It's been a wild ride, these last couple of years. We initially thought that Hellcard would be a quick six-month adventure. After the prototype became popular we knew we couldn't just throw it together, it had to be well-engineered. Then the pandemic hit, we switched to working from home and didn't see each other for over a year.
Most of us had the opportunity to share a beverage and cake on the Early Access launch, almost a year ago. Turns out we were busy not only with making games - two babies were born in the meantime :archduck:
During this whole time, we fulfilled the planned roadmap for the 1.0 launch. And we made foundations for even more content that will come after today. Some of you have already seen glimpses of a 5th playable class when the game glitched. I can neither confirm nor deny the existence of the 5th class but, hypothetically, if such a class were to exist, the subject matter would be classified, and could not be disclosed :Archduck:
But I digress and you are here to see what content we have for 1.0! I will write a longer post with development stats in a couple of days. The community was invaluable, you sent us an insane amount of feedback and helped to shape Hellcard into what it has become today.
Thank you! :paperheart:
And now, without further ado... No wait, I have to share our brand new 1.0 Trailer (sans the annoying Octopuss voice this time!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpMt2qZz--8
And now, without further ado for real...
What's new in 1.0?
First of all, the Tinkerer!
Tinkerer
A fourth playable class with a complete twist on game mechanics joins the heroes. A slower, more strategic class that slowly builds up to snowball later in the battle.
An adept of the same university as The Mage. Any time this comes up in a conversation he makes a point of highlighting the fact that he was in the engineering department rather than getting a worthless unscientific and theoretical magus diploma. A strong believer in science, sweat, and gunpowder.
He comes along with
101 new cards,
8 starter artifacts,
new location,
6 new outfits,
new resource-based mechanics,
5 new AI Tinkerer Companions,
and, of course, a full voiceover done by Ed Mace, our long-time collaborator who does gruff gunpowder-obsessed characters like no one else!
Year of the Dragon Outfits
When we found out that our 1.0 will coincide with the Chinese New Year and that the new year will be the Year of the Dragon we knew we had to add themed outfits. Especially since we have at least two dragon fans in the official Discord server :archduck:.
These outfits are available to everyone starting now.
Reworked Endless Mode
Endless turned out to be a very popular mode and we got a ton of feedback on it. Two reservations that came up the most often were the difficulty scaling plateaued after 60-80 floors and that the modifiers broke some builds entirely making them unviable in the late game.
We revised our approach and decided to give more agency to the players. Now every couple of floors you will be asked to pick a new Torment Modifier out of three. It will have random power and will stay active for a random number of floors. Both power and duration will be visible to you when making the choice.
That way, you can now control the difficulty and it will organically increase with some floors being very tough followed by easier ones. You also get one more layer to run planning, since you can now pick Torments that fit your party's build.
Full Changelog
New playable class: Tinkerer . An adept of the same university as The Mage, with an engineering degree rather than a theoretical magus diploma.
Completly new Tinkerer's mechanic utilizing two new resources: Screws and Cores
101 new Tinkerer's cards
8 new Tinkerer's starting artifacts
6 new Tinkerer's outfits
New location unique to Tinkerer
4 new seasonal dragon-themed outfits for the Chinese New Year, one for each class
Total overhaul of the Endless Mode - players choose difficulty modifiers every second floor, monsters not only scale their HP and Strength but also their abilities. Difficulty modifiers can have different strengths and different floor spans
New endless modifier: Arachnophobic - Start each battle with a random number of webbed cards
New endless modifier: Freezing - Start each turn with a random number of Freeze influence
New endless modifier: Gutted - Lose a random number of max HP
New endless modifier: Mugged - Exhaust a random number of cards at the beginning of the battle
New endless modifier: Shielded - Monsters start the battle with a random amount of block
All random values in Endless modifiers are affected by the difficulty scaling algorithm
New artifact: Other Shoe - Gain a +2 damage bonus for the next turn, if you haven't used any Skill cards this turn
Added avatars next to other players' choices when selecting Endless mode modifiers
Sped up repeating actions of selected monsters
Balance: Flawed Ruby artifact now gives 3 additional mana on the first turn but takes 1 mana back afterward instead of taking 2 mana on the first turn and giving 1 additional afterward
Balance: Friendly Toad artifact now heals 4 HP when skipping Card Rewards instead of 10 HP but doesn't lower the number of cards on Card Rewards
Balance: Stone Mask artifact now gives 3 Max HP instead of 1 after the battle where the owner didn't lose any HP
Fixed a crash when leveling selected companions
Fixed negative XP when finishing a run with a very high XP
Fixed Devourer getting stuck in the intent loop when a large number of monsters were killed at the same time
Fixed some monsters not properly scaling their features and actions in the Endless mode
Fixed some monsters not properly showing their scaled features and actions in the Endless mode
Fixed skip modifier incorrectly being displayed as chosen after the selection was changed
Fixed incorrect monsters' intents after they were double moved (using Stamina Burst, Bookmark, etc.)
