At long last, after many delays due to COVID-19 and me deciding to buy a new house (causing much stress!), the update you've been waiting for is finally available! There are a few really big changes that I'm very excited to share with all of you. Sadly, the Baba Yaga quest did not make it into this update, but everything else I had planned did.
Release Notes
Floor 3 of the catacombs -- the tomb of the priestess -- is now open. Explore a huge new floor with challenges unlike any you've faced before.
Added a difficulty slider so those who feel the game is too hard can still enjoy it, and those looking for a challenge can now have it. This is a work in progress, please give feedback on parts that feel too hard or too easy at certain points.
Steam Cloud save support! Now enjoy your saves on every device you play on. This can be disabled through Steam if desired.
Added "Into The Crypt" which begins when opening the stairway door to floor 2 of the crypt. If you don't already have this quest it will be given to you when a new journal entry is added for it.
Crypt stairway key to enter floor 3 is now a quest reward instead of in a chest
Fix issue where mouse would stay visible after closing some interfaces
What's Next?
Despite the delays, the next Update 'The Depths' may not be so delayed. I had a lot of plans for this update but most of them will have to be cut, not due to being delayed, but because of the stress this game puts on my life without being able to financially pay down that stress.
Anyway, the caverns are really looking nice (I did a little playing around while I was figuring out how to refactor the quests for the priestess update) and I'm sure you're going to love getting lost in them.
Tomb of the Priestess Update Progress
I have to admit that finding time to work on Feeble Saga lately has been a challenge, but I'm finally seeing light at the end of the tunnel and the next update will shortly be ready. Hopefully within the next week.
In the Tomb of the Priestess, you will experience challenges like none you've yet seen in the game. The final floor of the crypt is a spectacular blend of exploration, puzzle-solving, and action that I hope will be fun and exciting for you.
In addition to the new floor, the update includes a difficulty setting. It's not exactly balanced 100% yet but I didn't want to delay the update just because of it. You'll find 4 difficulties: Easy, Normal, Hard, and Very Hard (names pending). It will default to Normal, which is mostly what the game is now. Hard will add more enemies, and very hard will add even more, and may possibly make the enemies more difficult.
Another exciting feature from the new update is Steam Cloud saves! I'm not sure how many of you need this feature, but it's been asked for many times and is something I want myself.
I know it's been a long time since my last announcement. I had succumbed to the cold, dark of winter, and just when it was time to go all in and get this update done, this coronavirus pandemic comes along. Now, being isolated to my home office and being overrun by children needing to be home-schooled, I'm finding some stable footing.
Thank you all who have supported the game so far! I appreciate all the doors you've opened up for me, for A Feeble Saga, and for my future games.
2020 Path To Release
A new year is upon us, and now it's time to unveil the path to the game's final release! Please note that this list is not final, and any dates in this post are only estimates. Because this is a solo venture, anything on this roadmap is subject to change due to a variety of things like health issues, taking on paid contracts, or even getting ahead of schedule (hopefully).
In the game's current state, only 1 bulletin board quest remains incomplete: Baba Yaga. The rest of the updates on this roadmap will focus on a few remaining features, and revealing the game's storyline, taking you on a journey into the depths of Gaia.
The next update, I'm calling "Tomb of the Priestess", will focus on completing the crypt and side quests. The update will be out in Q1 2020, by the end of February or early March. Among other things, here is the major feature list:
Tomb of the Priestess Features
Floor 3 of the crypt with boss encounter
Baba Yaga quest
Difficulty setting
Steam cloud saves
After that major update, there are 3 more big updates planned before release, with small updates in between for bug fixes, balance tweaks, and potential small features at the request of the community. Here is the list of updates coming this year, along with an estimated release schedule:
Update 10 - The Depths
Coming in June or July 2020. Learn new abilities as you delve into the vast caverns below the crypt and into the darkness. Map your keys and take control of your own path.
Update 11 - Shadow's Curse
In September or October 2020, below the caverns, darkness becomes fire. Will you achieve greatness delving into the fiery core? It just may give you the glory you've been seeking. But at what cost? Will the shadow overcome you or will you rise to the occasion?
