Hi everyone, today I have some sad news to share. As the title says, I'm going to stop Deep's development and move on. This may come as a surprise, but there are lots of reasons why I thought about ending this project. This was supposed to be a simple 2D game that I would publish just so I can prove to myself that I could finish a game. After some updates, it was released on Steam, and it got some attention. The feedback was mostly mixed - the feel of the game was generally good, but there were many complaints about the physics, controls, and other essential game elements that simply couldn't be fixed after the release. I did my best to please everyone, but that just couldn't happen. My goal with this game was to make a functional online multiplayer mode, but funding was one of the biggest problems. The DLCs I made were an attempt to get some funding so I can focus on the development part, but they were both a total failure, and they just showed that probably nobody would play the multiplayer mode if it ever came out. I never got a profit - it didn't even cover the invested money in publishing, software licenses, and graphics. This was really demotivational - seeing the work you've done being underappreciated by the community. But I mostly blame myself for that because I could have probably made the content better and more enjoyable, and I also didn't do much promotion and marketing. In recent months the only motivation was the community around the game. I couldn't believe that people would return to Deep's Discord server, about an average platformer game, every single day to say hi and to ask what's up. I was also amazed by the awesome fan art some members posted on the Steam community and I enjoyed playing every single level on the Workshop because, at the end of the day, people made content inside the thing I crafted and it was amazing. That blew my mind, and I'm so thankful for that. What's next? I'm probably gonna move to a new project, or I'll do something other than game development. I found it hard to concentrate and work on updates in the recent period, so I took some breaks which showed me it's probably for the best to leave this game and do something new and different. Deep was always just a hobby, and I'm pretty satisfied with the final results although I always wanted to make a functional online multiplayer mode, that, unfortunately, never happened because of the funding issues addressed above. If I decide to make a new game or similar, I'll transform the current Deep's Discord server (https://discord.gg/deep-game) to the official server for the studio. I don't know when and what will happen, but it'll probably take some time. If someone is up for a chat or discussion, I'll be there to talk.

Technical Information

• Player's Steam profile avatar and/or display name won't load
• The player's information that was used for personalization (currency, language, etc.) won't be accessible and will display the normalized data. (The game never collected any data, it just used the temporarily accessed data to customize the game experience for that session.)
• DLC sale information won't synchronize in the game.
• The MOTD that appeared under the title on the main menu won't update.
• Limited-time seasonal events won't activate.
• No new gameplay features, updates, patches, bug fixes, and official content.

• All gameplay elements & modes (Story, Survive, Local Multiplayer, Editor) will be playable and usable.
• Steam Workshop can still be used to publish, play, rate, and share levels made in the Editor. (Please set your level to the desired visibility option on the level's page after publishing to ensure it's not hidden - this was mostly done by me, but I won't be able to do so in the future.)
• Survive Leaderboard will still update with new scores and show existing ones.
• You will still be able to purchase DLCs and play the already purchased ones.
• You can still reach out to me if you have any technical questions or issues that can be fixed locally.

A final note

Hi everyone! The Darkest Cave is on sale and it's 20% off! Get The Darkest Cave today to get additional content and perks like:

• The Darkest Cave Campaign (20 levels)
• The Enlightener Skin - A cosmetic item that's required in the dark
• Dark Mode for Story levels - Play all Story Mode chapters with this limited vision experience
• Dark Mode in Level Editor - Make your own dark levels and share them to the Workshop

The Darkest Cave & Bow Aiming Update has been released! Here is a brief overview of the update, the full change-log, and the addressing of some upcoming features.

The Darkest Cave - 10 years before the events of Deep

• The Darkest Cave Campaign (20 levels)
• The Enlightener Skin - A cosmetic item that's required in the dark
• Dark Mode for Story levels - Play all Story Mode chapters with this limited vision experience
• Dark Mode in Level Editor - Make your own dark levels and share them to the Workshop

Bow Aiming

Deep v6.0.0 Update Full Change-Log

• The Darkest Cave campaign with 20 levels has been added. The campaign features the new dark environment.
• The Dark Mode has been added to the Story Mode. Play the normal levels with the same scary feel featured in The Darkest Cave campaign. It's accessible through the main menu.
• The Darkest Cave features a new soundtrack.

