Hey, been a bit since release. This is a pretty large update to Dead Signal, hence the 2.0 label. The 2.0 update finally introduces Nightmare difficulty, aims to reward player skill with currency that can be used to take more control of a run via the new upgrade shop, and adds some highly requested features. At the time of this update the game has also increased in price from $9.99 to $12.99.
tl;dr:
- Nightmare difficulty with secret meme ending added
- The Breather threat added to Nightmare
- Upgrade shop added
- 8 purchasable upgrades added (some help with threats, others help with camera system)
- Added starting signal booster equipment (speeds up reports and camera repairs based on placement location)
- Added elevator override switch to the roof which makes it much faster (while active it has a 1% chance to kill you. Can be turned ON/OFF)
- Updated tutorial with basics of newly added features (signal booster and upgrade shop)
- Added 3 cameras to monitor in a laundromat location
- Electronics can now be optionally hacked to earn currency
- High value items can now be optionally reported to a new character for large currency rewards
- Localization in 5 additional languages: Français(French), Deutsch(German), Polski(Polish), Português Brasileiro(Brazilian Portuguese), and Türkçe(Turkish)
- Steam Deck compatibility (currently pending verification from Steam)
- Full controller support
- Support for ultra widescreen resolutions
- Balance changes
- Bug fixes
New Content
Nightmare difficulty
A greater challenge awaits those who've unlocked Nightmare by completing Normal difficulty. The Breather(threat) has been added to this mode. Difficulty has been increased across the board for everything. Completing Nightmare will reveal a secret meme ending, honoring those who triumph over the challenge. But be warned the mode is unfair, you'll need to master the ins and outs before you could ever dream of earning the God Gamer achievement for beating Nightmare.
Upgrades
Now players earn currency for completing tasks. Currency can be spent in the DarkDrop shop, which sells software (downloaded) and hardware (needs to be picked up on the roof). These upgrades vary in strength based on their cost and either help combat threats or upgrade the camera system. Some of the most common run ending situations can be mostly safeguarded against with select items from the DarkDrop shop. Purchased hardware will show a tool tip on pick up that shares the installation location. Additionally when you get close to the placement location with the item in your inventory a pulsing yellow hologram of the device will appear to make installation easy.
Elevator override
A switch outside the elevator on the roof has been installed. If flipped it will greatly increase the elevator's speed, however there's a 1% chance to snap the cable and cause death on each traveled to floor. Use it when needed, then turn it off to keep your future elevator trips death free. You'll see the largest benefit on long elevator rides. With the override switch on you can go to the lowest floor and back to your apartment in less time than it'd take to only go to the lowest floor with the standard elevator speed.
New cameras and new camera events
Three cameras from a laundromat have been added to the camera feed. There are new events to be reported that fall under the original six report categories.
Hacking electronic devices for currency rewards
A new character, Axecrypt enters your messages at the start and equips you with a hacking program that gives the option to either hack or report electronic devices. Hacking a device will offer a larger currency reward than reporting, but it can't be reported after. Likewise you can't report an electronic device, then hack it.
Reporting high value items for large currency rewards
A new character, Lotus has entered your messages and has an optional task for you to engage with. In the report tab you're now able to switch the recipient to either "The Shade" or "Lotus". Switching to Lotus and sending a valid high value report will result in a sizeable currency reward, but the event will no longer be reportable to The Shade for a quota point. Likewise if you report to The Shade first you'll no longer be able to report that same event to Lotus.
Signal booster starting equipment
There's a new device in your apartment that can greatly increase the speed of reports and camera malfunction repairs if placed in a hotspot. You can find it on a shelf next to the PC desk. Installing it in any of the apartment hallways is beneficial, though the better the spot, denoted by color(Green (strong), Yellow (moderate), Red (weak)), the more noticeable the difference. This device will change in status throughout the night, so moving it around will be ideal. Once you pick up the device from your apartment press [V] to toggle placement mode, then press [V] again while there is a hologram of the device to install it. You can pick the signal booster back up by pressing [F].
Localization
Translations have been made for the five most requested languages: Français(French), Deutsch(German), Polski(Polish), Português Brasileiro(Brazilian Portuguese), and Türkçe(Turkish). You can change the selected language on the main menu by opening the Options menu -> Game settings -> Language. In-game you can change the selected language by pressing [ESC] -> Game settings -> Language.
Controller Support
If you wanted to play with a controller now you're able to do so.
Steam Deck compatibility
As of this moment the review process is ongoing, but it's been tested and functions correctly on Steam Deck in this 2.0 build.
Ultrawide monitor support
Now larger screen resolutions (3440x1440 21:9) can play Dead Signal seamlessly. Those with super ultra widescreen resolutions (5120x1440 32:9) may not look the best, but are supported.
Change Log for version 2.0:
New Content
- Nightmare difficulty with secret meme ending added
- The Breather threat added to Nightmare
- Upgrade shop added to all difficulties (upgrade costs stay the same across all difficulties)
- 8 purchasable upgrades added (some help with threats, others help with camera system)
- Currency rewards scale based off of difficulty with Casual offering the highest rewards and Nightmare offering the lowest rewards for each valid action.
- Added starting signal booster equipment (speeds up reports and camera repairs based on placement location)
- Added elevator override switch to the roof which makes it much faster (while active it has a 1% chance to snap the cable on each traveled to floor, resulting in death. You can turn it ON/OFF as much as you'd like during a run).
- Updated tutorial with basics of newly added features (signal booster and upgrade shop)
- Added 3 cameras to monitor in a laundromat location to all difficulties
- New reportable camera events
- Electronics can now be hacked to earn currency for upgrades (if hacked they can't be reported/if reported they can't be hacked).
- High value items can now be optionally reported to a new character for large currency rewards (an event can only be reported once, so you'll choose either the hourly quota point or a large currency reward based on who you send the report to).
- Localization in 5 additional languages: Français(French), Deutsch(German), Polski(Polish), Português Brasileiro(Brazilian Portuguese), and Türkçe(Turkish).
- Steam Deck support
- Full controller support
- Ultrawide monitor resolutions now supported
- Updated player HUD with inventory icons (flashlight, package, purchased item, signal booster)
- New jump scares
Balance Changes
- Door lock state change (locked -> unlocked) can no longer be heard while near the PC. Players will need to purchase the upgrade to hear the beep and be notified of its change.
- Increased specific event type spawns to correspond to new optional reporting alternatives (more high value and hack events)
- Increased the time before certain threats trigger a player death
- Increased the total camera event spawns across all hours and difficulties
- Second half of your shift is now more demanding to compensate for the upgrades you can unlock during a run.
- Increased volume of Delfalco's whistle
Bug Fixes
- Fixed a death by Lucas bug that was caused by unintended AI behavior
- Additional smaller bug fixes
Misc.
- Removed unintended motion blur
- Additional optimization passes have been made to increase performance
There's been some testing before public release with a small group of players that have helped fix a number of bugs, but there will surely be some new ones that pop up from this update. If you encounter any bugs report them in the Steam discussion forum and they'll be fixed.