PAPERHEAD News

[p]Yeah, that's right![/p][p]EP.0 OST release this Halloween![/p][p]Meanwhile, check out this teaser track for now![/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]
[/p]

[h2]Yo[/h2]
Today we'll talk about coins, upgrades, etc.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2680280/PAPERHEAD/
[h2]Upgrades![/h2]
In the demo and Ep0, like 100% of players said something like:
“Whoa, some kind of coins? Probably for some shop or something.”
But then there was no shop.
Well now there will be! And not just one, but two kinds.

In the release version there will be two types of clips:

• Regular - same as in the demo and Ep0
  
• Golden - a new type of collectible
  

[h2]Regular Clips-coins[/h2]
Regular coin-clips will be used for the consumables shop.
Things like refill HP, restock ammo, buy armor, get extra weapons.
For a huge amount you’ll even be able to buy a skill point, but more on that later.
There’ll be plenty of them around, so besides the fun of collecting them like in collectathons, now they’ll also have real value.
[h2]Golden Clips-coins[/h2]
Golden coin-clips will be used for the upgrade tree. You’ll find them in secrets.
Apart from the obvious upgrades like more ammo/HP, improving abilities and weapons, there’ll also be some funny extras.

For example, the MOST “IMPORTANT” upgrade:

In Ep0 I added the ability to carry objects literally at the last moment before release, without really thinking it through. Some players loved it, others found it confusing/annoying: “hey dev you have a HL2 bug here”
At first I wanted to just cut it from the release. But then I thought to make it an optional upgrade.

So for golden clips you’ll be able to buy the ability to carry phys objects. The second level of it lets you jump off them mid-air. Yeah glitchy prop-jump as an upgrade lol. Hopefully that’ll clear up the “is it a bug or what” question.

Overall all these coins and upgrades stuff are meant as extra “something to do” for those who like thing like that. It’s not a grindy mandatory progression system, but more like a way to smooth out the experience, make a comfy build you prefer.Like idk, going all-in on pencil, or coin farming, or something else.

At least, that’s the idea…

Add “PAPERHEAD” to your wishlist

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2680280/PAPERHEAD/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2680280/PAPERHEAD



This time, I want to share some info about what’s changing in combat in the full release of PAPERHEAD.

After watching a bunch of let’s plays and streams of Ep.0, it became kinda obvious that the current state of the combat is not ideal.

In short, fights were kind of unbalanced:

• Weapon balance was done roughly by feel, which sometimes made them way too strong or too weak.
  
• There was often too little time between getting new weapons (I mean level-wise) to try them out properly, or they came in a weird order (like pencil bombs appearing almost at the end).
  
• Level flow was often cutting off the action too soon.
  

So for the release, I’m rebalancing weapons and enemies, tweaking the level design, and adding new mechanics to make players actually utilize all that toolbelt the game offers.

[h2]Level Flow[/h2]

In the release version, weapons and abilities will be spaced out more evenly across levels.
You’ll get time to play around with each before getting the next.
Levels will also be more clearly split into "action" and "story" sections, so one doesn’t interrupt the other.
Something like: first a full action level, then a chill one to jump around and explore the lore, then action again, and so on.

[h2]Enemies & Weaknesses[/h2]

Enemies will be more tied to specific weapon or ability weaknesses.
For example, some enemies will have armor that might require switching weapons to specific ones to deal damage.
Like, for example, one enemy might be immune to everything except a kick, so you’ll need to run up and kick him, not just spam shoot with whatever weapon you were holding.
Or maybe another might only lose armor from explosions, so you’ll need to switch to the weapon dealing explosive damage (or kick a barrel), etc.
And so on and on.


Art here is a placeholder, ofc

[h2]No Ammo[/h2]

In the release version, you’ll be able to recover resources more easily (compared to ep0), especially with the pencil. Corpses will drop ammo, and corpse-erasing would be the main way to heal yourself. No more regular boring healing items or coin collecting heals (although coins will remain, but will have a different role).



So in the release, you’ll always have a way to recover ammo or health when needed.
Exploration will not be required to gather ammo, tho it will be useful for something different - I’ll probably talk about that next time.

There’s also a bunch of smaller things coming sooo….

