Sometimes Always Monsters News

One of the most misunderstood things about ASM's conclusion was its alley finale. The sequences that bookend the start and end of the game. They're contentious in context with the rest of the story and a lot of people (self-included) find them at odds with the grander theme and message of the game. It's also caused some greater confusion for people importing their saves, assuming that characters ought be dead when they aren't.

All along, the alley finale was intended to be the furthest point in the SAM/ASM timeline. However, while it was powerful at the time, it was a bit poorly conceived in terms of its lasting effect on the total continuity. It became a creative handicap, and stopped serving real purpose partway through SAM's development. We had hoped more players would recognize it as a meta scene (it was never intended to affect the status of imports), but that was never explained well enough outside of forums and private discussions.

So, in our infinite power as creators, we are officially hand-waving that piece away as a dream. It's not an easy decision to make, considering how many people felt deeply about the sequence, but it is quite necessary to free SAM from those shackles, and let it grow. There is now a new sequence that runs at the start of the game when you import a save that explains it as such, and we're going to stick with that.

We've also made a lot of improvements to overall continuity recognition and other small tweaks as we run out the last of our bug list. Thanks to all of you who helped beat the game up since the last update, we really feel like we're starting to see the last of all reports.

[h3]Here's what's in the update:[/h3]

• Made the default pornography at home relative to spouse's gender
  
• Added some prompts for to the typewriter to remind players that there's more to life than writing
  
• Edited a typo on the save screen data
  
• Prevented conversations with the spouse at television from running while they're not present
  
• When you throw away the photo of your rival, it will now actually vanish from inventory
  
• Changed the tone of save import sequence to prevent tonal clashes with new content
  
• Gave the spouse new dialogue so they now recognize Darkeff / Viper in Gator Bay
• Implemented some environmental overlay graphics to increase walking space in gym change rooms
  
• Fixed an issue where controller players were asked to use a keyboard during the finale
  
• Added a "Controller Mode" setting in the options menu to let players control their keyboard style
  
• Replaced an incorrect portrait with the mechanic in New Creole
  
• Adjusted more of the hygiene system so that it caps at a certain level
  
• Fixed an issue where washing your hands actually made them dirtier
  
• Fixed an issue where mouthwash and teeth whitener actually made you less attractive
  
• Removed chance of getting dirtier as time passes, capped dirtiness increase while sleeping
  
• Improved the effectiveness of toilet paper
  
• Cleared a rogue block that interfered with traffic pathing in Sequoia
  
• Increased processing speed of Sunset clear after Shelly's sequence
  
• Changed dog names so that they're appropriate to their model
  
• Allowed Yasi's adventure in New Creole to take place at any time of day
  
• Updated some portrait conflicts regarding the town drunk in Quarry Bar
  
• Pablo's mission should now trigger properly when you enter the shops with him for the first time
  
• Prevented players from entering 2ELF without Trisha
  
• Added some missing dialogue for Yasi during the player's final reading
  
• Stopped some cars from turning toward the player on interaction like NPC people do
  
• Forced map in memorial flashback sequence to stay centered
  
• Resolved some conflict between your naked spouse and their reflection
  
• Changed the universal companion responses in library to be unique to each author and your spouse
  
• Added text variance for napping while divorced
• Improved callback and reference to import continuities in a variety of scenes
  
• Edited some dialogue and variance for various import players in the finale
  

[h3]New Content:[/h3]

• Added a new experimental option to reveal time passage more overtly like in ASM
  
• New sequence at the start of the game revealing the alley finale from ASM was a dream
• Added new post-library interaction with Lois to make the First Edition reveals easier to find
  

This will likely be our last update before the ALL CLEAR push, and we begin considering new content and road mapping our potential additions given our available runway. If you've got requests, then let us know!

We encourage all you to give us your final final bug reports, and let us know if there are any lingering irrationalities in your continuity. We believe they should almost entirely be resolved.

Wow, a week's gone by already? Time flies when you're smashing bugs. After spending all this time on the front lines of the war against imperfection, we're starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Our extensive Trello list has shrunk to nearly nothing. Shy some of the most important changes coming, we could easily wrap what's left in a mini-patch.

Though, we want to be sure everything is solid before we sound the "ALL CLEAR" alarm and fully invite all you holdouts to return to the fold and (properly) enjoy your first playthrough.

So, we'd like to request anyone and everyone willing to beat the heck out of our game to don their armor and put it through its paces. Bring us your most ridiculous behaviors and unimaginable action combinations, we want to find every last hole in the hull. We'll be watching Discord and the forums very closely to gather every issue you can bring us. With luck, our next patch will be the last before we can finally start working on new content additions. We thank you in advance for this trial-by-fire.

