The Dream Machine 
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The Dream Machine Movie ProjectJul 5, 2024 - Community Announcements{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/3954248/19912134d84a282525f41c78d8639eadb27cc84c.jpg A team in London asked if they could get our permission to try to make a long form adaptation of The Dream Machine. In the spirit of the game, they're utilising claymation to create the surreal artwork. They plan on crowdfunding a small proof-of-concept short. Check their project out and support them! For clarity, Erik and I aren't involved in that project, but they have our blessing. https://greenlit.com/project/dream-machineThe Festive UpdateDec 14, 2021 - Community AnnouncementsFestive Greetings everyone! We just released a small set of tweaks. They don't change the game in any major way, but might enable us to translate it sometime in the future. Don't ask me about dates regarding that - because I don't know. It won't be anytime soon though... Update notes: Started work on enabling translations (very preliminary) Fixed translation related bug Fixed bug with achievement descriptors not working Fixed bug where the game tried to unlock deprecated achievements Tweaked game graphics Updated legacy code Tweaked UI Fixed typos Don't be shy if you encounter any problems in the game. Cheers, - aExperimental UpdateAug 30, 2021 - Community AnnouncementsGreetings everyone! We just released a small set of tweaks. Some of you have been experiencing low frame rates in the game. This issue is very difficult to adress because of the technology used to make the game, but if you're having frame rate issues, there's three things you can try: 1) Lower your monitor's display resolution before launching the game. 2) Lower the graphical settings in the game's Settings. 3) Tell Steam you want to download the Experimental branch (Properties > Betas > Experimental). You might have to launch it outside of Steam. Does the experimental branch mess with my save games? Yes. Your old saves won't display properly in the experimental branch, since it's running its own save game system. If you switch back to the default branch, they'll be there waiting for you just like normal. Does the experimental branch mess with my achievements? Yes. They won't display properly in the experimental branch. And they won't unlock to Steam. Switching back to the default branch will make everything work like normal. Will the experimental branch ever replace the default version? No. It's just something I've been tinkering with to help more players be able to play at a normal frame rate. Since I can't replicate the issue on any of my computers, I'm taking a stab in the dark here. If anyone tries it and finds it affects performance in any way – good/bad/ugly – don't be shy! Update notes: Added experimental Steam branch Added failsafe language check when loading XML files Optimised UI for performance Added calls for the ’End Chapter 2’ achievement Fixed bugs in the Mover’s dream That's it. Don't be shy if you encounter any problems in the game. Cheers, - aChapter 1 & 2 is now FREE for a limited time + Major Update!May 10, 2021 - Community AnnouncementsPeople of Earth! It's been four years since we released the final chapter of The Dream Machine, concluding a journey almost ten years in the making. We thought that was worth celebrating, and therefore we decided to make this update a little extra special! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/3954248/6199acb8ce90f07dcc64c1665d58a5fa90f409ca.jpg The story of the game 14 years ago Erik and I were working 9 to 5 jobs we didn't really like. We were unhappy and both of us had considered quitting several times. Occasionally we'd call each other to stave off the boredom. During some of these calls, we started talking about that time during childhood when you did things just for the joy of it. Back when you'd start a drawing in one corner of a piece of paper and didn't stop until you'd filled the entire page. During one of these calls, Erik mentioned that he'd like to attempt making a game using stop-motion animation. I immediately protested since I knew how time-consuming stop-motion animation is to create, but in order to prove me wrong, Erik sat up all night and created five little dioramas just to show me it could be done. When I woke up the next morning I had an e-mail waiting for me with some tests he'd shot just before crashing to bed. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/3954248/13d2e406e3e1e29ac82cca55201fa4d4d83d51ca.jpg Sipping on my morning coffee I tried to take in what he'd done. The sets were rough, sure, but their charm was also undeniable. They were beautiful in a skewed and crude kind of way. He’d obviously done them really quickly because you could see the paint was still running and had some fingerprints here and there. But they just had this evocative and engaging quality to them. In some shots, he had lined them up to form a bizarre corridor, with a thick vault door hindering your progress. It kind of looked like a game. I wanted to walk around in them, try opening that door, push all the buttons, turn all the knobs. After that, there was no turning back... {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/3954248/075c57e38fff7b5fd1cba3fa15bad6a2db0bc3cd.jpg Based on those early tests, we thought we might be able to shake loose some grant money, but the deadline for that was two days away and we didn't yet have an idea for the game. So I went home, thought about what might be a fruitful premise, and remembered something I'd been fascinated by since back at animation school, where Erik and I met. While at school, I'd read about John C. Lilly’s experiments with Ketamine and LSD. He had had this wonderful notion that he visited an alternative reality when he was tripping. A reality that we share with other people, a collective unconscious, with a coherent geography. He would lie with a notepad next to his bed so he could draw geographical features once he sobered up. He would encourage several of his friends to do the same. They’d draw coastlines and landmarks, noting down topological features, statues, cities, etc. They believed that if they had enough of these drawings, they could start piecing them...Always On Top UpdateDec 26, 2020 - Community AnnouncementsFestive Greetings everyone! We just released a small set of tweaks. Some of you have requested that the game window not float on top of other windows – and we listened! The "always on top" behaviour was originally implemented to side-step some graphical issues, but since those have been solved we decided to remove the behaviour entirely. Update notes: - Game: Turned off "always on top" game window behaviour - Game: Added default Steam Input configurations - Game: Tweaked credits - Chapter 1 & 4: Improved toilet flushing sound quality - Chapter 2, 4, 5 & 6: Added dream machine sounds - Chapter 3: Tweaked parasol interaction - Chapter 3: Removed umbrella drink requirement Don't be shy if you encounter any problems in the game. Cheers, - aHalloween SaleOct 30, 2020 - Community Announcements{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/3954248/a54fb2ccc07def3cd5401888586b729edaa2f065.jpg People of the world! Since it's Halloween, we thought it would be nice to offer a discount on the game. So if you've been on the fence about this game, now's the time to pounce! Thank me later! Cheers, - aBook UpdateSep 24, 2020 - Community AnnouncementsHello World! We just released an optimization update related to the books. Some players experienced low frame rates when reading the books, so we wanted to address that. This update should improve performance while reading books. If you're still experiencing problems, disabling the Steam overlay might also boost performance. Update notes: • Chapter 3, 4 & 5: Fixed rasterization problem related to text in books • Chapter 3, 4 & 5: Removed filter effects in books • Chapter 4 & 5: Fixed typo As for now, the diary books in Chapter 2 have yet to be fixed, but we're working on that as well. Don't be shy if you encounter any problems in the game. Cheers, - aRelease DiscountMar 31, 2020 - Community Announcements{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/3954248/03a0d4c102eb477db6a96f8755b0fe563ab11f07.png Fellow Dreamers! In celebration of the release of The Gateway Trilogy, we're discounting the price of The Dream Machine! So if you've been on the fence about buying it, now's the time! And when you're done playing it, rejoice in knowing that there's a whole new game experience waiting for you on the other side! What could be better than that, huh? I hope you're all doing well and stay safe during this bleak time! If you're interested in The Gateway Trilogy, you can find more information here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/661470/The_Gateway_Trilogy/New Game Release: March 31stMar 20, 2020 - Community Announcements{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29914088/24c542587e4d269a0963c81e93218c412963aee3.png Mellow greetings! We've been working hard to finalizing the game during these last couple of months, but we're now starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The game is in a good enough state that I can confidently say that we will be releasing on March 31st. In order to celebrate the coming release we made a spiffy new trailer. Feel free to spread it to everyone, including those awkward friends you haven't talked to in a