Massive Combat AI Update & Clashing & More Combat Animations & Survival Tweaks
Vikings!
This update brings noticeable improvements to the combat, making it more fun in many aspects. AI warriors' behavior has reached a new level, a new type of blocking has arrived, parrying finally has a tangible rhythm, there is more diversity in animations, and much more. Of course, we have Survival improvements today too.
With this update, we finish the current combat roadmap milestone, and in the following updates, we will be focusing on content and Survival additions.
Let's take a look!
Clashes & Comfortable Parrying
Our stance system requires holding the attack button (LMB), which isn't always comfortable for switching to the block button (RMB). To make things easier and more satisfying, we've added a new feature.
Now, weapons can clash when they touch, and it's enough to hold the stance to be able to clash. Simply hold the attack button, adjust the weapon position to the enemy attack, and if weapons touch, you're parrying that attack.
This way allows you to maintain the stance from which you can make faster attacks.
Blocking is still more defensive, as it covers a larger blocking zone.
Also improved parrying hit impact animations, as well as its overall feel and effects.
AI Movement Update
AI warriors now move in a more interesting manner that complements the overall combat.
They don't approach you in a straight line. Instead, they move to one side, then the other, step back, and so on. They try to get around you to land an attack.
When there are multiple enemies, they also don't approach from one direction in synchrony. Instead, they try to surround you and come from different sides. Chasing is also not just a straight line, reducing the chances of enemies hitting each other.
The way AI warriors keep their distance has changed. They can still come really close but will try to maintain a certain distance and step back when necessary.
AI warriors no longer attack the air while walking from afar as they sometimes did. Their attack timings are smarter now.
They are better at chasing and will start sprinting to reach you.
Parry Rhythm
Achieved parry rhythm thanks to a combination of adjustments.
The new parrying logic of AI and movement with proper positioning plays a significant role, allowing for easier contact with your opponent (reducing air swinging).
Riposte has been sped up a bit, and the blocking zone is now bigger.
In multiplayer PvP you can feel the improvement too.
AI Taunts & Body Animations
AI warriors now perform body-bending movements as if they were players aiming up, down, and sideways.
Additionally, they execute additional actions mid-fight to add diversity and fun. They taunt, crouch, and perform unexpected movements.
More Combat Animations Update
Added more combat animations to make them more fluid and diverse for different weapon types.
Adjusted animation angle precision. It's now more likely that the attack will align with the cursor.
The addition of physics has made attacks less precise, which was particularly noticeable with the fist jab when it veered sideways. However, it has now been adjusted to maintain both physics and direction.
Click Attack Improvement
Improved click attacks with a subsystem that will start an attack after recovery even if you clicked during the attack (in a short window close to its end). It decreases the urge to spam click and stimulates more thoughtful attacks.
Adjusted timings for the attack recovery beginning.
Fixed targeting in some cases interferes with click attack direction tracking.
Physics Improvement
Improved active combat physics, making it less jelly-wobbly and more forceful.
Fixed issue of character body jumping up too much after playing death animation when transitioning to ragdoll.
Enhanced dead ragdoll falling.
Other Combat Improvements
Made stamina bar more visible.
Made enemy health bar and name more visible.
Increased stamina regeneration speed.
Made holding block not drain stamina.
Increased weapon durability, as battles now will have more clashes and parries that damage your weapon.
Made the cursor automatically go to the middle after the attack finishes while holding stance.
Decreased camera targeting jittering when there are many enemies around.
Made aim tracking skip friendly hired warriors.
Made shield nonstance idle more open to attacks.
Fixed bow kick animation not playing correctly.
Improved hand-to-hand combat sounds.
Fixed stab attack with shield not causing a hit.
Fixed Mjolnjr throw sometimes leaving enemies running in place.
Fixed AI shield warriors not equipping shields in certain cases.
