Stories from the Outbreak 0.10.0 - Progression Rework!
Hey everyone!
The third major update of Stories from the Outbreak is now live!
The highlight of this update is a full rework of the in-run progression system (inspiration points, ability upgrades, character roles and more); other important changes include damage estimates for upcoming enemy attacks, remade & properly randomised second and third maps, a rework of the poison mechanic, a new alternate first boss fight, new enemies, events, backgrounds, rebalancing, and more!
If you want to learn more about why we decided to approach progression differently, you can read about the motivation in the previous installment of Dev Notes: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1968630/view/6043326076341570006
The next major update will focus on reworking some of the game's narrative systems, as well as including some new content.
Happy Halloween,
The Coldwild Games team
Full changelog
* 1 new boss (alternate boss for the first map) * 2 new enemies, as well as 1 new... object? * 11 new events * Backstories & epilogues for Viktorija, Maksim, and Beāte * Reworked in-run progression system * Estimates are now shown for the amount of damage an enemy will inflict * Significant improvements to second and third map * Poison now also lowers damage output * Writing, structure and balance improvements in events * Several new backgrounds * Improved status effect display in situations where a unit has more than 5 status effects * Make the status effect tooltips accessible without mouse * Improved gamepad icon selection logic * Change default gamepad button mapping for opening other combat actions menu and viewing status effects * (bugfix) Pressure now removes bleed from Beāte instead of the enemy * (bugfix) Healing done by Jar of Jam adjusted to match with the description. * (bugfix) Ignore gamepad input while the steam overlay is open Progression: * New role: Training (after undergoing training, the character receives inspiration points faster) * Inspiration points can now be spent on stats or ability upgrades * Getting a specific ability upgrade is much more expensive than getting a random one * Stats get more expensive the more you spend inspiration on them * Ability upgrades no longer drop as combat loot, inspiration points are now significantly more common * Harder battles now give extra inspiration points * Bosses now give inspiration to the whole team * New characters now start with enough inspiration to keep up with the rest of the team Maps: * New map: The third map is now in the Latvian town of Saldus * The second and third map have been remade from scratch, with plenty of variations and randomness in each * Character nodes in the second half of the game are now optional Balancing: * Infected STR 3 -> 5 * Infected Claw base damage 4*STR -> 2*STR * Infected Bite base damage 6*STR -> 4*STR * Swarming infected Virulent bite base damage 4*STR -> 5*STR * Swarming infected Virulent bite base cooldown 35 -> 40 * Swarming infected Virulent bite focus gain 1 -> 2 * Swarming infected Virulent bite poison 2 -> 3 * Bouncer Slam focus gain 1 -> 2 * Warden Forceful slam base cooldown 38 -> 33 * King Demolition bonus damage to protection STR -> 2*STR * King Battering ram base damage STR -> 2*STR * Instead of swapping turns, Aberrant's Ichor spit now delays targets by 10 * Best friend Gnaw base damage 2*STR -> 3*STR * Parasite Latch on base cooldown 40 -> 30 * Parasite Latch on base damage STR -> 3*STR * Ghoul's moveset has been simplified, making it much more dangerous * Houndwalker Seasoned hook base damage STR -> 2*STR * Legion Annihilation base damage 2*STR -> 3*STR * Worthless Worship base cooldown 40 -> 30 * Final boss Agony base damage STR/2 -> STR * Final boss Finale base damage 4*STR -> 5*STR * Final boss Sea of blood now inflicts 1 poison * Final boss Cleanse removed bleed amount 20 -> 30 * Final boss Cleanse removed poison amount 8 -> 12 * Final boss Expand protection 60 -> 100 * Final boss Eternity base damage STR -> 2*STR * Vintage locket now gives 2 inspiration points (so it keeps up with progression rework) * Steel dumbbell now gives 2 inspiration points (so it keeps up with progression rework) * When an enemy with Provoked status effect damages themselves (directly or as a result of poison/bleed) multiply damage by 2 instead of 4. * (challenge mode) Black rose cooldown 25 -> 35 * (challenge mode) Necklace of teeth renew amount 4 -> 3 Anna: * Deicide base cooldown 55 -> 50 * Deicide damage multiplier against full health enemies 2 -> 1.5 Jānis: * Sharpened blade base damage STR / 2 -> STR * Roughened blade base cooldown 25 -> 20 * Roughened blade base damage STR -> 2*STR * Roughened blade poison amount 3 -> 2 * Recuperate base cooldown 25 -> 23 * Wild shout protection gain 5 -> 7 * Reciprocation and its upgrades now give 1 focus Katerina: * Precision shot SKL gain on miss 2 -> 1 * Warning shot delay amount 10 -> 15 Dmitry: * Nimble strikes base cooldown 30 -> 27 * Beatdown focus gain 1 -> 0 * Charge base cooldown 23 -> 20 * Sadism duration 40 -> 20 * Sadism duration no longer lowered by 5 upon each hit * Disorienting blow focus reduction 2 -> 3 * Showstopper strike base cooldown 30 -> 20 * Deranged bashes now always reduces focus by 2 * Deranged bashes cooldown 35 -> 45 Dzintars: * Twist the blade base cooldown 17 -> 23 * Twist the blade bleed amount 4 -> 3 * Remedy and its upgrades