[p][/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/36881171/af33087072f8e807317e8d2e276e8ab98fd54b89.png"][/p][p]Have you ever done this?—I mean, wrapping up the year isn’t simply an excuse for another post—it’s a good opportunity to reflect on everything you’ve done, and commit all of it to memory. We’re all great at making plans, but really bad at taking stock. At least, I definitely am.[/p][p][/p][p][/p]
Console Release
[p][/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/36881171/ce1756dd1b48be4454c5ff51522c70bacdf37d6c.png"][/p][p][/p][p]Personally, I played our game on a PlayStation with a huge TV and was blown away by the quality of the artwork. Our artists are simply the best. And in general, I feel like playing with a game controller, while sprawled on the couch, is somehow nicer than hunching over a computer. Otherwise, everything felt familiar—I don’t recall any other impressions from the console version… Oh wait, I do remember one more: our game is on consoles… wow![/p][p] [/p][p]DLC[/p][p][/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/36881171/105caf567fab167f37b6bdec434b70ecb7b5f796.jpg"][/p][p][/p][p]The full story of Mortis & Co is KOTCL + Nightmares of Millenis, so releasing the DLC was a matter of principle for us. Everyone who’s been with us from the very beginning received the add-on for free.[/p][p align="justify"]However, Nightmares of Millenis didn’t live up to our expectations. Not because we expected to blow up the market and make all the money in the world with it, but because we gave the story a beautiful ending and wanted as many people as possible to see it.[/p][p][/p][p align="justify"]Forgive the somewhat grand comparison, but the game and the add-on are like the first and second Terminator movies. The first presents the story and leaves a lot of questions, while the second one dots the i’s and crosses the t’s.[/p][p align="justify"][/p][p align="justify"]By the way, did you notice that the canonical ending of the add-on is subtly similar to the ending of Terminator 2? Well, that was intentional. If you’ve seen the canonical ending of KOTCL, you’ll immediately understand what I mean. And if you haven’t, then you won’t, which means it’s not a spoiler.[/p][p] [/p]
Developer Diaries
[p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/36881171/67670e311d95bbfdd0773811a4b532867461fd2b.png"][/p][p]I was entrusted with the honorable duty of writing these diaries, and this itself may well be the brightest moment in my outgoing year. I chose a “statements” format (I believe the intellectual term is “confessional writing”, but to me that word feels overly emotional). If you’ve read The Catcher in the Rye, you know what this format is all about. I picked it because, on the one hand, I do have something to say and want to speak my mind rather than churn out banalities and nonsense. On the other hand, this format is appealing to the audience as well, so there’s no contradiction between the two sides.[/p][p][/p][p align="justify"]Because of the news shortage in recent months, I’ve told you a whole lot of different things about the game universe that never made it into KOTCL. After all, the game itself doesn’t try to explain everything about Midian—it simply exists within it, obeying its rules and logic. The game doesn’t try to explain it all, but why shouldn’t I try to explain it?[/p][p][/p][p align="justify"]Some people even suggested gathering all that information into something like a wiki, or—who knows?—even publishing a book. But today we’re not making plans for the future; we’re wrapping up the year.[/p][p][/p][p] [/p]
Neural Networks
[p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/36881171/fee4cab654eecc88f8807bd61ccec15846c1ca09.png"][TAG-102][/p][p]We have tried experimenting with neural networks and received a lot of hate. I understand the reasons for your criticisms, but not so much the reasons for your hate. You have to keep up with the times and try new things. If it works, that’s great. If it doesn’t—well, so be it! Why get worked up? Nerves don’t regenerate. As for neural networks, I can share my personal opinion, but keep in mind:[/p][p][/p]
The author’s opinion may not coincide with that of the editors.
[p][/p][p]We could’ve developed the game much faster if we’d first tested all our ideas using AI, and only then etched them in stone by hand.[/p][p][/p][p align="justify"]Instead, we regretfully had to throw away a whole bunch of implemented ideas that worked perfectly in theory but in practice turned out to be useless, boring, or simply not fun enough. Of course, AI won’t replace real creators (and it will never make our little diary cozy), but it can absolutely save creators a lot of time and nerves.[/p][p][/p][p align="justify"]And it’s not just about testing. Two interactive entertainment environments immediately come to mind; they were popular back in the day, and I’d like to bring them to your attention in this context.[/p][p] [/p][p]First: Interactive Fiction[/p][p align="justify"]These were text-based quests without graphics, with the game being controlled by typing text on the keyboard. The genre’s heyday was in the 1980s, but Interactive Fiction never achieved worldwide popularity because of the lack of graphics and the technical difficulties of text parsing. Players often had to type the same command over and over again, wording it differently each time, just so the program would recognize it and respond appropriately. Back then this annoyed many people; today it annoys absolutely everyone. You see where I’m going with this? AI begs to be used in such cases, and could breathe new life into interactive fiction.[/p][p][/p][p align="justify"]Second: RPG Maker[/p][p align="justify"]A series of games, or rather a game engine that allows you to create RPGs without any AI support. I’ve never heard anyone say that RPG Maker is taking food out of game developers’ mouths. On the contrary, it allows game designers and writers to test their ideas and skills.[/p][p][/p][p align="justify"]Unfortunately, while RPG Maker’s capabilities are impressive, they are fundamentally limited, and its interface scares off beginners. Creating such a tool with AI support is an idea that’s already in the air, and someone will definitely turn it into a finished product. It’s only a matter of time.[/p][p align="justify"]Well, that’s all for neural networks; let’s move on.[/p][p] [/p]
Rebalancing
[p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/36881171/a8139e8d2992aff920ca414ed7e0984454e87692.png"][p][p]Balance has always been a sore spot for our project. Not because it was bad, but because you can’t please everyone and leaving negative comments is much more enjoyable than leaving positive ones. Still, still… there were some constructive ideas hidden in the negative feedback.[p][p align="justify"]While working on the balance, we were walking through uncharted territory, looking for new solutions and running up against new problems. But once we looked at the finished balance in its pure form, it immediately became clear how exactly it should be reworked more to our liking. We decided to name this the director’s cut of balance and rolled up our sleeves.[p][p]The testing ground for the rebalance became the public_beta branch. It’s still not too late to jump into it! For those not in the loop, I’ll repeat: only reworked story mode for Persival is there so far. The other modes and characters are still in their vanilla state; their rebalance will come later. But Persival is already very ready. Not ready, ready yet—but very ready.[p][p]
So, to Wrap-Up…
[p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/36881171/a93e59dd0904c72629f3b53dc964bafcbe3e1e22.png"][p]I don’t really have a verdict. I told you right at the beginning that I’m very bad at this. It seems like we did everything we planned this year, but new ideas keep appearing with new opportunities for implementing them. We keep moving forward; new games await ahead.[p][TAG-201][p align="justify"]Happy upcoming New Year and Merry Christmas—have a proper good time! [TAG-203]
Winter sale
Have you already figured out how you’ll be celebrating New Year and Christmas?
