• fixed an issue where the rendering performance deteriorated permanently after entering the pause menu
• fixed the configuration menu always reporting pending changes when Standard Mode was enabled
• improved the in-game text writer and added many new characters

[ 2024-10-30 12:41:16 CET ] [ Original post ]

• added subtle highlighting of changes in the configuration menu
• fixed an issue where enemies in stage 6-5 were not properly destroyed in co-op mode (and also made sure a possible surviving enemy no longer prevents progression)
• fixed menu navigation not working anymore when mouse buttons were assigned to player movement keys

[ 2024-08-21 09:35:28 CET ] [ Original post ]

• added keyboard menu navigation
• added basic Steam Timeline support for the new game recording feature
• fixed an issue that sometimes caused the trophy text in the extra menu to be displaced
• fixed incorrect button glyphs when using a controller with Steam Input enabled
• improved loading times for starting and restarting a game

[ 2024-07-11 20:50:04 CET ] [ Original post ]

• fixed incomplete replay recording when playing with inverted fire mode
• fixed incomplete replay playback when the rapid fire toggle button was used during recording
• fixed an issue where some gimmick transitions in stage 7-1 took much longer than intended with certain game speeds and update frequencies
• fixed gamepad input remapping sometimes not working in single-player
• fixed mono audio mode not working on Windows
• fixed 8x anti-aliasing not working on Linux with AMD GPUs (since Mesa 24.1.0)
• reduced disk space requirements of the game by around 25%

[ 2024-06-24 20:13:40 CET ] [ Original post ]

• fixed an issue where the boss in stage 3-B could continue to take damage in the final phase after all players have already been defeated
• fixed possible crash in all situations where a stage can be finished while all players have already been defeated (if both happens in the exact same frame, players survive and can continue)

[ 2024-03-27 15:57:14 CET ] [ Original post ]

• fixed an issue where destroying unprotected enemies too fast during a transition in stage 2-2 would not count towards badge progression
• fixed sometimes getting stuck in stage 6-3 by adding a small bounce when colliding with the bullet-dungeon
• fixed replay-menu being limited to 20 files on Windows and macOS due to a misconfiguration in the last update
• fixed possible launch issues on Linux (and Steam Deck) due to a missing dependency

[ 2024-03-23 17:56:29 CET ] [ Original post ]

• fixed menu flickering when playing with more than 100% game speed
• fixed text being vertically misaligned with some languages and resolutions
• fixed occasional broken layout in the replay summary menu
• fixed game running with only half the speed when playing with certain game speeds and update frequencies (e.g. 185% and 60Hz) due to rounding errors
• also added a workaround for AMDGPU driver crashes on Linux (related to amdgpu_ctx_create and context sharing)

[ 2024-02-11 13:28:43 CET ] [ Original post ]

• fixed incomplete replay recording when using the right thumbstick to shoot
• fixed incomplete replay playback when restoring scenes with screen rotation
• fixed a very small rounding error when storing time values into savegame and replays

[ 2024-01-07 13:21:22 CET ] [ Original post ]

Happy New Year! It took a bit of time, but the new update is finally here. It introduces a ton of new features, improvements, fixes and a replay system.

• added replay system
• added jukebox unlock
• added new achievements
• added rapid fire toggle button for twin-stick and mixed control mode
• added a new option to configure water quality
• added a new option to configure particle effects
• added the missing amount of time for the next higher medal to the time-bonus screen
• added a hard alternative way to fight the true last boss without collecting all the fragments ([spoiler]1CC without shield[/spoiler])
• changed game speed to only affect actual gameplay situations (not transitions, summaries, or other events) to prevent timing and audio issues
• changed keyboard movement keys to cancel each other out instead of prioritizing one direction per axis
• fixed an issue where enemies would sometimes be attackable while not on screen
• fixed best time on the classic summary screen displaying an incorrect value for a full play-through
• fixed incorrect mission medal calculation for area 8
• fixed rapid fire not working as intended when using certain temporary weapons
• fixed occasional vegetation popping artifacts in the background
• improved boss health clarity by splitting the health-bar into different phases to highlight important transitions (where it is possible and makes sense)
• improved stability and performance when playing at any game speed other than 100% or any update frequency other than 60 Hz
• improved overall gameplay precision, timing and determinism
• improved overall gamepad menu navigation
• many other improvements and fixes

