I'm super excited to share that "Headliner: NoviNews" will be a part of a segment about educational games airing on NHK, the Japanese public broadcaster! I was interviewed about the game and my thoughts on the future of the industry.

Here's the teaser reel with Headliner in it at 40sec: https://twitter.com/nhk_gamegenome/status/1731282132322983982

The full programme will come out on Jan 10th. Also, we're truly honored to be included in the same company as "This war of Mine", "Papers, Please" and "Orwell"



EDIT: Fixed the Twitter link, sorryyyy!!!

We're excited to have Headliner: NoviNews participate during the BAE event this year!



What is BAE?

A celebration of adventure games in all shapes and sizes!

When?

January 20-24, 2022

The Developer Livestream will take place on Saturday, January 22 at 4pm PST

Where?

Right here on this Steam Page :)

Hello Headliners,

We noticed an interesting trend in some recent reviews, specifically referring to the game's commentary on COVID, or imply it was man-made, or how certain president used it as political tool...

So I just wanted to clarify: this game came out in 2018. COVID wasn't even a rumor back then.

Frankly, I'm not sure if I should feel flattered or distraught so much of the game came true and people are noticing parallels. Honestly, it's been a really, REALLY weird two years watching so many of my hyperbolic, unrealistic scenarios slowly grow more timid compared to reality.

But here we are.

(And as for the game promoting any specific theories - it's always up to you to pick if you publish a story or not. It's always up to YOU to decide if a theory has merit or not.)

Regardless, thank you all for playing! And however you feel about the game after playing, I hope it at least made you reflect about the various topics presented.

Cheers,
Jakub
Creative Director
Unbound Creations

We partnered with four other games to bring you the Bundle of Consequences! Save 20% if you complete the set. (And for the time being, H:NN is an extra 15% off on top of that)

Death & Taxes
In this 2D, short narrative-based game, you assume the role of the Grim Reaper... on an office job. Your job is to decide which people are going to live or die. The consequences of your choices are yours to bear, while the mystery of your incarnation awaits revelation!

Do Not Feed the Monkeys
A digital voyeur simulator where you watch strangers through surveillance cameras. Invade their privacy and witness their most intimate moments, but dont interact with the subjects anything could happen if you dare feed the monkeys!

Headliner: NoviNews
Award-winning adventure where you control the news and its impact on society, your friends and career. Different choices lead to unique combinations of endings. Share your story with the community, and see what the players before you did.

Not Tonight
Person of European Heritage #112: Welcome to Relocation Block B, your new home. Your designated role is 'Bouncer'. Work hard, stay out of trouble, and we might let you stay in the UK.

Papers Please
Congratulations. The October labor lottery is complete. Your name was pulled. For immediate placement, report to the Ministry of Admission at Grestin Border Checkpoint. An apartment will be provided for you and your family in East Grestin. Expect a Class-8 dwelling.

The bundle is available until January 1st,!

[h2]Click Here to Get the Bundle![/h2]

First of all, a big thank you to everyone who has supported us for the past year :) It's been a long journey but we finally feel comfortable enough to invest in new languages and grow our audience.

We already started on the new languages and will be sharing more details in January

Many of our fans were asking for it, and it's finally here! The Official Soundtrack features 37 moody and atmospheric tracks. And, best of all, we're donating the proceeds to the Washington Epilepsy Foundation, as per request of the composer who is struggling with the illness.



Check it out Here!

On top of that, we also updated the game with a TON of new tweaks, typos, and minor improvements :) Here's a full changelog for YOUR ENJOYMENT

--------------------------------------------------
1.3.5
[BUG] Fixed Sticky Articles not bouncing back to table properly when moved up several times
[BUG] Fixed a bug where Dronno would replenish energy just by talking to him
[BUG] Fixed Boss Last Day conversation (when fired) incorrectly showing "boss angry2: Not to mention costing us the BetterBuzz funding!" (replaced script check with _NewsLostBetterBuzzFunding==1)
[BUG] Fixed Assassination cutscene freezing on day 11
[BUG] Fixed sporadic and super rare and totally non-game-breaking (nu-uh!) Nintendo Switch crashes
[TYPO] Fixed Typo in Bro06_AdFavor_Therapy_Start ("Yeah, whatever, I know, I don't look sick, so OBVIOUSLY I don't shouldn't be getting help, huh?")
[TYPO] Fixed Typo in ending text: "My dog escaped cruelty, and plotted revenged"
[TYPO] Fixed Typo in Day 3 note: "something different and unique"
[TYPO] Fixed Day 11 Justin Home Conversation incorrectly labeling Justin as the speaker for the player's line "I should check on him at the hospital tomorrow" (when drug overdose + alcohol)
[TWEAK] Dronno will now get +2 energy when fed batteries

