This update fixes controller problems that were due to conflicts between the Steam UI and possible game controller overlay. We have also enabled game pad controls even if the game window is not active. Change details: - Updated to the latest Steamworks SDK (1.42) - Game is not pa
This update fixes controller problems that were due to conflicts between the Steam UI and possible game controller overlay. We have also enabled game pad controls even if the game window is not active.
Change details:
- Updated to the latest Steamworks SDK (1.42)
- Game is not paused (automatically) when changing to another window. Audio is paused, if game is being run in full screen.
- Game controller detection now happens after the game launch screens.
- Better support for situation where several game controllers are being connected / disconnected.
- Bug fix for: "Ambient sound is not restored after window focus is regained"
- Bug fix for: "Not possible to resume game after 'Game paused' using game pad".
This update fixes controller problems that were due to conflicts between the Steam UI and possible game controller overlay. We have also enabled game pad controls even if the game window is not active. Change details: - Updated to the latest Steamworks SDK (1.42) - Game is not pa
This update fixes controller problems that were due to conflicts between the Steam UI and possible game controller overlay. We have also enabled game pad controls even if the game window is not active.
Change details:
- Updated to the latest Steamworks SDK (1.42)
- Game is not paused (automatically) when changing to another window. Audio is paused, if game is being run in full screen.
- Game controller detection now happens after the game launch screens.
- Better support for situation where several game controllers are being connected / disconnected.
- Bug fix for: "Ambient sound is not restored after window focus is regained"
- Bug fix for: "Not possible to resume game after 'Game paused' using game pad".
Hi! Many people are having trouble with controller support. This is typically due to the Steam UI conflicting with the game controller overlay. We are working on a fix to resolve this issue. In the meanwhile, if your game controller does not seem to be working, try any of the fol
Hi!
Many people are having trouble with controller support. This is typically due to the Steam UI conflicting with the game controller overlay. We are working on a fix to resolve this issue. In the meanwhile, if your game controller does not seem to be working, try any of the following steps (A, B or C):
A. Turn off "Guide Button Focuses Steam" from your Steam settings. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Details: (1) Click "Steam" menu from top left corner of the Steam app. (2) Select "Settings". (3) Select ”Controller”. (4) Select ”General Controller Settings”. (5) Untick ”Guide Button Focuses Steam”.
or
B. Start the game from the File Explorer (instead of the Steam app). --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Details: (1) From the Steam app, select “Library” >> “Games” and then choose “Oceanhorn…” from the list on the left. (2) Select Oceanhorn “Properties” with the right mouse button. (3) Select “Local Files” tab. (4) Select “Browse Local Files…”. (5) Double-click “Oceanhorn.exe”.
or
C. Disable the Steam overlay. ------------------------------------------- Details: (1) Click "Steam" menu from top left corner of the Steam app. (2) Select "Settings". (3) Select ”In-Game”. (3) Untick ”Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game”.
Hi! Many people are having trouble with controller support. This is typically due to the Steam UI conflicting with the game controller overlay. We are working on a fix to resolve this issue. In the meanwhile, if your game controller does not seem to be working, try any of the fol
Hi!
Many people are having trouble with controller support. This is typically due to the Steam UI conflicting with the game controller overlay. We are working on a fix to resolve this issue. In the meanwhile, if your game controller does not seem to be working, try any of the following steps (A, B or C):
A. Turn off "Guide Button Focuses Steam" from your Steam settings. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Details: (1) Click "Steam" menu from top left corner of the Steam app. (2) Select "Settings". (3) Select ”Controller”. (4) Select ”General Controller Settings”. (5) Untick ”Guide Button Focuses Steam”.
or
B. Start the game from the File Explorer (instead of the Steam app). --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Details: (1) From the Steam app, select “Library” >> “Games” and then choose “Oceanhorn…” from the list on the left. (2) Select Oceanhorn “Properties” with the right mouse button. (3) Select “Local Files” tab. (4) Select “Browse Local Files…”. (5) Double-click “Oceanhorn.exe”.
or
C. Disable the Steam overlay. ------------------------------------------- Details: (1) Click "Steam" menu from top left corner of the Steam app. (2) Select "Settings". (3) Select ”In-Game”. (3) Untick ”Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game”.
Thank you for your continuing support and happy New Year 2018! Changes - Turkish language support - Integrated the latest Steamworks SDK - Shadow improvements Fixes - Bug fix for: “OSX High Sierra crash” - Bug fix for: “Strange sound when using the shield against wooden boxes” -
Thank you for your continuing support and happy New Year 2018!