[p]Personally, I’m going to a rock concert. Just kidding. I traditionally celebrate New Year at home with my family, and on Christmas I go visit my cousin. By the way, he has such powerful audio equipment at home that the sound is better than at a rock concert.[/p][p][/p][p]This time we decided not to hold back on discounts and went straight for 50% — jump in while you can. And be sure to check out the new bundle.[/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/36881171/ebf0940f4de975792df96b79c6f12407763c01ea.jpg"][TAG-10][/p][p]I haven’t played Commander Quest yet, and this is a good excuse to do so. Mixing a card-based roguelike with real-time strategy — is that even legal?[/p]
KOTCL Dev Diaries - The Bjorn domestication
[p]At the last meeting Misha announced that he’d be reducing Bjorn’s eight basic mechanics to three. I got very curious and thought you might be interested too, so I decided to grill Misha a bit.[/p][p] [/p]
Misha Explains
[p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/36881171/b36238249ef4accd64b5b1300845f44a757527dd.png"][/p][p]Misha: Hi! So see for yourself. To describe Bjorn’s current gameplay, you need to consider the following:[/p]
[p align="justify"]In the elf form, card costs are doubled[/p]
[p align="justify"]In the elf form, playing cards uses health[/p]
[p align="justify"]There are also notches[/p]
[p align="justify"]These notches increase when dealing damage with attacks[/p]
[p align="justify"]They also increase when taking damage from attacks[/p]
[p align="justify"]When the notches fill up, Bjorn transforms into a lycan[/p]
[p align="justify"]In the lycan form, playing cards uses notches[/p]
[p align="justify"]Now those notches refill at the start of a turn[/p]
[p align="justify"]If the notches run out, Bjorn returns to the elf form[/p]
[p align="justify"]If the notches don’t run out, a Scourge of a Lycan card is added to the discard pile[/p]
[p align="justify"]If a Scourge of a Lycan comes to hand while Bjorn is in the lycan form, a Curse of a Lycan card is added to the deck[/p]
[p align="justify"]The Curse of a Lycan remains in the deck for the rest of the run, and if it comes to hand while Bjorn is in the lycan form, he gets Blight[/p]
[p align="justify"]This all looks somewhat complicated, and that’s not even touching the perks![/p][p] [img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/36881171/1a5ce756ba2eaff2b290f89df48b1aea8605e3b1.png"][/p][p]Me: Yeah, only a little bit complicated :) So how are you going to put it all in order? What’s the plan? Do you have any strategy?[/p][p][/p][p align="justify"]Misha: Yeah, I do, and I’m sticking to it. It’s reducing the number of involved entities and mechanics to make it easier to understand them. That’ll also make development simpler, because right now Bjorn’s healing isn’t so much an analogue of defense as it is a forced measure due to his mechanics.[/p][p][/p][p align="justify"]Me: But from what I understood, the variety shouldn’t suffer dramatically. In theory, creating builds will become easier, but not more boring.[/p][p][/p][p align="justify"]Misha: Overall, that’s right. Bjorn’s entry barrier will definitely go lower, and there will be fewer possible gameplay dead ends that the player can trap themselves in. [/p][p align="justify"]Me: Could you briefly and concisely outline the updated Bjorn as you see him?[/p][p][/p][p align="justify"]Misha: I see him as more similar to Persivall than he is now, but more recklessly aggressive, with an ace up his sleeve. The rest would be spoilers.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]That’s how it stands for now. I liked the bit about spoilers, though. Many of us have extensively played Knock and know it inside and out, and now we’ve got some more spoilers, hmm… I don’t know about you, but I’m intrigued—no joke. Misha won’t even spoil anything for me in private.[/p][p][/p][p]Anyway, let’s get back to our lore. I’ll probably start an epic tale about the Empire, which may carry on for quite a while.[/p][p][/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/36881171/15d513ec06f36ac264bffc14d6815a673f371bda.png"][TAG-104][/p][p][/p]
An Empire Without an Emperor
[p][/p][p]Whew, this is a big topic. I don’t even know where to begin. The Empire is enormous and well-developed, despite the location not being present in the game. It’s well-developed because it’s often mentioned in the game and is very important to the game world as a whole.[/p][p] [/p]
Why No Emperor?
[p][/p][p]I’ll start with this question. When Emperor Septim died without leaving any direct heirs, all the lords of the Empire gathered to choose a new ruler. At that council, it was decided that they didn’t actually need an emperor for the time being, and that all contentious issues could be resolved at such gatherings. And so it was agreed. The decision was named the Edict of the First Great Council.[/p][p][/p][p align="justify"]In the face of a common threat, under the rule of a strong and wise leader, the human Empire is capable of uniting into a single fist and repelling any enemy, and this has happened more than once. But no strong ruler has been born in those lands for a long time, and the Northern Gate reliably shields humanity from external threats, so the Empire has existed without an emperor for quite some time now.[/p][p][/p][p][/p]
Great Councils
[p][p]Local issues in the Empire are usually resolved through private talks within a narrow circle of the lords involved. For another great council to take place, the problem has to be truly global, which is why there haven’t been many great councils in the Empire’s recent history.[p][p align="justify"]I can only tell you about the First Great Council (which I already did) and the most recent one. The others aren’t fleshed out—and that’s a good thing. My style of myth-making requires leaving as much room to maneuver as possible, so if our game designer decides that we urgently need to find a place for some astral reptilians armored in tempered glass with a pseudo-Buddhist ideology, I’ll be able to do that.[p][p align="justify"]But let’s get back to the great councils. The most recent one so far took place very close to the events of the game. The agenda was the following: one of the border provinces had grown excessively powerful and gained de facto independence. You know this province well—it’s called the Northern Gate.[p][p]
A Brief History of the Northern Gate
[p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/36881171/0c4a90dc2439ca582b8ea87da68683a25da2fb7d.png"][p]Originally, the Northern Gate was subsidized and it suffered greatly from orc raids. The Empire poured a significant portion of its resources into it with no demand or hope of return, all for the sake of its own security.[p] But times changed. Trading relationships with the elves and the dwarves were established, and even the orcs eventually grew tired of getting their teeth kicked in beneath the walls of the Northern Gate. The province grew strong and wealthy to the point where it began to cause envy concern.[p]
What Could Be Done About That?
[p][p]Nothing can really be done. Historians consider the edict of that Great Council to be the most empty and uninformative of them all, and they rack their brains trying to understand why that is. What they seem to miss is that an edict is a public verdict—it doesn’t reflect everything that went on behind closed doors. And behind closed doors, Lord Ingvar, in an extremely polite and diplomatic way, told all the other lords to go to a certain place, about which the edict tactfully doesn’t mention.[p]
The reasons
[p]The overreaching lord of the Northern Gate couldn’t stand against the combined forces of all the other lords. Together, they could easily destroy the Gate, but that would leave the Empire without protection from the orcs. Everyone understood this, and no one wanted that.
[p]The sphere of interest of the lord of the Northern Gate lay in the north; that is where his influence vector was directed as well. Ingvar had deliberately distanced himself from imperial intrigues and internal power struggles. Within the Empire he had no rivals, no allies, and no secret pacts. In short, he refused to take part in the eternal self-serving power plays.[p]
[p]Thus, preserving the status quo turned out to be the optimal decision at the time of the Great Council, much to the displeasure of all the lords—except one.[p][p align="justify"]I seem to have gone deep into geopolitics, but there’s no way around it. Next time, I promise not to get so political. I’ll probably talk about the borders of the Empire, which should be interesting, or maybe about the Monastery of the Fire Brothers.
