Hello again, Soulfallen.
What's New?
Since adding controller and steam deck support I have been almost entirely focused on a fairly major addition to Soulfall, and that is: Class Specializations. Currently there is only one spec available for each class, but this will be expanded to 3 each prior to Early Access release. With these class specs come some new features. Firstly, class-specific traits. It may have seemed strange that each class had identical stats, after all why would a warrior and a mage have the same amount of base armor? With class specs, that is no longer the case. Each class spec also unlocks an Ultimate Ability, which can be used while descended in Hell. Additionally, scribes have assembled a small collection of various texts and placed them in the town library. While the information is currently quite sparse, this will be expanded greatly later on. I will post a full breakdown of changes below for anyone curious:
Feature List
- The Eastern Gates of Khelos have finally opened, revealing ancient and incredible power. The overall "Class System" has been expanded with the addition of specializations, class traits, and ultimate abilities.
- 3 New Class Specializations added: Berserker Warrior, Evocation Mage, and Marksman Hunter.
- 3 New Ultimate Abilities added: Whrilwind, Aimed Shot, and Inferno Pillar.
- Leveling up now creates a "push back radius" from the player, sending enemies backwards and creating a small amount of breathing room.
- Several new visual effects, including level up and initial spawn in.
- Some sound effects were not correctly categorized and couldn't be adjusted by volume meters, this is now fixed.
- "Attack Range" trait was completely reworked so that it now benefits hunters and mages, and not just warriors.
- Arrows now have a 25% chance to "break" when hitting each enemy, increasing attack range reduces the chance of the arrow breaking. This is more commonly referred to as "piercing", and the name of the attribute may be updated in the future.
- Mage projectile spell explosion radius was reduced slightly for lower tier spells, this explosion radius can now be increased by the "Attack Range" trait.
- There was a fairly major bug where purple/epic armor was dropping from the gargoyle statue, this was not intended but I will not be removing any items from player inventories/stashes because that seems unfair. I am only making a note of it here because it may cause some confusion to players as it breaks the natural progression I intend for the game.
- Town library added with a lore book and prayer book, this is mostly a test for the system to see if it feels intuitive to players. If it works well then I will continue to use this as a "Lore Delivery" mechanism and expand significantly on the books and their contents.
- Slightly reduced the time it takes for XP shards to spawn (33% reduction in spawn time).
- Increased the size of the ground indicator for the first Boss's air slam attack, to more accurately and fairly show where the player is safe from taking damage.
What's Next?
I struggle between two conflicting desires: to overshare absolutely every plan and idea I have for Soulfall, and to keep the details extremely close to the chest. I am sure the best option is somewhere in the middle, so that's what I will attempt to provide. The next update will contain another major addition: Skilling. I am also working on talent trees (unique for each class spec), and a complete rework/overhaul of the character customizer to streamline it and make it MUCH easier for use while maintaining the depth of customization it provides. As always, your feedback is extremely appreciated and I will continue to address it to the absolute best of my ability. Thanks again, and see you next time.
Sincerely, KCS