ERSATZ v1.62 This update focuses on correcting a bunch of unseen errors that popped up when the game was ported into the later versions of GameMaker from GameMaker Studio 1.4. This fixes Steam functionality, a bunch of crashes, strange draw order issues with some backgrounds, controller and keyboard swapping in the opening language selection working more consistently, and a number of other small bits such unintended behaviour with the screen distortion effects. Please note that I haven't made any significant changes to the underlying game or how it handles things, and whilst I played through it several times to try and fix everything, it's possible you might encounter things I've not seen. If you see a bug that makes progression impossible or impedes your ability to play then please let me know.

Hey all, it's been a looooong time! I've been hard at work on my next project the last couple of years and the engine I use has gone through some major updates meaning working on ERSATZ was largely a lot of effort for very little personal gain. However, spurred by an odd error a windows user was having and upcoming plans for Steam with my next game, I've added a new Beta branch to ERSATZ which hopefully fixes this issue and also adds Russian language translations a friend did for me a while back. Some things to note: This Beta branch is only available in Windows. I no longer have access to a Mac that runs on late enough software and my Linux partition has been lost to time. Both of these platforms account for a very small chunk of my user base I'm afraid so to update these and possibly not fix anything is very low on my priorities. I'm very sorry! The Russian language should be well translated from a fluid speaker and a native speaker. But I haven't yet formatted the text to visually fit in all menus, so you will likely come across issues of text overlapping or going off screen. If this is impacting you, please do not hesitate to post in the forums and let me know and I'll bump up fixing it in my priorities! If you wish to try out this build either for a fix or the Russian Language, then in your Steam library, right click the game and select properties. From there select "BETA" on the left and in the drop down select the only available beta. There is no passcode. The game should begin redownloading in your download queue. Any issues, please let me know!

I can confirm that translation work for ERSATZ is now underway! I've finished setting the game up to take the translations and have collated all the game's text. It's now just a matter of waiting for translators to finish their work :D At the moment of writing this, I officially have translators for Spanish, Italian, Russian & Japanese, with definite plans for French & German, and possibly future ones for Polish, Korean & Chinese. I'll be adding languages as and when they are ready, so you might be seeing them added to the game one by one over the next few months. I'm looking forward to making the game more accessible to more people just by eliminating some language barriers, and that might include some other exciting news in the future ;) Stay well everyone, and I hope 2019 is a good year for us all, Paris ALL iN

Hey all, just a very small update for all platforms today. I've fixed a bug that caused freezing. This would trigger if pressed up against certain walls and trying to dash slide away from them. Thanks to JayJay for posting about a potential issue and Klianc09 for helping me discover the specifics of this bug! Paris ALL iN

Exciting News! Watch Austrian World Record holder for ERSATZ, Klianc09, speedrun the game at German speedrunning event Germench today at: 14:20 gmt / 15:20 cet / 06:00 pst / 08:00 est The whole event will be watchable here: https://www.twitch.tv/germenchrestream I'll be sure to support him in spirit on my second monitor whilst working today! I hope some of you might do the same to see what high level ERSATZ play looks like :D Paris ALL iN

Hello all, Paris here :) It's been a while since I updated ERSATZ as I've mostly been hard at work on a new project. However, the ever impressive Klianc09 has found a few key bugs I wanted to fix before he plays the game LIVE at a speedrunning event in Germany on the 8th October 2018: Zocktoberfest-Marathon, ZFM for short, is organised by Germench. They have an organisation twitter over at https://twitter.com/germenchtweets (more details to follow soon). I also took a moment to update most of the promo images that steam uses about the place to something a bit more colourful, which probably represents the game a bit better than the old black and white ones huh? I'm getting closer and closer to revealing what I'm working on next, so keep your ears to the ground and your eyes open for future news too! ERSATZ v1.46 Patch Notes ----------------------------------------------- -JOURNEY MODE- -Journeyman Achievement for beating Journey Mode deathless should now finally work -Best time string for Journey Mode Type Gamma now displays correctly. Game will auto fix your save file for it if you already have a time -A very small amount of time is no longer accidentally being added between pressing continue at the end of a level and the room changing to the loading screen -Time difference of best time vs current time between levels now displays correctly -Fixed issue where restarting Journey Mode from Game Over or Pause menus would, in some instances, not correctly load/remove colour palettes, vfx & sfx -Animation for ERSATZ on loading screen slowed down as was in double speed -SYNTH RUSH- -Fixed problem with times turning negative under certain circumstances and removed the one leaderboard entry that had this, needs further testing

Hey everyone, I'm back from Japan and getting ready to move job & house, but the weather is warm and it's the Steam Summer Sale! 50% off ERSATZ with the complete Soundtrack! OR 33% off ERSATZ on its own! I've also just uploaded an update to Windows & Linux that reinstates the last one and fixes the bug that forced the rollback. I also did two very minor specific instance crash fixes for restarts during two bosses, but am keeping the version number. Hope you're all having a great summer already, and that you play some great games! Much love, Paris ALL iN

Hey everyone, A bug introduced with the last update (v1.45) that caused crashes on the first level was raised to me by a player last night. However, I am currently away for 2 weeks in the land of the Rising Sun, so I have temporarily rolled back the last update until I am back to fix it properly. Massive apologies for any inconvenience this causes. Not long after getting back I'll be able to move into my new place and normal game dev will finally resume. Much love, Paris

Hey all, Paris here, YouTuber The Hidden Chest uploaded a fantastic video about ERSATZ a few days ago. You can check it out HERE In other news, a small update before things kick off again busy wise back in IRL land. This update also finally brings the Mac OSX version up to the same number. So sorry for the delay for the few Mac players. ERSATZ v1.45 Patch Notes ----------------------------------------------- MESSAGES -Added descriptions of how to unlock each of the unlockable Messages in the 'MESSAGES' menu SYNTH RUSH -Restarting at the end of Central Assembly Computer boss fight in Synth Rush now correctly starts the same boss MISC -Fixed issue where the screen shakes could cause crashes under very specific instances -Fixed spawn placement of some specific boss explosions

Hey everyone, Paris here, It's time ERSATZ had a price cut me thinks, so the game is now down to $6.99 / €5.49 / £4.99!! It's been a while hasn't it? Well I must apologise for the lack of news on any front from me. Life's been very busy, working extra hours, visiting my girlfriend's parents in Ireland, currently in the process of moving house, and I've even got a trip to Japan to see some very close friends just around the corner. Phew! Be assured that I'm still very much around, and a little birdy told me that there's another YouTuber preparing a video about ERSATZ. Very exciting! I'll be trying my best to stay in touch over the coming month, but there's a good chance game development and updates won't become regular again until early July. Much love from me, Paris ALL iN

Hello lovely people! I'M ON ANOTHER PODCAST! ------------------------------------------ Back around October last year, shortly after ERSATZ' release, I had the pleasure of appearing on my good friend Max Pears' podcast, 'The Level Design Lobby'. The episode has just gone live on iTUNES, SOUNDCLOUD & YOUTUBE SPECIAL 40% OFF PROMO ------------------------------------------ To celebrate appearing on the podcast, I've joined forces with Max to provide anyone who has a look in the episode description for a link to 40% OFF ERSATZ! Feel free to share the link with as many friends as you want, but I'd really appreciate it if you could check out what Max is trying to do as well :) WHO'S MAX? ------------------------------------------ Not only did I study game design at university with Max, and take on the Dare to Be Digital challenge with him as our team lead, but he has worked as a level designer for Ubisoft Reflections and is now at the prestigious CDProjeckt, working away on their next big thing.

