\nThank you to everyone who has provided feedback since the 1.2.0 release! This hotfix addresses critical performance issues that were causing freezes on some systems, along with several bug fixes reported by the community.\n\n

PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENTS

\nMajor Optimizations\n

• Save System Caching: Added game state caching to prevent repeated disk reads. This eliminates 60-300ms freezes that were occurring on slower storage devices during high score checks.\n

  [/*]

• Object Pooling: Implemented pooling for explosion sprites (15 pre-allocated) and footprint sprites (50 pre-allocated). Previously, the game was creating 600-1200+ objects per shift - now these are recycled efficiently.\n

  [/*]

• Reduced Particle Count: Explosion VFX particles reduced from 400 to 100, significantly reducing draw calls during border runner sequences.\n

  [/*]

• Resource Preloading: CharacterGenerator, gib textures, and explosion spritesheets are now preloaded at startup instead of blocking during gameplay.\n

  [/*]

• Frame-level Optimizations: Vehicle spawner no longer calls get_children() every frame. Viewport calculations cached per frame instead of per missile.\n

  [/*]

\n

BUG FIXES

\nSave Compatibility\n

• Fixed save file errors for players upgrading from v1.1.x. The game now properly handles save files that referenced the old game_state.gd location, with automatic backup and recovery for corrupted saves.\n

  [/*]

\nTutorial Fixes\n

• Fixed stamp tutorial marker being visible when it shouldn\'t be (now hidden by default, only shown via debug command)\n

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• Fixed \"Skip All Tutorials\" option not properly marking all tutorials as completed, which was causing tutorials to replay when transitioning from tutorial to Shift 1\n

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• Fixed stamp position update affecting the wrong node\n

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\nVisual Fixes\n

• Fixed type mismatch errors that could occur during perfect stamp celebrations\n

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• Fixed potential nil access during celebration particle animations\n

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\nStats and Achievements\n

• Fixed duplicate achievement/stats calls at shift completion (was incrementing total_shifts_completed twice)\n

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• Reduced redundant Steam API calls from 4 to 2 per shift completion\n

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\n

OTHER CHANGES

• Updated game icon\n

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• Added new screenshot\n

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• Updated cutscene visuals\n

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\n

TECHNICAL NOTES

\nThis update includes a comprehensive performance audit that identified and addressed critical issues causing app hangs, particularly on laptop hardware. If you were experiencing freezes or stuttering in v1.2.0, this update should significantly improve your experience.\n\nAs always, thank you for your feedback and support!\n\n- Lost Rabbit Digital Development Team\n

Spud Customs v1.2.0 - The \"One Year Later\" Update

\nA personal note from the developer:\n\nMy son Kobi was born 25 weeks premature in late November 2024, weighing barely 1 pound. He arrived ON the original release date for Spud Customs, and I\'d been delaying the launch week after week as we entered the hospital leading up to his arrival. \n\nFinally I decided to release what I could muster the willpower to finish for Spud Customs v1.0.0 while we were settling into the neonatal intensive care unit in early December.\n\nNow, over a year later, he\'s grown from 1 pound to over 20 pounds. Last week he graduated from the NICU to the PICU, and we\'re still waiting for his lungs to be strong enough for a home ventilator so we can finally go home. During the quiet hours at the hospital in recent months, I\'ve been working to bring Spud Customs closer to the vision I had before life took this unexpected turn.\n\nA lot of the new content reflects feelings that mirror my experiences this past year. Viktor\'s rooftop grief, Murphy\'s sacrifice, the old queer couple\'s erasure, and the helplessness when faced with fighting a cold and uncaring system. \n\nI watch every Spud Customs recording that pops up online, and I\'m grateful to each of you who\'ve taken the time to experience my strange potato world.\n\nOver 2,000 people have played Spud Customs and joined us on this journey. Thank you for your feedback, your patience, and your interest in our little story of potato redemption (or armageddeon, if you\'re one of the chaos agent players).\n\nI hope this game can bloom even a fraction as much as Kobi has.\n\nThis update is for you.\n\n

What\'s New

\n[img src=\"https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/45267425/f7540fbc5c4be26e181d9d8f940beddcd54e0079.png\"][/img]\n

Minigames

• Border Chase - Catch contraband items as they try to slip past with satisfying punt animations\n

  [/*]

• Code Breaker - Crack codes with Wordle-style position-specific color feedback\n

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• Document Scanner - Scan and verify documents under pressure\n

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• Fingerprint Match - Match prints to catch imposters\n

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• Stamp Sorting - Sort stamps at lightning speed\n

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• UV Scanner - Reveal hidden details with improved feedback\n

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\n[img src=\"https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/45267425/879d0d12c6c8a056b4bb5ebf97b10ecf3fc2264b.png\"][/img]\n

Overhauled Tutorial System

• Completely redesigned interactive tutorial with shader-based highlighting\n

  [/*]

• Click-to-continue flow for better pacing\n

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• Improved panel positioning and readability\n

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• Tutorial progress indicator\n

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• Fixed tutorial progression blocking issues\n

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\n[img src=\"https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/45267425/145470e50550b10f8bac1c52f32f60b101b3d31b.png\"][/img]\n

Art & Visuals

• Updated story art and character artwork\n

  [/*]

• New minigame visual assets\n

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• Audio-reactive bloom effects on the main menu\n

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• Parallax mouse background effect on main menu\n

