Closed Alpha V.20260623

As always, I want to thank everyone who participated in the Closed Alpha. Your feedback is always valuable in spotting and fixing numerous bugs. Without your help, I would never ever had found these. So, thank you very much and I look forward to your continued support with this latest update.

If you haven't yet participated and would like to join the play-testing while providing valuable feedback, please refer to the post linked below for detailed information on how to gain access to the Closed Alpha.

Closed Alpha Access

ANIMALS

CHANGES

• Changed fox field of view so they are more capable of detecting the player when the player is on higher ground.

FIXES

• Fixed rare cases where animals became stuck in place without visible cause.

• Fixed flickering movement animations for all animals when starting or stopping movement abruptly.

AUDIO

FIXES

• Fixed crackling noises caused by rapid audio occlusion changes.

• Fixed walls not correctly functioning as audio occluders in the Historical Museum.

BLACK MARKET

NEW

• Added short ladder and long ladder as purchasable items in the black market.

CHANGES

• Changed mission sheets to include new gemstones and Nordic artifacts.

CHARACTERS

NEW

• Added a voice line for the Museum Attendant.

FIXES

• Fixed museum guard repeatedly colliding with and pushing the player while following.

• Fixed an issue where, for some players with sufficient reputation, the museum attendant’s second voice line did not play correctly.

CREDITS

NEW

• Added a special thanks category to the credits.

ENCYCLOPEDIA

NEW

• Added three new Nordic artifacts.

• Added five new artworks.

GAMEPLAY

NEW

• Added a physics system where the player now applies weight to objects below, enabling seesaw motion of ladders and other physical interactions.

• Added a simple climbing mechanic usable only on specific surfaces, currently limited to the backside of the spiky metal gate trap in the Transylvanian Castle. For debug purposes the bookshelves at home are climbable too, so you can immediately test it out and tell me if the climbing feels right.

• Added a system where traps can now be inside chests too, with randomization per run consistent with other trap systems.

• Added chest interaction mechanics allowing chests to be opened and closed slowly to avoid noise, inspect internal traps and leave the lid position for trap defusal.

CHANGES

• Changed jumping to cost 1 second of endurance per jump.

• Changed trap frequency scaling based on each player’s dungeon location difficulty, which increases with gathered value and decreases when value is lost.

FIXES

• Fixed that blocked chests were openable.

GRAPHICS

FIXES

• Fixed texture flickering in parts of the Transylvanian Castle entrance.

• Fixed a mushy pine tree texture.

HISTORICAL MUSEUM

NEW

• Added additional glass display cases for new artifacts, collectibles and gemstones.

CHANGES

• Changed museum area access so regional sections are now unlocked only after at least one artifact from the corresponding region has been donated.

FIXES

• Fixed donated collectibles occasionally glitching through display cases.

• Fixed an issue where the report collectible objective could not be completed if the collectible was removed from the inventory during dialogue with the museum director.

HOME

NEW

• Added bandages, money and wood boards to starting equipment at home for new game starts.

CHANGES

• Changed ladder starting equipment at home to a short ladder.

• Changed starting equipment so players no longer begin with 100 pounds of money in inventory, requiring them to pick it up from the home office instead.

ITEMS

NEW

• Added a silver dinnerware collection containing 13 items as new collectibles in the Transylvanian area.

• Added a gold dinnerware collection containing 12 items as new collectibles in the Transylvanian Castle.

• Added five artworks as new collectibles in the Transylvanian Castle.

• Added that chalk can now be used to draw on rocks in the Monster Tomb of the Nordic Dungeon too.

• Added short ladder as a new item.

• Added long ladder as a new item.

• Added pink and blue sapphires as new collectibles.

• Added pure and red diamonds as new collectibles.

• Added worn notes as new collectible items containing various types of information.

• Added three new artifacts to discover in the Nordic Dungeon.

CHANGES

• Changed that a lit resin torch on ground can be moved around in placement mode and stays lit when put back in left or right hand.

• Changed Sigtrygg Silver Coins to be stackable up to 100.

• Changed the design of the ruby gemstone.

FIXES

• Fixed ladders not being destroyed by high-impact collisions or monsters.

• Fixed ladders failing to place despite sufficient space being available.

LANGUAGES

CHANGES

• Changed translations of all languages except English and German with a new automatic translation review system utilizing Gemma 4 31B and the Google Translation API.

FIXES

• Fixed missing translations across all languages.

