PixelJunk Eden: Tending to Our Lovely Gardens

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PixelJunk Eden Screenshot

Two blog entries in almost as many weeks! Hopefully you aren’t too bored of me yet!

This is just a short one though, to inform you that at last the patch for PixelJunk Eden will be released on Thursday, January 15. For those of you from the EU, it will be out shortly thereafter, so stay tuned.

In this patch we’ve listened to your comments. We’ve gone ahead and fixed and added a few things to try and get as many people to play Eden as possible, as it really is a remarkable game…if I do say so myself. I simply want as many people as possible to experience it in full (if only we could release it for free and still make a living like some Star Trek-like future).

As you move through the gardens, you’ll encounter more and more interesting ideas and concepts. In order to help people having trouble right at the beginning, we’ve changed the large crystals so they replenish a whole half of your oscillator (time) meter. Even if you run out of time, we allow you to continue from the last Spectra you collected. To preserve the pride of those who gained trophies without continues though, the ‘garden complete’ trophy is only available if you don’t use the continue system. You don’t need trophies to move forward into the game and explore new gardens, so dive in and try out some of the crazy stuff we put in the game (such as the infamous Garden 7 with its rotating gravity).

pixeljunk eden 02

pixeljunk eden 01

Also, I’d like to use this blog entry to announce that we are preparing an “Encore” version of Eden. At some point over the next couple of months, I’ll come back and tell you more about what’s in that! In the meantime get in your practice with this new patch so you are ready for the crazy stuff we have prepared for you in the expansion.

Oh, and before I forget, we fixed the multiplayer camera! It is now as smooth as a baby’s bum – get some friends around and give it a whirl!

Enjoy!

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73 Comments

13 Author Replies

  • wasnt a huge fan of eden (although i recognize its merits), but i loved monsters. i wont even mention racers, its…bad.

    here’s looking forward to the next pixeljunk title though

  • had this game since the first day. now i’m going to have to go back and replay it to check out this patch.

  • I don’t know if anyone’s specified anything yet, but I don’t see any replies yet, so I’m going to ask.

    I understand that and why you can’t get the Garden Complete trophy if you use the continue system, but…

    What if you do use it? Does it invalidate you from getting the trophy? Or does it tell you when you used it so you can go back and use it WITHOUT continues and get the trophies then?

    I thought the continue sounded like a great idea until it made it seem uncertain if a trophy or two were even attainable anymore. I hope someone can please clear the air here.

    • Even if you run out of time and use the continue system you return to your main garden and then go back in and get all 5 Spectra without the time running out once you will get the trophy.

  • I was wondering when this patch was going to be available. lol
    I had completely forgot that it was to be released.

    I am definitely looking forward to the Eden Encore.

    Q-Games rocks!!

  • what is the “garden complete” trophy anyway? is it the same as the “open all seeds” trophy?

  • i dont know if u guys remember me but i compare you guys to square enix of the old days when i sent you guys an email.so i want to know what are your plans for eden encore like will there be new trophys added?

  • Thanks, I can’t wait for the patch.

    Give Q-Games there OWN Store like Capcom!

  • Why is there no online play for this yet? I honestly don’t want to hear the same old excuses.

    It can’t be done.

    It’ll ruin the aesthetics of the game.

    As much as I love the game and bought it the day it came out…. It’s boring and tedious real quick thanks to having us have to play each stage 5 painfully boring times.

    If you have local co-op, have online as well or don’t have it all.

    Why is it that developers think everyone has the ability to play locally?

    Online gaming is the way to go. Either have local and online co-op or nix it completely, especially when you “so kindly” put trophies based around co-op. Mind you, I’m not a trophy whore yet…I will when they start coming with games and stop getting patched in but in the end when stuff like this happens, I’m less inclined to care.

    Please stop assuming people have local co-op options. I never will, no one around me likes games so I lose out on the ability to experience a game with other people and I don’t want to hear the same old tired story of get new friends, etc. I have online gamer friends, we game a lot together. I’m getting so tired of this whole cop out of online gaming lately.

