Please note we’ve just refined our latest Goblin Stone Demo with the following improvements:
Fixed an issue where the title would become partially unresponsive if the players swapped the party leader twice in the roster with a rescued Goblin.
Fixed an issue where the Snare Trap would not remove the Frozen status from an affected enemy upon being triggered.
Fixed an issue where the bottom of the screen was cut off when the Window Mode was set to Borderless.
Fixed an issue where the red body tint to indicate the Fury buff is active was no longer displayed after reloading save data.
Fixed an issue where the Exit Game prompt would overlap with the Welcome to the Demo message.
Fixed an issue where the combat UI elements could remain on screen when invoking the Exit Game menu.
We hope you will continue to enjoy playing our demo; remember it’s available on Steam until June 8th! So, make sure to share the demo with all your Goblin-loving friends.
The love of every little goblin can make a huge difference… if you’re enjoying playing Goblin Stone, don’t forget to Wishlist and follow us on Steam.
The Goblin Stone team
Demo update
Dear Gobbos
We’ve just made some improvements to our latest Goblin Stone Demo, available on Steam until June 8th! A big thank you to all the Goblins that reached out to us with feedback and love, helping us refine this new demo.
You can find below a summary of all the improvements that were made:
Enabled the spacebar to be used to select confirmation prompts.
Fixed an issue where multiple character icons could be displayed in the same location on the Time Bar.
Fixed an issue where some textures were missing from the Merchant.
Fixed an issue where players could proceed with a Smithy upgrade after moving a weapon from the Smithy slot, back into their inventory.
Fixed an issue where the user could duplicate items by pressing the spacebar whilst the 'Split' prompt was open in the inventory.
Fixed an issue preventing the user from reverting to their initial resolution setting, after changing the resolution and then setting the Window Mode to Full Screen.
Fixed an issue where the character information panel in the bottom right corner during combat showed the wrong character name after repeatedly moving the cursor over other characters in the battle.
Fixed an issue where the camera did not transition into gameplay smoothly when resuming gameplay after defeating one of the Armored Trio and quitting to the main menu.
Fixed an issue where weapon icons are missing from the HUD for the tutorial characters.
Fixed an issue where the 'Need additional gold to trade' message within the Merchant could not be closed with the ESC button.
We’re so thrilled to see that so many of you have taken the fight against the evil armored trio in our new Steam Demo. One can only hope that they will never underestimate Goblins again…
Here is a helpful tip for forgetful Goblins: it’s okay to forget, we’ve all got so much going on with these Goblin-hungry infested woods… Wishlist and follow us on Steam so we can remind you of any important news and announcement! That way, even forgetful Goblins shall not miss out.
The Goblin Stone team
Play the New Demo today!
Hi Gobbos,
Brace yourselves, a new demo has come! We’re excited to announce a new Goblin Stone demo, available for you to play now!
In this new demo, you will discover:
Branching paths that lead to different map events during adventures
Introducing new and powerful enemies
More balanced Boss Fight
Weapon enchantment slots
New items such as Weapon Orb and Soul
Don’t miss out on this new exclusive demo, it’s only available during Curve Publisher Sale so until June 8th!
Wishlist and follow! If you enjoyed the demo and want to play the full game, make sure to add the game to your Wishlist and follow us on Steam.
The more goblins, the merrier! Join our community of Goblins on Discord and Twitter to not miss out on any game updates and new opportunities to play!
We hope you will enjoy the new demo and all the improvements we’ve made to the game!
Farewell fellow Goblins!
Devblog #17: Kobolds and Trolls Concept Art
Hey all! We’re back for another character sneak peek. Today, we’re unveiling two new friendly folks you will encounter in the new regions of Goblin Stone, as well as the creative process behind them. Let us introduce you to the Kobolds and Trolls of Goblin Stone!
KOBOLDS & TROLLS
If you read our previous devblog: The world of Goblin Stone at a Glance, you will learn that the Kobolds and Trolls, along with the menfolks, are the primary inhabitants of the Ettinfell regions. Kobolds are frog-like monsterfolk who live in the swampy areas while the Trolls, just like in most games, are described as the giants of the mountains.
The path to the home of the Kobolds.
