The Message from Deep Space news & patch notes

Hi Translators!

Quick patch to fix the framerate limiting setting.

Happy Translating!

- Applesinmypants ːsteamhappyː

Hi Translators!

This is the first post-release update! It’s packed full of bugfixes & QoL changes and a few content updates. 

We're not even a week out yet and the response has been incredible! I'm glad you all are enjoying the game. Plus, we have some awesome fan art of the Translation team!

artwork by @kalidels

artwork by HTJKM

Some notable changes include a fix for achievements that were sending at weird times and not transferring over from the demo properly, support for different regional settings on the in-game calculator (for example: using comma as a decimal separator if your computer’s regional settings), and new graphics settings. 

For a full look at the changes, take a peek below. 

General Changes

• New Framerate Settings

  • Uncapped

  • 144 fps

  • 60 fps

  • 30 fps

• New Graphics Settings

  • Screen Distortions

  • Unnecessary Objects

• Settings display Hotkeys

  • Additional Hotkey for Submitting Transmission: Ctrl + Enter

• Dialogue Settings

  • Added an option to disable dialogues that respond to dictionary entries 

  • Added an option to disable all dialogues

• End of Week Journal Entries can now be quickly advanced with Right-click or Tab (like normal dialogue frames)

• Dialogues from end of week breaks and journal entries that did not save will now automatically add to the log. They will be out of order (most recent), but now they can be viewed. This is helpful for players that crashed, soft-locked, or otherwise closed the game before they were able to save. 

• Removed the “Wishlist Now” button from the Menu Window

• Removed music from first end of week meeting

• Renamed “Delete Progress?” button to “Handle Save File”

Bugfixes

• Fixed a bug where many achievements were sent prematurely 

  • Related: Fixed a bug where previously cleared achievements from the demo are unlocked when playing the full game 

  • Quadruple Digits achievement fixed (and will unlock if you are past this point)

• Calculator inputs now support different regional settings

  • For example: using , instead of . as a decimal separator

• Fixed End of Week meetings for 46 - End so they cannot softlock from the dialogue not playing

• Fixed a bug where skipping dialogues that summon models would result in the models permanently floating in the way 

• Fixed the Act Screen on the far right side in the final Act (showed XI)

• Text Carets no longer cast shadows

• Fixed a button that appears after completing the game so it no longer appears in front of other menus

• Lengthy dialogues no longer are chopped off in the Log window

• Fixed an issue where dialogues that were interrupted to play end of week meetings are properly added to log. 

• Fixed dialogue that plays at the end of Week 7 so it no longer plays prematurely and is interrupted by the end of week meeting

• Fixed issues with the final 60 seconds of the game

  • Fixed timing related issue

  • Fixed dialogue issue related to quickly advancing

• Fixed Ruthenium’s entry in the periodic table (no longer displays Rubidium)

• Fixed a duplicate hypothesis at the end of week 18

• Multi-line achievement names properly resize their font instead of wrapping

• Fixed the achievement page from scrolling in odd ways

• Fixed a group from prematurely appearing in end of week 22

• Disabled IME, which could prevent multi-line input for alternate language inputs

• Fixed a range of typos across the game!

Transmissions & Ideas

• Transmissions 233, 234,  237, & 239 updated for technical accuracy

• Transmissions 233, 270, 397, 425, 426, 470 fixed formatting errors

• Transmission 402, 403, 404, & 406 updated for technical accuracy

• Transmission 291 fixed error

• Transmission 357 fixed error

• Transmission 371 fixed error

• Transmission 688 fixed small error

• Transmission 757 fixed small error

• Transmission 947 fixed small error

• Transmission 954 fixed small error

• Transmission 961 fixed error

• Transmission 975 fixed error 

P.S: 5 days out and we're at 5,000 copies sold and nearly 200 reviews. Unbelievable. I'm glad you all are enjoying the game :')

Happy Translating!

- Applesinmypants ːsteamhappyː

Hi Translators! 

