Long Knives news & patch notes

• Changed the protagonist's dialogue box during trials to red. (If this version of visuals hurts your eyes, please provide feedback.)
• Fixed an issue where certain skill checks could be repeated multiple times.
• Fixed an issue in Chapter 1 where the trial might start in the wrong circumstance.

• In the Prologue, saving and then loading during the story events of the final day would cause the story to be skipped.
• In Chapter 1, failing to visit the Jin residence on the first day would prevent the "first arrival" story scene from ever triggering.
• In Chapter 2, saving and loading while on the ship would cause that day's story events to be skipped.

• Added a pop-up window during trials that asks whether you would like to enable the 0.5x text speed.
• Optimized certain branching paths.

Over the past month, we have released four version updates and fixed a number of minor bugs. The latest version theoretically includes the following changes:

• Fixed the issue where dialogues would occasionally freeze while other menus remained accessible.

• Corrected various typos, grammatical errors, and incorrect story sequences.

• Added the key mapping for opening the attribute screen with the F1 key.

• Added the key mapping for opening the log panel with the F2/F3 key.

• Occasional dialogue freezes while other menus remained accessible.
• The dog at the Jin residence in Chapter 1 not functioning as intended.
• A chance in Chapter 1 of being abruptly kicked out to the street during dialogue at the Wen residence.
• Map display errors in Tang Sect in Chapter 3.
• The issue where Tang Furong could not be found in Chapter 3.

• Resolved a random freeze occurring during certain dialogues in the early game, which prevented conversations from continuing.
• Fixed an issue where an incorrect map would be displayed under specific conditions in Chapter 1.
• Corrected a report display error that occurred in chapters after the prologue when using a non-Simplified Chinese interface.
• Addressed a bug where NPCs would disappear after saving and loading the game during certain story branches.

• Fixed various typos, grammatical errors, and bubble display issues.
• Corrected text display errors in the report in Chapter 2.
• Resolved an issue where selecting certain options in Chapters 1 and 2 would cause the game to freeze.

• The anti-crash autosave, originally triggered every five minutes, has been changed to save before each dialogue begins.

• Revised some wording in Chapter 1 to be more intuitive, improving the experience of free exploration.
• Based on bug reports, fixed an issue where dialogue options would not appear after saving and loading during conversations at the beginning of Chapter 1.

• An issue where servants could be repeatedly dismissed at the Tang Sect.
• Incorrect display of available action points in certain scenarios.
• A system bug: after clicking the character's portrait, there was a chance the menu would not retract, causing unresponsive clicks.

• Corrected some awkwardly phrased sentences.
• Previously, clicking the icon in the bottom-left corner to open the menu could occasionally cause lagging. This functionality has now been made somewhat smoother.

• Corrected additional typos.
• Revised the wording in some of the in-game text.
• Adjusted the time limits for certain timed choices to better reflect realistic decision-making durations.
• Added red text reminders in City God Temple in Chapter 3 to highlight interactables that are easy to miss.

• More typos, awkward phrasing, and display errors.
• An occasional issue where maps would overlap in Tang Sect.
• A problem where sound effects would play and trigger repeatedly at high speed when using the fast-forward feature.

In the current version, the following adjustments have been made:

• Optimized the lag issue when bringing up the menu by pressing ESC.

• Added a fast-forward function (Windows: hold Ctrl or Z; Mac: hold Z).

• Corrected additional typos and awkward phrasing, primarily in Chapters 2 and 3.

• Enhanced the branching content at the carriage house in Chapter 1.

• A prompt will now appear in Chapter 3 if there are unfinished matters at the City God Temple.

In the updates on January 19th, the following changes were implemented:

• The bonuses provided by Proficiency skills now increase progressively with each chapter. The later the stage, the more proficient the skills become.

• An UI button has been added to the Save/Settings menu (located within the interface displaying attributes). It can now be accessed without relying solely on the ESC key.

• Modified some dialogues related to the Tang Sect.

In the update on January 17th, the following issues were fixed:

• Various display issues in Chapter 1 and Chapter 2

• More typos

Additionally, the following two features have been implemented:

• The game now autosaves every 5 minutes to prevent data loss in case of crashes

  • This autosave file serves as a backup and is not visible in the load menu;

  • If the game crashes or you forget to save before exiting, clicking "Continue" upon relaunch will allow you to resume from the most recent progress point.

