It's been two months coming, but 0.4 is finally here!
Anyone who made it out to EGX Rezzed in London this week has had a chance to check the new build of game out (and gave me a few things to tweak before release). I had an awesome time meeting fans and showing off the game and I'm REALLY proud of where it's managed to reach. There's over 50 new improvements to the game, many of which should be instantly noticeable by watching the NEW RELEASE TRAILER!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MrAnUDYQ60
Basically I've overhauled most of the way that the game handles to make it smoother and more efficient. 3 Days of stress testing and the game never crashed or froze. Not once. I'm really proud of that. So I can happily say that this is a MUCH more stable build of the game than you've experienced previously.
The framework of the game is in place with this update and I'm sure you'll all be able to see that now. This is the first time it's actually felt like a game. With this all in mind, the price of the game has been raised slightly to compensate for the new amount of content and to thank everyone who has purchased the game so far getting an even better value for their initial investment!
There's obviously still a few bugs here and there, some stuff I've decided not to fix yet because I wanted to get this update out. I'll likely focus on those over the next week or so and push out an incremental update when I can.
EDIT: Some players are confused at the lack of contextual menus.
Buildings no-longer have their own menus because due to a game design point of view it was going to become incredibly taxing and complicated for each building to have its own menu with the amount of new stuff I'm looking at adding. For this reason, buildings auto-restock and can be upgraded via the library. Placing buildings that have functions will unlock a sub-menu within the pre-existing systems. Such as the Barracks unlocking training in the Hero menu.
With the introduction of Hero needs this also made sense. They will automatically visit the tavern if they're idle, and decide to do so. They are now in control of their own needs.
Hopefully this clears things up.
Update Notes
New Features
Autosave Added
Edge Scrolling Added
New Kingdom Section System Added
"Official" Quest Type Added
New Music Track
Ovehauled UI
Message System Upgraded
Theatre Added
Barracks Added
New Training Sub-Menu
Replaced UI Text with Icons
Heroes, Adventurers & Buildings now have Info Boxes when you click them.
Attractiveness Meter
New Help Guide Menu with Basic Text Descriptions
Updated Mouse Cursor
Heroes are now Alpha'd in the Hero Menu when Unavailable
Heroes can now be loaned to Kingdoms upon request
Settlements can now be Invested into if they like you enough giving a return each month.
Building Maintenance now shown in Building Menu
Happiness added to Stats Menu
Hero Menu UI Updated
Heroes now have needs
Competing Kingdoms Stats Menu
Hero Traits Added
Feedback Added to Debriefing during Custom Quest
Epic Quest Descriptions Completed
Building Ghost Hovering
New Kingdom Section
Bounties can now be activated within Menu
Bounty Requirement can now be seen when selecting a Settlement
Heroes can be removed from quests by clicking their icon when assigned
"Official" Quest Type Added
Upgrades removed and replaced with Library Research Tree
Building UI Prompt buttons now functional
Followers now remain in Kingdom based on their Happiness and Gold.
Optimisation
New Node Mechanic
New Building & Tile System
Optimised game world to only draw within Viewport
Improved Saving/Loading
Depth Sorting Fixed for Buildings
Minor Optimisation Improvements
Balance
Adjusted Building Prices
Lowered Maintenance Prices
Quarter Day Timer Removed
Quest Earnings relate to Happiness
Quest Earnings relate to Heroes Stats
Quest Scoring Algorithm Improved Slightly
Minor Balance Changes
Bug Fixes
Background can no longer be zoomed whilst in Menu
Minor Bug Fixes
As always the Save Files will be completely useless with this update and will cause your game to crash. So starting a new game is advised.
What To Expect Next?
Now it's all about adding content to the game and fixing the stuff that's currently broken.
There's a new building system running underneath the game that's going to make it much easier to move/delete stuff, so I'm definitely focusing on that first.
I'll then start looking at more new buildings. I want loads of new decorations. I'm really enjoying them now. Stone walls are a must.
Finally, I want to really expand the AI on adventurers and the Kingdoms in the land. Allowing players to destroy them and call in favours.
