CRT7 News

Hi all, Tom here!

So it finally happened - I finally got some actual proper time to work on the next section of CRT7 and I don't mind telling you it was flipping awesome to get back to it! Motivated by the huge increase of wishlists the game received during the Cerebral Puzzle Showcase, I got a lot done! Let's talk about it a little, shall we?


The first important part is that the next Staff Door code sequence has been (mostly) completed! Players can find all the information they need around the room, solve a new type of puzzle, and open the impossible door again. There are two entirely new books (available in both printed and handwritten style) to pour through, and more devices to interact with. Which reminds me:

The design of CRT7 is one where the room you are in slowly unlocks, with more devices, surprises, and interactions between everything becoming apparent as you play. I think that's awesome in puzzle games... but it is also a tricky balancing act. Give people free reign immediately and people get lost (trust me, I tested it!) Leave it too late and people struggle when more freedom eventually arrives. Part of this month's work was figuring out how to introduce these interconnections effectively and I've setting on something I'm quite happy with. This stage I've been working on is more open and interconnected than the demo, but still somewhat fenced in to keep people pointed in broadly the right direction. Still, if you're looking for puzzles that trust you to pay attention, combine, and transform information I think you'll be quite happy.

Plus, a new Staff Door code means another subroom needs to be made. This one is rather green...




The above is obviously a work in progress, but I'm a big fan of the retro green CRT + art deco style that has emerged, particularly on an octagon grid. The lighting is reactive again too, so it really can light up a room! If you've played paper puzzles before you might have an inkling of the direction this is going, but I hope it will have a few interesting twists even for the expert paper puzzler. The basic rules are decided, and puzzles are solvable within its own rule set. Perhaps most importantly, the code is in so the game can tell when the solution is valid as well. There are a few more rules I'd like to add, and this month I'm going to design the specific puzzles to solve, and then move onto the final two Staff Door codes where the gloves definitely come off and some really fun surprises live.

Want to keep up to date with development, help out a (mostly) solo dev, or just be told when the game released? Well, a wishlist is a massive help and as you've seen really motivates me to make more puzzles for you all!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2096780/CRT7/

Take care and see you all soon!

-Amicable Animal

Hi all, Tom here!

This has been a bit of an odd month, thanks to being in the Puzzle Showcase, so let's debrief...



First off, a special hello to all the new wishlisters joining us! The Cerebral Puzzle Showcase was excellent for CRT7 this year, and there is over 1,200 new people here to explore the dark. If you didn't know, I'm Tom and I'm the solo (ish) developing the game in my spare time.

You also might have seen that The Escape Roomer gave CRT7 a lovely little preview as well: “I really, really enjoyed playing CRT7 and cannot wait for it’s full release. It’s part escape room, part detective game, part procedural music game and part Y2K retro goodness.”

As you might imagine, preparing for the showcase took up much of the month as I was polishing and fixing up the demo to get it ready! It did, however, act as a really good test of the the new systems, like the rebinding and hotspots - they seemed to work mostly well! Also, seeing a few more people streaming it has highlighted a few areas I would still like to tweak in the early game.

If you've not tried the demo yet, it's not going away in the next month or two, so I hope you get a chance to enjoy it!





So what's next? Well, I want to spend the next couple of months sorting out the next few large puzzle sequences. The demo allows you to find two door codes, but the later ones are going to be more involved to find... and it's time to get them sorted! In the next couple of weeks I'm going to figure out the order the next puzzles are revealed to players. This sounds easy, but with so many moving parts it can often have hidden complexity and needs a bunch of testing. I've already gotten started though tweaking some of the visuals, and working out what to do next.

So! Step one is for me to go and unlock the rest of the room. Step two, well step two is the fun part... it's time to bring more devices back to life...

- Amicable Animal

Hi all, Tom here!

It is once again Cerebral Puzzle Showcase time, and the new CRT7 Demo is officially OUT NOW! If you see Demo 0.18c or greater on the entry door or credits menu, you've got the updated version! Be aware it will reset your demo save file, however.

