The Guildmaster had urgent business to take care of and thus I have taken upon myself to relay what has been going on in the Guild recently. It has been a long time since we last spoke so this was bound to happen sooner or later. The new training methods seem to bear fruit and now every attack of our guild members is supremely viscous. They draw blood with every strike and if one is skillful enough or just massacres continuously, they can color their surroundings red or green or whatever flows inside these undead beings. Humans tend to have deep crimson blood and so amidst combat one should be careful of not spilling too much of their own. However, this should be pretty clear to most of you by now so there is no need for further discussion. The artisans have created yet another mighty set of weapons to vanquish our foes. The broadswords much like the long axes are wielded in one hand and can be swung much quicker than the great axe. Every guild member receives meticulous training in all manners of combat thus no matter if it is a great axe, dual blades or a single broadsword they need to use they will face no difficulties! Some ancient plans and manuscripts describing the formulation of magical trinkets have been found as well and the artisans are in the process of untangling the intricacies of each one of these tomes. [previewyoutube="aVzAX8yWRWc;full"] Apart from the deadly weapons these trinkets will serve as another form of aid during battle. You have already seen the rings and there will be other types of loot to collect through your adventures. As for the various boons and enhancements they offer that’s up to the standards of the craftsmanship and you will have inspect each of them if you wish to make the most out of your equipment!
I hope that by the next occasion the Guildmaster will be back but no one truly knows what he aims to do, not even I. In the meantime, hone your skills and take care of each-other!
Azar Zela
Hello everyone!
The artisans (devs) speaking. Thank you for following the development of DEADHUNTERS and we hope you will stay with us on this journey in the future as well. This is a marathon for our small dev team but we strive to make it look as interesting as possible! We don’t like to break the fourth wall in these posts but we thought we should clarify some things.
As all of you are well aware the global corona virus situation is escalating and in our country we have been asked to relocate back into our homes. Therefore, we have switched to a home office setup and have started to get used to this new situation. After settling in completely we hope that the development shall continue as per usual.
The development of DEADHUNTERS stared during the summer of 2017 so we have been working on the game for roughly 2,5 years by now. Making quality video games takes time both because higher quality assets need more time to complete but also because designs evolve as we move on. For example, the gore effects we have just upgraded.
Obviously considering that we are just two guys making this it becomes even more important to understand what can be done in a reasonable time and what is simply impossible for us. We thought about this numerous times and came to the conclusion time and time again that we should seek some form of funding. Well, for half a year we have contacted several publishers and none of them believed we could make this thing happen.
We thought of doing a Kickstarter as well, but it is not possible from our country and we didn’t want to do a crowdfunding campaign in the first place because from then on communication would take up a significant amount of time, which we don’t have.
In conclusion, we decided to rent an office and focus on developing an Early Access version of the game. This means that we are essentially burning our own savings to get the game ready as soon as possible. After the Early Access launch we strongly believe that the game will finance the development and maybe we could even hire some freelancers to help. Naturally this means that the development of the game will last for a long time and features will be added as we move on. Right now our goal is to have a Single player experience ready with all major systems working. This way you would get a complete grasp of the game and also it is always easier to expand on stable foundations!
Thank you for reading through all this text and we hope you will stay with us on our journey in making DEADHUNTERS a truly great game!
Life in the Guild 20
Hello Hunters!
Time flows fast and here we are merely a month later. Now that the immediate situation of the Guild has been resolved we could happily carry on with our daily tasks. For instance, Tok ventured forth and charted the surroundings. Which might not seem challenging however they change once he returns to the Guild. Well, at least he has his hands full and maybe if everything goes well he will also be able to set up camp once in a while! There is also a handful of other events to discuss, like the artisans who have created yet another set of weaponry for the Guild. These axes will come in handy when dealing with enemies single handedly. The wielder can attack faster with them albeit for less damage. The true professionals of the field not only know how to handle these arms but also when to use each one of them. On the other hand, we heard from various members of the Guild that our methods are not vicious enough. Well, some additional blood has never hurt anyone so from now on the training of Deadhunters will focus heavily on chipping off bones and making gib chunks fly far away. We hope that soon you will see the results of our efforts as well. Given that the situation at hand with the Bloodmage has resolved itself. We I decided that it was time to focus more on training and less on fighting. Unless we are powerful enough we will not be able to contend with the Cult of the Dead. Fret not, sooner or later the day will come when our fragile peace treaty shatters. It will be the day to display the results of superior training, all devised by me! I am very confident that if I lend a helping hand everything will go well. Now if only I remembered where I put my notes I wouldn’t need to improvise during every session.
