HellSign Out of Early Access
Greetings hunters, It’s been a wild ride, 1 year kickstarter (that failed but didn't stop HellSign), 2 years to prepare for early access, then 2.5 years of early access. And now the game is ready to get out of the early access stage! We’d like to give a massive shoutout to all th
Greetings hunters,
It’s been a wild ride, 1 year kickstarter (that failed but didn't stop HellSign), 2 years to prepare for early access, then 2.5 years of early access. And now the game is ready to get out of the early access stage!
We’d like to give a massive shoutout to all the early access supporters!
Here’s a summary of what was added during the early access:
Happy hunting!
Ballistic
Original post
Happy hunting!
Ballistic
Improvements
• Geiger counter, new mid-range gadget which replaces emf #2
• Spirit box, new end-game gadget which replaces blacklight #3
Fixes
• Fixed store to show critical items (e.g. ear protection) past a certain level
• Fixed store was missing the hazmat boots
• Fixed store was not refreshing when restarting & switching saves
Thanks for the quick bug reports, and have fun with the new gadgets!
Happy hunting,
Ballistic
New Guns
• Calico Light-SMG, new early game smg
• C-7 Crossbow, new deadly single shot weapon
• K39 Hunting Rifle, new mid-range lever-action rifle
• K5 Battle Rifle, new semi-auto rifle
• Vitor Bullpop, new midrange burst fire gun
• BFS 2KX Combat Shottie, new magazine shotgun
• Straya Typewriter V-SMG, new ultrafast smg
• Parka Sniper Rifle, new sniper rifle
• Tactical Carbine MI4 AR, new crit assault rifle
• Viscera Carbine, new semi-auto sniper rifle
• MG24 Light-Machinegun, new machinegun
• AOD-A12 Auto-Shotgun, new automatic shotgun
• M2 Anti-Materiel Rifle, new 1-shot/1-kill rifle
• S9 Silenced Pistol, new crit oriented pistol
• Steer Burst-Pistole P18, converted to a burst pistol
• Speargun, new deadly single shot weapon
• Grease Machine-Pistol, new secondary automatic pistol
• Lebrux 1857 Quickshooter, new quickshot revolver
• Auto Crossbow, new automatic auto crossbow
• 19's Marksman Pistole, new crit oriented pistol
• Ozzy '76 Sniper Revolver, new sniper revolver
• Straya Juggernaut Shorty, new secondary shotgun
• Bayonet Revolver, new counter damage gun
• Micro SP-3, new secondary shotgun
• Shark Tooth Heavy-Revolver, new heavy revolver
• Some older guns changed, others completely replaced by new ones
Improvements
• Hardcore mode - lose all job rewards on death & +50% damage received
• Store items now randomize, refreshes after doing jobs and such
• Store gradually unlock better equipment as player gains levels
• Nightvisions now give slight evasion bonus
• Infrared now gives slight critical bonus
• Ear protection now gives accuracy bonus
• Lowered gasmask accuracy debuff to -15%
• Skills adjusted to accommodate new guns
• Changed noah deal to give random gun for $1,000
• Merged ammo to light/heavy ammunition for sanity & ux
Fixes
• Fixed issue with deployed tripwire blocking bullets
• Fixed issue with boss health bar not updating if health bar setting was disabled
Thanks for the support, and hope you enjoy tearing cryptids a new one!
Until next time,
Ballistic
Improvements
• Night-vision Gen1, now also improves visibility of specific enemies
• Night-vision Gen2, new headgear that gives clearer visibility than Gen1
• Gasmask, new headgear that gives psychosis resistance & bit of armor
• Headlamps x2, new headgears that give improved visibility
• Infrared Goggles, new headgear showing heat signature for certain enemies
• Riot Helmet, new headgear that gives extra protection
• Ear protection headgear now gives stability bonus
• Tools can now be placed in van, and swapped mid-job
• Specialized bullets now deal double damage against specific cryptids
• Bullets can now be placed in misc slots, and changed when not in combat
• Alternative animations when using headlamp/nightvision/infrared
• Shadowbeasts/shadow now require infrared instead of night-vision
• Increased parabolic disruption resistance to 4
• Reduced cryptid analyze battery usage
• Blacklight can now analyze bone piles for cryptids as well
• Parabolic can now analyze corpses for cryptids as well
• Updated cryptid journal entries to mention bullet weaknesses
• Special ammo impact fx
• Various classes have been given headgear, and specialized bullets
• Combat tutorial adjusted to allow changing to incendiary bullets for albinos
• Adjusted bullets to accommodate for specialized bullets usage
• Adjusted prices of all headgear to accommodate new items
• Adjusted sell price to 50%
• Removed the visual cone from parabolic for better immersion & optimization
Fixes
• Fixed issue when picking up map hints without having it equipped
• Fixed thermal condensation mode not working properly in early jobs
• Translation fixes for some missing keys
Thanks for the feedback, and looking forward to hear what you think of this update!
