Dev Update: PROGRESS REPORT + NEW CM

Happy Friday, MGH Squad! Time for a little developer update.

🔥 What we’ve been up to 🔥

Things have been a bit quiet for the past couple of months, but behind the scenes the team has been hard at work and making great progress. As we discussed earlier this year, the development team has increased in size significantly and the pace of production has really picked up.

In the coming weeks, we are planning to share more details about what we’ve been working on. The team has been making great progress on new maps, weapons, abilities, and quality of life improvements. We don’t want to spill all of our secrets quite yet, though - so keep an eye on our Discord and Twitter for updates as always!

💥 Meet the new Community Manager 💥

You may have been wondering "Hey, who's writing this Dev Update?!" — that would be me! 

Hello! I'm Tinny, and I'm the newly appointed community manager for Midnight Ghost Hunt. It's super nice to meet you all! 

I’m incredibly excited about MGH, and I’m looking forward to updating everyone with development news going forward. My mind is already buzzing with all the cool things we can do together as a community! The whole Midnight Ghost Hunt team has been working tirelessly throughout the spring & summer, so they've brought me on board to help keep you all up to date about all the cool things coming your way.

I love the MGH concept and as I’ve been playing, I've learned something new every time. I love to play as both hunters and ghosts, but I feel like where I really shine is hiding in plain sight and surprising those unknowing hunters. I make quite a convincing gramophone, I must say. 😏 

👀 The next alpha test 👀

Let’s talk about alpha tests - it’s been awhile, hasn’t it? While we don’t have an exact date nailed down quite yet, I assure you it is coming very soon. Actually soon, this time - and we think it will be the best test yet! We're hoping you'll be thrilled with the progress and additions we've made these past months.

Stay tuned on our Discord and Twitter as usual for updates in the coming weeks.

Can’t wait to play with you all soon, and have a great weekend, Ghosts & Ghost Hunters!

-Tinny 👻

Dev Blog: Balancing

Happy Friday, Ghosts and Hunters! 👻

It’s been a busy few weeks here at MGH HQ! We’ve been hard at work on new content for our next test, as well as bug fixing and adjusting based on feedback. This week, we thought it would be cool to deep dive some alpha stats from our most recent alpha test!

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WIN RATE BALANCING
On Friday, the first day of the alpha, we saw a win rate of 57% for Hunters in our data channels. This was echoed by much of the initial feedback from that day: "Hunters feel too strong"

We took game data, your Discord and Twitter feedback and started working towards a plan to carefully identify which key aspects were causing the balance issues.

We didn’t want to make any massive sweeping changes quickly in an attempt to force balance, instead we tried to focus on nudging certain mechanics a bit to ensure we didn’t go too far and enter into an extremely Ghost-favored meta.

Seemingly small changes can have massive effects on balance overall, so it made sense to start changes softly and observe.

Over two patches, we succeeded in returning to a nearly 50/50 win rate by Sunday evening. Here’s a quick rundown of the main changes we made:

✅ Reduced Ghost footprints from being visible for 25s to 17s to counter the Pathfinder spam meta.

✅ Re-added consume Hunter soul ability to give Ghosts a counter to the Defibrillator again.

✅ Removed sprint from the Cold Blooded perk, made sense to trade mobility for stealth instead of having both.

✅ Lowered Hunter’s sprint speed across the board, was too easy to run away after Midnight forever.

✅ Slightly toned down overall Spectral Cannon and Project X damage.

✅ Slightly increased Ghost’s slingshot attack speed.

✅ Cannon Overload perk removed extra spectral damage, the perk is strong enough with quicker reload speeds.

Alpha Win Rate

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Thank you again for your great feedback and discussions, this is proof how you helped us identify and solve the balance issues very quickly.

We know there is still much more to do to have a balanced game, and as we add new mechanics things will likely shift around. But we feel confident we become a more balanced game during every test!

Let us know what you thought about the balance during our latest test on our Discord or Twitter! Do you feel like the balance felt better on Sunday? Did you think Hunters were clearly OP on friday? Do you have any suggestions going forward? We'd love to hear it!

Over and out!

Kite,
Lead Developer

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Alpha Feedback Needed!

Hey, Ghosts & Ghost Hunters! 👋

Can you believe it has been a week already since our last test? We are missing you all already!

The whole team wanted to extend their thanks for all the great feedback and bug reports from all of our alpha testers. This was our biggest and most successful one yet!

We’d like to pick your brains and gather some more of your feedback, thoughts, and ideas. Click the button below to share your opinion. Your voice has never been more important to us!

I know some of you are missing the game as much as we are (shout out to the person who spent over 24 hours in an alpha voice chat).

Don’t worry, though! We already have our sights set on the next test.

Everyone here at MGH HQ are currently hard at work on new maps, new content, parties, bug fixes, and other juicy surprises that we’ll be sharing with you soon.

Here’s a FUN FACT from the early data we’ve been looking at:
Our new Museum map has shown early promising signs with of a win:loss ratio of 51% Hunters to 49% Ghosts. I personally loved seeing the creative ways Corruption was used in clutch moments.

