Been getting some great feedback on the Orc Quest and spent some time working on a bunch of changes, improvements, and fixes. The quest is probably too long and feels too grindy, so a lot of the changes here attempt to address that. I might make some more changes later as well.

Note, if you have already started the Orc Quest on a save, then some of these changes may not apply. I'll separate the ones that apply to new quests vs. new and in-progress quests.

Applies to both new and in-progress quests

• Number of hits to chop down Desert Trees reduced from 7 down to 4.
  
• Number of hits to break Sandstone reduced from 6 down to 4.
  
• Reduced the amount of Desert Logs and Sandstone needed to make Orc Structures.
  
• Increased the yield from Sandstone from 1 to 2.
  
• Fixed a bug that caused the Shaman Hut to cost 0 Obsidian.
  
• Reduced the amount of Stamina that is lost when sprinting as an Orc.
  
• Added Orc Poles on the map to make finding the Orc Town a bit easier.
  
• Removed parts of the canyon to allow faster access to some areas of the map. You no longer have to run up and around the canyon as much.
  
• Skeletons move a bit faster.
  
• Reduced the time between each wave of Skeleton spawns in the final battle.
  
• Fixed a bug that sometimes caused Obsidian Elementals to remain frozen in place after they are destroyed.

These changes ONLY apply to saves that have NOT started the Orc Quest yet. Attempting to retrofit these into an already started quest chain would be too risky.

• Reduced the Obsidian cost for Orc structures.
  
• Removed the third Obsidian Quest since you no longer need as much.
  
• Moved the Orc Quest so that it starts later in the game. It was appearing too early, before you had a chance to really establish the town.

This build also includes some other fixes.

• Fixed a bug that caused the build sound to not play when helping Shaydee build his shop.
  
• When swapping NPC jobs with a shopkeeper, the new showkeeper will now correctly have wares to craft.
  
• Pressing ESC while moving a non-building structure such as a Water Well or Stone Fountain will no longer delete that structure. Pressing ESC when moving an existing structure shouldn't do anything since you can just put it back where it was. It's only used to cancel the placement of a new structure.
  
• Updated the method that monster spawners use to create loot. This is actually a pretty big change to some really old code and fixes a variety of race conditions that could occur resulting in loot failing to spawn.

Been getting some great feedback on the Orc Quest and spent some time working on a bunch of changes, improvements, and fixes. The quest is probably too long and feels too grindy, so a lot of the changes here attempt to address that. I might make some more changes later as well.

Note, if you have already started the Orc Quest on a save, then some of these changes may not apply. I'll separate the ones that apply to new quests vs. new and in-progress quests.

Applies Both New and In-Progress Quests

• Number of hit to chop down a Desert Trees reduced from 7 down to 4.
  
• Number of hits to break Sandstone reduced from 6 down to 4.
  
• Reduced the amount of Desert Logs and Sandstone needed to make Orc Structures.
  
• Increased the yield from Sandstone from 1 to 2.
  
• Fixed a bug that caused the Shaman Hut to cost 0 Obsidian.
  
• Reduced the amount of Stamina that is lost when sprinting as an Orc.
  
• Added Orc Poles on the map to make finding the Orc Town a bit easier.
  
• Removed parts of the canyon to allow faster access to some areas of the map. You no longer have to run up and around the canyon as much.
  
• Skeletons move a bit faster.
  
• Reduced the time between each wave of Skeleton spawns in the final battle.
  
• Fixed a bug that sometimes caused Obsidian Elementals to remain frozen in place after they are destroyed.

These changes ONLY apply to saves that have NOT started the Orc Quest yet. Attempting to retrofit these into an already started quest chain would be too risky.

• Reduced the Obsidian cost for Orc structures.
  
• Removed the third Obsidian Quest since you no longer need as much.
  
• Moved the Orc Quest so that it starts later in the game. It was appearing too early, before you had a chance to really establish the town.

This build also includes some other fixes.

• Fixed a bug that caused the build sound to not play when helping Shaydee build his shop.
  
• When swapping NPC jobs with a shopkeeper, the new showkeeper will now correctly have wares to craft.
  
• Pressing ESC while moving a non-building structure such as a Water Well or Stone Fountain will no longer delete that structure. Pressing ESC wheh moving an existing shouldn't do anything since you can just put it back where it was. It's only used to cancel the placement of a new structure.
  
• Updated the method that monster spawners use to create loot. This is actually a pretty big change to some really old code and fixes a variety of race conditions that could occur resulting in loot failing to spawn.

Been getting some great feedback on the Orc Quest and spent some time working on a bunch of changes, improvements, and fixes. The quest is probably too long and feels too grindy, so a lot of the changes here attempt to address that. I might make some more changes later as well.

Note, if you have already started the Orc Quest on a save, then some of these changes may not apply. I'll separate the ones that apply to new quests vs. new and in-progress quests.

Applies Both New and In-Progress Quests

• Number of hit to chop down a Desert Trees reduced from 7 down to 4.
  
• Number of hits to break Sandstone reduced from 6 down to 4.
  