base cooldown 22 -> 20 * Phlebotomy base cooldown 10 -> 6 Inese: * Distraction amount 25 -> 30 Zigmārs: * Base TGH 5 -> 4 * Base SKL 3 -> 4 * Trinity base cooldown 30 -> 25 * Minutiae base cooldown 8 -> 18 * Minutiae SKL amount 1 -> 2 * Minutiae now always gives 1 focus * Symmetry and Reinterpretation have now swapped places (Symmetry is the base ability, Reinterpretation - the upgrade) * Symmetry base cooldown 20 -> 25 * Reinterpretation base cooldown 15 -> 35 * Reinterpretation now inflicts 2 symmetry on the target Viktorija: * Starting amount of Combat expertise 2 -> 1 * Combat expertise base cooldown 40 -> 45 * Unscathed base cooldown 30 -> 35 * Death denied base cooldown 45 -> 55 * Death denied focus gain 2 -> 3 Maksim: * Hone base cooldown 45 -> 55 Samanta: * Momentum and its upgrades base cooldown 17 -> 25 * Parry base cooldown 17 -> 20 Sprīdītis: * Unyielding physiology & upgrades now specifically give defensive buffs * Unyielding physiology base cooldown 40 -> 35 * Esprit de corps base cooldown 30 -> 25 * Mutagenesis base cooldown 40 -> 35 * Animated limbs & upgrades have been entirely reworked to give offensive buffs * Infinite chaos stat loss 0-2 -> 0-1 * Infinite chaos uses per battle 2 -> 1 Elīza: * Flanked base cooldown 40 -> 45 * Torment and its upgrades have been entirely reworked Beāte: * Cut down base cooldown 25 -> 22 * Swing the blade base cooldown 25 -> 22 * Grunt work base cooldown 30 -> 26 * Massacre attack count 10 -> 7 * Massacre now deals 3 self-damage with each hit, rather than 25 self-damage at once * Massacre no longer gives bleed or vulnerable
Development notes #4
Hey all!
Alex here with a little sneak peek into what we’ve been working on
The third major update of Stories from the Outbreak is planned for the end of October. It’s bringing some new content and improvements to various gameplay systems.
Although the original plan for the update was to bring modding support to the game, we’ve decided to postpone this indefinitely and focus on more pressing matters for now. Instead, allow me to introduce you to the main focus of this update - the changes we’re making to in-run progression.
The systems we had in place - the current use of inspiration points and ability upgrades - were designed a very long time ago (before we even knew this game was going to be a roguelike!), so there were a few problems that we wanted to address for quite some time now. The main issues with progression were as follows:
Players frequently only use 4 of their characters, leaving the rest as idle. The game doesn’t sufficiently encourage swapping out the team more often.
There needs to be plenty of agency and options for players to customise their team. At the same time, we must avoid players always picking the same “favourite” build.
More emphasis on long-term strategy, not just the short-term tactics of a single battle.
We want the characters to progress a bit more during a run, so there’s a larger gap between where you start and where you end up with them.
Characters found later in a run should keep up with the characters the player starts out with.
Some players have also reported a few of these issues. I’m happy to announce that these are being addressed in the upcoming update!
First, inspiration points now serve as the backbone of progression, a currency of sorts to be spent either on stat points (as before), or on ability upgrades, which no longer drop as rewards from combat. They’re also much more common than before, giving the player plenty of options for how they wish to improve characters.
Second, we’ve added a new role: Training. Characters that remain in training for long enough will start finding more inspiration for the remaining run.
Because inspiration is now so essential to progression, this means players are strongly encouraged to put their favourite characters in training whenever possible. Even if you have characters that normally collect dust in the idle bench, they’ll be seeing plenty of action now while Anna is busy doing pushups.
To make matters even messier - in the second half of the game, players now have free choice whether they want to go to character nodes. They’re sprinkled in the map randomly just as any other node. Do you take more characters, allowing for more training opportunities and backup in case a late-game enemy wipes your team? Or do you stick with a small and reliable team that is easier to feed?
Lastly, new characters you meet along the way start with some inspiration points, depending on how many inspiration points your current characters have found. They’ll be just as viable to use in combat as the units you started with.
Along with that, we’re bringing enemies, events, some additional content and gameplay improvements. I’ll leave some of it as a surprise. But who am I kidding, I simply can’t resist another screenshot.
May your strikes be nimble, Alex and the rest of the Coldwild Games team
Stories from the Outbreak 0.9.0 - Challenges & Chainsaws Update!
Hey everyone!
The second major update of Stories from the Outbreak is now live!
This update includes new content (a new character, new enemies, new trinkets and more), challenge modes (unlocked by beating the game), new backgrounds, various technical improvements, balancing changes, and more! See the full changelog included below.
The next major update will focus on adding modding support to the game, as well as including some new content.