Improvements To Combat Modes
Visually improved Path to the Gate (tutorial / future intro) with better dynamic environment switching and a more visible leading point. Also added a not limited slow-motion feature that changes the environment (activated with the B key).
Improved UI, added the highest score and remaining points needed to reach the Gate.
Balanced enemies on the path, it's now easier to complete.
Added traders along the path where you can buy bandages and weapons for the loot you've collected.
Added an option to hire warriors to help reach the end.
Adjusted tutorial notifications.
Introduced a new raven animation at the beginning.
Included bows and targets in the tutorial section.
In multiplayer Deathmatch, made that one bot disappear if there are 2+ players.
Fixed characters walking higher than the Arena ground and resolved some other collision issues.
Fixed instances of enemies sometimes spawning in the air at the Arena.
Enhanced post-effects in the Northern lights.
Changed the third option of the enemies in Deathmatch to 3 archers for Arena and 6 melee fighters for Northern lights.
Fixed issues with Deathmatch AI, including randomly stopping movement and other behavioral problems. Previously, Deathmatch combat AI was less intelligent compared to others. Now it utilizes the same boosted AI.
Survival Improvements
Made it possible to chop trees with the timber axe by just holding the attack button for comfort.
Improved tree falling to be more weighted and realistic.
Made it possible to get wood from hitting trees with fists, weird, but helpful and kind of fun.
Added bandages drop chance for the enemy warriors' inventory to loot.
Added more flax and branches around the map.
Fixed a rare issue of Survival mode and Tutorial not launching from the Singleplayer menu.
Fixed the bug of Build and Craft buttons becoming incorrectly unavailable.
Added hover UI for trader and hiring warriors.
Made it impossible to accidentally place objects while in the build menu.
Fixed the character not leaving attack stance in Co-op.
Fixed incorrect Raven Sword size.
Fixed the issue of invisible attackers and enemies spawning under your buildings.
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We hope you enjoy this update!
In this update, we have completely overhauled archery, introduced an additional new system for combat to make it more enjoyable, made many improvements to Survival based on player feedback, and fixed priority bugs.
Let's take a look!
Archery Overhaul
Updated all bow animations for both first and third person views. Improved its locomotion and transitions.
After considering a lot of feedback, added a specific crosshair animation that plays along the string-pulling process and then disappears shortly after.
Made bow zoom attached to string pulling, right mouse button zooms and pulls. Reworked zooming to be smooth and effective.
Added a pulling time limit before autocancellation.
Added directional bow melee attacks. Choose a direction and use the mouse wheel forward/backward. You can even hit with your head (swing up and scroll the mouse wheel down).
Added dodges with the bow in different directions.
Improved shooting, arrow flight, and arrow hit sounds.
Fixed bow animations not changing after unequip and UI not removing.
Fixed bow and hands jittering when walking.
Removed movement slowdown when using the bow.
Fixed bow physics issues after equipping before the first shot.
Increased bow damage and adjusted how hitting different body parts causes damage.
Improved how pulling duration and shooting distance change damage.
Made deer and wolves killable by headshot.
Increased AI arrow dodge chance.
AI shooting is more accurate at longer distances but with a lower headshot chance.
Combat Improvements
Improved physics and weightiness, bodies collide more realistically, and the hits feel more weighted.
Made it possible to just click to block for a second instead of only holding down the block button.
Adjusted running accelerations during unarmed state to allow for more precise movement.
Combat Targeting
Added a system that helps in targeting enemies smoothly during stance mode and attacking.
It activates only when holding the attack button. While you hold it, the camera will smoothly adjust to keep your enemy in view.
You can still attack without it. Also, it can be fully deactivated in the Control Settings.
We welcome your thoughts on it after giving it a try.
Additional Settings
Added No Combat Blur option, this allows you to turn off the depth of field effect (blur) during attacks.
Added No Interface option.
Added Motion Blur setting.
Trees & Chopping Update
Added tree fall damage. Trees can now kill you.