Hey all, Paris here! Just a little update with a few small fixes in v1.44 of ERSATZ. And woo, it just hit 2000 keys activated!! In all honesty, it hasn't translated in a lot of money, but that doesn't take away from the achievement at all.
I have another announcement tomorrow too so stay tuned! ERSATZ v1.44 Patch Notes ------------------------------------------------ JOURNEY MODE -Fixed time penalty display at the end for real this time (this doesn't effect your recorded final time just what is presented to you) -Grade no longer shows in pause or game over screens as it isn't relevant to this mode SYNTH RUSH -Time start is consistent between restarting from game over and restarting manually on Grovelin Chief fight. LEVELS -Level 02 'REGULATION' - Footstep and landing SFX would not be correctly set for a level under certain circumstances, this has now been fixed MISC -Fixed issue where pausing the game on the same frame you fall into a pit would cause a crash

BIG SALE! Hello everyone! It's time for the last big sale before the summer, so get your mitts on ERSATZ with a whopping 50% off now! Offer ends 21st April at 7am Pacific Time! Itch.io: https://allin-indie.itch.io/ersatz Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/703720/ERSATZ/ _______________________________________________________ ZONTRY VIDEO REVIEW Youtuber Zontry was one of the first people to give ERSATZ a chance, and his final video review for it went up earlier this week. WATCH IT HERE Despite a slightly old script (I posted some corrections in the comment section of the video), it's another super positive look at ERSATZ, which is just fan-bloody-tastic! _______________________________________________________ V1.44 UPLOADED Also today, I uploaded v1.44 with a couple of small fixes for the Boss rush mode 'SYNTH RUSH', where the game would crash if beating The Neutralizer boss under specific circumstances.

BIG SALE! Hello everyone! It's time for the last big sale before the summer, so get your mitts on ERSATZ with a whopping 50% off now! Offer ends 21st April at 7am Pacific Time! Itch.io: https://allin-indie.itch.io/ersatz Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/703720/ERSATZ/ _______________________________________________________ ZONTRY VIDEO REVIEW Youtuber Zontry was one of the first people to give ERSATZ a chance, and his final video review for it went up earlier this week. WATCH IT HERE Despite a slightly old script (I posted some corrections in the comment section of the video), it's another super positive look at ERSATZ, which is just fan-bloody-tastic! _______________________________________________________ V1.44 UPLOADED Also today, I uploaded v1.44 with a couple of small fixes for the Boss rush mode 'SYNTH RUSH', where the game would crash if beating The Neutralizer boss under specific circumstances.

Youtuber Peppage pointed out a minor crticism in his video yesterday, which I have now rectified with this update with the help of Klianc09! Well you can't say I don't respond to feedback ;) I fixed a few other things found as well along the way :) ERSATZ v1.43 Patch Notes -------------------------------- LEVELS -Level 02 'REGULATION' - Optimised drawing of falling icicles -Level 04 'RESPIRATION' - Stopped slamming from triggering when trapped in a Catcher Bubble -Level 05 'REPRODUCTION' - Fixed a number of pistons where you could or would not get crushed -Level 07 'TRANSPORT' - Can no longer get through forcefields when in invincible state -Level 07 'TRANSPORT' - Stopped slamming from triggering when stuck in a Detainer CEL -Level 07 'TRANSPORT' - Should have fixed issue where dying after defeating The Neutralizer boss battle would cause the music not to reset after continuing -Level 08 'SYNTHESIS' - Can't be healed after dying between final boss phases TYPE GAMMA -Can no longer dash through forcefields in Type Gamma MISC -Fixed all known spawn issues where players could take extra damage outside of their own control

Youtuber Peppage pointed out a minor crticism in his video yesterday, which I have now rectified with this update with the help of Klianc09! Well you can't say I don't respond to feedback ;) I fixed a few other things found as well along the way :) ERSATZ v1.43 Patch Notes -------------------------------- LEVELS -Level 02 'REGULATION' - Optimised drawing of falling icicles -Level 04 'RESPIRATION' - Stopped slamming from triggering when trapped in a Catcher Bubble -Level 05 'REPRODUCTION' - Fixed a number of pistons where you could or would not get crushed -Level 07 'TRANSPORT' - Can no longer get through forcefields when in invincible state -Level 07 'TRANSPORT' - Stopped slamming from triggering when stuck in a Detainer CEL -Level 07 'TRANSPORT' - Should have fixed issue where dying after defeating The Neutralizer boss battle would cause the music not to reset after continuing -Level 08 'SYNTHESIS' - Can't be healed after dying between final boss phases TYPE GAMMA -Can no longer dash through forcefields in Type Gamma MISC -Fixed all known spawn issues where players could take extra damage outside of their own control

ROCK PAPER SHOTGUN 'HAVE YOU PLAYED....' ARTICLE In case you missed it, Jack Yarwood wrote a delightful little piece about ERSATZ for Rock Paper Shotgun. You can read the full article over HERE
______________________________________ PEPPAGE VIDEO REVIEW Also today, YouTuber Peppage has said some super nice words over on his channel, in his video review of ERSATZ! You can check it out HERE
_______________________________________ ERSATZ v1.42 And finally, another small update for Windows & Linux. Sorry Mac users, I'll get a hold of that Macbook again as soon as I can! ERSATZ v1.42 Patch Notes -------------------------------- CONTROLS -Fixed issue where your dash slide height could be altered in very specific instances, causing you to get unfairly hit MODES -Fixed unlocking of infinite modes and secret messages A, B & C LEVELS -Level 03 'NUTRITION' - Raised ceiling in room with key as it was too low before -Level 04 'RESPIRATION' - Hopefully fixed issue in room with strong back current where you could get a soft lock by getting shoved into the the wall on the left -Level 06 'EXCRETION' - It is much more difficult to skip the trigger for the Pollugeist which would cause a softlock

ROCK PAPER SHOTGUN 'HAVE YOU PLAYED....' ARTICLE In case you missed it, Jack Yarwood wrote a delightful little piece about ERSATZ for Rock Paper Shotgun. You can read the full article over HERE
______________________________________ PEPPAGE VIDEO REVIEW Also today, YouTuber Peppage has said some super nice words over on his channel, in his video review of ERSATZ! You can check it out HERE
_______________________________________ ERSATZ v1.42 And finally, another small update for Windows & Linux. Sorry Mac users, I'll get a hold of that Macbook again as soon as I can! ERSATZ v1.42 Patch Notes -------------------------------- CONTROLS -Fixed issue where your dash slide height could be altered in very specific instances, causing you to get unfairly hit MODES -Fixed unlocking of infinite modes and secret messages A, B & C LEVELS -Level 03 'NUTRITION' - Raised ceiling in room with key as it was too low before -Level 04 'RESPIRATION' - Hopefully fixed issue in room with strong back current where you could get a soft lock by getting shoved into the the wall on the left -Level 06 'EXCRETION' - It is much more difficult to skip the trigger for the Pollugeist which would cause a softlock