Oh well, structure is less important than integrity and as you can tell by now, I’m a man of not only superior intellect but integrity as well! Alas, I must go now because I forgot that the training should have started 2 hours ago. I better hurry before things get out of hand or there is no one left on the training field...
Life in the Guild 19
Hello Hunters!
Our guild has been through a lot lately and we couldn’t sit down for a good eye to eye recently. We are, I mean I am very sorry and hope that you will still listen to our my stories about the past months.
It all began with our grand excursion to the Northern Lands, it was the first time we had to travel such a great distance and making sure that everything would be alright and nobody would have to sleep on the streets proved to be a challenge. Even if Ago is sort of used to sleeping wherever he can, I believed it would’ve shed a dark beam of pity on our Grand Guild if a member had to stay outdoors. So I packed some warm blankets for him and all was well!
Unfortunately, we couldn’t find enough recruits to call our venture a success. Our only loot is a plaque that hangs at the side of our guild store. Well, even if the adventure wasn’t successful there are still things to rejoice about, such as: everybody survived!
After returning the Guild held its annual winter celebrations, which involves giving presents to one another. Some members got more than others, like me for it was mandatory strongly advised for everyone to humor me. Another person who got a lot of presents was Ago, although his consisted of various kicks and punches after he cheated everyone two times in a row during the local Guine Swine betting championship. Which is a story for another time…
The greatest event of the past few months however is sure to be the relocation of the whole guild. I felt it was bound to happen sooner or later and with the new year the plan was set in motion. By now everybody has found their place and all is well. Even better actually than it was before! One of the artisans has a magical workbench that can lift up or down depending on his desires. With the new headquarters the guild’s image had to be changed as well. Take a look at the latest designs and please share your thoughts! As for the way forward, the artisans are hard at work on mass producing various items of loot and they are constantly muttering about some sort of narrative and choice driven campaign …
Now that I mention I have not heard any muttering for nearly 3 months maybe I’m finally cured and the Voice is gone, for real!
This is it for now, expect more in about a month or so!
Ps. The admirable Bloodmage has come to an agreement with our guild, which is definitely not why his face can be seen on our latest designs!
Life in the Guild 18
Hello Hunters
I am delighted to announce that the Guild will make its first ever excursion to foreign lands. We are soon departing for the far north and will use flying magic to make the journey as smooth as possible. Our plan is to recruit more people, we heard that northern folk are quite resilient so they are bound to make good members. Obviously I we want to present the Guild in the best way possible even with my our meager financial assets. Luckily Sir Delsih was kind enough to lend me us the necessary funds to finance the painting of a grand portrait for me the Guild. So we tasked our two artisans and they came up with the following design: I believe Tok makes an excellent promotional material as he is not only charismatic but quite fierce as well! By all means tell us your thoughts on the matter!
Oh and one more thing, during these days we will be offering live training sessions for those interested. So if you can make it be sure to drop by and take a swing with Tok!
Life in the Guild 17
Hello Hunters!
