We have always planned a fairly elaborate system of healing mechanics but when creating 'Pilgrims of the Wasteland', we first focused on getting the main features ready and implemented a more streamlined, placeholder set of healing rules.
Out with the Old
The PotW system simply had you use a relatively valuable resource - medical supplies - to fully heal one Companion at a time during camp. This is not only too 'gamey' but also very obtuse and not what we intended for the game or the setting.
The old healing system did have hidden statuses, however they were not used for anything really:
Hurt: Received after losing 50% Vitality, limits Maximum VIT to 80% until removed.
Wounded: Received after Downed, limits Maximum VIT to 60% until removed.
Mortally Wounded: Received after falling Out of Action, limits Maximum VIT to 30% until removed.
In spite of these elaborate statuses, healing remained the same: the use of a medical supplies item healed Companions up to their Maximum VIT right away.
In with the New
When Crew Combat was added, we implemented an elaborate system that was used to heal up your wounded Crew and Companions at the end of each skirmish. It was based on rolls stemming from the Healing Perk. Now that we decided to rework Companion healing, we basically use the same principles for natural healing.
During camping, you roll for natural healing for each Companion that is not at Maximum VIT. The heal roll chance comes together from the following factors:
Major impact from Heal Perk levels (from Companions, the vagrus, gear, etc.)
Minor impact from Herb Lore Perk levels
Major impact from settlement accommodation if any (second or third Rest tiers only)
Major impact from taking it slow with the comitatus (spending less MPs before camping)
And most importantly: from medical supplies (item) if you choose to use them
Even without many impacting factors, Companions recover VIT more often than not, except if the natural healing roll is a Critical Failure and in that case can even lose VIT but only until it reaches 1, so Companions can not die but their condition can worsen.
The statuses from the old system still exist, and if a Companion reaches the temporary limit (for example, 60% of Maximum VIT when Wounded), a successful natural healing roll removes the current status and applies the next 'higher' one (for example, a Wounded Companion then becomes Hurt). A Critical Success results in a two-stage jump.
Using Medical supplies provides a huge advantage, as it removes the status even if the Companion has not reached the associated temporary VIT limit. It also increases the chance of status improvement and VIT recovery greatly.
Previously, one full healing required one medical supplies item with a 100% result. Now, there is a chance on the result and hence these healing items can be lost or retained based on a chance with each usage. Normally, this depends on the roll, like treating a Wounded with a success roll has a 10% chance to use up the item, while rolling a fail increases that chance to 20%, and so on.
We implemented the natural healing part already but left the Event heal option in too for the time being, at least until the changes on the Camp UI can be implemented, allowing the players to decide on the usage of medical supplies each time they strike camp. This new system is much better-suited to what we were planning from the beginning, and is also more fair, although healing will be slower and so you'll have to think twice before jumping into combat too soon.
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The New Build is OUT - Patch 0.5.14. - codename: Bandage
Hi Folks,
Our EA release has been an emotional roller coaster on both sides. Most managed to hold on tight, some even got to the finishing line (took them ~50 hrs on average) but there were also many who fell out of the carts. Sorry about that.😬 Know that most of the root causes are bugs and not intended design.
Have we entered EA too early? - we asked ourselves. Well, Yes and No.
In retrospect, parts of the game could have been much better balanced, some critical features should have been added before the release. On the other hand, we did not have enough fresh eyes and those areas were confirmed 'okay' by hundreds of veteran players who played on way harder versions than the current one (survivor bias). Considering that, it is great that we got a new wave of players and learned about those issues, so now we can focus on the right things. Truth be told, if we entered EA a few months later we would have developed a bunch of new stuff and jumped into the same hot water. It will get better, though, promise.👌
Time to dive into the list of immediate fixes we have applied.
