Monomyth
EA2.0.1a - Steam Deck & Gamepad Improvements
Beta Version 2 is now live!
It's been a while, and a project update is long overdue! At the same time, I am pleased to announce that beta version 2 is now on the main branch. You can find out all about it in the latest devlog:
Unfortunately, delays like this are a risk in solo projects, but I am confident that now the development will proceed much more smoothly. Below, you can find the full patch notes as well as the video transcript
See you soon!
Michael
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-Version EA2.0.0e (29.05.2025)
* Added a major new area (Lysandrian Mines)
* Added two minor areas
* Expanded main story and quests
* Added new enemy types
* Added environmental audio cues
* Unlocked final two sections of mines
* Added new model for hostile miners
* Added Beta 2 main menu
* The mines now contain more secrets
* Added animated waypoints / new NPC idle animations
* Reworked connection between Lysandria and the mines
* Reworked lava slime combat actions
* Reworked miner combat actions
* Reworked fishing spots in the mines
* Fixed a bug that prevented fishing in the mines
* NPCs should no longer step into camp fires
* Teleporting to the mines should now place the character in the correct spot
* Fixed a bug that would duplicate items in the factory's furnace
* It is now possible to smelt multiple pieces of ore at once
* Teleporter runes should be noted in the journal again
* Various small bugfixes
* Fixed a bug in the furnace that might occur while saving
* Adjusted difficulty of multiple encounters in the mines
* Added underwater details
* Fixed various NPC names
* Bandits should relocate correctly again after finishing the farm quest
* Fixed various lighting issues
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Hi dungeon-crawling fans!
It’s been way too long and a project update is long overdue!
First of all, let me appologize for the massive delay in development over the last few months. Unfortunately a few things came up that required my immediate attention and that stalled most progress. It is an unfortunate risk in solo projects. Now things are largely resolved and I have been back to developing Monomyth for a few weeks.
You may have noticed that at the beginning of last month I uploaded Beta 2 to the test branch. A few issues still remain but it’s going to the main branch today. So let’s go through all the new content and how we will continue from here on out.
For the most part, Beta 2 became a full rebuild of the game’s second area. The mines were original meant to be restructured, however, the complex vertical layout made a useful restructuring relatively hard and there was no guarantee that the map would work much better as a game environment afterwards.
Therefore I settled with a full recreation of the area, taking over only various concepts and minor sections. I rebuilt the region by the standardized workflow that I have talked about in previous devlogs, and just to put your mind at ease in advance: The third region of the game was already made with that workflow in mind, so there won’t be any restructuring or rebuilding there. It will be brushed up, improved in various parts like collision and whatnot, but that’s it.
But for now, let’s take a look at what’s in the new mines.
The mines themselves are a map that consists of 25 subsections. Scale-wise it is exactly as big as the heartlands, however, there are more individual rooms in it. Besides the mines one additional mini-dungeon and the catacombs, from the demo, have been integrated into the game. The main quests now stretch over both major areas, and while parts of it are not mandatory, you’ll probably stumble over them if you carefully explore.
There are also a few new enemy types, most importantly spellcasters and their servants. Talking of spellcasting, new echo stones can be found in the new area as well.
The mines are well integrated with the original areas and you can easily reach them through teleportation, given that you know the right rune combinations. Technically you can finish the mines even before the heartlands - I made sure that the game could be finished in a non-sequential manner. However, you will have to know the game well and pull off a few tricks to actually make that work.
There have been a few aesthetic changes to existing areas as well. One of the more noticeable are probably the new idle animations for NPCs. Until now the inhabitants of Lysandria would all use the same pose. With the new update you can find them arguing, squatting, crossing their arms, praying, etc.
Another small feature I added are unique environmental audio cues. Some of you may remember this from the Thief series. Whenever you enter a specific section for the first time you’ll get an audio cue, which adds quite a bit to the atmosphere and draws your attention to important locations. I have added this in both the mines and the heartlands.
As far as the fishing goes, you can catch new fish in the mines. Most of them have unique effects depending on whether you consume them cooked or uncooked.