Eigengrau now supports Replay recording and playback for Classic Mode. Replays are automatically recorded and can be saved and organized locally. They are also uploaded to the Classic Mode leaderboard for others to download, watch and verify (if available). Full play-through replays have been successfully tested across AMD, Intel and Apple Silicon CPUs, across Windows, Linux and macOS, and under various other conditions. If you still find issues, please let me know in the community forum and I will try to address them. The game now also features a Jukebox, as many players wanted to re-listen to certain tracks later in the game. It can be unlocked after hearing every available music track at least once or with the password ISABELLINE. A couple of new general Steam Achievements have also been added. It should be enough to load-up a compatible save-game to unlock them, if you already fulfilled the requirements. Thank you and have fun! Martin

[ 2024-01-03 14:43:38 CET ] [ Original post ]

• added area-selection to the classic mode for directly starting into an already visited area
• added a new option to disable online leaderboard participation
• changed shield granularity from 10 to 5
• changed the menu flow and return directly to the stage-selection menu instead of the title screen after leaving a single stage (with some exceptions)
• fixed an issue where menu gamepad navigation would not work correctly in some situations with rotated HUD

[ 2023-11-04 18:09:48 CET ] [ Original post ]

• added a simple HUD indicator to show the trophy state of the current stage
• fixed not being able to achieve X rank in stage 3-5 on easy difficulty
• fixed one of the tasks being unsolvable in stage 5-4 if playing too fast (especially on easy difficulty)
• improved and relaxed the summary medal calculations in classic mode to make it easier and fairer to achieve an appropriate rank
• improved pacing in co-op mode by decreasing enemy and boss health by around 10%
• improved visual quality and performance when playing with DirectX 9

[ 2023-10-15 14:15:50 CET ] [ Original post ]

• added separate online leaderboards for individual stages and standard settings only (Steam only)
• fixed imprecise enemy collision detection in stage 4-B
• fixed various issues when playing with DirectX 9

[ 2023-10-06 09:43:06 CET ] [ Original post ]

• added support for DirectX 11 and 9 (on Windows, for compatibility)
• fixed another crash on startup (on some Intel GPUs)
• improved stability when playing at over 100% game speed

[ 2023-09-18 12:22:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

• fixed a crash on startup (on some Intel GPUs)
• fixed an issue where the game would run slower than intended when played on a display with a refresh rate below 60Hz
• improved performance significantly on low render-quality setting (by slightly reducing the background resolution without affecting the foreground)

[ 2023-09-13 15:30:55 CET ] [ Original post ]

• added a new option to easily force standard settings (background rotation ON, background speed 100%, update frequency 60Hz, game speed 100%, shield OFF)
• added a separate online leaderboard for entries created with standard settings only (Steam only)
• added a new page to the classic summary screen that shows a score-breakdown of individual credits/continues
• added a very small invincibility window for the surviving player in co-op mode when the other player explodes
• changed the penalty for using a continue and completely reset the current player score (but still keeping track of individual credits/continues and the best score)
• changed and reduced the duration of the time-bonus screen by 1.5 seconds
• fixed an issue where the classic summary screen would always indicate that a new score-record was achieved
• fixed a possible crash when the player ship is oriented exactly at a 45 degree angle (which can happen in some stages)
• fixed a possible crash when changing certain graphics settings
• fixed some strings from non-English languages not having enough space
• improved input responsiveness when quickly tapping the fire button and when switching between normal fire and rapid fire

[ 2023-09-06 14:31:04 CET ] [ Original post ]

• added simple online leaderboards (Steam only)
• fixed demo save data import missing some score values and medals

[ 2023-08-09 11:08:24 CET ] [ Original post ]

This update includes many quality of life improvements, some changes based on feedback, and the second new player weapon.

• added Wave Mortar player weapon
• added single-button control mode
• added rapid fire button for original, mixed and single-button control mode
• added dialog to import demo save data on first launch
• added a dummy HUD to the configuration menu outside of the game to show how some of the options affect the layout
• added new localization for Simplified Chinese () and Traditional Chinese ()
• changed damage immunity in the intro to be only active on the very first play-through
• changed twin-stick input during screen rotation in stage 4-2 and 4-B to make shooting more intuitive
• fixed an issue where the combo bonus and last chain at the end of a stage were not added to the stage highscore
• improved loading performance with shader disk caching (especially on Intel GPUs)
• improved player visibility by erasing distortion effects near player ships
• improved boss movement during yellow attack in stage 0-B to make direct aiming easier
• improved gimmick clarity in stage 3-2 by adding more visual and acoustic cues
• improved the additional time bonus screen in stage 5-B to better communicate the meaning
• improved enemy movement and gimmick in last phase of stage 7-1 to prevent some annoying situations
• many other improvements and fixes

The Wave Mortar allows you to shoot into multiple directions at the same time. It can be unlocked later in the game or with the password JADE. Single-Button Control Mode makes it possible to shoot and turn your ship with just a single button based on your movement. Thank you and have fun! Martin

[ 2023-07-31 08:21:52 CET ] [ Original post ]

• added autosave indicator
• added katakana to game title, mission names and boss names
• changed yellow attack in stage 4-B (to make it more fair and easier to understand)
• improved background visuals and transitions in area 1 and 6

[ 2023-07-14 11:20:46 CET ] [ Original post ]

• fixed boss music getting stuck when skipping the summary screen too quickly after a boss fight
• fixed player bullets going through barriers in stage 1-1 on certain refresh rates and distances

[ 2023-07-05 08:53:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

With the last update the game crashed sometimes when trying to capture it with OBS Studio on Windows. This should be fixed now. Sorry for the inconvenience.

