Another very busy week with the focus on two major areas for the next version of RuneSage; a new rune and a huge performance increase.
The Winged Rune. We've had great fun implementing the new winged rune which contains the power of flight. With that comes lots of new spells (levitation, tornado etc) and new puzzles which need them to be able to solve, a new gemstone to find and a couple of new Steam Achievements.
Performance. We've made some massive internal changes to RuneSage which have dramatically improved rendering performance. We're currently looking at how best to "spend" that gain, where the most likely option will be to split it 50:50 between improving the look and feel of the game (higher resolution, better lighting etc), and lowering the minimum spec so that everyone benefits.
Alongside these the next version will also have a bunch of other minor tweaks (for example, the ability to reset puzzles back to their starting state) and improvements to pushing the game forward. As ever, please keep your suggestions coming!
V0.4.0 is now live
We're delighted to be able to bring everyone the latest big update of RuneSage including 12 new puzzles together with various improvements to the hand mechanics and flow of the game. Full details as follows:
Added 6 new puzzles to the Path of Light.
Added 6 new puzzles to the Path of Dark.
Added a short-cut back from the Path of Light and Dark to the main dungeon chamber.
Added environmental clues for some of the harder puzzles.
Added rats that scurry around the lower levels of the dungeons.
Improved the audio handling to increase framerates still further.
Improved the pattern matching required to trigger casting a spell.
Improved the way hands interact with buttons to making pressing them easier.
Fixed a bug which allowed you to teleport under an object when there wasn't enough room to fit your body.
Fixed a bug which allowed you to walk through one of the walls.
Fixed a bug where an image of the controller could sometimes appear as well as your hands.
As ever, please keep the feedback coming. Every post, email, PM or review is helping shape the game into a better and better experience for you!
V0.3.1 is now live
A quick update to implement multiple save game slots for those playing RuneSage with their families over the holiday weekend, together with yet more performance improvements - this time massively optimizing the AI for the birds and other wildlife in the forest to give a nice lift to framerates.
<*>Added support for multiple save game slots.
<*>Added a loading screen.
<*>Added an option to immediately select the next Challenge after completing a previous one.
<*>Improved the lighting effects on the gems.
<*>Improved performance of the wildlife.
<*>Improved deceleration when using trackpad locomotion.
Thank you again to everyone for continuing to support RuneSage. Your emails, PMs and forum posts are hugely important to us and the feedback you keep giving is directly helping to make the game better and better every version. Please keep it all coming!
V0.3.0 is now live
A massive new list of features heralds the arrival of V0.3.0 of RuneSage. Headlining the list is full support for Oculus Touch, together with more content bringing the gameplay up to around 2 hours, more atmosphere, a ton of new stats and Steam achievements. Full details as below.
Added Oculus Touch support.
Added 3 new light gem challenges extending the length of the game now up to 2 hours.
Added Steam achievements
Added bats to the dungeons and cellars.
Added chickens to the lakeside boathouse.
Added Rotation menu to allow seated play by rotating the game world while still facing the same direction in the real world. Includes options for roomscale, free rotate or walkabout rotation.
Added a "Challenges Beaten" statistic.
Added a "Spells Discovered" statistic.
Added an "Overall Completion" percentage statistic.
Added a progress menu to view the new stats.
Added an instructions menu to provide a reminder of rune shapes learned and spells cast.
Added a save and quit option to the menu.
Improved performance when in the dungeon and in challenges.
Fixed a bug which could cause you to jump into the air if you poked yourself in your head with your wand (!)
Fixed a bug which could cause checkpoints not to register when backtracking through already explored areas.
Fixed a bug which could cause the rune sound to be repeated.
Fixed a bug with auto-saving the game after finding a new rune.
Fixed a bug with the text displayed when restarting a game.
Fixed a bug with the menu not fading out correctly on some pages.
None of this would have been possible without your support, feedback and suggestions. Please do keep your comments coming - as you can see, they're helping drive the new features and improvements in each release, making your game better and better every week.
V0.2.2 is now live
The latest release of RuneSage is now available and adds a whole host of animals to start building the atmosphere in your world. From butterflies gently floating around the forest mazes to vultures circling menacingly overhead at the ruined castle; there's now much more to see and get immersed in.
Additionally, we've made numerous performance improvements throughout the game, so RuneSage now runs smoother than ever.
Please keep the feedback coming. Your comments, ideas and suggestions are really appreciated and are helping make the game better and better every day.
V0.2.1 is now live
Thanks to all the great feedback we've been getting, you've helped us spot and fix a number of performance issues, so we're putting out this quick update so you get the benefit of these as soon as possible.
Also included is the ability to pick up the wand, and swap it from one hand to the other. This provides the core infrastructure for future updates which will allow upgrading the wand, and potentially dual wielding two wands. We look forward to hearing your thoughts on what puzzles we could implement with this new mechanic!
V0.2.0 is now live
We're delighted to announce that the latest update to RuneSage is now live - and it's a big one! This version brings a new challenge arena to test your skills against, together with Steam Leaderboards, significantly higher framerates and various other improvements to the adventure. Full details as follows.
