Occlude News

[p][/p][p]Exuberant greetings to you penitents, supplicants and mendicants![/p][p]Occlude, our game of occult solitaire is available right now on Steam, and we've saved you a seat at the table.[/p][p]Come. Play. Try, fail. Undo your mistakes. Try, succeed. [/p][p]Then break the world.[/p][p][/p][p]If you played the demo you will have seen only a few of the game's Rituals, but now you can unlock all seven in game.[/p][p]Each of the seven Rituals steadily increase in difficulty, revealing more about the world of Occlude as you unlock the multiple endings, Objects and Documents.[/p][p]We have two game modes to offer: The fiendishly difficult Classic Mode and less tricky but still challenging Story Mode.[/p][p]We're very proud of what we've made with Occlude. We hope you find it pleasantly frustrating, terrifyingly illuminating, and morbidly triumphant in that exact order.[/p][p]I can't wait to see you disappear down the rabbit hole...[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Lore Drops[/h2][p][/p][p]As a reminder we're doing Occlude Lore Drops every time we hit milestone numbers of Steam Reviews![/p][p]These little snippets of secret lore from our game's world have been specially made for launch by our superb writer Harry Tuffs. Each time we get a certain number of reviews, we'll be uploading them to our Discord lore-drops channel as soon as humanly possible.[/p][p]Though they're not needed to unravel the mystery of Occlude, they are still fascinating little glimpses into the secret history of this occult game. [/p][p]So please do leave a review - Not just to get the lore drop, but because It helps us out so, so much - Each review pushes Occlude to at least two other people's eyes, who may love the game. So you're doing both us and them a favour![/p][p]Speaking of which...[/p][p][/p][h2]The Eschaton Edition[/h2][p][/p][p]Picking up Occlude and leaving a review is honestly all the support we could ever want.[/p][p]Despite this, a few lovely people over the years have asked us "what can I do to support the studio even more?"[/p][p]To those very kind people, we're proud to offer Occlude: The Eschaton Edition. This "Support The Devs" style bundle gives you the full game and:[/p]

• [p]The Occlude Original Soundtrack, by Ed Sibley, featuring 28 minutes of in-game music.[/p]
• [p]An bonus Archive Document as a printable, high-definition PDF, to further fuel your conspiracies and theories.[/p]
• [p]The genuine gratitude of a small team with big ambitions.[/p]

[p][/p][h2]The Road Ahead...[/h2][p]The end is never really the end, of course. [/p][p]As well as the continuation of our Seven Cards, Seven Entities ARG (there are still two cards to be found), and the start of our Lore Drop series, we'll also be gathering feedback from you obsessively.[/p][p]Once you've played the game consider heading over to our Discussion page and sharing your thoughts. [/p][p]We want to hear them, we want to act on them, we want you to come back, see what we've done and be most pleased.[/p][p]Finally, to everybody that's wishlisted, played the demo or joined us on Discord already - The team can't thank you enough for your support. You're as much a part of this game as we are.[/p][p]So what are you waiting for? Go play Occlude. [/p][p]We can't wait to see what you discover. [/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[p][/p][p]A note was slipped under my office door, alongside a pen drive. Somebody knows I've played Occlude; they must do. But I can't let myself think about that for now. What's more important is the note itself. [/p][p][/p][p]A medical journal entry? Not a doctor's hand, though. A mortician. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Who was she? Why is her death significant here? [/p][p][/p][p]The drive included a spreadsheet. [/p][p][/p][p]I've no idea what I'm looking at, but it's clearly important. It's all connected.[/p][p][/p][p]--[/p][p][/p][p]The world[/p][p][/p][p]is a broken machine.[/p][p][/p][p][/p]