“The Message from Deep Space” is now released! 

The full release is here. 1 Meteor, 900+ Transmissions. I hope you all enjoy!

(Astronomer's Note: Meteorite***)

Only a day out and we're already rated "Very Positive"! How awesome!!

For the 100+ players that have taken the time to play the Beta, I owe a many great big thank yous. For all those who found typos, faced unfair troubles with difficult transmissions, reported issues with the game’s interface, and highlighted areas of technical inaccuracy– it is much appreciated! You have created a better path for all who follow in your footsteps. 

And to those who are just now starting their journey, translating The Message from Deep Space, I hope you have tons of fun!! Thank you for joining the global Translation Team! 

artwork by konstans

Beta and demo players may find some improvements, notably in mid-late game dialogues, a barrage of transmission updates, and most exciting of all: the Final Act!! 

For the full list of changes, take a peek below! 

General Changes

• Final Act now playable :)

• Weeks 37 - End dialogues written

Specific Changes

• A new sequence of dialogues added to Week 29

• New button to hide the Developer Message that appears at the end of the Demo or the end of the Beta. (Helpful to look back through Transmission Log and Dictionary)

• “{” and “}” are now accepted in Dictionary term names 

• Updated which Dopp soundtrack plays during the end of week meetings from Week 26 - End

• Added hypotheses for -127 

Bugfixes

• Fixed Confetti in Act 11

• Fixed the hitbox of the top tab on each menu so you can no longer click above it. 

• Fixed Journal Entries #29 so they are no longer temp text

• Reworked how Achievements are unlocked when moving from the demo to the main game. Now all achievements previously unlocked will be sent after completing Transmission 75. 

• Act 6 Achievement properly adds (and will automatically unlock for players past this point)

• Fixed a UI issue when opening Global options in the Dictionary after opening an entry’s notes

• Fixed typo in Distance Reference (x1, y1)

• Fixed typo in States of Matter Reference (and)

• Fixed typo in 3D Geometry Reference (vertices)

• Fixed typos and parsing errors across many many dialogues!

• Fixed a broken bot in our community Discord? huh?

• Sorry about the initial launch issue with the black screen! It has now been fixed for both Windows & Mac

Transmissions & Ideas

• Transmission 2 added Idea

• Transmission 5 added Idea

• Transmission 64 updated

• Transmission 184 updated

• Transmission 205 & 208 fixed Ideas

• Transmission 246 added Idea

• Transmission 270 updated for clarity

• Transmission 346 updated

• Transmission 352 fixed small error

• Transmission 362 fixed error

• Transmission 357 fixed small error

• Transmission 377 updated

• Transmission 436 fixed small error

• Transmission 419 added Idea

• Transmission 478 updated for clarity

• Transmission 487 fixed small error

• Transmission 517 fixed error

• Transmission 529 fixed small error

• Transmission 533 fixed error

• Transmission 544 fixed error

• Transmission 555 updated for clarity

• Transmission 707 fixed error

• Transmission 757 updated and added Idea

• Transmission 772 updated for clarity

• Transmission 781 fixed error

• Transmission 808 fixed error

• Transmission 849 fixed small error

• Transmission 852 fixed error

• Transmission 865 updated for clarity

• Transmission 882 updated for clarity

• Transmission 887 fixed small error

• Transmission 888 updated for clarity and added Idea

• Transmission 914 added Idea

• Transmission 917 updated for clarity

• Transmission 939 updated

• Transmission 945 added Idea

Without getting too sappy, this game has been my labor of love for the past 13 months. I’m still in disbelief at how much the game has resonated with this community. 

I hope you enjoy; Happy Translating! :)

- Applesinmypants ːsteamhappyː

Hi Translators! 

Today we’ve got a small round of changes for the beta. A few bugfixes, a once again much-requested improvement to dictionary formatting (custom default formatting settings!), and a bit of content updates too, across hypotheses, transmissions, and dialogues. 

