In our last update we mentioned that patch 1.4.2 was just around the corner and that it’ll include a whole bunch of changes and fixes for you.
Well the time is finally upon us and we’ve made quite a few changes that should bring greater balance to multiplayer games, as well as fix a few of the issues you’ve reported directly to us via our User Echo service. Please be sure to get in touch if you have further issues and we’ll have them fixed soon. Now without further ado, read on for the notes!
Balance Changes
General Gameplay
Mana
Mana regen in Skirmish and Multiplayer decreased by 25%
Research Research has been going too fast, combined with high level units increasing the efficiency of research, we're addressing this by increasing the cost of individuals sins.
The cost of researching Sins has increased by a flat 35%
Unit Spawning Due to changes to the research rate we felt that units were spawning in too quickly during the early game. To bring these in line we’ve changed unit spawning so that the spawn rate gradually increases to current levels over time.
This should also alleviate some of the early game rushes which have been dominating multiplayer recently.
Unit spawn rates during the early game have been reduced - this spawn rate will gradually increase over time to normal levels
Units
Vampire We felt that the Vampire was far too easy to shut down with a simple Prison. With this change it will require additional micromanagement to keep your rival’s vampire out of his hands.
The Vampire now loses 3.3% health every second while in Prison - as such he will die (and respawn in his owner’s possession) after 30 seconds unless regularly healed
Witch Doctor
Heal no longer takes priority above all other abilities
Basic attack cooldown increased from 2s to 5s
Basic attack damage increased from 50 to 75
Ember Demon
Health down from 3,000 to 2,250
Respawn time increased from 30s to 45s
Gold cost increased from 7,500 to 10,000
Spirit
Base bonus XP when dropped in the Spirit Chamber increased from 500 to 750
Bonus XP multiplier when dropped in the Spirit Chamber decreased from x3 to x1.5
Titans
Colossus
Movement increased from 5 (average) to 5.5
Basic attack range increased from melee to melee + 2.5m
Basic attack damage increased from 800 to 1,200
Spells
Gild
Now applies a flat happiness boost to the Sentinel when cast upon one - this should help manage the unhappiness spiral that can occur
Potions
Work-A-Lot Work-A-Lot was a huge boon to your working minions and its effects far outweighed the costs of deploying it. As such we’ve increased the cost while simultaneously reducing its effects to make the reward more proportionate to the cost.
Cost increased from 750 gold to 1,500 gold
Work-A-Lot efficiency boost decreased from x5 to x3
Wisdom Juice With the changes to levelling in patch 1.4 the value of the Wisdom Juice potion has risen considerably. However the cost has not increased in line with that. By reducing the XP granted by the potion we bring these factors back into balance without inadvertently affecting other parts of the game.
XP decreased from 2,500 to 1,250
Wormhole Wormhole has proven rather powerful in recent matches where players walled off their Core and surrounded it with defences to pick off enemy units teleported in by the Wormhole. Now using the potion has a cost to offset its benefits and allows affected units an avenue of escape.
Wormhole now causes walls surrounding the user’s Dungeon Core to explode
Defenses
Well of Souls
Base damage increased from 35 to 45
Damage required to spawn each Wraith doubled
Campaign Changes
Level 4
The player can no longer place a Beast Den until they have claimed the one near their Core
Heart of Gold Level 2
Players will now be alerted that they cannot use the Construction ritual to construct Outposts in this level
Graphics Changes
The Silver Kasita theme has a new ceiling
Wisdom Juice potion VFX will now show the correct impact size
Minor tweaks to the appearance of cosmetic Fog of War
Performance Improvements
Improved load balancing of game updates, ensuring the game works accurately under high load, while still running smoothly
Simplified cosmetic Fog of War rendering now updates more efficiently
Refactored Water and Lava ambient sounds and clarified culling - this will reduce the number of sounds attached to Water and Lava tiles and aid performance slightly
Audio Improvements
Added over sixty new narrator lines for the following:
Dungeon Cores being destroyed
Minions being rallied for too long
Miscellaneous Dynamic Tutorial System lines
Artefact of Mana usage
UI Improvements
When attempting to join a multiplayer game a new dialog will appear displaying “Connecting” until the game successfully connects or encounters a connection error
AI Improvements
Units in combat would previously switch their target regularly in order to use their abilities against the most effective target, however this could cause confusion in the swirling melee.
