SPUD CUSTOMS - Where Papers, Please Meets Missile Command!

In the nation of Spud, you guard the last safe haven for potatoes. Every shift tests your judgment. Inspect documents, expose lies, and blast desperate runners with missile defense systems!

As dark secrets emerge, will you follow orders... or DARE to change their fates FOREVER?

Key Features:

Unique Gameplay Fusion: Master both careful document inspection AND rapid-fire missile defense! Only you stand between order and chaos at the world's most exciting checkpoint.
Branching Story: Shape the fate of an entire nation in this dark comedy narrative. Your choices matter, your morals will be tested, and some potatoes won't take NO for an answer!
Perfect for Any Schedule:
- Quick 5-15 minute shifts
- Simple controls, deep strategy
- Save between any shift
- No grinding required!
Extensive Replayability:
- Multiple story endings
- Endless mode for high scores
- Achievement hunting
Balanced Difficulty Options:
- Adjust document time limits & missile defense to suit your taste.
- Story Mode for narrative fans
- Normal for balanced challenge
- Expert for hardcore players

Remember: In Spud, you're either at the table or on the menu. What dark secrets await behind the checkpoint?

🥔 READY TO SERVE? 🥔

Wishlist now to get notified at launch!
Join our Discord community to help shape development
Launch discount planned for early supporters
Perfect for fans of Papers Please, narrative games, and unique genre blends

Your shift at the world's most dangerous checkpoint begins soon. Will you answer the call of duty?

Spud Customs - Patch Notes v1.1.1

Release Highlights

This update focuses on improving gameplay flow, fixing critical issues, and enhancing localization support.

Bug Fixes

Fixed end credits broken button that prevented some players from properly returning to the main menu
Resolved screen shake centering issues, particularly noticeable during extended play sessions
Fixed flow control problems in multiple story scenarios:
Shift 5 intro sequence
Shift 9 progression
Shift 10 intro sequence
Final confrontation scene formatting

Localization Improvements

Added translation support for passport fields
Implemented translation key system for passport display
Uploaded new Godot translation files
Added first pass of passport translations for all supported languages

Gameplay Balance

Fixed perfect stamp exploit that allowed unintended scoring opportunities
Added playtesters to improve game balance

Technical Maintenance

Updated obsolete import references to improve performance and stability

Thank you for your continued support! We're committed to making Spud Customs the best potato immigration simulator possible!

[ 2025-05-05 05:50:29 CET ] [Original Post]

Update Notes for 4/26/2025

Bugs:
Fixed difficulty scaling factor in Easy Mode making the game TOO EASY
Fixed branching choices in Shift 6 not saving properly

[ 2025-04-27 02:02:30 CET ] [Original Post]

Spud Customs v1.1.0 - The Multilingual Update

Spud Customs - Patch Notes v1.1.0

Dear Potato Border Officers,

Thank you for your dedicated service to the potato motherland! With this update, we've focused on making your shifts more enjoyable, reducing the punishment for players returning for multiple sessions, and making the overall experience more accessible to spuds of all skill levels. We've added a new shift selection system so you can jump back into your favorite challenges, improved save functionality to remember your progress, and introduced full localization for 18 languages to welcome border officers from around the world.

We're extremely excited to hear your feedback on these improvements. Your suggestions and bug reports have been invaluable in shaping Spud Customs, and we're committed to continuing this journey together. If you encounter any issues or have ideas for future updates, please use the new feedback button on the main menu or join our community channels.

Now, let's review the changes we've made to improve your potato inspection experience:

Localization

Full localization support for 18 languages in addition to English:
Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, and Vietnamese

Complete translation of all game elements:

Story dialogue and cutscenes
UI elements and menus
Laws and violation messages
Border runner system alerts and perfect hit notifications
Shift summary screen
Bubble dialogue system

Gameplay Improvements

New Features

Score Attack Mode: A separate game mode that extends the main game experience with different scoring rules
Shift Selection System: New day-by-day shift selection that unlocks as you progress through the game
Vehicle System: Added cars that drive by in the background for more environmental detail
Potato Emote System: Potatoes now display emotions while waiting in line

Different emote categories (happy, thinking, etc.)
Variable delay between emotes
Potatoes wiggle when emoting
Reduced frequency for better balance

Footstep System:

Added visual footprints for potatoes
Different footprints for concrete and grass surfaces
Random scale and rotation for each footprint

Highlight System:

Added helpful highlighting for new players
Highlights passport if untouched for 15+ seconds
Highlights speaker/start button if booth is empty for 15+ seconds
Highlights stamps if document is open on table for 15+ seconds