KOTCL Dev Diaries - Let's do a little trolling today
Knock, knock!
[p][/p][p]First off, thank you for your kind words in the comments. That’s quite a rare sight. The way human psyches work, when we like content, we simply press “Like” and leave; but when we’re dissatisfied with something, we’ll write a negative comment about that (by the way, we’re always open to constructive criticism). So seeing friendly commentaries is always unexpected and pleasant.[/p][p]Now, moving on.[/p][p] [/p]
Not Much News
[p][/p][p]We pushed the update to the main branch; I posted the patch notes on Wednesday. There were many complaints about event notes showing up incorrectly or not at all. Ah, those pesky notes, they take so long to adjust, not to mention simply checking them. But still we took up the task.[/p][p][/p][p]A hefty load of bug reports concerning localization was sent in by a single caring player, for which I say thank you (I try to avoid emojis, but there should be an emoji here). As soon as I finish with the diary, I’ll start on the localisation bugs because it’s my job.[/p][p][/p][p]Alright, what’s next for lore? Oh! Want to learn more about the Thundering Mountain and cave trolls? Here you go.[/p][p][/p][p][/p]
The Bowels of the Thundering Mountain
[p][/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/36881171/33ed7e9e8b928ff54c3fcd28cffb43762de332b0.png"][/p][p][/p][p]It’s hard to say anything new about this classic setting: a city cut out from rock, forges that need neither wood nor coal because there’s plenty of lava (surely, you’ve guessed this on your own, but just in case—the Thundering Mountain is a volcano), blacksmiths of the umpteenth generation who craft the finest armor and weapons in the world. Simply put, it’s like Moria, but it has its differences too.[/p][p][/p][p]The dwarves of the Thundering Mountain have no interest in precious metals; they don’t try to hoard piles of gold. They’re miners and craftsmen who simply want to trade their goods for food. As the saying goes, mithril is transient, hunger is eternal. Without trade, the dwarves wouldn’t survive, so they remain tolerant toward their neighbors—as long as no one trespasses on their lands.[/p][p][/p][p]As you know from the game, the dwarves from the Thundering Mountain consider the surrounding area to be their property. They never use it, though, and nature abhors a vacuum.[/p][p][/p][p]The elves were the first to settle in the Frontier, and the dwarves put up with it—after all, there were very few elves (at first). Later, humans made their home in the Heathlands, and once again the dwarves put up with it, because there were few humans too (at first).[/p][p][/p][p]But time passed, the elves and humans grew in number, and the dwarves’ patience slowly inched toward its boiling point.[/p][p][/p][p]You already know how it all ended—the game says enough about that. What’s far more interesting is to tell you more about the trolls.[/p][p][/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/36881171/87c32bb783c74c55abb94db3f53d40a6cafdd9a3.gif"][/p][p][/p]
Strong, Kind, and Stupid
[p]Long ago, the trolls were a reasonably intelligent species who lived peacefully in the caves of the Thundering Mountain, but a carefree life inevitably dulled their minds. By the time the dwarves chose the Thundering Mountain as their new home, they found the trolls in the same state you encounter them now. A stupid state.[/p][p][/p][p][/p]
Darwinian Troll Devolution
[p][/p][p]Trolls are omnivores in the broadest possible sense. A hungry troll can eat even a tree stump. Such omnivorousness has made them rather harmless. At the same time, no one in their right mind would ever think of hunting trolls, and that has made them rather dim. The theory of evolution in practice: if you’re strong and undemanding, you have no need for wit or aggression. [/p][p]The dwarves quickly domesticated the trolls and started using them much the same way we once used horses—with a few caveats, of course, since dwarves don’t ride trolls (it would look pretty funny, ha-ha). And as we all know, horses can be used for both peaceful and military purposes.[/p][p][/p][p][/p]
Human Flesh Tasty
[p][/p][p]When the trouble in the Frontier began, the smart dwarves quickly figured out how to make use of trolls in the war. And the not-so-clever trolls quickly figured out that elf meat tastes better than tree stumps. Besides, there’s no need to hunt elves—they come themselves, practically begging to be served for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. [/p][p]Trolls say that human meat tastes a bit worse than elf meat. No, I’m joking—they don’t care. If it tastes better than a stump, it’s good enough. [/p][p]Well, I think that’s that, so what’s next?[/p][p][/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/36881171/7c1face5e64b39aee2a354168de4edc7d4b7fe8d.png"][TAG-102][/p][p][/p]
The Monastery of the Firebrothers Or the Empire Without an Emperor?
[p][/p][p]There’s way too much to say about the Empire, and it would take forever, so it’s better to start with the monastery.[/p]
KOTCL Dev Diaries - Today we'll talk about balance
[p][/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/36881171/9e2af7d8a62dfd2576295385752a7c2ecc2306e2.png"][/p][p][/p][p]This diary entry will resemble the previous one only in that it’s not exactly traditional. If you’ve been following our activities, you probably know that we’re cunningly plotting a final, “director’s cut” of the balance, which we are already working away at.[/p][p]So today I’d like to tell you about that version—about its essence, spirit, and core, about what we want to achieve and when we will achieve that, at least approximately.[/p][p]For this noble cause I cornered Mihail who stakes his head on the rebalance. He’s a tiiiny bit busy, but it’s okay, we’ll distract him and grill him.[/p][p] [/p]
I’m rubbing my hands with anticipation; let’s get started!
