Fixing issues that popped up, and a few reworks that didn't quite make the patch
Reworked
Rework of Dew Collector (now acts like a pool and not a cost reduce buff. Can cure poison) Rework to buffs so stacking behavior is clear and consistent
Buffs that display a large number always stack the modifier (eg poison, thorns)
Buffs that have a duration, only stack the duration but have a fixed modifier (eg bleed)
Aura buffs never stack if from the same source
Rework of Hypno and Chrono Thrix to remove random behavior and cycle instead, more info in tooltip
Fixed
Fixed "Vigilence" and other spelling mistakes Fixed incorrect cabbage name in icon tooltip Fixed issues with entangled glyph placement Fixed issue where Slorf could overlap Murk boss when the eye emerges from the ground Fixed tutorial intro volume problem Fixed the upgrade button going dead until you scroll (FINALLY) Fixed the hypno Thrix behavior when cornered, and cases of cone being on wrong angle Turrets now shoot at Slorf built structures Rock hucker and Nut flinger now use correct projectile Fixed auras stacking (they should not from same source) Recipes with 5 components reduced to 4 Attempt to fix camp crash (not verified) Lifesteal description more accurate (healing per damage) Shell description clarified that it gives 1 extra and not double
Underflock Escalation: Patch Notes
New Content
Boss: The Underflock General
Alternative to the Grimp Monstrosity in the Rugged Steppes. The underflock general is the ultimate fortification, protecting the mysterious shadow egg. Scout out the boss as soon as you can, as the tools needed for each are vastly different.
Enemy: Hulking Thrix
A new Thrix has joined the colony, Hulking Thrix is a slow but scary threat that rounds out the enemy variety in this region
Card: Chrono Cabbage
Now a resource card used in crafting, gives one evade to the target and exhausts.
Reworked
Strange Beast
Strange beast split into two units, with a stronger one appearing in the second region. They have been buffed and now have piercing, more health and damage. Sleep behaviour - Each day they start asleep and only awaken on their turn if a Slorf is within two tiles. So tiptoe around them until you are ready to battle!
Burrow Thrix
The Burrowing Thrix now replaces his randomized movement with a network of tunnel objects. The next tunnel in the sequence is hinted by an eerie glow from within. It's attack range has been bumped to 4.
Scouting
This mechanic was reworked to make easier to understand and more granular. Now by default you see the next clearing name, and each scouting level extends it one further (including scouting what the next region is)
Underflock Turrets
Blast turrets health was reduced and damage increased to cut down on the annoying gameplay of stepping in and out like you are doing the hokey pokey Fixed turrets removed as they were very fickle in how interesting they were based on placement
Tuned
Sinksand contrast increased and animates, so they are harder to miss Thrix Warren food tables tuned to make food more scarce and thus babies more important Tuber is now only found in the warren and is no longer a crafting ingredient The Greedy harvest card is now exhaust, with upgrade removing exhaust. Range 4 was kind of absurd Collect card buffed to now also give an AP for food gains The Encourage card's aura range is now always 2, and the upgrade reduces the cost Steppes Sinksand "beach" clearing was moved up one tier in sequence as it can be pretty tough. Number of Maddening Murk enemies slightly reduced, and pools tuned to stop some cases of flagrantly unfair situations Petroglyph recipes can now leave the pool so later finds are always higher tier. Example: No discovering a club recipe on day 14 Adjectives and nouns used in clearing names expanded and improved
Crafting
Complete pass on resource rarity and distribution, including via loot which is now connected with the same system. Flat % chances were leading to wild variations of important resources Sticks are now more common and needed in all recipes, with the number needed weighed by rarity/tier Complete pass on recipe rarity and components needed Walking stick no longer a component since it was a strange one off Balance of many crafted cards
Balance overhaul of resource cards
Many made exhaust instead of consume leading to much better deckbuilding and gameplay. Throw that stone you picked up, there is no downside
Some rare cards that stayed consume buffed to tempt usage. Eye now gives max health and water with sharing
Balance overhaul of camp upgrades
XP costs removed. Was annoying to mentally track xp costs between deck and upgrades
Conditions added to buffs to make less obvious as picks. Example, inspiring figurine now gives XP when sharing
Most slot rewards removed from upgrades, deck slots now mostly static
Minor tuning and moving some nodes around
UX
Recipe costs display polished with new icons and use of numbers Consume/Exhaust icons now shown in crafting tooltip
Bugs
Fixed cases where HUD would disappear when an object was moved Healing cards can no longer heal objects like tumbleweed Root mother no longer flings loot super far on death Counterattacking now works on large enemies Retry no longer resets settings to easy with no blessings/burdens Fixed some misc map gen issues Many fixes to map data that caused weird issues
Update Party!