Changes
- Turkish language support - Integrated the latest Steamworks SDK - Shadow improvements
Fixes
- Bug fix for: “OSX High Sierra crash” - Bug fix for: “Strange sound when using the shield against wooden boxes” - Bug fix for: “Invisible bomb in shallow ocean water” - Bug fix for: “Hero puts away sword while spell is active” - Bug fix for: “Gap beneath the front door of Rigger's home on Withered Lands” - Bug fix for: “Lost key issue in Sky Island library” - Bug fix for: “Weird sound with skill attack in dungeons” - Various other small fixes
Thank you for your continuing support and happy New Year 2018! Changes - Turkish language support - Integrated the latest Steamworks SDK - Shadow improvements Fixes - Bug fix for: “OSX High Sierra crash” - Bug fix for: “Strange sound when using the shield against wooden boxes” -
Thank you for your continuing support and happy New Year 2018!
Changes
- Turkish language support - Integrated the latest Steamworks SDK - Shadow improvements
Fixes
- Bug fix for: “OSX High Sierra crash” - Bug fix for: “Strange sound when using the shield against wooden boxes” - Bug fix for: “Invisible bomb in shallow ocean water” - Bug fix for: “Hero puts away sword while spell is active” - Bug fix for: “Gap beneath the front door of Rigger's home on Withered Lands” - Bug fix for: “Lost key issue in Sky Island library” - Bug fix for: “Weird sound with skill attack in dungeons” - Various other small fixes
In just seven months, Nintendo has sold more than 7.5 million Switch consoles , half what the Wii U sold in its entire lifetime. It's been flying off the shelves and so have Nintendo's big games. But, then, they almost always do. More surprising is how much success smaller indie
In just seven months, Nintendo has sold more than 7.5 million Switch consoles, half what the Wii U sold in its entire lifetime. It's been flying off the shelves and so have Nintendo's big games. But, then, they almost always do. More surprising is how much success smaller indie games are finding on the Switch.
With heavy hitting indies like Super Meat Boy Forever and Rocket League still to come, we got in touch with some of these teams to find out what they think about the success of indie games on the Switch, and what it could mean for the future of indie games on PC.
A hungry audience
Many developers attribute some of the Switch's success to the console still being in a honeymoon period. Mauro Fanelli, CEO of the team behind Forma.8, Mixed Bag, said that's expected from most new platforms. The Switch is still undercrowded, and people are still excited to play games on it.
"First the platform is very young and the player base is hungry for new content, and that’s true for each new game platform that launches on the market. Then the eShop is currently extremely democratic, with no special spots to highlight new games: basically, each new game launching on the platform get the same amount of exposure, and that’s great."
Death Squared publisher SMG Studios pointed out that the limited number of games means new ones aren’t as easily lost. Ultimately, "it's that purity of the console right now that helps," said SMG's founder Ashley Ringrose.
Mixed Bag's lush Metroidvania forma.8
Is the option for portability a big part of a game’s success on Switch? Maybe—but more than once Sony’s Vita was cited as a cautionary tale. Omar Cornut of Wonder Boy developer Lizardcube, who also worked on the Vita exclusive Tearaway, explains "the Vita had that for a while, it was the indie's handheld for a long while. But Sony didn’t support it with enough unique first-party titles so it felt too much like a secondary console and lost some traction."
Despite this reason for wariness, indie developers are still fairly confident in Nintendo's ability to provide for its own console and secure other big-budget developers, which will help drive support and in turn more indie sales.
Jeremy Dunham, vice president of publishing for Rocket League developer Psyonix, said "More than anything, it's Nintendo's active decision to support and promote the indie scene that's exciting the fans and teams involved."
Lizardcube's remake of classic platformer Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap
It's very easy to develop on the Switch
Tommy Refenes, Team Meat
Admiration for Nintendo is what drew many studios to work with the Switch in the first place. Philipp Döschl, co-founded and executive producer of Oceanhorn’s publisher FDG, for example, said they decided to work with Nintendo because of their regard for both the Switch and the company behind it.
"We love Switch!" he said. "It's the perfect gaming platform to date. You can play anywhere and anytime, either on TV or on the go. That being said, we've always been a bit of Nintendo fanboys and it was a childhood dream to make games for a Nintendo platform."