Watch this space.
All the best,
Skatanic Studios
IF FOR ANY REASON YOU'D PREFER, YOU CAN ACCESS THE PREVIOUS MOST STABLE BUILD VIA THE "ROLLBACK" BETA IN THE BETA TABS OF THE RPG TYCOON PROPERTIES IN YOUR STEAM LIBRARY
Alpha 0.4 Preview Video - Developer Diary!
Alpha 0.4 of RPG Tycoon is just around the corner. So Matt wanted to spend some time playing the game in its current state and show off some of the 40+ changes / new features that are coming to this build of the game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djZr-NdLe-w
It should be available by the end of next week. Obviously there’s still a few things left to iron out first.
All the best,
Skatanic Studios
RPG Tycoon Updated to Version 0.3
Hi, I've finally updated to 0.3 with some awesome new features that a few of you have been asking for for a while. The jump from 0.28 to 0.3 isn't massive, so don't expect anything big but the new features should help improve the balance and gameplay for most players. As always you can run back through the announcements to check all of the new features and I've also posted a developer commentary on the new features.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyEI6IQb-R4
Update Notes:
Arrow keys now control world movement
2 new sound effects added
In game audio options and control options now available
" C" can now be used to centre camera.
Bench decoration added
Custom game cursor embedded
Tooltips added for some buttons / UI elements.
Fixed building offset for most resolution settings
Fixed bug that was causing 800x450 resolutions to freeze when opening Menu's
Buy button now disables if the item is unaffordable
Added a bailout the first time players treasury drops lower than 0 gold in Normal and Easy difficulties.
Working towards 0.4 should hopefully start bringing more simulation and strategy elements into the game. I want to bring in more statistics that need managing and start improving elements of the story to give your Kingdoms more life.
So stay tuned.
As always, thanks for the support!
Skatanic Studios
RPG Tycoon Updated to Version 0.28
Happy Holidays to you All!
I'm happy to announce I've just released 0.28 to the public build so it is commonly available to everyone! I'm taking a small hiatus for the christmas period, so I won't be working on the game as often and I wanted to give you all a gift for the holidays to play around with.
This update features all of the previous features available in the "public_beta" builds prior to this release and also comes with the added feature of Objectives and a very basic "Destroy" tool so you can finally remove objects you may want to get rid of. It's not fully functional however so be warned: USE THE DESTROY TOOL WITH CAUTION. IT MAY BREAK YOUR GAME IF YOU DESTROY A BUILDING THAT'S REQUIRED BY YOUR KINGDOM. (I would advise to only use this tool to remove decorations for now.)
Anyway, I'll work more based on your feedback and improve the quest system a little further before reaching 0.3 shortly.
Update Notes
New Features
Added Optional Objectives
Added Fences and Multiple Objects
Added Placeable Trees
Added Semi-Functional Destroy tool to Build Menu (USE WITH CAUTION!)
Added Custom Hero Names
Optimisation
Updated UI to make space for future buttons & features.
Redesigned some building Sprites
Re-coloured some progress bars.
Balance
Minor Balance Changes
Bug Fixes
Fixed The Local Achievement
Minor Bug Fixes
Take Care & Merry Christmas!
(Or Happy Holidays, if you're otherwise inclined)
Skatanic Studios
IF FOR ANY REASON YOU'D PREFER, YOU CAN ACCESS THE PREVIOUS MOST STABLE BUILD VIA THE "ROLLBACK" BETA IN THE BETA TABS OF THE RPG TYCOON PROPERTIES IN YOUR STEAM LIBRARY
Version 0.26 Now Available in Public_Beta
Hello!
For those of you that have chosen to opt into to the Public_Beta Build of the game will now get to experience and test out some of the new features available that are being worked on for the 0.3 "Expanded Questing" update coming soon.
I've been busy the past two weeks with the implementation of the Bounties system which has long been something spoken about by myself in comments and in the forums. I've continued to rework more of the Quest system and I think this update not only makes it easier to earn money but also ties a lot of the Quest system together.