Units will now switch their combat targets less often, preferring to prioritise their current target over others except in exceptional circumstances
Map Editor Improvements
It is now possible to change the faction of Shrines and Gateways using the Paint Faction tool
Miscellaneous
Death alerts will no longer play when disposable units perish (Wraiths, Ghouls, Frost Weavers, etc.) (Public Ticket: 1060)
Several small fixes to in-game text
Updated several Skirmish and Sandbox map descriptions
It is now possible to manually specify an IP address to join via Multiplayer (in the event of games not showing up due to adapter settings or if you wish to connect via tunnel you can now use this feature)
Bug Fixes
Fixed a number of issues which could cause crashes in Multiplayer
Fixed a rare issue which would cause some custom maps to be unloadable
Fixed a bug in the Prison tooltip which would cause it to incorrectly display the number of prisoners held (Public Ticket: 1062)
Fixed an issue where Titans would not be available in the Heart of Gold Home Realm
Sappers will no longer dramatically pause before playing their death animation, since Underlords don’t appreciate amateur dramatics
Fixed an issue where the Oculus would not take damage from the Lightning spell (Public Ticket: 1091)
Fixed an issue where Glacial Doors which were pre-placed and locked in the Map Editor would incorrectly appear to be open, even though they were logically closed (Public Ticket: 943)
The Stairway to Heaven Achievement in Heart of Gold level 1 is now correctly achievable (Public Ticket: 1042)
Fixed an issue where locked doors on maps created in the Map Editor would would render only the lock if viewed through the initial Fog of War
Fixed an issue where a Stone Bridge on the Skirmish map “Triad” had incorrect health values and under which the ground would be black
Sappers which are turned into golden statues will no longer lock mana for the owning player (Public Ticket: 1138)
Fixed an issue where units which were classed as “hover” units could become stuck in Chasms
Fixed an issue in Multiplayer where the client would no longer be able to produce potions in an Alchemy Lab cauldron if they had previously cancelled a potion in that cauldron
Fixed an issue where using the Pivot mirror tool in the Map Editor could cause unusual behaviours (Public Ticket: 1039)
Fixed several issues with the Siege Doors on main campaign level 13, such as units becoming stuck behind them and the incorrect display of whether the door was open (Public Ticket: 1101)
Titan Summoning Stones will now create the correct alert when attacked
Fixed a bug where Haste potions would increase the work speed of affected units (should only affect movement speed)
Clicking the back button in a Multiplayer lobby now correctly takes you back to the game list rather than the main menu
Fixed a bug where the Blood Money spell did not work on Heart of Gold bosses in the Home Realm
Fixed a bug where the player could not dismiss a Titan in any campaign level with three slaps (Heart of Gold Level 4 still does not allow it as doing so would result in mission failure)
The Aloha Worker will now correctly make sounds for digging, walking and running
Fixed an issue with the display of the Kickstarter death animation
Dungeon Cores will now cull at the correct point off the edge of the screen
Mandalf can no longer be converted if the Torture Rack is in Execution mode (Heart of Gold level 1)
Fixed an issue where minions could die in the Arena in the Home Realm or from loaded save games
Fixed an issue where slider values in the options menu were not updated when dragged - now values will update in real time
Doors will no longer be destroyed if new “wall” blocks are placed in the opposite orientation locations
Fixed an issue where players could hear VO regarding other players’ Spirit Chambers in multiplayer games
Fixed an issue for clients in multiplayer which prevented them from managing the unit pool for the Beast Den
Fixed an issue where clients in multiplayer were unable to continue researching artefacts if an artefact had previously been used on that particular prop
Fixed an issue where Workers would become trapped while mining gold if they were assigned the “Unfortify” action as a priority. This was due to their inventory being full, preventing further gold from being added, but they were still treating the “Unfortify” action as a priority.
The Silver Kasita Dungeon Theme can now be correctly selected as an Empire theme in the Map Editor
Fixed an issue where parties of Empire units could spawn on main campaign level 13 but would never act
Workers should no longer be able to blink into an Arena or Prison
The Ember Demon’s passive AOE should no longer damage enemies in Prison
Fixed an issue on main campaign level 13 where the player was not correctly benefitting from all Kenos effects
Fixed an issue on main campaign level 13 where the dwarven Ironworks was not producing defences
Fixed an issue on main campaign level 13 where the announced “Disciple attack” would never arrive
Workers will no longer drop any gold they’re carrying into the Tavern Spit Roast whenever they also drop pigs in
The Skirmish map “Flood” now loads again
Fixed an issue with main campaign level 7 where units would not die when reaching the Aum
Fixed an issue where unit beds would visually disappear after saving and loading
Fixed an issue where the final cutscene in Heart of Gold Level 4 could stutter
Fixed an issue where Mandalf the Gold would not spawn under the intended conditions in Heart of Gold Level 4
Bombards should now once again be able to hit units which are over or on the other side of a Chasm
Fixed an issue where the Blade Lotus would no longer attack after being toggled from a disabled state to an enabled state
Units should now always be able to engage enemy units that are extremely close to a player’s Dungeon Core
Empire forces now receive basic training on the use of walls, fixing a longstanding issue where Templars could ignore the presence of a Rampart and attempt to path through it, even if no appropriate path existed, causing their demise
That covers this patch for now! Rest assured we’ll be keeping our eyes on your feedback, and there’s plenty more to come in the coming weeks and months!
In our last update we mentioned that patch 1.4.2 was just around the corner and that it’ll include a whole bunch of changes and fixes for you.
Well the time is finally upon us and we’ve made quite a few changes that should bring greater balance to multiplayer games, as well as fix a few of the issues you’ve reported directly to us via our User Echo service. Please be sure to get in touch if you have further issues and we’ll have them fixed soon. Now without further ado, read on for the notes!
Balance Changes
General Gameplay
Mana
Mana regen in Skirmish and Multiplayer decreased by 25%
Research Research has been going too fast, combined with high level units increasing the efficiency of research, we're addressing this by increasing the cost of individuals sins.
The cost of researching Sins has increased by a flat 35%
Unit Spawning Due to changes to the research rate we felt that units were spawning in too quickly during the early game. To bring these in line we’ve changed unit spawning so that the spawn rate gradually increases to current levels over time.
This should also alleviate some of the early game rushes which have been dominating multiplayer recently.
Unit spawn rates during the early game have been reduced - this spawn rate will gradually increase over time to normal levels
Units
Vampire We felt that the Vampire was far too easy to shut down with a simple Prison. With this change it will require additional micromanagement to keep your rival’s vampire out of his hands.
The Vampire now loses 3.3% health every second while in Prison - as such he will die (and respawn in his owner’s possession) after 30 seconds unless regularly healed
Witch Doctor
Heal no longer takes priority above all other abilities
Basic attack cooldown increased from 2s to 5s
Basic attack damage increased from 50 to 75
Ember Demon
Health down from 3,000 to 2,250
Respawn time increased from 30s to 45s
Gold cost increased from 7,500 to 10,000
Spirit
Base bonus XP when dropped in the Spirit Chamber increased from 500 to 750
Bonus XP multiplier when dropped in the Spirit Chamber decreased from x3 to x1.5
Titans
Colossus
Movement increased from 5 (average) to 5.5
Basic attack range increased from melee to melee + 2.5m
Basic attack damage increased from 800 to 1,200
Spells
Gild
Now applies a flat happiness boost to the Sentinel when cast upon one - this should help manage the unhappiness spiral that can occur
Potions
Work-A-Lot Work-A-Lot was a huge boon to your working minions and its effects far outweighed the costs of deploying it. As such we’ve increased the cost while simultaneously reducing its effects to make the reward more proportionate to the cost.
