Update 1.1.2 — Balance Adjustments and Progression/Save Fixes

Hello, this is Diving Studio. We have released the first integrated update since launch (1.0.0 → 1.1.2).

The most frequent points raised in reviews and reports since launch were game balance, and structural issues around progression and saving. This update focuses on those two areas first, and also includes improvements to minigames, UI, and English support.

Game Balance

• Adjusted trust, censorship risk, subscriber, and growth-related values for news reports and feature articles across the board.
• Lowered the EXP required for reporters to level up and increased EXP rewards from reporting.
• Adjusted the difficulty of morning reporting and its success/failure rewards.
• Reporters now gain a small amount of stress even on successful reporting; stress values for success and failure have been rebalanced.
• Reporter stress from writing feature articles now applies from Day 1.
• Adjusted recovery item drop rates and their unlock conditions based on newspaper size.

Progression and Saves

• Reporter stress limit events now appear in sequence the following morning.
• Fixed an issue where stress events could be skipped or applied twice when saving, loading, or returning to the title screen.
• Replaced placeholder descriptions in stress events with text that matches the actual situation.
• Fixed issues where reporting could begin without a method selected, and where a hovered option could affect the actual selection.
• Fixed an issue where articles could still be published and the next day could still begin after the paper was shut down or an ending was reached.
• Fixed an issue where the save/load confirmation window remained after closing the menu or switching screens.
• The manual save button is no longer shown on the title screen or in the autosave slot.
• Fixed an issue where some mail had send dates that did not match the order of progression.

Minigames

• Added a 3-2-1 countdown before the typing, infiltration, and pipe minigames.
• Input and scoring are now blocked during the instruction and preparation phases; the timer only starts once actual play begins.
• Fixed an issue where minigames and countdowns continued to run while paused, viewing help, or switching windows.
• Fixed an issue in the typing minigame where input could be interrupted or the input field could lose focus.
• Typing speed is now calculated using actual play time only.
• The remaining number of moves in the pipe minigame is now displayed clearly.
• Fixed an issue in interviews where the highlight from a previous choice carried over to the next question.
• Fixed an issue where the office UI in the background remained interactive during minigames and countdowns.

Dialogue and UI

• Added an AUTO dialogue advance feature and an indicator for when a line has finished displaying.
• Dialogue history can now be browsed by day.
• Reduced the processing load as dialogue history accumulates.
• Improved line wrapping for long tooltips and their placement near screen edges.
• Improved ESC behavior and screen transitions in the save/load and options menus.

Sound and Graphics

• Fixed sound-related issues in the typing minigame.
• Fixed BGM and ambient sound cutting out or transitioning incorrectly when opening help or changing backgrounds.
• Fixed Kim Ho's angry expression image.

English Support

• Fixed missing or mismatched character names and illustrations in the English scenario.
• Fixed an issue where some stage directions were displayed as dialogue.
• Fixed incorrectly linked English text and missing translations for feature article keywords.
• Restored missing choices and dialogue in some English interviews.
• Improved stat and button labels on the minigame result screen, and titles and reward text now update when the language is changed.
• Added English text for reporter profiles, trait descriptions, and the credits.
• Translated office guidance, help, save-related confirmation messages, and the remaining-moves display in the pipe minigame.
• Replaced quotation marks that were difficult to type in the English typing minigame with standard keyboard characters.

We will continue adjusting the balance based on play data and feedback after this update. If you run into anything that seems off or find a bug, please let us know on the community hub or Discord. We will fix confirmed issues as quickly as we can.

💬 Discord: discord.gg/ZEgXPafz4H

It took us longer than it should have, but thank you to everyone who has played the game and shared honest feedback.

— Diving Studio