The update also adds the introduction of Villains into the game. Menaces of your kingdom that you must hunt down and slay to rid your Kingdom of the evil they possess. You do this by combining both types of Quest and completing Bounties until you've gained enough knowledge about them to hunt them down and kill them. Both Bounties and Villains are very basic at the moment, but the framework is now there and I'll continue to flesh them out more over time but I really do think it already gives much more purpose and direction to questing.
I've made another few changes here and there, some graphical changes and new sound design elements that I've been meaning to get around to for a while now. It seems that it's very much a case of prioritising the focus of my work based on how much something is annoying me such as "having no sound playing when I hit the play or fastforward buttons" or "this temporary text really needs to be changed into a graphic at somepoint" - so I've made a few changes here and there. Check the notes below if you're interested.
AS USUAL, YOUR CURRENT SAVES WILL LIKELY BE CORRUPTED WITH THIS UPDATE SO IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT YOU DELETE YOUR PREVIOUS SAVE GAME AND START A NEW ONE.
Update Notes
New Features
Added Difficulty and Game Duration Setting
New Ambient Sounds
Ambient Sound Slider now available in Options
New Notice Board Object
Added Bounties
Added Villain Tracking
Added New Song to Soundtrack
Added New Sound Effects
Optimisation
Added Control Hints when Placing Buildings
Made Radio buttons fit UI Style better
Updated Trees
Made Radio buttons fit UI Style better
Balance
Minor Balance Changes
Bug Fixes
Fixed bug causing game timer to continue during an Epic Quest choice
Fixed Resolution Scaling Slightly
Fixed Building Placement Offset
Fixed bug locking Custom Quests after 3 uses.
Other minor bugs fixed
So what's next?
Well, this stage is nearly done. There's only a few more features left to add (tutorials, kingdom objectives, more quest feedback etc.) before reaching 0.3 and going public with that update. Assuming that they're not to tasking I'm aiming to have 0.3 Public for everyone by the end of December.
I have a strong feeling I'll be avoiding those awkward family encounters over the holiday period by working more on the game for you all. So, thank you for giving me a reason to get out of it. :P
Regards,
Skatanic Studios.
P.S - I'm always scouting the forums so be sure to leave feedback/suggestions/ego boosting comments there for me to read. I really do appreciate hearing from you and hopefully you see some of the changes your suggestions have made :)
Version 0.23 Now Available in Public_Beta
- UPDATING TO THIS VERSION MAY CAUSE ISSUES WITH PREVIOUS SAVES -
Hello,
Apologies that it has taken longer than usual to get this update out. Due to focusing this series of updates on the Quest system I had to assess the things that were working and weren't working and then re-invent the way that this system works and is played. Which meant going to back to the drawing board, removing most of the code that was intertwined with it and starting again.
The good news is that I'm really happy with the direction the new system is going, there's still a fair way to go, but I wanted to get something out for those of you that were eager to see what's being worked on and give feedback.
The New System
The first thing you'll notice updating to this version is that there are now two new options available for Quests. Epic Quest or Free Quest...
The Free Quest System is fairly similar to the way that old questing used to work where you'll pick a settlement and quest type to visit. Into this new build I've included more pop-up menus in the style of the Confirm Boxes from previously, so rather than changing screens you'll now open a pop-up when selecting these settings and picking Heroes to go on Quests.
I also think that this is a much better breakdown for being able to select your Heroes and with the implementation of new coloured progress bars I'll be adding in their HP, MP and other statistics in a later version making it even easier when selecting your Heroes during quests.
FREE QUESTS are mainly going to be the way to earn Renown, Followers and limited amounts of Gold. It's likely as development progresses this mode will have more and more of its own benefits and will mainly be used by the Bounties mode that'll be coming soon. No experience or quest items can be be earned in Free Quests but up to 3 Free Quests can be undertaken at a time so it's a really good way to earn Renown. At the moment there's no way to explore new Quest Types or Settlements but this will return in some form or another within the next few updates.
