First and foremost, we’re sad to announce that Joe, our AI programmer and animator, has accepted a position with another team and will be stepping away from Swords ‘n Magic and Stuff. Joe joined the team in August of 2020 and has helped bring the world to life through his character and creature animations, boss battles, companion system and dynamic NPC schedules among many other important and impressive contributions. He also stepped into a general programming role as Louis joined the team and really helped out all around. We’re excited to see what he does with his next adventure, but sad to see him leave. At this time we aren’t looking to replace him, but may reevaluate at a later time.
What does this mean for the huge combat update we’ve been working towards? A large part of the combat update is backend work that Louis is working away on. He’s been balancing his focus between the backend programming and various other front-facing tasks like the hotbar rework (which also takes a lot of backend programming) and new job boards with repeatable, procedural quests. However, the other main part of the update included plenty of new animations for combos and abilities. With the changes to the team, we may need to adjust our plans a bit and will let you know weekly what’s happening through these development digests. We had previously said that the combat update would take a while and that’s still true, but we don’t have a good timeframe as of yet.
As we learned of Joe’s departure, we’ve shifted some priorities a bit. Wendy was working on level design for the next zone, Bone Reach. She took a tiny break from that this week to work on a Hero’s Crypt in Windless Woods. Michael (AKA Kindred) has been working on brand new map art, prepping the main questline for the Windless Woods and dipping into the AI system a bit to see what he can break make.
Speaking of new maps, this is our second huge announcement: we have a new world map! Adjusted development roadmap coming soon.
All of the zones from before are still present aside from Dragonlands, but a lot of new zones have been introduced. When the first map was made, there wasn’t really a detailed plan with what to do with the whole area, nor any idea of the time it would take to fill it out. Michael has been working on re-scoping the world map for a better story, progression, and transition between zones. This will make it easier to get more zones out faster as well. For example, Iris Lake was originally somewhere around 6-8 times bigger than Farmlands. The Farmlands took somewhere around six months to complete (it also included crafting, farming, cooking, etc. which took time). If we wanted to release Iris Lake as it was before, it would take over two years to get the one zone out! With this new layout, we can easily break up the workload.
So what’s different in the content that’s already playable?
Of the released areas, you’ll notice that the Farmlands zone has been broken into two zones. The Sleeping Glade is where Sleepy Haven and its surroundings are located (notice the river that shows the divide). Sleepy Haven used to be located in the Windless Woods, but we realized that it was super confusing having West Windless Woods, East Windless Woods, and Windless Woods (where Sleepy Haven is). The Graveyard was previously in East Windless Woods but is now located in a portion of Black Rook Vale. These are essentially just naming and lore changes!
What’s being worked on in the world?
Windless Woods is getting its first content pass. NPCs are being added, quests and dialog are in progress, mini dungeons are being built. It’s starting to come together! Ironwind Pass is about 60% done with level design. Bone Reach is about 30% done with level design. Once Windless Woods is done with content, level design in Ironwind Pass and Bone Reach should be just about finished and ready for content. This will allow Wendy to keep moving forward in future zones.
What are all the new zones?
We’ve got a Youtube video in the works where we’ll describe the new zone layout in depth, including what the feel of them will be, how they’ll play into the story, and all the juicy details. I’ll be sharing details with our Patreon supporters before the video goes out. For now, I’d like to hear your guesses! Which of the new zones are you most intrigued by? See you all in the comments!
Development Digest January 28th - February 4th
Happy Friday!
This week has been a bit of behind the scenes work, so not as many cool pictures. We've just launched a new YouTube video about what we've been working on, so check that out:
[previewyoutube="-MfF7wIxp_I;full"]
A few notable things that were worked on are mannequin furniture items that allow you to show off your hats, masks, and outfits in your house. Still needs some tweaks, but here's a picture:
Another huge quality of life task that is in progress has been job boards! They are still in development and aren't even ready for testers, but here are some of the preliminary options that were presented:
Normally I'd present the new roadmap, but we're actually making some big adjustments to it, so I hope it'll be available to change out this month. Don't worry, they are good adjustments! The map is in progress of getting a facelift, including in-game maps, so that's one of the big adjustments.
I'll end with my favorite screenshot of the week. Every couple of months, I'll go through and get in-game screenshots to update our Steam page. While doing that, I got a shot that didn't make the cut, but made me laugh too much (floating gobbos flying at you are the best):
And yes, I died after that shot.
See you all next week!
Development Digest January 21st-28th
Happy Friday evening!
We've had some bug fixing days to fix the issues our dedicated testers found. Mainly level design issues with weird collisions, rocks, placement of things, that kind of stuff. Still a bit of new mechanics and level design were added to Bone Reach. What do you think this does?
Still working in the background with the damage overhaul and a few new treats. Maybe I'll have something to show on those treats next week. We've also bounced around a few features being added into the next update (ETA not announced yet).
As far as West Windless Woods go, I'll give you some pictures, because they are awesome!
There's some cool stuff going on in there. Can't wait for you all to check it out.
Next week I may have a new roadmap available for February. If not, I'll still get some awesome pictures for you!
See you then.
Development Digest January 14th-21st
Happy Friday!
Sorry I missed you last week. I knew we were working on another patch and we had just done a patch, so decided to skip last week. I don't have too much to report, as the last patch went out 4 days ago. I do still have things though!
First off, here's the new roadmap for January:
EDIT: Should note that this came out before the update and we snuck barber shops in! So those are not coming soon!
Our next big announcement, we have the original soundtrack page up! The OST goes on sale on the first for $4.99 USD. Check it out here.
Other than patches and fixing bugs, the team has been working on a few different things. Level design is in progress in Bone Reach. Check out the logging camp:
West Windless Woods level design is complete. It's now getting it's NPC's, quests, and details. Our dedicated testing team just got access to run around West Windless Woods and Bone Reach. They have reported their amazement on the zones and are excited to start testing even more!
Behind the scenes, our combat overhaul is taking place. Lots of refactoring to add in the abilities and stats and magic systems.
We've got a new place to report bugs! This website will replace the one currently in game (although the link in game will still work as we transition) and makes my job a bit easier! Feel free to use either report!
We've already started adding new outfits, furniture, and all the fun items to the new zone. If you haven't caught a stream, Kindred has been showing off West Windless Woods and new things going in there twice a week on Twitch. If you want spoilers, that's the place to be!
I'll end today with a fun update to Moonberry Farms. The bees upgraded their houses!
See you all next week!
Patch v1.4.13
One final patch before the long wait for the weapon ability update.
Enjoy!
Fixed:
Buying arrows now updates your equipped arrow slot count
Item display plaque now allows all items
Item display plaque can now be placed on horizontal surfaces
Bandit Betrayal quest no longer has T-Posing bandits
Multiplayer plot names now show up appropriately
No permissions error message in multiplayer fixed
Signs in Merrymaker tavern no longer floating
New character outfits are no longer switched upon entering the game
Azurian Bandits no longer drop iron weapon recipes
Player storage chest LOD's cleaned up
Deep Iron Shield set back to level 0 for now (Not a nerf, just a visual bug)
Updated:
Storage chest collision more accurate
New:
Vanishing display plaque for decorating purposes
Update Patch v1.4.12
Hey there,
This small update is just a few bug fixes for the Frostfall teardown patch. Not much to it, but here are the patch notes:
New:
Item Display Plaque (weapon rack with no limitations)
Updated:
Added character rotation in barber shops
Fixed:
Dryad hair options in Ramshackle corrected
Lantern on Ferry respositioned
Tip overlays display correct keys now
Character names in character selection display correctly now
Hats now show/hide hair correctly on title screen
Jensen, Leylen and Jamie took night classes to finally come to grips with proper shield handling
Can no longer drag greyed out items into smelters, shops, etc.
Can no longer smelt darkwood into coal
Barbershops now save changes properly
Barbers have installed security cameras and taken other anti-hair theft measures
New characters maintain their appearance and clothing selections upon entering the world
Post Frostfall Update v1.4.11
Hello! I and the rest of the Kindred Games team hope you enjoyed the holidays!
Frostfall is over, but we're already onto new things with Swords 'n Magic. In this update we've fixed a bunch of bugs and added a few notable features.
Just a heads up that the next major update is probably going to be a few months out because it's a BIG ONE. We're working on weapon abilities, a total hotbar and damage refactor and we're planning on launching it all with a whole new zone. So get ready! And in the meantime, enjoy the new features. : )
Thanks for all your continued support!
New:
Goodbye Frostfall
Inventory sorting and filtering
Barber Shops - can now change your hair, hair color, facial hair, facial hair color, and make-up (facial expressions)
Hairstyles
Reduced how many clothing and hair options there are when starting a new character
Improved:
Updated outfits files to hopefully prevent the weird outline around your feet
House on a Hill plot is no longer discounted
Level 0 staves are now level 1 as things at level 0 break the universe
Erma’s shop doesn’t sell clothing you auto learn now
Alchemy and tailoring icons in the skills menu have been updated from the default carpentry icon
Special loot chests now have custom loot lifetimes - the loot will stay longer than the default two minutes to ensure you don’t miss out on your loot if you die
Fixed:
Rock Paths now have collisions so you can pick them up
Spelling issues
Large rugs from being seen through the second story of houses (you’ll need to pick them up and replace them if you want to fix it)
Changed collisions on Full Scroll Bookcase so you can use the shelf for items
Changed crystal ball materials so it stops flickering
Mr.Sym’s falling sign
Marketplace Plot in Sleepy Haven is now buildable
Nedd has returned to his post in Azura
A one off issue with Rayna where you couldn’t get the recipe
Masked Menace’s door is now interactable
Crabs now appear in Tiny Tavern’s cellar
Sen’s quest is fixed again - please tell Sen to stop breaking his stuff
Quest log to update correctly if items are removed from your inventory
Tools sign in Hope Harbor no longer hangs off the sign
Wolf Cress item description typo
Ella’s Bakery no longer has part of her roof inside her house
Typo in Kelch’s dialog
Hoping to have fixed all of the invisible NPC issues
Jed’s doll and the glasses on the beach are available for characters that have never picked them up
Duplicate toadstools at a wolf den
Blitz in Frostfall no longer has two right hands
Captain Jensen learned the proper way to hold a shield
Captain Jensen taught Randall the proper way to hold a shield
Pickup preview icon for coins now matches other icons for coins
Frostfall Update Patch v1.4.10
Hey guys. Just a very minor fix for a few bugs.
