The Night Shift News

Hey all,

After investigating a couple issues that were raised, I found a pretty nasty issue regarding loading saved games. When loading a saved game, events would happen that shouldn't at that time, audio wouldn't play, and a bunch of other nasty stuff.
I found the issue, and fixed it.

A new addition to The Night Shift is that it now defaults to the same language as your steam client by default, as long as it is supported by the game (you can check what languages are supported in-game or on the store page).

Amongst other things, I have added a volume slider for mannequins specifically - whether you want to turn them up twice as much, or have silent mannequins stalking you, the choice is yours!

Now I know I said I would add a seasonal toggle in the new year, but I was doing other stuff in those areas and well... I added a drop down for seasons. There are a couple options here:
- No Seasons - Disables all seasonal content throughout the game until you change the setting.
- Seasonal - Enables themed content around the real life dates of those seasons (selected by default).
- Christmas - Enables Christmas themed content all the time, and allows you to get those pesky Christmas achievements even when the Christmas event is over.

Read the changelog below.

[h3]Changes[/h3]
- On the very first launch or if no saves are found, the game will default to the same language as the player's Steam client (if the language is supported, otherwise will default to English).
- Updated the demo loading to the main menu if attempting to load a level not included in the demo.
- Added option to change seasonal theme. These take into effect when loading into the next level.
- Added a Mannequin volume slider (only effects mannequin audio).

[h3]Bug Fixes[/h3]
- Fixed some dropdown menus missing the previously saved setting when opening the settings for the first time when the game is launched.
- Fixed triggers and radio audio not triggering correctly when loading into a saved game.
- Fixed the keycard and various other items being blurry when inspecting them.
- Fixed a gap in the floor in the maintenance area and near the warehouse door.
- Fixed losing reticule if placing a fire extinguisher by hand.
- Fixed "playing" status for Steam Timeline not appearing correctly.
- Various performance and optimization improvements.

Report any bugs or issues on the Steam Discussion board, the Discord, or the website.

Follow The Night Shift on X/Twitter.

Chat soon!

Marty

The Night Shift is now 30% off during the Steam Winter Sale!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

The promotion ends with the Winter Sale on Wednesday, January 2nd

Grab your copy here:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2468610/The_Night_Shift/?curator_clanid=4777282

Hey all,

This is a small update with a couple of soft lock, QoL and other fixes.

- There was an issue with mannequins not moving. I'm unsure how this started but I was able to fix it. So to confirm, the mannequins now move again.
- This is more of a backup fix, but for those with saves with a night number higher than 5 (which is the last night, currently). If you load into that shift and finish it, the next shift will be night 5 and the correct level. For example, this should be a fix for those with night 17, complete that night and your next saved game will be back on track!

Read the changelog below.

[h3]Changes[/h3]
- Added backup to corrupt saves with night levels too high (currently anything higher than night 5). If loading into a save with night number high than 5, on the shift completion will load into the next story level.
- Updated visuals of all glass materials.
- Updated visuals of office door.
- Updated visuals of on/off settings to minimize confusion on what's selected.
- Increased blueish glow around player when flashlight isn't equipped.
- Moved bottles required for "Beer Baron" to be a little more obvious.

[h3]Bug Fixes[/h3]
- Fixed mannequins not moving when they should.
- Fixed imperfections on tiled floor being too big.
- Fixed lights sometimes exploding when you haven't completed the breakers on night 2.
- Fixed artifacts showing on various objects in the change rooms.
- Fixed various jagged shadows in the later levels.
- Fixed vision text showing when opening the settings menu for the first time after launching.
- Various performance and optimization improvements.

Report any bugs or issues on the Steam Discussion board, the Discord, or the website.

Follow The Night Shift on X/Twitter.

Chat soon!

Marty

Hey everyone!

A small update today, read all the changes below.

[h3]Changes[/h3]
- Christmas Event: Changed music to not start immediately on the first night.
- Changed a couple things regarding spooks on the first night.

