Distance News

Hi everyone! If you're wondering what Refract has been up to lately here's a quick update. I talk about the current state of Refract projects, Distance on PS4, and more:

• https://refract.com/post/728127724861931520/september-2023-update

[h3]Looking for Community Levels[/h3]

It’s been a while since our last update but the incredible community-made levels just keep coming (almost 5,000 of them)! I’m looking into doing another small Community Level update to feature some in game, and I could use your help in deciding what should be included. I’ve created a Google survey where you can nominate your favorite levels released over the last couple years. Please check it out here:

• Nominate: https://forms.gle/GtPYBu2AGM8BEBUU9

[h3]Steam Cloud Bug Fixed[/h3]

In other Steam-specific news, I was made aware of an issue with Steam Cloud. Upon reaching Steam's file limit you would see "k_eResultFileNotFound" errors in-game after finishing a map, or when you try to upload or update a workshop map.

To remedy this I'm no longer syncing the "LocalLeaderboards/WorkshopLevels" folder which means Workshop local leaderboards will not be synced with the Cloud (since there could be endless files). I'm also not syncing your Graphics Settings across devices since that could result in resolution mismatches and other issues.

I hope you all are doing well and thanks for reading!

- Jordan

Hey all, this is a quick update to say that Steam Cloud is now enabled for Distance!

Your personal leaderboards, medal progress, editor levels, etc. will now be backed up after closing the game. Since it's a change in Steam's backend there is no new build to download, and it works cross-platform with Windows, Mac, and Linux. Thanks for your patience while sorting this one out!





With December right around the corner that means Distance Advent Calendar (DAC) is starting up soon! If you're into level making it's an excellent opportunity to get your own creations in front of players. To quote Californ1a from our mod team on Discord:

Originally posted by Californ1a

It's that time of year again, DAC 2020 is open for submissions!
Hit that follow button and turn on notifications for this channel to be notified when DAC maps start releasing in December!

If you're new around here, DAC is the Distance Advent Calendar.
Every year a whole bunch of map authors get together to release (at least) one new map each day of December leading up to the 25th.
Occasionally we also have additional submissions alongside the maps like videos, wallpapers, and more.

Anyone is free to join in and make a map regardless of your editor skills - There are plenty of people around to help out if you want to try your hand at learning the editor!
Let us know if there is a map you want to release during December so we can get you added to the calendar.

Join our Discord community to get in on the action: http://discord.gg/distance



For those out of the loop with Refract this year I posted a devlog a little while back:

• The Next Chapter of Refract

It's obviously been a very strange year but plenty is happening behind the scenes. We're not quite ready to discuss what's coming next from Refract but we hope to have news soon. Until then I hope you and your families are staying safe and doing well this year!

- Jordan (with everyone at Refract)

The sixth annual Distance Advent Calendar (DAC) has started! For those new to Distance this year, DAC is a community-run event where each day in December leading up to the 25th level creators coordinate to release Workshop levels!

Follow DAC level releases by joining the Distance Discord and checking out the #dac channel. Discuss each day's level with other players, and see early previews of upcoming levels!

[h3]Distance on macOS Catalina[/h3]
Today we're also releasing a 64-bit version of Distance on macOS to support Catalina. It's basically the exact build as before except it's now 64-bit instead of 32-bit. Right now we only plan to support 64-bit on macOS but if that changes I'll post about it here.

[h3]DAC Dev Stream[/h3]
We'll be doing another dev stream this week to play and discuss the latest additions to Distance. We hope to see you live on Twitch tomorrow at 1pm PT!

• Where: http://twitch.tv/refractstudios
• When: Thursday December 19th, 1pm PT
  

As some have noticed I did clearly fail to post a devlog or do a dev stream since my last Steam announcement. Between normal Refract distractions and some personal health issues my hands have been painfully full over the past few months. Sorry for the delay, and hopefully the dev stream will tide you over until I have a chance to finish up the devlog.

Hope you're having a great holiday season!

- Jordan (with everyone at Refract)

Hey all! This is a bit different from my usual posts but I want to share a fun bonus thing with you:

STATIC MIX // Fall 2019:
https://soundcloud.com/torcht/sets/static-mix

While working on Distance I frequently listen to instrumental music via mixes and live sets, so I thought it would be fun to give back by creating one of my own. It's filled with artists who have inspired me over the past few years, so I figured fans of Distance's soundtrack would enjoy it. Also, many of the tracks work well with Boombox mode IMO (tracklist is in the description). Hope you enjoy!


While I'm at it, thought I could give a brief update on other stuff in the works. Unfortunately I've been a bit under the weather since my last post but I'm still working on that longer devlog talking about Refract's future in general. Hope to have that up soon.

We're also planning to do another dev stream in October so stay tuned for the day/time. We'll be playing a ton of community levels so if you have a level you want to see us play let us know via Twitter or in the comments below. Bonus points if it's extra spooky. Hope to see you there!

- Jordan (with everyone at Refract)

Hey all! Today the official soundtrack is getting a long overdue update to include remastered music from the Nexus update! If you already own the Soundtrack & Art Book DLC it'll update automatically via Steam. The OST now includes these extended / remastered tracks:

• Observatory
  
• Mobilization
  
• Resonance
  
• Deterrence
  
• Terminus
  
• Collapse
  

Due to popular demand we've also made the soundtrack available for streaming!

• Spotify
• Apple Music / iTunes
• Amazon
• Bandcamp
• SoundCloud
• Napster
• iHeartRadio
• Deezer

Over the next few weeks the soundtrack will also be available via Google Play, Pandora, Tidal, ClaroMusica, Saavn, Anghami, KKBox, MediaNet, Instagram/Facebook, and TikTok. Be sure to follow Jordan Hemenway and The Quiggles on your favorite platforms (e.g. Spotify, SoundCloud, etc.) to keep up to date with future releases!

Thank you for all of the incredibly kind words about the soundtrack since the v1.0 launch. We hope you enjoy these new tracks!

- Jordan (with everyone at Refract)