Hello Everyone! We recently made a big announcement regarding the termination of our publishing agreement and upcoming plans for Alterium Shift. We understand that some of you are concerned about the project's status. Please rest assured, we've been actively working on the project throughout this time, and were waiting to push updates until after finalizing the publisher termination. We apologize for the delay and any inconvenience caused by the outstanding issues with the game. The termination process took much longer than expected and significantly impacted our timeline. That said, were getting back on track and will be releasing a substantial update to address long-standing issues and add new quality-of-life features to the game! For those who have purchased the Early Access version and want to see these changes now, good news! We have updated our beta branch. Visit this link for information on how to opt-in to beta updates. Below are the release notes were preparing for the push to the primary Early Access branch. Were currently targeting the end of next week for this update, pending a few more QA runs. Thank you all for your patience and the feedback you've provided along the way. We really appreciate it! Best, Mottzy & DrassRay [hr][/hr]

Version 1.4.0

Changes

• Removed localization for non-English languages (see announcement regarding publisher termination)
• Removed beta menu
  • This is due to multiple complaints about enhanced battles causing a game-breaking black screen on every 2nd battle

New Features

• Add map edge detection to more clearly show when the player is near the edge
  • This will help in knowing where map transitions will occur
• Performance improvements across all maps
• Camera nudging
  • Keyboard: I, J, K, L - Zoom out with ; (semicolon) key
  • Gamepad: Right stick - Zoom out with the right stick button
• Enhanced save system
  • Multiple autosaves
  • Autosaves happen every 5 minutes on map transition
  • Unlimited manual saves
  • New UI for better clarity on characters and saves
• Added ability to explore after Early Access end credits
• Moved Cloud Saves out of Beta and into the general settings
  • This includes an option to reload the saves from the current machine
• Added ability to skip intro cutscene
• Added initial key/gamepad prompts to some menus
• Added generalized object interactions
  • This can be seen with all blue flowers being pickable
  • More generalized actions to come!
• Added the ability for linear walking for characters during cinematic sequences
  • This can be seen in Pyras sequence after her monster gauntlet quest
• Replaced +/- icons for arrow icons in the equipment stats menu to more clearly show the differences
• Enhanced intro to have a consistent radial transition out and in
  • Note: there may still be some places where this doesnt happen due to legacy methods we used to do battles in the past
• Added engine ability to direct other party members during cinematic sequences
  • This can be seen in Atlas waterfall sequence
  • We are still working to replace other cinema sequences that used the old way of turning off the party train and animating separate objects
• (minor) Books can now only be closed using the cancel key or button
  • Pressing right or decide will take you to the end of the book but wont close it

Fixes

• Fixed: Affected stats were not showing properly for equipment in the shop
• Fixed: New monsters added to the bestiary after battles would show as a white square initially
  • Note: 3d monsters still show as white squares (known issue)
• Fixed: Every 2nd battle would stay on a black screen (due to people enabling enhanced battles in the beta menu)
  • We have fully removed the option to prevent users from accidentally making their game unstable
• Fixed: Issues in the inventory menu when trying to exit and come back
• Fixed: Sometimes in the equipment menu an extra character profile would show up
• Fixed: Exiting a game and loading a new one would sometimes cause the cursor to get permanently stuck on the screen.
• Fixed: Pyra would walk oddly after completing the monster gauntlet and walking to the camp area (cinematic)
• Fixed: In the waterfall area (Atlas sequence) an extra Dolion would appear
• Fixed: When loading a save, the cursor would stay behind while the screen faded
• Fixed: Loading a save wasnt properly retaining the volume settings from the main menu
• Fixed: Title screen video would still have sound audio at full volume even when volume was reduced
• Fixed: When music played there could be a visual hitch in the game due to a performance issue
• Fixed: Players were unable to equip the 2nd accessory
• Fixed: Issues in the Endless Dunes quest with Dark Elves not eating delivered meals
• Fixed: Issues with shop UI and handling already equipped items
• Fixed: Spells and items werent showing the correct stat effect values (such as how much a character would be healed) in the game menus
• Fixed: Atlas Endless Dunes Rope Quest Bug
• Fixed: Rock Golem battle icon is no longer a question mark
• Fixed: Settings overlay no longer shows overlapped windows
• Fixed: Save game menu title would stay stuck on screen from the in-game menu
• Fixed: North Oasis wasnt accessible
• Fixed: There were some places where characters could run in air off of a cliff
• Fixed: Jude would re-appear in his house after taking the rope and leaving (Sages quest)
• Fixed: Various typos in dialogs
• Fixed: Quest descriptions werent properly showing in the quest log
• Fixed: Shop menu allowed toggling stats on equipment no party member can equip
• Fixed: Continuum Potion could not be used (showed as a key item)
  • This was because it had no gold value - now it can also be sold if the player chooses
• Fixed: Players could save in places of the game where they shouldnt - this may have caused unexpected issues in cinematic sequences
• Fixed: Issue with the Family Heirloom quest showing the object before the quest is accepted
• Fixed: Notimmus Forest had a phantom fluppy appearing before a cinematic sequence
• Fixed: Random crash from a Notimmus Forest battle
• Fixed: On Pyras menial task quest, Atlas wasnt properly walking out of the dojo after you talk with the Mayor
• Fixed: During Sages Oldskee quest, a black screen occurred after Oldskee pays respects (random)
• Fixed: Atlas arrows did not always render properly when using his on-map shooting ability
• Fixed: After gaining Sages ability, the invisible monsters near the cemetery would still have targets that Sages ability would point to
• Fixed: Sages ability wasnt pointing to Prickly Pears bush in the Endless Dunes desert
• Fixed: Sages sequence with the dark elf had visual issues with the amulet (and other things) not showing or animating properly
• Fixed: Sages on-map ability was still showing in battles
• Fixed: Sages well-bottom slime sequence only showed one slime when there were supposed to be two
• Fixed: There was no quest marker on the overworld map for Sages Oldskee Quest
• Fixed: The music at the end of Sages ACT 1 sequence would still play after Sages shift
• Fixed: After Sages well quest to rescue Crystal, Dolions office door was locked when it shouldnt have been
• Fixed: Ensure a looping water sound was playing properly when water raises/lowers in the water temple
• Fixed: Dolions Meteor effect would only animate one time during the ACT 1 boss battle
• Fixed: If you closed a book and opened the game menu quickly, it would stay on the screen

Upcoming Features

• New fishing system
  • Players will have a more dynamic fishing experience with a new casting, luring, and reeling system
• Real-time on-map abilities
  • Pyra will be able to smash/swipe objects
  • Atlas will be able to quick shoot
  • Sages ability is TBD
• On-map battles (long term)
  • Battles will be initiated on map
  • The general battle structure will be similar (left/right battle setup)
  • This will be coupled with an overall enhanced battle system
• Enhanced battles (long term)
  • Show health bars for enemies youve fought before
  • Show strengths/weaknesses for enemies after youve used certain attacks against them
  • Provide additional action capabilities to affect attacks and skills
  • Balance characters systems to encourage a variety of actions to be used
  • Add visual improvements, including characters moving to the monster for melee attacks
• Book library for in-game menu
  • When reading a book, it will be automatically added to a book library so you can access them later

Known Issues

• (visual) The background music and sound effects bar does not move smoothly when changing the values
• (visual) 3d monsters show a white square for their image in the bestiary
• (visual) Some battles may not start with the appropriate transition and look jerky before the screen fades out
• (visual) Some cinematic sequences that direct other party members have an odd jolt as the party members collapse to the player before moving out
  • This will be addressed with our engine feature to control those party members better