This week's update is already available (since the last night!) and changes the map as well as introduces more than 3 characters in the party, and a pre-encounter character selection screen. Additionally, small improvements across the UI, new sound effects and new illustrations, and the overall adjustment of creature behaviour, spawning and attack values.
ゲームの日本語版はまだ完全に翻訳されていません。 ご不便をおかけして申し訳ございません。
游戏的简体中文版本尚未完全翻译。 很抱歉给您带来不便。
Release notes are available here, as well as below –––>
OVERVIEW
We managed to ship this week's update on Thursday, not on Friday, which we see as a positive sign. Now that we have a functional core of the game, the focus of the development has shifted towards preparing the game for the general Early Access release and here we need less stress and more planning. Keeping our eyes on the ball is more important than the force with which we kick it.
UPDATED MAP
From a 50x50 map of Prologue in version 175, we now moved to 100x25. You start in the west and your destination is in the east.
This is also reflected in the new quest description.
The magic node that must be activated in order to recall the party to the Spire is now seeded in the northeastern corner:
The change reflects our desire to make Prologue more straightforward.
Certainly there will be chapters where the map will be circular, and where exploration happens in the free-form style. But for Prologue, we felt that a 360-degree freedom at start is a bit too much, and largely unnecessary.
YOU NOW START WITH 5 CHARACTERS, AND YOU CAN GET MORE CHARACTERS ALONG THE WAY
In the earlier versions, you always started with the 3 characters – and losing 1 of them meant a restart of the chapter.
We addressed this by two means: first of all, you now start with 5 characters.
Additionally, you can get (or at least try to get) more characters from Anomalies.
Changed: instead of healing everyone, Anomalies now issue 1 additional party member.
CHARACTER SELECTION PRIOR TO ENCOUNTER
As we finally got to play with more than 3 characters in player party, the time has come for a related feature: selection of characters prior to the encounter.
- You can start with 1, 2 or 3 characters (if you want to test yourself or limit exposure)
- Character stats are shown as a tooltip when hovering over any portrait
PLAYER/OPPONENT INITIATIVE
During encounter, a round consists of Environment's turn, Opponent's turn and Player's turn. In previous versions, we always seeded as Environment – Opponent – Player. Now this depends on who attacked whom: when player initiates, their turn always precedes the opponent, and the other way around. What this means is that by attacking another party, you can now get the advantage of wiping some of the opponents right in the first round, before they have a chance to cause any harm to you.
REFLECTION TOKEN CHANGED
In the earlier version, Reflection was meant to reflect one action rather than one token issued. This lead to some unexpected outcomes.
- Changed: Reflection token now reflects one token (not action) issued to its owner, 1:1.
- Changed: Reflection token now no longer reflects Protection tokens.
- Changed: Motherstone amulet now issues 3 Reflection tokens to its owner at the start of the encounter.
BALANCING CHANGES
- The chances of Damage received during the encounter to cause an Injury or destroy equipped item have increased. We'll see if a further increase is merited (currently: 7% and 2%).
- Shadows (all types) got stronger attacks across the board, and lost small-chance attacks.
- Gigglers (all types) got stronger attacks, and lost small-chance attacks.
- Spitters now have increased vision range: up to 7, which means that their groups will see you before you see them. They, however, remain slow, and thus you have a plenty of chances to escape from them.
- Shadows now have increased chance of being spawned in larger groups.
- Spitters now have increased chance of being spawned in larger groups.
- Gigglers now have increased chance of being spawned in mixed groups.
- It is no longer possible to destroy Corpse with Cold tokens.
- Barrow got a bit easier to unlock, but releases more Shadows.
- Abandoned palace is now easier to restore.
NEW ILLUSTRATIONS
- "Bloodplaster" now has its own illustration
- "Twilight serum" now has its own illustration
- "Fetid hisser" now has its own illustration
CHARACTERS CAN NOW BE EXPELLED FROM THE PARTY
You don't really need it for now, but this will come handy once we implement the hunting/cooking/hunger mechanics.
EXPLORED EVENTS DISAPPEAR / CHANGE ON THE MAP
It's been bothering everyone for a while, and now it's done:
- Corpses, when destroyed, disappear from the map
- Chests, when opened, disappear from the map
- Barrows, when unlocked, are shown in a different (opened) state on the map
- Giggler haunt, when destroyed, is shown in a different (destroyed) state on the map
SOUND EFFECTS
- We are now able to play ambient sounds during encounters.
- Forest now has its own ambient sound.
- Environmental effect 'Burning ground' now has its own ambient sound.
- Environmental effect 'Cloud of smoke' now has its own ambient sound.
- Environmental effect 'Hail' now has its own ambient sound.
- When player gets a new item into their inventory, the game now plays appropriate sound.
- Opening an Encyclopaedia now plays a sound.
- When player initiates an encounter, it begins with a specific sound.
- When opponents initiate an encounter, it begins with a specific sound.
- When opposing creature progresses in preparing a multi-round action (0/2 -> 1/2), there is now a specific sound.
Every week we add more sound effects.
Sounds are a very important part of the player experience for us!
WHAT'S NEXT?
Update 177 will focus on cleaning up things (we have a number of minor bugs that we haven't chased yet). We're now working on the visual concept of user interface (it's getting a facelift, which takes time to conceptualise and then execute) and on creating an easier start of the Prologue (a number of small, helpful quests to explain the basics) – some of these things will ship in 177, and some in 178 and 179.
See you in a week!