Fixed Blighted modifier increasing even the 0 damage attacks
Fixed companions doubling their deck when entering Floor 2
Fixed retiring a companion always retired the one on the left when using Large UI
Fixed code logging crash debug data
Network traffic optimizations
As always, Stay Safe in the Paper Dungeons :archduck: Konstanty
It's been almost a year since Hellcard launched in Early Access. During this time we got loads of feedback from the community via the Steam forums, in-game feedback widget, and, last but not least, on our Discord.
This feedback was fundamental in balancing the game so that it would pose a fair challenge in both single-player and co-op modes. It also helped us make the game stable, nailing down pesky bugs.
We added the content outlined in the initial roadmap: nearly doubled the number of monsters, new boss, artifacts, and Endless Mode (which was reworked and the new version will go live with 1.0).
The last, largest content update will arrive with the 1.0 update: the Tinkerer class. Over 100 new cards, artifacts, full voice-over, outfits, and new mechanics.
I will write a whole separate post dedicated to Tinkerer. As well as a summary of Early Access with play stats that you might find interesting if you are into numbers!
Oh, and Marcin has cooked up a new art for launch. Here it is in popular sizes in case you would like to use it as a wallpaper:
2569x1600:
256x1440:
1920x1080:
and 1920x1200:
See you on the 1st of February, And Stay Safe in Paper Dungeons :archduck: Konstanty
This update brings numerous new artifacts to the game along with a couple of bug fixes and balance changes. You can read the full itemized changelog below.
The next large update will be the new class, bringing the game to 1.0. This, of course, won't be the end of the journey, we are already working on more stuff :archduck: I will write a way larger update on the new class in the coming weeks.
Full Changelog
Version 0.8.240111 - 11 Jan 2024
New artifact: Bow Tie - Deal 50 damage to one random monster at the beginning of the battle
New artifact: Brick - Gain 10 block if you haven't used any Skill cards this turn
New artifact: Crane - Give 3 block to all heroes if you haven't used any Attack cards this turn
New artifact: Dusty Sandals - Your Swords deal double damage
New artifact: Feather - Your Arrows deal double damage
New artifact: Flambeau - Every 3rd exhausted card heals you 1 HP
New artifact: Hourglass - If you have 50% or less HP, your attacks deal double damage
New artifact: Paperclip - Gain 1 mana when your deck is shuffled for the first time during each battle
New artifact: Porcelain Skull - Gain 5 block after using 5 Arrows in one turn
New artifact: Quartz lens - Your attacks deal +1 damage in the Near Range and -1 damage in the far range (but no less than 1)
New artifact: Ripe Tomato - Start each battle with 10 block
New artifact: Runic Board - Your Runes deal double damage
New artifact: Salt Lamp - Gain a +2 damage bonus for the next turn, if you haven't killed any monster this turn
New artifact: Sharp Throne - Gain 5 block after using 3 Swords in one turn
New artifact: Sharpener - Your Attack cards deal +1 damage starting from turn 2
New artifact: Spectacles - Every 3rd Scroll is played twice
New artifact: Stamp - When a marked enemy dies, transfer its mark to a random enemy and increase it by 1
New artifact: Sticky Finger - When your hand is empty during your turn, draw a card
New artifact: Stone Mask - If you don't lose any HP during battle, gain +1 max HP
New artifact: Tessenjutsu - Your attacks deal +1 damage in other heroes' slices
New artifact: Three Seashells - Every time you are damaged in combat, other players are healed for the same amount
New artifact: Torque Wrench - Your Bolts deal double damage
Added automatic communication between players (and companions) when adding, removing, or upgrading cards
Added VFX and SFX for selected cards
Fixed Bolthell sometimes not working properly with damage-changing influences
Balance: Hard Shell monster feature now limits damage in far range to 1 instead of 0
Fixed position of the icon when pinging heroes in the dungeon
Fixed block doubling cards (like Ox and Turtle Up) not giving proper values when double-cast using Stamina Burst
Edit: We have accidentally included one artifact in the changelog that wasn't actually yet implemented. I deleted it from the changelog to avoid confusion!
