Prop Haunt News

[p]It’s been a long road, and I’m proud to finally announce...[/p][h2]
Prop Haunt has arrived in Early Access! [/h2][p]
After years of solo development, my first game is available now on Steam. Looking back at how far I’ve come to reaching this point, it’s a bit unbelievable. [/p][p][/p][p]The first rendition of ghosts vs. the final version. Truly a long way![/p][p][/p][p]Visual changes are not the only thing that saw updates. With the help of friends and players, I’ve been able to take feedback from all over. This feedback has helped me redefine features, maps, hauntings, and game mechanics from big system changes to small, but important UI changes. [/p][p][/p][p]When I say I couldn’t have done it without your help, I mean it from the bottom of my heart! Thank you to everyone who has provided feedback and joined the community. Prop Haunt is what it is today directly because of you. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Now, this does not mean development is finished just yet. There is still a road to 1.0, which I still plan on marching towards with player feedback. Keep an eye out for updates and changes during this time. Prop Haunt still has more to offer!

Until then, here is everything you can expect in Prop Haunt’s Early Access Launch and beyond.[/p][p][/p][h3]👻Current Early Access Features[/h3]

• [p]Four Ghosts to play.[/p]
• [p]2 Maps to play.[/p]
• [p]Public and Private lobby support.[/p]
• [p]In-game voice chat.[/p]
• [p]Destroy the majority of rooms to win as a Ghost. Scare and interfere with the Investigator to distract them.[/p]
• [p]Prevent Ghosts from destroying rooms by reporting haunts and zapping Ghosts.[/p]

[h3]🔎Release Patch Notes[/h3][p]Features[/p]

• [p]New Investigator Ability: Flip 180. Tired of those pesky Ghosts flying behind you while you’re scanning? Use your Flip 180 to surprise them.[/p]
• [p]New orb SFX when being destroyed.[/p]

[p]Bug Fixes[/p]

• [p]Changed the Tutorial to allow Possession use anytime.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug where, during scanning, using and stopping zap would hide ghosts.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug where the Ghost's trail colors weren't displaying correctly.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug where Ghost scores were not showing on the end screen.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug in the Tutorial where the last task for the Ghosts wouldn’t clear the Ghost World UI after haunting a warehouse prop.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug where the scan ability didn’t switch to cooldown tracking when used and still had enough AP.[/p]

[h3]🗺️Post EA Roadmap[/h3]

• [p]More maps.[/p]
• [p]More Haunts.[/p]
• [p]More tools for the investigator.[/p]
• [p]More ways for the Ghosts to scare and interfere with the Investigator.[/p]
• [p]Procedural prop generation to prevent memorization and increase replayability.[/p]
• [p]Role matchmaking system.[/p]
• [p]Metaprogression (Ghost and investigator levels that unlock passives/abilities).[/p]
• [p]Leaderboards.[/p]

[p]You can pick up Prop Haunt today for $14.99! [/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]Run into a bug or have feedback? Join the community Discord to report. Thanks again, and happy haunting, everyone! [/p][p]-Silent Forest Games🌲[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[p]Another playtest is wrapped up, and big changes for the Prop Haunts demo come with it! Before I dive into all the changes you can expect, please take my heartfelt THANK YOU! None of these changes would have been possible without player feedback during the playtests and the public demo.

Even though the playtests are officially over, as I prepare for the Early Access release (I can’t believe August 29th is already almost here), that doesn’t mean changes aren’t coming. There is still so much more to add to Prop Haunt before 1.0, such as new maps, new haunts, and more!

I’ll be looking closely at player feedback and reports to continue to make Prop Haunt the best it can be with your help. Join the official Discord to report. Thank you again![/p][p]
New map in the works: Police Department[/p][p][/p][p]Find the patch notes below and enjoy the biggest demo update to date![/p][p][/p][h2]👻 Features[/h2]

• [p]New Haunt: Facing Haunt. Haunted Prop will turn to face the camera while actively being watched.[/p]
• [p]New Haunt: Object Swap. This Haunt will replace the Prop with a similar but different Prop. (E.g., one kind of chair with a different kind of chair). Props that can be haunted this way randomize their starting Prop, giving some replayability to each level.[/p]
• [p]New Haunt: Toggle Lights. Some lights are now randomized on or off at the start of the match. This Haunt will toggle it to the other state.[/p]
• [p]New Ghost ability: Possess. Possess a Prop, then Haunt it. When your Prop gets reported, it triggers a jump scare for the investigator.[/p]
• [p]Match search now lists all lobbies sorted in the following order:[/p]
  • [p]Public joinable[/p]
  • [p]Public Full[/p]
  • [p]Private[/p]
  • [p]In Match[/p]
• [p]New interactive tutorial for Ghosts and Investigators[/p]
• [p]Camera controls moved to WASD and QE, away from mouse movement.[/p]

[h2]⚖️ Balance Changes[/h2]

