Ahoy friends! Before we get into it, here's a huge thank you to the community for all your insight, feedback, and suggestions. We're a very small team of devs, but we try to roll out updates and improvements as fast as we can, so keep your suggestions and feedback coming :- ) We're also super excited to announce the launch of our Kickstarter campaign! This is a huge step for us, one we couldn't take without you. It's chock full of exclusive digital and physical rewards (that ship worldwide), with loads of content-rich stretch goals including localization, expansion areas, additional dialog options, and much much more.
The campaign runs from July 9th (today) until August 8th, but the early bird specials are limited (and already running low) so if you're interested in saving 30-40% on the game, better get over there quick!

Okay, but what about the update?

When we say this is a major update, we mean if you've played 1,000 Cuts: Jomaku any time in the last year, you played a different game. So different that if you had a save file before, we recommend you fire off a new game (you can skip the tutorial with the new Instant Action button). In addition to the huge changes we've made based on your feedback, this also covers a number of hotfixes we've quietly rolled out since Update #3.

Big Picture Changes

• Total Player Artwork Rework, with New Animations
• Massive Enemy Overhaul: New Art, New Behaviors.
• Full Controller Support and Remapping w/ Accurate Icons + Gamepad Rumble (toggle-able)
• Total Camera System Redesign
• Combat QoL, Faster Respawning, Optimized Tea Distribution
• Over 20 bugfixes reported by the community via survey and reviews

New Art

Implemented new art for Hiro, Jiro, Michiko, Dojo NPCs, and nearly all enemies across the board. New enemy art drastically improves readability of attack type, as well as aligns enemy attack styles with actual Kendo stances and kata. Enemy colors are also consistent with their attack style (and as a fun note to any history or Kendo aficionados among you, each color represents its associated kendo stance, from which the different attack patterns are inspired). Added more juice to make successful attacks and blocks read more clearly, dust particles kicked up by running, more environmental particles, atmosphere, etc.

Combat Overhaul

Player Changes:

• Extended the dodge i-frames to last the duration of the dodge
• Forward dodging now automatically turns the player around while in the prepared stance
• While in the prepared stance, press the "Flip" button (default W on keyboard) to turn around. No more quick-tapping the back button to turn around. This allows players to turn around mid-combo, drastically increasing variety and player freedom in combat.
• Missing the riposte timing after a successful parry no longer results in a cancelled attack input, it just fires the attack as soon as the block recovery is complete
• The window for banking attack inputs is much larger. So long as the sword / bokken is not sheathed, the second attack will fire as soon as the current animation loop allows.
• Upon death, press any input to instantly respawn
• All non-combat cooldowns and transitions are now interruptible

Enemy Changes:

• Bosses no longer have artificial i-frames before their attacks. If you land a hit on them, they'll go into their damaged state as soon as their current animation loop allows. NOTE: For One-Eye, the first window is still after his opening attack combo, so you can't cheese him.
• Fire and other damage hazards now appear above all enemy sprites so players can always see
• All non-boss enemy attack preparations, cooldowns, recoveries, and combo transitions have the same timing for each weapon type. (ei: the low-cut attack preparation is no longer slightly faster than the hi-cut).

UI Rework

All references to keyboard and controller inputs are now case-accurate icons, dramatically improving readability. Full support for Steamdeck, Xbox and Dualshock controllers. NOTE: We do offer partial support for Switch ProControllers. Inputs will work, though their icons may be inconsistent at times, especially when switching between Controller and Keyboard. Your mileage may vary. Streamlined "Interact" prompts now include the accurate key or controller button, with a kanji translation subtitle. Selected buttons in menus now increase in size, change in color, and glow slightly to better communicate exactly which button you have selected, which is especially useful for players on Controller or Steamdeck. Settings Menu Changes;

• The Keyboard Input button automatically locks when playing on a controller, ditto the Gamepad Input button on keyboard and mouse.
• Screen shake is now automatically enabled for new players
• Each sound level is now automatically set to 100% for new players

Camera System Rebuild

Added more consistent camera movement to hallway areas. Camera motion is smoother across the board, especially when entering a combat zone. In addition, camera shake is now a toggleable option in the settings menu.

