The game will load with Easy mode as default, and changes made to difficulty will be saved and kept until changed. This means that those of you who currently enjoy playing the game in Normal mode will have to change to your preferred mode the first time you load up the game. Changing difficulty is done in the class selection lobby.
Easy mode features:
Reduced number of enemies.
Reduced attack animation speed.
Reduced overall boss battle difficulties.
Reduced how quickly some enemies attack (archers especially).
Archer AI is less smart in Easy mode, making it less likely that players who hide and attack from behind obstacles, or generally uses the environment to their advantage, is seen and fired upon.
Tweaks and changes
Tweaked detection area for the den wolves in Level 1. It should now be possible to sneak past them using the entirety of the neighboring path, removing the need to stay close to the opposite wall.
Added momentum to the door swivel in Level 1.
Vulture Bear boss battle: Slight reduction to difficulty in Normal mode.
Vulture Bear boss battle: Fumes from the boss’s spit have been given added height to help players avoid standing in the acid puddle without noticing.
General bug fixes
Rapidly switching weapons while engaged in close quarter combat should no longer cause continuous controller vibrations.
Holding the bow and changing to daggers while the draw hand controller is vibrating should no longer cause continuous controller vibrations.
Shooting continuously over a long period of time with the Warrior’s crossbow should no longer cause continuous controller vibrations.
Wolves should no longer randomly rotate after being killed.
Activating lore scrolls immediately counts towards scroll trophy, removing the need to wait for the narration to finish.
Fixed an issue relating to missing hit boxes that allowed arrows to pass through certain monsters without dealing damage.
Upcoming updates
PATCH #1: Easy mode (Week 17: April 24-30)
PATCH #2: Loot and weapon upgrades (Edit: Week 19: May 8-14)
PATCH #3: Combat and AI improvements (Edit: Week 22: May 29-June 4)
We’re listening
We have taken your feedback to heart and we’re working hard to implement the features you’ve been asking for (as well as fixing bugs, of course). It’s important to note that this is a work in progress, and that we’ll continue to improve upon all features we implement, based on our internal goals and the feedback you provide us.
We appreciate everyone who's given us comments and reviews, and we hope our improvements enhances your game experience!
Dev Diary #1
We are tinkering!
In our first dev blog we're talking about the road ahead: Easy mode is in the works and we've pushed some of the RPG elements like loot and weapon upgrades to the top of the list of priorities. Read the full dev blog on our website.
Monday Lore #23
On the Pale King
Dearest Ryzeel,
Greetings nephew. I had the recent felicity of speaking with your teachers. Their remarks on your scholarly pursuits are glowing, and more than glowing. You do our family proud.
Concerns were raised, however, regarding some of your more fanciful pursuits. You have a question—a question that has hatched a mania in your head—a question that has made you the dread of every librarian in Kahlean.
Did you read "live?" That's right, we are. We hope that you like what we've made thus far, but rest assured, we are not done. You can find an Early Access Road Map under Discussions. We'd like to highlight a few things:
RPG elements
There will be loot, there will be weapon upgrades, and there will be character progression. We’re not ready to go into details about this yet, but we think you’ll like what we have in store.
Additional classes
Mage and Cleric are in the works. They are slightly trickier to implement, thus the wait. But well worth it, we think.
Multiplayer
Co-op is coming, both local and online multiplayer. This is scheduled for late summer, but as always, plans may shift around. We’ll keep you updated.
Difficulty settings
The game is challenging. For some, maybe too challenging, for others, not challenging enough. We have deliberately tilted the game towards a more hard-core experience, but we're well aware that this may not suit everybody. Difficulty settings will be added later during Early Access.
We read everything
We’d appreciate it if you list any bugs you find in the Bugs and Feedback section, and mark with either [Bug] or [Feedback] in the headline.
The game is still a work in progress, and a lot of things may change from now and the final launch, depending on the feedback you give us. If you like something others dislike, do not fear to raise your voice, you are probably not alone. We promise to read every comment and review, and listen to your collective opinion.
Now, go forth and wreak karnage!
Karnage Chronicles Gameplay Guide
Early Access launch is soon upon us! The game comes with a tutorial, but we thought we'd supplement it with an official guide as well. We hope some of you will make the next one, sharing your wisdom on how to beat the bosses and find those hidden secrets.
"Fie and sucks to them pointy ears," says the one called Greenbeard.
The elves preen at even the mention of their capital, Karenthalas, City of Splendors, but they do not know what goes on beneath it to make it all work. The Greenbeard knows. He walks and wades in their muck and filth most every night, so that they might have another resplendent day. Read more
Price reveal
The Early Access launch version of the game will be $24.99, with local price variations across the globe. The price of the full version of the game has not been determined.
As the game gets added features, such as multiplayer co-op and added play areas, we might increase the Early Access price somewhat to reflect that the game is closer to a finished state. We’ll announce any price adjustments with a week’s notice so that players who follow the developement, but haven’t yet bought the game, can get on board before the price increases.
Chapters added after Early Access will come as paid DLCs. We have yet to determine the amount of content going into these chapters, so princing is yet to be decided. We will not be adding paid DLCs during Early Access, and all players participating in the Early Access program will receive Chapter 2 of the Karnage Chronicles saga for free.
Keymailer
We’ll begin accepting Keymailer requests during the weekend, allowing the first streamers to get access to the game. We’ll look at each streamer individually, welcoming those who are actively reviewing games, and that has reviewed VR games in the recent past. If we can’t verify ownership of a VR set, we won’t send a key to the game. This process will be slow, so if you’re one of those who’s patiently waiting for a reply, we ask you to bear with us.
Bear with us!
Increased game length
The team has been working hard the past few weeks to increase the content for Early Access launch, and we feel comfortable announcing that the current state of the game amounts to 2-4 hours of gameplay.
Of course, “comfortable” in this aspect is another way of saying “we believe this to be true.” Players are vastly different, have different play styles and different skill level, meaning it’s hard to set a fixed number of hours on the experience and be bombastic about it. What we do know, is that the game will swell like a gravid draconian when we add more play areas and RPG elements over the course of Early Access. More details on what to expect when can be found in our Early Access road map under Discussions.
