We are developing the core mechanics required for the different game modes while continuing to test new features in certain modes that have enough playability with their complex and current amount. This method helps a lot because it allows to build the global systems correctly, get more feedback in the process, tune them with testers and avoid extra reworks in the future.
It is worth noting that each next mode that enters testing receives many elements from the previous one. For example, the next testing mode is Survival. Then Battle Royale, etc. Our Viking BR includes gameplay aspects of Survival as well as its environmental stuff (animals, weather, biomes, etc.). Just like BR contains content from Loki's maze Deathmatch (rune stones activation, a dynamic maze, and others).
We are getting closer and closer to the complex unusual experience that evolves from medieval slasher-BR and survival. First, we finish the preparations, like ships and other coming elements. Your feedback in the future tests will be essential.
Meanwhile, today's patch brings:
New wild animals - wolves and deer
For wolves was also added new dodge logic, as well as retreat logic for deer. Their animations and logic will continue improving during development.
AI logic upgrade
Bots no longer disappear after you die (survival mode). They begin to patrol the area near the body of the player's character.
Changed spawn points for mostly all wild animals & markers
They are now grouped in different locations, with only a few individual animals crossing the map. These are the places (lairs) marked with a marker on the compass when you approach them at a certain distance.
Added watch towers to build
On the one hand, they can provide you with additional advantages in defending your position. On the other hand, do not forget that the bot can destroy them with fire arrows, and then you will fall
Improved logic of raid bots and some fixes for existing ones
Raid bots now correctly detect the state of the player's position (inside or outside in player-created buildings). If the player is inside, the archers will switch from a simple arrow to a fiery one and attack you with fiery arrows.
In addition, their spawn logic has been improved to more successfully reach the player.
The parameters responsible for thirst, hunger, cold and damage received from them have been balanced. The stamina loss was also balanced.
Since the last update, we've received feedback on the weather being too harsh. All parameters have been balanced to improve gameplay.
Improved animal movement logic
Animals now become smoother when roaming.
Improved watchtowers in the Viking camp
Previously, in most cases, bots could not follow the player to the watchtowers and get to them - fixed.
Reduced the player's backward walking speed
Fixed cases where bots did not respawn on the test weapon map
Fixed the logic of bots looking down after a player dies
Improved the visibility of some user interface elements
For example, the button for turning on the fire and fireplace - according to players' feedback.
Fixed situations where bots (animals and Vikings) did not react to player attacks from a very long distance
Main known issues:
Weapon swapping bugs in rare cases. Reconnect to fix.
Customized weapon equip doesn't work correctly after the latest inventory rework.
Crouch is temporarily disabled.
Latency has a too big influence on the block (VFX could not work as well as block quality is not we are aiming for).
In rare cases game process doesn't finish on its own for a long time.
Characters don't play movement animations correctly. We need to fix upperbody bones rotation during movement animations.
Important! Some bugs can appear due to conflict with temp / saved files of previous VALHALL versions on your PC. If you meet an unlisted issue then: - delete all game saves here: C:|Users|*YourName*|AppData|Local|VALHALL. - uninstall the game through Steam - delete manually game folder in your Steam folder
Survival servers are still undergoing maintenance. You can try it under the Singleplayer tab. They will become available again in the next patches (Loki's maze Deathmatch servers are on now).
The future patches bring:
Boats.
New items and gathering options.
New characters and equipable armor.
Bots logic upgrades.
Combat improvements and bug fixes.
Skål! Blackrose Arts
Quest system & Stone & UI & Bug fixes & Ships progress & Pre-Beta 0.7.6
Vikings!
Pre-Beta 0.7.6 patch has arrived!
Let's see what it brings:
Survival servers are currently undergoing maintenance, now you can try it under the Singleplayer tab. We are preparing new sailing and navigation systems. They will become available again in the next patches (Loki's maze Deathmatch servers are still on now).
Quest system
We finished a quest system that not only allows to help with your first steps in Midgard, but also provides you with different storylines in the future!
UI update
Visual improvements, fixed alignment, added menus 21:9 support, etc.
Added in-house fireplace
According to players' requests, now there is an additional fireplace that you can place inside the house.
Added stone mining
Stone allows you to build furnace, in-house fireplace, etc.
Added falling apples sound
Apples sometimes drop when you cut trees (except during winter). But it is quite difficult to notice when it has fallen out of your field of vision. Now you will hear when apples fall and where they fall in space.
