Guile & Glory: Firstborn Early Access 8.50 Patch Notes
Hi Everyone!
The 8.50 update for the Early Access build of Guile & Glory: Firstborn brings quite a few changes. It might also be the last one before full release. I guess that depends on how many bugs we find in the coming days. You can find a list of the changes below, and we're also finally ready to talk about what you can expect in terms of content and pricing once the game leaves Early Access. Exciting stuff! Let's get started.
Early Access 8.50 - Patch Notes:
Under the Hood: The majority of the changes made as part of this patch will not be immediately visible, but will be essential to ensure that the full release version functions as intended and provides the best possible experience. I have tidied up a lot of interactions between skills and mechanics that do not normally encounter each other in a story playthrough. I will go into the reasons for this later in the blog. Notably, I have also stripped out a bunch of old legacy files from earlier versions of the project, then run through to (hopefully) make sure that the removal of those files doesn't cause any issues. Let me be very clear; no playable content has been removed. The deleted files were old levels and objects that are no longer compatible with the current version of the game.
Bug Fixes:
Fixed a bug where opening the Heroes tab of the Lorebook was crashing the game. Yikes!
Characters:
All unlockable Delve characters now have aggro modifiers like the story characters, making it clearer which party members will be prioritised by attacking enemies.
The Guardian's magic bolts with now deal the correct amount of damage to the Wyrm after absorbing additional Essence Orbs.
The Outlander now uses the correct animation for the Dash skill when equipped with the Berserker III Boon.
UI:
Fixed some typos.
Tooltips now scale in size to match the length of the description, and should look better overall.
Replaced some fonts that didn't quite look right in a couple of the menus.
Locked Boons now display their Glory cost as well as their statistics and traits, making it easier to plan out how you spend your Glory.
Locked Essence Orb interaction skills (such as the Guardian's Absorbing Bolt) now use the correct icon in the Traits readout.
Levels:
Chapter 2 - Level 2 was kind of unsightly, and has received a beauty pass.
A number of levels have been tweaked to prevent the cinematic bars from obstructing the view of characters during dialogue.
I discovered that it was possible to kill the Rakshasa this first time it is encountered by the Outlander and Scoundrel, as its rage mechanic was not triggering correctly in that battle if its health fell to 7 or below. The Rakshasa will now become enraged as normal after taking 3 damage.
Delves:
The Victory Menu at the end of a Delve area will now only show the option to claim your rewards, to prevent confusion.
The dialogue systems for Delves has been updated so that enemies will not repeat lines at the start of a battle.
The victory quotes for Sahatus have been updated.
Release & Beyond- What to Expect:
Release Version Changes: The current Early Access build of Guile & Glory: Firstborn contains all of the story content, but there will still be some new stuff dropping when we leave Early Access. The introductory levels are being reworked to give players a better idea of the Outlander's story at the outset. The Delve mode is also being expanded significantly, with all unlockable characters gaining at least a few purchasable upgrades, and new Delve regions being added for the Road of Kings and the Abyss.
These new Delves will allow players to pit their unlocked heroes against versions of the story bosses, while also providing a substantial source of Glory. For the most dedicated players who complete both the story and the Delves, there will a new endgame challenge in the Sanctum of Ruin, a nightmarishly-difficult battle that allows you to pit any of your unlocked heroes against Guile & Glory's most formidable antagonist yet.
Finally, Jessie is working on a sweet new title screen, and Landon has a delightful surprise in store for when the credits roll. I won't be spoiling that one. You'll just have to save the Drowned Lands and find out...
Pricing: We will be increasing the price of the game a bit when we leave Early Access, but we will also be running a launch sale, so I suspect it will work out about the same whether you pick it up now or at launch. On the one hand, I obviously want to encourage anyone who is interested to pick up the project at launch, because every purchase helps me keep making games for all of you, and enables me to bring in incredibly talented contractors like Jessie and Landon to do more cool stuff. On the other hand, though, I've also tried to be fair and transparent with the pricing at every stage of development, so if you do miss the launch sale, don't stress. There will be others.
Post-Launch Content: At this stage, we have one major post-launch update planned. The update will add Steam achievements, a bunch of additional Lorebook items to discover, and (hopefully) cloud saves and a functional Linux build of the game.
Whew! That was a long one! Thank you for reading, and may your adventures in the Drowned Lands be Glorious! See you at launch... or possibly in like a day or two if something breaks before then.
Guile & Glory: Firstborn Early Access 8.10 & PAX Aus
Hi everyone!
The latest update brings a range of fixes and improvements for the 8.0 Early Access release. This update should address most of the bugs found in the last update, as well as expanding a number of the core systems to pretty much their final version. You can find a breakdown of the latest patch below, but first...
PAX Aus Online 2021
We are delighted to be participating in the digital PAX Aus event for 2021. We will be releasing an update in conjunction with the event, so stay tuned for more news on that, and we'll look forward to seeing you in the digital expo hall from the 8th to the 10th of October! Now, on to the patch notes for the 8.10 update!
