Hey. We put the content update The Perished City on the beta branch and would appreciate some feedback. Our design goals for this and the further content updates are to improve the writing, especially the variety in how NPCs talk, add more depth to the narrative elements, add more player decisions, and have more visual variety among the locations. It would be good to know if were on track with that. The update needs more work in some areas, including balancing and itemization, and its currently separated from the main game still. Theres a separate entry for it in the New Game menu. So I wouldnt recommend it for a regular playthrough just yet, but if you want to help out with some feedback while its especially useful for us to see if we are meeting our design goals, then this is a good moment. Heres how to switch to the beta branch: https://steamcommunity.com/app/941460/discussions/0/3427823001996731965/ You can give feedback anytime in the game via F1 or via replying to this post or via writing us at [noparse]team@deathtrash.com[/noparse]. - Stephan

[ 2025-03-13 15:22:09 CET ] [ Original post ]

If you're looking for the content update: This isn't it. See "Current state of things" -> "1. Content update" down below.

Patch notes

New Features

- map overview has multiple tabs now if level hub has multiple sub areas, including walk commands between areas (mouse only) - inventory: moved gold to fixed slot - inventory: moved a few passive items like ammo from main to resources inventory - inventory: resources inventory is infinite now - inventory: mind inventory is infinite now - merchant UI: highlight "trash" items on selling screen - added toggle for headwear visuals via item slot context menu - implemented thorough check for displaying multiple choice option as new/fresh or old/obsolete

Gameplay and content changes

- split extra crit damage by amount of bullets - trigger puking when trying to eat at full infection - updated hitting multiple targets in combat and backstabbing: increased damage on secondary target(s) - fixed inconsistency with exhausted melee attacks - update values of some machine enemies and dogs - make spiders react to blips - updated inventory items sorting order - minor merchant item availability changes - enable looting Godhunters Prison key from high priest - minor level design improvements

Usability

- sped up some scene interactions - removed some forced cutscene triggers - made a few scene fadings and interactions more convenient - improved action wheel usability for controller - weapon tooltip: added ammo count - allow cancelling consume item action via roll button - fixed some situations preventing cancelling action - allow toggling stealth mode while having map overview open - show map overview for non-physical worlds - Burning Blood ability: improved radius display - accessibility: added option for high contrast stealth cones - Steam Deck: increased UI size for some content windows

Bug fixes

- fixed game getting stuck when controller disconnects during loading screen - fixed potential issue of local character not spawning - fixed sometimes not being able to pick up items lying in door frames - fixed a few things affected by Burning Blood when they should not - fixed characters not being able to return to the pathfinding grid when pushed out - fixed a few issues with throwable items, especially blips - fixed input issues with charging weapons - random encounters: fixed some visual issues with procedural generation - fixed not being able to deconstruct some items - fixed some procedural levels not being traversable - fixed lots of minor UI, input and usability issues - fixed issues with timer based challenges - fixed issue with tower quest - fixed some NPC behaviors regarding threat detection and combat mode - fixed some issues with projectiles - fixed potentially getting stuck on world map - fixed some rare pathfinding issues - fixed some NPCs carrying wrong ammo - fixed issues with currently used weapon when equipping block item - fixed a few rare issues with stats, e.g. not being able to assign points after death in perma-death mode - fixed issues with weapon max range calculations in some situations, especially indoor - fixed issues on equipment selection screen ('C') with large amount of equipment - fixed manual mouse movement controls interfering with rolling - fixed issue due to behavior tree execution on frame of death - fixed some scene events affecting characters when they should ignore it due to being part of a conversation - fixed equipment slot issues in non-physical worlds - fixed NPC in player dialogue occasionally reacting to some world events - fixed NPCs unlocking doors when investigating - fixed some issues with NPC reactions - fixed being able to drop quest items for Little Pests quest without quest getting updated - fixed a potential crash at the Philosopher - fixed pathfinding issues with targeting locked doors - fixed some issues with quest messages - fixed issue in visual character creation - fixed weapon tooltip showing wrong numbers for enhanced weapons - fixed a few UI issues - fixed some missing debug console entries - fixed rare crash due to pathfinding - fixed a few other rare crashes - lots of additional minor bug fixes, improvements and framework additions - fixed some text - minor content fixes

Performance and Framework changes

- improved world map performance - fixed some memory leaks - minor performance improvements - added handler for potentially sending crash report from last hard crash

0.13.1 Bugfix Update

- fixed a crash when dying while being followed by tamed Fleshworm - fixed missing display names for shortcut travel in some areas

Current state of things

1. Content update

The content update "The Perished City" will be on the Beta branch soon. This took us longer than anticipated. More about that over here in this roadmap update: https://steamcommunity.com/games/941460/partnerevents/edit/523078230806102912 The main elements for the update are in place now, but there's still a bunch of improvements to be made.

2. Beta branch

We have a beta branch where we update the game more frequently. You'll find more info about the beta branch and about testing in general over here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/941460/discussions/0/3427823001996731965/

3. Devlog

I have started a simple development diary over here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/941460/discussions/0/600767185374168697/

Conclusion

Thank you for your continued support. I appreciate your interest in Death Trash as well as your patience. - Stephan

[ 2025-02-10 15:13:00 CET ] [ Original post ]

I am sorry. We made progress this year, but not as much as I had hoped. The projected dates for the next updates did not work out as planned. We are focusing on the content of the game at the moment. That is slow work, as we are still somewhat inexperienced in this. (And it seems to me that working on story-based content will never be a straightforward process to begin with.) I appeal here to your understanding of the situation, and therefore will lay out what this current situation consists of.

Situation

We are a small team. Two core members at the moment, working full-time on Death Trash. We will look at potentially getting additional help after the city content update is done. This is our first game. We are still learning and mistakes will be made along the way, but we are willing to learn from them. Our main goals with this project are the following: 1. To create a game with soul and personality. Reminiscent of the role-playing classics, but a thing of its own. 2. To stay independent. To keep control over all parts of the game and to fully understand all the bits that go into making a game like this. Which means working on most parts of it ourselves. Or, to put it another way: working on something idiosyncratic in a personal way, staying close to the full process of creation. We have sufficient funds to finish the development. We have enough motivation. This game will get done, no matter what. Our communication this year was flawed. I think I responded often enough and in a transparent way, but I failed at showing where we are, at showing the progress, and at explaining the challenges of the project and its bottlenecks. I talk of helpful tools but I don't show what they are. I talk of the complexity of the project but I don't talk about the details. I get frustrated when pixelart games are lumped into some 'easy-to-make' category, but I don't outline the flaws in that argument. We need to do better.

Next steps

Removing the dates from the roadmap.

To avoid confusion and unfulfilled promises, we have decided to remove dates from the roadmap for now. More concrete timeframes will return once we make more progress on the content and can better estimate the remaining effort.

Regular update with improvements

Well publish a regular update in January that will contain improvements made over the last year which were originally to go alongside the next content update. These improvements include better inventory handling, which in our own test-playing fixes the recurring issue of the limited space inventory filling up too quickly.

City content on beta branch

Around that same time, we will publish the work-in-progress city content on the beta branch. (This will be unfinished and will be separated from the main game still, accessible only through a jump start from the main menu into the city. It's rough in parts and contains placeholders, but we could already use some feedback on dialogue, aesthetics, level design etc.)

Development Insight

From January on, after a short vacation, we will give continuous insight to the development process. I am not sure yet in what form this will end up eventually, but I would like to start out by making some short non-spoiler notes every day I am at work, probably in its own forum thread, and this journaling then might lead to questions which I could tackle in more long-form. Let me know what you would be interested in.

Conclusion

I hope you'll have a great 2025, and I hope that Death Trash has a great year, too. Thank you to everyone who supported us, and that includes all the small moments of friendly words and gestures. - Stephan

[ 2024-12-23 11:33:32 CET ] [ Original post ]

A small peek at our upcoming content update, which covers the Perished City, located at the center of the game's world map. [previewyoutube=FvMoiEELr0c;full][/previewyoutube] We expect this to be on the beta branch in the next months. For more info and tentative dates about our future updates, take a look at our roadmap: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/941460/view/4186732260752603133 - Stephan

[ 2024-06-20 18:14:42 CET ] [ Original post ]

Welcome. This is the roadmap for the final phase of the Death Trash Early Access. We have avoided communicating concrete dates in the past. Working as a small team on a complicated game has been notoriously difficult, especially in regards to timely estimations. The Early Access took longer than we initially anticipated. For that we are sorry. But during the Early Access we have improved the game and, equally important, our tools, workflows and knowledge. We are more confident now about handling the rest of the game and what time well need for that. Note: These dates might still change. If one of the milestones takes longer than anticipated, all the later dates will be influenced by that, too, of course. And at the end of the day we won't call it final (1.0) if we are not happy with the state of the game and will instead put more work in. But the important thing here is, I hope, to see and to know that the end is actually in sight.

Milestones

Steam Input implementation

Current target: soon on the beta branch

The Perished City

Current target: mid-2024 on the beta branch New locations and quests.

Improving item economy

Current target: fall 2024 This is about the range of items available in the game, inventory size, item balancing etc.

Northern Wasteland

Current target: end of 2024 New locations and quests.

Improving existing locations and gameplay

Current target: spring to mid 2025 This is in general about adding more depth to the game, both to the narrative parts as well as to the gameplay.

The Machine and the Watcher

Current target: mid- to late 2025 Final locations and quests.

Full release

Current target: mid- to late 2025

Post release

We will continue to support the game, of course. And as this game is very dear to us, this will probably happen for a long time. We havent decided yet if the next project after this will be more directly connected to Death Trash or be a different take.

Console versions

Current target: end of 2025 We have no final decision on whether we follow through with publishing these ourselves or partnering up for that. Xbox, Playstation and Nintendo Switch versions are playable already but need more work.

Localization

Current target: unknown We still don't know how much budget we'll have for additional languages. Production-wise it might make sense to have the localization added later than the 1.0 release so they can be done from a finished game instead of a still changing one. (If we had more experience we might try to have it all ready at once for the 1.0 release, but since our experience and resources are limited, we might rather approach this step by step.)

Level Editor

Current target: unknown Mainly intended for users to create their own standalone adventures with the Death Trash gameplay and art assets. We might extend the functionality later on.

Extended mind item gameplay

Current target: might not happen We have more gameplay ideas for Death Trash. But, realistically, we cant tackle all of them and have to shelve some of them for later. Enhancing the gameplay around the mind items might be one of these cases. We will revisit these ideas in the future.

Thank you

Thank you so much for your feedback and support so far. Death Trash has already become a much better game during Early Access and we couldnt have done that without you. - Stephan

[ 2024-03-28 12:38:25 CET ] [ Original post ]

Patch notes

Combat improvements

- added some of the new melee weapons (see last update) to game locations - updated handling of player hitting enemy with melee: will always lead to mini hit stun and interruption now (formerly first hit lead to hit stun, but then NPC resisted further stuns for some duration) - decreased hit stun duration for NPCs - some NPCs might try to circle back a bit after a stun (to evade stun lock) - boosted damage for all melee weapons - updated range on some weapons - added eventual weak and tired melee attack when consecutively melee attacking (depending on weapon) - introduced different melee attack speeds for different humanoid and mutant tiers - humanoid ranged enemies don't shoot 100% accurately anymore - adjusted humanoid enemy stats, mainly boosting health for higher tiers - replaced a few later mutant enemies with stronger variants - slight decrease of player health - changed rocket launcher and similar weapons to high tech skill (and therefore excluding from some weapon modifications) - fixed multi-bullet guns benefiting disproportionately from damage modifications

Other gameplay improvements

- stealth skill influences energy consumption while moving - allow Flashbang grenade usage during pacifist challenge runs - added more info to weapon tooltips about damage improvements via modifications and skills - added more info to skill tooltips - minor content fixes

Bug fixes

- fixed dialogue text being affected by fullscreen FX - fixed one issue where weapon from dying enemy would get thrown behind collider - fixed one constellation where item would get duplicated on looting - fixed items not getting visibly removed on corpses when looting them (regression) - improved popup handling regarding unintended input, e.g. via double clicking item in inventory - fixed some issues with ranged weapon missing warning while having block ability equipped - fixed issue with random range varation for weapons - fixed some pathfinding issues - additional bug fixes and improvements

Technical changes and improvements

- improved performance on world map - minor global performance improvements - framework: replaced all dialogue variables with new system (hopefully not breaking anything) - lots of improvements to the underlying framework and tools

Hotfix 0.12.1

- co-op: fixed a crash on the world map (introduced in last update) - fixed issue with converting dialogue states from older savegames

Current state of things

1. Combat feedback

The changes listed above hopefully make the combat more fun to play and more consistent. They do also influence the balancing of the combat and might, in some cases, remove some of the challenge. For these cases I would really appreciate some feedback, via F1 in-game or a Steam forum topic for example, so that we can look at the individual situations in more detail and continue improving the combat experience for everyone.

2. Beta branch

We have a beta branch where we update the game more frequently. You'll find more info about the beta branch and about testing in general over here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/941460/discussions/0/3427823001996731965/

3. Sale

Death Trash will be part of the Steam Winter Sale from December 21st to January 4th with a 20% discount.

4. Next Update and beyond

The next update (0.13) should be ready in January. We are currently working on new content (continuing the main story through the city) as well as adding more depth (narrative and gameplay) to the existing game. We are also taking a look at a few of the remaining design issues, for example the item economy. I am aware that the progress we make isn't always very tangible, but I can also see all the improvements we have made so far and the foundation we are building, and now, having more and more time to focus on the content and gameplay, I am looking forward to see Death Trash grow and prosper.

Conclusion

Thank you for your continued support. I appreciate your interest in Death Trash as well as your patience. - Stephan

[ 2023-12-21 11:23:06 CET ] [ Original post ]

Patch notes

Additions

- added new melee weapon variants (for now only via Shift+F10 -> Playtest -> Combat)

Improvements and changes

- improved some dialogue - experimental: added experience points progress bar above health when in inventory etc. - improved pathfinding through multiple rooms and fixed some other pathfinding issues - autosave when closing merchant screen and having bought or sold something - tutorial area: make combat puppets destructable - a few other minor level design improvements - lots of underlying framework changes and additions

Bug fixes

- fixed rare issue of character visuals flickering while standing still - fixed some pathfinding issues - fixed rare issues with point and click commands on loot container - fixed not being able to loot item partially at least on almost full inventory - fixed being able to replace locked equipped item via drag and drop - fixed missing text in quest descriptions - fixed Titans missing from map overview tracking - tower location: fixed potential multiple master keys - additional bug fixes and improvements

Current state of things

1. Development

Work continues behind the scenes on the remaining parts of the game as well as improving the existing parts, the underlying framework of the game and the tools we are using. It's only in hindsight that I realize what a huge amount of work any kind of game really is, and the RPG genre in particular, and (I'm biased here) this game especially. This amount of work is a bit of a downer sometimes. What's encouraging though is that our knowledge, our workflows and tools are improving, month by month. Some random development bits from this month:

• We improved the pixelart animation import into the game engine. When working on the animations (in a separate app) I can press 'Save' over there now and the animations in the currently running game get updated automatically. Much easier to iterate when I can see the immediate results on a second screen in a live game environment.
• We are currently trying to find ways to increase the visual variety of indoor scenes, especially for the upcoming city levels. I am in general very happy with the visuals of the game, but the gridlike pattern we use for many indoor scenes could use a few breaks or alternatives here and there.
• We have had a testbot implemented for a while now for continously and automatically testing the game so we get immediately aware when we accidentally break stuff. We improved and expanded this bot now so it covers most of the current Early Access content.
• With this update we fixed some longstanding pathfinding issues. This wasn't really a priority per se, but for once it also feels good to improve a part of the game so far that it probably won't require any more work in the future and is ready for 1.0 and beyond.

Equally encouraging is the continuous feedback we are getting from you, the current or (hopefully) future players. Thank you for every F1 feedback report, for every shared thought via Forum, Discord, email, for every Steam review. You are helping us make this a much better game, and you are also heartening us by letting us know that there are people interested in Death Trash and that there are people out there who care about the work we do.

2. Beta branch

We have a beta branch where we update the game more frequently. You'll find more info about the beta branch and about testing in general over here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/941460/discussions/0/3427823001996731965/

3. Sale

Death Trash will be part of the Steam autumn sale from November 21th to 28th.

4. Next Update

The next update (0.12) will be ready in December in advance of the Steam winter sale.

Conclusion

We are currently working on new content (continuing the main story through the city) as well as adding more depth (narrative and gameplay) to the existing game, but I am not sure yet how much of that will surface in the December update already. Thank you for your continued support. I appreciate your interest in Death Trash as well as your patience. - Stephan

[ 2023-11-20 16:06:22 CET ] [ Original post ]

Patch notes

Additions

- added test level with new combat enemies (Shift+F10 -> Playtest -> NewEnemies)

Improvements and changes

- increased default speed on world map - map overview: added some NPCs to the map after having spoken to them - made equipping weapon and armor slots take a bit of time - improved UI while equipping weapons and armor and fixed a few usability issues related to that - scroll wheel selection of weapons: added short delay before actually equipping (due to new equipment durations) - updated NPC look directions: patrolling characters will turn around for a moment before beginning to walk in other direction - updated some mutant animations - updated some weapons

Bug fixes

- fixed healing over time getting discarded when leaving location - fixed a few quest tasks not showing the relevant location name - fixed PS4 Controller showing Xbox icons by default - Steam Deck Co-op: fixed some UI issues - fixed some UI issues with action selection - fixed a few UI bugs related to equipment and inventory - fixed a few issues with the German localization - additional framework changes, bug fixes and improvements

Current state of things

1. Feedback wanted on new combat enemies

For the upcoming content we are also working on new combat enemies, of course. This update contains a test level with some of them, and we would appreciate some feedback now. (Are they fun to play against? Are they fair to play against? Etc.) You can find the test level via the debug console. (There are, by the way, other playtest entries, too.) Use Shift + F10 to open the debug console, then type and choose Playtest, then NewEnemies. (Controller: hold left thumbstick + hold left shoulder button + press Menu/Start button) For writing feedback use F1 inside the game (Controller: hold left thumbstick + press Menu/Start button) or reply to this post or create a topic in the Steam Forum.

2. Version numbers

Since we changed this recently, I'll mention this again: We'll continue numbering our updates as 0.10, 0.11, and so on until we leave Early Access and the game becomes 1.0. The reason from going away from the previous numbering scheme like 0.8.7.10 was that these numbers were interpreted as percentage of completion, but they were not supposed to represent percentages.

3. Beta branch

We have a beta branch where we update the game more frequently. You'll find more info about the beta branch and about testing in general over here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/941460/discussions/0/3427823001996731965/

4. Sale

Death Trash will be part of the Halloween sale on Steam, beginning October 26th.