Enjoy,
The Coldwild Games team
Content changes: * 1 new character * 14 new trinkets * 2 new enemies (found only in the third map) * 1 new event * Added backstories for Sprīdītis and Elīza * Added challenge modes - unlocked by beating the game * Added custom mode * Full gamepad support * Input remapping * Steam cloud saves * Instead of locking one character, the game now chooses characters that get a bonus at the start of a run * Changes to game ending and final battle * Slightly improved random generation in the first map * In the first map, you can now skip the safehouse, thus saving food - but you have to go down the hardest path * Many new backgrounds * Reworked character selection UI * (bugfix) Revenge now gives a correct amount of bleed * (bugfix) fix enemy animation when killed in the middle of repeated attacks * (bugfix) mitigate crash caused by both player and enemy having Leeched status effect
Balance changes: * Generally more food in food nodes, and more fuel in fuel nodes * Some adjustments to event probabilities and stat check difficulties * Immunity is now lowered by 4 stacks whenever taking damage from friendly units * Most enemy cooldowns increased by 10-20% * Bouncers and Wardens no longer give protection to targets that already have at least 50 protection * Warden Meat shield protection 15 -> 10 * Bloated TGH 3 -> 5 * Bloated AMR 12 -> 8 * Legion AMR 16 -> 12 * Humility fuel amount for 1 damage 3 -> 2 * Pocket sundial damage reduction 7 -> 5 * Reflective vest cooldown 20 -> 15 * Yarrow tea effect period 15 -> 10 Anna: * Mayhem base cooldown 50 -> 45 * Deicide base cooldown 50 -> 55 * Haemorrhage bleed amoun 2 -> 3 * Dance of death focus gain 2 -> 1 Jānis: * Roughened blade base cooldown 20 -> 25 * Safeguard protection amount 15 -> 14 * Reciprocation duration 45 -> 40 * Redirection duration 30 -> 40 * Redirection protection gain 3 -> 2 Katerina: * Suppressing fire base cooldown 18 -> 16 * Sea of Blood base cooldown 45 -> 40 * Hollow-point base cooldown 35 -> 30 * Precision shot base damage 5*SKL -> 4*SKL * Bandage wounds has been entirely reworked * Warning shot has been entirely reworked Dmitry: * Disorienting blow (and its upgrades) focus gain 2 -> 1 * Disorienting blow base cooldown 40 -> 30 * Disorienting blow base damage 3*STR -> 2*STR * Showstopper strike base cooldown 40 -> 30 * Showstopper strike base damage 5*STR -> 3*STR * Deranged bashes base cooldown 50 -> 35 * Take cover base cooldown 40 -> 50 * Recollect base cooldown 40 -> 50 * Look after base cooldown 20 -> 40 Dzintars: * Incision (and its upgrades) base cooldown 20 -> 17 * Twist the blade bleed amount 5 -> 4 * Remedy (and its upgrades) base cooldown 25 -> 22 * Weak spots base cooldown 30 -> 40 * Weak spots vulnerable amount 1 -> 2 * Rip it all out base cooldown 40 -> 35 * Heart to heart base cooldown 13 -> 25 * Heart to heart vulnerable amount (to target) 1 -> 2 * Phlebotomy base cooldown 12 -> 10 Inese: * Push through status effect has been removed and replaced with Debilitate * Advantageous timing (and its upgrades) base cooldown 30 -> 25 * Battlefield Manoeuvres no longer consumes 1 focus * Battlefield Manoeuvres health loss if an ability is being prepared 10 -> 15 * Decapitation base cooldown 80 -> 70 * Decapitation base damage 18*STR -> 20*STR * Execution base cooldown 120 -> 90 * Severance base cooldown 80 -> 70 * Severance base damage 12*STR -> 15*STR * Severance focus gain 4 -> 3 * Distraction base cooldown 30 -> 25 * Distraction delay amount 20 -> 25 Zigmārs: * Minutiae base cooldown 10 -> 8 * Reinterpretation base cooldown 18 -> 15 * Symmetry base cooldown 25 -> 20 * Overture lower poison amount 1 -> 2 Viktorija: * The best defence base damage 3*STR -> 2*STR * The best defence base cooldown 25 -> 20 * Death denied base cooldown 50 -> 45 Maksim: * Sight-line base cooldown 35 -> 30 * Conceal enemy delay 15 -> 8 * Conceal now also lowers cooldown of target by 10 ticks * Deep breath poison removal 2 -> 3 * Deep breath bleed removal 4 -> 6 * Hone base cooldown 30 -> 45 * Hone effect amount 1 -> 2 * Bloodbath effect amount 25 -> 50 * Bloodbath effect amount no longer scales with bleeding enemy count * Bloodbath now heals target by 3 for each bleeding enemy * No time for this base cooldown 25 -> 20 Samanta: * Base STR 4 -> 3 * Base SKL 1 -> 2 * Disorient now inflicts flanked effect, instead of lowering target's AGI * Shelter of flesh has been removed from Samanta's moveset, instead replaced with Push onwards Sprīdītis: * Despair focus gain 1 -> 2 * Despair status effect count 1 -> 2 * Doom base cooldown 50 -> 40 * Doom focus gain 1 -> 2 * Doom status effect count 2 -> 3 * Drown focus gain 1 -> 2 * Drown bleed amount capped at 30 * Drown now adds a negative status effect * Unyielding physiology and Mutagenesis have been entirely reworked * Esprit de corps cooldown 50 -> 30 * Esprit de corps focus gain 2 -> 1 * Animated limbs protection per status effect 3 -> 4 * Burdening tissue delay per status effect 4 -> 5 * Overloading neurons now also gives 2 protection per status effect * Providence base cooldown 40 -> 25 * Negative effect pool bleed amount 6 -> 4 * Negative effect pool poison amount 3 -> 2 * Negative effect pool confused amount 60 -> 45 * Negative effect pool mockery amount 8 -> 5 * Negative effect pool no longer includes weakened * Negative effect pool now includes marked * Negative effect pool now includes surrender * Positive effect pool no longer includes reciprocation * Positive effect pool now includes condemn Elīza: * Deep cut base cooldown 25 -> 30 * Piercing cut base cooldown 25 -> 30 * Piercing cut poison 1 -> 2 * Piercing cut bleed 3 -> 0 * Flanked base cooldown 35 -> 40 * Strike back base cooldown 25 -> 30
Development notes #3
Hey all!
