Happy Friday!
Weve got a little hotfix for you today, especially focused on fixing some UI issues we had at the launch of 2.3.0. I hope you all enjoy it! :)

Also, just a lil tease ;)


Just Keep Running for Charity

Friendly reminder that we are still running a FUNDRAISER for Just Keep Running, and ALL PROCEEDS ARE GOING TO CHARITY! We raised over $70 for Heart to Heart International last time, so lets try to BEAT THAT RECORD!

For just a dollar, you can get Just Keep Running as well as some other benefits, such as HQ Downloads of the Soundtrack, Bonus Content, and Steam Keys for Just Keep Running! (Once we launch in Early Access)


2024 World Central Kitchen. All Rights Reserved.

100% of all Net Earnings from the Sale and Twitch Revenue will be donated to World Central Kitchen, which prepares & serves fresh, nourishing meals to communities and areas impacted by natural disasters and during humanitarian crises.

If you want to support the cause, you can either PAY FOR JUST KEEP RUNNING, or you can WATCH VSWEDEOFFICIAL on Twitch, where Victor does Gaming content and Dev Streams of Just Keep Running & T-1000, and contribute via cheering, tipping, subscribing, or watching ads!

You can read more about the I.M.I.Self Hope Initiative here!

Full Changelog
[2.3.1] - 2024-05-10

CHANGED

• Speedrun Mode: If a Speedrun has been started, the toggle to turn on/off Upgrades gets disabled to prevent abuse.
  

• Not being able to pause if the player restarts the level after getting to the End Screen.
  
• End Screen Upgrades UI not scaling correctly at resolutions other than 1920x1080. (S/O Petroid and wyte on Discord for pointing out this issue! )
  
• Adjusted Full Screen Effects to ensure Walljump Counter isnt obscured by other UI.
  
• Credits sequence updated to give more space for Playtesters.
  

• Playing a level for the first time on the Steam build might result in slower loading times. Were looking into potential solutions for this.
  
• Playing the game with a Switch Pro controller may lead to issues controlling the player's character. This is seemingly an issue with the Unity Input System, and sadly out of our control.
  
• Playing the game with a Dualshock 4 controller, or playing on a Steam Deck while having a keyboard connected, may lead to issues involving controlling the game with the Keyboard itself. This is also potentially an issue with the Unity Input System, which is beyond our control.
  

• Major releases usually include extensive visual & technological additions, like new campaign chapters and/or major new features, or overhauls of significant systems that might invalidate older game versions, such as save files.
  
• Minor releases include visual & technological additions and changes that are significant but likely do not include anything that may invalidate older versions of the game.
  
• Hotfix releases mostly include quality-of-life changes or fixes to other bugs and issues.
  

FINALLY, SOME JKR UPDATES!
Were starting to add Stealth mechanics, QoL changes, and tweaks to levels to make it easier for the baby birds dipping their feet into the game!

Soon enough well be getting back in the Writers Room to start working on Chapter 3 and, perhaps, maybe even Chapter 4
(also yes, the title is a reference to Freaks and Geeks )

[h2]Key Changes[/h2]
[h3]HIDING[/h3]

Hiding Feature Showcase

Were working on some new features for players who prefer to play more stealthily. One of the features youll notice in 2.3.0 includes Hiding spots! These give you the ability to hide behind and/or under certain furniture without getting spotted by Roof Turrets and/or Security Guards (so long as you havent been spotted entering a hiding spot.)

We are still prototyping more potential Upgrades and features that enhance the Stealth elements of the game, and other useful one-time buffs, plus some QoL stuff that both new players and veterans will appreciate, so stay tuned!

[h3]END SCREEN UPGRADES[/h3]

End Screen Upgrades Feature Showcase

You can now enable/disable and apply Upgrades after beating a level! This will make Upgrades more accessible and, hopefully, make them play a more active role during the game :)

[h3]REBALANCING AND TWEAKS[/h3]
The primary focus of this update has been to rebalance some levels to make the game more accessible to newer players, and other tweaks to generally make the game more enjoyable to play. More tweaks and features are to come!

