- Back to development - 13 October 2021
First of all I would like to apologise for the stop in development that happened shortly after covid 19 hit. We were a micro team of two and the pandemic hit both of us hard. My partner had to change his work patterns completely and could not continue and as my main business was hospitality I had to completely focus on that for my staff and business to survive. Unfortunately this meant not being able to devout any time to game development. Even with this however, the inevitable has now happened and the hospitality business has been forced to close. The upside to this is I can refocus on game development and with that in mind the plan is as follows. I want to work on episode 2 and continue to support episode 1 so I have reduced the price to see if there is still demand for this game. We already had all the art work and puzzles for episode 2 and I am now building a small team to begin wor…
- New update live - 25 February 2020
The update adds a new audio system, hints system and new controller support testing. All the new features are being added to help the player at the start of the game. We have improved the controls for the mini games so the fire puzzle should be much easier to understand now. We are also improving the Wolf hunt quest as there have been a couple of reports of a lack of wolves. A little hint for that is if you wander around the forests they should be there as that is the wolf habitat. Work on episode 2 is under way and we should have some more information on that soon.
- Sale now on - 24 January 2020
Lightmare Castle is currently in the Lunar sale. We also have a large update being tested now that should be live over the next few days. This adds full controller support and improved mini game/puzzle control. We have also re written the audio system to provide dynamic context driven audio experience which adds a nice element to game. Episode 2 assets are being created now and the detail of the story being finalised. More details will be released in the next few weeks and we will be reaching out to episode one players for any beta testers so we do not make the mistake of launching too early with this episode.
- New update live - 8 November 2019
A game manual has added to the start of game and accessible in the Journal. Controls are now shown in game and a brief introduction to help players get into the game. Looking at some of the game-play data we may have set the difficulty a little too high. We want the feeling of unknown at the start of the game as that is the characters position in the world but we also understand some instructions are needed. Hopefully this balances out both sides a little better. Only game developers have completed the game so far! We might have to offer some kind of prize for the first player to complete the episode.
- Minor patch - 4 November 2019
A couple of small save fixes and the ability to turn the music off or down on the in game pause menu.
- Ligthmare Castle Released - 2 November 2019
Thank you for taking the time to play our first game in a series in the world of Lightmare Castle. We are a micro team of two English Dev's who wanted to produce an indie game with a quirky character and interesting story that could be developed over focused episodes. We are really excited to get part one in the hands of gamers. We have learned a lot in the process and will continue to do so as we move immediately on to Episode two. It has been a tough challenge and both of us have had to develop new skills as we have progressed and even turned our hands to unexpected roles ːsteamhappyː to get things completed. We have a vast world awaiting throughout the series and an epic story (We hope) gamers can enjoy.
- New Update live - 24 October 2019
Lots of bug fixes addressing some quest issues and save/load. A major update to the look of the game with lots of improvements to the volumetric light system. We will update the screenshots page soon. We'd love some feedback on the new look for the game as it is a major shift (If all gfx options are on) - Volumetric light, post processing etc... They can be switched off if systems require but there has also been performance improvements so meeting the 660ti spec for gfx or similar should mean you can enjoy all the extra's at a good FPS. We are working on the final quest and cutscene to be ready for our full release which is inching closer and closer. We will be adding more enemies on the journey and a final cutscene to setup episode 2.
- New version live - 10 October 2019
The latest version of Lightmare Castle is now live. The horse has received and complete rework. New model, animations and control system. We have improved the save system to include the new horse. The journal has been further improved and now shows current quest as well as other information. We have added a new surprise creature and really cool way it is introduced to the player. There are few more things I want to get around to then I will make playthru video showcasing some of the cool new features and ways you can solve some of the quests/puzzles. We are moving nicely towards the full release of episode one and we are really happy with the huge progress we have made in the last few weeks.