We have several highly important matters to discuss and by discuss I mean you listening and me talking. I have bad news and good news, let me start with the bad news. It seems Tok has successfully angered the Cult of the Dead with his latest adventure and now a leader of those lunatics has decided to visit the area. Lord Bloodmage, the Almighty Bloodmage, his esteemed highness the mightiest bloodmage and so on … This is what I could find out about the figure that will soon make his appearance here. I reckon he wants to get back the stolen Skullbone artifact. Alas, it must have been a slap to the face for the Cult when a single person robbed them of their treasure. It seems to me that hard times are ahead but I was never a person to back down from a fight and neither are my fellow guild members! Now, for the good part: The artisans have made great progress and created five more weapons for us. These hammers are extremely straightforward to use, you grab them with both hands and smash whatever comes your way. As with all of our weaponry the more fancier they get the less likely you are to wield them, as only those who are truly blessed by superior skills and a sliver of luck can attain them. Do not worry though, because diligent behavior is always rewarded, the more you grind… I mean practice the more likely it is that you will become an owner of a Tier 5 weapon or whatever they are called, I didn’t name them. On another note, Master Zela has gone missing which may sound terrible to some of you but I believe should come as a joyous occasion for the most of you. Without his constant nagging, preaching, teachings our lives have become a little less mundane, truly only a little though. However, I believe he will be back soon as not many things can endanger that old fox… Besides, we have finally gotten around to retouching the Deadhunters guild plaque, you should have seen it by now. I made sure to change it to the new one at every site I could remember posting it, if I missed one please don’t hold back and let me know. I sincerely hope you like the new emblem, I think the blood was a nice touch and I made sure to get a fine sample for it from the neighboring cultists. Not that anything could worsen our relations with them by now. Oh and there is also the little magical recording of Tok’s slaughter in the cultist den. If you have yet to see it please bear witness to this axe swinging and flame throwing exercise of his. [previewyoutube="HbFd0uvwVQ4;full"] Well, I have just seen red lightning strike not so far away so either somebody has very bad luck or the Bloodmage has come…
Life in the Guild 16
Hello Hunters!
It’s been a while, if I recall correctly last time I had some trouble with the local peasant folk, well as it turned out they were peasants no more… I found out that the Cult of the Dead has spread its influence even to this region and this resulted in a loss of valuable vegetable farmers for me. It was time for vengeance, it was time to show these ignorant cultists who they were messing with! [previewyoutube="HbFd0uvwVQ4;full"] Coincidentally, Tok was itching for some hands on experience with his new skills and I told him to go out and wreak havoc in the area. Little did I know, that this would result in him searching for the local Cult of the Dead fortress, entering it and stealing their most precious Skullbone artifact all the while murdering each and every one of them. Well, as the saying goes don’t look a gift horse in the mouth so I was quite happy to get my hands on one more magical artifact. However, there is always a catch because the moment I got my hands on that thing the damned Voice resounded in my head once again! It went on and on about how important this discovery is and that how wonderful it is that he selected Tok to be a Guild member, as if he had anything to do with that. It was naturally my foresight that led to this fruitful outcome, although seeing that Tok relishes killing so much troubles me a little, it seems the more he is entangled in combat the more he loses all rational thought. This could either lead to a great advantage in battle or to his utter downfall… only time will tell how he will deal with this trait. Before I forget, the artisans wanted to relay some words to you all so now instead of Master Zela they will give you something to think about. I fail to understand their words, they seem to be lost in their own world but isn’t it always the case with beings like this… Anyways maybe you can make more sense of them:
We are the two artisans who have been crafting what you have seen so far. After a good two years of hard work we are finally able to show you some actual gameplay footage. We really hope that you like the trailer! Please tell us what you think and help us spread the word about DEADHUNTERS!
Life in the Guild - 15
Hello Hunters
I’m in somewhat of a hurry today, some suspicious peasants have been poking around me with their pitchforks lately and it’s just a matter of time before they catch up to me again. Luckily for occasions like this, which happen at least once every day decade, I have developed a magic ability that lets me pass short distances quite rapidly. How could I call myself a gracious and caring Guildmaster if I didn’t pass down this knowledge to my guild members. So witness as Tok moves with ease, now if only he understood that he needs to pick up vegetables and various animals from the farms while doing so…
Luckily, I have come across a fellow that seems to understand my intentions much better than any of the previous guild members. His name is Agobhar Delish and according to him he comes from the Great Royal Family of Delishtan. A country that nobody, including me, knew existed before listening to the wonderful story about it for a mere gold coin. I must admit that this fellow, who prefers to be called Ago, seems to have a knack for business. He got a coin out of even me and three from Tok because he fell asleep two times and naturally telling the story again requires quite the effort and gold.
