Hey, folks, just a small readability patch with some minor fixes. Progress on the big update is a bit slow, naturally with a newborn and a 2yo at home. Still, hopefully I'll have exciting news and updates to share with you in November!
Version incremented to 1.3.2a
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Added an additional font size setting for UI text size.
Added two more font size options for Story text size.
Fixed loading times sometimes showing a black screen for too long, now displaying the custom loader.
Fixed main menu dialogues allowing the player to click on the menu while opened.
Fixed character model in Adventure Sheet not refreshing when switching between different character saves within the same world map region.
In the meantime, I had a mini-viral thread on Twitter on porting one of my games from Unity to Godot, my experience and thoughts, which you can check out here if the tech side of things are of interest to you: https://x.com/ringlas/status/1715107280742486213?s=20
As always, make sure to wishlist and follow for future updates:
Folks, FABLED LANDS is NOW AVAILABLE ON NINTENDO SWITCH!
The pride I feel about this release is immeasurable. It's yet another testament to the caliber of this series published way back in the 90s. Nintendo holds a special place in my heart, as my childhood was filled with dreams of creating games, inspired by the magic of titles like Super Mario Bros. Dreams do come true!
Not only that, but I've become a father for the 2nd time! Welcoming our newest Rank 0 adventurer, a baby girl eager to showcase her wayfarer skills and travel the Fabled Lands far and wide! It was only after becoming a game dev that I was able to produce my true masterpieces ;)
Big announcement after big announcement!
For those of you who might not be eyeing the Switch release as closely, hold onto your hats because I have BIG, BIG NEWS!
The upcoming DLC for Fabled Lands promises to be the most expansive content update yet! Not only will you sail across the Violet Ocean (Book 3), but you'll also tread through the dense jungles of the vast southern CONTINENT: Ankon-Konu (Book 7)!
The sheer amount of choices, quest, items, and challenges is going to be massive. Make sure to wishlist to not miss the upcoming updates!
I'm happy to bring to you the latest details on the new 1.3.1 patch. I've been hard at work, and there's a special reason for this performance update: the game's upcoming release on the Nintendo Switch! Now, you might be wondering - if you're playing on Steam, why should this matter to you? Let me dive into that.
Bringing my game to the Nintendo Switch wasn’t just about reaching a new audience. The rigorous optimization efforts for the Switch have directly impacted and improved the game's performance for Steam players as well. Think of it this way: by pushing myself to make the game run well on the Switch, I inadvertently boosted its efficiency on Steam. Plus it shows my dedication to continuously develop and support my biggest title to date.
Adapting the game for the Nintendo Switch was one of the most challenging phases I've ever gone through. When I first tested the game on the Switch, it chugged along at a discouraging 9 FPS. Moreover, memory overflows caused unexpected crashes. Who would have thought that a point and click 2D game can be that performant heavy? Well, I did decide to make games in Unity which, when not making a heavy 3D game, takes a long time to learn how to strip and tune down for simple 2D needs for low-end devices.
But as a dev I really like overcoming challenges like these. I dived deep into the architecture of the Switch, utilizing a unique texture compression method tailored for its Nvidia chip. While this helped a lot I had to rearchitect the way the game loads and unloads its resources. Which meant refactoring yet again nearly every game system. This not only resolved the FPS and crash issues but also ensured the game doesn't exceed the maximum writes per minute on the Switch's HDD (Yes, there are a lot of restrictions like that to make sure the life of things such as the battery and disk is long enough).
In this era of rapid game development, performance often gets overshadowed by aesthetics and features. However, an interrupted or laggy experience can break immersion, no matter how beautiful or intriguing the game world is. I've always prioritized squashing bugs and issues that would challenge that, and this optimization push has been a testament to that commitment.
I am very grateful to be a part of a great indie community and I've been lucky to be around long enough that I can get other devs' help when needed. Thanks to them I've been able to resolve these issues quicker than on my own.
Lastly, a little tease for you: Keep an eye out for upcoming announcements. I've been working on the most extensive update the game has ever seen, and I can't wait to share more about it with you all in the upcoming months!
Thank you endlessly for your support, and here's to more fluid and exciting gaming adventures!
Version incremented to 1.3.1
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Reduced RAM usage by approximately 400 MB.
Reduced GPU usage by approximately 30%.
Added story text to Bakhan and Targdaz indicating they can't deal with the curse of The Hangman.
Added missing sound effect when stacking items in the inventory.
