Hello there, Companions!
We’re back with some fresh news and development updates. We want to share with you some details on the slowly upcoming update. In this post we’ll focus on one particular part of it - the item rework.
The current item design stems from the design of the multiplayer mode - we wanted all the weapons to be equally viable and on equal footings with each other considering the differences in their costs, strengths and weaknesses. Obviously what works well for a multiplayer gameplay doesn’t always work quite as well in singleplayer.
The biggest problem here is that the current system doesn’t allow for good progression, which is crucial for gameplay to be enjoyable. As it stands now the player can get access to the “most powerful” items in basically no time. In most RPGs itemization is a really important and fun part of the game, just as we want it to be in Glorious Companions.
Let’s go over what changes we’re currently working on!
New Visuals
First off, we’re reworking all the item models to better fit the new art direction we’ve taken up, as you could already see with our new unit textures. A nice bonus that comes with that is that the item icons will finally resemble the actual items’ look.
Item Qualities
Items will gain a quality stat ranging from Broken to Masterwork, totalling up to 6 quality tiers. Qualities will impact the item’s stats and value, thus a Broken Dagger will be much weaker than a Masterwork Dagger. And so weaker enemies will mostly use cheaper items, while lord companions will sport expensive sets of equipment.
Vendors will sell items in the range of -1/+1 of the Common (default) quality, so to get your hands on better gear you’ll have to fight more dangerous opponents. Later on we plan to add special locations on the World Map that will allow you to upgrade your item’s quality by 1 tier.
Special Effects
The most unique items will possess special effects that will further increase their power. After defeating the Swamp Dungeon you might find a couple of items with the “of Poison” suffix in your loot. There’ll be a variety of different effects, with the way they work depending on the type of the item. So a shield will trigger its effect when the unit successfully blocks an attack, while the armor will trigger by getting hit.
New Items
Not only are we changing how the item system works, we’re also adding a bunch of completely new items and item types to spice things up.
New weapons
Some categories of weapons didn’t offer as many choices as, let’s say the blades family. To remedy this, we’re adding a bunch of new axes, blunts and polearms. We’re also adding new firearms and a new bow. There’s also a completely new weapon type that will make its way into the game - the crossbows.
New offhands (left hand slot)
So far we’ve only had the shields to accompany single-handed weapons and we want to add some cool new choices for non-tank units.
Roth Spheres and Wands will be a great pick for any unit focused more on their active abilities than conventional fighting. They’ll increase Magic Defense, the Mind attribute or the Resource pool of their wielder.
Then we have the Ammo Bags which will help those constantly running out of javelins or throwing knives. Of course as the Ammo Bags are slotted under the offhand slot, they will be only available for one-handed ranged weapons (meaning all the Throwing Weapons).
Offhand Knives will be a perfect choice for offensive fighters wielding single-handed melee weapons. They can increase either the chance for a critical attack, the raw damage or even the wielder’s Parry stat.
And to finish it up we have some miscellaneous items that will be a wise pick up when wandering into dungeons, as they increase the lowered range of sight in those dark battle locations.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments and remember to follow the game for more updates!