Dear Players, If you're interested in seeing an example of how quick you can really go in ERSATZ check out THIS STREAM by Klianc09 of Level 07. Wow! Even as the developer and armed with an intentional design philosophy to open the game up to skillful play, I've continued to be blown away by the kinds of times I'm seeing from Klianc09 in ERSATZ recently! Whole minutes faster than I ever expected. If you're keen to know when streams like this happen, jump onto the ERSATZ DISCORD SERVER and join in the fun ^_^ I've also done another small update, mostly focused on the Gorjunter boss fight (Patch notes below). As you can see, the updates are starting to wind down for real now. I'm actually beginning to prototype a new game starting from today, so keep your eyes and ears out for that. Of course, with all the keys that were obtained during the recent IndieGala bundle, we've got around 1600 new players potentially playing (if their steam backlog allows to them to get round to it!), so any major bugs or necessary changes I'll obviously fix. Happy gaming! Paris ALL iN ERSATZ v1.41 Patch Notes ----------------------------------------- MENUS -If you press a keyboard key whilst trying to bind a gamepad action, it now cancels the binding (apparently some devices and/or OSes might be detected as a gamepad and allow players to access gamepad binding even without a gamepad being plugged in, this fixes that) BOSSES -Gorjunter - Changed code for it's dash left and right attack so there is a consistent gap between dashes -Gorjunter - Fixed it so the Horusai that blow across the screen during the dash attack pause their movement when the game is paused -Gorjunter - Made the text that comes up when it heals from eating also say "GORJUNTER EATS" to clarify what is happening

Dear Players, If you're interested in seeing an example of how quick you can really go in ERSATZ check out THIS STREAM by Klianc09 of Level 07. Wow! Even as the developer and armed with an intentional design philosophy to open the game up to skillful play, I've continued to be blown away by the kinds of times I'm seeing from Klianc09 in ERSATZ recently! Whole minutes faster than I ever expected. If you're keen to know when streams like this happen, jump onto the ERSATZ DISCORD SERVER and join in the fun ^_^ I've also done another small update, mostly focused on the Gorjunter boss fight (Patch notes below). As you can see, the updates are starting to wind down for real now. I'm actually beginning to prototype a new game starting from today, so keep your eyes and ears out for that. Of course, with all the keys that were obtained during the recent IndieGala bundle, we've got around 1600 new players potentially playing (if their steam backlog allows to them to get round to it!), so any major bugs or necessary changes I'll obviously fix. Happy gaming! Paris ALL iN ERSATZ v1.41 Patch Notes ----------------------------------------- MENUS -If you press a keyboard key whilst trying to bind a gamepad action, it now cancels the binding (apparently some devices and/or OSes might be detected as a gamepad and allow players to access gamepad binding even without a gamepad being plugged in, this fixes that) BOSSES -Gorjunter - Changed code for it's dash left and right attack so there is a consistent gap between dashes -Gorjunter - Fixed it so the Horusai that blow across the screen during the dash attack pause their movement when the game is paused -Gorjunter - Made the text that comes up when it heals from eating also say "GORJUNTER EATS" to clarify what is happening

A small update for Windows & Linux today. I think the number 1.4 looks a lot better than 1.39 don't you? A E S T H E T I C S or something am I right? ERSATZ v1.4 Patch Notes ------------------------------------------ -JOURNEY MODE- -Restarting from an end level screen now loads music and sound properly -By having a small buffer after the score screen shows before it'll accept an input, I have made it harder to accidentally restart from an end level screen in this mode -LEVELS- -Level 01 'GROWTH' - The moving plant platforms now have a small 3D sound that plays when they move -Level 04 'RESPIRATION' - The moving Spurchin (moving spikey balls) now have a small 3D sound that plays when they move -Level 04 'RESPIRATION' - The Catcher Bubbles now play their catch and pop noises correctly and audibly -Level 06 'EXCRETION' - Changed slam collision check for glass floors to fix very rare occasion when it wouldn't break from a slam -Level 08 'SYNTHESIS' - Added in missing glow for bottomless pits in -Level 08 'SYNTHESIS' - Running against conveyor belts in level 08 now slows your movement as they do elsewhere -LINUX ONLY- -Fixed crashing when trying to dash in Type Gamma

I've finally caught up with the times and created a new Discord server for ERSATZ. You can easily join by clicking the link below :) I'll be sorting out text channels and custom emoji today and beyond. If you've got any suggestions or requests for it, please let me know, as I'm new to Discord myself! https://discord.gg/UrqhWMh Happy Gaming, Paris ALL iN

Hey folks! In response to all the feedback I got about the first trailer & changes to the game since launch, I've put together a brand new one! Watch the new trailer on the Steam Page or on Youtube HERE
Really happy with the slow momentum build I've been seeing for the game online after all the work I've put in. We're up to v1.39 now! I hope all the new players enjoy the game and the extra spit, polish and love that's gone into trying to make this a great experience (you're the judge of that!). And don't forget, you can currently get ERSATZ + 11 other games for a pittance over on IndieGala in the Doodle Heroes Bundle HERE
Happy Gaming! Paris ALL iN

ERSATZ v1.39 Patch Notes ----------------------------------------- -LEVELS- -Level 06 'EXCRETION' - Fixed issue with smog particle depth being messed up if restarting level from the boss -BOSSES- -POLLUGEIST - Have attempted to fix issue where the Pollugeist would get stuck in the floor when doing the Smog Bullet Bounce attack, needs further testing -MISC- -Changed the way smog poisoning works + reversed and changed the way it is visually displayed. It is now both slightly clearer and more of a threat in more situations -Stopped dash "overcharging" when you transition from one room to the next with between 2 & 3 dashes -Fixed issue with Start/Pause key on keyboard input reading making accidental menu skips in at least Synth Rush

I'm pleased to announce that ERSATZ is now in the Doodle Heroes Bundle on IndieGala! Get ERSATZ and 11 other games for hardly anything! GET THE BUNDLE HERE It's running for 21 days and there's a special launch price in the first 24 hours. With all the recent tweaks, fixes and improvements, there's never been a better time to jump into ERSATZ and put yourself to the test!!!