We also see you all thoroughly enjoyed the Reaper sniper rifle, but for some players it wasn’t instantly clear that the explosive dart is avoidable when you’re a Ghost. We’ll work on it to make it more clear. Remember to possess away out of the prop before it explodes!

Last but not least, now that we have expanded our team, we will be updating our Twitter, Facebook, Reddit & Discord channels with more content than you can shake a grappling hook at. Stay tuned to these channels to be up to speed with what is going on!

Remember to share your thoughts with us above!

See ya on Discord! 👻
Red

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WISHLIST MIDNIGHT GHOST HUNT ON STEAM

Dev Update: Meet Team MGH!

Hey Ghosts & Ghost Hunters!

Exciting week here at MGH HQ! Not only have we announced the next upcoming alpha test on Friday. We have also started the alpha key giveaway on Twitter and will shortly be giving out keys via Discord and email too.

That's not all! You may have heard we have joined forces with some incredible studios to help take MGH to the next level! If not, feel free to check out the press release that came out on Monday.

Today, we'd like to introduce the new team members one by one and give an idea of what they might be working on!

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MEET THE TEAM

Felix, Modeling & Texture Artist
"Hello I'm Felix, former character artist at multiple triple-A studios with a passion for non-kliché design. I design and build the gadgets and weapons for MGH!"

Daniel, Animator
" Hey, I'm Daniel! I've been working as an animator for almost 10 years in the AAA industry. I'll be helping out with the guns n' ghosts and wherever I'm needed. Super excited to work on MGH and I'm looking forward to play the game with you all."

Mathias, Animator
"Hej, I'm Mathias and I've spent the last decade working as both a cinematic and gameplay animator on a handful of AAA games. On MGH I'm taking on the role of a tech-animator, I made the new prop animations that are in the Alpha!"

Mårten, Game Designer
"My name is Mårten, I'm a game designer and have worked professionally with games for 10 years. For MGH I help out with game design and level design. I can't wait to show the new levels we're working on!"

Måns, Programmer
"Hello I'm Måns! I'm a programmer and have been working with AAA games for 10+ years now. Super excited to join MGH and be part of this amazing group of developers. My expertise is AI and gameplay programming."

Fredrik, 3D Artist
"Hey there! My name is Fredrik, I'm a 3D artist, a student from The Game Assembly in Sweden, getting polished by SWSAGH and E&B at MGH! I've also been doing 3D-modelling at a hobby level for several years, and now I am here polishing props, and more!

Johan, Developer
"Hello! My name is Johan and I am an environment artist. I have previously worked as a building artist at Massive. I'm CEO and founder of E&B Architecture, and now E&B Studios where I combine my experience in architecture with my skillset in game arts. I joined MGH to work on Mansion and Asylum, and have continued working on building Theatre and Museum from scratch. See you at midnight! 🙀"

Jack, Environment Artist
"Greetings! My name is Jack. I'm an environment artist coming from TheGameAssembly with past experience in architecture and built environments. I'm currently working with Johan at E&B Studios. I joined MGH around the final weeks of Factory being updated and have together with Johan, created Theatre and Museum. Quack and out 🦆!"

Dennis, Composer & Sound Designer
"Hey, I'm Dennis. I'm responsible for everything that you hear in the game! My goal is to create a unique sound for the world of Midnight Ghost Hunt and hopefully at some point scare the crap out of you all! 👻"

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WISHLIST MIDNIGHT GHOST HUNT ON STEAM

UPCOMING ALPHA TEST

Hey Ghosts and Ghost Hunters! 👋

Big news! It's time for another alpha test this upcoming weekend! We can't wait to show you what we've been working on.

The alpha will run from FEBRUARY 12TH - 15TH!
We anticipate starting in the afternoon EST on Friday, and wrapping up by 3AM EST on Monday.

NOTE: IF YOU HAVE PLAYED IN A PREVIOUS TEST, YOU CAN PLAY IN THIS ONE! SIMPLY REINSTALL OR UPDATE THE GAME ON THE 12TH.

🔑 NEED A KEY? 🔑

We have plenty of ways for you to get access! We’ll be giving away keys starting February 11th via Discord DMs, a huge Twitter giveaway, and to our mailing list subscribers!

🔑 ALREADY GOT A KEY? 🔑

Previous keys will work for this test! Simply reinstall or update the game on Friday to participate.

WHAT'S NEW:

⭐ New Map: Museum
⭐ New Hunter Weapon: Reaper (Sniper Rifle)
⭐ New Hunter Weapon: Sledgehammer
⭐ New Ghost Ability: Corruption
⭐ New Hunter Skin: Professor
⭐ Prop Animation Overhaul

…and so much more, in addition to many bug fixes and quality of life improvements. We will post the full changelog before the alpha begins!

Check out our new gameplay clip below:

Feel free to join us on our official Discord and let us know what you’re looking forward to the most! I’ll do my best to make sure as many of you can play this time around with LOTS of invites going out on our channels!

We've also got another exciting announcement!
Today we revealed that we've joined forces with an experienced development crew to take MGH to the next level! The team has grown significantly and we expect to increase our pace of new content and testing going forward.
Read more here!

