Hi Climbers!
It’s another big patch for Ascend, with loads of fixes and updated features for improved support for controller and playing the game.
We've been working hard on squashing a few bugs that have an effect on quality of life, like clipping issues in the ground or puzzles not working as they should. We’ve also given a bit of a facelift to the Scorpio puzzle, elevating the area more and it not so squashed in. There are a few other places we want to do this with in the future, so keep a watch on our updates to see our progress with the Pisces puzzle.
Okay, let’s get to it! Here’s a list of all the bugs we’ve sorted in Patch 1.4.
New Features
Completely redesigned save system, the game now saves automatically after every new objective is completed.
New settings menu added with improved layout and navigation.
Full controller support has been added for the Xbox controller and the Steam Deck.
All assets in the Pisces puzzle area are new and have been fully updated.
Controller & Input
Controller glyphs now update dynamically based on the active input device. Mouse and keyboard glyphs are only shown when no gamepad is connected, or when a keyboard or mouse action is performed.
The escape menu can now be opened and closed using a controller.
Pressing Pause on the controller now correctly toggles the pause state.
Hold to Close on the escape menu has been replaced with a single button press to close.
The settings menu now correctly assigns focus on open, allowing full controller and keyboard navigation.
If focus is lost on the escape menu or settings menu, it can now be regained via controller or keyboard.
Controller and keyboard navigation no longer breaks when the mouse cursor removes button focus in menus.
Video and audio settings tabs can now be navigated using a controller.
Pushable blocks can now be pushed using an Xbox controller.
An interact prompt now correctly appears when approaching pushable blocks with a controller.
Leo mirrors now work correctly with a controller.
Controller camera sensitivity has been reduced to a more comfortable speed.
Item rotation speed in the inspect view has been reduced when using a controller.
Exiting the examine screen now uses the right face button on a controller.
The examine screen navigation bar now displays the right analogue stick icon to indicate rotation.
The Collectibles tabs (Gems and Shrines) in the Quest Book can now be navigated with a controller.
The Orrery UI menu now displays the bottom face button prompt for confirming a selection.
The Collections screen now displays RB and LB prompts to navigate between tabs.
The journal can now be navigated using the directional buttons on a controller. The Select action has been moved off R2.
Moving the cursor in the journal now uses the left analogue stick on a controller.
Item placement in the inspect view now works with the analogue stick.
Aurora's journal tutorial now has full controller support.
The interact button now correctly swaps UI context on a controller.
Players can no longer jump while the inspect menu is open.
Directional buttons can now be used to switch the time of day on Steam Deck.
Cutscenes & Cinematics
Players can now skip cutscenes using a controller.
The skip progress bar now appears correctly over the new-game cinematic.
The skip prompt now responds to controller input immediately, without requiring a prior mouse click.
The journal can no longer be opened, or heard opening, during the new-game cutscene.
A new cinematic has been added for when the crab claw levers are correctly activated.
A trigger zone on the bridge that caused the panic attack cutscene to fire unintentionally has been fixed.
Menus & UI
Menus now correctly pause the game when open.
The game now automatically pauses when the Steam Overlay is opened.
The game now automatically pauses when the controller is disconnected during gameplay.
Error logs are no longer displayed on the main menu.
The Time Turner info page in the quest menu no longer resets when entering the Water Level.
The Time Turner and its associated quest no longer appear in the journal.
The UI Examine view now appears correctly inside the Quest Book.
Zooming in and out is now smooth rather than jerky.
Zoom direction has been corrected. Zoom in and zoom out were previously reversed.
Camera zoom no longer jerks when reaching the zoom limits.
Players can now hold RB and LB to zoom, rather than repeatedly tapping.
Zoom in and zoom out now behave consistently regardless of combat mode state.
The riddle hint box no longer gets cut off at the top of the screen when the text is long.
Shrines no longer appear incorrectly in the telescope UI.
The 'That worked' message has been removed from tutorial puzzle completion.
The Twilight Shard is now correctly removed from the inventory when placed in the tutorial mosaic.
Puzzle Fixes
Aries Puzzle
Crystals on the door now correctly reflect the correct and incorrect states after completing the puzzle.
The transition between active play and pushing a block has been improved.
Pushable blocks now support controller input.
The yak at the end of the Aries puzzle is now petable.
Cancer Puzzle
Moons are now placed on podiums rather than floating in the air.
The crab claw has been repositioned onto a platforming section to give it more space.
The cinematic for the Cancer puzzle now provides clearer direction on finding and placing the moons. Reading from the shrine now triggers the relevant guidance.
Moon textures have been fully redone.
The entrance to the Cancer area has been redesigned to feel less blocky.
Once the correct crab claw sequence is input, the puzzle now ends immediately.
Leo
A riddle has been added to the Leo crystal.
The Time Turner UI no longer triggers too early after placing the sunbeam glass.
Scorpio
The player is now locked in place when interacting with the scorpion statue.
Mini-waterfalls near the split path are now removed after the first pressure pad is activated.
Collision has been added to the waterfall leading to the Pisces puzzle and is removed once Scorpio is complete.
Aquarius
A mission trigger has been added for the first time an aqua gem is picked up.
Virgo
The player can no longer move during the show sequence.
A pressure plate animation has been added to the Virgo floor glyphs.
Level & Environment
Water Level
The long load time from the cutscene into the Water Level has been reduced.
Pressure plates now trigger camera cuts to show the water body moving.
Wireframe balls near the scorpion statue have been removed.
A hole in the cave near the waterfalls that players could fall into and not escape from has been fixed.
Saving and exiting at the end of the Fire Stage no longer places the player at the Moon Shrine on next load.
Overlapping audio at the start of the Moon Shrine area on session load has been fixed.
A section of the Moon Shrine climbing area that allowed players to fall out of bounds has been fixed.
All uncorrupted items near Aphrodite's statue no longer incorrectly display as red crests.
Fire Level
Audio now plays correctly as the player approaches the Aries shrine collectable.
Walking into yaks no longer causes the camera to zoom inside the model.
Duplicate Archer Warpath entries in the key item inventory have been removed.
The interact and store menu no longer appears when picking up the book from the floor.
A pathing issue on the path up to the Aries trial has been fixed.
Missing textures on trees along the route to the Aries trial have been restored.
A terrain pass has been completed on the split path area.
Air Level
Daylight shadows from outside are no longer visible inside the Aquarius puzzle area.
General & Miscellaneous
The lens item near the shrines is now more visible on the floor.
Switching from dusk to twilight near the shrines no longer causes NPCs to fall from the sky.
A softlock caused by having a menu open during an in-game cutscene has been fixed.
Petting the yak now correctly returns it to its idle animation.
Fox Monkey mini-games have been added.
The white rose now correctly displays a flower in the inspect view.
The interaction prompt on mirrors now appears correctly and is consistent across all mirror objects.
Hold to close on tutorials has been replaced with a single button press on controller.
Time Turner states are now displayed as 'Inactive' when not in use.
WHEW! That's a lot! We're really excited about this patch. It really feels like we've been able to tighten up the game and make it a more enjoyable experience. As always, please leave feedback, any bugs you've found or join our Discord for a chat! See you soon! Nareice