Full Gameplay Loop Completed: All Arenas, Main Quests, Units, Items, Quirks...
This is a major update that was supposed to push the game into Full Release, but we have decided to keep the Early Access tag a little longer. However, we're still releasing all the content we intended for this update. It includes the last two arenas (total of 12 now), their side quests, the remaining half of the main quests for all 3 factions, as well as 3 different illustrated endings. There are 15 new enemy units, of which 7 are bosses, and 3 of them are final bosses for each faction. There's a new group of universal items and a new group of gladiator quirks. Additionally, there are now 5 save slots for campaign mode. We are happy to say that the game is now playable from start to finish!
I wrote about the reasons why we didn't apply the Full Release tag in this post. In short, we wanted to polish things up some more and add several new features like after-battle charts, auto positioning, a few guild buildings like a quirk training place, and more things that we'll talk about soon. I will make a blog post about this with all the details where we can discuss and brainstorm final ideas.
More About This Update
Witch Swamp Arena
The infamous Witch Swamp is the eleventh arena in our game. It's a place where swamp witches have their camps and are constantly causing trouble in Deadwoods by sending their monsters to harass peasants in hopes of scaring them away.
Mana Tower Arena
The twelfth and final arena holds secrets around which the leaders of factions and their interests clash.
Second Half of the Main Quests
Continue helping your chosen faction to achieve their goals. If you choose to side with the people, assist them in their fight to earn their rights against the oppressive church and law. If you sided with the Baroness, discover her secret plots for the region as well as the kingdom and help her realize her plans. Or, find out what the High Necromancer's grand ambitions of science and magic are and aid him in achieving them. Successfully completing any of the three main quest chains will reward you with a unique illustrated ending that depicts the future of the Deadwoods region as a result of your actions.
New Enemies
A total of 15 new units have been added to the game. Several of them become playable after completing specific quests that persuade those units to join your guild. 7 of these are new bosses, with 3 serving as challenging final bosses for each of the 3 factions. You'll need to adapt your strategy and find different ways to defeat each one.
New Group of Quirks
We have new gladiator quirks available, enabling various strategic approaches. We also went through the old quirks and buffed all the quirks that were not fun to pay with. For example quirk Last Stand used to give +150% bonus main stat but only if both health and stamina were under 30% which almost never happens. Now the quirk is activated when either health or stamina are under 35% making it a lot more useful. And many more changes like this.
New Group of Items
There are also new universal items, providing gladiators with various passive abilities. We also buffed synergetic items that increase damage against targets who already have buffs like frozen or burning making them a lot more useful.
Rebalancing
We did a rebalancing round for all units so that the overall health of a gladiator is higher and extreme attack speeds are reduced. This makes battles last longer, emphasizing strategy and synergy. For instance, items that give bonus damage to burning enemies were problematic because battles ended too quickly. Now, those items are enhanced, and with battles taking longer, those tactics and synergies become more crucial.
Quirk Allocation System
One problem in the game was that sometimes you can keep refreshing the shop and not find any gladiator you like. That was because their quirk allocation was giving random positive or negative quirks. Now we made a new system that keeps track of quirks tiers and calculates to make sure there are more good options and from time to time some great options of gladiators in shops. Also negative quirks will barely ever show up in the shop now. Players never tend to choose units with those quirks as there is no point in leveling them up instead of some unit with good quirks. We’ll introduce more negative quirks later when we add guild buildings that let you remove them from gladiators.
Bug Fixing and More
In recent updates, as we introduced more content and features, there were reports of game freezes. So, we focused on finding and resolving those issues. The game has now been tested both manually and with our auto-play testing feature to make sure such problems don't keep happening. This comes alongside various improvements in gladiator behavior and overall balancing and polishing.
Multiple Save Slots
There are now five distinct save game slots for campaigns. Players can name each one themselves and manage multiple campaigns simultaneously.
New Languages
We added Hungarian and Vietnamese languages to the game. And we're planning to add a few more soon.