5. Next Update

The next update (0.11) will be ready on November 20th.

Conclusion

We are currently working on new content (continuing the main story through the city) as well as adding more depth (narrative and gameplay) to the existing game, but I am not sure yet how much of that will arrive in the November as well as in the December update this year. Thank you for your continued support. I appreciate your interest in Death Trash as well as your patience. - Stephan

[ 2023-10-24 14:03:10 CET ] [ Original post ]

Patch notes

Improvements and changes

- improved quest handling and dialogue of priest quests around New Delphi - updated mutant runner behavior: two charges instead of three, added cooldown, prevent multiple charging runners - set shotgun and automatic weapon bullet speeds to the same value as rifle bullets - quest inventory has unlimited space now (and added UI for handling this) - improved perma-death mode: on death directly restart at gameplay start of game, keeping original character creation decisions - make 'Usable Parts' stackable

Usability improvements

- overview map: mouse click on exit will lead to character using that exit after having walked over - overview map: allow click to walk commands also for control schemes using keyboard movement exclusively - improved handling of point and click commands in combat - fixed point and click commands with some destructible objects - keyboard input only: fixed usage of charge up weapons - keyboard input only: fixed abilities using mouse cursor for direction - co-op: fixed issues on mouse / controller combination while having multiple controller connected - fixed default button prompts for DualSense controller - fixed player character stopping movement when drag and drop equipping - fixed comparison tooltip being cut off at screen border - disabled character looking towards hovered combat target when using direct movement - deassigned default ranged and melee selection keys (used in manual mouse input mode) due to conflicts; updated related tutorial messages

Bug fixes

- fixed issues with infection and puking in non-physical worlds - fixed issue with blocking - fixed animation issue with flying robots - fixed turrets salvo visuals and actual shooting direction diverging - fixed mutants being able to open door in some situations - fixed some other issues with NPCs investigating doors - fixed some NPC behavior issues - fixes UI and other feedback issues with weapons like Flamethrower and Automatic Rifle - fixed "Lock Mouse Cursor" setting not getting applied - fixed potential issues in Titans Heart - fixed some animation issues - fixed NPC wait command (which fixes a few issues with NPC behaviors) - fixed NPC potentially getting pushed through walls from explosions - fixed a few potential crashes with mod loading - fixed rare crash on NPC investigating something - fixed a rare crash that would happen when loading save games - fixed more rare crashes - minor text changes

Technical improvements and changes

- improved loading times - updated spawning NPCs: prefer level design values over values in savegame - added "combat" playtest entry - added missing font support for some community translations on some systems - additional minor bug fixes, improvements and framework additions

Current state of things

1. Version numbers

Since years we followed a certain pattern of versioning the game: 0.7 being the first demo release, 0.8 the Early Access release, and 0.9 would be the feature complete version shortly before the final release, and 1.0 would be the finished game leaving Early Access. That means that Early Access updates so far followed a scheme of being something like 0.8.?.?. I witnessed often enough now people measuring Early Access development progress by these numbers. But these numbers don't signify any kind of percentage of completion. Version numbers are just there to differentiate different game versions. And in some cases to differentiate a hotfix from a previous regular update. That's their only purpose. No percentage indicator. To avoid this confusion we will from now on simplify these numbers and set our updates version numbers from 0.9 (this one) to 0.10, to 0.11, then 0.12, and so on. Until, someday, there's a 1.0, when the game leaves Early Access. (And there's probably be 1.1, but that is a different story.) Hotfixes following the updates will have minor number increases, for example 0.9.1.

2. Unity

Death Trash is made with the Unity engine. A few days ago Unity announced a future runtime fee that got heavily criticized (rightfully so) and in the follow-up days the exact details of it are still not clear. Some people were interested how this might affect the development of Death Trash, so here are a few thoughts about the topic: For now at least there's no impact on the development of Death Trash. If the runtime fee will be established there might be a financial impact in the future which would impact sustainability and the budget of future projects. But it would not stop this game from getting finished. What's really damaged though is our trust in the future and the makers of this game engine. We'll be keeping an eye on how this develops and won't be making any decisions right now, but longterm we'll be looking at a range of game engine options for our next game.

3. Beta branch

I would like to mention again that we have a beta branch where we update the game more frequently. This is how it works: We update the game on the beta branch on average once per week and after a few updates when we see that all is working out fine, that last version is pushed as an official update. You'll find more info about the beta branch and about testing in general over here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/941460/discussions/0/3427823001996731965/

4. Next Update

The next update will be ready on October 24th.

Conclusion

Thank you for your continued support. I appreciate your interest and patience. - Stephan

[ 2023-09-20 13:37:26 CET ] [ Original post ]

Improvements and changes

- make player get XP for enemies that are guided through mines - infection: introduced max time until throwing up gets triggered to prevent potentially never getting triggered - added max target count to Legion of Flesh - UI: updated a few notifications like "new item" for clarity and better compatibility with localization - UI: improved handling of damage numbers above head - improved some visual assets - memorizing items: added entry to popup display in intenvory - additional framework features - minor performance improvements

Bug fixes

- fixed a few issues with local co-op - fixed using abilities through action bar bypassing cooldown checks - fixed Fire Circle not hitting some static targets - fixed a few issues with fire propagation - fixed pathfinding setting a course straight through poisoned water - fixed some cases of enemies attacking player after vanishing - memorizing items: fixed consuming full stack and only returning one resource item - fixed rare issue with missing crafting knowledge on old savegames - fixed an issue with quest item in Old Trees - fixed pickpocketing display and availability on some NPC types - fixed some issues when quickloading while level is fading out - fixed being able to insert grenades into NPC inventory as pacifist - fixed Flesh Vermin still attacking player after using Vanish ability - fixed Glutt freezing when worm is killed that he was trying to grab - fixed collider size of giants becoming too small - fixed some sound issues in the tower location - fixed a few issues with handling player stats, including traits like pacifism, when being spawned with a different avatar or in virtual worlds - fixed a few issues when additional NPCs join the current conversation with the player - fixed player commenting on Fleshworm pickup even if player comments are disabled - fixed issues with tutorial display of some custom key and button bindings - fixed some water display - fixed issue with handling controller disconnects - minor level design fixes - additional minor bug fixes and improvements

Current state of things

1. We have moved to a new office. We are part of the indie game collective Saftladen which moved to a new location in Berlin this summer, and so we went along. The new place is very nice and a lot more quiet than the old place. Good for working on Death Trash without getting distracted. 2. We are working on new content. An ongoing task that is slower than expected. But it's happening. Thank you for your patience. 3. The team is growing. Ccilia is joining our team from this month on and she will take care or help out with organization, publishing, communication, marketing and more. All those extra tasks that need to be done, especially when self-publishing. This was mostly done by myself so far and the idea is that I will have more time for the game itself from now on. (I will keep being active in discussions, of course.) By the way: We have a beta branch where we update the game more frequently. It works like this: We update the game on the beta branch on average once per week and after a few updates when we see that all is working out fine, that last version is pushed as an official update. You'll find more info about the beta branch and about testing in general over here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/941460/discussions/0/3427823001996731965/ Thank you for your continued support. - Stephan

[ 2023-07-14 09:11:08 CET ] [ Original post ]

Improvements

- improved character pathfinding: walk directly towards target nodes now instead of zig-zagging - fixed a few other pathfinding issues - slightly reduced movement impact of walking backwards while targeting - added option to disable random player character comments (e.g. on looting); at character creation and later through "Current Game" settings - adjusted alert distance for some human enemies - fixed some issues with idle NPCs cancelling their paths - fixed triggering ability from action bar deleting main item or ability selection - when using Next and Previous Ability and no ability is selected, select most recent that was in that slot instead of selecting first from list - exclude Puke Ability from Next and Previous ability shortcuts - fixed some offensive abilities not causing threat on NPCs as weapon damage would do - world map: show dotted target path towards cursor when not traveling - permadeath run: disabled quicksaving; autosave on leaving game - fixed potential lock on game start-up due to loading order - level design allows placing items on tables now (not by player though) - removed unintended ranged combat aiming help applied to mouse controls - added user setting for ranged combat aiming help for mouse controls (off by default) - fixed directional calculation error for ranged combat aiming for controller - fixed minor target position miscalculation when throwing items with controller - fixed some issues with handling getting damage while reloading - fixed issue with point and click stealth attack commands - make player character use time and animation for opening doors similar to NPCs - fixed a few NPC issues with doors - fixed a few cases of NPCs not walking back to their original location after investigating blips - reduced chance of dying NPC dropping weapon so that it bumps against attacker (player) - fixed turrets in Mine 19 still attacking even after being hacked and set to peaceful - fixed a case of quest 'The Witch' not getting marked as finished - fixed scene item for Nano Health having a different focus color than other items - fixed a few issues with visual decorations on NPC visuals - fixed case of player character not looking at object on starting dialogue with object - fixed issue with quest tasks getting shown twice in quest view - fixed rare crash due to pathfinding - fixed some rare crash on controller disconnection - localization: minor text changes, removed some obsolete text, added some missing entries - debug console view: show list of currently active mods - additional performance and usability improvements, bug fixes and framework additions

Current state of things

We are currently occupied with two major tasks: 1. We are working on new content. This is a bit complicated and slow as we also want to correct issues with and improve elements of the world building and the story. These are, in my personal opinion, the most important parts of the game, therefore they need to get a lot of care and attention. 2. We are improving our tools so we have an easier time working on the game - be more efficient, have a better overview, get things done faster. One example: Recently we've added a data analysis tool which works similar to a spreadsheet but gives as an overview of the "live" data of the game and lets us quickly jump around in the project. E.g. it shows a list of all locations where any item is placed in the game, and with a single click on one of the entries opens the level editor for that location. It might not sound very impressive, but it has already been a huge help in working with the game. Additionally, we keep updating and improving the game. This is both a reaction to bug reports from players (Thank you for your feedback!) as well as issues that we discover while working on our aforementioned major tasks. Thank you for your continued support. - Stephan

[ 2023-05-05 12:35:35 CET ] [ Original post ]

- give experience points for unlocking doors (skill or key) similar to other skill actions; adjusted xp for these skill actions - player movement: slower movement speed when walking backwards while targeting (experimental) - fixed minor delay in ranged enemy red pointer warning - fixed stealth attacks sometimes missing target - fixed additional issues with point and click commands for stealth attacks - hard difficulty: made ranged warning duration more generous but increased melee attack speed for enemies - don't cancel point and click walk commands when opening inventory - show 'Stealing' headline on loot container if appropriate - local co-op: allow walk commands through map UI similar to singleplayer - local co-op: fixed a few issues with using the shortcut travel markers - fixed a few pickpocketing issues when targeting walking characters - fixed some NPC reactions to stealing - improved NPC waypoint handling - fixed a few other smaller NPC issues throughout the game - Fleshface in Tauris can also be activated now by puking next to him - fixed Bunker17 not yielding exploration xp - allow selling Nano Health - fixed input conflict between back button and other actions on custom button bindings - world map travel speed: allow toggling back to slow while traveling - added some missing German text - several major framework additions and changes behind the scenes (should hopefully not break anything) - replaced random loot calculation (should have similar results, was updated for better data analysis) - additional minor bug fixes and improvements Context: These are ongoing quality improvements and bug fixes. We're also working on new content and other improvements. Latest roadmap: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/941460/view/5009714462588640927

[ 2023-02-21 14:47:10 CET ] [ Original post ]

- dialogue stat checks: show text for multiple choice even if not being able to select that option due to stats - removed Animalism skill for now (under consideration / redesign; catching Fleshworms is still possible) - fixed pull ability not pulling - fixed slowdown from spider web not getting removed immediately when web vanishes - Glutt boss fight: fixed Glutt not eating worms - fixed end of Early Access message triggering even if not having finished Oracle - fixed ground dirt and grass in bunker areas sometimes drawn outside grid or on top of objects - fixed skills tooltip or description not reflecting currently assigned but not yet applied points - fixed crash when level loading was initiated shortly after a script sequence triggered a delayed action - fixed crash when door gets destroyed while lockpicking it - fixed a few more rare crashes - fixed visual issues with action bar - fixed a few issues with the help text of the map overview - allow right mouse button as key binding for free look - disabled player character dropping all items when player character body explodes - for walk commands through click on overview map: avoid locked doors if there's another path - fixed some animation and usability issues for lockpicking - Buzzer weapon: updated magazine size - mark Tauris on world map when mentioned at Fleshkraken caretaker - use UnityInputManager as the default controller manager on Windows (fixes Nintendo Switch Pro controller on Windows) - upgraded to Unity 2021.3.16 - localization: added debug console option to export German text (for further reference on localizing; English should still be the main reference) - small level design and text fixes - additional minor bug fixes and improvements Latest roadmap: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/941460/view/5009714462588640927

[ 2023-01-11 13:38:01 CET ] [ Original post ]

- updated Buzzer weapon: less damage, reduced range, charge up triggers automatically after some time, increased energy ball speed, diminished punching through additional targets - updated Shock ability: removed target stun, use pushback, added slow movement debuff, slightly increased damage - updated Freeze ability: reduced stun duration, increased energy usage - reduced critical hit bonus (to reduce randomness in gameplay in later game stages) - co-op UI: fixed a few issues when using the large UI setting - co-op UI: fix healing target marker for second player - added icon for block ability - fixed pathfinding through multiple doors failing when first door was open and later one was closed - fixed character changing look duration during melee attack when holding manual melee attack mode key - fixed being able to attack hologram character - minor UI improvements regarding memorized items - updated Unity Input plugin - additional minor bug fixes and improvements Latest roadmap: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/941460/view/5009714462588640927

[ 2022-12-06 13:28:38 CET ] [ Original post ]

- fixed buffered roll command while attacking not getting updated with latest input direction at moment of rolling - co-op: fixed some enemies continuing to attack downed partner - action bar: fixed not being able to drop modified weapon on top of non-modified weapon - add location knowledge of Old Trees in Mortus dialogue when he mentions it - updated reward amount for Little Pests quest - fixed some corpse container not getting disabled after looting - fixed threatening NPCs with weapon making them sometimes try to walk away through walls - fixed a few rare crashes Latest roadmap: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/941460/view/5009714462588640927

[ 2022-11-16 12:43:25 CET ] [ Original post ]

- fixed spawned minions of Titans potentially attacking the Titans - fixed rare crash due to tutorial event handling - fixed rare crash on using block ability around exploding enemies - fixed crash on having a ticking grenade in player inventory - co-op: fixed rare crash when exiting an area - fixed tutorial about throwable items not getting marked as solved - fixed drag and drop of grenade to NPC inventory not arming that grenade - fixed quest tasks involving items showing different progress when visiting other worlds - fixed inventory navigation prompts for controller not getting updated after changing button bindings - minor asset, level design and text fixes Latest roadmap: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/941460/view/5009714462588640927

[ 2022-11-02 15:07:17 CET ] [ Original post ]

- changed quickload behavior to load latest manual quicksave (if exists) instead of latest save of any kind; added user setting for this - hard difficulty: removed hitstun on player - hard difficulty: slightly increased enemy melee attack speed - fixed dialogue progress issues in Puke Bar and in Tower location due to recent dialogue system changes (regression) Latest roadmap: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/941460/view/5009714462588640927

[ 2022-10-25 11:14:05 CET ] [ Original post ]

- added labels to map overview - world map: fixed issue with holding fast travel button - world map: added fix for potentially being stuck in world map collider - world map: allow holding left mouse button to continuously update target position - fixed missing audio ambience in some underground locations - fixed rare random crash due to character list handling - fixed drag and drop of abilities from inventory to action bar resulting in blank fields on action bar - co-op: fixed both players downed not immediately resulting in game over (regression) - co-op with secondary screen: fixed player interface being visible during loading and pause screen - updated some visual assets - minor content fixes - minor UI fixed and improvements - make error handler also catch errors and exceptions from threads - updated engine to Unity 2021.3 (latest long-term support version) - updated audio plugin - modding: fixed changes to GameplayValues not getting applied - additional internal framework improvements Latest roadmap: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/941460/view/5009714462588640927

[ 2022-10-21 11:44:03 CET ] [ Original post ]

- updated audio plugin, fixing a few potential initialization issues - removed skill type from throwable weapon descriptions since those are not influenced by skills - fixed a crash on Controller disconnect - co-op: fixed a few issues and a potential crash around area exits - minor content fixes Roadmap: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/941460/view/5009714462588640927

[ 2022-09-23 12:15:45 CET ] [ Original post ]

Welcome to a new Death Trash update! Quality improvements, bug fixes and an updated roadmap. And we continue to work on new content behind the scenes.

Update Notes

General Improvements

- leaving dialogue anytime inbetween needs a double press now instead of single press (to prevent accidental leaving); added a user setting to enable previous simple click handling - updated InControl Controller Manager to not switch to devices with minimal movement on sticks (should fix devices with constant minor noise on sticks, e.g. joysticks, causing issues) - co-op: share crafting knowledge - reorganized settings menu - reorganized some knowledge entries - modding: enabled simple stats modding - uncovering map: use look position instead of player position and therefore make free look mode uncover map, too

Content Fixes

- fixed Aksa using wrong dialogue when having quest item already when first meeting her - The Tower: reworked some events and behaviors, fixing potential issues - The Tower: fixed issue with logical puzzle - The Tower: fixed a potential crash on using the terminal on last floor - Mine 19: slight improvements to blind man quest scenario - fixed a few potential crashes in tutorial area due to event handling - small level design fixes in a few areas

General Bug Fixes And Changes

- fixed a crash from explosions near doors - fixed dialogue actions opening wrong inventory tab - fixed a few input situations that hindered scrolling through weapon lists - fixed some weapon selection shortcuts overriding visuals of current player attack - fixed some issues with the 'loot all' command on containers - make player character look towards cursor when holding melee override key pressed - fixed player character death potentially yielding experience points (and be shown as scene text) - fixed NPC health getting reset even on game over - fixed exporting game data for modding exporting modified values - fixed portrait sprite in character creation wandering off on some input combination - fixed a few UI issues in settings menu - co-op: fixed no tooltips being shown when on character creation screen - co-op: fixed second player not getting armor item in tutorial hub - minor text fixes - updated Early Access disclaimer text - updated some debug console commands - additional internal framework improvements

Bonus: Experimental modding tools

With this version we've enabled simple stats modding. As in: changing values on enemies or items, for example. We don't encourage using it for public mods yet as it's still early and might undergo changes. At this point we would also like to avoid getting feedback on the base game from players that have altered their game experience with mods. At this early stage however it might be useful already to get some feedback: Is it working like intended? Is the documentation helpful? If you're an experienced modder: Regarding the setup and file structure, does this make sense? Or should we rather push in a different direction? More infos over here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/941460/discussions/0/3378284761888538301/

Thoughts

After this update we'll change from our monthly update schedule to a new update rhythm: Frequent minor improvement updates followed by a bigger content update, but no fixed dates. The idea of the monthly updates had been to push content creation forward and to better communicate the progress on the game. Turned out though that a two-person team facing this complex game meant that there was still a lot of quality work and bug fixing needed, to the detriment of content creation, which made some monthly updates probably feel lighter than they should. (Especially when unforeseen away-from-keyboard time came on top like this month: https://twitter.com/talecrafter/status/1571777085248520193 ) And regarding communication: impersonal month names weren't a much better tool than numbers. So, here's the new rhythm: We'll mostly continue with development as is. (We might increase the team size.) We'll update the game more often again on the public branch. And eventually we'll follow with a bigger, named update that's really about new content. I hope this makes sense.