As always, Stay Safe in Paper Dungeons :archduck: Konstanty
Let's wrap up the year with the largest content update to date.
New Mechanics
Some monsters now can web cards. Webbed cards can be played which removes the web, and discards the card but doesn't trigger any normal card effects. Monsters can now also freeze players. Frozen influence distributes its counter value among the player's hand next turn, increasing the costs of random cards by 1 mana per counter tick.
New Monsters
Today we welcome on board spiders, ice skeletons, scorpions, and more. Most with new mechanics. This almost doubles the number of monsters in the game and should contribute to much more run variety.
These changes come with a new improved way of adventure generation, where monster types encountered between floors are more cohesive. Once you start meeting zombies, chances to meet more zombies increase. If you encounter spiders, chances are there will be more spiders during this run. This will allow you to prepare and contribute to a more cohesive experience.
Other noteworthy changes
Launcher is now skippable in options. If skipped it will load only after updates that contain new changelogs.
Fanny Pack will now display an icon on affected cards.
The save system was reworked to write in a background thread. This is an experimental feature that should fix the stutter on the Summary Screen.
What's next?
We are now working full throttle gearing up for the 1.0 launch early next year. Before that happens there will be an Artifacts Update introducing a slew of new artifacts (including starters!). For 1.0 a new class will be added. Before that, we will organize a closed smaller-scale beta. Sign-ups for it will be posted on the community Discord, which will be the main feedback and comms channel for the playtest.
We are also reworking Endless Mode to give players more agency when it comes to picking how the run will shape. Particularly which modifiers will affect it and when. We still have to see how our idea will play, but this also should be ready for 1.0.
Full Changelog
New monster family: spiders
New monster mechanic: Web. Spiders can web cards. Playing a webbed card discards it, ending the webbed status but not triggering the regular card's effects
New influence: Frozen. The influence counter is distributed as temporarily increased mana costs among cards in the player's hand next turn
Moved Hellcard to a separate pedestal in the Launcher
Added Skip Launcher checkbox in options
Reworked save system to write in a separate thread. This should address the game's stuttering on slower hard drives
Increased XP rewards for finishing runs
Changed card progression for new players
New monster: Arachnid - smallest spider without special features aside from 8 legs.
New monster: Arachnad - when killed, spawns 2 arachnids
New monster: Arachnod - webs a card that killed it
New monster: Corrupted Arachnod - a zombie spider with a rotten heart (Returns 1 damage when non-lethally hit) and poisonous attack (Unblocked damage adds a Poison Wound card to draw pile)
New monster: Arachnoleton - a skeleton spider that changes to a random skeleton when killed
New monster: Cool Crawler - a scorpion that gets a bonus block every time it is attacked. Its attacks add Frozen influence.
New monster: Hot Crawler - a scorpion that gets a bonus block every time it is attacked. Its attack adds Burn A Card influence causing the hero to draw fewer cards the next turn
New monster: Horror Crawler - a massive skorpion miniboss that doesn't take direct damage from cards when in the far range. It gets bonus strength when a monster is killed in it's map section
New monster: Wicked Longlegs - miniboss whose attacks webb a random card in the player's deck.
