Hey all!

We just released a new version of Panoptic! This update brings a slew of bugfixes and balance improvements, but most of all, it brings some new gameplay features. The demo has also been updated to reflect some of these changes.

As always, feel free to share your thoughts with us on Discord, Twitter, the forums or any other mean!

Read on to see what has been added, or jump into the game and experience it firsthand!

New Features:

• A new NPC type : The Watcher. These special Beings roam parts of the Sanctum (the rightmost level in the selection screen) and try to detect the Challenger. They shine their light on suspicious Beings, and should it turn red, it means they found the Challenger! They will also make sounds to alert the Overseer, so pay attention! Please note there is a bug in the lighting system we use that make their volumetric light not as visible in VR as we want it, we will release a fix down the line.
  

• The Watchers are now also featured in the tutorial, so that you can see them in action.

• Improved the visual feedback when the Challenger gets hit, for both players. The Challenger will see their screen turn red, while the Overseer will see blue particles instead of the usual yellow ones appearing when they shoot another Being.

• The in-game menu (which you access via Escape on the keyboard, or Start/Options on a gamepad) has been completely revamped, allowing you to change some gameplay options without having to come back to the main menu. The look and feel of that menu has also been improved.
  

• The in-game menu is also accessible from the level selection screen, in case you want to go back to the title screen or quit the game from there.

• The lighting in the Crucible (leftmost in the selection screen) has been improved. We added some additionnal lights in the section inside the cliff behind the lava falls to make the staircases more noticeable.

Bugs Fixed:

• Gamepads can be hotplugged during gameplay, and will work properly.

• Gamepads and keys can correctly be reassigned, without giving a "This key is already in use" messages in unwanted cases.

• Shooting near the feet of the Challenger will not make it visibly jump anymore, removing an unintended way to identify it.

• Bloom and brightness will now interact better, diminishing the overblown effect on bright areas of the screen.

• Sensitivity is handled better for both controller and mouse, resulting in more sane values for the setting.

• In the Crystal Mines level (the central level in the selection screen), the Challenger can now push other Citizens around, same as in the other levels.

• Improved performances in the Crystal Mines, where using the Lens in certain parts would cause stutter and lag.

• In the tutorial, the Lens of the fake Overseer (on the Challenger side) does not change its size dependning on the VR player's movement anymore.

• In the tutorial, the final Orb on the Challenger side did not show its position as expected when the player stands still, it does now.

• The Challenger can no longer get stuck if they get under an elevator platform that comes down from above them.

Enjoy the new version!

-Team Panoptes