On September 19th, we started the Closed Beta phase for A Year Of Rain. Our goal was to find bugs that we're unknown, test Matchmaking and make sure our servers offer the right performance to handle the release.

Today, we're closing the Closed Beta Test and prepare for our Early Access Release on November 6th, 2019. We're now focussing on fixing bugs you reported during the Closed Beta phase, make slight improvements based on your feedback and getting the first Campaign ready for Early Access.

• Echo Glades was played double as often as Thirsty Sands. Desiccated Forest runs out of competition since it was released mid-beta.
  
• TOP Hero Ranking: #1: Wraith, #2: Spark Mage, #3: Paladin. AOE FTW.
  
• People selected "Damage" as their role 4 times more often than the Support role.
  
• Amount of players reported during Beta: 4.
  
• Amount of player reports send by staff to troll community management: 3.

The Closed Beta Phase was very helpful for us. A few words from some of our Staff:

The prolonged beta phase was incredibly useful for us, as players kept reporting issues we never had encountered before or that were very hard to reproduce on our end. Also, we were able to find (and fix) a set of issues that didn't occur before hundreds of players started playing. Without the support of our players, our small team would not have been able to encounter these issues before release.

- Nick, Technical Director

The beta community really helped us to find additional flaws and they came up with great ideas on how to improve the game as well. Uh! And analyzing the online matches was a great tool to find imbalances. 10/10! Would beta again.

- Christoph, Lead Game Designer

We'd like to thank every beta participant for playing, their feedback (written or through our analytics tools) and all the bug reports that we received! Get excited for Early Access release now!

Wishlist A Year Of Rain on Steam today to not miss the Early Access release on November 6th!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/319540/A_Year_Of_Rain/

Today is the day. We'll invite a great bunch of players to play our Beta Version of A Year Of Rain. If you signed up in the previous weeks, check your email inbox (and spam folder) if you are one of the lucky ones to play the beta!

If you received the beta invitation email, it contains a Steam Key. The Steam Key can be redeemed in the Steam software. It unlocks the Steam App "A Year Of Rain Test". This is our official Beta Test Steam App. Install and start it to play. You are required to create a new account upon startup to be able to connect to the game.

The Closed Beta Test will run for some weeks - from today on until October 21st, 2019. After that, the servers might not be available anymore for online matches.

We really want to hear your feedback about the game! What you like as well as what you don't like. We're especially interested in bug reports and small feature ideas that could improve the game. Please join our Discord Server and give us your feedback there: https://discord.gg/ayearofrain. Alternatively, send us an email to community [at] ayearofrain.com. Keep in mind that, due to the high amount of emails we might receive, we can't answer every single feedback email. We appreciate every message though!

FAQ: Am I allowed to live stream the A Year Of Rain beta?
Yes, you are! If you're posting stream announcements on Social Media, make sure to tag us on Facebook and/or Twitter for a chance to get your message shared!

We're looking forward to play with you!

Best regards,
Your A Year Of Rain Team

Our closed beta test is right around the corner. We're preparing everything to get it started. That also means, now is the LAST CALL for Beta Registrations! Not yet signed up? Better do it now!

Use this special URL to sign up last minute:
https://beta.ayearofrain.com/?c=lastminute

Experience the team RTS A Year Of Rain first in the closed beta phase! Play Skirmish versus real other players or versus the AI. Choose from two factions, the noble House Rupah or the Restless Regiment, and six heroes for play. More information about A Year Of Rain and the first faction House Rupah can be found here: https://www.ayearofrain.com/en/game/.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/319540/A_Year_Of_Rain/

At this year's gamescom, we're showing A Year Of Rain with a 2x 4-players Skirmish setup. If you are around, visit us at the LOOTBOY booth, Hall 10.1, B-078 and play the second faction "The Restless Regiment" for the first time.


More pictures on our brand new website: https://www.ayearofrain.com/en/news/gamescom2019.html.

It is the second gamescom day for us right now. Yesterday, press, business- and trade visitors we're already in the holy halls of gamescom, trying out the latest games - also A Year Of Rain. It was moderate. Today, while private visitors are coming in, our booth is always full of players. Shout-out to everyone who dropped by at the LOOTBOY booth (10.1, B-078) already to play A Year Of Rain. We have a great time introducing you to the game. For everyone else planning to go to gamescom this week, come by and say hello! We're looking forward to meeting you!

For the first time, you can play the second faction "The Restless Regiment" at our booth. Three new heroes are selectable in this faction. In the next couple of weeks, we'll introduce the Restless Regiment further. Follow our social media channels or join our Discord Server to stay up to date!

Finally! The registration for the Beta Test opened on https://beta.ayearofrain.com. Fill out the form, remember to use a valid email address, and we'll mail you a Steam Key once the Beta Test starts.


You can't attend gamescom because you are from the USA? No worries. Your chance to play A Year Of Rain and the Restless Regiment comes with PAX WEST in Seattle, Washington State Convention Center, August, 30th to September 2nd 2019, Booth Number 6508.

We got a brand new website! We'll update the website article with more stories and impressions from our gamescom booth next week. Drop by: https://www.ayearofrain.com/en/news/gamescom2019.html.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/319540/A_Year_Of_Rain/

Until next time,
Your A Year Of Rain Team

It's finally time for us to show A Year Of Rain in video formats! Of course, for a game like A Year Of Rain, there is only one format that would fit for a video content reveal: A live tournament!



4 teams - 6 live streams - BO3 Round Robin online matches and one grand finale! That is Undead Champs 2019! The name is inspired by our second faction Restless Regiment that will be shown to public for the first time in this tournament. So better not miss the live streams!

* Schedule might change during the tournament. Check for updates regularly.



All matches always live on https://www.twitch.tv/wardiii (our Caster) as well as on https://twitch.tv/taketv (hosted)!


Team 1: HARPYIE
The folk-metal band HARPYIE already got some experience with A Year Of Rain. They recently played A Year Of Rain against challengers on the HyperX eSports Truck stage at Wacken Open Air (Read More).

Team 2: TKA E-Sports
This eSports team from Austria joins the tournament with their two players HateMe and Cube. They bring expertise in other eSports titles with them which should be a great basis to build on.

Team 3: 1. Berliner eSports Club e.V.
From the wonderful capital of Germany the Berliner eSports Club e.V. sends in a team consisting of their two best Starcraft 2 players. HolyHit and eonblu bring many years of experience and a strong will to win the tournament!

Team 4: Underdogs
This team, chosen by Daedalic Staff, will join the tournament. @Udwin and @Deathmic join the battle. Both experienced in other RTS titles but also ready to learn new mechanics.


We're really looking forward to this happening! All live streams will be in English. So join us on this adventure and tell us what you think!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/319540/A_Year_Of_Rain/

Let's play.
The A Year Of Rain Team

One of the biggest Metal Festivals in Europe: the Wacken Open Air in Wacken. Every year, ten-thousands of Metal fans join the festival in northern Germany - this time, we were waiting for them on-site.

Wacken Open Air was our very first public appearance with A Year Of Rain. We were excited and a little bit frightened by the thought that strangers can play our game for the first time. Our doubts were unfounded. Players loved it - especially those with an RTS background in the past years.



We had a small tent with six game stations. Four of them dedicated to A Year Of Rain. We offered a local 2 vs 2 Skirmish setup. Most of the time, we were able to fill all 4 spots. Only on rare occations we had to get back to our AI opponents to show the game.



We were not only showing the game in our event tent, but also on a stage! Thanks to our friends at HyperX, we had daily spots for matches on the HyperX eSports Truck stage.

On the image above, you see the Folk-Metal band HARPYIE practising for their big match against strangers on stage. Two of them versus two players from the audience. Those matches were brilliant!



Thanks to our stage moderators Jonathan from the HyperX eSports Truck stage crew as well as the German video game expert Uke Bosse with whom I (Cleverbyte) moderated two of four shows. One of the matches had to be ended manually because both teams successfully harvested all wood from the map and cleared all mines on the map which resulted in a dead end of the match. Our game design team is onto this issue now.



Meet Arne (image above). Arne was a regular guest at our booth as well as on the stage. He not only beat Game Designer Ahri and me (Community Manager) in a match with a stranger as a team mate, but also beat HARPYIE on-stage single-handed!

Arne is truly our Wacken Open Air A Year Of Rain Champion. Together with his team mate Alvar, he won some HyperX and Daedalic prizes on stage - and earned our recognition. GG WP, Arne and Alvar.



We would like to thank everyone who made this event such a great happening: The HyperX eSports truck crew, the Full Metal Gaming Village crew, our booth neighbor Lukas on one side and our booth neighbors from IF(game)SH and eSports Nord e.V. on the other side.


We'll be at gamescom 2019 in Cologne, Germany! Play A Year Of Rain in Hall 10.1, Booth B078/C079 at LOOTBOY. Pay us a visit and play our second faction, the Undead Restless Regiment, for the first time!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/319540/A_Year_Of_Rain/

Until next time.
The A Year Of Rain Team

To support your and your teammate's strategy, we got different Points of Interest on Skirmish maps. Today, we'd like to give you an overview over those. Keep in mind, the screenshots were taken in an Alpha state of the game.

At the beginning of a match, you'll start with your Main Building right next to a mine. Workers already start collecting Anorium from there. The mines can run dry, because their deposits are limited.

There are multiple Anorium Mines on the map, ready to be found. The number of Mines depend on the map. There might also be rich Mines. They are good starting points for a second base.