• Reduced the amount of Desert Logs and Sandstone needed to make Orc Structures.
  
• Increased the yield from Sandstone from 1 to 2.
  
• Fixed a bug that caused the Shaman Hut to cost 0 Obsidian.
  
• Reduced the amount of Stamina that is lost when sprinting as an Orc.
  
• Added Orc Poles on the map to make finding the Orc Town a bit easier.
  
• Removed parts of the canyon to allow faster access to some areas of the map. You no longer have to run up and around the canyon as much.
  
• Skeletons move a bit faster.
  
• Reduced the time between each wave of Skeleton spawns in the final battle.
  
• Fixed a bug that sometimes caused Obsidian Elementals to remain frozen in place after they are destroyed.

These changes ONLY apply to saves that have NOT started the Orc Quest yet. Attempting to retrofit these into an already started quest chain would be too risky.

• Reduced the Obsidian cost for Orc structures.
  
• Removed the third Obsidian Quest since you no longer need as much.
  
• Moved the Orc Quest so that it starts later in the game. It was appearing too early, before you had a chance to really establish the town.

This build also includes some other fixes.

• Fixed a bug that caused the build sound to not play when helping Shaydee build his shop.
  
• When swapping NPC jobs with a shopkeeper, the new showkeeper will now correctly have wares to craft.
  
• Pressing ESC while moving a non-building structure such as a Water Well or Stone Fountain will no longer delete that structure. Pressing ESC wheh moving an existing shouldn't do anything since you can just put it back where it was. It's only used to cancel the placement of a new structure.
  
• Updated the method that monster spawners use to create loot. This is actually a pretty big change to some really old code and fixes a variety of race conditions that could occur resulting in loot failing to spawn.

Been getting some great feedback on the Orc Quest and spent some time working on a bunch of changes, improvements, and fixes. The quest is probably too long and feels too grindy, so a lot of the changes here attempt to address that. I might make some more changes later as well.

Note, if you have already started the Orc Quest on a save, then some of these changes may not apply. I'll separate the ones that apply to new quests vs. new and in-progress quests.

Applies Both New and In-Progress Quests

• Number of hit to chop down a Desert Trees reduced from 7 down to 4.
  
• Number of hits to break Sandstone reduced from 6 down to 4.
  
• Reduced the amount of Desert Logs and Sandstone needed to make Orc Structures.
  
• Increased the yield from Sandstone from 1 to 2.
  
• Fixed a bug that caused the Shaman Hut to cost 0 Obsidian.
  
• Reduced the amount of Stamina that is lost when sprinting as an Orc.
  
• Added Orc Poles on the map to make finding the Orc Town a bit easier.
  
• Removed parts of the canyon to allow faster access to some areas of the map. You no longer have to run up and around the canyon as much.
  
• Skeletons move a bit faster.
  
• Reduced the time between each wave of Skeleton spawns in the final battle.
  
• Fixed a bug that sometimes caused Obsidian Elementals to remain frozen in place after they are destroyed.

These changes ONLY apply to saves that have NOT started the Orc Quest yet. Attempting to retrofit these into an already started quest chain would be too risky.

• Reduced the Obsidian cost for Orc structures.
  
• Removed the third Obsidian Quest since you no longer need as much.
  
• Moved the Orc Quest so that it starts later in the game. It was appearing too early, before you had a chance to really establish the town.

This build also includes some other fixes.

• Fixed a bug that caused the build sound to not play when helping Shaydee build his shop.
  
• When swapping NPC jobs with a shopkeeper, the new showkeeper will now correctly have wares to craft.
  
• Pressing ESC while moving a non-building structure such as a Water Well or Stone Fountain will no longer delete that structure. Pressing ESC wheh moving an existing shouldn't do anything since you can just put it back where it was. It's only used to cancel the placement of a new structure.
  
• Updated the method that monster spawners use to create loot. This is actually a pretty big change to some really old code and fixes a variety of race conditions that could occur resulting in loot failing to spawn.

Been getting some great feedback on the Orc Quest and spent some time working on a bunch of changes, improvements, and fixes. The quest is probably too long and feels too grindy, so a lot of the changes here attempt to address that. I might make some more changes later as well.

Note, if you have already started the Orc Quest on a save, then some of these changes may not apply. I'll separate the ones that apply to new quests vs. new and in-progress quests.

Applies Both New and In-Progress Quests

• Number of hit to chop down a Desert Trees reduced from 7 down to 4.
  
• Number of hits to break Sandstone reduced from 6 down to 4.
  
• Reduced the amount of Desert Logs and Sandstone needed to make Orc Structures.
  
• Increased the yield from Sandstone from 1 to 2.
  
• Fixed a bug that caused the Shaman Hut to cost 0 Obsidian.
  
• Reduced the amount of Stamina that is lost when sprinting as an Orc.
  
• Added Orc Poles on the map to make finding the Orc Town a bit easier.
  
• Removed parts of the canyon to allow faster access to some areas of the map. You no longer have to run up and around the canyon as much.
  
