ShantyTown News

[p] [/p][p]Congratulations to last week's winner SuaveCapybara on Discord who won with this extravagant show of Neon and seasonal paper lanterns.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Some people created nice little corners, others created elaborate structures, but this one felt like a special blend of both, and with some color coordination topped with a clever use signs to make a multi-colored displays![/p][p][/p][p]It was really hard to judge as there were so many creative submissions, and we're going to evolve into a bit of a community vote for the next one. [/p][p][/p][p]Speaking of which![/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Theme: "Cozy Corner"[/h3][p]I won't lie, this is going to be tough! There's not much space to work with, and not many objects either (however, you CAN use the creative mode!) so try to be as clever as you can while cultivating your cozy corners![/p][p] [/p][p]Want to join the competition and perhaps win a key of ShantyTown in the process?[/p][p]Here's what you need to know:[/p][p][/p][h2]How It Works[/h2][p]This first competition will be set at the Marsh Pipe map where you can build whatever you'd like, but try and make it as beautiful or interesting as you can! [/p][p][/p][h2]How To Win[/h2][p]Judging will take place on Discord where you post 1-3 images and a little description to the #submissions channel. We'll do a community vote based on how many trophy emojis your submission gets![/p][p][/p][h2]What Are The Rules?[/h2]

• [p] Post your submission before Monday, March 9th[/p]
• [p] Only one submission per person[/p]
• [p] You can use creative mode OR story mode [/p]

[p][/p][h2]What Are The Prizes?[/h2][p]The top three builds will have their name immortalized in the game forever![/p][p]Also, as with the last competition, the winner of this competition get's a key to the full game on release![/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Want To Join?[/h2][p]Please do! Everyone's welcome! Just download the demo and play the lighthouse map and share your creation!
[dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]Then, head over to to the Discord channel and submit your photo along with a brief in-world description of your location! This can be a little history of the location you've built, an explanation of why you created it like that, or even a bit of creative writing![/p][p][/p][p]The competition ends after 1 week! (March 9th)![/p][p] Hints: Try to be clever with the houses to create a quiet corner![/p]

[p]Hi there ShantyTown fans![/p][p][/p][h2]Demo Updates[/h2][p]Wonderful to see so many new players! I've been worked on as well, improvements to UI and save-load systems, fixing bugs reported on the discord, and just making the experience overall better![/p][p][/p][p]One thing you might like, I've added a widget that allows you to customize the neon signs! Of course, it comes out in my custom in-world Kaingan script, but that's part of the fun, right?[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]How does the Kaingan language work?[/p][p]The text that is shown on the signs in ShantyTown are written in phonetic, syllabic characters. "What does that even mean" I can hear you saying, so let me break it down.[/p][p]Each character is a single syllable made up of consonants before and after just one vowel. Then add spaces between each syllable. For example: Coffee Shop would be written as "Kof Fee Shop" and would make a 3 letter sign. (Notice, there is no letter "c" so we use "k" because that's the correct sound!)[/p][p]This language has 13 vowels and 21 consonants, so be clever with how you use them! You can see in the image above how I've written a few words in a phonetic way.[/p][p][/p][h2]Streaming on Youtube[/h2][p]I'm actually live right now on Youtube and Twitch![/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p][/p][p]Come by the stream if you're interested to see [/p][p][/p][h2]Other Changes[/h2][p]I've made quite a few other changes, but here's a list of those relevant to the demo:[/p][p]Patch 0.07.08[/p][p]Changes[/p]

• [p]Neon sign text is now customizable![/p]
• [p]Added a new object, the Barrel Pond[/p]
• [p]Updated map starting camera locations[/p]
• [p]Object clicked widget now appears in a better location[/p]
• [p]Updated tooltip art on services[/p]
• [p]Improved Extensions’ collision[/p]
• [p]Wire holders spawn more wires between each other now[/p]

[p]Fixes[/p]

• [p]Fixed a bug where the camera was available at the start of the tutorial[/p]
• [p]Vertical movement has proper limits[/p]
• [p]Fixed the greenness of the poofy plants[/p]
• [p]Fixed an unusual window on Marshpipe that couldn’t go wide[/p]
• [p]Fixed lanterns so you can change their color again[/p]
• [p]Electric wires now connect to each other properly[/p]
• [p]Fixed a gap in the wall on a balcony model[/p]
• [p]Fixed a crash when changing colors of paired objects[/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug where sign backgrounds would turn black upon reloading[/p]

