Esperia ~ Uprising of the Scarlet Witch ~
V1.3.5 - Or rather just a fix for 1.3.4
This isn't really a new version, but the changes are noticeable so I put it under 1.3.5
Following the last two posts on community, I discovered an issue with november's update.
When loading a save to the Battle prep screen (where you see the map and select your formation) the game would load the initial map data, instead of the updated one.
If you finish the map in one go, you'll never notice it, and in most chapters in normal or easy, it didn't cause any issue, but there were several chapters where some enemy units would just disappear on reload, even though they were there when you saved.
The main chapters affected where the following :
-Ch6 The Legion : Injury wasn't enable on reload, so if one of your character died, they really died (they're not supposed to die in this chapter, even on normal/hard)
-Ch8x Summoning : most enemies didn't appear on reload
-Ch9 White dragon : Aliz and her riders didn't appear on reload
-Ch10 The Dark Howl : the boss didn't appear on reload (and softlock the game since his defeat is the victory condition)
-Ch11 White walls : depending on choices, enemy affiliation could revert to enemy on reload (instead of neutral or ally)
-Ch14 Sisters : Alicia didn't appear no reload
-Ch19 A place we call home : the boss didn't appear on reload (also softlock since its defeat is the victory condition)
-Ch20 Invidia : most enemies didn't appear on reload
-QA1 Little Shadows : injury wasn't enable on reload for a certain character, softlocking the game.
Also, if you played in Hard mode, a reload would remove enemy skills and on randomized, the enemy randomization.
Long story short, save in the battle prep screen save player data (your trade, position etc) but use the initial map data, and it then loads the opening events. V1.3.4 skipped the opening events on reload, so if some changes are made in the opening events (like making an enemy unit appear...), you see the point.
I disabled the code allowing for this auto event skip and put a manual skip on all the story parts, so normally, the issue is resolved, but in your next load of a battle prep screen, the opening event will be read again. It will only happen once, after that all the subsequent saves in battle screen will skip the story and keep the data intact.
So you can totally load a battle prep save without these issues now, the opening scenes will play again and you won't have any issues (you can fast forward with X or skip with right click/space, won't cause any issues - do the choices though, if any).
I'm really sorry for the inconvenience it might have caused: if you notice any issue with the game please keep posting those in the community. While the game is stable, I can totally break it involuntarily while doing a QoL update, as we just saw ^^
I'm still working on new things, hope I can post a more content-oriented update next!
With best witches,
Small fix - Windows 11 trade bug
This is a small fix to correct an error occuring with the last update of Windows 11. It affects all SRPG Studios games built with a certain version: when trading an object with another unit on the map, if the object goes into an empty space, the game crashes.
This update will solve this issue.
There shouldn't be any unforseen effect of this patch, but as always please post in the community if you notice a bug.
This weekend will be the two years anniversary of the game, we will launch a special discount at that time.
With best witches,
Esperia V1.3.4 - Skip and save changes, and some stuff
This update has been delayed quite a bit, so it will have more content than the usual minor update, we're jumping straight to 1.3.4.
Skip function
-In order to avoid skipping scenes involuntarily (yes, I've read that one negative review), a confirmation windows has been added when you try to skip the story. This will prevent players misclicking on the space bar and missing a part of the story. It also applies to battles, note that "X" is also still useful to fast forward as well without ocnfirmation (and smoother in battle scenes).
-The opening scenes are no longer automatically read when you load a save from the battle preparation screen. Since a skip confirmation windows has been added, it would have been very tedious to try to skip the opening scenes after being defeated in a map… It also didn't make much sense that the opening scenes would be read again after saving in the battle preparation screen anyway.
Save/Load menu
-The save and load menu have been redesigned, the game now displays 7 saves at once instead of 5, and it's not just put in front of the map but on a dedicated page.
-The save thumbnail has been changed : when saving inside the map there isn't any change, but when saving at the end of a chapter or in the base, the save thumbnail will display an image and a short summary of previous events. This will prevent 'spoiling' the next map when saving at the end of a chapter, and avoid players feeling lost if they take up the game after a long time. This isn't set up on your current save, but will be done once you save again at the end of a chapter or in the base.