Added a new starting area (The Sacred Grove). When gemstones are found in the main adventure, they appear back in the Sacred Grove and can be used to unlock additional content in the form of challenges. You can return to the Sacred Grove at any point in the game by selecting the option from the menu (press the menu button on the controller, then select Game / Return To Sacred Grove), and resume your adventure back again afterwards (again, using a new menu option - Game / Resume Adventure).
Added 9 initial challenges (with more to come in future updates). Once gemstones have been found, return to the Sacred Grove to play through various challenges that will test your skills. Start with the "easy" challenge for an introduction, and then unlock the harder challenges by completing each stage.
Added Steam Leaderboards. Your scores for each challenge are saved to Steam Leaderboards, so you can compare your skills with everyone else...
Added interactable scrolls. Point at the buttons on the scrolls to highlight them, then press the back button on the controller to click.
Added hands. By default, the wand appears in the right hand, but you can just physically swap the controllers over (i.e. use the right controller in your left hand) if you prefer.
Added a keel to the boat to make it easier to manoeuvre.
Added a shortcut back after finding the light gemstone.
Added lots more information scrolls giving instructions on how to play the game.
Improved performance. Frame rates have approximately doubled in most places throughout the forest, castle and dungeon areas.
Improved the detection algorithm for runes. Runes now easier to draw.
Fixed a glitch in the audio when multiple sounds were playing at once.
Fixed several minor anomalies in the forest terrain (e.g. trees appearing in the middle of the paths).
Fixed an exploit when using teleport locomotion which allowed you to move through gates by sticking your hand through.
Fixed an exploit when not using teleport locomotion which allowed you to walk on water.
As always, your feedback is really appreciated. Please drop by the discussion forums (here) as it would be great to chat with you more about what you'd like to see in future updates. What kinds of challenges would you like to play? What more runes and spells would like to cast? Where would you like to see your adventure take you?
We look forward to hearing your ideas, and working with you to make your game the best it can possibly be.
V0.1.2 is now live
As promised, the latest version of RuneSage now contains lots of configurable options for different styles of locomotion.
Teleport. Press the trackpad on the wand controller to activate a magical beam, point it in the direction you want to go, and release to move there in a blink.
Dash Teleport. Press the trackpad on the wand controller to activate a magical beam, point it in the direction you want to go, and release to move there in a straight line. Fully configurable speed / time for the journey.
Trackpad/Touchpad (Headset). Touch the top of the trackpad on the non-wand controller to move in the direction you're facing. Touching left / right strafes, and the bottom of the trackpad moves you backwards. The distance frrom the centre of the trackpad determines the speed. Fully configurable maximum speed. To climb up / over objects, press the trackpad on the wand controller to teleport.
Trackpad/Touchpad (Wand). Touch the top of the trackpad on the non-wand controller to move in the direction the wand is facing. Touching left / right strafes, and the bottom of the trackpad moves you backwards. The distance frrom the centre of the trackpad determines the speed. Fully configurable maximum speed. To climb up / over objects, press the trackpad on the wand controller to teleport.
Trackpad/Touchpad (Non-Wand). Touch the top of the trackpad on the non-wand controller to move in the direction the non-wand controller is facing. Touching left / right strafes, and the bottom of the trackpad moves you backwards. The distance frrom the centre of the trackpad determines the speed. Fully configurable maximum speed. To climb up / over objects, press the trackpad on the wand controller to teleport.
Armswing locomotion. Press the trackpad on the non-wand controller to activate then jog on the spot to move in the direction you're facing. The faster you swing your arms, the faster you travel. Fully configurable maximum speed. To climb up / over objects, press the trackpad on the wand controller to teleport.
The choice is yours! Simply select which style you prefer from the main menu, configure it how you like it, and off you go!
We're continuing to update RuneSage and really appreciate all the fantastic feedback we've been getting. Please keep it coming - we're listening and acting on it to make sure your game can be the best it can be.
V0.1.1 is now live!
Many thanks for all the fantastic feedback to the initial release of RuneSage. We're pleased to announce that the first update is now live bringing numerous improvements to the game.
Added a main menu (press the controller menu button to access)
Added a graphics quality setting (select via the main menu)
Added an audio volume setting (select via the main menu)
Added checkpoints & save game system (game saves & loads automatically)
Added option to revert to last checkpoint (select via the main menu)
Added option to start game again (select via the main menu)
Changed rune learning mechanic. Runes can now only be cast after learning the rune (activate the scroll containing the rune).
Changed spell duration mechanic. Spells now last until you press the controller trigger for a second time.
Changed pressure pads. They now move up/down in response to a weight on them.
Changed the strength of the wind spell. Spell now much more powerful to really blast anything in the way!
Improved the detection algorithm for runes. Runes now easier to draw.
Fixed glitch with barrels.
Fixed audio glitch.
Fixed tree rotation.
Fixed default graphics setting to be more reasonable.
Please keep the feedback coming. Your comments are all really appreciated - we're listening and acting on everything raised.
The next release will focus on adding locomotion options - if there's anything else you like to see, please let us know!