Lastly there have also been plenty of bug fixes and small adjustments in combat encounters. I am trying to expand enemy abilities organically with the normal progression through the game. Of course balancing will have to be reworked once all content has been introduced
So how do we continue from here on out? We are obviously behind time and it’s questionable how much sense it makes to push for another spring update, which would have to be out until mid-june the latest. It is probably more realistic to just shift the original update plan by one season, so the spring update becomes a summer update and the summer update becomes an autumn update.
Alternatively I could imagine bundling beta update 3 and 4 into a single bigger update. As mentioned before, the area of beta update 3 is largely done. It requires polishing, some itemization, performance optimizations and so on. The geometry is completely done, the main quest is fully implemented, etc. What’s not done yet, however, is the area for beta update 4, so that would be another big chunk of work. I guess it all depends on the feedback in the coming weeks and I’ll see what makes more sense timewise.
There are also some small, intermediate updates that I wanted to spend some time on, especially regarding enhanced steam deck support and some character aesthetics. We will have to see how that ideally fits into the schedule as well.
Anyway, beta update 2 is now on the main branch and I hope you’ll have fun playing and testing it. That’s all from me for the moment. I’ll keep you updated and see you soon!
Beta 2 is now live on the test Branch
I just uploaded Monomyth's beta 2 patch to the test branch.
Let me first apologize for how long this took! The patch should have been out for weeks by now, but a few things came up that required my immediate attention. It's an unfortunate risk with solo development. Sorry for the delay!
Anyway, if you would like to try the new patch out right away, you can do so by
* clicking right on your library entry for Monomyth
* selecting Properties
* switching to Betas and
* selecting the "testing" branch in "Beta Participation"
Be warned though: This build still has to be tested with default-branch save states.
There are still a few issues I'll have to iron out as well. Two of the 25 sections in the mines are still inaccessible. I'll sort this out as soon as possible. Unfortunately, I won't be able to upload a new build until next Thursday. So it will still take a bit until the patch is moved to the main branch.
Content-wise this patch includes three new areas as well as new quests.
I'll post a more detailed update soon!
Until then!
Best wishes,
Michael
Quick note about the coming update
As you have probably already noticed the patch announced for January will be a little late.
Unfortunately, I got bogged down in some administrative work recently, which cost me more time than I expected. Nevertheless, good progress has been made!
The detail pass for the new mines is almost done and I can already say that the final performance will be significantly better than in the original version. Style-wise the new area is also a fair bit more recognizable. The flow of the level has also been improved massively, making it properly navigatable.
Some things are still missing, most notably two major quests, some scripts, and the soundscape. Itemization has been planned out in detail but needs to be realized (i.e. some items still have to be placed). Here are some impressions from the environment:
A shortcut maybe?
The factory below the heartlands is a vast underground complex.
A good place for fishing!
Perhaps a way upstairs?
All in all, I hope it won't take much longer than 2-3 weeks.
Just wanted to keep you up to date. I will create another dev diary in the near future.
Until then!
Best wishes,
Michael
Video Devlog 16.0 | Tools, Mines & Redesigns
It's time for a new project update! The last month has been filled with level design, programming, and optimizations. Early Access version 2.0 is currently scheduled for January. You can hear all about it in the latest video devlog:
As always you can find the transcript below!
Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year, and best wishes!
Michael
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Hi, dungeon-crawling fans!
It’s time for the last devlog of the year. Monomyth’s early access version has been out for two months and a lot of work has gone into fixing errors and preparing new content. The first major content patch “Echos in the Dark” is currently scheduled for January. In it players will continue their journey into the depths below Lysandria. So let’s take a look at it.
Most of the new content takes place in the mines and factories below the heartlands. The area has gone through some major revisions in the last month. In fact, it went far beyond the announced restructuring. While much of the assets and questlines are still intact, most of the area’s base geometry has been redone. The normal course through the area has been completely reorganized and many locations have been dropped or replaced. As a result the area is much more intuitive in its design, easier to navigate and much better integrated with the rest of the game. It is still a highly complex area to get lost in. During the design process there has also been a stronger focus on different types of encounters, so it will be interesting to see how people’s playstyle will adapt coming from the heartlands.
