Version 0.9.8.0 - Custom Difficulty Update
Hello Investigators,
Version 0.9.8.0 introduces one of the largest gameplay customization updates we've released so far. With the new Custom Difficulty System, you'll be able to tailor investigations to match your preferred playstyle, whether you're looking for a casual ghost hunt or a brutal challenge that pushes your team to its limits.
This update also includes a highly requested Headbob Reduction option, inventory improvements, contract selection enhancements, gameplay adjustments, and a variety of fixes.
Custom Difficulty System
The new Custom Difficulty System allows you to customize nearly every aspect of an investigation.
Adjust ghost behavior, hunt settings, evidence availability, player limitations, rewards, and much more. Reward multipliers will scale based on your selected settings, allowing you to create your own unique challenge.
False Evidence (Identify)
On higher difficulties, ghosts can now leave behind False Evidence.
False evidence initially appears as the strongest form of evidence before gradually degrading over time.
Examples:
Audio 3 → Audio 2 → Audio 1
UV 3 → UV 2 → UV 1
Writing 3 → Writing 2 → Writing 1
When investigating, you'll need to decide whether to:
Rule out the ghost using its behaviors
Wait for suspicious evidence to degrade before making a final decision
Evidence Breakdown
Novice
3 Real Evidence
No False Evidence
Intermediate
3 Real Evidence
No False Evidence
Expert
2 Real Evidence
1 False Evidence
Master
1 Real Evidence
2 False Evidence
Favorite Room Changes
Ghosts can now change their favorite room during an investigation.
Frequency varies by difficulty:
Intermediate: Low Chance
Expert: Medium Chance
Master: High Chance
When this occurs, the previous favorite room will not immediately return to normal temperatures. Instead, it will slowly warm back up over several minutes.
Keep monitoring the location carefully. The room you started in may not be the room you finish in.
Continuous Hunts After Death
With this modifier enabled, successfully killing a player will immediately restart the hunt timer.
The hunt doesn't end simply because someone died.
Shared Consequences
With this modifier enabled, if one investigator dies, the entire team dies.
This includes teammates who are outside of the huntable location.
Random Door Lockdowns
On higher difficulties, ghosts may occasionally lock nearby doors.
Up to 2 doors can be locked at once
Eligible doors are selected near the ghost's favorite room
Doors remain locked for 30–45 seconds
The ghost can still initiate hunts while doors are locked
Don't get trapped.
Random Tarot Card Effects
When enabled, each player begins the contract with a random tarot card effect.
Possible effects include:
Sleepy
Squeaky Feet
Blurry Vision
Random Screams
Butter Fingers
Each player receives their own effect, meaning teammates may begin the contract with entirely different conditions.
Adjustable Inventory Capacity
Customize how many items players can carry at once.
Available options:
1 Item
2 Items
3 Items
4 Items
Headgear is not affected by this setting.
Forced Evidence
Certain ghosts now have evidence types that will always appear when evidence is limited.
This does not apply to Zero Evidence configurations.
Create Your Own Challenges
Custom Difficulty isn't limited to the built-in presets. You can create and save up to 13 custom difficulty configurations, each with their own unique rules, restrictions, and reward multipliers.
Build your own challenge modes, experiment with unusual settings, or create custom presets tailored for different groups of friends. Once saved, your presets can be selected at any time from the difficulty menu.
From casual investigations to nightmare fuel, the choice is yours.
Heart Rate System Adjustments
You'll notice that the Starting Heart Rate modifier includes values that differ from the previous versions. This is because the entire heart rate system has been rebalanced.
New Heart Rate Range
Previous:
80 BPM → 140 BPM
New:
60 BPM → 160 BPM
New Heart Rate Status Tiers
Normal
Anxious
Panicked
Distressed
Hunt Changes
Demons can now hunt when players are Anxious
All ghosts can hunt when players are Panicked or Distressed
Additionally, hunt chances are no longer fixed once a threshold is reached. The higher your heart rate rises, the greater the chance of a hunt occurring, creating a more dynamic escalation of danger throughout the investigation.
Dedicated Headgear Slot
Headgear no longer occupies one of your inventory slots.
A new dedicated equipment slot has been added specifically for head-mounted gear, ensuring that inventory capacity modifiers won't remove your ability to use a headlamp.
Additional notes:
Holding the drop key will drop your headgear
Headgear functionality remains on its own keybind
Inventory capacity settings do not affect headgear
Laptop Overhaul
The contract laptop has received a significant usability update.
You can now:
Purchase equipment
Organize your loadout
Select equipment to bring into a contract
All from a single interface without needing to run and back and forth between the crate and your laptop!
Headbob Reduction Setting
One of the most requested accessibility features is finally here.
A new Headbob Reduction setting has been added, significantly reducing camera movement while preserving multiplayer animation synchronization.
This feature is currently considered experimental and may continue to improve in future updates.
Spectral Affixer Changes (Cleanse)
The Spectral Affixer has been adjusted to reduce unnecessary punishment on higher difficulties.
You can now only enter the exact number of characteristics required for a scan.
Examples:
If a scan requires 2 characteristics, you may only enter 2 total
If a scan requires 3 characteristics, you may only enter 3 total
This change applies regardless of difficulty settings and removes situations where higher difficulties could unintentionally punish players simply for entering additional information.
Additional Changes
Contract Guide
The contract guide on your cellphone now displays active difficulty modifiers
Grace Period
Added a 5-second grace period when returning from the Death Room
Session Codes
Removed ambiguous characters from invite codes
Hiding Spots
Adjusted various hiding spots throughout multiple locations
Identify Mode
Various gameplay improvements and balancing adjustments
EMF
Low-grade EMF can now occasionally remain after ghost events
Remote Temperature Sensor
Cost reduced from $150 to $90
Temperature updates now occur faster
Fixes
Fixed an issue where the Doppelganger could occasionally hunt from outside its favorite room under rare circumstances
Fixed the Pickup Truck clipping into a fence on Abaddon Hallows East
Various stability fixes
Thank you for all of the feedback and suggestions that helped shape this update!
We're excited to see the custom challenges, chaotic investigations, and creative difficulty presets the community comes up with.
See you on the other side.
-The Other Side Development Team