Patch 0.5.14 - codename: Bandage
Almost all crash bugs fixed (still chasing one in the companion combat)
A massive number of performance improvements
Chapter 9 autosave added at PotW climax combat sequence
Trade Tasks a bit more profitable
The bug that preventing low-level Trade Tasks generation resolved
Another bug hindering Trade Tasks generation in general fixed
Crew combat strength calculation corrected
Crew combat difficulty introduced slower (The true answer will be 'Flee', though)
Random Crew combat on Point of Interest nodes bug resolved
Scouting into multiple directions costs less Resourcefulness
Scouting Movement Point cost got a little cheaper too
The tax percentage reduced on non-cargo valuables in the generic Road Tax event
Imperial 'wanted criminal' status increases slower but still can get locked out of Tor'Zag
Fixed the issue where companion recruitment events could be repeated
Companion loyalty losses in events and due to game mechanics reduced a bit
The bug that caused permanent Resourcefulness loss resolved (for the future only)
Some wide-screen problems (like chat-heads covering text, etc.) solved
Brand new GFX setting boost performance
V-sync option now properly saved
Music loop time setting added
Corrected the sound balance (it was accidentally heavy on the right channel)
A metric ton of typos and event script errors fixed
Tooltip improvements
'Is Vagrus properly balanced now'? - Nop. 'Is it a step in the right direction?' - We think so. Please let us know how you find it.
From next week we will start to design and implement the Flee option in Crew Combat, also diminishing returns on Evade and Block in Companion combat to stack against RNG better. We are hoping to roll these out too within a few weeks. After delivering those two and some smaller improvements, we plan to focus on bigger tickets, like Faction Rewards, Companion Progression, and more.
Stay tuned, stay alive, conquer the wasteland! The Lost Pilgrims Team
P.s.: We are flooded with messages, bug reports, and improvement ideas sent to us via the various channels so we might not able to respond to everyone but we're trying our best. ✌️
Wanna see the full game released as early as possible with even more content? Please share our pages and posts with your friends through your favorite social media channel(s). Appreciate it!
Vagrus - The Riven Realms enters Early Access here on Steam!
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Thanks to all the insights you have shared with us during Vagrus' Open Access period, the game has grown and improved massively in the last twelve months. We are proud to share that we kick off our Early Access journey with over fifty hours of available content that we look to expand further during our EA period, which is expected to last until the eventual full release sometime in 2021.
We have come very far but if you dive in for the first time and play the current build, please keep in mind that the game is in no way finished yet - see bugs and less polished areas for what they are: potential to make the game even better. Your help by reporting those using our in-game tool (F1) and sharing your experiences on our Discord server (discord.gg/vagrus) will continue to be the key for learning about and prioritizing focus areas in our development process.
Check out our game and if you like it, spread the word, and don’t forget to leave a review on its store page!
Wanna get the game as early as possible with even more content? Please share our pages and posts with your friends through your favorite social media channel(s). Appreciate it!
Vagrus - The Riven Realms: Prologue NOW AVAILABLE on Steam
The time is upon us! As we have previously announced, a permanent version of Vagrus' free Demo has finally landed on Steam today (July 10) following its success on the Steam Summer Event, released as a separate application here on Steam called Vagrus - The Riven Realms: Prologue.
You will probably be pleased to know that this incarnation of the demo has a small set of achievements you can complete, too.
The Prologue is made up of two parts:
The first section of the standalone story 'Pilgrims of the Wasteland', which is also the tutorial of the game.
A taste of the Open-World main campaign with character creation and the first five turns to play.
The Demo has about 2-3 hours of playable content (depending on playstyle), and it is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
To help us and the game, consider writing a review about the Prologue on Steam and recommend the game to your friends!
Please bear in mind that the Prologue is a Demo of an Early Acces game. Some aspects are still being polished. You may find our disclaimer here, and we appreciate you submitting bugs and ideas on this thread here.
We promised that we would bring Vagrus - The Riven Reams to you in Early Access on Steam when we felt the game was ready for it. Today we are proud and exhilarated to announce that the time has come, and now we know the exact date.
Vagrus - The Riven Realms enters Early Access on Steam on July 22, 2020.
