Shadowkey on Galaxy A80 – Graphical Glitches and Crash During Artwork Update

hello and thanks for reporting this issue and for the kind words.
sorry that you are experiencing this. the android port is the newest (and least tested) but i am pushing a fix in the next 15-20 minutes for a similar issue reported by another user related to the glitches and artefacts on the menus and screen.

the other issue you reported is new, though. i am looking into that one separately

- Dan

the other issue seems to be related to all of the game textures loading into memory at once - the next update includes a patch to fix this

Hi, me again!

update 0.2.2 is out now and should fix both of the problems you had: the coloured glitches around the edges and in the menus, and the pop-up and crash when the artwork updates. The game should offer the update when it starts, automatically.. If it doesn’t, go to Options > Check for Updates Now,( or download it again from the site.)

If a few of the environmental surfaces look a bit flat or basic after the art finishes downloading, that’s a memory limit on some phones, and I’m still working on that.

- Dan

Hey Dan,

Thanks for the quick response and update! I reinstalled the app using version 0.2.3, and sure enough, the graphical glitches and visual bugs during startup are now fixed. Everything looks perfect!

However, I'm still experiencing crashes during the artwork update process. I'll try my best to describe what's happening, and if you need a video or any additional information, just let me know. I'm currently using my phone, so I might be a bit limited in what I can provide.

Here's what happens:

Everything works fine until I reach the main menu. During the artwork update, the game freezes and crashes. When I launch it again, the update resumes from where it left off. I let this happen until the entire process was completed, repeatedly reopening the game whenever it crashed.

Once the update was finally complete, though, the main menu remained frozen and completely unresponsive. On the occasions when the background video actually appeared, the frame rate was extremely low.

Anyway, this latest update is definitely a step forward and has fixed the previous issues. It looks like this is the last remaining problem on my end.

If you need any further details, feel free to ask. I'm happy to help!

Thanks again!

thanks again for the additional detail, it helps a lot to narrow down and find the issue. i'm glad also to hear that at least the glitches are fixed!

there is an issue where, the first time the game loads it attempts to load all of the new artwork in the background + render the menus background (the level fly bys) which can use all the available cores and cause the game to freeze. the latest release (v0.2.4) includes a fix to lower the priority of this task. it should now load the menu reliably but there may be some performance impact until the artwork is processed.

hopefully that fixes it for you but if you are still experiencing issues there is a log file here, if you wouldn't mind attaching it. it can be found in Android > data > ie.omracreative.shadowkey.android > files

Thanks
Dan

I tested version 0.2.5, and everything is running smoothly on the main menu now, with no stuttering or unexpected crashes.

As for the low FPS in the background video, I'm not entirely sure what causes it. My guess is that it might have something to do with the updated lighting, since once I actually loaded into the game and disabled it, everything ran like butter. I'm not sure if my phone has some graphical limitations or if further optimization could help, but the game itself runs really well!

There are just two more things I'd like to report. The first one is a bit more important, while the second is more of a minor observation.

1. No save / getting stuck after death: The first time I died in the game (during the tutorial, of all places... embarrassing!), I didn't have a save file yet. After dismissing the pop-up menus, I realized there was no way to proceed. The only option was to completely restart the game by closing the app. I think handling this situation when there's no save file available is worth looking into.

2. No visual interaction prompts: There's currently no visual indication when an object can be interacted with, such as an icon indicating that an object is interactable or a button prompt showing what to press. I won't go into too much detail here, though, since this seems like a relatively new feature.

Overall, I think the first issue is more important, especially making sure the game knows what to do when the player dies without having a save file.

As for the log file, I couldn't find it in the specified directory, but that might just be user error on my end.

I pushed another update v0.2.6 (which is now superceded by 0.2.7) which includes some android specific optimisations related to lighting, in my limited testing it did appear improve frame rates and performance so its worth checking it out to see if that helps. the log file should now be there in v0.2.6 (hopefully).

on 1: i'm adding an auto save point right after the game starts, so if you die you won't need to restart the game over
and 2. i'm adding skyrim / oblivion style interaction icons above the cursor to indicate that an interaction is possible (e.g. open a door etc)

those improvements will be in v.0.2.8 later today, thanks again for the suggestions

v0.2.8 is now available with these changes:

* players no longer get stuck after dying with no save, and a new game autosaves as soon as it starts.
* Load Last Autosave only loads their own character’s autosave.
* The game no longer saves while they’re dead.
* The new 'use' icon over the crosshair (Open, Take, Talk, Search, red lock).

Version 0.2.8

Everything is working fine with the main menu and artwork updates now. Even with the modernized lighting enabled, the game runs pretty well without much stuttering. The overall experience is noticeably better!

The interaction icons were also a great addition. I only ran into two bugs, or possibly just one, since both seem related to how the player responds to inputs.

- Door interaction: The very first door in the game won't open with a single interaction button press. I had to spam the interaction button a few times before it finally opened.
- Sneak input: Sneaking doesn't always activate when I press the assigned button. Sometimes I have to press it several times before it registers.

I'll attach the log file and try to upload a short video showing these issues.

Looks like the attachment field only allows media uploads, but I managed to get the video uploaded anyway.

One more thing I noticed: getting close to water causes a pretty noticeable FPS drop. I'm guessing this is just an optimization issue that'll get ironed out over time, but I wanted to mention it for the record.

Thanks again for all the updates!

on it, thanks for the info. i actually noticed that issue with the door last night while watching someone play it on youtube, so thanks for the reminder!

while I look into that, i've changed the file types that you can upload here, you should now be able to attach the log file

Here's the log file. Hope it helps.

great, that confirmed it. it should be fixed in v0.2.12

I've been playing the latest versions, and it looks like all my previous issues have been fixed. So I'd say we can consider this resolved! If I run into anything else, I'll be sure to report it.

Thanks again for the support and quick feedback.

"Wealth beyond measure, outlander"

thank you for confirming and for all of your help :)
Dan