Update 12 - The Final Chapter
In December of 2020, your feeble saga will come to an end. Will you finally earn the title of hero, or will Goth'Azul lay claim to your soul for its eternal army?
Update 8 Hotfixes
Several updates have been deployed to fix the following issues. A special thank you goes out to all who have gone out of their way to report these. The game is better off because of it, which makes your experience with the game in the future even better.
Bug fixes:
Fix issue saving/loading scene data. Some unlocked doors are locked again and you'll have to find the key again to open.
Sidney will now give you a spare key if the gate to the outer woods isn't open and you don't have the key due the the save bug.
Fix heart container not dropping after defeating the Behemie Den Mother. If you missed it you should be able to go back and get it.
Fix Lich projectile firing direction
Fix invisible barrels in caves
Fix cemetary gate journal entry text
Fix wood totem in multiple chests
Fix not auto facing some bosses
Fix rolling while loading area would make you run the other way
Fix second floor of big cave in stone fields not dropping any loot
Fix random occurrence of getting stuck if you change equipment while attacking
Fix climbing on behemies with basic attack and movement on flat ground
Fix mouse staying visible sometimes when pressing Escape key (press attack to hide cursor)
Improvements:
Added text to show the opened chest by the old town hero isn't glitched
Tweak platemail to look less plastic
Make lighting in caves dynamic (huge improvement, minor performance hit)
Update 8 Finally Available!
After months of development, I'm happy to say this update is finally available for PC and Mac!
The biggest change with this update is the save system and the quest rework. Due to these major changes, ALL saved games have been discarded, so you will have to start over. This decision was not made lightly, and future saved games will never be wiped. This was a necessary change to support cloud saves and facilitate not having to do this in the future. Have no fear though, weapon prices have gone down significantly to aide you on your journey.
Changes
Game saves are now saved to a file rather than in the registry
Quests have been reworked to allow a more open world experience
Most quest lines can be started immediately and no longer require progress in the main quest line. Some quests still rely on events to occur, for example: clearing a bandit cave, before becoming available
The North Woods map has been expanded and is fully open for exploration
Added new enemies: Earth elemental, wood golem, stone golem, young armored behemoth, and orc warriors
When loading your saved game, you will now resume right where you left off rather than the last spawn point. Note that enemies will have respawned similarly to using a portal
Your position is now shown on outdoor maps
Tweaked rolling to be more useful for combat
Moved crypt floor 1 map chest to be closer to the entrance
Updated outdoor maps with new, more detailed maps
Added a button to speed up credits
Lots more tweaks and balance changes
Bug Fixes
Enemies will no longer attack super fast if you roll right as they attack
Removed incorrect icon indicating you can open credits by pressing Y
More Update 8 Progress
I've been quiet the past few months because I haven't had as much time to work on A Feeble Saga as much as I wanted, but a lot of progress has been made toward the next update and I'm confident I'll have something to show for it real soon. Restructuring all the quests in the game has been a lot of work, but all the current quests are finally moved over to the new system and I'm very happy with the result!
I mentioned previously that the update would happen in September[ish], but due to unforeseen consequences of the major changes made, it may not be possible. Because all this new content is being added, it was necessary for me to add new equipment to find and buy. So in addition to some things below, that's where I've been spending a lot of my time. This update is going to be HUGE, and will likely double or triple your game time, so I'm sure you'll be ok with the wait. The next updates shouldn't be nearly as difficult, and once the update is out I'll be able to post a roadmap of the updates needed in order to fully release the game.
For now, please enjoy pictures of some of the new content (lots of brown I know):
Update 8 Progress
Sorry I've been quiet lately, summer brings with it a major shift in my priorities and work schedule. I hope you can be patient with me because the next update will take a few months longer than the previous updates. This is the first update in a series of big updates. From this update on, I'll be moving to a 3 month update schedule to bring bigger, more meaningful updates for you instead of these small changes.
Major Quest Changes
Right now, questing feels pretty linear, but the game is intended to be an open world where you choose your own adventure, so there will be some major changes to questing and progression.
