Hello Neighbor Alpha 2 Available
Available before Thanksgiving, Alpha 2 is now available to play. This version is considered the demo for the final product. It has the final artwork, part of the intro, and part of the tutorial. And no, this is still not the final house. The final house is going to way bigger. I am definitely excited to play this version of the game as the previous builds looked really lame.
Here is exactly what is new in this build:
Alpha 2 contains
Small tutorial house
Opening sequence/tutorial
Final artstyle
Improved AI: The Neighbor notices things being different; lock your doors
You can peek through keyholes by holding E
Improved throwing & stacking physics
Closer-to-final Neighbor reaction speed: you can't easily runaway from him
You can counter the Neighbor with fireworks
Short glimpse into the basement upon completion
Improved AI is really important in this game. The fact that he will notice open doors and investigate makes it more realistic and makes you be more careful sneaking in someone's house. Peeking through the keyholes is hella creepy and I do fear there might be a troll event where you peek through and he also pops up peeking at you. I'm glad they also found a good speed for the neighbor. In pre-alpha, he was ridiculously fast. In alpha 1, he was ridiculously slow. So I hope this time they got the right speed to make it challenging but also thrilling at the same time. Countering the neighbor is more like stalling the neighbor slightly so you can escape. Kinda like propping chairs into doors. You can see an example of the firework stalling below. The below video scared me by the way. Not cool tinyBuild Games.
The basement glimpse is probably just a small teaser again. The blog post mentions specific AI improvements.
AI Improvements
His vision now follows head-direction. So when he turns around, he actually sees around himself. This means it's easier to sneak up on him when he's not looking. Just sneak, not run.
He registers things that have been modified without his knowledge. For example in one instance I used an alarm clock to disable a camera. He noticed that, and started investigating the area.
You can block his vision with objects. In his bedroom, you can hide behind the TV set for example. In the previous examples of a modified object though, he will notice if you're just placing a chair to block his vision.
We've toned down the amount of traps he places in this specific level as the house is smaller
His core loop now includes added behaviors such as taking a bath (I know you'll be creeping on that, so he's clothed while doing so), drinking some milk, exercising inside the house, and sleeping in both the bedroom and living room.
Overall, it looks like they balanced it to be more fair to the player and fixed the hilarious standing still bug. I still remember him turning around to look at me but didn't register I was behind him in Alpha 1. I am going to enjoy playing this build and also look forward to the upcoming December build with the bigger house. For those interested in trying out the builds now, consider supporting them by buying early access here for $29.99.
Source: Blog
