Sword 'N' Board
Long list of stuff coming to Sword 'N' Board!
Just wanted to post an update since it's been a little quiet lately. I've been working on some more "behind the scenes" / quality of life stuff for the game to help those of you with lower end PCs and keyboards that aren't QWERTY still enjoy the game.
Key binding
Key binding is something I honestly didn't think about in the beginning but it's something that I'm working hard right now to add. It also mean refactoring old code to make sure it will still work properly regardless of input.
Steam Achievements
It's something that I wanted to add much earlier but given the random bugs we were able to find more easily once the game was made available on Steam, I had to re-prioritize fixing those instead. The next update for the game will include several Steam achievements, including ones you obviously won't be to complete until the game is finished - along with ones that I'm sure many of you have already completed
Trading cards
Honestly I've never really delved much into the world of Steam Trading cards so when I released the game on Early Access it wasn't something I had thought about too much. However I know many of you that absolutely love them and love collecting them and so that will also be added here very soon, more than likely along with the Steam Achievement update at the same time!
Frame rate issues
While very minimal, I did notice some time ago a few areas in the game that were prone to frame rate issues, especially in large wooded areas that you could set on fire. Luckily I was able to track down the issue - item instantiation. It wasn't being handled efficiently at all and so it would cause issues when a large amount of items were being created all at once. The code has since been fixed and should get rid of those issues even on lower end machines.
Controls
Controls have always been hugely important to me. I feel controls are something most game developers - especially indies - neglect. Games like this with combat need to have tight controls and because of this I've changed them many times over. I'm also currently fixing the control screens for the game as they're not entirely accurate given the amount of changes that have been made to the controls in such a small time. While I think the controls are in a great place when played with an Xbox controller, I feel they still need a lot of work when it comes to the mouse and keyboard controls. While some of this will be able to be fixed with adding key binding, I want the default keyboard controls to also play better.
New item combos
I'm adding an additional 10 item combinations to the game! It was decided by me that I wanted to make it so people WANTED to use their cardboard sword regularly. So now, your swords abilities will be able to be augmented depending on what item you have equipped with it. The goal for the item combos have always been to make them interesting and useful, that none of them ever become useless because something else is similar or better or too situational. The first you'll find in the game is the Sword + bomb combo for the bomb jump which can be found in the first dungeon.
This is also why the 2nd dungeon went through a massive overhaul, as I decided the item and item combos found in it were not interesting enough while also adding a whole new one! So the 2nd dungeon when it opens will feature a whole new item combo while the previous design for the 2nd dungeon will be reworked for the 3rd dungeon.
Flam Jam redesign
We showed the game at Pax and while no one had much to say about the Flam Jam fight I found most people had a hard time with it. While I've always wanted the game to be difficult it seems as though the Flam Jam fight was difficult for the wrong reasons. It was far too easy for Sidd to get hit by things that didn't really read well as "dangerous" when getting close enough to Flam Jam to do damage to him. Too often Sidd would take damage just by getting in range to attack. This is getting reworked right now.
Enemy AI and pathfinding
Enemy AI right now is okay from a basic stand point, however they don't really pathfind all that well currently. It's easy to get them hung up on obstacles and kill them - while this is great from a combat perspective - it makes them feel unintelligent which I think is a bad thing. While the AI is situational and will change depending on if a enemy is within range of you, if it's attacked etc - I want to give it more intelligence and make it feel more rewarding when you kill an enemy.
I just wanted to give everyone a heads up!
If you have any questions, concerns or things you'd like to see added/changes please let me know in the comments below!
Dev Stream today at 6PM PDT!
I just wanted to take a moment and let everyone know that the Sword 'N' Board development streams are going to be starting again today now that the crazy Pax shenanigans has come to a close!
You can find the development streams at:
www.twitch.tv/stuffedcastle
Being that this game is still in Early Access, it's important to me that we're always showing the game being built and worked on, and try and stay as transparent as we can throughout the process!
Today, I will be working on a new item combo animation for Sidd!
If you want to be notified when the streams go live, make sure to follow me on Twitch, Facebook or Twitter, as I usually post about the stream before I go live!
If you want to come by and hang out, as questions or give general feedback, please feel free!
Pax West 2016 is in the bag! New cheats are coming
I will be updating the Steam build within the next couple days to include several bug fixes that we found during Pax. While not completely game breaking, they are still fairly annoying and I feel would impact enjoyment of the game.
It will also include some minor control fixes that we changed before Pax so we could better see how people interacted with them!
Not only that, I will be adding the cheat code which will allow you to unlock other items and item combinations that you are unable to receive in the game currently because the corresponding dungeons are unavailable right now which will allow everyone that owns the game on steam to access any and all areas that were available during the Pax demo!
Also, the development streams for Sword 'N' Board will be returning on September 12th! You can find those at www.twitch.tv/stuffedcastle
A new update will be posted when the update goes live!
New features Incoming!
Steam Trading Cards:
This will probably be the thing that makes its way into the game the soonest, as I've already been working on designs for some time, and is also one of the easiest things to implement. I know people love being able to collect and trade cards, so that's definitely something I want to have in the game.
The Narrator:
The narrator will be a main part of the game, and will follow Sidd on his journey. The Narrator will obviously be a part of Sidd's imagination and so will not only give a look into the mind of Sidd himself, but will also provide some more comedic moments while also helping flesh out more of the story. There will be an option within one of the main menus to turn him off however, if you'd rather not have him around.
Key rebinding:
One of the main issues with the game right now is the lack of being able to customize your controls within the game itself. While not much will change with the controls when it comes to using an Xbox controller, I want to give those of you that are using different language keyboards the ability to make the controls much more comfortable. While the controls are currently programmed with a Qwerty keyboard in mind, this causes a lot of issues for people playing on keyboards without a QWERTY configuration.