Shutter System:

Improved metal shutter mechanics
Cinematic roll-down animation with dust particles
Satisfying "clunk" sound effect
Shadow effect when shutter is closed
Disabled document interaction when shutter is closed

Border Runner System

Completely overhauled missile system:

Faster missile travel speed (500 600)
More consistent and predictable targeting
Ability to fire multiple missiles simultaneously
Reduced lead time for missiles
Show missile immediately on click
Added smoke trail animation
New missile explosion animation
Updated missile sprite

Improved border runner mechanics:

Reduced chance of Spud running the border from 30% to 15%
Expanded area for perfect hit chance
Slower base speed for runners
Added different paths for runners to traverse
Fixed bug where runners would register two strikes
Added checks for blowing up innocent Spuds

Enhanced physics for potato corpses:

When hit with a missile, runner corpse spins in an arc opposite to impact direction
Corpses bounce on ground before coming to rest
Added more rotation to corpses
Reduced z-index of craters to appear below runners

Document Processing

Improved stamping system:

More intuitive stamp mechanic (left click to pick up, left click to stamp)
Standardized stamp positions for consistent placement
Perfect stamp detection and visual effects
Added "juice" to stamping with improved animations
Lower delay between stamps
Stamp consistently marks same spot on document

Enhanced drag and drop system:

Documents properly centered when closed
Documents stay within the inspection table bounds
Improved document z-ordering
Fixed passport text disappearing while dragged
Fixed stamps disappearing when picked up
Passport remains open when on left side of inspection table

Scoring & Difficulty

Balanced point system:

Reduced approval score from 1,000 to 250 points
Added 250 point penalty for incorrect rejections
Better scoring for missile hits and perfect stamps

Improved feedback on scores:

Score display duration extended (2s 3.5s)
Added growth/shrink bounce animation to quota and strikes labels
Score alerts now have random pitch variation

Enhanced shift endings:

Shift summary screen shows maximum score and achievements
Golden potato/stamp awards based on score benchmarks
Survival bonus alert on shift summary
Shift end transition slowed down for better pacing

Visual Improvements

User Interface

Main Menu Enhancements:
[olist]

Added social media icons

Added feedback button

Animated button hover effects

Added tooltips to main menu items

Version counter display
[/olist]
Cursor System Improvements:
[olist]

Custom cursors for different interactions (hover, click, grab, drag)

Context-sensitive cursor updates when hovering over interactive elements

Fixed cursor offset issues
[/olist]

UI Polish:
[olist]

Rounded edges on UI elements

Updated color palette for Shift Summary screen

New MODERN DOS font throughout the game

BBCode formatting for laws to highlight important elements

Improved spacing and positioning of interface elements
[/olist]

Visual Effects

Improved Z-ordering System:

Completely reworked z-index system for all game elements
Fixed layering issues between interface elements
Corrected potato rendering to pass under background layers
Proper document layering when dragging

Enhanced Animations:
[olist]

Smooth animations for shutter gate lever

Improved stamp animations

Better potato movement animations

Fade effects for transition between scenes

Screen shake effects on stamping and missile hits
[/olist]

Upgraded Art:
[olist]

Updated artwork for narrative scenes

Improved quality of stamp bar interface

New missile and explosion effects

Minor random size scaling for explosions

Updated megaphone design
[/olist]

Audio Improvements

Music System:

25 variations of main menu music
75 variations of main game music
Random selection of background music on launch
Music properly transitions between scenes
Audio mutes during dialogue and restarts after

Sound Effects:

Added random pitch variation to positive/negative alerts
Added random pitch variation to document open/close sounds
Environmental sound effects for narrative scenes
Improved megaphone dialogue sounds
Updated hover audio for menu buttons

Quality of Life

Game Saving & Loading:

Improved save handling between sessions
Proper saving of narrative progress
Save and load for difficulty settings
Save and load for camera shake preferences
Save and load for maximum level reached
Local highscores preserved between sessions

Game Options:

Added language selection option
Added confirmation for resetting story progress
Separate buttons for resetting highscores vs. story progress
New "Score Attack" mode button replaces "Endless" mode

Narrative Improvements:

Added skip button for dialogue sequences
Added fades between narrative sequences
Improved timing for cutscenes
Better transition between shifts and story segments
Fixed audio reference issues in all narrative scenes

Tutorial Enhancements:

More interactive tutorial experience
New game always starts with tutorial
Updated guide to use left-click interactions only
Simplified stamp controls explanation
Added tutorial step with exploding runner