[h2]Just Keep Running for Charity[/h2]


Yup! Were running a FUNDRAISER for Just Keep Running, and ALL PROCEEDS ARE GOING TO CHARITY! We raised over $70 for Heart to Heart International last time, so lets try to BEAT THAT RECORD!

For just a dollar, you can get Just Keep Running as well as some other benefits, such as HQ Downloads of the Soundtrack, Bonus Content, and Steam Keys for Just Keep Running! (Once we launch in Early Access)


2024 World Central Kitchen. All Rights Reserved.

100% of all Net Earnings from the Sale and Twitch Revenue will be donated to World Central Kitchen, which prepares & serves fresh, nourishing meals to communities and areas impacted by natural disasters and during humanitarian crises.

If you wanna support the cause, you can either PAY FOR JUST KEEP RUNNING via the fundraiser, or you can WATCH VSWEDEOFFICIAL on Twitch, where Victor does Gaming content and Dev Streams of Just Keep Running & T-1000, and contribute via cheering, tipping, subscribing, or watching ads!
[h3]You can read more about the I.M.I.Self Hope Initiative here![/h3]

Full Changelog
[h2][2.3.0] - 2024-03-08[/h2]

[h3]ADDED[/h3]

• HIDING: You can now hide behind/under certain furniture/obstacles and be completely hidden from enemies so long as they havent spotted you entering that hiding spot. This should be beneficial to players who prefer to play the game more stealthily.
  
• END SCREEN UPGRADES: You can now access your Upgrades at the end of levels! Once you reach the End Screen, youll have the option to open the Upgrades menu.
  
• Added new HUD animation at the start of chapters.
  
• Minor improvements and changes to sound effects to more clearly communicate certain gameplay info.
  

• Reoptimized and adjusted certain levels and stages to balance gameplay for newer players:
  
  
  
  • 1-2, Stage 4: Time Trial Time increased 45s -> 60s
    
  • 1-3, Stage 5: Time Trial Time increased 45s -> 60s
    
  • 2-1, Stage 4: Time Trial Time increased 45s -> 60s & Minor changes to stage
    
  • 2-2, Stage 3: Slightly repositioned Disintegration Panels
    
  • 2-2, Stage 4: Repositioned and removed certain Lasers
    
  • 2-3, Stage 3: Repositioned and recolored keycards to make them easier to spot
    
  • 2-4: Recolored Overwatch keycard to make it easier to spot and differentiate from other keycards
    
  
  
• Made the Walljump Counter more clearly communicated
  
• The I.M.I.Self Intro volume now changes according to the Master Volume setting. You should no longer be blasted with loud intro noises now if youve changed the volume settings! :D
  

• Loading bar freezing up at 1/10th of the progress.
  
• Screen glitch effects potentially not disappearing when a Story Message is skipped.
  
• Banished 2 souls to the shadow realms (source code)
  

• Playing a level for the first time on the Steam build might result in slower loading times. Were looking into potential solutions for this.
  
• Playing the game with a Switch Pro controller may lead to issues controlling the player's character. This is seemingly an issue with the Unity Input System, and sadly out of our control.
  
• Playing the game with a Dualshock 4 controller, or playing on a Steam Deck while having a keyboard connected, may lead to issues involving controlling the game with the Keyboard itself. This is also potentially an issue with the Unity Input System, which is beyond our control.
  

• Major releases usually include extensive visual & technological additions, like new campaign chapters and/or major new features, or overhauls of significant systems that might invalidate older game versions, such as save files.
  
• Minor releases include visual & technological additions and changes that are significant but likely do not include anything that may invalidate older versions of the game.
  
• Hotfix releases mostly include quality-of-life changes or fixes to other bugs and issues.
  

Were back! And weve got an update for you
More upgrades, dyslexia-friendly fonts, and other small but cool additions, thats what this is all about!

Were still working hard currently on T-1000, but soon enough well be getting back in the Writers Room to start working on Chapter 3 and, perhaps, maybe even Chapter 4

[h2]Key Changes[/h2]
[h3]MORE UPGRADES[/h3]

• Running Speed: Adds +10% to the player's running speed.
  

• Enemy Vision Cone: Makes enemy vision cones +10% more narrow per level.
  

• Running Speed Upgrade added: Adds +10% to the player's running speed.
  