Workers can collect wood from trees. Wood is the second resource in A Year Of Rain and, together with Anorium, also relevant for researches/techs. There are plenty of trees around the map to chop.


Mostly appear in groups. You find them usually around other points of interest. They're perfect to level up your hero at the beginning of the match. In Skirmish, they do not respawn.


Some maps feature bosses*. It can be beneficial for your team if you and your teammate kill the boss. It grants buffs to your team that gives you an advantage over your opponents.

* not all bosses are supersized Runecasters. :P

The healing well is a popular point of interest on the map, because it heals well. Sorry. Couldn't resist. There is usually just one (if any) Healing Well on the map. It heals all units in the area around it over time.


To increase your vision in an area, it might be helpful to conquer an Observatory. One unit has to stand in the area of the Observatory to increase the vision in a circular area around it.








We're going to show A Year Of Rain in the Gaming Village area at Wacken Open Air in Wacken, Germany, this year! If you are a lucky owner of a W:O:A ticket, visit us and play a few rounds of our Alpha version with us or your friends.

Not at W:O:A?
Don't worry! We're preparing for more than one event appearance this year. Follow us to stay up to date where to meet us and play A Year Of Rain.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/319540/A_Year_Of_Rain/

Until next time.
The A Year Of Rain Team

To finish the series of House Rupah-related Steam Hub Blogs, we're happy to present you all buildings of House Rupah as well as the upgrades available for research! Additional to that, we're going to share upgrades you unlock depending on the role you select upon match start.


Without further ado:

This is the main building of House Rupah. Upon start of the match, you start with a Keep placed at a starting position and a hand full of workers are ready to mine Anorium or chop wood. You can build additional Keeps freely on the map, for example next to an other rich Anorium mine.



Units to be trained here:
Worker

Abilities

• Ability: Desperate Entrenchment - Orders nearby workers to seek shelter in the Keep, enabling it to attack.
  
• Ability: End Entrenchment

The first unit production buiding.



Units to be trained here:
Spearman, Pathfinder, Knight

Abilities and Upgrades

• None

It unlocks Pathfinders and is the go-to building for most of the research options.



Requirements:
Requires Barracks.

Additional Info:
Unlocks Pathfinder in the Barracks.

Upgrades

• Reinforced Shields - Upgrade for Spearman: Reduces damage taken for Spearman.
  
• Stormseeker Arrows - Upgrade for Pathfinders: Increases the attack range of Pathfinders.
  
• Superior Structures - Upgrade for Buildings: Increases health of all buildings.
  
• Spirit Hound - Upgrade for Pathfinders: Unlocks ability to summon an animal companion.

Especially important for players that chose the Support role.



Requirements:
Requires Barracks.

Units to be trained here:
Cleric, Runecaster

Upgrades

• Truesight - Upgrade for Clerics: Allows them to see invisible units.
  
• Restoration - Upgrade for Clerics: Unlocks the ability to undo a negative effect on a friendy unit.

Requirements:
Requires Temple.

Additional Info:
Unlocks Runecaster in Temple.

Upgrades

• Warding Glyphs - Upgrade for Runecaster: Unlocks the ability to place stealthed explosive traps.

Requirements:
Requires Elven Enclave.

Additional Info:
Unlocks Knights in Barracks.

Upgrades

• Armored Warhorses - Upgrade for Knights: Increases health of Knights.

Requirements:
Requires Temple and Elven Enclave.

Units to be trained here:
Djinni

Upgrades

• Thunderwave - Upgrade for Djinnis: Unlocks an abilitiy that deals damage and pushes enemies away.
  
• Elemental Fortitute - Upgrade for Djinnis: Unlocks an abilitiy that decreases incoming damage on a friendly unit for some seconds.

Attacks enemies in a circle around the watchtower. Also grants vision.



Requirements:
Requires Barracks.

Abilities and Upgrades

• None.

Depending on which role you select in-game at the beginning of the match (Tank, Damage, Support), you can upgrade one additional research. The research can be leveled up to level 4. The first level is already unlocked when you select the role.

Communicate with your team mate beforehand to define who selects which role and how you can best play together.

• 1: Martial Training: Reduces damage taken for Spearmen and Knights by X% (unlocked)
  
• 2: Advanced Training: Reduces damage taken for Spearmen and Knights by Y%
  
• 3: Superior Training: Reduces damage taken for Spearmen and Knights by Z%
  
• 4: Nerves of Anorium: Reduces damage taken for Spearmen and Knights by A%

Those upgrades can be researched in the Barracks.