[ 2023-07-01 19:48:06 CET ] [ Original post ]

This is the first major update for Eigengrau. It contains a lot of fixes and improvements, and also the first new player weapon.

• added Pulse Cannon player weapon
• added mixed control mode
• added option to toggle vsync
• added badges, trophies and best medals to the stage-selection menu
• changed attack patterns in stage 3-2 on easy difficulty (to make it less boring and more fair)
• fixed displaying the wrong text when remapping a button/key
• fixed broken menu navigation if gamepad input is duplicated (e.g. when Steam Input injects virtual controllers)
• fixed some animations getting stuck during a boss explosion at very high refresh rates
• fixed enemy-objects created in stage 1-B not getting destroyed at the end and causing a crash when interacting with them
• fixed yellow attack in stage 2-B on co-op mode not correctly targeting the second player
• improved trophy menu navigation by making it possible to select and play a stage directly from that menu
• many other improvements and fixes

The Pulse Cannon is a slightly slower but wider weapon with a strong charge-attack. It can be unlocked later in the game or with the password MAUVE. Mixed Control Mode is a combination of twin-stick and original control mode that exposes all available actions at the same time for greater customization. Thank you and have fun! Martin

[ 2023-07-01 12:20:24 CET ] [ Original post ]

• fixed a crash in co-op mode when a player gets resurrected by an event instead of the other player
• fixed HUD fade-out not working correctly with game rotation

[ 2023-06-14 09:35:06 CET ] [ Original post ]

• added dynamic HUD fade-out when one of the player ships is close to a HUD element
• fixed an issue where the game would run slower than intended when played on a display that supports higher refresh rates than currently selected
• fixed showing an additional C medal in the classic summary when finishing a complete classic run including the true final boss
• fixed music volume going up and down when skipping the area summary
• fixed some animations getting stuck during transition to the final phase in stage 8-B
• fixed and removed some unfair ship-collisions in stage 8-B
• fixed bullet-collisions sometimes not working on the true final boss
• improved clarity of hidden enemies in stage 4-2 by moving them into view after some time

[ 2023-06-12 15:20:32 CET ] [ Original post ]

• fixed another crash on startup (on some Intel GPUs)
• fixed bullets in final phase of stage 8-B flying too far on certain game-speeds
• fixed some sound-effects cutting off too early on certain game-speeds
• fixed an issue where the blue Helper was sometimes invisible in stage 7-B
• improved and restricted which keys and buttons can advance the various summary screens (to not accidentally blend-out the summary while taking a screenshot)
• improved performance significantly on low render-quality setting

This update should fix the last major crash I know of. If you still have any problems, please don't hesitate to report them.

[ 2023-06-09 14:41:05 CET ] [ Original post ]

• fixed a crash on startup (on some Intel CPUs)
• fixed a crash when entering stage 6-1 or 6-2 (on some Nvidia GPUs and Apple Silicon)

Thanks to everyone who reported and helped me fix those issues!

[ 2023-06-07 16:44:16 CET ] [ Original post ]

• fixed a crash in stage 1-3 when the big enemy causes the players to spin around
• fixed some enemies in stage 5-1 going out of screen and preventing the player from advancing
• fixed gamepad-cursor in stage-selection menu skipping over an area if all stages of that area are not yet unlocked

I'm still investigating a crash on startup and a crash when entering stage 6-1, and will try to fix them as soon as possible.

[ 2023-06-07 09:52:27 CET ] [ Original post ]

It seems the macOS build did not start properly due to a missing file, this should be fixed now.

