VentureVerse: Legend of Ulora Version 1.0 is Out Now!
The day has finally come. It's a day that I sometimes doubted would ever happen, but VentureVerse is now complete and out of Steam Early Access. To anyone who played the game in Early Access, thank you so much.
My life has changed a lot since VentureVerse first entered Early Access in 2018. Those changes meant I wasn't able to spend nearly as much time working on the game as I previously had. I also took a hiatus from development for a while, and that’s why this has taken so long, and that's also why it now feels so good to cross the finish line.
So here are the details for some of the new features in VentureVerse: Legend of Ulora Version 1.0:
A NEW, COMPLETE STORY
The story has been re-written and features all-new cutscenes. When an adventurer happens upon a mysterious stone, they are given a mighty quest by the goddess Drael. The Champion of the realm is missing, and the goddess has been weakened. Only an adventurer such as you can put things right.
UPDATED CHARACTER DESIGN
The characters have been completely redesigned with a new art-style which better suits the game's atmosphere. This change also comes with new customization options, now including swords, wands and shields.
COMBAT ENHANCEMENTS
Sword combat is now more balanced, using a short cooldown between strikes which forces you to think more about the position of your character. In addition, the rune system has been expanded. Runes can now be attached to swords, wands and armour to give them special effects and abilities.
STEAM MULTIPLAYER SUPPORT
No more port-forwarding or entering IP addresses! Simply click the 'join' button on the multiplayer menu and any joinable games will appear in a list.
Plus too many minor changes, polish and bug-fixes to list. Please note that save files and level files made in version 0.9.1 or earlier will not be compatible with this version.
Thank you for your time, Matt
VentureVerse Version 1.0 Releases March 9th!
VentureVerse will finally release out of Steam Early Access next month, on the 9th of March 2023!
Until then, 'Version 1.0 Preview' is available right now. This version will be mostly identical to the full release, so you can play through the story and create your own dungeons right now! All progress from the preview version will be carried over into version 1.0 on the 9th of March.
More details on the changes will be posted on launch day.
Thanks for reading, Matt
DevLog - November 2021
It's been a while since my last update, so I figured now would be a good time to share some details on what I've been working on.
Character Changes
One thing that I was never truly happy with when developing VentureVerse was the main character model. This model was not only used for the main character, but was also used as a base for all human NPCs, including the bosses, and so I had to finalize the design fairly early in development.
Now that I'm in a position where I can spend some more time on the aesthetics of the game, I've decided to redesign the characters. The characters will switch to a smooth-shaded, somewhat "chibi" style. There is plenty of work left to do on polishing up this model, but I'm much happier with the direction it is going in.
If you've played VentureVerse, you may also notice that the character is holding a shield, which brings me to the next major set of changes:
Equipment Changes
The variety of equipment in VentureVerse was intended to give players some fun rewards for completing dungeons. In practice, however, the combat ended up being simple enough that there was never really a good reason to change your equipment.
The major downside of this approach was adding tangible variety within the equipment. This was a problem with weapons in particular, where I tried to add variety by giving weapons different speed, damage and length stats. Ultimately, this resulted in some weapons becoming a chore to use.
Lately I've been working on a solution for this. Now, all weapons and armour are functionally identical, and you can unlock new cosmetics for your sword, shield, wand, body armour and head armour. To add a little bit of variety to combat, you can now equip runes to this equipment.
The new runes system is inspired by the synergies you would get from random items in games like The Binding of Isaac. You have 2 rune slots for each weapon and 2 for your armour, and you can mix and match different runes, or double them up for greater effects.
For example, you can equip one Multiplication rune and one Explosion rune on your wand. Now you shoot 3 projectiles at once, and they all explode on impact. Alternatively, you can equip two Multiplication runes to shoot 5 normal projectiles.
This new system will hopefully give players a fun experience of trying new combinations of runes, or strategizing for combat.
Future Plans
In addition to these changes, I have spent some time refining the dungeon creator and tweaking lighting and colours within dungeons. My next few months will involve finishing the new character design and animations, and then I will focus on changes to the story.