Swamp Grandma was our very first Kobold concept design, and she was originally intended to be another merchant in the game. She quickly won the hearts of our Discord community, so we decided to rework the design and eventually created different Kobold variations.
The designs are not yet final and there might be changes in the future.
During the design process, we first created several versions of the Kobolds with features from real-life reptilian creatures such as frogs, axolotls, and salamanders to create the base look that we want for the Kobolds. We further simplified the design but stylized it to create a similar quirky look as the goblins.
Early sketches for the Kobold Character Design
Kobolds are about the same height as goblins, but much leaner with long, thin limbs. Instead of animal-like legs, we designed them to have human-like legs and a longer torso. We also wanted them to have friendly facial features, so we gave them larger, expressive eyes and a pointed smile.
Now, let’s talk about the Trolls. Despite being the largest creature (even bigger than the Orcs) in the Goblin Stone world, Trolls are known for their shy and gentle nature. Our initial idea for the Trolls is to give them a massive masked head decorated with natural elements like twigs and vines. We created the Trolls with triangular bodies and heads, similar to how Goblins have rounded heads and Orcs have trapezoid-shaped bodies.
As they are similarly large monsters to Orcs, we wanted them to stand out without taking away from the impact of the Orcs' appearance. We tried out different styles for the Trolls, just like we did for the Kobolds. Starting with the forearms, we made the Trolls to have much slimmer but longer limbs in contrast to the Orcs’s muscular arms. Let’s not forget to mention one of the features unique to the Trolls is their flat masks with a hole for their red nose to peek out of!
If you haven't noticed, we also have created female variations of the Kobolds and Trolls. While their designs may or may not appear in the final game, you will be able to see other female characters who will play significant roles in the story - but we’ll save that for another sneak peek!
Until then, see you on our next devblog. Please feel free to share Goblin Stone to your friends and invite them to wishlist and follow us on STEAM.
We've been keeping this big news under wraps for a long time while waiting for the right opportunity to tell you all about it. Now that the time has come, we couldn't be more excited to announce that we have partnered with Curve Games to officially publish and bring Goblin Stone to the world!
After careful planning with Curve Games, we made the announcement on March 24, 2023 (3PM Boston Time), during PAX EAST's live stream, where Goblin Stone and many other games were showcased. The Orc Chop Games team also appeared on the livestream, where we talked about the content we're working on as we prepare for the full game's release later this year. If you missed the broadcast, you can watch it online on these links:
Making a successful game entails far more than simply developing it. PR, marketing, trailer creation, conventions, reaching out to press and influencers, as well as a variety of other factors all contribute to our game's long-term success. Publishing partners like Curve Games allows indie studios like ours to focus on what we do best, which is to develop games, and ensure the game gets the attention and momentum it needs for a successful release.
As a small indie game studio with a tight-knit team, we wanted to work with a publishing partner who shared our enthusiasm for our game and could help Goblin Stone reach its full potential. Throughout our year-long effort to select the right publisher, Curve Games has demonstrated the greatest degree of adaptability, patience, and sincere enthusiasm to bring Goblin Stone to the world.
There are a few things that players can expect with our partnership with Curve Games. As we mentioned in our previous devblog, one of the things we're working on is localizing the game into various languages and porting it to other gaming platforms. With Curve Games' support, we will have more opportunities to expand our player base and maximize the game's potential for better player experience, giving us a better chance of success in the competitive indie game market.
Together with Curve Games, we will remain deeply committed to the development of Goblin Stone. Please rest assured that Orc Chop games retains creative control over the game’s direction. We wanted Goblin Stone to be the game we so passionately envisioned, one that our community would love and enjoy.
For more news and announcements about Goblin Stone, wishlist and follow Goblin Stone or join us on our official Discord server. Look forward to our next game development update!
Goblins Stone goes to PAX EAST!
Hello everyone!
Following our successful participation in Busan Indie Connect last September 2022, we've decided that we're ready to bring and introduce Goblin Stone to the western side of the globe!
We're pleased to announce that Goblin Stone will be participating at PAX EAST 2023, which will take place in Boston, Massachusetts, from March 23 to March 26, 2023. While the team will not be physically present at the event, Goblin Stone will be featured during one of PAX EAST's live streams and will be presented in a press panel for a special announcement.
We'll be sharing more detailed news and information about this on our devblogs in the coming days, so stay tuned!