• Enemy Vision Cone Upgrade added: Makes enemy vision cones +10% more narrow per level.
  
• Dyslexia-Friendly Font setting added: Changes Notes and other applicable game text to use a font that is designed to be more readable to players with dyslexia.
  
• Grade Requirements added to Level Selection: If youve beaten a level, you can now see what Level Time you need to beat to get a specific grade.
  
• Clear button added to Keycode Panels.
  
• Added a small indicator next to the Upgrades button on the Main Menu when new Upgrade Points are available.
  

• 1-1 Stage 4: Button springs were incorrectly configured, causing buttons to get potentially stuck in the activated position even when not interacting with anything physical. (Shoutouts to CGDannyB and Chris_RV2 for finding this potential bug during our Dev Talk, check it out by the way!)
  
• Lasers phasing through objects that are right in front of them.
  

• Playing a level for the first time on the Steam build might result in slow loading times. Were looking into potential solutions for them.
  
• Playing the game with a Switch Pro controller may lead to issues controlling the player's character. This is seemingly an issue with the Unity Input System, and sadly out of our control.
  
• Playing the game with a Dualshock 4 controller or on Steam Deck while having a keyboard connected may lead to issues involving controlling the game with the Keyboard. This is also seemingly an issue with the Unity Input System, which is beyond our control.
  

• Major releases usually include extensive visual & technological additions, like new campaign chapters and/or major new features, or overhauls of significant systems that might invalidate older game versions, such as save files.
  
• Minor releases include visual & technological additions and changes that are significant but likely do not include anything that may invalidate older versions of the game.
  
• Hotfix releases mostly include quality-of-life changes or fixes to other bugs and issues.
  

Were back with some significant changes!
Today mostly focuses on 1-1, replacing the previous Climbing and Wallrunning tutorial stages with a single stage that should hopefully teach both mechanics in a much better way. It also mostly includes changes to settings and the Main Menu UI.

[h2]Key Changes[/h2]

• 1-1 Update: Stages 3 and 4 replaced with a single stage that should better teach new players how to Climb and Wallrun!
  

• New Controller Sensitivity settings
  

• Refreshed Campaign/Level Selection Menu, and more!
  

• Added Gold Star to Campaigns in the Main Menu to indicate if youve gotten a Golden rating on every level.
  
• Added Controller Sensitivity Settings.
  

1-1

• Replaced Stages 3 (Climbing tutorial) & 4 (Wallrunning tutorial) with a new stage that should (hopefully) be better at teaching new players how to Wallrun and Climb.
  
• This level update will outdate previous times and grades on 1-1. This is indicated in the Campaign & Level Grade as INVALID or X, and you will have to replay the level to get a new grade. This will NOT hinder your ability to play any other levels in the campaign.
  

• Chapter headers added to Speedrun Mode: Level splits will be grouped into chapters, and condensed down to a single Chapter split if the player beats a level in another chapter.
  
• Refreshed parts of the Campaign/Level Selection menus UI.
  
• Resorted Upgrades.
  

• Players getting stuck when standing on office chairs.
  
• Not being able to back out of menus with Escape Key/B Button/Circle Button in the Main Menu after playing the game and exiting back to the Main Menu.
  

• Update download sizes are pretty big on Steam. This is because of how we compress the game. Future updates from now on should be more relaxed.
  
• Playing the game with a Switch Pro controller may lead to issues controlling the player's character. This is seemingly an issue with the Unity Input System, and sadly out of our control.
  
• Playing the game with a Dualshock 4 controller or on Steam Deck while having a keyboard connected may lead to issues involving controlling the game with the Keyboard. This is also seemingly an issue with the Unity Input System, which is beyond our control.
  

• Major releases usually include extensive visual & technological additions, like new campaign chapters and/or major new features, or overhauls of significant systems that might invalidate older game versions, such as save files.
  
• Minor releases include visual & technological additions and changes that are significant but likely do not include anything that may invalidate older versions of the game.
  
• Hotfix releases mostly include quality-of-life changes or fixes to other bugs and issues.
  

The first patch in a long while!
Todays patch mostly contains fixes and optimizations that make navigating menus and playing the game on Controllers more efficient and smooth. And more changes and improvements are coming soon with future updates!