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• Dynamic scene visuals with progressive poster display\n

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• Brown/gold themed UI throughout for visual consistency\n

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\n

Audio

• 7 new custom music tracks for dramatic story moments\n

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• 4 new background music tracks added to the rotation\n

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• Dynamic music switches during narrative sequences\n

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• Improved NPC audio\n

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• Better audio levels throughout\n

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\n

Quality of Life

• Comprehensive controller support with visual glyphs\n

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• Tabbed Help Menu accessible from pause (includes Controls, Gameplay, and Lore)\n

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• Social media links (Discord, Steam, Twitch) on main menu\n

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• Language selector in main menu\n

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• Improved shift summary screen for story mode\n

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• Load game confirmation dialog\n

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• Minigames now appear more frequently as you progress through shifts\n

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• Improved law receipt with expired document notes\n

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\n

Readability & Accessibility

• Bloom intensity reduced by 50% for better document readability\n

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• Fixed gameplay bloom being too high after cutscenes\n

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• Switched passport and rules labels to Noto Sans font for better legibility across all languages\n

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• Increased text sizes throughout for improved readability\n

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• Passport dates now display with localized month names in all 29 languages\n

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• Unified narrative summary window borders with level select UI styling\n

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\n[img src=\"https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/45267425/4e1a6ab51f08558d6395c74cc1e9e64953150b12.png\"][/img]\n

Twitch Integration

• Connect your Twitch channel to have viewer names appear on potatoes!\n

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• Auto-collects viewer names from chat\n

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\n[img src=\"https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/45267425/9e707d12269f120e62960621fc1a088b983d9952.png\"][/img]\n

Story & Narrative

• Murphy\'s Sacrifice - New \"Protocol HARVEST\" sequence with Murphy badge memorial scene\n

  [/*]

• Viktor Storyline - Full subplot with rooftop grief narrative\n

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• Chaos Agent Path - New story path allowing players to sabotage both sides\n

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• Sasha Ending - Now requires 3+ pro-Sasha choices with subtle hints throughout\n

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• Improved QTE narrative system with visual pane for story images\n

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• Enhanced loyalist path with dialogue fixes and better choice continuity\n

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\n[img src=\"https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/45267425/a55c0cdea2949c1a6f37486433609e5e8d0d0c32.png\"][/img]\n

Achievements

• In-Game Achievement Viewer - New panel accessible from pause menu showing all achievements\n

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• Toast Notifications - Achievements now display a toast when unlocked\n

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• Expanded achievement set tracking gameplay milestones and story paths\n

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• Fixed achievement tracking - all achievements now unlock properly\n

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\n

Bug Fixes

\n

Stability & Error Reporting

• Integrated Sentry SDK - Crash reports now automatically sent (anonymously) so I can fix issues even when I can\'t reproduce them\n

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• Fixed missile freeze bug that could lock up gameplay\n

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• Fixed multiple runtime errors during startup\n

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• Fixed volume interpolation errors\n

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• Fixed shader compilation issues\n

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\n

Gameplay Fixes

• Fixed shift quota bug when skipping tutorial on new game\n

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• Fixed shift summary screen being skipped when player strikes out\n

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• Fixed stamp bar not closing when shift ends\n

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• Fixed passport stamp positioning detection\n

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• Fixed stamp overlap detection\n

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• Fixed document dragging issues during tutorial\n

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• Fixed game progression bug when replaying earlier shifts\n

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• Fixed shift summary spacing issues\n

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\n

UI & Menu Fixes

• Fixed credits display issues\n

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• Fixed end message UI\n

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• Fixed passport text overflow with better font sizing\n

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• Fixed cutscene and menu bugs\n

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• Improved text readability throughout\n

  [/*]

\n[img src=\"https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/45267425/d7987cf3e9a1158dedf61cec5a7461faa2af432c.png\"][/img]\n

Localization

• Fixed untranslated help menu keys\n

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• Fixed malformed CSV translations\n

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• Added missing translation entries\n

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• Improved translation tooling\n

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• Fixed translation gaps for achievements panel and score values\n

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• Fixed Korean translation for continue dialog and version label\n

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• Fixed Score Attack and loading screen translations\n

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• Added localization support for tutorial system and passport labels\n

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• Added localization support for level select and story choices\n

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\n

Technical Improvements

• Complete EventBus architecture refactor for better stability\n

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• Reorganized project assets for maintainability\n

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• Improved logging system\n

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• Better Steam integration checks\n

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• Updated splash screens with refreshed visuals\n

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• Sentry integration for anonymous crash reports\n

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\n

\nThere\'s more in the works. Thank you for believing in Spud Customs, and thank you for being part of this journey. Every potato you\'ve stamped, every border runner you\'ve caught, every choice you\'ve made, it all matters.\n\nNow get back to work, Inspector. The border won\'t guard itself.\n\n- David (HeartCoded)

Release Highlights

Bug Fixes

Localization Improvements

Gameplay Balance

Technical Maintenance

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

Spud Customs - Patch Notes v1.1.0

Localization

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

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

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

• 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
  

• 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

• 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
  

• 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
  

• 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

• 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
  

• 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

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

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

• 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

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

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

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:

Gameplay Improvements to Look Forward To

New Visuals & Effects

• 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

• 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

• 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?

Dear Spud Customs Community,

What We're Fixing in 1.0.2

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
  

Looking Ahead

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

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