Chasm News

In this update I've rewritten the video scaling logic, and made some modifications to the available Video Options. Most notably, the Resolution option has been replaced with a new "Fit To Screen" option that will max out the game to fit the screen (while keeping a 16:9 aspect ratio).

Pixel art can be very tricky to resize without causing ugly artifacts like uneven text, squished character features, etc. so the game has only ever supported even scaling factors before (1x, 2x, 3x). For some non-16:9 monitors, this can unfortunately leave huge areas of wasted space around the playfield. The Fit To Screen method in this release was borrowed from our Vita version, which has a very odd screen size (960x544). The method we use upscales the pixel art to one scaling factor larger than what the screen can hold, then downscales it with bilinear filtering to fit. This means less wasted space and no weird artifacts, but it has the trade off of a slightly less sharp image (this may not even be detectable on high-dpi setups).

NOTE: If you are using a less common setup like an old CRT, you can still force a custom resolution by modifying the config file located in Documents\Chasm. Just add the following lines with your required resolution (these are at the game's native resolution).

CustomResX=384
CustomResY=216

I also took the opportunity to fix some other bugs I found, noted in the change log below. Please let me know how it works out for you, especially on the Steam Deck!

1.083
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- added "Fit To Screen" option for PC monitors & Steam Deck
- fixed wrong Fullscreen resolution sometimes being used when moving game to another monitor
- fixed Window Scale multiplier not going high enough on some high-dpi setups
- fixed crash when switching music styles on some systems
- removed area hub rooms from exploration percent calculation
- updated game controller database
- updated to FNA 22.07

This is just a quick patch with more framework updates for the Steam Deck, as well as new controller mappings.

1.082 Change List
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- updated game controller database
- updated to FNA 22.01

I noticed the majority of players aren't able to complete the course on Race mode, so I've added a melee weapon back in to help out. The weapon is chosen randomly for the course based off the seed and area, so all players will receive the same one. This change shouldn't affect the players with the fastest times since they will still prefer to avoid enemies over engaging.

-James

1.081 Change List
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- race: added randomly chosen melee weapon
- race: fixed practice screen title
- updated game controller database
- updated to FNA 21.12 - includes more graphical fixes for Steam Deck

I'm excited to announce that Chasm 1.080 has been released on Steam. This release started as just a quick update to fix Steam Deck compatibility, but eventually ended up with some new features including a brand new game mode!

The new mode is called Race, and similar to Arcade it features Daily and Weekly leaderboards to compete on. Also like Arcade mode, it uses a unique door randomizer system that builds the map as you play it. But that is where the similarities end! Race is a high intensity sprint through a segment of generated dungeon, focused on your speed navigating the rooms and avoiding danger.

The rules are simple: you start with all powerups and basic spells, but no melee weapons. You must get through a procedurally generated course as quickly as possible, avoiding the enemies and traps. If you have the fastest time, you take the top spot on the leaderboard for the day or week. Just like with Arcade mode, the Daily can only be run once, while the Weekly gives you unlimited tries to improve while keeping your best time.

I hope you enjoy, and thanks for your continued support!

-James

1.080 Change List
----------------------------

• added Race mode
  
• added mouse button mapping support
  
• improved timing leniency for sliding after landing on ground
  
• updated game controller database
  
• updated to FNA 21.10 - includes fixes for Steam Deck and various improvements including input latency
  

Apologies for all the controller issues recently! There are 2 different problems going on, one of which is hopefully fixed for good now.

1) Steam introduced Steam Input which changes how gamepads are handled. Steam Input creates a virtual gamepad that interfaces with games to help with cross-platform and gamepad compatibility. Unfortunately, there have been some weird side effects with some setups including input lag, double inputs, and more. You can disable this and use Chasm's built in gamepad support by disabling Steam Input. Right click Chasm in your library, go to Properties, then Controller. In the drop down select "Disable Steam Input". Note this will only apply to this game and not the rest of your library.

2) Chasm uses SDL for low level functions like input handling, audio, etc. SDL's gamepad mapping file has entries for nearly every controller out there, so if you start the game up there's a good chance it will work right away. Problems began though when the community started adding new mappings for the PS4 controller and others that were incorrect. This caused the d-pad and other buttons to stop working or be mapped incorrectly. An update has just been released to remove the duplicate invalid mappings.

Please let me know if you still having trouble after updating to the latest on the community forums!

Thanks,
James