ERSATZ got some nice words said about it over at Gaming On Linux! Check out what they said over HERE I've been continuing to work on the game, mostly smaller things here but important all the same ERSATZ v1.39 Patch Notes ----------------------------------------- -CONTROLS- -Put in fixes for a bug where you'd sometimes not register as landing when hitting an upwards facing slope whilst moving. This would cause jump inputs to be "eaten" during the frames where this was in effect -Changed settings for steam controller support template from 'none' to 'generic gamepad', this might fix a reported issue in Linux with steam controllers not being detected if you alt+tab out of the game -If you change the escape key to be pause, backspace will now become the game's internal "menu back/cancel" key so that you still have access to a shortcut on keyboard -Very slightly more lenient grounded detection when dashing off a ledge in Type Alpha -LEVELS- -Level 02 'REGULATION' - Further changes to slope geometry in room near end of level. Matched up lip lengths with other slopes for consistency -Level 02 'REGULATION' - Changed bullet collision detection for both ice platform types so that they always melt when hit by one -Level 03 'NUTRITION' - Changed geomtery under slope just before climb into Diamid to stop weird wall jumping behaviour -Level 03 'NUTRITION' - Bullets inside the Diamid are now easier to see (they look similar to the shots fired by the Horusai Sentinels) -BOSSES- -CRYSTA BLOSS - Bullets that collide with its crystal now destroy so you won't get hurt whilst dashing into it -GORJUNTER - Changed the timings for moving onto next part of its pattern so that there is more opportunity to save time. Previously some of these transitions could potentially create up to 8 beats of dead air if you were unlucky -POLLUGEIST - The initial forces for the bounce bullet attack have been made much less random so it picks from two. This is much fairer for speedrunning -POLLUGEIST - During the Smog Mirage attack, the random positioning of the real one has been altered so that it always goes to each spot once (but still in a random order) -POLLUGEIST - Hopefully stopped very rare issue where, after it splits into 4 copies during the Mirage attack, hitting the boss the same frame it tries to throw a Smog Bullet at you would cause the boss to 'disappear' and force a room reset -SYNTH RUSH- -Fixed crash issue with underwater effect if dying on Razael Chase part of Synth Rush ALL -Stopped in between room times for levels accidentally showing up in Synth Rush -Fixed healing behaviour in Synth Rush for final boss so it consistently doesn't heal between phases -MISC- -Fixed issue where dashing when very close to a boss would cause you to take damage despite being in a dashing state

Been updating the game over the last couple of days. As the post title says, it's a smattering of everything here, including some more tasty optimisation! The Mac version will be updated to this version in the next few hours as well. ERSATZ v1.38 Patch Notes ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- -MISC- -On some machines/under certain circumstances a "double beat" would occur at the start of a room and cause two shots to be fired in relatively quick succession. This has been stopped by stopping shots being fired during the room transition -The dash recharge wasn't being reset when restarting a room or level reset, creating discrepancies in behaviour -Enemy sight line drawing optimisation for all enemies that have non-linear sight lines (circular and triangular), drastically reducing texture swaps in rooms with those enemies ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- -LEVELS- -Level 02 'REGULATION' - Changed internal geometry of some slopes in room near end that sometimes ate jumps. Actual layout unaffected -Level 02 'REGULATION' - Changed the way the ice platforms draw their slight glow so there are much less objects in rooms with these in -Level 05 'REPRODUCTION' - Crate destroy FX now spawn in the correct location -Level 08 'SYNTHESIS' - Final Boss name now appears a little earlier ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- -SYNTH RUSH- -SYNTH RUSH ALL now correctly shows 'SYNTH RUSH ALL' on the leaderboards -Beating SYNTH RUSH ALL no longer causes weird behaviour afterwards ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- -UNLOCKS- -Grade requirement to unlock the last level has been removed! -100% unlock reward no longer crashes game ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- -AUDIO- -Audio emitters for 3D sounds weren't being destroyed for a number of objects which would eventually cause the sound to bug out during extended play. I have gone through every object with this now and made sure they destroy -Fixed issue where restarting room from the pause menu would stop ambient background sounds

I've been updating ERSATZ a lot over the last few days as I've got some time off work. Luckily my girlfriend is OK with belayed Valentines Days! :P The last two updates combined feature a big optimisation boost. I'm really hoping this makes recording and streaming performance much better, as well as make the game run much better on weaker PCs! Let me know if you see the difference! In addition, I've made some small improvements to a couple of visual elements as well :) I'm only 1 sale away from reaching the first milestone of 100 copies! Whilst it's on sale, maybe you know a friend who might like ERSATZ? Help me reach this small but significant goal on my path to trying to make great games!! ERSATZ v1.36 + v1.37 Patch Notes ---------------------- -OPTIMISATION- -Enemy and object destroy effects have been optimised. Also been improved so that they bounce off the environment as was intended -Number of texture swaps greatly reduced in all levels and menus -Further significant particle & effects optimisation -LEVELS- -THE NEUTRALIZER - Possibly fixed issue with boss getting stuck idling forever at the start of the fight -Level 01 'GROWTH' - Changed layout very slightly of section with the plant guns by the slide tunnel early in the level so that you should no longer get stuck in a falling/landing animation state -Level 01 'GROWTH' - Possibly fixed issue where soft lock freeze could occur when getting hit by Grovelin enemies near a wall, needs further testing -MISC- -End level screen now appears correctly on its own again after bug introduced in v1.35 -Changed the way dash energy recharges between rooms so that it is a clear fixed amount no matter frame rate or individual loading times (Type Alpha: 1 dash block, Type Beta: 1/3 of your total energy, Type Gamma: Full Charge). This consistency is super important for speedruns but was something I hadn't realised had a variance even on the one machine or same room until recently -Ambient environment particles now start "warmed up" when entering a level for the first time or new room -Loading room's speed was accidentally set to 30 rather than 60fps EDIT: Just updated again to fix an issue with a left over invisible object in level 01 from my tweaking

I've started work on really optimising ERSATZ (mainly the effects) and will hopefully improve performance, particularly for those of you looking to record or stream! There's still more to come, but if any of you already see an improvement in performance please let me know! It'd be great to hear from you :) This full update applies to Windows and Linux. A number of the fixes and tweaks listed below are not fully implemented on the Mac version yet, although it has been updated. I should be able to update the Mac version to be in line with the Windows and Linux builds tomorrow. ERSATZ v1.35 Patch Notes ------------------------------------- -GENERAL- -Fixed issue where in some rooms there were infinite bullets if left to idle which would gradually tank the frame rate -Changed the way almost all particles are handled in engine in a number of ways. Should remove a ton of small memory leaks & reduce memory load, as well as boost overall game stability. There is more particle & texture optimisation to come in a future update -TYPE BETA- -Fixed issue introduced in last update that stopped dashing up from working -TYPE GAMMA- -When dashing whilst facing down a slope you will now stay grounded as is the case with the other playstyles -Slightly increased distance travelled per frame of the dash, increasing overall travel distance by 36 units -Level 03 'NUTRITION' - The stack blocks now always correctly break when dashing into them -Level 04 'RESPIRATION' - The cracked bits of ground that must be slammed to release the upwards currents have been tweaked so that they now always break in Type Gamma as they should -HOW TO PLAY- -Once the tutorial is done you can now skip all of the BASIC or ADVANCED parts of the tutorial when reentered, with the 'Pause' key/button -How to play now always plays out in Type Alpha playstyle as it should -JOURNEY MODE- -Fixed display of time w/o penalties and what the penalties were on run complete. I believe this had no effect on your final time display & saving or what was uploaded to leaderboards -LEVELS- -Level 03 'NUTRITION' - The stack blocks now take twice as long before they fall -Level 04 'RESPIRATION' - You can no longer repeatedly slam even whilst in a current when you first trigger a cracked ground up current -Level 06 'EXCRETION' - The rolling smog has had the density of its particles reduced dramatically for performance reasons -Level 08 'SYNTHESIS' - Fixed crashing issue at end of level related to new feature implemented last update