In addition, I will spend a decent amount of time optimizing the game and adding polishing mechanics and visuals. I am not yet ready to give any estimation for the release of version 1.0, but I will be sure to post here when I have some concrete plans.
Thank you for reading,
Matt
Development Update
It's been a while since I posted an update here, and for that I'd like to apologise. Changes to my life have meant that I have not been able to continue my work on the game as I originally planned. I should have been more transparent about this over the last year, but the aim of this post is to explain that and give you an idea of what to expect in the future.
Up until July of 2019, I was working a part-time job and spending the rest of my free time working on VentureVerse. The game didn't sell well enough in Early Access to allow me to work on it full time, so I kept that schedule up until I found a great opportunity in mid-2019. I took that opportunity and am now working full time as part of an indie team. Personally, this was a massive weight off my shoulders as it freed me from a job I hated, but the downside was it meant I had much less time to spend working on VentureVerse.
Since then, I have been working on the game in small amounts, trying out some new features and re-writing some old code, but the pace of this work has been too slow for me to feel good about selling the game at this time, so I asked Steam to make the game temporarily unavailable for purchase. Of course, it is still playable to anyone who purchased it before and it can still be added to wishlists.
So what is the plan going forward? Well I do intend to finish the game by completing a story and making it playable from start to finish. I intend to somewhat re-write the story with a different tone and with some shuffled content. I also intend to put some more work into polishing the gameplay and improving performance.
I don't want to put a date on when these updates will be available, but I intend to release small updates when they are done, as opposed to my previous approach of only releasing big content updates. I expect the first of these to come within the first few months of 2021.
One note I'd like to make is that going forward, I will only be releasing official support for English language text. I had originally intended to support a wide range of languages, but the costs of translation were too much. I may add the option to create custom translation files.
Finally, in October last year I pushed a new build of VentureVerse to Steam. At the time, I decided not to release patch notes because, frankly, I didn't think anyone cared. Looking back, I think that was a dumb decision. Here are the notes from that update:
Version 0.9.3 Patch Notes CHANGES
Replaced "The Eclipsian Labyrinth" with "The Eclipsian Monolith", providing a shorter and more puzzle-focused experience featuring many Push-Block puzzles. This dungeon contains the final shard of the Essence Crystals!
Added 17 Steam Achievements (Some will be unlocked when version 1.0 releases).
Added support for Steam Cloud Saves, allowing you to upload your profiles and continue with them on another PC.
Added an official VentureVerse Steam Badge with 7 trading cards, 3 profile backgrounds and 5 emoticons.
Added "Retry Fight" option for boss fights, allowing you to instantly restart a boss fight after reaching 0 hearts.
Added gear information pop-ups when gear items are picked up for the first time.
Added new logic dungeon element: "Function - Room Effect". This can be used to add a buff or a boon when the player is in a specific room.
Changed travel menu destination buttons to be ordered by priority instead of distance.
Reduced Razor Wurm health from 4 hearts to 2 hearts.
Improved the optional puzzles in Glimmer Shard Mine level 1.
Redesigned "Skull" and "Skull Top" props to better match character head proportions.
Redesigned item unlock pop-up menu.
FIXES
Fixed Push-Blocks sometimes stopping on top of Push-Block barricades.
Fixed multiple issues with the game over screen.
Fixed enemy attack routines being restarted when taking damage.
Fixed player rotation being effected when a fixed camera zone camera is shook.
Fixed issues when two camera shakes overlap.
Fixed issue where some projectiles would appear at full size for a split second before scaling up.
EDITOR CHANGES
Added object replacement system support for multiple dungeon elements to prevent overlaps.
Added 3 "dead" poses as actor idle animations.
Added "Azure Cleric Robes" and "Magic Channelling Suit" as options for actor body armour.
Thank you to anyone who has played the game so far!
Matt
Version 0.9 Patch Notes
The second major update for VentureVerse: Legend of Ulora is now available! It's a very big update that adds a bunch of new features, fixes some issues and adds two new dungeons!
First of all, apologies for the delays on this update. The initial estimated release was February, but a series of unforeseen circumstances prevented that from happening.
