Influent News

[h3]Finally Some Good News![/h3][p]You heard it here first! Influent got an update! Nothing too fancy so please hold your applause until after these announcements. That being said, some of you lovely language learners out there may be very happy with this update so drop me a like or a comment if that's you! ːdoobː[/p][p][/p][h3]Language Pack Fixes[/h3][p]First and foremost, I have addressed the Korean and German language pack issues that have been reported multiple times in the past few months... or years or however long this as been going on. Apparently, at some point, the Korean Language Pack somehow reverted back to a much older version of itself. Well that's no longer a thing thanks to some awesome backups that past me made just in case something like this happened. Thanks past me!![/p][p]Additionally, some other problems were reported with the German Language Pack that I went through and addressed so those random missing audio pronunciations and a few other mixed up words should all be a thing of the past! Danke to everyone that pointed these issues out to me.[/p][p][/p][h3]Linux Gameplay Fixes[/h3][p]I feel like this issue has been present on Linux in one form or another since the game launched over a decade ago but I believe I've finally got everything working exactly as it should be. Basically the game wasn't selecting the stuff you clicked due to offset problems and mouse locking issues and it rendered the game unplayable. Well if you're a Linux user and you have been waiting patiently for Influent to stop sucking, today is your lucky day! Sorry it took like over 10 years or whatever. My bad yo![/p][p][/p][p]Release Notes[/p]

• [p]Directional Arrow Fixed During Tutorial[/p]
• [p]New Game Stuck on White Screen Bug Fix[/p]
• [p]Korean Language Pack Text/Audio Bug Fixes[/p]
• [p]German Language Pack Text/Audio Bug Fixes[/p]
• [p]Linux Object Selection and Mouse Position Bug Fix[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Valentines Day Sale[/h3][p]This time of year is pretty rough as winter drags on and it's still cold in many places. It's also devoid of holidays and sale opportunities so I'm using this hallmark holiday to drop a sweet 40% discount. Worth noting is the storefront has gone through a major reversion back to the old language pack system! Shout out to Valve for helping set that up again. There's also a fancy new Polyglot Bundle on the DLC store pages if you're so inclined.[/p][p][/p][h3]Until Next Time[/h3][p]I'm gonna keep doing little updates here and there where I can while the world keeps spiraling out of control. Not really sure if humans were supposed to be in charge of everything down here on Earth but I don't know who else is out there so if you're reading this, send help! Things aren't going very well but hey, at least we have video games! ːp2cubeː[/p][p][/p][p]

[h3]What the heck is this?[/h3]
We know this game is wildly different than Influent so apologies for bugging you if there's absolutely zero interest but we still hope you might like it! It's family-friendly and a love-letter to the couch-party style games of yesteryear. If that floats your boat, check out the Release Date Announcement Trailer below!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h3]Word on the Street[/h3]
If that trailer got you hyped to play it, please do us a solid and tell at least one other person about it. We don't really believe in advertising because we hate ads. Honestly we have no idea how things gain momentum in the collective subconscious but we're guessing it has something to do with word of mouth. If that trailer alone didn't blow your mind, then maybe the Arcade Edition Reveal Trailer will! Here's a list of arcade locations.

[h3]Wish Upon a Blob[/h3]
Here's a link to the Steam Store Page for Armed and Gelatinous: Couch Edition in case you're feeling extra jiggly after watching the trailer. Wishlist it to get updates when it releases on May 2nd, 2024!

[h3]Sale Time![/h3]
To celebrate our big release date announcement, we're discounting Influent for the next two weeks! For those who don't already know, Influent has been consolidated into one Definitive Edition, meaning all 23 languages are now included. Get it while it's hot!

[h3]What's Next?[/h3]
After the release of Armed and Gelatinous: Couch Edition (and a much-needed vacay), I will be able to address some of the feature requests for Influent such as First Person View mode among other things. Excited to be able to re-engage with the community. Thank you all for your patience!