[p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/36881171/0528ff1699d362d93ce21f0111f1d8d1b5aff05c.png"][/p][p]Q: Well, Misha, what’s the rebalance about? What’s our goal here?[/p][p]M: There are several goals. The first on the list, but not in importance, is correcting mistakes. We analyze what is done and how it’s done, and think of ways of doing things better[/p][p][/p][p]Sounds reasonable, but quite broad.[/p][p] M: Correcting mistakes will be necessary for our next project.[/p][p] I’ve already told you about that in one of the previous diary entries.[/p][p] M: The second goal is to remove imbalance both from the heroes and the opponents, to make the enemies behavior more fair, and the rewards more proportionate.[/p][p] Personally I like looking for imbalances to have fun with them. But fine, let’s see.[/p][p] M: There won’t be dramatic removal of game mechanics; most of the changes will be in the numbers.[/p][p] Now that’s interesting.[/p][p] Q: How do you work with numbers? Is there some sort of system?[/p][p]M: The system is based on leveling out the damage and defense potentials for opponents and heroes. Those potentials are scaled through the biome progression. The principle changes a bit depending on what is being rebalanced (cards, items, economy or a cluster of specific mechanics).[/p][p]Q: Misha, enough with the big words! Not everyone here is a game designer.[/p][p]M: If you take cards, for example, then we initially set a certain number as the basis for attack or defence per cost unit and build up other cards of the same type on that basis.[/p][p][/p][p]Still a bit complicated.[/p][p][/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/36881171/7bdefc9f02ebd85a6f47019f8a0c44a7c2e8c358.gif"][/p][p](While we are having fun here, our artists keep creating beauty)[/p][p][/p][p]M: In any case, all mechanics come down to—“reduce the enemy’s health without letting your health be reduced”.[/p][p]The difference is in the number of steps, and there can be many intermediary mechanics. The task is to make those mechanics viable and interesting.[/p][p]Q: Will there be “trash” mechanics? That’s part of gameplay, too, isn’t it—to pick decent mechanics and filter out unusable ones.[/p][p]M: It’s more interesting to choose between two good things than between an obviously good thing and trash.[/p][p]Q: So there will be no trash at all?[/p][p]M: No, not in its pure form. There will be mechanics of different usefulness and applicability.[/p][p][/p][p]Did you understand? I know I didn’t.[/p][p][/p][p]M: Progression largely depends on what you chose earlier and how it stacks with your current choices. Choice is a cumulative thing.[/p][p][/p][p]Seems clearer now.[/p][p][/p][p]Q: If you match cards and items just the right way, then will any mechanics work?[/p][p]M: Yes, sort of like that.[/p][p][/p][p]When will it be ready?[/p][p][/p][p]Q: What can you say about progress? Are there some parts that you think are finished? What percentage is that, in your opinion?[/p][p]M: Actually, common mechanics and Persival’s particular mechanics are mostly finished, they just need some final touches. Then we can start physically implementing them on the test servers and polishing.[/p][p]Q: WHEN?[/p][p]M: The first stage of testing will be done around autumn. Based on its results, we’ll develop our next plan.[/p][p] [/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/36881171/069cc1ce78fdccd5b12a51da26c81724e4ea9bf2.gif"][TAG-160][/p][p]As I understand it, we still have some time to play around with the vanilla balance. If anything’s unclear, feel free to ask, as usual! [/p][p] [/p][p][/p][p]This diary entry will resemble the previous one only in that it’s not exactly traditional. If you’ve been following our activities, you probably know that we’re cunningly plotting a final, “director’s cut” of the balance, which we are already working away at.[/p][p]So today I’d like to tell you about that version—about its essence, spirit, and core, about what we want to achieve and when we will achieve that, at least approximately.[/p][p]For this noble cause I cornered Mihail who stakes his head on the rebalance. He’s a tiiiny bit busy, but it’s okay, we’ll distract him and grill him.[/p][p] [/p]
[/p][p][/p][p]Soon, destiny introduced me to a person who would turn my life upside down.[/p][p][/p][p]We first met when I tried to steal from him. He grabbed my arm with a grip of steel and, to my surprise, he dragged me not to the guards but to my pals. It turned out that everyone in the gang, except me, knew him.[/p][p][/p][p]“Is this wretched girl yours?”[/p][p][/p][p]“She is. This is Vanadis, the new girl. What’s she done?”[/p][p][/p][p]“Nevermind, it doesn’t matter. I’m Mortis, nice to meet you.”[/p][p][/p][p]He was an average-looking man; suspicious, but not really remarkable against the backdrop of my circle back then. Just a fraud of some kind. But we got along well. He wanted to learn more about me, asking a question here and there. But I didn’t tell anyone about my past, save for the fact that I’d killed someone with scissors when he tried to rape me. I told it to everyone—to send a message. [/p][p][/p][p]However, Mortis knows how to worm himself into a person’s trust. One day I confessed to him that I’d become a thief and a bandit against my will and that I’d like to live a normal, peaceful life. After that he told me about the Heathlands.[/p][p][/p][p]“Far in the North, beyond the Northern Ridge and the border of the Empire, in the Heathlands, there’s a settlement of humans who fled there to start a new life. They are mostly escaped peasants, but there are bandits and convicts there, too.”[/p][p][/p][p]So, what makes me better than them, I ask?[/p][p][/p][p]I developed a dream and a goal. I trained hard to kill anyone who would stand in my way. I tried to learn more about the Heathlands, piecing together everything I heard from others. I figured out how to get there. The hardest part was crossing half of the Empire without running into mercenary patrols that look for runaways with the purpose of getting a ransom for them.[/p][p][/p][p]Then a disaster happened. Our guys robbed the wrong person—some local noble. In retaliation he ordered his mercenary scoundrels to round us up. They killed almost every one of us. By pure chance I managed to beat the chasers off and slink away.[/p][p][/p][p]Mercenaries, all of them – elves, dwarves, and orcs – all come from the North to serve the wealthy men of the Empire, and for good pay, too. The powerful keep the poor in submission and fear by using the services of foreigners who don’t give a damn about us. So the rich are on the top, the poor are on the bottom, and this disgusting layer is between them, in the middle. That’s why I don’t like those pompous elves and greedy dwarves. Humans have to stay away from them and closer to each other.[/p][p][/p][p]I didn’t know what to do again, although I wasn’t confused. There were many other gangs left in New Agreement. I almost joined one of them, but Mortis found me earlier. He said he was headed for the Northern Gate and could take me with him. Of course, I agreed right away! At that moment, my dream of the Heathlands seemed almost real.[/p][p][/p][p]We traveled on the main roads in broad daylight, not shying away from anyone. At first I thought he was insane, and then I thought he wanted to get me killed. I cursed myself for having trusted him until I realized that no one seemed to be noticing us. I started peppering him with questions: How, What, Why? He only smiled slyly and kept telling me to trust him.[/p][p][/p][p]Around halfway we came across a discomfiting convoy: guards were taking three fettered escaped peasants somewhere… to the gallows or to the mines – it made no real difference.[/p][p][/p][p]Mortis suggested we kill the guards and free the poor captives. I refused. I didn’t want to put my dream at risk. Mortis pretended to be surprised.[/p][p][/p][p]“Those are escaped peasants, just like you. Do you not feel sorry for them?”[/p][p][/p][p]“I do, but what can we do...? Wait! I’ve never told you I’m an escaped peasant.”[/p][p][/p][p]“We could’ve saved them.”[/p][p][/p][p]“Save three peasants? Don’t be ridiculous, Mortis, that’s nothing. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of them. Say we free these three; they’ll be caught again or killed, anyway. To actually fix something, you need power. You and I can’t change anything.”[/p][p][/p][p]“As you say.”[/p][p][/p][p]“Listen, I’ve got a goal that’s more important than anything. I want to reach the Heathlands and start a new life. I’m not going to risk everything for the sake of three miserable captives! Shut up and stop tormenting me.”[/p][p][/p][p]We were close to the Northern Ridge when Mortis’ plan misfired. We were noticed by mercenaries, the very same peasant catchers whom I feared the most. Several orcs and an elf – a fine company. I realized right away that those cutthroats wouldn’t leave us alone, and I silently said goodbye to my dream.[/p][p][/p][p]When it became clear that a fight was inevitable, Mortis knocked them all out in five seconds, himself not getting even a scratch. I was rendered speechless. He said, “It seems like this will require some explanation”.[/p][p][/p][p]He took a long time telling me about himself, and I noticed another surprising skill of his: to talk for a long time and not really tell anything. When I remember that case, I think he attracted the mercenaries’ attention on purpose, to show me his strength. That was all part of the plan, of his grand game.[/p][p][/p][p]We passed the Northern Ridge without any incidents and parted ways in the Northern Gate.[/p][p] [/p]
KOTCL Dev Diaries - I’ve lost count (not really).