Fixed craft system bugs, now it always shows actual resources from your inventory
Fixed dark inventory cells after interaction with furnace
Adjusted post-screen damage effect from character's status effects (cold, hot, thirst, hunger) on high health
Now bears always have random number of meat & fat (before it could not spawn or spawned wrong items)
Furnace' source craft material changed from wood to stone
Fixed the furnace's name and description
Fixed position of the roof over the doorway
Bears became less "cruel" (decreased their armor coefficient vs melee and range weapon)
More iron and stone ore are now around the map
Added a server error notification when the connection to the server is lost
Fixed a rare bug when bears fly from being hit
Fixed bug where stamina tends to 0
Fixed apples in Survival sometimes go through surface
Fixed impact VFX for iron and stone ores
Fixed a bug with white weapon trail when you cut the trees
Fixed a rare bug with enormous blood trail from weapon
Fixed the problem of all items disappearing
Fixed an issue where all players heard the pickaxe, iron and stone ore strike sound from other players on the map
Fixed the size of dropped two-handed axe after bot's death
Decreased death impulse of torch
Fixed a bug due to which the health bar of bears was not decreasing correctly depending on taking damage
Added notification window when starting the game (in the main menu)
Increased damage and death impulse for the Raven sword
In the previous updates, we announced the boat system.
Quest system is ready and will be supplemented with content from patch to patch.
We continue to work on control and navigation systems for ships, new water and its interconnection with the already implemented dynamic weather.
Drakkar (Busse) and Karvi playable ships will arrive in the next patches.
Main known issues:
Weapon swapping bugs in rare cases. Reconnect to fix.
Customized weapon equip doesn't work correctly after the latest inventory rework.
Crouch is temporarily disabled.
Latency has a too big influence on the block (VFX could not work as well as block quality is not we are aiming for).
In rare cases game process doesn't finish on its own for a long time.
Characters don't play movement animations correctly. We need to fix upperbody bones rotation during movement animations.
Important! Some bugs can appear due to conflict with temp / saved files of previous VALHALL versions on your PC. If you meet an unlisted issue then: - delete all game saves here: C:|Users|*YourName*|AppData|Local|VALHALL. - uninstall the game through Steam - delete manually game folder in your Steam folder
The future patches bring:
New animals.
Boats.
New items and gathering options.
New characters and equipable armor.
Bots logic upgrades.
Combat improvements and bug fixes.
Skål! Blackrose Arts
Ore mining & Iron production & Charcoal burning & Pre-Beta 0.7.4
Vikings!
We are working on the big tasks that will arrive in complex in the next patches. New water connected to the dynamic weather, sailing systems and various types of Viking boats. The quest system will appear in the next patch. Meanwhile, here is another progress.
Pre-Beta 0.7.4 patch has arrived!
Let's see what it brings to the game:
Ore mining and the new system of resource placing and respawn.
You can now collect iron ore. Of course, there was a pickaxe tool added, so you need to craft it first. Each hit brings a certain amount of resources, and the last hit gives additional resources. Iron ore has a respawn time. But it won't respawn in the same place - it has a given radius. a random position and a certain respawn time.
Iron production for your needs.
As you may know, the Vikings used bog iron and iron collected from the rocks, depending on their location and local resources. We started with adding more common iron while we have more plans. Both types of iron must be smelted in a furnace to produce purer iron that can be used to make blades, armor, etc.
For this we have added a furnace. You need to put the collected iron ore and wood there and turn it on. After a certain time, the iron ore melts and gives iron.
Charcoal burning building and weapons crafting.
The Vikings, like others in the Middle Ages, did not use wood for the forge. They used charcoal or coal (depending on the region). And in order to extract charcoal, a special building was built. We researched historical material and learned about technology. Of course, this was simplified due to the needs of the gameplay.
To get charcoal in VALHALL you need to build a Сharcoal burning building. Now you can create and use it. But the forge will be added later. This is why we temporarily added weapon crafting to quick crafting. You can already place the Сoal burning building now, but it really becomes useful after the forge is added.
Longer days, shorter nights, and minor lighting improvements.
Main known issues:
Weapon swapping bugs in rare cases. Reconnect to fix.
Customized weapon equip doesn't work correctly after the latest inventory rework.
Crouch is temporarily disabled.
