Hey guys! Krayfishkarl here and welcome to another Droplet: States of Matter update! Early Access 1.51 is now available! This update adds support for Steam achievements and Steam Deck playability.
As you play through the main game, you will start obtaining achievements depending on certain milestones. This could be anything from visiting new areas for the first time to completing specific challenges. Some of them are hidden, since I intend for them to be discovered accidentally as you play the game. While you'll be able to earn achievements on an existing save file prior to this update, it is still recommended to start from the beginning for the best experience.
Additionally, cloud saving is now available. Your progress will transfer between devices if you have the setting enabled in your Steam profile. Whatever you have configured in the options menu, however, will remain local to your machine. This way, you can change your settings as needed should your devices differ in graphical capability.
I have also made some backend changes to better support playing on the Steam Deck. Not only have there been UI and resolution changes, but tailored button prompts should now automatically display upon starting the game on a Steam Deck. I've also overhauled the game's default settings and controller bindings, so I would take another look at the options menu for the newly available control schemes. You can expect a separate announcement when the game has been officially verified as Steam Deck compatible.
In other news, I've added several small touchups to character interactions. NPC's and other creatures now have the ability to blink, and some will turn to look at you as you pass by them. This is to help make the game feel a bit more alive and expressive.
Now that all planned major features are implemented, I am expecting for the game's 1.0 release to come out within the next few months. Keep a look out for an official release date announcement and a new trailer. In the meantime, while I continue adding further refinements and polish, you can wishlist the game on its store page. Or, if you have already played it, consider leaving a review of your experience. Either one of these actions will be greatly appreciated.
That's all for now, and with that, thank for you following the development of Droplet: States of Matter.
Patch Notes
Gameplay
Steam achievements added. You can obtain them on existing save files prior to this update, but it is recommended to start a new game for the best experience.
Support for cloud saving added. Your save files will now transfer between devices but your configuration settings will remain local.
Remapped the controls for game controllers and Steam Deck. (Dev note: Due to a large number of backend changes, it is highly recommended to reset your options to their defaults on any device you previously launched the game on.)
Graphics
Various characters and creatures now blink their eyes.
Added some subtle eye movements during cutscenes.
Updated model for Krayfishkarl.
Updated model for Kasa-obake.
Subtle changes to a few other character models.
Adjustments to a few player animations.
Adjusted the animation frame in which the cutscene skip event is called.
Removed a few background objects in the title screen to improve performance.
Fixed various minor graphical issues.
Audio
Sound effect added for resetting the camera.
Fixes bug where the momentum break sound was playing on the title screen.
Fixed some audio bugs in a few cutscenes.
Fixed a few issues with the wrong sounds playing in menus.
Text
Reworded the help menu text describing the game’s control scheme to be more platform neutral. Rerecorded the accompanying voiceover.
Added a few more descriptions for various menu options.
Fixed some missing dialogue in the final boss.
Menus
Optimizations made for play on Steam Deck. HUD has been realigned and the UI now displays buttons for Steam Deck controls.
Certain settings in the options menu are now exclusive to PC and will no longer appear on Steam Deck.
PC Version: Added support for windowed and windowed fullscreen modes
PC Version: Added support to change the game’s resolution.
Toned down motion blur.
Mapping Configuration option now supports different controller bindings.
Changed several default options menu settings.