Conclusion
Now you can enjoy the game from start to finish with all the new content. We hope you all enjoy this update, and we'd love to hear feedback on potential improvements or additional features you’d like to see. Join us on Discord where we'll also be chatting about those ideas and I also gonna start posting short videos of new things we're working on so we can discuss them. Soon, I'll make another post discussing our plans for the next features and improvements before transitioning the game into Full Release.
Thank you! -Entertainment Forge Team
Big Update Coming, but We're Holding Off on the 'Full Release' Tag A Bit Longer
After much thinking, we have decided not to put the "Full Release" tag on the game yet. We planned on releasing it on 25th August. We have finished all 12 arenas, with 3 endings, and many new things that make the game complete. And we will release this update on the 25th as planned, so there are actually no delays when it comes to content. However, we want to delay announcing that the game is in "Full Release" yet because we wish to put in more work, polish things further, and add several new features that can make the game a lot more fun. I’ll discuss those features in a moment.
The update on 25th August will be by far the largest update yet. This update will address all the game-freezing bugs that appeared in recent updates, including those with necromancers and other units. We have tested it thoroughly, both manually and with our auto-tester feature, to stress-test all possible scenarios that could break the game (gif image at bottom).
The update will introduce the final two arenas, the second half of the main quests for all 3 factions, with illustrated endings when you finish the game with each faction. The main gameplay loop and quests in the campaign are complete. Alongside these new main quests, there will be new side quests for the final two arenas. These will introduce 8 new quest units and 7 new bosses, including the challenging final bosses for each faction. The update will also feature a new set of quirks and items, allowing for innovative strategies and customization. Additionally, we're introducing a feature many of you have requested: multiple save slots. On 25th August, I’ll detail all the new content in an updated blog post.
Though we’re releasing all this content in what was meant to be a "Full Release" update, why aren't we placing the "Full Release" tag on the game yet? That’s because we believe there's still room to refine things, content to polish, and more features to introduce.
Shortly after this update, I’ll publish a blog post detailing the new features we aim to incorporate. But for now, I’ll just share a few main ideas. One feature we're excited about is the post-battle chart, showing each of your unit's damage dealt, damage received, DPS, kills, healing, and more. This feature would clearly show the effectiveness of each gladiator. There have been situations while playing when I’ve hired a new high level gladiator and been very excited about seeing them in a fight but I’d never really know how good they are compared to my other gladiators. Or for example I’d like to see how much the DPS of my Pyromancer improved after buying her that expensive powerful item. Overall, being able to understand better what happened in each fight will help us make decisions while building our gladiator teams and make the whole process a lot more fun.
Next, we're considering introducing an auto-positioning feature. Currently, we’re thinking about a mechanism where units can be placed in battle with a simple right-click. We also plan to add more guild buildings that allow for quirks to be taught (or forgotten) and more. This comes along with a general polish of the game, editing certain gladiators to make them more interesting, and several other features we’re considering.
We’ll go deeper into these topics soon. For now, please share your thoughts on these feature ideas and on decision not to move game into Full Release yet. And tell us what you’d like to see improved in the game. Join the discussion on discord as well.
So, we’re postponing putting a Full Release tag on the game, but not the update itself. At 25th you'll be able to play all 12 arenas. But we want to put in some more work into the game before it goes into 1.0 version.
Thank you!
[Stress testing units on x3 in editor auto play mode]
Full Release Date Announcement!
After two years of Early Access and many updates, we're preparing for the biggest update yet, moving the game into Full Release. We're thrilled to announce the full release date as the 25th of August, 2023!
Recapping Our Progress
The game entered Early Access with six arenas and will transition to Full Release with a total of 12. Initially, we had 31 units and 5 bosses; at Full Release, we will have 68 units and 15 bosses. The number of quirks and items will more than double. We began with side quests for the first six arenas only, but now the game will feature both main and side quests for all 12 arenas. We've introduced a new mode called "Tournament Mode" and enhanced the level editor to allow for the addition of both items and quirks to the gladiators. The game's content will more than double compared to its Early Access stage once the Full Release update rolls out.
Price Change
We're also planning to update the price of the game from $9.99 to $11.99 in about a week. This change is in anticipation of the Full Release, but we need to make it now so that Steam allows us to discount the game at the Full Release as well. If you haven't done so yet, now is an excellent opportunity to purchase the game while it's still $9.99 and enjoy a discount until the 24th of August.
Future
Full release does not mean end of all updates. We still have new things that we want to add in the game. But full release will mean that we are able to call the game complete as all 12 arenas and story lines are finished.
Thank you!
We want to express our deepest thanks to all who have stuck with us on this long journey. It took us three years to develop the Early Access version of the game and another two to reach Full Release. We'll continue to keep you updated on the development process. We'll likely offer beta access to the new continent when it's ready. Please join us on Discord and hang out with us during this final phase of development.
Cheers! - The Entertainment Forge Team
Hotfix v0.885.3
Save game fixes. item that were in development were left in game and are now removed.
Hotfix v0.885.2
Item roll over pop up in wrong layer fixed
Four New Gladiators, Editor Features, Quality Of Life Improvements and Bug Fixes
In update v0.885, we're introducing 4 new gladiators, a lot of quality of life improvement, bug fixes and adding new functionalities in the Level Editor.
Editor
We started improving Level Editor in previous updates already by allowing you to add items to gladiators. Now we also added an option to add any quirk and to set the weather in arena. Allowing you to test any kind of battle situation in the Editor. This will help us create new quirks, balancing them, discovering any bugs, and will let you try any sort of tactic or just to play in the Editor.
New Gladiators
We're excited to introduce 4 more gladiators for which you can purchase buildings in guild or choose them in Tournament Mode.
Metal Brute
This heavily armored gladiator who resists a significant portion of damage dealt to him. While his basic hammer attacks deal low damage, he can execute enemies with a tremendously powerful attack once they're left with only a small percentage of health. This makes him highly effective in battles featuring numerous melee fighters close to each other.
Storm Bringer
This gladiator wields a massive hammer, with each attack causing area of effect damage. In any weather condition other than Clear, his hammer attack also knocks down enemies. Storm Bringer begins the battle in stealth mode, allowing him to launch his first attack undetected.
Venomous Mortar
This dwarf mortar unit fires poisonous grenades, inflicting area of effect damage to enemies and applying a poison debuff that depletes their stamina over time.
Dark Mage
This mage can cast Dark Void, a spell that causes area of effect damage to groups of enemies, pulls them towards the center, and knocks them down. Additionally, she can cast Death Mark on enemies, which automatically kills them once they fall below a certain percentage of health.
Quality of Life Improvements And Various Fixes
New visual effects are added as well as additional combat text. Now showing when gladiators do actions like block or dodge. As well as major buffs like knocked down, set on fire and more.
Rolling over gladiator stats used to show if those stats are affected by items but didn’t show the quirks. Now when you roll over a stat like Strength, if it is affected by a specific Quirk you will see the exact quirk that’s affecting it on the pop up list.
Improved unit targeting (aiming) system as now they focus on custom adjusted center of each unit that follows the animation. As well as bone following mechanics that knows feet, center and head of each unit. This improved positioning on effects and ray lines during spell casting. Example: knockdown stars effect is now always following unit head and visible no matter how big or small the unit is.
Quirks can now affect stats with percentages instead of only fixed numbers and those stats can be seen in roll over pop up. Overall improved system that lets us add a bigger variety of quirks.
Many items, quirks as well as Editor fixes.
Full Release Progress
While we still have much work ahead, we're getting closer to the final version of the game. Your feedback was super useful in brainstorming ideas for items and quirks, and we're already in the final stages of implementing some of them. Join us on Discord for more brainstorming. Next, we'll focus on creating a variety of new units, two new arenas, main quests, and more.
Thank you all for your support!
New Item Tiers, Updated Editor, and Community Brainstorming!
We are excited to announce the release of a new update, featuring new regular and consumable items. Tiers 9, 10, and 11 are now available in the game and will unlock as you progress through arenas 8, 9, and 10.
We've also updated the editor, enabling you to add items to gladiators and experiment with various combinations.
As we work towards the full release update, we are focusing on introducing new Gladiator Quirks and Universal Items (items with unique effects or abilities). Our Discord Community has provided invaluable feedback and suggestions for the types of Quirks we should add.
We now want to do the same for Universal Items, so we invite you to join us on Discord or participate in this Steam Community Discussion. In the latest update, you can explore the current Universal Items within the Editor. We encourage you to share your thoughts on the items you like, dislike, and suggest new items you would like to see in the game.
Thank you so much for your continued support! We are committed to developing new content and steadily moving towards the full release. There is still much to accomplish, and we will have more updates like this one before the big full release update is ready.
New Arena, Quests, Two Boss Monsters, and Plans For Full Release!
New update is now available, featuring the latest arena, The Ancient Tree!
Update v0.871 brings arena number 10 and a new set of quests where you can assist peasants in organizing their festival in the forest. You can aid the Church of the Dead in researching the magical talking tree or join the hunt for a Forest Behemoth.
The update introduces two new bosses:
The Tentacle Fiend
Boss that has most of its body underground. It constantly summons tentacles from the ground that attack your gladiators. It can also heal itself by consuming life plants nearby.
The Forest Behemoth
A huge monster covered in fur and spikes that can reflect some of the melee damage inflicted upon it. It can also pull vulnerable enemies towards itself using its long tongue, spit thorns, and strike nearby enemies with its horns.
The Crawling Fiend is another new unit in this update, a type of feral undead usually raised by the spontaneous mysterious force of Crimson Mist.
Other
Bug where last arenas would give players low tier items is now fixed. (New set of items is coming soon as well)
Plans For Next Updates And Full Release
This is the 10th arena so far, and we’re planning to have a total of 12 arenas by the end of the game. So we’re getting closer and closer to the Full Release. We have already started working on the Major Full Release update but we’ll release several smaller updates along the way. Since the Full Release update will be massive and will take a lot of time to finish.
So alongside the last two arenas we’ll be also making new regular and universal items, gladiator quirks, enemies, bosses, guild gladiators, quests, remaining half of main quests for each of the three factions, different endings, bank loan feature and more. Also we still need to add quality-of-life improvements such as in-game settings, multiple save game slots, steam online save, more achievements, and more. We’re also considering some other features for this big update but we’re still discussing them so we’ll talk about them another time.
Currently we’re brainstorming a new set of Gladiator Quirks in our Discord Community, so join us and tell us what would you like to see. Soon we’ll also talk about a new set of Universal Items, which focus on passive abilities rather than stats.
We hope you’ll enjoy the new arena and boss monsters in this update! Thank you for all the support and love! -Entertainment Forge
Patch v0.866.3
Fixed quest issues with single hobo unit
Small Fixes- Plus Berserker head cutting feature is back! And we have a question
We fixed a few minor bugs in v0.866.2:
Fixed Afflictor casting courses on friendly units
Broken building on a new game with random gladiators fixed
Rat unit that was causing lag because of some error fixed
Berserker can now cut off the gladiator's head with his axe. We disabled this feature because it was very random if he'll finish the enemy with an axe or some other ability so it was not predictable at all. And Necromancer was unable to raise undead units with cutting off heads. But now we just made Necromancer able to raise them no matter if they have a head or not. So we have this "nice" little effect. We'll add the effect to some other gladiators as well where it makes sense. If you guys have some ideas of what gladiators or enemies with a big and sharp enough weapon would make sense to be able to cut off heads let us know.