Underflock Escalation is here!
Come hang out and chat with Gavin Yastremski and Clint Jorgenson as we play through the game and take on the chaotic new boss, the Underflock General
We are giving away some keys, so keep your eyes on the chat!
Dev Diary - Update Preview
The new update is just around the corner, so today we want to share all the details.
Last time we talked, we told you about the new boss: Underflock General. An alternative to the Grimp Monstrosity, this heavily fortified nest will have the Slorfs dodging missiles, mines and looking for openings through the ring of pawns as they fight to destroy the huge central turret.
What is their beef with the Slorfs?
What we didn't talk about as much, is the massive amount of tuning and balance work in this update, so here we go!
Thrix Warren
Last update the Thrix Warren ended up being easier than Maddening Murk and having a less unique feel to the gameplay. The Thrix babies were meant to be a key pillar of the gameplay of this region, but it’s too easy to just ignore them. Also the enemy variety was a bit thin, and the Burrow Thrix was not very threatening and too random in its movement.
Here is what's changing:
A new member of the colony, Hulking Thrix, was added to fill a niche that was lacking (slow, high health, and scary)
Burrow Thrix now uses a network of burrows to move around the map, replacing the random movement from before. The next burrow to be used is hinted visually, allowing a buff to attack range and removal of attack wind up time. If you need to, you can harvest the burrow to block it.
Vegan runs just became a nightmare. Food in the Warren is more scarce, making Thrix Bunnies a critical source of calories. Unless your deck is stacked with food mitigation you are going to need to be eating a few bunnies each day.
Tuber is now a Warren specific card, and no longer used in crafting. Just eat it, ideally sharing to get the maximum value out of it.
Also a general tuning pass to content and map layouts across the board.
Resource cards
Resource cards like Branch and Stone, are cards acquired in game that can also be used as a crafting material. The goal is creating tension between using them for their effect, or to consume them for a crafting recipe. It is a key part of ZOR's design that makes it unique, so we have to get it right.
Since last update though, these cards are still too plentiful, and yet never feel like they are worth the value to consume, leading to hoarding. The delicate balance we must strike is between recipe usage, rarity of cards, and how tempting they are to use.
We think we finally solved this issue with the following changes:
Most cards that were consume, are now exhaust, massively buffing them and allowing for more deckbuilding options. Not only can you always throw that stone you picked up, but you might even keep it in your deck for a while.
Food and water cards are still consumed, with some being buffed. Notably, the eye now gives maximum food AND water making it extremely tempting to use.
A full rework of how resources are distributed, including a stronger rarity spread (stone, branch more common and things like horn much more rare). Also, we replaced the flat % drop loot system with a smarter distribution system that finds the right amount of variance.
Chrono Cabbage is now a card that gives evade, and is used in some high level recipes
Do I really need that Cyclopean wand?
Crafting
Crafting is seeing tuning and improvements across the board, based on all the great videos and feedback since last update.
Here are the key changes:
XP has been removed from camp upgrades. This was added as a limiter on rapid upgrade progress in the last patch, but there is a mental disconnect where it’s annoying to juggle between the deck and upgrade tree, leading to accidental misjudgments on how many xp you need.