New monster: Arachgod - miniboss that spawns eggs for every monster killed in the current turn. After a couple of turns a random spider hatches from each spider egg
New monster: Shielded Skeleton - an improved version of a basic Skeleton Warrior that blocks itself.
New monster: Cool Skeleton - a skeleton warrior whose attacks add Frozen influence
New monster: Cool Archer - a skeleton archer whose attacks add Frozen influence
New monster: Horror Imp - a bigger imp that explodes with a bigger bang when killed
New monster: Slithering Bowman - ranged demon whose arrows make heroes draw fewer cards next turn (adding Burn A Card influence)
New monster: Mirage Lancer - a ghost that curses a hero that killed it, making them lose mana the next turn
New monster: Battering Flamegoat - a charging goat that attacks all heroes at once
New monster: Hungry Plant - a zombie plant that is linked with other plants on the battlefield and distributes its strength to them when killed
New monster: Shamanic Goat - a miniboss that strengthens a random monster each turn and when killed
New monster: Voracious Corpse - a zombie miniboss that strengthens other zombies when attacked
New monster: Horror Whopper - a skeleton miniboss that strengthens other monsters if not attacked this turn
New monster selection algorithm that makes runs more cohesive, increasing the chance for monsters from families you have already met during that particular run
QoL: Added Fanny Pack icon to stashed cards
Added VO when heroes get hit or die
Added or improved visual effects of some cards
Added GFX and SFX when the hero receives an artifact
Added communication bubbles queue
Added character change functionality to Endless mode
Fixed misleading Garbage Day card description
Fixed character creates exclamation mark always showing
Fixed influence counter size when large UI is enabled
Fixed Hearteater bonus when using Bolt Hell
Fixed Initiative card when targeting monsters without intent
Fixed some options' descriptions
Fixed location buttons too long text issue
Fixed Jar of Pickles giving mana more than once per turn
Fixed double HP loss when using Bookmark + Burrito
Fixed player's hand sometimes showing for a split second when taking gem reward after battle
As Always, Stay Safe in Paper Dungeons ːarchduckː Konstanty
Finally, Hellcard got its green check mark and is 100% Steam Deck Verified. It's been a long road - we reworked controls and GUI (including a custom card template with a much larger text area) to ensure the game is readable on small screens. Valve was very thorough with its tests which is awesome. They do care about the Steam Deck experience and helped us pinpoint many potential issues. So for those of you who own Steam Decks - you are in good hands.
There are a couple of other small fixes in this update as well:
Version 0.6.231107 - 7 Nov 2023
Hellcard is now officially Steam Deck Verified!
Fixed a crash when opening card piles in multiplayer during the dungeon unfolding effect
Fixed mage's Halloween outfit mouse hover bug
Fixed Forgery Kit sometimes not giving a mark
Fixed the wrong order of actions in the Grimoire card
Halloween outfits stopped unlocking after the Scream Fest ended. We changed that and they should continue being awarded when the game is launched.
We had reports of Bitdefender quarantining the game - this is a false positive as far as we can tell. The game is built on a separate isolated build machine we rescanned it multiple times with various AV software. Fun fact, the only one to find something was Bitdefender but even that was on our 3rd scan of the same executable. Which leads us to believe it's a false positive. This happens with custom C++ engines where optimized code can trigger heuristic search. The issue may go away with this update since the executable will change. We reported this to Bitdefender anyway.
As Always, Stay Safe in Paper Dungeons :archduck: Konstanty
This update mainly focuses on balance, including a complete rework of several cards and a massive number of buffs and tweaks to others. I will post a full changelog with all changes listed at the end of the post. Along with old values for easy comparison.
The Large UI mode now has a dedicated card template with a smaller centered art allowing for larger font in the card description area.
On the more contemporary side of things, in the spirit of Halloween, there are now three new outfits in the game that can be unlocked only during the Scream Fest sale. Here are the early concepts for the outfits.
