CONTENT UPDATE 01 IS HERE!
It's been a crazy 2 months since we released our first rough version of Spirit Hunters. The team survived covid and other personal chaos. We have received loads of great feedback from the community and got a lot done for our first content update.
We've reworked the whole game to support our vision, respond to feedback, and provide better long-term foundational support for future updates. So if you are at the end game, we suggest you start a new game to get the full much better and quicker flow. There are now multiple save slots so you don't ever have to overwrite your old game. All of the new content is available in the first few hours of a new game. As always, all feedback is read and appreciated, but feedback on the overall new experience is of the highest value to us. Thanks in advance!
:sadhf:NEW SPIRIT HUNTER: HUGO - THE TREASURE GENIE
All enemies in the game do different amounts of damage, but not to Hugo. He has a unique health mechanic where he has 8 health vials. Each hit reduces his HP by 1 regardless of what he gets hit by. Each heart simply refills one vial.
Upon taking damage Hugo turns invisible and gains a major boost in move speed for 5 seconds with the ability to phase through enemies with no collision. He also leaves a decoy that continues to attract all nearby enemies until the 5 seconds is up. This makes Hugo the master of escape as he can simply float through hordes of enemies after taking a single hit.
All of Hugo's starting ability synergies are gold-focused. With the right build he can easily gather over 1000 more gold than any other hero in a run.:WGoldCoins:
:sadhf: OTHER HERO UPDATES:
Magnus - Minor move speed increase from 135 to 140
Vivian - Move speed increase from 135 to 150
Conrad - Move speed increase from 80 to 95
Maxine - Move speed increase from 180 to 200 + 15 starting HP.
Added challenge level stars to each character description for difficulty clarity. This will also be important for future quest/in game achievement content.
:sadhf: PLAYER CONTROL
We reduced the amount the player slides when coming to a stop. This greatly increased the accuracy of player movement when using WASD, mouse or controller.
:sadhf:DIVINITY WEB BALANCE
We heard all the feedback about the game feeling too grindy and we fully agree. We reduced the cost of nearly every Dweb node by 30-90%. We reduced the majority of kill gates by a lot and nearly all the miniboss kill gates are reduced to 1. Power increases across the board. Far higher damage numbers so the power ramp feels better.
:sadhf:REROLLS, RESOURCES & CURRENCY EXCHANGE
We massively increased the overall rewards.
We added more starting chests, mining nodes and shops to each zone. We also greatly increased the crystal drop rate of each mining node. The loot tables have been improved so the rewards are better the harder the location you are fighting in.
From the feedback we realized that we have never communicated exactly how the shops, chests, cages, etc. system works. We will add some Oracle dialogue to explain these soon. For now, let me give you the lowdown here:
All nodes; Shops, chests, pet cages, and mining nodes have a set number that is always on the map.
5 shops, 8 chests, 8 mining nodes, and 7 pet cages.
As soon as you use any one of these, another is instantly spawned somewhere else on the map. There is no limit to how many you can find. So you don't ever have to worry about wasting a shop because there is always 5 on the map at all times. Getting a "more shops" Divinity web upgrade adds another one to that pool. Same with all other similar Dweb nodes. We hope this info helps. :)
The reroll cost has been cut to a flat 100 gold for every reroll. This means players can easily use 5x more rerolls in any given run. Now you can have far more chances to get the choices you want.
Currency exchange for Ember Cores has been reduced by 70% Runes is now 300/1 and Crystals is 30/1.
We increased the damage of everything so we can have a wider range of ability variation. Too many of the abilities were doing similar damage regardless of what their role is in a build. Now it is getting closer to what we want to achieve for the big future ability updates.
We compressed the max level of an ability from 40 to 25 and removed some of the CDR level and other less interesting things. We made sure each ability does more damage at level 25 than it used to at 40. So you can get stronger faster and max out 2-3 abilities in any given run.
:ns_blue: ORBITAL FIRE
We deleted all 10 levels in DOT (damage over time) and sped up the base dot damage to .5 damage speed. (2 ticks per second) so it has a fast, consistent dot speed forever. The ticks have been reduced to 5 so it doesnt burn for as long, but we also changed the base damage and dot damage to be the same. No more 1s ticking away. If the base damage is 10, then each damage over time tick is also 10. So it does WAY more damage overall much quicker.
:ns_blue: GRAND HEX
The big GH has become absurdly strong. We bumped its overall damage up by about 3x early game and about 4x late game. CDR, AOE/size and Crit levels have been reduced from 10 to 5 each and the value doubled for all. Same speed and size, much quicker in a run.
Oh! It also briefly stuns those caught in its damage area.
:ns_blue: BONE SHOT
Bone got a large overall damage boost and just like Grand Hex, 3 of the banners have been cut from 10 - 5 with double value in each. Early game bone does far more damage, but the damage falls off a bit late game since its machine gun speed + stun makes it insanely strong.