Full patch notes can be read below, but the major additions are:
2 New dungeons - Glimmer Shard Mine is a new 2-level dungeon housing an Essence Crystal shard, in which you must use the new Phantom Lantern gear object. The Valkyrie's Court is the next boss dungeon, pitting you against the Valkyrie of Justice.
Camp system - This replaces the previous map system and is designed to streamline the process of travelling to dungeons and cities. Walk around your camp and travel to dungeons, use the portal stone, change your equipment, check your inventory and visit a nearby city!
Editor attachment system - Certain dungeon elements can now be attached to other dungeon elements, allowing for unique new puzzles! For example, a plasma cannon could be attached to the top of a push-block, allowing it to be moved around in a way that was previously impossible.
Here are the full patch notes:
CHANGES
Replaced the travel system with the new Camp System. You will now set up a small camp at the location you travel to, giving you quicker access to dungeons, cities and other useful menus. Combat events and random events have been removed in order to reduce the time it takes to get around Ulora.
Added new boss dungeon: "The Valkyrie's Court", featuring the second boss fight! Travel to the high-tech realm of Sanctuary and use the new Spirit Cannon gear item to overcome unique obstacles and defeat this winged foe.
Added new dungeon: "Glimmer Shard Mine". Use the new Phantom Lantern gear item to delve into an abandoned mine, solving puzzles based around carrying different-coloured flames. You'll also meet a group of adventurers seeking out the evil Stefan the Ruthless, who they claim is hiding deep in the mine.
Redesigned city menus and added one of each store to every city.
Redesigned in-game dialogue menu, including reducing delays and increasing text scrolling speed.
Removed "Drael Shrine" and "Stylist" city facilities.
Removed the Monster Repellent consumable item.
Made a slight change to the camera angle and field of view to improve clarity of puzzles and environments.
Added a unique room door mesh for each wall style.
Added alternate wall meshes for wall styles: Mine, Large Bricks, High Tech, Bunker, Crystal & Ship. These are used for walls that are rotated 90 degrees in either direction.
Added arrows to room doors to show that they are open and improve clarity when obscured by walls.
Added "New level available" message on Reward Screen when completing a level for the first time.
Added scroll wheel support to in-game map screen.
Added indicator line when aiming a projectile attack.
Lowered the cost of all traits in the Training Grounds.
Added a laser to Plasma Cannon and Director dungeon elements to make their rotations more obvious.
Reduced sword, staff and armour repair costs to 1000, 1000 and 700 respectively.
Redesigned the final room of the purple path in "Rainbow Cathedral".
Removed the Push-Block puzzle from level 1 of "Hollypoint Castle".
FIXES
Fixed various issues caused by fixed camera zones.
Fixed level up rewards sometimes being blank.
Fixed issue causing player hitbox collisions to sometimes not work correctly.
Fixed issue with "Primary/Secondary" buttons on runes in Equip menu.
Fixed inaccurate health values on the travel menu.
Fixed Actor Animation Switcher not changing idle animations.
Fixed some hair styles being visible over helmets in actor dialogue.
Fixed borders not appearing on Floor Tile dungeon element.
Fixed camera transitions while falling into a pit when inside a fixed camera zone.
Fixed "Valour Medal Missed" message on reward screen for levels without Valour Medals.
Fixed Hit-Switches not resetting properly when set to single-use.
Fixed light beam collision effect not updating positions and not showing on some wall styles.
Fixed enemy move animation speeding up when falling.
Fixed stutter when transitioning from a boss introduction to a fight.
Fixed Time Sceptre particles being visible when it is not equipped.
Fixed heart pick-up item cutting off the audio.
Fixed Push-Blocks , Symbol Stones, rolling boulders and cannonballs not being destroyed by Dissolve Fields.
Fixed Toggle Panel (Small) not working.
Fixed camera sometimes not returning back to default position after ending dialogue.
Fixed actors sometimes not playing the correct animation while walking after dialogue.
Fixed reward screen items not being added to the inventory.
EDITOR CHANGES
Added Attachment System. This allows you to attach certain dungeon elements to attachment "bases", making both objects move together. This is useful for mixing various dungeon elements to create interesting puzzles. The system can be accessed via the object options menu of an attachable dungeon element. Compatible elements are listed below.