And yes, before you ask, the final Mage's outfit in the game is the brainy zombie, not the pumpkin. We came up with the pumpkin head idea when working on the art for Steam. We will totally add pumpkin head sometime later :archduck:
What's Next
Here is a quick roadmap of what will come next:
Monsters
We are now testing and finishing work on a major monster update - pretty much doubling the number of monsters in the game. Along with it will come changes to how runs are generated, with a more cohesive monster presence. This means that after you encounter a monster from a specific family (zombies, skeletons, spiders) chances will be there will be more enemies of various types from the same family on floors below, allowing you to prepare the build accordingly.
This will come sometime in the first half of December.
Artifacts
A batch of over 20 new artifacts for all classes. This also should happen in December at the latest.
Endless Rework
We are aware that some players would prefer their endless without torments while others would prefer even more hardcore ones. We have an idea for a solution that would give more agency to the players and might satisfy both sides.
This should be ready early next year, probably for the full release.
New Class
The fourth class will be ready for the full release early next year. We will, of course, do tests with the community before that. Keep an eye out, I will be posting calls for testers once we are ready.
Full Changelog
Version 0.6.231024 - 24 Oct 2023
Lowered difficulty of monsters summoned via Cook's cauldron
You can now heal normally when replaying the 11th floor while waiting for teammates to catch up
Added visual effects for selected influences
Added information about torment restrictions when creating or changing a character in torment run lobby
You can now use pings and emoticons in a Singleplayer game
Added a new card GUI template with more space for card description when the Large option is enabled
Added Halloween celebration outfits unlockable for everyone who plays the game between 26th Oct and 2nd Nov
Balance: Initiative card now deals 3 damage (or 5 with bonus) instead of 2 and 4
Balance: Judgemental Scowl now additionally gives 2 block
Balance: Deatheater Sword basic damage increased from 3 to 5
Balance: Charge damage and bonus increased from 3 to 4
Balance: Reckless Charge mana cost reduced from 2 to 1. Damage is dealt in medium instead of small radius and the card discards all non-Attack cards instead of the full-hand
Balance: Offering hero HP loss decreased from 2 to 1
Balance: Insult has been reworked: Your Swords deal +3 damage. Exhaust.
Balance: Starlight Strike damage increased to 12 from 6
Balance: Defiant Roar now gives 2 block for every monster without the Stamina cost
Balance: Storm of Blades mana cost reduced from 3 to 2 and damage for each Sword card increased from 1 to 2
Balance: Vigor mana cost reduced from 2 to 1 and Stamina cost reduced from 3 to 2
Balance: Overwhelm’s decreased mana cost of the cards now ends when they are played or at the end of the turn
Balance: Gut Punch base damage increased from 4 to 5. The damage is doubled if the monster has block
Balance: All Out Strike damage increased from 6 to 8
Balance: Crown is now stackable
Balance: Haymaker damage and bonus increased from 4 to 5
Balance: Knuckle Crack Stamina gain reduced from 6 to 5
Balance: Immutability mana cost reduced from 1 to 0
Balance: Shield Bite now counts the number of cards in your draw pile instead of the cost of cards in your hand
Balance: Sacrificial Lunge damage increased from 6 to 8
Balance: Serrated Blade damage and bonus increased from 4 to 5 and is no longer a Strain card
Balance: Mad Snack has been reworked: Each turn you end without any block increases the bonus damage your Attacks deal. Unstackable. Exhaust. Costs 3 mana
Balance: Flurry of Blows damage increased from 1 to 3
Balance: Unleash bonus damage changed to 5 for each Stamina you have
Balance: Riddle of Steel additionally gives 5 block to all heroes
Balance: Readiness Stamina gain reduced from 6 to 5
Balance: Shrapnel now deals damage for every Arrow in the deck instead of Arrows in the hand
Balance: Finesse decreased mana cost of the drawn cards now ends when they are played or when the turn ends
Balance: Sharp Rain damage increased to 2 for each Arrow in the deck instead of Arrows in hand
Balance: Shadow Stance has been reworked: Every turn 1 most powerful attack on you will deal no more than 5 damage.
