Patch 1.9

This is a summary of the most important updates, changes and bugfixes for A Room Beyond version 1.9 which went online today. They apply to both, the free demo of Episode 1 and the Early Access full version.

New Content & Design Changes

• A new setting is available which allows to disable some effects to improve framerate on low performance systems. Effects which are disabled through this setting are not essential, but only decorative.
• All new effect Whispering Voices creates glitter and sparks around unexplored hotspots while hotkey Ctrl is pressed. This feature was implemented due to players’ demands and suggestions.
• Main Menu now contains a link to the game manual website.

Optimizations

• Subtitles are shown for audio effects which are important for storytelling now. No important detail is missed when playing without sound output therefore. Audio annotations can be turned on and off in Settings.
• Episode 1 got some adjustments to avoid player confusion.
  • Goldwasher’s wife no longer suggests to burn the stick as this was a false hint which might be too misleading.
  • Graphical details were added to chestnut tree making it easier to recognize.
  • The forked branch in the hills stands out more clearly from the background and disappears when picked up.
  • Action range for some hotspots was fixed so that they are no longer accessible when they are too far away (i.e. in extreme distance).
• Some characters in pixel fonts have a clearer shape now and more special characters are supported.
• Episode end credits were adjusted to contain less detail and focus more on special thanks.
• Render and quality settings were optimized for better performance.
• The game’s icon was changed from the cat to a more colorful icon that is more related to actual gameplay.
• The version of the game can now be more easily identified as the word ‘Demo’ appears behind the version number in main menu and in-game overlay menu when demo version is running.
• An additional Tutorial slide introduces Whispering Voices in Episode 1.

Bug Fixes

• Webupdates are restricted to unmanaged distribution channels now, as game installations by Google Play or Steam will be updated through their corresponding frameworks.
• 'Explore Savegame Path' is now disabled when there are no savegames.
• A bug in game logic is fixed that caused a game state where the game could not be continued/finished when the chestnut is thrown away once.
• Minor fixes in language and translation.