Today's build includes the new town quest, Celebration! This quest unlocks after you complete the Stronghold Quest and adds a firework launcher to the house of the NPC how has the quest. Having these fireworks not only adds a mood buff to that NPC (same as the other town quest items) but it also adds a mood buff to the entire town when you use it!
The fireworks can be shot once per evening. Once launched, the mood buff for the town lasts for about half of an in-game day.
This build also includes some localization fixes.
Enjoy the fireworks everyone! ːhh_dwarfː ːhh_flowerː
-Jonathan "Calandryll" Hanna jon@hammerhelm.com
My Twitter: https://twitter.com/SuperSixStudios
Discord Channel: discord.gg/soedesco
Build 1.8 - Two New Quests
Today's build includes two new town quests. Tick Tock and Birds of a Feather. Help your townspeople find the items they need to add more décor to their homes!
This update also includes some code optimizations and some localization fixes to bugs that I found while testing the new quests.
I'm also still working on the Fireworks quest but want to make the fireworks something you can use (like the telescope) before adding the quest to the game.
These quests unlock after you finish the Stronghold Quest.
-Jonathan "Calandryll" Hanna jon@hammerhelm.com
My Twitter: https://twitter.com/SuperSixStudios
Discord Channel: discord.gg/soedesco
Build 1.7.22 - Wishing Well Fix
Tonight's build includes a fix for the infinite wishing well and a couple of small quality of life improvements related to opening and closing UI based on feedback.
The Wishing Well will no longer give infinite resources.
Fixed a bug that caused the town loading system to create multiple versions of the same house decoration object. This could negatively impact performance and was part of the cause of the Wishing Well bug mentioned above.
The UI message for interacting with furniture will no longer get stuck on the screen if you open the build menu (or any other UI) while the message is present.
You can now close the Build Menu and the Town Manager UI using the same key you used to open them. By default this is P and V respectively, but it will work for any custom keybinds as well.
The art for the new quest decor items is done and I hope to spend some time working on the actual quests this weekend!
-Jonathan "Calandryll" Hanna jon@hammerhelm.com
My Twitter: https://twitter.com/SuperSixStudios
Discord Channel: discord.gg/soedesco
Build 1.7.21 - Fixes and Improvements
Today's build includes some fixes to issues reported by members of the community.
Fixed a bug that could cause the game to freeze after completing the Orc Quest or Stronghold Quest and opening your inventory. Huge thanks to everyone who sent me the data to track this one down!
Moved some stalagmites out of the central areas of the Obsidian Caves as they were getting in the way of combat.
Fixed a bug that caused stones to continue to be harvested for resources even after the stone disappeared.
Made a change to the resource collecting and combat systems so that if you start an attack near a stone or tree, the attack won't continue through the combo. This allowed resources to be collected too quickly. Note that you will still get credit for the "hit" on the tree or stone even if your character does the attack animation.
Fixed some collision issues in the Barracks interior.
Also, I received the textures for the new objects for the new quests I mentioned in previous updates so I can now start working on them in earnest. Hope to have them ready soon!
-Jonathan "Calandryll" Hanna jon@hammerhelm.com
My Twitter: https://twitter.com/SuperSixStudios
Discord Channel: discord.gg/soedesco
Build 1.7.20 - NPC Profession Levels
Today's update is the NPC Profession Level system. In this system, the longer an NPC has a job, the better they get at it.
Each day that an NPC has a job, they will gain a level in that job, up to 5 levels. The higher the NPC level, the better they are at doing it. For resource related NPCs, such as Workers, Miners, Farmers, and Herbalists, this means a chance to bring more resources each time they drop off resources at the Storehouse.
An NPC's level in their profession is indicated by a green dashed bar next to their portrait in the Townspeople Manager.
For town crafters, such as Cooks, Brewers, and Tailors, a higher level means an increased chance to make additional items without using more resources.
Higher level Carpenters and Stonemasons have a chance to use less resources when crafting furniture and fireplaces.