What is PAX EAST PAX East is a celebration of gaming and gaming culture featuring thought-provoking panels, a massive expo hall filled with the best publishers and studios, new game demos, musical performances, tournaments, and a community experience unlike any other.
For more official PAX news, follow: Website: https://east.paxsite.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/pax Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/PAX/
Goblin Stone Trailer, game optimization and more!
In development news, we are able to wrap up our February with a good deal of progress on the new content that our Art and Design teams are working on, which will be featured in our upcoming blogs. Meanwhile, our QA and Engineering teams were able to address the low framerate issues in the homebase and improve overall game performance by addressing both memory and CPU usage, resulting in a significant improvement in higher FPS, shorter loading times, and a smaller application size
FPS comparison between earlier unoptimized and optimized lair.
We also released another Goblin Stone trailer on our official Youtube channel. The trailer showcases the game's new mechanics, locations, bosses and a lot of visual improvements in the game.
In case you missed it, you can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0BBsKzMabA
And more exciting news from the team!
We are able to confirm that Goblin Stone will be localized in multiple languages upon its release. Although only English will be used for the narrations and voiceovers, all text will be translated into the following languages:
French
Italian
German
Spanish
Korean
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Japanese
Russian
Brazilian Portuguese
Polish
Please let us know if there are any languages or consoles you would want to see Goblin Stone translated and ported into, and we'll see if we can include that in the future.
Aside from these changes, we are planning to port Goblin Stone to other gaming consoles such as PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, and Mac. These plans are still up on the drawing board, so we can't guarantee we'll be able to release them simultaneously with the PC/Steam launch this year. We wanted to make sure, first and foremost, that we can deliver Goblin Stone on time and with the quality you expect.
We know you're all wondering when Goblin Stone will be released, but our team is currently working on a timeframe to work with and will be finalizing a date very soon. Don’t worry! We will continue to update you on what we are working on and keep you in the loop. Until then, see you in our next dev blog!
Devblog #16: The Ettinfells
Hello everyone!
Following on from our previous devblog about the world and regions of Goblin Stone, we'll be sharing the new biomes and locations that we are currently working on for the second story arc of Goblin Stone. Explore the northern region of Goblin Stone with us and learn tidbits of its lore and development.
In the second act, our goblin heroes will arrive in Ettinfells after traveling up north and over a wasteland. This region has three prominent biomes: the Wasteland, Mountain and Swamp biomes.
THE WASTELAND
Across the border into the western range of the Ettinfells is an unsettling view of the wasteland where the war between the menfolk and monsterfolk took place. We conceptualized the wasteland as a desolate, war-torn land where ominous clouds loomed heavy over it, robbing creatures of any sense of hope for peace in this land.
THE SWAMPS
Kobolds occupy the swampy area of Ettinfells. We imagined the East Ettinfells to be a swampy place filled with enchantment and mystery. Despite being shrouded in fog, the artifacts and structures built and scattered by the monsterfolk who inhabit this wetland give it a welcoming appearance. Large trees like Willows and Mangroves are abundant in this area as well as gigantic mushrooms.
THE MOUNTAINS
The Ettinfells region was once a safe haven for Trolls until their war with the Menfolk drove most of them to seek refuge in the mountains' hills and borders. The mountain biomes feature steep rocky mountains and sunset-colored canyons that stretch across the region. The paths along the mountainside are so narrow that even the smallest creature such as a goblin could trip and fall if they get too close to the edge.
The majority of the Ettinfells are inhabited by Menfolk, Trolls, and Kobolds. Other dark and mysterious characters will appear in this region as well, but we'll leave that for everyone to discover when the game launches this 2023. Please keep an eye out for it or join us in our official Discord community to get a sneak peek at what we have in store for you!
Devblog #15: The world of Goblin Stone at a glance
Goblin Stone takes place in a world where despicable humans hunt all creatures for glory and gold, while monsterfolks struggle for survival in small settlements scattered across the realms.
During our first demo and beta test game version we previewed three region maps: Old Woods, Hinterlands, and Golden Hollows. These regions span four story chapters and are part of Goblin Stone's first story arc. Each chapter takes you to a new location where you will encounter various monsterfolks, menfolks and other creatures. Don't worry if you missed our previous demo; we'll walk you through the Land of Goblin Stone in this devblog.
