🧭 Incoming Navigation Rework, Compass Improvements & Visuals

📢 Update Announcement - Navigation Improvements & Visual Upgrades (In Progress)

It’s been a little quiet since March 2nd - during that time, work has been fully focused on implementing major improvements and polishing core gameplay systems.

Many of the changes currently in development are a direct result of the valuable feedback gathered during the demo period at the recent Steam festival. Player impressions and detailed reports helped highlight the areas that needed the most attention.

The current development stage is focused on final adjustments to the player orientation system. The goal is to make navigation clearer and prevent rapid camera movement from negatively affecting compass behavior.

These improvements are being implemented in two phases.

🧭 Navigation Improvements - Phase 1

The first major feature is a hot/cold rune feedback system.

Runes on the compass now flicker at different frequencies depending on the distance to a GPS fragment:

• Faster flicker when closer

• Slower flicker when further away

The system is already working well, but there is still a minor issue being resolved where player movement speed can occasionally affect rune flicker frequency.

Another key element of Phase 1 is temporary compass disabling when the camera is moved too aggressively (over large angles exceeding 180°).

This mechanic will evolve over the coming weeks into a more immersive navigation concept:

The compass will behave like a haunted mechanical music box:

• Aggressive camera movement will “overwind” it, forcing it to shut closed temporarily

• Calm and controlled camera movement will slowly reopen it, allowing the navigation melody to play again

This system aims to merge navigation mechanics with atmosphere rather than treating the compass as a purely technical UI element.

🔦 Visual & Minor Improvements

Several smaller enhancements have also been implemented:

• A new flashlight light texture has been added for a more atmospheric look

• The central light mask is now smaller than the natural shadow radius to avoid blocking gameplay visibility

• Texture sharpening has been introduced without noticeable performance impact

🗺 Upcoming Gameplay Improvements

The next update will also introduce improvements to GPS fragment spawn logic:

• GPS fragments will no longer spawn more than once in the same building

• Fragment collection order will more often create unique match routes

• Reduced backtracking to previously cleared locations

• Smoother and more natural progression flow

🔧 Current Status

These improvements are currently in the final testing phase. The focus is on catching major issues and ensuring stability before the patch goes live.

Thank you for all the feedback - especially from those who played the demo during the Steam festival. It continues to directly shape the development direction.

You’re always welcome to join the community on Discord and share your feedback. :)

See you in the forest. 🌲

Mike