Bug Fixes

Gameplay Fixes

Fixed bug where the game continues running during story sequences
Fixed bug where score wasn't resetting between rounds
Fixed issue where potatoes continued to escape during Shift Summary
Fixed missile getting stuck when potato escapes
Fixed runner potato registering two strikes instead of one
Fixed shutter raising on megaphone click even when already up
Fixed potatoes staying shadowy when shutter automatically raised
Fixed bug where law text disappeared when picking up opened law document
Fixed bug where stamps would fly up from bottom of screen
Fixed quota not updating at start of shift
Fixed strikes not being added before shift end

UI Fixes

Fixed alert text font sizing causing blurry text
Fixed dialogue sign outside customs office not disappearing
Fixed skip button not disappearing after cutscenes
Fixed stamp bar controller showing on top of shift summary screen
Fixed document centering when closed
Fixed z-ordering issues on the summary screen
Fixed quota maximum not updating at start of shift
Fixed wrong shift displaying on shift summary screen

Story Mode Fixes

Fixed issue where new game continued instead of starting with tutorial
Fixed shift end dialogues not triggering properly
Fixed final cutscene not triggering
Fixed issue where shift increased by 2 on completion
Fixed end scenes not triggering for shifts
Fixed progression for story not saving/loading properly

Document Processing Fixes

Fixed passport text disappearing while being dragged
Fixed documents appearing above stamp bar when dragged
Fixed expiration rule validation logic
Fixed incorrect female/male potato validation
Fixed Yukon Gold potato law validation
Fixed law wording for clarity and consistency
Fixed issue where potatoes don't give you a passport

Attributions

Added Arludus to credits for vehicle artwork
Added community members who helped with bug reports

Updated attribution list with:

Button SFX from OpenGameArt
Emotes from Kenney
FilmCow Sound Effects
Social Icons from Krinjl
MODERN DOS font

Thank you for playing Spud Customs! We hope these improvements enhance your border control experience in the potato motherland. For feedback or to report issues, use the feedback button on the main menu or join our community channels.

[ 2025-04-25 07:09:18 CET ] [Original Post]

Spud Customs: Major Update 1.1.0 Coming Next Week!

Hello potato enthusiasts!

We're excited to announce that a substantial update for Spud Customs is arriving within the next week!

What started as a small update (1.0.2) has grown into something much more significant with 302 issues resolved.

With the addition of full localization into 18 languages and numerous gameplay improvements, we've decided to upgrade this to version 1.1.0!

Final Testing Underway

Our team is currently:

Finalizing translations across all 18 additional languages
Replacing and enhancing several art assets
Performing thorough testing to ensure everything works smoothly

Language Selection Screen: Game Description Image

Spud Customs will soon be available in 19 languages:

English
Czech (etina)
Danish (Dansk)
Dutch (Nederlands)
Finnish (Suomi)
French (Franais)
German (Deutsch)
Hungarian (Magyar)
Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia)
Italian (Italiano)
Norwegian (Norsk)
Polish (Polski)
Portuguese (Portugus)
Romanian (Romn)
Slovak (Slovenina)
Spanish (Espaol)
Swedish (Svenska)
Turkish (Trke)
Vietnamese (Ting Vit)

Here's an example of our French Translation:

Main Menu: Game Description Image

Laws Display on Gameplay Screen: Game Description Image

Cutscene Dialogue: Game Description Image

Cutscene Dialogue UI: Game Description Image

We've worked hard to ensure that text throughout the game is properly translated, from UI elements to dialogue. If you notice any translation issues, please let us know!

Gameplay Improvements to Look Forward To

New Visuals & Effects

New artwork for Vengeance sub-plot Game Description Image

Added emotes for potatoes waiting in line - watch their mood change!
Implemented vehicle system with cars driving by to add life to the environment
Improved missile, explosion, and impact effects
All new art for the storyline in 47 different scenes
Added footprints as potatoes walk, with different textures for concrete vs. grass
Enhanced potato corpse physics with realistic bouncing and spinning
Reduced size of explosions for better visual clarity

Audio Enhancements

Added pitch variation to sound effects for more variety
Implemented new compressed MP3 music and sound effects for enhanced emotional impact
Audio now mutes during dialogue and starts a new background track when dialogue finishes

User Interface

Example of the new perfect Stamp VFX and player reward Game Description Image

Updated perfect stamp alert text to be more visible
Added day-by-day shift transition animations
Improved office shutter mechanics with smoother animations
Enhanced runner behavior with more realistic speeds
Added fade transitions between dialogues
Shift summary screen now shows more detailed statistics

