One Week Later - Build Update #417

Wow, a week's gone by already? Time flies when you're smashing bugs. After spending all this time on the front lines of the war against imperfection, we're starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Our extensive Trello list has shrunk to nearly nothing. Shy some of the most important changes coming, we could easily wrap what's left in a mini-patch.

Though, we want to be sure everything is solid before we sound the "ALL CLEAR" alarm and fully invite all you holdouts to return to the fold and (properly) enjoy your first playthrough.

So, we'd like to request anyone and everyone willing to beat the heck out of our game to don their armor and put it through its paces. Bring us your most ridiculous behaviors and unimaginable action combinations, we want to find every last hole in the hull. We'll be watching Discord and the forums very closely to gather every issue you can bring us. With luck, our next patch will be the last before we can finally start working on new content additions. We thank you in advance for this trial-by-fire.

Notice:

Players importing from ASM with "perfect" endings may still want to wait. Due to reasons we'll outline in a future post, your timeline needs a little more work before it's functioning as intended.

Here's what's in the update:

• Prevented background 'crossing' character from using player's model
• Disabled access to Unter in the 'return home' epilogues
• Blocked players from getting on 2ELF roof by walking through walls
• Corrected placement of child sprite when they're playing Fire Escape at the arcade
• Added sandwich investments to the PC at home during 'return home' epilogues
• Fixed some sticky chairs in the player's house during the 'return home' epilogues
• Removed Mel's sprite from the window of her room while she's sleeping
• Players leaving the pool in some places will no longer be teleported to the wrong fitness center
• The 'return home' epilogues now accurately deduct hospital bills and deferral fees from accounts
• Players can now change party members without ditching their current
• Added gamepad support to the firing range at Easy Target
• Ensured that your ex-wife or ex-husband never answer the phone once divorced
• Fixed some hygiene items that were applying negative values to the player's cleanliness ranking
• Added 'Latest Chapter' data to save screen for controller players
• Prevented players from unexpectedly wearing towels after showering in prison
• Replaced a missing portrait when your spouse asks you for bacon and eggs
• Made extra safety checks to ensure the bus doesn't drive away before you finish your reading
• Divorced players will no longer see their ex-spouse's portrait in menus
• Added extra dialogue to Casey when players visit the apartment a second time
• Made the couches, chairs, and television in Casey's apartment fully functional during second visits
• Resolved outstanding timeline conflict for players who go to jail for trying to steal a gun
• Removed lingering traces of sunset animation for a select number of players
• If your husband or wife get naked in the bedroom, their reflection will no longer stay dressed
• Stopped your spouse from unceremoniously responding after the 'Rival Lied' finale
• Prevented players from getting stuck if stung by a scorpion at the edge of the desert maps
• Edited a bunch of reported typos for Comedian, Ricky, Big Deal, DeMarcus, Shelly and other NPCs
• Ended the player's cellphone animation appropriately after Casey calls without your spouse present
• You must now keep chickadees in your inventory until you're out of the wastelands
• Added comments before typing in jail to remind player that the epilogue is forever
• Fixed some issues with the cooking system regarding ingredients, and spices
• Made all BFs top conversation priority be your book during your reading event
• Removed all time expense on washing a light amount of dishes at home
• Reduced the time expense of washing a lot of dishes at home by half, added a comment for it
• Finishing any amount of dishes will now conclude the washing machine and coffee maker cycles
• Changed cooking to only expend time if you've cooked 6 or more meals in the day
• Allowed laundry to resolve after cooking two recipes in a row
• Deleted a problematic NPC
• Ensured right type of keyboard appears for controller players during the finale
• Enhanced "Controller Mode" added to the options menu
• Improved callback reference of Mason's panel accusations for players with dead MC or Sam
• Improved callback reference of Mason's interview for players with dead MC or Sam
• Improved callback reference of newspaper article for players with dead MC or Sam
• Removed conflicting dialogue in Mason sequences for players with "perfect" endings
• Added functional garbage cans throughout the game

Once again, if you've got the time and energy to put Sometimes Always Monsters to task, we would greatly appreciate all of your feedback. We're very close to a clean experience for all players, and with your help we can achieve it in no time. Thank you again for all your support and passion!

- VD