[ 2023-06-06 10:49:43 CET ] [ Original post ]

It was a long journey, but after many years of work Eigengrau is finally available! I hope you enjoy the game! If you have any issues or questions please feel free to leave feedback in the community forum. I also want to thank everyone who has supported me along the way! I could not have done it without you. Thank you and have fun! Martin

[ 2023-06-05 11:44:59 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone! After many years of work Eigengrau will finally be released on June 5th! I'm really happy how it turned out and I can't wait to show you the final game. A lot of changes and improvements were added over the last couple of months and even more will come after the release. You can still try out the demo and give feedback, it would help me a lot. Thank you and have fun! Martin

[ 2023-05-15 11:19:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

This update improves the intro and changes many gameplay patterns across the demo. A lot of polishing was done during the last few weeks and only a handful of issues remain before the full game is ready for release. Please feel free to give further feedback and stay tuned for more news. :-)

• added more color and background movement to all stages
• added additional enemy-attacks and tasks when playing the intro after the first time
• added simple enemy-attack to shield-phase of Torus on easy difficulty
• changed and reduced delay between single-bullet player-attack and continuous player-attack
• changed number of tasks per stage from 3 to 2 and adjusted them on all stages
• changed last plate pattern in stage 2-2
• changed last bomb pattern in stage 2-3 on easy difficulty
• changed last arrow pattern in stage 2-4
• changed various other enemy and attack patterns
• fixed unresponsive twin-stick input when player gets hurled around
• many other improvements and fixes

Thank you and have fun! Martin

[ 2023-05-01 09:08:42 CET ] [ Original post ]

This small update fixes various severe issues and makes sure later stages are challenging enough and not too passive.

• added simple enemy-attacks to stage 2-2 and stage 2-4 on easy difficulty
• fixed broken scoring for Leviathan
• fixed twin-stick controls not working correctly with rotated HUD
• many other improvements and fixes

Thank you and have fun! Martin

[ 2023-04-02 12:29:33 CET ] [ Original post ]

The main reason why the previous demo was ending abruptly before a boss-fight is that I was not really happy with the current state and feeling of that boss. So I implemented a cliff-hanger instead and went back to the drawing board to re-design the fight. This update makes it finally possible to play against the third boss of the demo: Leviathan Other than that a lot of new options where added, especially in regards to audio. I still need to add and improve a lot of sound-effects, but the new options should greatly enhance the acoustic experience.

• added the third boss Leviathan
• added option to toggle background rotation
• added option to change background speed
• added option to change menu volume
• added option to select audio quality
• added option to select audio mode (Auto, Mono, Speakers, Headphones)
• added support for mapping gamepad trigger buttons
• many other improvements and fixes

Thank you and have fun! Martin

[ 2023-03-13 15:23:54 CET ] [ Original post ]

This is a smaller update which changes the default control mode to twin-stick, as many people seem to prefer it over the original controls. It also addresses a lot of minor issues which came up during the Steam Next Fest.

• added option to toggle chromatic aberration effects
• changed the default control mode to twin-stick for new players
• fixed single-bullet player-attack doing more damage than intended
• many other improvements and fixes

Thank you and have fun! Martin

[ 2023-02-12 15:40:13 CET ] [ Original post ]

This update implements a new control mode based on player-feedback.

• added twin-stick control mode
• added option to toggle gamepad rumble
• added option to toggle floating text
• improved gameplay related to the mysterious fragments
• many other improvements and fixes

Twin-Stick Control Mode allows you to shoot and turn your ship simultaneously with 4 different buttons or the right analog-stick. You can switch control mode for each player in the configuration menu. Thank you and have fun! Martin

[ 2023-01-30 13:45:19 CET ] [ Original post ]

The next update of the demo is out now, this time with focus on the menu.

• added animations to menu buttons, tabs, and other elements
• added description text to some settings
• added credits button to main menu
• added thruster effect to player ship when flying into current direction
• improved menu gamepad navigation
• fixed broken menu navigation and layout when playing with rotated HUD
• many other improvements and fixes

Thank you and have fun! Martin

[ 2023-01-15 13:00:03 CET ] [ Original post ]

The first update of the demo is out now with focus on the heads-up display.

• added level name, best time, boss medal countdown, badges, and chroma to HUD
• added new HUD type "Outside (near)"
• added best score, new record indicator, and perfect bonus indicator to stage summary
• added gamepad, mouse, and keyboard glyphs to menu, input configuration, and tutorial
• added wave effect on player when combo/chain breaks
• added option to equip a shield with 1000 hit-points
• many other improvements and fixes

Also the game should now properly support Steam Remote Play Together. Thank you and have fun! Martin

[ 2023-01-02 11:08:28 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone! The demo of Eigengrau is now available for Windows, Linux, and macOS. It contains stages 0+1+2 and a little bit of story to explore. There is still some work and a lot of polishing to be done before the full game is ready for release, but the demo should already offer a good first look at the final experience. Please feel free to leave feedback, questions, or bug reports in the community forum, it would help me a lot. Thank you and have fun! :-) Martin [previewyoutube=2ghp4E-yTSM;full][/previewyoutube]

[ 2022-12-19 22:14:30 CET ] [ Original post ]