Greetings, friends!
Time for a new content update for Swordhaven. This time around we've been focusing on hunting down small mistakes, fixing bugs, adding new interactions with the environment, changing up how the Damage Threshold formula works, and most of all - making the city of Swordhaven feel more lived in.
The Steam Deck version has also improved, and was sent for a follow-up review to get the Verified status.
Travelling through Swordhaven you will now find more guard, dweller and visitor varieties, like the monk guard in the Chapel, warehouse guard in the Docks, visitors in the Slums inn, beggars on the streets, etc.
Some new NPCs have also appeared, with more to come. You can find a new character in the Chapel, in the Apothecary and in the Docks. Already existing NPCs received new dialogue, like the Commander who now has the third part of his dialogue active, or dialogue-related fixes like Sulanis who kept moving during his dialogue, Kaus and Lumger who's fight sometimes broke the game, etc.
Many quality of life updates added this time include fixes for minimaps; updated enemy logic; an improved level up icon that keeps reminding the player their character levelled up; an updated battle mode switch button, updated crafting recipes that now include new ingredients found all over the world, new awesome character portraits; new icons; crafting icons that better represent the final product; color variations for potion use effects and much more you will hopefully discover for a pleasant surprise!
Updated locations like the first level of the Mines dungeon received new logic, as did the Hero Base where the cats now behave properly and the plant-related issues are solved.
Mines now also feature new interactive objects that don't really do anything, but liven up the environment. A good example of this is the canary added to the Mines dungeon.
Weapons of all sorts were a little bit rebalanced, now getting extra bonuses on every hit. For example, daggers and spears are more likely to go through armour for a Pierce effect, mauls and maces have a small percentage chance of laming or knocking foes down, one-handed swords can Parry some blows, and more.
Last but not least, the DT system. What was a solid number, which ended up with all combatants attacking for 0 HP half of the time in late game, is now a percentage. Every 1 DT you get with your gear lowers incoming damage by 3% in this version, and seeing how 33 DT is the maximum you can get by collecting the best pieces of kit in the game, and drinking the best potions simultaneously, you *can* get to the "You received 0 Damage" stage, but it'll take some dedication. Also, Piercing is now much more viable, as it still negates all defenses when it succeeds. We are still working on how to best represent this formula without writing the actual DT formula in the pop-up, so any and all suggestions are most welcome!
We hope you will enjoy this update. The release of 1.0 is coming very soon and we are as excited as we are anxious to see what you guys think!
Can't wait for your feedback on this one!
Changelog:
- Added part 3 of Commander Sersnys’ dialogue
- Changed the color of the “Hunt” marker for hunting status effects
- Added info pop-up when hovering over a portrait in the inventory and crafting window
- Added monk guard to the chapel
- Added warehouse guard in the Docks
- Fixed encounter for the Northern Mountain Forest
- Updated bonuses for mauls and maces
- Added Esmun NPC to the chapel
- Updated another set of item icons
- Beggars have been added to the Old Quarter and Beggars' Corner
- Added new portraits for the main hero
- Added Merchant Inspiration status effect
- Slime can now split (summon an ally)
- Updated battle mode switch button
- Updated Red Boots
- Bear traps can now be picked up and thrown to the ground
- Updated images for some random encounters
- Added and updated icons for new potion bottles
- Updated crafting material textures to match icons
- Added warehouse guard Luzum in the Docks
- Added visitor logic to the Slums hotel
- Added apothecary Vanemyr
- "+" icon now stays if unused points remain and shimmers after leveling up
- Fixed Sulanis movement during dialogue
- Updated logic for Level 1 Mines
- Updated several temporary minimaps
- Slightly reworked cat logic on the player base
- Fixed garden-related issues on the base
- Dropped items now fall correctly to the ground instead of remaining in the air.
- Added Brengu and gang in Swordhaven
- Fixed bug where the player couldn’t leave a location
- Fixed bug where the pawnshop quest wouldn’t close
- Fixed issue in the Kaus and Lumger fight cutscene
- Updated Smelters Row logic involving the snake event
- Added color variation for potion use effect
- Reworked Damage Threshold system
>> The second level of the Mines dungeon is open for exploration <<
Yours, Atom Team