Made trees not go through the ground but fall on it, added falling VFX, additional sound, and shake.
Increased delay before trees disappear.
Thin trees now give less wood than thick ones.
Removed screams during tree chopping.
Improved sounds of hits during chopping.
Improved timberaxe hit collision and physics.
Pickup Improvements
Made pickup instant.
Improved tracing for easier aiming, now it's easier to pick up, noticeable improvement for the 3rd person view.
Fixed pickup issues for clients in co-op.
Fixed Bug Mixing Workstation Items
Fixed the issues causing items from one workstation, like the furnace, to be visible during processes in another one, such as the campfire. Items no longer mix in co-op either.
Other Fixes
Fixed bots on the island not attacking.
Fixed falling under the Norse Lights map and adjusted some visual holes in it.
Made Shift + LMB move items stuck in inventory, in addition to RMB.
Addressed attacks stopping while performing, leaving only hand movement. This issue is hard to fully track, we think there is a chance it could still happen, please let us know if this is the case.
Survival Balancing
Lowered costs of many building elements that require wood to make it easier to build with.
Added more mushrooms around the map.
Increased Timberman axe durability.
Increased Raven sword durability.
Fixed pickaxe durability not working.
Stamina Balancing
Increased delay before the last drain and started stamina regeneration.
Speeded up stamina regeneration significantly, making running across the map easier.
Thank you guys for sharing feedback. We hope you enjoy this update!
Skål! Blackrose Arts
Hotfix - Addressing Object Placement In Water
Greetings!
The latest patch had a bug related to placing objects in water. This is why you may have encountered issues with fishing trap placement. This small patch resolves the problem.
In today's update, we have added Survival Co-Op, which allows you to play together with your Steam friends.
This is an early version of co-op. As you may know, it's a further point on the roadmap, however, we decided to add it earlier because it was a very popular request from players.
Sometimes, we touch upon certain elements from future points of the roadmap, which might be a bit confusing. To clarify, we are currently approaching the 3rd point of the roadmap. These 2 are big, especially the combat upgrade. We are finishing them while simultaneously adding and fixing many things based on player feedback, and preparing something special for the 3rd point.
There are bugs to fix and additional co-op features that we will add later. We welcome your feedback on it during the process.
Let's take a look!
Survival Co-Op
There is a new Survival menu available in the Multiplayer tab. You can choose the save you would like to use to host. Then your friend can see your server in the Join tab and connect.
At the moment, there is no strict player amount limit. Of course, more players will put more strain on the server, but you can try with as many as you want. This is for testing purposes, later, we will set an optimal number.
You can also fight each other, loot, and destroy buildings if you want.
We've already fixed a huge number of Survival multiplayer bugs, but there are still some remaining. Hiring warriors has some issues, and ships don't work in co-op yet. We will address these problems.
To avoid issues with saving, in this patch, it is recommended that the client (someone who is connected to the host) exits the game first, followed by the host shutting it down.
Extended Combat Tutorial
Added more information to the combat tutorial and an enemy to fight in the process. We will be adding more things to it from time to time.
Intro WIP
We keep working on it, its fuller demonstration will be in the next update. Here are the gates you reach after you finish the path by following voices.
The issues with voices' sound position not being heard understandably and the issue with the sound stopping have been fixed. Fixed music not muting.
Animation Improvements
Updated one-handed weapon idle and movement animations (improved walk, run, jump).
Resolved issue with AI running animation slowdown.
Enhanced inverse kinematics to apply animations more naturally and reduce excessive stretching of body joints.
Faster Attack From Stance
You attack faster from the stance as you are already partially in wind-up when you move the mouse in this state.
Important Combat Fixes
Fixed helmet blocks its own character's attacks.
Fixed a bug where riposte was not working when holding the attack.
Fixed a visual effects particle issue with the huge shield bash.
Fixed some weapons not triggering death animations.
Fixed a bug where the character capsule collision would not disappear after death animations. This issue was also causing slight lag in multiplayer near the dead player, which has been fixed.