Ballistic
Improvements
• Scouting1 & sweeping support for new forest level
• Prevented cryptid analyzing if they're already dead
• Optimized vram usage when using thermal gadget
• Improved thermal & parabolic descriptions to mention the mechanics
• Increased parabolic range by 20%
• Replaced journal upside down text with proper hieroglyphics
• Parabolic gadget now supports original dead people sounds
• Added few missing string to locale file
• Added footstep splashes to kelpie oil & bloodpool
• Forest water property, messes with temperature readings and blacklight trails
• Improved parabolic visuals
• Toned down emf sounds (were too loud)
• Reduced parabolic & blacklight battery consumption
• Rebalanced xp needed for level 17, and increase level cap to 20
• Slightly faded the noscan striped red boundary area
Fixes
• Fixed issue with stutters every 3-5s
• Fixed thermal recharge electricity fx visibility issues
• Fixed rare issue with older saves not loading, due to outdated ingredients in slots
• Fixed being able to shoot jumping enemies before they appear
• Fixed redundant key message on locked doors in tutorials
• Fixed cigars & boots artifact blueprints using invalid sign types
Thanks to everyone who provided feedback about the gadgets, as a reworked system it was always expected to have some kinks.
We are very fortunate to have such a patient fanbase providing meticulous feedback, together we’ll make HellSign the best investigation RPG it can be!
Enjoy the forest iteration, and happy hunting!
Ballistic
Cryptid Analysis
The blacklight & parabolic can now be used to investigate corpses & spirit orbs respectively.
This gives different options, such as revealing the cryptid identity or gaining an anatomical damage bonus.
Watch out however, as this costs a significant amount of battery, which is required for gadget operation.
Interdimensional Tendrils & Spirit Orbs
The new update comes with two new dynamic properties
(1) Interdimensional tendrils from the poltergeist dimension.
(2) Spirit orbs, a passive creature that carries the fragmented spirit of the deceased.
Each of these have different effects on the varied gadgets. For example the interference caused by the tendrils radiation is required to operate the parabolic when searching for EVPs, but on the other hand heavily disrupts the EMF.
Extras
To sweeten the deal, there’s a magnitude of new improvements across the board, such as giving access to top-tier gun skills (e.g. carbine), “interaction key” for more intuitive interaction, pistol/revolver reload animation fixes, and much more!
Improvements
• Added Spirit Orbs - a passive creature that reacts differently to certain gadgets
• Added Interdimensional Tendrils - creates interference affecting gadgets differently
• Reworked EMF gadget (basic scanner susceptible to electric interference)
• Reworked Blacklight gadget (battery, can analyze corpses, etc..)
• Reworked Parabolic gadget (battery, interference only, can analyze spirit orbs, etc..)
• Reworked Thermal gadget (huge battery drain, multipurpose, rechargeable)
• Interacting (doors, etc) is now via simple proximity "use key" (default E)
• Improved level loading times
• Carbine/combatshotgun/heavy handgun skills are now unlockable
• Added support to sprint with gadgets, which unequips them immediately
• Allowed opening doors with gadgets equipped
• Removed redundant precision mode toggle
• Reworked tutorial 1 to accommodate improved gadget mechanics
• Reworked tutorial 2 to accommodate new analyze mechanics and be clearer
• Cleaned pistol reload anim
• Cleaned revolver reload anim
• Changed gadget interference to range reduction
• Marked invalid scan areas (at level bounds) red, for clarity
• Better gadgets now significantly increase range (in same signal disruption)
• Added sounds & delay when equipping gadgets
• 1-2 extra signs under the hood to counter long search times for last sign
• Reduced costs of top tier guns (incl shotgun attachment)
• Increased top tier shotgun attachment damage
• Very small hits no longer interrupt stim anymore (e.g. spiderlings)
Fixes
• Fixed breaching issues, by switching to use kick instead
• Fixed special bullets sometimes not working on bosses with lemat equipped
• Fixed bug not allowing attachment on smgs without having shotgun attachment skill
• Fixed keybinding and dodging issue
Thanks for the support & feedback, we are super excited to hear what you guys think about this update!
Time to grab a cold one here, already getting pumped for what’s to come!
Stay safe, stay sane & happy hunting!
Ballistic
After relentless prototyping, and under-the-counter medicine, we’ve made some great progress!
Previous roadmap recap
In the previous roadmap we set out to prototype integration of the gadgets to work in exterior levels.
This is an extension of the plan mentioned earlier this year, to improve the investigation side of things.
We’re happy to announce the prototyping was a huge success, and in the upcoming update you’ll see various improvements as outlined below!
Gadgets
As planned, we have reworked and improved gadgets to be more about choice. Players are now free to choose the best tool based on situation, environment and personal preferences.
Gadgets will now have pros/cons, many will be multi-functional, some use battery, and some can even analyze forensics to reveal cryptid locations & gain anatomical advantages.
For example the blacklight works unhindered in interference areas, but drains battery, it can also be used to analyze corpses for the cause of death (revealing cryptid location, anatomical advantages, etc), but is affected negatively from spirit orbs (see below).
