SAVAGE: The Shard of Gosen

Released: Aug 30, 2019
Platforms
Last updated: 06 Sep 2026, 18:47 GMT

Updates & announcements

20 posts

12 Sep 2026Developer post
Savage Updated to ver. 2.679
Hail, barbarians. It is time for a fresh update! This update for September 12th sees a several fixes and improvements, including eliminating some softlocking issues in certain rooms. Also included are some scenario/room, enemy, and puzzle rebalances. Crashes and Game Breaking Bug
Hail, barbarians. It is time for a fresh update!
This update for September 12th sees a several fixes and improvements, including eliminating some softlocking issues in certain rooms. Also included are some scenario/room, enemy, and puzzle rebalances.
Crashes and Game Breaking Bugs

Fixed a softlock issue in lower Ash Sentry where a floor switch/pressure plate could keep you from getting out of the room and resuming the game
Fixing bad references to objects in scenarios, sequences, and cinematics that could result in a crash
Bugs and Issues

Fixing issues with enemy objects not calling scripts on death when they should (certain events therefore not happening when they should)
Made many Tribute Pieces “persistent” that were not (after collecting, you could reload the screen and get them again)
Started doing the same for certain items that weren’t also saving their “opened”/looted status (corpses/skeletons, chests, other pickups, etc.)
Fixing errors/issues with several environmental objects not getting their correct image numbers and choosing a random image in their sprite
Fixing issues with corpses (like skeletons) that you can loot, not passing persistent scripts to items they spawn, so you could hit/destroy a corpse which would drop an item, but if you didn’t pick up the item, it’s gone forever (this work is ongoing across multiple instances of this)
Turned debugger off (oops – hope anyone who noticed had fun)
Finding and filling in more missing tiles across rooms (platforming tiles, foreground dressing tiles, background pieces, etc.)
Adding missing collision data/objects to certain rooms
A lot of cleanup on engine level errors and warnings (hopefully results in some optimization)
New Stuff

Adding a variety of new “persistent events” and triggers
New items involving the Reforge mechanic
New treasure to be found in certain rooms and locations
Good (subjectively) feedback added to Throwing Dirks sticking to wood
Tweaks and Balancing

Updating some enemy behaviors, stats, and BP gain
Clingjaws no longer shoot super buggy lazer beams (… for now)
Updating several rooms insofar as enemies and traps placements
Extra set dressing to certain rooms
Next up is continuing work on adding new enemies and bosses, as well as finishing up and cleaning up the issues I introduced in the Forge system (dismantling still isn't working).
New weapons and armor are also being animated, and the current zones and dungeons (Gosenian Foothills and its dungeons, the Highland Cliffs and areas that lead into Volunheim) are being refined and finished up.
I'm also going to add a new tab to the "Codex" in te main menu/inventory screen that will track and make available the various tutorial messages you run into while playing.
Hope you all have a good weekend!
Until next time,
-Matt
Original post
04 Jun 2026Developer post
Savage Updated to 2.672 - Game Breaking Issues
Big thanks to those of you continuing to find bugs causing crashes, softlocks, etc. - stuff preventing progress (especially a nasty one where a room wasn't properly initialized, causing you to not progress through the game whatsoever in Highland Cliffs). Still hunting down some m
Big thanks to those of you continuing to find bugs causing crashes, softlocks, etc. - stuff preventing progress (especially a nasty one where a room wasn't properly initialized, causing you to not progress through the game whatsoever in Highland Cliffs).
Still hunting down some more elusive ones (like stackable objects crashing the game sometimes, like a pickup landing on an empty treasure chest > treasure chest being destroyed).
The game has been updated to 2.672:
Crashes and Game Breaking Bug

Fixed issue with Dire Bears where you could attack their leftover “damage mask” object which would crash the game (they spawn/despawn based on story progress)
Fixing a screen/room in Highland Cliffs that completely stopped critical progression (you wound up outside the game world because many elements deactivated)
Fixed softlocked controls on some cinematic movie sequences/screens (also updated default input visual prompt)
Fixing issue with enemy corpses being launched into the ceiling (like if you smack them into it) which would crash/lock the game
Fixing additional issues related to above, where scaling had been applied to certain “solid” objects in a scene, being a culprit of above and other issues (particularly in Kuchvek’s Crossing)
Fixing pickups dropped by slain enemies crashing game/softlocking (rare instances where a pickup could spawn up above enemy, pickup spawn above corpse platform, pickup shoved up into solid ceiling because of corpse platform)
Replaced a bunch of solid objects with newer “special” solid objects that are easier to track, create, and destroy where needed in regards to “cinematic” sequences, or when a level should change in some way – previous method was breaking a bunch of things
Bugs and Issues