Combat Improvements
Updated the way AI maintains distance, should provide you with more space.
Increased the speed of unarmed movement compared to armed.
Changed the fists key (X by default) to toggle off too instead of only toggling them on.
Deathmatch bots now occasionally switch to using shields.
Damage Post-Effects Update
Changed how low health and damage receiving post-processes work. They should now be much clearer and less confusing.
Character Physics Improvement
Improved body physics with world collisions, the character can now pass through obstacles where it would previously get stuck. Check out how the body bends.
Resolved issues with flax and other elements that were affecting character physics in strange ways.
Menu Updates
Fixed Escape key in Audio settings discarding edits.
Fixed Ambient sound reset issue.
Fixed a button in the main menu not working in certain cases and updated the positions of the modes.
Fixed a bug in the main menu unexpectedly returning to the main screen.
Fixed Reconnection
Fixed an issue where sometimes the game couldn't reconnect to a restarted server without restarting the game.
Survival Improvements
Fixed hammer does not always destroy/repair objects due to physics.
Added the possibility to repair all objects.
Changed repair costs to 0.
Reduced crafting times.
Fixed a small hole in the pond.
Fixed player character's eyes not being visible.
Resolved a game crash related to a specific map area.
Improved the realism of grass bending.
Added a new one-handed battle axe for crafting, which is more durable and deals nice damage.
Ship Fixes
Fixed the recent issue of ships getting stuck and resolved border collisions that were affecting sailing.
Increased the maximum sailing speed by 30%.
Thank you guys for sharing feedback. We hope you enjoy this update!
Skål! Blackrose Arts
Hotfix - Addressing Animal Death Issues
The new physics in the latest patch introduced a few bugs for animals. This minor patch addresses problems such as animals dying without allowing looting and ragdoll-related issues.
Skål! Blackrose Arts
Big Combat Update & Directional Shield & Berserker State & Survival Additions
Vikings!
Today, we have a big combat update and various Survival improvements.
There are many GIFs here, it might take some time to load.
Let's take a look!
Combat Control Update
The combat control undergoes another set of adjustments as we continue tuning it to become the best it can be. This round of adjustments is deeper than most of the previous ones and may require some playstyle adaptation.
It introduces numerous little subsystems that modify turn caps and camera smoothness during a fight, making holding control tighter and more focused while still allowing for broad swings and easier attacks.
We've updated inverse kinematics to provide more fluidity and responsive control to the player. The precision of cursor control during a swinging state is significantly higher, and the hand moves to the desired point more quickly.
Additionally, there are more stabilized camera movements, adjusted block animations and their inverse kinematics, and the addition of stance control to Mjolnir.
Directional Shield Block
Combat with a shield has received new idle, walk, blocking, and stance system animations.
Blocking with a shield is now directional. Based on your mouse direction, you can choose which side you want to block.
This addition introduces a new layer to the gameplay that is more complex yet intuitive.
Animal Combat Update
Animals can now dodge, attack more actively, and react to hits based on their body parts.
Improved their AI for more interesting fights.
AI Combat Update
AI warriors maintain distance better, block faster, and move more realistically.
They can now dodge both backward and forward for close attacks.
Arrow dodging has been reduced.
Better Blood & Camera Effects
Improved blood and wound effects.
Blood on the screen starts appearing when health is slightly lower than before.
Fixed issues with incorrect changes to dynamic depth of field during combat.
Helmets Actual Collision
Added a helmet collision that you can actually hit during the fight.
Faster Riposte
The transition into riposte is now faster, making it more useful.
Dramatic Death
Fixed issues and reintroduced death animations. Now, there's a chance that your defeated enemy will crawl and beg for mercy instead of simply falling as a ragdoll.
Ragdoll Update
Ragdolls have become weightier, walking over or hitting them doesn't send them far away. The same applies to animals.