- New version live - 2 October 2019
We have added a fix so map markers are included in the save/load system. There are also a number of improvements to the UI and the book/journal system. The journal is directly accessible on J key now as well as through the Inventory menu. We are working on a big update to the Horse to improve the riding experience and hopefully this will be live in the next few days,
- Price rise in a few short hours - 29 September 2019
Hi all, Final few hours of the initial price offer. Anyone interested might want to get in before the increase of price in a few hours time. If you have the game on your wishlist and or think the current version warrants the price of a good coffee now is the time. Price increase to $7.99 later today. Final version set to be released on 31st October 2019.
- Improvements and bug fixes - 28 September 2019
Our latest patch addressed a flaw with the horse in game which made it impossible to find once you had visited the castle. EDIT 2:- Saves have been fixed and should still work alongside the horse fix. Any issues please message me or post in the forums. The bow and arrow has been upgraded and we are really happy with how it plays now, trajectory is realistic and some nice shots are possible now :-). We have improved the way the puzzle element of the wolf hunt quest now works. No spoilers but reading the correct book will really help you understand a great way to complete this quest. It also looks really nice!
- Next phase of Early Access - 24 September 2019
Things are hotting up as we are getting closer to the end of early access. All the quests for this episode are now in the live build. Achievements for this episode are now in. We still have over a month to add polish, backstory reading materials and to beef up the AI. The episode ending final cut-scene is still to be added as we transition out of early access. The price of the game is increasing on the 30th September to $7.99 as we enter the final month of early access. We want to thank everyone who has helped us through early access. This is only the beginning of our narrative adventure, there are lots more characters, stories and episodes to come in the Lightmare Castle universe.
- New update live - 23 September 2019
The latest release has several important fixes. Errors that occurred on save files making 'Armageddon' (Multiple arms appearing on the character) has been fixed along with fixes to the locks and doors. Testing of achievements has begun and the first batch will be fully implemented very soon along with a major announcement on the price rise and new features added. Development is going really well after our admittedly poor start and we appreciate that has had a knock on effect on some of our early reviews.
- New update - 14 September 2019
We have fixed an error that was causing the bow and arrow to stop working after loading a save file. We have had the odd report of multiple arms sometimes showing and we are hoping this was fixed too (as it's intermittent its hard to recreate and test) If anybody encounters that error please message or post in the forums.
- New Release - 12 September 2019
The latest live version has a new feature which is the ability to drop a light source. Press X when holding a light source to drop. This helps you fight against enemies as you can drop the light and see better as you equip a weapon. It is also very useful to aid you completing some quests. This will be explained in more detail in an added book to be found in the game. We have fixed the distance trees looking incorrect due to snow. We have fixed the issue of snow melting around the player. Improved the highlighting system. The crafting of arrows now produces 10 instead of 5. Added more information windows. Added quest specific map markers to wolves.
- Latest patch live - 11 September 2019
The latest update is live now. We have added a progress bar when interacting with the fire which will hopefully make things clearer and we have improved the huntsman's animation and lip syncing in his cut scenes.
- Latest patch released - 10 September 2019
Some more in game improvements to crafting and cut scenes. Lock pick puzzle has been improved and bugs fixed. FPS is now much higher across the game.
- New Update Live - 6 September 2019
The latest update adds field crafting to the game. It is in simple form currently - If you have wood you can craft arrows (Just press N to open field crafting menu). Soon it will be hidden behind a blueprint which you must find and learn first. We have also added more wood around the game. We have improved the humanoid AI and fixed the glitchy motion they were showing.
- Now an EA version we are happier with - 6 September 2019
First off I would like to apologise for the disastrous launch week where we released a week early than in fairness we should have. The game had progress restricting bugs and while it is Early Access and still in development we moved too early a little bit out of a desire of not wanting to disappoint people when we put a date on release. This was a mistake and has stopped gamers being able to experience what we are trying to do with this game. It is a fun little title under $5 dollars currently, and we have plans for many new features in each episode and a compelling story. There is still lots more coming to this episode and we are currently working on the final cutscene. I would love players who tried the early version to give it another go as we continue to tighten the experience and add new features.
- Cupboard and Armoury lockpick fixed - 5 September 2019
Tutorials added for the lock pick, Blueprints. Optimisations to FPS and improved lighting.