Balance: Persevere block gain increased from 4/8 to 5/10
Balance: Maximum Effort in now unstackable
Balance: Blindsided now deals Deal 15 damage and exhausts after use
Balance: Overexertion decreased mana cost of the cards now ends when they are played or when the turn ends
Balance: Lash Out now exhausts a random card when used
Balance: Keeping distance mana cost decreased from 1 to 0
Balance: Piercing Arrow damage increased from 4 to 5
Balance: Sleeve Trick now adds 1 Concussive Arrow to your hand at the start of your turn. Additionally, you always get Concussive Arrows instead of Talon Arrows.
Balance: Chain Shot is now an Arrow card called Chainshot Arrow
Balance: Deflect cost increased from 1 to 2
Balance: Rallying Cry: decreased mana cost of the cards now ends when they are played or when the turn ends
Balance: Tinker mana cost decreased from 2 to 1
Balance: Backflip has been reworked: Each turn 1 strongest monster attack will deal you no more than 10 damage
Balance: Eagle trick decreased mana the cost of the cards now ends when they are played or when the turn ends
Balance: Copycat Tired influence has been removed
Balance: Breath Control is now unstackable
Balance: Sick & Tired Arrow damage increased from 4 to 5
Balance: Garbage Day now adds 1 Concussive Arrow to your hand
Balance: Precision Bomb now additionally stuns the monster
Balance: Buster Bomb damage increased from 6 to 7
Balance: Dig now additionally takes an Ignite card to hand (if possible)
Balance: Cornucopia now additionally takes an Ignite card to hand (if possible)
Balance: Violence now kills a non-boss monster and exhausts after use
Balance: Scissor Strike damage increased from 2 to 4
Balance: Stonks now exhausts a random card when played
Balance: Trickle down now exhausts a random card when played
Balance: Hired help is not a Strain card anymore but exhausts a random card when played
Balance: Gancho cost has been decreased from 1 to 0 and it now moves a selected monster to the opposite distance (from far to near and vice versa)
Balance: Speed cost decreased from 2 to 1 and moves monsters in a large radius to opposite distance (from far to near and vice versa)
Balance: Entrench cost decreased from 1 to 0
Balance: Shredder Strike bonus damage decreased from 2 to 1
Balance: Barrage now deals 12 damage to all monsters with move or flank intents
Balance: Occult Ritual now charges when you play a card instead of exhausting it
Balance: Ritual Channeling mana cost increased from 1 to 2
Balance: Bolt Dance is no longer a Strain card
Balance: Mend Wounds was reworked: If you got damaged last turn, heal the most wounded hero by 20% of your max HP.
Balance: Crowdsource is now a legendary card without the max damage limit
Balance: Volcanic Lightning damage increased from 4 to 6
Balance: Subzero damage bonus increased from 1 to 2 and is no longer a strain card
Balance: Meteor Strike is now a rune card - Meteor Rune which now additionally adds 1 Amnesia card when used
Balance: Unpack the Bag mana cost decreased from 2 to 1
Balance: Scroll of Thorns is now a Scroll of Wisdom which makes a selected hero draw a card
Balance: Wind Blast is now a Common card
Balance: Outside the Box now exhausts a random card with the highest cost in hand instead of discarding it but deals 10 times as much damage instead of double damage.
