Another build today! Today's update includes a big update to the character movement system and animations. New animations includes strafing and running backwards. This build also includes some bug fixes.



I'm still working on the transitions back to idle (these are the same as the previous movement system) but I think this looks much better than the character always playing the same run forward animation no matter which direction the character was running.

Full build notes:

• New character animations for movement.
  
• Removed the game pause when first starting a new save. I believe this was causing some weird graphics problems that only occurred the very first time you play HammerHelm.
  
• Updated the "How To Fight" screen to reflect the new power attack gems.
  
• Fixed an issue that caused house roof colors to go back to their default color as you walked away from them. This was a result of the house roof color system not accounting for the new level of detail optimizations that I did a while back.
  
• Also fixed a similar issue with roof colors for the Storehouse, Carpenter, and Hunter.
  
• Fixed a bug that cause buildings that were placed in the center of town to not be enterable.

Today's build has a couple of fixes related to the town.

• Fixed a bug that sometimes caused building walls to get out of sync with where the building was placed. This caused what appeared to be invisible walls in your town.
  
• Fixed a bug that caused the Hunter's Lodge door to open when you walked behind the building.

The first bug is pretty nasty (and very annoying!) so I wanted to push the fix live asap.

Now that combat is more fluid and the monsters have more interesting attacks, I want to spend some time making some new quests.

One of the very first quests I ever made for HammerHelm (over 3 years ago!) was a simple rats in the cellar quest. I removed it because it didn't work with the new quest system and the tavern's cellar was built using old assets from prior to the current town's look.

I'm making a new cellar now and wanted to show some quick screenshots of the work. Keep in mind this is very early so there isn't a lot detail yet. I'm mostly playing with lighting and general layout. There will be a door in the Tavern that leads to the cellar once it's in game. And of course, the cellar will be used for some quests.

Shot of the stairs leading back up to the Tavern


Shot of the other side. Hey wait, that hole wasn't there yesterday. Hmm... :)


Also playing with a torch flicker script I wrote a long time ago. I didn't use it for the torches in buildings but I think it works nicely with the tavern cellar.

Today's update adds the Ratmen to the main island spawn. Ratman will drop alchemy ingredients as their primary loot as a way to help give you more resources to craft potions with.



Some of you were telling me you weren't running out of Alchemy ingredients too quickly so I added the Ratmen and added more to the other monsters that drop Alchemy ingredients. Please do let me know if these changes help!

Build Notes:

• Added Ratmen to the main world spawners.
  
• Increased the amount of alchemy resources that drop from any monster who has them as their primary loot (Mushroom-men, Ratman, Ghosts, and some Elementals)
  
• Tweaked the Skeleton sounds a bit more.
  
• Fixed a bug that caused killing the skeletons in the Orc Quest that asks you to destroy their lair to fail to complete the quest. This bug was also affecting the Destroy Dungeon Quest.
  
• Added some text to the Champion's House description to let you know that a bed can be placed inside that allows you to heal to full hit-points.

Thank you everyone for your feedback and support!

I previewed these guys at the bottom of previous announcement but just realized I never gave them their own announcement. So for those of you that didn't see them before - six new HammerHelm monster concepts!

Ash did another amazing job on these and I think they will be a huge improvement over the current versions in game.

The zombie is going to replace the Ghost as I've never been a huge fan of those guys. The Rock Elemental will also have variants to cover the Obsidian Elementals and Meteorite Elementals.

My 3D artist and I decided it's a good idea for him to take a short break from modeling monsters though. He just wrapped up the previous batch and it's always good to recharge!

So these guys will likely start appearing in the game in a few months. I'll update again once work gets started and I have something to show!

Quick build today to fix some issues related to the Orc Quest.

• The fourth quest in the Trick or Treat quest line now correctly points to Shaydee's location.
  
• Obsidian Elementals now drop 12 Obsidian, rather than 10.
  
• Fixed a bug that caused the Orc Smash attack to fail to damage and knock back enemies.
  
• Removed a marker cube from the Archery Hut (this is used to tell the Orc Archer where to stand, but shouldn't be visible)

Edit: Also just released build 7.5.1 which includes two more Orc Quest fixes:

• Fixed a bug where placing an Orc Hut would use more Stone than the required amount.
  
• Fixed a bug where placing an Orc Hut would use Obsidian. Orc Huts only need Desert Wood and Sandstone.

Been a while since I had played through the Orc Quest myself, was fun to do it again! :) Also, I'm not sure if I ever showed the updated Orc Concept with his tusks added properly. So here it is...



Edit: If you are stuck in the Orc Quest before this update and don't have enough Obsidian, please send me your save file and I'll get you fixed up.

To send a save follow the directions here:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/664000/discussions/1/1736595227848425568/

Another day, another build! Really having fun with the new monsters and I hope you are enjoying them too! Today's build has new monster attacks for the Skeletons and Mushroom-men and a new death effect for the Skeletons!

When killing a skeleton they drop their weapons to the ground and burn away. It might be a bit tricky to see in the gif but I tried to center the dead skeleton so you can see the effect and the weapons dropping clearly.


Skeleton Brutes carry two-handed halberds and can perform a leg sweep attack that will knock you over. This is similar to the Orc Brute's smash attack, except it knocks you down in place rather than knocking you back. In some ways, this is MORE dangerous because the monsters are closer to you and may get in a free hit! Before performing a leg sweep attack a blood-like effect will appear on their weapon as well as near their healthbar.


Like all special attacks, they cannot be blocked. But dodging or running away works just fine.


In addition, you can jump over the Skeleton's leg sweep too!


And last, but never least, our friend the Mushroom-man. Still can't tell if he's actually casting a spell or ate some bad oysters. Either way, best to roll out of the way! Mushroom-men Spellcasters are purple with white caps and do not carry a club or shield.


This update also includes a few tweaks to the Skeleton's sounds.

Having some fun with this one. Now the question is, is he actually casting a spell or just getting sick from trying to? :)

Quick build today (Yea I know, I said I'd be afk today. So much for that. :P) to resolve a couple of bugs and add a an update to the power attack UI indicator.

The power attack sword in the UI has been replaced with three gems in the same area. As you hit monsters, the gems fill up. The first two hits fill with yellow gems and the third hit turns all three green in addition to displaying a lighting effect over the gems. I like this way better than the sword image.



This build also fixes two bugs:

• Cursed Mist on farms will now correctly stay with the farm if you move the farm.
  
• Farmers who have quests will now correctly update their location in the mini-map.

Small build today with a couple of fixes that I wanted to get in immediately.

• Fixed a bug that caused Goblin Spellcasters to hit you with their lightning when you are off to the Goblin's left a bit.
  
• Fixed a bug that caused the Cookhouse walls to disappear when moving away from it.

I'm also working on a new UI setup for the power attack meter. I never really liked the sword image. It's too flat and doesn't match the UI.



I might make the gems flash or have some other indicator on them that a power attack is ready. I think most people probably use the visual queues on the character (the lightning effect and the sound effect) but I've been wanting to update this part of the UI for a while now. Still testing it but will hopefully be in soon!

I'm probably going to be away from my keyboard for the next couple of days, but I'll check in occasionally in case anything urgent comes up.

For those of you that celebrate, I hope you have a Merry Christmas! To those who don't, I hope you have a great couple of days as well! :)

And of course, again, thank you to all of you for your support and encouragement. It's been a privilege to have such a wonderful community and I'm looking forward to a great 2019!