Alex here with another update on where we’re headed with the development of Stories from the Outbreak.
First things first - the game’s PRICE WILL BE INCREASED together with the next update. We feel that the original price no longer reflects the scope of the game and its planned updates. This won’t be a large bump, we’ll raise the price from 12.99 EUR to 14.99 EUR (or your regional equivalent), and this won’t affect those who already own the game. There may be another price increase once we leave early access.
With that out of the way, we’re happy to announce that the next update is approaching completion, and the planned release date is the 15th of August! This will be the second major update for Stories from the Outbreak, and we certainly hope you’ll enjoy the new content and features it will bring.
But first, I’d like you to meet the new survivor - Beāte.
What’s a zombie apocalypse without a creative use of chainsaws? When used well, Beāte can achieve a higher damage output than any other survivor. Unfortunately, she’s prone to taking great risks, so to utilise her effectively, you’ll need a great setup of tank and support characters that make sure she doesn’t take things too far. She also has great potential for synergising with other characters or trinkets (of which there will be many new ones, by the way).
Surely, if the player’s arsenal is receiving welcome additions, then the enemy must be getting stronger as well? For veteran players that have already reached the point of easily beating the game on every run, we bring a brand new type of punishment - challenge modes!
Challenge modes resemble ascension systems you might have seen in similar games, but we wanted to keep them in this game’s spirit - highly customisable and open to various weird system interactions. It’s quite similar to the base game, but you have to choose a special challenge trinket - a nasty debuff that you’ll have to learn to live with. And, once you’re done, you can try again, this time selecting two challenge trinkets, and so on. It gets quite ridiculous.
Challenge mode will be in a somewhat early state when we’re releasing it in the next update - we’re still planning on improving it in many ways in the upcoming updates, but we definitely want you to already get in on the joy of getting absolutely crushed. No promises that you’ll be able to make it very far - though we have slightly nerfed enemies at least. If this is all too grim and dangerous for you, perhaps you’d like to try the custom mode, where you can increase your odds of survival instead.
Oh, and you know how the game locks in one of your characters in character selection? No more of that. The main goal of this feature was steering the player towards using sane team compositions, like tank + damage (whereas something like support + support would get destroyed easily in the early game, even if the characters are useful). Plus we want some variety in character selection, instead of having the player always pick their favourite two.
Well, we’re now using a carrot instead of a stick for that - when opening the character selection screen, the game picks three characters that start the game with a free inspiration point. Rerolling by going to the main menu no longer works for that either.
Another important addition will be many gorgeous backgrounds! The intricate Art Nouveau and the rich (although dilapidated) architecture of the city centre is staying in the first map, but, as your team makes their way to the outskirts of the city, they will discover the less tourist-friendly side of Rīga. Our pixel artists have really outdone themselves in this update, from new backgrounds to images for events and perhaps an enemy or two - it’s all a feast for the eyes.
Balancing has also taken another leap forward. These have mostly been minor improvements, getting the ability upgrades a bit more even in power (huge thanks to players who left their feedback about this). There’s still work left to do, and there are quite a few abilities we’re planning on entirely reworking - though some of that will have to wait for future updates.
Not all our plans made it into this update - specifically, we want to add many new enemies and bosses that will have to wait until future updates. After this update, we’ll be working on modding support and a rework to the game’s narrative - especially events. See you in 0.9!
Oh, and did I mention we’re adding full controller support - including tooltips?
May your Sprīdītis be a productive member of society,
Alex and the rest of the Coldwild Games team
Druidwalker is out NOW!
Druidwalker is out on Steam NOW! It is the next peaceful game produced and published by Coldwild Games!
Step into the role of a druid preparing the forest for winter. Delve into the heart of the mystical forest, explore its paths, and experience the beauty of nature. Druidwalker provides a peaceful roguelike adventure, where challenges offer opportunities for growth and reflection. Rest at the bonfire, rejuvenate, and continue your journey with renewed vigor. The game features traditional instrumental music, creating a peaceful and immersive experience.