Some of these new additions are not thoroughly tested, so they will only apply to the Beta for now. But I’m sure they will soon make their way to the demo as well! 

Before diving into the changes, I would just like to highlight that we are over 5000 wishlists as of writing this (scratch that-- 6000 my goodness). A week ago, we were at around 300. The level of support, feedback, and kind words has been incredible. At times it feels a bit unreal. I thank you so much <3

Unrelated to this patch, but the full OST can be found on YouTube. A proper release to music platforms will come in the future.

Now, let’s take a look at the changes in this update: 

General Changes

• Dialogues written for Week 36

• Dialogue History properly uses the Translator’s name

• Default formatting for new words can be set in the Dictionary’s “Global” Tab. Default Formatting Option for “After” formatting is set to “New Line”

Specific Changes

• “:” and “;” are now accepted in Dictionary term names 

  • ‘$’ will not be added as it is used for some dialogue formatting. Sorry PHP enjoyers

  • '|' will not be added as it is used for signal embedding in dialogue. Sorry logic enjoyers

  • '@' will not be added as it is used for dialogue formatting. Sorry... email enjoyers?

• Added hypotheses for -101 after Week 32

• Added hypotheses for -144, -133, and -134  after Week 33

• Updated hypotheses for -152-157

Bugfixes

• Fixed a bug where quickly advancing through dialogue would fail to replace embedded signals with their dictionary equivalent. 

• Some whitespace is trimmed from transmission inputs, meaning “tab” should no longer cause in-game Compiler Errors (failed transmissions)

• Fixed an issue following the opening cutscene, where a typing sound is heard on a black screen for ~4 seconds. 

• Week & Act screens no longer update before the end-of-week break

• Fixed a bug when clicking the “Set” button when naming a signal, it continues to edit the entry. 

• Fixed “Run in Background” setting so it is no longer reversed. 

• Fixed “Y2” typo in reference tab Distance Page.

• Fixed “Is Is” typo in reference tab Rounding Page.

• Fixed an issue with the beta-dictionary-updater (should not have affected most players).

Transmissions & Ideas

• Transmission 92 fixed small error

• Transmission 181 fixed small error

• Transmission 294 updated

• Transmission 359 fixed small error

• Transmission 361 fixed small error

• Transmission 556 updated and added submission listener

• Transmission 388 updated for clarity

• Transmission 508 added Idea

• Transmission 559 fixed small error

• Transmission 578 updated

• Transmission 599 fixed error

Thanks again as always. Now, back to developing! 

(P.S. We’re just over 1 week from release!) 

- Applesinmypants ːsteamhappyː

Hi all! New round of changes! 

I appreciate the feedback this community gives because it actively shapes the game in a myriad of ways. 

You get stuck on a transmission? Great, it’s updated for clarity and an Idea is written! (Like the dreadful transmission 57)

You mention a “potentially pedantic” nitpick about Bautista writing the hypothesis “RND” for a particular signal when in the BASIC programming language, that was the function for “Random”? Great, Bautista’s hypothesis has been updated! 

All of these are real pieces of feedback I’ve received and real ways that the game has been updated. It’s really awesome that this game attracts such curious, excited, perseverant gamers. It’s a pleasure for me as a developer, and I will continue to make this game as great for you as I can! 

Highlights for this patch include new dictionary format controls, new graphics settings, some important bugfixes, and a bajillion transmissions updated, especially late game content. For full details, read below! 

One last note, some transmissions were inserted into the game, which means if you are particularly far into your playthrough on the beta (transmission 240+), you might be sent backwards a small amount of transmissions, (likely 1 or 2 unless you are 800+, in which case you will be sent back ~8 transmissions)

General Changes

• New Graphics Settings - Low blend Scanlines & Color Splitting (Chromatic Aberration)

• When switching from the demo to the main-game, clearing Transmission 76 will unlock the achievements that would have been unlocked completing Act 1 if playing the full game. 

• Dialogue for Weeks 34-35 !!

• Updated compiler formatting settings to allow greater control (by popular demand). Can now set different format options for before and after a word. By default, all “after” formatting is set to NO SPACE.

• Achievement Icons

• New Reference Pages under Chemistry

Specific Changes

• Dictionary Update comes a few transmissions earlier now for a smoother start

• Dictionary entries highlight on hover

• Updated some of Akers’s arm animations so they obscure less of the dialogue name plates

• Changed the “EXIT” button in the input console to say “BACK”

• Fixed a bug where 1 soundtrack per soundtrack group would rarely play

• Removed 1 radio submit sfx (it sounded out of place)

• Fixed an issue where the transmission log would not scroll far enough for very very large transmissions 

• Fixed an issue where gameplay state would be entered before the end-of-week logs were complete 

• Fixed a nasty bug where the left monitor would become unusable if the Visual window was open when the week ends

• Fixed an issue where mutually exclusive graphics settings could both appear active (e.g. Windowed & Fullscreen mode appeared toggled on simultaneously)

• Moved Week Break 35 back 1 transmission

• Fixed a missing space in the “-FREE AUTOLOG.MOS” portion of the shutdown screen

• Shortened the COMPILER ERROR display time to 1.5 alien-seconds (previously 3)

• Dictionary Scroll defaults and updates to scroll to the bottom where the most recent entries are located

• One of the Hidden Achievements related to the Calculator is now achievable

• Hypotheses for SIG-7 now appears when it should

• Updated Hypotheses for SIG-184, SIG-185, and SIG-188

• Removed errant hypotheses from Log 39

• The total number of transmissions in the game has increased by ~8

• Dictionary words -177 and above have been moved down 3 (so SIG-177 is now SIG-174 etc.) If this applies to your save file, you may see a pop-up prompting an automatic fix to your dictionary. 

• Fixed a tiny typo in the Rounding Reference Page (280 Rounds => 200)

Transmissions & Ideas

• Transmission 57 updated for clarity & added Idea

• Transmission 61 fixed error

• Transmission 73 added Idea

• Transmission 90 delayed dialogue for after end-of-week meeting

• Transmission 117 added Ideas

• Transmission 204 updated & added Idea

• Transmission 219 updated

• Transmission 230 reinserted (was missing, oops!)