• You can now aim using your mouse and shoot in all directions.
• You can revert to the classic bow shooting mode in the options.
• The controls have been updated to all players (you will be greeted with an info message the next time you enter Deep).
• Mouse buttons can now be used as keybinds.
• You are now able to shoot if you are located next to a wall (if you are facing the opposite direction).
• The tutorial level has been redesigned and it now dynamically displays controls set in the options.

• Three new cosmetic items have been added:
• Franky (community skin by Apollyon)
• The Enlightener (part of The Darkest Cave expansion)
• Vaporwave (limited-time skin granted to early players of The Darkest Cave expansion)

• Added an option to make your level use the Dark Mode.
• The fire particles in the Fire Escape mode are now more consistent and stable, but big levels may experience degraded performance.
• An option to change the speed of the fire in Fire Escape has been added.

• You can no longer avoid the gap in the intro of Chapter I.
• The bug that caused "ghosting" of the Steam Overlay (on achievement grant and other notifications) has been fixed.
• Fixed a bug where chest count didn't display correctly on the main menu.

• The game now runs in a 16:9 aspect ratio to be more compatible with most monitors and to reduce the size of black bars on the sides of the screen.
• Steam Overlay now works more smoothly and it's more consistent.
• Many security improvements.

New controller controls and addressing the full controller support

HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY DEEP! Oh, what a year this was... Deep was released on Steam, and it brought many new players to the community. Lots of content was added to the game such as Chapters III & IV, Survive mode, the level editor and all editor-related updates, local multiplayer was redesigned, we got a new main menu, Steam Workshop was released to the public and many more. There was a Level Creating Contest that united the community and brought some community ideas to the game. It was an amazing year, and thank you so much for that :) Now it's time for a giveaway! I wanted to give away something physical this time, but I didn't manage to do it in the end. Maybe next year... Anyways, here are the things that will be given away: Enter the giveaway for a chance to win: - 1x Special skin in the game designed by you - 4x The Darkest Cave DLC Codes (unreleased) - 10x Cosmetic Expansion Pack DLC Codes Total of 15 winners! How to enter: [olist]

Enjoy! [/olist] Winners picked on December 8th. I wish you all good luck and another great year in the cave!

[ 2020-12-01 16:04:43 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone! The Steam Awards is an annual event organized by Steam with a goal to point out the best user-picked games on the platform. This is the first year Deep will be a part of this event and we are very excited about this occasion. Out of the proposed categories, we think Deep is best suited for the "The Best Game You Suck At" category :)
The main reason why we are continuing the work on Deep is our love for the community around the game and we would be very overwhelmed if you pick our game for any of the categories. See you in the cave!

Hello everyone! The Halloween event has started! Play Deep until October 31st to get the special Jack-o-Lantern skin and enjoy the limited-time orange decoration of the cave. [HALLOWEEN EVENT]

• A new special Jack-o-Lantern skin. Play Deep to receive the skin and keep it forever.
• The grass is now orange! Enjoy the limited-time decoration of the cave.

• The sound engine has been tweaked. There won't be any interference with the other system's audio if music and/or the sound effects are disabled.

Hello everyone! The long-awaited Chapter IV of Deep's story mode is finally out! Jack finds an entrance to a frozen part of the cave, and his only choice is to go forward. You will need to master your movement on ice because thats the thing you will need the most in these areas of the cave. Some levels from the Level Creating Contest have been frozen to fit the theme and to be harder to pass. The final level is a mystery by itself and we cant wait to see you play through the new chapter! Apart from the new chapter, the level editor got lots of new stuff like game modes and new tiles to make even more exciting levels. Read more about the changes below.

Deep v5.5.0 Update Full Change-Log

• 20 new levels have been added to Deep's story including 10 small levels, 9 medium-sized ones, and a final large level.
• Chapter IV's official name is Subzero because the whole cave is frozen and covered in ice!
• The final level has a twist to normal gameplay: Jack starts levitating because of a magical force that is pulling him upwards and he needs to be extra careful not to collide with any spikes on the way. The force gets stronger and stronger as he approaches the top of the level, so you will need to be really careful.
• A new "Defrosted" achievement has been added that is awarded when you finish Chapter IV.
• Chapter IV features a new soundtrack.