[h2]Key Changes[/h2]

• New Controller Bindings: Look, Respawn, Restart Level, Hard Restart
  
• Improvements to Main/Pause Menu navigation
  

• Added a lil beard and hat to the Danny doodle :)
  

• Allowed for rebinding Look on controllers.
  
• Added bindings for Respawning and Restarting levels to the controller. These are also rebindable.
  
• Snapping to selected UI options now occurs in the Upgrade & Campaign Selection menus.
  

• On stage 5, changed turret ranges to allow players to peek down into the stage area.
  

• By request, added beard and hat to Danny Secret Doodle.
  

• Made navigation with arrow keys/navigation buttons easier.
  
• Made button highlights more clear and distinct.
  
• Fixed not being able to interact with the menu when the selected upgrade/downgrade button becomes deactivated.
  

• Updated navigation in Main Menu & Pause Menu.
  
• Pressing Escape / B / Circle etc. in the Main/Pause Menu can be used to quickly exit sub-menus.
  

• Fixed not being able to interact with the binding menu with the controller in the Pause menu.
  
• Fixed Interact still being the default binding in-game even when a player rebound it.
  
• Snapping to selected UI options occurs when holding down the arrow keys/navigation buttons instead of only snapping once and not following.
  

• Update download sizes are pretty big on Steam. This is because of how we compress the game, and we will (hopefully) have made some changes that will make download sizes and in-game performance better.
  
• Playing the game with a Switch Pro controller may lead to issues controlling the player's character. This is seemingly an issue with the Unity Input System, and sadly out of our control.
  
• Playing the game with a Dualshock 4 controller connected may lead to issues involving controlling the game with the Keyboard. This is also seemingly an issue with the Unity Input System, which is beyond our control.
  
• When playing the game on Steam Deck while having a keyboard connected, some may experience issues moving the player. Like all other known issues above, this most likely has something to do with the Unity Input System. (S/O to someone using the feedback form to inform us about this issue!)
  

IT TOOK OVER HALF A YEAR, BUT WE BACK!
Chapters 1 & 2 of Just Keep Running are now available for you all to play as a demo! Scroll down if yall want more details about the game and what changes weve made (compared to 1.4.4, which wasn't available on Steam).

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2684400/Just_Keep_Running/



This update brings you a brand new Chapter in the Main Campaign, and a total of 5 NEW LEVELS, one of which isnt part of the main campaign.


Spinnin Security Bot

Youll come across new obstacles like Lasers and Disintegration Panels, and theres a brand new enemy as well, the Security Bots.


Changes to Level 1-1

Weve reworked the 1-1 tutorials to be (hopefully) much better at teaching the games mechanics. Weve also reworked and optimized Story Messages, the Pick-Up system, enemy detection, and vision cones, and weve also squashed A LOT of bugs.


Vision Cone added to Roof Turrets and Security Bots

And well keep on updating and adding more to the game in Early 2024 thanks to a lot of useful feedback weve gotten from our playtesters. Thanks by the way to everyone who playtested Chapter 2! The ones who I know have given us great feedback and engaged with the game the most have been credited wherever possible.

You will hopefully soon be able to download and stream the Chapter 2 soundtrack sometime in January 2024!



Click the heart to learn more about the initiative.

We also want to remind you all that we recently announced the I.M.I.Self Hope Initiative!

The I.M.I.Self Hope Initiative is our way of giving back to those in need. Starting January 5th, every other month on the Friday of the first week, we plan to give back 20% of our net income to a humanitarian charity of our choice.

The first charity were planning on giving to is Anera, which is currently providing hot meals, hygiene kits, cleaning services, psychological support, and health clinics in Gaza and the West Bank, whose civilians are being actively displaced and killed in the Israel-Hamas war.

We will make announcements whenever we donate and if any changes are made to the initiative. You can read more about the initiative and check our donation reports here!