Just a quick one here with two key changes. After some discussion with a speedrunner I realised I needed to change the way ERSATZ handles it's in game timer. It's a small change that shouldn't cause any dramatic shifts in times for most people at this point, but will make the playing field fairer for slow PCs from now on. In addition it'll make the game more compatible with speedrunning standards. ERSATZ v1.34 Patch Notes ---------------------------------------------- Changed way game calculated its in game timer: Before it used delta_time between frames which would adversely affect any run's time if they suffered a frame drop. This has been changed to a fixed amount of time being added every frame (approx. equivalent to real time 60fps) as per the standard in IGT speedruns. Left & Right input has been altered, mostly only effect keyboard users: Pressing opposite direction to one already being held will cause instant direction change with carried move speed, even if both keys are held together. There is then a small window of 15 frames where the character will not change direction again if both keys continue to be held. Releasing either key during this buffer period will cancel it and immediately, allowing the player to move in the direction which matches what key is still being pressed. The benefit of this is that perfect 1 frame momentum pivots are much more reliably feasible and players in general will probably have more consistent responses from the game.

ERSATZ v1.33 Patch Notes ---------------------- -NEW FEATURE- -When a new personal best is set on a level in Normal or Infinite mode, your current time in between rooms is now saved in a new file. On playing that level again, you'll now see how far ahead or behind whatever your best run was at at that point! -PLAYER CONTROL AND BEHAVIOUR- -Fixed behaviour with detection of being in a grounded state when jumping through or near certain objects e.g the game detected you being grounded when you weren't causing some odd physics behaviour or confusing animation states. This mostly effects the moving crates in Level 05 'REPRODUCTION', where if you were standing right next to them, even with a light tap of the jump button would often cause you to do a full height jump -Fixed bug introduced in last update that meant you didn't enter a land state when landing on a slope and moving in the direction that takes you up it -Further slope behaviour tweaking -LEVELS- -Level 02 'REGULATION': Slightly optimised snow effect. Hopefully stop fps dropping over time on this level

ERSATZ v1.32 Patch Notes -Softlock w/ pause+game over further fixed. Could not recreate anymore on my end -Further tweaking of slope behaviour with dash sliding this time -Game crash when some slam effects could not find Camera object due to missing instance check -Level 01 'GROWTH': Cave entrance room trigger altered so you can't "miss" it -Level 03 'NUTRITION': Gorjunter boss now correctly flys down to eat each available antlion again after the change of their positions in previous update broke that -Level 05 'REPRODUCTION': Fixed bug with pistons getting stuck in their outward position if the game was paused on the frame they are supposed to move back in

Hello all! Thanks to some great streams by speedrunners Zet237 and GameguySD + a fantastically helpful email from player Klianc09, I've got to work fixing and tweaking a number of aspects of ERSATZ. The patch notes this time are pretty extensive and there's more to come, including one very useful feature for speed runners! So keep your eyes peeled and your fingers and thumbs ready, the competition is only just beginning to heat up :) Apologies to Mac users for the delay on their version of this update. My ability to create the Mac build is dependent on irregular access to a Mac, but you should be up to date within the week (or jump straight to v1.32!). As for the Demo versions of the game, those will be updated to reflect the current build by tomorrow (again with a delay on the Mac version). Also as a quick side note, I've been informed that ERSATZ should be featured on a major site pretty soon :D ----------------------------------------------------- ERSATZ v1.31 Patch Notes ---------------------- CHARACTER CONTROL + MOVEMENT -You can now slide with the jump button as long as you are in a crouched state, meaning that once in a tunnel you only have to press one button to slide again. However this does mean that there is no way to control the length of your slide whilst passing through a tunnel. Please tell me how you feel about this. -Made some changes to slope physics & behaviour which should hopefully stop rare instances of falling through slope and more common ones of snagging on the tops of them. In short behaviour is more consistent. Needs further testing LEVELS + BOSSES -Volume of the crashes/gongs etc that play when transitioning to a new part of a song has been halved across the board to be easier on the ears -Level 01 'Growth' Tutorial screen sizes have been slightly increased to accommodate some binding word lengths -At the end level screen for Level 03 'Nutrition' the button/menu prompts at the bottom of the screen now show up properly -When attacked, Gorjunter will drop the antlion in its mouth sooner after the long stuck peck attack. It would sometimes not drop it when it looked like it should -The 3 antlions that come out of the ground after the quick peck slam, now appear much more centrally every time, making it easier to get them + their hitboxes have been tightened to more accurately reflect their shape -Player's grounded/airborne state is now correctly determined on the end level screen for Level 04 'Respiration' -After beating the Central Assembly Computer, The Children part of the boss fight should now start correctly in time with the music regardless of dropped frames making out of sync -Slightly altered the direction of one set of platforms in level 07 'Transport', hopefully resolving issue with them going the wrong direction MENUS -On first booting game you will now go to the title screen first, with the 'PLAY' menu being locked until you complete 'HOW TO PLAY'. This gives you access to the options menu before the game starts teaching you the controls -Synth Rush title screen unlock description now matches Journey Mode's -Fixed only getting the decryption key from the first level unlocking the messages menu -When using arrow keys to go down on the options menu in fullscreen, the selection no longer jumps back to up to "FULLSCREEN" -Added 3x and 4x to window size options when not fullscreen (1920x1080 & 2560x1440) -When changing the mapping of a key/button, pressing up no longer lets you scroll whilst it's waiting for the new input -When choosing an input to rebind, there is a greater period of time before it accepts an input. This stops accidentally entering the input used for menu selection as that action -Can no longer select a gamepad input to rebind if you don't have a gamepad connected, which means you can't get stuck on this anymore -When viewing the leaderboards from the level select menu, pressing a select key no longer selects the currently selected level -Leaderboard selections for Type Beta and Gamma in different modes now appropriately show they are locked/unlocked && going back on any of the modes resets your cursor selection properly -When using the pause key to select some menu items you could trigger the selection multiple times, usually only causing the sound to play repeatedly very fast. This has been fixed -If the game was paused on the exact frame you died, you would get stuck in a softlock menu

