Nemesis: Distress BIG PATCH v1.0 – Soft Launch + Patch Notes

Hey everyone!

Today, we’d like to introduce the “soft launch” of Nemesis: Distress, version 1.0.

A brief foreword before we go further.

It’s been a long time since our last update, and we want to thank those who were still around during the silence. We’re truly sorry for keeping all of you waiting without any more precise updates.

Almost three years ago, we put the project on hold indefinitely, as we mentioned on our Discord. We realized it needed serious changes, mostly on the technical part, to reach its potential. Since then, we’ve taken a step back to rethink our direction and make major improvements.

The most important features are that the game has now been upgraded from UE4 to UE5, and we’ve moved to local servers to avoid the problems we ran into with external solutions.

We’ve also spent a lot of time squashing bugs and improving stability across the board. We’re genuinely eager to hear your honest thoughts on this new version. Feel free to be critical; we want to know what works and what doesn’t.

As mentioned at the beginning, please treat this update as a “soft launch” of the 1.0 version. We’re preparing for a full-fledged launch, and we’d like to ensure the game meets your expectations.

Without further ado, please take a look at the video overview of all the fixes and improvements:

And here’s the full list of changes:

Most Important Changes

• Engine Upgrade: The game has been upgraded to Unreal Engine 5, bringing major improvements to performance, rendering stability, and future scalability.

• Steam Networking Integration: Multiplayer networking has been fully migrated to Steam Networking, improving the lobby stability, matchmaking reliability, and player synchronization. That said, contrary to previous AWS-based hosting, matches will now be hosted locally.

• Stability & Crash Fix Update: This update focuses heavily on overall stability, addressing critical crashes, freezes, and soft-locks reported across solo and multiplayer modes.

Performance & Stability

• Fixed frequent crashes occurring on game start, during loading screens, and when entering matches.

• Reduced severe frame stuttering and performance drops across all graphics settings.

• Improved memory handling to prevent Unreal Engine render-related fatal errors.

• Fixed freezes leading to forced returns to the main menu or unexpected game exits.

• Improved crash logging and error handling for better stability diagnostics.

Multiplayer & Networking

• Fixed issues preventing players from joining or staying in lobbies.

• Resolved desynchronization issues causing teleporting players, enemies, or items.

• Fixed cases where hosts were incorrectly assigned during lobby creation.

• Improved lobby UI stability, including long lobby names blocking interaction.

• Fixed voice chat issues where microphones were not detected or stopped working.

Gameplay & Controls

• Fixed multiple cases where players became stuck, immobilized, or lost control after opening menus, maps, or interacting with UI.

• Improved reliability of the Unstuck feature to prevent unintended teleports or kicks from sessions.

• Fixed controller input issues, including incorrect button mapping and input conflicts.

• Prevented mouse input from being accidentally bound to movement controls.

• Added safeguards to avoid permanent control lock after alt-tabbing.

Level Geometry & Movement

• Fixed numerous cases of players falling through floors, walls, vents, ladders, and crawlspaces.

• Improved collision and climbing logic in vents, ladders, crates, and environmental props.

• Fixed doors visually opening but remaining blocked by invisible collision.

• Addressed issues where players could exit the playable map or become trapped outside geometry.

Enemies & AI

• Fixed enemies getting stuck, freezing, or teleporting unexpectedly between rooms.

• Resolved cases where enemies became invisible in spectator mode.

• Fixed adult intruders bypassing locked rooms or escaping containment incorrectly.

• Improved consistency of