Removed Features

Since the beginning of development, some features have been removed from the game, having been replaced or deemed unsuitable for the game at its current state. Most of these features were removed before Early Access release on Steam.https://discord.com/channels/435431947963990026/661365069006897154
==Ghosts==
;General
* For a short while after the game's release on Steam, one type of ghost event was to mimic player models who were either alive but outside the building or dead, and walk towards a particular player before vanishing. Phantoms performing this event would also show putrefied skin on the player model. This type of ghost event was removed at an unknown time soon after.https://youtu.be/QL3_gLmeMVI?t=13845
* For some time, ghosts could stare at the targeted player during a ghost event.
;Jinn
* Jinns were able to affect the weather. This was replaced by a chasing speed that depended on whether the player was running, which itself was later replaced with its current ability of having a higher speed if its target is further away.
;Mare
* Mares had the ability to cause hallucinations, which would drop a player's sanity, and could be stopped by toggling one's flashlight. This was replaced with the current light-based hunt sanity threshold.
** The old journal description of this ability was once accidentally added in 0.3.1.0, and reverted in a same-version hotfix.
==Evidence==
*Bile: replaced with Ghost Particles, which are now known as Ghost Orbs.
*Blood: replaced with EMF Level 5.
*Bug (insects): replaced with various other evidences.
**In the Phasmophobia Official Announcement Trailer, a cockroach can be seen in the living room.https://youtu.be/sRa9oeo5KiY?t=85
*Dirty Water: replaced with Ghost Writing, but still exists as a photo reward.
*Ectoplasm: replaced with Spirit Box.
*Handprints: originally found on walls, instead of certain objects that the ghost interacted with. This is now known as Fingerprints.
*Wall Scratches
*Fingerprints: Replaced with Ultraviolet. Fingerprints only included finger or handprints left by the ghost when interacting with applicable surfaces or items, such as doors, keyboards, and light switches (though these evidences still count as Ultraviolet). Footprints were not an evidence but a Photo Reward, and every ghost except the Wraith could create them.
**Prior to 0.9.0, Fingerprints and Footprints did not need to be illuminated with a UV light to be photographed; this meant that fingerprints could be found without a UV light by photographing the touched surface and look if the photo was labelled as "Fingerprints".
*Prior to 0.9.0, D.O.T.S silhouettes used to be a duplicate of the ghost that would be generated when the real ghost interacted with the D.O.T.S Projector. This meant that a D.O.T.S silhouette could appear while the real ghost was already manifesting, such as during a hunt or a ghost event. D.O.T.S silhouettes are now the real ghost becoming temporarily visible under the light of a Projector.
**Photos of D.O.T.S silhouettes were a separate Photo reward, labelled as "D.O.T.S. Ghost" in the Journal, had the same XP and cash value as an Interaction photo, and multiple could be taken in a single contract. This photo reward was notoriously difficult to obtain, as at the time D.O.T.S silhouettes moved very fast and in unpredictable directions, and combined with its low value made it generally not worth trying to get. Taking a photo of a D.O.T.S silhouette now counts as a ghost photo.
==Hunts==
*A ghost was able to teleport if it could not find a target during hunts. Currently, there is no ghost that can teleport during a hunt, though the Wraith can teleport randomly to a player outside of hunts, and certain phases (e.g. manifestation ghost event, end of a hunt) require the ghost to teleport.
*Prior to 0.26.8.1, ghosts completely lacked object permanence, which meant that it would forget its target as soon as it left its field of vision and resume wandering immediately. They also did not accelerate with line of sight until 0.28.6.5, allowing players to outrun most chasing ghosts so long they remained in constant motion. With hunts being fairly easy to survive, the developers decided to make gameplay more engaging by making the ghost's AI able to follow players around corners and accelerate when they saw a player to prevent them from simply outpacing the ghost.
**Additionally, furniture could not break line of sight; only doors or walls could block the ghost's vision. This was also changed in line with the new hunting behaviors.
*Prior to 0.3.0, hunts would cause map lights, flashlights and the global chat to malfunction everywhere on the map, including outside. Because using electronics at the time also did not attract the ghost, it was very easy to check for the beginning or the end of a hunt simply by observing the flashlight beam or by occasionally pressing the global chat key to check for static. To make hunts less predictable, electronics and the global chat now only malfunction when the ghost is near enough, and will also attract the ghost if toggled nearby.
*Up until 0.5.0, when the ghost hunted, it could randomly appear either in its fully physical form, its shadowy form, or its jelly-like form. It was changed to only use its physical form to make tracking the ghost much more consistent during a hunt, as its other forms often made it unnecessarily difficult to see, especially in scenarios where overlapping light maps would make it essentially disappear.
==Gameplay==
*On some maps, garage and basement doors required keys that could be found within the map. The ghost could also occasionally lock these doors. The door locking feature was removed before the game's initial release on Steam, while these keys were removed later on. Only three keys currently exist: one for unlocking the (main) entrance door, one for turning off the car alarm on certain maps, and one for the cabin in Maple Lodge Campsite (the ghost cannot lock this door).
