A number of bugs addressed in the trainer. New features added. BlackJack mode playable (still incomplete)
Build 2.2.3

Train Mode

• CONVERT button is now usable. Pushing it converts your score to usable chips for BlackJack Mode. You must have a score higher than 0 to use it.
  FYI: THE CONVERT BUTTON CONVERTS YOUR ENTIRE SCORE, CURRENTLY NO OPTION FOR PARTIAL CONVERSIONS.
  
  
• BALANCE now updates in real-time as you convert your score to chips
  
• Fixed a bug where a BlackJack followed by a 678 feature combo would result in never being able to trigger Red-Line again

Main Menu

• BlackJack Mode button no longer disabled

BlackJack Mode

• Fixed a bug where Dealer would hit on 17, 18, 19 or 20 based on probability
  
• Fixed ace recognition
  
• Steam cloud saved balance (keep your balance even after uninstall)

Features To Come for BlackJack Mode
> Split Option
> Double Down Option
> Surrender Option
> Bet Pairs
> Bet on Dealer Bust
> Options Menu for BlackJack Mode
> Music for BlackJack Mode
> Custom Dealers ?

CHIPS
These will be used to buy upgrades & customizations from the game's store. There will also be a leaderboard for the user with the largest BlackJack Balance.

Current Known Issues With BlackJack Mode
> Sometimes the chip animation upon loss can be a bit funky swinging around unpredictably.
> The BlackJack animations occur too fast
> Sometimes the game will think you want to bet $0.00

Build 2.3 is still going to be a big update with previously mentioned updates, but this one takes the cake as it has been an in-demand feature since release!

As always, questions, comments and feedback are all welcome.

Thank you!

Greetings!

We've implemented all of the changes and we're finally ready to unveil the first Early Access update for Deck of Souls!

What's new:

• Three new enemies in the city;
  
• Two new backgrounds – with visual effects – for the city;
  
• Five new relics.

We have also prepared a number of QoL improvements based on your feedback:

• Provided clarity on the order in which cards are played. We hope there will be no more issues with this.
  
• Accelerated animations. You can now select the speed in the game settings.
  
• Added description of the conditions to unlock new classes.
  
• Removed the need to select a class after finishing the tutorial.
  
• It is now clear which items can and cannot be upgraded..
  
• Updated the localization for several languages.
  
• And several other changes.

Download the updated version, share your feedback with us here or on Discord, send the link to the game to your friends, and just have fun with it.

Thank you to everyone who supports Deck of Souls, you help us to create the best game possible.

Regards,
Deck of Souls Team

We’ve talked a little bit about the aesthetic vision while creating the demo in the Dev Diary #3, but today we’d like to fully focus on creating the images, graphics, and illustrations - basically every smaller and bigger detail that your eyes can enjoy while playing the game! 🥰
The game Escape Tales: The Awakening can be divided into two parts:

• Narrative
  
• Gameplay

Although these elements are closely intertwined, their roles regarding the player are somewhat different. The first part introduces us to the story, provides context for the entire gameplay, and highlights the protagonist's motivations and fears. It tells the story of a father’s relationship with his daughter, his desperate attempts to save his child, and his longing for lost loved ones. 💔
To effectively convey these elements, we decided to enhance the text (adapted from the paragraphs in the paper version), with dedicated illustrations displayed simultaneously with the progression of the story’s paragraphs. 🖼️



The entire narrative takes the form of a sequential picture story (similar to a comic book), where individual frames capture the essence of the displayed text. The illustrations are divided into three separate parts:

• Intro
  
• Visions
  
• Outro

To accurately capture the essence contained in the paragraphs, we divided the work on the illustrations into three smaller parts: sketching, applying color, and animating the final illustration (parallax). 📝 The first stage is crucial for selecting the appropriate theme and framing - the key decisions related to the most important components of the image are made here.



The second stage, applying color, gives the piece its final form, essentially embedding it with emotions. 🎨 Importantly, the color palette is based on a pre-prepared script, ensuring that the images are interconnected and that each color used is intentional.



Animating the final illustration is intended to bring the entire piece to life. Since we are using a digital medium, we strive to take advantage of its benefits wherever possible. 🖥️



When constructing the visual layer of the gameplay, we aimed to maintain as much consistency with the paper version as possible, to ensure that the original gameplay experience was not disrupted or altered. 🎴 However, this did not mean a direct 1:1 transfer - where possible, we introduced enhancements. Cards, depending on their category, received a uniform background and animation (parallax, similar to the illustrations).