The new way of weighing and pacing crafting is via sticks. We had allowed recipe components to be too influenced by the theme, and have pulled back on that quite a bit. Sticks are now more plentiful and show up in every recipe. The amount needed is also weighed by recipe tier.
Petroglyph recipe rewards have been reworked so recipes can leave the rotation. Late recipes are now of an appropriate power level, no more getting club from a petroglyph on day 14
Recipe costs have been tuned across the board
Camp upgrades have also been updated and balanced, flat buffs have been given conditions so they are more interesting and more importantly, their selection is less of a given. Here are some examples:
Inspiring figurine now gives XP when sharing
Claw sharpener damage only applies to card damage
Counterattack now happens when blocking or evading damage
Roasting spit now gives food when harvesting
Also, we removed most slot expansions from the camp upgrade tree. You now start with a fixed amount of move slots and only expand other slot types in a few cases where they are used as a reward. It felt really disjointed to have these downsides along with the rewards.
What is inspiration without someone to share it with?
Bonus for reading this far
Underflock Escalation releases on Thursday March 2nd!! The update is live on the beta branch now, check it out and report any issues to our Discord
Thanks for playing ZOR, Clint and Gavin
Dev Diary: Our plans for 2023
After releasing the massive Into the Murk update, we took a much needed break in December. We then kicked off the year by cleaning the slate and locking down our plans for 2023, which we are excited to finally tell you about!
If we made one big adjustment, it was realizing that a single roguelike mode isn't enough to fully realize the potential of what ZOR can be. It's a great one of a kind challenge, and will always be a core mode of the game, but there is so much potential for a multi-run mode that we can't ignore.
A mode with several runs allows us to add more secrets, puzzles, rare surprises, and goals that tie into a bigger picture.
We are working on a new second mode, we are tentatively calling campaign.
Campaign
In a campaign, you will go on many expeditions, searching for resources and rare artifacts to fuel the construction of the greatest Slorf architectural project in history. With advancements to the project site, you will gain more tools to push further and into more dangerous regions. Death will be a bummer and reduce what you can bring back, but it will not be the end, merely a setback. What does this mega structure do? That's a secret only the Elder knows right now
This work is well underway and we will share more details soon!
Coming Soon
Of course, while working on campaign we will continue to expand and support pilgrimage mode. In fact our next update brings a chaotic new boss: The Underflock General
Our most dynamic battle yet, and a new alternative to the Monstrous Grimp in the Rugged Steppes, the Underflock General brings all the firepower these subterranean birds can muster. Deck building for mobility will be paramount, with the general orchestrating a barrage of mines and missiles from behind multiple layers of defensive emplacements.
Additionally, in this update we will be bringing Warren and Murk difficulty into line with a balance pass.
The Road
Here is the new roadmap with our revised and more ambitious plans:
Working on the Murk we simply could not help ourselves adding double the content we planned. Which should be amazing news, but it just leaves an impression that it was late all because we threw down dates too quickly, so no more guessing of dates.
Expect something significant every month or so, with smaller bug fixing and tuning patches in between as before.
Thanks for playing ZOR!
Clint and Gavin
Developer Stream
Let's get warmed up for Turn Based Fest by venturing into the Maddening Murk!
Hotfix - Dec 6
Fixed a few minor UI issues and fine tuned a few move card rewards in upgrade tree to be a row lower.
ZOR Update: Into the Murk
Get ready to get absolutely SWAMPED with content and improvements as Into the Murk, our first major content update for ZOR: Pilgrimage of the Slorfs is available now!
Features
New Region: The Maddening Murk
This crusty and unwelcoming bog is sinking underfoot, and seems to be alive! Mobility is paramount as tendrils grasp at you from under the muck, and you must pick off the nasty appendages one by one without collapsing from exhaustion.
The Murk is an alternate second region with a terrifying new boss and adds a whole new layer of strategic planning. Includes several new enemies, objects and hazards.
New Mechanic: Poison
A new malady has appeared in the wilds. When infected, precious food will drain each turn until you find a drink of cool refreshing water, so bring a cooler of beverages!