Watch the trailer here: youtu.be/-7Ho_vyXo80
It's a short experience, but a lot of love went into creating this one, so I hope you'll decide to give it a try! :) The game has been created by a multinational team of developers located in Latvia and published by Coldwild Games.
Hope you have a great week ahead,
Elizabete from Coldwild Games
Stories from The Outbreak 0.8.0 - Battlefield Rebirth Update!
Hey all! We’re happy to announce that the first major update of Stories from the Outbreak, Battlefield Rebirth, is out!
This update features a major rework of the trinket system, new content (including a new character, new enemies and new trinkets), balancing changes, improvements to various gameplay systems, and more! Note that ability unlocks are now permanently unlocked after defeating a boss for the first time. See the full changelog below.
This means YOU MIGHT LOSE SOME PROGRESS. It is fairly straightforward to get the ability unlocks back, and your total amount of unlock points remains unchanged – you will find that it has now unlocked some new trinkets instead. If you want to get a fresh start with the system, consider erasing your save data though the options menu.
The next major update (planned to be done in 2-3 months) will focus on adding extra challenges to veteran players, and increase replayability by adding more random generation to the maps and adding new foes (could this mean new bosses as well?).
Enjoy, The Coldwild Games team
Content changes: * 1 new character * 3 new enemies * 24 new trinkets * Trinkets can now be picked from two options * Major changes to trinket rarity * Permanent ability unlocks are now given for defeating bosses for the first time, rather than through the Unlocks system * Show some status effects on the timeline * Calling in new characters to combat after a party member dies now happens automatically * 1 new event * Reworked Viktorija's moveset * Player characters now heal 8 health every 3 nodes they spend idle * 1 new background * Added visual improvements to Legion and the final boss * Added the story of Samanta * Changed max protection cap from 999 to 100 * (accessibility) Disabled buttons are now darker * (bugfix) Fixed a bug causing artifacts from previous run to remain after starting a new run * (bugfix) Fixed a bug where boss fights wouldn't give rewards if all story pieces are unlocked * (bugfix) Aberrants can no longer attack after dying in their turn * (bugfix) Legion's "For we are many" now gives a correct amount of STR * (bugfix) Health can no longer exceed maximum when max health decreases * (bugfix) Dmitry's Look after ability now correctly reduces focus * (bugfix) Dzintars's Slice and dice ability now applies bleed correctly * (bugfix) Fixed some cases where moving/retargetting would cause incorrect display of targetting icons * (bugfix) Fixed some multi-targeting abilities keeping targets unchanged when units move around * (bugfix) Reduce timeline marker shaking when the mouse is positioned near the horizontal line. * (bugfix) Fixed mouse interactions during fullscreen for certain Linux multi monitor setups.
Full balance changes: * Enemies can no longer be delayed more than twice between their turns * Elegant strikes buff effect 2*SKL -> 1*SKL * Chance to get fuel from hard encounters 10-15% -> 50% * Increased fuel reward from first & third boss by 1 * Enemy encounter composition has been altered (no more double Wardens!) Enemies: * Infected claw base cooldown 15 -> 22 * Infected claw base damage 3*STR -> 4*STR * Bouncer STR 5 -> 7 * Bouncer slam base cooldown 25 -> 30 * Frantic STR 2 -> 3 * Frantic graze base cooldown 13 -> 16 * Frantic rend flesh base cooldown 16 -> 20 * Mutant AGI 5 -> 2 * Mutant spit base cooldown 15 -> 20 * Hound howl base cooldown 28 -> 30 * Hound rabid bite base cooldown 18 -> 20 * Hounds and Best friends now alternate their abilities * Swarming infected grab base cooldown 15 -> 22 * Warden TGH 14 -> 10 * Warden AMR 0 -> 8 * Warden STR 8 -> 9 * Warden forceful slam base cooldown 25 -> 33 * Warden shield base cooldown 22 -> 26 * Bloated TGH 7 -> 3 * Bloated AMR 0 -> 12 * Bloated base cooldowns 15 -> 22 * Bloated's explosion now hits guarded allies * Frenetic wild shred base cooldown 20 -> 22 * Frenetic lacerate flesh base cooldown 14 -> 18 * Aberrant TGH 13 -> 9 * Aberrant AMR 0 -> 8 * Aberrant ichor spit base cooldown 30 -> 35 * Aberrant ichor spit base damage 1*SKL -> 2*SKL * Aberrant suffering buff effect 3*SKL -> 2*SKL * Best friend base cooldowns 15 -> 20 * Slightly improved Legion visuals * Legion TGH 8 -> 6 * Legion STR 6 -> 5 * Legion Annihilation base cooldown 70 -> 75 * Legion Vengeful buff focus gain 4 -> 3 * Strength of the Legion STR gain 10 -> 5 * Final boss AMR 