Bugfixes & QoL:

• Fixed bug causing "black screen" upon entering or exiting certain rooms
• Fixed bug preventing banked player attack input from firing after the completion of a block or jump
• Fixed bug preventing remapped controls to change in-game, though all text references correctly displayed remapped input.
• Fixed bug causing game crash upon entering certain rooms
• Fixed bug causing offscreen enemies to respawn in cleared rooms
• Fixed bug causing offscreen enemies to completely disappear in cleared rooms
• Fixed bug causing some menus and screen overlays from "clipping" off the screen on lower resolution monitors
• Fixed bug preventing certain enemies from entering the "staggered" state upon a successful perfect parry.
• Fixed bug preventing players from interacting with buttons in the Pause and Settings menu while playing on a controller
• Fixed bug causing oven hazards to aggro to player even in cleared rooms
• Fixed bug causing players to remain in "dead" animation upon respawn
• Fixed bug causing multiple UI windows to display at once upon awaking from resting with tea
• Fixed bug preventing players from unlocking special abilities if they died having unlocked those abilities previously but not saved.
• Fixed bug preventing the player from investigating defeated enemies
• Fixed bug causing "death" screen to appear upon leaving a room
• Fixed bug preventing destroyed lanterns from respawning upon player death
• Fixed bug causing player to die even when jumping over low-cut attacks
• Fixed bug causing some enemies to respawn in kitchen area when they should be dead
• Fixed bug preventing some enemies from respawning in kitchen area when they should be alive
• Fixed bug causing excess tea to remain in inventory after death
• Fixed bug preventing custodians from respawning accurately
• Fixed bug preventing players from [spoiler]executing or sparing[/spoiler] defeated bosses in the Honor route
• Fixed bug causing enemies and NPCs to run in place upon player death
• Fixed bug preventing players from [spoiler]investigating the Dragon's Fang as Uncle Jiro[/spoiler] at the end of the Honor route.
• Numerous enemy behavior bugfixes
• Many, many other bugs

Have you followed and wishlisted the full game on Steam?
Have you checked out our Kickstarter page?
Got questions or bugs to report? Want to learn more about indie game development? Are you a Content Creator looking for our press kit? Stop by our socials: Discord + Instagram + TikTok + Press Kit

[ 2024-07-09 21:22:19 CET ] [ Original post ]

Ahoy friends! This covers a number of hotfixes we've rolled out since Update #2, in addition to some new and exciting things we've got cooking in the linked build. Before we get into it, here's a huge thank you to the community for all your insight, feedback, and suggestions. We're a very small team of devs, but we try to roll out updates and improvements as fast as we can, so keep your suggestions and feedback coming :- ) P.S. - Here's your weekly reminder to wishlist the full game and follow our pre-launch Kickstarter page.

Big Picture Changes

• Massive Pause & Settings Menu Rework w/ New Features
• Additional Controller Support w/ Icons + Rumble (optional)
• Even faster New Game button for players who want Instant Action
• Combat QoL Improvements
• Numerous bugfixes reported via survey and reviews

UI Improvements

The Settings Menu now has four tabs -- Input, Video, Audio, and Statistics -- with the following features.

• Button remapping for keyboard and gamepad (new!)
• Toggleable gamepad rumble (new!)
• Toggleable screen shake
• Toggleable windowed mode (new!)
• Multiple alternate video modes
• Three different volume sliders -- Master, Soundtrack, Effects (new!)
• Toggleable auto-respawn.

In addition, the Quit and Quit to main menu buttons now prompt the player to confirm their selection knowing it will delete any progress since their last rest. The menus now display the correct gamepad icons.

Combat QoL

You can now Parry Low-Stance attacks. However, enemies who use the low-stance will not be stunned just like high-stance enemies.
Improved responsiveness of the Riposte, In addition, a mistimed Riposte input no longer results in a cancelled Attack action -- it just delays the Attack until the Parry animation is complete.
Enemies that emerge from the foreground now have a required amount of time they need to be visible on screen (and attackable) before they can attack the player. That means you can no longer die to an enemy that is offscreen.

"Instant Action" Button

We've further streamlined the "Skip Tutorial" option when starting a new game with the addition of Instant Action. This allows players to jump right into the game with ZERO mandatory dialog. Simply select which moral route you want to play, or select the Late Fate Decide if you want to leave it up to the gods.
This is especially useful for players who want to experience both versions of the game but arent interested in going through the tutorial again. In addition, we've edited more dialog in the Full Story tutorial for clarity and length, and decreased visual clutter of overlays during the "Controls and Enemy Overview" section.