Fixed weirdly sized hitboxes for more enemy corpses/skeletal remains
Fixed slimes, when attacked from below, could occasionally float upwards forever
Drowning damage was not working and is now working and can kill player (sorry deep sea divers)
Fixed some typos in burning village scenario dialogue text
Fixed equipment being drawn too low on player character if crouching and transitioning to climb down state
Thanks everyone!
-Matt
Original post
29 Dec 2025Developer post
Hotfix - Softlocked in Skills/Codex menu
Much to my chagrin, while testing on the Steam deck, I discovered a pretty nasty softlock -- if you MASTER a weapon (i.e. Pickaxe), then go into the menu > Codex > Skills tab, and select an entry, once the dialogue box plays, you are stuck in a loop and can't exit back to t
25 Dec 2025Developer post
Merry Christmas! Savage Update
Merry Christmas! It's been quite some time. I'm very sorry for that. A combination of the Venezuelan stuff (everybody lived happily ever after), some ongoing health issues, and work overloaded me for quite a while there. I've been chipping away at things, but without a good solid
Merry Christmas! It's been quite some time. I'm very sorry for that. A combination of the Venezuelan stuff (everybody lived happily ever after), some ongoing health issues, and work overloaded me for quite a while there.
I've been chipping away at things, but without a good solid update. I am hoping to get things into a more stable rotation with this game now.
A big one is having to remove support for the 32 bit version, as GameMaker no longer compiles to this. I am very sorry if this has affected anyone.
I've also just about wrapped up work on reformatting all the tilesets and rooms to the GMS2 version (which, if you remember, has been an ongoing thorn in the side this project).
I tried to get this out on Christmas Eve, but it looked like Steam was having some issues -- and I also broke something within the install pipeline early in the evening, so this is going out early Christmas AM.
Here's also a list of changes, updates, new stuff in the FORGE system, dialogue and story, room updates, level design, crash fixes, bug fixes, new gear, items, and enemy updates (and general better stuff):
HELL'S TEETH location and all of its (insane amounts of) rooms updated to use newer GameMaker tile system
Fixed very old problems that resulted in gravity not being applied to player if you are jumping up through one way platforms, especially noticeable if there were many platforms in close vertical proximity
Corpses always have a corpse platform now
Fixed many rooms drawing a background when they shouldn't (i.e. solid red colors)
Fixed tons of "bad" tile placements, or missing tiles, across many rooms/screens
Switched "save" locations around in certain rooms (tuning/level design)
Added (mysterious and/or better) treasure to certain locations
Fixed hitboxes on several corpse sprites (there are most likely more of these that need fixing)
Fixed the game crashing based on when you break out of your chains at the mining prison intro
Fixed some waterfalls and streams being invisible in Hells Teeth
Fixed corpse platforms not destroying when corpse is destroyed
Fixed corpses not updating corpse platform size when a sprite change happens (i.e., sprite being skinned to change to skeletal sprite)
Fixed some flame dropper hazards not dropping flames (THEY HAD ONE JOB)
Fixed very bad room transition in Hell's Teeth that sent you outside terrain bounds
Fixed an issue where if you are jumping from a one-way platform, your vertical speed would be less, also occurred while in "carrying an object" states
Fixed some visual issues in one of the cinematic sequences
Fixed some assets in room animating/flashing when they shouldn't
Updated some rooms where "pixel perfect" jumps were required (needlessly annoying/difficult)
Switched some elements in puzzle locations around
Tuned some hazards to be more deadly
Made "dust effects" when jumping more dynamic based on player's horizontal speed when jumping
Fixed Wallsucker enemy dropping Horror Lash weapon instead of what it's supposed to drop when it's spike is broken
Added Shield Bash damage type able to break things that Blunt damage type does (appendages, skeletal corpses, etc)
Fixed (pretty sure) skeletal corpses getting stuck in solid objects after normal corpse was skinned
Fixed (I think) even FURTHER, rare occurrences of pickups (dropped weapons, treasure, items, etc) dropped by slain enemies getting stuck in walls, ceilings, etc
Changed appearance of some enemies based on boss progression
Added missing ramp/slope objects to rooms I noticed they were missing in
Corrected some enemies' blood colors
I also added orange as a blood color (for both enemies and appropriate hazards they collide with) out of a deep deep lizard brain need, because otherwise, this is not a very good video game and it is fake.
Fixed Cloud storm layers in foreground should be moved to the background
Fixed Cloud (storm) layers should disappear when weather clears in platforming screens
Fixed Forge Repair not displaying material quantities properly
Not being able to reforge or repair at forge now plays bad noise
REPAIR functionality is now in the forge system
Dialogue and story updates for the Blacksmith in the Border Village
Forge Tongs now obtainable from Blacksmith and necessary to unlock REPAIR functionality via Forge
Updated Blacksmith vendor list, switched some things around; certain items only available once certain story progress attained
Updated some item flavor text
Fixed Twin Fang spitting you out in wrong world location
Updated Cliffdevil with proper parried and stun states
Updated Cliffdevil with death sprites, decapitation, and head sprites
Fixed camera starting position on new room being very far away from Kell
Fixed issue where, in some cases, entering a location from the worldmap to a 2D location, Kell's depth is very not what it should be (he would appear in front of virtually all other visuals in the area)
Fixed another Kell depth instance when entering randomized encounter locations from the worldmap, much like above
Fixed the anchor point for imprisoned player’s chains in dungeon after you are captured, where the anchor point would stop and start spinning in place above player’s head after they break free (this also made it so you could not kill the slaver in the room with you with this chunk of stone)
Fixed a very obnoxious and maybe funny issue where when you attacked with a shield (bashed, parried, etc), game would play another set of background music, layering over what is currently playing
Updated all Shields with attacking sound fx, and impact sound fx
Fixing issue where, when exiting a UI element (using the forge/anvil, save tankard, dialogues, etc) you could accidentally do things like throw knives, if they are mapped to your “cancel” button/key – this could lead to accidentally attacking NPCs
Updating Gussek’s Blacksmith dialogue based on what the player has obtained
Fixed game crashing when setting down a carried object (like a corpse) with your back right up against a solid
Fixed several problems with the Petunia boss room, where certain solids weren’t being destroyed on boss death, so you could not leave or re enter that room after obtaining a certain key item – as well as other objects in the room not being activated/deactivated when they should, causing other traversal problems
Fixed up some missing background tiles in Gramlef’s Cavern
Updates to some “puzzle rooms”/scenarios, as far as what’s required to complete them
Upcoming:
New boss encounters
Scenarios spawning in based on previous actions
New weapons and armor
Locking in the "Perks" you gain from max leveling gear and items
Completing the overall FORGE/blacksmith system
New towns and NPCs to fill out current areas
New enemies
Thank you, and I hope you and yours have a Merry Christmas!
Original post
26 Nov 2021Developer post
Happy Thanksgiving! Barbaric Autumn Update
Hail and Happy Thanksgiving, barbarian, to all who slay, eat, drink, and be merry today! The battle rages on with porting Savage over to GMS2. I have encountered many pitfalls and speedbumps along the way, but the porting process is nearly complete, with only a few remaining loca
27 Jun 2021Developer post
GMS1 Exodus Part 2
Hail and happy weekend, Barbarians! ⚔ The exodus from GMS1 to GMS2 goes on, and I wanted to be a bit further along with it before patching the game, but certain issues have come up (thanks for letting me know!) that I couldn't let go without another batch of fixes. This patch inc
Hail and happy weekend, Barbarians! ⚔
The exodus from GMS1 to GMS2 goes on, and I wanted to be a bit further along with it before patching the game, but certain issues have come up (thanks for letting me know!) that I couldn't let go without another batch of fixes.
This patch includes those hotfixes, as well as some minor improvements, balancing, tweaks, and general spot cleaning to issues I noticed while testing.
During the room rebuilds from GMS1 to GMS2, I have noticed the game gain a bit of a spring in its step performance wise (at least on my machine) so I hope this continues to improve as I optimize the game for GMS2.
I also want to talk about my plans for release, as that is looming and this whole GMS2 situation has definitely thrown a wrench in the works. Once the game is properly GMS2-ified, I plan on finishing the Volunheim area, features that still need that nudge over the finish line, the final dungeon, and the final boss (as well as story wrap ups).
The game needs a 1.0, I need it, you've waited WAY too long (and I've been at this for way too long, ha!), and it is mega overdue. Any content that I have to cut (time will tell, especially concerning how long the rest of this GMS2 conversion will take) will come in the form of post release free updates (ocean encounters, the Southern continent, more enemies and bosses, more randomized scenarios, more gear, etc.).
That's my plan as it stands. Thank you for being so patient, and for all your support! The final sprint is upon us.
-Matt
PATCH NOTES - 0.2.3.6 Early Access
IMPROVEMENTS

MANY tilesets converted to GMS2
Several rooms finalized and converted to the GMS2 layers/tile system
Many rooms, as a result, have gotten minor tile fixes (tiles that were missing or placed in awkward/stupid spots), better seasonal background layers, etc.
Updated gold vendor values on some weapons/gear
Updated certain spawns and spawn points to reflect day/night changes
Updated some enemies to do status ailment effects and corresponding damage
Updated sections of the worldmap with biome information
Added a state to the player on the overworld so that when you are entering or exiting a location, as long as there is a fade in/fade out, you cannot enter another, or collide with a wandering monster on the map
Exiting water when "swimming" tuned to be a little snappier
Remade dozens of tilesets so they now conform to GMS2
Remade way, WAY too many sprites from old tilesets (background props) so they can now be placed in non-grid spots in rooms (GMS2 tile system does not allow off-grid placements)
First batch of rooms properly remade and brought up to GMS2 systems (layer system, new tile system, etc.)
Fixed those on the beta branch on Steam not able to launch the "normal" game (missing .exe / could only play the beta branch versions)
NEW STUFF

New enemy (work in progress) added to Volunheim
New testing section for Twinfang added to Volunheim (not complete dungeon, but some rooms to explore and items to find)
CHANGES

Increased drowning damage
Added an "ignore defense" mechanic to some very dangerous hazards and damage sources (like drowning)
BUG FIXES

Kuchvek's Crossing screens still had solids before and after pulling the switch when they shouldn't
Ghosts were lighting themselves on fire
Some biome settings were not showing/hiding seasonal layers and assets
Jailer attack was messed up during imprisoned story sequence
If the main brute's feelings were hurt in imprisoned story sequence and you escaped before he leaves, he moonwalked back toward gate
Fixed several crashes that could be triggered in the imprisoned story sequence (Thanks, TremorTheWolf!)
Fixed several weird and janky issues that were triggering and occuring out of place in the imprisoned story event
Fixed all issues of "new_item" appearing in text and dialogue found throughout the game
Several fade in/out objects were spawning on the worldmap under certain conditions, causing issues
Fixed a crash that could occur on the overworld map when entering a location that messed with the math on the overworld camera
Fixed the Dogcatcher boss in the burning village intro falling through the floor, softlocking the game unless you quit and reload the game (this issue returned after moving to GMS2)
Fixed pushing "Up" on left analog stick on a gamepad at the "level up" locations causing the level up menu to flash uncontrollably (this issue returned after moving to GMS2)
Original post
31 May 2021Developer post
HOTFIX - Game Not Running/Installer Running Every Time
Very sorry to anyone having trouble playing the game! There are now two launch options for Savage when you play the game, one for 32-bit Windows and one for 64-bit: If you were having trouble launching the game, go with the first option. The game will now no longer run the instal
30 May 2021Developer post
Savagepocalypse – From The (1.X) Ashes
⚔ HAIL Barbarians! ⚔ This update is a complicated one, and while it does not contain a massive amount of new content, it changes a massive amount of stuff under the hood thanks to a necessary move to GMS2 (I was developing on GMS 1.X). Ticking Time Bomb It recently came to my att
26 Mar 2021Developer post
HOTFIX - 2.5.1
BONED (badumtish) HOTFIX! Hail, barbarians! 🗡️ Here's a quick hotfix to fix a few issues that have been recently reported. If you have run into these issues, sorry for the inconvenience and thank you for taking the time to let me know about them! Fixed the Femur 1 handed club we
BONED (badumtish) HOTFIX!
Hail, barbarians! 🗡️
Here's a quick hotfix to fix a few issues that have been recently reported. If you have run into these issues, sorry for the inconvenience and thank you for taking the time to let me know about them!