40 -> 20 * Final boss: all ability base cooldowns lowered by 5 * Final boss cleanse effect has been doubled * Final boss: changed focus buff to "Humility" Trinkets: * Portable radio cooldown 35 -> 30 * Paper map healing 1 -> 2 * Polaroid healing 10 -> 15 * Road salt focus loss 3 -> 2 * Jimsonweed poison amount 1 -> 2 * Jar of jam healing 3 -> 4 * Salt shaker kill requirement 5 -> 7 * Cracked glasses focus gain 1 -> 2 * Vintage locket now applies once per battle (only one character can get inspiration) * Vintage locket focus requirement 12 -> 8 * Yarrow tea cooldown 10 -> 15 Anna: * Deicide base damage 3*STR -> 4*STR * Home run focus gain 2 -> 1 Jānis: * Base STR 4 -> 3 * Base AGI 4 -> 5 * Recover base cooldown 17 -> 20 * Recuperate base cooldown 27 -> 25 * Safeguard base cooldown 17 -> 20 * Recuperate now gives 10 protection and 5 health instead of 5 protection and 1 renew * Reciprocation duration 40 -> 45 * Redirection duration 25 -> 30 * Revenge duration 30 -> 40 Katerina: * Base TGH 3 -> 2 * Base SKL 6 -> 7 * Suppressing fire base cooldown 20 -> 18 * Precision shot focus gain 2 -> 1 Dmitry: * Sadism duration 30 -> 40 * Sadism duration is now lowered by 5 whenever it's activated * Showstopper strike effect duration 40 -> 50 * Deranged bashes now makes targets lose 2 focus if their delay is lower than Dmitry's focus * Recollect and look after now turn excess healing into protection * Look after base cooldown 25 -> 20 * Maddened concentration damage 6 -> 12 * Maddened concentration focus gain 2 -> 4 * Maddened concentration base cooldown 6 -> 10 Dzintars: * Remedy bleed removal 4 -> 5 * Restoration bleed removal 2 -> 4 * Panacea bleed removal 5 -> 7 * Weak spots base cooldown 35 -> 30 * Weak spots focus gain 2 -> 1 * Rip it all out base cooldown 50 -> 40 * Rip it all out focus gain 1 -> 2 * Heart to heart base cooldown 15 -> 13 * Phlebotomy base cooldown 15 -> 12 * Phlebotomy now costs 1 focus, rather than giving 1 focus * Cheat death base cooldown 25 -> 30 * Cheat death now targets the whole team * Resist doom focus buff has been replaced with Antidote Inese: * Slice / Cut up / Hack and slash base cooldown 18 -> 15 * Wrong place, wrong time now gives 2 bleed to allies and 5 bleed to enemies * Wrong place, wrong time focus gain 2 -> 1 * Battlefield manoeuvres now costs 1 focus instead of giving 1 focus * Distraction delay 35 -> 30 * Distraction stat boost (STR, SKL, AGI to target) 2 -> 1 * Overwhelm focus buff now inflicts +2 bleed whenever delaying enemies Zigmārs: * Base SKL 4 -> 3 * Base AGI 5 -> 6 * Triptych base cooldown 20 -> 25 * Tetraptych base cooldown 20 -> 25 * Trinity base cooldown 25 -> 30 * Minutiae base cooldown 12 -> 10 * Minutiae now only gives focus if Zigmārs has 3 or fewer focus * Vignette base cooldown 15 -> 8 * Vignette now costs 2 focus * Reinterpretation base cooldown 20 -> 18 * Reinterpretation focus gain 0 -> 1 * Symmetry base cooldown 30 -> 25 * Mockery base cooldown 40 -> 25 * Prolegomenon, Overture, Foreword base cooldown 25 -> 20 * Prolegomenon's bonus poison now requires that the enemy isn't poisoned * Foreword's bonus poison now requires that the enemy isn't poisoned, but no longer requires that the enemy is at full health Viktorija: * Viktorija now starts the battle with 2 stacks of the Combat expertise buff * Barricade now moves all targeting to the back row when disabled * Laugh it off and its upgrades have been entirely reworked * Survival and its upgrades have been entirely reworked * Combat expertise and its upgrades base cooldown lowered by 5 * Treat wounds focus buff has been replaced with Antidote Maksim: * Paintball and Sightline inflicted amount of Marked effect: 35 -> 25 * Hone base cooldown 35 -> 30 * Marked effect now gives +25% damage to melee attacks, together with the +50% ranged attack boost Samanta: * Bulldoze base cooldown 25 -> 35 * Remove caps on protection abilities now that there's a protection cap anyway * Stalemate focus buff now gives 3 protection + 3 for every enemy with protection, rather than just 5 for each enemy with protection Sprīdītis: * Doom base cooldown 55 -> 50 * Drown base cooldown 60 -> 50 * Unyielding physiology base cooldown 25 -> 22 * Esprit de corps base cooldown 60 -> 50 * Mutagenesis base cooldown 25 -> 22 * Providence base cooldown 50 -> 40 * Positive effect pool no longer includes Persistence * Positive effect pool no longer includes Toxic reprisal * Positive effect pool no longer includes Overwhelm * Positive effect pool Reciprocation duration 50 -> 60 * Negative effect pool poison amount 2 -> 3 * Negative effect pool Vulnerable amount 1 -> 2 * Negative effect pool Mockery amount 6 -> 8 * Infinite chaos focus buff uses per battle 1 -> 2
Development notes #2
Hey all!