Fixed:
Fixed a very specific issue with the Gravekeeper quest
Hot Cocoa can now be learned (may show up if you've already learned it)
Scarecrow space program was defunded
Possible invisible NPC fix
Updated loot from Golem chest
New:
Super Secret item for the Golem chest
Frostfall Update - Patch 1.4.9
Hey there!
Like always, the update had a few bugs we wanted to knock out real quick.
One note is that we had a bit of an issue where one of the housing plots (The house on the hill plot in Sleepy Haven) had it's save ID reset at one point. This meant that the plot forgot who owned it, if anyone in your worlds, leading to you having to repurchase the plot to access your chests or interact with your furniture.
This bug was an easy fix, but if you already re-purchased the plot, it could mean you having to re-purchase it AGAIN!. Because of this we decided to just get ahead of the issue and reduce the cost of the plot for the holiday event. It went from 5000 gold down to 100 gold until January 5th when the Frostfall teardown update goes live.
We apologize for missing this and we can assure you that we'll be much more careful with the save ID's going forward so this doesn't happen again. Luckily no one's furniture or chests on the property were affected.
Fixed:
Ginger no longer takes additional resources from you
House on the Hill in Sleepy Haven is now fixed for previous players
House on the Hill is discounted for the event duration due to potential issues with needing to buy it again.
Added a handful of new items to the collection
Skeletons now give XP for companions
Shop paintings now show accurate model and textures
Update and In-Game Event - Frostfall Festival Seasonal Event! v1.4.8
Happy Holidays and Merry Frostfall from the Kindred Games team!
We're excited to announce the return of our annual winter event we call Frostfall. You can travel to the Northest North and participate in new quests, activities, fight new monsters and defeat a dangerous boss with your friends!
And if that wasn't enough, we've also released an overhaul to our animal companion system which allows you to level up your companions and manage them from the stable!
We've also added somewhere around 100 new items to the game and we can't wait for you to find them all!
Update v1.4.8
New:
22 Food and drink recipes
1 new crop
8 new outfits
2 new Frostfall quests
45+ furniture items (both holiday and non-holiday)
4 new building structures
Furniture items to display items on
11 new Frostfall weapons
2 new non-holiday magic weapons
A new tinkerer contraption
Festive masks and hat
Festive glider
2 new Frostfall backpacks
Merchants in Frostfall
Frostfall exclusive mount
Frostfall exclusive companion
Analytic being tracked: any file errors, even if players don’t know they had an error
Seed makers and cauldrons now have radial progress bars
Animal companion overhaul - now able to level up and rename companions
Master whistle item to use all of your companions with - assign at the stable
Biscuits used to heal your companions are sold at stable master NPCs
Frostfall decor in Sleepy Haven
3 new titles
Frost Golem health bar
First equipable trinket
Water bucket resource at wells to collect free water daily
Improved:
Ella’s Bakery has more for sale
14 furniture items now have storage (things like armoires and dressers)
Display improvements and network optimizations to damage numbers
AI perception responsiveness and performance improvements
Fixed up paintings throughout the world to not take up so much memory
Changed Red and Pastel backpacks to unlock at level 20 instead of 18 to match the ingredients that unlock at level 20
Changed the ingredients needed to craft the Maple Bow to reflect the correct level items for the bow
Increased Cotton yield from 1-2 to 2-3
Increased the chance to get cotton seeds from farming cotton
Milk now has a unique icon and model (was previously using the Eggnog icon and model)
Optimization pass in Sleepy Haven - saw increased performance on most machines in testing; more optimization passes to come
Cleaned up lighting around the world to help with performance
Snowman have a chance to drop the hat they are wearing
Better showing/hiding of AI healthbars and nameplates
Marshmallow stick now applies burning effect
Damage over time effects now display damage numbers on enemies
Fixed:
Locked doors - all doors that should have been locked in the world were unlocked; this cause some quests to become broken
Typo in Erma’s dialog
Added a fix for players locked out of the Gravekeeper quest (hopefully)
Typos in Frostfall dialog
Rug patterns to be centered
Rugs so they weren’t floating off the floor
Typo in mailbox description
Forge widget now updates if people remove from output
Picking up a bed that someone else is sleeping in no longer gets them stuck
