V0.9.0 brings a ton of graphics updates to improve the immersion - everything from rain, thunder and lightning as the storm approaches, through to enhanced rune, spell and mountain range graphics - as well as other general improvements such as new locomotion options and more puzzles to solve. Full details as follows.
Added rain to the storm.
Added thunder & lightning to the storm.
Added gates to the forest mazes.
Added environmental clues to crystal shard locations.
Added VR loading screen.
Added new locomotion type: trackpad press.
Added left-handed locomotion options.
Improved the rune graphics.
Improved the spell graphics.
Improved the cloud graphics.
Improved the mage graphics.
Improved the mountain range graphics.
Improved the strength of the wind spell.
Improved the strength of the tornado spell.
Improved the performance throughout.
Improved the memory and disk usage.
Fixed a bug which allowed a second wand to be collected earlier than intended.
Fixed a bug which allowed the water crystal to be reforged earlier than intended.
Fixed a bug which allowed the double gate to be opened earlier than intended.
Fixed a bug with trackpad locomotion sometimes getting stuck.
Fixed a bug with changing to a different player mid-game.
Various minor fixes from updating to latest versions of 3rd party libraries.
Please keep your emails coming (to support@runesage.com) - your feedback and suggestions are hugely welcomed and continue to help improve the game every release.
RuneSage Update
Just a quick update this week as V0.9.0 is now in its final phase of testing and is on track for releasing by the end of February.
The main development effort has remained on building the atmosphere and immersion; for example, adding thunder and lightning into the storm as it approaches. This has really helped bind the mechanics and story together into a coherent game - we can't wait to hear your feedback and incorporate any further ideas you have into making your game the best it can be.
RuneSage Update
As the full release draws ever closer, the next update will switch focus to improve the graphics and immersion. At the forefront of this is completely re-doing the spell effects; more vivid runes, flashier spells, better animations for the mages and so on. Basically, making the magic more magical...
In addition, the weather system has been completely rewritten, adding better looking clouds and introducing rain as the storm approaches. This, together with various other tweaks and performance improvements means that RuneSage is becoming ever more immersive as we interleave the story and game mechanics into a single cohesive game.
Current expectation is that this next version (V0.9.0) will be ready before the end of February, but will keep everyone updated as the release progresses.
V0.8.0 is now live
It's incredibly exciting to announce that RuneSage V0.8.0 is now live. This update more than doubles the size of the game, adding numerous new areas to explore (including a cove, cave systems and forest mazes), 30 new crystals to find, and an central story that underpins the whole adventure giving around 4-6 hours of core gameplay. Full details as follows:
Added a central story and plot to drive the RPG elements of RuneSage.
Added NPCs to give quests and rewards for completing them.
Added five new areas and lots more puzzles to solve.
Added thirty more crystals to find.
Added a second wand for dual wielding magic!
Added a dynamic weather system.
Added more environmental clues to some of the harder puzzles.
Added more detail to maps found early in the game, less to those found later.
Added shading to buttons to make them easier to spot when highlighted.
Added collecting crystals into the main story arc.
Added ten new Steam Achievements.
Added new Steam Leaderboard to track overall completion.
Improved performance when loading.
Improved performance when moving between different areas in the game.
Improved performance of physics objects.
Improved performance of the birds.
Improved performance of the audio.
Improved targeting algorithm for the explorers spell.
Improved pattern matching, making runes easier to draw.
Improved behaviour when levitate spell ends.
Improved scroll text.
Removed challenge mode as the content is now integrated into the main story.
Fixed bug with the floor of spiral staircases being rendered incorrectly.
Fixed bug with spells cast in the main game affecting the Sacred Grove.
Fixed bug with running into a wall when using trackpad/thumbstick locomotion.
Fixed bug with shadows being too dark in some areas.
Fixed bug with levels unloading too quickly.
This now marks the half-way point of RuneSage through Early-Access. With the game mechanics now in place, the focus switches to extending the content even further - more runes, more spells and more puzzles - and binding them together to complete the story.
As ever, none of this would have been possible without your amazing feedback. Please keep it coming as every comment is highly valued and helps shape the game into being the best it can possibly be. Thank you everyone!
