This is a quick patch for an issue that was introduced in the previous update. While trying to fix an issue with Mother's projectiles becoming invulnerable, a new bug was created which caused some projectiles to change speed or behave strangely. This update resolves that issue.

Hopefully, all projectiles are behaving as they were intended from the start, now. HoppyHappy

This update has minimal impact to the core game, but there are a few bug fixes included. The focus instead is around the Twitch Arena, and providing a more customizable experience for the host.

[h2]Arena updates[/h2]

Here are the updates related to the Twitch arena in this patch:

• Added option in Twitch Arena for a One Hit battle. This can be toggled on and off before starting the fight with a statue in the arena room. Enabling this allows you to fight as if the game difficulty was set to "One Hit", regardless of what difficulty your save file is.
  - You must complete the game at least once to unlock the One Hit difficulty before this option is available.
  
• Dying in the arena will now respawn the player in the same room. No more do you need to run all the way back to the arena. :D
  
• Individual spawn limits for each supported boss is now configurable in the twitch_config.ini file.
  
• Disconnecting from the arena (either from timeout or with the !disconnect) command will now respawn the target so you can start a new fight without leaving the room.
  
• Added an optional voting system. This allows you to space out the spawn rate between bosses in the arena. Any time a user enters a command, it instead places a "vote" for that boss, and when the time expires it spawns one boss from the list randomly. Voting on the same boss increases the odds, but every vote has the potential to be picked!
  - This can be enabled by setting "votingDelay" greater than 0 in the twitch_config.ini.
  - The voting system does not apply to non-boss commands like !rock.
  

• Fixed an issue which incorrectly prevented projectiles from being hit when they spawned under certain conditions.
  
• Fixed an issue with respawning during boss rush sometimes placing the player in the wrong room.
  
• Health bars no longer display in One Hit difficulty, as they aren't relevant.
  

This update includes several bug fixes and quality-of-life improvements.

• Fixed Steam achievements and cloud saves not working on Mac.
  
• Added binding option for menu confirm and back. These are now separate from attack, jump, and roll.
  
• Changed file delete and "Restore to Defaults" buttons so they now display a confirmation window instead of needing to be held down.
  
• Fixed "Restore to defaults" resetting some unlock progress.
  
• Improved consistency for exiting in-game menus, like the map and scroll display. Escape now exits universally, in addition to the menu back button.
  
• Fixed an issue with the parry move consuming too much magic depending on the order in which buttons were pressed. It now consistently uses 1 magic bar.
  
• Added magic consumption indicator on the scroll for acquiring the parry move.
  
• Improved compatibility, localization, and visual prompts for certain controllers, such as Switch Joy-Cons and DualShock 4.
  
• Fixed dodge ability ending invulnerability prematurely.
  
• Fixed an issue with twitch_config.ini not working unless it is in the same folder as the exe on Windows. (It should now work from the twitch_arena folder as intended.)
  
• Fixed an issue that could allow binding D-pad buttons to actions which are invalid. (D-pad is always used for movement.)
  
• Fixed an issue that prevented looking at the EWLS scroll with cutscene skipping on.
  
• Fixed a visual issue where a frozen Bandit could be shown if approached from an unintended method.
  

This update brings some minor optimizations which should make Ato a smoother experience in general.

Changes included:

• Button prompts for Joy-Con controllers added.
  
• Optimized map and lanterns so they no longer cause massive performance drops.
  
• Minor tweak which should reduce stuttering on some devices like the Steam Deck.
  

This update isn't all too exciting, but fixes a few critical bugs.

• Fixed a crash when viewing credits from menu.
  
• Fixed an issue with Steam cloud saves and achievements not working on MacOS.
  
• The controller bindings screen will now display better button names depending on the controller you are using.
  
• Grass counter is now larger and scales correctly with resolution.
  

Ato version 1.0.9 is out now. This update includes the following changes:

• Fixed a bug with warp gates.
  
• Grass has a long memory... It remembers when it has been cut.
  

Ato is now available on Linux* and MacOS! Both M1 and Intel CPUs are compatible on MacOS.

It's the same game you know and love now more accessible than ever. This additional platform support means that it should be fairly optimized to run on Steam Deck as well, once it releases. We plan to apply for a Steam Deck verified rating (and test it on the hardware ourselves) as soon as possible, but it might be several months after Steam Deck releases due to Ato's relative obscurity in Steam's wide library of games.

As a reminder, the Steam autumn sale is still going on. If you've been waiting for a Mac release to pick up Ato, now is a great time to get it while it's still on sale! JumpyCute

*The game's engine (GameMaker Studio 2) only officially supports Ubuntu 18.04 and 20.04. (Steam itself only supports Ubuntu and SteamOS). That said, it should generally work on most Linux distributions, but may require additional steps and workarounds. As such, Ato only officially supports Ubuntu and SteamOS as well.

[h3]Miscellaneous Updates[/h3]

Since the last update, a few more minor fixes have made their way in, hence the update to version 1.0.8.

• Turtle no longer gets stuck in the left side wall when rolling.
  
• Minor updates to some in-game menu translations.
  
• Fixed stretching on resolutions that do not have a 16:9 aspect ratio.
  
• Fixed a potential crash on Champ, Guardian, and Twins. (This bug was discovered with the Mac build where it happened consistently; it's unknown if this crash was possible on Windows before. In any case, it's fixed now.)
  

• The last update introduced an issue with the window size for displays that don't have an ideal resolution. This patch fixes that. (Thanks to Octopoos from the Discord for reporting this bug and helping test the fix.)
  
• The demo has been updated to the latest version. The last time the demo was updated was 1.0.6.4, so this means the demo now gets all the bug fixes and optimizes that have happened since then.
  
• Credits have been updated to include individuals who helped with the previous localization update.
  

Language updates

Ato is now more accessible than ever! Although the gameplay does not rely on any text, navigating menus is a lot easier if they are in a language you speak! This update adds multiple new language options including Arabic, Dutch, Danish, Polish, Swedish, Finnish, and more.

In addition, the store page and achievements have all been localized to these languages, as well as most of the other languages which previously only had localized menu text. The remaining ones (Japanese, German, and Korean) will be fully localized in the near future.

Some languages have also had their translations updated to be more accurate and natural than they were before. If you notice any issues, please let us know either through the Steam discussions or in our Discord.

New players will be prompted to select a language the first time they launch the game, but you can always change your preferred language from the settings menu.



There's more...

While the focus of this update is clearly on translations, there are a few other improvements alongside this patch.

• Controller vibration has been added. You can disable this from the Gameplay settings if you prefer. Vibration only occurs if you are actively using a controller, so mouse and keyboard users do not need to turn this off.
  
• Fixed an issue with a certain achievement not triggering if auto-skip cutscenes is turned on.
  
• Fixed an issue with stretching that sometimes occurred when switching between fullscreen and windowed.
  

This patch fixes a critical issues with the tiles not displaying for one region of the game. It also includes a fun minor changes to polish up rough edges:

• Scrolls for abilities that use magic now display how many magic bars the ability requires. This is especially useful for Fatal Draw, as it's possible to obtain without having enough magic to use it right away.
  
• Some puzzles will now be automatically completed if you have already obtained the orb from that path. This reduces the pain of backtracking if you have to return to these areas because you missed a pickup or side-room the first time.
  
• Reduced noise from a few more sound effects when they overlap, for a softer auditory experience.
  
• Fixed an issue with enemies being able to trigger the combo achievement.
  
• Our last patch was a bit too loose with the grass dye; we've corrected the color of the grass on a specific encounter.
  

On the surface, this is a small update, but it could be pretty significant for some players!

• Fixed a memory leak which could cause crashes for some users after extended play sessions.
  
• Optimizations to reduce reliance on shaders. This can provide a fairly significant performance boost on devices which have integrated graphics or a weaker GPU.
  
• Fixed an issue with grass spawning inconsistently. (That is to say, it often didn't spawn!)
  

A small patch has been released that adds support for cloud saving via Steam. This will automatically sync save files between PCs as long as you are logged into the same Steam account and have the feature enabled. (It is enabled by default.) If you have existing saves, you must load up each file once in order for it to sync up.

This update also includes a few bug fixes, including one for a crash under certain circumstances when using the throw spell.

Enjoy!

Since the last update, Ato has been updated to version 1.06.1 and now 1.06.2. These updates mainly just fix a few bugs in the 1.06 release, namely:

• Fixed issue with Boss Rush respawning you in the incorrect room under certain circumstances.
  
• Fixed issue that sometimes caused bosses to get stuck after spawning. (This was most prevalent with Leader and Twitch arena.)
  
• Fixed a crash when holding dash after a certain boss battle.
  
• Improved controller support/detection. You should now be able to switch between controllers seamlessly and no longer need to use the gamepad in slot 1.
  
• Fixed PlayStation controller button prompts displaying incorrectly.
  
• Added visual hints for a certain boss's spawn condition. Hopefully players will be less confused by this now when arriving at an empty room.
  

New Mode: Boss Rush

A new update has just dropped and along with it comes an exciting new mode: Boss Rush! This mode allows you to experience raw action as you fight through the bosses* back-to-back.



