Hello everyone! Finally, the first of many sub-zone updates is here! This update contains 2 new sub-zones as well as some more work on toning down the difficulty in the base game (generally by empowering the player). Finally there are some additions to Ranked-Mode that I think should be quite interesting.
The plan for most of this first year of development is to focus heavily on sub-zones which will result in a pretty enormous amount of content being added to the game. I'll be alternating doing 2-3 updates of adding sub-zones with updates focused on other aspects of the game that I feel need attention in between. I've decided to move to a 2 week update schedule as I think it will work better to shoot for 2 sub-zones every 2 weeks as opposed to 1 sub-zone per week as it gives me a bit more time to let things 'simmer'.
What are Sub-Zones?
Extensive sub-zoning is going to be one of the major new features for Rogue Fable IV and is the primary way in which new content will be added to the dungeon. To put it simply, for each zone in the game I'd like to create a bunch of sub-zones, each with some unique theme, challenge or gimmick.
When a zone is selected during dungeon generation, some of the levels will remain generic while others will be randomly chosen to become sub-zones. The exact sub-zones chosen will differ from game to game so that even when getting say The-Sunless-Desert multiple times in a row you will be faced with different sub-zone variants.
Sub-Zones can consist of one or more of the following:
- A subset of monsters from the parent zone. Chosen according to the theme of the sub-zone and generally providing a more focused challenge.
- Unique new monsters that only appear in the sub-zone. Also new bosses.
- Unique tilesets, objects, traps, terrain and other environmental assets.
- Some sort of special, level wide, mechanic or gimmick.
- Unique level generators, vaults or hand-made levels.
- Unique items that only drop in that sub-zone. Could also have a subset of the standard loot table to simply provide more focused drops.
The Plan for Sub-Zones:
Initially I'll just be adding sub-zones and sticking them into the existing dungeon structure where they seem appropriate. I want to build up a decent size pool to draw from so that each run through the dungeon becomes even more varied. I'd like to get at least 2-3 per existing zone.
The eventual goal is to use sub-zones to begin branching out the dungeon. Sub-zones tend to have more focused challenges and so many zones will fork or branch, giving the player a choice of which sub-zone to tackle first. Very challenging and specific sub-zones will often be added as single level branches which gives the player the option of simply ignoring them if they hard counter their build.
The final vision for the dungeon structure is for it to start quite linear in the early levels but then become increasingly branched and open during the mid to late game with lots of extremely challenging special levels out at the edges only some of which will generally get cleared depending on the players build. The Vault of Yendor will likely then remain linear as the final test and challenge.
The idea here isn't to make the dungeon 'open world' but rather to allow for adding a lot more interesting, unique and challenging content and then giving the player the freedom of when and if to tackle it. The way in which character building over the course of the game influences the choice of 'where to next?' should result in a bit of a light meta strategy layer.
Update 1.5:
The Spider Temple:
A spider themed level in The-Dark-Temple that currently will appear before the Drachnid-Queen level (when she spawns). The goal is to make it a really swarm heavy zone in which its easy to get surrounded and overwhelmed.
- Updated the existing Drachnid-Warrior and Drachnid-Archer sprites
- Added Drachnid-Assassin: Poison-Melee, Jump and a close range Web-Net. Basically the guy you really really don't want anywhere near you.
- Added Drachnid-Swarm-Caller: Toxic-Shoot, Slow-Poison-Projectile, Summons Spider-Swarms from webs that are near the player which tend to end up surrounding you.
- Added Drachnid-Priestess: Toxic-Shoot, Heal, Lays an egg that will hatch into Spider-Swarms after a few turns which incentivizes charging the backline to destroy it.
- Added Spider-Traps: will spawn Spider-Swarms if anyone steps on them.
- Drachnids are no longer 'fast' but all spiders will now move 'fast' when on webs.
- Remade all the Drachnid-Queen levels
The Orc Gate:
While the previous sub-zone is content heavy, this one instead has a central gimmick. Yendors latest invention: The Pigapult is at the back of the level operated by some orc engineers. As long as they are alive, whenever the player is engaged in combat (has agro) the Pigapult will launch either bombs or boars at the player. This level currently spawns before King Mon'Racars fortress.
Ranked Mode:
Beginning to add some Player-Modifiers. I think one way of increasing challenge without overwhelming the player with tons of enemy modifiers that need to be kept track of is to apply player side modifiers that simply effect character building. These are modifiers that will change the way in which the player builds his character and so not only make the game harder but should result in more varied builds.
Currently I have this set to simply start adding a single Player-Modifier at Gold and above. Like everything with ranked this is guaranteed to change and evolve over time, this is really just a matter of getting the new features 'somewhere' for testing.
- Less Starting Talents: -1 (Gold/Plat), -2 (Masters). This was the modifier that really inspired me to add this feature into this update as I think that, depending on which talent(s) are lost, this could pretty drastically change the way each class plays and how you approach character building.
- Less Starting Attribute: -1 (Gold/Plat), -2 (Masters). Obviously applies to STR, DEX, INT. I'm not so happy with this as I feel it might mostly just act to bias class selection at the start but I wanted 'something' so that we don't just get Less Talents in every single Ranked-Game. Nonetheless, starting with less HP or no speed points should still have a pretty interesting effect.