• Game modes have been added to the level editor! When creating a level, choose between five modes: Story (Normal), Survive, PvP (Local Multiplayer), Fire Escape (Level 20 in Chapter II), and Treasure Hunt.
• Treasure Hunt is a new mode exclusive to the levels made in the editor. The goal of the level is to collect all coins. This mode encourages exploration and adventure to find all hidden treasure and coins.
• 2 new blocks have been added: Ice block (as seen in Chapter IV) and Short Grass Decoration.
• 3 new functional blocks have been added: Slime Spawner (Survive), Bat Spawner (Survive), and Player 2 (PvP).
• A new tool has been added: The Area Selection Tool - to make mass block placements an easy job.
• Some shortcuts have been added or updated.
• New error messages can appear when making levels with the new modes (if required tiles are missing)

• Steam Workshop will now be able to accept Cosmetic Submissions design your own skin and publish it to the Workshop, and get featured in the game!
• A new menu to publish skins has been added to the Workshop menu in the game.
• The Documentation page for skin publishing where you can download skin templates and read about the whole process is now available here: https://goricinaproductions.com/cosmetics-documentation/
• Story tags were renamed and new tags for each game mode have been added.

• A new difficulty option has been added: The Impossible Difficulty. You start each level with 1 HP, have only 25 arrows per level and if you die, you get respawned, but on a previous level! This mode can be unlocked if you have played through all chapters at least once on any difficulty.

• A bug that changed fire's speed in Level 20 of Chapter II because of the monitor's refresh rate has been fixed.
• A black tile that caused a crash in Level 16 Chapter II was removed.

• Exiting Workshop levels (by quit or finish) now directs you to the Workshop levels page rather than the Workshop menu.
• Fire has been optimized to work better on lower-end machines.
• Game's store page was updated with some new screenshots.

To announce Chapter IV, additions to the Level Editor, and other updates, we are organizing an Announcement Live Stream with reveal trailers and early gameplay footage of the upcoming updates. We are excited to speak about the content coming to the game. Here is a bit more information about the live stream:

Live stream start: Sunday, September 13th 7PM CEST / 10AM PST / 5PM GMT

Please follow us on Twitch to get notifications about streams Link: https://twitch.tv/goricinaproductions

Other ways to watch

Segments of the stream

Hello everyone! The Level Creating Contest is officially over. Thanks to everyone for submitting your amazing levels to the Workshop. I really enjoyed playing all levels and I hope to see more of them in the future even though the contest is over. Each level was played and in the judging process, I looked at the general layout and design, decorations and beauty, and the overall fun of the level. Each level could be given a gold, a silver, or a bronze medal depending on the quality of the level. This means there is no single winner, rather there is a selection of the best levels. So, without any further ado, here are the best levels of this contest:

Gold Medals

The Pulchra Cave

The Temple

eggs

Escape!

buh

Silver Medals

Burning World

Level by level

Zig-Zag

Bronze Medals

Event Level

Workshop contest

The Void

Easy 1

intro secret

Hi everyone! This patch brings some minor changes and bug fixes. Take a look at changes bellow: [LEVEL EDITOR]

• You can now update the level's properties after the level has been created. Find the new icon in the "File menu" in the upper part of the interface.

• 2 black tiles in Chapter II Level 2 have been removed.
• Fixed a visual bug where the player's sprite wouldn't destroy on death/finish if the player had a shirt equipped.
• Minor UI bug fixes

Hi everyone! We would like to see your creative skills in level-making in Deep. Make a level, publish it on the Workshop, and win some prizes. Read the rules and other useful information down bellow.

Making a level

Do's and don'ts in level making

Prizes

Rules

Good luck everyone!

Hi everyone! Its time for a level editor update! This time, we added some exciting features such as decorations, custom level sizes, starting HP settings, level finish navigators, and more. Here is the list of the changes and additions:

Deep v5.2.0 Update Full Change-Log

• New decoration tiles have been added: Grass, Tall Grass, Fly, Torch, and Rock.
• A new "Create a Level" menu appears when creating a new level. There you can modify the level's size or player properties such as starting HP, running speed, or the low gravity mode.
• Objects and Enemies tabs have been merged into Objects.
• The Zoom out option has been removed.
• A new shortcut has been added: Equip a tile you are hovering with the mouse middle click. (Thanks to Rafael Dias)

• We added some new level tags for level size (Small, Large and Custom) and Developer's Pick tag (Levels that are hand-picked by the developers)

• New achievements have been added for the Survive game mode: Overture, Appetizer, Slime Flamb, and Caveman (Thanks to an anonymous player)

• You can exit all menus and popups with the Escape button.