• [p]Added a short 2-second cooldown for Haunts.[/p]
• [p]Haunt’s abilities are now charge-based and customizable in Match Settings. [/p]
• [p]Removed limit of Haunts per room.[/p]
• [p]Investigator Scan ability is now instant, and the Investigator can switch between rooms while activated to hunt Ghosts.[/p]
• [p]Ghosts are now visible while in Haunt or Possess mode.[/p]
• [p]Ghosts now have a trail behind them when moving.[/p]
• [p]Reduced the stun effect for ghosts by half. [/p]
• [p]Increased the amount of Influence needed to perform Rituals. Sorry Ghosts, the wins were happening a little too easily.[/p]
• [p]New Match Settings in the settings menu for customization:[/p]
  • [p]The number of Haunt charges Ghosts have.[/p]
  • [p]If Prop possession is always usable or only without Haunt charges.[/p]
  • [p]Investigator difficulty. Easy setting for the investigator makes Ritual Orbs take more power to be destroyed. [/p]
• [p]A timer is displayed in the Investigator warehouse to let players know how long they have until they are auto-teleported back to the ritual site.[/p]

[h2]🎵UI and Audio[/h2]

• [p]New Icons for Ghost Abilities.[/p]
• [p]New Icons for Investigator abilities.[/p]
• [p]New UI for Ghost to better display game state. [/p]
• [p]Fixed UI conflicts on the scoreboard.[/p]
• [p]New UI system for Ghost and Investigators.[/p]
• [p]Improved location of mute button on scoreboard.[/p]
• [p]All players can now hear the Scan Ability sound. It is now loudest if in the same room with you.[/p]
• [p]The lobby now has a spectator role, so full parties can easily be held between the investigator and the ghosts. This is not a spectator role in-game. Just a place to change roles in the lobby.[/p]
• [p]Replaced the font with a more legible one.[/p]
• [p]Improved flow of UI in the Lobby. WorldUI Pins disappear to make selecting options easier.[/p]

[h2]🐛 Bug Fixes[/h2]

• [p]Fixed bug where the game wouldn’t return to the lobby if the hunter left mid-match.[/p]
• [p]Fixed translation errors.[/p]
• [p]The demo acceptance UI is fixed and only appears once now as intended.[/p]
• [p]Fixed the issue where controls would incorrectly disappear on the bottom right.[/p]
• [p]Fixed the issue where the resize haunt would reset after a while.[/p]
• [p]Fixed issue where spamming E to sit down at the Investigator computer would break controls.[/p]
• [p]Fixed Props that weren’t haunting correctly in the kitchen, bathroom, and living room.[/p]
• [p]Fixed the issue with crates hiding the mouse not clearing correctly when found.[/p]
• [p]Fixed the issue where the Investigator sometimes couldn’t interact with the crates.[/p]
• [p]Fixed the issue where lobby doesn’t clear from search when starting a game.[/p]
• [p]Fixed the issue where the last player to join didn’t get set as Investigator.[/p]
• [p]Fixed the issue with cooldowns on warehouse Props were not working.[/p]
• [p]Fixed the issue with friends list not showing friends for non-host players in the lobby.[/p]
• [p]Fixed the crash that happens when returning to the lobby.[/p]
• [p]Fixed bug where changing master volume wouldn’t change other audio volumes.[/p]
• [p]Fixed bug where the Investigator's ability power was reset to 0 when getting back on the cameras from the warehouse.[/p]
• [p]Fixed bug where the Ritual Orbs were visible to the Investigator when looking at the computer screen with the camera pointed at an orb.[/p]
• [p]No longer able to start a match with 1 player.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug where Ghosts were able to body block the report action, preventing the Investigator from reporting haunts.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug where Ghost’s could see the world indicator for the Investigator when the lights are out[/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug where using your ultimate as a Ghost while it was on the global cooldown would apply a permanent cooldown, preventing any usage of the ult even if you had charges. [/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug that spam populated the Haunt Detected warning, which would also overwrite the Missing USB Device error, leading to confusion. Now, nothing will change if a new haunt is detected and the warning is already present.[/p]

[p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[p]You read that right. Prop Haunt is now Steam Deck ready! Play the demo now, or play with friends wherever you want when Prop Haunt comes to Early Access on the 29th! [/p][p]
Just swap out the controller input and get to busting or making scares. 👻
[/p][p]https://www.protondb.com/app/2960220?device=steamDeck[/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[p]
After years of solo work, Prop Haunt is coming to Early Access on August 29th! Thank you to the community for all their support during this time, I couldn't have made it here without you.[/p][p]Enjoy the latest trailer, and I'll see you in the game soon! [/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[p][/p][p]Hello, Ghouls and Investigators![/p][p][/p][p]It’s time for another community event to celebrate our very last playtest before release.[/p][p][/p][h3]👻 Bug Haunter is back! 👻[/h3][p]
This time with our biggest prize yet, a $50 Steam gift card! (More than your average ghost hunter salary, to be honest)[/p][p][/p][p]Either head on over to the community Discord and report a bug/feedback, or use the handy Feedback Form and let me know what you think. One randomly picked winner will receive not just one, but five copies of Prop Haunt when it comes to Early Access this summer to share with their whole ghostly crew.[/p][p][/p][p]Enjoy the final playtest, and thank you again for being part of this ongoing journey with us!

Haven’t signed up for the playtest yet? No problem, sign up to receive your keys here: Playtest Sign-up [/p][h3]
🔍Guidelines[/h3]

1. [p]Must be signed up for the Prop Haunt playtest and played that version[/p]
2. [p]Feedback can be submitted in Discord or with the Feedback Form[/p]
3. [p]Event ends August 7th[/p]
4. [p]A winner will be randomly selected and will receive a $50 Steam gift card [/p]