RuneSage Update
With all the game mechanics now in place, the focus for RuneSage has now turned to developing the background story which drives the RPG. We've therefore been busy adding NPCs who give you quests, adding those quests, and coming up with rewards for completing them. For example, we've now included a second wand as a mid-game reward allowing you to cast two spells at once - particularly helpful when exploring in the darkness of the dungeon & cellars, but also we've added further depth by developing new puzzles which require two spells at once to solve.
The release of V0.8.0 is drawing ever closer and we're currently on target for this next version going live in the first week of February. It's been a really exciting journey so far, with much more to come. We hope you enjoy playing RuneSage as much as we've enjoyed writing it!
RuneSage Update
The theme for this week has been to optimize, optimize and optimize some more. What feels like hundreds of hours spent staring at performance profilers has really paid off and RuneSage is now running at a rock solid 90fps on all systems. On our reference PC most scenes now render in under 5ms (thats more than 200fps), with occasional spikes up to 7 or 8ms (150fps) when loading assets from disk in the background, leaving plenty of headroom for those running older hardware.
What that means for you is that RuneSage is now a true open world game; completely seamless moving from one area to another. As we've expanded the game world (the next version will have over double the area to explore than the current V0.7.0) this performance aspect of the game has become even more important and you'll now be able to enjoy the experience in silky smooth VR.
RuneSage Update
It's been a busy holiday period, so wanted to give everyone an update on the latest changes to RuneSage. The main focus since the last release has been on increasing the number of puzzles, integrating the additional challenge areas into the main game, and starting to build a story and purpose for the lost gemstones / crystals.
It's a massive change - by far the largest patch we've done so far. Everything however is going well, and initial playtesting of the new areas and things to do in them has been very positive. We've got further refining of the layout and mechanics to do before releasing, but will keep you updated with an ETA for V0.8.0. In the meantime, please do keep the suggestions coming!
V0.7.0 is now live
We close out the year with another large update, including a new rune, new spells, new puzzles and a new game mechanic - in-game maps to help find the hidden gemstones. Of course, you'll need to find the maps first...
Full patch notes as follows.
Added in-game maps to help find the hidden gemstones.
Added new rune (explorers rune).
Added several new spells (spoilers as to what!).
Added several new puzzles which need the new spells to solve.
Added new steam achievement.
Improved performance of grass.
Improved pattern recognition so runes now easier to draw.
Improved shader for wand tip when drawing runes.
Improved lighting in the cellars.
Updated completion statistics to include number of maps found.
As ever, it is your feedback that is driving all these changes and we cannot thank you enough for all the comments you've given - please keep them coming. Thank you for a fantastic end to the year, and we look forward to delivering even more additions and improvements to RuneSage in 2017.
V0.6.0 is now live
Another week, another massive update to RuneSage! Just in time for the holidays, we're delighted to be able to bring you a complete graphical overhaul to vastly improve the look and feel of the game and deliver the next level of immersion in your virtual game world. Full details as follows.
Complete graphics overhaul, replacing many of the stock assets with custom graphics.
Complete terrain overhaul, adding hills, grass, rocks, sand and so on.
Complete lighting overhaul, including better shadows and lighting effects.
Improved performance throughout the castle area.
Improved performance when loading/unloading levels.
Updated the menu so it opens closer to you.
Fixed a bug when repeatedly swapping the wand between hands.
Many small updates to object and area positions to improve flow and playability.
We'd love to hear your feedback on the art-style, and your suggestions for what areas to improve next, so please keep the comments coming!
V0.5.0 is now live
We're really excited to bring you another huge update. V0.5.0 sees both more content (a new rune together with new spells and puzzles), significantly higher performance (almost halving the rendering time for most scenes), and greatly improved graphics quality (better draw distance, lighting effects etc). The full list is as follows.
Added a new rune (winged rune).
Added three new spells (torch, levitate & tornado).
Added several new puzzles which need the new spells to solve.
Added several new checkpoints.
Added two new Steam Achievements.
Added a new Steam Leaderboard for overall game completion.
Added ability to reset individual puzzles.
Added more environmental clues to the harder puzzles.
Improved performance throughout.
Improved draw distance.
Improved graphics quality.
Improved lighting effects.
Improved spell effect graphics.
Improved the Steam Achievement graphics.
Please do keep the feedback coming, whether that be by email, PM or forum postings. The engagement of the community with RuneSage has been fantastic and we love reading your ideas and suggestions, and then going and implementing them for you!