--------------------------------------------------
1.3.4
[WRIT] Changed scripting in "Bro12_NonJail_Ending_LeavingForGalixia" convo nodes FameTurnedTown->Anxiety1 node so the 2 lines referring to therapist or meds only show up in appropriate conditions
[TWEAK] Changed bro bad ending (no NHS) scripting so that Affordable drugs no longer prevent him from overdosing (only performing well does now)
[TXT] Update Credits with proper Music annotations

--------------------------------------------------
1.3.3
[Feat] Main Menu Settings will now run all setting labels through CTextPreparer::Prepare
[PROG] Added code to export all texts in CMCanvasTextPreparer
[PROG] Changes to how CEditorFungusFlowchartTextExporter works
[TWEAK] Renamed PlayerCreate canvas to "uiPlayerCreate"
[TWEAK] Removed a number of unused dialogue nodes in fungus conversations
[TWEAK] Removed unused "Button" UI.Text from uiDogNamer
[TWEAK] Removed unused "Close" UI.Text from HeadlinerEp2ShopScreen
[TWEAK] Removed unused "Master" UI.Text from HeadlinerEp2PauseMenu
[TWEAK] Fixed a number of buttons having empty 2nd lines in uiMainMenu
[TWEAK] SceneLoader will no longer Parse the whole canvas, just he DoneText
[TWEAK] CMTutorialBase will no longer Prepare text since it is prepared previously
[TWEAK] Fixed Home Billboards being replaced via incorrect entries in TextTableData
[TWEAK] GameLoader canvas renamed to GameLoader for Localization
[PROG] CLocalizer will now strip (clone) from end of ObjectName
[TWEAK] Renamed Dunabuy "Coming Soon" canvas sign to ComingSoonSign for Localization
[TWEAK] Renamed RudyMartBanners canvas to "RudyMartBanner" for Localization
[TWEAK] Renamed GrandOpeningBanner canvas to "DunaBuyBanner" for Localization
[TWEAK] Renamed RoompBanner0 canvas to "WolffSpeechBanner" for Localization
[BUG] GraffitiManager will now Prepare texts BEFORE splitting them into lines
[PROG] DogBowlController will now get TextIDs from TextTable and prepare them
[FEAT] WallPainter will now always use controller mode, but show Close button if using pointer


--------------------------------------------------
1.3.2
[FEAT] Added Localization system (WIP)
[FEAT] Added Language selector to Main Menu settings (WIP, Switch only right now)
[PROG] CanvasTextPreparer will now check itself for UI.Text elements, not just it's children
[BUG] Fixed a bug where putting [ or ] in the Player name or DoNotfill would break the dialogue when it was used
[TWEAK] Character convo no longer parsed when loaded, but only when displaying on screen
[TWEAK] Character names are now Parsed in convo
[TWEAK] StreetChatterData and EncounterData will no longer be Parsed on load (since it's already parsed by SpeechBubble::Say())
[TWEAK] CMStreetGraffitiData will no longer be Parsed on load (since it's now parsed by already parsed by CMStreetGraffitiManager)
[TWEAK] Home Bilboard Adds now haave all the texts replaced by lines from TextTableData
[TWEAK] DayStartLogic: The [GameSaved] text is now loaded from TextTable, and each line is now run through CtextPreparer
[TWEAK] EndScreen: All texts are nowbe run through CtextPreparer
[TWEAK] Office "Breaking" newspaper template no longer has CanvasTextPreparer; the preparer is now only on the actual BREAKING text
[TWEAK] MainMenu, "Last Headliner" box "Offline" message will now be run through CTextPreparer
[TWEAK] Renamed a few UI.Canvas objects so that they can be looked up by localization in CTextPreparer better

--------------------------------------------------
1.3.1
[TWEAK] Removed a bunch of old deprecated dialogue files and re-organized PAXDemo files in a separate folder
[TWEAK] Replaced all hard-coded Office and Street Tutorial messages with strings from TextTableData
[TWEAK] Replaced all hard-coded Street Intro Texts with strings from TextTableData
[BUG] Fixed the first walking tutorial not showing up on Switch


--------------------------------------------------
1.3.0
[BUG][SWITCH] Fixed not being able to select the "Player Name" filed or Dog "Name" field with touch screen
[TWEAK][SWITCH] Added Age Ratings and British English to Player Settings

--------------------------------------------------
1.2.3
[WRIT] Fixed minor grammar issue in Cop12 convo ("catch up on some readings" should be singular)
[TWEAK] Removed Quality control from settings on Nintendo Switch

Cover art: Music Vectors by Vecteezy

We're humbled and excited to share this news, and hope to see you there!