ERSATZ is now available for Mac computers! And to celebrate the game being now available on Windows, Mac & Linux there's going to be a big sale starting 27/01/2018 at 10am PST (6pm GMT)! Get ERSATZ on its own with 35% off OR get it with 'Functions', the original ERSATZ OST for a massive 50% off!!! ERSATZ v1.3 Patch Notes ---------------------- -MAC OSX- -Added support for Mac OSX platform. Tested on OSX 10.10.2 and later, potentially compatibility issues with earlier versions of OSX. -DEMOS- -Demo has been updated to match v1.3 fixes as well as demo builds now available for Linux & Mac OSX -MISC- -Fixed minor issue with animation getting stuck looping when transitioning from slide to crouch. Known issue with OSX and possibly Linux -Music starts at an earlier correct time every time when selecting 'Restart Room' from the pause menu

As promised, the Linux version of ERSATZ is now available! GameMaker's Linux export is built for stability in Ubuntu, but it can work in many other Linux distros. Other than the audio groups seeming to load faster, the port is more or less the same minus two small changes: -The default key for dashing when using keyboard controls is 'L' in the Linux build. This was because the Right Ctrl key caused issues with other keys not being registered when pressed in conjunction. You might find the original configuration works for you, so give it a go, change the controls entirely in the options menu, or use a controller to feel the beat in the vibration! -The small "shockwave" shader distortion effect, created when a slam hit the ground, has had to be removed from the Linux build, as it caused significant graphical issues on my Ubuntu distro. I'm not experienced enough with shaders or Linux in order to fix this currently. In its place I have added a small sprite based effect. This extra effect has also been added to the Windows build. I'll be hopefully trying to get this back in in a future update. The demo for the Linux version should be sorted in the next couple of days, but feel free to use Steam's refund feature if you have any major issues running this version. Just don't forget to let me know in the Community Hub what your issues were so I can give it a go fixing them! :) ----------------------------------- ----------------------------------- As well as Linux Support I've updated all platforms to v1.28 with a number of mostly small fixes. ERSATZ v1.28 Patch Notes ---------------------- -LINUX- -Support for Linux platform -SYNTH RUSH- -Error when beating The Neutralizer on Synth Rush ALL, at least in Type Beta, now fixed -Restarting any singular boss fight from the pause menu no longer messes up the tempo and music loops -Restarting Synth Rush ALL after dying on Razhale Chase fight no longer carries over the underwater effect -Restarting on the Blockan Security Walls fight from the pause menu will now correctly restart you from the first one of these -MISC- -A small mistake meant that restoring keyboard controls to default would put 'A' as right and 'D' as left when it was of course supposed to be the other way round -Shockwave shader effect stays correctly in relative position during the Razhale Chase fight ----------------------------------- ----------------------------------- It's great to finally get another platform up and running with ERSATZ. Next up, I'm going to start work on a Mac port. As with the Linux version, this will be my first time working with this platform, so there might be a few bumps along the road. Stay tuned for more info!

I announce the 10 winners of the #ERSATZgame Demo Competition in the video above! Or just keep reading :) WATCH THE WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT HERE 1. lucasagus285 2. Zawa 3. Vivian 4. Dacciox 5. Nismatic. 6. noahnadji 7. frogstorm94 8.T-Aura Gaming 9. Skapelsen av den okända 10. arlo Send an email to allin.indie@gmail.com or a DM to @ALLiN_indie on Twitter with a screenshot of your name in the leaderboards (accessible from the main menu) and I'll reply with your Steam key for ERSATZ! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year gamers around the world!

ERSATZ v1.27 Patch Notes --------------------------------------------- -ALL- -Fixed bug that would cause the player to be ungrounded for a few frames after landing at least in level 04, possibly more, so that the player wouldn't jump if they pressed the button in that time -TYPE BETA- -When you land after being airborne, even if the last direction you pressed was up if you press nothing you'll dash left or right depending on which direction you are facing which is less disorientating -SYNTH RUSH- -Fixed issue with game crashing when beating neutralizer in Synth Rush ALL -Getting caught by Detainer CELs and breaking free in infinite mode no longer causes you to be unable to move outside of dashing -Fixed issue which meant players could sometimes proceed onto what would have been the next room and play a level "as normal" -Underwater and heat effects now stop when retrying synth rush all and restartin when on a boss with one of these -Heat effect now appears in Gorjunter battle in Synth Rush like it does in all other modes

Work on ERSATZ is going to temporarily slow down whilst my working hours go up significantly for the Christmas period. I'll still be keeping an eye on the community and posting on social media though :) ERSATZ v1.26 Patch Notes ---------------------- -SYNTH RUSH- -Ambient particle effects on The Neutralizer boss now travel the correct way in Synth Rush -The Neutralizer now saves and uploads times correctly in all Types in Synth Rush. I've also made it fix the errors in the save file it was making happen -Fixed issue with beating a boss in Synth Rush causing the game to stop reading inputs and forcing players to manually close game -Access to the leaderboards for Synth Rush unlock properly on the title screen -MISC- -Fixed saving in Type Beta crashing the game

There were a few issues that cropped up due to some of the recent updates. Some in particular would mess up newer players unlocking levels, others would crash the game when restarting from the pause menu. I have since fixed all of these issues in the latest update (v1.25b).

This time there's a load of smaller fixes. A reminder the demo is now live, so if you like ERSATZ and someone you know might like it too, maybe nudge them to try it out! ERSATZ v1.25 Patch Notes ----------------------------------------- -CONTROLS- -Due to previous changes to ground slam input, if a player held 'Down' whilst airborne & flinching (from a dash attack against a boss for example), they would not slam. There is now an exemption to this. So, if a player is aerial & holding down during the flinch, as soon as said flinch state ends they will slam as expected. -JOURNEY MODE- -Potentially fixed issue with journey mode penalties not displaying properly at the end (needs more testing) -Fixed display of times to be vertically central at the end of levels other than the last -SYNTH RUSH- -Fixed a number of issues with restarting the Synth Rush ALL Mode from pause and game over menus -Made Type Beta and Type Gamma playstyles unlock correctly in Synth Rush mode -Grade symbol no longer appears next to time as not applicable -Fixed what music starts & how it starts for a number of bosses in Synth Rush's ALL mode -Fixed how the +1HP works between bosses when playing Synth Rush ALL in Type Gamma -MISC- -Fixed issue with game crashing if trying to dash in Type Beta after beating last boss

Hey everyone, Paris here again! Exciting news to announce today. The ERSATZ Demo, which includes the first level in one playstyle, is now live and includes a number of cool features! First of all, your save data will carry over to the full game if you decide to buy it. This also means any achievements you would have unlocked will automatically do so upon booting up of the full game. Secondly, your times will be uploaded as normal, but also to a special demo leaderboard. The top 10 players on the demo leaderboards on the 24th of December will win a full copy of the game! So come on people, let's see what you got! Paris ALL iN

Hey all! I've submitted the ERSATZ demo to Valve and this new update includes support for unlocking any achievements players would have unlocked in the full game whilst playing it. I'm expecting to release the demo later this week with a competition for a chance to win a copy of the full game! The rest of this update mostly concerns itself with fixes for Synth Rush. Enjoy! ERSATZ v1.24 Patch Notes ----------------------------------------------- -SYNTH RUSH- -Crysta Bloss no longer spawns grown in Synth Rush when restarting -Made the starts of bosses more consistent between starting and restarting for fairness sake -Fixed issue with times not being saved for player or uploaded to leaderboards after beating a boss once -MISC- -Fixed crash issue with Type Beta when finishing a level -Added support for loading data from the upcoming demo -Fixed issue with end level boss explosions not playing