Art
-We added two new character arts for Maya and Kayle. If you don't know who they are I... can't really blame you^^. Maya and Kayle are the two arena fighters you can recruit in chapter 3 and they have an important role in Alex & Sally character quest.
-The 'tavern' in chapter 5 now has a dedicated background art. It was bothering me to see them talk in the street lol, and a tavern is a useful background to have.
Bugs
-The siege towers on Chapter 18 can finally move again! There was an issue with their movement previously, but it's fixed now and you can now try and launch on assault on the walls directly.
Extra
-New glossary entries have been added for Vortigern, Ector, Urien, Sirius and Darian.
-Minor graphical changes in Ch4 intro scene
-Minor corrections in some dialogs
-Game is launchable without Steam client on. This has been my fight for the past two months and the reason this update is so late. Not sure if any of you noticed, but V1.3.2 was preventing the game from launching if Steam client wasn't on (V1.3.1 and before didn't). Long story short, this was caused by an SRPG Studio update (the game software) adapting to a Steamworks update (Steam build tool). I can't really blame the engine for keeping up with Steam updates, and I get why Steam does that, but I'm not a fan. So we're back to normal launch now and achievements still work.
Thank you for reading! As always if you liked the game, don't hesitate to leave a review!
PS: Relationships events are on their way for Helen and Melvis!
Esperia v1.3.2 - Quick fix
This is a very small update to fix the character mission "Disguised Truth". Apprently one of the previous update broke the map and made it so Marie doesn't appear at the start. This update fix this issue and add the mercenary and soldier images that were missing in this chapter as well.
With best witches,
Esperia V1.3.1 - Also, it's summer sale!
I was quite busy these past few weeks, sorry for the lack of news. This is a minor update correcting some bugs, I'm working on some more important improvements - and other 'big' things - but for now you'll have to do with this!
-Video
The opening video is back in the game!
It was removed last year because the game engine sometimes froze when it was played (either only the sound was played, it messed with fullscreen or worse you had to restart). This has been fixed by the game engine devs and now it runs fine, at least as far as my tests go, so the start of chapter 5 will have the opening video played!
-Art
The boss character in Ch2 finally has a proper art. It will be updated in the demo soon as well.
-Gameplay
-It is now possible to cancel Nina's Undead summoning when choosing the tile. This will avoid the softlock that can happen if all adjacent tiles are occupied, and allows you to change your mind if you want to change her position before using the skill.
-Optimization
A lot of unused data was removed from the game. You probably won't notice it though.
Fixes
-Achievement of the 'highest relationship' was unlocked when characters reached the second level relationship (so after any B-level relation). This has been fixed, the unlocked achievements will remain.
-In Random mode the boss in Chapter 5 didn't have his usual 'stealable' stat booster.
-In Random Mode, some of the skills distributed to enemies were strange and have been changed.
-Elphin had a dialog repeating in his first level support with Sara.
-One tile on the left and the right of the screen on Ch4 could be selected by mouse even though it was off-screen.
Esperia is now 40% off during summer sale, if you like it don't hesitate to spread the word and/or leave a review, we're finally past 30 reviews!
With best witches,
ESPERIA V1.3 - 1-year anniversary, New Battle UI and Transport
Version 1.3
It's already been one year since the launch of Esperia ~ Uprising of the Scarlet Witch ~!
Version 1.3 of the game is available today, it's a major update that brings a lot of changes:
New Battle UI
Esperia has a new and improved Battle UI!
-Now all data is displayed on the bottom of the screen, with a way to compare them faster.
-Player and enemy units in battle have their starting position swapped: player/ally unit start on the left and enemies on the right.
-Battle UI has a different color depending on the unit affiliation.
-When a unit is defeated in battle, the "Face" image will fade away. Enemy's faces are not longer reversed.
-A "Miss" message has been added when a unit successfully avoids an attack.
-Fullscreen battles (with real battle scaling on) have a different ratio and prevent images and UI to be enlarged horizontally.
Critical cut-in
-Each player unit and main ally/enemy unit has a cut-in animation displayed during critical attacks! The mobs units don't have one yet, but maybe we will put it in the future (the lone soldier doing a 2% critical deserves his moment of glory !)
Changes to preparatory screen
-Checking the map and rearranging unit position was possible through a right click on the Battle Prep Screen. This has been disabled and replace by a dedicated command "Formation".