When I remade large parts of the mines I applied a slightly different design approach. The original version of this area had a rough vision, which was implemented in an ad-hoc fashion. This means the bigger picture was more or less clear and the details were filled in step by step during the implementation process. This led to some nice vistas but all in all the area was much too big, annoying to navigate and hard to optimize.
So, for the new version of the area I went back to Monomyth’s original area design principles. I have talked about these principles a few times in the past, but to refresh your memory, let's go over them once more.
Basically, Monomyth applies the design principles found in the earlier levels of Ultima Underworld, where an area is split into several sections, connected via a center-piece or a long hallway that makes it easier to quickly travel through the place.
You can see this principle applied in the heartland’s river system, respectively the main road between the Serpent’s Bastion and Lysandria.
Sections are then built from rooms, respectively encounter locations. Here I made some small adjustments. I introduced subsections which bundle thematically connected rooms together and make exact planning easier.
The mines have pretty much exactly the same scale as the heartlands, but due to the subsection driven design, the density of rooms is slightly higher.
You can, by the way, find similar design principles in various online dungeon crawlers. The only difference: These usually do not have any major connecting hallways, as such would probably introduce unwanted chokepoints on the map.
For Monomyth on the other hand, that’s a positive, as it helps you quickly navigating through the map while still retaining somewhat of a directed map flow.
Anyway, the mines still require a detail pass in several areas, a sound pass and some coding. All in all, I think the map should be ready during January.
But level design was not the only thing I did during the last month. I have also worked a bit on better tooling. As I have mentioned in an earlier update most of Monomyth’s dialogue trees are actually designed and written in a simple table which is transformed into a struct by a Python script.
I finally found some time and started implementing a dialogue tool, so I can properly write, edit, visualize and fix my dialogue trees in one environment. I hope to get that tool into a usable state this month, so it can speed up the writing and quest design process.
I have also worked on a few fixes, as well as some optimizations, which were already contained in a new patch released a few days ago.
So this is where we currently stand. As mentioned in the beginning, the content patch will likely be ready during January. Until then, I’ll keep you updated and see you soon!
Patch EA1.0.2a
I just pushed version EA1.0.2a to the default branch. Here are the patch notes:
* Switched data for future content patch
* Optimized lightmap density
* Corrected collision on some cave geometry
* Added NPC for respecing
* Added "Unstuck" button
* Added option to turn off FOV change while sprinting
* Added option to turn off camera sway while attacking
* Unlocking a door will now display the used key, if applicable
* Rats will no longer drop coins
* Sermon of Light will no longer stack but renew
* Sermon of Light will now adjust to a character's divine spellcasting skill
* The War Axe of Power can no longer be found at the blacksmith in Lysandria
This patch is a bit bigger because I optimized a few light maps. As a nice side effect, the game should now occupy less disk space. A hint for respecing: The NPC for this can be found in the area of the Serpent's Bastion. Every time you respec the procedure becomes more expensive.
I am currently busy working on the winter patch, which should arrive sometime in January. There will be an update about this shortly.
Have fun & best wishes,
Michael
Video Devlog 15.0 | Early Access Roadmap
It was a busy month! Between the game's early access release, numerous patches, and a quick chat with cRPG connoisseur Dr. Matt Barton I spent some time developing a rough roadmap for the early access phase. You can hear all about it in the latest video devlog!
As always you will find the transcript below!
Best wishes,
Michael
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Hi, dungeon-crawling fans!
Monomyth has finally launched into early access, and I am very happy with the results! In only fours weeks, the game has already received over 260 reviews and currently has a very positive Steam rating. Additionally, I had the privilege to talk on Matt Barton’s Matt Chat and the game received its own article on PC Gamer. I would like to take this moment to thank you all again for your continued support over the years. Without you, this would not be possible!
However, this is only the beginning of a new development phase! The game has already received numerous hotfixes and will continue receiving further patches and additional content. So in this devlog I would like to go through a roadmap for Early Access development with you. Much like in the earlier beta phases, I will try to stick as closely as possible to that roadmap and regularly update you on where we currently are. So here it is:
During Early Access there will be three major content updates, one for each missing chapter of the game. Each chapter will contain an additional major area, new sidequests, the continuation of the main quest, new loot, and new enemies.