few years, you know the ones... We hope you like it! Wishlist and follow if you haven't already! Cheers, - aThe Gateway TrilogyDec 11, 2019 - Community Announcements{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/3954248/f6262c1991f62fc427710b262f715b50e6f03f1d.jpg The Gateway Trilogy is an upcoming point-and-click puzzle game by Cockroach Inc. The Gateway Trilogy includes remastered versions of the first two games – plus a never-before-seen third installment. Gateway is an adventure game series set in a mostly empty black void. Guide a character through a series of rooms, solve puzzles in order to progress. Add to your wishlist now!December UpdateDec 9, 2019 - Community AnnouncementsHappy Festivus everybody! Another update just went live! Celebrate as you see fit! I suggest dancing or whistling. The update is not super meaty, but it contains various fixes and improvements that I'm sure some of you will appreciate. Here's a rundown of what the update contains: • Game: Tweaked credits • Chapter 3, 4: Added clues • Chapter 2, 3, 4: Tweaked dialogue • Chapter 2, 4 & 5: Added helmet boot up sounds • Chapter 2: Tweaked background art in Morton's backroom • Chapter 2: Tweaked background sounds • Chapter 2: Tweaked item descriptions • Chapter 3: Fixed background rendering issues • Chapter 3: Improved performance • Chapter 3: Turned off functionality once the dream has been completed • Chapter 4: Added dialogue • Chapter 4: Tried to address memory issues As always, don't be shy if you see something strange or buggy in the game. Cheers, - aSeptember UpdateSep 15, 2019 - Community AnnouncementsHappy September everybody! We just uploaded a small update to address a stability issue some of you have been reporting. The issue in question is the one were the game sometimes freezes during the language loading at the very start of the game. • Game: Fixed freeze bug As always, don't be shy if you see something strange or buggy in the game. Cheers, - aDaily Deal - The Dream Machine, up to 80% offMay 30, 2019 - AnnouncementToday's Deal: Save up to 80% on The Dream Machine!* Look for the deals each day on the front page of Steam. Or follow us on twitter or Facebook for instant notifications wherever you are! *Offer ends Monday at 10AM Pacific Time December UpdateDec 12, 2018 - Community AnnouncementsHappy Festivus everybody! Another update just went live! Celebrate as you see fit! It's not super meaty, but it contains various fixes and improvements that I'm sure you'll appreciate. Most importantly it exposes most of the keyboard shortcuts directly in the UI. I know some of you have been asking for that. Here's a rundown of what the update contains: • Game: Tweaked UI • Chapter 2: Fixed typos • Chapter 2: Tweaked dream journal texts • Chapter 2, 3 & 4: Removed page turning flicker • Chapter 2, 3 & 4: Improved page turning performance • Chapter 4: Added tentacle shadow animation • Chapter 6: Signposted an alternate puzzle solution a bit more clearly • Chapter 6: Tweaked fetus Victor dialogue As always, don't be shy if you see something strange or buggy in the game. Cheers, - aOctober UpdateOct 12, 2018 - Community AnnouncementsFellow Human Beings! We just uploaded a small patch for the game, because that's how we roll. It's not super meaty right now, but I might add a few things in the coming days. Who knows? Here's a rundown of what the update contains: • Game: Attempted to fix save game related bug • Chapter 4: Fixed freeze bug in Edie's dream • Chapter 4: Tweaked interactions • Chapter 4: Tweaked dialogue As always, don't be shy if you see something strange or buggy in the game. Cheers, - aAugust UpdateAug 21, 2018 - Community Announcementshttps://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/3954248/eccbbaa8a53e1c436aede71a1f98e50fb3ff48a5.jpg Fellow Human Beings! I guess summer is starting to wind down a little bit, huh? How do you feel about it? What's your hot take? Did you have fun? Did you fell like you made the most of it? I hope you harbor no regrets! Did you do a lot of laughing/dancing/singing/jumping in puddles/running around in circles? Maybe you even manage to spend summer constructively, learning new skills/doing a lot of activities/improving your living arrangements? Or perhaps you met that special someone, that made your tummy all tingly? Perhaps you made out with that person at the back of a movie theater? Perhaps you're making out with that person right now just as you're reading these very words on your smartphone or tablet device looking over that person's shoulder? Good for you, if that's the case, Buddy! There's no harm combining a little business with a little pleasure, that's what I always say... Or... Wait... How about... On second thought... How about you politely