Bugfixes & QoL:

• Fixed bug preventing some players from choosing the bokken or sword after completing tutorial
• Fixed bug preventing some players from executing bosses on Lethal / Honor route
• Fixed bug causing all the menus opening in ending "Thank You" screen
• Fixed bug preventing I-frames during dodge against low-stance attacks
• Dialog Input Change: Press Interact (default F for keyboard and X on gamepad) to begin and continue dialog (excluding Sword Choice and Execute). Press Cancel (default C for keyboard and Y on gamepad) to skip / cancel.
• Added "Sprint" input to Help Menu overlay
• Improved enemy hitboxes and hurtboxes across the board
• Improved player hurtbox across numerous animations

Well that's all for now folks. We have a few more "Big" updates planned for Jomaku in the next couple weeks, so stay tuned and keep that feedback coming! It's a huge help to us when you find new bugs / suggest potential improvements. Your review could become a highlight in our next big update!

Coming Soon:

• New Music!
• New Environmental Soundbed System
• Localization

Have you followed and wishlisted the full game on Steam?
Are you following the pre-launch Kickstarter page?
Got questions or bugs to report? Want to learn more about indie game development? Are you a Content Creator looking for our press kit? Stop by our socials: Discord + Instagram + TikTok + Press Kit

[ 2024-04-14 22:24:13 CET ] [ Original post ]

Ahoy friends! Before we get into the most recent batch of changes, here's a huge thank you to everyone who's given us feedback, suggestions, and pointed out bugs etc., we couldn't do it without ya! This changelog covers a number of small hotfixes we've rolled out since Update #1, in addition to some big changes we've pushed out in the linked build. We're a very small team of devs, but we try to roll out bugfixes and improvements as fast as we can ! So keep your suggestions coming :- ) P.S. - Here's your weekly reminder to wishlist the full game and follow our pre-launch Kickstarter page.

Big Picture Changes

• Massive buff to the dodge
• Improved responsiveness for Parries and Attacks
• Increased variety of enemy responses to player behavior
• Numerous bugfixes and quality of life changes

Player Combat Changes:

Players can now dodge forward in addition to the original backward dodge. To dodge, either press the parry button while moving or press the parry and move buttons simultaneously. When in the unprepared stance, you'll automatically turn to face the direction you're dodging. When prepped, you can dodge and maintain your orientation by holding the back button, or dodge and turn around simultaneously by tapping the back button, just like regular movement while prepped.
In addition (and perhaps against our better judgement), we've added limited I-frames to the dodge with a timing window comparable to the perfect parry.
Players can now turn around between a parry and riposte, and between the first and second attack in a combo. This is especially useful in situations where multiple enemies are attacking you from both directions.
As you can see, you can chain the forward dodge with the new turnaround attack for a pretty devastating combo.
We've decreased the amount of time players are "locked in" to combat-related cooldown and recovery animations. In addition, players can now cancel out of transition animations by moving for a more fluid experience.
We've also smoothed out the (cancelable) transitions for the parry and dodge, especially when returning to the unprepared idle stance.

Enemy Behavior Changes:

Based on player feedback and reviewing some of the playthroughs on YouTube and Twitch, we've made a number of tweaks to the enemies in Jomaku. Many of them are small, relating to timing or animations, but there are two "major" behavioral changes to note. With the addition of the forward dodge, certain enemies are now faster at realizing the player is behind them and will react accordingly. This is especially true of higher base-difficulty enemies.
In addition, enemies now "see" if the player is sprinting or walking toward them and will adjust the distance at which they initiate an attack accordingly. While this does increase the difficulty of enemies overall, we think it'll encourage players to find engaging solutions to the problems they face with each new enemy type. We also gave the player a pretty big buff in this update, so it felt right leveling the playing field a bit.

Bugfixes & QoL:

• Fixed bug causing the Blacksmith to respawn if the player re-enters the Forge from the Kitchen
• Fixed bug causing bosses to remain defeated if you die before saving your progress
• Fixed bug causing the player to not respawn correctly after dying to blunt damage
• Improved levels for numerous sound effects based on player feedback
• Increased variety of set design in Hallway areas
• Fixed miscellaneous spelling and syntax errors throughout the dialog

Well that's all for now folks. We have a couple more "Big" updates planned for Jomaku in the next couple weeks, so stay tuned and keep that feedback coming! It's a huge help to us when you find new bugs / suggest potential improvements. Your review could become a highlight in our next big update!

