Hey Steam readers! Here's some of what I've been working on in April. It includes Fixes and Improvements, some of my initial work on the New Areas and more!
Fixes and improvements
I planned to spend most of April fixing Netherguild! This is because there were some things that needed urgent fixing - for example, the tutorial windows appearing in distracting moments and issues with the inventory - as well as some things I just wanted to fix and improve in preparation for the Steam festivals in summer.
Some of these additions were player-requested, too!
Small Screen Support If you played Netherguild with a screen slimmer than 1920 pixels wide, or, heavens forbid, less than 1600 pixels wide, you were in for a tough time and I don't envy you. A lot of the UI was incredibly messy and uncomfortable for players with small screens.
Well, not anymore! I spent a weekend going over every single thing at 1366x768 resolution to make sure the game is not only playable but also looks and feels good at smaller resolutions. It even includes custom features like this sliding character roster UI that only appear on smaller resolutions.
Middle Mouse Camera Dragging A feature that has been requested by many players before (specifically I remember Rale from the Discord asking for it). Now that I've added I can't do without it - it left me wondering... why didn't I add it before?... Oh well, better late than never!! (:
Movement Counter Can you spot it on the right side of the screen?
It should be handy in helping players navigate! I remember a friend of mine (Conan) asking for this as well as a user named CBrauto using the in-game feedback.
Visual Coins Improvement In the past, if coins were in the same tile as an enemy or loot, it'd end up looking pretty messy... Well, not anymore.
Smooth Camera The camera smoothly re-focuses on the current character when attacking. I was convinced this would be annoying at first but it just feels so... satisfying, for some reason.
I also worked on many other small fixes to make playing the game more comfortable to play - feel free to fire up the demo if you haven't in the last month to see what changed!
New Areas
Early infographics, showcasing my plans for the new areas!
Here's some other tidbits:
The title text of the bandit stronghold!
The tin men will have a windup key on their back...
I just started adding the new areas into engine this week, so this screenshot is extremely raw! But over time these bridges will hang at a satisfying arc, torches will light the walls, and bandits will eagerly await you with readied weapons...
Big Events
Indie youtuber Splattercat tried out Netherguild! I was completely surprised when this happened... but it seems like he liked it! Also, welcome to all the Splattercat viewers who joined us since!
Netherguild is also participating in Steam's "Going Rogue" festival!! It is pretty tough to find it among the other thousand (or more) titles in the event, but it seems like some people did (:
I did livestream when the event started which ended up being a ton of fun - so if you missed it out, do expect more of these in future events.
Next Up
I plan on improving the demo's content in preparation for Steam's summer fest!! This means...
Balance pass on all items and skills, making them more fun
New mechanics for attacks and abilities
New equipment
I'm excited to add some new systems too, and perhaps add more speech lines to player and enemy characters... but I don't want to make any promises I'm unsure I can keep with regards to these, so expect to read more about them in next month's update instead (;
I'm also going to continue working on the new areas - expect to see more in-engine stuff in next month's update. In addition to that, I will keep fixing and improving Netherguild like I did in April, but I won't focus on it as much - seeing how I want to focus on CONTENT this month instead!
-Update End-
A dark screenshot of a (now fixed) bug that made characters t-pose
That's all for this update! Thank you for reading and see you next time (:
-David
Demo Update 3/5/2022
Change log 3/5/2022 | Version 0.186(E)
Changes & Fixes:
Moved movement counter (fixed level ups at the same place as movement)
Update shown info when hovering on characters after passive gain
Fixed hovering over enemy while attacking doesn't show their hovering text
Text fixes:
Fixed some grammar with drunk bandit
Demo Update 29/4/2022
Change log 29/4/2022 | Version 0.186(C)
Additions:
UI Shows remaining movement in combat (Suggested by CBrauto and others)
Coins "shrink effect" activates when there's an enemy, items, or another coin in their tile Looking a lot better. Coins with nothing else in their tile look the same as before.