Hard platformers like Super Meat Boy are an obvious fit for a Nintendo console
Team Meat’s Tommy Refenes agreed that the intrigue of new hardware drove his decision to port to the Switch. He also gave some insight into the simplicity of the process. "It's very easy to develop on the Switch, and I say this not working with any middleware. I ported the game which is my own custom engine to the Switch in three days… one day was for reading documentation," he explained.
Lizardcube, on the other hand, were simply taking their game everywhere they could, with Cornut saying, "as game developers it’s our job to port to as many platforms as we can, provided it makes sense in term of performance and controls."
And while the difference in specs and hardware were a potential boundary for Rocket League to come to Switch, the success of other indies on the console has positioned Psyonix to be excited for the release. "The fact that they're buying other indie experiences leads us to believe that they'll want to buy ours too."
Rocket League is another PC mainstay finding a home on the Switch
Looking ahead
When asked whether they'd consider developing exclusively for Switch, the answer changed depending on the size of the studio. Many of the smaller devs thought exclusivity deals with compensation from Nintendo would be out of reach, and without that kind of deal, exclusivity would only make sense if a game was built around the Switch's unique features.
PC gamers already have it pretty good.
Ashley Ringrose, SMG
"Developing an exclusive game has its own advantages: you can fully focus on the platform and on its peculiar strengths. The Switch offers some unique capabilities we would like to fully exploit: the Joy-Cons sure are lovely piece of technology!" said Forma.8 developer Fanelli.
Dunham agreed there's potential there, but generally it doesn’t fit in with Psyonix's ideals. "I wouldn't say it's impossible, but given our approach to community-friendly design and development, I don't think it's likely. We want our games to be available to as many players as possible and limiting a title to only one platform runs counter to that approach."
SMG's co-op puzzler Death Squared
While exclusivity could be a great way for smaller studios to get help from a larger company, the level of compensation better-known studios like Team Meat would need to make money in a deal like this would probably be too high for a game that isn’t a system-seller, according to Refenes.
"Super Meat Boy is a known franchise, but it's not known like a Call of Duty, Mario or a Minecraft, but it's a game that's extremely popular with a multi-million user fan base. Therefore, it falls into a grey area when it comes to what a platform holder is willing to provide. I think a lot of indies get preferential marketing treatment in exchange for exclusivity which doesn't put any money in their pockets initially but instead gets them guaranteed exposure which in turn gives them money via sales. For a first-timer or a lesser known franchise, this can be a pretty great deal. That wouldn't be a great deal for Super Meat Boy Forever."
We also asked if there was a fear of alienating PC gamers by turning to Switch exclusively. Most doubted that would be an issue, especially if it was a case of requiring the Switch’s hardware. Others cited the plethora of games already available on PC as a reason not to worry. "No, PC gamers already have it pretty good," said SMG's Ringrose.
Published by FDG, Oceanhorn fills the gap left by The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
In the case of Lizardcube’s game, Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap released late on PC due to technical issues but Cornut doesn’t believe that was a reason for lower sales than on Switch. "Eventually what happened is that we sold much less on PC than on consoles, but honestly it isn't very surprising. We’re still happy we developed for PC and we’ll probably release our next game for PC."
To me, Steam is completely broken and I almost stopped buying games there
Philipp D schl, FDG
He went on to explain that for Lizardcube, developing for PC was actually more difficult than console due to their custom engine. "Curiously, if you are using a custom engine and you are a small developer, developing for PC has become really difficult. It became easier to target PS4 or Switch than PC. That’s because the software, hardware, and drivers ecosystem are a minefield. Engines like Unity are taking care of lots of that minefield for you, but if you are running your own code, shipping even the simplest 2D game is really tough and stressing."
SMG think that the Switch might be able to overtake PC as a home for indies given the current success of the platform. "It has that potential right now," said Ringrose. "Not for all types of games but it's only six months old so it'll be an interesting holiday period as the Switch continues to grow. On PC there's just too many games and they are all so cheap. So many people have a backlog of games they don't play. I've been playing more games thanks to the Switch as it lets me play while hiding from the wife and kids!"
"It’s a very tough question," agreed Fanelli, adding "PC is currently overcrowded and has huge discoverability problems, but it still is and it will continue to be the biggest platform out there. I think we’ll continue to see amazing success stories for PC-only indies. But if you’re an indie developer you just have to be on Switch right now: it’s the hottest platform around for indie developers."
