This month so far we have accomplished alot of clean up thus far. But first a few things. We will be having a founders box for those that wish to buy the game physically. We won't really make money off these but it is just a wow factor? Because.. Why not?
UI
Next, we have been working on improving the UI completely in the game, and when we say we have completely revamped, we have COMPLETELY revamped. We created an entire style guide to ensure color continuity and ensured things got highlighted that should be, and removed items that were just plain old distracting.
Before
After
The TEN YEAR engine upgrade
It is done, wow oh wow. We have gotten to the new game engine finally. FINALLY!!!! WE are proud of this huge leap. Next stuff we are concentrating on is performance and clean up. We have learned much these past ten years and we are going to start implementing these clean ups immediately which will make an even more stable game.
Progress Report from the field
We've been working hard Avalonians.
Opening this pandoras box was not easy again for us. A game that was originally released in 2016 and hasn't seen a significant update in 3 years has cobwebs for sure.
For your knowledge on what we are working on.
The game engine used to build Avalon Lords is Unity, and the version currently in production is Unity 4. The current release is 2019.2.13. Our engine was released in 2013. Meaning it is 7 years old. We are currently ugprading it to the latest version of unity and getting that working first and foremost.
Once that is working expect a new tested release with the same game you are prlaying now but on a ten year newer engine.
Here is what else we are playing with.
The UI Went under major changes, and we tried to go to a unique design but there is a reason tried and true designs work. We are rehauling the UI.
Major engine upgrade that will make this engine 7 years newer.
Maps are a major pain right now and we had a problem with deciding where we should go. Realistic vs Stylistic. I think we know now.
Additional units / races are a pain point. We are trying to figure out what to do to this end as well so the official release is fun, but we don't over extend ourselves. I'd rather release a game that is fun than a game that is broken and tried to do too miuch.
Avalon Lords Major Upgrade
We have seen all the issues and problems you have all suffered. We are determined to fix all of them.
We are looking for help from community members as well to get into private testing if they want to take part of it.
We also want to hear what it is you want to see done?
We also would like to show off our brand new logo to coincide with this major rehaul event.
FOR AVALON!
New Updates When?
So, We've been working on a bunch of things here at Animus Interactive. Regarding Avalon Lords, things took on a life of their own. We started with a new map.. That evolved into more than just that. We decided to rethink the way resources work. Maybe there are too many types?
Then we looked at the menus. Maybe they are too complicated?
Then we looked at the structures. Maybe there needs to be more?
You can see where this is going. Obviously, this is taking a tad longer than we expected. But we hope the new simplified interfaces. Improved in-game mechanics. New maps. Give you all something to cherish.
We have uploaded the current state of the new simplified start screen.
We hope to show you more as we have it, and give a more solid date soon.
Sneak Peek of New Map
We have attached a sneak peek of a new map called the King's Cross For your Pleasure. Click the thumbnail for a larger view.
A Hero Is Coming To Avalon February 2017
Hail Avalonians!
We have a large patch coming out, with a brand new unit coming to the game. We are excited for this update. It comes with a large upgrade of the base game and its framework. We also have several bug fixes, a simplier UI, and alot more multiplayer maps.
Stand by Avalonians!
Build 0.2.6.202 Released!
Hello again! How is everybody doing this week? We have continued our busy schedule here at Animus Interactive and had another game update for everyone! Here is a look at the nuts and bolts included in this newest update:
Resource Building Windows Sometimes Wrong Size - While not game breaking by any means, this was something that we had a chance to take a look at and improve upon. Still, more work to be done, but it is heading in the right direction.
Building Window Had Useless Scroll Bar - We’re not sure how that little guy got in there, but we have packed his bags and sent him home (yes, we at least fed him . First, we’re not monsters you know!).
Mouse Cursor Disappears when Using WASD - This one was annoying, trying to scroll the camera using keys while using the mouse to select stuff at the same time. Now you can get it all done at once, multitasking FTW!
Chat Messages Interfere With Mouse Camera - There was a dead zone if you had too many messages piling up in the chat window which made the mouse not control the camera correctly. We have revived that little slice of your screen, and it should work fine now.
Post-Match Tabs are removed - In the post-match recap screen, there was some folder tab looking things that were confusing a lot of people since they did nothing. So, those are gone as well as the confusion (hopefully).
Single Wall Section - There are times when you just need a single section of the wall to fill a gap. Now you can do just that!
Squad Size Reduced - Since we increased the overall size of the troops, we have cut down the number of individuals making up the squad to a dozen souls. I think it makes for a good balance of size vs. numbers.
Increased Size of Towers, Walls, and Gates - Again due to the increase in troop sizes across the board, we had to increase the size on the models for the Walls, Gates, and Towers. Now they won’t look so funny standing up on top of the Tower or trying to all squeeze through a little Gate.
Crossbowmen Speed Increase - I think these guys were out getting drunk when we told everybody else to step up their speed in the game. Now that they have sobered up, they should be able to keep up with the rest of their fellow soldiers.
Building Destruction Sequence - The timing in which smoke or fire would appear on damaged buildings was off, now it should be more inline with what you would expect to see happen.