• Transmission 232 fixed small error

• Transmission 248 updated

• Transmission 303 fixed error

• Transmission 377 added Idea

• Transmission 504 added Idea

• Transmission 508 reinserted

• Transmission 520 updated & updated Idea

• Transmissions 527 & 528 reordered

• Transmission 532 reinserted

• Transmission 537 updated for clarity & added Idea

• Transmission 539 fixed

• Transmission 541 updated

• Transmission 547 updated

• Transmission 552 updated for clarity

• Transmission 553 updated for clarity

• Transmission 558 updated for clarity 

• Transmission 571 updated

• Transmission 572 updated

• Transmission 587 reinserted

• Transmission 588 updated

• Transmission 589 updated

• Transmission 590 updated

• Transmission 593 updated

• Transmission 594 fixed error

• Transmission 595 fixed error

• Transmission 604 updated

• Transmission 609 added Ideas

• Transmission 612 fixed error

• Transmission 613 updated for clarity

• Transmission 624 fixed small error

• Transmission 639 updated for clarity

• Transmission 649 Ideas added

• Transmissions 650 & 651 reinserted

• Transmission 653 fixed small error

• Transmission 658 fixed

• Transmission 665 fixed error 

• Transmission 669 fixed error

• Transmission 673 fixed error

• Transmission 676 updated

• Transmission 690 updated for clarity

• Transmission 698 fixed error

• Transmission 701 fixed error 

• Transmission 723 fixed error

• Transmission 731 updated

• Transmission 735 updated for clarity

• Transmission 742 updated for clarity

• Transmission 749 reinserted

• Transmission 751 updated for clarity

• Transmissions 756, 757, & 758 reinserted

• Transmission 762 updated for clarity

• Transmission 774 updated for clarity

• Transmissions 775 and 776 reordered

• Transmission 776 added Idea

• Transmission 778 updated for clarity & added submission Idea

• Transmission 779 fixed error

• Transmission 780 updated & added submission Idea

• Transmission 791 updated for clarity

• Transmissions 792-801 fixed reoccurring errors

• Transmission 804 fixed error

• Transmission 805 updated for clarity

• Transmission 806 updated for clarity

• Transmission 807 updated for clarity

• Transmission 814-817 fixed reoccurring errors

• Transmission 823 updated for clarity

• Transmission 834-840 reinserted (whole transmission group was missing, oops!) 

• Transmission 841 fixed error

• Transmission 844 updated for clarity

• Transmissions 845 & 846 new additions!

• Many Transmissions updated in large ways beyond this point! :)

Thanks again as always. Now, back to developing! 

(P.S. We’re under 2 weeks from release!) 

- Applesinmypants ːsteamhappyː

Hi Translators!

This week is Steam's Next Fest, a fun event that happens a few times a year to explore upcoming releases and play their demos!

And guess who's in it...

The Message from Deep Space!!

There's never been a better time to play the demo! And if you're hooked, you don't have to wait too long for the full release, which is just 2 weeks away, June 29th!!

In other news, I've got another update coming out in a few days with some new QoL features, more graphics customization, bugfixes, and tons of improved content, especially for the full beta version. So keep your eyes on the look out for that.

That's all for now. Carry on, play the demo, join the community Discord, follow socials, do whatever your heart desires!

Community Discord: https://discord.gg/mMxWmvczCS

YouTube:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/applesinmypants_games/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@applesinmypants

I get back to developing. 2 weeks away and I'm very excited :)

- Applesinmypants ːsteamhappyː

Hi Translators! New patch landing for the demo & beta! 

I hope you all are continuing to enjoy the game! It’s really cool seeing how much this game resonates with people. It seems like you all really get it. 

Now, the problem with having a community that has an astounding attention-to-detail is that YOU GUYS CATCH EVERYTHING!! SERIOUSLY!! NO STONE LEFT UNTURNED WITH YOU ALL!! 

But I love it. And I’m happy to listen to feedback and make the game better. So thanks for having an eagle eye. 

General Changes

• Mark Ideas as Read button

• Computer boot and shutdown sequence

• Reference tab - NEW Linguistics tab added

• Reference tab - Physics tab updated with 2 new tabs

• Reference tab - NEW section that will remain a mystery here muahuahuah...

• Solar Breeze no longer louder than every other song

• Journal Entries now add to log!

• Several Journal Entries past week 29 have been added

• Auto-Log text no longer can bleed out of the frame

• Oscilloscopes now display longer wavelengths for lower frequencies (as they should)

• Reformatted End of Week Progress Log (better for different resolutions)

Specific Changes

• Fixed Act titles for 6+

• Fixed dictionary words -138 through -141 being out of order and updated Transmissions in correspondence

• Updated hypotheses for signal -38

• Fixed a series of dialogues in Act 6 that erroneously included the wrong speaker

• Fixed typo in reference tab (3D Shapes) where it said the formula to graph a "CIRCLE" instead of "SPHERE"

• Fixed Antimony in the periodic table so it is no longer a placeholder element (with an atomic number of 119)

• Visual Window labels properly writes SIG-52 instead of SIG-49 when highlighting a sphere

• Dictionary Compile settings no longer appear 12 transmissions before the compiler update

Transmissions & Ideas

• Transmission 78 fixed

• Transmission 82 added Ideas

• Transmissions 104-106 minor reformatting

• Transmission 104 added Idea

• Transmission 147 added Idea

• Transmission 179 added Ideas

• Transmission 180 fixed

• Transmission 191 fixed

• Transmission 199 updated

• Transmission 261 updated

• Transmission 277 updated for clarity

• Transmission 308 added Idea

• Transmission 400 updated for clarity

• Transmission 414 fixed

• Transmission 418 fixed

• Transmission 420 fixed

• Transmission 421 updated for clarity

• Transmission 433 fixed

• Transmission 476 refers to the proper transmission (darn 0-indexing aliens)

• Transmission 497 refers to the proper transmission (darn 0-indexing aliens)

• Transmission 502 is no longer empty (I apologize if you got stuck here)

• Updated many many dialogues & journal entries in small ways (and added more arm gestures to them!! yay!)