Cost increased from 750 gold to 1,500 gold
Work-A-Lot efficiency boost decreased from x5 to x3
Wisdom Juice With the changes to levelling in patch 1.4 the value of the Wisdom Juice potion has risen considerably. However the cost has not increased in line with that. By reducing the XP granted by the potion we bring these factors back into balance without inadvertently affecting other parts of the game.
XP decreased from 2,500 to 1,250
Wormhole Wormhole has proven rather powerful in recent matches where players walled off their Core and surrounded it with defences to pick off enemy units teleported in by the Wormhole. Now using the potion has a cost to offset its benefits and allows affected units an avenue of escape.
Wormhole now causes walls surrounding the user’s Dungeon Core to explode
Defenses
Well of Souls
Base damage increased from 35 to 45
Damage required to spawn each Wraith doubled
Campaign Changes
Level 4
The player can no longer place a Beast Den until they have claimed the one near their Core
Heart of Gold Level 2
Players will now be alerted that they cannot use the Construction ritual to construct Outposts in this level
Graphics Changes
The Silver Kasita theme has a new ceiling
Wisdom Juice potion VFX will now show the correct impact size
Minor tweaks to the appearance of cosmetic Fog of War
Performance Improvements
Improved load balancing of game updates, ensuring the game works accurately under high load, while still running smoothly
Simplified cosmetic Fog of War rendering now updates more efficiently
Refactored Water and Lava ambient sounds and clarified culling - this will reduce the number of sounds attached to Water and Lava tiles and aid performance slightly
Audio Improvements
Added over sixty new narrator lines for the following:
Dungeon Cores being destroyed
Minions being rallied for too long
Miscellaneous Dynamic Tutorial System lines
Artefact of Mana usage
UI Improvements
When attempting to join a multiplayer game a new dialog will appear displaying “Connecting” until the game successfully connects or encounters a connection error
AI Improvements
Units in combat would previously switch their target regularly in order to use their abilities against the most effective target, however this could cause confusion in the swirling melee.
Units will now switch their combat targets less often, preferring to prioritise their current target over others except in exceptional circumstances
Map Editor Improvements
It is now possible to change the faction of Shrines and Gateways using the Paint Faction tool
Miscellaneous
Death alerts will no longer play when disposable units perish (Wraiths, Ghouls, Frost Weavers, etc.) (Public Ticket: 1060)
Several small fixes to in-game text
Updated several Skirmish and Sandbox map descriptions
It is now possible to manually specify an IP address to join via Multiplayer (in the event of games not showing up due to adapter settings or if you wish to connect via tunnel you can now use this feature)
Bug Fixes
Fixed a number of issues which could cause crashes in Multiplayer
Fixed a rare issue which would cause some custom maps to be unloadable
Fixed a bug in the Prison tooltip which would cause it to incorrectly display the number of prisoners held (Public Ticket: 1062)
Fixed an issue where Titans would not be available in the Heart of Gold Home Realm
Sappers will no longer dramatically pause before playing their death animation, since Underlords don’t appreciate amateur dramatics
Fixed an issue where the Oculus would not take damage from the Lightning spell (Public Ticket: 1091)
Fixed an issue where Glacial Doors which were pre-placed and locked in the Map Editor would incorrectly appear to be open, even though they were logically closed (Public Ticket: 943)
The Stairway to Heaven Achievement in Heart of Gold level 1 is now correctly achievable (Public Ticket: 1042)
Fixed an issue where locked doors on maps created in the Map Editor would would render only the lock if viewed through the initial Fog of War
Fixed an issue where a Stone Bridge on the Skirmish map “Triad” had incorrect health values and under which the ground would be black
Sappers which are turned into golden statues will no longer lock mana for the owning player (Public Ticket: 1138)
Fixed an issue where units which were classed as “hover” units could become stuck in Chasms
Fixed an issue in Multiplayer where the client would no longer be able to produce potions in an Alchemy Lab cauldron if they had previously cancelled a potion in that cauldron
Fixed an issue where using the Pivot mirror tool in the Map Editor could cause unusual behaviours (Public Ticket: 1039)
Fixed several issues with the Siege Doors on main campaign level 13, such as units becoming stuck behind them and the incorrect display of whether the door was open (Public Ticket: 1101)
Titan Summoning Stones will now create the correct alert when attacked
Fixed a bug where Haste potions would increase the work speed of affected units (should only affect movement speed)
Clicking the back button in a Multiplayer lobby now correctly takes you back to the game list rather than the main menu
Fixed a bug where the Blood Money spell did not work on Heart of Gold bosses in the Home Realm
Fixed a bug where the player could not dismiss a Titan in any campaign level with three slaps (Heart of Gold Level 4 still does not allow it as doing so would result in mission failure)
The Aloha Worker will now correctly make sounds for digging, walking and running
Fixed an issue with the display of the Kickstarter death animation
Dungeon Cores will now cull at the correct point off the edge of the screen
Mandalf can no longer be converted if the Torture Rack is in Execution mode (Heart of Gold level 1)
Fixed an issue where minions could die in the Arena in the Home Realm or from loaded save games
Fixed an issue where slider values in the options menu were not updated when dragged - now values will update in real time
Doors will no longer be destroyed if new “wall” blocks are placed in the opposite orientation locations
Fixed an issue where players could hear VO regarding other players’ Spirit Chambers in multiplayer games
Fixed an issue for clients in multiplayer which prevented them from managing the unit pool for the Beast Den
Fixed an issue where clients in multiplayer were unable to continue researching artefacts if an artefact had previously been used on that particular prop
Fixed an issue where Workers would become trapped while mining gold if they were assigned the “Unfortify” action as a priority. This was due to their inventory being full, preventing further gold from being added, but they were still treating the “Unfortify” action as a priority.