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Thanks to all our crowdfunding Alpha backers and our demo testers, Vagrus has grown and improved massively in the last twelve months. We are proud to share that we kick off our Early Access journey with over fifty hours of available content that we look to expand further during our EA period, which is expected to last until the eventual full release sometime in 2021.
We took our time. We have added and improved features that, based on insights from our players, we felt are essential before entering Early Access, but we know that the game is in no way finished yet. We have plans regarding where we would like to end up by the time of the full release, big plans in fact, in terms of content, features, and polish. When you play the current build, keep that in mind - see bugs and less polished areas for what they are: potential to make the game even better. Your help by reporting those using our in-game tool (F1) and sharing your experiences on our Discord server (discord.gg/vagrus) will be essential in identifying and prioritizing focus areas in our development process.
We have compiled a short Q&A about the upcoming release that you might find informative:
Q: How much will the game cost?
A: The base price will be $29.99 with an initial launch discount. We do not have plans currently to increase that for the full release but with all the added content and features, it may happen.
Q: I have already bought my Steam/GOG.com key elsewhere but it says it’s locked. Why?
A: Your key will only become active when we release the game into Early Access, so on July 22. You will be able to access it right away from then on.
Q: How can I help before July 22?
A: Join our Discord community and help us by spreading the news about the upcoming Early Access release so that we can reach more people and learn about their player experience, which we can make the best use of during this EA period.
A: After the success of our Demo during the Steam Summer Festival, we decided to make that free demo available for players in the long run so they could get a sense of Vagrus and see if it was their cup of tea. We wholeheartedly encourage you to try the free Prologue demo when it comes out to help you with your purchase decision.
Wanna get the game as early as possible with even more content? Please share our pages and posts with your friends through your favorite social media channel(s). Appreciate it!
The demo of Vagrus is more story-driven so we would not want to spoil it for you, however, our dear friend, Nookrium agreed to stream the open-world part for you. Enjoy!
He will be in fact looking to meet himself in the game as we love his indie game videos so much that we decided to use his likeness for a non-player character (NPC) portraits.
Steam Summer Festival Demo Available
The time is upon us! As we have previously announced, new versions of Vagrus'free Demo are coming to Steam.
There are going to be two iterations of the Demo on Steam:
Up until and during the the Steam Game Festival, the Demo is downloadable from the Summer Festival Page (any only from there).
As the event ends, Steam will automatically remove the Demo for users' libraries. Fret not though, the demo will continue to exist in the form of a separate Prologue app. It will be available here not long after the Game Festival, releasing on July 10. The Prologue will also include a set of achievements.
Both both cases the The Demo will be available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Interested in the setting of Vagrus - the Riven Realms and want to understand more about the strategic aspects of the game? Or have a question regarding development or the team?
Ask Us Anything on our Vagrus discord starting 11 AM EST (5 PM EU).
Wanna get the game as early as possible with even more content? Please share our pages and posts with your friends through your favorite social media channel(s). Appreciate it!
Interested in the setting of Vagrus, the Riven Realms? Want to understand more about the strategic aspects of the game? Have a question regarding development or the team?
Ask Us Anything on our Vagrus discord starting 11 AM EST (5 PM EU).
To streamline the discussion and make it easier to follow, we'll set up a separate channel where only devs can chat.
Do not have questions yet? Try the demo of Vagrus - The Riven Realms for FREE during the Summer Edition of Steam's Game Festival.
Devlog #34 | Trade Tasks (Game Design Post)
According to players currently testing the open-world, it is hard to make a living as an independent comitatus in the Empire. That was an intended design choice, because almost all the trade is controlled by factions on the continent, be they Trading Houses, religious organizations or criminals. With their Imperial trading monopoly licenses or their raw negotiating power, factions buy and sell at significantly better prices. With that in mind, we have planned to include a Task-system from the beginning and we are now getting closer and closer to implementing it.
What we call Tasks now in Vagrus are essentially procedurally-generated contracts offered by factions. If you fulfill the Task, you get rewards and reputation with these factions. At this time, we are concentrating solely on Trade Tasks, though there are going to be other types later on.