I intend to make the Adventurer's Guild, and in fact almost all quests, completely optional for completing the game. The guild and quests will help you progress, and increase your "fame", which is a new mechanic I plan on adding. This number will replace the current "quest progress" value.
A new bulletin board will provide a new straightforward way of getting and completing new quests. Note that not all quests will be on the bulletin board, in fact most won't be. Also note that you don't have to collect or accept quests on a bulletin board to complete them.
These changes will allow me to streamline quest flow, and make it easier to add encounters for future updates. It will also make exploration more rewarding and meaningful.
New Map Areas
The area under construction in the forest will be opened up. This area includes a new shopkeeper, more caves, a mini-dungeon, elementals, golems, orcs, and more. Most of these things are mapped out and almost ready to go, but I'm still working on what special encounters and quests will be in there.
This is a very large area and will probably triple or quadruple the amount of content in the game. Writing entire quest lines for all this land would take me months and require it to all be done at once, which is why I've come up with the quest/progression system above.
Spells and Abilities*
I'm designing a new skill system, which will be pretty simple to match the style of the rest of the game. It will involve you finding things, like books, that give you "knowledge" points. You will spend these points to unlock abilities. This will likely get pushed into its own update due to the complexities involved, but it's next on the list.
Artifact Collection*
There will be a new interface window for viewing all the artifacts you've collected, which will hopefully add some more purpose to your adventuring.
Key Remapping*
Because I need to revamp some of the UI to add the abilities interface and collection interface, it will open new doors for other interfaces. One that I hope to add next is the ability to remap the controls. I may not get around to it with this update, but I'm hopeful.
* Items marked with an asterisk are stretch goals and may not make it to update 8.
Update 7 Available Now!
Finally, the combat update you've been waiting for. This is phase 1 in combat improvements and I hope you enjoy it.
Each weapon "class" now has its own secondary attack! Short swords stab, bigger swords do a power attack, and spears do a quick swing attack (it's very fun, I love the spears).
You can also do a dodge roll. You can perform the roll at any time. It will even interrupt your attack animation, which is really nice for slower weapons when you've made a timing mistake.
Release Notes
Implemented secondary weapon attacks
Implemented a dodge/roll mechanic
Added a 'controls' window that pops up your first time playing and can also be accessed from the settings window
Moved around some keys and locked doors in crypt level 2 to fix some issues using running out of keys
Added a shopkeeper that sells crypt keys just in case you experienced the issue of running out of keys. He also sells potions and recall scrolls at a markup. This is likely to be a temporary shopkeep
Fixed stairway keys names and descriptions
Update 7 Progress
Progress on the next update has been slow due to me being sick (allergies, man cold, bronchitis, whatever you want to call it), but I am plugging away as best I can.
Combat Improvements
I decided to focus on combat with this update because as a player, I myself was getting bored with the repetitive circling/evading, and timing attacks with the current combat system. So I had all these ambitious goals to make a targeting system with blocking and dodging, but after working on that for a few days and not making any headway, I decided to lower the scope and come up something a little more feasible for a solo developer. So here's what I came up with:
Secondary Attacks. This feature has been coded and I'm assigning each weapon type its appropriate secondary attack.
Shortswords and swords have a stab attack which is guaranteed to do the weapon's max damage.
Longswords, large swords, and short spears have a spinning kind of roundhouse attack (not the AoE kind) that do extra damage and knockback.
Axes will have a powerful attack but I haven't decided much beyond that.
Rolling. You can roll to quickly evade or get closer to an enemy.
Blocking is a stretch goal because it also requires a strafing mechanic I'll have to look into.
Ranged weapons will not be coming in this update, but will probably use the same strafing mechanic as blocking.
Feedback
Please give me your feedback and ideas so we can make these systems the best they can be! As an early access game, you have the power to shape the game if you participate in the community. The best way to do that is by joining our Discord server (https://discord.gg/ubERWYF). But you can also post in the Steam forums if you prefer.
Hotfix 6.1
Fixes
Fix a blocking issue where if you collected the key to go to the next floor of the crypt before the update but didn't open the door, you couldn't open it. Now you can find the stairway key in the boss room next to the door.
Fix a bug that would keep some map icons on the map forever.
