screenshot from Chapter 2

I was really stuck on these methods minigames — Struess's in particular. How do you make hacking into a simple minigame? There are a lot of different answers, and I looked at my favorite hacking minigames from other games such as Deus Ex Machina: Human Revolution. However, Methods minigames are not as involved as that, and the idea of coding something similar was so daunting that I just felt it was best to keep things as simple as possible.

The methods minigames in File One are about as simple as the ones in Methods — as I make more files there's an opportunity to make them gradually get more complex.

But with that out of the way, I'm very hopeful about meeting my two week deadline for the beta. File One has been a much greater struggle than I ever anticipated, so I'll be very glad to finish it.

Until next time!

— LockedOn.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2063530/Methods_The_Canada_Files/

View the backlog of devlogs here on my website!

Support the game's development on Patreon!