Hi guys! Here’s a new build (2.55) for Ghost of a Tale! Its main focus is on performance improvement but there’s A LOT of bug fixes, tweaks, refinements and new things at many different levels.
Be warned however that your old saves will not load in this new build! We apologize about this but we didn’t make that decision lightly: it is a consequence of the huge optimization pass and subsequent performance gains.
As always we will be on deck to quickly publish patches should anything go awry. And don’t forget to read the development update on the official site (http://www.ghostofatale.com/improved-performance-all-around)!
Enjoy! :)
Fixed:
- Complete minstrel costume bonus wasn’t assigned at start
- Bug when opening sewer map after buying info about spider location from Rolo In some rare cases Tilo's heavy item is not dropped when he dies
- Armor encumbrance is not properly reset after loading a save
- Light trigger missing when exiting from the rafters onto the roof in the courtyard
- Name error in dialog of main gate guard
- Being able to enter the passage next to Gusto & Fatale’s cell without pushing the barrel
- Collider for grid in underground shortcut to jail is missing
- Tilo automatically goes down a ladder when opening the inventory
- Spider web remains visible after getting burnt
- A splash sound can sometimes be heard when entering the jail from the courtyard
- Rats not able to attack Tilo while in Kerold's cell
- Tilo can get killed while climbing on the elevator when it hasn’t fully come down to rest
- Rats can sometimes chase Tilo even though they're knocked down (funny/creepy)
- Missing sound for Kerold breaking the rotgut bottle during dialog
- Rat’s animation sometimes popping to idle after crossing a doorframe
- Resistances are not properly updated when equipping clothing items
- Rolo sometimes does not appear when exiting the jail
- The guards’ alert icon doesn't empty itself and disappear when it should
- Bug with resistances when equipping full costume set and unequipping items one by one
- Knockdown timer sometimes doesn't appear on knocked-out rats
- Gusto sometimes doesn’t go to sleep at night
- Micro-holes/bad scintillating pixels caused by faulty tessellation algorithm
- Grease jars don't break when thrown on planks
- Hanging key keeps playing hanging animation even after being knocked down
- Hanging key can occasionally land in a non-pickable position
- Plague doctor mask vignette is not reset after loading a save where Tilo doesn’t wear it
- Exterior sound trigger missing on top of tower when exiting main tower
- Sometimes combat music doesn't stop, even though Tilo's not chased anymore
- Lots of holes in the geometry!
- Small freezes noticeable when moving from area to area
- Costume item description panel appearing behind the inventory UI
- Some stairs where Tilo bumps in at slow speed
- Long pause happening whenever accessing the save/load menu
Changed / Improved:
- Sewer key is out of the game; the jail’s master key replaces it
- Spider webs have been replaced with new higher-quality assets
- Tessellation shaders have been recreated from scratch with much better results (ie: humidity/wetness)
- Most textures have been refined, doubled in size and enhanced with detail mapping
- Rats are now a bit faster when chasing Tilo
- Improved all vegetation shaders to show better translucency
- Huge overall performance boost (50-75% fps gain on some machines)
- All trees have been replaced with much higher quality assets (oaks, beech, etc…)
- Implemented consistent wind direction for all vegetation
- Actor detection has been redone from the ground up to take into account bonus from Tilo’s cloth items
- You can now quickly swap tools using the mousewheel
- The middle-mouse button now unequips/re-equips the current tool in Tilo’s hand (no need to go to the inventory anymore)
- Implemented an entirely new zone/sectioning system, meaning there is no more streaming/stuttering
- Rewrote entirely the load/save system to work seamlessly on PC + consoles
- Changed and improved the overall layout of Dwindling Heights
- Changed a few quests + dialogs + items locations in preparation for the full game
- Tilo’s jump/climbing is now much more responsive
- You can now use the mousewheel to turn book pages
- Book pages now have their page number displayed
- Tilo can now climb on a moving platform/elevator
- Tilo's health and stamina are no longer connected to the costume he's wearing (no more health/stamina lost when changing costumes)
- Removed trapdoor near the main gate
- Added a separation wall in the courtyard with new building
- Costume items belonging to the same set are now automatically sorting next to each other in the inventory
- Removed the option to knock the helmet off of the guard for Gusto & Fatale (no more confusion between different kinds of helmets)
- Better aiming reticle
- It is not possible anymore to kite more than 3 rats (so you can’t lock all the rats in one room anymore)
Added:
- Added a progress bar when loading a save
- The amount of florins in Tilo’s inventory is now displayed during dialog when money is involved
- Started using photogrammetry assets for rocks
- It is now possible to light up candles laying around in very dark places
- Costume items are now affecting how much noise Tilo creates and his visual conspicuousness
- Introduced sound attenuation which plays in when creating auditive distractions through walls
- Added a couple of shortcuts to go from one area to the next (ie: elevator basket from top of main tower to garden below)
- Added a visual 'splash' effect that shows how far the sound created by distractions travels
- Added visual hud indication when Tilo is getting poisoned or burnt (providing a clear representation of his resistance to those hazards)
- Added an option to turn off the HUD (in the debug menu)
- Added options for controlling tessellation amount and distance
- Added knockdown timer on unconscious rats to indicate when they’re going to regain consciousness