Well after a week of being away due to a broken computer and a house full of people, I'm back and already back to working on updates! :) ERSATZ v1.23 Patch Notes ----------------------------------------------- DIFFICULTY -When doing Synth Rush ALL, beating a boss will now heal you +1HP -On the first level, if you die after making Crysta Bloss bloom, you will now continue the fight from that point rather than having to regrow it every time -Minimum grade requirement to unlock the last level has been lowered from a 'C' to a 'D' LEVEL END -Fixed issue with Best Time not showing at level's end and telling you if you got a new record or not after the end level screen was expanded in previous update -Also fixed issue with a black highlight not displaying correctly at level end screen -Can no longer pause after defeating a boss -Should no longer be able to die if you deal the final blow to a boss and take damage at the exact same time -Fixed issue when defeating last boss which would cause temporary audio issues and possibly frame dips MISC -Further fixes for Type Beta dash sound infinitely looping -Camera is a little lower during Razhale Chase battle in level 04 -Potentially fixed rare crash issue with scarf when continuing after a game over -Stopped the game thinking there are more than 8 levels on Type Beta and Type Gamma

ERSATZ v1.22 Patch Notes ---------------------- -Completing a level now shows your time without penalties and what penalties you received, helping paint a clearer picture of your run -All Journey Mode unlock notifications now appear correctly when their conditions are met -Made it so if holding down to do a slide or dash slide and you go over an edge it will trigger the slam without having to reinput down, as it was before recent changes accidentally made it different -Changes made to slam input reading accidentally meant you could slam slightly in a bubble. I have removed this so the bubble behaviour is as before -Changes to slam had accidentally meant your slam would be stopped by some objects that you could slam through. Changed this to behave similarly to before where this wouldn't happen -3D sounds now also correctly have their volumes changed when changing the sfx volume -Fixed crash issue with bubble trail on Respiration -Potentially fixed issue with some sounds continuously looping forever until rebooting game. Needs further testing -Potentially fixed issue with Razhale fight where you get stuck only being able to hop. Needs further testing -Potentially fixed issue with Pollugeist where it could get stuck spinning during it's Smog Trick (duplication) move. Needs further testing EDIT: Just uploaded small fix for Type Beta where the dash sound would carry on forever

At long last, here's the big one! There's lots to go through here, but the main big one is the brand new Synth Rush mode! And again all of this is free. There will still be some more small fixes and stuff to come, but this is about it in terms of full on extra content...at least for now anyway! ERSATZ v1.2 Patch Notes --------------------- -SYNTH RUSH- !!NEW MODE!! -ERSATZ' boss rush mode is called 'Synth Rush'. This unlocks after beating the game for the first time. Choose an unlocked playstyle and challenge any individual boss, or try to take on all of them in a row with no healing! Leaderboards for all of these are also included. Choosing an individual boss will have a small bit of descriptive text on the loading screen for more unseen information on the bosses of ERSATZ! -New achievement 'Like A Boss' has been added -SECRET MESSAGES- -Added Messages A, B, C & D to the messages menu. Unlock these by S-Ranking all levels in a type and beating the ALL option in the new Synth Rush mode respectively -Message 06 has been changed to reveal more about the backstory -Message 08 has been altered very, very slightly to more accurately put across the intention -COMPLETION INDICATORS & REWARDS- -Menu stars now available for all modes. Messages now only "stars" if you unlock the 4 new messages as well -Stars now appear on title screen below logo for "starring" each mode and getting all messages. Up to 5 total. -New small cosmetic effect on character viewable in any mode after completing game 100% -MISC- -New animations for transitioning from the end of a dash in the air and transitioning in or out of a slide/dash slide -Small background effect for Main menu, pause screens and game over screens that was accidentally removed added back in -Extra sound layer for Crysta Bloss looping fixed so on time and works when restarting room. Restarting room also gets rid of boss HUD -When running normally small particles spawn once a certain speed threshold is met. I have fixed the particle region for these particles when running left -Journey Mode scarves' colours slightly altered, mostly level 03 colours -Maybe fixed very occasional crash that happens on Game Overs when mashing button to continue -Fixed some small issues with leaderboards mostly surrounding Journey Mode -Assault CEL now turns around when jumping if you are behind it ERSATZ v1.21 Patch Notes --------------------- -SYNTH RUSH- -Fixed Restarting Rush in Synth Rush after a game over when fighting last boss -Fixed Restarting Rush after clearing a Rush in Synth Rush -After seeing yourself in a ranked position when selecting bosses, if you backed out that spot would continue to be highlighted like it was your position despite there being no information. Fixed. -TUTORIAL- -In the second part of the advanced tutorial, you now face left to start and on respawn for that section. This makes it easier to perform that action -Respawning in the advanced tutorial now stops input for 15 frames to stop players accidentally bouncing off the shields or into the spikes -CONTROLS- -You now have to physically reinput down to slam after slam cancelling with a dash. This means if you are still holding down when you press dash, it won't automatically cancel that dash with another slam -MISC- -Fixed starting Respiration on type Beta & Gamma

I've been a bit quiet lately, but that isn't because I've forgotten about ERSATZ! v1.14 is mostly small tweaks and improvements. Have no fear, there are still some bigger updates to come :) ERSATZ v1.14 Patch Notes --------------------- -BOSSES- -Alpha Chimpyre's lava shots that it drops when hanging upside down and red hot, now spawn slightly lower to stop player getting unfairly hit -Fixed small crash issue with Horusai Pharaoh that would crop up if defeating it when it was charging it's downward laser attack. -Gorjunter now flies slightly lower to ground when dashing left and right at the higher height to eat the Horusai Peasants, so you actually have to crouch as intended -Gorjunter gets stuck on the 3rd peck slam before pulling up an antlion which you can knock out of its mouth to stop healing same as before. Now it flies up slightly slower whilst holding the antlion, and knocking the antlion out will cause it to move in a way where it's much more visible to the player, making it clearer that this is possible. -The Neutralizer now follows player a bit slower when charging it's Neutralizing Beam (giant laser attack), making it slightly easier to avoid -CREDITS- -Speeding up credits now works properly again -Added missing enemies Circadian Antlion & Assault CEL to the enemies list -MISC- -Visual effects of Lava Shots, Lightning Shots, Cluster Bits and Laser Shots have been slightly improved similar to the normal shots.