This demo update comes with a bunch of improvements from the initial launch, some entirely new:

1. NEW: You can rebind the mouse clicks (and hotspot button)!
   
2. NEW: You can show possible in game hotspots/places you can click with TAB
   
3. NEW: The text message interface is massively improved
   
4. NEW: Change the size of the cursor if you struggle to see it, or it is too big for you
   
5. NEW: Extra/improved settings menus in the phone, including the ability to save whenever you want
   
6. NEW: Improved intro and outro for the game!
   
7. NEW: Improved subtitling system that remains in sync better when the game in out of focus
   
8. NEW: Improved intro and outro behaviour that's hopefully a bit more immersive!
   
9. A mysterious secret if you complete the demo
   
10. Option to change the look of the books from hand-written to printed!
    
11. Improved high score menu!
    
12. Tweaked and improved hints
    
13. General bug fixes all over!
    

If you've not tried the demo before now is an excellent time to rectify that, as this update has tons of improvements! As always, dropping a wishlish is hugely helpful as well as I'm working on this mostly by myself in my spare time and I'd love to get to the next wishlist milestone 🧡

Oh, and before I go, I should let you know that SOLAS 128 is also having it's deepest ever sale too, at 70% off! So if you're yet to pick that up, now is a great time too:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1257850/SOLAS_128/#game_area_purchase

As always thanks for all the support, and I hope you enjoy the puzzling!

- Amicable Animal

Hi all, Tom here!

A little extra post today to let you know that CRT7 (and SOLAS 128) will be back in the Cerebral Puzzle Showcase this year, happening from May 23rd to May 30th!

CRT7 needs more development time before I can reveal all its secrets, but I've worked hard to make an updated demo for the event! It will launch at 9am BST on the 23rd! If you see Demo 0.18 on the entry door or credits menu, you've got the updated version.

This update focuses on improving quality of life issues, accessibility, and the intro and outro of the demo so it's a great time to try if you haven't already. It premieres the all new hotspot highlighting system, improved in game menus and text message interface, input rebinding, cursor resizing and more! Be aware that it will reset your progress if you've played before, however.



I really hope you enjoy it and consider dropping a wishlist so you can be notified about updates and when the full game releases!


- Amicable Animal

Hi all, Tom here!

So, I managed to actually take some time off in April to recharge, relax, and play some games. It was very much needed, but that doesn't mean I wasn't able to get some fun things working for CRT7!


So last dev diary I told you I was working on a new section of the game, involving some very haunted doors. I'm glad to report that section is now playable from start to finish! Of course, because I can't help myself, it's become a little more complicated than I originally planned. It now has a couple of small, satisfying little puzzles to work out which will help tie this section better into the themes of CRT7, so I think it was worth it. Also, it's gotten a little bit more colourful:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

(I've also tweaked the round tables you occasionally see as it was upsetting me how pointy they were!) Anyway, once this section is completed you can continue with your journey in the main room, with the computer unlocked. Time to play one of those new modes to turn on some lights? Or maybe to search for more things hidden in the dark. Perhaps you'll even find a use for those pentominoes you've been discovering around the room!


If you're reading these posts, I'm going to assume you're probably at least somewhat into game or puzzle design. If so, you might also be interested in a talk I gave this month at the inaugural ThinkyCon 2024. It was all about how I've transitioned my design thinking from SOLAS 128 to CRT7, with some basics of how our visual system works which you can use to help design your own games. You'll definitely see some of the tricks used in CRT7! If you're interested, you can watch the talk for free on YouTube here:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]


So, what's next? First off, I need to test this new section a little more and make sure I've not broken anything major. So far it's working well, but save systems are fiddly so I'm suspicious... The next major step, as I've alluded to previously, is to get the next part of the main room unlocked. This is already functional thanks to work the last couple of months, but I need to consider and test the order in which things are unlocked so players aren't overwhelmed too much.

The puzzles in the main room are designed to slowly get more complicated and intertwined, but it's a careful balancing act as the possibility space will keep increasing and that can make things get very difficult, very fast – as you might have experienced in SOLAS 128! Still, I want there to be lots of surprises and secrets, so expect plenty of continued weirdness to come!

As always playing, sharing, and wishlisting is hugely helpful and allows solo developers like me to make weird games for you to enjoy. So, if you haven't already, please do nudge a friend or two to try the demo and wishlist CRT7 as well:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2096780/CRT7/

Keep your eyes peeled and I'll see you again soon for another development update!

- Amicable Animal