[h2]Full Changelog[/h2]
[2.0.0] - 2023-12-21

ADDED

• NEW CAMPAIGN: Chapter 2: Six Feet Under
  
• 2-1: Extreme Testing Scenarios
  
• 2-2: New Age Technology
  
• 2-3: The Pincer Movement
  
• 2-4: Elevator Pitch
  
  
• NEW MISCELLANEOUS LEVEL
  
• ML-2: Test Scene_Chapter 2
  
  
• NEW Enemy Type Added: Security Bots
  
• NEW Obstacles Added
  
• Laser Emitter
  
• Disintegration Panel
  
• Added setting to adjust the size of Story Messages.
  
• Added camera shake to 1-3 explosion scene.
  
• Added Vision Cone to Roof Turrets.
  

• 1-1
  
• Reworked Stage 4 so that new players have to learn how to properly wallrun to beat it
  
• Stage 4 tutorials reworked to explain better how to Wallrun (S/O to Robin for assisting heavily here!)
  
• Reworked Stage 5 to make it easier for newer players to beat
  
• Renamed Prison Food object to Food Tray
  
  
• 1-2
  
• Modified cursedmax.jpg secret due to copyright concerns
  
  
• 1-4
  
• Adjusted door to be in the same orientation as it is in 2-1
  
  
• Story Messages adjusted to be smaller than before, and now zoom towards the screen rather than away.
  
• The Sandbox levels soundtrack now uses the extended version found on the official soundtrack release.
  
• The Sandbox level now has Keypads that can be used to practice typing in code combinations.
  
• Alarm Lights' sounds are now more occluded and have a smaller range.
  
• Adjustments and optimizations made to FMOD. There should be fewer audio issues and delays.
  
• Optimized Pick-up/Interaction System: It should now be easier to interact with smaller objects, especially in movement, and small picked-up objects snap back to the player if they are stuck and too far away.
  
• Controller sensitivity is higher. A separate slider for Controller sensitivity is coming soon.
  

• Social logos were removed and replaced with text to avoid trademark infringement.
  

• 1-1: Fixed typo when Panthera talks with the player for the first time in their cell.
  
• 1-4: Fixed lighting issues in Elevator
  
• Fixed Camera Bobbing taking Y velocity into account, making for example the camera bob when moving upwards in the 1-4 elevator
  
• Fixed Dynamic FOV being turned off at launch no matter if the Dynamic FOV setting is enabled.
  
• Fixed the material of footstep sounds not changing back to ground material if nudging into a prop or object with a different material than the ground.
  
• Fixed health points not displaying properly when having upgrades on until the player got damaged.
  
• Prevented players from taking damage shortly after respawning, which can occur when a player gets hit by a bullet shortly during or after respawning.
  
• Fixed the Crosshair pickup indicator not disappearing when tapping a keycard into a Keycard Reader.
  
• Fixed not being able to properly exit the rebind menu with the Escape key while the game is paused, causing the rebind UI to be open even when the game is unpaused.
  
• Fixed motion blur toggle being oddly positioned in the Pause menus settings.
  
• Fixed being unable to interact with the Main Menu using a controller until a button is highlighted by clicking it with the mouse.
  
• (Hopefully) fixed issues involving Fullscreen and Resolution settings.
  

• Due to changes in how save files are encrypted, older save files will be incompatible with future game versions. This means that if youve played older versions of JKR before, youll have to start from scratch. This should hopefully not occur from now on, as this change was to allow for proper Steam Cloud support in the future.
  
• Some may experience performance issues on 2-3. This is mainly due to it being a larger level and potential audio/lighting optimization issues. Weve tried to and are still trying to optimize the game as much as possible, so let us know if you run into any issues!
  
• Playing the game with a Switch Pro controller may lead to issues controlling the player's character. This is seemingly an issue with the Unity Input System, and sadly out of our control.
  
• Playing the game with a Dualshock 4 controller connected may lead to issues involving controlling the game with the Keyboard. This is also seemingly an issue with the Unity Input System, which is out of our control.
  

• Major releases usually include extensive visual & technological additions, like new campaign chapters and/or major new features, or overhauls of significant systems that might invalidate older game versions, such as save files.
  
• Minor releases include visual & technological additions and changes that are significant but likely do not include anything that may invalidate older versions of the game.
  
• Hotfix releases mostly include quality-of-life changes or fixes to other bugs and issues.
  