Of course I sold him the sleeping potions that helped ease Tok into sleep for merely five gold coins, so in the end I still made a profit. Ago may refer to himself as a small time gentleman but I myself am a complete one.
Speaking of gentlemen, the way I met Ago was quite interesting since, the moment I saw him I felt like I was seeing my young self, back in the day. On that rainy evening I was standing atop a beast I’ve just slain, the taste of victory was fresh in my mouth and I felt like I was ready to take on another horde of those things. While I was gazing at my enemies I felt the fear creep up their spines and they soon turned tails and ran far-far away. This is how I managed to chase away some stray dogs that wanted to grab a bite of the chicken wings I just stole, when I was out playing in the slums one day, during my youthful days.
It's quite wonderful that I could come across four very different people who still have something in common, at least in my eyes. What’s more all of them seem highly capable and fit perfectly into the Guild it’s as if there was a higher power guiding them to me, not that any such thing could influence me!
What can influence me is gold, riches, trinkets or any other valuables and I’m not alone in this world that understands true power comes not from within but from your purse, or something like that. Anyhow, there are some long dead spirits who roam the lands in search of their buried treasure and if you manage to track them down you may as well help them find it, if you catch my meaning. Listen to Zela’s explanation if you are interested!
While I’m relaxing, which always rarely happens, I enjoy watching how the world around us behaves, like those idiotic bugs that fly into something every second or so. It is truly amusing, for sometimes they can lead you to interesting places if you are patient enough.
Patience is seldom left unrewarded, it’s enough to take a look at Tok who has successfully mastered slashing with great axes. Now he can rip most zombies in half with only one of his swings.
His journey to this state was by no means easy, I have asked the artisans to record his progress so that I could use it to motivate new guild members, when they feel that swinging once more is too hard.
Motivation, patience and practice. As a Guildmaster I truly understand how important these are for all members. However, those who rise above others not only understand these mantras but use them to their advantage. Take for example Eris who was not so amused by paying one gold coin for Ago’s story. So the next day during the morning practice she used an interesting hex, that I absolutely don’t know where she learned from for merely five coins, to make running a little bit more challenging for Ago.
I hope now you understand why it is important to not just practice but to use these mantras as well. The artisans could tell you a lot more about this as well, but they prefer that their work speaks for them so you can take a look at the fashion choices of Ago or some magic conjuration. No matter what you choose, you shouldn’t be too disappointed. And I’m really sorry to disappoint but it seems that the peasants have caught up to me once more, so please excuse me!
This fool, I never would’ve thought that a man with such power and so little sense of duty existed. The fact that he uses a combination of at least three long lost movement techniques to steal cabbages from peasants and to arrive at the loo on time tells you all you need to know.
No matter, for you are here to help me and now four others as well! It was difficult but I managed to manipulate this stubborn being to recall a certain fond memory of his when he encountered those who I deemed worthy of taking on our mission.
Together we may yet prevail in finding the one pulling the strings, however now I need to go for this Guildmaster of yours is no easy thing to fool and he grows ever suspicious.
Know that I’m here and I’m watching!
Life in the Guild - 14
Hello Hunters
Yet another day has come when we mingle in conversation, you me and some other me except for the voice, he is not invited. We have a lot to discuss today so I won’t dawdle and begin right at the moment I feel it is right to begin our intriguing conversation about whatever important discoveries have been made recently by me and myself.
Having an open mind and seeing everything clearly is of outmost importance and that’s why the artisans have worked on a method that clarifies the mind. You can witness the original and the improved version of this magic if you look closely. I believe it may seem a little disruptive on a personal level that you cannot disappear anywhere now, however I have nothing to hide at all so it’s absolutely not a headache for me.
