Big UI & QoL Update + Localization improvements
Localization
Corrected the descriptions text of some talent nodes for Blancara The Ice Dragon, wrongfully some nodes showed the chinese description in the japanese localization.
The mini-games/quick time events were missing the translations for the "hit the space" bar information - this has now been added and also been increased in size a bit for readability
UI / QoL
The map, collection and bestiary is now split into different interfaces providing more clarity and readability and making things easier to navigate especially for new players.
The navigation bar on the left can now be toggled off so players can take in the whole map if they want.
Commissions inside the navigation bar can now be clicked and will open the pre-battle modifier window as if you would select the respective raid separately. It will also immediately adjust the modifiers so that you have a chance to encounter the enemies necessary in order to complete the commission.
All info boards from the location, raids and commissions have been visually updated and matching the color of the races/regions they belong to. Instead of auto showing the quite big infoboards on hover and covering a lot of the map, they have now been reduced to the small info icon on the right end of the banners. The commission infoboards in particular have received a substantial visual update showing now not only the commission descriptions but also a snippet of the required map region, the required modifiers (night, boss etc.) as well as a rarity info for those who are not 100% encountered each raid. Plus another art to indicate the target.
The squad swapping has been made more clear. If you hover your current squad in the collection scene you will immediately notice a clear swap icon indicating the option to swap. Furthermore all current selected members will be listed as the first 4 cards in the collection making it more clear. Also there are now arrow indicators at the top and bottom of the card selection indicating if there is still room to scroll so players don't miss potential characters hidden at the bottom of the scroll view.
The archivum is basically a bestiary and has therefore been renamed and although sometimes finding your own terms for your fantasy world can be nice - in some cases it does not hurt to stick with what is known for simplicity. The bestiary has also received some visual improvements making such as race fitting color indicators on the preview page as well as some ornaments.
The end turn icon has multiple times been criticized, rightfully so, so there is a new one which makes it more clear that it is about moving on to the next character.
Also a big but important info often lost, is the fact that armor only protects against ranged attacks. I'm aware that the tutorial in battle includes a lot of information and therefore small things can get lost. I highlighted this info more to make it more clear. However in the future I plan on adding additional tooltips or pop ups when it happens so players get reminded. (remind me on that one haha)
During battle the bestiary and the action menu (right click) can be escaped via clicking anywhere outside - however I still added a close icon and info to avoid confusion.
The info pop ups in the Action Menu (right click) for the Wait Option, End Turn Option, abilities (1-3) and basic attacks have been visually changed making it more distinct and clear. The abilities are blue as the potential target frames, the basic attack is red also like the frame of potential targets. Also the ability info pop ups from the player hud at the bottom have been changed to blue to make sure new players associate blue frames on enemies with potential targets for the selected ability.
The location interface of Wokasa has also received some visual updates such as new headline banners with ornaments fitting the Tagari, and as well as info boards and banners fitting the respective race in the hiring window. Furthermore the scouting and recruiting now have a confirmation pop up to avoid instant buys as well as an info that players should consider to keep coins to heal and repair. The commissions from Wokasa are active from beginning, this has also led to some confusion for this current build - in the final version this won't be an issue since they can be actually taken but for now I made it clear that these are already active.
The menu and raid start buttons with holding option have now a lower holding time to speed things up.
Sometimes players decided to skip the tutorial in the management scene (map, collection etc.) before or after the battle - This should now be prevented but if it is still done the tutorial will not pop up again it will be marked as completed. However the bonus of renown will not be given to the player.
Speaking of tutorial, some task descriptions, input markers etc. have been improved and simplified hopefully leading to less confusion.
The starting coin amount has been increased from 200 to 300 making it a bit easier to heal & repair early on until players get the grip of the game.
I think that's it, I hope you like the new art background of the collection and the bestiary in the management scene.
Lastly - For those interested in the future of the project.
My Kickstarter will go live on Sep 16th. So in less than 10 days. It will feature low tiers including the complete game with Early Access and some Kickstarter exclusives for a bit less than 13 usd. For those interested to support the project even more or secure real collectibles, the campaign will feature printed! - yes printed cards (like trading cards) as well as a short comic and lore-art book. For mega enthusiasts, if you want to create your own character or boss, this will be possible too. With the funding I hope to bring the vision of Fangs & Forges to life.
If you want to learn more about myself, the history of the project and detailed future plans you can check out this interview I gave IGD (Indie Game Developer) recently.
And please make sure to
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leave a demo review (super helpful!)
and follow the Kickstarter so you don't miss the Early Bird specials
Thank you for reading and your passionate interest in the project,
Alpenwolf