MYTHOLOGICAL MONSTER

NEW

• Added a new back slap attack for the Golem triggered when the player hides directly behind it.

CHANGES

• Changed that monsters can destroy wooden crates and wooden porches of Transylvanian houses to reach the player.

• Changed the Transylvanian Castle monster behavior so it is not actively searching at the start and instead behaves like the Nordic Dungeon monsters, allowing players to explore at their own pace.

• Changed all monsters’ field of view so they are more capable of detecting the player when the player is on higher ground.

• Changed the Black Knight armor rattling volume to increase when walking, improving early detection.

FIXES

• Fixed rare cases where monsters became stuck in place without visible cause.

• Fixed a bug preventing the Transylvanian Castle monster from moving between the left corridor and the courtyard.

• Fixed a rare issue where the monster could move during its roar animation, causing it to float above the ground.

• Fixed flickering movement animations for all monsters when starting or stopping movement abruptly.

NORDIC DUNGEON

NEW

• Added three new artifact rooms in the Nordic Dungeon.

• Added counterweight trap triggers in the Nordic Dungeon.

• Added a new structure in the Nordic Dungeon that can be used for hiding or escaping the monster but has a chance to become a death trap.

CHANGES

• Changed the spiral staircase in the Nordic Dungeon to improve uphill navigation on the inner side.

FIXES

• Fixed an issue where players could walk or jump up the edge of the Nordic Island and fall to their death.

PERFORMANCE

NEW

• Added an occlusion system for the Transylvanian Castle to improve performance and rendering efficiency.

CHANGES

• Changed VRAM usage, reducing it by approximately 600 MB with a minor increase in CPU usage.

• Changed and optimized textures of wood pillars and stone walls in the Nordic Dungeon.

• Changed and optimized geometry of select meshes in the Transylvanian Castle for improved performance.

• Changed and optimized textures of Transylvanian statues and pillars for higher clarity and detail.

• Changed and optimized textures of Transylvanian Castle bedrock for higher clarity and detail.

• Changed how the Transylvanian Castle loads to reduce large memory spikes during build-up.

TRANSYLVANIA DUNGEON

NEW

• Added randomized chests to the main hall and courtyard of the Transylvanian Castle.

• Added pendulum scythe traps to the Transylvanian Castle.

• Added spiky iron gate traps to the Transylvanian Castle.

• Added acid traps to the Transylvanian Castle.

• Added floor tile trap triggers to the Transylvanian Castle.

• Added counterweight trap triggers to the Transylvanian Castle.

• Added a throne hall to the Transylvanian Castle.

• Added knight armor and gargoyle decorations to the Transylvanian Castle.

• Added a new optional puzzle to the Transylvanian Castle that randomizes with each dungeon run, scales with difficulty, requires gathered information to solve and rewards the player with a high-value reward.

FIXES

• Fixed players getting stuck in front of stairs in the Transylvanian Castle when attempting to run over them.

• Fixed the calculation of how bright the player is lighten up by surrounding lights, as it was incorrectly influenced by player's look direction when the player is close to a wall next to the Transylvanian Castle Bedroom with the chandelier light enabled.

• Fixed a bug where light emitting items dropped by the player were teleported by the Transylvanian Castle Portal when their light intersected with the portal.

• Fixed a bug allowing players to clip through doors and archways in the Transylvanian Castle when sufficient force was applied.

• Fixed a bug preventing rooms from properly connecting to the Transylvanian Castle library.

• Fixed a rare issue that caused missing rooms in the Transylvanian Castle, making the main mission impossible to complete.

• Fixed a rare issue where the Transylvanian Castle could generate a corridor with an unintended open end.

USER INTERFACE

NEW

• Added a new main menu animation that plays every time the game is started from the desktop.

• Added first aid usage via double click in the inventory.

• Added automatic assignment of picked up equipment to free equipment slots instead of inventory slots for faster access.

CHANGES

• Changed item hover information pop-up delay in inventory from 0.5 seconds to 0.2 seconds for improved responsiveness.

FIXES

• Fixed an issue where the interaction input hint in the bottom-right corner did not update correctly when switching directly between interactable objects.

Please note that all save games will be reset when the full release is launched. This version is intended for testing purposes, so enjoy exploring and experimenting without worrying about permanent progress.

Last but not least I want to thank you again for your continued support and feedback. Your input is invaluable and future enhancements will be based on your valuable suggestions and preferences.

Now, set out on your adventure!