[p][/p][p]Greetings you players of world-breaking, mind-shattering "Solitaire Variant meets Lynchian Cosmic Horror At The Sublime Scale" games![/p][p]Occlude will be in your hands in less than one week. Your seat at the table is waiting. [/p][p]We thought we'd put together a little one-week-to-go post with some bits and pieces we've been working on ahead of the release. [/p][p]Like what, I hear you howl, slathering at the mouth, hands wrenching apart the very fabric of reality?[/p][p]Well...[/p][p][/p][h2]Controller Support[/h2][p][/p][p]While in our humble opinion Occlude - and Solitaire games in general - are best played with mouse and keyboard, we wanted to support as many of our player's preferred input and control schemes as possible.[/p][p]So we've now implemented controller support, which will be available when the game launches on July 10.[/p][p]A caveat here: While we have tested this as thoroughly as humanly possible, we're a teeny tiny team, so the game has not been played with a controller at scale. [/p][p]Consider it in beta; Usable with likely optimizations to be made. [/p][p]Let us know how you're getting on with it and of any irregularities, and we'll patch these out with all the swiftness we can muster. [/p][p]Also, do you know what controller support makes possible? [/p][p][/p][h2]Occlude On Steam Deck [/h2][p] [/p][p]With controller support now in, we've put Occlude through its paces on Steam Deck and (as far as I'm concerned) it's really rather good.[/p][p]It's important to note Occlude has not attained "Great on Deck" status yet - That's something the most terrifying extra-dimensional entity of them all (Steam) decides whether or not your game gets.[/p][p]However the game suits the handheld experience really well and feels intuitive. But that's not enough![/p][p]What happens next is that we need to let you - the community - play the game on Steam Deck, so we can see how it fares at scale.[/p][p]There's undoubtedly improvements and optimisations we'll need to make, to ensure the controls feel sensible and the experience is perfect for you Steam Deckers.[/p][p]Do let us know if you do play on the Deck in the Discussions after launch, and we'll happily leap on bringing it up to scratch where we can.[/p][p][/p][h2]Our all-new Tutorial [/h2][p][/p][p]Our Demo showed that our current Tutorial simply wasn't cutting the mustard. Which is fair! [/p][p]Occlude is an unusual variant of Solitaire, with its own set of tricks to master, as well as having a section of the game where rules intentionally aren't explained to you.[/p][p]Our new fully interactive tutorial is designed to help that. [/p][p]It explains key differences between our new modes, gives you tricks to winning a game and makes it clearer what certain parts of the UI do.[/p][p]We're still very keen for some of our rules (especially around those coins) to remain secret, however we're going to signpost in this tutorial where they are and what they might be better.[/p][p][/p][h2]Even more UI overhauls[/h2][p][/p][p]You might have seen from our last blog post that we've been improving the information shown to you throughout Occlude.[/p][p]After all, what's the point of a game filled with strategy and secrets if we give you a hint as to what's going on?[/p][p]We're still working on improving the visuals and information across the game, and will do right up to launch. Take a look above for the new and improved visuals for ending a game.[/p][p]Like I said above, we're keen to get the balance right between "showing you everything and spoiling the secret rules of Rituals" and "hiding so much that the game is baffling".[/p][p]What would help that balance for you? Yes, you. I'm literally asking. Go post in the comments below with your thoughts. Right now. Tah.[/p][p][/p][h2]Launch Plans: Lore Drops and more...[/h2][p][/p][p]We have a lot of fun things planned for launch - The final few cards of the ARG, some great coverage by the press, plenty of streamers taking Occlude for a spin.[/p][p]We're also excited to announce that we're releasing Occlude Lore Drops every time we hit milestone numbers of Steam Reviews![/p][p]Those familiar with Tributary will recognize this - We dive into our top secret (and very large) Lore Bible for our games and give you all a forbidden taste of what's inside. [/p][p]These will be a little different from the King of the Castle Lore Drops, as they've been specially prepared and edited by our superb writer Harry Tuffs, and will help you piece together the puzzle that is our narrative.[/p][p]If you want to unlock them, first leave us a review on launch day! (please and thank you so much)[/p][p]Then join our Discord to discover even more secrets, plot with your fellow Obscurants, even try your luck at becoming a fabled Magician.[/p][p][/p][h2]Going into Launch...[/h2][p]Final call. [/p][p]Cards on the table. [/p][p]Last chance saloon.[/p][p]We're releasing in roughly five days.[/p][p]So if you haven't wishlisted Occlude yet, please consider it![/p][p]As we move into launch week, every wishlist counts and helps our small team achieve the greatest thing of all: visibility from the great God of Algorithms. [/p][p]Thanks for reading, and we'll see you next week...[/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[p][/p][p]Greetings Obscurants, Magicians and other players of the occult. [/p][p]We come bearing news regarding Occlude. First, if you haven't seen, we're releasing on July 10th, a mere matter of weeks now.[/p][p]Second, we've now taken down the Demo as our full attention has turned to that (very close) launch date.[/p][p]And most importantly we've been hard at work going through your feedback and tightening up the last screws on our unsettling little creature of a game.[/p][p]Let's dive into some launch features and point out a few key differences from the Demo. [/p][p]Starting with...[/p][p][/p][h2]Story Mode[/h2][p][/p][p]You will now get a choice between playing Occlude on CLASSIC MODE or STORY MODE. This option appears at the beginning of the game and again before you start a Ritual.[/p][p]In Classic Mode:[/p]

• [p]You play Occlude as we intended; Difficult but not impossible. Careful planning will be necessary and we expect you'll need a few New Deals before you complete a Ritual fully.[/p]
• [p]You'll get a limited Undo, where once you place a card on the Foundation, you cannot Undo any further. Our single free cell for cards, Purgatory, will still be there to assist.[/p]
• [p]You get access to a handful of extra Achievements as a reward for leaping in without a safety net.[/p]

[p]In Story Mode:[/p]

• [p]You get the entire narrative experience of Occlude. No story content is locked behind Classic Mode and never will be.[/p]
• [p]You get an unlimited Undo, which works even if you place cards on the Foundation, and two Purgatory slots that will help you shift cards around more easily.[/p]
• [p]Story Mode has a totally different, easier set of RNG seeds compared to Classic Mode. The game will still be a challenge but the experience will be less punishing.[/p]