The same "Formation" command inside the Manage menu has been removed, as it wasn't working properly. Deployment menu has been renamed "Select Units".
Other graphic changes
-Chapter titles have new illustration and animation.
-Dragon bosses have a new battle sprite and animations.
-New illustration for Ector.
Gameplay changes
-A new command "Transport" has been added in the game. Mounted units (horseback or flying) can now carry other units if they are not armored or mounted themselves. Using the command leaves the mounted unit with a remaining movement and no action, but upon releasing on another turn, the transported unit can act immediately.
This will allow for new strategies in various maps, especially siege ones, and increase the versatility of horseback and normal units.
Note that Diana cannot be transported by dragons, nor Liliane by horses.
-Grim's initial stats in Ch8 have been increased. The previous stats distribution was actually inferior to his lv8 version in Ch4x, this should make him more useful as soon as he joins.
-Ector's class has been changed to Assassin, his skills and stats have been adjusted accordingly.
Other Fixes
-Chapter 13's name has been changed, it is now called "Out of the Cage" in place of "Rescue Mission". First, because "Rescue Mission" was kinda lame, and second because "Out of the Cage" has actually a triple meaning in this chapter. I hope you will notice what it refers too.
-Lvl B relationship between Diana and Nina now can only be unlocked after the end of Chapter 12, as it mentions events from that chapter
-Mutism's description has been corrected: it doesn't have the ability to cancel items (it was the case before 1.2)
-Astrid wasn't learning her class skill at level 10, she now has it back.
-Nina's Druid map sprite was reverting to that of a normal druid after taking an action
-Allied units in chapter 12 only had skills in Hard mode, but not in Normal or Easy.
-Allied units in chapter 18 didn't have any skills, regardless of difficulty
-On chapter 15x the defeat condition wasn't triggering properly. The battle background was also misplaced.
-Several minor bugs across the game have been solved in Hard mode, mainly skills given to units that hadn't reached the appropriate level (or the opposite)
-A Description has been added to Siege Towers in Chapter 18
Esperia will also be on a 40% reduction for a bit less than 48h to celebrate the 1-year anniversary! If you were still hesitant or want to recommend it to your friends, there is no better time!
Several important announcements are in the work for the following weeks and months, stay tuned, and thank you to everyone who kickstarted and bought the game directly, you're the ones making this story possible!
With best witches,
Esperia V1.2.4 - Merry Christmas!
I hope you had a wonderful christmas if you celebrate it! This update will fix some of the recent bugs and add a couple of minor stuff.
UI
-We introduce a new command to sort units based on their stats in the "Manage" screen in the base and preparatory screen. You can now sort unit them by HP, Str, Mag, Def and so on. This might help in maps with strong mages or defense units for instance. The sorting option will be reset each map.
Graphics
-The screen will now slightly shake on a critical hit in battle.
-Sally's battle motion has been customised to match her art.
Story
-New dialog if Liliane talks to Elphin on Chapter 13
Fixes
-There was an issue with displaying effective damage in combat and combat forecast when it came from a skill. Exorcism, Knight killer, Mage killer, Flyer killer and Killer instinct skills will now show the exact number in green.
-The "Path" skill scrolls ('Axe','Sword','Lance' Path etc...) had the wrong description. Bonus damage is +4 and not +5.
-Elphin's critical animation was appearing in front of him instead of behind him.
-One of the enemies battle sprite in the Epilogue chapter was the wrong one
-On Chapter 5, the boss was unpromoted from last update, but managed to retain his advanced class skill. It has been removed.
-On Chapter 12, Vortigern moved in to attack instead of waiting on his throne (or attack when a unit come nearby on hard). The move was triggered when the player crossed the middle path.
-On Chapter 15, there was an issue with the deployment slots - the conditional apparition of one character (Sylvie) would throw her off-map. It has been fixed by changing her initial position. Then Marie, who was supposed to be available for deployment conditionally, couldn't be selected.
-Close Bonds I & II didn't have the right preparatory music and battle music.
-Gold Rush had an issue with thieves, most were unable to move as intended in both maps.
-Knight of the Sun's conditions didn't match the description. The condition is now to "defeat all enemies" as per the description.
With best witches,
Esperia V1.2.2 - Minor fixes, new skill and event art
This new version introduce two new skills, a new event art and fixes some issues that were noticed recently!
I hope you enjoy the game, don't hesitate to leave a review if you do!
Art
-Added a new event CG "Gold Dragon" linked to the same achievement. The scene has been slightly adjusted as well.
Gameplay
-Added two skills : Zeal and Inertia
*Zeal increases damage by the number of tiles the unit moved through.
*Inertia adds an initial bonus damage of 5 then decreases it by the number of tiles the unit moved through.
Both are available in the skill shop.
-Added two secrets in Chapter 17 and 18
Fixes
-Corrected a bug in Ch8 where thieves would open Eleanora's cell.
-Corrected a bug in Ch18 where the front door of the castle wasn't opening the path properly when unlocked.
-Corrected a bug in "Little Shadows" where the neutral faction enemies (cult members) didn't have skills in Hard mode.
-Corrected a bug (this one was an oversight) in Close Bonds and Gold Rush where enemies didn't have skills in Hard mode.
-Corrected a bug where the scroll for "Rule of Peace" was actually giving the skill "Rule of War" instead.
-Corrected a display bug : Odd/Even biorythm skill was mentioning +5 damage, the bonus is actually +4 damage.
-In Chapter 2 Bastian level has been changed to 5 to match with his class skill. He gains +1HP and +1Luck.
-In Chapter 3 when recruiting mercenaries the text was stating their level as 4 instead of 5.
-In the Help screen, the description for effective damage wrongly stated it doubled damage instead of increasing it by 50%.
Balancing
-Elliot the boss of Chapter 5 has been demoted to Armored Knight, while retaining his promoted stats. The Protector skill class was a bit too strong for this chapter in normal/hard, he received an Axe Breaker as base weapon and lose his throwing axe, making him more likely to be fought by Alex/Marie with the Rapier obtained in the previous chapter. Changed the position of armored soldiers in that chapter as well.
-The Druid and occultists in Little Shadows are now a bit weaker to compensate for the gain of skills in Hard Mode from this fix. This will make them a bit easier to defeat in normal but they are still stronger in Hard.
With best witches,
Esperia V1.2.2 - New art and minor fixes
This new version fixes some issues that remained in the game and adds new art (character and background).
Here is a list of the changes :
Art:
-Character illustration for Urien (Ector will have one as well later)
-New original background for the Throne room, it replaces the old one in several chapters
-New background for several other chapters :
*on chapter 12 (Inside the castle)
*on chapter 13 (prison entrance)
*on chapter 15x (cave)
Balancing:
-Small terrain changes to Ch8x map
-Arthur in Chapter 16 has a new set of skills, his level decreased by 1.
Fixes:
-Fixed the random weapon attributed to ballista in randomized difficulty : they received a random bow (2-3 range), instead of a ballista.
-Fixed a terrain issue on Chapter 16 where Berserkers could freely move over the houses
-Fixed one of the enemy unit's portrait in Chapter 20
-Fixed a graphical issue in Chapter 18, Diana and Arthur sprites appeared at the same time as the event background.
-Fixed a bug where Alex would spawn offmap instead of on the house if a unit was already on it in Chapter 2
-Some of Vortigern's soldiers sprites were wrongly used for Diana's soldiers, because they're both labelled as "rebels"
-Fixed some typos
With best witches,
Esperia V1.2.1 - Minor fixes
This is a minor fix after the V1.2 update, it addresses the following issues :
-On chapter 7, one of the ally soldiers with Marius was randomized in other difficulties (easy/normal/hard). This was likely beneficial for players as random units tends to be more powerful in early game, but now the 3rd rider is back.
-Some illustrations for the soldiers were missing in the map dialogs of Chapter 7
-The prices of some items has been modified. Poison cloud was way overpriced (costing the same as a A-rank magic weapon while being D), for the rest it's mainly overall balance, low rank magic is cheaper, higher rank a bit more expensive, same with support magic.
-There were two chests in gold rush 1 & 2 that were actually "villages". I wonder who lived there... They're back to be chest now.
-The description of some stores in the maps was written as "empty" instead of store.
-There was a glitch with the animation for the Protector's indirect attacks. The camera would go back to them being invisible after each attack. This has been fixed (normally definitely, this time), if you see something similar with other classes, please mention it in the community!
Thank you for the recent reviews, I read them all!