Fixed the Femur 1 handed club weapon so it is NOT doing 10 million damage (I hope you enjoyed it while it lasted, lol)
Fixed the way damage for weapons and shields was being read and stored, giving some wildly inaccurate displays on gear comparisons in the equipment view and vendor lists
CRASH: Entering a particularly important screen in the Highland Cliffs would crash the game
CRASH: Sometimes, when opening a chest, a particular sound wouldn't be declared, resulting in a crash
Fixed the "level up" Essence screen stats flashing if you interacted with the Essence Vessel (save cup) using "up" on an analog stick via gamepad - stats on the screen will no longer flash and you can level up as normal
Fixed certain items not spawning from containers
Fixed some Death Tribute Pieces respawning after screen/room re-entry
Fixed the hitbox on certain switches being much too big
Thanks for letting me know about these issues!
- Matt ⚔️
Original post
14 Mar 2021Developer post
SAVAGE Enhanced!
SAVAGE Hits 0.2.5 Hail barbarian! ⚔️ Hither comes a new update with some important improvements, as well as some "quality of life" changes! New weapons and items have also been added, and the world of Gosen becomes just a bit deadlier with new traps, puzzles, and enemy behaviors.
SAVAGE Hits 0.2.5
Hail barbarian! ⚔️
Hither comes a new update with some important improvements, as well as some "quality of life" changes! New weapons and items have also been added, and the world of Gosen becomes just a bit deadlier with new traps, puzzles, and enemy behaviors.
Highlights in this Update
No More Auto Pickup for Gear
Gear Drops are no longer a pain in the loincloth! By default, weapons, armor, and shields will no longer be automatically picked up when you collide with them. Instead, on item collision, the name of the dropped gear will appear above it, allowing you to make a choice on whether you should pick it up or not. To initiate a pickup, you now press DOWN.
This fixes some frustration, where, to make room for a deadly new implement you have run across in the wild, you would drop one or more pieces of gear, only to accidentally pick up all the discarded loot you had just dropped.
Materials, consumables, and the like, are still automatically picked up, as they have an "infinite" space in the inventory.
These will have Game Options associated with them in a future update (Auto Pickup Loot: yes/no).
Important - SLEEP MARGIN?!
It looks like there is a setting here in GameMaker that I wasn't aware of -- "Sleep Margin". I have increased this in the hopes that it will fix some speed issues I have seen some people having, and related problems that have been reported to me. One of them being a "slow motion" type effect on the game.
Some games made on GameMaker seem to have this issue, where certain machines running some versions of Windows will set the game's priority to a low value.
Hopefully this fixes this issue if you are experiencing it!
New Items, Gear, and Brutal Ways to Get 'em!
New items have been added that will facilitate a fully featured "Forge" system in a future update, as well as weapons, key items, and materials.
New Hazards, Props, and Puzzles
The world once again gets a little more dastardly with some new mechanical and visual additions. Existing puzzle and exploration sequences have also been improved and/or expanded.
Patch Notes
BUG FIXES

Rising platforms do damage to you (like being crushed) when you pick up or use an item that triggers a “powerup” effect
Fixed some elevators not resetting their levers when coming to a stop, forcing you to exit the room and reenter to use the elevator again
Certain categories of pickups were influenced by moving platforms and are now not
Weapons were not getting their stats from static info, creating different instances of stat blocks if changes were made in a patch
MANY items in a room/screen will stay despawned if picked up, especially many of the “Death Tribute” pickups
Breakable moving solid blocks (like the cave beetle shell) are NOT destroyed on enemy death by weapons that have more than one “hit” value
Fixed treasure chests ONLY containing a random amount of whatever they contain (gold values, consumables, etc.)
Fixed WOUNDS drawing incorrectly on the game HUD
Fixed when knocking a moveable solid into another that is on a slope, the one you hit comes BACK toward VERY fast you after hitting the one on a slope
Fixed attacking a moveable solid that is up against a wall and it’s collision effect doesn’t trigger
Fixed levers still “sparkling” and being hittable when they shouldn’t
CRASH FIX: Fixed climbing onto side-view-doors (open or closed) crashing the game
Floating text prompts have been fixed (were sometimes jarring with where they spawned), and will also now follow a target that makes more sense
Solid objects that you can lift, carry, push, etc., no longer draw BEHIND torches, creating a goofy looking effect
CRASH FIX: Fixed game crashing on picking up a dropped essence orb
Fixed hitting breakable rocks with “mirrored” melee object made it so breakable rock ignored actual weapon collision (i.e. pickaxe wouldn’t work if it hit the rock NOT on the “sweet spot” – THANKS Silverfox!)
Fixed an issue with certain gamepads not registering an “interact” event when pressing UP on the DPad (like the Retro Bit Genesis controller – THANKS Tarxsix!)
Fixed materials not being removed when forging a new weapon, shield, or armor
Fixed hitboxes on several enemies
Fixed hitboxes on several door/gate objects acting screwy
IMPROVEMENTS and CHANGES

Set GameMaker’s “sleep margin” to 10 – potentially gets rid of “slow motion” effect on some machines, improving framerate on others
Redid several rooms and cleaned up event scripting
Improved flow of encounters and enemy placement (also removing enemies in overpopulated screens) in several rooms and screens
Redid several puzzle rooms
Changed the locations of some items, introduced new items to certain chest locations
Essence Vessels (“save” spots) added to improve levels, and in some cases added dedicated rooms for them
Some loot tables redone across enemies and containers (chests, breakable objects, etc.)
Some loot tables now based on Favor
Slightly increased the chance for resource nodes (ore, trees, etc.) to spawn, Luck is also now factored into this
Weapons are now less effective if you do not meet their stat requirements (base damage is limited and reduced)
Certain weapon stats have been tuned differently
Certain enemies now spawning with different behavior and attack properties based on player FAVOR stat
Gear drops (weapons, armor, shields) do NOT automatically get picked up when you run over them now – current default “pick up” button is DOWN (was frustrating to find a new weapon you wanted to pick up, had no room, dropped gear to make room, and then accidentally picked up what you dropped) – this will have a Game Option in the future to turn on and off (“autopickup loot: yes/no)
Gear drops will now also display their name above them when you collide with them so you can make an informed decision on whether to pick them up or not
Doors, chests, levers, and other interactable objects that you can activate by attacking now have an “interact prompt”, much like talking to an NPC – this should fix some confusion and also remedy accidentally attacking NPCs in some cases
Crafted items at the Forge now display their names when crafting is finished much more prominently
NEW STUFF

Several new weapons added to the game across a few weapon categories
New rooms and encounters added to the game
A few new traps added
New puzzle rooms added
Some new enemy behaviors added to certain enemies, as well as the allowance for more status effects (i.e. poison arrows)
A series of new key items added, some of them specifically dealing with future updates to the Forge
Several new materials added for crafting
New secrets and loot drops
New graphic assets, sprites, backgrounds, tiles, for “Relic” style of environments
I wanted to include a brand new Map System in this update, but I am still wrestling a bit with the particulars, but I have decided on a look and size for the thing, and hope to include that in the next update. Volunheim is still on the way, as well as updates to current locations (story, NPC dialogue, quests, bosses, etc.).
I wanted a static display and went with a design that allows me to show as many map cells on the screen at one time, so expect it to look something like this.
I also want to thank you so much for contributing to over 1,000 units moved on Steam! I have also just recently hit over 10,000 hours of work on the game (disgusting, oops lol - (beyond) time to start wrapping this thing up!).
All the best to you and yours, and thank you for your support!! ⚔️
- Matt
Original post
22 Jul 2020Developer post
Pre-Volunheim Mega Patch
Hail, Barbarian Horde! ⚔ This update is big, juicy AND nutrient rich - but does not include Volunheim. We will get there! For now, I wanted to deliver a video to you covering the bigger, more interesting additions, fixes, and improvements to SAVAGE as I hack and slash my way towa
Hail, Barbarian Horde! ⚔
This update is big, juicy AND nutrient rich - but does not include Volunheim. We will get there!
For now, I wanted to deliver a video to you covering the bigger, more interesting additions, fixes, and improvements to SAVAGE as I hack and slash my way toward a big, PROPER Volunheim content update.
Watch on YouTube
Below, for fun, are some of the info graphics and GIFs used in the presentation.
Player Traversal Fixes and Improvements

Fixed a TON of softlock and outright crash issues related to moving around, climbing, speed, entering and exiting certain rooms - LOTS of improvements to the worldmap - Kell and other overworld assets look better'
Entering and exiting locations feel a lot better and less janky - Fixes to the overworld camera - Overall better game feel - New "dust/air" sprites for jumping, landing, dodge rolling, and skidding
ALL COLLISION SPRITES have been redone (damage types, collisions, destructibles, etc.) - MORE THINGS to "pogo" (downward strike) off of -- including moveable objects, breakables, and enemy melee objects
More interactive elemets -- i.e., toss a corpse on a springing spike trap to create a rideable elevator that you can stack other things on top of to reach higher locations
ENEMY IMPROVEMENTS!!

Tons of fixes to hitboxes
Enemy melee placements were WAY OFF for many enemies (FIXED)
Tuning to timings, AI, and stats have been adjusted to most enemies
Some enemies and bosses (Lesser Horror, as an example) have gotten NEW movesets
Fixes to bounding box objects for larger, stranger shaped monsters
BOSS IMPROVEMENTS!!