Once again, thanks for all the feedback, and I hope you all continue to enjoy the translation. 

Together, we’re doing something pretty cool. 

Cheers,

Applesinmypants

(P.S. We’re only 1 month out from full release!!)

It's been a great 3 weeks since the demo released, and the response has been amazing! Thank you all sharing your feedback, letting me know the transmissions that were overbearing or inconsistent, the dialogues that were especially funny, and of course, the bugs ya found! (Sorry about the calculator's base-conversions being so buggy. I guess I'd prefer Dr. Bautista's base-10 update, too)

Both the demo version and the beta version (contact us for a Steam key!) have received updates.

Let's go over the highlights:

• Dialogues make use of the scientists' gestures (they point more often, yay!)

• Many many many dialogues improved & rewritten

• Idea popups trigger more quickly (less puzzle submissions required, less time elapsed required)

• New Icons to highlight Idea & Dictionary dialogues in the Log

• Calculator Window massively improved (better rounding, base-conversions fixed, custom variables, more digits, copy-paste buttons)

• Reference Tab improved with more information, better formatting, and copy-able fields

• Added a quiet ambience to the control room

• All music is now quieter

• 2 new songs (1 in Act 3, 1 in Act 6)

• MANY transmissions reformatted to be more consistent

• Fixed a bug where the log did not properly update with dialogues throughout play

• Fixed Achievement Window scrolling

• Fixed a bug where Idea dialogues would log when the Idea was acknowledged, rather than when it first appeared.

• Fixed a game-breaking bug if your name included "Translator" (Thanks to a certain Dr. TranslatorGuy-- you know who you are.)

• Fixed a bug where clicking on your journal entry before typing would cause a soft-lock.

The experience should be smoother, but as always, let me know if there are any stumpers or chokepoints. Your feedback continues to be extremely valuable and actively shapes how the game is made!

I hope you've all enjoyed the demo, or if you've finished already and want more, I hope you enjoy playing the secret beta version. Hehehe. (Contact my email [email protected] or reach out on Discord for access to the full beta version. I'm happy to send a Steam key your way)

For now, I must get back to developing! Thanks all!

-Applesinmypants ːsteamhappyː

Hi All, Two Big Announcements!

The Game's first trailer is out now!! Check it out!!

And The Message from Deep Space will release on June 29th!!

Trailer

:D

Release Date

Originally, the game was set to release in March, but I've pushed it back to June for a few reasons.

Firstly, there's still plenty of fun content to add, and it needs time to develop. As the deadline was approaching, I started cutting content-- content that wasn't super necessary but would be nice to have. Things like a larger soundtrack, better visuals, in-game minigames, and other funny easter eggs. But it started to reach a point where the game was just a bit less exciting, and we can't have that! So all the cut content is re-planned to be implemented! I'd rather release a game that is a 100% complete experience over an 80% complete experience.

Secondly, playtesters have found some bugs (they're too good at it...). None of the bugs are game-breaking, thankfully, but once again, I would feel bad knowingly releasing a game with issues. So I'm taking some time to clean everything up and add a fresh coat of paint!

Thirdly, why June 29th? TMFDS will be demo'd at Steam Next Fest, which starts June 15th! This way, it has a chance to get some more eyes, get some new fans, and get some more feedback! I'm excited!!

That's about all for updates. Time to get back to it!

- Applesinmypants