Roadmap

This is our work in progress roadmap. No fixed dates. 0.8.8 - The Perished City - new locations and quests 0.8.9 - Northern Wasteland - new locations and quests 0.8.10 - The Machine - new locations and quests 0.8.11 - The Watcher - final locations and quests 0.??? - Inbetween those updates - updated skills and stats usage - improving combat - adding more NPCs and quests to existing locations - improving existing dialogue - updated active abilities - adding Steam Input 0.9 - Last Quality Check - bug fixing and polishing 1.0 - Official Release 1.1 etc. - Post-release support - bug-fixes and other improvements Optional goals, not sure when, or even if: ??? - Modding: Level Editor ??? - Improved gameplay for mind items

Feedback

As always, we appreciate any feedback on the ongoing changes we make to the game. Best way to give feedback is through the F1 in-game tool as it adds a bit of game context to every feedback item sent. There's a convenient shortcut if you just want to take a quick look at different things without affecting any existing savegames: Open the in-game console with Shift+F10 and enter Playtest to get a list of jump points to the existing content. We have a beta branch where we update the game a few times before we push that update to the main branch. More infos over here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/941460/discussions/0/3427823001996731965/ Thank you for your continued interest in Death Trash. Have a nice week! - Stephan

[ 2022-09-20 14:27:17 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, everyone. Welcome to our seventh regular monthly update. This is mostly a bugfixing update while we continue working on new content. August was a pretty slow summer month for us, not at full strength in presence nor mentally, but it's good to see the game continously improving.

Update Notes

General Improvements

- savegames: remember combat mode and selected weapon; use exact player position for both players - updated lockpicking parameters: adjusted timings, disallow lockpicking targets considerably higher than skill value - added more visual FX to explosions - updated visuals for a few terminals and buttons to better clarify purpose - fixed a few buttons in the tower location not updating their state - made Aksa jog towards other room instead of walk

Usability and UI Improvements

- action bar differentiates items with modifications now - make some weapon switching shortcuts differentiate items with modifications, too - melee: don't make character zap nearer to enemy when using manual attack mode (Shift key) - fixed point and click commands (e.g. dialogue) having difficulty reaching moving NPCs - renamed 'Undo' in merchant tab to 'Buy back' to make clearer that this is about buying back sold items and not refunding purchased items - UI: fixed cursor navigation issues in some item grids - UI: fixed storage container navigation issues for second player - UI: fixed some other minor visual issues with inventories etc. - fixed some message text jumping position when entering dialogue - fixed a few visual issues with the settings menu - added animation to damage portion in scene health bar - fixed a recurring UI error that caused scene text to be stuck - fixed minor issues with weapon selection through action wheel - fixed some minor UI issues on different font heights - fixed several other minor UI issues

General Bug Fixes

- fixed throwing grenades causing recoil - fixed not getting Lost And Blind achievement when delivering quest item before starting quest - fixed a few other potential issues with blind man - co-op: fixed some issues with the ranged combat tutorial - fixed error handler not triggering on actual errors when there was a silent error beforehand - fixed UnityInputManager not supporting controller vibration - fixed some rare crashes - lots of updates to framework and tools - removed some obsolete assets from the game, previously accessible through debug console - additional minor bug fixes, level design and text fixes

Thoughts

We adjusted the lockpicking values, having the challenge be more influenced by the skill versus lock difficulty ratio, and added a minimum skill value needed for the high difficulty locks, so skill upgrades are still necessary for some of the high difficulty locks instead of pure player skill and thus also trial and error. Feel free to give more feedback about the lockpicking specifics. The action bar should be more useful with these bug fixes and the improvements in the last months. If you haven't tried it out yet with mouse / keyboard controls: The action bar is visible while having the inventory open or having the selection screen open (default: 'C') and you can drag abilities and items into it. As mentioned, August was a bit of a slow summer month for us. September should see us at full strength again.

Feedback

As always, we appreciate any feedback on the changes we made to the game. Best way to give feedback is through the F1 in-game tool as it adds a bit of game context to every feedback item sent. We recently added a convenient shortcut if you just want to take a quick look at different things: Open the in-game console with Shift+F10 and enter Playtest to get a list of jump points to the existing content. This won't interfere with your existing save games. We have a beta branch where we update the game a few times before we push that update to the main branch. More infos over here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/941460/discussions/0/3427823001996731965/ Thank you for your continued interest in Death Trash. Have a nice week! - Stephan

[ 2022-08-30 14:41:47 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, everyone. Welcome to our sixth regular monthly update. This update is another push forward in quality, including many tower location fixes, small content improvements, adding a few ranged weapon mods, an update to lockpicking, and lots of bug fixes and other improvements.

Update Notes

Content

- added a few ranged weapon mods throughout the game - tower location: added another possibility to remove permanent weapon - tower location: fixed an issue with NPCs getting hostile - tower location: made malfunctioning doors clearer - tower location: prevent some soft-locks - tower location: fixed a quest bug - added dialogue for returning to Aksa - some level design improvements - added more audio to Tauris, some skill usage and merchant and container browsing

Gameplay Improvements

- lockpicking: added timing challenge - lockpicking: failing raises attention on NPCs and makes target object unusable for a short duration - stealth: fixed a few issues with stealth and NPCs not stopping following player - stealth: when bumping into a character while in stealth, said character now turns around and increases suspicion - stealth: updated suspicion decay - stealth: fixed issues with Vanish ability - pickpocketing: fixed not working with point and click commands - pickpocketing: fixed warning icon of nearby NPCs not shown before pickpocketing - pickpocketing: made failure by nearby NPCs watching more obvious through UI feedback - pickpocketing: make pickpocket failure through nearby NPCs depend on target position and not player position - make characters investigate attacks against doors - updated some NPC behaviours regarding grenades and other explosions - increased experience points for spider enemy

Technical Improvements

- Unity Input Controller Manager: supporting more controller scenarios and improving check for active device when multiple devices connected - Unity Input Controller Manager: implemented controller vibration - updated list of screen resolutions to include those with lower refresh rate than screen max - Steam Deck: enabled co-op menu - Cyborg Vision: apply low performance mode when framerate drops too low - internal framework and tools updates

Usability Bug Fixes

- fixed throwable item selected instead of ability on respawning - fixed a delay on switching to ranged weapon with right mouse button - fixed some rare occasions when point and click commands would be used despite right mouse targeting or shift key attack mode - fixed player character not switching to melee weapon when hovering with mouse cursor over enemy (regression) - fixed point and click attack commands on destructible doors (regression) - fixed player character flickering between ranged and melee weapon in some circumstances when hovering enemy - fixed being able to unequip locked items through rightclick in loot and storage container - fixed issues with area map tutorial hint - added max display duration for throwing item tutorial

General Bug Fixes

- fixed dead Fleshworms getting revived on reloading area - fixed rare case of not being able to spawn in a generated area if reloading savegame - fixed cancelling skill usage not stopping audio - fixed knowledge groups shown as hidden when loading from save game - fixed unarmed NPCs not fleeing in combat (regression) - fixed turrets etc. reacting to raising attention events - fixed a few cases of characters getting pushed back through combat actions when they should not - fixed machines uttering warnings on entering combat even if they have no enemy - fixed some visual glitches with throwing grenades - fixed rare occurance of some scene text placed at wrong vertical offset - updated checking location handling on world map (e.g. fixes when spawning on world map from location traveled to via debug console) - co-op: don't flip health and stamina bars for second player UI - fixed some typos - additional small bug fixes

Thoughts

The lockpicking update is intended to make the lockpicking process a bit more involved than a simple stat check. It's intentionally low on complexity and not a full mini-game, as we still want to maintain a full view of the scene. We would love to hear any feedback about it. Same goes for the ranged weapon mods, of which we placed a few throughout the game. They should allow a bit more variation and experimentation, and we would like to hear if we're going in the right direction with them, if they're interesting, useful, transparent in their usefulness, or even overpowered. Internally we have also been improving our tools. It's mostly an invisible part of the game development process, but over here it feels really good and efficient if all those dialogue editor nuisances get patched away, for example. Or when we're getting a better overview of the data in our game. There are a few bug fixes included for issues that were caused by changes in the last months. The game keeps growing and getting more complex under the hood, so I think this is a natural part of going forward, that existing systems break now and then. These are annoying though and we will try our best to keep the technical and gameplay quality at a high level.

Teaser

Something we're working on: An overview screenshot from one of the areas of the Perished City, a location from the upcoming parts of the game.

Feedback

As always, we appreciate any feedback on the changes we made to the game. Best way to give feedback is through the F1 in-game tool as it adds a bit of game context to every feedback item sent. We recently added a convenient shortcut if you just want to take a quick look at different things: Open the in-game console with Shift+F10 and enter Playtest to get a list of jump points to the existing content. This won't interfere with your existing save games. Thank you for your continued interest in Death Trash. Have a nice week! - Stephan

[ 2022-07-30 16:03:34 CET ] [ Original post ]

Just a small update for fixing a few issues related to the last monthly update. 0.8.4.1 - fixed a camera scale issue in recently added area - fixed input buffering for shooting being too long - fixed stealth tutorial not recognizing Body inventory tab - fixed a few UI issues - additional bug fixes for issues introduced with 0.8.4

[ 2022-07-01 15:02:27 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, everyone. Welcome to our fifth regular monthly update. For this update we worked on new content (tower location, second Oracle encounter), made gameplay and usability improvements and also fixed a number of bugs again.

Update Notes

Content

- updated second encounter with Oracle (work in progress) - added more content to tower area (work in progress) - added Flashbang grenade - updated world map for future content - new sounds: some doors, lockpicking, using high tech skill

Combat

- changed default weapon triggering to differ between automatic and non-automatic weapons; added user setting for old behaviour - updated salvo shots of enemies so some of them have mini pauses inbetween each shot to give the player a chance of avoiding the damage - make neutral NPCs use same combat behaviours as enemies

General Improvements

- generated areas: made anomaly zones a bit smaller - generated areas: made path broader to prevent impassable situations - generated areas: small visual adjustments - updated throwable items trajectory to include drag - added min skill value for rocket launcher and made rockets stackable - list unknown lore items as ??? - list unlearned crafting recipes as ??? - updated some art assets

Usability Improvements

- allow equipping Block through action selection screens and action bar, updated key binding - added NPC character name to first speech item they have in any dialogue - added specific keyboard and controller shortcut for using the puke ability - added input buffer for shooting and reloading (e.g. to immediately perform after rolling) - added user option to disable reload getting triggered when trying to shoot and magazine is empty - make action wheel, action selection screen and inventories use same item sorting order - updated weapon descriptions - fixed user feedback issues on some equipment actions - fixed not being able to move character with keyboard while map is open when last input before was point and click command - fixed a few issues when assigning custom button assigments for controller - fixed "leave combat" input action unintentionally being assigned on left stick press on controller

Performance

- fixed a few memory leaks

General Bug Fixes

- fixed sound from energy balls persisting - fixed not being able to deconstruct some energy weapons - fixed shootable buttons not working with energy weapons - fixed scene fade in affected by action wheel slowdown etc. - fixed throwable items using wrong target offset in some cases - fixed health bar drawn behind action wheel and other screens - fixed some equipment UI not getting updated when using 'Next Ability' and 'Previous Ability' actions - fixed animation issue with Deconstructor - fixed tutorial about switching back to melee lingering longer than needed - fixed visual UI glitch when entering the world map - fixed lockable container not saving their hasBeenSearched state - fixed minor issues with NPC behaviours - additional UI bug fixes - Mac OS: fixed debug console commands not opening a directory in Finder when they should - fixed small issues with feedback form - additional small bug fixes and framework improvements

Thoughts

It would be a vast overestimation if I said that content creation is in full swing, but, as was foretold, the Death Trash foundation (framework, tools, workflow etc.) is becoming more solid with every passing week and we have more time to take care of the game itself. Meaning both the game world itself with its locations and characters but also the gameplay, the interaction with this world. I remain hopeful that we well transform our work into a steady stream of growth in size and quality for Death Trash.

Feedback Tools

As always, we appreciate any feedback on the changes we made to the game. Best way to give feedback is through the F1 in-game tool as it adds a bit of game context to every feedback item sent. We recently added a convenient shortcut if you just want to take a quick look at different things: Open the in-game console with Shift+F10 and enter Playtest to get a list of jump points to the existing content. This won't interfere with your existing save games. Thank you for your continued interest in Death Trash. Have a nice week! - Stephan

[ 2022-06-30 16:56:31 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, everyone. Welcome to our fourth regular monthly update. This update mostly improves existing elements. We spent a substantial amount of time on updating our internal tools (benefitting us as well as hopefully other people in the future), and the remaining time was spent on solving a few long-standing issues with NPC behaviours and pathfinding, for example.

Update Notes

Content

- improvements to mountain path and tower location - updated a few sound events - updated visuals for locked doors - updated some other scene assets - fixed some dialogue

Combat

- updated combat behaviors for standard human and mutant enemies, trying to fix them attacking all at the same time when fighting groups and them straight line walking towards enemy - updated melee targeting so targets immediately in front of the character to the left and right are included, too - added different melee hit visuals when hitting a target vs hitting none or multiple - changed how command driven characters try to melee attack big static characters like the Fleshkraken - prevent NPCs standing on spot and hitting with melee without pausing after a few hits - fixed potential issue with the order of Flesh Vermin actions - updated dog combat behavior

General Improvements

- refactored character commands and actions to fix any frame delay between NPC commands - allow stealth attacking animals - make idle NPCs not leave their current room when walking around a bit (fixes a few NPC issues) - added another move state inbetween walk and run for NPCs - added "kneel and use" animation for standard NPCs - changed getting damage while reloading etc.: rewind up to max 2 times, but after that follow through

Usability Improvements

- reordered inventory tabs - adjusted tutorial display to make it more obvious - show stealth attack not being possible on machines, e.g. turrets - fixed guards in Puke Bar not triggering weapon mode notification when warning player; and made weapon mode notification more obvious - fixed character look direction potentially influenced by getting pushed around - pathfinding: fixed failing on mini distances - pathfinding: fixed occasional fail directly after actions like dialogue - pathfinding: fixed struggling with using a moving object behind obstacles (e.g. Fleshworm with Animalism) - pathfinding: fixed a few player character commands not immediately triggering pathfinding - fixed some point and click melee attacks with movement failing around obstacles or room corners - made number 7 in default font more distinguishable from number 1 - non-standard mouse input setting for combat: make camera offset in melee targeting behave similar to the ranged camera - non-standard mouse input setting for combat: fixed occasional wrong player character weapon display - fixed some scenarios of point and click hovered scene object visuals remaining when switching to state without point and click - made action bar more obvious visually

Performance

- fixed some memory leaks - general performance improvements - additional performance improvements on world map - fixed some cursor hover mess-ups, possibly resulting in UI lag in inventory etc. - reduced memory usage on character commands

Framework Update

- large internal data changes to levels, dialogue, quests and behavior trees to support future features

General Bug Fixes

- fixed robots potentially cursing like humans - fixed a few rare crashes - fixed a few moments where it was possible to save but should not - fixed some issues with neutral NPCs reacting to player targeting them - fixed NPCs glitching out at locked doors when wanting to talk to other NPC - fixed spawned minions of Titans dropping loot - fixed item drop issues with boss character in tower location - fixed potential errors with faction assignment on dynamically spawned characters - fixed sound issue with new energy weapons - fixed some potential sound glitches on NPCs using weapons - fixed some sound events not getting interrupted when character gets interrupted - fixed some UI issues in inventory - fixed UI scaling issues at high resolution (regression in 0.8.2) - fixed a few other UI issues, mostly related to changes in the last months - co-op: fixed a few issues with camera and UI effects on shared screen - co-op: fixed issue that could make invulnerability be stuck on player character - fixed some visual glitches with the flamethrower - reduced or removed ground blood splashing for some weapons - fixed some possible input issues depending on mouse combat mode and input bindings - fixed a few issues related to being spawned as another character in another world - fixed mines getting triggered by slow flowing energy balls - fixed Deconstructor not having correct death animation depending on having claw or not - fixed a pixelart gap issue in the brown indoor tileset - fixed other small issues with some scene assets - fixed error handler not being interactable when error occurs during loading phase - additional small bug fixes and framework improvements

Thoughts

Indie game development is not a straight forward process. The plan for this month (work on content, get a smaller update out fast) was different to what actually happened. The reasons for short-term plan changes like that are manifold, but here it came down to: It's more productive to continue in the current workflow, e.g. programming, when similar tasks get added to the list. And the general goals for the game remain the same, but invidual tasks on how to reach these goals are still very dynamic. Thus the list of tasks changes sometimes. Partly due to incoming feedback, but mostly I think because it's the very nature of design work: The final design of the game is not fully known to us. We know parts of it, but the other parts we have to discover and work towards discovering them. This is not only true for the gameplay and story design but also, in parts, for the technical side of the game, as it's the carrier and interconnected with the whole experience of the game. It will be interesting to see how much this process will differ on future games we develop. If the process is more planned if building on an existing template instead of creating a new one. Regarding the NPC combat behaviours: We need to put in more work on making enemies more interesting. Specifically in enemy variety. But I hope that these latest changes already make fighting against groups of enemies more feasible and make individual encounters more interesting by not making melee enemies walk towards the player character in a frontal path.

Feedback Tools

As always, we appreciate any feedback on the changes we made to the game. Best way to give feedback is through the F1 in-game tool as it adds a bit of game context to every feedback item sent. We recently added a convenient shortcut if you just want to take a quick look at different things: Open the in-game console with Shift+F10 and enter Playtest to get a list of jump points to the existing content. This won't interfere with your existing save games. Thank you for your continued interest in Death Trash. Have a nice week! - Stephan

[ 2022-05-30 17:28:02 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, everyone. Welcome to our third regular monthly update. We worked on new content but we also took care of the core game experience through lots of small improvements.