Speaking of heads, I am honored to present our newest Guild member Eris Sybilion who happens to have a little problem with her own head. Don’t fret however it’s nothing serious, unlike my issue with the voice, it’s just that her amount of hair is quite negligible. According to her it’s purely a choice of style and has nothing to do with the hex that’s imprinted on her skull. I naturally believe her wholeheartedly and didn’t offer to help her lift the curse, which I believe to be a high level spell that would take ordinary mages decades to break.
I wonder where she got such an interesting addition to her body but no matter for the moment I saw her I felt like I was seeing my young self, back in the day. On that rainy evening I was standing atop a beast I’ve just slain, the taste of victory was fresh in my mouth and I felt like I was ready to take on another horde of those things. While I was gazing at my enemies I felt the fear creep up their spines and they soon turned tails and ran far-far away. This is how I managed to chase away some stray dogs that wanted to grab a bite of the chicken wings I just stole, when I was out playing in the slums one day, during my youthful days.
I think that does it for an introduction, also Eris and Tok seem to have a lot in common, as both are trained in assassination and also both of them are severely lacking in the hair department. However, Eris doesn’t like it when others point it out, which I can somewhat understand. Oh and she also hails from the Cult of the Dead or at least that’s where her career as an assassin began but this is just minor stuff, not that important.
Speaking of the Cult of the Dead I believe they have managed to make some sort of deal with some vampires as they are on quite friendly terms nowadays. This may lead to complications in the future so listen to Zela and his preaching teachings about them.
Before I go I just wanted to inspire all of you by showing off how lots of training can have miraculous results. Tok has practiced so hard with his axe that he has managed to create a completely new and original magical force with his swings. I sincerely believe that all Guild members should be able to do the same.
Alas every great improvement and discovery comes with a cost and this is in fact true for Tok’s case as well. As a pioneer of magical slashes he had to endure various quite bone breaking practices, but he still persisted and the results speak for themselves.
To conclude this wonderful monologue of mine I would like to point out that the artisans have made quite pleasing recordings of how Tok created his magic slash or how some other magic was formed. There is also a recording of Eris dressing up, which I have not seen of course, such acts are beyond me. Please make sure not to bring this to her attention and on that note I have urgent matters to attend to so farewell.
Life in the Guild - 13
Hello Hunters
We thought it was time you got some more hands on experience with the foes that you will encounter during your travels. So I went ahead and made kindly asked one of the skeletal mages to demonstrate their signature move.
A perk of them being undead is that they can do so for ever and ever, and I promised this one that as long as he doesn’t stop what he is doing I won’t break any more of its bones. Make sure you study its moves, you have all the time you need, no pressure, on you at least.
If I remember correctly, these days my memories are a little hazy for whatever reason, I showed you how to practice your sword swinging skills. Well our valiant guild member, Tok has been practicing hard, he is still not there yet but I see great potential in him. This should inspire all of you to do the same!
Speaking of Guild members I came across yet another suitable member for the Guild of Deadhunters and I have to admit that the Voice really does seem to have a knack for identifying great people because the moment I saw him I felt like I was seeing my young self, back in the day. On that rainy evening I was standing atop a beast I’ve just slain, the taste of victory was fresh in my mouth and I felt like I was ready to take on another horde of those things. While I was gazing at my enemies I felt the fear creep up their spines and they soon turned tails and ran far-far away. This is how I managed to chase away some stray dogs that wanted to grab a bite of the chicken wings I just stole, when I was out playing in the slums one day, during my youthful days.
That said his name is Nex Fentrius, and according to him he comes from an ancient noble family, not that it’s anything to write home about. However, he no longer keeps in touch with them so they won’t be supporting the Guild or any of its members, not even the Guildmaster… He also mentioned something about the Krezula, which is the name of a bloodthirsty group of scoundrels, but I believe I just misheard him. How could such a person be a match for this esteemed and well-mannered Guild of mine...
I have never been wrong in my decisions before, just things sometimes take a turn for the unexpected like when I went into that abandoned crypt, which was sealed with six locks and two hexes and had no plants near its vicinity. Surprisingly, there were some necromancers inside performing some grand summoning. Unfortunately, after I demonstrated how to conjure real hexes on one of them, they chose to flee and then it truly became an abandoned crypt.