[p]Here's Story Mode in action:[/p][p][/p][p]So if you're a hardcore Solitaire fan who enjoys difficult games, choose Classic Mode. [/p][p]And if you want the experience of Occlude minus the frustration, choose Story Mode.[/p][p]Game difficulty was the biggest feedback point from our Demo. For every two people asking "please make Occlude easier!", another would beg "don't change the difficulty!"[/p][p]This solution took a lot of work but hopefully will please both camps. Let us know what you think in the comments below.[/p][p][/p][h2]New RNG for every combination of final cards[/h2][p][/p][p]On top of making new, easier RNG seeds for Story Mode, we changed the code that creates them and crafted a new bank of seeds for you to play with.[/p][p]When Occlude launches every deal you get, whether it's in Story or Classic Mode, for each of the Rituals, will be solveable and solveable for any combination of final cards.[/p][p]Our Demo had every game solveable for all deals but not for all final cards. We'd envisioned players experimenting, getting stuck and happily hitting "New Deal" plenty of times before completing a Ritual fully. [/p][p]That's just not how people want to play the game! Which is fair, so we've gone ahead and made this change.[/p][p]On top of this we've upped the total number of RNG seeds for launch, with over 1,400 possible seeds split between Story and Classic Mode - meaning more replayability for you.[/p][p][/p][h2]The Archives[/h2][p][/p][p]Plenty of players asked for more narrative as well as rewards for completing a Ritual with four coins. We secretly already have this - The Archives.[/p][p]We left out these from the Demo as we were keen not the spoil them, but it's worth talking about them now.[/p][p]If you complete a Ritual with four coins in any Mode, you'll get access to that Ritual's Archive Object and Archive Document. [/p][p]The object appears on the table (see above) and selecting it brings up its document (see below). [/p][p][/p][p](Note we've redacted this document a little for Steam - The version in game will have a fair bit more information for you)[/p][p]The narrative of Occlude is designed to be a puzzle in itself - Piecing documents together as you play, slowly understanding more of our world's lore, and eventually revealing the deep, terrible secrets behind Occlude.[/p][p]We also have different text endings for getting no coins, less than four coins and four coins. Revisiting Rituals to get these outcomes will reveal even more narrative and these will be easier to compare thanks to User Interface changes we're doing for launch (see below).[/p][p]We're keen to see tables fill up with objects earned and hear your theories on launch day.[/p][p][/p][h2]Seven Rituals[/h2][p][/p][p]We're launching with Seven Rituals that steadily increase in difficulty. [/p][p]If you played the Demo you've seen the first three already, but the next four are very different beasts. We expect you to complete those considerably slower as they ramp up in complexity.[/p][p]We have plans for more Rituals, however the work we had to do for Story Mode and for other features means they won't be present at launch.[/p][p]It's a shame but we're a tiny team of two developers right now. We have to pick our battles, so are regretfully putting those in the back pocket.[/p][p]We've also been collating feedback on individual Rituals and want to integrate that with any future work we do. Please bear with![/p][p][/p][h2]Improved Art & Menus[/h2][p][/p][p]We've massively improved information on your previous games - What cards you should have placed in a session, how well you did on previous games, what endings you've unlocked, as well as the ability to revisit those endings.[/p][p]We also heard your feedback about the coins not being clear enough and these have A) increased in size and B) have all new improved artwork with thicker lines and higher contrast:[/p][p][/p][p]Beyond that we've made a ton of small visual improvements to better increase readability. We're working on adding more screen sizes also, though this may happen after launch.[/p][p][/p][h2]And more![/h2][p]This is already a mammoth post so we'll finish with the last few Launch features:[/p]

• [p]New improved tutorial that teaches the rules of the game better[/p]
• [p]Updated music and foley [/p]
• [p]Updated the start game room with some final touches[/p]
• [p]Work for Cloud Saves and Achievements[/p]
• [p]An improved intro screen to let you know what you're letting yourself in for...[/p]

[p][/p][p]If there's a particular feature you want to zoom in on, leave a message in the comments below. Thanks for playing, thanks for giving feedback and/or thanks for reading.[/p][p]One last thing - If you haven't wishlisted Occlude yet, please consider it. [/p][p]As we said, we're a tiny indie team with a tiny indie publisher, and getting the word out is increasingly difficult on Steam. [/p][p]Your wishlist tells the algorithm "this game's not terrible" and shows more people Occlude to consider. [/p][p]If you want to do your good deed for the day, why not hit that little button below?[/p][p]See you in the next post.[/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[p][/p][p]I've had this melody stuck in my head all day. An earworm of unknown origin. A sound playing on repeat, but only in my mind. And only when I'm at the Table. And so I've transcribed it - committed the melody to notation. This is new evidence. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The sound feels both close and distant at the same time. It carries a sadness. A weight. Despite this, I know I must track it down.

Where. WHERE is it from. This is the information I need.[/p][p][/p][p]--[/p][p][/p][p]The world[/p][p][/p][p]is a broken machine.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p]