Coming Soon:

• Updated dialog system with more consistent inputs
• Upgraded Settings Menu with more accessibility options, audio and video sliders, input remapping
• New Music!
• Localization

Have you followed and wishlisted the full game on Steam?
Are you following the pre-launch Kickstarter page?
Got questions or bugs to report? Want to learn more about indie game development? Are you a Content Creator looking for our press kit? Stop by our socials: Discord + Instagram + TikTok + Press Kit

[ 2024-04-02 01:16:04 CET ] [ Original post ]

Ahoy Friends!

Thanks for joining us :- ) Before we get into it, we just wanted to give a big ol' shout out to everyone in the community who's played Jomaku, streamed on Twitch, given us feedback, reported bugs, and helped make this crazy dream come true. Without you, there'd be no One-Thousand Cuts, so thanks! We're delighted to announce that One-Thousand Cuts is officially on Kickstarter! While it's still in the pre-launch stage, you can follow for updates and become one of the first backers when we go live (in April). It's the best way to take advantage of the discounted early bird specials on the most popular bundles (while supplies last). There are a TON of cool stretch goals and rewards that we're so so so psyched to announce. Buuut, here's the thing, we don't want to reveal too much before the campaign goes live, so here are a couple hints of things to look forward to in the Kickstarter

STRETCH GOALS

• alternate game mode(s)
• more ways for enemies to kill you (and more ways to kill enemies)
• a third playable character with her own ending
• language localization(s)
• an area heavily based on Ykai and the supernatural
• an additional ending with an apocalyptic final boss

REWARDS

• something soft that you can wear
• something functional that you can use around the house
• something that looks great on a coffee table (or bookshelf)
• something from real life you can immortalize in 1TC for players to find (and pet !)
• someone you can customize to kill the player (and for the player to kill, of course)
• someone or something with multiple phases that you can design

Okay! That's all we're gonna share for now. Now go follow the pre-launch Kickstarter page. Tell your friends, tell your enemies, tell your frenemies. Stay tuned for another "big" update for Jomaku coming soon, and keep that feedback coming! The more bugs you report, the faster we can fix em.

Changes Coming Soon

• Rework of parry system to be faster and more intuitive for fans of Blasphemous and other souls-lites
• Rework of dialog input system to prevent players from accidentally skipping dialog
• Improved settings menu, with additional audio and video options, accessibility features, etc
• Additional and improved music

Have you followed and wishlisted the full game on Steam?
Got questions or bugs to report? Want to learn more about indie game development? Are you a Content Creator looking for our press kit? Stop by our socials: Discord + Instagram + TikTok + Press Kit Are you following the pre-launch Kickstarter page?

[ 2024-03-30 01:41:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

Ahoy friends! Before we get into all the changes, we wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you ( ! ) for playing One-Thousand Cuts. And an extra special thank you to everyone who's given us feedback, suggestions, and pointed out bugs. This update would look a lot different without you! While we've done a couple minor bugfixes since 1000 Cuts: Jomaku's release last week, this is the first major update, with specific attention to some of the suggestions you've given us in your feedback :- )

Big Picture Changes

• Refined player controls for more satisfying combat
• Remastered soundtrack, with new tracks for both bosses.
• Tutorial rework for players looking to jump right into the action
• Numerous quality of life changes and bugfixes

Player Movement and Combat Update

Players can now combo attacks. Press and release the attack button any time during an initial attack to combo into a second attack.
This can be especially useful for the mercy route where it takes two hits to defeat individual enemies.
Smoothed out and tightened up transitions between all combat-related animations. Especially when transitioning from a parry recovery back to the prepared stance idle. We've also increased riposte window after a successful parry and perfect parry.
In addition, players can now bank one attack, block, or jump input during movement locked animations such as attacking, blocking, and jumping. We've also improved the player attack hitbox and hurtbox to more accurately reflect the animation.

Quality of Life Changes:

New "New Game" feature allowing players to choose which tutorial experience they'd prefer.
The "Full Tutorial" option contains more dialog (you can skip this at any time) and a combat / enemy overview (also skippable, for players who only want the story). The "Skip Tutorial" option allows players to jump ahead to [spoiler]That Big Moral Choice you have to make[/spoiler], while shortening the necessary dialog to its absolute bare bones. This is especially useful for players who want to experience both storylines without having to redo the tutorial, as well as non-english speakers. The Blacksmith boss fight has also gotten a minor rework. [spoiler] In her third phase, during her blinded rage attack, she no longer automatically runs to the left of the screen upon initial recovery. We've also eased up on her running attack hitbox based on player feedback.[/spoiler] Having engaging boss encounters is very important to us, so we'll continue to be attentive to your feedback and tune them as needed to keep the challenge fun!
Additional dialog throughout, more lore, more backstory, more character interactions, and new cats to find and pet based on player suggestions! Bugfixes:

• Fixed defeated enemies respawning in cleared rooms
• Fixed the player being able to enter another room before their death animation completes
• Fixed armored blocking and double-cut enemies being impervious to fire
• Fixed armored blocking enemy in kitchen optional room not reacting to player in a timely manner
• Fixed stacking sound effect bug causing certain sound effects to stack and become wayyy too loud
• Improved lantern hazard hurtbox - players can no longer destroy lanterns which are placed behind them
• Improved flame hazard hitbox for players and enemies
• Fixed miscellaneous spelling and syntax errors throughout the dialog

Well that's all for now folks. We have a couple more "Big" updates planned for Jomaku in the next couple weeks, so stay tuned and keep that feedback coming! It's a huge help to us when you find new bugs / suggest potential improvements. Your review could become a highlight in our next big update! Have you followed and wishlisted the full game on Steam?
Are you following the pre-launch Kickstarter page?
Got questions or bugs to report? Want to learn more about indie game development? Are you a Content Creator looking for our press kit? Stop by our socials: Discord + Instagram + TikTok + Press Kit

[ 2024-03-21 22:09:13 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello and welcome to the 1000 Cuts: Jomaku Steam Community Hub!

Thanks so much for joining us! Weve compiled several of the most frequently asked questions here. Remember to wishlist the full game on Steam!

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: Is this a demo? A: Yes! This is a demo of the first area in One-Thousand Cuts designed to give players a feel for the basic combat and story elements, specifically highlighting the one-hit-kill and consequential moral choices. We've structured the demo like a traditional Japanese Noh drama, with three acts Jo ("introduction"), Ha ("destruction"), and Kyu ("haste"). Q: When will the full game release? A: We're planning a Q1 2025 release, pending the successful completion of our Kickstarter Campaign. If you haven't followed the pre-launch Kickstarter page, you should go do that now ;- ) Q: Are there multiple endings / do my choices really matter? A: Yes! After players complete the short tutorial, they're given a choice between two moral routes: Mercy and Lethality. This choice fundamentally affects gameplay. Every line of dialog, every character interaction, the combat, even the endings are different. Yes, this is a demo with multiple endings. Did we have to do that? No, but we didn't have to include three additional video modes for players to experiment with, either, and that didn't stop us. The one thing that doesn't change between the Mercy and Lethal routes -- you can still pet the cats regardless of what choices you make. Q: What inspired One-Thousand Cuts? A: We could have a Q&A about inspiration and source material alone! Game design and combat, weve had obvious inspiration from the original Souls games and souls-likes, classic genre games like Bushido Blade and Ninja Gaiden. Narratively, weve incorporated elements from the classic films of Akira Kurosawa (Seven Samurai, Red Beard), Kihachi Okamoto (Sword of Doom, Samurai Assassin), Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away), and Yoshiaki Kawajiri (Ninja Scroll). Artistically weve drawn a lot from Ukiyo-e (original japanese woodblock prints), the closest we could come to primary source material for the look and feel of the time period, as well as more contemporary manga artists, especially Kentaro Miura (Berserk). Q: Where does the game take place? A: One-Thousand Cuts takes place in a dark fantasy version of late Edo Japan, filled to the brim with shogunate political subterfuge, inter-clan political maneuverings, re-contextualized historical figures and events, and our takes on traditional Japanese legends and folklore. Q: Will the game be available on consoles too? What about Mobile? A: The full game will release on Steam first, though console and mobile ports are stretch goals in the Kickstarter. We can make that happen together! Q: How much will the game cost at release? A: We'll release more info on that later :- ) Q: Is this really your first game? A: This might (?) come as a surprise, but yes! We've never even tried to made a game before. Not even a game jam. This was the first project we ever opened in Unity. And we're delighted to be able to share it with you!

That's all for now, folks!

We hope this answered some of your questions! If there's anything we didn't cover, questions that come up while playing the demo, or if you're interested in learning more about developing a game from scratch, feel free to post them here or hit us up on our socials :- ) Have you followed and wishlisted the full game on Steam?
Are you following the pre-launch Kickstarter page?
Got questions or bugs to report? Want to learn more about indie game development? Are you a Content Creator looking for our press kit? Stop by our socials: Discord + Instagram + TikTok + Press Kit

[ 2024-03-15 16:59:43 CET ] [ Original post ]