[h3]Notice:[/h3] Players importing from ASM with "perfect" endings may still want to wait. Due to reasons we'll outline in a future post, your timeline needs a little more work before it's functioning as intended.

[h3]Here's what's in the update:[/h3]

• Prevented background 'crossing' character from using player's model
  
• Disabled access to Unter in the 'return home' epilogues
  
• Blocked players from getting on 2ELF roof by walking through walls
  
• Corrected placement of child sprite when they're playing Fire Escape at the arcade
  
• Added sandwich investments to the PC at home during 'return home' epilogues
  
• Fixed some sticky chairs in the player's house during the 'return home' epilogues
  
• Removed Mel's sprite from the window of her room while she's sleeping
  
• Players leaving the pool in some places will no longer be teleported to the wrong fitness center
  
• The 'return home' epilogues now accurately deduct hospital bills and deferral fees from accounts
  
• Players can now change party members without ditching their current
  
• Added gamepad support to the firing range at Easy Target
  
• Ensured that your ex-wife or ex-husband never answer the phone once divorced
• Fixed some hygiene items that were applying negative values to the player's cleanliness ranking
  
• Added 'Latest Chapter' data to save screen for controller players
  
• Prevented players from unexpectedly wearing towels after showering in prison
  
• Replaced a missing portrait when your spouse asks you for bacon and eggs
  
• Made extra safety checks to ensure the bus doesn't drive away before you finish your reading
  
• Divorced players will no longer see their ex-spouse's portrait in menus
  
• Added extra dialogue to Casey when players visit the apartment a second time
  
• Made the couches, chairs, and television in Casey's apartment fully functional during second visits
  
• Resolved outstanding timeline conflict for players who go to jail for trying to steal a gun
  
• Removed lingering traces of sunset animation for a select number of players
  
• If your husband or wife get naked in the bedroom, their reflection will no longer stay dressed
  
• Stopped your spouse from unceremoniously responding after the 'Rival Lied' finale
  
• Prevented players from getting stuck if stung by a scorpion at the edge of the desert maps
  
• Edited a bunch of reported typos for Comedian, Ricky, Big Deal, DeMarcus, Shelly and other NPCs
  
• Ended the player's cellphone animation appropriately after Casey calls without your spouse present
  
• You must now keep chickadees in your inventory until you're out of the wastelands
  
• Added comments before typing in jail to remind player that the epilogue is forever
  
• Fixed some issues with the cooking system regarding ingredients, and spices
  
• Made all BFs top conversation priority be your book during your reading event
  
• Removed all time expense on washing a light amount of dishes at home
  
• Reduced the time expense of washing a lot of dishes at home by half, added a comment for it
  
• Finishing any amount of dishes will now conclude the washing machine and coffee maker cycles
  
• Changed cooking to only expend time if you've cooked 6 or more meals in the day
  
• Allowed laundry to resolve after cooking two recipes in a row
  
• Deleted a problematic NPC
  
• Ensured right type of keyboard appears for controller players during the finale
  
• Enhanced "Controller Mode" added to the options menu
  
• Improved callback reference of Mason's panel accusations for players with dead MC or Sam
• Improved callback reference of Mason's interview for players with dead MC or Sam
• Improved callback reference of newspaper article for players with dead MC or Sam
• Removed conflicting dialogue in Mason sequences for players with "perfect" endings
• Added functional garbage cans throughout the game
  

Once again, if you've got the time and energy to put Sometimes Always Monsters to task, we would greatly appreciate all of your feedback. We're very close to a clean experience for all players, and with your help we can achieve it in no time. Thank you again for all your support and passion!

[h3]- VD[/h3]

Our bug list is starting to get pretty short. Though, after 6 updates it's to be expected. Just about every bug thread in the forums has been resolved, and we're starting to chip away at the big continuity update that will resolve some lingering timeline issues for save import players.

If there are any lingering minor issues after this update, do let us know in a thread or our Community Discord so that we can address them before the big "All Clear" update. We're really trying to hammer out all these pesky little things while we prep the bigger problems that mess with storyline.
[h3]Here's what's in the update:[/h3]

• Replaced sprite for Alex in City of Kings movie with newer one
  
• Edited some misgendering of the rival's corpse
  
• Changed pass-out location for overdrinking at the 2ELF night club
  
• Added some puke after player passes out in the 2ELF night club
  
• Pablo's shopping list will now recognize fruits appropriately
  
• Updated Detective Ricky's conversation to better recognize if there's been a death
  
• Fixed the Pregnancy Test (again) so that it works for all genders
  
• Fixed the Teeth Whitener (again) so that it can improve hygiene a lot, but only once
  
• Updated Prison store with more items, and toiletries.
  