Wishlist PAPERHEAD
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2680280/PAPERHEAD

[p]
[dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]Document No. ██████
[/p][p]Date: ██/██/20██ (date and month classified under Protocol 3536/3)[/p][p]Subject: Analysis of the document archive “Operation █████” dated ██/██/19██ [/p][p]Cell: ██████████ [/p][p]Item: Multiple documents belonging to the Axis-aligned state ███████ describing the construction of a refueling station on a previously undiscovered island in the ███████ ███████ Ocean.

General Description of the Document

According to the materials presented, a previously uncharted island was recorded.

As part of a regional operation, the initiating state’s command decided to deploy engineering infrastructure of a military-logistics profile on the site, including an aircraft refueling point.

Construction of basic fortifications was completed within 31 days. At the time of report submission, one aircraft refueling trip is mentioned (see Sec. 5).

Description of the Terrain and Artifacts

The documents contain a description of the island's territory and engineering site placement diagrams (detailed schematics are presented in █████).

Points of interest to our department include the following facts:

Traces of cultural artifacts of unknown origin were discovered on the island:

[/p]

• [p] Numerous depictions of human figures (presumably of a people once residing on the island)
  [/p]
• [p] Visual motifs include people confronting animals and birds whose proportions significantly exceed those of known biological species.
  [/p]
• [p] In the southern part of the island, within a cave system, an image was recorded depicting a figure with a "solar" head, presumably a cult representation of a deity. In accompanying depictions, the being also significantly exceeds human scale.
  [/p]
• [p] In the same cave system, a burial site of a male individual was discovered. Relatively recent — less than 150 years old.
  [/p]
• [p] Due to the lack of necessary expertise among members of the construction operation, no further study was conducted. No connection between the cave drawings and the burial could be established.
  [/p]
• [p] No other remains, structures, household items, or additional artifacts have been documented.
  [/p]

[p]
Operation Results

The final report ends with the loss of communication with the stationed contingent. A rescue operation was not initiated due to the capitulation of the initiating state (August 15, 1945).

Additional Information

The sole aircraft that refueled was en route from ██████ to Pingfan (Binjiang Province, China). The presumed purpose of the flight: transportation of medical equipment and documentation. However, according to the reports in the archive, the aircraft never departed from the island following refueling.

The archive contains 132 units of documentation. 16 units were seized by order No. 588 of 19██ by directive of the highest government bodies for transfer to partner advisory agencies.

To access subsequent sections of reports on operations “████ 1” and “████ 2”, please request clearance from the department responsible for communications with partner-friendly organizations.

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――
FIL|UM RUB|R|UM
――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

(W.I.S.H.L.I.S.T. PAPERHEAD)
[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2680280/PAPERHEAD/
Hey there!

Making first-person shooters in 2025 is tough, not in a technical sense, but in trying to cover every little thing people expect from games in this genre. At least for me, it’s been a real challenge to recognize and understand all those tiny details that players just take for granted in every boomshoot.

Take level navigation, for example. In EP1, some folks complained that the locations were confusing, even though I never intended them to be. Sure, I planned a bit of branching here and there, but I never set out to confuse the players. I assumed the obvious formula: make a linear level (which is a whole universe of considerations in itself) + a few branches = level design. But nope. And I say that as someone who’s worked as a level designer professionally for a few years. The levels in QUAKE, DOOM, DUSK were crafted by total geniuses, I swear.

Anyway, for the final version, we’re designing levels with modern level-design practices in mind. If there’s a main objective, it’ll be absolutely crystal clear at every moment, and any side paths will feel purely optional: never pulling the player’s mind off the main course too much… at least in theory. Right now, I’m busting my chops to make it actually work that way.

(That doesn’t mean everything will be washed in yellow paint though!)

On top of that, we’ll add a minimap for anyone who still gets lost despite my best untangling efforts. It’s primarily a support tool: the levels themselves are designed to be navigable without it, but it’ll be there whenever you want it. Doors, switches, notes, secrets - everything will be marked on it (with varying degrees of spoilery-ness).

Here’s a quick clip showing the map:



So yeah, that's episode 1 of the devlog series. The next one will probably be about some new enemies and lore.
Subscribe, hit like, yare yare…

…and WISHLIST “PAPERHEAD”! 🌜

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2680280/PAPERHEAD/