*Until 0.4.0, a random assortment of three to five maps would be given to the host of the lobby to select from for the next mission. If the maps given by the system were undesirable, either one of the maps would have to be loaded then immediately left; or in multiplayer the host would have to leave the lobby, thereby promoting another player in the lobby as host to see which range of maps they were given.
**For a short time after release, the difficulty of these contracts were also random, further necessitating such measures to try and play the desired maps and/or difficulties.
*Until 0.3.0.4, it was possible to interact with equipment that was held by other players. This was removed to prevent trolling during hunts as electronic equipment held by players now attracted the ghost.
*Footsteps from an idling ghost could be periodically heard without the aid of any equipment, which could be reliably used to narrow down its location. Since 0.3.0, ghost footsteps can only be heard when using a Parabolic Microphone or when the ghost has walked through salt.
*Players used to have to search for the ghost's name around the map instead of being already provided with it. This feature was removed early on in development as it was deemed too difficult on larger maps. The toggleable computer monitor found on 6 Tanglewood Drive displaying "Thomas Wilson", as well as the name "Nancy" above the crib in the Nursery, are remnants of this feature.
*Players with low sanity would start to hear auditory hallucinations that would increase in frequency as their sanity decayed. This was removed shortly before the early access release of the game.
*Prior to 0.9.0, seeing freezing breath was a conclusive indicator of Freezing Temperatures without having to use a Thermometer.
*Prior to 0.9.0, training took place at 6 Tanglewood Drive as a modified Amateur contract with no secondary objectives or rewards. A ghost was haunting the location, its type was randomly selected, it provided evidence as normal, but it could not hunt. A short slideshow displayed on the TV in the living room detailed each evidence and how to spot them.
*Priror to 0.9.0.9 the passive sanity drain was determined by calculating the level of ambient light around the player's head (whether it be from on-site lights or firelights). This complex system was notably resource-intensive, and was also in practice peculiarly finicky. Due to this, it was replaced by the current system, where the passive sanity drain depends on whether all main light sources in a room are on or off, regardless of the player's physical position in relation to light sources within the room.
*Decorative candles found on certain maps could be grabbed and could mitigate passive sanity drain just like purchased candles. This is no longer the case as of 0.9.0; they can no longer be grabbed or moved and do not affect sanity drain. They can still be lit to provide a non-electric light source however.
*Until 0.10.0.1, Phasmophobia had support for BHaptics haptic feedback apparel to provide simulated physical sensations, chiefly for VR players. Support was removed due to very low usage and it causing performance issues among VR players.
==Equipment==
*Infrared Light Sensors emitted light when a player or ghost walked past. It did not complete any motion sensor-related challenges when triggered by the ghost. This feature was merged into the current Motion Sensor.
*Strong Flashlights were a separate item, with their own store tab and spot in the truck, that acted as a direct upgrade to the regular flashlight, bearing a brighter, more powerful light. Its model and overall functionality would be reused for the tier II Flashlight.
**Similarily, Glowsticks were a separate item from UV lights, even though they had the same purpose. It became the Tier I, and then later the Tier II UV light.
== Maps ==
* 6 Tanglewood Drive used to have skeletons scattered around the house which could only be seen by dead players. This was removed shortly after the Steam Early Access release of the game.
* Prior to 0.4.0, 6 Tanglewood Drive had a permanent rainy weather. This at the time was purely cosmetic and did not influence the investigation other than producing a mild noise disturbance.
** The thunder sound effect that was initially used on Tanglewood became notable for unintentionally featuring a faint scream at the end. It was replaced with a new, clean sound effect in v.0.26.6.
* Asylum was the first large map added to the game. This map was notable for both its immense size, with over 200 distinct rooms, as well as its confusing maze-like layout, earning a reputation of being a notoriously difficult and frustrating map even for more seasoned players. This map was replaced with the smaller and much more intuitive Sunny Meadows Mental Institution.
* Before the introduction of Cursed Possessions, the Ouija Board was a special standalone item which had a 50% chance per contract of spawning at one of several set locations on a given map. Moreover, questions asked to the Ouija Board had a chance to fail and would induce a severe sanity loss. It would go through several changes before becoming part of the Cursed Possessions collection.
* Both Farmhouses (Grafton and Bleasdale), as well as 13 Willow Street, had a few decorative voodoo doll props scattered around the location, which could be photographed for a Photo Reward. These voodoo dolls had no additional functionality nor effect on the ghost, though there were many rumors abound that throwing them could force the ghost to perform an interaction or that they would always point towards the ghost room when they landed on the ground. These voodoo doll props were removed with the introduction of Cursed Possessions in 0.5.0 (though their old spawn locations were reused for the cursed possession's spawn location).
* Maple Lodge Campsite was originally released with an entirely different layout. The initial iteration was significantly more open, featuring very large outdoor spaces and scant hiding spots. The vast open spaces notably caused performance issues with line of sight calculation, and made it difficult for players to escape a chasing ghost. The map was almost entirely changed with the 0.9.1.0 update for optimization and balance; the only unchanged sections of the original map are the Cabin and the Pier.
==References==
Category:Development
fr:Fonctionnalités retirées