The necromancers are an interesting bunch and I believe Master Zela has some knowledge that he needs to share with you so please try to endure. I actually used to make special transactions with them before this whole Dead Plague issue started, they were always quite mysterious and unfriendly.
The artisan has been hard at work these days and more and more peculiar magics or whatnot leave his hole workshop. There was this strange trinket that made spikes come out of the ground near it and it nearly skewered the practicing skeleton, fortunately Nex was right on time and stopped it from happening.
Well our good friend is still making sword slashes and the green flickering is starting to strain my eyes so I think he needs to rest a little now. Anyways things are getting livelier here and I’ve hardly heard the Voice speak to me lately, maybe it realized how futile its attempts to influence my thoughts are...
Life in the Guild - 12
Hello Hunters!
I am the one that fool refers to as the Voice, my real name has little importance for I am here to accomplish much greater deeds than introducing my humble self. I have been inhabiting the bizarre mind of this “Guildmaster” for quite some time and I came to understand he uses this magical notebook as a means of communication. Unfortunately, I have proven to be inept at deciphering his messages, for in my thousands of years of existence I have never encountered a handwriting as disgusting and idiotic as his.
Alas, enough with the idle banter and let me tell you why I have decided to take control of this being and use him to communicate with you, his only audience that seems to actually care for what he says. You must have heard of the Dead Plague that has been tormenting the lands, however plagues of all kinds have happened before this one and will most likely happen after this one as well. The real crux of the matter lies not within the Plague itself but the forces that were great enough to summon a curse of this magnitude upon the world! Whatever power lies behind this spell that spans entire countries must be stopped. Meanwhile the “all knowing” guild master, that jack of no trades, who fails to even realize this is not a plague but a spell refuses to listen to my commands…
You must understand that the sooner we find the power behind this spell the better our chances of survival will be. I fear this is merely the beginning…
My time of free reign is limited as the mind of this person is quite unique, as if there were several of him and yet only a few at the same time. I cannot yet comprehend his true self so for now I will limit my control to not arouse his suspicion. Remember to help him find those I choose, for they are beings that will help us overcome the hurdles that are yet to come!
Hello Hunters!
The annoying voice still refuses to stop its rambling but I think I’m starting to slowly adapt to it, just recently it stopped for a couple of minutes, as if it was focusing on something else. I wonder what that archaic librarian must be doing… probably reading or citing poems to himself.
Fortunately, I made great progress with my research into this voice, I now believe it must be the spirit of a delusional librarian, as it never hesitates to exclaim how many languages it speaks or how bad my handwriting is. I never really understood how somebody could find languages interesting or be proud of their handwriting, I’ve always considered myself a man of action rather than words.
Speaking of action, I recently had the pleasure of meeting a quite formidable young man who also happened to become a fellow guild member of yours. His name is Tok Beolo and the moment I saw him I felt like I was seeing my young self, back in the day. On that rainy evening I was standing atop a beast I’ve just slain, the taste of victory was fresh in my mouth and I felt like I was ready to take on another horde of those things. While I was gazing at my enemies I felt the fear creep up their spines and they soon turned tails and ran far-far away. This is how I managed to chase away some stray dogs that wanted to grab a bite of the chicken wings I just stole, when I was out playing in the slums one day, during my youthful days.
Anyways, this new member of yours is quite the scoundrel himself, I can tell just by the feeling he gave me. Also, he is exactly like me: a man of few words. He didn’t say much just that despite how he looks he used to work as an assassin until he got into some problems of the mind. A difficulty I can truly understand! I believe he is a perfect candidate for the Guild of Deadhunters and according to him as long as he gets to bash some heads either dead or living he will be satisfied.
Finally, there are some notes from your caring Master Zela, with words of advice regarding a truly despicable foe, so try to read the whole thing. There are also some recordings of sword swinging practice, you should all try to achieve the same results with your slashes as well!
That’s it for now, maybe by next time we will have one more member in the guild, I don’t know why but I strongly feel that this will actually happen…