• 1: Zephyr's Grace: Increases damage dealt by Pathfinders and Djinnis by X% (unlocked)
  
• 2: Cutting Winds: Increases damage dealt by Pathfinders and Djinnis by Y%
  
• 3: Song of the Storm: Increases damage dealt by Pathfinders and Djinnis by Z%
  
• 4: Hearts of Thunder: Increases damage dealt by Pathfinders and Djinnis by A%

Those upgrades can be researched in the Elven Enclave.

• 1: Mender: Increases healing done by Clerics by X% (unlocked)
  
• 2: Battlefield Triage: Increases healing done by Clerics by Y%
  
• 3: Healing Hands: Increases healing done by Clerics by Z%
  
• 4: Weaver of Life: Increases healing done by Clerics by A%

• 1: Clear Skies: Increases vision of all of your units (unlocked)

Those upgrades can be researched in the Temple.


That concludes our overview of the House Rupah faction. Find an overview of all content in the Overview Blog Post here.

In future, we'll proceed with different content while we're preparing for a beta test. Follow A Year Of Rain to stay tuned!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/319540/A_Year_Of_Rain/

Until next time.
The A Year Of Rain Team

In the previous weeks, we introduced the Heroes of the first faction, House Rupah, to you in detail. The series of blog posts proceeds with Units and Buildings from this week on.

If you missed the introduction of the House Rupah heroes, read them here:

• Lord Jaidee Rupah
  
• Paladin Killian Morningview
  
• Ranger Morrig Fogvale
  
• Sparkmage Shen the Scarred

Find below an overview of all House Rupah units at your disposal. Remember, some abilities require an upgrade of the unit. They require to be researched in a specific building (more on that coming soon).

Please note: The abilities and upgrades are still in balancing and might change until final release.


The worker unit, a typical gnome. Ready to mine Anorium from the mines or to cut trees to receive wood. You can recruit more workers in the Keep.

One ability of the Worker is to hide in his Keep, enabling the Keep to attack.

Another passive perk of the worker is that he decreases the construction time of a building by a certain percentage. Using multiple workers on a construction site will reduce the construction time even more.



The Spearman is our basic melee unit. He can be trained in the Barracks.

The upgrade "Reinforced Shields" allows him to take less damage from ranged attacks.



The Pathfinder is a range unit and can be trained in the Barracks as well. To unlock the Pathfinder in the Barracks, you need to build the Elven Enclave (Requires Barracks) as well.

The upgrade "Stormseeker Arrows" allows her to inflict some of the damage to units standing around the target. Another upgrade unlocks the ability to summon an animal companion to fight together with, similar to Shen the Scarred and her fire elemental.



The Cleric is an armored specialist, able to heal other units. You can train the Cleric in the Temple (Requires Barracks).

The Cleric has the ability to instantly heal a friendly unit with a set amount of health. With an upgrade, she unlocks the ability to undo a negative effect on a unit. Another upgrade allows her to see invisible creatures and objects.



The Runecaster is a siege unit which can be trained in the Temple (Requires Barracks), but requires the Library (Requires Temple) building to be built.

Besides his autocast ability, he has an upgrade that allows him to place a stealth trap of exploding runes that does AOE damage when a unit enters the trap.



The Knight is a melee tank unit and can be trained in the Barracks. It does require the Stables (Requires Elven Enclave) to be built as well.

The upgrade "Armored Warhorses" increase its health.



The Djinni is a magical range unit. It can be trained in the Floating Gardens (Requires Temple, Elven Enclave).

Djinnis have an upgrade that unlocks the ability "Thunderwave". It allows them to deal damage on units in a cone area in front of them and pushes the opponents some meters away.



Depending on the selected role at the beginning of the match, additional upgrades unlock. Those are not listed here. Stay tuned!


The buildings will be presented in more detail in the next Steam Hub Blog. In that blog, we'll also list which abilities of which units can be unlocked in which building.

Wishlist A Year Of Rain to stay up to date!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/319540/A_Year_Of_Rain/

Until next time.
The A Year Of Rain Team

You already met Morrig, Shen and Killian, the three main heroes of the first faction. Additional to these three playable heroes, the story campaign allows you to take control a fourth hero: Lord Rupah himself.

Lord Jaidee Rupah, third born son of House Rupah, now fielding his own military campaign and leading the eponymous in-game faction. Without spoilering too much, we can say there are reasons why he attracts soldiers for his cause. The lord knows his way around a battlefield and how to handle a sword, but his true strong points are influence and conviction.

Rupah is wearing armor that is inspired by his signature coat of arms, featuring a sun and a fox.











Lord Jaidee Rupah is just playable in certain campaign missions and is not available in Skirmish or Against All Odds.

This concludes the overview of the Lord Rupah heroes. Expect an overview of buildings and units next, to complete the faction of House Rupah.

Wishlist A Year Of Rain today, so you don't miss any updates.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/319540/A_Year_Of_Rain/



Until next time.
The A Year Of Rain Team