And for crafters such as Metalsmiths, Armorsmiths, and Weaponsmiths, a higher level means a better chance to make a Masterwork Item. Note this means even crafters without the Meticulous trait can now make Masterwork items, although having Meticulous increases that chances even further!
To keep the system simple, all NPCs gain their level at midnight, in game time. This means an NPC might gain a level very quickly if you assign them a job right before midnight. I toyed around with each NPC tracking their own 24 hour level cycle but it wasn't worth the overheard so I kept it simple.
Most importantly, if you change an NPC's job, they will lose their level. Note once this momentum is lost, it isn't regained if you switch them back to their previous job.
A few NPCs don't benefit from leveling yet including Alchemists, Tinkerers, and Tavernkeepers since they don't produce items or craft Masterwork items. I'm still debating whether to add them to the system in some other way.
-Jonathan "Calandryll" Hanna jon@hammerhelm.com
My Twitter: https://twitter.com/SuperSixStudios
Discord Channel: discord.gg/soedesco
In Development: New Quests and NPC Enchancements
A quick update on some more things I am working on!
NPC Professions Leveling The longer an NPC has a job, the better they will become at it. Each day, every NPC will level up in their professions. Their level is a green bar in the townspeople manager next to the portrait.
Higher profession levels give different NPCs different bonuses.
Raw material NPCs, such as Workers, Miners, Hunters, Farmers, etc. will have a chance to get more resources.
Shopkeeper NPCs who craft weapons or armor will have a big increased chance to craft masterwork items. Note this also means an NPC who doesn't have the Meticulous trait can craft a masterwork item, however having that trait increases the chance quite a bit. A level 5 shopkeeper with Meticulous has an 80% chance to craft a masterwork item, as opposed to the current 30% chance.
Carpenters and Stonemason will have a chance to use less resources when crafting furniture and fireplaces.
Crafters, such as Cooks, Tailors, and Brewers will have an increased chance to make more of the crafted item than they would normally be able to, without using additional resources.
I'm still working on bonuses for Mages, Tinkerers, Woodcutters, Healers, and other professions that either don't craft masterwork items or don't gather resources.
Swapping jobs resets an NPCs level.
As part of this system I'm also going to add the ability to make a non-worker NPC and turn them back into a Worker. Doing this will also reset their level. There will be some other limitations to this, however it will allow you to reset a shopkeeper that you don't need if you placed a building and assigned a shopkeeper to it without realizing you didn't need it yet. More on this system as I work on it. I might release the leveling system first and then this part later.
New Quests I'm also working on three more town quests that will add a bird bath, a grandfather clock, and fireworks to your town! The models for the game objects are finished and the artist is now creating the textures and finishing them up. A quick preview of the untextured models below.
The plan is to have the fireworks actually work. I'm probably going to have these unlock after the Stronghold quest to add some variety to the later parts of the game.
I hope to have the profession levels finished by this weekend and probably the unassign NPC system in after that. The quests will be released once the new art is done and I've written up all of the quest text for them. So stay tuned! :)
-Jonathan "Calandryll" Hanna jon@hammerhelm.com
My Twitter: https://twitter.com/SuperSixStudios
Discord Channel: discord.gg/soedesco
Build 1.7.19 - Quick Fixes
Today's build includes some fixes to some reported issues:
Updated the woodchopper buff to reduce the number of swings it takes to chop down a tree. Previously the system was giving you the same effect as having a diamond hatchet, which meant it was too powerful at lower levels and not useful at all once you actually had a diamond hatchet. The updated version reduces the number of swings needed by one, so a diamond hatchet only takes two swings to fell a tree!
Fixed a missing pillar in the Stronghold.
Fixed a localization error in the description of the monster healthbars.
We're also making some good progress on the new objects for the new quests. Past the concept phase and on to the 3D modeling and texturing. Once those are done I'll hook them up to the quests and to the town!
-Jonathan "Calandryll" Hanna jon@hammerhelm.com
My Twitter: https://twitter.com/SuperSixStudios
Discord Channel: discord.gg/soedesco
Trading Cards
A quick announcement to let you know that we've added Steam Trading Cards support to HammerHelm!