Same as above - and also to boss “arenas”
LUCK AND FAVOR REVAMP

Luck behaves independently to Favor, aside from Luck increasing when Favor does
Other events, planned consummables, RITUALS (coming soon) will increase luck
LUCK influences frequency of item drops, rarity of drops, money gained on a gold drop, IF there is gold, gives you a bit of an edge in dialogue skill checks (intimidate, reason, lying, etc.)
FAVOR will now influence things like WHAT enemies will appear in a spawn table in certain areas (like procedurally generated map encounters), and therefore what items will be available to farm (nastier, damage dealing weapons, think more sinister and deadly for negative Favor -- armor, shields and curatives for positive favor)
Favor will also influence bonuses from effects given to gear that has been affixed with a corresponding Fetish, whether or not certain NPCs might appear, what scenarios will appear on the worldmap
Favor will also dictate whether "Shadow Kell" spawns on death, whether he hunts you (all that being said, you could intentionally LOWER your favor, die, spawn Shadow Kell -- RAISE Favor to get access to Shadow Kell exclusive positive Favor drops - Kill Shadow Kell. Profit)
STAT IMPROVEMENTS AND OVERHAULS

Attack and Defense ratings and how they work together has been refactored (dealing damage)
Kell now does very little damage without a weapon, and defense is low without armor
Scaling now matters a LOT more on gear
Began tuning stats across all gear
CUNNING OVERHAUL!!

Points into Cunning actually works now!
Parry system overhaul! "Parry opportunity" stat from Cunning
Critical Strike damage bonuses, along with flashy blood and collision sprites to show you got a critical strike
Critical damage can now be STACKED across certain parameters, like weakness to damage type, position, parry, backstab, headshot
Big, satisfying, juicy critical strike numbers
Evasion is now affected by Cunning -- More points into Cunning makes your dodges faster and have more iframes at the start of your dodge animation -- this ALSO makes shields more effective, and positioning more important if you DON'T put points into Cunning
Individual stat lines are starting to make more impact, making character growth and progression more interesting
NEW ITEMS

Wayward grit has been added to drop tables and actually works now (heals armor hp)
New weapon category: "Whips", along with new whip category weapons
New "knife" category weapons
Certain enemies can have parts of them cut off and used as a weapon (i.e. the Lesser Horror's tongue)
Some new key items and story related items
More weapons and items have been added to containers and drop tables
More items added and changes made to NPC stores -- i.e. the Blacksmith in Gussek now sells keys
TONS OF FIXES AND OTHER IMPROVEMENTS

Visit the Steam discussion page to view the pinned patch notes (it's very long)
VERY BIG AND LONG UPDATE

I am going to start doing smaller, more frequent updates. I like putting these out more regularly to you, and it means there isn't a huge amount of stuff to try to communicate to you.
ALSO - what do you guys wanna see? I'm sure everybody wants more content -- I WANT more content, too! for smaller systems -- Some things that still need to be added:

A map system -- "optional" For people who want to be brave (and also lost, most likely) -- optional map consumables
Recipe list for alchemy and cooking - GET ALL THE PERKS/SKILLS in there!
Remaining features for the FORGE (improvement, salvage, "lore")
Bestiary needs to be added (monster names, lore, weaknesses, drops, etc.)
Let me know and I will prioritize this sort of stuff for, if not the next update, a future update!
Thanks again for all of your support!!
-Matt
Original post
09 Jul 2020Developer post
MEGA Update - Pre-Volunheim MegaPatch!
HAIL Barbarian Horde! This patch brings with it a hefty amount of fixes, improvements, some new features, and some new content to make ready for Volunheim, and beyond! Some of the main highlights here include: LOTS of fixes and improvements to general traversal (speed fixes, runn
HAIL Barbarian Horde!
This patch brings with it a hefty amount of fixes, improvements, some new features, and some new content to make ready for Volunheim, and beyond!
Some of the main highlights here include:

LOTS of fixes and improvements to general traversal (speed fixes, running, jumping, climbing, downward-striking off of ALL SORTS of interactive objects, like moving blocks, enemy objects, and destructibles) -- this makes gameplay and getting around quite a bit more fluid and smooth
BIG improvements and fixes across just about every enemy type -- hitboxes (especially larger, stranger shaped monsters), melee object placement and animation frames not matching
Many enemies and bosses have gotten improvements to their behaviors, and even some new attack sets, making them more interesting to fight
Stats, character growth and building have gotten BIG overhauls in a few ways -- stat scaling is much more important across weapons, armor, and shields, armor class + defense and attack values have been balanced and overhauled
The FAVOR system has gotten an overhaul, and now operates (but influences growth of LUCK) independently of LUCK
Luck now dictates things like whether items drop, if RARE items drop, and amounts from gold drops, while Favor dictates WHAT items are being carried by enemies, and also WHAT enemies will spawn (negative VS positive Favor values) -- Luck now deteriorates separately from Favor, and also gives you bonuses during skill checks within dialogues
NEW weapon category, WHIPS, are now implemented, along with a few new weapons within said category
CUNNING now actually WORKS and does all sorts of cool things across sub stats like Parry Opportunity, Evasion, and Critical Strike
PARRYING now actually works the way it's supposed to and is VERY satisfying to pull off
Different kinds of critical damage can now be stacked based on enemy states and player states (i.e. - did you hit an enemy with the damage type it is weak to? Is it a back stab? Is the enemy in a "parried" state? Are they stunned? Is it a headshot?!)
ALL SPECIAL EFFECTS collision sprites (things like stun sprites, damage types, and breakable effects) have been redone, as well as new ones added for traversal (jumping, landing, hard landing, dodging and skidding), and other effects like critical strikes (cool looking impacts and BLOODY animations) making gameplay generally feel more satisfying
Certain enemies can have parts of them broken off and be used as weapons!
MORE interactive elements -- like tossing corpses onto triggered traps, creating a moving elevator that you can stack other things on to reach places you might not be able to otherwise
MORE items, like Wayward Grit - an item that can repair lost armor HP, among others
New rooms, screens, and a few tweaks and improvements to existing areas
LOTS OF BUG FIXES AND IMPROVEMENTS to other systems
Some screens illustrating a few of these features, updates and fixes:
This is just the tip of the iceberg for this update. I will post more details in the patch notes and go over these items in more detail in a video!
THANK you so much for your continued support, your patience, and your interest in my project! And a big barbaric THANK you and welcome to those who picked the game up during the Summer sale!
More to come! Keep your eyes peeled for VOLUNHEIM!
-Matt
Original post
16 Jan 2020Developer post
Happy New Year and Thank You!!
Thank you all so much for a great year, all of the support and patience! I hope you had a great holiday season and are set to have an even better new year! I wanted to take a moment to throw a video together thanking you - whether you picked Savage up in Early Access, you are an
13 Sep 2019Developer post
Early Access Mega Post!
YES, SAVAGE: The Shard of Gosen has made it to Early Access! Hey everyone, Matt here, coming out of the grind cave for another update! Apologies for the lack of any news across EVERYTHING - it's been a pretty heavy grind to get the game where it is now, and I generally am not ver
YES, SAVAGE: The Shard of Gosen has made it to Early Access!
Hey everyone, Matt here, coming out of the grind cave for another update! Apologies for the lack of any news across EVERYTHING - it's been a pretty heavy grind to get the game where it is now, and I generally am not very good at finding a solid work/news update balance. So, apologies for keeping so quiet.
I was very unsure about Early Access, but I started to change my mind once some very kind people started asking me to make the game available in that capacity, so they could support the game and get a copy at the same time. It also helps get more eyeballs on the game that I wouldn't have otherwise, and all the extra help is greatly appreciated.
Speaking of which, thank you VERY much for all of the bug reports, feedback and critiques; this stuff is going to help me turn Savage into a MUCH better game.
All of the support across Kickstarter, early backers and the current round of Early Access has just about floored me. It is surreal and I am humbled by it, and very grateful. Thank you!!
That being said, let's talk about the game, what's currently in it, what didn't make it, and what's coming up in future content updates.

50 - 60% of dungeon and area content
New title screen!!
Brand new dialogue system
“Perk” system finally implented with UI and unlockable perks
Alchemy and cooking!
Recipes for alchemy/cooking, tons of new materials, ingredients and consumables
General polish and lots of bug fixes
The currently accessible landmass!
The title screen got a significant upgrade!
The new dialogue system is all drawn dynamically based on it's content, has a brand new "response" window that can hold up to 11 responses, and each response can potentially be a skill check against your four primary stats (with success and failure outcomes)!
Leveling up gear and/or items to level 3 "masters" that item -- NOW you have a nice fancy UI and menu system showing you what you've unlocked across several categories!
Alchemy and cooking are now a thing! Experiment by adding ingredients and materials to one, or all of the three available slots with a chance of creating a powerful potion, a rare crafting material, or simply cooking your raw meat to yield better healing results.
Lots of new materials, ingredients and consumables have been added!
Increased inventory limits - “infinite space” for mats/consumables

Upgrades for weapon/shield and armor inventory space
Map system (probably via crafting and/or vendor)
“Journal” entry moved to the main character menu
Buffs and debuffs to go along with new consumables
More Forge functionality - Repair, Improve, Salvage and Lore
Picking up weapons and armor method and “Discard” in inventory
Stat balancing (damage, HP, BP gain, drop rates)
Animations for new consumables, more perks
Recipe UI for discovered recipes and MORE recipes
More music - variety for individual areas
The remaining areas that will receive big juicy content updates - including ship travel!

