Before this update, players were pretty much left on their own without much explanation. Some didn’t realize they could throw items to make noise and attract Granny, and others didn’t know you could hide under beds.
So I added a short and simple introduction tutorial at the start of the game to quickly explain these core mechanics.
A lot of players felt a bit lost and didn’t really feel like they were making progress.
So now there’s a new objectives screen where you can track your current, completed, and undiscovered objectives. It gives you a better sense of progression without spoiling too much, so the discovery is still there.
The map was way too dark before, with the flashlight as the only real light source, so a lot of the assets just didn’t come through.
I reworked the lighting by adding subtle light in key areas to create a heavier, more oppressive atmosphere. Some areas are now easier to read, but others remain intentionally dark, so you still have to be careful.
The flashlight is still important, but since it can now alert Terry’s Granny, you’ll sometimes need to turn it off and rely on the environment instead.
The flashlight got a bit of an overhaul. Here’s a comparison between the new and the old:
I also switched the tonemapper. We were using ACES, but it crushed the blacks too much, so I moved to GT to get better control in darker areas, and added a LUT to fine-tune the final look.
We were missing a lot of sounds so Benjamin Hoisne created all the new sounds effect and ambiance sounds.
With all the news sound I’ve reworked the sound system in s&box.
The default occlusion wasn’t convincing, so I rebuilt it to get more control over how sound behaves. It now includes customizable surface absorption and a debug mode for tuning.
This also improves gameplay. Terry’s Granny is no longer audible everywhere, making her position more readable and the experience more immersive.
I’ll keep refining the system based on feedback in future updates.
One of the most frustrating things in the game is not finding an item… or even worse, losing it. It can completely block your progression or prevent you from getting other items needed to escape.
So I added an optional hint system. It can reveal the position of an item you haven’t found yet, or show you how to use an item you already have but haven’t used, by highlighting both the item and where it should be used.
Each run is limited to 3 hints maximum, and using one adds a 5 minute penalty to your timer… enough to completely fuck up your time :)
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