Knock, knock—let’s get back at it
[p]
[img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/36881171/52855a944526cec96d7a28495ba2f3d8696de703.png"] I put in some decent effort while working as a part-time reporter for The Echo of the Northern Gate. If you don’t know yet, there will be a series of reports on social media. The pilot post is already up; check it out and subscribe, all the links are at the end. Don’t miss out—I’m very satisfied with my first report. Self-satisfaction is my main motivation. As it is for our whole team? I’m sure that I'm not alone in admiring the fruits of my own labor. Every creator from our studio thinks to themselves when playing Knock, “Man, isn’t this game great!” Or at least that’s my assumption, anyway.
[/p][p]I remind you that through me you can ask any KOTCL character any questions. That way it’ll be even more fun, I think. If you haven’t found an answer to some question in the game, or if you want to ask something just for laughs – don’t be shy! If the answer is a spoiler, I’ll give an appropriate warning. And now… [/p][p][/p]
And Now Some New News!
[p] [img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/36881171/d0e277b8d63846008788a80ef9943692e0efb8a0.gif"] We’ve released a non-ordinary patch, in which, beside bug fixes and UI improvements for consoles, there is a small and bright green button for Steam Deck. Knock on the coffin lid is now officially compatible with the little box from Valve. The game was tested by Valve specialists, and they gave us the highest rank of compatibility with their handheld device. Congratulations to all of us!
We’ll still need to tweak the font and image sizes (we want everything to be perfect), but this is a real achievement. Hooray, comrades!
As for the final re-balancing announced earlier, I don’t have much to share with you for now, except that work is in full swing, and it’s thorough, systematic work. These aren’t just quick fixes here and there; we are not going to fix one thing only to have something else break elsewhere. It’ll take some time, but the “director’s cut” of the balance might turn Knock into the game you were expecting from the start. In the meantime — make sure you get your fill of the vanilla version.
And now…
[/p]
A Peek Inside Our Gamedev Team
[p]
I put in some decent effort while working as a part-time reporter for The Echo of the Northern Gate. If you don’t know yet, there will be a series of reports on social media. The pilot post is already up; check it out and subscribe, all the links are at the end. Don’t miss out—I’m very satisfied with my first report. Self-satisfaction is my main motivation. As it is for our whole team? I’m sure that I'm not alone in admiring the fruits of my own labor. Every creator from our studio thinks to themselves when playing Knock, “Man, isn’t this game great!” Or at least that’s my assumption, anyway.
[/p][p]I remind you that through me you can ask any KOTCL character any questions. That way it’ll be even more fun, I think. If you haven’t found an answer to some question in the game, or if you want to ask something just for laughs – don’t be shy! If the answer is a spoiler, I’ll give an appropriate warning. And now… [/p][p][/p]
And Now Some New News!
[p] [img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/36881171/d0e277b8d63846008788a80ef9943692e0efb8a0.gif"] We’ve released a non-ordinary patch, in which, beside bug fixes and UI improvements for consoles, there is a small and bright green button for Steam Deck. Knock on the coffin lid is now officially compatible with the little box from Valve. The game was tested by Valve specialists, and they gave us the highest rank of compatibility with their handheld device. Congratulations to all of us!
We’ll still need to tweak the font and image sizes (we want everything to be perfect), but this is a real achievement. Hooray, comrades!
As for the final re-balancing announced earlier, I don’t have much to share with you for now, except that work is in full swing, and it’s thorough, systematic work. These aren’t just quick fixes here and there; we are not going to fix one thing only to have something else break elsewhere. It’ll take some time, but the “director’s cut” of the balance might turn Knock into the game you were expecting from the start. In the meantime — make sure you get your fill of the vanilla version.
In the last entry I told you how we come up with jokes for our game, and it seems to have turned out quite well. I hope you were able to mentally experience that process. An open-door strategy is common practice for the gaming industry. We see our players as part of our team, but even a hint of formality or clichés can often spoil the whole idea. Well, there won’t be any here: I’ll try to plunge you into the little world of our studio without any theatrics, so make sure to take a deep breath.
The Pain of Creativity
Since our line of work is creative, our main task is to come up with ideas. Coming up with ideas can be difficult, whereas implementing ideas, assuming that one has professional skills, enough time and dedication, seems like a matter of technique. Or does it only seem like that? See for yourself: our game designer who came up with Bjorn couldn’t really “bring him to life”. The idea was awesome, but Bjorn just wouldn’t co-operate. We gave Bjorn to another game designer, who struggled with him for several months, but couldn’t quite get him right. But then a third game designer made Bjorn fully playable in only a couple of weeks—using the idea of another person who hadn’t been able to implement their own concept. Such things happen that way sometimes—and sometimes they don’t.
We’ve released a non-ordinary patch, in which, beside bug fixes and UI improvements for consoles, there is a small and bright green button for Steam Deck. Knock on the coffin lid is now officially compatible with the little box from Valve. The game was tested by Valve specialists, and they gave us the highest rank of compatibility with their handheld device. Congratulations to all of us!
We’ll still need to tweak the font and image sizes (we want everything to be perfect), but this is a real achievement. Hooray, comrades!
As for the final re-balancing announced earlier, I don’t have much to share with you for now, except that work is in full swing, and it’s thorough, systematic work. These aren’t just quick fixes here and there; we are not going to fix one thing only to have something else break elsewhere. It’ll take some time, but the “director’s cut” of the balance might turn Knock into the game you were expecting from the start. In the meantime — make sure you get your fill of the vanilla version.
And now…
[/p]
A Peek Inside Our Gamedev Team
[p]
I put in some decent effort while working as a part-time reporter for The Echo of the Northern Gate. If you don’t know yet, there will be a series of reports on social media. The pilot post is already up; check it out and subscribe, all the links are at the end. Don’t miss out—I’m very satisfied with my first report. Self-satisfaction is my main motivation. As it is for our whole team? I’m sure that I'm not alone in admiring the fruits of my own labor. Every creator from our studio thinks to themselves when playing Knock, “Man, isn’t this game great!” Or at least that’s my assumption, anyway.
[/p][p]I remind you that through me you can ask any KOTCL character any questions. That way it’ll be even more fun, I think. If you haven’t found an answer to some question in the game, or if you want to ask something just for laughs – don’t be shy! If the answer is a spoiler, I’ll give an appropriate warning. And now… [/p][p][/p]
And Now Some New News!
[p] [img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/36881171/d0e277b8d63846008788a80ef9943692e0efb8a0.gif"] We’ve released a non-ordinary patch, in which, beside bug fixes and UI improvements for consoles, there is a small and bright green button for Steam Deck. Knock on the coffin lid is now officially compatible with the little box from Valve. The game was tested by Valve specialists, and they gave us the highest rank of compatibility with their handheld device. Congratulations to all of us!
We’ll still need to tweak the font and image sizes (we want everything to be perfect), but this is a real achievement. Hooray, comrades!
As for the final re-balancing announced earlier, I don’t have much to share with you for now, except that work is in full swing, and it’s thorough, systematic work. These aren’t just quick fixes here and there; we are not going to fix one thing only to have something else break elsewhere. It’ll take some time, but the “director’s cut” of the balance might turn Knock into the game you were expecting from the start. In the meantime — make sure you get your fill of the vanilla version.
In the last entry I told you how we come up with jokes for our game, and it seems to have turned out quite well. I hope you were able to mentally experience that process. An open-door strategy is common practice for the gaming industry. We see our players as part of our team, but even a hint of formality or clichés can often spoil the whole idea. Well, there won’t be any here: I’ll try to plunge you into the little world of our studio without any theatrics, so make sure to take a deep breath.
The Pain of Creativity
Since our line of work is creative, our main task is to come up with ideas. Coming up with ideas can be difficult, whereas implementing ideas, assuming that one has professional skills, enough time and dedication, seems like a matter of technique. Or does it only seem like that? See for yourself: our game designer who came up with Bjorn couldn’t really “bring him to life”. The idea was awesome, but Bjorn just wouldn’t co-operate. We gave Bjorn to another game designer, who struggled with him for several months, but couldn’t quite get him right. But then a third game designer made Bjorn fully playable in only a couple of weeks—using the idea of another person who hadn’t been able to implement their own concept. Such things happen that way sometimes—and sometimes they don’t.
Since our line of work is creative, our main task is to come up with ideas. Coming up with ideas can be difficult, whereas implementing ideas, assuming that one has professional skills, enough time and dedication, seems like a matter of technique. Or does it only seem like that? See for yourself: our game designer who came up with Bjorn couldn’t really “bring him to life”. The idea was awesome, but Bjorn just wouldn’t co-operate. We gave Bjorn to another game designer, who struggled with him for several months, but couldn’t quite get him right. But then a third game designer made Bjorn fully playable in only a couple of weeks—using the idea of another person who hadn’t been able to implement their own concept. Such things happen that way sometimes—and sometimes they don’t.
Bjorn can be a headache for you occasionally, but that’s because he’s designed to be very unusual. You thought we made a Slay the Spire clone? Well, think again—try playing as Bjorn. Persival was made familiar to you on purpose so that you would feel in your comfort zone. But Bjorn rudely kicks you out of that same comfort zone because that’s how the artist envisioned it.
Jokes aside, creativity is a very dangerous process that requires energy, time, money and recognition. We wouldn’t have made it without you. When I was figuring out bug reports in Japanese, I cursed everything and everyone. But without bug reports in Japanese, or Spanish, or Chinese, without likes and reviews we wouldn’t have gotten far. Not only because you help us, and that help is free and invaluable (although that is true).
However, I want to lead you to another, dare I say it, philosophical conclusion: the whole point of creativity is to make something cool for someone else—for example, for you the player, and then have you appreciate that work. By the way, your likes are always nice.
Boy, did I get dramatic here! Now would be the perfect time to show you the cynical backstage of the game industry—but we don’t have one. So I’ll keep freewheeling in this friendly chat format, and you’ll be my lighthouse. If you want to guide me somewhere, light the way in the comments.
Oh, right! I promised you Vanadis’ autobiography! Here’s the first part:
[/p]
Vanadis’ dying letter
[p]
My name is Vanadis. I was born in a peasant family. All my childhood was spent in housework, but I had some joyful moments, too: my father taught me how to shoot a bow quite early and he took me hunting with him. I liked shooting and hunting most of all. I can’t say I felt unhappy about my lot.
When I grew up, a guy from a nearby village courted me. I had liked him for a long time, so I agreed to marry him. The wedding preparations started.
One day, I went to the fair to pick out fabric for my wedding dress. Unfortunately for me, I caught the eye of the local landed lord. He quickly found out where I lived, and started bothering me. He was persistent, and brazen, and unnecessary, and out of place. I wanted badly to start screaming so that father would come and kick him out! But I understood how that would’ve turned out for all of us. So I showed him the door myself every time and kept telling him I was taken. After that, my fiancé went missing. Of course, that scum killed him, or had him killed.
My fiancé went missing, but the lord reappeared, demanding that I belong to him only, getting gropy and threatening… When he tried to throw me down on the floor, I killed him unthinkingly—as it happened, a pair of scissors were close at hand.
I had to flee. I took only my bow with me, nothing else. I hid in the woods for some time. I hunted partridges and hares so I wouldn’t have starved. But I didn’t know what to do next. Besides, I was certainly being searched for. I was certain that my days were numbered.
Once I met a woman who was gathering brushwood. She came up to me, saying,
“Some hired swords are prowling about the wood. I keep stumbling on them every day; they’re looking for a girl. Is that you?”
“Yes.”
“What happened?”
I told her everything, and she took pity on me and offered me refuge at her farm. I agreed because I had no idea what to do.
I was warmly welcomed at the farm. The sons of the kind woman started wooing me, but I had no time for them. During that peaceful time I grieved the loss of my missing fiancé more and more. But my peace didn’t last long. The old farmer also started sneakily giving me explicit hints. When he realized he had no chance, he started grumbling… “She has to go…” “If they find her, we’re all in big trouble…” “At least have some pity on our kids, you shameless girl! Leave! Don’t abuse my wife’s kindness…” and other words in the same vein.
Long story short, the kind woman helped me pack for my journey. She gave me hiking clothes and shoes, a knapsack with food, and told me what to do.
“Go to New Agreement. It’s a huge city. No one will find you or even look for you there.”
She said something very important before we parted:
“Your beauty can become the biggest woe of your life, or it can be your biggest advantage—if you learn how to use it.”
Those words stuck with me for life.
I had a long way to walk, but I didn’t lose heart. I had enough food, warm clothes on my body, and comfortable shoes on my feet. All I had to do was to not get caught by guards and patrols, so I mostly walked along the edge of the roads at night. That’s how I met two of my comrades in misery – escaped peasants.
I told them my story, and they told me theirs. They ran away when some lord threatened to take away their land and send them to the mines for debts. That’s a common thing. I’d heard enough of such stories since I was a kid. I felt sorry for them and shared my food. But they took away everything I had, even my shoes and my bow.
And that’s when the nightmare started. I had no food and no bow to hunt with. I was barefoot, with just a dress on. I had to go far. I started asking for help at nearby farms, but they drove me away, even threatening to call for guards.
I started stealing from gardens and chicken coops. When someone saw me, I ran away. When they would catch me, I was beaten and driven away. Thankfully, they never turned me in.
Finally, I reached New Agreement. What a sight I was! But nobody paid attention to how I looked. The city turned out to be full of homeless, dirty, poor, and barefoot people. But of garish luxury there was also more than enough. A city of contrasts, you know.
I continued to steal, and I was doing it pretty well, it seemed. I even found a place where I could sell stolen things. But local bandits quickly tracked me down:
“This is our turf. Only we can work here. Do you think just anyone can come here and steal from our clients? No way! Who are you, and where have you come from?”
“I ran away from home and came here to hide… I don’t know where else to go and what else to do.”
I thought they’d kill me, but they didn’t even beat me up.
“Fine! You’re quite the thief, you’ll come in handy. You’re in our gang from now on.”
So that’s how it happened – good people fleeced me, and bandits saved me. I quickly got my bearings among them, got to know everyone, got on with everyone, and learned everything. With these folks you have to stand up for yourself and stick with the strongest, who’ll stand up for you.
Soon, destiny introduced me to a person who would turn my life upside down.
KOTCL Dev Diaries - Double 3
Knock, knock, travellers! I’ve missed you.
