Darkenstein 3D 1.4 is here!

Hi everyone!

The 1.4 update for the game is finally here and it is a bit late, since I wanted to do this before the DLC released, but I hope it will be worth the wait.

This is a big one and it brings all of the polish and bugfixes that I added to the DLC to the free base game. This will certainly be the best time to play the game if you haven't yet, as it is as polished as ever.

If you're playing the DLC and wonder why it feels like a smoother experience, this is your list as well. :) Here's the changelog:

**

NEW **

Player & Combat

• Player now has 5 seconds of invulnerability after respawning.

• Player can now interrupt reloads by switching weapons or using an item.

• Player can now kick enemies off tall edges if the fall is big enough, automatically killing them.

• Player does more damage to destructible objects.

Enemy AI & Behavior

• Better enemy command of their pets.

• Better enemy behavior after they stop roaming.

• Improvements to enemy awareness of player’s shots.

• Enemies are fairly better at detecting and avoiding grenades and mortar strikes.

• New behavior can make some enemies/enemy behaviors more aggressive now.

• New routines for Valkyrie enemies, who now play it more sneaky and defensive.

• Better behavior for Snow Trooper enemies and their companions.

Weapons, Animation & Feedback

• Switched player pistol to a Browning HP which now has a corresponding icon and sound.

• Restored MP40 charging handle animation that was lost early in development.

• Re-implemented red screen halo when player has low health.

• Shooting corpses no longer draws red on the dynamic crosshair.

• Better overall pushing of ragdolls in explosion deaths.

• Reduced explosions’ gibbing power slightly to create more ragdoll action.

• Tesla superweapon uses 1/4th less ammo now.

Graphics, Performance & UI

• Significant CPU performance improvement (optimized enemy AI, combat events, hud, etc).

• Lighting of the first few levels has been made a bit brighter.

• Decoration shadows optimized and tied to graphic presets.

• Breakables’ shadows now optimized in lower graphics presets.

• Reduced size of many textures without quality loss.

• Better normal maps for some materials.

• Darkened settings background to enhance options’ readability.

• Added formatting to big scores (x.xxx.xxx).

• Better tree shading in levels 9 and 10.

• Added a few more useful cheats.

• Reorganized cheat shortcuts to make more sense.

Audio, Dialogue & Announcer

• Better tracking of random Hobo comments so he can’t repeat comments too often.

• Better announcer system for Homicidal Rant (under the hood).

• Stopped Hobo kill comments for the very last section of the game.

Level & Content Polish

• Level 6: Added lighting to dynamic objects in a secret that was missing it.

• Level 7: Small re-design of the library puzzle.

• Level 9: Locked a door to make sure player does not miss the blue key.

• Level 10: Bad Guy now looks at you during the boss fight.

• Last Level: Added barriers to the sides of the final walk to exit the level, avoiding confusion.

**

BUG FIXES **

**

Stability & Graphics**

• Reduced amount of total shadows (tied to general graphics preset) to reduce -hopefully stop- crashes.

• Fixed graphics preset change forcing Vsync on.

Player Movement & Collision

• Player can no longer be propelled by or climb other moving objects.

• Player can no longer accidentally climb dogs or other enemies.

• Enemies can no longer push the player outside of the level bounds.

• Fixed crouch bugs when pressing pause.

Enemy AI & Combat

• Player kick effects on enemies are now consistent across the enemy roster.

• Enemies no longer slide while in standing or crouching positions.

• Enemies that strafe no longer go into walls or strafe into the air.

• Enemies no longer randomly miss melee hits.

• Ensured Valkyrie hair buns no longer go through their hats.

• Restored the more aggressive Knights and Insects that became more social since v1.3.

• Fixed enemies trying to shoot through trucks.

• Fixed enemy muzzleflash often being awkwardly offset.

• Valkyrie strafe has been made much slower and controlled.

• Charger baldie enemies no longer act confused or walk at unfitting high speeds.

• Charger enemies now charge in more of a controlled straight line.

• Restored proper (blue) blood on walls upon shooting Knights.

• Fixed Space Fly’s magic staying in-game after enemy death.

• Less instances of enemies walking/running in place.

UI, Audio & Announcer

• Announcer no longer misses the Triple Kill call.

• Restored Crosshair Opacity slider that broke with the 1.3 update.

• Less rare issues with Homicidal Rant duration.

• Homicidal Rant title and number no longer sometimes disappear from the side bar. (not yet in DLC)

• Stopped player step sounds from occasionally continuing during dialogue.

• Fixed a few loading screens that were showing stretched in 16:9.

• When Mr.Rat explains how to switch items, the displayed key now responds to custom binds as well.

Level-Specific Fixes

• Level 3: Fixed end level Troopers that used to move through the fire pillars.

• Level 4: Fixed geometry leaks in last part of the level.

• Level 4: Fixed level 4 pyramid boss’ breaking pyramid’s objects sometimes staying in the air.

• Level 4: Covered some geometry leaks.

• Level 5: Fixed instances of moonlight flickering in the main hall.

• Level 5: Fixed first dialogue whose start was broken in the last patch.

• Level 5: Fixed bad lighting above the opening to the 1st secret.

• Level 6: Fixed a few stairs that enemies couldn’t traverse.

• Level 6: Fixed a couple ammo pickups that were wrongly hidden.

• Level 6: Fixed light on top of piano that would stay if the piano was destroyed.

• Level 7: Fixed insect ambush door by the blue key.

• Level 7: Fixed patio cell door so the player can shoot through it.

• Level 7: Fixed several typos in lab specimen notes.

• Level 8: Fixed 2 sets of stairs that stopped enemy AI at the end of the level.

• Level 8: Boss can now be damaged by electrical weapons.

• Level 8: When boss dies, part of the blood no longer stays in the air.

• Level 8: Added correct metal step sounds to a couple areas that were missing them.

• Level 8: Fixed transition to level 9 having no loading screen.

• Level 9: Fixed a stone fence that enemies could walk through.

• Level 9: Fixed start snipers that were unable to shoot since the last update.

• Level 9: Removed confusing elements by the trucks in the exit area of the level.

• Level 10: Player can no longer hear birds inside the level 10 facility.

• Level 10: Resized a couple boxes so that a camping Panzerfauster doesn’t shoot them and kill himself.

• Level 10: Fixed enemies behind Double Lock Door detecting the player before the doors open.

• Level 10: Ensured Gunther appears in cutscenes.

• Level 11: Added wooden ramp to a part that used to force the exploring player to do a good amount of backtracking.

• Level 11: Added a few wooden boards on the way toward the Red Key.

• Level 12: Fixed softlock in the first part of the level, where player could be stuck outside of the fenced doors.

• Final Boss: Fixed instances of final boss not appearing after loading a checkpoint.

• Final Boss: Stopped player from going into the teleporter towers.

• Final Boss: Reduced the times boss shoots through walls substantially.

• Final Boss: Fixed bug whereby the player would be taken back to level 1 if exiting before a checkpoint in the last level.

• Final Boss: After the win, Martina no longer is slightly off the ground when she follows.

Hope you can have even more fun with the game now. Cheers! Rowye