Additionally, ragdoll bendings have been tweaked to be more realistic. Updated weapon impulses.
Berserker State
We already had that effect in the Battle Arena, however, now it has become an actual game mechanic, for all modes.
Runes under the health bar are filled when you perform a kill or a block. This is a rage bar. When fully filled, you can activate the Berserker ability and initiate a special power effect with changing slow motion.
It allows for easier facing multiple enemies at once. Additionally, it feels satisfying when used at the right timing. Slow motion works only in single-player mode and provides the opportunity for more successful fights as you learn combat.
Press the V key by default.
Kick Improvements
Fixed excessive hand shaking when ragdolled.
Added a delay so the character lies down before getting up.
Getting up after a kick no longer appears to result in getting stuck underground, but more tests are needed for this.
Auto-add Weapons In Battle Arena
Different weapons will appear in your inventory automatically after certain waves.
The delay before starting a new wave has been increased to allow time for picking up items and preparation.
Additionally, the shield on the rock in the arena can now be picked up.
Fixed Combat Crash
Fixed a game crash that occurred in certain cases upon landing a hit.
Customized Pause Menu Per Game Mode
Certain options have been removed from the pause menu in specific game modes as they are not relevant to them. This also eliminates the possibility of accidentally clearing Survival saves from other modes.
Scattered Branches And Stones
Added branches and stones around the map for gathering, providing assistance in the early game or when needed by hand, for example, after an axe has broken.
Better Gathering & Picking up
Added gathering resources animation.
Updated resource collection holding times to make the process more pleasant.
Added sounds for pick up. Improved dropped item physics.
Footsteps Sounds Update
New grass footsteps sounds have been added to enhance the satisfaction of walking.
Beehive & Honey
Added a new building object Beehive.
To create it, you need a Queen Bee, which can be purchased from a trader. After some time, honey will appear, and it can be consumed.
Well & Seawater
Added a well - a new source of fresh water, so you don't have to live near the lake to have access to it.
Added a seawater notification to eliminate confusion about which water is drinkable.
Fixed Resource Respawn
Some important resources, such as iron ore and flax, were not respawning correctly. Now, each resource respawns correctly within its own timing.
Fixed Broken Shaders
The last patch had some materials broken and grayed out in the game, fixed.
Other Changes
Replaced 3 melee & 2 archers with 5 melee in Deathmatch options.
Fixed character collisions that were pushing each other in a strange way in certain cases.
Fixed the cooking types issue that was allowing hides to be cooked.
Improved the UI for moving items.
Slightly improved walking animations for one-handed weapons.
Survival Tweaks
Increased Timberaxe durability.
Added more flax to the map.
Reduced the frequency of rain and thunderstorms.
Increased the time for fish to appear in the fishing trap.
Decreased the costs of stone building elements.
Made minor map improvements, adjusted physical materials, added more decorations around the trader.
Thank you guys for sharing feedback. We hope you enjoy this update!
A patch with various gameplay improvements and new content has arrived. In this update, we have many GIFs, which might take some time to load.
Let's take a look!
New Crafting Chains & Items
We've added new items such as twine, gold, hides, leather, and updated the recipes for crafting and building.
For instance, gold is necessary for crafting a new gilded shield and a gilded two-handed axe. Twine can be used for building new objects such as an archery target.
You can obtain hides from animals and then create leather from them by using a tanning rack.
Trading
Added trading and a trader, which you can find marked on the compass.
You can use gold coins from raids to buy various resources. Additionally, you can sell them, for example, hunt and sell hides for coins.
Changed Roof Placement
The roof placement issues have been resolved, now you can easily swap its orientation like this.
New Building Elements
Added new building elements: stakes, archery target, hanging rack, long table, wooden throne, tannery rack, and round table.
The objects can be placed indoors and outdoors.
Changed the fireplace and addressed its placement issues. Also, corrected the incorrect orientation of the window wall.
