Update v1.0.4 is now live! Thanks to everyone that provided feedback. Be sure to check out the roadmap (pinned in the forum), this is the next update for phase 1 of the roadmap.
From the Devs
The full patch notes are below, here are comments we have regarding the changes. This patch focuses on further significant pacing changes, UI improvements and some balance changes.
Significant Pacing Changes
The previous update (v1.0.3) improved the pacing of Chapter 1 with shorter levels, but we wanted to take further steps towards getting players into mechanics & features sooner (especially the spell book). In this new update we have reduced the number of levels in the first chapter by re-working the levels and combining tutorials.
Upgrades - Permanent Progression
Upgrades that you unlock as you progress through the campaign (by defeating bosses) are now permanently unlocked. This means that you can return to earlier levels and use them - even before the boss fight! This improves replayability, and also gives you new ways to tackle levels on hard mode.
(We are considering doing something similar for spells in a non story-breaking way in a future update)
Health Bars - Per Unit
Health bars are now available per-unit! They are enabled by default and can be turned off in the options. The previous method for checking health still exists, but we have found the new method provides better feedback as you are playing. Since health bars only show when a unit is damaged, it doesn't cause information overload.
More UI Improvements
You can now view both spell and upgrade tooltips during a battle. For spells you simply hover over the spell card, and for upgrades we have added icons to the top right corner.
We have also increased the size of the cost text on the existing cards by default, and if you want your spell cards even bigger, you can use the new Spellbar UI Scaling setting in the game options.
New Keybinds
Extra keybinds have been added for adjusting battle speed, and also for spell slots 7 - 10. You may need to bind these or reset your bindings in the options if you have previously applied options.
We will continue to provide more updates to balance as needed, so keep the feedback coming in!
Patch v1.0.4
Changes
- Upgrades can now be used in previous chapters once you have unlocked them
- Added a new game option to show health bars above units (defaults on)
- Added a new game option to adjust the UI scale of the spellbar
- Added a new game option to show spellbar tooltips (defaults on)
- Added new keybinds to change the battle speed, defaults to [ and ] by default
- Added new keybinds for spell slots 7, 8, 9, 10 (you may need to bind these or reset bindings in the game options)
- Added a description for the Sunder effect to the Notes page of the spell book
- Adjusted the naming of difficulty selection to Apprentice, Adept and Expert.
- The gamepad glyph binding for Battle Pause is now shown in the bottom left UI area during battle
- Chosen upgrades are now shown in the top right of the battle UI
- Increased the text size for the cost number on spell cards (from 16 to 19)
- Spell card tooltips are now shown when hovering over spells in the spell bar for a short time
- Spell card and upgrade tooltips are now shown when hovering over rewards in the victory dialog
- You can now view the tooltips for all upgrades (even if they are locked to a later chapter)
- Rewards on the victory screen are now only shown the first time you win the level
- Removed brackets surrounding scribble notes on the spell book as they didn't suit the font
- Recall is now unlocked on the reworked first level (was Level 6)
- Water Spout is now unlocked on the reworked second level (was level 5)
- Rock wall is now unlocked on the reworked third level (was level 10)
Level Changes
- Removed levels "Lying in Wait", "River Crossing", "Frozen Rescue" and "Riverbank Ambush". Some of these have been combined with other reworked levels.
- Level 1 - The Journey Begins - Now also includes lane seal and recall tutorial. Notes about pausing and battle speed have also been added.
- Level 1 - The Journey Begins - Cutscene will no longer replay when restarting the level.
- Level 4 - Earth Defenders - now includes the Water Spout spell tutorial (moved from level 5)
- Level 5 - Fletching Time - now unlocks the Spell Book and Rock Wall (moved from level 10)
- Level 7 - Icy Water - now has access to the Spell book with 8 spell points
- Level 9 - Evolution - now has access to the Spell book with 8 spell points
- Level 11 - To The Bridge - Will now show a tip for spell interrupts. This tip will only show if you haven't previously won the level
- Level 11.1 - Monument Challenge - Slight adjustments to all waves to reduce the overall difficulty
- Level 11.2 - Rock Henge Challenge - Monuments no longer start damaged on Normal and Hard difficulty
- Level 12 - Troll Boss - Starting Rock Elemental can now be recalled
- Level 15 - Into The Woods - The starting Airlings and Stonelings can now be recalled
- Level 26.2 - Unbreakable Challenge - Minor adjustments to the timings of enemies in the first wave for Hard mode, to reduce the initial pressure slightly. Slight ease timings on first groups of enemies, and delay after executioner spawns
- Level 26.2 - Unbreakable Challenge - Increased the stall time for the first executioner slighlty in Hard mode.
Demo Changes
- Demo - Updated to the latest version
- Demo - Now has 4 demo levels, including the Iron Mine challenge and a new battle in the Burning Forest
- Demo - Now available in 8 languages
- Demo - Tutorial updated, and includes new tips for recall, spell interrupt and battle speed.
Fixes
- Fixed a bug when choosing the Knowledgable upgrade and restarting a level, causing one spell to unselect due to not having enough points
- Fixed some missing glyph images for keyboard bindings such as arrow keys, tab and brackets
- Fixed a bug where Timeshift would not immediately update the UI healthbar
- Fixed an issues where remaining enemies were not visually killed upon Victory on fort scenario levels (11.2, 26.2)
What's Next?
This patch covers most of what we wanted to do in Phase-1 of the roadmap, but there may be some further balance patches & fixes before the next big update. The next major update takes us into Phase-2 of the roadmap and will be a significant content update. We are also planning to upgrade the version of the game engine to access new features it has to offer - so there is a lot of work to keep us busy.
As usual, please feel free to join our discord or jump on to the Steam forums and share your feedback!
Reporting Bugs or Performance Issues
Things have been pretty smooth so far for most players, however if you do encounter any bugs or performance issues please do let us know - we aim to fix any issues that appear very quickly! You can join our Discord and let us know, or email [email protected].
Join Us!
We are very active devs, so you are more than welcome to join our discord or leave your feedback on the Steam forum with anything you would love to see in the future of the game. This is just the beginning of very exciting times ahead!
Join discord here