Latency has a too big influence on the block (VFX could not work as well as block quality is not we are aiming for).
In rare cases game process doesn't finish on its own for a long time.
Characters don't play movement animations correctly. We need to fix upperbody bones rotation during movement animations.
Important! Some bugs can appear due to conflict with temp / saved files of previous VALHALL versions on your PC. If you meet an unlisted issue then: - delete all game saves here: C:|Users|*YourName*|AppData|Local|VALHALL. - uninstall the game through Steam - delete manually game folder in your Steam folder
Building object. Can only be placed in water (half submerged). After a while, a fish appears in the cage. Each player can interact regardless of whether it is in the banner coverage area or not. Raw fish can be cooked over a fire or burned.
Added crafting queue.
You can queue different items and close the crafting menu.
Added kick physics.
If the target has stamina or health less than 30%, then the kick sends the character into a fall as a ragdoll with an impulse. After such a fall, the character gets up after certain time. The kick removes the enemy block. In multiplayer ragdoll may teleport for a second, to be fixed.
Fixed gate material disappearing.
Fixed character sliding when toggle sprint.
Fixed running not turning on automatically after turning it off by moving left/right (AW/DW). Now, after "canceling the run", character continue to run while still holding W, you don't need to press the Shift key again.
Also we`ve been working on the quests and boats, that will be finished and added to the next patches.
Main known issues:
Weapon swapping bugs in rare cases. Reconnect to fix.
Customized weapon equip doesn't work correctly after the latest inventory rework.
Crouch is temporarily disabled.
Latency has a too big influence on the block (VFX could not work as well as block quality is not we are aiming for).
In rare cases game process doesn't finish on its own for a long time.
Characters don't play movement animations correctly. We need to fix upperbody bones rotation during movement animations.
Important! Some bugs can appear due to conflict with temp / saved files of previous VALHALL versions on your PC. If you meet an unlisted issue then: - delete all game saves here: C:|Users|*YourName*|AppData|Local|VALHALL. - uninstall the game through Steam - delete manually game folder in your Steam folder
Now other characters (hostile Vikings bots, beasts) would light up from the fire as the player's character.
Now Viking bots and animals have new reaction speed.
Added Flax.
Gather it and use for crafting.
Added pop-up compass markers.
When you are near a place of interest.
Fixed no sound of footsteps from bears and bots bug.
Fixed trees disappear after the first hit bug.
Fixed fire button doesn't work bug.
Fixed bears do not lose their health bar for the first few HP.
Main known issues:
Customized weapon equip doesn't work correctly after the latest inventory rework.
Crouch is temporarily disabled.
Swapping can bug after dual wielding, reconnect to fix.
Latency has a too big influence on the block (VFX could not work as well as block quality is not we are aiming for).
In rare cases game process doesn't finish on its own for a long time.
Characters don't play movement animations correctly. We need to fix upperbody bones rotation during movement animations.
Important! Some bugs can appear due to conflict with temp / saved files of previous VALHALL versions on your PC. If you meet an unlisted issue then: - delete all game saves here: C:|Users|*YourName*|AppData|Local|VALHALL. - uninstall the game through Steam - delete manually game folder in your Steam folder
The future patches bring:
New Survival elements and features.
Combat and block improvements.
Quests.
Neutral animals.
New items and gathering options.
New characters and equipable armor.
Bots logic upgrades.
Other combat improvements and bug fixes.
Skål! Blackrose Arts
Fire Arrows & Fences & & Fixes & Pre-Beta 0.7.1
Vikings!
Pre-Beta 0.7.1 patch has arrived!
Patch note:
Added fire arrows.
The arrow is initially unlit. To ignite, you need to go to any source of fire (torch, fire) and place the arrowhead in the area of fire for short time. Upon hitting a building object, the arrow fire deals damage to the building over time, then it goes out. Bots also use fire arrows when attack buildings.
Added arrows type switch option.
Added animal fat for crafting fire arrows.
Added fence.
Added gates.
Added double-leaf gates opening.
Added new campfire and increased its lightning area.
Added AI logic for reaction to ranged attacks when they roam.
Added building objects skin selection.
Added canceling a construction object for placement when it is selected (respectively, with an equipped hammer). RMB by standard.
Fixed attack range of the bear.
Fixed footsteps' sound depending on surface on survival map.
Fixed the disappeared ability to interact with arrows stuck in the surface (trees, objects, etc.).