Added Attachable objects: Hit-Switch, Ground Lever, Pressure Plate, Button Pedestal, Treasure Chest, Cannon, Laser Cannon, Indicator Light, Spinning Blocks, Plasma Cannon, Plasma Brazier, Light Beam Emitter, Light Beam Receiver, Light Beam Converter, Light Beam Director Holder, Light Beam Directors, Grapple Mesh, Health Well, Large Brazier, Grains of Time Well, Symbol Switch, Sign (Ground), Phantom Switch, Phantom Brazier, Phantom Flame Well, Torch Post, Plasma Ball Director, Plasma Ball Splitter, Standing Iron Sconce.
Replaced "Camera Height" room option with "Default Angle", allowing the user to set a default camera angle which will be switched to when the player enters the room.
Added 'Floor Lock' option, restricting floor tiles to layer 0 while it is enabled. This option can be toggled using a new button on the toolbar.
Changed layer 0 to be usable only for floor blocks.
Added a pop-up when the layer is changed.
Added new floor style: "High Tech".
Added new wall style: "High Tech".
Added 4 greeble props.
Added new actor animation: "Salute".
Moved Actor dungeon elements to Logic mode menu.
EDITOR FIXES
Fixed wires and hidden objects being visible over the extra camera from the "Camera Position" object option.
Fixed "Prop Height" object option resetting to zero when the object is editing while it has a negative value.
Other minor fixes.
The next major update will take the game out of Early Access. It will include the final boss dungeon, a new crystal shard dungeon and some improvements to the combat system, along with a load of additional polish.
- Matt
An update on version 0.9
VentureVerse version 0.9 is on the horizon, and with it will come the next chapter of the story, some new dungeons and a big quality of life change, among other things!
I have been hard at work on this update since the release of version 0.8, but due to the nature of the update, it will take slightly longer to finish than the initial estimate of early February.
The major change being introduced in version 0.9 is the brand new camp system (pictured above). This system largely replaces the current travel system, offering a much more streamlined experience in-between dungeon levels.
Your character will set up a camp near the dungeon you're exploring, allowing you to quickly and easily manage your equipment and inventory, as well as giving you much quicker access to nearby cities. The random events that would pop-up on a travel route have been removed to make travelling between areas much quicker.
Along with the camp system will come a slight change to the in-game camera, switching to a further-away, more top-down view to provide a better view of puzzles.
This update will also include 2 new dungeons which are both currently in development. One of these dungeons, The Valkyrie's Court, will include the 2nd boss fight. Here's a peak at the level leading up to the fight.
Finally, the Early Access price promotion will be ending on the 11th of February, increasing the price slightly to $12.99.
Version 0.8 Patch Notes
The first story update for VentureVerse: Legend of Ulora is now available! Version 0.8 brings a new story structure, a new dungeon featuring the first boss fight, a reward screen revamp and much more!
Version EA 0.8 RELEASE Patch Notes
CHANGES
Added a new story system. As explained by Drael in the new intro cut-scene, you must collect the 6 scattered Essence Crystal shards to complete your Portal Stone and restore her power. Profiles created before version 0.8 will see the new intro upon playing for the first time, and will have crystal shards added if the character has completed any of the following dungeons: "Tomb of Tuut O'Rial", "Hollypoint Castle", "Avii Trials - Power Spheres".
Added new dungeon: "The Time Warden's Citadel". This dungeon contains the first boss fight and can be explored after collecting 2 Essence Crystal shards.
Replaced the Portal Shards system with Dungeon EXP. Each profile now has an experience level which will increase as you explore more dungeons. Levelling up gains you 3 random rewards including blueprints, spell tomes, dye tokens, Valour Meals and Vaara. Profiles created before version 0.8 will have their Portal Shards converted into Dungeon EXP.
Redesigned Level Complete rewards screen and added additional screens for story progress and special rewards.
Added new gear item: "Time Sceptre". This item allows the wielder to slow down the flow of time, allowing them to move around like normal while the world around them moves in slow motion.
Added new dungeon element: "Grains of Time Well". This can be used to fill up the grains in the Time Sceptre.
Added new dungeon element: "Collapsible Bridge". This mechanical object can be used to bridge a gap of up to 9 blocks, and can be collapsed or opened using an input.