(Also, we're working on an official Soundtrack, as well as a small patch with bug/typo fixes. Keep your eyes open second half of September!)

.

Here's the link to the awards page: https://seriousplayconf.com/2019-award-winners/

Thank you for the recognition! And thank all of YOU reading this for supporting us along the way

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JP6wJt1S2Uk

Hilarious "summary" of our game by @GrayStillPlays. We got a few chuckles and thought you might too :)

What's your favorite bit? I'm still LOLing at "weird anti-immune killer cells are eating your body" and Dronno MVP

The new version of Headliner: NoviNews is official!

Highlights:

• Controller and Keyboard support (with an alternate Office functionality mode)
  
• Office articles will now "stick" when dragged to the top (you no longer have to hold the mouse)
  
• You can now stamp Staff Memos and Letters (yes, this was requested a lot, lol)
  
• Re-balances and re-writes, making the game bit more forgiving and with a wider "middle-ground" path
  
• Improved performance and fixed ton of bugs/typos!
  

Hey everyone,

We've been listening to feedback and working on a patch with some big re-balances and re-writes (on top of usual bug fixes). We'd like to share early access to the new version before it goes official, and in turn ask you let us know if you run into any bugs or glitches :)

What's New?
The biggest complaint was that the game is a little too punishing and some events weren't clearly connected to your actions. We re-balanced a number of events, added some extra rewards and articles, and re-wrote some dialogues to make things clearer. There's also now a wider "middle ground" path you can take with less crazy things happening. But don't worry, you can still turn the city into a burning mess, you just have to try a bit harder now ;)

On top of that, we're also adding a full keyboard/controller mode support! We're still tweaking it, but the new keys are:

• [Arrows] / Joystick - move around and switch between articles
  
• [Space] / Joy 1 - Interact / Approve current paper
  
• [Tab] / Joy 2 - Cancel / Reject current paper
  
• [E] / Joy 3 - Exit the Office
  
• [Escape] / Joy 4 - Pause/Quit menu
  

Toot, toot, new content and life of quality improvements are in! Give the game another go to learn about Deputy Helene and help her solve a murder mystery....



We also added a Mac version and (experimental) Linux version! Here's the full list of changes:

• [FEAT] Added NEW Police Woman character you can talk to most days and replaced Station Cop with a different portrait to avoid confusion
  
• [FEAT] Added a new murder mystery side-plot for the new Police Woman character (CopQuest!)
  
• [FEAT] Added new articles that will show up on secondary playthroughs
  
• [FEAT] Added 2 new achievements
  
• [FEAT] Added Mac and Linux versions
  
• [FEAT] Speech Bubble will now show for a shorter/longer time depending on their length
  
• [FEAT] Added a Speech Bubble Speed slider to Settings and Pause menu
  
• [WRT] Change endgame text to clarify the game was meant to be replayed
  
• [WRT] Replaced end-game texts to focus on player's actions/accomplishments
  
• [TWEAK] Improved text graffiti quality
  
• [TWEAK] Home: Drones outside will now only start showing up on later days
  
• [TWEAK] Anti-Wolff protesters will no longer show on day 11 or 12 if he is assassinated
  
• [TWEAK] Protesters walking left will now wander around after getting to the end of their march, rather than standing in place
  
• [BUG] Puker's puke will now properly come out of their mouth (Ew)
  
• [BUG] Fixed Shopkeeper's Daughter sometimes flashing at the end of a conversation
  
• [BUG] Fixed minor bug where police checkpoint conversation would make the game think player attended the conspiracy meeting
  

Hey everyone!

The past month and a half we've been working on a big, big update! We're expanding the existing cop lady into a whole new character you can chat with daily, together with her own murder-mystery side-plot! *GASP*



We've also been listening to your feedback and added a whole bunch of Quality of Life improvements, like a toggle for the Speech Bubble speed, higher resolution graffiti text, improved NPC behavior, and bunch of other bugfixes and tweaks.

Finally, we'll also release the Mac version and hopefully Linux (if we can sort some linux-specific bugs in time).




We're planning to release the update in the next week or two. We are also raising the price into the $10-15 range (TBD). After talking with fellow devs and our community (AKA you!), we feel it better reflects the value of the game, especially with the new content and fixes.

However, if you already bought the game, or buy before the update, all the new content is totally free for you :) So here's a heads up to grab it in the next few days, if you want to save some $$

Latest patch fixes a ton of small bugs, balancing issues, and typos pointed out by the awesome folks in our forums and Discord =) We also have experimental Mac and Linux support if you wanna give it a try on the OS :D

Here's the nitty-gritty:

--------------------------------------------------
1.0.40s

[PROG] Added experimental Mac and Linux Support
[FEAT] Dog home conversation will now reflect the doggo's chosen name
[TWEAK] Moved Home "Sleep" interact button closer to camera to no longer overlap player
[TWEAK] Player Create screen smoothed out Avatar preview box and added a background
[TWEAK] Home Justin OD cutscene, Dronno no loger disappears after
[TWEAK] Quality settings will now default to Medium if game has never been launched yet
[BUG] Fixed Settings Anti Aliasing not working, and added new Anti Aliasing settings
[BUG] Fixed a bug where penalty count wasn't calculated properly, causing the pay to not be docked after 3 penalties
[BUG] Fixed Pause Manu -> Quit Confirm prompt not showing Yes/No text on buttons
[WRIT] Shop Changed "Vintage Computor" to "Computer" (it was a joke nobody got, hnngh)
[WRIT] Dronno convo at home, clarified the convo choice that allows player to pick their own title (i.e. Master )
[WRIT] Change endgame text to encourage re-plays more
[WRIT] Day 0 Boss clarifies the currency pronounciation (NoviBucks )
[TYPO] Fixed typo in "Innocent Casualty in Police Shootout" article ("Fun" should have been "Fund")
[TYPO] Fixed missing "have" in "Genetic Medication Might Have Triggered Incident" article
[TYPO] Fixed typo in Boss Day 0 convo ("disbursment" should've been "disbursement")
[TYPO] Fixed repeated line in Bro08_Jail (" I know we haven't always been there for each other...")
[TYPO] Fixed repeated line in Bro06_AdFavor_Therapy_Start ("Yeah, it's really...")
[TYPO] Fixed typo in Conspirator09_SecretMeeting ("...tears up its own DNA to shreds.")
[TYPO] Fixed typo in Boss Replacement Gov Agent Day 12 ("....such as you previous boss." should be "yours")
[TYPO] Fixed typo in "Novistan Government Engineered the Plague" article ("cultivate" should be "cultivated")


Another update today, fixing mostly minor issues and adding a new checkbox in Settings letting you disable the constant "Beeps" during conversations

beep beep beep beep beep

Full change log for the curious souls:

1.0.38s

• [AUDIO] Toned down the volume of the clock in Boss convo
  
• [FEATURE] Added a new Setting to toggle conversation beeps
  
• [TYPO] Fixed typo in Evie date 0 convo ("dfficult choices")
  

Hey Folks!

With the release yesterday, we're working hard to address any issues you might have reported (including a hotfix yesterday, fixing conversation beeps volume reported by Mrs. Wow).

We just pushed a new patch with a few re-balances, typo fixes, and a little extra office item you will see on subsequent playthrus ;) Here's the full changelog so far:


--------------------------------------------------
1.0.36s
[FEATURE] Added the "Bias Indicator" Box to Office on 2nd+ playthru
[BUG] Fixed Publishing Brother's Show article not causing penalty
[TWEAK] It's now easier to help Rudy succeed with selling BetterBuzz
[TWEAK] Player being attacked is now avoided if they lose the job
[WRITING] Justin no longer mentions asking you to post an AD if his show failed and you didn't post it
[WRITING] Fixed a whole number of small typos

--------------------------------------------------
1.0.35s [Hotfix]
[BUG] Global Volume now affects ALL sounds (preivously Conversation Beeps weren't affected)
[TYPO] Fixed minor typos

Cheers!

We'll be showing Headliner: NoviNews at Indie Megabooth Friday and Saturday during PAX West! Come stop by!!!



If you CAN'T make it, we will ALSO be at Seattle Indies Expo on Sunday, just a block across from PAX, no badge required and beer/food provided!



See ya there, Headliners ;)