Iron & Other Balance
Now you can get much more iron from smelting iron ore – it takes 30 seconds for 2 iron ore to become 1 iron. The maximum stack is set to 10 for ore.
Added more flax to the map.
Fixed an issue with the two-handed axe cutting down trees too quickly.
UI Improvements
Made UI improvements with updated icons and more understandable notifications.
Music Loop Fix
Fixed music in Survival, looping non-stop. Added a bigger change delay. More music will be added later.
Survival Landscape Adjustments
Flattened landscape near the lake. Connected certain fjords. Work in progress.
Survival Warrior AI Update
Instead of roaming randomly in the woods, they are now concentrated around the camps.
Now they can search for you within a certain radius near the camp.
They return to the camp if you successfully run far enough away.
Deer Tweaks
Improved deer AI, they run farther away and then start walking instead of staring at you. They may still stare for a bit when you come closer, this staring period might become shorter.
Better Sprinting
Improved sprinting animations, added a slight post-process, and adjusted the sprinting camera position.
Attacking Control Adjustments
We have further adjusted the attacking controls, incorporating the received feedback. Updated dynamic turn caps. Camera movement during stances mode / attack holding is much slower now, while control intensity is increased, and when released the movement is faster.
It's a tangible change and may take some time to adjust to playing with it, however, it should be more satisfying and allow for more effective fighting.
Important Block Update
Blocking has become much better in this patch, as the issue causing artificial delays and preventing quick consecutive block inputs has been resolved.
This addresses the frustration of unintuitively missed blocks and allows for more effective usage.
This brings significant benefits to multiplayer, especially considering that the delay was more pronounced there.
Stamina Recovery Update
When you fight a few enemies at once, stamina drains quickly, and it's bad when you don't have any opportunity to fight back at that moment.
We have addressed this in a specific way: now you receive a stamina boost after each successfully blocked hit. However, constant stamina draining is slightly increased when you are holding the block.
This adjustment provides you with a better chance to actively fight multiple warriors at once and emerge victorious.
Camera Shake & Effect Update
Adjusted default attacking camera shakes to be more stable.
Added dynamic camera shakes when hitting an enemy.
Additionally, with these shakes, we incorporated some camera effects to make the hits feel more impactful.
Kick Improvements
Fixed the issue with hitting invisible walls. Getting up after a fall shouldn't bug characters. Additionally, increased the kick impulse for ragdolls.
Resolved the kick animation problem when holding a bow and made adjustments to the first-person bow pulling animation.
Dual Wield Control Update
The issue of incorrect second-hand attacks has been resolved with the updated control. Now, the second hand always attacks upon a special attack press.
The second hand isn't controlled with mouse movement mid-flight like the first hand, instead, it functions as an additional hand.
The speed of dual-wield attack animations has been adjusted to be more effective in combat.
Today's patch brings tangible combat improvements and addresses the latest feedback in various aspects. For the next update, we are preparing new Survival content, crafting elements, a trading system, and more.
Let's take a look!
Combat Control Update
First of all, the click-attack remains and is incorporated into the updated system.
Simultaneously, it allows you to hold the attack button to enter a controlled stance mode and perform attacks in a manner we were testing before, but improved.
As you move the cursor, it controls both stances blending and inverse kinematics. When you move it a certain radius, you perform an attack in the corresponding direction, and aim at your target. It's akin to swinging with your mouse or drawing an attack.
Dynamic Turn Caps
We updated the turn caps to make the combat more controllable and weightier.
Different actions activate different turn caps. When holding the attack button while entering stance mode, it's one turn cap, when the attack in this mode begins, it's another. When attacking by clicking, it's also a different turn cap.
The goal is to make it easier to aim, track enemies, and land attacks without excessive camera movement.
It also makes special attacks easier to perform accurately, and chopping becomes a more satisfying process.
Improved Accuracy In Attack Angles
The attack angle is now being tracked more accurately, so you may notice that the performed attacks align more closely with your desired direction, especially when holding down the attack button.