Added audio for the Manipulation Crystal and Light Beam Emitter.
Removed Transmogrification section from "Hollypoint Castle" level 3
Added updated Title Screen theme.
FIXES
Fixed issues in multiplayer when the host picks up a Custom Controller or Time Sceptre.
Fixed projectiles not being destroyed by dissolve fields.
Fixed sword whoosh sound effect playing twice per slash.
Fixed issue where Title Screen would be silent
Various minor fixes
EDITOR CHANGES
Added dungeon elements: "Gear Pedestal - Time Sceptre", "Collapsible Bridge" & "Grains of Time Well".
Added new props: "Gear Emblem" & "Hourglass"
Added new wall style: "Citadel"
Added new music: "Time Warden's Citadel" & "Warden Boss Fight"
THE FUTURE
Version 0.8 introduces the first of three planned boss fights, the other two of which will be introduced in the next two milestone updates. Version 0.9 will include a new dungeon featuring an Essence Crystal shard along with the next boss dungeon, and is currently planned to release in January or February of 2019. Version 1.0 will take the game out of Early Access, adding a final Essence Crystal dungeon and the final boss dungeon, and is planned to release in March or April of 2019.
In-between these milestone releases will be smaller updates featuring quality-of-life changes, bug fixes and additional features.
- Matt
What to expect from version 0.8
VentureVerse version 0.8 is expected to release within the next few weeks, so here's a quick update on what to expect from the first major update.
Of all the feedback I have received for the Early Access launch of the game, one thing has popped up quite frequently: the game lacks a sense of direction and purpose. There is certainly an issue where players can come out of the tutorial thinking "what next?", and that is something I aim to address with version 0.8.
The plan was always to add a light story to the game within 3 major updates during the Early Access period, but it's clear that the method of storytelling in the game right now isn't successful in getting players invested in the adventure. To improve this, version 0.8 will include a new story setup with a much clearer goal.
Version 0.8 will also include a new dungeon featuring the first boss fight! This fight will see you take on Invaak, "The Warden of Time", who is the champion of an evil god known as Kell.
The fight will involve a brand new gear item called the Time Sceptre, which will also be available to use in the level editor.
These will be the two major additions in version 0.8, but the update will also include various other additions and changes which will be detailed in the patch notes.
- Matt
Version 0.7.2.1 Patch Notes
A new patch is available for VentureVerse: Legend of Ulora! This patch features some new content along with some bug fixes. Read the full details below.
CHANGES
Added new headgear item: "Tricorn Hat".
Added new sword: "Swashbuckler's Saber".
Added new gear item: "Manipulation Crystal". This item allows the user to interact with dungeon elements such as buttons, levers, hit-switches and toggle panels from a distance, using the cursor. This mechanic will be used in a new bonus dungeon planned to release next week.
Various minor changes
FIXES <*>Updated two third-party plugins to fix multiple issues related to player input and networking.
<*>Fixed incorrect values appearing for "Charge Time" stat on weapons.
EDITOR CHANGES
Added "Gear Pedestal - Manipulation Crystal" to the "Gear Pedestals" section in "Mechanics"
Updates within the next few weeks may be somewhat slower as I shift my focus to working on the first boss encounter and some quality of life changes.
Version 0.7.2 Patch Notes
A new update for VentureVerse: Legend of Ulora is now available! This update features the ability to rotate the camera and zoom out in the travel menu among other things. Here are the full patch notes:
CHANGES
Changed Travel Menu destination select to zoom camera out and focus on destinations in order to give a better sense of scale and direction to Ulora
Added ability to rotate player camera in-game in 90 degree increments. This can be done using the left and right direction buttons on keyboard or using L3 and R3 on a controller. These inputs can also be re-mapped in the Controls Options menu.
Improved the accuracy of the audio volume sliders in the audio options menu
Improved sound effects volume when using zoomed-out camera (e.g. in "Spin-Disk Golf Society")
Added pulse effect to many UI buttons when using a controller
Synchronised player dodge effect in multiplayer
Improved the performance impact of several particle-heavy dungeon elements
Added some UI notes to help avoid common problems.
