Hello! Faraway Proximity has been updated with several new features! Here's a list of the changes:

Auto-run and Running Speed

The player's running speed has been increased. The player can run now almost twice as fast as before. Although the speed has changed, it still feels adequate within the context of the game. Auto-run is now an option. When enabled, the character will always run. To activate the new feature, press R2 on your gamepad or CTRL if you are using a keyboard. To deactivate it, press the same button or key (control descriptions have been updated in Settings as well). A notification will appear on the lower right corner when the status of auto-run has changed.
Auto-run is not initially active. At first, the character will walk when you move and run if you press the run button or key (L2 or SHIFT). This is to make sure the player realizes that there are two ways to control the character. Slow walking might be helpful in some areas of the game, therefore it is important for the player to know that it's an option. If you want to enable auto-run for the entirety of your playtime, you'll only have to do it once.

Loading Improvements

Before the update, you had to wait for a new area to load when travelling from one of the four main stages to the Book Containers or Unlock Gates. And when you completed the puzzle, you had to return to the main stage and wait again. Although the waiting time wasn't that long, the loading process could feel repetitive when you were exploring. With this update, there's is a new trade-off between memory usage, loading times and overall experience of the game: the time the player has to wait while playing the game has been reduced almost in half! The game will require a bit more memory but in return you'll only have to wait when you change main stages and when you travel to Book Containers or Unlock Gates. For example, if you are in the first stage and you travel to unlock the first book, you'll see a loading screen while the new area gets ready. However, when you get back from that area, you will return to the main stage immediately! This is important because loading the main stages takes notably more time than any other section.

Completed Book Containers

In addition to displaying the book you unlocked, the Book Containers now have a "crown" to verify that you have completed that area. This is helpful to distinguish more easily what containers are still unsolved, especially from afar.
Incidentally, story-wise, the "crowns" are related in a very obscure way to the "ribbons" in stage 04042. Because of course they are. Please comment if you encounter any issues after the new update. Have a nice day!

[ 2023-07-07 19:34:42 CET ] [ Original post ]