HEVN News

Hello! We have a second major release pushed up with a lot of improvements, updates, and bug fixes! We're going to keep continuing to improve the game as best we can.

Here's our latest patch notes:



Updated Investigation screen to show puzzles and things of interest with color coded highlighting
Updated characters and robot designs for improved immersion
Updated colors on textures, GUI, screen effects, etc (color correction)
Improved performance in all levels
Added a Mini-Map to the Investigation screen (with location of player and data packets)
Added investigation meter to bottom of screen (can be increased by collecting nanocells from fallen engineers)
Added more narrative elements to in-game tablets and dossiers
Removed all existing enemies in the game - most spawn from nests
Added two new creatures and improved look of existing ones
Updated Soft Lock functionality and also to be toggleable (uses new reticules to show it's locked on)
Updated interior lighting for improved ambience



Improved performance of enemies on terrain
Reduced overall memory usage
Reduced level load times
Removed floating icons in the investigation screen
Added more puzzles to levels (highlighted in blue in investigation screen)
Minor improvements to meshes and textures of some objects
Reduced the amount of text presented to the player (instructions are more baked into the UI or game environment)
Updated water in Q8 Storage to have a more chemical purple look
Added holograms to various scenes
Updated more animations for critters
Fixed smoke grenade effectiveness
Improved player jump mechanics
Added casualty map to laboratory level
Tweaked combat music to be more atmospheric and how it's triggered
Updated Q8 cave to have a more unique look to it (crystal style rocks, etc)
Tweaked escape menu layout
Added more nests to all levels
Updated effects for insect wings and weapons to blur a little on movement
Added volumetric fog to outdoor levels
Updated how much health is restored for each first aid use
Tweaked storm colors outside
Added more save game consoles to certain areas
More tweaks to enemy AI, movement, and sound effects
Added more details to terrains in all levels
Updated sound effects for weapons and enemies
Updated some particle effects for weapons
Updated the look of all enemies
Simplified the look of the reticules
Updated soft lock to make it easier to lock on enemies at a distance
Added dead grass to terrains outside for better look
Updated look of terrain when lit up
Updated resolution of soviten zones
Updated the look of the nests to appear soviten affected
Fixed some interactivity issues with object triggers
Improved look of glass in the game (and added subtle helmet glass)
Added power generator to each level that can turn on all lights



Fixed issues with enemies spawning when nest is dead
Fixed hevn facility outside not casting a shadow
Fixed issues with some lights not turning on in levels
Fixed Q8 Storage water not lowering enough when solving puzzle
Fixed some issues with decals showing up on enemies
Fixed Sky Droid shooting itself
Fixed drill pumps floating in the game at times
Fixed Lucie's engine fire looking too slow
Fixed responsiveness of Ion Emulsifier and Flamethrower
Fixed some lights not looking volumetric at all
Fixed issues with particles hanging around after being shot/collided
Fixed Ion Drill bullets shooting slowly
Fixed Edna code entry to use proper navigation input
Fixed footsteps not glowing with special helmet
Fixed some level design issues where player can fall off the map
Fixed issues with damaging nests
Fixed some issues with audio popping in and out
Fixed solar panels facing player after fixed
Fixed reflection issues in some levels
Fixed recoil for Ion Drill (also does not shoot while recoiling anymore)
Fixed recharge areas not updating helmet filter capacity
Fixed not being able to throw breadcrumb lights far
Fixed issue with crouch and prone taking too long
Fixed flamethrower weapon clipping with helmet/masks
Fixed fire in laboratory server room
Fixed issue with player tablet not rotating camera quickly enough
Fixed some movement and rotation issues for Sky Droid
Fixed white cloudy look by static lights
Fixed upper right transmission screen text size
Fixed critters still highlighting after death
Fixed damage from fire, ion, and cold to happen over time after initial contact
Fixed issue with frame rates dropping when scene loads
Fixed recharge message when wearing an oxygen mask
Fixed some player image effects
Fixed issues using Soviten Rocks from one level in another
Fixed some object pop-in issues
Fixed more typos

All the best,

Larry and Mat

Hello there! We've pushed another large update with some important fixes and updates. Some notable ones:

Updated the enemy AI behavior considerably (feels more rooted in the world)
Updated Target Assist to be off by default (holding shift/left trigger enables it)
Updated the Ion Drill to work more as a long range weapon using a mini-screen that zooms and has less rounds per reload
Updated player inventory to support 8 items per slot for most items
Updated enemies to show an exclamation point above them in the Investigation Screen to indicate threat level (orange = aware of player, red = attacking player)
Added soviten rocks that can be inventoried and destroyed to create a soviten zone (i.e. vertical zero-g tube) in any spot

Here's the complete list from this update as well as since the last post on Jan 27:

• Added destroyable rock, pipe, and tower areas
  
• Updated droids to be able to shoot things around the player
  
• Increased amount of resolve from each enemy death
  
• Fixed issue with Ion Drill bullets not colliding properly
  
• Updated critters to use a "hive mind" (attack one and it may scream and call for help from nearby critters)
  
• Updated player death sequence
  
• Fixed issue updating Quick Menu after dropping item
  
• Added more blood and damage particles during combat
  
• Fixed issue with Sonic Grenade floating too high
  
• Added ability to move slightly in the air while falling/jumping
  
• Removed the ability to "Activate" certain throwable items when holding them
  
• Updated so that first throwable item is automatically enabled (visible in the bottom right of the HUD)
  