After removing the storyline from the game due to excessive complaints in recent user reviews (and poor sales) since the update, it appears most players were unhappy with that decision! Perhaps I jumped the gun a bit there when I removed the story. I appreciate everyone's support in saying they actually enjoyed it and that it should still be included. So yes, it's back.



Like I literally just said! Ever since I released the last big update, the reviews, forum posts, and overall sales have been pretty terrible to look at. People have some pretty awful things to say about Influent and I guess it took a toll on me as a solo indie developer. I don't think most people realize it's just me making this peculiar language learning game. PSA to anyone unhappy with Influent: When you rip into my game after playing it for fifteen minutes and tell me how terrible you think it is, do you think that makes me want to keep working on it? It honestly makes me want to set it on fire and walk away.



I'm honestly doing fine! Mentally anyway. Financially? Lol! But that's my fault from all the avocado toast I've been eating. Ultimately I don't really think Influent has much of a place in the video game industry given the way things have been trending since it released in 2014. Education is just not important to any publishers out there and in my experience, players on Steam have been extremely critical in their reviews of Influent. Personally I believe games like Influent need extra special care in order to grow and succeed in a market driven primarily by entertainment value as opposed to educational value. Influent specifically gets a lot of flak for not being a one-stop-shop for fluency. It also catches heat for not having enough words (yet everyone complaining about that has less than an hour invested). But I digress...



Look. I am not a highly skilled 3D Artist. Yes, I can do 3D art and I understand how it works but it is not my area of expertise. Furthermore I am not a 2D artist and cannot make texture art in the style of Influent. As I explained above, my addiction to avocados has left me without the income to hire the artists needed to create new areas for Influent. Hopefully that helps everyone understand why I keep adding things that don't involve 2D/3D artwork.



It's an Arcade Game, and I do mean a real arcade game, that my best friend and I have been working on for FAR too long that we're trying to release on consoles this year. I have a business partner named Spooky who I have a commitment to so I will be focused on Armed and Gelatinous until it's done and released into the netosphere! Please wishlist and maybe buy it when it comes out? I need that sweet avo rush as often as I can get it!

That's right folks! Influent's story is finally dead! Let's face it, it was garbage to begin with. I don't know who came up with all that nonsense but it definitely wasn't me. Okay maybe it was me but I promise it was going somewhere until in 2013 when the くそ hit the fan and development screeched to a halt.

What happened you might ask? There's a great quote by John Lennon about how life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans. So yeah, it never got finished and I'm sorry to anyone who liked it but it's gone now. Maybe I'll rewrite it someday, who knows!



I spent months developing a chat system so the characters could talk to each other in-game like an RPG kinda thing but it turned out to be a lot of slow-paced clutter and people have complained heaps so that's almost completely gone now! I'm sorry I ever programmed it into existence. That's just me apologizing to myself for wasting months of time. It's cool, everything's fine. I'm not crying. Why would I be crying?



Yeah I guess it might have helped a few people and I'm sure it might leave some in the dark without it but ultimately, Influent is a pretty straightforward experience with a whole world wide web out there where other players can answer questions. That's you right? I'm looking at you! Either way, I'm happy to field questions on the discord and on the Steam forums if anyone ever gets lost or confused. The game just dumps you right into it now. Sink or swim! I hope you swim.

Also I'll probably bring back the FPS mode someday soon, I know you want it back.


PS - The game is also a lot cheaper now! Tell your friends!

In keeping with tradition, I've extended the Winter Sale deal another 2 weeks so if you just missed the deal Influent had going, there's still time to get on board with learning something new in 2023! If you've ever wanted to start on a new language, there's never been a better time than right now.



This version of Influent just launched in November and features a plethora of languages all in one fancy package! How many languages you ask? 23 to be exact! This includes the ever-popular Japanese, Spanish, English, and German, alongside the brand-new Polish, Welsh, and Dutch releases!



Also worth noting is that Korean is now fully fixed as I've just included some additional updates to the language pack. Many thanks to Creorleans#4291 on Discord for all the help with identifying the last few bugs! Solid companion. ːp2cubeː

Also the spaceship's lasers now auto-fire when held down. Enjoy!