Update Notes

Content

- added tower location (work in progress) - added mountain path location (work in progress) - added new energy weapons - improved Aksa's dialogue - allow getting quest item for Aksa before starting her quest - added some stairs visuals throughout the game - updated a few sprites and added more art assets - small level design fixes and improvements throughout the game - new level up sound

Combat Improvements

- reduced angle for getting targets for melee attacks - updated melee attack visuals to better fit range and angle of melee attacks - added cursor visuals for a few combat related actions - added some blood effects to the ground after each hit - improved animation for unarmed combat - updated ranged weapon pointer of enemies so max range is clearer - drastically reduced critical hit damage influence on the game - fixed wrong calculation of critical hit damage bonus through items - make NPCs potentially cancel ranged shooting when target moves behind obstacle - exaggerated mutant melee attack for readability - hard difficulty: apply hitstun to player, same as NPCs (experimental) - added smaller movement pushback on getting hit even if resisting the hitstun - fixed spider throwing their web against walls - fixed NPCs being passive in combat when at the edge of the world - fixed some other minor issues with NPC behaviors - added range info to weapon descriptions

General Improvements

- enable showing holstered weapon for player character - disabled player character commenting on killing someone - added more cases of player raising attention of NPCs and enemies, including puking

Usability Improvements

- added slight camera movement when switching floors - updated camera lerp on death and other fade out actions - when consuming item from action selection screen, stop slow motion (improves using multiple consumables) - added user interface option for enforcing handheld mode (e.g. when game doesn't recognize it's being played on Steam Deck) - moved weapon scroll display to corner position - improved short travel marker UI - readded 'Next Ability' and 'Previous Ability' to keybindings - small feedback improvements for triggering abilities - added Playtest entry to debug console as a quickstart for some scenarios

Technical Improvements

- fixed some memory leaks - decreased memory usage of the application - various performance improvements - updated Unity Engine to 2020.3.32f - updated Controller plugins

Bug Fixes

- co-op: fixed some camera issues - improved collider around spikes - fixed a few potential errors happening on Fleshworms crawling from player corpse - fixed continuously melee attacking when holding attack override key and mouse button instead of only executing melee once - controller: fixed issues with item comparison functionality - fixed issue with standard input profile - fixed a case of overlapping damage numbers - fixed some issues with area exits - fixed errors with the boss fight in Flesh Crater - fixed a few rare crashes - fixed potential issue with sounds being interrupted - fixed not being able to deconstruct knife - additional small bug fixes and improvements

Thoughts

Creating new content is a slow process for us still, but our tools get better, our workflow gets improved and we're also gaining experience in building this game. (Thanks to everyone who gives us feedback on what we're building.) And while there are still lots of tasks ahead concerning the gameplay and quality of the existing content, the core game experience feels good enough and the game is also in a good technical state so that we have noticably more time to work on content. The new locations are still raw. The tower needs a lot of fixes still, and the mountain path is for now just a combat area to test the new energy weapons. I'm also personally working on updating the second encounter with the Oracle, but that was too raw still to include it now. Still, feels good to work on locations and gameplay now on a daily basis. The game will grow and blossom. I don't think the additions are worth yet to have another playthrough if you played the game already. But we added a convenient shortcut if you just want to take a quick look at different things: Open the in-game console with Shift+F10 and enter Playtest to get a list of jump points to the existing content. This won't interfere with your existing save games.

Next Update

The next monthly update will happen very soon, actually. We'll try to break the pattern of releasing the monthly updates at the very end of the month, so the next one will be released sometime at the beginning of May. That one will be a smaller one, of course. Sneak peak at some artwork for the next update:

Thank you for your continued interest in Death Trash. Have a nice week! - Stephan

[ 2022-04-29 16:16:59 CET ] [ Original post ]

0.8.1.1 - fixed script error from latest update 0.8.1.2 - allow drag and drop of abilities into action bar from body inventory - improved action bar visibility on action selection screen - fixed a few issues with updating ability values in the action bar - fixed DPad conflict between navigation and quests and crafting shortcut in merchant and loot view - fixed characters like Mortus having a boss health bar - fixed accidental trial watermark in recent update

[ 2022-03-31 14:34:37 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, everyone. Welcome to our second regular monthly update. We spent half of our time in March on performance, balancing and other improvements, and half of our time on new content. Unfortunately, the new content is not ready at this moment.

Update Notes

Combat improvements

- updated melee timings, making some weapons a bit faster - melee weapons have different ranges now - updated damage of some enemies - increase damage portion on secondary targets when hitting multiple targets - compressed player health over later levels - removed general range randomization on bullets (but kept the indiviual 'scatter' value) - decreased damage reduction by resistance values - updated general damage balancing - made ranged targeting characters take movement of target into account (standard and hard difficulty) - relaxed difficulty: increased player damage, especially against bosses - updated energy weapons effect visuals and values - reduced scatter for some weapons - reduced recoil pushback for some weapons - faster attack speed for the knife - added rocket launcher audio - updated robot enemy visuals, damage and health - fixed a few enemy types not being set to aggressive combat behavior

Performance

- improved loading times - fixed memory allocation due to exploring area map; fixes some random frame spikes due to garbage collector slowdowns - fixed a few memory leaks - improved performance while in stealth mode - general performance improvements on combat actions - small per frame performance improvements - fixed a few per frame memory allocations - additional small performance improvements for various objects

Fixes and Improvements

- updated audio plugin: fixes not having audio on some PC configurations - small content improvements - fixed not being able to switch weapons (for afterwards) while attacking - improved action wheel UI - increased font size of some UI elements - minor dialogue UI improvements - fixed and improved lots of small UI issues - close map on a few input events like weapon scrolling - make enemies walk instead of run when walking away after killing player - fixed fade in from black on entering levels sometimes getting cut short - fixed world map exits in New Delphi not triggering automatically - fixed character walk from exit on fade out even if blocked by collider - fixed some enemy salvo shots abruptly ending - fixed issues with feedback form - fixed item description when weapon was modified - fixed player dodging all damage through rolling for some cases it was not intended for - fixed worms and worm spawner in Flesh Crater boss fight not being clickable - controller: when picking automatic target by melee without having direction input, prefer enemy characters over destructibles - controller: apply optional targeting help to using directional abilities, too - controller: on large UI, use tooltip UI instead of bottom descriptions - controller: fixed skill modifier missing in character creation - fixed some potential script errors - fixed an issue that could make a bullet potentially hit the same target twice - fixed a few tutorial issues - fixed a few issues with the debug console - fixed Agira walking into the house when trying to distance from player character - fixed an aggro issue when NPCs accidentally hit characters from other faction - fixed being able to try entering stealth again when at 0 energy for it - fixed a few issues with new energy weapons - fixed not being shown Continue button in some cases despite having existing savegames - simplified main menu - updated camera scale for some resolutions - allow bold text usage for localization mods - added key binding for quest window - additional bug fixes and small improvements

Details

We touched a lot of combat-related values in this update. The goal here was to make the combat more tight as well as keeping it intense enough especially in later levels. Previously, there was a big drop off in difficulty in later levels. We will continue making changes to the combat in the following months. I would like to get rid of some moments where enemies take way too many hits before going down. Any combat-related feedback is appreciated and it's best to send it via the in-game feedback form with the game data attached, so we can look at your current stats and equipment as context to your feedback about a combat situation. We also improved the performance of the game. Loading times for each level have been decreased, and we also fixed some memory leaks, which lead to a creeping increase of time spent on the loading screen the longer the game was running. Previously there were also some low frame spikes happening randomly, which were caused by the dynamic memory management of the game engine triggering a "garbage collection" at that point. We fixed a lot of cases where memory was allocated temporarily during gameplay time, so these moments should either be gone now or a lot less frequent. One problematic area regarding performance on less powerful systems is the stealth mode, due to the method the visual cones of enemies are generated. We improved this now, but it will require additional future work to bring it closer to the performance of standard gameplay. As I mentioned before, we also spent half of our time in March on new content. Sadly it wasn't enough time to get it to a good shape.

Next Update

The next update will happen in April. Don't know yet when and what it will actually contain, and this time I'm not making any predictions. What I can promise is that we continue to work on the game to the best of our abilities and as motivated as ever. Thank you for your continued interest in Death Trash. Have a nice week! - Stephan

[ 2022-03-30 14:53:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, everyone. Welcome to our first monthly update. It's a substantial improvement of Death Trash, even if we couldn't add everything that we had planned for it.

Update Notes

Major changes

- input changes: have one shared use button for abilities and items - controller: improved action wheel UI and game feel - use slow motion when using action wheel or action selection screen in singleplayer - mouse and keyboard: added optional action bar - added new optional mouse input combat mode 'half-automatic'; updated descriptions for other modes - added weapon scroll display (default DPad left and right, or mouse wheel) - allow rolling while reloading by pausing reloading - updated energy guns: visuals, sounds, and gameplay stats - make friendly world map encounters spawn player and NPCs next to each other - updated handling area exits: trigger immediately when touching with direct movement and make character walk towards exit - updated threat values: make NPC stop following earlier, have melee create more threat than ranged - reset NPC health when they leave combat - Steam Deck improvements

Minor changes

- updated small firearms: visuals and sounds - make puking cleanse all infection points - make mute puke sound option also affect the drop item sound - fixed characters losing weapons on death potentially spawning them behind a wall - fixed issues with characters investigating doors opened by player - fixed some reused objects not getting tracked for highlight all functionality - fixed situations where an item would be shown through opaque house roofs - fixed a softlock in Titans Guts - small level design fixes throughout the game - updated melee mouse cursor - updated tutorials and default bindings for the mentioned input changes - updated dialogue UI settings - fixed a few other UI issues - fixed equipped ability display or quick item display occasionally ending up at wrong position - fixed issues with overlapping player messages, location messages and quest messages - move quest messages to lower half of screen when in dialogue to prevent dialogue text overlap - fixed question mark above NPCs not following their movement - allow using block ability outside combat mode - co-op: fixed some abilities hurting or otherwise affecting other player when they should not - fixed some sounds not being affected by distance - fixed UI sorting issue with messages - fixed speaker color of some unique NPCs changing on returning to them - updated audio plugin and improved error handling - updated Steam API version - fixed Linux version crashing on exit - fixed a few rare crashes - additional bug fixes and framework improvements

Details

We made a few steps forward in figuring out the input "puzzle". Selecting abilities and items as well as throwing items should be much more comfortable now on the controller. And for those on mouse / keyboard who want to use a traditional action bar, there's that option now. The slow motion during action wheel or the selection screen on mouse / keyboard should make things easier, too. I'm unhappy still with the block ability, which we'll hopefully have time to look at for the next update. There's a whole lot of bug fixes and small gameplay improvements in this update, which are mostly based on getting feedback from you. Thank you for sending us your thoughts as well as bug reports. We wanted to add more content in this update (new energy weapons, updating second encounter with Oracle, new dungeon and other locations) but it's only half-finished right now, so we're moving all of that to the March Update. I'm sorry about that. This delay is partly due to unforeseen circumstances, but also due to me misplanning this. If you already played through the current content and are waiting for an update to replay the game, better wait for next month's update.

Steam Deck

The Steam Deck got released and it's a great way to play Death Trash. The game was compatible right from the start but we also made a few improvements with this update. We're planning to improve it further with the upcoming updates, including adding more input options.

Next Update

The next update will happen in March. Don't know yet when and what it will actually contain, but, as mentioned before, probably / hopefully new energy weapons, new locations and some main quest update. Thank you for your continued interest in Death Trash and all your support so far. Have a nice week! - Stephan

[ 2022-02-28 11:54:11 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey! We have a small announcement regarding our workflow.

Game Updates

So far we have updated the game about once per week since release. This fast rhythm was really helpful in improving the quality of the core game. We're focusing on new content though, which often means bigger chunks of work, and the remaining bugs are less of an immediate nature. Therefore an update rhythm with longer intervals seems to be more fitting to the development tasks in front of us. From now on we'll plan for monthly updates on the public branch, and we'll keep the inbetween updates to a beta testing branch. These will probably continue to be on a weekly basis, but we'll be less rigid with it. And when the monthly update is ready, we keep it a few more days on the beta branch for further testing until we know it's solid enough for a public release. For anyone playing the game for the first time we'll recommend to just stick to the default branch. But if you played the game already and are returning to check out ongoing changes and want to help out with feedback and reporting bugs, please switch to the beta branch. Here's how you can switch: Rightclick on the game in the Steam library, click Properties, click Beta. There select the "beta" branch. Steam should update or queue an update for the game now. If you want to return to the public branch, select "None" in the BETAS window. For the content update in February we're planning new locations, new energy weapons, gameplay improvements, and more. Thank you. That's all. Hope you'll have a nice week. :) - Stephan https://store.steampowered.com/app/941460/Death_Trash/

[ 2022-01-17 15:53:28 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update Notes - fixed input delay on beginning targeting with throwable items - show visual display for blip range while targeting - adjusted blip range - added numbers to visual character creation - co-op: fixed a cursor issue showing skill check values etc. from other player - show UI message when enemy avoided a stun - fixed tutorial message for throwing items ending prematurely - UI refinements for dialogue - fixed some sounds being heard irregardless of distance to them - fixed a few achievement issues when continuing savegame from demo - fixed some exits in lower dungeon shown as "to world map" on map overview - fixes button heights in settings menu on high resolution display - fixed quest update message potentially being shown when already dead - made lever for leaving Mine 19 more obvious - fixed a player character head - fixed some text - reduced graphics memory usage - fixed some memory leaks - additional bug fixes and framework improvements Fully back at work again this week. Also got some concept work done for the second third of the game, but safe to say the technical tasks got the upper hand again. Now that the core game is stable and most pressing bugs have been fixed, I'm thinking about changing our rhythm to less frequent but larger updates, and use the beta branch for the inbetween steps. (The beta branch exists already, by the way, but it's only used during the update process and carries the identical version as the public branch most of the time.) - Stephan

[ 2022-01-08 17:29:51 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update Notes - fixed Fleshworms getting spawned multiple times on reloading levels - fixed a cause for multiple potential crashes when entering other worlds - co-op: improved checking for and removing items from inventory during dialogue - small UI and usability improvements - added feedback button (F1) to key bindings Just a small update this week as we took a few days off, too. Happy New Year! We have an incredibly busy year behind us, and next year looks like it's gonna be very busy, too. I wish you all the best for this coming year, and I hope we're gonna see Death Trash grow into the best possible experience, live up to its potential. Thank you so much, everyone, for supporting us so far. - Stephan

[ 2021-12-31 18:30:06 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update Notes

- added more player character portraits - updated some dialogue - fixed effects from infection potentially permanently stuck on player character - added some props for the target practicing bots in Godhunters Prison and fixed some visual issues with the bots - fixed a few situations of logic triggers potentially not getting executed, and specifically for unlocking world map progress on Crossroads and The Maw - fixed a few bugs when switching UI while equip or unequip of implants is in progress - fixed not naming specific inventory on being full when looting from container - updated UI for player messages - fixed a few UI actions (e.g. looting) triggering multiple sounds

What we're working on...

Partial victory this week: I still had to take care of lots of technical issues, but I began working on the dialogue of the game. I think I made progress in understanding where some of the current dialogue falls short and how it can be improved. Chris is working on new enemy types. They'll need some testing, visuals and audio, too, so not sure yet when they will make it into the current game. As usual, a few bug fixes. Specifically switching to another inventory window in the short timeframe when an implant is equipped seems to have caused a few problems in the past that were reported but where I couldn't identify the root cause. This is one of those bugs that feels really good to fix.

Happy Holidays! (if that applies to you)

Death Trash is on sale, by the way, until January 5th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/941460/Death_Trash/ And if you played the game already, consider sharing your opinion by writing a Steam review. It's helpful for us, reading them, but it also helps a lot in giving this game more visibility towards other people on Steam. Have a nice weekend! And if you're celebrating seasonal holidays: Happy Holidays! :) I'll have some days off, but I'll probably here again with a new update next week. - Stephan

[ 2021-12-24 13:42:42 CET ] [ Original post ]

Patch Notes 0.7.32

- fixed humanoid corpses occasionally getting shown with wrong sprite for one frame when looting them - fixed a few situations with looting and moving item stacks when inventory or storage is almost full - fixed consuming item through inventory removing count from last stack instead of focused stack - when inventory gets sorted, also sort stack counts - fixed issue with automatic rifle enemy behavior - fixed some small content issues - multiple performance improvements - framework: updated audio plugin - framework: updated handling of local characters in save games for better compatibility with level design changes - additional bug fixes and UI improvements Ok. Looks like this partial work on technical issues as well as content isn't working out so good right now regarding content. That was a bit of a failure this week on my side, as the framework updates took more time than anticipated. So next week I'm gonna try to just concentrate on writing dialogue etc. The audio plugin update as well as all the performance improvements and the inventory changes were quite complex internally, so if that broke anything, please report it via the F1 in-game command. In other news: The community translators have been busy, updating their language mods. Take a look at the Death Trash workshop if you're interested in a language version other than English or German. And I'm sure the people working on it would appreciate a Thumbs Up or some feedback. (Keep in mind we still plan to have a few official translations for the 1.0 version.) https://steamcommunity.com/workshop/browse/?appid=941460 Have a nice weekend! - Stephan

[ 2021-12-17 16:14:09 CET ] [ Original post ]

Patch Notes 0.7.31

- updated effects on higher infection: not as lethal, and leading to forced puking eventually - make Occultism correctly increase max possible infection value - disallow eating meat when at full infection - improved a few elements in the Little Pests quest - fixed potential issues with force triggering puke on player character - fixed potential infinite booze handout through random puke bar guest - fixed equipment slots not being able to use with mouse when cancelling equipment slot selection - prevent equipping the same implant twice - fixed clicking on currently executed scene action restarting the action - co-op: fixed players not getting downed by exploding mutants - small update to icons for unusable items and already owned items - additional small bug fixes and framework improvements Hey. This week we'll have a smaller update as we had some "development side quests" we were working on aimed at long-term tasks. Thank you to everyone who gave feedback on the infection system. I think the biggest issues should be fixed with this update, but if you have more thoughts about it, please keep it coming via F1 in-game or here on Steam. Have a nice weekend! - Stephan

[ 2021-12-10 16:44:45 CET ] [ Original post ]

Patch Notes 0.7.30

- added new infection value which increases through actions like using implant abilites and eating meat, has negative impact on high values, and gets cleansed by puking - updated a few items related to this new system - minor update to tutorial area for this - removed old energy system for abilities and related terminals - added another location to south east - allow buying equipment items more than once, but add marker for owned weapons and equipment - hide stamina bar in combat mode when full - fixed being able to drop items into walls with mouse controls - on loading level make sure all lootable items are reachable - fixed some door issues - updated spikes collider - small level design and asset improvements - fixed a crash due to pooled objects being reused when not fully initialized - co-op: share experience points from consumables and skill usage - co-op shared camera: fixed awkward moment on unlocking tutorial bypass - co-op shared camera: disallow using point and click commands on map overview - fixed buttons being too large on high display resolutions - fixed a few issues with language mod handling - updated both controller plugins, adding support for more variants - additional small bug fixes and framework improvements The infection system is fresh and might need more work. If you encounter any issues with it please report it via F1 or here or in the forum. If you have ideas on how to expand on it and what effects it should have on higher values, please tell us, too. The main purpose of the infection system is to bring more of the narrative layer into the direct gameplay, to give more raison d'tre to the puke ability, and to replace the previous energy system, which we weren't really happy with. The new location is nothing noteworthy, again, but the important thing is that I'm getting more time to work on content and small additions with each update becoming a regular thing now. Apart from that lots of technical work and bug fixes again. Have a nice weekend! - Stephan

[ 2021-12-04 19:22:52 CET ] [ Original post ]

Patch Notes 0.7.29

- added blocker location on the way from Puke Bar to New Delphi - make NPCs react to a few events like hitting objects - make enemies react to doors getting opened near them - updated NPCs following waypoints and pausing on waypoints - fixed a few situations of NPCs walking into spikes - fixed world map encounter being spawned in impassable terrain - make player character a full pathfinding blocker during dialogue; fixes blind man trying to walk through player towards lever - updated energy bar UI - added max keyword to stats display if level is at max - fixed text cursor potentially remaining in scene on switching input - improved performance in Glutt boss fight - additional framework improvements Another week behind us with progress on multiple fronts. The new location is nothing spectacular. Don't return to the game just for that. But it's part of what I hinted at before: New content will probably arrive in ongoing small chunks through our weekly updates instead of holding it back for major updates.