TOMORROW IS CHAPTER 2 RELEASE DAY!!!
And we have some pretty nutty announcements coming, including an initiative were launching. Keep reading

[h2]I.M.I.Self Hope Initiative[/h2]


Click the heart to learn more about the initiative.

This is something weve wanted to launch for a while. And now that the season of giving is here, it felt appropriate to announce this during the Winter Sale!

The I.M.I.Self Hope Initiative is our way of giving back to those in need. Starting January 5th, every other month on the Friday of the first week, we plan to give back 20% of our net income to a humanitarian charity of our choice.

The first charity were planning on giving to is Anera, which is currently providing hot meals, hygiene kits, cleaning services, psychological support, and health clinics in Gaza and the West Bank, whose civilians are being actively displaced and killed in the Israel-Hamas war.

We will make announcements whenever we donate and if any changes are made to the initiative. You can read more about the initiative and check our donation reports here!


[h2]Indie of The Year - 6 HOURS LEFT TO VOTE![/h2]
We Need YOUR Votes to Win IndieDBs Indie of The Year Awards! If you havent voted for us yet, please do so!

Click the big red VOTE button and BOOM, Youre done!


No sign-up is required, and it only takes a single click. So, please go in and give us a vote. Itd mean a lot to us!



Just Keep Running: Chapter 1 & 2 comes out tomorrow!
In the meantime, make sure to Wishlist Just Keep Running! This will help get the game shown to more people on the platform. You can click the button below to add the game to your wishlist!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2684400/Just_Keep_Running/

5 days until Chapter 2!
The crew, playtesters and I are excited for you to be able to play Chapter 2 soon, and I think the wait will be worth it!

[h2]A quick reminder that We Need YOUR Votes to Win IndieDBs Indie of The Year Awards![/h2]

Click the big red VOTE button and BOOM, Youre done!


No sign-up is required, and it only takes a few seconds to vote. So, please go in and give us a vote. Itd mean a lot to us!


Playtest Phase 2 - SUCCESS!

2-3 Teaser

Playtesting has been a success! Weve managed to catch a lot of little bugs and added a bunch of other improvements. Shoutouts specifically to Gaminator, Vaian, Azura, Trollmo, boimario, and alola who have been incredibly helpful.

One specific change we recently implemented was adding Vision Cones to the Roof Turrets, just like we did to Security Bots. Playtesters felt that the cones were useful on the Security Bots and wanted something similar for Roof Turrets, and I felt the same way.

So here you go!

Showcase of Roof Turret Vision Cone.

S/O to all Content Creators!
We wanted to shout out some recent creators and streamers whove shown off the game!

Streamer, Playtester, and friend ItMeAzura recently did a stream showcasing Chapters 1 and 2 of Just Keep Running, and its a slapper! I hopped on during the stream, and It certainly helped give some cool ideas for the game. If you dont mind Chapter 2 being spoiled, feel free to check out the Vod! (Strong language!)

5MG Games was kind enough to cover the game and posted a playthrough of Chapter 1. Give them some love!
https://youtu.be/vc1qRv7EMgE

Lastly, ASWhaler Gamer also posted a recent video playing through Chapter 1 with commentary as well, and its a lovely watch! Check it out and give him some love as well.
https://youtu.be/rDpbf9qwI8A



If you want to support us, make sure to Wishlist Just Keep Running on Steam! This will help get the game shown to more people on the platform. You can click below to go to our Steam page!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2684400/Just_Keep_Running/

WE COME WITH GOOD NEWS!
Are you sitting on the edge of your seat?
Have you waited long enough to play Chapter 2?
Well, the wait will soon be over

[h2]Just Keep Running: Chapter 2 is coming out[/h2]
December 21st!



Yes indeed! Chapter 2 is finally getting released. We are going through playtesting and adding some final touches, but Chapter 2 is completely developed and built! Youll be able to download Chapter 2 as a demo here on Steam!



Its been a journey getting here, and once this comes out I finally get to have a bit of a rest. Christmas is finally here, and so is a brand new major update to Just Keep Running



If you want to support us in the meantime, make sure to Wishlist Just Keep Running on Steam! This will help get the game shown to more people on the platform. You can click the button below to add the game to your wishlist!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2684400/Just_Keep_Running/