Fixed bots in deathmatch and weapon test began to look down quite often during the battle.
Main known issues:
Customized weapon equip doesn't work correctly after the latest inventory rework.
Crouch is temporarily disabled.
Swapping can bug after dual wielding, reconnect to fix.
Latency has a too big influence on the block (VFX could not work as well as block quality is not we are aiming for).
In rare cases game process doesn't finish on its own for a long time.
Characters don't play movement animations correctly. We need to fix upperbody bones rotation during movement animations.
Important! Some bugs can appear due to conflict with temp / saved files of previous VALHALL versions on your PC. If you meet an unlisted issue then: - delete all game saves here: C:|Users|*YourName*|AppData|Local|VALHALL. - uninstall the game through Steam - delete manually game folder in your Steam folder
The future patches bring:
New Survival elements and features.
Combat and block improvements.
Neutral animals.
Survival servers return from maintenance.
New items and gathering options.
New characters and equipable armor.
Bots logic upgrades.
Other combat improvements and bug fixes.
Survival servers maintenance will be completed with the following patches.
Skål! Blackrose Arts
Dynamic weather & Animals & Pre-Beta 0.7
Vikings!
Pre-Beta 0.7 patch has arrived!
Patch note:
Added dynamic weather.
Clear sky, cloudy weather, rain, thunderstorm, blizzard, etc. These very with different probability depending on the season. Raindrops and snowflakes do not pass through the ceiling or walls, they collide with objects.
Added seasons.
Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter. Apples don't appear in winter.
Added temperature.
Added cold, heat, comfort statuses.
Added weather influence on foliage.
Added hunting AI logic.
Added bears.
There are big and smaller brown bears. They bite, attack with claws and stand on two paws. They might eat you, or you might eat them. Yes, now apples are not the only food.
Added items durability.
Items are of limited use. The sword will break after a certain number of hits, the torch time is depleted every second when fired.
Added fireplace.
It allows you to keep warm when it's cold, cook food, remove dampness if too wet, and gives a sense of comfort (buff).
Added Banner limitation, you can place no more than 1 piece for now. Banner progression to be added.
Added Ambient sound class to audio settings.
Survival servers went in maintenance mode and will return with the next updates.
Changed stamina bar and running notification UI position for easier visibility.
Improved interior lighting.
Torch lighting no longer passes unrealistically through walls and has more detailed shadows.
Removed extra Survival elements from Deathmatch.
Made arrows sticking out in the shield disappear together with it during unequip and drop and appear with equip with the shield.
Fixed block not working with dual wield.
Fixed a bug allowing attacks with zero stamina.
Fixed sound occlusion does not work correctly on the player's FPP camera.
Fixed other players' footsteps are not heard in multiplayer.
Main known issues:
Customized weapon equip doesn't work correctly after the latest inventory rework.
Crouch is temporarily disabled.
Swapping can bug after dual wielding, reconnect to fix.
Latency has a too big influence on the block (VFX could not work as well as block quality is not we are aiming for).
In rare cases game process doesn't finish on its own for a long time.
Weapon impulse bugging. Sometimes no impulse or too big.
Characters don't play movement animations correctly. We need to fix upperbody bones rotation during movement animations.
Important! Some bugs can appear due to conflict with temp / saved files of previous VALHALL versions on your PC. If you meet an unlisted issue then: - delete all game saves here: C:|Users|*YourName*|AppData|Local|VALHALL. - uninstall the game through Steam - delete manually game folder in your Steam folder
The future patches bring:
New Survival elements and features.
Block improvement.
Neutral animals.
Survival servers return from maintenance.
New items and gathering options.
New characters and equipable armor.
Bots logic upgrades.
Other combat improvements and bug fixes.
Skål! Blackrose Arts
Pre-Beta 0.6.7 Hotfix
Vikings!
Pre-Beta 0.6.7 Hotfix
Here is a hotfix for the latest patch that addresses several issues:
Fixed a non-working block when equipping a dual weapon.
Fixed a case where arrows in the shield or in the body would interfere with the attack due to a collision between them and the weapon.
Fixed archers sometimes having two bows at the same time.
Changed the name of some items.
Changed archers' accuracy curve for the Loki's Maze and Survival, now it is different.
This patch is not a wipe, but we remind that if you haven't cleared your save files before and currently find a bug (like spawn issue), please delete the game saves here: C:|Users|*YourName*|AppData|Local|VALHALL. Thank you!
