Hey everyone, lead developer Cave here! As we are inching ever closer on the release of Spread: Transmissions' Open Beta, I'd like to address the current state of the game in regards of the compatibility with the Steam Deck. I personally believe that the Steam Deck is a perfect fit for the casual nature of the game and while I do not own a Steam Deck myself, I have made an effort the last couple of days to try improving compatibility, so players can enjoy Spread: Transmission any time, wherever they want!
If you happen to try the game on a Steam Deck, feel free to reach out either on Steam or Discord with any feedback or experiences, your help is greatly appreciated!
In the following paragraphs I want to cover the most important aspects of the Steam Deck experience to provide an overview of what to expect in the upcoming Open Beta event.
Screen & Readability
Originally, the game's UI was designed for 16:9 screens. Support for 16:10 screens, which is the aspect ratio the Steam Deck uses, was added and thoroughly tested. Additionally, support for various other screen sizes were added, but may still experience some issues. The text throughout the game should be readable.
Controls
Full controller support using Steam Input was added to the game and tested with a DualShock 4 controller. Some additional configuration might be required to setup controls on the Steam Deck. Furthermore, the game features experimental touch support, however touch support works very different from device to device and might not function properly on the Steam Deck at the moment.
Performance
Generally, the Steam Deck meets the recommended hardware requirements to run Spread: Transmission, but from my understanding it operates a bit differently from usual computers, which means the Steam Deck may struggle under specific circumstances that otherwise would be fine on a regular computer. A series of potential bottlenecks have been addressed alongside other performance heavy operations to potentially improve the performance on the Steam Deck.
Your feedback is key to improving the game for the Steam Deck, so again, if there is anything you'd like to share about the state of the game on the Steam Deck - both good and bad - don't hesitate to reach out on Steam or Discord.
Thanks a lot, hope to see you during the Open Beta! ːluvː