• You can now press F5 to quicksave, and press F8 or F9 to load that quicksave

  • Quicksave files are separate from the regular save system and are also not visible in the load menu;

  • This means that even if you pressed F5 a year ago, loading that quicksave will restore the game state from that moment.

• Added a "To Be Continued" indicator at current story breakpoints.
• Added a red indicator for Auto-Play mode, positioned above the dialogue box.
• Corrected some typos.
• Fixed an issue in Chapter 3 where some dialogue lines repeated in a loop.
• Resolved some lingering issues in Chapter 1:
  • The issue where the station staff would inexplicably disappear.
  • The problem preventing access to Jin's residence.
  • Frame-rate-related issues causing checks to trigger earlier than intended, which led to missing story content.

• Added an Auto-Play feature, which can be enabled in Settings > Other.
• Fully resolved the issue of inexplicable skipping, fast-forwarding, or screen flickering.

I have finally identified the core issue causing the plot to inexplicably skip, jump ahead, or fast-forward to the next day,

• Corrected some text displays in Chapter 1. Locations you haven't visited will no longer be marked as visited, and visited locations will no longer incorrectly prompt you as if you’ve just arrived.
• Adjusted location buttons in Chapter 1. It is no longer possible to skip directly to the ending by repeatedly sleeping, thus eliminating the issue of accidentally missing plot events.
• After Gongsun Wang leaves the party in Chapter 1, the trigger for his re-joining will no longer occur erroneously.
• In Chapter 1, you can now talk to the shop assistant at the carriage house to rent a horse as long as you visit. However, renting multiple horses will not make travel faster.
• After actively performing a specific attribute check a certain number of times, that attribute will receive a slight increase.

• Success rates are now displayed for dice roll options.
• Modified the text display for critical successes (99) and critical failures (-1).
• Added tutorial explanations in the prologue for the following three features:
  • How to open the dropdown menu.
  • The function of the icon in the bottom-left corner.
  • How to temporarily hide the borders.

• Slightly reduced the text display speed during interrogations.
• Added an auto-save feature before filling out documents.
• Added BGM for the ship in Chapter 2.
• Added text notifications for passive dice checks.
• Fixed previously reported progression-blocking issues and removed some duplicate text.

• Fixed an issue where documents could not be filled out.
• Fixed an issue where dialogue logs from previous chapters could not be viewed.

• Fixed a freeze during interrogation at the Wuxian County Office on 3/4.
• Fixed incorrect dialogue options when questioning a vegetable vendor at the market on 7/14.
• Fixed a freeze while climbing the rocky hill at Tangjia Fort on 8/18.
• Fixed an issue where no dialogue options appeared when speaking with Lin Wuyou at Tangjia Fort on 8/19.

Thank you for your patience.

The Steam Next Fest has concluded. Thank you all for your support of Long Knives. Here's a brief data report: Over 3,100 players have added the Long Knives Demo to their libraries, with more than 950 trying it out. During the event, the average daily active players were around 117. As of the morning of June 16, the wishlist count stands at approximately 1,520.

All reported bugs have been fixed. Since the entire process, from design and development to operation and promotion, has been handled by a single individual (one biological person) in their spare time, oversights are inevitable. Some comments may not have received timely responses, and we apologize for that.

Additionally, we've noticed that due to unclear information, some players couldn't find the feedback channels. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused. If you encounter any issues, please send details to [email protected].

Once again, thank you for your support.

Since the start of Next Fest, we’ve received a lot of enthusiastic feedback from players, and we’re truly grateful. All feedback has been documented, but due to recent busy travels, we haven’t had time to respond—please forgive us for that.

The current version update includes several major changes, such as:

• Fixed an issue where Simplified Chinese players were incorrectly identified as Traditional Chinese upon launch.

• Fixed a soft-lock issue in Chapter 1 and errors in triggering certain dialogues.

• Corrected typos and mistranslations in the prologue’s localization.

• Adjusted visual effects to reduce flickering issues.

If you encounter any problems during gameplay, you can email us at [email protected] with details about your problems. We will reach out to you soon.

Thank you for believing in us.

• Not with a new plot/mechanic at all
• Edited for better reading
• Upgraded with visual assets
• Offering support in English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Korean