It’s been three months since we launched Bossgard, here’s our biggest update yet!.
The Valhalla Update is bringing in a butt-load of features to the game and revamps fundamental aspects of Bossgard. The tl;dr version is this:
We added a singleplayer Story Mode
We added a whole Progression system
We did a deep overhaul of the combat system
...and we made it free over the weekend!
So if you’re in for a read, sit down and check this out…
COMBAT
Twin Stick Shooter
We made a big decision and turned Bossgard into a twin-stick shooter. While our previous default auto-aim made the game really easy to play, we realized it was very limiting and prohibited mid to high skill level play. To put it plain it prevented the possiblity of developing advanced techniques. It was also incredibly punishing for the Boss to have Vikings that hardly miss. Moreover it neutralized differences in play between Ranged and Melee Vikings.
So what you’re getting now is a classic twin stick shooter setup that makes hitting targets a whole lot more rewarding. Aim true, Vikings.
Heavy Attack
Vikings now have a new move - the Heavy Attack. This is an attack that is character-dependant, meaning that each character performs it differently.
Unique Characters
We posted about this in the past, but we’re going to go through the new characters again. Characters used to be pretty same-y, the major difference being whether they were Melee or Ranged, on top of which they had their Viking Ability plus the Rage they chose in the pre-match lobby.
Now Vikings have different stats and different moves, so picking a character means picking a particular playstyle, we redesigned them with roles in mind. For instance Asha is the tankiest of the Vikings, which makes her especially handy as a healer. Vikings go like this:
Asha - Melee, Tank
Leap. Asha can hold down RT/Right-Click to perform a leap with her hammer, dealing AOE damage upon landing.
Buff. Asha is the “healthiest” of the Melee Vikings and can withstand the most punishment. She’s extremely effective as a healer.
Turret. Asha deploys a turret that fires automatically at all nearby enemies.
Innes - Ranged, Sniper
Piercing Shot. By holding down RT/Right-Click Innes loads up a special arrow that cuts through multiple enemies
Fifi. Innes releases her trusty Fifi, a sabertooth tiger that hunts enemies.
Miko - Ranged, Soldier
Scatter Shot. By holding down RT/Right-Click, Miko starts loading rounds in her Repeating Crossbow. Upon release she fires all the arrows (max 5) in a cone in front of her.
Gatling. Miko brings out a Gatling Gun that fires continuously.
Edith - Melee, Assassin
Burrowing. Edith has the ability to dodge attacks by burrowing underground. When she emerges she can deal a Heavy Attack.
Backstab! Edith land automatic Critical Hits if attacking from behind her target. Applies to both Bosses and Minions.
Backstep. When performing a Heavy Attack, Edith also dodges backwards.
Squishy. Edith is the frailest of the Melee Vikings.
Skellies. Edith raises her relatives from the dead, which keep coming back to life as long as the ability is active.
Magnus - Melee, Bruiser
Charging Attack. Magnus’ Heavy Attack causes him to lunge forward over a short distance, cutting through several enemies at the same time.
All-rounder. Magnus is the most balanced of the Melee Vikings. Both his Health and Damage are above average.
Whirlwind. Magnus’ ability allows him to zig-zag around the battlefield dealing damage to any Minion or Boss that he touches.
We’re not discriminating anybody so the Bosses are getting special love as well!
BOSS RAGE COST
Boss Utility Powers (Dispel, Trap and Heal) as well as the Bossrage now cost Rage and also have a cooldown. This now makes it an important choice of what Powers you use during a match and when you use them.
BOSS HEALING
We completely reworked the way Bosses heal themselves. We wanted to provide players with secondary objectives other than just bashing at the Boss. Bosses will have the following new powers:
Olaf’s Ice-cream Towers Olaf drops an Ice-cream tower that deals damage from time to time, constantly healing the Boss.
Jackhammer’s MULEs Jackhammer spawns a MULE bot that wanders around digging up barrels of Health for the Boss.
Fortress’ Harvesters Fortress spawns a flying Harvester minion that wanders the board, consuming Minions and converting them into Health for the Boss.
Plunger’s Giant Flies Plunger spawns a Giant Fly that zips across the board, healing the Boss from time to time. It’s hard to catch and a proper nuisance.
Bhaar-Boot’s Mini Dice Bhaar-Boot spawns miniature dice that spin randomly across the board. When they stop, they heal the Boss and destroy themselves.
Story Mode
For the first time ever we put together a full singleplayer experience. It’s a linear episode that portrays the origin of Magnus and Innes and how they came to do battle with odd monsters such as Olaf. It’s not a massive branching roleplaying experience, it’s relatively short and its purpose is that of introducing the players to the game.
Moreover it is a platform, it’s a structure we managed to nail down and on which we can build further. Story and lore is something we wish to develop much further and will do so as soon as we stabilize the functional aspects of the game. As you can see, we’re still working on combat and other fundamental aspects. It’s only the third month of our Early Access, long ways to go yet, hobbits :)
Progression
The Story Mode concludes with one of the biggest features Bossgard now has - the progression system. The ability to earn rewards after each game played, unlockable armors, characters, weapons, maps and so on.
We also introduced an ingame currency, Runestone Shards, to keep track of player performance and allow them to unlock the game’s content step by step.
Character Menu
The Customization Menu has been reworked into the Inventory, a 3 tab menu (Character, Outfits and Abilities) where all your unlocked items are displayed, including Characters and Abilities.
Match-based level up system for Vikings
Vikings can now increase their Damage, Rage gain and Speed during a match by landing successful blows, deploying successful Rages and by successfully dodging attacks.
This system ensures that proficient Viking players are rewarded per match depending on their performance.
Bonus: Boss-themed
This is by far the biggest update so far. The systems we managed to lay into place now will allow us to extend the game far beyond its initial scope. Singleplayer systems, item systems, loot systems, currency systems, combat systems, all of these are huge building blocks which will keep on bringing value to our players.
In conclusion
This is the best time to join Bossgard and the Free Weekend has just begun.We invite you to step inside Bossgard and have a good time. Don’t forget to bring a friend :)
Lovingly,
The Sand Sailors