The Silver Kasita Dungeon Theme can now be correctly selected as an Empire theme in the Map Editor
Fixed an issue where parties of Empire units could spawn on main campaign level 13 but would never act
Workers should no longer be able to blink into an Arena or Prison
The Ember Demon’s passive AOE should no longer damage enemies in Prison
Fixed an issue on main campaign level 13 where the player was not correctly benefitting from all Kenos effects
Fixed an issue on main campaign level 13 where the dwarven Ironworks was not producing defences
Fixed an issue on main campaign level 13 where the announced “Disciple attack” would never arrive
Workers will no longer drop any gold they’re carrying into the Tavern Spit Roast whenever they also drop pigs in
The Skirmish map “Flood” now loads again
Fixed an issue with main campaign level 7 where units would not die when reaching the Aum
Fixed an issue where unit beds would visually disappear after saving and loading
Fixed an issue where the final cutscene in Heart of Gold Level 4 could stutter
Fixed an issue where Mandalf the Gold would not spawn under the intended conditions in Heart of Gold Level 4
Bombards should now once again be able to hit units which are over or on the other side of a Chasm
Fixed an issue where the Blade Lotus would no longer attack after being toggled from a disabled state to an enabled state
Units should now always be able to engage enemy units that are extremely close to a player’s Dungeon Core
Empire forces now receive basic training on the use of walls, fixing a longstanding issue where Templars could ignore the presence of a Rampart and attempt to path through it, even if no appropriate path existed, causing their demise
That covers this patch for now! Rest assured we’ll be keeping our eyes on your feedback, and there’s plenty more to come in the coming weeks and months!
Nearly two months have passed since we unleashed the very first expansion to War for the Overworld, Heart of Gold, alongside the staggeringly massive patch 1.4. But there was no rest for the evil, as we released hotfixes around the clock to ensure the biggest issues that cropped up were fixed as quickly as possible. We topped that off with patch 1.4.1!
Overall the reception to Heart of Gold and patch 1.4 has been overwhelmingly positive, and we’re pleased that our hard work has resulted in the latest version of the game being something we can all be incredibly proud of. In this recap we’re going to take a quick look into the reception so far.
We’ve also got a nice downloadable extra for you, as well as a link to the opening cinematic of Heart of Gold, so you can easily watch it again. Read on, Underlord!
What You’re Saying About Heart of Gold and Patch 1.4
We’ve seen an incredible response to Heart of Gold, but perhaps that’s a little too underwhelming. To truly understand how staggeringly positive the feedback we’re receiving is, here are a few numbers from our Steam user review scores:
Overall score: 77.02% (Compared to 72.95% during the release of Patch 1.0, showing continued improvement)
Score since patch 1.4: 89.18% (up from 79.05% during patch 1.3)
Heart of Gold overall score: 92%
These numbers show a massive increase in how many positive reviews we’ve received, and this reflects just how much effort we’ve poured into WFTO since release last year.
But numbers are only half the story. Here are some choice extracts from a few of your reviews:
“Took a while but this is like the only Kickstarter game I backed that is actually worth playing now.”“I encourage anyone who was turned off by the initial mess to give War for the Overworld another shot. It’s now a wonderful game in and of itself, but more than that the devs should be congratulated and rewarded for never giving up on their vision.”“[…] thanks to dedicated work by the developers (which continues to this day, I might add) this one has blossomed into a wonderful strategy title.”“The team at Brightrock Games further improve their craft with this carefully designed DLC, which I might add was free for backers and early adopters, though I would have paid money on day one for it anyway.”
We’re pleased to see that our efforts have driven such a positive response from our community, and we can’t wait to see how our upcoming content performs.
All That is Gold – Short Story Compilation
During the run-up to Heart of Gold’s release we teased you with a series of short stories that revolved around a particularly stalwart dwarf and the heroes of Phaestus, during the events of the new campaign. We enjoyed having the opportunity to expand the lore of War for the Overworld, and tell a portion of the story from a different perspective.
If you missed out on these the first time around then we have a treat for you: we’ve compiled them into a single, collected volume, gussied them up in the style of the upcoming Dungeoneer’s Guide, and uploaded them for your reading pleasure!
In addition we will be adding this compilation to the Underlord Edition of the game at the same time we add the Dungeoneer’s Guide. We hope you’re looking forward to that!
Reminder: Patch 1.4.1 is Out Now
In case you missed the announcement a few weeks ago, we recently released the first minor patch for War for the Overworld. This included a number of changes to both the visual stylings of the game, and mechanics such as unit spawning.
We also rolled out dozens of bug fixes and made some improvements to other areas. You can read the full release notes for patch 1.4.1 here.
This isn’t it for support in the wake of patch 1.4. Patch 1.4.2 is due out in the coming days so please keep your eyes open for it!
Watch the Heart of Gold Cinematic Opening
For Heart of Gold we looked to deliver a more solid and compelling story, and part of that was setting the scene for the war spilling over into the dukedom of Phaestus. We developed the opening cinematic to set the scene, and we’ve had a great response from it. As such we’ve opted to upload the full video to YouTube for your enjoyment!
Nearly two months have passed since we unleashed the very first expansion to War for the Overworld, Heart of Gold, alongside the staggeringly massive patch 1.4. But there was no rest for the evil, as we released hotfixes around the clock to ensure the biggest issues that cropped up were fixed as quickly as possible. We topped that off with patch 1.4.1!
Overall the reception to Heart of Gold and patch 1.4 has been overwhelmingly positive, and we’re pleased that our hard work has resulted in the latest version of the game being something we can all be incredibly proud of. In this recap we’re going to take a quick look into the reception so far.
We’ve also got a nice downloadable extra for you, as well as a link to the opening cinematic of Heart of Gold, so you can easily watch it again. Read on, Underlord!