• Menu buttons hover sound is no longer heard if the Sound Effects option is disabled.
• Fixed a bug where hat skins wouldn't destroy on death.
• The platform in the level editor has been raised by a few pixels.
• Fixed a bug that left the pause menu visible when the character is controllable.
• Other small bug fixes

Hello everyone! You can now submit your levels to Steam Workshop, easily browse through the newly redesigned menu, play local multiplayer with friends with Remote Play Together, and much more!

Deep v5.0.0 Update Full Change-Log

• Make a Deep level and publish it to Steam Workshop, or download other's creations and try to escape.
• New menus: Publish info menu and Subscribed items menu

• Added the following shortcuts: Switch to Tiles, Switch to Objects, Switch to Player, Switch to Functions, Toggle grid, Open a level, Save the level, Save as the level, Publish the level, Open the documentation, Stamp Tool, Move Tool (Select), Delete Tool, Rotate 90 counter-clockwise, Rotate 90 clockwise, Flip Horizontal, Flip Vertical, Zoom out
• Updated the Open Level icon in the File menu
• Added 2 new icons to the File menu: Publish the level and Documentation
• 2 new error messages before the level can be published (THIS LEVEL CANT BE PUBLISHED YET. CHECK PLAYER AND FINISH BLOCKS & BEFORE YOU CAN PUBLISH, PLAY THROUGH THE LEVEL TO VERIFY IT)
• The save function has been renamed to "Save as" and a new "Save" shortcut has been added which allows you to quickly save your work to the location provided in the previous selection.
• The Treasure tile from the Objects tab has been removed.
• Chests in levels made prior to the update will be automatically replaced with coins.
• Level verification is now mandatory before the level can be published. If a level is verified, there will be a small green arrow under the Tool Menu.
• Other bug fixes and quality of life improvements

• Breakable in-game chests have been removed and replaced with coins
• Play the Local Multiplayer mode with your Steam friends using the Remote Play Together mode (Keyboard only)

• The main menu has been redesigned with a new fresh and modern look
• The main menu now displays your Steam username and avatar
• Customize button is now "Inventory" - it's a preparation for the cosmetics rework
• There is now a confirmation before quitting the game.

• All cosmetics items under the "Skins" category now have the same rarity (Ultra Rare).
• Rarity colors for Rare, Super Rare, Ultra Rare, Special and Unique items have been changed.
• The skin selection menu has been simplified.

• Chapter III level-exit places have been patched.
• Other minor bug fixes

• Splash logo has been updated with a new animation
• Some elements of the tutorial have been updated (text, icons and chest segment)
• The following options have been removed: Replay tutorial (game), Steam Achievements (game), Show Advanced Info (Video), and the following options have been modified: Fancy Graphics (Video), Follow us (Misc).

Cosmetic Expansion Pack is on sale! Save 60% during the Steam Summer Sale

The Cosmetics Expansion Pack DLC is on sale! Save 40% on 7 exclusive skins. Sale ends on May 11th, 2020. Get it here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1245390/Deep_The_Game__Cosmetics_Expansion_Pack/

Hello everyone! The long-awaited local multiplayer game mode is finally here! Fight with your friends in 1v1 arenas and see who is the master of the cave. Take a look at the other changes in this update:

Deep v.4.4.7 Update Full Change-Log

• The new local multiplayer game mode is here. Play 1v1 matches against your friends on a single PC machine. Play with 1 keyboard or connect 2 gamepads for a better experience.
• Choose between 2 PvP arenas: The Dome or Bridge Cavern (Original concept by FastAtFreddy's).
• Customize keyboard controls in the upgraded Controls settings menu.

• Levels 8 & 15 of Chapter I and Levels 1 & 8 of Chapter II have been modified to improve the quality of life.
• You can now freely switch between each chapter. Switching between chapters will reset the progress of other chapters.

• Added a confirmation before leaving the level editor.
• Disabled menu resizing on certain platforms.

• Fixed level editor UI bugs.
• Fixed the player appearing out of bounds in Survive and Small levels bug.
• Minor text and UI visual tweaks.