Early Access 8.10 Patch Notes (Warning: Minor Spoilers):
Boons Menu:
The Boons menu has been updated so that locked boons are now visible, and locked skills show their full description. It is now much easier to decide which boons you want each of your characters to specialise in, and which endgame paths with work best for your playstyle. Additionally, when selecting a boon in the menu, you will be shown how that boon's HP, Action Points and Movement Points compare to the statistics of the one you currently have equipped on that character.
Essence Orbs:
Many playable characters now have new ways of interacting with Essence Orbs. These changes were introduced to improve the Delve experience with different team compositions, and facilitate some new content coming with the full release version:
Guardian: The Guardian's bolts will now absorb any additional Essence Orbs they collide with, increasing the damage of the bolt for each Orb absorbed. Additionally, to bonus damage from absorbed Essence Orbs ignores the Barrier status effect.
Herald / Cyclops / Turtleclops: Melee character can now move Essence Orbs by hitting them with anattack. An Essence Orb knocked into a character in this way will explode and deal damage, as normal.
Cyclops Archer: The Cyclops Archer's arrows will now absorb Essence Orbs that they pass through, gaining additional damage that will pierce through Barriers, much like the Guardian's energy bolts.
Giant / Rakshasa: Energy blasts created by the Giant and Rakshasa playable character will now absorb Essence Orbs, gaining additional damage that can bypass the Barrier status.
Sahatus: Using Dark Summons on an Essence Orb will now destroy the Orb, granting Sahatus the Barrier condition until the end of his next turn. Each additional Orb consumed increases the duration by 1 turn.
Miscellaneous:
In addition to a range of minor tweaks and bug fixes, the following miscellaneous changes have been made:
Scoundrel: The Vanquisher Boon now has the Sprint II skill. The Assassin Boon now grants a base movement of 6, and the Exploit Weakness III Trait. The Confounding Bomb skill now knocks any large target Off-Balance, per the skill description.
Guardian: The Seraph Boon now grants a base movement of 6, and the Swift Blessing II Trait.
Giant: The Giant now costs 2 party slots in Delves, as indicated in the character selection menu.
Cyclops Archer: Added a skill description when firing the bow.
Turtleclops: Added a character description.
Sahatus: Blade of Ruin now removes the Barrier condition from targets struck.
Essence Orbs: Are now immune to all damage, as originally intended.
Boons: Now show any special Essence Orb interactions as a Trait.
Tooltips: Are now displayed in a clearer font, and the size of the pop-up now scales to the length of the text.
Combat UI: When mousing over a potential target with a skill selected, the Push and Pull indicators will now show clearer information.
Stoneborn: Stoneborn now correctly spawn stone chips at the start of the battle, allowing an astute player to distinguish them from normal statues.
Projectiles: Projectile explosions are now longer offset incorrectly when striking the boundaries of the map.
What Comes Next?
We're getting very close to the final release version of Guile & Glory: Firstborn, but there is still more work to do. Stay tuned for further updates in the next few weeks! Thank you for reading, and may your adventures in the Drowned Lands be Glorious!
Guile & Glory: Firstborn Early Access 8.03 Patch Notes
Hi Everyone,
Just a small patch to address a couple of minor bugs we discovered during in-house testing of Chapter 8. Additionally, if the Guardian is using a Boon that grants Reactive Block, she will now block impacts with walls and other terrain to prevent herself being stunned.
Also introduced a small tweak to the portrait for the boss in the last battle of Chapter 8.
The final battles should be more or less bug-free now (fingers crossed), but they aren't any easier. Good luck, Aspirants!
Guile & Glory: Firstborn - Early Acces Version 8.02 Full Campaign Update
Hi Everyone,
It's been a tough year, but I have some good news. I know I've been quiet for a while, but I haven't been idle. The game is pretty close to finished now, and there's a lot of new content to experience.
I'll include a breakdown of all the changes below, but you can also just jump in and give it a try if you don't want any spoilers.
Thank you all for bearing with me, and I hope you enjoy the update!
-Daniel
Note: This update overhauls almost everything in the game, which unfortunately means that old saves are no longer supported. If you attempt to load an old save file, you will keep any acquired Glory, but your story progress and Lorebook unlocks will be reset.
Tiny Teams Festival 2021
Before we get into the game updates, I also wanted to mention that we're very proud to be included in the Yogscast Tiny Teams Festival 2021. The festival is a fantastic showcase of upcoming indie games with teams of five or fewer developers. It's definitely worth checking out, and it's starting tomorrow! As a bonus, Guile & Glory: Firstborn will also be available at a substantial discount on Steam for the duration of the event!
Early Access 8.02 Patch Notes:
Story: Chapters 6, 7 and 8 have been added to the game, bringing the total number of story missions to 45. Chapters 1-4 have been tweaked and revised, and Chapter 5 has undergone a substantial overhaul. The final boss is also in the game, and it is TOUGH. Maybe too tough. You'll all have to play and let us know.
Characters / Progression: Full character progression has been added for the three main characters. The full roster of ten playable characters is also now available, including four story characters and six unlockable Delve characters.
Delves: Delves have been revised to offer better rewards and reduce the amount of grinding required to unlock additional upgrades. Note: You can definitely beat the game without any grinding, but you will probably have to play some Delves if you want enough Glory to unlock every upgrade for every character.