What You’re Saying About Heart of Gold and Patch 1.4
We’ve seen an incredible response to Heart of Gold, but perhaps that’s a little too underwhelming. To truly understand how staggeringly positive the feedback we’re receiving is, here are a few numbers from our Steam user review scores:
Overall score: 77.02% (Compared to 72.95% during the release of Patch 1.0, showing continued improvement)
Score since patch 1.4: 89.18% (up from 79.05% during patch 1.3)
Heart of Gold overall score: 92%
These numbers show a massive increase in how many positive reviews we’ve received, and this reflects just how much effort we’ve poured into WFTO since release last year.
But numbers are only half the story. Here are some choice extracts from a few of your reviews:
“Took a while but this is like the only Kickstarter game I backed that is actually worth playing now.”“I encourage anyone who was turned off by the initial mess to give War for the Overworld another shot. It’s now a wonderful game in and of itself, but more than that the devs should be congratulated and rewarded for never giving up on their vision.”“[…] thanks to dedicated work by the developers (which continues to this day, I might add) this one has blossomed into a wonderful strategy title.”“The team at Brightrock Games further improve their craft with this carefully designed DLC, which I might add was free for backers and early adopters, though I would have paid money on day one for it anyway.”
We’re pleased to see that our efforts have driven such a positive response from our community, and we can’t wait to see how our upcoming content performs.
All That is Gold – Short Story Compilation
During the run-up to Heart of Gold’s release we teased you with a series of short stories that revolved around a particularly stalwart dwarf and the heroes of Phaestus, during the events of the new campaign. We enjoyed having the opportunity to expand the lore of War for the Overworld, and tell a portion of the story from a different perspective.
If you missed out on these the first time around then we have a treat for you: we’ve compiled them into a single, collected volume, gussied them up in the style of the upcoming Dungeoneer’s Guide, and uploaded them for your reading pleasure!
In addition we will be adding this compilation to the Underlord Edition of the game at the same time we add the Dungeoneer’s Guide. We hope you’re looking forward to that!
Reminder: Patch 1.4.1 is Out Now
In case you missed the announcement a few weeks ago, we recently released the first minor patch for War for the Overworld. This included a number of changes to both the visual stylings of the game, and mechanics such as unit spawning.
We also rolled out dozens of bug fixes and made some improvements to other areas. You can read the full release notes for patch 1.4.1 here.
This isn’t it for support in the wake of patch 1.4. Patch 1.4.2 is due out in the coming days so please keep your eyes open for it!
Watch the Heart of Gold Cinematic Opening
For Heart of Gold we looked to deliver a more solid and compelling story, and part of that was setting the scene for the war spilling over into the dukedom of Phaestus. We developed the opening cinematic to set the scene, and we’ve had a great response from it. As such we’ve opted to upload the full video to YouTube for your enjoyment!
The team here at Brightrock Games is always looking for ways to make everyone’s lives just a little bit easier. To that end we’ve taken the User Echo bug tracker, we launched a few months ago, and given it a complete overhaul. We’re calling it User Echo 2.0!
Our goal is to make it so that the process of reporting a bug and keeping track of it is simple and clear to all of our fans. We’ve also taken all the information that was previously strewn across our forums and compiled it into a pair of incredibly useful knowledge bases - one for War for the Overworld and one for our other services.
Introduced a new landing page so we can support multiple services and expand in the future
Added two knowledge bases, one for War for the Overworld and one for other services - these will contain answers to common issues
Overhauled the statuses and processes behind bug tickets to make them clearer to reporters and thus easier to track
Changed “Needs more information” to “Pending customer” - because there’s more than one reason we might be waiting for you
Added “Completed - Next Patch” - All tickets will automatically be marked as this when completed internally, and will change to complete when a patch is rolled out
Added “Pending Third Party” - If we can’t fix your issue we might need to approach a third party (such as Unity or Coherent UI), so we will set tickets to this while we await their response/fix
Rejigged colours - because the colours needed a new jig
Moved “General help and support” from the community forum to User Echo
Added links to various other services such as the community forum and Discord
Tidied up all the text and images - we’re sure you’ll notice the improvement!
It’s our aim to deliver excellent turnaround times on bug reports to ensure you get the best experience from our game. We’re gradually getting better at it too! To underline that here are some stats on User Echo’s first six and a bit months of use:
The team here at Brightrock Games is always looking for ways to make everyone’s lives just a little bit easier. To that end we’ve taken the User Echo bug tracker, we launched a few months ago, and given it a complete overhaul. We’re calling it User Echo 2.0!
Our goal is to make it so that the process of reporting a bug and keeping track of it is simple and clear to all of our fans. We’ve also taken all the information that was previously strewn across our forums and compiled it into a pair of incredibly useful knowledge bases - one for War for the Overworld and one for our other services.
Introduced a new landing page so we can support multiple services and expand in the future
Added two knowledge bases, one for War for the Overworld and one for other services - these will contain answers to common issues
Overhauled the statuses and processes behind bug tickets to make them clearer to reporters and thus easier to track
Changed “Needs more information” to “Pending customer” - because there’s more than one reason we might be waiting for you
Added “Completed - Next Patch” - All tickets will automatically be marked as this when completed internally, and will change to complete when a patch is rolled out
Added “Pending Third Party” - If we can’t fix your issue we might need to approach a third party (such as Unity or Coherent UI), so we will set tickets to this while we await their response/fix
Rejigged colours - because the colours needed a new jig
Moved “General help and support” from the community forum to User Echo
Added links to various other services such as the community forum and Discord
Tidied up all the text and images - we’re sure you’ll notice the improvement!
It’s our aim to deliver excellent turnaround times on bug reports to ensure you get the best experience from our game. We’re gradually getting better at it too! To underline that here are some stats on User Echo’s first six and a bit months of use:
While you’ve been tunnelling your way through the molten dukedom of Phaestus, summer has arrived (though barely if you live in the UK). Now you step forth onto the northern shores of the world, witnessing golden sands and turquoise seas, flush from the heat of Mount Phaestus!
Your Workers haven’t seen the sun in aeons, and while most skulk away from the light and back away into your dungeon, Aloha Worker is unpacking his suitcase - bucket and spade? Check! Flip-flops? Check! Hawaiian shirt? Most certainly, check!
Though judging by his skin tone, he might have forgotten to pack the sunscreen ... Anyway, you’ll need to be careful, Underlord - if this craze catches on the next thing you know you’ll have an entire dungeon full of flowery-coloured minions, more dazzling even than Kasita’s Home Realm!
Unpack your Aloha Worker skin on Steam and receive a special summer discount for a limited time - then bask with him in Skirmish, Sandbox, Scenario, and Multiplayer modes!
Priced at just £0.79 / $0.99 / 0.99€, the Aloha Worker is waiting for you on the Steam store.
You can also pick up all our current Worker Skins as part of a single bundle for a small discount!
In addition, backers of our original Kickstarter campaign using the Steam version of the game will receive this skin for free!
Have a lovely summer, Underlord ... And don’t forget the sunscreen.
While you’ve been tunnelling your way through the molten dukedom of Phaestus, summer has arrived (though barely if you live in the UK). Now you step forth onto the northern shores of the world, witnessing golden sands and turquoise seas, flush from the heat of Mount Phaestus!
Your Workers haven’t seen the sun in aeons, and while most skulk away from the light and back away into your dungeon, Aloha Worker is unpacking his suitcase - bucket and spade? Check! Flip-flops? Check! Hawaiian shirt? Most certainly, check!
Though judging by his skin tone, he might have forgotten to pack the sunscreen ... Anyway, you’ll need to be careful, Underlord - if this craze catches on the next thing you know you’ll have an entire dungeon full of flowery-coloured minions, more dazzling even than Kasita’s Home Realm!
Unpack your Aloha Worker skin on Steam and receive a special summer discount for a limited time - then bask with him in Skirmish, Sandbox, Scenario, and Multiplayer modes!
Priced at just £0.79 / $0.99 / 0.99€, the Aloha Worker is waiting for you on the Steam store.
You can also pick up all our current Worker Skins as part of a single bundle for a small discount!
In addition, backers of our original Kickstarter campaign using the Steam version of the game will receive this skin for free!
Have a lovely summer, Underlord ... And don’t forget the sunscreen.
Reception to Heart of Gold and patch 1.4 has been absolutely fantastic, we’re pleased to see so many of you enjoying the latest iteration of War for the Overworld. As we promised yesterday we have a new minor but not insubstantial patch for you today, chocked full of features and fixes based off community feedback.
It’s also a good day to be a DRM-Free player as we’re finally updating the build from v1.2.3 to this very patch. That means you can finally put the map editor to use and experience all the improvements we delivered in Patch 1.4.
We’re sure you’re eager to see what’s changed so without further ado read on Underlord!
Major Changes
DRM Free Version Updated
The DRM-Free build of War for the Overworld has been updated to v1.4.1, if you own the DRM-Free version you can download it via Humble
Achievements & Unlockables have been added to the DRM-Free version
Be aware Heart of Gold, Steam Workshop, and several other features are not present in the DRM-Free build as they rely on the Steamworks API (see the DRM-Free FAQ)
Cosmetic Fog of War Improvements
Revealed areas that are not actively part of current gameplay (such as the top of neutral terrain) are now darkened
Important gameplay elements such as gold and claimed territory remain lit
This causes these elements of the game pop more compared to the background and helps to reinforce a darker atmosphere while allowing lighting to shine
We’ve normalized the unit spawning values so you can more reliably figure out how large a room needs to be to attract a certain number of units.
1 Prop per unit:
Sanctuary - Cultist or Priestess
Archive - Cultist or Priestess
Foundry - Chunder or Warden
Barracks - Gnarling or Templar
1.5 Props per unit:
Spirit Chamber - Witch Doctor
Alchemy Lab - Crackpot or Firebreather
Torture Chamber - Succubus or Inquisitor
Crypt - Necromancer or Matriarch
2 Props per unit
Garrison - Augre or Juggernaut
4 Props per unit
Arena - Beastmaster or Huntress (Every flat edge tile counts as a ‘prop’)
Room tooltips have been updated to display this information.
UI Changes
In-Game UI
Added a glow effect to active rally flags, making it clear which flags are currently active
Warbands are now automatically expanded when active, displaying the cancel button
Improved look of the ability selection in possession UI and added a little number above each ability to show their associated hotkey
Room tooltips now show how many units the room has attracted versus how many units it can possibly attract at its current size
It is now possible to switch abilities in Possession with the scrollwheel
Improved accuracy of the “Zoom To” function eg. when a unit portrait or any other button is right clicked.
Menus
The “Heart of Gold Now Available” and “Access Heart of Gold” arrows can now be dismissed permanently by clicking a small X button
Updated the descriptions of several Skirmish maps
Tooltips
Construction Ritual will now explain that it cannot construct Outposts on certain maps
Upgraded Barracks Tooltip now correctly accounts for training support slots which can be used by Gnarlings to support other minions
Map Editor Changes
Unidentified artefacts are now random by default, if no weight is set for any effect (previously these would always identify as gold artefacts)
Neutral defences can no longer be placed (they were not fully supported and resulted in various issues)
Existing Neutral defences on custom maps will self-destruct upon map start
Campaign Changes
Level 11
Removed a sequence in Level 11 where the player was forced to view the introduction of a summoning stone
Level 12
Delayed the initial rush by Underlord Draven by an additional 4 minutes. Allowing the player more time to prepare
Heart of Gold Level 3
Resolved an issue that prevented roaming parties of heroes from attacking your dungeon and providing a steady source of bodies to turn to gold...
Heart of Gold Level 4
Reduced the level and number of units that attack the player as they defeat enemy bosses
Other Changes
Gameplay
Sentinels and Stone Knights can now be dismissed by throwing them into a Gateway
It is now possible to transform critters (micropiglets and rats) into golden statues with the Blood Money spell
Performance Improvements
Improved the memory and processor footprint of critters (micropiglets and rats)
Audio Improvements
Added sounds to Lava, Lava Falls and Water
Bug Fixes
“You have found a neutral minion” alert now correctly plays only when a unit joints your side rather than when it is just visible to any player
Fixed Taverns in Seastead II and Flood
Fixed HoG outro narrator line could play too fast if user was had game speed set to 150%
HoG2 - Empire forces no longer scream when leaving the combat zone peacefully… how disappointing...
Disabled one of the Matriarch’s abilities in the Arena to prevent incorrect behaviour
Sappers no longer require sleep, enhancing their performance in several campaign levels. The same cannot be said for coders.
Fixed a repeating voice line on level 2
Fixed level 13 waves being blocked by the main siege door
Fixed an issue with the Glacial door which could occur upon loading a saved game
While chatting in multiplayer games the spacebar won’t skip our beloved narrator’s lines
Beds are once again correctly removed in multiplayer games
Clients in multiplayer games will now see units XP correctly
Clients in multiplayer games will now correctly see units training in Barracks
Titan Stone spawning VFX will now disappear if the stone is destroyed early
All clients in multiplayer are now correctly informed if a titan has been slain
Fixed the Spirit Chamber flooring issue under the prop
Fixed an issue which caused barracks to produce noise even when concealed by fog of war
Fixed an issue where Stone Knights would not use the full range of available attack animations
Beds are now correctly only shown if their tile is visible
Fixed an odd case where a spirit could survive when dropped onto a Spirit Chamber prop
Fixed a visual glitch that occured when viewing allied Sanctuaries
Fixed a deserialization process in MightyQuest (Which impacted quite a small portion of campaign players)
Fixed Survival not finishing on Core death
Fixed a rare case where a Unit could still damage another while in Hand or outside Arena
Adjusted win condition on C9 to prevent occurrences where it was not possible to win, despite achieving objectives
Fixed and issue where the Bonechiller VFX could remain after the bonechiller is destroyed
Fixed an issue where unit shields could get left behind if the unit was teleported away and then revived
“Unit lost” alerts no longer play when Blood Money is cast on a minion
Fixed an issue where Rituals were greyed out, when new Rituals were started and canceled, while a current Ritual was active
Fixed an issue where doors would close automatically while a worker is fortifying an adjacent wall from inside the door, which pushed the worker, causing them to restart the task and thereby trapping them in a never ending circle of fortifying hell
Fixed an issue where Constructs placed on higher terrain than ground zero (eg. Volcanic bridge) could never be sold
Fixed an issue where the barracks in older saved games only had one training slot and only attracted half the correct amount of Gnarlings
Fixed an issue where flying units fruitlessly tried to fly on the top of walls, causing no visible issues but a few background errors which in turn lead to lag
The Sin Orb will now correctly flash when Mendechaus reminds the player they have a sin available
Clients in multiplayer can now correctly see the units current activity in tooltip, unit panel and warband detail panels
Fixed an issue where clients in multiplayer were unable to add units to the peace band/group
Fixed an issue which didn’t inform the UI for clients in multiplayer about an active rally flag, preventing the rally flag cancel button from being correctly highlighted
Fixed several issues found in user logs which may resolve some unreported bugs or lag issues
Fixed an issue where loading an original campaign level while playing heart of gold or vice versa would cause the player to load with an incorrect Underlord colour
Fixed an issue where enemies killed in the arena would take an extended period of time (to rot and disappear) before their fight slot was once again made available. Enemies slain in the arena now disappear after 3 seconds (down from 120)
Fixed an issue on Heart of Gold level 4 where the work slot of a prop could be moved outside of map bounds, making minions unable to find them
Fixed an issue where minions that are immune to lava damage were still taking damage from lava if dropped directly onto it from the Underlord’s hand.
That covers this patch for now. Rest assured we’ll be keeping our eyes on your feedback and there’s plenty more to come in the oncoming weeks and months.
Reception to Heart of Gold and patch 1.4 has been absolutely fantastic, we’re pleased to see so many of you enjoying the latest iteration of War for the Overworld. As we promised yesterday we have a new minor but not insubstantial patch for you today, chocked full of features and fixes based off community feedback.
It’s also a good day to be a DRM-Free player as we’re finally updating the build from v1.2.3 to this very patch. That means you can finally put the map editor to use and experience all the improvements we delivered in Patch 1.4.
We’re sure you’re eager to see what’s changed so without further ado read on Underlord!
Major Changes
DRM Free Version Updated
The DRM-Free build of War for the Overworld has been updated to v1.4.1, if you own the DRM-Free version you can download it via Humble
Achievements & Unlockables have been added to the DRM-Free version
Be aware Heart of Gold, Steam Workshop, and several other features are not present in the DRM-Free build as they rely on the Steamworks API (see the DRM-Free FAQ)
Cosmetic Fog of War Improvements
Revealed areas that are not actively part of current gameplay (such as the top of neutral terrain) are now darkened
Important gameplay elements such as gold and claimed territory remain lit
This causes these elements of the game pop more compared to the background and helps to reinforce a darker atmosphere while allowing lighting to shine
We’ve normalized the unit spawning values so you can more reliably figure out how large a room needs to be to attract a certain number of units.
1 Prop per unit:
Sanctuary - Cultist or Priestess
Archive - Cultist or Priestess
Foundry - Chunder or Warden
Barracks - Gnarling or Templar
1.5 Props per unit:
Spirit Chamber - Witch Doctor
Alchemy Lab - Crackpot or Firebreather
Torture Chamber - Succubus or Inquisitor
Crypt - Necromancer or Matriarch
2 Props per unit
Garrison - Augre or Juggernaut
4 Props per unit
Arena - Beastmaster or Huntress (Every flat edge tile counts as a ‘prop’)
Room tooltips have been updated to display this information.