Unlock condition: Achieve 100% completion and beat the game on any save file.



In this mode, all of your abilities will be available from the start. You can choose any difficulty. You will start with max health, but you'll have to be careful because your health does not restore between fights! Challenge yourself to clear them all as quickly and with as few deaths as possible.

*All bosses and arenas are included in this mode, with the exception of the following:

• 3 joke fights against Vagrant. (The final fight against him is included.)
  
• Child - This is more of a platforming challenge than an actual "fight." It didn't fit in with the frantic combat focus of Boss Rush, so it was left out.
  

[h2]Update 1.05[/h2]
Fixes for a variety of bugs and adds a little extra polish. Here are a few of the included changes:

• Fixed a lot of sound effects not respecting the audio settings. Also reduced instances of overlapping sound effects to eliminate those ear-popping audio spikes!
  
• Fixed one spot where the player could get stuck while backtracking if they did not have certain abilities.
  
• Fixed inconsistent layering of certain objects in specific rooms.
  
• Chinese, Korean, and Japanese fonts now use their own font file. This makes loading them marginally faster in the language selection screen and takes less memory.
  
• Added a way for players to escape when trapped inside a wall of breakable blocks.
  

• Arena now has an icon on the map so you can find it again easily.
  
• Added a setting to the config for limiting the overall number of simultaneous bosses - useful for a bigger audience to prevent things from getting out of hand.
  
• Fixed an issue where boss limits were based on total number that had been spawned, rather than the number currently alive.
  
• While the arena is active it will now display the number of bosses defeated and a timer for time alive.
  
• Added an additional command to the bot's command list message that was previously left out.
  
• 10 more bosses added as commands! These bosses require that you defeat them on the same save file in order for them to be available in the arena. They are:
  
  
• Acolyte
  
• Geisha
  
• Berserker
  
• Sentinel
  
• Samurai
  
• Cross Blade
  
• Champ
  
• Daggerman
  
• Tempest
  
• Bandit
  
  

This update includes minor fixes and visual improvements.

• Fixed an issue with orb progress not displaying correctly on file select screen.
  
• Fixed an issue that could cause the final boss to go out of bounds.
  
• Fixed timer display being hidden behind health UI.
  
• Improved FPS display. It is now small text in the corner of the screen so as to be less distracting.
  
• Runes that have been picked up will no longer display briefly upon entering a room before vanishing.
  
• Added save icon on map to a few rooms with saves that were missing it.
  
• Fixed charge attack visual effect showing even without the ability unlocked.
  
• Reduced noise caused by hitting multiple objects at once.
  

• Turkish fix
  
• Store page Turkish and Chinese added
  
• Images for sound options fixed
  
• Fixed grass in an area
  
• One Hit Difficulty now skips to "first checkpoint", start with dodge, skips early cutscenes
  
• echo slash rune cooldown now only resets when shot
  
• echo slash rune cooldown 4 > 4.5 sec
  
• slowmotion removed for some pickups when autocutsceneskip is on
  
• Twitch Room Crash fixes
  

• Chinese localization fixes
  
• Fixed issue where selecting some options in menus acted weird
  
• Minor sound fix
  
• Removed random tree
  
• Fixed white barrier in rainy area
  
• Coins and Coin Gates are removed in One Hit Difficulty
  

• Turkish language added to menus (Thanks to Frtna Korsanlar)
  
• Automatically Skip Cutscenes option added (in miscellaneous in options), skips skippable cutscenes, instantly closes out scroll popups, pickup cutscenes. Speed-runners rejoice!
  

• Map button should be able to close map now
  
• File delete option should now delete actual file
  
• Player map icon fix
  

• Added Bahasa Indonesia Language option (Thanks to Dania Rifki)
  
• minor map fix
  
• block depth fix
  

Ato is a game that started as a short experiment, but overtime grew organically into what you see now. I didn't have a clear goal at first and there was a lot of difficulty and change that occurred as it developed. When I first started to make games, while I had a degree of understanding gameplay design, I still struggled to understand how to tell stories and bring out an emotional reaction from the player. In some ways, if you were to play all of my games, you'd slowly start to see the attempts and discoveries that were made. Ato was a process of discovery while also exercising all the knowledge I've obtained. To it's core, Ato is a story of family and the father that you play as is driven to protect his no matter the cost.

I hope you check out Ato, it had a whole new range of challenges that I had to deal with when it came to finishing it (technically, mentally, maybe even physically). I can only hope that you enjoy what you get to experience in the game and that it's worth your time/money.

Thank you for reading and again, I do hope you enjoy what I've tried my best to create,

-Brandon