Choice cards were moved to the narrative section, with the selection itself integrated into the text layer. 📖 This approach helps to streamline the gameplay and creatively leverage the digital platform.



Visions were given a separate screen - this is a unique moment in the game that deserves its own visual treatment. Here, players learn about the character's history, what has happened in their past, and make important gameplay decisions. 🔥 To emphasize the uniqueness and surreal nature of this gameplay moment, the entire scene was given a blood-red color palette.



In summary, when developing the visual layer of Escape Tales: The Awakening, we aimed to stay as true as possible to the original, paper version of the game. 🎲 However, where possible, given the digital format and the opportunities it offers, we introduced enhancements that increase player immersion and improve the fluidity and enjoyment of the gameplay. 🎮


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Now we’re all on the same page with the whole graphic process that’s happening in Escape Tales: The Awakening - cool, isn’t it? 😃 We can’t wait to show you what we prepared for the next time in two weeks - see you then!

Bluekey Games Team



---
PS. In the meantime, don’t forget to Add the game to your Wishlist and Follow it to stay up to date. 😏


Please note that what you see in the Dev Diary presents the work in progress,
not the final product!

Don't forget to check us out:

• 💬【𝙳𝙸𝚂𝙲𝙾𝚁𝙳】https://discord.gg/RW2GYxB2dM
  
• 📰【𝙵𝙰𝙲𝙴𝙱𝙾𝙾𝙺】https://www.facebook.com/bluekeygamesstudio
  
• 🐤【𝚃𝚆𝙸𝚃𝚃𝙴𝚁】https://www.twitter.com/Bluekey_Games
  
• 🎞️【𝚈𝙾𝚄𝚃𝚄𝙱𝙴】https://www.youtube.com/@BluekeyGamesStudio
  
• 📷【𝙸𝙽𝚂𝚃𝙰𝙶𝚁𝙰𝙼】https://www.instagram.com/bluekeygamesstudio

Captains!
We’re holding a special and easy-to-enter giveaway—25 lucky winners will be picked at random.

• 1. Click here
  
• 2. Click the "Like" button
  
• 3. Leave a comment—and that's it!

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3309559412

• "Like" the collaboration video and leave a comment to get 1x Small container.
  
• 25 winners will be picked at random from the pool of participating unique users—only one comment per user will be taken into consideration.
  
• Additionally, we'll draw 3 lucky winners for every 3,000 likes, adding 3 ships to the prize pool each time:
  Over 3,000 likes: 3 lucky winners of Tier V Oklahoma
  Over 6,000 likes: 3 more lucky winners of Tier VII Sims
  Over 9,000 likes: 3 more lucky winners of Tier VI Ise

Any comments that break the discussion rules may be deleted or excluded.

• 1. Guaranteed prize: 1x Small container
  
• 2. Draw for 25 lucky winners: 1x Contributor container
  
• 3. Additional rewards: For every 3,000 likes, a set of 3 of the same ships will be added to the prize pool in sequence (starting with Oklahoma):
  3x Tier V Oklahoma
  3x Tier VII Sims
  3x Tier VI Ise

We wish you fair winds and following seas!

• Added a new gameplay mode: Endless Mode
  
• Adjusted some card functions
  
• Fixed some bugs in items and processes

Dear players, it's been a long wait. The Endless Mode, originally planned to be released in July, was delayed for so long due to some personal reasons of the project team. After the completion of the Endless Mode, all the game content originally planned to be released has been completed. The subsequent game will make some improvements based on the current game content and release the official version this year. Thank you to all players for continuing to support our project team.

Dear Test Players,

We are pleased to inform you that the Steam language settings are now fully functional. You can launch the game in English or any other language supported by both Steam and our game..

We sincerely apologize for the previous inconvenience.

Star Conqueror Dev.

Dear Lords:
Pennon and Battle will undergo maintenance at 17:00 on August 15th, Pacific Time. During this maintenance period, there will be an expected downtime of 1 hour. Please plan your gaming time and log in to the game after the maintenance is completed.