[p][/p][p]Re-inventing the diary format for the third time, I’ve gotten a taste of freedom. The first diary entry was an introductory greeting. The second one was focused on feedback — we tried to answer all of your questions and even engaged super-busy Innrey for that one (if you had no idea what keeps him so busy, then read the previous entry). This time, we’re not going to bother or distract Innrey. The third entry here will be fully mine. [/p][p]And I prefer asking questions to answering them. [/p][p][/p][p]But first, an announcement for you.[/p]
ANNOUNCEMENT
[p] I’m going to travel around Midian, interview the characters from Knock on the coffin lid, and share the interviews on social media. So be sure to keep an eye on our profiles and pages so you don’t miss interviews with Millenis or Zaratosh.[/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/36881171/772d65e593edbbbc429dae185d805573dcfb483d.jpg"](Anyone know who this is?) [/p][p]If you want to ask our characters about anything, you can do that right in the comments down below. I’ll do my best to pass your questions on to them.[/p][p]And now, let’s proceed to my questions.[/p]
Question 1
[p][/p][p]Question #1 is, are you afraid of spoilers? Don’t worry, the secret report of the Fire Brotherhood that I leaked to you last time can’t be found in the game. But if you liked it, I have a real bomb for you — Vanadis’ autobiography![/p][p][/p][p]What caused her to write it, remains a mystery for me, but the authenticity of the document is unquestionable. And of course, you won’t find anything like that in the game.[/p][p][/p][p]As you might already know, by the start of the game Vanadis already knows Mortis. Her autobiography sheds light on their acquaintanceship. There’s a lot of Mortis in the document. The text is quite long. It’s for real lovers of the long-read. Hence, I’ll probably put it in the end of the next entry, so that the unprepared can easily skip past it.[/p]
Question 2
[p][/p][p]Question #2 is, have you, while playing KOTCL, ever found yourself in a situation that cracked you up/floored you/made you happy, or made you feel more than indifferent in some other way. I’d love to read about that in the comments section. [/p][p]For obvious reasons, I’m not afraid of spoilers. The plot of Knock is for the most part my brainchild, so I know better than anyone that it’s full of funny, unexpected, slightly creepy and full-on scary events of all sorts, which you can stumble into.
[p][/p][p]Have you come across the eyes in the dark? When we were creating this battle, we doubted that anyone would notice them at all. But that didn’t stop us.[/p][p][/p][p]Also, have you collected all of the goblin legends? All the stories about Lydia? Does anyone actually know who that Lydia lady actually is?[/p][p] Oh, and have any of you roasted the bear carcass using the elven idol for firewood? Ha-ha, that one is on my personal top list. What’s on yours? As for me, I love the jokes in the game.[/p][p][/p]
Jokes are a serious matter!
[p][/p][p]There are tons of jokes and references in our game, true, but have you noticed that all that goofing around happens against a backdrop of utter gloom? [/p][p]We thought long and hard about what atmosphere we should support and decided we’d throw in some jokes on top of our original depressive concept, while mixing in some hardcore stuff here and there.[/p][p][/p][p]As a result, the game doesn’t feel like a complete circus (although that would be hard with a plot like ours), but you won’t have to play stone-faced all the time, either— there’s stuff to laugh about every now and then.[/p][p][/p][p]It’s especially noticeable when playing as Bjorn. He’s the most tragic hero, deeply unhappy and resentful toward the whole world, so we gave him more jokes than the others. His laughter has a bitter edge, and his humor has a touch of full-scale absurdity.[/p][p] [/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/36881171/6d00f93b007765e22a0517e82020d10cf9eb0914.gif"][/p][p](While we are having fun here, our artists keep working away)[/p][p][/p][p]Do you want to know how jokes for the game are born? If you think that we intentionally dream them up, that’s wrong. I believe that a joke can’t be made up on purpose, and there’s nothing more excruciating than trying to squeeze out some sort of, you know, “humor”.[/p][p][/p][p]In reality it’s done like this: we get together to work out how to develop a certain event. Everyone shares their ideas, and we can never do that with straight faces: we crack jokes, we make crazy suggestions, we giggle and guffaw. And during that process good jokes are born that appear in the game and go down in history. [/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/36881171/e71fd67705e7d5bea753888b23a2736e30b607c3.gif"][/p][p][/p][p]That’s probably all for today. Don’t forget about us—we have a lot of exciting stuff to share. See you in the comments and in the next diary entry too![/p][p][/p]
And don’t forget to keep up with our activity on social media — my first interview with a game character is coming soon!
The previous diary entry was a bit unusual (noticed?), and continuing it in a worthy way won’t be easy. But I’ll try. By the way, this is going to be something like a series, so I recommend checking out the previous entry if you haven’t read it yet. That said, my idea for changing the format is actually to keep it from settling down and becoming predictable. So it doesn't get stale, so to speak. That means there won’t be a consistent direction — and more importantly, there shouldn’t be one. We don’t take the easy path.
Feedback
Are you curious about Redboon’s new projects and future Knock universe updates? So am I. As you can see, we’re not going anywhere, but no final decision has been made about the new game yet. In other words, I don’t really know what it’s going to be either. A lot depends on the results of the final rebalance — because that rebalance is also a kind of search for the next game. Yeah, I’m mostly circling around the topic. Maybe Innrey will say more. By the way — where is he?
While We Wait for Innrey
While we’re waiting for Innrey, I suggest circling around the Divine Mite for a bit. You’re curious to know more about it, and I happened to get my hands on a secret report from the Brotherhood of Fire for just a moment — enough to make a copy:
“The object was found at the depth of 80 meters in one of the caves of the Northern Ridge (the exact coordinates are of higher secrecy and are specified in Appendix 4.14e). The doorway is cut right into the stone; the door is made of unknown material, which generally corresponds to the description from archives. The door is sealed. The number of seals is 16, which can indicate a level of danger that we haven’t encountered before.
All the seals are placed directly on the door, in special slots. In the side passages, which symmetrically radiate in different directions, 16 altars were found, each with an empty seal slot. That also corresponds to the description from archives and allows making definitive conclusions. Previous experiments have shown that upon taking the seals from the door, the being inside wakes up and displays astonishing mental power. However, after that the seals can be placed on the altars, and the awoken monster will not be able to leave its den, and its power will become limited. One can only guess as to who created such technologies and what their purpose is.
This is the fifth of the similar objects that were found by the Brotherhood at different ends of the world at various depths. Unknown monsters are slumbering underground. Their dens are sealed so they cannot come out. It’s better not to touch them, but all possible precautions ought to be taken. I hereby order that a monastery of the Brotherhood in the direct vicinity of the cave’s entrance be found. The monastery’s priority will be protection of the object. Senior Brother Quintus is tasked with the coordination of all the necessary works.”
Hope that didn’t make things too clear? This chthonic monstrosity should remain mysterious.
What’s next on the list? Shoots? Shoots.They won’t let me into Shoots if I spill too much, but yes — it’s an actual organization. They hunt for forbidden knowledge, grow their power, study cause-and-effect, and learn how to control the world. But most importantly, they want to know why the Supreme Gods created Midian. They need that knowledge in order to gain the ability to choose. To oppose the gods? Or to help them? To have a choice — you need to know the purpose. Does someone who can't see the consequences of his own deeds need free will?
