Greetings everyone!
Today I am happy to announce the Fall Content Update (FCU), our second free content expansion for Goblin Storm! The primary focus of this FCU is the addition of a new race, the undead, with three new factions and a new game mode tailored to undead exclusive game mechanics.
Here is the TL:DR for people who are in a hurry:
Objectives
• Add undead race.
• Add undead settlement resurrection mechanics.
• Add 3 new factions, all undead.
• Add Undead Horde game mode.
• Balance tweaks and additions to existing factions.
When Will it be released?
The Fall Content Update is planned for release in the last week of October.
New Game Mode:
The Fall Content Update is structured around the introduction of a new Undead Horde game mode. Functionally Horde mode is similar to Conquest, but Horde mode features larger armies and a unique undead settlement resurrection mechanics. When undead forces overrun a settlement, they raise its population as undead; the higher the population, the more undead produced. The number and type of undead raised differ dramatically between the three undead factions.
Undead Race
The undead are the third playable race in Goblin Storm, and they will consist of three factions. The Feral Undead are a shambling zombie apocalypse bent on devouring all in their path. The Order of the Scarlet Rose fields a highly disciplined army of both human and undead units. While the Lich Lord commands a wide variety of undead units geared towards wearing their opponents down in battle after battle. Check out the section below for a brief overview of the playstyles and lore of each of the new factions.
Undead Factions
Lich Lord:
Doctrine: Combined Arms Attrition
Strengths: Access to specialist undead types. Phantoms ignore all terrain costs. Fire troops integrated into melee units. Lich Lord grants +20% leadership to all undead within five hexes and serves a powerful hero unit in combat. Efficient at population resurrection.
Weaknesses: Scarcity of cavalry. Lack of dedicated fire units. More reliant on leadership bonuses than other faction. No reconnaissance.
Lore:
Lich Lords are extraordinarily powerful undead sorcerers created from the merger of one or more mortal necromancers with the soul of an immortal demon. Consequently, an ‘individual’ Lich Lord is in fact a collection of several distinct individuals amalgamated into a single entity. The outcome of such an unholy union is an exceptionally powerful magic user capable of raising and controlling all forms of undead. Moreover, unlike ordinary necromancers who merely raise and command the dead, Lich Lords share a telepathic link with all their creations. This unique connection enables a Lich Lord to observe and direct the actions of their entire army as if it were an extension of their own body. Blessed with such unparalleled magical prowess and wisdom beyond the bounds of any mortal, a Lich Lord truly is a demigod incarnate. Woe betide anyone unfortunate enough to face such a foe in battle.
Feral Undead:
Doctrine: Wave Attack
Strengths: Abundant light cavalry and reconnaissance. Huge unit sizes. Nearly limitless reserves of infantry, especially zombies and husks. Most efficient at population resurrection.
20% discount on all unit costs
Weaknesses: Lack of leaders. No heavy cavalry. Fight poorly in rough terrain. Poor skirmishers. Limited fire combat ability.
Lore:
When a lich is destroyed their creations do not simply scatter to the winds. Instead, the remnants band together with other leaderless undead into malignant packs of ravenous corpses driven by primal hunger and a fragmented collective consciousness. Usually, these packs of “feral” undead pose little threat to civilization and are simply annihilated by professional armies or goblin warbands. However, occasionally, when the circumstances are right, different packs of feral undead merge to create truly terrifying hordes that are capable of overrunning human counties or feasting upon entire goblin clans. They must be stopped as quickly as possible or their numbers will spiral beyond control as the corpses of their victims rise and join the horde.
Order of the Scarlet Rose:
Doctrine: Offensive Flexibility
Strengths: Abundant heavy cavalry – both living and dead. Undead Death Knights do not suffer a skirmish penalty. Leaders apply bonuses to units under their command at a distance like goblin chieftains.
Weaknesses: Lack of professional light infantry. Strong living units are scarce and slow moving. Bone Ghouls are numerous but individually weak. Least efficient at population resurrection.
Lore:
The Order of the Scarlet Rose is an ancient Helsatian military and monastic order dedicated to protecting the realms of men by waging war against the goblin tribes on the vast expanses of the Gray Steppe. Although the knights of the Order carved out their own sovereign state on the northern rim of the Steppe, decades of ceaseless combat have long since depleted the Order’s manpower and run their coffers dry. Faced with the imminent destruction of their domain and the failure of their holy mission, the knights of the Scarlet Rose have turned to the forbidden arts of necromancy to bolster their numbers. Today, the last knights of the Order, who still draw breath march to battle alongside their long-dead brethren. Although few would question the Order’s prowess in battle, their reliance upon dark magic has won them few friends in the kingdoms they fight to protect. Even more ominously, the Order has proven itself willing to raid the lands of their fellow human lords in search of fresh peasants to fuel their war machine. Some would call them evil, but the knights would simply call themselves efficient.
Tying it all Together:
That’s it for today, I hope you have enjoyed this brief glimpse into the new undead factions! As always if anyone has any thoughts or questions about the FCU, I would be happy to answer them here or on our community discord. In addition to our continued work on Goblin Storm, we have also begun posting dev blogs and order of battle previews on our forum for our upcoming World War 2 Operational strategy game, CAOS2.
NS2 Forums:
http://www.ns2games.com/forum/4
Discord:
https://discord.gg/nMgqqfU