Dialogue: All in-game dialogue is now skippable! (press Escape during dialogue, the Escape again when prompted)
Miscellaneous: Tons of bugs have been squashed, many of the menus have been tweaked and revised, and the game should run better too.
What's Left To Do?
The game is pretty close to being finished, but there is always room to improve. Exactly how big the changes will be remains to be seen, but below are the areas we're currently looking at improving before launch:
Balance: I think the difficulty curve is a lot smoother now, but there's still more work to do. I'll need everyone's help to make sure that none of the bosses are too hard or too easy, and that the Boon options for characters are at least somewhat balanced.
Bug Fixes / Polishing: This is probably what most development time will be spent on in the next few weeks. There are still a few bugs and bits of jank, especially with the audio, and fixing those as best I can will be a priority moving towards full release.
Menu Design / Tutorials: Playing through the game, I think some of the menus and systems are still a bit obtuse, and I'll be working to make everything a little more user friendly. I'll also be working with Jessie, our wonderful artist, on a bit of visual polish.
Narrative: The story content is currently complete, although I'll probably give it at least one more pass to make sure that everything is explained adequately, and that there aren't too many plot holes.
Delves: The Delves basically work and serve their purpose now, but I'd love to flesh them out a bit more with additional levels and bosses to pit your Delve heroes against. I don't know if a significant overhaul of the Delves will come before launch, or in a later patch, but I definitely have stuff in the works.
Boons: It would be nice to add at least a few unlockable Boons for each of the Delve heroes, and I might add some more to the main characters as well.
The Lorebook: The Lorebook already contains a lot of useful information about gameplay mechanics and the world of Guile & Glory, but I'll be looking to add more information on status effects, the different gameplay systems, and elements of the lore not covered in detail by the story.
That's all for now. Expect small updates and bug fixes in the next few weeks as we move towards full release. Our composer Landon Walter and I also have something fun in the works, so stay tuned for updates on that. Thank you for reading, and may your adventures in the Drowned Lands be Glorious!
Guile & Glory: Firstborn Demo Now Available
Greetings Aspirants!
We are pleased to announce that an updated version of the Guile & Glory: Firstborn demo is now live on Steam!
The demo provides a sample of what the story content in the full game has to offer. If you're curious about Guile & Glory, this is a great way to try it out for free!
We hope you enjoy the demo, and as always, may your adventures in the Drowned Lands be Glorious!
Guile & Glory: Firstborn Early Access 5.11 Patch Notes
Greetings Aspirants! It has been brought to our attention that we accidentally included the sixth playable character, the Bow Cyclops, in the latest update.
This character was not intended to be available until the Chapter 6 update, and was still a little buggy, so we released this patch to address the issue...
The Bow Cyclops should now be fully functional, and temporarily available to anyone who has cleared the first mission of Chapter 3. The Bow Cyclops will also be a tremendous asset against the hidden boss.
Happy hunting!
Guile & Glory: Firstborn Early Access 5.10 Update
Greetings Aspirants! The upcoming Chapter 6 update has required us to make quite a few changes under the hood, and this latest patch will allow us to test some of those changes before we roll out the next major update. These changes include fixes for a few significant bugs, as well as revisions to a number of the existing boss fights (including the hidden challenge boss introduced in 5.0). You can find the details below (some spoilers):
Prepared Skills Revision: Prepared skills (such as the Rakshasa's smash attack) can now be cancelled. This is in preparation for the release of more prepared skills for player characters, and is intended to make characters with prepared skills easier and more intuitive to use. Playable Rakshasa Changes: We found a bug where the Rakshasa player character was not dealing any damage with skills while enraged. This was due to some changes that allow a character's skills to deal different damage while the character is enraged. A new Rakshasa boon has been added that makes use of this feature, but getting your hands on it will be tough!
Guardian Valkyrie Changes: We fixed a bug where the Valkyrie boon's transposition skill was making both the Guardian and the target permanently immune to projectiles. Cool, but definitely not intended! We may, however, introduce a more balanced version of this effect in a future upgrade for the Valkyrie.
New Boss Health Bars: We have now added support for multiple creatures sharing the same boss health bar. This will affect the early Rakshasa battles and the Swarm Vetal bosses in the Bone Wastes delve.
Secret Boss Changes: We have also made some changes to the hidden boss battle. We want it to be hard, but the old version was virtually impossible. With these revisions, Aspirants will at least stand a fighting chance against the mysterious monster. Defeating the hidden boss will now also net you a powerful reward...
Secret Boss Hint: If you haven't found the secret boss yet, here's a clue. Start your search in the Bone Wastes delves. You'll find a few clues to its whereabouts, and the means of drawing it into combat.
Demo Update: We are also bringing our demo of the game to Steam this weekend. If you haven't tried the game yet, it will offer a sample of what Guile & Glory: Firstborn has to offer.
That's all for now. Stay tuned for the new demo over the weekend, and the Chapter 6 update coming in the next week or so! Thank you for reading, and may your adventures in the Drowned Lands be Glorious!