[p][/p][p]Congratulations to last week's winner KylieTheGrey over on Discord who won the first building competition around the lighthouse with this build![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]There's something really aesthetically pleasing about the subtle attention do detail in the object placements creating an atmosphere of believability and desire to go there! The little romantic seating area, dedicated bottle storage and awning over the kitchen. It just looks wonderful![/p][p][/p][p]It was really hard to judge as there were so many creative submissions, and I want to share a few of them:[/p][p][/p][p]Really cool stuff![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]We're moving to a bigger location. Marsh Pipe is a difficult place and where ShantyTown players really learn what density means! Time to use a bit of restraint and place only the objects you need to complete your ideal spot![/p][p] [/p][p]Want to join the competition and perhaps win a key of ShantyTown in the process? Here's what you need to know:[/p][p][/p][h2]How It Works[/h2][p]This first competition will be set at the Marsh Pipe map where you can build whatever you'd like, but try and make it as beautiful or interesting as you can! [/p][p][/p][h2]How To Win[/h2][p]Judging will take place on Discord where you post 1-3 images and a little description to the #share-your-town channel. We'll judge based on a few factors: [/p]

1. [p] Overall Creativity[/p]
2. [p] Description Lore[/p]

[p][/p][h2]What Are The Rules?[/h2]

• [p] Post your submission before Monday, March 2rd[/p]
• [p] Only one submission per person[/p]
• [p] You can use creative mode OR story mode [/p]

[p][/p][h2]What Are The Prizes?[/h2][p]The top three builds will have their name immortalized in the game forever![/p][p]Also, as with the last competition, the winner of this competition get's a key to the full game on release![/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Want To Join?[/h2][p]Please do! Everyone's welcome! Just download the demo and play the lighthouse map and share your creation!
[dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]Then, head over to to the Discord channel and submit your photo along with a brief in-world description of your location! This can be a little history of the location you've built, an explanation of why you created it like that, or even a bit of creative writing![/p][p][/p][p]The competition ends after 1 week! (March 2rd)![/p][p] Hints: Don't overload your location with too much clutter, find good places for the objects you want![/p][p][/p][p][/p]

[h2]Update Notes[/h2][p]I've been working to make changes to fix a lot of little things, specifically for controllers and save file issues. I've noticed a few other odd things happening, so I think there's still more work to be done![/p][p][/p][h2]Patch Notes:[/h2][p]0.07.07[/p][p]Changes[/p]

• [p]Fixed a crash when spawning electric signs[/p]
• [p]Fixed some loading issues[/p]
• [p]Pressing Continue on a completed map at game open should properly continue[/p]
• [p]The camera won’t flash in a loaded game[/p]
• [p]Continuing mid-map after exiting and re-opening should work properly[/p]
• [p]Fixed weather menu navigation on controller[/p]
• [p]Fixed a controller issue where the camera wouldn’t appear for returning players[/p]
• [p]Dossier hovers are now blue for controllers[/p]
• [p]Fixed some more navigational issues for controllers[/p]
• [p]Fixed a highlighting issue on creative mode buttons[/p]
• [p]Birds no longer yell on game load[/p]
• [p]Removed pipe sounds on loading[/p]
• [p]Added game endings (shhhhh!)[/p]
• [p]Fixed a loophole where every map was reachable from the creative mode[/p]
• [p]Maps do not show names in creative mode unless unlocked[/p]
• [p]Fixed a texture issue on an upgraded house roof piece[/p]
• [p]Weather properly appears in the Blanklands[/p]
• [p]Changed the way colors are organized and recorded[/p]

[p]Enjoy![/p][p]-Erik[/p]

[h2]Update Notes[/h2][p]Unfortunately, Steam's cloud save system and the in-game save system weren't linking properly and your save files may have been wiped![/p][p]This was not intentional and I really believe this is the last time this will happen as I believe it's been fixed.[/p][p][/p][p]If you have not opened the game in about a week, you can still save your progress, but you have to move your SaveGames and Screenshots folders from the game's local Saved folder into C:\\Users\\\[your username]\\AppData\\Local\\ShantyTown\\Saved[/p][p][/p][p]If you're happy to start the demo again, try it out with the new Chinese New Year's items![/p][p][/p][h2]Patch Notes:[/h2][p]0.07.02[/p][p]Changes[/p]

• [p]Updated introduction letter localizations[/p]
• [p]Removed the duplicate ambient sounds[/p]
• [p]Fixed a UI bug on the goals at the end screen[/p]
• [p]Fixed a focus bug on the map when completing a game[/p]
• [p]Cloud save should work as intended (fingers crossed)[/p]
• [p]Finally removed the paper sound on game open[/p]
• [p]Loading a game from a startup-loaded map won’t regenerate items[/p]
• [p]Fixed a UI bug when loading games from photos[/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug where volume would start at 60x normal[/p]
• [p]Upgraded to Unreal Engine 5.6[/p]
• [p]Fixed a camera lock issue on new games[/p]
• [p]Number buttons won’t spawn items while in menus[/p]
• [p]Dossier and Creative buttons properly become active upon completing certain maps[/p]
• [p]Fixed some focus issues on the introduction objects[/p]
• [p]Reorganized the lantern wall object to be in the lights creative category[/p]

[p]Enjoy![/p][p]-Erik[/p]