We will introduce the new developers into the Discord later this week. As usual, the developers and moderators will be playing games all alpha weekend, so make sure you say hello if you see them!

Red 👻
Community Manager

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Dev Update: Game Modes

Hi Ghosts & Ghost Hunters 👋

It’s update time! Get comfortable and be ready to sound off. You could win an alpha key for you or a friend!

The developers are still working on bug fixes, optimization, and a whole bunch of new content for the next update. They’re currently prototyping a BRAND NEW MAP, as well as looking at optimizing the Theatre based on your feedback. We’ll have more on that in the next update…

This week, we have been noodling over some ideas and would love to hear your honest feedback!

WANT MORE GAME MODES?

The team have been toying with the idea of adding additional game modes to the game. 

We currently have the standard 4v4 hunt game mode. That’s what we’ve been focusing on improving and evolving... but there could be more!

There is a lot of potential for different modes. Some of the ideas that have been floating around include a 6v6 hunt mode for that extra chaotic action, and even an infection style mode. Read on to see how we envision them working, then let us know what you think.

👻 6v6 GAME MODE IDEA 👻

During the July alpha, we had a bug that resulted in up to 12 people being in the same match. Playing this actually gave us the impression that a larger scale team mode, such as 6v6, could actually be a pretty fun experience. It is a bit faster paced and does have slightly more chaotic action, but sometimes the best things are born from bugs and glitches. What do you think?

View fullsize

Six hunters working together would be pretty terrifying!

☣️ INFECTION MODE IDEA ☣️

In this mode, there would be 1 Ghost vs 7 Hunters at the start. Hunters that are knocked out become Ghosts, and Ghosts respawn after a short while. Hunters need to survive until evac arrives, and then get to an evac zone randomly spawned in the map to win.

The team are having a good time prototyping these ideas internally, but we wanted to hear from the community before going much further. Hosts would be able to pick which game mode they want to play, including the original 4v4 mode of course.

Click below to give us feedback in our survey and you could win an extra alpha key for the next test!

You can also chime in with your thoughts on Twitter, and get involved on Discord. We would love to discuss these modes with you all and get your help in shaping the direction of the game!

Until next time...

Red
Community Manager

Dev Update: Balancing

Missing us? We’re missing you!

The team is now starting to come back from a short rest following our recent Halloween alpha test. Good news: it was our biggest and most successful test yet! <3

First - a HUGE thank you to everyone who tested, provided feedback, and reported bugs! Because of your effort, we are one step closer to having a truly great game on our hands. Cheers from the MGH team!

Want to know something cool? Almost a QUARTER OF A MILLION props were possessed during the test weekend. We are forever grateful for your enthusiasm and support - so many of you came together to show your love and support on Twitter, Discord, and in the game too.

We will begin acting on your feedback shortly, working on new content, and fixing bugs. Stay tuned for more previews in the coming weeks and months!

As usual, we’d like to start using these dev blogs to present data from the alpha and use them as a starting point for discussion. We’ll also be giving you insights into the progress of the game, and more!

HOW BALANCED IS MGH?

The importance of balance has come up often in the feedback, and we couldn’t agree more. The early data suggests that we’re on the right track - our win-loss ratio was almost an exact 50-50 split again!

The July alpha test saw the Ghosts with a slight edge - but some of the recent additions and changes (such as the Harpoon weapon and removal of stunlocks) may have influenced these new results.

Although the numbers are encouraging, we know we’ve got work to do to make the game feel balanced on all skill levels. We know that perception of balance is really important, and that we need to improve our new player experience so that the gap between newer and experienced players doesn’t become so vast.

We have a lot of work to do on that front, so expect more information about the new player experience in the coming weeks too. In fact, we will have lots of new intel hot off Kite’s desk coming soon. Stay tuned!

For now, please feel free to Follow and Wishlist on Steam - we’ll be doing more updates on there too!

Speak soon!

Red
Community Manager

Weekly Update - September 4th, 2020

Hey there, Ghost Hunters!

This week, we’re looking for some more input from our community!

We are currently in the process of revamping our network structure and backend systems so we can provide a better experience for players in future tests.

In previous tests, we relied solely on a server browser for players to find matches to play. It’s definitely old-school, but I rather like them because they give the most choice.

However, many have asked for a “quick play” button of sorts. One click, and you’ll get put into a match. This is more common on more recent multiplayer titles. This would work well with a party system so you can more easily play with friends.

So, we’d like to ask the community that they would prefer to see in the next alpha test.

1. Would you prefer to see a “quick play” matchmaker replace the server browser?

2. Would you like to see nothing changed and just keep the server browser?

3. Would you like to see both systems employed in the next test?

4. Or do you not really mind either way?

Let us know what you think below!

This concept is still in early planning, but we’re eager to know your thoughts. Responding to these surveys helps shape the future of Midnight Ghost Hunt - we appreciate it, thank you!

Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/midnightghosthunt

Follow us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/NightGhostHunt

Like us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/NightGhostHunt

Subscribe to our Subreddit: https://reddit.com/r/MidnightGhostHunt