Spirit Orbs
We’re introducing a new passive creature, which will roam the level, and interact with various gadgets differently.
For example, as they’re spirits of the deceased, they can be analyzed via the parabolic for EVP to get more information on the cryptid that killed them. On the other hand, if you use a blacklight near them, they will latch onto it, disrupting and draining its battery >:)
Interdimensional Tendrils
Levels will have randomly scattered Lovecraftian tendrils from the beyond.
They create electrical interference around them, which disrupts certain gadgets, but enhances others.
QoL stuff
Based on popular demands, we’ve made precision aim to be default, cleaned revolver/pistol reload animations.
Doors/interactables will be handled via a new proximity based “Use Key”, which is more intuitive and easier to use.
Also solved the common issue of jammed locks not working half the time, by utilizing the above method, ensuring smoother gameplay.
Talk is cheap, time to get back to the update :)
We appreciate the support and can’t wait to hear what you guys think about it!
Happy hunting!
-Ballistic
Next up
We’ll resume trying to integrate the forest, which has numerous technical challenges due to how cryptids/gadgets/bosses/etc are intertwined with interior environments. But we’ll know more as we continue prototyping it ;)
Just wanted to thank everyone for being so patient with us, we are working around the clock doing our best, and will keep you updated as usual!
Stay safe, stay sane & happy hunting!
Ballistic
After countless sleepless nights, and dodgy rituals, it’s a pleasure to say we've made some great progress on the prototype!
Previous roadmap recap
In the previous roadmap we finished planning various ways to improve the content pipeline.
As we are now halfway through on the test prototype stage, we wanted to take a breather and give you guys an update!
Forest Level
The biggest milestone for the prototype is the ability to create levels faster, and it was a huge success!
In order to achieve this, various aspects of the investigation had to be improved, for example instead of a trillion objects all over the level (which you get stuck on, bug out, etc) the sign locations will be independent from the environment, and the way you collect them will be up to you.
Also thanks to these changes, we managed to drastically reduce level loading times!
Without further ado, for your viewing pleasure, we’ve included a teaser of the forest level, enjoy!
https://youtu.be/MUmtR9NF2k8
Next up
With the levels out of the way, we’ll be focusing on the various aspects mentioned in the last roadmap - e.g. new investigation improvements (more gadgets & ways to collect signs), UX, more engaging ghast, bosses, etc...
Aight, time to get back to prototyping, as we can’t wait to get it into your hands and hear what you think!
Thanks for the continued support, we’ll keep you updated!
Happy hunting!
-Ballistic
After much planning, a quick recharge of the batteries, and lots of coffee and booze, we’re done with the planning stage!
Previous roadmap recap
In the previous roadmap we set out to figure ways to clean out various elements in the game that were bogging down development and slowing the production of new content (levels, etc).
After countless hours of planning, meetings, mindmaps, testing and medicinal stims, we’ve reached some fruitful conclusions about things that can be improved, which we will tackle in the upcoming prototype stage.
Levels
There are numerous things in the way the levels are constructed which drastically slows the creation of new levels.
For example the specific indoor layout, having to interact with furniture while investigating, specific cryptids that have to spawn from specific places and many more that can all be improved upon.
So for starters we want to address the above and finally test the waters on a brand new level.
Investigation
Even though the current investigation is fun at first, it gets repetitive very fast, and limited us from giving you more gadgets which is the whole point of this game :P
There are many other gripes, for example there’s little choice as you have to use X gadget to pick up X clue, but instead it would be much more fun to give the player a choice which gadget they want to use for the specific circumstance & preferences.
In the upcoming prototype we’ll test various ways to improve upon those points, allowing you to be the paranormal investigator you all came here to be ;)
Combat
Aside from the points mentioned above, everyone knows how many issues the combat has, not to mention it mostly relies on grinding rather than investigation.
However HellSign’s vision was always for the player to be a badass investigator that uses their knowledge to crush the enemies, things like specialized bullets have been one of the top requested features from the community.
And thanks to the planning there are many fresh ideas on the table to make it a reality, which we can’t wait to prototype!!
Ghast
Many of these technical elements also limited what we could do with the ghast, which ended up being pretty superficial.
In a game about ghosts (doh), it was always strange that the main threat ended up being the cryptids and not the supernatural ;)
So another thing we’ll be exploring, is making a more exciting ghast/s, with more varied attacks & behaviours.
Bosses
The way the bosses are currently laid out, forces you to play a 20-30min level just to learn their attack patterns, not to mention you’ll likely get a different boss each time :P
This leads to a grindy experience, so we’ll be prototyping ways to fix this issue without harming the random investigation element.
That’s enough words for now, time to get down and dirty and start on the prototype!
Although this will keep us busy from releasing patches for the current game, we’ll be keeping you updated on the progress as usual.
Thanks for your support, and we can’t wait to hear what you think of it all!
Happy hunting!
-Ballistic