Alex here with a quick update on what we’ve been working on.
The first major update for Stories from the Outbreak is approaching completion - we’re planning on releasing it in the second half of May. It will contain major improvements to some game systems, new content, and game-wide balance improvements.
Let’s start with the new character: Elīza. The twelfth survivor brings a solid addition to your team’s tactics, and her moveset is built around two things: inflicting poison and bypassing protection.
With her in the team, poison and bleed can be much more devastating, and enemies that rely on large amounts of protection become far less threatening. She synergises well with characters that inflict bleed/poison, as well as characters that can deal massive amounts of damage with a single hit.
New forces have joined the enemies as well. Parasites and Ghouls might not pack a hefty punch, but the status effects they inflict can mess up your strategy if you’re not careful. And, if that’s not enough, some say there’s another, particularly powerful enemy rarely encountered near the edges of Rīga - though you have to be quite unlucky to meet a King.
Perhaps the most exciting addition to the game’s content is found in trinkets. Not only are we adding 24 new trinkets to the game (all of which belong to the unlock system), we’re also making major improvements to how this system works.
So far, trinkets have had rarities assigned to them that determine how frequently they can be found. This has been improved to add visual flair to various trinket rarities, and now the player gets to choose between several options whenever they find a trinket.
To us, trinkets aren’t just neat rewards for the player to find - they’re unique prompts that set your runs apart and invite you to rethink the movesets of your characters. With the added layer of choice, the player has a much stronger sense of customisation and agency, and it’s far more common to discover unique builds and strategies in each run based on the trinkets you pick.
Trinkets aren’t the only system being reworked. If you’ve read the previous instalment of dev notes, you know that an important part of this update has been simplifying the ability unlock system. This part of the game has been kind of uninviting to new players, with the game clearly being at its best when all abilities are unlocked, and really difficult when a lack of unlocks prevents you from upgrading your abilities.
After the update, all 4th abilities will be permanently unlocked upon defeating the Houndwalker for the first time, and all 5th abilities will be permanently unlocked upon defeating the Legion for the first time. No more worrying about ability unlocks after that. The unlock system no longer contains permanent ability unlocks - those have been replaced with new trinkets to be found in runs.
Some other major changes are to be expected - protection will now cap at 100 (for players and enemies alike), enemies can only be delayed twice between their turns, the timeline previews when timed effects (e.g. bleed/poison) activate, the final boss will be polished, and countless enemies, characters and abilities have seen heavy reworking and rebalancing. We’re still working on a few more improvements we want to prepare before the update - basically, you can expect quite a few additions and fixes that I won’t list here.
We wanted to get this update prepared ASAP, but that means a few other systems will have to wait for future updates. Most importantly, the game will become more forgiving once this update rolls out. While some of the most easily abusable strategies will now be less effective, veteran players might still find the game too easy. We have a system in mind to prepare tough challenges for those who seek more content after completing the campaign, however, this system will have to wait for a future update. Planned updates for increased replayability - more boss fights, better narrative systems, better map randomization, and more - will also be left for the future.
For now - we hope you’ll enjoy this update and we’re looking forward to your feedback.
May your headshots never miss,
Alex and the rest of the Coldwild Games team
Development notes #1
Hey all!
Alex here, designer of Stories from the Outbreak. Since there’s already been active discussion on the game’s current state, and it’s undeniable that the game needs some more time in the oven, I’d like to get involved in the conversation. During Early Access, I’ll do a somewhat regular (monthly-ish?) design-focused write-up on where the development is going and what we’re doing to address the problems of the game. Also, there might be bigger gaps between some of the updates - this will be a reminder that we haven’t disappeared with your money.
For this first one, I’d like to go through some of the more frequently pointed out problems. The good news is that for most of them we absolutely agree with you, and often we even have clear solutions dreamt up. Unfortunately, implementing those solutions is a time-consuming process. Throughout Early Access, we’ll be rolling out numerous larger updates to address these issues.
I know that for players it can be really frustrating to wait, but for now I can at least let you know about the core issues we’ve identified and give you a vague idea of how we’ll improve on them. Hopefully this restores your confidence that we’re going in the right direction - for now we’re asking for some patience as we work on these.
Content
There’s a lot that we wanted to have ready for the first version, but didn’t end up including for various reasons. The good news is that most of this is content that we should be able to include with the first major update.
In the next update, along with polishing the final boss battle (which is in a much earlier state than the other boss battles), we’re hoping to add 3 new enemies, 1 new playable character, a lot of new trinkets (as unlocks), and more.
Right now the focus is on reaching the minimum amount to keep every encounter fresh within a run - mostly this means more enemies and more events. As soon as we can, we’re also planning on increasing replayability. Ideally I’d like to see some variance in maps, improvements to their random generation, and hopefully multiple possible bosses for each area.
In the long term, we’d like to add ways for veteran players to enjoy more brutal versions of the game, add modding support, and more.