EPIC QUESTS are the main way of making money, getting experience and earning items in the game now. Your Heroes will leave your kingdom and begin exploring the land undertaking tasks and clearing your Kingdom from evil. You can select the duration of the quest your Heroes however the longer they're away the more difficult the quests will be. It's not recommended to send your Heroes out on quests above their levels as you won't gain much from it.
During each stage your Heroes will face an event that randomly occurs (there's only a few at the moment, these will continue to increase over time) and you must choose how they handle the situation. Your decision will affect the overall outcome of the Quest. This will rely more and more on your Heroes in the party, their stats and health etc. as time goes on.
So at the moment it's very basic but the new framework is there and I'll be developing it over the next few updates.
I've also improved some of the UI features and added a Pause Icon to the screen when the game is paused.
So What's Next?
Improvements to the Epic Quest Algorythm
Improvements to the Free Quest Algorythm
Bounties Mode
Quest Objectives
Kingdom Objectives
Tutorial
Hero Improvements
So there's still some left to go until V0.3 is ready/released to public but this should give you some new things to play with and I hope you enjoy the new changes. If everything goes to plan these updates will be a bit more regular as more improvements to the system get made.
As always, thanks for all the support.
Regards,
SkatanicStudios
RPG Tycoon Updated to Version 0.2 - "The Economy Update" - What's New?
In the video below find out everything you need to know about plenty of the new features that Alpha 0.2 brings and as the build for 0.1.9 has been quite well received I've made a few tweaks and set Alpha 0.2 available for everyone on all platforms.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILTIKg7n10w
If you've been opted onto the Public_Beta build of the game most of these features have been available to you for a while now. The last leg has just been updating and tweaking a few features based on feedback and fixing some minor bugs. I'm not going to post a list of everything that's improved since the last public build, if you're interested in that you can check out all of the previous announcements to see what's changed in detail.
Some of the notable new features include:
4K Monitor Support
New Stores
A Supply Chain for Stores
Building Upgrades
Speed Controls
Finance Data
New Settlements
New Achievements
Save Slots
Bug Fixes
The stretch to 0.2 has been fun and I really think that this update brings more gameplay and management to you outside of the quest system. In the future I'll be further exploring this economy and making it even more in-depth but the focus now switches to really improving the quest system, making it more intricate and exciting to engage with.
THIS UPDATED VERSION BRINGS NEW SAVE DATA TO THE GAME SO IT IS RECOMMENDED TO START A NEW GAME AND DELETE YOUR PREVIOUS SAVE GAME.
Thanks for all the support.
Skatanic Studios
Version 0.1.9 now Available in Public_Beta - NOW SUPPORTS 4K
Version 0.1.9
Hello friends!
For those of you that have chosen to "Opt In" to the Public_Beta Build of the game will now get to experience and test out some of the new features available that are being worked on for the 0.2.0 "Economy Update" coming soon. This build comes with some new features which I'd love for you to play with / feedback upon as all of your feedback so far has been wonderful and once the Economy Update is available I can't wait to show you what else is planned.
Thanks to your support from purchasing the game I've managed to fix one of the biggest issues from many players requesting support for resolutions higher than 1080p. I can confirm that 4K resolutions should now be supported with this update.
Some new features with this build include the reworked Library system which now allows players to spend gold and purchase books which they can then use to unlock new technologies such as the Production Buildings. With this technology includes the new Blacksmith building which allows players to produce and craft their own items which they can then transfer into the inventory of their Kingdom. Basic Time Controls have also been added to the game for those impatient players who just want to skip through stuff. (I'm one of those people) so you can now Pause, Play and Fast Forward the game. All of the Achievements should now be working and can be viewed in-game through the Achievements button. These are just some of the new features included in this latest build and I'm now working on improving all of these features & refining them / bug-fixing them to a better state ready for the public release in a week or so.
As previously stated the Public_Beta build doesn't go through bug-fixing/testing before release so you can expect the possibility of running into some stability issues with the gameplay, but it'll help for early feedback of these bugs and reactions to the new features. The Public_Beta is free to opt-into by right-clicking on RPG Tycoon in your Steam Library and accessing the Betas tab from the properties menu.
