Wait...the sprinkler rework?? Dear gamers, you've read that correctly. The beloved sprinkler mechanic is being reworked! I apologize if you've gotten attached to the old sprinkler, but in my playtesting, this new sprinkler has been a LOT more interesting.

Its primary function is still the same. The sprinkler is still used to extinguish fires, and as long as the sprinkler is on, a fire cannot be started.

What's new, however, is that the sprinkler will turn itself off after a set amount of time. Additionally, there will be a cooldown until you're allowed to turn it back on again. This is done to prevent abuse of the sprinkler in many different ways.

The biggest change is yet to come, however. In the full game, THE SPRINKLER WILL NO LONGER MAKE ANIMATRONICS FASTER.

In the demo, the sprinkler would halve the amount of time between animatronic movement intervals. This made them A LOT faster, and made 4/20 + Perma-Sprinkler a pretty tough challenge.

I was fine with this mechanic for the demo. However, I've faced a big problem in testing the full version: 7/20 + Perma-Sprinkler (or 7/20 + All Challenges for that matter) is COMPLETELY IMPOSSIBLE. I've touched on this on stream before, but basically, with 7 animatronics moving at double speed, there's simply not enough time to respond to every threat.

The simplest answer is to just reduce the speed buff that the sprinkler gives, but thinking about this made me realize just how uninteresting the sprinkler is. Yes, double speed is very threatening on 4/20 mode, where movement opportunities are guaranteed to succeed. But on the earlier nights? With a bit of luck, animatronics won't move AT ALL despite the sprinkler being on. The risks of the sprinkler are not immediately understood. It's kind of lame.

So again, THE SPRINKLER WILL NO LONGER MAKE ANIMATRONICS FASTER. It needed a new consequence, and I think I've come up with a better one.

Introducing WATERLOGGING. Or MOISTURE LEVEL. I haven't settled on the name yet.

While your sprinkler is on, your moisture level percentage increases, as shown on the desk monitor. Having a moisture level above 0% will create a small delay between when you click the button on certain devices and when they actually trigger. This includes door lasers, vent lasers, the oven, and Felix's wheel. This delay scales with the moisture level, with up to a full second of delay at 100%. The moisture level decreases naturally while the sprinkler is off.

This new penalty is A LOT more noticeable, and will add a lot more tension to the gameplay. Will the door laser be able to fire before Bernard can get in? Better keep the systems dry so you can ensure that.

"BUT RYON," you're screaming, tears streaming down your face, red as a tomato, "HOW WILL THIS AFFECT PERMA-SPRINKLER??"

A lesser man would say "Suck it up losers, Perma-Sprinkler is gonna give you a full 1-second delay for the ENTIRE night. Muahaha." And that is definitely a strategy you can use. However, I've offered an alternative approach.

Exclusive to Perma-Sprinkler mode, the iconic and original desk cupcake converts itself into a Drain Button. Pressing and holding this button will decrease your moisture level at a VERY fast rate, as long as it is held down.

The Drain Button offers you a bit of choice when it comes to strategy. Will you incorporate it into your strict 7/20 mode cycle to keep annoying delays down? Or will you put up with the delays so you don't have to waste time holding another button? It's up to personal preference, and I've used both strategies to some success in testing.

What do you think of the new Perma-Sprinkler? Are you prepared to lock in for 7/20 + All Challenges?

That's all I got this time, stay tuned :O