• Adjusted campaign rewards, now it will be influenced by [BOT Difficulty], [Enemy Quantity], and [Campaign Progress]
  
• When a campaign fails, players will claim partial campaign rewards based on progress, but no longer receive refunds Operational Readiness
  
• Removed [Faction Materials] and [Intelligence Book] from campaign rewards, now there's a chance to obtain [Event Cards] and [Treasure Chests] from campaign rewards. Opening [Treasure Chests] can randomly grant hero Soulstones

• Reworked some equipment effects and added over 50 new equipment
  
• Removed Amulet equipment, changed original Amulet type to Item type
  
• Increased hero's Item equipment slots to 5
  
• Temporarily removed the rule of generating Premium equipment in high difficulty

• [Refight] function for manual combat is available now
  
• Optimized in-battle animations performance of flying, freeze and petrify states, and Aether Realm

• Adjusted the calculation rules of Morale, carrying soldiers from different factions will have penalty of Morale down
  
• Added [Faction Disgusting] setting, soldiers who disgusting each other will further reduce Morale when in the same Troop
  
• Adjusted corresponding Morale-related equipment, spells, and hero skills

• Some unacquired heroes can now be unlocked by Soulstone. Acquired heroes will be unable to unlock again

• Simplified manual save process and adjusted save name input restrictions

• Online campaign rooms now support [Campaign Detail] setting, but unable to modify them during the campaign, please exit the compaign and modify in the room interface if you do so
  
• Optimized the player order display in online campaigns and added status display for failed players

• Opened [Bloody Moonlit] Chapter 2 for testing
  
• Added enemy pursuit events to [Bloody Moonlit] Chapter 1

• In-game announcements is available now
  
• Continued to improve short-cut settings

• Fixed issues where hotkeys were unresponsive in certain circumstances
  
• Fixed issues where surrender pop-up was closed improperly in certain circumstances
  
• Fixed issues where recruited hero Action Points were 0 in certain circumstances
  
• Fixed issues where the content surrender pop-up did not match actual deduction in battle
  
• Fixed issues where event card information was lost in online campaign saves in certain circumstances
  
• Fixed issues where BOT behavior was abnormal in certain circumstances
  
• Fixed issues where pop-up content was improperly displayed when abandoning story campaign saves
  
• Fixed issues where skill was improperly displayed when casting in certain circumstances
  
• Fixed issues where campaign settings could not be modified after transferring the host of room in online campaigns
  
• Fixed issues where the camera did not improperly follow hero movement in certain circumstances
  
• Fixed issues where saving images were lost in certain circumstances
  
• Fixed issues where hero EXP was imperproly gained after campaign end

This update will adjust the effects of most equipment and add over 50 new equipment, many of them will introduce new mechanics. We will also adjust many important systems and rules, such as campaign rewards, morale rules, etc.

Due to the extensive changes in this update, it will not be easy to be compatible with old saves. After the update on August 15th, we will proceed as follows:

• Finish ongoing campaigns in advance and distribute rewards like gems and Aether Crystal according to the current rules.
  
• All old saves can still be played, but some bugs may occur. Therefore, we will restrict saving epic heroes in old saves to avoid abnormal data affecting others' PVP experience.
  
• Current epic hero data will not be updated.

We hope this update will bring you a better gaming experience in the future, and thank you for the understanding and support from all lords.

In the end, thank you for all the feedback and suggestions on the game. They are precious to us! We will listen carefully to everyone's opinions and continue to work hard to improve and optimize the game content. Thank you!

- Update to Boars, no longer clip into rock wall.
- Text and dialogue updates

Captains, attention!

Our collaboration with Blue Archive is coming for the very first time! The highly awaited students of the Foreclosure Task Force has arrived at the port of World of Warships!

We've wrapped some gifts to celebrate the occasion: take part in a simple contest for a chance to obtain 3,000,000 Credits, with a bonus 150 Community Tokens and 1x Common Bonuses container guaranteed just for participating!

You can enter the contest until: September 4, 2024, 19:00 UTC

• Leave a comment under this post.
  
• Boot up World of Warships and complete this Colorful Regatta Event Pass combat mission: Earn 2,000 Base XP (Random, Ranked, Co-op, Event, Clan Battles, Operations, Brawls; Tier V–X ships and superships).

And that’s it—150 Community Tokens and 1x Common Bonuses container will be earmarked for your account. Five random winners will each get 3,000,000 Credits!

• Winners will be picked at random from the pool of participating unique users (who leave a comment and complete the above-specified combat mission).
  
• Any comments that break the discussion rules may be deleted or excluded from the contest.
  
• The results will be announced in this thread on September 13. Prizes will be credited within one week.

We wish you fair winds and following seas!

New Playtest version, I hope that its fix will appear soon - this week I will publish the roadmap for the next versions on our Discord.

• completely new save/load system, needs some work, but it makes testing much easier now;
  
• dynamic weather system - description available in the help;
  
• new version of the help - be sure to read it!

I will publish full information in a larger Steam announcement today or tomorrow!

Best regards, author

Half an hour of gameplay footage of this version