If you uncover any bugs, please report them and be sure to mention that you're using the Public_Beta build please! This will help iron them out for the public release at 0.2 shortly.
Also please keep in mind that these new features very well may mess up your old save files so it's recommended to start a new game with this update.
Update Notes
New Features
Added Support for 4K Resolutions
Added Blacksmith Production Building
Added Time Controls
Added Achievements Screen
New Potion Store System with Restock + Upgrades
New Library Research Menu & System
Added "Albinon" Settlement
Added "Graveborg" Settlement
Added 3 New Achievements
Added Cheats
Optimisation / Balance
Building Prices Adjusted
Heroes and Adventurers now prioritise following Roads
Trees no longer able to be built upon
Depth sorting now works again
Adjusted UI Elements to better fit in some instances
Bug Fixes
Players can now receive the 5* Quest Achievement
Players can now receive the Achievement from Adventurers
Groggery continues production upon Load
Thanks for all the support so far.
Skatanic Studios
[EDIT:] Version 0.1.811 now Available in Public_Beta
[Edit:] Version 0.1.811 fixes some bugs with pathfinding. Characters will now prioritising walking on Roads. This update also fixes depth-sorting and characters should now walk behind buildings instead of appearing on top-of them.
Version 0.1.8
Hello friends!
For those of you that have chosen to "Opt In" to the Public_Beta Build of the game will now get to experience and test out some of the new features available that are being worked on for the 0.2.0 "Economy Update" coming soon.
This build adds in a large amount of cool new things for you to play with as well as slightly smoother gameplay as we've worked on optimising the way that some of the systems are handled. Buildings / Roads are now handled slightly differently to help support future updates and we've introduced a basic save manager function to allow for multiple save games and a face-on breakdown of how each stored save has progressed.
If you've been looking for more building / management and economy. This is really for you as this update not only introduces upgrades to your buildings but the addition of supply chains to the game. The groggery can now be built to supply your Tavern with free grog - as opposed to restocking your Tavern when it runs out of grog! (which is now also possible)
As previously stated the Public_Beta build doesn't go through bug-fixing/testing before release so you can expect the possibility of running into some stability issues with the gameplay, but it'll help for early feedback of these bugs and reactions to the new features. The Public_Beta is free to opt-into by right-clicking on RPG Tycoon in your Steam Library and accessing the Betas tab from the properties menu.
If you uncover any bugs, please report them and be sure to mention that you're using the Public_Beta build please! This will help iron them out for the public release later on.
Update Notes
New Features
Pressing "F" while placing Buildings will now Flip them.
The Groggery has been added and can be used to regularly supply the Tavern with Grog for free.
The Weapons store can now be placed and weapons can be transferred from your Inventory to the store to be sold to Adventurers
Buildings can now be upgraded to perform better.
Finance Screen Added to track monthly Sales and Spending
Save slots have been added and can now be managed with a loading screen
Optimisation
Building Placement and Road Placement has been Optimised
Saving and Loading has been Optimised Slightly.
Balance
Inventory has been limited to 8 items.
Price for Roads have been lowered to 10
Raised amount of Gold on New Game.
Lowered Price of Tavern
Lowered Price of House
Adventurers spawning has been improved to reflect on followers.
Bug Fixes
Fixed a bug that stops building menus to open during Build Mode if a building was selected whilst trying to place another building.
Fixed a bug that allowed players to place buildings onto the starting roads that enter into the Kingdom.
Other minor bug-fixes.
Thanks for all the support so far.
Skatanic Studios
RPG Tycoon Updated to Version 0.1.71
Some players reported an issue that caused conflicts with the quest menu and hero's when saving and loading the game. Something we missed on our end. This has now been fixed. You should be able to save and load as many times as you like without errors.
Remember to opt-in to the Public_Beta build to get a first look at the new Groggery and Economy System that we're now working on when it's available.