OLD WOODS
The starting point of the game is located in the Old woods region, which is home to goblins and various feral creatures. It is a subregion of the Hinterlands area, but due to its environment design, it is considered a separate region. We describe Old Woods as a sunny, warm forest with grassy and rocky terrain.
Some of the characters and enemies you will encounter in Old Woods.
HINTERLANDS
The home to the friendly Orcs. Hinterlands is our take to a mossy woodland biome populated by pine and oak trees. A river flows through this area, encouraging the growth of greenery. While the terrain is grassy and rocky, it is damp and cold in comparison to the Old Woods.
Some of the characters and enemies you will encounter in Hinterlands.
GOLDEN HOLLOWS
The Gnolls' encampment can be found deep within the Golden Hollows forest. The land consists of golden rolling hills covered in farm crops and fields. The majority of the trees and bushes are reddish in color, giving the impression of an autumn harvest. The Halflings, who later discovered the land, also established their territory in Golden Hollows.
Some of the characters and enemies you will encounter in Golden Hollows.
WHAT LIES BEYOND...
Beyond the forest lies EttinFells, home to the Kobolds and Menfolk. Another chapter awaits our goblin heroes as they travel further north. Please look forward to our next devblog as we will venture out to the new region of Goblin Stone.
It's been roughly 6 years since the idea of Goblin Stone was born, and we'd like to thank everyone who has accompanied us on our development adventures as we build this game. We apologize for keeping everyone waiting, and we know you're just as excited about our launch as we are.
Today, we are announcing that we will be releasing the game as a single full release instead of going the Early Access route. This shift has come after the team here at Orc Chop Games put careful thought into the marketing budget and efforts required to bring the game to market successfully. Unfortunately, this means we all have to wait a bit longer to play the game. But on the flipside, we can all look forward to a full game release with the complete story, new characters and locations, and epic roguelike adventures!
New encounters and story locations in Goblin Stone
In addition, after a careful review of our development plans and taking into account our community's suggestions from previous testing sessions, we believe that there is more that we want to do to perfect the game experience. We are also thrilled to share that we have already finished the first half of the game's content for the release. The Orc Chop Team is currently focused on implementing the final chapters of Goblin Stone and improving the game system to improve the roguelike experience. There is still a lot of work to be done on our backlog, but we will make sure that everything is ready for the launch and that you end up with a great game in your hands.
see more of these sneak peaks on our official Discord
Hello everyone! This would be the first dev blog about a boss in our game! We've shown events, features, and other mechanics from past dev blogs. We'll now be talking about a huge king!
We’ll introduce the Rat King! The Rat King is believed to skulk beneath the stony pavement of the halfling capital. Anyone would be frightened to see a gigantic rat! Let’s jump right in and learn more about the King of the sewers.
The Royal Headpiece
Let's talk about the crown of the Rat King! The crown was first conceptualized to be a group of rats gathering around the King's head while wielding forks and knives.
With the image below we gave the Rat King some accessories to make it appear as though the Rat King is actually the head of the rats; we gave him a golden band on its head with the rats and tweaked the accessories on his tail to match his crown.
Hairy Cape
We considered using the capes to serve as the boss's fast visual identification. As you can see, we modified the color of the cape from red to gray because the lighting in the sewers made it seem different.
If you noticed, the king is now wearing a cape. We considered using the capes to serve as the boss's fast visual identification. As you can see, we modified the color of the cape from red to gray because the lighting in the sewers made it seem different.
Why is the Rat King Big?
The Giant Rat doesn’t look as big as the Rat King. Having other rats larger than him seemed like he was inferior. So we decided to make the Rat King the biggest among all other rats to show its dominance. A king should always show superiority and strength amongst the rats.
Chamber of the Rat King
This is an older version of where the Rat King resides. He has a lot of cheese around him all for himself, making him the big fat Rat King. The rats always make sure the room is filled with cheese to please their King.
That is all for the Rat King! With the Rat King in place, what other bosses could exist in the world of Goblin Stone? Be prepared and stay tuned for more updates about the game and see what else could be waiting for you!
Thank you for taking the time to read this dev blog, If you want to get more information about the game and communicate with our community, be sure to check out our Discord!
