Major Update #1 | Performance Improvements + Dev Roadmap

Firstly, thank you for your incredible support for "DON'T SCREAM". This journey has been beyond our wildest expectations. When we launched this game as a short UE5 horror experience, we never imagined it would capture your attention the way it has. Your enthusiasm and ideas have not only been inspiring but have also highlighted the potential for even greater depth in the game.

As much as we've achieved, Joure and I are aware of the limits of what we can accomplish alone, particularly regarding content and technical enhancements. We're proud of the improvements we've made so far, yet we recognize that there's a broader scope for development. This was a challenging realization, especially as our initial vision was for a short, engaging horror experience built-in UE5.

After careful consideration, and with the above in mind, Joure and I have decided to pursue different paths to best utilize our individual talents and visions. Joure will be moving on to new projects, beginning his own adventure in the indie dev scene. I wholeheartedly support him and thank him for his dedication and remarkable contributions to DON'T SCREAM. You can continue to support and follow his future endeavours on his Discord and Patreon platforms. Thank you, Joure!

As for me, I will remain actively involved with DON'T SCREAM, now with additional help. I'm excited to announce a collaboration with Digital Cybercherries. They will come on board to help develop and publish the game. This partnership marks a new chapter in the game's journey, promising to improve and expand the gameplay experience, overcoming the technical limitations that once hindered us. So, it's time to talk about the first major update and the future of DON'T SCREAM.

Please let us know on our Steam Forums or Discord if you encounter any bugs. Thank you!

WHAT LIES AHEAD FOR DON'T SCREAM

Over the past two months since the launch of DON'T SCREAM, we've learned that you all really love the concept of the game. However, you've told us that its execution could be better. We've spent these months analyzing your feedback and identifying the most common points of interest. The most common feedback focused on performance, better microphone calibration, an improved user interface, and more subtle, tension-based scares instead of too many abrupt jump scares. There was also a desire for more backstory and lore, explaining why you're exploring the forest and understanding your purpose there. Many comments also suggested adding other dangers in the forest, which can kill the player if not cautiously avoided. Additionally, we noticed requests for objectives to motivate players to delve deeper into the forest's mysteries.

With this in mind, and with the assistance of Digital Cybercherries, we're now confident that we can implement the following improvements and content throughout 2024, each with more significant polish:

Here's our development roadmap for the enhancements and additions we plan to make in 2024, based on your ongoing feedback: (click the image to enlarge).

If the image won't open, here's a text version:

DON'T SCREAM DEVELOPMENT ROADMAP 2024

OPTIMIZATION

• Vastly improve performance for lower-end systems to ensure smoother gameplay, while further optimizing medium and high graphics settings.

• Ensure consistent performance across all platforms, potentially including VR and consoles.

• Optimize 3D models and textures to enhance performance without sacrificing detail. And more...

IMPROVEMENTS

• A more user-friendly and intuitive user interface.

• Scarier scares with a focus on tension and buildup of atmosphere. Less “in your face” jump scares, more creative ones.

• Redesign of