Fixed giving Morth ore if you only had 1 ore to give
Losech’s dialogue now triggers automatically
Fixed pickup info appearing twice for “Gal’vek’s Remains”
Fixed Hem dialogue crashing game if he is sad
Fixed Grethelde not remembering if you spoke to her or not
Fixed Reylhast not remembering if you spoke to him or not
Fixed Blacksmith crashing game if you chose certain dialogue
Fixed NPC dialogue objects remaining after NPC went hostile or was killed
Added alchemy and cooking
New title screen with new images and sound effects!
Fixes to green arrows in UI comparison windows
9 sliced UI for dialogues to allow dynamic window sizes
Fixed Maginoch not spawning and crashing the game during optional boss scenario
Rewrote and fixed logic for dialogue system
Sped up the disclaimer at game start
Brand new dialogue window to display multiple choices
New dialogue choices for Skillchecks (Might, Resolve, Cunning and Favor)
Dialogue system now allows for up to 11 choices
Fixed a bug where the “shift” key would show up as “A” key when remapping controls
Updated mouse sprites for the UI (left click, middle mouse, right click, etc.)
New “typewriter” dialogue sound effect that can be pitch shifted
New “success” dialogue skill check sound effect
New “fail” dialogue skill check sound effect
Fixed falling hazards crashing game if colliding with player’s shield if player didn’t exist
Fixed several vendor bugs where values were not rounding correctly, causing other issues when interacting with shops, crafting and alchemy
Certain NPC dialogue sets updated with optional skillcheck entries
LOTS of new materials, potions and consumables for use in a variety of ways
New recipes for alchemy and cooking
Better gear info and comparison screen with stat icons showing scaling effects and requirements for your stats, also for vendor screens
Fixed a bug where vendor screens were drawing player inventory information in both buy and sell modes
Fixed a bug where if you were equipped with a shield in the intro and viewed the prison capture cinematic, the game would crash when loading the main character into cell
New shield revamped “HITS” system with visible shield hit bar on the HUD

Fixed 16:10 aspect ratio crashing the game when starting a new game in the name entry screen
Fixed parallax layers and background layers drawing correctly for 16:10
Fixed visuals for 16:10 title screen
Fixed being outside room boundaries where no room is assigned for the compass object crashing the game
Fixed mouse cursor positions for menus in 16:10
Fixed scaling and tile drawing issues in 16:10
Fixed drawing water FX in video options menu
Fixed eating/drinking consumables from the items menu soft-locking the player
Fixed picking up throwing dirks and hurlbats giving you “+0”
Fixed hurlbats dropping below 0 quantity
UPDATE DIRECT X if the game crashes due to water FX or weather FX!!
Removed ship docks (they were accidentally left active)
Added a few materials and other items to loot tables for currently available enemies
Death fully restores HP once respawning at a checkpoint
Favor subtracts much slower on death
Improved base drop rates when killing items, destroying objects like crates and opening mundane chests
Check out my ramblings here in the video version for more detail on certain aspects of this post:
Watch on YouTube
Thanks for reading this far if you've made it! Lots of tuning and balance fixes need to be done, in addition to filling the rest of the game up with more content. Keep your eyes peeled!
Fully realized map shown here for fun!
Watch the game being developed on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/toborprime
Join the Discord to ask questions, give feedback and report bugs: https://discord.gg/7KfCNm6
Thanks for all of the support, patience and feedback!
-Matt
Original post
02 Sep 2019Developer post
New Patch - Series of Fixes
First of all, thank you so much for all of the support!! All of the feedback, livestreams and encouragement has been insane and is absolutely flooring me! I managed to fix a few issues that have been brought up - but there's one here definitely worth mentioning on its own: If the
First of all, thank you so much for all of the support!! All of the feedback, livestreams and encouragement has been insane and is absolutely flooring me!
I managed to fix a few issues that have been brought up - but there's one here definitely worth mentioning on its own:
If the game is crashing for you when entering water, or weather is active, this might be a solution:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/help/179113/how-to-install-the-latest-version-of-directx
Your version of DirectX might be out of date and might have something to do with a Windows 10 update (thanks to Binaryferret for this fix).
Now for the patch notes:

Fixed 16:10 aspect ratio crashing the game when starting a new game, right before the name entry screen
Fixed parallax and background layers for 16:10
Fixed 16:10 jankiness on the title screen [*Fixed ]mouse positions in menus in 16:10 (they were incorrect!)
Fixed a bunch of graphical glitches from drawing the game at 16:10
Fixed exiting a room that did not have an adjoining room assigned to it crashing the game (i.e. jumping up outside of the screen bounds would crash the game if a "north" room wasn't assigned)
Pressing the left key in video options where water FX is would turn on water shader effect (resulting in a crash if DIrectX isn't up to date)
Fixed eating items and consumables from the inventory menu locking the player, forcing you to reload your save
Throwing axe pickups ("Hurlbat") no longer give you "+0"
Throwing axes ("Hurlbat") no longer drop below 0 quantity
Removed ship docks (were accidentally left active!)
Added a few materials and items to loot tables for enemy drops
Death fully restores your HP once you respawn at a checkpoint
Favor now subtracts much slower on death
Improved base drop rates
Thanks again and stay tuned for a much bigger news post and update!
-Matt
Original post
30 Nov 2018Developer post
Cultural Differences - New Build!
**IMPORTANT** GameMaker games and Windows 10 seem to be butting heads on certain systems. If your display goes black and then white (showing nothing and no response from Savage) when starting the game in Fullscreen, here's what seems to fix the issue. TO FIX: RIGHT CLICK on the S
**IMPORTANT**
GameMaker games and Windows 10 seem to be butting heads on certain systems. If your display goes black and then white (showing nothing and no response from Savage) when starting the game in Fullscreen, here's what seems to fix the issue.
TO FIX:
RIGHT CLICK on the Savage .exe and open Properties and navigate to the Compatibility tab. CHECK the box under Settings labeled "Disable fullscreen optimizations". Click APPLY.
Doing this seems to have worked for the user that reported it (THANK YOU Gallus!).
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Hail, Barbarians!
I come to you now at the turn of the tide... Or, with a big fat update. This is probably the biggest update I have put out of the game as far as new features and content go. But before we dig in and get our hands (or blades) good and filthy, there are a couple new Savage related things I'd like to point out:
Let's Finish SAVAGE
Going forward, every Friday at 1pm Central, I will be doing a weekly wrap up show on my Twitch channel called "Let's Finish Savage" that will coincide with a weekly game update (big or small, whatever gets done and is ready for deployment that week). I'll go over new content added, bugs fixed, tweaks and polish, and ANYTHING and EVERYTHING you can expect in these weekly builds. The plan is to also cover any future plans and roadmaps (i.e. what you can expect in following updates and builds), followed up by some Q and A, provided anyone watching has any questions!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WQZK0cggUE
Feel free to also hop into the Discord to keep up with any and all news posts related to Savage, including livestream announcements. There are also a couple handy channels you can use to give me feedback, report bugs, or just chew the fat about the game:
OK! With those out of the way, let's dig into this shiny (and broken) new build.
New Friends
A big batch of new NPCs and characters have been added into the game, each with their own personalities, tasks and animations. Some of them vendor new items! Some will be a trigger for new events and story elements. In addition, new rooms and buildings have been added to Gussek, the border village you first see when exiting the Mining Prison.
Slay them ALL
One of the biggest features I've added to the game is the ability to actively attack ANY NPC in the game. Doing so will make them permanently hostile to you and they will then behave like an enemy object to you until slain.
Doing this has consequences, of course. Now that you've met them, kill them.
Eat, Drink, and be Careful
You used to be able to totally spam healing items, regardless of your player state. NO LONGER.
You will now have to find a safe moment or location to STOP and eat meat, drink potions etc.
It Wants to Kill You
The world is a dangerous place, and it's gotten worse. A whole slew of new and terrible things can happen to you in the form of Status Ailments.
These include Burning, Paralysis, Poison and becoming Cursed. But worry not! With every new deadly affliction comes a remedy.
In addition to the new status ailments, you can no longer swim completely submerged indefinitely. You run the risk of drowning if you stay in the depths for too long.
In addition to using an item like the Balm to mitigate Burning, jumping in the water (as well as being out in the rain or snow) can put the fire out.
You Are Being Hunted
Dying results in you dropping your hard earned Essence and any matured Essence Orbs that can later be reclaimed by returning to the site of your death. BUT - some interesting things can and will happen on the place of your death surrounding your dropped Essence. Depending on your Favor stat, things can go South pretty quickly...
The number of times you've died and dropped Essence can cause said Essence to go wild, eventually transforming into a shadowy Twisted Self - an entity without any direction other than your demise.
Dying and dropping Essence within a randomly generated encounter on the Overworld Map will LOCK IN the encounter, allowing you to run through it again and attempt to regain your dropped Essence.
If slain by the Twisted Self, the plan going forward is to have him persue you in various locations and on the world map until one of you lies dead.
CUNNING!
A brand new third Major Stat called Cunning has been added to character advancement!
In addition, the level up and character sheet has had a major overhaul (visually and mechanically), allowing you to see all of the sub stats that are affected by leveling up your Major Stats.
Everything Else
In addition to some of these more dense features, there are a whole bunch of other changes, improvements and bug fixes to list.
FEATURES and NEW STUFF