Steam Awards

Thanks so much to everyone who gave Death Trash one of the Steam Awards. (The voting is still ongoing.) I know the game is still very much work in progress, so when someone says that the game is already among their favorites or that they like a specific part about it so much, then this makes us really happy. We'll continue trying to make this game a great one.

Steam Sale

By the way: If you don't own Death Trash yet or want to gift it to someone: It's on sale currently. https://store.steampowered.com/app/941460/Death_Trash/ Have a nice weekend. See you again next week. - Stephan

[ 2021-11-27 19:28:39 CET ] [ Original post ]

- expanded world map in preparation for future content - fixed inconsistencies on combinations of focus highlighting individual objects and highlighting all - fixed inconsistencies of focus highlighting in shared co-op screen - fixed large performance impact when using highlight all - fixed pathfinding issues on low framerates - fixed pathfinding issue on alt-tabbing out and in to paused application - fixed item descriptions potentially breaking when split into two columns - fixed issues with using the space key on the world map - co-op: fixed pointer towards other player potentially obscured by level elements - fixed a few small level design issues - adding game state data to sending script error reports - additional small bug fixes and framework improvements More technical challenges solved this week. But we also spent a bit time on updating the world map and improving its tools. Be aware this update is just about updating the map and not adding new locations to it, but it's of course part of the ongoing work on new content. Hope you'll have a great weekend, and see you again next week with another update.

[ 2021-11-19 15:43:51 CET ] [ Original post ]

- fixed saving in world map desolation leading to broken save game - disable dialogue action of NPCs in combat (e.g. accidentally talking to blind man) - don't make companion interrupt player dialogue or scene interaction when companion is in combat - fixed combat behavior of bots in mine level - co-op: fixed mouse cursor position when playing as mouse player on second screen - co-op: disable second screen toggle if second screen was activated; added info that deactivation needs a game restart - fixed some UI issues due to dynamic text lengths - fixed issues with metal gate colliders - fixed walk cursor display having wrong pixel offset - fixed some minor issues with some scene assets - added code to handle explored state of an area in save games on entering a resized area (for future content changes) - additional small bug fixes and framework improvements This week we fixed more bugs reported by players and also solved a few technical problems. Behind the scenes we continued to work on future content. I made progress on the world map and painted a new sub world map for a certain area of the game. I keep being hopeful to being able to focus more on the actual game in the coming weeks. - Stephan

[ 2021-11-13 17:59:45 CET ] [ Original post ]

Just a short news bit because we're so excited about it: Death Trash will run on the upcoming Steam Deck. Here's someone from Valve playing it: https://twitter.com/OnDeck/status/1456685910217539585
(Pretty big honor to be showcased there, by the way.) - Stephan

[ 2021-11-07 07:09:57 CET ] [ Original post ]

- barrels can contain loot now - show quest update notification for individual tasks - fixed quest not getting updated when losing quest items - fixed not getting combat experience through minions - fixed not getting experience when leading enemy through mine - fixed not getting experience for enemies killed by exploding mutants - improving handling of loading some invalid user data - fixed a random crash happening mostly on boss fights - fixed a few UI issues due to dynamic font changes - dimmed hit marker on glancing attacks - use kneel animation when equipping implants - small level design fixes - additional small bug fixes and framework improvements Aside from these improvements we were mostly kept busy again by tech- and cross-platform problems. Fortunately a few of them are solved now. And I'm currently painting the world map for the rest of the game. Hopefully you'll have as much fun journeying through it as I have working on it once it's fully there. The part of the world map that's currently available already will probably see some changes, too, to better integrate with the upcoming parts. See you again next week! - Stephan

[ 2021-11-05 17:06:55 CET ] [ Original post ]

- added kneel animation for some player character actions - make crafting quest also trigger on trying to deconstruct items - allow continuing manual mouse movement when opening map overview - updated visuals of fast travel marker - updated mutant attack animations - updated Fleshworm attack and hit animations - added idle animation for flesh maggots - updated item icon for crafting knowledge - fixed some issues on the world map - small level design fixes - updated munition count in tutorial hub - fixed a crash on using quick action button on terminals in Old Trees and Puke Bar - updated some localization entries - additional small bug fixes and framework improvements That was an unexpectedly slow week regarding tangible updates as we were also busy on cross-platform stuff, pursuing crash bugs, bureaucratic tasks and painting new parts of the world map for future locations. But still, development goes on with a steady pace. If you haven't noticed, Death Trash is on sale right now with 10% off during the Steam Halloween sale. If you don't own the game yet, but would like to, now is a good time. A few language mods were updated in the last days, so please take a look if that's of interest to you: https://steamcommunity.com/workshop/browse/?appid=941460 See you again next week with another update!

[ 2021-10-29 16:26:57 CET ] [ Original post ]

We'll probably stick to this weekly rhythm of updates now. Raw patch notes plus a few additional thoughts and infos. - added possibility to enter wasteland from anywhere on the world map - smoothened collisions when rolling against or touching other characters - added level optimizations that fix collider situations where player could get stuck in some corners - fixed loading optimization not getting applied to later levels like Puke Bar and New Delphi - added small animation for items getting picked up - fixed occurences of procedurally generated levels not having any character placed - fixed a potential issue on world map where encounters skipped individual range checks - fixed an issue of zero damage getting shown on player death when health was near zero - fixed a potential crash on Fleshkraken ending dialogue - fixed a door issue in Old Trees - small game feel additions for a few UI actions - updated a few UI elements to better fit different text lengths through localization - fixed a few UI components on dynamically changing language and font settings - fixed a few issues with UI notifications on getting items - fixed mouse cursor not changing during loading screen - updated some localization entries - additional small bug fixes and framework improvements Lots of technical stuff fixed this week. The long-term task of making the UI compatible with localization should be finished for now. Our automatic improvement of the level collider shapes should fix almost all of the issues where a character could get stuck. If you still encounter such an issue, please send us an F1 in-game report from the location. Thank you for all the reported feedback so far! You're helping making it a much better game. See you again next week with (hopefully) focus shifted towards making new content and updating the existing one. (Small steps though.)

[ 2021-10-22 13:45:54 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there. Just wanted to let you know about a few things.

Game Updates

We continue to update the game. Latest patch notes over here: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/941460/view/5457792180867979316 Occasionally we get questions like "when is the next content coming?", so I would like to address that shortly: This is not a live service game. This is not game with endless replay value. What matters most for Death Trash is the 1.0 version, containing an (estimated) 20h story campaign with medium replayability. And the exact way we get to this version is of lower priority, in my opinion. We're only two developers and while we work on improving the base experience for example we don't have time to also add new locations and quests in the meantime. So please have some patience with us while we work on any kind of tasks. We haven't forgotten about the other tasks. That being said: The core game is in a much better shape now and I can personally move over to work on story etc.

First languages mods available

Great progress was made on the community translations. Some helpful people have spent a considerable amount of effort on making Death Trash available in other languages already. Please take a look at the Steam Workshop: https://steamcommunity.com/workshop/browse/?appid=941460 Install: Subscribe to a mod through the Steam Workshop. Next time you open the Steam client, it should download the mod, and if you start the game, the language mod should be ready and that language active inside the game. If you encounter any issues with that, please let us know. Not all language mods are complete, but Spanish, Italian, Chinese and Japanese seem to be.

Consider telling others about the game

You probably know that indie games thrive by word of mouth. If you already played the game consider leaving a review for others to read.

Death Trash

If you want to accompany us on the Early Access journey, please consider buying Death Trash or putting it on your wishlist and following the game account for news and updates: https://store.steampowered.com/app/941460/Death_Trash/ Thank you. That's all. :) - Stephan

[ 2021-10-16 14:17:42 CET ] [ Original post ]

- added new enemy to encounters in south east - added knife weapon to starting area - updated cursors on world map, improved communication through tutorials and item placement - updated UI for special terminals in Puke Bar and Old Trees - removed redundant Bits and Bytes quest, updated related achievement to get triggered by just visiting locations - updated entrance in Old Trees - set Glutt's damage type to sharp - fixed buttons in settings menu occasionally not reacting to click - additional small bug fixes and framework improvements

[ 2021-10-16 13:04:01 CET ] [ Original post ]

- fixed a few issues with the new player storage - updated level layout for Crossroads - improved map communication and trigger for Crossroads being a world map blocker - additional small bug fixes and framework improvements

[ 2021-10-09 12:32:59 CET ] [ Original post ]

- placed preliminary player storage object in Tauris, New Delphi and Puke Bar - fixed a case of an enemy group prematurely trying to end combat - fixed an issue with interacting with Bleeding Head Oracle - updated settings menu UI - fixed text overflow issues in quests and knowledge windows - fixed some text - localization: updated lots of UI elements to be compatible with text spanning multiple lines - localization: updated some entries, removed a few unused ones - additional small changes

[ 2021-10-08 12:11:51 CET ] [ Original post ]

- fixed some melee weapon speed descriptions - fixed a potential quest softlock in New Delphi - adapted blind man quest out-of-order solution - map overview: for input type "hold pressed" fixed audio spam - localization: removed some obsolete text entries and assets - localization: updated some entries and added a few missing ones - localization: fixed some UI issues - additional small bug fixes and improvements

[ 2021-10-05 10:43:29 CET ] [ Original post ]

- updated standard font to be compatible with a few more languages - enable localization mods by default and pick one as current language if language isn't set through options - added travel points to New Delphi - set weapon skill of submachine gun to small firearms and updated visuals - fixed a crash on clicking map overview in levels with empty map overviews - more error handling regarding save games - localization: updated some entries and added a few missing ones - additional small bug fixes and improvements

[ 2021-09-30 14:08:38 CET ] [ Original post ]

- added mouse tooltips to map overview - fixed mouse click to world position conversion on map overview - adjusted show duration of scene text through actions - sort list of fast travel options by world position - fixed a potential crash during loading - small level design fix in QueensPalace - localization: updated a few text entries - localization: fixed some text entries not getting updated on dynamic language or font override

[ 2021-09-27 13:23:24 CET ] [ Original post ]

- map overview: improve point and click walk commands with cursor change, showing target walk position and closing map on clicking outside area - map overview: improve switching between map, inventory and standard screen - added more variation to ranged combat NPCs positioning while they reload - fixed Transhumanism achievement not immediately triggering when using drag and drop for equipping - fixed an issue with showing negative values in item description - fixed a few collider throughout the game - localization: added a few missing text entries - localization: fixed some text entries not getting updated on dynamic language override - additional small bug fixes

[ 2021-09-24 14:18:56 CET ] [ Original post ]

- added protection against corrupted save game due to crashing while saving - added handling of corrupted save game headers - updated stats of pilgrims in New Delphi - fixed not being able to use flame thrower with shooting bound to keyboard key - fixed item stacks potentially increasing on loading save game - fixed a few problems with inventories and UI when item was placed in wrong inventory - fixed a potential crash on application loading screen - added user option for font override - added user option for direct movement angle calculation - fixed some cases of text not getting updated on language override - localization: removed some obsolete text entries - additional small bug fixes and framework additions

[ 2021-09-20 11:39:41 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there. This is a short update about the situation of translating Death Trash to other languages.

Official localization

We heard you. There are lots of people who would like to have Death Trash available in multiple languages. We appreciate that interest and can confirm that we would like to have Death trash available in more languages, too. Our plan is to have Death Trash professionally translated to a number of languages for the full release of the game, version 1.0. The actual list of languages will be decided at a later point, probably next year when release is getting nearer. But it doesn't make sense to contract these translations for the Early Access already. Death Trash has a lot of text elements which get changed constantly. And with official translations people would rightfully expect them to stay up to date with the game. This in turn would mean that we have to wait for and sync that translation work with our own, which would slow down development too much.

Community translations

A few people have already shown interest in making translations of the game to other languages on their own, even during Early Access. For this specific use case we're making some tools available now: - Text import / export (already working with the latest update) - Google Spreadsheet workflow for translating the text and keeping up with updates - Mod support for the game (already working with the latest update) - Steam Workshop support for distributing the language mods (will be available soon) We would have done this at some point anyway, so it made sense to us to move them forward based on demand. Note: The current mod support is only intended for adding more languages. We plan to add more modding features later during Early Access or after the 1.0 version of the game.

Where to start...

If you're interested in translating Death Trash to another language, here's where to start: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1tFSY_w96tPz2e7Nh3Dfuoezc8cyBb8RuujaER5cHoE4 For discussing this in more detail or if you need some help with the tools you can post here in the comments or join our Discord: https://discordapp.com/invite/deathtrash Please be aware: - There is no compensation. - We might contract an official version for that same language later from someone else. - Other players might expect you to update the translation for the upcoming game updates. So decide carefully if your personal time is worth investing into this.

Death Trash

If you want to accompany us on the Early Access journey, please consider buying Death Trash or putting it on your wishlist and following the game account for news and updates: https://store.steampowered.com/app/941460/Death_Trash/ If you have bought and played Death Trash already, consider writing a Steam review. It helps a lot with our visibility on the Steam Store. - Stephan

[ 2021-09-15 12:56:26 CET ] [ Original post ]

- co-op: use left-aligned full UI on second screen for dual screen co-op mode - co-op: fixed starting with black screen when enabling dual screen co-op mode from main menu etc. - co-op: fixed a few UI issues when switching between different modes - co-op: block talking to NPC for player B when player A is in merchant interaction with NPC - fixed a few issues in Titan's Heart - a few small dialogue changes and fixes throughout the game - fixed missing skull item description - allow binding right mouse button to rolling - additional small bug fixes and framework improvements

[ 2021-09-14 14:16:39 CET ] [ Original post ]

- co-op: fixed an issue that could prevent second player from progressing in dialogue - co-op: fixed some visual issues on second screen - fixed situations on world map where player position could be stuck - fixed a locked door in underground Old Trees - fixed stepping values of audio slider - framework: updated text import / export for future feature - framework: added support for multiple fonts for future feature - additional small bug fixes

[ 2021-09-10 13:06:52 CET ] [ Original post ]

- add weapon skill info to weapon descriptions - renamed ranged weapon skills to small and large firearms - fixed an issue with using Animalism while having full inventory - fixed situations where throwing items or other actions could lead to duplicate items - co-op: fixed a crash on triggering end game screen a second time - added preliminary death animation state for Sleeping Titan and Oracle - fixed audio issue with dead Fleshkraken and dead sleeping titan - updated feedback form, added more info, added possibility to add contact info - additional small bug fixes and improvements

[ 2021-09-06 15:57:11 CET ] [ Original post ]

- rebalanced economy, bartering skill and a few combat values - added getting experience points from usage of some non-combat skills - using animalism and pickpocket on characters will get xp points otherwise gotten through combat - clarified visuals on Fleshkraken cave exit - clarfied visuals on Festering Gorge cave entrance - fixed a few rough art patches in Old Trees and Puke Bar - fixed UI communication on trying to pickpocket Aksa - fixed melee forward movement for stealth situations - fixed potentially getting directly teleported on world map from random encounter to anomaly - fixed game not asking before quitting fully from world map

[ 2021-08-31 15:46:11 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, everyone. We're a few weeks past the Early Access release day now and would like to say a few words about our current situation as well as the road ahead.

Feedback

Suffice to say, the 'Overwhelmingly Positive' feedback on the Early Access version of Death Trash has exceeded our expectations. We got lots of incredible messages about the game through Steam reviews, the forum, social media, e-mail and private messages. Thank you so much for writing them.
Through our in-game feedback tool as well as the other channels we also got a lot of feedback on what's working good, what's not so good, and what could be added. The most common negative was "not enough content yet", which should of course be improved over time. Most of the other concerns should also be met with improvements in the future. We've updated the game a few times now since release, fixing technical as well as gameplay issues and will try to keep this flow of improvements.

Financial Situation

Good news: Death Trash has sold enough now that it made back its development costs and we can finish it on our own. Apart from that we we'll have to see how it continues long-term. So no change in plans for now regarding team size, for example. But we're very happy that we can finish Death Trash according to our own vision.

Roadmap

Let's take a look at what's ahead for Death Trash. The most common request and also our main development goal is of course "new content", but due to its nature and potential spoilers we'll be a bit tight-lipped here.

Content

Story Chapter One (Early Access Start Content) - continue main quest through southern world map locations, improve temporary ending - improve current dialogue and add more player decisions, add more depth - revisit a few locations and improve level design, add more environment details Story Chapter Two (During Early Access) The Perished One, Steel Waste Story Chapter Three (For the full release of the game) Woundland, and more

Gameplay and other improvements

Gameplay Improvements - expand mind items gameplay - rebalancing the existing content regarding difficulty and economy - add player stash / bank - reorganize stats, add more usage for non-combat stats, more combat values affected by combat skills - more detailed info through area overview map (e.g. on mouse hover) - update crafting recipes Combat Improvements - add different type of energy weapons - more animalistic, mutant and machine-based enemy types - more advanced humanoid NPC combat behaviours for higher ranked enemies NPC improvements - reacting to scene events (e.g. door getting opened by player in stealth mode) - better gameplay faction handling, not being able to easily exploit making them hostile to each other - make them remember player actions Support for community translations - add simple modding system, including Steam Workshop, for text import / export - add support for multiple fonts Technical Stuff - investigate and fix a few types of crashes for individual users - local co-op bug-fixing and polishing - add better user communication and support opportunity through in-game F1 tool - fix level collisions, especially rolling into small spaces and getting stuck - improve controller support by implementing Steam Input - add more accessibility options This list is not in chronological order. Were a small team and will work on these tasks step by step, dynamically prioritizing, including community feedback. For the same reasons were also not dating any updates. We might finish this list in 2022, but if it takes more time then we'll take that time.