• Made sure that spouse will receive the breakfasts they ask for
  
• Interview will now automatically begin when you sit in the appropriate chair
  
• You should now be able to leave the wardrobe in the psych ward, no problem
  
• Players who went to jail on a specific day could bypass timeline and miss their book reading
  
• Fixed issues with DeMarcus double-triggering his angry conversation in the gun shop
  
• Theater films now burn an appropriate amount of time when viewing
  
• Television shows now include a small notice to indicate the passage of time
  
• Prevented Ophelia from reappearing once you finish visiting the psychiatric ward
  
• Prevented some of Alexa's texts from repeating in the Haunted Mansion
  
• Improved accuracy in the Shelly/Authors text regarding your final day in Slab Town
  
• Made getting an Unter in Gator Bay during party night more difficult
  
• Added new sprite and improved animation for gun store clerk, when shooting at player
  
• Updated Steam icons to differentiate them from forthcoming LASER DESTROYER TEAM album

[h3]Also, we made a little guide:[/h3]
We realized a lot of people were very focused on the writing/eating/sleeping loop of the game and not branching out in exploration as much as we'd hoped. So, we thought it might be worthwhile to make a little guide giving an overview of the potential event options players can experience on any given day.

[h2]Spoiler Warning:[/h2]This guide will spoil many events within the game, and should only be used if you're okay having a diminished sense of discovery in your Sometimes Always Monsters experience.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2051380033
Feel free to use it, if you're not sure where to go, don't like exploration, or just want more guidance in your experience. We'll consider in-game options to help with player direction, but the unguided freedom is a core feature of Sometimes Always Monsters, and we don't want to mess with it too much.

As always, thanks for the bug reports, informative reviews, and good talks in the forum.

- VD

Many people don't remember, but the release of Always Sometimes Monsters had a lot of bugs and issues when it first came out. We had some big issues to clean up, but apart from the most obvious problems, a lot of little things went undetected until much much later. That's just the way things were, back then.

This has been a really different situation for Sometimes Always Monsters, as the increased traffic on the Steam Forums and the rapid contact provided by our Community Discord is revealing all the small things at a much faster pace. It's really a very big difference for QA, and makes it more straight forward for us.

So, here's a patch with over 50 improvements and tweaks. Getting this much done in a single evening sprint back in 2014 would have been impossible. Thus, we are grateful for the ability to do this stuff.

[h3]Here's what's in the update:[/h3]

• Activated the water coolers in all the gyms
  
• Fixed a bug where players would get stuck in their chair after regaining sanity in the finale
  
• Expanded the divorce ending, including a unique epilogue
  
• Prevented your ex-husband/wife from reappearing in your house after divorce
• Added new answering machine response when calling ex-husband/wife
• Re-enabled pizza deliveries in the divorce epilogue
  
• Edited some typos in the achievements
  
• Verified that Landry's gift achievement triggers properly for all players
  
• Fixed a couch in the house that would leave players in sitting position forever
  
• Added extra per-city explainers to the clerks at the gyms
  
• Improved description texts when using gym day pass and membership cards
  
• Removed local gym memberships from inventory when leaving town
  
• Required purchase of new gym memberships for each unique city gym (sorry!)
  
• Made towels free to take for all paying customers at the gyms
  
• Fixed direction/result accuracy for the mirror in the Church of Reflection
  
• NPCs will stop asking you for drugs all the time
  
• When an NPC asks for a sandwich, they will now accept any variety you make
  
• Made the stray cat lady as hard to find as her cats
  
• Removed a sticky portrait from the town drunk in the Quarry Bar
  
• Stopped follower NPCs from getting stuck in inappropriate walking loops
  
• Made it easier to notice the blankets you're looking for in the Haunted Mansion with Alexa
  
• Verified that the achievement with Yasi and the fortune teller triggers accurately
  
• Stopped players from walking/sitting on the table with spilled water all over it in Quarry Bar
  
• Stopped players from getting stuck when looking at the mirror in The Church of Reflection
  
• Added some comments regarding the spilled water in Quarry Bar
  
• Barfly's Cure All now cures hangovers properly
  
• Fat Burner Pills now increase fitness (if at low level), but make you hungrier
  
• Eye Drops will now prevent people from noticing that your character is stoned
  
• Mouthwash now increases hygiene no more than once per day
  
• Addictoral now reduces cigarette cravings by one value per day consumed
  
• Teeth Whitener now improves hygiene by a lot, but only works once
  
• Pregnancy Tests now provide appropriate results for all possible genders
  
• Sleepeez now lets you ignore needs before sleeping, but may cause you to sleep in
  
