Version 1.1.0 is now available!
Version 1.1.0 primarily brings Streamer Mode, along with a number of bug fixes. To those who have been excited to stream the game but wanted to wait for this update, thank you for your patience!
In addition to Streamer Mode, this update will also hide save file information from players. Early on in development, we thought we'd be doing more with the player-editable save files, but this never ended up being the case. Currently, it seems it only causes confusion and has caused some to softlock or screw up the game's sequencing by tampering with it excessively.
We apologize for the confusing playthroughs some may have experienced as a result of the old system, and hopefully for those that did experience these sequencing bugs, playing through version 1.1.0 will result in the game's narrative making more sense.
Edit: For those who have old save data from Version 1.0.0: here is how to reimport your save data into Version 1.1.0:
- Close the game, if it is open, then navigate to the game's file directory (same place where you solve most puzzles, accessible by right-clicking the game in your Steam Library and selecting "Manage > Browse local files")
- Copy the old save file, which should still be in the game's local files as save.txt
- Navigate to C:\Users\(Your PC's username)\AppData\LocalLow\Kipps in a Box\Free Will (this is a hidden directory: you can find it by pasting %appdata% into your Windows search bar)
- Paste save.txt into the Free Will folder
- Launch the game, and your old save data should be read.
Thank you Fury72888hshu for the comment--we'd forgotten to include this in the announcement prior.
Bug Fixes
- Fixed a major bug for European and Canadian players related to the date and time puzzle's backend formatting. It should now work for players in these regions.
- Replaying the maze with a completed map from a previous playthrough now respawns the player to the correct position
- Fixed issues related to Will's player character getting stuck on certain objects and walls
- Door.png is no longer recreated upon reentering Will's room after completing the door puzzle
- Added a backup for the second Free Will window executable in Dad's Study
- Corrected an animation error in Wendy's fight
- Fixed dialogue advancing if the inventory was open
- Fixed a visual bug that could occur by spamming the Interact button on the first-floor closet door
- Fixed an issue where the inventory would not open in Wendy's room
- Fixed inventory not opening in the Free Wendy ending
- Fixed colliders for the mountains of bodies in the basement
- Fixed various minor typos and formatting issues in dialogue
- Fixed dialogue that displayed when interacting with the kitchen fridge
- Corrected the font and font color of some menus
More bug fixes will be pushed in future updates--our team is small, so we ask for your understanding as these things take time.
With that said, thank you for reporting bugs through the bug form and in the discussion forum! And additional thanks for those who joined the Discord server to talk through the bugs they were having--we apologize for the inconvenience, especially for our EU/CAN players…!
New Feature: Streamer Mode
Streamer Mode can be enabled to ensure potentially sensitive player information, namely the player's PC name or Steam username, are not shown on screen while playing the game.
An unskippable window will appear at the start of a new game asking if you would like to enable the mode or not. You can also toggle the setting on and off in the settings, though it largely does nothing once you've completed the first fight of the game.
Let us know if you stream the game! You can send us an email or @ us on Twitter/X. We've been checking out various streams ourselves, but as our team is small, we generally only get around to seeing your VODs… :)
Other Changes:
- Updated the controls guide
- Removed full-screen mode
- Save files are now hidden to ensure players do not softlock themselves or trigger events out of order
- Added a game factory reset button to the options menu
- Added a button to the title screen that allows players to return to the basement, before the point where the game branches after completing an ending
- Special Thanks are now listed properly
- NPC names are now disallowed from being the player name
- Added a message to confirm your game has been saved
- Corrected the Game System’s dialogue boxes during Wendy's fight to show “SYSTEM MESSAGE” headers
- Clickable UI buttons now respond to mouse hover
Future Plans:
More bug fixes will be pushed in smaller updates (1.1.1, 1.1.2, etc.), and we'll update you on when those drop.
Our next big goal is Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese and Japanese language support, with Traditional Chinese coming first (as the game director is fluent in it). These updates are targeting a summer release: as the release date becomes more certain, we will let you all know.
On behalf of the Kipps in a Box Team, thank you all for supporting Free Will! Our team is grateful for your support.