Onwards

Again, thank you so much for all your support and feedback. I know that much of your support is related to the promise of being able to experience the final version of Death Trash, and we're doing our best to bring that to life. If you want to accompany us on this journey, please consider buying Death Trash: https://store.steampowered.com/app/941460/Death_Trash/ If you have bought and played Death Trash already, consider writing a Steam review. It helps a lot with our visibility on the Steam Store. - Stephan

[ 2021-08-27 15:38:28 CET ] [ Original post ]

- adjusted impact sounds from last update - fixed being able to queue ability despite cooldown while rolling - fixed an issue with sprite display direction of a few weapons in rest position - fixed an issue with overview map and exits in New Delphi - updated to Unity 2020.3.17f1 - updated InControl controller manager, increasing support for different types of controllers - added a controller based option to close the controller testing screen

[ 2021-08-27 14:34:29 CET ] [ Original post ]

- slightly increased movement speed - updated rolling: changing distance, speed and i-frames - decrease enemy hitstun resistance duration - allow attack cancelling through block ability - allow easier queueing of point and click command during attack - updated possible character movement towards end of melee attack - decreased forward momentum on melee attacks - added some impact sounds for humanoid enemies - fixed infinite gold exploit at highest bartering level - fixed losing local map discovery state in some circumstance - added explicit UI message when resources inventory is full on pickup - fixed issues with health bars on large amounts of damage - fixed issues with trail on deconstructor claw - additional small bug fixes and improvements Note: This update is about improving the combat feel. A rebalancing will follow later.

[ 2021-08-25 15:24:45 CET ] [ Original post ]

- make permadeath only trigger when in physical world - fixed using consumables through popup UI not checking for restrictions - fixed price for item stacks at merchants being higher than price for same amount of single items - fixed block tutorial persisting even after unequipping block item - fixed a wrong animation state of the deconstructor - fixed sprite issues with enhanced and pump action shotgun - fixed another issue with the high priest - fixed being able to buy a module from the barkeeper a second time - fixed service items getting transferred to player inventory when using quick action button - prevent shooting immediately after closing inventory (fix for custom button assignments) - fixed a few text and localization issues - fixed a few crashes - additional small bug fixes and framework improvements

[ 2021-08-23 13:27:55 CET ] [ Original post ]

- add user settings to optional save game data sent through feedback form - fixed an issue with backstabbing - fixed an issue with older save games not progressing at philosopher terminal - make Aksa stand near terminal while investigating - minor text fixes

[ 2021-08-20 15:14:50 CET ] [ Original post ]

- added attaching current game state to feedback form - fixed a few crashes - fixed tracking of previously selected multiple choice entries not getting saved - co-op: fixed some multiple choice text entries breaking when second player joins dialogue - fixed items sometimes being visible beneath a roof after loading save game - fixed a few cases of missing localization text - fixed multiple choice actions icons not appearing in German version - additional framework changes for localization

[ 2021-08-19 14:50:34 CET ] [ Original post ]

- fixed issues with backstabbing - point and click attacks make better use of possible attack distance - another fix for the high priest and the key - co-op: fixed NPCs having problems using exits - fixed mouse cursor not changing for a few cases - fixed losing health on resetting stats - clarified a tutorial message about automatically switching back to melee with mouse controls

[ 2021-08-18 10:55:56 CET ] [ Original post ]

- fixed a few issues with Aksa and the main quest - fixed a quest not updating on entering a location when it should - fixed some issues with high priest in New Delphi - fixed not being able to cancel backstabbing mouse commands - fixed some scene clicks resulting in backstabbing command - fixed some text

[ 2021-08-16 14:17:46 CET ] [ Original post ]

- updated main quest around Old Trees - Mac OS: compiled as Intel build now, should fix game on M1 Macs - accessability: added keyboard only combat input scheme - fixed a few quest and dialogue issues with priests around New Delphi - added alternative way to get key in New Delphi - fixed an issue with puke contest - fixed blind man equipping gun on loading savegames - updated blind man dialogue - fixed A Fine Piece Of Meat quest not failing when NPC dies - fixed door issues in dialogue - fixed full item stacks removed instead of exact count when finishing quests - fixed not being able to use vanish ability as pacifist - fixed an issue with vanish ability while being in stealth - fixed some text issues - fixed stats selection possibly ignored when coming back from visual selection - additional small bug fixes and framework additions

[ 2021-08-15 14:59:04 CET ] [ Original post ]

- fixed door in Puke Bar basement - fixed a few issues with the vanish ability - added UI message on trying lockpicking and missing a lockpick - fixed revolver using wrong weapon skill - fixed crafting recipe for blips missing on older save games - fixed various random crashes - fixed some headwear vanishing on dropping it - minor level fix in Titan's Guts - fixed some text issues

[ 2021-08-09 16:56:08 CET ] [ Original post ]

- fixed save games from demo import using wrong world map - fixed not being able to use blips as pacifist - fixed crash on menu due to some system languages - fixed various random crashes - small level design fix in Human Machine Workshop - fixed some text issues

[ 2021-08-08 13:55:38 CET ] [ Original post ]

- fixed missing crafting recipe for blips - fixed crash related to having block item equipped - fixed a crash during blind man quest - fixes some text issues - updated enhanced energy gun values - fixed a few random crashes

[ 2021-08-06 15:24:46 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello, everyone! It's here. After six long years, Death Trash is available now.
Buy Death Trash now and join us on this Early Access Journey: https://store.steampowered.com/app/941460/Death_Trash/ Or wait until it's finished. However you decide, we thank you for your interest in Death Trash. And for all those who have been following this for years: Thank you for your continued support and encouragement. That was much appreciated. - Stephan

[ 2021-08-05 15:47:41 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello, everyone! The Death Trash Early Access release is happening tomorrow and we want to give a you few infos beforehand.

Release time

Exact moment of release should be August 5th, 5 pm CET | 11 am EST | 8 am PDT.

Price

20 $ | 20 | + regional prices There will be a 10% launch discount for one week.

About the Early Access version

Here's a summary of what to expect from the Early Access version and what to expect at a later point: What to expect from the first Early Access version: - 5+ hours of the story campaign and side locations, with some of the main quests still work in progress - medium replay value - all gameplay systems - more reliance on combat than non-combat - mouse / keyboard plus controller support - user config settings, rebindable keys - Windows, Linux and MacOS support - local co-op technically working - probably some bugs What to expect from the final release version: - 20+ hours handcrafted story campaign - increased replay value - improved non-combat gameplay - improved local co-op design - more languages What to expect from the post 1.0 version: - updates concerning bug fixes and improving user experience Feature ideas we're aware of and that might happen, but not 100% sure: - some kind of modding support, including a level editor Feature ideas we're aware of but probably won't happen due to our budget limitations: - online co-op

Demo

The demo will still be available after release. It's a smaller button now, on the panel to the right of the store page. After the Early Access release it's possible to try out the demo, buy the game, and then continue your savegame in the full version. Demo savegames that were begun before the Early Access release can NOT be imported / continued. If you want to help us minimize support issues in the first days of the Early Access, please use the demo to see if the game runs good enough and as expected on your system.

Wishlist Death Trash!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/941460/Death_Trash/ For more granular development updates you can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DeathTrash Stay safe and keep being friendly to other people. - Stephan

[ 2021-08-04 12:09:15 CET ] [ Original post ]

Latest patch notes of the demo

0.6.200

- distributed crafting knowledge to multiple recipes - lots of German localization fixes - fixed a crash when loading some savegames - fixed another random crash

Wishlist Death Trash!

Make sure to wishlist the game and follow the game hub to get all the news: https://store.steampowered.com/app/941460/Death_Trash/ And please support Death Trash and tell other people about it.

[ 2021-08-03 21:09:28 CET ] [ Original post ]

Latest patch notes of the demo

0.6.199

- fixed issues with backstabbing while using mouse / keyboard controls - added user setting for muting puking - some dialogue and level design updates - fixed a random crash - fixed another issue with text position on leaving dialogue - additional small bug fixes and framework additions

Wishlist Death Trash!

Make sure to wishlist the game and follow the game hub to get all the news: https://store.steampowered.com/app/941460/Death_Trash/ And please support Death Trash and tell other people about it.

[ 2021-08-02 11:47:54 CET ] [ Original post ]

Latest patch notes of the demo

0.6.198

- updated local area travel shortcuts handling and visuals - added audio to Tauris - fixed some dialogue issues - fixed some German localization - fixed some crashes - additional small bug fixes and framework additions

Wishlist Death Trash!

Make sure to wishlist the game and follow the game hub to get all the news: https://store.steampowered.com/app/941460/Death_Trash/ And please support Death Trash and tell other people about it.

[ 2021-07-31 12:38:53 CET ] [ Original post ]

Latest patch notes of the demo

0.6.197

- fixed some situations where a combat mouse cursor was shown when it should not - fixed an issue with enemies potentially getting stuck in some behavior state - fixed sort order of skills in character creation - fixed location cursor for controller input - fixed another issue with text position after dialogue - additional bug fixes and feature additions to the framework

Wishlist Death Trash!

Make sure to wishlist the game and follow the game hub to get all the news: https://store.steampowered.com/app/941460/Death_Trash/ And please support Death Trash and tell other people about it.

[ 2021-07-26 15:20:52 CET ] [ Original post ]

Latest patch notes of the demo

0.6.196

- added audio for implant abilities - updated combat mouse cursors to use system cursor instead of in-game sprite - allow hit stun on characters that are reloading a weapon - removed Artistry skill for now - fixed an issue with text box wrongly positioned on dialogue fade out - fixed an issue when closing fast travel selection with Tab button - fixed player spawning behind walls when an update changes level layout - fixed a few German localization issues - added confirm question to quickload option in pause menu - additional small bug fixes and improvements

Wishlist Death Trash!

Make sure to wishlist the game and follow the game hub to get all the news: https://store.steampowered.com/app/941460/Death_Trash/ And please support Death Trash and tell other people about it.

[ 2021-07-22 14:53:54 CET ] [ Original post ]

Latest patch notes of the demo

0.6.195

- added local travel waypoints to some areas - increased hit stun duration on enemies - fixed issues where hit stun would not get applied - updated tutorial area, especially regarding combat - added small attention quest for crafting knowledge - minor update to house and door visuals - added audio for blips - fixed a few issues with point and click walk commands - show weapon while reloading outside combat mode - fixed hitting scene objects like doors and flesh heaps when standing and shooting in front of them - minor collider fixes throughout levels - additional small bug fixes and improvements

Wishlist Death Trash!

Make sure to wishlist the game and follow the game hub to get all the news: https://store.steampowered.com/app/941460/Death_Trash/ And please support Death Trash and tell other people about it.

[ 2021-07-20 12:28:02 CET ] [ Original post ]

Latest patch notes of the demo

0.6.194

- allow throwing Fleshworms - fixed Fleshkraken potentially being reborn - updated minion spawns when attacking Fleshkraken - added user option for switching between two controller manager - Mac, Linux: use alternative controller manager as default - added user option for testing controller input - Linux: set default VSync setting to off - additional small bug fixes and improvements

Wishlist Death Trash!

Make sure to wishlist the game and follow the game hub to get all the news: https://store.steampowered.com/app/941460/Death_Trash/ And please support Death Trash and tell other people about it.

[ 2021-07-15 13:19:49 CET ] [ Original post ]

Latest patch notes of the demo

0.6.193

- added patch notes to demo version - fixed PS 5 controller starting out with wrong button images - updated focus color for empty container - make mouse walk commands on area map possible without user option - don't use Highlight All when area map is open - added experimental support for different controller manager through command line option force-unityinputsystem - additional small fixes and improvements

Wishlist Death Trash!

Make sure to wishlist the game and follow the game hub to get all the news: https://store.steampowered.com/app/941460/Death_Trash/ And please support Death Trash and tell other people about it.

[ 2021-07-12 15:23:21 CET ] [ Original post ]

Latest patch notes of the demo

0.6.191

- updated a few melee weapon animations - updated targeting with abilities - updated shock ability - allow queueing using ability while rolling - fixed a few issues with backstabbing - fixed issue with cancel dialgue tutorial overlapping dialogue - fixed a few UI issues - additional small fixes and improvements

0.6.192

- keep order of quests chronological - fixed grenade damage description - fixed some German localization - added "Test Controller Input" to debug console - added -force-controller command line option - added -force-mouse command line option - additional small fixes and improvements

Wishlist Death Trash!

Make sure to wishlist the game and follow the game hub to get all the news: https://store.steampowered.com/app/941460/Death_Trash/ And please support Death Trash and tell other people about it.

[ 2021-07-09 15:57:50 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey. We're focusing on the upcoming Early Access version now, but since the demo represents the start of that version we're also continuing to update the demo with the latest changes. Thanks so much for all your feedback so far.

Latest patch notes of the demo

Patch 2021-06-25

- allow melee attack cancelling by rolling - added Small Guns skill - improved controls and game feel when playing as [REDACTED] - fixed puke sometimes dropping on other side of character - fixed ability cooldown not getting saved - fixed a quest issue with Mortus - fixed readable item view not being affect by dynamic language changes - make keybinding in tutorials show text if no image of key found - fixed a random crash - fixed a few small memory leaks - added user option to hide tutorials - added camera tab to user options and (very WIP) hard-locked on character camera setting

Patch 2021-06-26

- added Quick Load entry to pause menu - added minus buttons to stats level up - fixed a memory leak - mini changes to area map - fixed Skill assignment issue from last patch

Patch 2021-06-28

- remember previously selected dialogue choice - fixed warning display for grenades - added cooldown for throwing items - fixed a random crash - fixed issue with end demo screen - additional small fixes and improvements From here on patches will be aligned again with the beta builds for the Early Access version and thus have specific version numbers.

0.6.189

- added user option for rolling towards mouse cursor - small updates to quest UI - fixed issues with kill zones and saving and loading - prevent assignment of mouse buttons to some user actions - fixed some quest issues in co-op - fixed stamina bar position in co-op - additional small fixes and improvements

0.6.190

- added fast travel speed toggle for world map - small visual update to world map - level design fix to tutorial hub, making exit door more obvious - updated melee attack durations for consecutive attacks - show quest tasks with newest tasks first - additional small fixes and improvements

Wishlist Death Trash!

Make sure to wishlist the game and follow the game hub to get all the news: https://store.steampowered.com/app/941460/Death_Trash/ And please support Death Trash and tell other people about it.

[ 2021-07-05 15:52:20 CET ] [ Original post ]

Happy to announce that the Demo on Steam is permanent now. Progress from current save games will not carry over (to prevent bugs), but after Early Access release you can start in the demo and then continue in the Early Access version. Please use the demo to check out the game.

Early Access Infos

This is all the info you need: August 5th -> Early Access here on Steam. One third of final game. Unfinished. Buy if: 1. You're happy with demo, want a few more hours of that. 2. You want to support us, including ongoing feedback. Otherwise, just wait for the final version that is coming in 2022 or whenever it's done. You can use the demo to check if it runs on your computer. The demo version will be updated alongside the Early Access version and will have the same technological base, minus the extra content.

Why we do Early Access...

We have a strong grasp on the world of Death Trash and its personality. Don't need additional ideas there. But gameplay needs a lot of feedback still. Genre is fixed, but game feel, usability, variety, progression etc. will improve a lot by this process. Consider supporting us through Early Access already, but decide on your own if you like playing unfinished games or not.

Latest patch notes of the demo

Patch 2021-06-25

- allow melee attack cancelling by rolling - added Small Guns skill - improved controls and game feel when playing as [REDACTED] - fixed puke sometimes dropping on other side of character - fixed ability cooldown not getting saved - fixed a quest issue with Mortus - fixed readable item view not being affect by dynamic language changes - make keybinding in tutorials show text if no image of key found - fixed a random crash - fixed a few small memory leaks - added user option to hide tutorials - added camera tab to user options and (very WIP) hard-locked on character camera setting

Patch 2021-06-26

- added Quick Load entry to pause menu - added minus buttons to stats level up - fixed a memory leak - mini changes to area map - fixed Skill assignment issue from last patch

Patch 2021-06-28

- remember previously selected dialogue choice - fixed warning display for grenades - added cooldown for throwing items - fixed a random crash - fixed issue with end demo screen - additional small fixes and improvements

Wishlist Death Trash!

In any case, make sure to wishlist the game and follow the game hub to get all the news: https://store.steampowered.com/app/941460/Death_Trash/ Please support Death Trash and tell other people about it.

[ 2021-06-28 16:13:35 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey. We continue to update the demo to fix a few technical issues which we would encounter on Early Access release anyway. If you played the demo in the early days and had some technical issues, maybe give it a try again and see if we got them fixed already.

Patch 2021-06-22

- fixed some crashes - fixed some mutant behind door problems - fixed a quest issue with Under The Microscope - fixed text description of plus resistance items - additional small improvements

Patch 2021-06-23

- fixed a few issues with co-op and dialogue - fixed fullscreen effect not getting applied when loading savegame - slight increase of backstabbing damage - additional backstabbing damage through stealth skill - Linux: set graphics API default to OpenGL again - additional fixes

Patch 2021-06-24

- made backstabbing more reliable - updated values of energy gun - fixed Oracle reflection being flipped - minor update of enemy ranged weapon line pointer - fixed UI issues in options menu - fixed issues in deconstruct UI - fixed a random crash - fixed some German localization

Technical issues

Here's some info about a few technical issues that happened to other players: https://steamcommunity.com/app/941460/discussions/0/3069747783690216097/ If you have a technical issue not mentioned there, please use the in-game F1 tool for sending it or create a Steam forum topic about it.

Wishlist Death Trash!

If you like what we're doing with Death Trash and want to support our small team, consider wishlisting and telling others about it. It helps a lot. https://store.steampowered.com/app/941460/Death_Trash/

[ 2021-06-24 15:59:55 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey. We've updated the demo over the last days. Thanks so much for all your feedback through the in-game F1 tool as well as through the Steam forum and social media. We're still overwhelmed by all the positive feedback. And we're of course also processing all the feedback bits that highlight where the game could be improved. Keep it coming!