Fire VFX Reduced in Size - While most of us enjoy a lovely relaxing time next to a cozy fire, a massive inferno blocking almost your entire view is something entirely different. Not sure who kept setting such huge fires (we’re looking at you drunken Crossbowmen!), but all should be good now.
Construction Crane Weirdness - There were times when the building crane either would not show up, or would not go away. Think we have that all nipped in the bud now.
Destroyed Siege Weapons Size Increased - some weird magics was going on where a siege weapon would become smaller after it was destroyed. We have put up some anti-magic shielding, and they should now stay the same relative size when destroyed.
Well, that’s it for this week. The update is now live, so head on out and grab it up. Invite some of your friends to check things out as well and please, keep that awesome feedback coming. We really appreciate it all!
Thanks, everybody! For Avalon!
New Game Update Released - New Map Art!!!
Hi everybody! We know it has been a little while since our last game update, but that does not mean we have been sitting idle. A whole lot has been happening behind the scenes here and we are finally ready to push out our latest fixes and additions!
Here’s some of the goodies in this next release:
[H1]Increased Troop Size 4x[/H1] We know that previously the battles seemed at times like a war of flags since you couldn’t see your troops after a certain point of zooming out. Now you should be able to see them no matter what height you have the camera!
[H1]Increase Troop Movement Speed[/H1] We have also upped the movement rate of all troops which helps to speed up the game and crush your enemies that much faster.
[H1]Reduced Charge By 1.5%[/H1] Due to the overall increase in troops speed, their charge speed has been reduced a bit to compensate.
[H1]Reduced Camera Zoom Out Max Distance nd Reduce Camera Zoom In Max Distance[/H1] We continue to play around with these settings until we get them just right. We think we are close to the sweet spot now, what do you all think?
[H1]Increase Spacing Between Troops[/H1] With the troops themselves larger, we had to alter the spacing between troops so they weren’t standing on top of each other any more.
[H1]Increased Ballista Size 4x Original Size[/H1] It was easy to lose track of your ballista before, now it’s much easier to find it when you need it!
[H1]Increased Trebuchet Size By 1x[/H1] These were pretty big to begin with by comparison, still we upped their size a bit as well.
[H1]Increased Catapult Size By 2x[/H1] Same as all the others, picking out that catapult should be no problem no matter what height your camera is at.
[H1]Increased Trebuchet Speed Movement Speed By 4x[/H1] These were painfully slow before, but now they should keep up with the rest of your troops.
[H1]Increased Catapult Speed By 5x[/H1] I always liked the catapult myself, a good blend of power and speed. Faster catapults with which I can rain down more destruction? Yes please!
[H1]Increased Ballista Speed By 6x[/H1] What real use was an anti-infantry and anti-siege weapon when it took so long to get on the battlefield? Keep a close eye out for these little treats.
[H1]Working Of Fixed Reconnection Failures To Games[/H1] While not totally repaired at this point, we have added a notification for people so they at least know what the hang up is here.
[H1]Fixed Game Crashing At Checking For Your Profile[/H1] Some people were having some connection problems. Hopefully we have fixed that now. Please give things a try and let us know if you still have any problems.
[H1]Redone Textures For Scattered Islands Map[/H1] This is one of our larger changes for this update. Please try out a couple matches on the Shattered Islands map which has gone through the first pass of a visual makeover. What do you think of the art direction?
[H1]Land Bridges On Scattered Islands Swapped With Real Bridges[/H1] Along with the texture makeover of this map, we are changing out some of the other art and model assets. How do you like seeing real bridges between the islands?
[H1]AI Should Attack Walls When They Are Blocking It's Path[/H1] A little bump in the AI for troops. They should now attack any walls that are blocking their path instead of walking all the way around them.
[H1]Research Queue Bug That Could Cause Negative Resources / Infinite Resources Fixed[/H1] This one was quite bad for people who suddenly found themselves with a sever lack of resources on hand. However, those who figured out how to essentially get infinite resources will be disappointed here..
[H1]When Hiding Interface Using Shift+Esc, Unit Flag Icons Will Also Hide[/H1] This one has been long requested by a bunch of people. Well, we finally got it to be a thing. Now lets see some of those amazing (GUI-free) screenshots!
Well, that’s it for now my friends. Again, please let us know what you think of the new art and camera controls. Thank you very much to everybody who has been providing excellent feedback, suggestions and bug reports. We will keep at it as we go through the list of things on our plate. Look forward to more updates and more announcements coming soon!
Thanks everybody. For Avalon!
Episode 44 of Program With Us is today at 6pm PDT!
Join us on Twitch at www.twitch.tv/animusinteractive for an amazing live stream with community manager, Chris SchoolCraft and PR manager Dan Long as they show you some of the latest updates to the game Avalon Lords: Dawn Rises!
They are going to show you some of the new graphical assets and settings and even go to battle!
Fixes And Art Updates Coming
We have a lot of updates coming in the next few weeks. One of the major improvements is art style. We know many of you have complained about the look and feel of the textures on the levels. But worry not for long, they are all getting redone.