ask your partner to pause that kiss and then – the both of you – read this post from the top, giving it the full attention it so surely deserves? I'm sure he/she will be down for that. Perhaps they'll even thank you for it? Perhaps you'll look back on this episode thinking this was – THE – moment? The 'That's when I knew...' moment? All right? Stopped making out? Right. Glad we got that sorted. So, in consideration of your situation, I'll keep the rest of this post mercifully brief. Here's the skimmy: We've just launched an update for the game! Aside from the usual minor tweaks here and there, we decided to add hotspot indicators for all the interactive areas in the game. I haven't been super keen on hotspot indicators in the past, but recently I found myself warming up to them, so I decided to add them. They're totally optional, of course. If you don't want to use them, you don't have to. If you do want to use them, just hold down SPACE and they will appear over the interactive objects in the scene. That's pretty much it. Here's a rundown of what the update contains: • Game: Added hotspot indicators (press SPACE to see them) • Engine: Fixed countdown timer bug • Chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5: Tweaked interactions • Chapter 4: Fixed cactus related bug • Chapter 4, 5 & 6: Fixed Edie's front door bug • Chapter 5: Made the catapult handles easier to find • Chapter 5: Tweaked witch teleportation sound design • Chapter 5: Tweaked graphics • Chapter 5: Tweaked dialogue • Chapter 5: Added interactions As always, don't be shy if you see something strange or buggy in the game. Now get back to making out, you crazy kids! Cheers, - aJune UpdateJun 6, 2018 - Community Announcementshttps://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/3954248/66ef9a5bd1a9a95595d355d92ed0daf139037730.jpg Greetings Citizen! It's national day here in Sweden. In order to celebrate, the awesome people at Raw Fury put together this sexy line-up of discounted games. Update 1: The discount has ended, but you can still check out the sweet, sweet games. Update 2: Improved page turning performance. We also just launched an update for the game. Here's a rundown of what it contains: • Steam: Fixed the Chapter 4 ownership problem • Steam: Removed demo • Engine: Fixed bugs • Game: Addressed stability issues • Game: Tweaked UI • Game: Fixed pathfinding stutter glitch • Game: Improved page turning performance • Chapter 1, 3 & 5: Tweaked dialogue • Chapter 1, 4 & 5: Added interactions • Chapter 1, 4, 5 & 6: Tweaked item names • Chapter 1, 5 & 6: Tweaked background graphics • Chapter 2: Tweaked sound levels • Chapter 3: Added autosave points • Chapter 4: Fixed rare transportation bug • Chapter 4: Fixed teddy bear bug • Chapter 5: Added puzzle clue • Chapter 6: Added dialogue • Chapter 6: Tweaked sound levels • Chapter 6: Fixed navigation issue As always, don't be shy if you see something strange or buggy in the game. Cheers, - a April UpdateApr 14, 2018 - Community Announcementshttps://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/3954248/02348277cb2058dcf3367e92f118b05167fd5ff3.jpg Greetings Citizen! Spring has finally reached Sweden and it's about effin' time, if you ask me! This winter just wouldn't end... If I were to review it I would give it 1 star out of 5 possible. Too long. Too dark. Too cold. Would not experience again, given a choice. But now it's finally over, so let's peel away about 7 layers of clothing and get busy celebrating! If you still need to be convinced about joining the party, let me give you another reason: We just released an update to the game! How cool is that?! Yeah? That got you in the mood, huh? Feel like celebrating now, do you? Those ol' hips of yours just started gyrating, did they? As I knew they would! No doubt. No doubt. This update changes how the interaction options are displayed. Finally, you no longer have to look at the bottom of the screen to see what you're trying to do. The text follows the mouse cursor around at all times. It's something I've been wanting to change for a while, and now's the time. We've also added 200 interaction options to Chapter 6. There's still more we'd like to add there, but this is a solid step in the right direction. We hope you agree. Anyway, here's the full patch rundown: • Engine: Tweaked UI • Engine: Tweaked load file access • Engine: Tweaked autosave file cleanup • Chapter 6: Added 200 interaction options • Game: Improved sound effect quality As always, don't be shy if you see something strange or buggy in the game. Cheers, - a February UpdateFeb 20, 2018 - Community Announcementshttp://cdn.edgecast.