:ns_blue: SPEARS
We reduced CDR to 7 levels with a 15% increase in each level and reduced AOE/size to 3 level with each being 120% more. So the final size is a bit smaller than before since it was overly visually obstructive, which is more of a problem now due to needing to see and dodge enemy projectiles. We reduced the damage levels from 10 to 5 and doubled each, so spears early run potential is significantly increased.
:ns_blue: HEAVY ARROW
Arrow starts with much higher damage and lower cooldown for improved early run speed. CDR numbers have been cut to 5 with each level being about 50% more. So the final attack speed has been reduced in exchange for earlier power.
:ns_blue: MAGIC MINES
Mines got a significant design update. The challenge with Mines was when you get them large enough, they would basically be an invincible safe spot so we counldn't have it get really fast or strong. Now size no longer affects the mine itself instead its the explosion size which gets huge. So now we can give it more damage and dramatically increased the amount of mines that can on the battlefield at one time from 6 to 30. Spam away!
:ns_blue: CLEAVE
This was the biggest balance problem ability that needed a complete rework. It was the only ability in the game that didn't have a clear identity so it didn't work well with any other abilities. Now cleave is a higher damage, multi-slash closer range melee attack. Early power makes it feel a lot better as a starter ability.
:ns_blue: TORNADO
Tornado got a minor damage bump and a large boost to CDR. The main update is we reduced the knockback levels from 10 to 3 and boosted each level by 350%. Now the knockback is far better much faster. The angle of tornados has been changed so it has a slightly less defensive perimeter when it immediately comes out, but they have been moved closer together so they create a more consistent pushing wall with no space for monsters to squeeze between.
We also updated Tornado so it will target a random enemy, rather than just picking a random direction.
:ns_blue: TANGLE VINES
Vines has been updated so it always starts close together, but overlaps less when its larger so the overall damage area is more reliable and useful. We slightly sped up the damage over time speed and gave it a massive damage boost.
:ns_blue: SHURIKEN
This was a confusing ability because it had +number count and separate CDR banners. The ability used to have a 3 second gap between volleys that used to drop to .5 seconds after 10 levels in CDR. We deleted those annoying CDR levels and just started that gap at .5 seconds. We also gave Shuriken a potentially too much damage boost... These babies cut through anything like butter.
:ns_blue: NEW ABILITY: ICE RING
Ice Ring is a heavily defensive ability that freezes enemies in place. Frozen enemies can't hurt you and can be pushed out of the way by the player. Its by far the lowest damage ability in the game, so you will need to build other sources of damage in your build. Not all enemies are freezable. Nearly every monster in the Desert maps can be frozen, but certain enemies like ghosts and spirits are immune. So Ice Ring is less effective in Dark Forest zones. Unlike all other abilities, Ice Ring maxes at level 13.
This was also an opportunity to work on a status effect system and get that implemented to support frozen enemies. More status to come down the line!
:ns_blue: DAMAGE NUMBERS!!!
Now you can see how much damage each ability did over the run during the end stat screen. Total damage numbers are located under the abilities stats.
A bunch of pets got some major balance changes.
:BlueOrbus:NOMICRON
Our little book of knowledge learned how to do a truckload more damage. This one got a massive power boost.
:BlueOrbus:BEACON
We finally got the time to make Beacons gameplay visually clear! Now he flashes and shows his decoy range. We also added a grace period for getting into beacons beacon range!
Beacon has always attracted enemies to him this way... now you can actually tell what the hell is going on. :P
:BlueOrbus:WHOODOO
Whoodoo got a minor power boost to slightly improve Orbital fire, Vines and Mines damage output. Since Ice Ring does DOT (damage over time) any major power boost to Whoodoo would make Ice Ring way too strong. It is already strong enough as is... and for the next Hero its going to get crazy.
:BlueOrbus:MAG SLIME
Poor Mag Slime is the only pet to have a reduction. The magnet power has been reduced to a more balanced range as it became stronger than Vivians passive.
:BlueOrbus:HEARTY
I used to love Hearty when we were first making this game. Lately this little bastard has been giving me nothing! The random % chance for health gamble is over. Now Hearty drops a heart every 30 seconds at level 1, 20 seconds at level 2, and 10 seconds at level 3.
:BlueOrbus:SCOOP
Our resident shovel raccoon didn't really need a buff, but he's my favourite pet and I didn't want him to feel left out so he digs more often.
Tons of work on monsters has gone into this update!
:ns_blue:HITBOXES!!!
We know this was a major issue and pain point in the game. We heard you so we did a massive hitbox accuracy pass on every one of the 150+ monsters in the game. Now all the small enemies are WAY easier to dodge and avoid.
:ns_blue:ENEMY TUNING
Due to the epic power boosts to all abilities we had to rebalance a lot of the monsters health. Low level, swarming monsters haven't changed. We added a more HP to the stronger monsters and a TON more HP to minibosses and end bosses. Of course that means Moon Mummy got his regularly scheduled buff.
