(As of yesterday, which I definitely did not forget about.)
Just a brief, Monday morning news break of a few little things going on around the Sungazer central HQ, which may or may not be a converted spare bedroom.
:rik: First, a two-year celebration sale price for the game and soundtrack DLC should be kicking in today. Yep. Aaaany second now.
:rik: Second, the PS4 patch is ready to go, but because of some behind-the-curtain stuff going on, it's running a little late in getting published. I really, really hope to have it out this week.
:rik: Third, I've started making more regular updates to my blog concerning my next project, Eden's Last Sunrise. I will start introducing the cast of characters and more samples of the soundtrack as early as this week. The inaugural post is right here, if you want to start at the beginning: https://www.sungazersoftware.com/re-introducing-edens-last-sunrise/
:rik: Fourth, go check out some of the fanart on the Artwork tab if you haven't already. It's pretty great, you guys.
That's all for today! I will announce future progress reports and whatnot on my twitter at https://twitter.com/sungazersoft (barring anything major that warrants a Steam announcement), so follow along if you feel so inclined.
Version 1.1 - Yes, Really!
Howdy, y'all! I've just published a big batch of changes to the game to hopefully fix a few requested issues and to make gameplay smoother overall.
Here is a list of changes. If you would like a full breakdown with my thoughts behind each change, check out my (recently resurrected) development blog right here: https://www.sungazersoftware.com/the-tenth-line-version-1-1-update-notes/
Gameplay
Post-game content and New Game + features are now accessible in the “light” difficulty. You should receive the bonus quests in your journal when you load your game in the post-game.
Removed the “Bonus” system from the full difficulty. In essence, your characters will behave as if they have the extra bonus buff at all times now.
Assist characters have had their damage formula reworked. Their damage is now based on your characters’ OFF and DEF stats, rather than their total levels, and they should be viable all the way through the game and beyond.
Assist character attack damage has been enhanced.
Assist character “super” moves now have a 3-turn cooldown.
Assist characters now recover at least 10% of their SP every turn, as long as some momentum-generating action was taken.
Status effects now have a cap on the number of turns they can be applied. This goes for both allies and enemies.
Re-balanced enemy defense and damage output across the board.
Post-game bosses have had their damage output and HP reduced slightly.
Lowered the rate of reinforcements on some boss battles.
Reduced the Green Dracomage’s HP to 12,000, and reduced his damage output slightly.
Removed the Hinder chance from the Green Dracomage’s “Numbing Neurotoxin” skill.
Raised the “minimum” cap for player-dealt damage. Essentially, your characters will be more effective if their damage is lagging behind due to low Offense or weapon level/training stats.
The maximum duration for Tox’s teleport defense has been reduced slightly. This only applies when his Teleport ability is at very high levels.
Increased the Power reward for most enemies, especially for “large” or rare foes.
Removed some foreground foliage in the “Feverlands” area to make the platforms easier to navigate.
Technical
Fixed an issue with UI scaling on non-standard aspect ratios.
Presentation
Changed the color of the “unspent levels” notice on the main menu to make it stand out more.
Cleaned up the appearance of the “enemy description” text when using the Look command.
Increased the brightness of platforms in the final area of the game.
Bug Fixes
Fixed an issue where Tox would get stuck to the floor after using his breath on a gem in the second “puzzle” room of the final dungeon.
That's all! I'll be working on a console patch this coming week, so if you notice any unexpected weirdness (I mean, besides the usual weird stuff in the game), I'd love to know about it before I have to submit for certification. Games are hard, y'all. :rik:
Summer News Roundup
Hey, y'all! I know summer technically doesn't start for another 36 hours, but it's been a while, so I figured I'd get an early start! :rik:
:sp_power: First, the biggest news is the state of Eden's Last Sunrise: I managed to secure some funding, so the project is back on! I've been making several changes to the original pitch and design, which I'll be able to show in action as soon as I have some more assets and whatnot developed. Here's a quick list of what's changing, off the top of my head:
Re-working aspects of the presentation and the story.
Updated things to Unity 2018, with minimal disruption.
Simplifying several mechanical aspects: I've condensed the number of classes down to 20, cut down the skill experience types from 8 to 6, and reduced the weapon types from a lot to just 10. I've already designed all of the classes and started coding them, and I think they're at a good balance between tight and varied.
I'm abandoning 3D models in favor of decently-detailed sprites. The biggest benefit to this is that I'll be able to more easily produce class-specific costumes for the characters. Plus, sprites are just more appropriate to the genre, you know?
You'll be able to create generic, customized characters as regular recruits. Story characters will still exist and will have unique abilities tied to their personalities, but if you want an army of nothing but sassy cat girls with guns, then there is nothing to stop you!
Related: I have no idea what I'll do about voice acting. The reasonable thing would be to just scrap it. I love working with my voice actors, though, so I may allow some "Generic" voice sets that you can assign to your custom characters. This is stuff I'll figure out down the road.
The good news is, I can probably still meet my "late 2019" release date, assuming all else goes well enough. I plan to start up a regularly-updated progress report blog, too, as well as regular "sandbox" demos to allow volunteers to try out new classes and ability combinations.
Plus, DLC characters...?
:sp_power: Incoming swag: An extended family member works in the "swag" industry, and is a fan of the characters of The Tenth Line, so we've been quietly working on a little collectible piece depicting a certain fuzzy mascot character, mostly for our own amusement. When this thing comes to fruition, we'll do a very small, very limited batch run for anyone interested. This is totally a side project, and not for profit, so they'll be priced very reasonably. Once the prototype is ready and we're ready for a production order, I'll make an announcement. In the meantime, if you're interested in seeing more, do leave me a note so I know there is a non-zero amount of interest!
:sp_power: The Switch port: Still not happening. Believe me, I've been trying. :green_dracon:
That's all! Thanks for reading. Or skimming. :red_dracon:
Announcing: Eden's Last Sunrise
Hey, y'all! I'm thrilled to announce my next game project: Eden's Last Sunrise.
In a nutshell, it's a tactical RPG with a setting and characters very roughly based on my old series of games. It's got all your classic tactical RPG favorites, and a few new twists as well: isometric turn-based battles, a job system, custom weapon loadouts, socialization mechanics, branching paths, and multiple allies to recruit and train.
So, what comes next? Well, I'll be drip-feeding updates and previews of the gameplay and soundtrack on the web site, so be sure to head to the media page and sign up for emailed updates if you want to stay in the loop.
The Kickstarter campaign starts January 9th, 2018, and a playable prototype demo will be released at the same time. Start spreading the love now, y'all!
My Next Project - Reveal Coming Soon
Happy Cyber Monday, y'all! This is just a heads-up that I am finally revealing my new game project next week! I wanted to give a little advanced notice, since I'll be crowd funding this one in the coming months. But don't worry; I've got a functioning prototype, a design document, a project plan, and all that good stuff. It's not just a couple of ideas scribbled on notebook paper, I promise!
If you want to stay in the loop, I've set up a landing page here where you can sign up to get notified by email as I get things ready on my end: http://www.sungazersoftware.com/ELS/
And what sort of game is it this time? Well, here's a little hint about the genre:
Check back next week for the full premiere! ːred_draconː
International Console Launch - 19 Oct!
Happy fall, y'all! This is just a quick announcement that the PlayStation 4 version of The Tenth Line is coming to European/Australian regions next week! If you've been waiting for the home port, now is your chance! And, of course, thanks for your patience - self-publishing is a never-ending adventure.
In addition, a batch of five free avatars will be available on the store, with more to come soon. There are limits on how many I can put out at once, now, but rest assured, I'll get them all out there as soon as I can. :rik:
Keep in mind, the game language is still entirely in English. American English, at that. If that ever changes, I'll be sure to announce it way ahead of time. :red_dracon:
Keep watching this space for future projects and release announcements! New platforms? New content? I guess we'll have to wait and see!
Console Launch Announcement!
Hey, y'all! The announcement for the PlayStation 4 version of The Tenth Line is now live! Check it out here: https://blog.us.playstation.com/2017/06/21/indie-rpg-the-tenth-line-launches-june-27th-on-ps4/
Honestly, I wanted to post this as a thank-you for all the feedback, bug reports, colorful discussion, and support I've gotten these past few months. It's been a lifelong dream to see a game of my own released on a console platform, and you guys helped make my first foray a good one.
And as for my next project? Well, I'm working on it right now in another window, in fact. I won't give away too much detail yet, except that it will be a unique take on another beloved genre from the late 90's era of gaming. Additional details will show up right here, and on my Twitter page, as it gets closer to a presentable state. Rest assured, I'm keeping busy!
Thanks for reading, and have a good summer. :rik:
Minor Update
It's been a while! I've pushed out a small patch that fixes the following issues:
Fixed an issue where sorting types could become mislabeled when sorting the inventory during Specialty training.
The post-game save point should no longer offer a New Game Plus option when the difficulty disallows it.
Fixed an issue where Tox's breath effects were missing in the Crossroads area.
And one more thing of note: The Tenth Line is now available through the Humble Store! If you're haphazardly reading this and haven't yet purchased the game, consider helping out these folks and a bit of charity, too!
https://www.humblebundle.com/g/the_tenth_line
That's all!
Quick update for May 4th: I am pushing one more update this morning with the following additions:
Fixed an issue where it was possible to knock down the fruit in Hollowford before beginning the quest "Sweet Truth."
Reduced the number of reinforcements during boss battles when playing in "Light" difficulty mode.
Rebuilt using Unity 5.5.3p2, so sorry if the update download size is larger than normal!
Update + Cloud Saves
First, a quick update on today's patch. I've fixed an issue where errant UI elements were suddenly appearing on characters' training screens. I am also going to implement a tweak to make text fast-forwarding go faster, and fix other little issues that may have shown themselves in the past couple of days. That update will go live later today.
Second, I am enabling Steam Cloud for save files in Windows tonight! I am giving a bit of warning so you are aware of this! It will happen about 8 hours from this posting (6:00pm EDT)!
Your saves are .sav files stored under your profile, in the AppData/LocalLow/Sungazer Software/The Tenth Line folder. Go ahead and make some copies somewhere if you have unusual circumstances on your computer; for instance, if you share a Windows profile while using a separate Steam account from somebody on the same computer, or especially if you have different sets of save files on two different computers using the same Steam account.
This is a new experience for me, and from what I can tell, it will automatically use the newest version of each save file it finds in that Windows folder, regardless of whose Steam account it is, so make some backups if you're not sure!
Save files are around half a megabyte in size each, and it will capture any "copies" you may have made in the folder as well. If you have very stringent bandwidth caps in place, be sure to disable Steam Cloud for this app through the client once it's live.
Happy clouding! :red_dracon:
Version 1.0.7 - New Game Mode!
Version 1.0.7 is finally here! The biggest addition is the addition of a simple mode that serves as a halfway-point between the regular game and the story mode.
You can choose to play the new difficulty when starting a new game:
It includes a simpler interface, lower enemy stats, and dancing dragons!
Here are the full patch notes, along with details on what the new difficulty mode entails:
