Chasm News

[p]This is a quick update with the latest libraries to hopefully fix a few compatibility issues introduced with last month's big SDL3 update. [/p][p][/p][p]1.095 [/p][p]------------------ [/p][p]- updated game controller database [/p][p]- updated to FNA 25.06[/p]

It's a never ending battle keeping PC games running comfortably on the latest hardware, but thankfully, SDL exists and makes it very easy to target a large amount of input, sound, and graphics hardware on all major platforms. In this vein, SDL 3.0 has recently been released, and now Chasm is taking the step up to it!

The biggest change by far in SDL 3.0 is the new graphics backend called SDL GPU. With it, Windows has moved up to D3D12 from D3D11, Linux has moved to Vulkan from OpenGL, and OSX still remains on its native Metal. If you are on older hardware or would like to force a particular graphics backend, you can do that as well in the Steam launch options with one of the following:

/gldevice:D3D11
/gldevice:OpenGL
/gldevice:Vulkan

If you encounter any graphical glitches or other issues with the upgrade, please let me know and we'll get it looked at ASAP. Also note that for now if you have showstopper issues you can switch to the default_previous public beta branch to continue playing the previous release using SDL 2.0.

Thanks for your continued support!

1.094
------------------
- added quantity sort option to Inventory
- fixed the game crashing on some macs when exiting
- fixed dialogue text spacing issue introduced in 1.092
- removed some duplicate routines that already existed in libraries
- updated game controller database
- updated to SDL 3.0. Windows uses D3D12 and Linux uses Vulkan now by default
- updated to FNA 25.05

The last few years have been pretty quiet for Bit Kid, but this year we finally broke the silence with the announcement of our next title, WOLFHOUND. It may have seemed like it came out of nowhere, but it’s been in the works for quite some time now. It was honestly a bit scary to secretly work on something for so long, not knowing whether anyone would be interested in it when it was finally announced, but thankfully, the overwhelmingly positive response from you all and the world put that lingering sense of dread to rest. Now we can march towards the finish line with the confidence that we’re on the right track!

The announcement trailer did a great job of getting across what WOLFHOUND is and how it plays, but I thought I’d take a moment in this update to focus on a few key design decisions and gameplay details that may not have been so obvious.

[h2]WORLD[/h2]



While I’ve been striving to make each area of WOLFHOUND distinct, my goal was for it to feel like one massive, seamless locale. This meant the entire island, from the snowy mountain peaks at the top to the lava-filled chasms at the bottom, needed to fit on a single map. There are some other changes in this game as well to further enhance that feeling of interconnectedness, such as the camera panning smoothly between rooms as you explore, and no transition or loading screens between areas.

[h2]GAMEPLAY[/h2]



“Contravania” was a humorous (yet endearing!) term we often saw used to describe the game when the trailer was released. And while the military themes and weapons do call Contra to mind, the primary influence on everything from the art style to the gameplay was the mother of all Metroidvania games: the original Metroid on NES. Like Metroid, the pacing in WOLFHOUND is much more deliberate than a typical run ‘n gun game. The limited reach of your weapons, the reloading mechanic, and the intentional lack of diagonal firing all require you to carefully approach each encounter.

[h2]ARSENAL[/h2]



You begin your mission with only a standard-issue handgun and your trusty combat knife, but as you explore the island, you will soon build a powerful arsenal. There are three main types of weapons to find: Sidearms, Rifles, and Explosives. Only one of each can be equipped at a time, and each type has its own distinct advantages. For example, Sidearms typically have shorter reach and less punch than Rifles, but have the benefit of unlimited ammo. Also, keep an eye out for the Armory rooms found throughout the world that allow you to change your loadout, refill ammo, and upgrade your arsenal with Weapon Kits you find off the beaten path.

[h2]WRAP UP[/h2]

And that’s it for this year! We’ve gone heads down on developing WOLFHOUND, but will have further updates to share throughout 2025. If you have any more questions or thoughts, please let me know, and I’ll consider them for a future update. And as always, thanks again for all your support. We hope you have a great holiday season, and we’ll see you in 2025!

A quick update with the latest libraries, as well as some small fixes & improvements.

1.093
------------------
- fixed graphical glitches in NPC shops
- tweaked CRT settings
- added Italian translations for Race mode (thanks hexaae!)
- updated game controller database
- updated to FNA 24.11

You may have noticed that It's been a while since the last Chasm update back in January. Did Bit Kid finally throw in the towel after six long years of support? Heck no! In fact, it's the opposite.

Briefly, Chasm was made with our own custom engine and toolset built on Microsoft's XNA Framework. Supporting multiple projects was never taken into account when things were first designed, so when I started WOLFHOUND I quickly began to see the issues with developing and maintaining multiple titles. To remedy this, I set out to revamp and future-proof the development environment by getting everything off the long dead XNA framework (hello, open-source alternative FNA!) and creating a shared content pipeline and set of libraries for all the games to use.

That means that while Chasm may not appear any different, the process used to build this latest release is, and careful testing was needed to ensure everything worked just as it used to. Thanks to the help of community member extraordinaire Macktion, we've done our best to verify that every pixel is in its place, and the seeds are generating the same as previous versions. And during the process we actually discovered several bugs that had went unnoticed for years!

While all that isn't particularly exciting for players, there is a bonus in this release. One of my goals on
WOLFHOUND was to step up the available video filters for the pixel art. To that end, a new CRT effect
(LottesRVM) and a smoothing filter (XBR) have been ported, and now you get a first look at them in Chasm!


(right-click and Open in New Tab to see at full resolution)

The CRT effect has 3 different settings: "Pro CRT" with more accurate scanlines that are less visible in brighter areas, "Old CRT" with a slot mask and no scanlines, and, lastly, "Digital CRT" with vertical scanlines. And for those feeling extra nostalgic, there's a new option for a rounded tube effect. In addition to the CRT effects, there's also a Smooth option that turns those jagged pixels into buttery smooth edges. I know it's not for everyone, but more options can never hurt, right?

I hope you enjoy the update, and as always thanks for your patience and continued support.
And please be sure to let me know if you run into any trouble on your journey!

-James

1.092
------------------
- added new CRT emulation modes (Pro CRT, Digital CRT, and Old CRT)
- added Smoothing video filter
- fixed some jittery parallax effects
- fixed Random number generator re-initialization
- fixed crash on some PCs when switching soundtracks in-game
- fixed several Italian translation issues (thanks LetsPlayNintendoITA!)
- updated game controller database
- updated to FNA 24.09