Play The Time Machine!
It has a new trailer! Also check out Jacob Geller's new video featuring it!
I am writing this deliriously tired. Putting that aside... THIS IS UPDATE 1.7 - REPRIMANDS AND ROLLER COASTERS. Your favourite 3 year old arthouse virtual reality adventure game but not really a game but it is a game... Its a game - has an update!
The Utility Room Roller Coaster
Whats that? Rollercoaster? Really? The VR trope? the 2016 BBC Breakfast CNN News novelty segment. Yes, thats rooight, and you'll hate it, unless you live in VR you'll be sick. But the idea is good right? It fits The Utility Room - a good idea but the reality makes you feel sick and scared.
The Real Update: A Revised Ending
Thats enough public indecency from me. I'm not even sure that last sentence made any sense. The REAL update is the ending has been completely revised. We all know it didn't feel quite right. Well I thought so. It was good but it was too much of a tonal diversion. The skeleton was there but the implementation was lacking. Some of you might miss some of the old stuff but that’s the way the cookie crumbles.
Why?
First and foremost... NOTHING GETS PAST ME. I have spent 3 years thinking about this ending, why it never felt quite right and I now I think I've cracked it. Binman is now terrifying. He is pathetic. But he is manipulative, patriarchal (in his own way) and terrifying. He was too silly. I was too sympathetic. I let my personal feelings towards him muddy him. In the original ending he's a bit high and mighty. Look upon me and despair sort of thing. Behold me and weep and all that. His sense of humour was too human as well. Now its indiscernible. He is alien. Also he used to chase you? (I say used to, that only changed today) I mean come on - the cosmic caretaker of the Universe isn't going to sink to that level. Now he tortures you. He patronises you and squeezes you. He knows you have no point of entry. No ground to stand on. No familiarity. He has dominion. The Devouring Father. He hollows you out. Learned helplessness. But he is ugly for it. Warped. I mean he's straight up ugly. I didn't have to change much to make him terrifying. He looks ridiculous still. But he's nastier. His eyes cut you like lasers. His skin undulates. His form shifts.
Other Goodies!
But that’s not all. The whole game has had a new lick of paint. Ready and waiting for the Steam Frame (never coming, DOH!). No bother though, I like that only 2% of the people who like my games can purchase and play them (Jesus Christ please release the new headset). Anyway.
Here is a list of all the major updates and changes.
The ending 'The Reprimand' has been completely revised including additional content.
Physical grasping hands added.
Tonemapper removed and replaced with a light grade. The whole game has better dynamic range.
Seated/Standing height offset option
Right/Left hand toggle.
Updated to Unreal Engine 5.7
Better graphics settings in the pause menu. Settings save properly.
Resolution slider added.
Complete and total overhaul of The Sculpture Park
The Exhibition has been updated with major changes to several rooms.
The Key at the door has some funky new physics.
Optimised a ton of stuff - you might have noticed I've shaved 4 GB off the game.
and...
A Rollercoaster has been added to the Sculpture Park.
Rollercoaster Achievement added.
Plus tons of things I forgot because I don't write anything down.
Grab the strange object on your left in The Exhibition if you would like to go to the Sculpture Park.
Below are all the other changes per chapter
Changes to the Exhibition
Lighting is improved.
Protoforms area is dark, no longer has domed area.
Minor reshuffle of areas.
Glitchy man added to the Energy coil room.
Text removed at the beginning.
Dynamic shadows added everywhere.
The Door
Binman lines removed from the opening text.
Shadows improved on the first platform.
Key now has physics and can be knocked around, always returning home upon being dropped unless over the cone.
Mirror resolution doubled.
The Cave
Removed some smaller rocks.
The View
Removed some smaller rocks.
The Ravine
No changes.
The Cathedral
Music trigger fixed. Will no longer fail if the player moves through too fast.
Added a pillar after the first slide. The whole journey can now be played without teleport (if you really want to).
The Computer
No changes.
The Maze
No changes.
The Graveyard
Added bloom.
The Run
Fixed bug where the Watcher sound played immediately and then restarted.
The Field/Bowl
No changes
The Boulder
The player starts further forwards.
Removed some smaller rocks
Made the rolling rocks heavier.
The Causeway
No changes.
The Overpass
The player starts further forwards.
The Adjudicator
No changes.
The Forest
Removed some navmesh behind playable areas.
The Canyon
Improved shadows in the first room.
The Mouth
No changes
The Pendulum
Adjusted the smaller rock formations.
Increased the brightness.
Increased the height that the Watchers float at.
The Bottom
Reduced the fog.
The Meeting
Added a giant megastructure behind Binman.
The Reprimand
Major update and overhaul mentioned above.