Combat
Difficulty is currently the biggest gripe a lot of players are facing.
One of the things that has to be mentioned right off the bat bash is that the ability unlocks are partially to blame here. Ability unlocks are essentially a tutorial of sorts, easing the complexity of the game for new players. We’ve been planning to take them out from the unlock system, instead giving players permanent ability unlocks much, much sooner. I personally don’t really vibe with permanent unlocks that make players stronger in roguelikes, but I think an unlock system can be healthy for introducing new ways to play and keeping the game fresh and rewarding even when the player dies. Unlocks will instead be used for unlocking new trinkets to be found in the run, and possibly more in the future - opening up more options rather than making the player stronger. Reworking ability unlocks is one of the most pressing changes we’re intending to make, and it should greatly decrease the difficulty wall for new players. Those who have played for a longer while have already seen that the game feels better to play with all unlocks in place.
The difficulty level improvements rely heavily on other systems that are being worked on: things like trinket system rework will help achieve smoother sailing.
As we’re introducing changes that will lower the difficulty of the game, we’ll also be removing or nerfing some of the more boring and abusable strategies. Ideally we’d like players to sometimes reach broken and powerful builds, but not create strategies that are guaranteed to work every time - dominant strategies shift focus away from the exciting adaptation and unpredictability you want in a roguelike.
For veteran players - we’ll ask you to wait a bit. We’ll prioritise getting new players over the difficulty wall, and then add optional challenges and game modes that should push your tactics to the limits.
As for characters: Some abilities and ability upgrades are either too plain or too ineffective. Some of this freed up space in characters’ movesets will be used to give options for removing poison/bleed, or cause more timeline shenanigans. In some cases, the basic concept of an ability is interesting but needs balance adjustments. A special case is Viktorija, who is planned to receive a total and complete overhaul of her basic moveset.
Trinkets
Some of the comparatively short-term plans we have for improving the game include an overhaul of how trinkets work. I don’t want to spoil too much currently, but I’m pretty excited to see how this system will evolve - we hope it’ll give you interesting variety and satisfying progression, while still giving you some control on the direction of your build and not relying too much on the mercy of RNG.
Essentially, once the system is done, you should have some basic customisation options for trinkets, you’ll be guaranteed to find at least some very powerful trinkets in each run, and there will be a lower emphasis on pure randomness in determining your strength. Plus the system will be generally more satisfying to interact with. I’m absolutely certain you’ll enjoy the changes that are coming.
Narrative
Another area we’re planning on improving - writing & events. We’re going to prioritise gameplay & combat, so narrative might take a backseat until later this year, but we’re well aware that there’s plenty to be improved.
Firstly, writing will be clearer and more focused.
Secondly, the event system will see large improvements. We have some functionality already in place for achieving longer chains of events, where your actions have a serious impact on the shape of the run. We want to achieve some rudimentary story generation, but this is a goal that requires a base amount of content that we couldn’t reach yet.
Thirdly, the conversation-related systems are likely to see serious changes as well.
The first major update is planned for May. We have a roadmap in Steam discussions that sums up the basic (planned, not promised) shape of the update. When it gets closer - I’ll write the next development notes on the contents of the update.
This covers the tip of the iceberg on what we’d like to work on. There’s a lot of work involved here, so it’ll take some time. Early Access can be stressful for developers and frustrating for players, but thank you for giving the game a chance in this early state and we hope you stick around to see what we have planned ahead. If you enjoy the game so far and would like to help it evolve to a more finished shape, consider leaving a Steam review! Thank you for your patience!
May your intimidation be unhinged,
Alex and the rest of the Coldwild Games team.
Stories from the Outbreak - Update 0.7.7
Hi Everyone! Thank you for playing the game and leaving your feedback! Some changes that we want to do right now:
Overloading neurons can now be used once per battle on each character
Overloading neurons now gives focus per status effect, rather than per 2 status effects
Add 20 tick cooldown for Reflective vest and increase rarity.
Save when closing with ALT-F4 or X button in the corner of window. (Previously game only saved when using the ingame exit button)
Add periodic autosave
[macOS] Temporary remove the Apple silicon version of game executables due to game freezing during loading screen between combat and map. The game should still work on Apple silicon devices with the help of Rosetta. https://steamcommunity.com/app/1968630/discussions/1/3820781817412168220/
Some clarity improvements in tooltips
Expect an update from Alex what to expect in the long term, but so far - thank you for playing, please consider leaving the review if you like the game and don't hesitate to contact us in case you have suggestions or bug reports!
Have a good weekend ahead. Best, Vladimir and Coldwild Games team
Stories from the Outbreak - 0.7.6 Update
Hi everyone!
Thank you for your feedback and your response. We're happy to see the game is well received and we commit to working on it even further.
We are addressing some immediate feedback with this small patch:
Add option to disable camera zoom and shake
Reduce combat encounter repetition
Replace victory fanfare
Fix the focus gain for "Confusing fire" ability 3->1
Thank you as always, and let us know what you think on forums! If you like the game - consider leaving a review, it helps a lot at the start. Best, Vladimir and the team of Coldwild Games