• Dookieral will now cure an upset stomach
  
• Anvil Tablets guarantee your ability to keep writing extra, when you would go to bed
  
• Body Mist & Body Spray now increase your hygiene a bit, once per day
  
• Perfume & Cologne now increase your hygiene a lot, once per day
  
• Body Mist/Body Spray & Perfume/Cologne can clash with less desirable results
  
• You can no longer walk underneath Hung Chan while he's picking a lock
• Players will now get a new notification to visit Ophelia in Portsmith if they re-read email
  
• Shopping for ingredients with Pablo should now resolve appropriately
  
• Pablo's shopping list can now resolve if he's with you presently, or not
  
• Spouse will no longer have blank dialogues in the Alien Museum
  
• After feeding your spouse, they won't ask for food again the same day
  
• Shampoo now works when showering, and increases hygiene a little bit
  
• Conditioner now works when showering, and increases hygiene a little bit
  
• Decreased base shower (rinse) hygiene improvement (start using soap, etc)
  
• Condoms will now be used during sex (if a male is involved)
  
• Adjusted some hospital dialogue for transgender characters
  
• Made some differences for gender-specific content if if player or spouse is transgender
  
• Stopped household toiletries from vanishing out of the player's inventory at home
  
• Toilet paper is now bought in packs of 15 units
  
• You will now lose a toilet paper every time you shit, but your booty stay cleaner

Yeah, that was a lot to get through. Though, thanks to the excellent reporting the community has been delivering, it's become relatively easy for us to fix these little issues quickly. Please, keep it up!

With this update, we're starting to see the end of our laundry list and will slowly be able to get into continuity improvements, new story content, and other feature additions that you have been asking for.

Until then, keep messing around with the game and have fun!

-VD

A long time ago, when we were first charting out the timelines we wanted to build for the game, it quickly became apparent that a number of players would have to play as Sam; a character that they might wholly despise. We pursued that path because of the unique gameplay opportunity we could present the player, giving them the chance to self-sabotage their rival from within their own skin.

One thing we're still trying to figure out is how to adequately communicate the type of control or freedom that's given to those certain ASM import players. We want our players to know that it's okay to hate the protagonist of this game, and to willingly destroy their life. It's actually quite a lot of fun to do!

We think that the new Continuity Updates outlined below are a good start for some of the cases.

[h3]Here's what's in the update:[/h3]

• Stopped Ruth from turning into Hassan when she sat down in some places
  
• Added lottery tickets with ludicrously low odds and high payouts
  
• Gave voices back to the unique hobos near the funeral home in Slab Town
  
• Edited some typos in Alexa's book reading scene
  
• Prevented the bartender in the break room from over-serving you booze
  
• Fixed injury diagnosis from doctor after getting hit by a car
  
• Made the hospital receptionist in Gator Bay and Slab Town actually help you
  
• Fixed a glitch where players could get stuck in the chair during the finale scene
  
• Stopped your spouse from walking infinitely after you smoke cigarettes with them
  
• Added lettuce to the BLT recipe
  
• Updated recipe for Ball Park Franks
  
• Prevented DeMarcus from entering Easy Target anytime except during his mission
  
• Fixed a glitch where the table could start floating in the finale sequence
  
• Removed an inappropriate dead body from the player's chair in the finale sequence
  
• Increased quantity of toothpaste gained through purchase to 8 units
  

[h3]Continuity Updates:[/h3]

• Applied sequence for ASM imports where Sam was killed by Mr. Parker in the casino
• Applied sequence for ASM imports where you kept the book, paid Sam's debt, and got married
• Improved sequence for ASM imports where you kept the book, but Sam got married

Each of these updated continuity sequences give earlier indication that your timeline is being read appropriately, and to give greater foreshadow for what's to come. Obviously this decreases some of the surprise we'd saved for the end-game, but it's worth the trade off, if they bring extra clarity.

If these scenes help clarify the storyline a little more, let us know. Since we started this process of bringing the deep cuts to the forefront, we've realized more opportunities to inject extra content like this at various parts of the game. If you all enjoy this kind of content, then we'll keep doing more of it.

Also, if you feel that we've got something wrong with them, let us know. We've both been putting in long hours for these updates, and fatigue makes mistakes. There's only two of us, and many more realities.

We really hope you like the pieces, and that they help you understand where the story is going much sooner. Also, that any major issues you've encountered have been resolved by now. Drop us a line in our Discord, on the Steam forums, or write / update your review for the game to let us know how we're doing.

- VD

[h3]A Small Addendum:[/h3]For the sequence where you kept the book, paid Sam's debt, and got married, there is still another update needed for the finale. We'll work to have that concluded as soon as the devs can get some rest.