    • It has nothing to do with aesthetics, it is simply a difficult problem that would take a lot of time and money to solve. For a game such as PixelJunk Monsters I can see us doing something in the future to enable it online (maybe for Monsters 2 if we make it?), but Racer\’s and Eden\’s controls are far too pixel perfect to cope with the lag unfortunately… ie. the game needs to react in 1/60th of a second and the internet just doesn\’t have that power yet.

  • Dylan: About the trophies, I’m having a hard time getting all the seeds, I’m not so worried about the spectras I can get them…

    Will the continue also bloack me from getting the “All Seeds in Garden #”?

    Or is just regarding the Spectras?

  • Dylan: another trophy would be 100,000th pollen, will it block it, if I use a continue?

  • Dylan & all at Q Games.

    Thank you!!

    I absolutely love Eden, in fact I just started playing it again this weekend after being away for a while, and I still love it. But I am just a simple gamer with limited skills and this game is HARD!

    I’m sure there are those who completed the game and wondered what all the sniffling was all about, but for the rest of us mortals, now we can enjoy the game (as it was meant to be) without getting our butts kicked by it.

  • thanks for the info and the replies. You guys rock

  • So, I’m assuming there’s going to be no physical media version of this?

    You guys are really determined to alienate some your potential audience, aren’t you?

    • Hey there, we\’d love to release a blu-ray disk-based version but the price would go up to cover the manufacturing and distribution costs and I don\’t think people would buy it at a higher price. This isn\’t our decision in the end however, it is Sony\’s.

      You never know though, I think it would be fun to release them in a bundle on one disk.

  • finally.. i get to express my love for PixelJunk.. i cant wait for thursday.. been waiting for this update before the patch for Monsters was even mentioned.. yo thanks for this patch, but i gotta ask.. is there a way ya’ll can unlock the custom soundtracks with this patch.. getting all spectra and then getting the ability to do this is a bit to much.. but i really like this game so ill put up with it for awhile.. jus a thought,, get back please!

  • My problem was getting certain trophies when running out of time, starting from Garden 7. Most likely I won’t be getting them now either, but to be honest, I don’t bother. Trophies aren’t really that important to me. I thought I bought the US version but I see I have the EU version, so… I have to wait.

  • Just one quick question: Is it allowed to use the continue system for the “all seeds in Garden X” trophies? I collected all Spectras but stopped with those on the later Gardens.

  • You said bum in an official blog post, for that, I’ll purchase your game :)

  • I’m still confused what trophy isn’t earned when you use continue. We need details. Also Dylan, the only mistake you made was creating a trophy that needed three players (not even two but three) and then making it local only. Huge problem for a lot of us, and sucks major. Do not do this anymore. Let me know if you want to be generous and credit me the trophy lol

  • Cool. I bought the game more out of support for your company. Haven’t really played it too much, honestly. =)

  • @65
    I’ve tried the the japanese demo and as announced by Q-Games there’s plenty more time to get things done. The big crystals give you WAY more time than before and the last 3-4 dots of your time-bar will take forever to pass (in other words, the less time you’ve got left, the more it is slowed down). It’s infinitely easier to get the trophies.

    I think Q-Games should’ve done 2 modes: classic (like before the patch) and easy. Maybe with separate ranking lists and new “easy”-trophies.

    But I’m excited about EDEN Encore, I was hoping for something like that :)

  • This game was already perfect. I hate to see you dumb it down, but alas, the typical “duh… let’s go shoot stuff” gamer has neither the patience or the skill to appreciate a game like this, so I guess I understand.
    Can’t wait for encore. You guys are easily my favorite dev house.

  • cool news. i might have to dust this one off.

    but while you’re here…can we get another PJ Monsters game? i know it may seem soon but everyone i know really can’t get enough of that game and my girlfriend & i have now gotten rainbows on both islands on every stage.

    we need some new islands and levels. PLEASE! lol.

  • “For a game such as PixelJunk Monsters I can see us doing something in the future to enable it online (maybe for Monsters 2 if we make it?)”

    Do it! I don’t think you understand how incredibly godly that would be. Well.. I’m sure you do…

  • Will the Encore pack have lossless audio? All PS3s have DTS-MA and ATRAC decoding built-in, at this point. Is there a technical reason not to give us this awesome soundtrack (and possibly sound effects) in a way that only the PS3 is capable of? At the least, can we get a separate soundtrack download in a lossless format?

    Also, can we get some concept art? I loved the interview with some of the talk about the evolution of the game and how it started from a single still image.

    My husband and I really love Eden. He actually is on Garden 8 (4th spectra). You just have to have the patience to observe, experiment, and then develop a strategy! The other changes are welcome, but I’ll doubt we’ll use the continue system. First, we want to trophies! :) Second, I think it makes the game a little *too* easy. I understand wanting to make it more accessible, but this may take it a little too far.

  • well i already beat it and got all trophies. but OMG “Encore” version of Eden

    WTF SERIOUSLY!?!?! I would gladly pay $20 for an expansion, this game is amazing.

    Also for the multiplayer camera, it often has trouble deciding which player to follow (usually follows my girlfriend who constantly goes off track and kills me because I go off screen for too long). Did you fix this in the update?

  • @70 “I think Q-Games should’ve done 2 modes: classic (like before the patch) and easy. Maybe with separate ranking lists and new “easy”-trophies.”

    Ditto. After I patched the game and tested the new “features” I began looking for the way to disable them. I appreciate making the game more accessible but I was really hoping to finish it off on the classic difficulty.
    I guess that’s what I get for letting my interest wane for so long and not finishing the game at release time.

    Hopefully someone will point out a missing option, cheat code, or whatever to get revert the game to it’s previous glory.

  • I know it might be late, but in case Mr. Cuthbert is still reading this, I want to echo the desire for a Blu-ray title. It’s not necessary, but I think it would be cool and it might broaden your audience. I own every PixelJunk game thus far, but if you ever decide to release a Blu-ray title like “PixelJunk: Series 1,” I would still pay full price for it. The quality titles that you guys make for PSN are much appreciated and I very much look forward to all future releases (including Encores) you guys make. :D

    • Well we can always keep bugging Sony to give the thumbs up to a blu-ray bundle edition until they give in to our demands ;-)

      @76 – I think the game is still a good tough challenge, even with the patch, especially gardens 7 thru 10.

  • I see you subtracted a feature. The dive move (where you dive and land on an object to collect more pollen while you remain in that place). I really liked that feature. Why did you make pollen harder to collect?

  • As long as there is another (2nd, 3rd, fourth!) Monsters Encore, or even a Monsters II :)

    My kids will love the Eden expansion though..

  • The game is actually harder now. You can’t collect pollen nearly as easily. Wow.

  • I just got all 50 spectra after the update, but I didn’t get the silver trophy. How am I supposed to get that trophy? The details just says “Get all the spectra in all gardens”

    I haven’t got the “all the seeds w/o continues” trophies in garden 7 and 10.

  • Dylan: Extremely late reply, hope you’re still scanning!

    I love the game, and the update – made getting the trophies (and game completion) much easier in my opinion.

    Question (unrelated, but no other forum to ask) – People don’t seem to like Racers – its one of my favouries (having started the pixeljunk journey) – In the most technical and short description possible, how hard is it to implement a patch? Concept > Programming to detect completion > testing > deployment…right?

  • Is there any news on when the patch will be available in the EU? I recently purchased Eden and would love to get to grips with the changes before sinking my teeth into the game!

  • I was about to ask the same thing. “shortly after”.. I’d expected that would mean a few days.
    Also, why wasn’t it possible to release the patch worldwide instantly?

  • Sorry for the double post, but I can’t edit my message. I see it “Just” released for Europe, updating right now :)

  • I may have encountered a trophy bug in the game. Last night, I’ve gotten my 50th Spectra in the game (from Garden 10), but I had to use Continue twice to get it. At any rate, after clearing the garden, I did not get credit for the “Get All Spectra” silver trophy. I cleared Garden 10 again this morning without using any continues, and I still go not get credit for the trophy. Have any one else encountered the same issue?

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