Block Update
Now it's possible to activate the block almost instantly. Keep in mind that it doesn't activate when you are in a hit reaction. When it allows you to block, your task is to choose the direction correctly, which is quite intuitive when you try to aim at the attacking blade.
The block animations have been adjusted and new angles have been added, making it more diverse. This also allows and requires better precision.
Archery Update
Increased arrow damage and headshot damage multiplier.
Slowed arrow flying speed, now, it and its trace are more visible in flight.
Improved string pullback - feels more satisfying.
Improved Ragdolls
Added ragdoll bleeding on hit.
Viking ragdolls are now more stable, still not perfect, but they are no longer thrown far away when walked over. They fall more naturally after a death hit.
Animal ragdolls have also been adjusted, they will need more work as they can still be thrown in certain cases, but the jittering has been significantly reduced.
Solo Deathmatch Options
Added first options allowing the selection of enemies for single-player Deathmatch: 1 melee, 3 melee, 3 melee & 2 archers.
Also, added a slow-motion option in single-player Deathmatch – hold the T button.
Resource Balance
Decreased the wood amount obtained from hitting trees. Ensured a more accurate proportion between big and small trees. Smaller trees will no longer fall from two hits.
Decreased the amount of iron obtained from hitting ore.
Increased the amount of stone acquired from hitting rocks.
Increased the quantity of meat and fat obtained from each animal.
Tree Chopping Update
Added noticeable tree shakes on hit.
Fixed holes under the trees. Some got roots.
Max wood stack is set to 100.
Fixed issues with some actions, such as dodge, not working with the timber axe.
Karvi Improvements
The ship is now faster, easier to rotate, and shouldn't bend too much when rotating.
Weather Probabilities
Tweaked further for a sunnier summer, less rain and more clouds during autumn.
Addressed Deer Issues
Adjusted it's chasing distance, so the deer should stalk you less now, just drive it away, if it's still annoying, let us know.
Adjusted its footsteps sounds and reduced attenuation.
Repositioned deer around the map and slightly reduced their numbers.
Fixed Animals Hitting Invisible Collisions
The issue of an animal biting or hitting an invisible wall in front of it has been fixed.
Thank you for sharing feedback, we hope you enjoy this update!
Today's patch introduces enhancements across various aspects of the game, ranging from combat mechanics to the way weather temperature changes. Let's delve into the details!
Winter Update
The transition to winter season now works correctly, as the issues that previously hindered it have been resolved.
Snow levels are now directly linked to the trees and grass, so you will observe them gradually getting covered when it snows.
The same applies to wind intensity, during blizzards, the foliage shakes under the pressure.
The temperature during winter is colder now, so make sure you have places to warm up. The way the walls of your house dynamically block the wind sounds gives a really comfy feeling.
Animal Update & Deer
Added deer with AI behavior that doesn't make them easy prey.
They spot you from a distance, and you can see them looking from side to side at that moment. When you get closer, they run quite fast.
Overall, encounters with animals have now increased.
The item drop for animals have been adjusted to balance them.
Global Lighting Update
We had many of them before, but this one is quite significant. As some players mentioned earlier, the shadows were too dark in certain places, and this was part of a larger issue that made the shadows inaccurate in other aspects too. This problem has now been fixed, and in general, the Survival map looks more beautiful.
Indirect lighting has also been improved, so the interior looks better, especially with Lumen.
The skylight's color changes during different weather have become more pleasant.
Additionally, nights have become significantly brighter.
Weather Update
Weather possibilities were altered for different seasons. We received feedback regarding frequent rain, now it should occur less often during summer. Thunderstorms will happen more frequently than before as they were rare.
The weather changes have become more dynamic, introducing additional intermediate states.
Fog levels have been made more organic across different weather conditions.
The various types of weather adjust the wind intensity differently, causing trees to visibly sway in response.