Updated the FAQ to indicate the max rank cap for DLC is 12.
Updated The Enemy's chain lightning damage from 1-6 to 4-6. Increased the magic roll difficulty to resist from 18 to 20.
Fixed the Vade Mecum tooltip and story text to reflect if Chambara is an available teleport location.
Fixed location sounds not fading when switching locations before they had finished.
Fixed an issue with Oil Spill and Hunting Traps causing unpredictable behavior in combat.
Fixed an inconsistency where meeting Morituri in the forest instead of the tomb did not affect his stats.
Fixed the display settings not functioning correctly after the last patch.
Fixed an issue where starting a new game caused the game UI to momentarily freeze before transitioning to the loading screen.
Fixed Divine Wrath tooltip info.
Fixed the bokh mastery increase/decrease text to prevent it from exceeding the bounds on Large UI.
Fixed the Notes view to ensure it updates on Large UI.
Fixed an issue where map choice selection was sometimes lost when the radial menu was opened and closed without a UI selection.
Fixed certain controller icons that did not update when a non-default Xbox layout controller was used.
Fixed outdated tutorial texts for gamepad controllers.
Fixed various typos.
If you encounter any issues, do not hesitate to reach out. Cheers and happy gaming!
Enhancing the Gaming Experience: Introducing Full Controller Support!
Hello, fellow adventurers! I have some exciting news to share with you today. After three months of hard work, I have finally released a full controller support patch for my indie game Fabled Lands!
As you may know, Fabled Lands is a game inspired by the classic gamebooks of the same name, where you can explore a vast open world, create your own character, and shape your own destiny. It's a game that I keep wanting to play even though I am the dev, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
One of the most frequently asked questions from the community was “when are you planning to release this game on a handheld device because it’s going to be epic!” Eventually I decided to go down that rabbit hole! The first step towards the ultimate goal (release for Nintendo) was to add controller support, so that you can play on your couch, on your TV, or Steam Deck. I decided to take on this challenge. It was not easy, but it was worth it.
I had to redesign the user interface, the menus, the inventory, the combat system, every bit of UI in the game to make them more controller friendly. I also had to test the game extensively with different types of controllers! Yeah… that part didn’t went well as I mostly used my Logitech gamepad and my Steam Deck. Yet, I wanted to make sure that the game feels intuitive and responsive with the most popular game pads out there.
To help me with this task, I invited some of you to join the open beta test of the newest feature. I want to thank you all for your valuable feedback, bug reports, and suggestions. Your input helped me iron out some remaining kinks and further optimize. I am immensely grateful for your involvement in shaping the final result.
To celebrate the release of the patch, I have made a short video on YouTube that showcases the new feature. You can watch it here:
I hope you like the video and the patch. Demo will be updated soon! Also if you encounter any issues or have further recommendations, please let me know what you think in the comments below or on the official Discord server. And if you haven't played Fabled Lands yet, you can get it now on Steam.
PS: Heavily inspired by Wildermyth, thank you Nate :)
Beta testers needed!
Hey folks! I'm excited to announce that the first release candidate build for controller support is now available on the beta branch!
You can access it using the code flgamepad123 through the BETAS tab in the game's properties within your Steam library.
I would greatly appreciate it if you could give it a try with a controller or on your Steam Deck and provide feedback. Implementing controller support is new to me, and as someone who doesn't use gamepads extensively, I'd love to hear about any user experience issues you encounter while playing the game with a controller.
I've extensively tested it with an old Logitech gamepad featuring Xbox glyphs. I'm also curious to know if a PlayStation controller would work well, with all the in-game glyphs updated accordingly.
Please share your thoughts in the comments below or on the forums at: https://steamcommunity.com/app/1299620/discussions/0/3807278624247245533/
Don't forget to wishlist the game to receive notifications when the full controller support feature becomes available to all players. Or grab it while it's 50% off for the Steam Summer sale! Thanks in advance for your help!
Folks, yesterday marked exactly 1 year since the release of Fabled Lands! What a ride it was! With over 25 000 units sold and a score of 8.1/10 from 360 reviews, the game made it possible for me to experience the dream of being a full-time indie game developer. It is the reason I made lots of connections with lots of amazing people across the globe, both fans of the books and new fans alike.
Thank you for being on this journey with me!
Special thanks to the authors Dave Morris and Jamie Thomson who put their trust in Prime Games' capability to deliver FL to the modern audience as well as to preserve its spirit and brutality that won the hearts of the old fans, thus cementing its legacy in the ether of PC games.