Dungeons:
As always, the Dungeons are constantly being worked on. While the 2nd Dungeon is almost near completion, a few things are having to be redone before that can go live. Dungeons are always an on going task and more and more areas will open up within the game as those become available.
Mini/Overworld Map:
Right now within the world of Sword 'N' Board there is no map available to see where you have, and haven't been, or how to get back to important areas. I'm currently working on both a Mini map (that will change based on the area that you're currently in) and a world Map that you can use to see your overall location within the world of Sword 'N' Board.
More randomization:
I've already started adding randomized items within the world that you can use your bombs on to receive more crafting materials and other needed things for your journey. These things will randomize and be different each time you play. Not only that, there will be randomized puzzles as well, to help add some replay value to the game, which will help it during its time in Early Access!
Updates!
I just wanted to take a moment here and let everyone know what's going on in the world of Sword 'N' Board!
I'm currently working on the 2nd Dungeon which I hope to unlock here very soon!
The updates have been a bit infrequent as of late because simply, there hasn't been a lot of stuff to report that anyone can see quiet yet!
I am currently using an older computer at the moment, so development streams unfortunately have had to fall to the wayside but development is still going strong!
Aside from the Dungeon hopefully coming out soon, I'm also going to be looking into the Mac download issue. Some people are reporting issues downloading the Mac version, while others have no trouble at all! I think it might be a possible depot issue within steamworks, so I'll be looking into that also!
As always, any feedback or questions on the game are always welcome, so please feel free!
The entrance to the first Dungeon has finally opened!
The item combos that you found in the game have been taken away. I'll actually probably be adding a cheat code to the game very soon to bring them back. That way if you all want to play with them a bit after you've finished the Dungeon, you can do that.
However, now the real progression for the game is going to begin. You'll start with nothing, and have to acquire your items and item combos throughout your adventure.
The first Dungeon will more than likely end up being the shortest and most simple of the Dungeons, so expect an increase in difficulty as more and more Dungeons open up!
In the dungeon you'll find the bombs for the first time (they won't be able to be purchased from the shop until they are found in the Dungeon), you'll acquire the Super bomb combo, and the bomb jump! So be on the look out for those, or any puzzles that look like they can't be completed without them.
I do have a few things I'm still adding (mostly sounds etc) but for the most part the Dungeon is as it will be.
As always, if you have any feedback or find any odd bugs, please make sure to report them here
Sword 'N' Board - Bug/Feedback report
Have fun everyone!
Dungeon content update is coming!
I just wanted to let you know, that Dungeon 1 is complete and currently undergoing testing before I upload the build to steam for everyone to check out!
What does this mean? This means that some of the item combos that you've enjoyed so far will be going away (I'll be adding a code you can enter to get them back most likely) and that you can finally start experiencing the progression of the game as it's intended to be.
You'll enter the game with no items currently, and you'll have to find and enter the dungeon and solve it's puzzles in order to start getting your items back.
The dungeon is currently 5 new areas, not including a secret area, and Boss room.
As soon as it's tested and I'm confident that everyone will be able to play it well enough (I'm sure some of you will still find bugs for me to fix) I will be uploading the build!
When the build goes live, I will of course update everyone here!
Stream at 10am PST! Working on Consumable item icons!
If you want to come by, hang out, watch, and give feedback, please feel free to come by the stream!
www.twitch.tv/stuffedcastle
Have a good Monday! (Or don't... because it's Monday)
There's Cheat codes in Sword 'N' Board?!
To enter the cheat codes, you have to first be in the game (not just in the start menu, but in the actual overworld) and hit escape (or pause if you're using a controller) to bring up the "Main Menu". Once that is up, use your keyboard to type in any of the following cheat codes!
(Hidden, because... spoilers)
- better - Upgrades Sidd's "Attack" to level 6!
- harder - Upgrades Sidd's "Defense" to level 6!
- faster - Upgrades Sidd's "Agility" to level 6!
- stronger - Upgrades Sidd's "Stamina" to level 6!
- lucky - Upgrades Sidd's "Luck" to level 6!
- bombs - Give Sidd 999 bombs.
- marbles - Give Sidd 999 marbles.
- 2dheroes - Teleport to the Blacksmith!
- sidd mode - Upgrade all of Sidd's stats to level 6
- inventory - add 20 of each non-forged item to Sidd's Inventory
- Using the arrow keys on your keyboard: up,up,down,down,left,right,left,right, b, a - Upgrade all of Sidd's Stats and give him 999 Marbles and 999 bombs
I thought these would be a good thing to have in the game to help everyone test things, and to also just kind of allow everyone to have more fun with things as they play the game. Not to mention, far too many games have stopped using cheat codes!
New Build going live tonight! (should fix a major bug)
I just wanted to make everyone aware of a new build going live tonight. You'll see several bug fixes, the most important one being a strange "Autofire" issue mainly with official Xbox branded controllers on Windows 10.
The issue was reported some time ago, and I was finally able to track it down and (hopefully) put an end to it.
We've used the Official Xbox One Wireless controller and a Logitech f710. I'd definitely like for anyone that ran into the issue before, to try the game again when the new build goes live later on tonight, and see if they run into the same issue or not!
There will also be a minor bug fix, that caused some frame rate issues when trees and things would burst into flame either because a bomb was used on them, or because your Sword+bomb combo was used.
I also fixed the issue where treasure chests wouldn't give you items that stacked properly, so all treasure chests within the world should work as intended once the build goes live!