Hello everyone! We have released the Cosmetics Expansion Pack with the release of the new Chapter III. The Cosmetics Expansion Pack is a set of exclusive skins to look fabulous while exploring the darkest parts of the cave. This expansion pack will grant you 7 exclusive skins you can wear while playing Chapters in the Story mode or while fighting enemies in the Survive game mode. Dress up as a doctor, zombie or a wide set of professions and looks. You can find more information about the DLC here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1245390/Deep_The_Game__Cosmetics_Expansion_Pack Thank you for supporting the development of Deep :) List of the included skins:

Beggar

Builder

Doctor

Eternal Jack

Airport Worker

Soldier

Zombie

Hello everyone! We are happy to announce that the long-awaited Chapter III is live and available to play now on Steam! Apart from the new levels, we have added many new features and here is a detailed explanation of them:

Deep v3.9.0 Update Full Change-Log

• We have made 20 new levels (10 small, 9 medium and a final large level). The name of this chapter is Into the flames because of its fire theme. Try to survive the collapse of the cave complex and escape the fire!
• The 20th level of the new chapter has a twist like the two chapters before, but unlike the bosses or the rising fire, the cave in Chapter III collapses and everything turns! The best way to experience it is to play it (Warning: its not easy!). It can get trippy and weird, but you will figure it out :)
• There is a new achievement called Escape the flames thats awarded to you after completing the new chapter.
• Chapter III features a new soundtrack.

• We added a Level Editor that can be used to make your own levels! You can share your creations with the community on our Discord server (Join it here: https://discord.gg/deep-game). If you make a good enough level, there is a possibility that it will end up as an official level in Chapter IV! We will organize some level-making contests so stay tuned for that.
• Level Editor has most of the gameplay features found in the official Chapters, but some complex ones are still missing (Ladder, Platforms, property editor for enemies/objects) We will be upgrading the editor with the missing features gradually over time. Thank you for patience.

• We have added a long-awaited feature: Checkpoints! If you play the game on easy difficulty, checkpoints will appear in all medium (10-19) and large (20) levels.
• The bosses in Chapter I Level 20 will have less HP if played on the easy difficulty.

• Introducing Cosmetics Expansion Pack: 7 new skins you can wear while exploring Chapter III. This is the first DLC we made for Deep and we hope you will like it. This is currently the only way you can support the development of Deep and receive some cool skins for doing so. We hope you like the designs
• You can pick up the DLC on the Steam page (Deep The Game Cosmetics Expansion Pack on Steam) for $5 and receive the following skins: Beggar, Builder, Airport Worker, Doctor, Soldier, Eternal Jack, and Zombie

• Fixed a gravity issue in Level 1 Chapter II
• Other small fixes

Hello everyone! After the release of v3.2.7 with the new "Support us" option added in the menu, we noticed a game-breaking bug that would completely destroy the menu screen. Apart from bugs, we redesigned the chapter completion screen.

Deep v3.7.4 Patch Notes

• We have redesigned the Chapter Completion Screen that used to be just credits. Now you can see your chapter statistics like deaths, time and coins collected.
• Fixed the game-breaking menu bug.

Hello everyone! We are happy to announce that the new Deep Survive Update is out! In this update, we added the brand new Survive game mode, added some new options in the settings menu and fixed some bugs you encountered in the first week and a half that the game is on Steam. Here is the full change-log:

Deep v3.7.2 Update Full Change-Log

• We added the new game mode to Deep called Survive. (Thanks to YTRiver Films) Battle against increasing waves of enemies, but apart from the combat, master the changing environment through 5 stages of the map. Each stage has 5 waves each increasing by 1 bat or 1 slime, and when reaching the next stage the enemies reset to a lower number. After each stage your health replenishes and you can get some power-ups by killing the enemies. If you die after reaching Stage 3 you will have a second chance to play that stage again.

• We have altered Levels 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 in Chapter I as well as Level 20 in Chapter II to be less difficult.
• We removed the Hard mode feature that made the enemies stronger. Now you just start with less HP.

• We have added the Chapter Reset option. If you are going for the Zer Deaths achievement this will be very useful. Please note! If you open a chest and receive a cosmetic item while playing the chapter, you wont be able to reset it. Also by resetting the chapter we will reset your coins and earned chests earned in that chapter.
• You can now choose will your game be windowed or fullscreen in the Video settings tab

• The space button now works for wall jumps and ladder
• We have rearranged the chapter selection buttons because they didnt make any sense (Thanks to Fillerz)

Deep the Game has been released on Steam! You can download the game now and use all Steam features (Achievements, etc.) inside Deep. We hope you will enjoy the game and we will see you in the cave! [previewyoutube=Av3VUGJiV1I;full][/previewyoutube]