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Full notes
Full His Last Film update
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Repeated intro
Hello everyone! It’s been an incredibly intense couple of weeks at Static Frame Studios. As we march closer to releasing our first public demo, the focus has completely shifted toward fine-tuning the details that make a psychological horror experience truly unforgettable shadows, sounds, and an oppressive atmosphere.
What changed
- UI and audio
- Gameplay
- Performance
His Last Film changes
Before diving into the full technical changelog, I wanted to share a sneak peek of how the subway tunnels are looking right now:
Gameplay Refinements & Bug Squashing
These past two weeks were all about making the core mechanics feel seamless, stable, and responsive.
- Flashlight OverhaulFixed a critical bug where players could spam the flashlight toggle. Added smooth custom animations when equipping it, and introduced visual logic that allows you to discover hidden environmental details projected on the walls while using the light beam.
- Interaction PolishingAdded the right-click text in the widget asset to reset the view of the [c]InspectActor[/c]. We also fixed a camera rotation bug inside the inspection system and resolved a delay issue that occurred when opening and closing doors.
- Audio TweaksCleaned up 3D sound attenuation for running steps and phone calls. Added a subtle bouncing ball audio fix and scattered new eerie background ambient noises to keep the tension high during exploration.
Immersive Systems & Horror Atmospheres
The subway tunnels of Zone 1 are looking and feeling increasingly terrifying.
Cinematic Sequences: Upgraded the sequencer for Zone 0 to establish better narrative pacing right from the start.
Atmospheric Effects: Tuned the [c]EnvironmentalFog[/c] properties and color gradients at the deep end of Zone 1's hallways. We also built a specialized trigger system where overhead light fixtures intensely flicker before one violently bursts, throwing off realistic sparks using Unreal's Niagara VFX pipeline.
Improved in architecture: The stations looks more realistic because of architectural assets such as columns and beams to increase the environmental intention.
Localization & Accessibility
A beautiful game is only good if players worldwide can truly enjoy it. We have laid the foundational brickwork for making His Last Film globally accessible.
Language Selection Widget: Created an intuitive UI splash screen at bootup allowing players to immediately choose their preferred language. Font structures will now dynamically adjust to maintain consistency across various alphabet sheets.
- Expanding SubtitlesSuccessfully finalized full DEMO Spanish, English, Russian, Japanese and Simplified Chinese localization.
- Expanded Options MenuAdded much-requested volume slider controls and a dedicated mouse sensitivity configuration to match varying gameplay preferences.
Technical Optimization & Hardware Tests
Performance cannot be an afterthought in horror.
- Polygon ReductionActively minimized dense mesh triangle counts and lowered scene draw calls throughout the station environment to ensure a fluid framerate.
- Shadow ManagementDisabled resource-heavy dynamic shadow casting on multiple foliage and clutter assets where they weren't strictly needed.
On-the-Go Testing: Tested current builds directly on standard notebooks, successfully validating that the game holds up fantastic framerates outside of heavy development rigs!
Thank you for reading and for following this solo developer journey. Your support keeps the engine running and the static clear.
See you very soon in the tunnels... if you dare to step inside. 🚇
Juan from Static Frame Studios
Source
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