Added weather and region specific dynamic background tile layers
Added functionality to pressure plates
Added new item sprite and description for the Walljump item
Added new "shard" themed props and assets
Added exciting, horrible and frustrating new hazards, like beams and lasers
Added streams of lava and large bodies of lava
Added new "Slave Garb" armor set, including new pieces to allow me to make more visually different armor sets
New status ailments: Drowning, Burning, Poison, Paralysis, Curse
New status ailments "bars" that appear above the player
New enemy healthbars
Added Leeches (cures Poison)
Added Crogue Needles (cures Paralysis and mitigates being grabbed)
Added Soothing Balm (cures Burning)
Added God Bone (removes Curse)
Added several new NPCs
New rooms and buildings in Gussek, the border village
ALL NPCs can now be attacked and/or made hostile, and as a result, can be killed New NPC related items
New lock and key system for "background" doors
New shortcut within Devil's Shade, both in the actual level and outside on the overworld map
Access to Gosenian Highlands and dungeons (Hell's Teeth, Highland Cliffs, Kuchvek's Crossing)
New CUNNING stat
New player sheet with redesigned UI elements showing which sub stats are being affected when leveling up main stats (Might, Resolve, Cunning, Favor)
IMPROVEMENTS and CHANGES

Rewrote physics for pickups and items
Dropped items from inventory now get "dropped" in the direction you are facing
Improved and fixed many rooms (traversal problems, prop placements, etc.)
Skull Wound tokens now equal 4 hit points per Skull instead of 2 hit points per Skull
Fixed torches outside at certain times of day drawing an ugly transparent square (improved "lighting" FX)
Changed texture page sizes to 1024x1024 from 2048x2048 - Overworld map runs MUCH better as a result, as well as improved performance across game
Game is now compiled in the YoYo Compiler for Windows target platform resulting in (pretty awesome) improved performance (mostly during testing now - future builds will be compiled this way)
TONS of code and asset optimization, resulting in better performance
Fixed AI behaviors for Argeshii Brute and similar enemies
Carried undead corpses, if flagged as able to return to "life", once re-animated, will be dropped and do damage to the player like a normal enemy
Changed the color of "healing" number popups from green to gold (green looked like poison and was terrifying)
BUG FIXES

Fixed NPC in border village turning into headless corpse
Fixed items from crates and other breakables getting stuck in walls (FINALLY)
Fixed giving Gal'Vek's remains to Losech and the player freezing up bug
Fixed Kell appearing in middle of screen in mid air if exiting left from the small cinematic intro screen of burning village sequence
Fixed dropped Fetishes giving you FAVOR (i.e. player could pick up a new Fetish, get FAVOR, then drop the Fetish again, pick it up again, and still get FAVOR)
Fixed using Fetishes NOT removing FAVOR
Fixed Kell NOT locking to breakable solid container objects when ledge grabbing onto them
Fixed hit box NOT updating to smaller size hit box when dodge rolling out of a ledge climb animation
Fixed Kell's feet getting stuck in a moveable block when ledge climbing up onto the block (if block is on upward moving platform)
Fixed inventory screen matching a fade in or out - you can now see it clearly if you pause during a fade
Fixed falling hazards landing on enemy corpses crashing game
Fixed a bug where Jailer in intro prison cell scene is in a constant attack loop
Fixed a bug with brown spider enemy "jittering" between animations during an attack
Fixed game crashing when viewing the level up screen when sub slot 2 has a weapon equipped to it and NO weapon is equipped to sub slot 1
Fixed a bug where, carrying a corpse and jumping up into a solid (i.e. ceiling) would cause the player to get stuck in the solid, or slowly travel up through the solid
Fixed carrying corpses marked as undead, returning to "life", then crashing game
Fixed carrying corpses marked as undead stopping their "coming back to life" animation when carried
Fixed game crashing when ledge climbing up onto a "push block" resulting from variable "can_move" not being defined
Fixed certain enemies, when carried by player and killed, crashing the game
Fixed Star Flail breaking game on pickup, or creating a Pocked Sica on pickup
Fixed Blacksmith in Gussek not caring if you RETURN to him either naked or wearing slave garb (he should be upset)
Fixed "angry" NPCs not deactivating their dialogue interaction objects
And probably other stuff I missed.
Anyway, that's a wrap! I'll see you all again next week!
Thanks again!
-Matt
Original post
27 Sep 2018Developer post
Retropalooza - Coming Up for Air and Mini-Update
Hi everyone! Firstly I want to apologize to you all for the lack of updates. I have been buried up to my neck in this game (for probably too long, ha!) and I forget to come up for air sometimes -- especially with the end of the year looming. I'm still grinding away on Savage full
13 Dec 2017Developer post
2017.12.13 - Corpse Party and New Build!
Hail, Loinclothed Heathens! Let's get some bad news out of the way RIGHT NOW, shall we? It is becoming crushingly apparent that I won't get to a 100% finished Savage powerhouse of a game by the end of this year. BUT, what I've got right now is fantastically close. It's feeling be
Hail, Loinclothed Heathens!
Let's get some bad news out of the way RIGHT NOW, shall we? It is becoming crushingly apparent that I won't get to a 100% finished Savage powerhouse of a game by the end of this year. BUT, what I've got right now is fantastically close. It's feeling better (mechanically and content-wise) than I could have ever imagined, so we're getting there!
There is indeed a shiny new playable build to talk about, too, so let's dive in!
Leveling the Playing Field
Item number one for me over the last couple of months has been to MAKE. THE MAP. MATTER! I'm churning out stages, levels and areas like crazy, so here's a sneak peak at one of the more complicated areas I've had to tackle:
Here's a visual guide I've been using to manage this maze-like location known as "Hell's Teeth" (which has some equally menacing lore behind it. Details will be found in item descriptions and NPCs for players to piece together)....
... And, upon entering any of those lettered "nodes", or entrances, we wind up in the above grid (this is pretty much my ode to the Death Mountain stage in Zelda 2).
Navigating the catacombs, ruins and caves that comprise this area is no joke, and you can expect some nasty surprises!
Here are a few glimpses into some of the new nightmarish locations:
These new areas also feature a host of new props and background assets:
Shield Slammin' Noctwurmin' Nightmares
With new places comes new faces. And things with which to murder them. Among them is the Nocturm Cult - a clan of Gosenian death worshippers. Specifically, they bow to The Noctwurm, an aspect of the horned serpent, Abhan Yloth. The two have been seperated so long, they have confused each other for separate entities and have therefore become enemies, one attempting to devour the other.
Some of the new pieces of gear:
It was personally exciting to me to FINALLY get in some heater shield type designs, as well as finally getting in some two-handed axe slaughter time!
Let the Bodies Hit the Other Bodies
One of the hallmarks that I have really tried to get right about the game world I'm trying to create has been interactivity and rules. Rules that all other actors/entities/objects should adhere to (albeit in a whacky 2D barbaric environment). A lot of the feedback I've gotten from viewing folks playing the game has shown some holes in the delivery of this philosophy - one of them being, EVERYBODY tries to pick up corpses!
Well... be disappointed no further!
Yup - you can now pick up, carry, and throw corpses (this includes all the savagely hilarious situations that spring from this, like picking up a downed undead warrior, tossing him into another, and both of them shattering in a shower of bone fragments).
On a related note, this following depiction of more fun with corpses is coming in the next update:
You can see there that corpses will be affected by fire and will stop arrows, making them (corpses) makeshift shields against hazards coming at you from above (including things like falling spikes, acid, etc.)! This also means LIVING enemies, where applicable, will ALSO be affected by things like fire, acid, etc.
Music and Mayhem
Here's a peak at some of the tunes I'm working on that you'll hear in a later game *spoiler*, where *spoiler* summons the *spoiler* causing the player to *spoiler* the *spoiler*:
Mysterious WIP Song
Though there's work yet to do, all the art, programming, music and mechanics are already blending together to create something that is not just fun, but satisfying to play for you all, and a world full of interesting things and places to discover.
Patch Notes and Update List
That about wraps it up for the highlights of the update. Here's the usual detailed breakdown of what's new in the latest build:

Fixed making Crogyle hostile and breaking Losech NPC
Fixed game crashing when pushing, pulling, or carrying a solid outside of screen boundaries
Fixed player getting "sucked" into an enemy shield when striking enemies with high knockback resist
Fixed player not bouncing off of larger enemies that use unusually shaped damage masks when downward striking them
Fixed player not bouncing off of enemy shields when downward striking them
Fixed downward or upward striking with main weapon causing attacks with sub weapon not being reset to horizontal
Fixed a bug where lifting an object near a solid sends you into the solid, getting you permanently stuck
Fixed a series of enemy corpse hit boxes to make them more appropriately sized
Fixed grabbing onto jump-through ledges sometimes not working. Now about a billion times more reliable (actual math... Actually, not really. But it works way better)
Fixed carrying object snap-to location calculation
Fixed walking down slopes while carrying an object resetting the state to look like the animation isn't playing
Fixed carried block "landing" on a jump-through platform or solids triggering landing FX (like dust clouds) when it shouldn't. This also fixes the player's vertical speed being killed for a frame when doing so
Fixed if roll dodging, pushing jump while overlapping ladder will descend ladder - THEN, pushing down to climb down, running out of ladder space, Kell will be stuck in the duck state until landing on solid ground and pushing jump
Fixed moving on platform shifts kell when platform changes direction
Fixed if vspd < 0 and kell jumps up into platform, kell is stuck in air state, presumably stuck inside platform. he then moves along with platform
Fixed Kell rubberbanding around moving platforms if you are in the wall cling state (walljump prepare) and the moving platform changes direction
Fixed one-way moving platforms causing issues if they pass over kell while he is ledge hanging/climbing a different platform or solid
Fixed Kell not "following" a moving one-way-moving-ledge if ledge hanging off of it
Changed the method of corpse hit box assignment, making lifting them, tossing them, and generally interacting with them more visually accurate, AND it just feels better
New NPCs
A series of new shields
New "SKS" flavored easter egg weapons and item descriptions
Tweaked stat requirements across multiple pieces of gear
Fixed throwing weapons returning "0" amounts of ammo
Tweaked spawn types on overworld map
Tweaked healing properties on some recovery items
Player can now upward/downward strike with weapons equipped to sub slot
Player can now attack with throwing weapons upward and downward
Player can now lift, carry, and throw corpses (for some savagely humorous results)
Added running water FX (shallow water, waterfalls, etc.)
New pretty (er, I mean, brutal) waterfall backgrounds
Added Noctwurm cultist enemies (with several randomized elements)
Completed Hell's Teeth location
Added new visual props and graphics elements for Noctwurm cultist locations
Added consistent visuals to the contextual item menu
Changed the "level up" menu method (now, drinking from Essence Vessels gives you "level up" option. Choosing this takes you directly to the level up menu where you can assign stats)
Begun work on "Kuchvek's Crossing" area
Changed frequency of bad weather
Tweaked "darkness" of bad weather (especially at night)
Streamer Roundup
There has been a whole HOST of very talented and entertaining people taking a crack at the game and introducing it to their audiences. To them, I say THANK YOU for giving the game a shot and spreading the word!
BovineDevine
GamesPlusJames
Joshachu
KingRadinov
Owazrim
Shooter_Q
vgRealm
SourKoolaidShow
Kaitality
Click on those links and give those fellas a follow, if you'd be so kind!!
SourKoolaidShow's stream specifically had me in stitches: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/207509016
And that's a wrap on this update! If you want to follow along with development more closely, come take a look at my Twitch page where I stream live development!
https://www.twitch.tv/toborprime
If you're curious for more insight, I have the HUGE pleasure of hanging out with my friend Tim to bring you a brand spankin' new podcast! We're going to make this a thing every other Wednesday from now on!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rc8lACP1eks
I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday season! Thank you SO MUCH for all your support, and I will see you next year!!
-Matt
Original post
13 Dec 2017Developer post
2017.12.13 - Corpse Party and New Build!
Hail, Loinclothed Heathens! Let's get some bad news out of the way RIGHT NOW, shall we? It is becoming crushingly apparent that I won't get to a 100% finished Savage powerhouse of a game by the end of this year. BUT, what I've got right now is fantastically close. It's feeling be
Hail, Loinclothed Heathens!
Let's get some bad news out of the way RIGHT NOW, shall we? It is becoming crushingly apparent that I won't get to a 100% finished Savage powerhouse of a game by the end of this year. BUT, what I've got right now is fantastically close. It's feeling better (mechanically and content-wise) than I could have ever imagined, so we're getting there!
There is indeed a shiny new playable build to talk about, too, so let's dive in!
Leveling the Playing Field
Item number one for me over the last couple of months has been to MAKE. THE MAP. MATTER! I'm churning out stages, levels and areas like crazy, so here's a sneak peak at one of the more complicated areas I've had to tackle:
Here's a visual guide I've been using to manage this maze-like location known as "Hell's Teeth" (which has some equally menacing lore behind it. Details will be found in item descriptions and NPCs for players to piece together)....
... And, upon entering any of those lettered "nodes", or entrances, we wind up in the above grid (this is pretty much my ode to the Death Mountain stage in Zelda 2).
Navigating the catacombs, ruins and caves that comprise this area is no joke, and you can expect some nasty surprises!
Here are a few glimpses into some of the new nightmarish locations:
These new areas also feature a host of new props and background assets:
Shield Slammin' Noctwurmin' Nightmares
With new places comes new faces. And things with which to murder them. Among them is the Nocturm Cult - a clan of Gosenian death worshippers. Specifically, they bow to The Noctwurm, an aspect of the horned serpent, Abhan Yloth. The two have been seperated so long, they have confused each other for separate entities and have therefore become enemies, one attempting to devour the other.
Some of the new pieces of gear:
It was personally exciting to me to FINALLY get in some heater shield type designs, as well as finally getting in some two-handed axe slaughter time!
Let the Bodies Hit the Other Bodies
One of the hallmarks that I have really tried to get right about the game world I'm trying to create has been interactivity and rules. Rules that all other actors/entities/objects should adhere to (albeit in a whacky 2D barbaric environment). A lot of the feedback I've gotten from viewing folks playing the game has shown some holes in the delivery of this philosophy - one of them being, EVERYBODY tries to pick up corpses!
Well... be disappointed no further!
Yup - you can now pick up, carry, and throw corpses (this includes all the savagely hilarious situations that spring from this, like picking up a downed undead warrior, tossing him into another, and both of them shattering in a shower of bone fragments).
On a related note, this following depiction of more fun with corpses is coming in the next update:
You can see there that corpses will be affected by fire and will stop arrows, making them (corpses) makeshift shields against hazards coming at you from above (including things like falling spikes, acid, etc.)! This also means LIVING enemies, where applicable, will ALSO be affected by things like fire, acid, etc.
Music and Mayhem
Here's a peak at some of the tunes I'm working on that you'll hear in a later game *spoiler*, where *spoiler* summons the *spoiler* causing the player to *spoiler* the *spoiler*:
Mysterious WIP Song
Though there's work yet to do, all the art, programming, music and mechanics are already blending together to create something that is not just fun, but satisfying to play for you all, and a world full of interesting things and places to discover.
Patch Notes and Update List
That about wraps it up for the highlights of the update. Here's the usual detailed breakdown of what's new in the latest build:

Fixed making Crogyle hostile and breaking Losech NPC
Fixed game crashing when pushing, pulling, or carrying a solid outside of screen boundaries
Fixed player getting "sucked" into an enemy shield when striking enemies with high knockback resist
Fixed player not bouncing off of larger enemies that use unusually shaped damage masks when downward striking them
Fixed player not bouncing off of enemy shields when downward striking them
Fixed downward or upward striking with main weapon causing attacks with sub weapon not being reset to horizontal
Fixed a bug where lifting an object near a solid sends you into the solid, getting you permanently stuck
Fixed a series of enemy corpse hit boxes to make them more appropriately sized
Fixed grabbing onto jump-through ledges sometimes not working. Now about a billion times more reliable (actual math... Actually, not really. But it works way better)
Fixed carrying object snap-to location calculation
Fixed walking down slopes while carrying an object resetting the state to look like the animation isn't playing
Fixed carried block "landing" on a jump-through platform or solids triggering landing FX (like dust clouds) when it shouldn't. This also fixes the player's vertical speed being killed for a frame when doing so
Fixed if roll dodging, pushing jump while overlapping ladder will descend ladder - THEN, pushing down to climb down, running out of ladder space, Kell will be stuck in the duck state until landing on solid ground and pushing jump
Fixed moving on platform shifts kell when platform changes direction
Fixed if vspd < 0 and kell jumps up into platform, kell is stuck in air state, presumably stuck inside platform. he then moves along with platform
Fixed Kell rubberbanding around moving platforms if you are in the wall cling state (walljump prepare) and the moving platform changes direction
Fixed one-way moving platforms causing issues if they pass over kell while he is ledge hanging/climbing a different platform or solid
Fixed Kell not "following" a moving one-way-moving-ledge if ledge hanging off of it
Changed the method of corpse hit box assignment, making lifting them, tossing them, and generally interacting with them more visually accurate, AND it just feels better
New NPCs
A series of new shields
New "SKS" flavored easter egg weapons and item descriptions
Tweaked stat requirements across multiple pieces of gear
Fixed throwing weapons returning "0" amounts of ammo
Tweaked spawn types on overworld map
Tweaked healing properties on some recovery items
Player can now upward/downward strike with weapons equipped to sub slot
Player can now attack with throwing weapons upward and downward
Player can now lift, carry, and throw corpses (for some savagely humorous results)
Added running water FX (shallow water, waterfalls, etc.)
New pretty (er, I mean, brutal) waterfall backgrounds
Added Noctwurm cultist enemies (with several randomized elements)
Completed Hell's Teeth location
Added new visual props and graphics elements for Noctwurm cultist locations
Added consistent visuals to the contextual item menu
Changed the "level up" menu method (now, drinking from Essence Vessels gives you "level up" option. Choosing this takes you directly to the level up menu where you can assign stats)
Begun work on "Kuchvek's Crossing" area
Changed frequency of bad weather
Tweaked "darkness" of bad weather (especially at night)
Streamer Roundup
There has been a whole HOST of very talented and entertaining people taking a crack at the game and introducing it to their audiences. To them, I say THANK YOU for giving the game a shot and spreading the word!
BovineDevine
GamesPlusJames
Joshachu
KingRadinov
Owazrim
Shooter_Q
vgRealm
SourKoolaidShow
Kaitality
Click on those links and give those fellas a follow, if you'd be so kind!!
SourKoolaidShow's stream specifically had me in stitches: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/207509016
And that's a wrap on this update! If you want to follow along with development more closely, come take a look at my Twitch page where I stream live development!
https://www.twitch.tv/toborprime
If you're curious for more insight, I have the HUGE pleasure of hanging out with my friend Tim to bring you a brand spankin' new podcast! We're going to make this a thing every other Wednesday from now on!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rc8lACP1eks
I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday season! Thank you SO MUCH for all your support, and I will see you next year!!
-Matt
Original post
12 Sep 2017Developer post
2017.09.12 - Thrusting All Over (and New Build!)
Horizontal thrusts? Up thrusts? DOWN thrusts?! I've got you covered, Barbarian Horde! The last few months I've been grinding away at the one last juicy feature I felt was necessary to make Savage really shine: Directional combat! I mean, I can't cite one of my big inspirations as
Horizontal thrusts? Up thrusts? DOWN thrusts?! I've got you covered, Barbarian Horde!
The last few months I've been grinding away at the one last juicy feature I felt was necessary to make Savage really shine: Directional combat! I mean, I can't cite one of my big inspirations as Zelda 2 without allowing players to strike their enemy's head from above. Let's have a look.
Directional Combat
Across several new player states, new sprites (774 frames), new armor sprites (2,322), shield positions (you can also shield bash upward and downward!), and weapon positions, bringing the pain to the baddies is now possible from WHEREVER. This has also fixed certain issues I wasn't excited about. Situations like climbing a ladder and having a stubborn enemy directly above you, or some harder to hit, low lying enemies like the cave crawlers and rockbiters.
This also makes existing enemies (like skeleton warriors that spawn with specific gear sets, for example) that are able to mimic the down/upward attacks feel a LOT more fair, giving the player the same strategic choices -- making combat feel WAY more interesting.
Timing a perfect downward strike and HOLDING the attack button also gives you some good air on your bounce!
Let's Talk About the Weather
In those gifs above, I'm sure you've noticed some new sprites and visual effects, like new clouds, and an honest to goodness SUN in the sky. Good eye, I say! There is now a fully functioning dynamic weather system, along with new sun sprites and effects, moon sprites (with actual phases, i.e. new, waxing, waning, full), new cloud sprites that reflect the day/night/weather change, and star constellations that correspond to the different deities worshiped (or abhorred) in the world of Lor.
Here's a look at all of that in action in the 2D platforming sequences and the 3D overworld:
The weather system is also dependent on what in-game season it is (and what location you are currently in -- probably not going to snow/blizzard in the desert, ha!). Along with it, a slew of new backgrounds reflecting things like snowstorms (and winter) have been added:
New weather types include clear skies, cloudy, thunderstorms, light rain into rainstorm, snow, and blizzard.
The combination of location, day/night, season, weather, moon phase, and dominant constellation can, and sometimes WILL affect what sort of randomized encounter you are going to have on the world map.
There are also some secrety fun things constellations can do, depending on what God's fetish, fetish level, and FAVOR stat you currently have (more on that in a future update!).
Daggers in the Dark
The new Gosen Highlands location also brings with it some new areas, dungeons and baddies, like the Noctwurm Assassin, courtesy of the Noctwurm Cult (all with their own backstory and lore)!
Patch Notes and Release Breakdown
NEW FEATURES

Able to attack upward and downward from all appropriate player states (i.e. DOWNTHRUSTING!)
New animation sets (across 774 player frames, 2,322 armor frames!!), weapon and shield placements, and armor sprites to reflect the new directional attack feature
Dynamic weather added:
clear skies
cloudy/foggy
thunderstorms
light rain
rainstorms
snow
blizzard
(sandstorms are planned for appropriate areas)
The dynamic weather is dependent on the current area (biome) you are in, and what game season (fall, winter, spring/summer)
New sun sprites and effects to reflect runrise, noon, sunset, and if there is currently "bad" weather
New cloud sprites that actively reflect the time of day and current weather
New moon sprites and moon phases
New stars and constellations that change over time
New seasonal backgrounds for different areas to reflect the change in season
The day/night system, along with factors like season, weather, moon phase, and what constellation is currently dominant in the sky will affect the randomized encounters on the overworld map. Constellations and their corresponding gods will also trigger certain events and secrets on the overworld map (MUCH of this is still being worked on!)
COMING SOON
New Gosen Highlands overworld props and locations including the "Hell's Teeth" dungeon
Gosen Highland specific enemies, including members of the Noctwurm Cult (assassins and ambush-y warriors!)
Vanaheim overworld props and locations
Vanaheim specific enemies, including icy themed monsters, frost giants, and the Vaniir - hardy frozen wasteland warriors
Bug fixes... ALWAYS bug fixes
A reminder - Kickstarter backers can access all the newness via Steam, provided they redeemed their Steam Keys.
Groupees Greenlight Bundle folks can access the same from their product pages (their Steam Keys will unlock once the game is released).
Why Is This Taking So Long
I have zero excuses why this is taking me as long as it's taking, but the reasons are pretty important. Wanting to deliver a game to you all that is worth your time to play is chief among them. It turns out trying to make the best damn game I possibly can takes time, and more time than I initially accounted for. That's 100% on me, and I'm sorry for making you all wait so long.
I will also not release a crippled, ugly thing that I am not proud of, ha! So, the battle continues, but the end is certainly in sight. With the directional combat completed, in the game, and fully functional (and actually feeling pretty great), aspects of the game like personality, mood and atmosphere are coming together very quickly. Especially with the new atmosphere and weather effects in place, the game is looking and feeling like the game I wanted to bring to life in the first place - and I have all of you to thank for that.
The current step is content, content, content (finishing dungeons, NPCs, items, weapons, armor and shields, and a handful of enemies that are not completed to flesh out certain areas).
So again, thank you for your patience, your involvement, and your support - it is keeping the fire going bright, strong and SAVAGE... (*ahem*)!
Your loinclothed (is that even a word?) friend,
-Matt :cartridge:
P.S. Forgot to mention! If you're curious about checking in on the game's progress more frequently, I have been very active with live development streams here: https://www.twitch.tv/toborprime :cartridge:
Original post

Updates & announcements

Hail, barbarians. It is time for a fresh update!

Crashes and Game Breaking Bugs

Bugs and Issues

New Stuff

Tweaks and Balancing

Crashes and Game Breaking Bug

Bugs and Issues

PATCH NOTES - 0.2.3.6 Early Access

NEW STUFF

CHANGES

BUG FIXES

New Launch Options

Other New Stuff

SAVAGE 2.6.1 Patch Notes – First GMS2 Build

BONED (badumtish) HOTFIX!

SAVAGE Hits 0.2.5

Highlights in this Update

No More Auto Pickup for Gear

Important - SLEEP MARGIN?!

New Items, Gear, and Brutal Ways to Get 'em!

New Hazards, Props, and Puzzles

Patch Notes

BUG FIXES

IMPROVEMENTS and CHANGES

NEW STUFF

Player Traversal Fixes and Improvements

ENEMY IMPROVEMENTS!!

BOSS IMPROVEMENTS!!

LUCK AND FAVOR REVAMP

STAT IMPROVEMENTS AND OVERHAULS

CUNNING OVERHAUL!!

NEW ITEMS

TONS OF FIXES AND OTHER IMPROVEMENTS

VERY BIG AND LONG UPDATE

**IMPORTANT**

Let's Finish SAVAGE

New Friends

Slay them ALL

Eat, Drink, and be Careful

It Wants to Kill You

You Are Being Hunted

CUNNING!

Everything Else

Leveling the Playing Field

Shield Slammin' Noctwurmin' Nightmares

Let the Bodies Hit the Other Bodies

Music and Mayhem

Patch Notes and Update List

Streamer Roundup

Leveling the Playing Field

Shield Slammin' Noctwurmin' Nightmares

Let the Bodies Hit the Other Bodies

Music and Mayhem

Patch Notes and Update List

Streamer Roundup

Directional Combat

Let's Talk About the Weather

Daggers in the Dark

Patch Notes and Release Breakdown

Why Is This Taking So Long

IMPORTANT