• Fixed various issues updating the inventory menu when interacting with or dropping items
  
• Fixed issues equipping weapons from within the inventory menu
  
• Updated Bioreserve to use more of the jumping mechanic (elevator is broken, more platforms, etc)
  
• Added wall barriers in sensitive areas that trigger droid combat
  
• Improved the look of particles for several weapons
  
• Updated how the soviten zones look and work (there's no more damage)
  
• Added large soviten rocks that can be destroyed to create a taller zone
  
• Updated soviten zones to apply vertical force when there is no player input
  
• Improved ease of movement in soviten zones
  
• Fixed issue with some particles not triggering on enemy death
  
• Updated a lot of sound effects in various areas
  
• Fixed issues with certain objects hovering in the air
  
• Added more statements for MQ that trigger in certain situations
  
• Fixed explosives to cause damage and apply force by distance radius
  
• Fixed issue with being able to save the game while falling (player must be on the ground)
  
• Updated droids to use an evasive move when in combat
  
• Updated more critters to separate into pieces on death
  
• Fixed various navigation issues with the enemies
  
• Increased flame thrower distance
  
• Added a soviten puzzle to Quadrant 7 Storage level
  
• Fixed issues using the Hacking Device to hack pin entries and terminals
  
• Fixed issue with Laboratory location not showing up in the Investigation screen
  
• Several tweaks to levels to help improve performance and chance for encounters with enemies
  
• Updated the health meters to be larger, clearer, and more squarish
  
• Fixed the resolve color to not use dark blue
  
• Added a new structure to investigate in the Quadrant 7 area
  
• Fixed issue exiting a tablet causing the player control to freeze
  
• Fixed scrap shield image not showing up in player inventory menu
  
• Fixed how some light sources appear as "orbish"
  
• Fixed some animations for some critters
  
• More polish on the terrains by painting certain areas to look more natural
  
• Fixed some environmental 2D sound effects to be in 3D
  
• Fixed issue waking up from dream and the screen not looking groggy/confused
  
• Fixed issue with NXT explosive bouncing and rolling too far
  
• Updated the look of the critter footstep particles
  
• Added hologram objects in Laboratory level
  
• Updated how player takes damage from critters (when poison collides with players instead of with the rising smoke)
  
• Updated the Media Gallery Menu to auto-zoom on recently imported images
  
• Fixed the speed of the player falling from great heights
  
• Fixed issues not exiting terminals in certain cases
  
• Fixed errors using explosives and other weapons when changing levels
  

Best of luck out there!

Larry and Mat

Hello again!

Another update improving several aspects of the game including the player vocals when taking damage, how combat looks (more blood and stuff!), etc. Here's the details:

• Added transparent wings to some critters to look more scary
  
• Fixed some enemy behaviors and improved aesthetics during death
  
• Updated Key Binding menu to work with controllers
  
• Updated enemy damage FX to happen more frequently and look more visceral
  
• Updated damage for certain weapons to be handle "damage per second"
  
• Updated animations when some enemies take damage
  
• Updated player to show a blur effect when taking damage
  
• Added more and updated floating green rocks outdoors
  
• Updated player vocals to use normal sounding hurt sound FX
  
• Fixed issues with certain buttons/keys not showing sprites in instructions
  
• Fixed minor bug loading scenes in some levels
  

All the best!

Mat and Larry

Hello! We've got another update pushed up with some pretty cool things:

* Key Binding - In the main menu there is a very rough version of a way to handle key binding. It has some flaws (i.e. have to use ESC to exit it right now, doesn't quite work fully with controllers, etc) but we hope to iron all that out soon enough. It does work for keyboard/mouse at the moment and thought it might be useful, even in its current state.
* Weapons - Updated the first weapon in the game to be a flamethrower and the next to be an Ion Emulsifier/Power Sledge. This is to balance against the enemies in the beginning of the game.

* Updated datagraph data for weapons to be more useful
* Added slight trail to the powersledge
* Updated some sound fx for the powersledge
* Updated weapon soft lock to kick in from farther away
* Fixes to the enemies for re-positioning on uneven terrain, chasing the player, landing after flying attacks, more dramatic and random speed changes, impact ‘stuns’ interrupt… critter ‘shakes it off’ and keeps going or retreats
* Updates to critters to use a different sound for movement, power sledge registers an impact on critter
* Updated the scale of some enemies

That's it for now. All the best!

Mat and Larry

Hello there!

We've just pushed another minor update that addresses several issues with the sound and ambience of the game, among other things. Here they are:

• More AI updates to improve combat feel and enemy behavior
  
• Added more sound effects for sand beetles
  
• Updated prologue screen colors and the look of the planet/storms
  
• Updated main menu options to fade in a bit better
  
• Updated sound effects in main menu for different options
  
• Updated the look of the "bullets" in the game (particles last longer, trails are visible even when spamming, etc)
  
• Fixed audio filtering issues in several areas of the game (with helmet on/off, etc)
  
• Fixed some instructions to use the correct button mapping
  
• Updated player to throw "grenades" with left hand when power sledge is equipped
  
• Added more MQ narrative statements
  
• Fixed reverb handling in the game (added subtle reverb outdoors)
  
• Updated sky droid sounds
  

We've also started implementing some basic control mapping support. Hope to have that available soon! :)

Thanks!

Larry and Mat