Hey everyone!
Last Friday, I released a new patch for the Fearwoods Demo focused on an important enemy chase issue.
🔧 Latest Demo Fix:
-Aveline no longer gets stuck on object collisions while chasing players
-During a chase, she can now correctly pass through environmental objects, making pursuits more consistent and preventing her from becoming blocked by the environment
This was an important fix, but there is much more coming very soon.
👥 4-Player Co-op - Coming Next Week
You may have already noticed that the Fearwoods Steam description has been updated to mention 4-player co-op.
Next week, I’m planning to release a new Demo patch that expands multiplayer from 3 to 4 players.
Increasing the player count also means that some multiplayer systems need additional testing and adjustments, so this will be one of the main areas I’ll continue working on over the coming weeks.
🎒 Inventory & Main Menu Improvements
The next Demo patch is also planned to introduce an inventory system.
From the Main Menu, you’ll be able to choose which equipment items you want to have visible during gameplay.
I’m also working on improvements to:
-the visibility of how many of your Steam friends are currently online
-Steam Overlay integration for inviting players to your lobby
-the overall multiplayer lobby experience
These changes are also part of the preparations leading up to the upcoming Kickstarter campaign.
📖 Story & Haunted Music Box Navigation
Toward the end of this month, I’m also working to bring the first version of the story system into the Demo.
The journal will gradually fill with story fragments discovered through events generated across the map.
I’m also working on connecting this system with the compass and haunted music box navigation mechanic.
The music box melody will help you locate hidden story fragments, but following it comes with a risk: the sound can also reveal your presence to Aveline.
This means that discovering more of the story won’t simply be about exploration. Players will have to decide whether uncovering another fragment is worth potentially attracting the demon.
🧪 Upcoming 4-Player Playtests
Before the planned Early Access release at the end of October, I’m planning to run a dedicated 1-2 week playtest at the beginning of October.
The main goal will be to properly test the expanded 4-player co-op and identify any improvements needed after increasing the number of available player slots.
Your feedback during these tests will help me verify multiplayer stability, lobby flow and other systems before Early Access.
🌲 Moving Toward Early Access
For Early Access, I’m working toward another larger step forward for Fearwoods, including:
-more varied and improved horror events
-improved Aveline AI behavior
-further story development
-additional multiplayer improvements based on the upcoming playtests
There is a lot being worked on right now, and the next few weeks should bring several important additions to the Demo as Fearwoods moves closer to Early Access.
As always, thank you for playing, reporting bugs and sharing your feedback. It directly helps me identify what needs more work before the next stage of development.
More updates soon.
See you in the forest 🌲
Mike