Patch 2021-06-19

- fixed some crashes - fixed a few quest issues - updated Fleshkraken loot - reduced naked man health points - updated UI on world map - fixed some typos - additional small bug fixes

Patch 2021-06-20

- updated communication around using world map - fixed some crashes - fixed some German localization - show stamina bar as soon as not full - set lock cursor to app default to true

Patch 2021-06-21

- fixed Fleshworms complaining about getting pushed aside - fixed inventory popup broken through puking - fixed some crashes - made some corpses inactive after looting - fixed Fleshkraken loot action - fixed ability deselected when unequipping and immediately equipping implant again - udpated Shift key symbol

Technical issues

Here's some info about a few technical issues that happened to other players: https://steamcommunity.com/app/941460/discussions/0/3069747783690216097/ If you have a technical issue not mentioned there, please use the in-game F1 tool for sending it or create a Steam forum topic about it.

Wishlist Death Trash!

If you like what we're doing with Death Trash and want to support our small team, consider wishlisting and telling others about it. It helps a lot. https://store.steampowered.com/app/941460/Death_Trash/

[ 2021-06-21 17:30:48 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey. The feedback so far on the playable demo has been incredible. Thank you very much for spending some time with Death Trash and telling us about it. Since launching the demo we have been trying our best to fix the most pressing issues.

Patch 2021-06-17

- added German localization - fixed a few crashes - fixed "not available in demo" UI from implant merchant persisting - fixed a few typos - fixed exploit of hiding behind Fleshkraken to kill it

Patch 2021-06-18

- fixed some crashes - minor update to visuals of humanoid enemies - made invulnerability frames on roll more generous on normal and relaxed difficulty - fixed some typos - set default graphics API on Linux to Vulkan (fixes stealth visuals)

Feedback

We'll continue listening to your feedback and bug reports through the in-game tool (F1) and the forum. Of course we'll also be reading some comments about items, systems, balancing etc. that are not working out as good yet. It's very helpful to get feedback on that. At this point I would also like to remind you that the demo is really a fraction of the final game, and it's still in development. This is pre Early Access. Elements like wandering encounters on the world map, for example, mentioned a few times, will be in the Early Access version. They're just not there yet in the demo because we wanted it to be smaller and focused. The game will continue to grow and improve. Thank you for helping on this with your feedback.

Some Issues and solutions

Ranged combat when using a trackpad on a laptop - Switch the Mouse Combat Input Mode in the User Settings to anything else then Automatic. Can't play on Apple M1 MacBooks! - 1. Go to Applications folder, 2. Right click the app you want to force to use Rosetta, 3. Click Get Info, 4. In the general Category there's a tickbox "Open using Rosetta" (If the app is not in the Applications folder, it might be here: Application Support > Steam > steamapps > common > Death Trash Demo) open ~/Library/Application\ Support/Steam/steamapps/common/Death\ Trash\ Demo Additional technical issues - Controller bindings on Linux and Mac can be wrong - Sometimes you roll into places and can't walk out of there. You should be able to roll out there again. We're aware of the problem. - Malwarebytes might flag the application, but you can whitelist it: https://steamcommunity.com/app/941460/discussions/0/3069747601654183526/

Wishlist Death Trash!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/941460/Death_Trash/

[ 2021-06-18 16:07:15 CET ] [ Original post ]

Six years in the making, now's your first chance to play it.

The Death Trash Demo is here!

The demo is available right now. The demo features the start of the game and will be 1-2 hours long, depending on your progress. It will runs on Windows, Mac and Linux, it supports mouse / keyboard as well as controller, and it supports singleplayer as well as local co-op.

Recent announcement of the Early Access release data

[previewyoutube=D1oA9yUrnlY;full][/previewyoutube]

Wishlist Death Trash!

Make sure to wishlist the game and follow the game hub to get all the news: https://store.steampowered.com/app/941460/Death_Trash/ Please support Death Trash and tell other people about it.

[ 2021-06-16 14:15:02 CET ] [ Original post ]

For six years now we've been working diligently to bring the post-apocalyptic / flesh / sci-fi world of Death Trash to life, in all its glory.

Early Access Release

The game is still in development but we believe we have a great foundation in place: Gameplay that feels satisfying and is complex enough, a good amount of content, a solid framework and tools, many design problems figured out, platform features implemented, and a plan where we want to go with the game.
Now is the time to open it up to more people, getting feedback and testing. We always had a firm grasp on the personality of the game and its genre but we also listen to player feedback when it comes to usability and gameplay range. Join us on August 5th and take part in the journey of Death Trash and help us in making this game the best it can be!

Full announcement trailer

[previewyoutube=D1oA9yUrnlY;full][/previewyoutube]

Playable preview

To give you a taste of Death Trash there will be a playable preview from June 16th to June 22nd. The Early Access version will differ from the preview demo by having improved features and a lot more content. We'll write about the details closer to release. The final version of Death Trash is targeted for next year. Wishlist Death Trash now to get a notification when the Early Access starts: https://store.steampowered.com/app/941460/Death_Trash/ And thank you for all the support throughout those years. We appreciate that. - Stephan

[ 2021-06-13 22:50:24 CET ] [ Original post ]

Six years ago, on this exact day, Death Trash was born. This month, finally, you'll be able to play it for the first time at Steam Next Fest from June 16th to June 22nd. The demo will feature the start of the game and will be 1-2 hours long, depending on your progress. It will run on Windows, Mac and Linux, it will support mouse / keyboard as well as controller, and it will support singleplayer as well as local co-op. Short teaser: [previewyoutube=Ts2j6IGpU4M;full][previewyoutube=Ts2j6IGpU4M;leftthumb][/previewyoutube][/previewyoutube] Make sure to wishlist the game and follow the game hub to get all the news: https://store.steampowered.com/app/941460/Death_Trash/ Please support Death Trash and tell other people about it.

[ 2021-06-02 13:26:48 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, everyone! It has been almost three months since we invited the first wave of testers. The general feedback has been very positive, but there were a few elements which needed to be fixed or improved. So we've been diligently working on that: fixing problems, one by one, and raising the quality of our beloved game.
Massive wall of tasks in front of us

Development Progress

Here's a summary of the improvements we've accomplished over the last 2-3 months:

Combat

- improved input, especially for mouse and keyboard - improved game feel, added more effects - added more advanced melee weapon animations and adjusted all timings - added animations for ranged weapon attacks and reloading

Stealth

- made stealth better readable by adding border to visual cones and overlapping - updated line of sight handling - allowed other game actions while in stealth, like switching weapon and targeting - added free look functionality - fixed lots of situations where interactions would break stealth but should not - allowed pickpocketing of enemies, improved pickpocketing gameplay and UI - allowed backstabbing friendly NPCs

NPCs

- improved combat behaviors, e.g. using movement while reloading - improved handling of NPCs pursuing player, e.g. when to allow a player to leave the area - updated animations of all non-human characters - fixed lots of bugs in behaviors, including door situations

Content

- added lots of new audio - added equippable headwear for player characters - updated some area artworks - added a few more NPCs and items - small level design improvements everywhere

Render pipeline

- removed full-screen render texture, converting all non-standard sprite scene objects to individual pixelart grid solutions, to have smooth scrolling and sharp character presentation while maintaining the scene art consistency (took us weeks to convert, but it was absolutely worth it) - fixed even more pixelart related issues - added more shaders and stuff

Balancing

- made normal difficulty more accessible, hard difficulty more intense - improved variety and quantity of gaining experience points - adjusted attribute and skill points, added character level limitations - adjusted weapon gameplay values - adjusted item selling values - added optional challenges for the campaign run

Co-op

- improved camera handling, area switching and spawning situations - added inventory functionality to exchanging items between both players - lots of usability improvements, like having a shared quest items inventory, tutorial items granted to both players etc. - fixed lots of co-op specific bugs

Additional improvements

- added more "juice" to every interaction - implemented platform features like achievements - added more features for [unannounced] - improved world map - made it possible to save inside procedurally generated world map encounters - added autosaving on floor changes etc. - improved tutorials - fixed some performance issues - lots of UI and input improvements - added more user config options

Framework

- added modding of gameplay values - added modding of all text entries - added testbot which gives the game a testrun for every new version - improved error handling and error messaging to user
New player headwear, already looted by NPC

Looking ahead

As you can see, we've been very busy. Still no promises for the release date. But if we can channel the productive energy we had for the foundational work, usability and low level gameplay into improving the story, the quests and the more abstract elements of game play, then the Early Access version is bound to be in a very good state. We'll be inviting more testers in the coming weeks. If you haven't done so, you can apply through this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1fmr5-biTbCHMcSw3Amc0KSqvRAXgk9UboMsACfVCHOw If you have any questions or feedback, write us here, on the Steam forums, or on our Discord: https://discord.com/invite/deathtrash

Wishlist Death Trash!

And please wishlist Death Trash, follow the game, and tell other people about it. https://store.steampowered.com/app/941460/Death_Trash/ - Stephan

[ 2021-04-14 15:52:47 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, everyone! Hope you're doing well. Death Trash development slowed a bit down at the end of last year, but we're back to full development speed again.

Apply for testing

We're approaching the Death Trash Early Access release and need a few additional testers regarding a) feedback if the current version is good enough already and b) finding major bugs. If you would like to help us, fill out this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1fmr5-biTbCHMcSw3Amc0KSqvRAXgk9UboMsACfVCHOw (Be aware that we're not getting back to everyone, we pick a few entries according to our needs.)

Latest Internal Patch Notes

To continue being transparent about the development of Death Trash, attached here are the actual patch notes for our internal builds that happened since the last development update. These notes are not spoiler-heavy, but if you want to experience the game fresh, you might want to skip reading them. 0.6.102 - upgraded to Unity 2020.2 from 2019.4 - added and changed a few audio events - converted Block ability to implant, set keyboard preset to Shift - implemented Stealth skill, now influencing duration of being discovered while in enemy cone - fixed issues with quests 'Little Pests' and 'He Who Follows Blindly' - improved quest-line around New Delphi - fixed some UI navigation issues - minor iteration on mutant death animations - lots of small changes and fixes to enable more audio setups 0.6.101 - fixed content of some locked container - improved navigation UI: allow looping on vertical lists by first input down - improved navigation UI: allow continous input on tab lists - framework additions for future audio changes - additional gameplay and content fixes 0.6.100 - added and updated a few art assets - added Godhunter dungeon to world map (still WIP) - updated loot hint visuals - updated stealth discovery UI - fixed equip item tutorial - additional bug fixes and small improvements 0.6.99 - added new outdoor variant - updated Ruins of Orlon - updated Butcher's Den lower level - fixed lots of situational NPC behavior issues - fixed a few inventory bugs - fixed inventory controller navigation on non-uniform grids - added popup selection for named values in config screen - increase space around procedural generation exits - reduced intentional freeze frames in combat - lots of small content fixes and improvements 0.6.98 - fixed door at ranged combat tutorial - fixes issue with some focus outlines - fixed looping sounds being heard from afar - fixed some issues with throwing items via controller - additional minor fixes and changes 0.6.97 - updated Tauris - more work on new locations around New Delphi, still WIP - allow NakedMan to visit more places - placed minor damage ability at the entry of Festering Gorge - added craftable throwable item for distracting other characters - fixed player stealth state and discovery progress in cones not getting saved - updated UI marker for discovery progress - show level hub name on map display - updated machine merchant visuals - updated humanoid machine animations - fixed some random encounter characters not having any loot - fixed some issues with Flamethrower - fixed being able to spam barks on NPCs - fixed puke tutorial not updating on player eating puke - fixed being able to finish ranged weapon tutorial by using melee - lots of framework additions and changes regarding interactions, talker, talker color etc. - additional small content and NPC behavior fixes 0.6.96 - improved block ability - updated button config - added quest chain and new locations around New Delphi, still very WIP - small changes to Tauris - allow moving while having action selection / wheel open - allow right clicking on consumables in action selection for consuming without selecting - made ranged weapon tutorial more robust - updated roof fading shader - fixed Fleshworm getting added as companion - fixed player sprite flipping for one frame on some interactions - a few small UI improvements - updated code for checking which level entry to pick - disallow getting hit states on NPC when NPC is reloading - fixed world map entering with keyboard 'use' - fixed random encounter merchant sometimes being a green-skin - more bug fixes and small improvements

Wishlist Death Trash!

Please wishlist Death Trash, follow the game, and tell other people about it. https://store.steampowered.com/app/941460/Death_Trash/ For more frequent development updates you can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DeathTrash Stay safe and keep being friendly to other people. - Stephan

[ 2021-01-19 15:39:49 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello, everyone out there! This year is coming to an end, and we want to give you an update on Death Trash and where it's heading. The game won't be released this year, so onwards to 2021 it is! We're still figuring out an exact date.

Our situation

We're making great progress, but for every issue we solve, a handful new ones appear. Our work plan is to add more story content in December and work on stats, skills and some non-combat gameplay in January. And the game needs a good trailer. Not being able to showcase the game on events to get direct player feedback and discussions was a major bummer this year. But a few select people have been playtesting the game for us (and communicating through our Discord) and giving a lot of valuable feedback and ideas. We plan to increase that number in the upcoming weeks. Hopefully, all pieces will fall into place during the next few weeks so you're able to play the game soon!

About the Early Access version

Meanwhile, here's a summary of what to expect from the Early Access version and what to expect at a later point: What to expect from the first Early Access version: - 5+ hours of the handcrafted story campaign - medium replay value - all gameplay systems - more reliance on combat than non-combat - mouse / keyboard plus controller support - user config settings, rebindable keys - Windows, Linux and MacOS support - local co-op technically working - probably some bugs What to expect from the final release version: - 20+ hours handcrafted story campaign - increased replay value - improved non-combat gameplay - improved local co-op design What to expect from the post release version: - updates concerning bug fixes and improving user experience Feature ideas we're aware of and that might still happen: - some kind of modding support, including a level editor Feature ideas we're aware of but probably won't happen due to our budget limitations: - online co-op

Latest Internal Patch Notes

To continue being transparent about the development of Death Trash, attached here are the actual patch notes for our internal builds that happened since the last development update. These notes are not spoiler-heavy, but if you want to experience the game fresh, you might want to skip reading them. 0.6.95 - updated damage calculations - updated block ability - updated spawning abilities - Stealth is granted through an implant now - added Superior Fitness implant - added cheat code for endless focus energy - updated a few item descriptions - adjusted UI layout - removed experimental random world - disable NPC reloading affected by player damage - fixed DPad input down leaving dialogue mode - fixed NPCs looting more from player than they can carry - more bug fixes and small improvements 0.6.94 - updated a few active player abilities, added some, removed some - disabled focus regeneration, added focus charger to the world - Occultism will increase max focus energy - fixed vertical offset of visual melee effect too near to attacker - slight increase of vertical dampening for melee calculations - Fleshworms might eat puke lying around - updated Flesh Vermin, mostly fixed storming into obstacles - added pistol, bullet munition and rocket munition - destructibles can have damage resistances now, e.g. barrels not destroyed by mind damage - fixed some issues with NPCs and commands around doors - switched action wheel weapons and abilities button on controller - unequip items after resetting stats if item requirements no longer fulfilled - even more bug fixes and small improvements 0.6.93 - updated inventory and merchant UI - updated stat points per level - show energy cost on equipped ability - lots of small user experience improvements - fixed fresh damage number shown on top of older one - more bug fixes and UI improvements 0.6.92 - removed direct access to crafting, placed item for that in Festering Gorge - fixed bullets sometimes getting stopped in mid-air on rolling characters - make enemies react actively to player shooting ground next to them - fixed NPCs walking away and still targeting player - added soft lighting effect to shooting - fixed some splitscreen UI issues 0.6.91 - removed perks tree, placed merchant with implants at Tauris - updated UI: using icons for main tab buttons, removed perks window, grouped stats and skills window - changed lockpicking skill, added lockpick item - fixed broken MacOS version 0.6.90 - updated display for modified items - fixed selected ability not getting saved for controller - small UI improvements and bug fixes 0.6.89 - updated Old Trees (still WIP) and changed access to [REDACTED] - allow moving while minimap is open - increased resistance of NPCs against melee stun lock - fixed more issues with melee input - disabled holding mouse button down for continous melee attacks - fixed some player sprite and look direction issues when switching weapon types - added grenade throwing for player - some NPCs might throw grenades - updated screenshake setting to named values - improved quest message handling on multiple messages from same quest - Framework: added possibility for item modifications - Framework: added damage buffs - Framework: increased scene puzzle possibilities - more bug fixes and small improvements 0.6.88 - fixed a few issues with melee clicking - killed NPC at end of tutorial hub - fixed overflow items not getting cleared after placing them next to player - added UI flow for having multiple target equipment slots - small asset fixes 0.6.87 - updated UI, including reload prompt - action selection used with keyboard has click selection now - added a consumable that grants experience points - removed all experience points through combat - updated a few items - fixed poison ability transfering health to player 0.6.86 - exploding mutants damage everyone now - mines get triggered by NPCs too now - removed templates from standard character creation - fixed a few collider - fixed a few Player Character pixel errors - fixed a pathfinding issue - additional small improvements 0.6.85 - fixed action wheel conflict with inventory navigation - moved tutorial hub world exit towards east - added feedback button to pause menu - fixed a few ability descriptions 0.6.84 - positions of characters get saved now - updated Old Trees (still WIP) - added small location in front of the Perished One - fixed a few issues with Blind Man and that location - Enforcer can defend themselves now - fixed a few issues with uncovering minimap - updated how wandering encounters get placed away from player on reload - fixed issues with pathfinding serialization - increased UI size of settings - additional small changes and bug fixes 0.6.83 - fixed left mouse button icon - fixed some dialogue - fixed reload bar UI position in co-op - additional small bug fixes

Wishlist Death Trash!

Please wishlist Death Trash, follow the game, and tell other people about it. https://store.steampowered.com/app/941460/Death_Trash/ For more granular development updates you can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DeathTrash Stay safe and keep being friendly to other people. - Stephan

[ 2020-12-04 14:54:17 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello, friends and interested people! Time for another update on the Death Trash development. The last few weeks have been a bit rough, not as much actual-content-progress as we hoped. But the quality of the game is constantly improving, step by step.
Our situation looks like this: The game has a lot of personality, but it needs more main story content. The combat and controls feel kind of good already, but there's room for improvements. The local co-op mode is fun, but needs a lot of polishing and bug-fixing still. Player abilities and stats look promising, but they need more depth and actual usage in the current build. Even If it's set in stone that the Early Access version should have one third of the final content, with all main systems in place at least, the actual range of quality in what it could be released as is still up to debate, and gets reassessed over time. Therefore we hope you will continue having patience with us while we improve the current version and figure out a release date.