-TUTORIALS- -Advanced Tutorial added. This follows the standard tutorial for all new players on first boot up and if 'How to Play' is selected from the main menu. If you have not completed the advanced tutorial it will automatically load on next game boot up even if you've finished the game. This teaches some of the more advanced, but very important techniques of the game. I felt this was necessary to ensure players are more likely to enjoy the game to its maximum potential. It shouldn't take long. -LEADERBOARDS- -Leaderboards are now viewable from the simulation select (level select) menu. 'Y' on xbox controllers and '1' on keyboard. You can no longer switch between normal and infinite mode from this menu. -MISC- -Unlockable scarf no longer causes crashes in the tutorials -Diamond effect from certain actions like jumping and landing has had its drawing fixed to display correctly

ERSATZ v1.11b Patch notes ------------------------------------------------------ -Journey Mode achievements unlock fix -Type Beta fix to stop continuously dashing when "cutscenes" is happening (e.g when boss is triggered or rolling smog in level 06) ERSATZ v1.12 Patch notes -------------------------------------------------- -HOW TO PLAY TUTORIAL- -Many small text changes and additions for clarity -the back of the healing checkpoints now shows up properly in the tutorial -Can no longer dash until necessary to make sure player learns slide -Can no longer progress tutorial without destroying one Survei Drone -Can no longer finish tutorial without completely restoring your health -LEVEL 01- -Flying Arglopod wing tips now have different colour so easier to see them -Grovelin and Shield Grovelin body colour has been made lighter so easier to see -Shield Grovelin's shield has more striking colour so it's easier to see -Placement of tutorial screens in room 10 have been changed to help teach players they can dash slide shield grovelins. -Telephone pole platforms have had a lighter colour added to their tops to make them slightly easier to see. -Hit box for Grovelin Chieftan boss altered so his feet no longer hurt you when he's bent over. -LEVEL 05- -Minor changes to laser layouts in room 05 to allow for more types of speed running paths and stop flow being broken as often -Minor changes to room 16 to make fairer and flow better -LEVEL 06- -The screen shake on the Pollugeihst boss fight has been reduced for a number of the bosses actions and attacks -Being in the smog now creates a gradually fading in haze effect on the HUD, making its effects clearer to players. -MISC- -Bullets now leave slight trail and spin to help them show up better and look cooler whilst doing it :P -The text pop up for when you heal or get hurt now follows the player -You no longer auto-crouch when running against a tunnel and tunnel behaviour has generally been much improved removing some glitchy results.

ERSATZ v1.11 patch notes: -Optimisation-Improved performance by optimising the way some things are handled. Everyone should benefit from this one, but I will wait to hear from players if it has made much of a difference for them -Drawing optimisations for shaders -Global audio and video settings check optimisation -Fixes- -The heat wave and underwater effects now don't show weird colours at edges of screens. This was especially noticeable on screen resolutions that aren't 16:9 -Fix for Type Beta instance not found error -Potential fix for game over error with Gorjunter. Needs further testing. -misc- -Added epilepsy warning to start of game Paris ALL iN

v1.1 of ERSATZ is up and focuses on some big changes for Type Beta. ERSATZ v1.1 Patch notes -------------------- -TYPE BETA- -You can now slam, although its speed is slower than it is for the other 2 modes (same as your dash speed in this mode). -Now slam pads again to heal. -You can no longer dash downwards. -You can no longer 'float'. Instead you will move in the last direction you pressed when dashing. -Hitting bosses with your dash will now lower your dash meter by 1/6 -If you use up every bit of dash energy you will be unable to dash again until the meter completely refills. This is called 'dash overload'. New effects have been added to show this. -MISC- -Stars for completing 'Messages' are now back in the correct place after last updates menu changes made them misaligned. -Possible fix for when a bottomless pit is triggered after death. -More behind scenes code prep work for new mode. Paris ALL iN

v1.0.9 is now up, fixing a few more issues and updating the menu select in preparation for a new mode to be released soon! ERSATZ v1.0.9 Change Log MAIN MENU ----------------- -Main menu changes: All game modes including a spot for an unreleased mode are now under the "PLAY" option. You can still switch between normal and infinite in the level select menu JOURNEY MODE ------------------------ -Journey Mode times now cap much later on on leaderboards, stopping future leaderboard times being messed up for this mode. There was a miscalculation of max time with previous variable. This has no effect on other modes. -Restarting Journey Mode from pause screen now resets time -Journey Mode achievements now unlock properly -Updated description of Journey Mode achievements to reflect new reward conditions MISC -------- -Leaderboard highlighting of your position (or lack of) fully fixed -Made HUD align with tutorial text again during 1 section of the tutorial after a previous update broke this -Fixed some floors which were behaving like walls -Fixed wrong mode time displaying on level 06 level select

I've got two announcements today... PLAYexpo
First of all, I'm excited to announce that ERSATZ has been selected for a spot at PLAYexpo Manchester's Indie space, on the 14th & 15th of October. I'm really looking forward to getting the game into more players' hands and meeting some fellow indie devs! For more information check out the PLAYexpo site HERE v1.0.8
Secondly, v1.0.8 of ERSATZ has been officially released and has a number of important additions and fixes. Patch notes are as follows: v1.0.8 Change Log -Leaderboard for current level & mode is now accessible from the end level "scoring" screen. Press 'Y' on an Xbox controller, or '1' on a keyboard to open (the button prompts are shown on screen below "best time"). -Leaderboards for Journey Mode now load properly (spelling error in variable). -Fixed display issue with splitseconds. Times were recorded accurately in code before, but now display properly everywhere except old times recorded in level select. This doesn't effect your actual times in code, so don't worry, all positions and grades remain the same. All new times strings will display correctly. -Type Beta Changes: When grounded just holding down will now dash slide like the other playstyles (changed from diagonal down). A down aerial dash will now cause an effect similar to a ground slam if it connects with the ground. This is mostly cosmetic, but your dash state will also be set to false. Dashing down into enemies has a wider hit box similar to the slam of the other types too. -Updated splash screen size for new GameMaker Studio version being used. -Rolling Smog re-enabled on level 06 near end, was accidentally left off during testing.

This one is a bigger update, but I still have a little bit more to come :) v1.0.7 change log: -Fixed screen scaling issues on some monitor sizes when slamming, caused by drawing error with shockwave shader -Fixed Scaling issue with HUD on some monitors -Fixed crashes and wrong information with in game leaderboards menu -Changed way Journey Mode works: Game overs no longer end it, now give the normal 20sec penalty. Now you must beat it in under 60mins to unlock the special rewards -Changed 'Untouchable' achievement name to 'Normie' -Changed 'Truly Untouchable' achievement name to 'Journeyman'. Now must beat Journey Mode without getting a game over to unlock -Fixed sound issue with drainers & pausing/restart room -Fixed Neutralizer Crashing sometimes when dying -Fixed Horusai Pharaoh glimmer staying on screen (needs more testing) -Frothish bubbles & sound should now get properly destroyed when switching rooms Paris ALL iN

Last night I sneakily updated the game to v1.0.6. This update adds a leaderboards selection to the main menu. This makes it easier and clearer than ever how fast you are vs the world! You can filter by mode, playstyle & level, and then further by where you are on the leaderboard, how you stack up compared to your steam friends or just view the top 10. To celebrate, I'll be starting to set my own times on everything over the next few weeks using the same game you have! That'll show you how fast you can really go, think you can beat me? ;) I'll be looking to update this further with leaderboard access at the end of levels :)