Approached for comment the makers of Golf Story said, "It's pretty much only Switch at the moment. We haven't thought about any others at this point."
Others think PC is fine, so long as it evolves. FDG's Philipp Döschl sees Steam as the chink in PC’s nigh-impenetrable armor. "To me, Steam is completely broken and I almost stopped buying games there," he said. "From pricing (massively sale driven) to discoverability (harder and harder to find games), Steam has so many problems right now that have to be fixed in order to make it an attractive platform again for players and devs alike. And if Valve will not fix these problems, somebody else may come around and take over leadership. Now's the time for Amazon, Microsoft, GOG or maybe others to rise up."
For the most part, everyone agreed that while the Switch may be a fantastic new indie machine, PC is likely safe as the main home for indies in the future with its huge player base and ability to upgrade as time moves on. The unsurprising consensus from an industry standpoint was to develop for as many systems as possible and, if making a game exclusively for Switch, make it one that uses the unique features to get the full benefit of the system.
"The best advice I'd give to any indie developer is to build your game in a way that lets you put it on as many platforms as possible without needing major port work," Dunham said.
Rather than competing, it seems likely the two systems can complement each other with the boom on Switch allowing for more indie development on all platforms. Games that do come exclusively to Switch are most likely to be designed for Nintendo’s controllers, and those that don't will probably release on PC after a delay rather than leave such a large audience and so many potential sales on the table. It seems likely the success of indie games on Switch will be a good thing for the future of indie games everywhere.
Maintenance Update 2017 Versions 3.4.51.419 (Win) and 3.4.51.433 (OSX) - Upgraded to the latest Steamworks SDK version (1.39) - Various improvements and fixes Details: - Shadow improvements. - Game completion percentage rounding error fixed. - Sometimes money achievements were no
Maintenance Update 2017 Versions 3.4.51.419 (Win) and 3.4.51.433 (OSX)
- Upgraded to the latest Steamworks SDK version (1.39) - Various improvements and fixes
Details: - Shadow improvements. - Game completion percentage rounding error fixed. - Sometimes money achievements were not gained with the exact amount of money in bag. This is now fixed. - Random crash and save game loss after being killed by a botfish fixed. - Random illogical flying curve of projectiles in dungeons fixed. - If you play with a gamepad, you can select Sky Island from World Map before unlocking the island. - It is possible to get "inside" the Sky Island after watching the "Emblem of Sun" cinematics. - It is possible to walk pass level portal in Great Forest. - Hero slides uncontrollable if he dies frozen and has "last chance" equipped. - Misplaced camera when Hermit talks to the hero after completing the well quest. - Moving cubes removes nearby decoration objects. - Performing a spinning attack without energy causes the player to be stuck for a moment. - Blow fish characters cannot be killed with sword after being frozen. - Tikarel, after completing Sky Island: Book vanishes when touched by a bomb. - Bomb Island, mines, door in front of boss door: You don't get into the next room when swimming far most left/right through door. - Tikarel: Stuck behind Neetie's garden.
Maintenance Update 2017 Versions 3.4.51.419 (Win) and 3.4.51.433 (OSX) - Upgraded to the latest Steamworks SDK version (1.39) - Various improvements and fixes Details: - Shadow improvements. - Game completion percentage rounding error fixed. - Sometimes money achievements were no
Maintenance Update 2017 Versions 3.4.51.419 (Win) and 3.4.51.433 (OSX)
- Upgraded to the latest Steamworks SDK version (1.39) - Various improvements and fixes
Details: - Shadow improvements. - Game completion percentage rounding error fixed. - Sometimes money achievements were not gained with the exact amount of money in bag. This is now fixed. - Random crash and save game loss after being killed by a botfish fixed. - Random illogical flying curve of projectiles in dungeons fixed. - If you play with a gamepad, you can select Sky Island from World Map before unlocking the island. - It is possible to get "inside" the Sky Island after watching the "Emblem of Sun" cinematics. - It is possible to walk pass level portal in Great Forest. - Hero slides uncontrollable if he dies frozen and has "last chance" equipped. - Misplaced camera when Hermit talks to the hero after completing the well quest. - Moving cubes removes nearby decoration objects. - Performing a spinning attack without energy causes the player to be stuck for a moment. - Blow fish characters cannot be killed with sword after being frozen. - Tikarel, after completing Sky Island: Book vanishes when touched by a bomb. - Bomb Island, mines, door in front of boss door: You don't get into the next room when swimming far most left/right through door. - Tikarel: Stuck behind Neetie's garden.
Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas Mac OSX version is now available on Steam. The latest update also adds support for Steam Controller and Steam Link. See the full release notes here:
Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas Mac OSX version is now available on Steam. The latest update also adds support for Steam Controller and Steam Link. See the full release notes here: http://steamcommunity.com/app/339200/discussions/0/351659704039216704/
Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas Mac OSX version is now available on Steam. The latest update also adds support for Steam Controller and Steam Link. See the full release notes here:
Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas Mac OSX version is now available on Steam. The latest update also adds support for Steam Controller and Steam Link. See the full release notes here: http://steamcommunity.com/app/339200/discussions/0/351659704039216704/
A new performance update has been released. See this thread for a change list and more information:
A new performance update has been released. See this thread for a change list and more information: http://steamcommunity.com/app/339200/discussions/0/451851477885639808/
A new performance update has been released. See this thread for a change list and more information:
A new performance update has been released. See this thread for a change list and more information: http://steamcommunity.com/app/339200/discussions/0/451851477885639808/
Today's Deal: Save 60% on Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas !* Look for the deals each day on the front page of Steam. Or follow us on twitter or Facebook for instant notifications wherever you are! *Offer ends Saturday at 10AM Pacific Time
Today's Deal: Save 60% on Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas!*
Look for the deals each day on the front page of Steam. Or follow us on twitter or Facebook for instant notifications wherever you are!
Thank you for playing Oceanhorn! And thank you for being patient while we prepared this update. We have now fixed the graphics corruption bug that appeared with the latest Nvidia drivers and added a whole lot of performance optimizations, improvements, and bug fixes. This update
Thank you for playing Oceanhorn! And thank you for being patient while we prepared this update. We have now fixed the graphics corruption bug that appeared with the latest Nvidia drivers and added a whole lot of performance optimizations, improvements, and bug fixes. This update should make the game run faster for everybody, and also look a lot nicer for those of you who play the game in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Russian.
For more details, see the release notes here: http://steamcommunity.com/app/339200/discussions/0/517142892052028252/
Thank you for playing Oceanhorn! And thank you for being patient while we prepared this update. We have now fixed the graphics corruption bug that appeared with the latest Nvidia drivers and added a whole lot of performance optimizations, improvements, and bug fixes. This update
Thank you for playing Oceanhorn! And thank you for being patient while we prepared this update. We have now fixed the graphics corruption bug that appeared with the latest Nvidia drivers and added a whole lot of performance optimizations, improvements, and bug fixes. This update should make the game run faster for everybody, and also look a lot nicer for those of you who play the game in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Russian.
For more details, see the release notes here: http://steamcommunity.com/app/339200/discussions/0/517142892052028252/
Today's Deal: Save 50% on Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas !* Look for the deals each day on the front page of Steam. Or follow us on twitter or Facebook for instant notifications wherever you are! *Offer ends Sunday at 10AM Pacific Time
Today's Deal: Save 50% on Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas!*
Look for the deals each day on the front page of Steam. Or follow us on twitter or Facebook for instant notifications wherever you are!
Thank you Oceanhorn players for your continuing support! We have another round of bug fixes and polish coming to your way. We came up with a final solution for corrupt game saves! If you were in the minority who had problems before, you should now have a stable and well running b
Thank you Oceanhorn players for your continuing support! We have another round of bug fixes and polish coming to your way. We came up with a final solution for corrupt game saves! If you were in the minority who had problems before, you should now have a stable and well running build in your hands!
More information and full release notes: http://steamcommunity.com/app/339200/discussions/0/611702631211738214/
Thank you Oceanhorn players for your continuing support! We have another round of bug fixes and polish coming to your way. We came up with a final solution for corrupt game saves! If you were in the minority who had problems before, you should now have a stable and well running b
Thank you Oceanhorn players for your continuing support! We have another round of bug fixes and polish coming to your way. We came up with a final solution for corrupt game saves! If you were in the minority who had problems before, you should now have a stable and well running build in your hands!
More information and full release notes: http://steamcommunity.com/app/339200/discussions/0/611702631211738214/
We are happy to announce that we are releasing a major performance update today, which will boost the performance on all of your PC's! See release notes for more details:
We are happy to announce that we are releasing a major performance update today, which will boost the performance on all of your PC's!
See release notes for more details: http://steamcommunity.com/app/339200/discussions/0/611701999523082685/