Gameplay footage

There's some Death Trash footage to be seen over here on the Youtube channel of SplattrCatGaming, about half an hour long right from the beginning of the game. [previewyoutube=5me-cs5P3bQ;full]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5me-cs5P3bQ[/previewyoutube] We'll be showing more gameplay soon ourselves on our own Youtube channel like we did in the past, and possibly also on other channels, but for now we wanted to give the game a bit exposure from an outside perspective while not spoiling too much. And to get back to the state of development: We're actually kind of happy with the first half hour of the current version, the later parts of the current version are the target of our quality concerns outlined above.

Latest Internal Patch Notes

To continue being transparent about the development of Death Trash, attached here are the actual patch notes for our internal builds that happened since the last development update. These notes are not spoiler-heavy, but if you want to experience the game fresh, you might want to skip reading them. 0.6.82 - added tutorial message for action selection / wheels - fixed drag and drop target displays - fixed screenshake at level borders showing visual artifacts - fixed not being able to click actions in house from outside - fixed anomaly sizes on world map 0.6.81 - updated world map - added NPC to end of tutorial hub - updated dialogue in Tauris - splitting [redacted] inventory tab into body and [redacted] - fixed ammo display not getting updated sometimes - fixed some issues with MindFuck - improved input binding window - removed some old input bindings - fixed mouse scene object selection in split screen - added leave dialogue tutorial message - "Gold" is "Squirms" now - more bug fixes and small improvements 0.6.80 - improved loading times - fixed some local co-op UI - restructured UI internally 0.6.79 - improved loading times - smoothed intro scrolling by decoupling sprites from pixelgrid - updated equipment UI and fixed a few selection issues - updated Flamethrower - added destruction sounds for barrels, bottles, metal door - now possible to use mouse wheel forward and backward in key bindings - fixed navigation use key hardcoded as E - fixed health item tutorial - more bug fixes and minor changes 0.6.78 - fixed a few issues with new equipment UI and selection - fixed scripting crash in Bunker 17 A - fixed character stopping movement when entering stealth during walk command - fixed some audio events 0.6.77 - updated equipment and ammo UI - added new action selection with middle mouse button - controller has three context action wheels now - rearranged some input bindings - improved NPC life in New Delphi - added more weapon sounds, adjusted a few other sounds - improved mouse / keyboard switch on world map - fixed a few other input bugs - allow deconstructing through inventory - titans become loot container after death - lots of bug fixing (and probably adding new ones) 0.6.76 - added comments and interaction to many world elements - fixed "Sell All" selling equipped items - updated the feedback tool - updated Aksa's lair - more small bugfixes & improvements 0.6.75 - allow continue crafting by holding input pressed - updated exits to world map - fixed no background audio in procedural encounters - minor bug fixes 0.6.74 - fixed backstabbing issues with controller - fixed a few small things in tutorial hub 0.6.73 - fixed selling all items also selling equipped items - fixed issues with drag and drop in loot scenarios - fixed Fleshworm vanishing when dropping it - fixed hitboxes of animal characters - added controller info and user settings to feedback data - minor asset fixes 0.6.72 - new mouse control scheme with active ranged targeting - improved switching between keyboard movement and point and click - increased melee weapon ranges - enabled automatic reloading - updated equipment UI - show stamina bar when empty by excessive rolling - added flamethrower audio - decreased Flesh Vermin sweep damage radius - additional bug fixes and improvements 0.6.71 - enemies might loot or mock player corpse - added some info to debug console and feedback form - changed opening and closing map and added user setting for it - fixed some quest descriptions - fixed Custer not moving to Puke Bar - more small bug fixes and improvements 0.6.70 - fixed a few issues on the world map - updated minimap UI - added user option for disabling automatic inventory sorting for mouse controls - small content fixes and user experience improvements 0.6.69 - updated UI for some actor effects - improved reabable item view - reduced fire duration - rolling on the ground helps against fire - fixed an issue in [REDACTED] worlds - fixed hitbox issues on small enemies - additional small fixes and improvements 0.6.68 - added memorizing text items and knowledge tab to Codex - using procedural generation for wandering encounters - fixed a few issues with procedural generation - updated exploding mutant - added loading screen and visual effect to [REDACTED] worlds - added possibility to have narrator / info text in dialogue - minor art updates - fixed world map audio - small bug fixes and content updates

Wishlist Death Trash!

Please wishlist Death Trash, follow the game, and tell other people about it. https://store.steampowered.com/app/941460/Death_Trash/ For more granular development updates you can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DeathTrash Stay safe and keep being friendly to other people. - Stephan

[ 2020-10-26 16:35:09 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello! There's no release date yet, but we wanted to update you about the great progress we're currently making.

Development Progress

During the last month we've added a couple of new locations and quests, lots of new art, new enemies, two boss fights, and a solid amount of gameplay and framework improvements. It feels like we're on a roll. It's not quite enough to confidently announce an exact release date yet, but the game is coming together nicely and feedback from testers is very positive.

What's left to do

Our task board is bursting with things to do, but looking at the Early Access release the priorities can be summarized as: - continuing the implementation of the main story - adding a few more quests - revamping the skill system - improving existing content - further improvements to the controls - creating a trailer And finding a date that doesn't overlap too much with other major releases in the genre. Here's hope that all of this will happen soon.
Puke Bar - Main Area (WIP)

Latest Patch Notes

To continue being transparent about the development of Death Trash, attached here are the actual patch notes since the last development update. They're not spoiler-heavy, but if you want to experience the game fresh, you might want to skip reading them. 0.6.67 - added new boss fight at a south-east location - small updates to very first area - updated Flesh Vermin with audio and some animation - fixed camera and pixelart resolution issues for menu, intro etc. - blocked "self" inventory category (will get story unlock soon) - updated skill checks to show percentages - more bug fixes and small content fixes 0.6.66 - fixed puke competition quest - fixed some melee effects having wrong vertical offset - added another (similar) player body variant and more hair colors - updated tracking of gameplay time in statistics - added some debug tools - lots of small fixes and improvements 0.6.65 - more fixes 0.6.64 - fixed a few content issues - improved UI for getting new items 0.6.63 - updated Puke Bar - updated mine level with art and more storytelling (WIP) - updated Butcher's Den (WIP) - added Aksa's Lair (empty content for now) - updated Fleshkraken temple entrance - added more art assets, including some furniture - improved procedural generated areas - fixed enemies getting checked for stats requirements on weapons - fixed a few camera bugs - updated workflow, new framework features, and more bug fixes 0.6.62 - added more quests - updated Puke Bar - fixed characters in procedurally generated areas not having weapons - updated fast mutant runner - Custer moves to Puke Bar now after quest - lots of framework additions and bug fixes 0.6.61 - updated boss in workshop - updated a few enemies - added exploding mutant - toned down flesh and blood explosions - updated procedurally generated areas - updated world map so location visuals fit to world map area - more bug fixes 0.6.60 - toned down duration of blood trails - fixed kinetic abilities - allow cancelling reloading by rolling - removed active reload for now - make NPCs path around Spikes usually - fixed melee attack getting queued too fast - fixed a few sprite and content issues 0.6.59 - added new location plus boss fight - added new location plus spiders - updated mutant runner enemy - added new art assets - updated a few existing locations - new iteration of world map area obfuscation - make ranged hits show damage visuals on hit location instead of actor center - updated equipment slot visuals - lots of small additions and bug fixes 0.6.58 - added New Delphi location alongside new art assets - updated Puke Bar front - updated ghost enemies - boosted Nano Health usage - fixed some UI issues with Nano Health - added features for actor effects; e.g. freezing happening in different stages - action text like *click* has standard color now - added possibility for NPCs to have resistances - updated spikes - lots of framework changes and bug fixes 0.6.57 - small content fixes

Wishlist Death Trash!

Please wishlist Death Trash, follow the Community Hub, and tell other people about it. https://store.steampowered.com/app/941460/Death_Trash/ Stay safe. Keep being humanistic. - Stephan

[ 2020-09-07 13:27:58 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey! Most important info first: We haven't decided on a release date yet. But we made a lot of progress in the last weeks and wanted to give you an update on the general state of things.
Puke Bar - Outdoor area (WIP)

Development Progress

A game like Death Trash with its genre-mix of action and classic role-playing needed a lot of systems to be programmed over the years. The biggest shift in the last weeks was moving from programming all these systems over to continously work with them on the gameplay and content. Finally using all those tools. There was also some content work in the previous years, of course, and there will be more systems programming in the future, but it feels like a major change in focus: The game itself is getting all the attention now. For the first time ever we also have another developer on board: Christian, a game designer / developer, joined the project a few weeks ago for an internship, has contributed a lot already and will continue to do so for a few weeks at least. We're iterating on gameplay, adding more enemy behaviours, adding new areas and updating the existing ones, improving input, stabilizing the framework and fixing bugs.

Latest Patch Notes

To be a bit more transparent about our progress, and because we know some people like reading them, we're showing you the latest patch notes from all game updates since the last blog entry here, which was about five weeks ago. They don't contain anything that I would consider a spoiler, but if you want to experience the game as fresh as possible, just skip reading them. And take everything as work in progress, of course. Patch notes might say we added some active reload feature, but it might also just get removed again next week. We're going through a lot of gameplay iterations still. 0.6.56 - added active reload - weapons can have different reload durations now - increased enemy & NPC view distances - updated standard enemy humanoid behaviors - added turrets - increased some weapon ranges - updated shotgun - added specific NPC text colors - updated Puke Bar, Mine level and Snowland level, all work in progress - updated some NPC behaviors in Tauris - updated merchant price calculation - updated controller button layout - fixed being able to level up attributes and skills beyond max value - fixed NPCs leaving a door open once it was opened once - fixed another pathfinding issue - updated visuals of water assets - adjusted timings of messages for quests, locations, level up - fixed player body sometimes getting randomized after reload - lots more framework improvements and small bug fixes 0.6.55 - improved savegame profile selection screen - fixed a few minor content problems 0.6.54 - updated start of the game - updated Puke Bar level and added [REDACTED] - added possibility to have [REDACTED] worlds - updated mine level (WIP) - added more color customization on character creation - updated fast melee mutant behavior - added a few water assets - add possibility to have merchant services, starting with doctor in Tauris - improved a few physical mass issues - fixed a few items and inventory related bugs - disallow focusing area exits while still fighting next to them - skip showing location name on quickload etc. - updated pathfinding and rooms logic - lots of framework additions and more bug fixes 0.6.53 - fixed double muzzle flash - added "Template" line to visual character creation 0.6.52 - improved rolling - updated melee visuals - updated character kill effects - added new player body variant - made barrel a physical object - nerfed backstabbing - decoupled muzzle flash from weapon sprite - refactored some loading and background calculations - refactored handling of static characters like Kraken - lots of framework improvements and small bug fixes 0.6.51 - updated UI for assignable points - fixed mouse commands for pickpocketing becoming backstabbing - updated world map enter UI - triggered tutorials get saved - removed visual trail on strong melee - fixed standard mouse cursor being visible for 1 frame on commands - removed vignette from player options - smaller character collider now also on first roll - more small bug fixes 0.6.50 - updated mouse controls - disabled automatic reload - updated a few player sprites - allow all possible head and body combinations for player now - small update to random encounters - added mouse cursor for container - updated framework, lots of small bug fixes 0.6.49 - added world map audio - improved camera on Fleshkraken - framework additions for future character customization - fixed hit receiver on disabled character not getting disabled - lots of small fixes and user experience improvements

Wishlist Death Trash!

Please wishlist Death Trash, follow the Community Hub, and tell other people about it. https://store.steampowered.com/app/941460/Death_Trash/ Stay safe. Keep being human. - Stephan

[ 2020-08-06 15:36:56 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi there! The technical groundwork is all done, but content-wise the game needs more of everything until it's ready for a good first impression. I'm truly sorry I misjudged the time needed for finishing the Early Access version of Death Trash and mentioned, prematurely, "Early 2020". This was a mistake. But I haven't been idle, and got a lot of work done in the last months.

Technical foundation

Most importantly, the game is running good on all target platforms (Windows, Mac and Linux) with all base features in place. (Also on Xbox One, Playstation 4 and Nintendo Switch, by the way.)

More changes and improvements

• world map got random encounters and other improvements
• improved mouse and keyboard controls; dynamic switching between combat controls and point and click; finally added some context specific mouse cursors
• character ability changes, e.g. every character can use stealth now
• added local co-op shared screen mode
• the game got a real audio personality
• vastly improved user experience through lots of small stuff in the UI, new font, more juice, input changes etc.
• added obfuscation to area overview maps
• expanded options menu, including rebindable keys, changing controller button prompts etc.

These all add up and the game feels much better than a few months ago.
I fixed most of the bugs staring at me! This does not mean the Early Access version will ship without any bugs, but the technical foundation for this game will be robust considering the genre and the budget and the Early Access label. The improvements mentioned above were made alongside the ongoing work on the content of the game.

Current Focus

Which brings us to my final point: The current version needs more story sequences, more areas, more characters, more quests, more items, and so on. This is my focus now, and I don't want to give it a date yet, but your first contact with Death Trash should happen soon. And after more than five years of development I'm looking forward to that more than I have anticipated anything else in my life. - Stephan PS: If you haven't wishlisted the game, please do: https://store.steampowered.com/app/941460/Death_Trash/

[ 2020-07-02 17:03:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

These are the design goals I came up with at the beginning of the project and they're still active, just updated along the way for more clarity.

1. Imagination

Let the player be part of creating this fictional world. Give him/her food for his/her imagination. Show things and explain some of them, but only hint at many other things. Art, narrative, dialogue, descriptions and audio should all be part of this.

2. Freedom

Let the player keep his/her freedom. Most important in the controls: Don't take them away unless absolutely needed. Make key moments in the story interactable / walkable. No cutscenes. The game should work with multiple control schemes and screen situations. Go to great lengths to give the player comfort options like pausing anywhere and changing of controls anytime.

3. Choices

Give the player things to do. Prepare a world, a setting, and then let him/her loose on that. Present different possibilities for handling problems. Let the world react on player actions. This does not mean total lack of hints: Show the player what he/she can do.

4. Contrast

With all of the above in mind, make sure the game has characters, moments and art that stand out from the rest. Give contrast to this world by funneling attention and highlighting. The noise should be backdrop, not center.
Thank you for following the progress of the game and for all your support! If you haven't already, make sure to wishlist the game: http://store.steampowered.com/app/941460/Death_Trash/ - Stephan (@talecrafter)

[ 2019-10-25 13:35:19 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi. Im Stephan (@talecrafter), the solo developer of Death Trash, and I want to explain to you the decision process that lead to Death Trash being self-published and entering Steam Early Access. First I want to mention that I'll speak from my personal perspective, but there are indeed also other people helping on the game, like James Dean, who's creating the audio parts for the game. Nonetheless, for explaining the decision process it makes a lot of sense to speak as the one mainly working on the game day by day.

Origin

Let's begin with some personal history, because this is ultimately responsible for why I am here now, talking to you. I was interested in games right from the beginning, already programming text adventures in school. But for years of my life I worked in another job that had no future and left me with a lot of frustration. So one day I left my job, took my savings, moved to Berlin and began working on computer games. It was the most exciting thing I ever did in my life. For getting a job in game development I figured I needed a portfolio, but since I didn't even know what to specialize in, I learned design and art in addition to my programming and began making a lot of smaller games on my own. Eventually even one game a week for a dozen weeks. One evening I made a pixelart image which was supposed to be some fanart for the upcoming Fallout game, and I jokingly tweeted "I'm gonna make my own now".
(That original tweet is still over here.) The following days I began making more isometric and rough pixelart images as I liked the style so much. They felt coherent, featuring a dark post-apocalyptic world with flesh monsters and humans with punk attitude. A broad setting that could equally contain philosophical thoughts, horror, and humor. I knew I had the foundation of a game that would interest me more than anything else and I wanted to continue working on it fulltime.

Development

What came next were years of development, learning something new at every step, not even knowing how many steps were still to come. And making mistakes of course, since everything was new and needed iterations. Two steps forward, one step backwards, repeat.

• How does pathfinding work?
• How do you sort images in this weird perspective so they get drawn in the correct order?
• Someone writes an article about the game. Whoop!
• Someone writes a comment about the game. Oh my gosh.
• How do you make a grenade fly in this weird perspective?
• Someone writes an e-mail about the game, asking if we could also add pissing on people. Oh my.
• How do you make the game fit for mouse/keyboard and controller?
• Why isn't there any solution for getting the pixelart animations into Unity?
• and so on...

When I began working on Death Trash I thought I had enough experience now to tackle a big project. That I had all the necessary pieces in place. Turns out though, I vastly underestimated the effort required.

Self-publishing

Throughout all these years there was the looming question of how to handle the future of this project. There were enough tasks left to do that accepting some kind of partnership was appealing. Work with a publisher? Do a Kickstarter? Find an angel investor? Partner up with another developer? For the most part I did not decide on anything and continued working on the game. I applied for a local government funding handled by the "Medienboard", got that (will have to pay back if successful) and this together with my own savings and family support helped me get to this moment: Having a promising game, but still a lot of work left to do. In the last months I came back to a feeling I had at the beginning of the project: I want to build something from the ground up, stay independent, work at my own pace, create an experience thats worth to be remembered, be open through its development and listen to feedback so it becomes the best it can be. I am interested in the process of things. That's why I code my own framework, paint scene after scene, talk to people on the internet about it, get nervous when the game is showcased, figure out how the Steam backend works, learn about marketing, figure out how to use a console dev kit etc. In short: I want to experience every part of making a game. Once I've done that, I'm ready to grow more, delegate more, partner up more. Self-publishing was what I had in mind since starting out. It just took me quite a while to realize, that, despite all opportunities, my motivation for making this game never changed.

Early Access

Over the years the game got some attention and a few people were telling me about their expectations. And, to be honest, that can be a bit intimidating. Because, while I share the enthusiasm about the game, I also get reminded daily that this is still my first large game and there isn't much budget to hire people that compensate my inexperience. This is how it is: I think I have some good ideas, I think the world of Death Trash feels fresh and has a lot of opportunities. Nonetheless, the game still needs a lot of testing and feedback. Since we don't have the funds for a professional QA department now, my hope is that you, the players, the people interested in this game, might help make this the best game possible. And it will be a bonus if this will also help pay rent until the game is finished and to pay for additional work on the game, but, to be honest, I didn't spent more than four years of my life on Death Trash already just to get stopped by financial shortcomings. Your feedback and support is why we're using Steam Early Access.

The Future

We'll be talking more about the game itself and the Early Access roadmap in the coming months. For now please wishlist the game here, follow it to see our upcoming articles, tell others about it and talk to us on the Steam Forums, on Twitter, Facebook or Discord. Have a nice week! Stephan

[ 2019-10-07 16:11:19 CET ] [ Original post ]