Since I am targeting up to a year of Early Access development, these updates will ideally be delivered in the form of a winter, a spring, and a summer patch, each probably followed by a series of hotfixes.
The first two areas have already been part of the earlier backer beta, however, they require some further polishing, respectively restructuring. I am currently developing a new workflow for creating areas, so I’ll probably try that out during the restructuring. Schedule-wise this might be a little gamble, but I think the result will be worth it and I’ll keep you updated about how it’s going.
Content patches are of course not everything. In between content patches, I will try to address the feedback that you have given me on multiple platforms. As of writing this, I have collected over a hundred points that were made concerning the game’s current content. Much of it is about balancing, some of it is about reorganizing features like the search skill and archery and some of it is about adding further features. I will try to address as many of these as possible, excluding perhaps a couple of points that are either not feasible or fitting with the game’s core design.
These intermediate patches make the schedule more challenging of course. But I would rather have a challenging schedule just for the sake of keeping up a swift momentum, even if it may not work out at all times.
So what are the immediate next steps? Well, since there is enough to do I’ll start working on the content for the winter patch, which will introduce the mines and the factory below the heartlands.
As mentioned before this area has to be restructured. I have talked about this multiple times in the past. The problem was that there was no holistic design concept, no real integration into a proper quest system, and the main quest was still vague, as was the encounter design. Additionally, performance was not necessarily much of a real consideration. Much of this was due to the area being added very early in development. Luckily things are quite different now. There is proper documentation from beginning to end, including encounter, performance, quest considerations, and so on. Accordingly, I believe that the level can be restructured in a reasonable time. I am targeting a release of the patch later this year. Should there be any delays it will probably be released in early January.
I’ll try to get back to my usual pre-release update schedule and let you know about the latest developments.
If any problems arise in the short term, I will, of course, try to reschedule and give those issues the necessary attention as soon as possible.
Other than that, I’ll keep you updated as always and I will see you soon!
Mini Patch EA1.0.1a
I just published the latest patch on the default branch. Here are the patch notes:
* Custom portraits added
* Newly saved data will be sorted from now on
* Item transfers during conversations will now consider quickslots as well
There are six custom portrait slots for the moment. You can find them in your installation folder (\ProjectAriath\Content\Custom\Portraits). Replace the .png files and you are good to go. There are no real restrictions regarding resolution but your images will be adjusted to the aspect ratio 0.72:1.
Your old save states will only be sorted once you resave them.
Have fun & best wishes,
Michael
Hotfix EA1.0.0f
The latest hotfix is now on the default branch. I added two more important fixes for the trading system. You can no longer take items from the trader inventory by using an item-switching bug and there will be no more item duplication if there is no room in the player inventory. Here are the full patch notes:
* Added pause menu
* Fountains now take longer to replenish
* Lowered Focus requirement for Sermon of Light
* The beggar in lower Lysandria will now correctly give a key to the player
* The Emerald Horn can now also be used by combining it with a barrier
* NPCs starting conversations will no longer deadlock the game if the player is carrying objects, combining an item or inspecting the inventory
* Quickly re-entering dialogue mode will no longer deadlock the game
* Item switching will no longer give the player access to trader inventories
* Traders will no longer duplicate items if the player has no inventory space to conclude a trade
Best wishes,
Michael
Hotfix EA1.0.0f now on Public Testing Branch
I just uploaded the latest hotfix to the testing branch. The focus was on various dialogue/dialogue mode fixes and a pause menu. Here are the current patch notes:
* Added pause menu
* Fountains now take longer to replenish
* Lowered Focus requirement for Sermon of Light
* The beggar in lower Lysandria will now correctly give a key to the player
* The Emerald Horn can now also be used by combining it with a barrier
* NPCs starting conversations will no longer deadlock the game if the player is carrying objects, combining an item, or inspecting the inventory
* Quickly re-entering dialogue mode will no longer deadlock the game
If you have already talked to the beggar without receiving anything, you can speak to him again and you should receive the key automatically. The key itself is currently useless, but it might come in handy in a future quest.
Best wishes,
Michael