[h3]Bug Fixes[/h3]
- Fixed some shadows being jagged.
- Fixed a couple of audio cues not playing when they should.
- Fixed various shelves and posters in electronics on shift 5 sometimes not showing correctly.
- Fixed the safe being unlocked already.
- Fixed the apply button not being clickable when changing some settings.
- Fixed shadow artifacts on various clothes.
- Fixed being unable to achieve the 'Working for Free' achievement.
- Fixed mannequins not being able to move through a gateway on night 2.
- Fixed lighting in bathrooms sometimes not behaving correctly.
- Fixed tasks not starting if you right clicked on notes that would give you a task when left clicking them.
- Fixed a fire extinguisher affecting movement while getting to the office on the first night.
- Fixed mannequin being able to seen vanishing on the first night.
- Various performance and optimization improvements.

Report any bugs or issues on the Steam Discussion board, the Discord, or the website.
Follow The Night Shift on X/Twitter.

Chat soon!
Marty

Hey everyone,

[h2]Happy Almost-Holidays!![/h2]

Today marks the first seasonal update to The Night Shift! I had planned a seasonal update for Halloween, but tech issues and life got in the way. To make up for it, we’re starting with a Christmas update! With the holiday season upon us, The Night Shift will join in the festivities... for the entire month of December.

[h3]The Details[/h3]
The event runs from December 1st at 12:01 AM to December 31st at 11:59 PM, all local time.

[h3]What Does This Mean?[/h3]
For this holiday season, once the event begins, you’ll experience a Christmas-themed store and other surprises throughout your playthrough*.
This Christmas event includes three new achievements exclusive to the month. Timed achievements aren’t for everyone, so once December ends, I plan to let players toggle seasonal content as much as they want. This feature isn’t integrated yet, but more updates on this will come in 2025.

[h3]Why?[/h3]
There are a couple of reasons I’ve decided to include seasonal content in a single-player game.
First, I think it’s fun! Seasonal updates add variety to the game’s look and feel while also getting you into the festive spirit.
Second, this idea goes back to when I played Team Fortress 2 religiously. I absolutely loved the seasonal updates their team created.
While I know these kinds of updates aren’t for everyone, I currently don’t have a way to toggle them off. This feature will likely arrive alongside the seasonal content toggle in 2025.

* To note, this will effect both the Early Access game and the free demo.

Now, onto non-seasonal content!

One of the biggest parts of this update isn’t new content but performance improvements. I’ve made several optimizations, and I hope you’ll notice the improved performance in this update.
There are also updates to visuals in several areas. For instance, I’ve added more feedback for player interactions with certain items. One example is the fire alarms on Shift 5—they were easy to miss before, so I’ve made them slightly more noticeable.

This update also addresses a few bugs:

• Fixed an issue where players could get soft-locked while carrying a fire extinguisher (or other physics-based items) and entering a menu or dialogue.
  
• Resolved a few other issues related to physics-based items.
  
• Not being able to read movies or games that you inspect. You should have the same visibility as you do with notes. There are a couple of really cool easter eggs to discover here!
  

Now to the changelog.

[h3]Changes[/h3]
- Prepared the mannequins for the holiday season.
- Added seasonal decorations, notes, and interactions.
- Added 3 Christmas achievements.
- Updated shift 5 for consistency to what is coming.
- Updated visuals of fire alarm button.
- Updated locked breaker handles to animate when interacting with them.
- Updated the distance between the player and item when picking it up.

[h3]Bug Fixes[/h3]
- Fixed emergency lights showing when loading a saved shift 5 slot.
- Fixed sometimes the dialogue audio on shift 5 not being effected by the audio slider.
- Fixed an exit sign not being consistent across shifts.
- Fixed the blue flatbed trolley missing some of its mesh.
- Fixed not being able to see movies and some post it notes in the dark when inspecting them.
- Fixed reticule disappearing if you walked a extinguisher to the case.
- Fixed being able to release/throw a held item with the journal or menu open.
- Fixed being soft locked if you held an item and opened journal, menu, or chose a dialogue option.
- Fixed missing localisation for some dialogue on night 1.
- Fixed a box on shift 5 being open and closed at the same time.
- Various performance and optimisations improvements.

Report any bugs or issues on the Steam Discussion board, the Discord, or the website.
Follow The Night Shift on Bluesky and X/Twitter.

Chat soon!
Marty