There are five cards to collect. You can earn three cards simply by playing the game. If you've already played HammerHelm a bunch you may already have earned these! I got a Ratman card and two Earth Elemental Cards. :)
You can learn more about Trading Cards here: https://steamcommunity.com/tradingcards/
There are also some new items in the Steam Item Shop for HammerHelm, including profile backgrounds and emoticons!
I'd like to take a moment to update you all on what I am working on!
New Town Quests I'm working on some new town quests (the quests that added objects to the townspeoples' homes) that will include some new objects for the town. A bird bath, a grandfather clock, and fireworks. The same artist who created the recent objects for the Stronghold Quest and the Resource Items (apiaries, beehives, rose trellis, etc.) is working on the new objects for the quests. In the mean time I'm writing up the quest text and creating the quests themselves.
Unassigning NPCs After getting a lot of feedback on this over the past few months I've decided to work on a system that will allow you to unassign an NPC from a job without having to swap them with someone else. This new system will also include an enhancement to the overall townspeople jobs system.
Townspeople will gain a buff after they've held a job for a certain amount of time (TBD). This buff will make them better at their job, whether they are a worker, a shopkeeper, or any other profession. This buff will give them a boost for whatever their primary role is. So workers will sometimes get more resources, shopkeepers with the meticulous skill will make Mastercraft items more often, the cost to craft items at a shopkeep with this buff will be slightly lower, and so on.
If you swap or unassign a Dwarf who has a job, this buff will reset.
Some limitations of the system will be that you cannot unassign a Dwarf from a job if that Dwarf is the only one in the town with that job. Also, Farmers, Miners, Fishermen, and Herbalists will likely not be eligible for this feature. However they will be able to swap jobs as normal.
Overall I think this system will allow you to unassign a Dwarf and make them a Worker to help boost production without making it something that happens all the time. In addition if you accidently place a second building and assign a Dwarf to it, you'll be able to first unassign that Dwarf and then delete the building if you no longer want it. More on this as I work on it!
Upgrading Storehouses I'm still working on the details for this but the idea is to allow you to decide whether you want to have three storehouses or upgrade one or two of them, allowing you to free up some space in your town. You will of course be able to upgrade all three if you want to maximize your resources. For existing towns I'll need to work on something to allow you to remove a Storehouse if you decide you don't want all three as right now you can't delete Storehouses.
More Repeatable Quests I want to add more repeating quests to the game, especially some new ones after the Orc and Stronghold quests to add some more diversity to the mid and end game. The trick with these is they have to be repeatable, can't be very narrative driven, and shouldn't use a lot of new art. The idea is to use what I have, for now at least. I also don't want them to just all be "go kill something" - although combat quests are fine, as long as they have some different context.
Other Stuff Other suggestions from the community. Town Manager Enhancements. Quality of Life Improvements. Bug Fixes.
I also have a couple of other things in the works that I hope to be able to talk about very soon!
Thank you everyone for your support and feedback. As always if you have any comments on this, or anything else related to HammerHelm, please feel free to share here or on Discord!
-Jonathan "Calandryll" Hanna jon@hammerhelm.com
My Twitter: https://twitter.com/SuperSixStudios
Discord Channel: discord.gg/soedesco
Build 1.7.18 - Audio Refinements
Today's build includes some refinements to audio in the game, mostly centered on volume. I went through a bunch of sounds and adjusted their volume to match better. Most notably, the MushroomMan Mage puke attack sound has been reduced and I increased the distance fall off for the sounds for the new rabbits and birds.
This build also includes a potential fix for the Lich fight related to the Lich not taking damage when attacked. I saw potential, because I haven't been able to preproduce this myself, but I did determine where the bug is occurring (thanks to some super helpful player logs) and I believe I found the edge case that is causing this.
I'm working on some other things including some new quests (with new objects for the townspeople homes) as well as some other updates. We're in the early stages of getting the new objects for the quests created so hopefully I'll have some more news on the new quests soon!