Balance: Cheat’s decreased mana cost of the cards now ends when they are played or when the turn ends
Balance: Channel Pain mana cost decreased from 2 to 1
Balance: Rune of Thunder is now a Thunder card (no longer a rune card) which deals 10 damage to the monster. If this doesn't kill it, repeat for the nearest monster. Never hits the same monster twice
Balance: Nova damage increased from 4 to 6
Balance: Mana Shield mana cost decreased from 2 to 1
Balance: Shatter now deals 3 damage +1 for every frozen monster and freeze in a medium radius
Balance: Grit damage increased from 1 to 3
Balance: Feedback Loop has been reworked: Every time you lose HP, deal twice that damage to the attacking monster
Balance: Aether Splash has been reworked: Playing a Rune grants 1 bonus damage to Runes. The bonus resets at 10
Balance: Reforge Weakness now counts Status cards in the deck instead of those in hand
Balance: Mental Wall mana cost decreased from 1 to 0
Balance: Infuse now additionally exhausts Status cards in hand
Balance: Vitruvian Mage now deals damage in medium radius instead of a single monster
Balance: Hearteater Bolt now adds the bonus (strength of a killed monster) to the next Bolt played instead of the Hearteater Bolt card itself
Balance: Bolt Hell now deals damage in medium radius instead of a single monster
Balance: Rewrite mana cost decreased from 2 to 1 and the number of added scrolls increased from 1 to 2
Balance: Sunray Rune now deals damage in medium radius instead of cone and has a +2 damage bonus for each Status in your deck
Balance: Anamnesis has been reworked: If you got damaged last turn heal 20% of your MaxHP to all heroes
Balance: Switcheroo has been reworked: Playing a Rune increases bonus damage to Runes. The bonus resets at 6
Balance: Swell has been reworked: If you got damaged last turn heal 20% of your MaxHP to yourself
Balance: Conduit Aura is now a Strain, not an Exhaust card. Has the damage increased from 1 to 3
Balance: Glass Shrike now sets the HP to 50% of your Max HP instead of 15
Balance: Dark Pact now deals 50% of your Max HP damage instead of 10
As Always, Stay Safe in the Paper Dungeon :archduck: Konstanty
This update is a mixed bag of miscellaneous Quality of Life stuff, bug fixes, and content.
Although Hellcard is playable on Steam Deck we are on a quest to get that Green Tick of Gaben's Approval. This week's update hopefully will get us there.
What's New
Full Controler Support. The game is now fully playable with controllers along with properly rendered glyphs.
Big UI Scheme. Increases fonts, icons, and cards. Enabled by default on Steam Deck but can be manually enabled in options on PC for those who like to sit back or just have tired eyes like me. You can also control the size of fonts/cards/GUI separately to tune it for to your taste.
Several bug fixes. Including rare crashes, exploits, and small glitches. Thank you all for reporting this stuff!
QoL including the ability to freeze the goats so they can't escape, better health visualization, colored mana cost on cards, and more.
Recorded voice lines for all classes, now you can hear when someone says Hi!
What's Next
We are planning three larger updates during the remainder of Early Access.
The next update will focus on new content (we know you are waiting for that!). It won't be a new class yet, since this will happen early next year. However, there will be new artifacts and plenty of balance changes to preexisting cards.
After that, there will be Monsters Update. THat one will include several totally new enemies with new mechanics. These will be ready for yet another update later this year.
Finally, there will be a New Class update. All this should span over the next 6 months, give or take. And in the meantime, we are also working on plenty of backend changes including experiments with a new network backend.
Full Changelog
Version 0.6.230914 - 14 Sep 2023
Added full controller support with in-game glyphs
Added Big UI scheme for Steam Deck (bigger fonts, cards, etc.)
Added particle effects to selected intents for better readability
Added VO to communication voice lines
Added graphical visualization of missing HP on the GUI
Added color visualization to higher/lower card cost (red for increased card cost, green for decreased)
Reworked small companion hand layout
Changed layout on Rewards Screen to better show that it can be skipped
Decreased volume of the wind gust sound in the lobby
Fixed accepting friend invites in Launcher was not working properly
Fixed crash when entering lobby
Fixed Thick Skin influence not being explained in Meat cards
Fixed Conduit Aura sometimes dealing too much damage
Fixed infinite XP exploit when leaving and rejoining a game after death
Fixed a bug where it was possible to connect to players in different dungeons
Fixed Bolt the Bolted sometimes moving monsters to the origin sector
Fixed Multi Arrow and Deadly Streak not showing damage correctly
Freeze now prevents goats from escaping the battle
Changed the way in which the game verifies internet connection (may help players who had a Steam connection but couldn't start multiplayer mode and those who use USB GSM modems)
As Always, Stay Safe in Paper Dungeons :archduck: Konstanty