Controls & Feedback

Added visual UI hints that highlight interactive elements after a period of inactivity
Improved cursor system with multiple hover modes
Enhanced document handling and interaction feedback
Better visual feedback when quotas and strikes change

Bug Fixes & Technical Improvements

We've squashed numerous bugs and made technical improvements:

Fixed issues with passport text disappearing while dragged
Corrected various Z-ordering issues with potatoes, explosions, and UI elements
Fixed runner behavior to prevent escapes during dialogues
Improved detection of perfect stamp placement
Addressed various issues with the shutter animation and office lighting
Fixed multiple bugs with runners causing duplicate strikes
Corrected bugs with dialogue skip button functionality
Improved character progression saving/loading
Fixed issues with music transitions between scenes
Corrected various dialogue and text issues

Balance Changes

Adjusted quota targets based on difficulty
Improved runner speeds and paths
Balanced scoring system for better progression
Added clearer feedback for success and failure conditions
Modified difficulty scaling throughout the campaign

What's Next?

We'll post another announcement when the update goes live with the complete changelog. In the meantime, we'd love to hear what features you're most excited about!
Thank you for your continued support of Spud Customs, and we look forward to bringing you this major update very soon!

Sincerely,
The Spud Customs Team

[ 2025-04-22 20:31:55 CET ] [Original Post]

Spud Customs 1.0.2 Update Plan - From the Desk of David McHale (BroHeart)

Dear Spud Customs Community,

First, I want to express my heartfelt thanks for your patience and support. This year has thrown some unexpected challenges my way, including an unplanned hospital stay since October that disrupted our development timeline.

Figuring out how to continue working on Spud Customs from the NICU wasn't exactly in our project plan, but your continued enthusiasm for the game on Discord, Twitch, BlueSky, and here on Steam has been a real source of motivation during this difficult time.

What We're Fixing in 1.0.2

We've heard your feedback loud and clear, especially regarding some frustrating bugs in the story mode.

Our primary focus for the upcoming 1.0.2 update will be:

Critical Fixes

Story Mode Interruptions: Fixing the issue where gameplay continues in the background during story sequences
Missing Documents: Resolving the bug where passports sometimes don't appear after story segments
Visual Layering: Correcting z-ordering issues that cause visual elements to display incorrectly
Game State Reset: Ensuring proper reset of game variables between different game modes and sessions

Quality-of-Life Improvements

Skippable Dialogue: Adding the ability to advance through story sequences more quickly
Better Visual Guidance: Making important interactive elements (like the megaphone) more obvious
Tutorial Enhancements: Creating clearer guidance for new players
Missile System Refinements: Improving the border runner system to be more intuitive

Our team at Lost Rabbit Digital is working diligently to implement these changes. We're taking a methodical approach - fixing the most critical issues first, then thoroughly testing before moving to the secondary improvements.

Looking Ahead

Beyond 1.0.2, we're already planning future enhancements for 1.0.3 and beyond:

Proper save points in story mode
Additional accessibility options
Expanded difficulty settings
More engaging feedback and environment systems

Thank you again for sticking with us through these growing pains. Your support means everything to our small team, and we're committed to making Spud Customs the best potato border control experience possible.

Stay spudtacular,
David McHale (BroHeart)
[i]Lead Developer
Lost Rabbit Digital[/i]

[ 2025-02-25 20:33:20 CET ] [Original Post]

Major Gameplay Update: Enhanced Customs Experience

Dear Customs Officers,

First and foremost, we want to thank our amazing community for all the valuable feedback you've provided since launch and wish you all a very happy holidays.

Your suggestions and bug reports have been instrumental in shaping these improvements.

Major Features:

New stamp management system with fold-out interface
Redesigned stamp positioning and crossbar controls
Increased missile speed for more dynamic border defense
Enhanced visual feedback for surviving inspection rounds

Quality of Life Updates:

Clearer laws and rejection criteria
Improved passport handling and stamp visibility
Better player feedback systems
Updated dialogue visuals and fonts
New receipt printer for law changes
Streamlined customs inspection process

Technical Improvements:

Optimized date handling for expiration
Improved stat calculations
Better GUI element positioning
Various bug fixes and performance improvements
Optimized law validation handling

We're committed to making Spud Customs the best possible experience for our players.

If you'd like to join our community and share your thoughts on future improvements, please join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/AuxpKQt6nC
Glory to Spud!

Sincerely,
David, Boden, and the rest of
The Lost Rabbit Digital Team