You can check some of the very first concept arts and drafts the talented Bernar Aganchyan did that defined the look of the game way, way back in 2019:
Here's how that very first screen of combat looks like in the game today:
You can also read the blog post of how I discovered the FL gamebooks to begin with, and took a flight to London to show Dave and Jamie the first game prototype that helped me win them over and sign a contract: https://www.primegames.bg/en/blog/big-announcement
I am wrapping up controller support for Steam next week, and I'll start testing with people from the community. Drop a comment if you like playing games with your controller and you'd want to hop on the beta branch to tell me if it works!
Next in line will be the Switch release. The devkit from Nintendo Europe has already arrived, so the only thing left for me to do is work, work, work! :)
As always don't forget to wishlist the game to stay up to date with the latest news and updates:
If you're a game developer, you're probably no stranger to the tedious and sometimes mundane tasks that come with the job. Adding support for new input devices like a joystick controller, for example, is one such task that can be incredibly time-consuming but is nonetheless essential to ensure that your game is accessible to as many players as possible.
In my case, I've been working hard to add joystick controller support not only for the Steam version of Fabled Lands but also for a potential Nintendo Switch release (Oh, boy, oh boy!). This means ensuring that the game can detect and respond to joystick input, mapping joystick buttons to in-game actions, and making sure that the game's UI is designed to accommodate joystick navigation.
That last part is a nightmare! A game such as Fabled Lands is heavy on the UI and mapping everything manually, adding lots of events, checks and whatnot in the code is killing my brain cells. Motivation going forward is my dream to eventually see the game on the Nintendo store as Nintendo is one big reason for me to fell in love with games growing up.
Of course, I am overexaggerating a bit as I love doing what I do. Even the less intricate parts of it. I have already been accepted by the Nintendo dev program and a Switch dev kit is on my way from Germany, so fingers crossed!
Unfortunately, this kind of work doesn't always make for exciting updates or flashy new features. It's easy to get bogged down in the details of mapping buttons and testing inputs, which means that progress on other aspects of the game can slow down. As a result, my regular updates have been a bit quieter lately, as I’ve been putting most of my energy into this behind-the-scenes work.
Of course, I don't want the players to feel left out in the meantime. That's why I've decided to release a new patch that adds some long overdue fixes and quality of life improvements even as I continue to work on the joystick support.
Incremented version to 1.1.5
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Reworked 'follow the old man' choice on The Isle of Druids. He now blesses you with a Luck blessing at the start of the game.
Added a tutorial message to emphasize the importance of blessings.
Added highlighting in the turn order view when hovering a unit in combat.
Added clarity which blessing you have lost when losing a blessing at random.
Added a new requirement to Rat Poison describing its precise usage to avoid confusion.
Reduced volume of ambient sound effects that were too loud while at sea.
Fixed Slave Pits in Aku not restoring your lost Stamina despite the text saying so.
Fixed Merchant filters not getting properly reset when closing the shop.
Fixed Merchant pricing text going out of bounds on Large UI option.
Fixed saving and loading while in Chambara's explore option, causing a critical story bug on the luck dice roll.
Thanks to all the players posting their feedback on the forums and Prime Games' Discord giving me constant food for thought.
As always, don't forget to wishlist the game and follow the ride:
Fixed Bad Omen event sometimes displaying wrong text when losing your initiate status.
Fixed several quest markers that do not match the corresponding map location.
Fixed text sometimes scrolling outside of boundaries on small font size setting.
Fixed text sometimes scrolling too far down when pressing a Continue choice.
Fixed long meta text messages getting cut out with the recent changes to the font settings.
Incremented version to 1.1.3a
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Fixed very old saves (prior version 1.0) not having their character figure in the correct position (due to the changes in the save/load system in v.1.1.3).
Fixed new game broken (due to the new save/load system).
Fixed Quest Log Toggle label size issue due to recent changes to the font settings.
Fixed Quest Log Toggle text sometimes being horizontally truncated on Mac OSX.
Version 1.1.3 is live!
Incremented version to 1.1.3
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Fixed Ring of Ultimate Power issues with preserving correct Stamina when loading a save, when resuming the game, when entering and exiting combat. Important notice! The above fix tampered with the save/load system and may have caused unexpected ripple effects. Please, report if you find something odd with the new patch!
Reverted Cursor toggle back to hidden for desktop users.