Balancing Attack Animation Timing
We keep adjusting it to balance and find sweet spots. This patch should feel much better than the previous one. As always, we welcome your feedback.
IK & Stance System Smoothness
Finally achieving optimal smoothness that doesn't look weird but works well during combat. We know the stance system gave a twitchy feel to some players when it was introduced, but it has been improved. We also adjusted the angles of some animations to make it feel more enjoyable.
Bow Damage Adjustments
Arrows cause more damage. Headshot damage scaling has also been slightly increased.
Item Durability Adjustments
Changed the durability parameters of weapons and tools. For example, the basic sword breaks much faster than the raven sword.
The wood cutting axe now has durability, which it didn't have before.
Fixed the issue of weapons flying in the air after their destruction.
Survival Improvements
A two-handed axe can now also chop down trees.
Adjusted the spawn rate of enemies' pocket items.
Fixed flying trees, sorry for the reoccurrence in the previous patch.
Made landscape improvements and fixed bugged collisions on the map.
Changed the scary sounds when a lootable item disappears.
Reduced Frequency of Raids in Early Game
Based on feedback, we have rearranged the waves of settlement raids to make it easier during the first few days. The raiders specifically targeting players will now come less frequently too. Let us know if it feels too rare.
Easier Enemy AI in Survival
In Survival, the enemies become easier to fight. Those that attack in groups have balanced health points.
Pickup Animation
Added an animation for picking up items.
Battle Arena Wave Adjustments
The Battle Arena waves are now more diverse and scale earlier, offering a more saturated experience.
Mjolnir Now Granted on the 6th Wave
It's now easier to reach Mjolnir, it appears in your inventory on the 6th wave instead of the 10th.
We hope you enjoy this update!
Skål! Blackrose Arts
New Island & Sailing Quest & Combat Improvements & Survival Adjustments
Vikings!
We keep updating the Survival map in various ways to prepare for the previously mentioned plans.
Improved the combat system, addressed the overly fast windup issue, updated movement, continue to enhance the overall gameplay experience, and made feedback-based changes to the Survival elements.
This update has a larger filesize than usual, as it includes components that will also be part of future updates.
Here is what today's patch brings!
New Island & Survival Map Updates
Added an island where players can sail and raid in Survival.
Enhanced realism of mountain material in specific locations. Implemented landscape improvements for a more natural appearance. Reduced the steepness of the initial area. Added the first Yggdrasil branch. Incorporated more animated fog.
Quests Updates
Added a sailing island raiding quest with a rare weapon to be picked up.
Updated several existing quests with more direct tasks.
Fixed an invalid marker in the camp raid quest.
Windup Animation Update
Adjusted attack animations to increase their windup period.
We received feedback that the reaction time was insufficient and are working on improving the overall fight dynamics. For instance, the forward stab used to be an almost instant attack, but now there's a brief moment to anticipate the attack and react. We would appreciate your thoughts on how it feels now.
Stances System Tweaks
Adjusted the stance system blending and made it return to idle earlier. It changes faster now and should feel more organic during combat, let us know if you have any feedback on this.
More Open Shield Warriors
Now it's easier to land hits on enemies with shields. Their animations have been updated to be more open in certain cases, while actual blocking remains just as effective.
Bow Zoom & FPP Animation Adjustments
Normalized bow focus zoom, it was indeed weird.
Fixed first-person perspective animation issues with the bow.
Movement Improvements
Slightly updated animations and their playback rates contribute to a more natural movement. It's still far from perfect, but it's already better.
When walking with a weapon, there are more satisfying inverse kinematics controls.
Survival Elements Adjustments
Added more iron ore across the map.
Made additional tweaks to fall damage.
Fixed water sound issues.
Implemented minor updates to the UI.
Updated the crafting recipe for Karvi.
Increased character swimming speed.
Karvi Control Adjustments
Karvi has received updated parameters for its different states and should now be easier to control.
We appreciate your feedback and hope you enjoy this update!