Oh, hey Innrey.
About the New Project The new project will be announced very soon. I think the video diary will be ready by the end of the month, as long as nothing gets in the way.
When will there be a Kickstarter/Steam page for your new game? We’ll probably skip Kickstarter. Steam — much later, because we still haven’t decided in what format we’ll present the project first.
About New DLC The team is currently working on a new game mode. Whether it’ll be released as a DLC or a standalone game is still unclear. But once we have something to show for Knock on the Coffin Lid, we’ll definitely let you know 🙂
About Fan Modding “If you open the game for modding, people will make a ton of mods.” The game isn’t closed to modding. In fact, I think Knock was even added to a modding site — our players told us about it. Creating a full-fledged editor for Knock, though, unfortunately isn’t possible. The project is just too complex and tangled — any change creates a flood of bugs. The reason is the weak core architecture, which dates back five years. Fixing it now simply isn’t feasible. For the next project, we’ll definitely build it with modding support in mind from the start.
About Innrey Bring back Innrey’s closing words to the news format! I’m happy you still remember me :) That’s really nice ^.^ I’m incredibly deep into the new project right now. I literally don’t have even an hour to spare. Once we announce our next game, you’ll understand — we’ve accomplished a huge amount in just two months. I’ll definitely return with video diaries once the intense development phase is over.
About Bugs, Sadly When are you going to fix the bugs? Literally any moment now :) We had to do a lot to release on PS and Xbox, and we also added a bunch of final features — which could have broken things again. We didn’t want to fix bugs that might immediately reappear. Same reason as always — the weak base architecture of the game. Now that those last features are in place, we’ve thrown the full team at bug fixing. Very soon, I think, we’ll have cleaned them out of every corner ;)
Thank you all for staying with us after release! I truly want to keep bringing you new games and updates. I hope I’ll have a chance to share more details with you in the coming weeks! By the way, Knock on the coffin lid is discounted on all PS, Xbox and even the GOG shop until the 15th of July.
Since the main work on the game has already been done, we are expecting a sharp shortage of news, and the developers' diaries will naturally mutate into something resembling an author's column, and I will be the one entertaining you.
I am not a new person in the company, but rather one of the oldest employees, who co-authored all the texts for Kotcl with the narrative game designer. By the way, how do you like them? I can entertain you in various ways, and suggestions/proposals/questions in the comments are welcome. My tone will be as relaxed and friendly as possible, because we are here to play games, not to discuss stock market quotes, right?
But first, a bit of news
The main work is currently focused on rebalancing. Yes, again. The game is so large-scale that we barely managed to handle it by the release, and now we have the opportunity to approach the balance issue more thoughtfully. If you didn't like the previous version of the balance, don't go far, we have another chance to please you. The main direction of the rebalance is a more thoughtful and mathematical gameplay. If before it was pure fun, now we want you to think more. But we'll keep the fun. The update will be released when it’s done.
We are also actively improving compatibility with the Steam Deck. The main focus is to enlarge the interface elements so that everything can be easily read and played on the small screen. Overall, we aim to achieve full and seamless compatibility with the Steam Deck. The update will be released (guess when) when it’s done .
And you won't believe it, our artists and animators are still polishing the visuals and refining the visual features without which we cannot show you all the content. So don't be surprised if, during a new playthrough, you encounter an event continuation that wasn't there before. However, these are very targeted changes, nothing globally new, but still.
And now let's talk
And now let's move on to the essence of the new format. Do you know Batu? A joke for those who completed the add-on with one of the NON-canonical endings. And do you know how many endings there are in total?
I won't tell you which one is canonical, because if you see it, you'll immediately understand that it's the one. And you know, we set ourselves the task that no player would ever be able to uncover all the content? It sounds very ambitious and a bit mocking towards the players, but the goal was noble: we wanted you to find something new in the game even after 100, 200, or 1000 hours of gameplay. We overextended ourselves a bit, and still didn't implement all the ideas. But we achieved the goal. In any case, I, while playing Kotcl, sometimes encounter situations that I myself came up with and forgot, because it's impossible to keep such a volume of information in mind. And it turns out it was implemented, wow! It's like accidentally meeting an old friend on the street whom you haven't seen in a long time.
When we invented Knock, I first came up with an entire universe in which the game would exist. We didn't aim to tell you everything about this universe; the game simply exists within it, following its rules. It's more convenient to create content when you start from a solid foundation.
Do you want to know where the Divine Mite came from? I can tell you. Seriously, it has a backstory. Or maybe leave it as mysterious and enigmatic as it is? Do you know who the Shoots are? I'm itching to write to you about them, but very little is mentioned about them in the game texts.
Do you know what the basic idea of Kotcl is? It lies in the interaction between the strong and the weak of this world: the former possess knowledge, power, and authority, while the latter possess free will. And if we talk about the former, which are obviously Mortis and Millenis, there are even more powerful beings above them, for whom these two are initially just pawns. The main characters try to play by their own rules, and in this, they are no different from Mortis and Millenis, who try to play by theirs.
In general, we will be discussing such things in the coming days or so. The plan is roughly like this, but as we know, a conversation is a mutual affair, and our conversation with you may not go exactly as planned. Or not at all as planned. And that's good. We'll see how it goes.
Thank you for your support and feedback—it means the world to us. See you in the next dev diary!
KOTCL Dev Diaries - Custom Mode!
Knock-Knock, Travelers!
How are you spending the first month of the summer? Have you already visited the famous green beaches of the bog? If not – we highly recommend it! The experience will stay with you for a lifetime. Just be sure to bring a nice long stick to fend off the local mosquitoes...
But while you’re still not packing your bags and buying tickets – take a moment to read this dev diary! We’ve gathered the most important news and other fun stuff.
Let’s go!
Custom Mode
As you probably already know, we released a major update with a new game mode this week – Custom Mode. With this update, we wanted to bring more creative freedom to KOTCL by allowing you to create your own challenges, unique runs, and fun scenarios.
We’re looking forward to seeing your creations and hope you enjoy the update!
Who's Knocking?
We already showed this background in one of our previous diaries – and now we’re showing off the progress!
This time the scene is filled with people and special characters, lit by torches with red lamps. We’ve carefully crafted the mood of the scene and adjusted every little detail to match it. The process is long and complex, but the result is always worth it!
Also, you might spot a certain inseparable pair of characters – can you guess who they are and where they’re from?
How about a chit-chat?
Hello everyone! Smell that coffee? That means Andrey aka Innrey has arrived – not just with a steaming mug, but also with some updates.
It’s been a while since our last diary, and as you’d expect, we’ve got more news. First of all, of course, we want to talk about Custom Mode. With this mode, we aimed to create a space for players not only to play but to create. In our case, you can create custom hero starts – with unique sets of cards, items, and modifiers.
Console releases are behind us now and turned out to be less scary than we feared. Though, of course, each platform has its quirks.
We’re also working more actively on a new project and hope to share some details and insights soon.
Once again, we want to thank you all for your support and feedback – without you, we wouldn’t be able to see our mistakes, fix them, and most importantly, witness you playing our game. That’s the best feeling in the world!
