We've been updating the game on a weekly basis, but this update is an especially substantial one. We feel this is an important update, hence the jump to 1.1.
This update aims to make the world more dynamic and more challenging during the mid and end game by making the seasons and their effects on different regions more prominent. You might find yourself regretting not bringing a tent when a monsoon starts, or when you are caught in the rays of a relentless summer sun. The seasons are tied to the passing of moons, and they can have pretty drastic effects on a region. You’ll never look at the map quite the same way.
This update is quite substantial, and a first step into making sure the game has the right balance for both experienced and new wayfarers. We’ll probably keep addressing these balance issues as we found that the average mileage most experienced players get out of each character is too high. The game was actually designed for you to burn through a few wayfarers before venturing into the First Valley. Clinging to the first wayfarer for a long time is fun, and a respectable achievement in itself, but it also causes you to miss out on crucial aspects of the game.
We didn’t forget about bugs and we fixed them where we could. Next week we’ll prioritize bug fixes again a little more as we are trying to settle into a weekly rhythm of bug fixes and a constant trickle of content updates.
We’ve also changed a few content unlock options. The unlocks that allowed you add character races to Haven’s starting roster have been swapped out by starting worlds with friendly clans, and thereby having access to their races and backgrounds from the start. You might find that some of these options are already unlocked for you. In addition, another new content option allows you to start a world with all the Serpent Gates fully operational. It is designed to fast track your ability to explore the world.
Gameplay Changes
- Different regions have more pronounced seasons affecting traveling and camping.
- Adds a number of camping conditions that affect how safe or dangerous it is to camp at a spot. Some of these conditions (exposed/hidden) depend on the location of your camp in the level.
- The time of day indicator now also lists date and season and is visible on the map.
- Encounters, hazards and hardships have been rebalanced. Especially for more difficult regions: you will likely encounter fewer encounters and hazards than before, but more hardships.
- Mist adds the wet status unless you have a cloak or similar travel gear.
- The ‘extra races’ content options have been replaced by ‘friendly clans’ content options which allows you to choose different cultures and backgrounds from the start in new worlds.
- A content option has been added to open all serpent gates from the start in new worlds.
- You can now select 6 content options when you start a new world.
- Food items have much more texture: they can have different qualities such as fresh, dried, rotten or blighted.
- The Foraging skill now also helps with identifying which foods are dangerous to eat.
- The Star Gazing skill has been changed. You can gain oriented, and possibly inspired when resting outdoors at night.
- Oriented lasts a little longer.
- Kramas & Tjilpit keeps for 12 days, but to have any effect the meal you prepare must come from fresh produce.
- Spirit Pearls are more expensive and rarer to find with traders.
- The Vampiric Broodspawn staff has fewer charges.
Bug Fixes
- Pavilion23 isn’t added as a trait for the Raafi after returning specific relics.
- Fixing issue with herbs and plants not respawning after a reload when they should.
- When a level is regenerated its variant is cleared properly.
- Fixing an issue with the Rough Road template that caused the generator to fail.
- Improves the way the generator can recover from generation failures.
- The Unformed Labyrinth cannot use small and large keys which inhibit the labyrinth from forming correctly.