UI Changes
In-Game UI
Added a glow effect to active rally flags, making it clear which flags are currently active
Warbands are now automatically expanded when active, displaying the cancel button
Improved look of the ability selection in possession UI and added a little number above each ability to show their associated hotkey
Room tooltips now show how many units the room has attracted versus how many units it can possibly attract at its current size
It is now possible to switch abilities in Possession with the scrollwheel
Improved accuracy of the “Zoom To” function eg. when a unit portrait or any other button is right clicked.
Menus
The “Heart of Gold Now Available” and “Access Heart of Gold” arrows can now be dismissed permanently by clicking a small X button
Updated the descriptions of several Skirmish maps
Tooltips
Construction Ritual will now explain that it cannot construct Outposts on certain maps
Upgraded Barracks Tooltip now correctly accounts for training support slots which can be used by Gnarlings to support other minions
Map Editor Changes
Unidentified artefacts are now random by default, if no weight is set for any effect (previously these would always identify as gold artefacts)
Neutral defences can no longer be placed (they were not fully supported and resulted in various issues)
Existing Neutral defences on custom maps will self-destruct upon map start
Campaign Changes
Level 11
Removed a sequence in Level 11 where the player was forced to view the introduction of a summoning stone
Level 12
Delayed the initial rush by Underlord Draven by an additional 4 minutes. Allowing the player more time to prepare
Heart of Gold Level 3
Resolved an issue that prevented roaming parties of heroes from attacking your dungeon and providing a steady source of bodies to turn to gold...
Heart of Gold Level 4
Reduced the level and number of units that attack the player as they defeat enemy bosses
Other Changes
Gameplay
Sentinels and Stone Knights can now be dismissed by throwing them into a Gateway
It is now possible to transform critters (micropiglets and rats) into golden statues with the Blood Money spell
Performance Improvements
Improved the memory and processor footprint of critters (micropiglets and rats)
Audio Improvements
Added sounds to Lava, Lava Falls and Water
Bug Fixes
“You have found a neutral minion” alert now correctly plays only when a unit joints your side rather than when it is just visible to any player
Fixed Taverns in Seastead II and Flood
Fixed HoG outro narrator line could play too fast if user was had game speed set to 150%
HoG2 - Empire forces no longer scream when leaving the combat zone peacefully… how disappointing...
Disabled one of the Matriarch’s abilities in the Arena to prevent incorrect behaviour
Sappers no longer require sleep, enhancing their performance in several campaign levels. The same cannot be said for coders.
Fixed a repeating voice line on level 2
Fixed level 13 waves being blocked by the main siege door
Fixed an issue with the Glacial door which could occur upon loading a saved game
While chatting in multiplayer games the spacebar won’t skip our beloved narrator’s lines
Beds are once again correctly removed in multiplayer games
Clients in multiplayer games will now see units XP correctly
Clients in multiplayer games will now correctly see units training in Barracks
Titan Stone spawning VFX will now disappear if the stone is destroyed early
All clients in multiplayer are now correctly informed if a titan has been slain
Fixed the Spirit Chamber flooring issue under the prop
Fixed an issue which caused barracks to produce noise even when concealed by fog of war
Fixed an issue where Stone Knights would not use the full range of available attack animations
Beds are now correctly only shown if their tile is visible
Fixed an odd case where a spirit could survive when dropped onto a Spirit Chamber prop
Fixed a visual glitch that occured when viewing allied Sanctuaries
Fixed a deserialization process in MightyQuest (Which impacted quite a small portion of campaign players)
Fixed Survival not finishing on Core death
Fixed a rare case where a Unit could still damage another while in Hand or outside Arena
Adjusted win condition on C9 to prevent occurrences where it was not possible to win, despite achieving objectives
Fixed and issue where the Bonechiller VFX could remain after the bonechiller is destroyed
Fixed an issue where unit shields could get left behind if the unit was teleported away and then revived
“Unit lost” alerts no longer play when Blood Money is cast on a minion
Fixed an issue where Rituals were greyed out, when new Rituals were started and canceled, while a current Ritual was active
Fixed an issue where doors would close automatically while a worker is fortifying an adjacent wall from inside the door, which pushed the worker, causing them to restart the task and thereby trapping them in a never ending circle of fortifying hell
Fixed an issue where Constructs placed on higher terrain than ground zero (eg. Volcanic bridge) could never be sold
Fixed an issue where the barracks in older saved games only had one training slot and only attracted half the correct amount of Gnarlings
Fixed an issue where flying units fruitlessly tried to fly on the top of walls, causing no visible issues but a few background errors which in turn lead to lag
The Sin Orb will now correctly flash when Mendechaus reminds the player they have a sin available
Clients in multiplayer can now correctly see the units current activity in tooltip, unit panel and warband detail panels
Fixed an issue where clients in multiplayer were unable to add units to the peace band/group
Fixed an issue which didn’t inform the UI for clients in multiplayer about an active rally flag, preventing the rally flag cancel button from being correctly highlighted
Fixed several issues found in user logs which may resolve some unreported bugs or lag issues
Fixed an issue where loading an original campaign level while playing heart of gold or vice versa would cause the player to load with an incorrect Underlord colour
Fixed an issue where enemies killed in the arena would take an extended period of time (to rot and disappear) before their fight slot was once again made available. Enemies slain in the arena now disappear after 3 seconds (down from 120)
Fixed an issue on Heart of Gold level 4 where the work slot of a prop could be moved outside of map bounds, making minions unable to find them
Fixed an issue where minions that are immune to lava damage were still taking damage from lava if dropped directly onto it from the Underlord’s hand.
That covers this patch for now. Rest assured we’ll be keeping our eyes on your feedback and there’s plenty more to come in the oncoming weeks and months.