Keepsake County is imminently approaching release later this year (details soon). In accordance with this momentous occasion, we're updating the Demo for the first time in a while, adding and taking out some maps for players to test, as well as bringing all the lovely quality of life changes to the current demo!
Additionally, the demo should now support Mac and Linux (which ergo means Steam Deck). Please let us know if there are any issues running these versions of the game especially.
Demo Level Content Notes vs Open Beta:
Updated current level roster to Tutorial, The Babysitter, The Trucker, The Architect, Ozarks 1, and our newest map, Mystery Mesa.
This update rotates Hook Mansion, Apricot Estates, Guess Who's Invited (Halloween Ozarks), Badlands 1, and Snow 1 exclusively to the open beta. Check our Discord for how to join the open beta.
NPC Additions/Changes:
Outdoor Guard Dog Added: This hostile, enormous dog is faster to notice you than the Bloodhound.
2 Yippy Indoor Dogs Added: Both of these dogs have a chance of spawning inside the houses, as well as on porches. Keep your eyes and ears peeled!
New Tool: Dog Treats: Pick up Dog Treats throughout various houses to feed to Dogs in order to distract and calm them.
2 new Melee NPCs: These women replace some of our previous NPCs across maps, and will thwack you with spatulas and rolling pins! Don't let them get close!
New NPCs on Mystery Mesa: You'll just have to play this heist to find out :)
Architect's Wife: Previously only appearing in photos, the Architect's Wife is roaming around The Architect, with her own set of unique animations and voicelines as well. Keep clear!
New Trucker Voicelines: Our burly, surly trucker now has appropriate lines to match his gruff, limping appearance. Give The Trucker another play!
Redesigned Shotgun NPC: We've never been terribly satisfied with the demeanor and appearance of our aggressive Shotgun NPC, and we've gone back and given him a new visage to match his slightly unhinged behaviour.
Talking to NPCs: A few locations (you'll have to find them) have NPCs that can be spoken to, and objects that can be examined for dialogue from the player character. Any NPC tied up by the player can now be spoken to. More to come on this front as the game is finished...
Stars on NPCs that get stunned: NPCs that get hit by the Car, have furniture thrown at them, or otherwise find themselves stunned now reflect that with stars circling their heads - which should make it much clearer when you can make your escape.
AI Navigation is improved: Previously, certain NPCs could get trapped on upper and lower floors unable to access the phoneline or chase the player. You'll now find that they're much better at navigating houses (though this does increase loading times a bit - sorry!)
Ties are instantaneous: Tying up NPCs no longer requires a lengthy process - simply tap any NPC with your ties and they'll be tied up. Make sure they're alone!
Phone lines can now be cut with the Wirecutter tool: Beware, this will trigger a 1 minute silent alarm! Enough time to escape with your goods, but not much more. Still better than the cops arriving in seconds.
Levels:
Players no longer start a run with all levels unlocked for random play. Instead, regions have to be unlocked through Toll Passes, which will give you new maps! We'll detail this more below
For a quick refresher on the new regions we've added that are available in this demo:
Ozarks Region
Rivers/Waterfalls the player has to wade or drive through
Mountains mean the player can jump or drive to the hospital! Take care!
Caves allow the player to sneak through alternate pathways that NPCs can't use. Hmm!
Badlands Region
Barbed Wire/Cacti: Used to jumping over fences and hiding in bushes? The Badlands aren't your friend, and neither are these! Don't hurt yourself!
Cliffs again mean that the player can jump or drive to their way to jail. Yes, there's a special post-round screen for this.
Sand piles will slow down both you and the Car, so navigate with care.
Little foliage means you aren't going to be hiding much of anywhere!
Higher difficulty houses that utilize vents, higher security porches and windows, and so on make your life as a thief harder!
Additionally, we've made some updates to other "levels":
Jail
Arrest now brings you here (and you still lose all your perks and Toll Pass progress)!
You'll need to escape to start a new run. You'll figure it out.
Dad offers tips!
Updated our walkthrough-style tutorial!
Houses:
Houses have gotten updates to add new variance and difficulty to each level!
Curtains, Blinds, and Shutters now appear on all windows, and in some doorways. These block vision, and can be interacted with by both NPCs and the player. Hide in showers by closing the curtains behind you, peak through the blinds, or open/close shutters on windows!
Ladders can now be used indoors - yes, we are aware this is a bit glitchy. We're in beta for a reason!
High security entrances have been added to houses:
Fenced yards that must be clambered (3 variants)
Heavy doors that take longer to lockpick open
Barred windows that cannot be entered/exited through
Cacti outside windows that will injure players leaping into them
Greenhouses that give NPCs wide vision of the exterior of the house
Screen doors/porches block you in, but the doors are very easy to lockpick open. NPCs can see through the screens!
Lastly, pies can appear on the odd window sill. Happy eating.
Indoor vents: We've gone through and extensively added variants to rooms that will allow vents to spawn in certain higher difficulty houses! In the demo, you can find these vents on Mystery Mesa. The goal is to make players feel a bit safer roaming around indoors, rather than spending most of a heist just stealing garbage off the porch.
Vents between rooms will allow players to roam between rooms, or even navigate across rooms unseen.
Grates between floors will allow players to quickly traverse up and down through a house, even allowing them to hastily escape dead ends or use crawlspaces as a point of entry!
Progression, Quality of Life, & UI
We've refactored our existing UI! Nearly all menus have gotten a fresh coat of thematic paint. There's little details hidden in all of them :)
We've added a new progression system! Starting a new run takes you to town.
Unlock Diner and Pawn perks after a run by stealing more loot during a heist!
Diner items are temporary, access for $100 of loot
Pawn items are permanent for a run, access for $300 of loot (for now)
Unlock new biomes by making money over a run
Toll passes show which regions you have access to on the map
Show on your car windshield too!
Players get snazzy map popups when they unlock a new region!
Both of these reset to zero when you go to jail - so don't go to jail!
For now, you can skip engaging with unlocking levels by simply using Level Select. This is temporary and will be removed upon release!
We've added a new player portrait that shows when you're crouching or hurt. Yes, that's you!
Leaning is now fixed: You can no longer lean through walls, and you're no longer able to freeze mid-air by leaning. Leaning properly adjusts to if you're crouching, properly tilts your head in the direction you're leaning, and handles looking downward or upward correctly.
Added a rearview mirror to the Car: We are aware this covers up some flavorful tutorial text. You can also block your rearview mirror by stealing enough junk!
You can now officially punch/flip the Car with "G" on keyboard, which will pull out a Car Jack to push the car and reset its orientation. No more runs ended because you got stuck in a ditch!
Conclusion, and a question for YOU!
Grab the demo now! You can play on Windows, Mac, or Linux (and Steam Deck). Let us know if you encounter any issues through our Discord. We'll have a snazzy new video highlighting all these changes, announcing release news, and teasing what features are coming next, real soon!
Finally, let us know in the comments or on Discord: What do you wish you could steal?