The main goal of the Task system is to allow players to ease into the open-world part without having to have an extensive meta-knowledge of what can be bought or sold for a good profit in the different parts of the Empire. While completing these Tasks for a fixed commission, players also earn reputation with factions, gaining access to higher tier Tasks, better market prices, and one-time rewards.
The design considerations and building blocks we are using for Trade Tasks are as follows:
Many Tasks have a time-limit to complete.
Early delivery increases your reputation reward.
If you failed to deliver in time, you lose reputation. It does not matter if you just tarried too long, lost the goods due to unfortunately circumstances, or sold it elsewhere like a true swindler. To make it less appealing, you lose significantly more reputation than you would have gained, and can not get a new Task from the given faction until you either complete the delivery or pay for the 'lost' goods.
There is a limit to how many Tasks you can accept at any given time (though if it is in general or per faction is yet to be decided).
Parameters for Tasks (like destination, cargo type, etc) are generated procedurally, though typically within certain boundaries depending on the faction that offers it.
Tasks are intended to be expanded in future milestones with Mercenary and Exploration type commissions, too. This milestone is to lay the foundation for those as well. We are hyped as a Jhakra in heat by the prospect of adding this feature set to the game, as we think it'll make it much, much deeper and provide a ton of things to do for players. What do you think?
Wanna get the game as early as possible with even more content? Please share our pages and posts with your friends through your favorite social media channel(s). Appreciate it!
Grand News - Vagrus Demo is coming to Steam Summer Festival
TL;DR: Vargus has been selected by Valve for the upcoming Summer Edition of the Steam Game Festival.
The Summer Festival is an online event between June 9 and 14, during which Steam promotes demos on its main page. It's a huge opportunity for a small developer studio like us: we can show our game to a wider audience, not to mention the chance of it being covered by press and other content creators. So you can imagine that we are really excited to be part of this event.
Now, let us see all the things that happened recently around the game in a little more detail.
The First Month After Open-World
It's hard to believe that we are the end of May already. The first month after revealing the Open-World campaign of Vagrus has been both amazing and exhausting beyond what we expected. We have received tons of feedback; some of you played the game for over a hundred hours. Based on that, we worked hard to patch out a large number of bugs and event script errors, as well as adding some quality of life improvements.
Milestone Changes
Most importantly and based on our players' insights, we re-prioritized our development milestones to ease the early game learning curve, which proved to be too steep for a lot of new players. Then, once we finished the combat AI improvements, we started working on Tasks. You can read about those two here (Combat AI) and here (Tasks).
Demo on Steam
Parallel to Tasks and developing content for the next large region to be added, we started to make preparations for our eventual Steam Early Access release and - as an important in-between step - for the release of our Demo on Steam. Turns our it was a good investment of our time as it was picked up by Valve for the festival!
The three main reasons why we believe publishing a Demo is a good idea:
We get a 'temperature check' on how the current level of polish sits with our future players
We can refine the messaging (if needed)
It generates hype
And uhm... buy some time so we can finish implementing the Task system in the background
What do these mean in practical terms? After we release the Demo, players will have the chance to provide feedback on it - what they liked and what they hated; and a lot in between. What captured their imagination and what felt lacking. There is no game that ticks all the boxes for everyone, we know that. We also know that it is better to have a game that some people feel passionate about rather than one most players classify as 'okay'. Nevertheless, it is important to dig into those reviews to understand whether it was a genuine problem that we do want to address, or a mismatch in expectation with what a certain player had. In the case of the first, we have the chance to make changes in the game before we release it into Early Access, while for the second, we need to tweak our messaging to avoid, or at least minimize, such mismatches.
Then there is of course the wish to generate hype. People playing the Demo will - fingers crossed - feel passionate about the game and sign up to be notified when it comes out, or even decide to support the development via our currently running crowdfunding campaign.
So in conclusion, we hope you check out the Demo at the Summer Festival if you haven't already elsewhere, and let us know what you think!
