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Beta 2 release notes

Saman Bemel Benrud • May 05 2022

We just published the second major Wilderplace beta build to Steam. Beta 2 marks an important milestone: we’ve completed all the game’s artwork and content. We’re very close to finishing – we’ve even got a trailer now! This release wouldn’t be possible without all the honest and detailed feedback from our beta testers. So, if you’re a tester and you’re reading this: thank you!

Here’s a summary of what’s new in beta 2:

Content

  • Rewrote most in-game dialog and cutscene text to add depth and cohesion to the game’s characters and core narrative arc.
  • Based on player feedback, revised or redesigned dozens of groves. We made especially large changes to the Boulder Trail and The Gardener’s Grounds.
  • Added new alternative paths and shortcuts throughout the game.
  • Extended and rebalanced the endgame experience.
  • Adjusted the endgame mechanics so the consequences of the player’s choices are more clear.

Now with more Toadman lore.

Gameplay

  • On groves that contain monuments, the player must interact with the monument before exiting.

UI

  • Increased the scale of the game for larger screens.
  • Added full keyboard and gamepad navigation to all UI screens.
  • Add the ability to zoom the minimap.
  • Clamp panning distance on minimap.
  • Add a “…” symbol to dialogue boxes when there are additional pages of dialogue.
  • Added the option to quit the game from the settings menu.
  • Invert the cursor color while in the dream world.
  • Added global stats display to the credits sequence.
  • Add a delay when skipping cutscenes and dialog text to prevent player from accidentally skipping two screens in a row.

Minimap zooming.

Bug fixes

  • Fix a variety of movement-related bugs that would stick the player in the pending move position or allow the player to enter the pending move state when they’re not allowed to move.
  • Fix a bug that caused a soft lock. It will now always be possible to reset a grove that hasn’t been cleared to it’s original state.
  • Fix a bug that would cause the player to recoil in the wrong direction when possessed by spirits.
  • Fix a bug that would erroneously show the idle frame of an NPC for one frame before starting an animation.

Art

  • Completed all cutscene art.
  • Add simple animations to all cutscenes.
  • Add new animations to items and item pickup.
  • Added a new animation sequence when first completing a grove.
  • Add subtle animation to player when entering a grove.
  • Added per-grove tint and vignette effects.
  • Added a new hand-drawn font to represent the celestial realm.
  • The blessed spell affordance is now a floating founder symbol rather than a pink spell symbol.

New item pickup animation.

Audio

  • Add voices while speaking to NPCs.
  • Finish all sound effects.
  • Optimize DX7 implementation to reduce audio glitches on older hardware.

What’s next?

We have two main priorities from here. First of all, we’re running another beta round to fine-tune the puzzles and the story, and catch any remaining bugs and performance issues. If you’ve shown interest in testing over the last couple months but haven’t received an email, you likely will later today.

Secondly, we’ll be shifting the majority of our energy toward promoting the game. We’re launching a press kit website soon, and plan to publish more blog posts on the making of Wilderplace. If you’re a game journalist or a publisher, please reach out, I’d love to talk.

👋 Thanks!

Wilderplace can be wishlisted on Steam! The best way to keep up with the game’s development or request access to the Beta is to join the discord.