Major DEMO Update
[h3]Hey, Contractors, [/h3][h3]Lex here.[/h3][p][/p][p]It’s been a hot minute since the last proper update, but I’ve finally finished gutting and rebuilding huge parts of the demo. Being a solo dev means some days I’m a coder, other days I’m a lighting artist, and most days I’m just confused by my own math.[/p][p]Anyway, v 0.47.01 is live. Here is the breakdown of what's actually changed.[/p][p][/p][h3]The "New" Demo Experience[/h3][p]I already gave you some details on the reasoning behind why I want to change the demo. I realized the old tutorial was—to put it mildly—a bit of a drag. So, I scrapped it. It’s gone. In its place, I’ve added Mission 0. It’s a dedicated training mission that feels like part of the world rather than a pop-up checklist.[/p][p]While I was at it, I also:[/p]![]()
[/p][h3]The Schedule Shift (A.K.A. The "Tough" News)[/h3][p]I have to push the release date back. I was aiming for January, but realistically, we're looking at late February or early March. As much as I want to get this out, I need that extra month to actually listen to your feedback and polish the edges. Shipping a half-baked Early Access experience is the last thing I would like to do. I want my Early Access as playable as I would expect as a player, myself.[/p][p][/p][h3]A New Partnership[/h3][p]On a much bigger note, I’m no longer flying entirely solo on the publishing side of things. I’ve teamed up with Proteus Interactive, a new indie publishing label. They’re taking over the heavy lifting for the promotional side of things, as well as Steam release management, which lets me focus 100% of my brain on making the game actually good.[/p][p]Go check out the update on Steam, and let me know if I broke anything else in the process.[/p][p]Stay safe in the forest. Or don't. It's more interesting that way.[/p][h3]— Po Kolu[/h3][p][/p][p]PS. Please remember to wishlist the game![/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]
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- [p]Nuked the Intro: You can jump straight into multiplayer now. No more waiting around.[/p]
- [p]Simplified Saves: I removed the multiple save slots. You get one slot now, and if you want a fresh start, you can just reset it.[/p]
- [p]The Lobby Glow-up: I reworked the lighting in the lobby (it’s much moodier now) and finally got the room binding system working properly.[/p]
- [p]Free Drip: Since I took away the tutorial, I moved some equipment and the new Outfit system into the lobby for you to mess around with.[/p]
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- [p]Audio: Proximity voice chat is much tighter now, and I added a noise gate setting so we don't hear your breathing.[/p]
- [p]The Bestiary: The Codex and Bestiary have been completely reworked with unlockable entries.[/p]
- [p]Visuals: Added a volume meter to the UI and fixed about a thousand bugs that were crawling around the missions.[/p]
- [p]Lobby Secrets: There’s a working shower now. Why? Why not. Also, there’s a new riddle hiding in there and some Christmas decorations to keep the existential dread festive.[/p]
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