Fixes:
Fixed pressing attack hotkey (1-9) adds actions to escape keys
Fixed assassin bandit crash
Improved pressing on pause menu button
Fixed free action softlock (caused when surrounded by obstacles without any movement)
Fixed tiny visual bug with switching between inspect and hire with character panels
Fixed visual bug with clicking on guild inspect hiding character model
Fixed clicking on credits doesn't reset it
Fixed can open inventory while rolling initiative
Minor improvements:
Removed redundant "Main attack" / "Secondary attack" / "Extra attack" lines in equipment hover text (So that it just shows the actual attack/s instead)
Improved inventory panels and dragging in-dungeon
Improved item comparison to account for weapons which require no proficiency
Text fixes:
Fleeing button hover text is one line shorter
Content:
Added convinient option for players who let the drunk bandit flee before to do it more easily
Demo Update 24/4/2022
Change log 24/4/2022 | Version 0.186(B) Major improvements:
Support for smaller resolutions down to 1366 x 768 with current version (Throughouly playtested and includes opening cutscene, inventory, tutorial, guild inspection and more)
Inventory is simpler! (only one button instead of 2)
Minifixes and tiny changes:
Fixed writing feedback in-dungeon and pressing 'C' activates character inspection
Tutorial for status stacking has background
Camera smoothly moves to where character is when they attack
Text changes:
Shortened "incapacitate" text from "slows by 99%" to "cannot move"
Text of status says "turn" instead of "turns" if length is 1
Added some names: First names: Kali, Joan, Jillian, Bellatrix
Admian, Wilbur, Werner
Last names: Topaz Last names (randomly generated): Northop, Azlin, Astor, Dolinger
Demo Update 21/4/2022
Change log 21/4/2022 | Version 0.186(A) Fixes:
Fixed broken scaling of inventory panels in-dungeon with screens bigger and smaller than 1920x1080
Fixed inventory not opening up with gold ore and dead miner oddities at 4/19/2022 (sneaky hidden hotfix)
Fixed saving of stun status (and other slight status fixes)
Fixed enemies turned towards closet player character when loading the game
Fixed "hovering text" is below pause menu in-dungeon
Fixed hovering over item while dragging shows who has proficiency for the newly hovered over item. Also dropping an item into a slot now hides proficiency notification
Minor improvements:
Slightly improved UI of expedition overview character panel (bigger text)
Hey Steam denizens! Here's a glimpse into what I've been working on in March.
Steam Demo Release
Last month I released Netherguild's Steam demo! Massive thank you to everyone who tried it out, left feedback, bug reports and kind words!!!
Netherguild wouldn't have been the game it is today without the feedback you have given me along the way, so I can not overstate how much I appreciate it.
Right now we're standing at over 1K wishlists too!! Which is very impressive.
Falling System
This important system I mentioned last update is even closer to done!
Enemies and player characters can be pushed to the floor below:
But if a player character gets pushed to the floor below, they end up stranded and appear like this:
Until you rescue them:
Of course, your time is limited, guild leader!... if you wait for too long and set out on multiple expeditions that fail to rescue, you might never see your fallen comrades again.
Your stranded guild members will also have a chance to climb back up on their own depending on their level, so higher ranked characters might even save themselves... if you're lucky. (;
Inventory
Inventory used to be a bit... uhm... iffy. Especially when it comes to dropping items with multiple inventories, which would create these empty windows for some reason all over the screen.
Not anymore!
Now if the current character drops an item, it'd always go to the displayed inventory in the center. Dropped items from other characters will appear near their inventory window so you can quickly realize who they used to belong to.
Even more inventory and "quality of life" improvements are coming up in the near future! In fact...
Future Plans
Netherguild has been invited to two Steam events in the near future!! Therefore, I decided that:
1. This month (April), I'll focus on polishing the demo even more with some of the feedback and suggestions you have given me, to make it an even more streamlined, comfortable and welcoming experience (in preparation for players trying it out during the events).
2. The next few months (May-June) I'll focus on improving and adding to the content in the demo. This will most likely include re-balancing some of the items to be more fun and interesting, as well as possibly adding new mechanics, new items and more. Expect me to rant more about it after I'll add it!
All throughout these months, I also plan to work on the two next areas in Netherguild, the Bandit Stronghold and City of Mist.
-Update End-
That's all for this update! Thank you for reading and see you next time (:
