To the Crown Mages,
This update features a rework to Hero Pack selection, sending stickers during Trials, updates to the Rank system, and the addition of Takeover Trial leaderboards.
Additionally, this update marks the 1 Year Anniversary of Astatos entering Early Access on Steam. Since launch over 6000 Crown Mages have joined the Trials, and we couldn’t be happier with all the feedback and support we’ve received over the past year.
Since launch we’ve released over 14 updates and 6 major versions— tweaking balance, gameplay, releasing new skins, and adding the most commonly requested features such as PvE and Playable Tutorials.
Unfortunately, Part 3 of the PvE update could not be completed in time for this occasion, but we’re still hard at work on it. We hope the changes featured in this update will create a fresh experience for players over the holiday season!
If you’re interested in supporting our work and getting a look at features and artwork in production, we really appreciate support on our Patreon. www.patreon.com/StudioKlondike
For the detailed list of changes implemented with Astatos v0.6, please read on below.
- From the team at Studio Klondike
New Features
Hero Card Drafting: This new feature replaces the Hero Pack Preferences settings in Conquest and Takeover Trials.
Hero Card Drafting determines which additional Heroes show up in the Hero Summon. The drafting process begins in the room prior to the commencement of a Trial.
Players will be asked to BAN and PICK Hero Cards depending on the game mode. Banned Hero Cards cannot be picked by any player.
If you do not own a given Hero, you will borrow it from another player in the room. If nobody owns a given Hero, it will not be selectable. (Hero Cards you borrow and do not own will not display Hero Skins.)
We hope Hero Card Drafting will simplify the selection of Hero Cards, as well as open up new combinations and strategies as we prepare for additional Hero Packs to be added to the game.
Note: Hero Pack Selection remains in place for Training Trials. Additionally, the sound design for this feature is still a work in progress and may be changed in an upcoming patch.
Stickers: Communicate with your fellow Crown Mages using Stickers!
Stickers can be used while waiting in Rooms, during Multiplayer Trials, and on the Victory Screen. Look for the Sticker Button wherever you can send them.
Additional Stickers can also be purchased from the Store for Monera.
Note: the sound design for this feature is still a work in progress and may be changed in an upcoming patch.
Takeover Trial Leaderboard: The Rank menu has been expanded to include a Leaderboard allowing you to compare your Rank and ELO values against the top Crown Mages.
Along with this addition, a new Season will occur every 3 months. With Season I concluding at the end of December.
Upon the conclusion of the current Season, your Rank will be soft reset and the previous Season’s rankings will be finalised. Players within the top 100 will unlock a hidden Title each season.
The Takeover Leaderboard is accessible from: Main Menu > Trials > Takeover Trial > Ranking
Change Log
Game Features
- Hero Pack Preferences have been replaced with Hero Card Drafting for Conquest and Takeover Trials.
- Stickers have been added, allowing better communication between players in multiplayer rooms, during Trials, and on the victory screen.
- The Takeover Rank menu has been expanded with a Leaderboard displaying Ranks and ELO ratings.
Game Content
- A new category has been added to the Store for Sticker Packs. Additionally, Sticker Pack I and II have been added to the Store, featuring artwork by HAPS.
- New content added to the in-game manual to cover changes made in this update.
- The Title ‘First Among Equals’ has been added.
- A hidden Title for Season I of Takeover Trials has been added.
- New Hero Skins have been added to the Store and/or made available as monthly rewards.
- Kyros - On Cloud Nine
- Herclaus - Strength of the Heavens
Game Changes
- The Story Mode save file format has been updated. Your save file will be automatically converted upon entering Story Mode.
- Viewed scene detection has been improved in Story Mode. Allowing you to skip text you’ve seen down to the specific line.
- When entering a Tutorial Trial (and future Story Trials) the game will pause when “The Trial Begins” message is displayed— allowing players to take their time reading the objective.
- The UI design of the Takeover and Conquest Trials menus have been revised.
- The UI when playing on Makari-Hari’s Side during a Trial has been revised.
- There is now a delay between a player joining a Takeover Trial room and the game starting.
- Players will now be kicked from a Trial if their ping is too high due to an unstable connection.
- A notice light will be displayed on the Rewards menu if you have unclaimed rewards, or the monthly reward has changed.
Game Fixes
- Resolved cases where the Trials menu would appear multiple times.
- The game will no longer soft lock when joining a full room.
- You can now join rooms containing Hero Packs you do not own.
- You can no longer click the button to attempt to claim the daily reward multiple times in the same day.
Known Issues
- Playing a card at the same time as the Trial Card changes elements can sometimes result in you being unable to play any more cards when you should be able to.
- Occasionally players on Mukaki's side can appear with a Makari-Hari side profile image when first joining the Trial. This will fix if the player flips sides. This issue is visual only and has no effect on gameplay.
- In cases where the game tries to correct the number of cards a player has received when syncing player energy and card counts, they can erroneously receive additional cards.