Skål! Blackrose Arts
Pre-Beta 0.6.7 Arrived!
Vikings!
Pre-Beta 0.6.7 patch is here!
You can read the patch notes in this update:
https://steamcommunity.com/games/908740/announcements/detail/5586130823849751283 In addition to it:
Added logic for raid bots - they can now change their target depending on the situation.
Added door sounds: opening, closing and sound of trying to open a closed door.
Added day-night cicle improvements.
Fixed loop sound bug after sliding.
Fixed None bots are being displayed in the Deathmatch scoring table.
We remind that this patch includes a map rebuild, so if any issue with spawn appears and suicide does not help, please delete the game saves here: C:|Users|*YourName*|AppData|Local|VALHALL. Thank you!
The next update brings durability, dynamic weather and more.
Skål! Blackrose Arts
Raids & New Dual Wield & Crafting & Pre-Beta 0.6.7
Vikings!
Pre-Beta 0.6.7 patch arrives on Wednesday!
Pre-Beta 0.6.7
Patch note:
Optimized map scale.
The Survival map has become more compact, which improves the appearance and allows players to more easily see the buildings of other Vikings. Also reduces the time it takes to reach them. This is a map rebuild, so if any issue with spawn appears and suicide does not help, please delete the game saves here: C:|Users|*YourName*|AppData|Local|VALHALL.
Added small settlements.
You can find camps and small settlements on the map. They have chests with random loot (gold, weapons, resources).
Added hostile camp bots logic.
Bots patrol certain locations and protect chests. Archers attack from towers when see you so you might need a shield.
Added bot raids.
Viking raiders are looking for you around the map from time to time. If you try to defend yourself in a building, they will start destroying it. On the way to their goal, if they see other players, they attack them.
Added crafting.
Default hotkey for opening crafting menu is R. Now you can craft shields, bows, arrows, etc. More items will become available with updates.
Added arrows quantity.
Arrows are now pickup items. You can also pull the arrow out of your body. There is an additional UI notification showing the number of arrows in your inventory, so you don't need to put them on your quick bar.
Added new dual wield & shield system.
You can now dual-wield any one-handed weapon, and even a torch. This allows, for example, to illuminate the path with the left hand, and in the right to have a sword ready for battle. You can also switch them, so feel free to do the opposite. You can still attack with a torch in any hand. Currently, Wheel Down is used for left hand attacks. The first equipped slot is the right hand, the second is the left hand.
Added character sleeping.
When a player leaves the game, his character automatically goes sleeping where the player left. You can loot sleeping players.
Added option to select spawn point.
Added bed you can use as a spawn point.
Added underwater post effect and damage.
Added key binding option for building and hammer throw.
Added battle cries for bots.
Added compass and waypoints.
Increased the visibility range of players.
Increased foundation height for easier placement.
Increased torch light radius.
Decreased fog density for visual and visibility improvements.
Fixed stopping the respawn of bots in the Weapon Test mode.
Fixed building on the water.
Fixed sprint acceleration, character doesn't slow down anymore.
Fixed Mjolnir idle animations.
Fixed weapon not dropping after character death in Survival.
Fixed the highlight of a weapon equipped by another player as a pickup item.
Fixed archer bot sometimes shoots while standing sideways to the player (looking in a different direction).
Fixed archers sometimes have no arrows.
Fixed torch widget remaining forever after death.
Fixed collision for stairs so that bots can climb it normally.
Fixed the sound of the building and on / off of the torch is heard throughout the map.
Fixed bushes that could not be chopped. You can now chop down every tree / bush on the map.
Main known issues:
Customized weapon equip doesn't work correctly after the latest inventory rework.
Latency has too big influence on block (VFX could not work as well as block quality is not we are aiming for).
Some bots in singleplayer have None instead name.
In rare cases game process doesn't finish on its own for long time.
Weapon impulse bugging. Sometimes no impulse or too big.
Characters don't play movement animations correctly. We need to fix upperbody bones rotation during movement animations.
Important! Some bugs can appear due to conflict with temp / saved files of previous VALHALL versions on your PC. If you meet an unlisted issue then: - delete all game saves here: C:|Users|*YourName*|AppData|Local|VALHALL. - uninstall the game through Steam - delete manually game folder in your Steam folder