:ns_blue:NEW MONSTERS
We added more than 30 new monsters and minibosses to the game + 4 new end bosses. We are to the point where we can't keep track of where they are all located. So yes, the Bestiary is now very high on the priority list. :P
:ns_blue:ENEMY BEHAVIORS
We added loads of new enemy attacks! Projectiles, ground attacks and damage auras are here! Now Butler Sandworm throws teacups Cactferno is literally on fire... just run from this one. It's no longer worth it. hehe
Lots of new monsters with unique behaviors and a load of updates to some of the older ones, and more to come now that we have support for them!
:ns_blue:BOSS RING UPDATE!
You know that super fun ring of death that slowly shrinks at the end boss? Well, we broke it. Now it no longer shrinks. Now you will have as long as you want to fight the end bosses. Scarab, the beetle boss was pretty upset about it, so we gave all end bosses a huge health boost to avoid them going on strike.
:ns_blue:MOON MUMMY
Is the best monster in the game. -Moon Mummy
We added 2 new map zones to the game. Each with normal and hard modes featuring unique monsters and bosses in each.
:ns_blue:HIGHLANDS - VIPER VILLAGE
Deep in the wind-swept hills lies a village of Vipers. These beasts have grown in number and their hordes have laid waste to all that surrounds their growing camps.
:ns_blue:DARK FOREST - CEMETERY
A crumbling graveyard lost to the gnarly grip of the dark forest. An eerie mist falls over the decaying tombs and crypts as the hordes lay siege to any who stumble into this forgotten place of eternal unrest.
Now that the abilities have more early damage, we were able to go through and updated all the other zones in the game and added 30% - 90% more monsters in each and did more balance tuning to the waves. Let us know if the normal maps are too difficult for the early game. We and our testers are too good at the game, so we need more feedback to balance these. We're really happy with these changes though, and they are much more in line with how we wanted the game to feel like.
We got our boi Injekted to add some more upbeat, drum and bass action to the soundtrack. Let us know what you think of the new musical direction. 4 new tracks have been added. One for each map.
We added some new sound effects and did a load of audio balancing along the way.
Here at Creature Cauldron, we take pride in being uniquely innovative. So we dug deep and came up with something totally new. We call it... Multiple Save Slots.
Now that we can save more than one game we can do things like...
This is the first iteration of a new mode. You start at the Oracle and she gives you a nice starting resource bump of 500 Runes and 100 Crystals... then lets you know that she will not be able to revive you. Hardcore mode plays exactly the same as a standard game, but if you die, there is no coming back. You must win every run. Upon death, the defeat screen will give you a final score and your file will be deleted. This is a mode for people who are looking for an extra spicy challenge. Please share your scores on our discord... so we can support each other in our time of loss. :jydgedeathshead:
New content means new achievements! Here are the new additions:
6 NEW STEAM ACHIEVEMENTS
:ns_blue: Hugo Unlocked
:ns_blue: Viper Village Unlocked
:ns_blue: Viper Village Hard Unlocked
:ns_blue: Cemetery Unlocked
:ns_blue: Cemetery Hard Unlocked
:ns_blue: Hardcore Mode Unlocked
During this time we also fixed a ridiculous amount of bugs. I'm sure we didn't find them all and likely created a few more, so thanks in advance for reporting any mistakes or oddities you find. Your feedback is invaluable to the continued progress of the game.
WHATS NEXT FOR SPIRIT HUNTERS?
We have also been working on loads of future plans. We are not ready to roll out a roadmap yet, but we have a lot of stuff in the works that we will share with you as soon as we are ready. A few of the next things we want to tackle are:
:ns_blue:SHOP INDICATORS
Edge of screen Indicators that point out shops and other points of interest. We don't know exactly how we are doing this yet or which things we are going to point to, but its high on the priority list.
:ns_blue:BESTIARY
This has been in the concept phase for months, but we haven't had the time to do it yet. We have a lot of monsters and we just added more, so having a screen with stats and locations is very important, so this is also higher on the list.
:ns_blue:PET REROLLS
The ability to reroll pets for a cost. This will greatly help with getting the pets you have to max level.
:ns_blue:LOCALISATION
Adding the support for localisation and getting the text localised into a number of languages is high on our list.
:ns_blue:THE HUGE ABILITY UPDATE
Here is a few early concepts for some ideas we have in the works. *See full-size image on our Discord.
Much of the work in this patch allows us to do a lot of the stuff we have planned for phase 2 of our abilities!
We would love to keep working on Spirit Hunters for the foreseeable future. If you are enjoying the game, see the potential in what we are trying to make, or just want to see more content in the future, please consider leaving us a positive review. ːsteamthumbsupː
Our review score directly affects our sales figures which directly influences how much we can continue working on the game. Hopefully with this update, you will see that we are listening to feedback and working hard to improve all aspects of Spirit Hunters.
We hope you enjoy the update! As always we greatly appreciate any and all feedback.