Expanded Difficulty Options
Every player can now adjust and play ZOR at the level of challenge that is perfect for them. With the addition of traditional difficulty settings and flexible perks called blessing and burdens, you can fine tune the experience to your liking.
Many More Improvements
Also included is a comprehensive tuning pass of balance, pacing and crafting. Progression and decisions are more interesting and intense, as you can no longer have it all.
We hope you have a blast, and also a great holiday!
Clint and Gavin Righteous Hammer Games
Into the Murk
In a matter of weeks our first major content update will arrive! Here is a preview of what we have in store.
New Region
The Maddening Murk
This gurgling bog is unpleasant in many ways, but the worst has to be the Tendrils, a family of nightmarish appendages emerging from every corner of the swamp. And surprise! They have a beef with the Slorfs. The good news is that Tendrils only move within muck tiles, so you can pick your battles. The bad news? The muck is a quagmire of slow moving terrain you need to prepare for amongst the other hazards. The environment itself is the Murk's toughest enemy.
The Murk adds a host of unique content of all types, including a terrifying new boss
Poison
Poison can appear in any region, but it is particularly pervasive in the Murk. This isn't the typical "tick some damage" condition, each stack of poison reduces one food from the Slorf's tummy each turn and when the food runs out, poison starts doing damage.
The cure is simple: a cool drink of water, from any source. As you might guess though, clean water isn't exactly common in the Murk, so plan ahead and make use of sharing whenever you can. If you get caught unprepared it is doubly devastating since the Slorfs use food to pay for move cards. (Did I mention that mobility is critical in the Murk?) We will leave the metaphor to your imagination
New Resources
Mudsnack
Mudsnacks are nutritious little muck swimmers which provide a huge boost in food. There is only one problem: THEY ARE POISON, and there is no master sushi chef in sight to prepare it properly. It's not an issue as long as you have a drink handy, so line things up and you will grow to love this noxious snack.
Cane
A sliver of hope lies in this new resource card, which is consumed to gain water, or used in crafting for staff and spear recipes. In the Murk, this provides an especially tough choice, do you use it in crafting or keep it for an emergency poison cure?
And More!
A new member of the will of the wood
Warren difficulty tuning
Resource balance
Bug fixes
Final thoughts
Beyond adding a bunch of fun new stuff, this update has a larger goal of really upping the replay value of the game and deepening the strategy of deckbuilding.
In the Thrix Warren, you need to prepare to be ambushed by tough enemies with psionic powers, and carefully choose your moment to chow down on a bunny. Where the poison and muck of the Murk provides a different challenge, that requires different cards and tactics to deal with. What works in the Warren, may sink in the Murk.
You won't know which region you are heading into right off the bat, so you need to keep flexible for both scenarios, and then pivot hard to specialize once it becomes clear.
Thank you and see you in the Murk soon! - Righteous Hammer Games
Bug fixes and minor tuning
Tuning
Tooltips now display relevant keywords and definitions Tooltip text has been polished and improved even more Slorf immobilized now called stuck (as its different than enemy immobilize) Mighty underflock cannons range reduced from 99 Mighty underflock blaster range reduce to 1, damage increased Thorns now based on adjacency and not melee/missile
Bug Fixes
Fixed FATAL ERROR (hopefully its just the one case we found) Attempted fix at card mesh asset rarely being in wrong hex Added some safeguards to avoid rare crashes Jump can no longer misfire if clicking the hex without moving the cursor Move cards no longer cancel if no hexes are available After dragging the map if cursor is over the hand, the card will rollover Fixed jittery rollover between cards when hand overlapping Fixed issues with right mouse map drag, and disable middle mouse dragging Fixed rare issue where the card would not rollover until the second attempt Fixed rare issue where the map would drag slightly on card drag Fixed rare issue where rapid clicking would lock a card permanently Hypnotic thrix no longer fears other enemies Hiding grass fade fixed Some missing SFX and VFX on harvest remove added