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/3954248/bd64c393de15fb562000e84402868655fc503ef1.png Mellow greetings! February's almost over, people! How does that feel? Are you as excited as I am? February is hands down my least favorite month of the year, and I can't wait until this old bag is over and done with! While we're waiting for spring, we thought we might as well put our time to good use and get some work done improving The Dream Machine. This month we've been looking into some problems people have been reporting regarding the save system. Previously you could encounter a bug if you named your save starting with certain characters. I'm happy to report that that's been fixed now. I've removed the inventory size limit, which would prevent players from picking up more than 19 items. Right now, the items will be stored offscreen so you'll have to use some of the other items in order to see them, but at least you'll be able to pick everything up you want. It's obviously not a perfect solution, but we'll keep it for now since the problem only affected a very small number of players. I hope to be able to add an extra row to the inventory for the next months update. There's also a more troubling issue, were the game doesn't seem to recognize the save files for some players. I still haven't found the root cause of this, but I've included a makeshift workaround in this update. It's a debug function that I've exposed in order to ensure that you can load your save game without loss of progress. In order to access the new load feature, press SHIFT + L. It'll open an input field where you can paste the contents of any save file. On PC the game saves are stored in a folder called "saveGames". They can be opened with any kind of text editing software. So just copy the contents and paste them into the game. Obviously it's a temporary solution, but it'll allow you to load your saved games while I examine the issue further. Anyway, here's the full patch rundown: • Engine: Fixed issue with save game names • Engine: Fixed issue with save game not being detected for some players • Engine: Added a text based loading option (SHIFT + L) • Engine: Fixed issue with the Autosave file not loading properly • Game: Allowed the inventory to extend beyond 19 items As always, don't be shy if you see something strange or buggy in the game. Cheers, - a February UpdateFeb 20, 2018 - Community Announcementshttp://cdn.edgecast.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/3954248/bd64c393de15fb562000e84402868655fc503ef1.png Mellow greetings! February's almost over, people! How does that feel? Are you as excited as I am? February is hands down my least favorite month of the year, and I can't wait until this old bag is over and done with! While we're waiting for spring, we thought we might as well put our time to good use and get some work done improving The Dream Machine. This month we've been looking into some problems people have been reporting regarding the save system. Previously you could encounter a bug if you named your save starting with certain characters. I'm happy to report that that's been fixed now. I've removed the inventory size limit, which would prevent players from picking up more than 19 items. Right now, the items will be stored offscreen so you'll have to use some of the other items in order to see them, but at least you'll be able to pick everything up you want. It's obviously not a perfect solution, but we'll keep it for now since the problem only affected a very small number of players. I hope to be able to add an extra row to the inventory for the next months update. There's also a more troubling issue, were the game doesn't seem to recognize the save files for some players. I still haven't found the root cause of this, but I've included a makeshift workaround in this update. It's a debug function that I've exposed in order to ensure that you can load your save game without loss of progress. In order to access the new load feature, press SHIFT + L. It'll open an input field where you can paste the contents of any save file. On PC the game saves are stored in a folder called "saveGames". They can be opened with any kind of text editing software. So just copy the contents and paste them into the game. Obviously it's a temporary solution, but it'll allow you to load your saved games while I examine the issue further. Anyway, here's the full patch rundown: • Engine: Fixed issue with save game names • Engine: Fixed issue with save game not being detected for some players • Engine: Added a text based loading option (SHIFT + L) • Engine: Fixed issue with the Autosave file not loading properly • Game: Allowed the inventory to extend beyond 19 items As always, don't be shy if you see something strange or buggy in the game. Cheers, - a
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