- Currently its a 50/50 chance to have Less-Talents vs Less-Attributes.
General Balance:
- Improved the placement of beneficial mushrooms so that are more likely to spawn in tight levels. Previously there were certain layouts that basically prohibited any mushroom placement making those levels significantly harder.
- Added back the choice of +1 talent at Tomes-of-Knowledge. I've gone back and forth on this a few times (and probably will again) but for now I think in the spirit of making the base game easier by giving the player more choices this is a good change since newer players won't get stuck with non-ideal talents they don't want and don't know how to get value out of. Ideally, future sub-zoning will make it more attractive (and necessary), to branch out from your core talents.
Talent Balance:
Still just minor tweaks. I really am itching to do the update that will change the talent system to have multiple choices of Rank-II upgrades per talent as I feel that this will let me provide more significant and game changing upgrades that are balanced by being highly specific.
- Increased the base HP of summoned skeletons. Along with the previous buff to HP regen this should help them survive a bit better without hopefully allowing the necro to just coast through the game with a swarm of skeletons on autopilot.
- Poison Cloud DMG: 4,6 => 4,4 (the cloud size increase is big enough). This would be a good place that 'choice system' for talents could give good options.
- Fire-Ball center damage 50% => 25%. I feel like Fire-Ball is still just way to generally useful for the Fire-Mage, making his other talents less relevant. As an example of a cool Rank-II upgrade in the 'choice system' this could become 50% center damage with a range reduction.
- Precision crit bonus 20%,40% => 20%,30% but Rank-II grants armor penetration. This provides an option for characters that don't find a blunt weapon or cross bow.
- Shield-of-Ice 5HP,10HP => 4HP,8HP. For a purely passive talent this was just way to strong.
- Burst-of-Wind: no damage but +1 knockback at both ranks. I feel like this sort of crystalizes this talent as the ultimate knockback ability that doubles as a movement ability for the player.
Item Balance:
A whole bunch of mostly buffs that are partially just a matter of 'making base game easier' but also are intended to make each item more uniquely powerful and attractive to warrant a 'build change'. The hope is that, especially in the mid to late game, most items that drop are at least viable to be equipped and replace some existing item.
- Reduced shield ENC by 1 across the board. Their still really heavy but this at least lowers the barrier for non STR classes.
- Tomes now cost 75gp => 50gp. Personally I rarely take these and they may need a rework. With the Less-Talents ranked modifier they may become more attractive.
- Orcish-Battle-Armor: +1Melee Damage
- Elvish-Chain => Elvish-Silk (no protection but grants evasion)
- Cloth-Armor: Ability Power 5% => 10%
- +1 Protection on Tier-3 Shields
- +1 Protection on Tier-3 Heavy Armor
- Duelist-Gloves: +10% evasion
- Gauntlets-of-Grasping => Gauntlets-of-War: 1STR, 2Melee (grasp was pretty useless)
- Spear: 8DMG => 7DMG (pole-arms should have lower damage in general)
- Pike: 10DMG => 9DMG (pole-arms should have lower damage in general)
- Pike-of-the-Guard 8DMG => 9DMG (end game items should be good, regardless of above)
- Drachnid-Web-Bow: 1SP => 1Dex
- Force-Bow, Phantom-Bow and Assassins Bow: 6DMG => 7DMG
- Staff-of-Shielding: 6DMG => 7DMG
- Staff-of-Force: 5DMG => 6DMG
- Resonate-Crystal-Armor: 10ENC => 7ENC
- Stone-Tuned-Armor: 8ENC => 7ENC
- Robe-of-the-Lich: 80%MP, 1Mana-Tap => 30%rTox, 1Mana-Tap
- Ring-of-Gravity: 5ENC => 6ENC
- Dancing-Blade and Swift-Blade: 8DMG => 10DMG
- All Two-Handed weapons +1DMG
- Ring-of-Spirit-Shielding 6MP => 3MP (with faster MP regen this is actually super strong)
Monster Balance:
- Death-Watch-Archer: Poison-Projectile 5CD => 3CD (same as other slow projectiles)
- All Tentacle and Whip Pulls: 10CD => 5CD (part of overall, game wide, CD reduction)
- All spreading clouds 10CD => 5CD but 10 duration => 4 duration (same as above)
- Skeleton-Elite-Archer: Chilling-Shot: 10CD => 5CD (same as above)
- Ballista now has super long range. I think all turrets are going to get reworked eventually to only spawn in very specific places, have very high range, and essentially 'lock down' parts of the level until dealt with. I'm toying with the idea of, especially with special sub-zones, have them never lose agro, agro at long ranges etc. and place them in some central location.
Final Words
Well that's it for now, hope you all enjoy it! I'm especially curious to see how the new modifiers in Ranked play out. I'll be hanging out for the next few days to do clean-up and bug fixing but then onto the next update which will be another 2 sub-zones.
Thanks as always for all of your support and feedback!
Hot Fixes:
Update 1.5.1
- Fixed a level gen crash on the Pigapult level.
- Fixed: Pigapult level was always generating (should only be before orc king).
- Fixed spelling error in Pigapult dialog.