• Skeletons move a bit faster.
  
• Reduced the time between each wave of Skeleton spawns in the final battle.
  
• Fixed a bug that sometimes caused Obsidian Elementals to remain frozen in place after they are destroyed.

These changes ONLY apply to saves that have NOT started the Orc Quest yet. Attempting to retrofit these into an already started quest chain would be too risky.

• Reduced the Obsidian cost for Orc structures.
  
• Removed the third Obsidian Quest since you no longer need as much.
  
• Moved the Orc Quest so that it starts later in the game. It was appearing too early, before you had a chance to really establish the town.

This build also includes some other fixes.

• Fixed a bug that caused the build sound to not play when helping Shaydee build his shop.
  
• When swapping NPC jobs with a shopkeeper, the new showkeeper will now correctly have wares to craft.
  
• Pressing ESC while moving a non-building structure such as a Water Well or Stone Fountain will no longer delete that structure. Pressing ESC wheh moving an existing shouldn't do anything since you can just put it back where it was. It's only used to cancel the placement of a new structure.
  
• Updated the method that monster spawners use to create loot. This is actually a pretty big change to some really old code and fixes a variety of race conditions that could occur resulting in loot failing to spawn.

Quick update today to go back to the old sun rays. I liked these more than the current one as they are more stylized and less obtrusive.



This build also includes:

• Fixed a bug that sometimes caused the townsperson who is supposed to meet you during the Orc Quest to not appear.
  
• Some UI fixes including the credits screen and the welcome screen.
  
• Made some adjustments to lighting.
  
• Update to the Play Screen to get it to scale properly on widescreen monitors.

Regarding the widescreen UI, right now I'm testing the Play Screen UI to make sure it scales properly for anyone using a widescreen resolution. To make sure we're on the same page, the Play Screen is the main UI with the PLAY button and other options.

I made some changes today that I think will do the trick. If it works, I'll need to update all of the UI to get those to all work. This will be a big undertaking, so I'll do it in phases as I work on other stuff.

This is what you should see if you try out Widescreen. Top image is 16:9 ratio and bottom is 32:9.



For now, if you'd like to try out a widescreen resolution you can use these cheat keys when the setting menu is open. While the menu is open, press and hold down left-shift and then:

Press 1 for 3840 x 1440
Press 2 for 2560 x 1080
Press 3 for 3840 x 1600
Press 4 for 3840 x 1080

You can also press 0 while holding down left-shift to reset back to 1920x1080.


Once it is officially supported I'll put the options in the dropdown menu in Settings.

If everything looks good (or if it doesn't!) on the Play Screen, please feel free to post in this thread and let me know.

https://steamcommunity.com/app/664000/discussions/0/1729828401705901484/

Today's build includes some fixes and tweaks to monster spellcasters in addition to a couple of other fixes.

• Added a delay to the Orc Spellcaster's fireball attack so that the fireball was timed better with the Orc's animation.
  
• Fixed a bug that caused spellcaster healthbars to fail to blink before they cast a spell.
  
• Fixed a bug that caused Goblin Spellcasters to leave their lightning attack on indefinitely.
  
• You should no longer get the message that your inventory is full when collecting Ore if you have a stack of 64 but also have empty slots available.
  
• Fixed the placement of some of the mushrooms in the caves.

I'm also working on some preliminary designs for the skills. These will mostly be passive bonuses that can be added to your character. Magic resistance, regaining stamina faster, finding more loot, etc. I'll have more information about the system soon!

It’s been a while since I talked about the longer-term plans for HammerHelm, and more specifically, the road to full release so I thought I’d do that today. Fair warning, this will probably be a long announcement!



Before I start talking about the plans for HammerHelm I should probably begin with some background information. For the vast majority of HammerHelm’s development, both before and after launch (and right now) I’ve also worked a full time job. So all of the updates are developed outside of my normal work day, during the evenings, weekends, and holidays.

Those of you who have been with me for any length of time know that I update HammerHelm a lot! I always have time for HammerHelm and always will. I love working on this game and I love releasing new stuff for you all to enjoy. This isn't a "hobby project" for me...it's much, much bigger than that. While I do work with some super talented contract artists, I'm the only developer on HammerHelm. I also make all of the videos, screenshots, and gifs that you see supporting the updates. I do a lot ... and I love it!

The main reason I mention all of this is that I do work a full a time job and that’s why you rarely see me responding or updating the game during most weekdays during the day. Maybe someday HammerHelm will grow beyond my wildest expectations and I could work on it full-time, but for now that’s not the case and that's perfectly ok. Please rest assured that if you do post a comment or question or if you email me, I will respond.

When I first launched HammerHelm back in the summer of 2017, nearly every asset in the game was placeholder. HammerHelm was a bit rough around the edges admittedly, but over time new art, more content, and new features have been added. I look back at the game when it first launched and I barely recognize it.

I’m very happy with the direction HammerHelm is headed. And I must admit it’s not quite the direction I expected to go when I first launched. Your feedback and ideas have shaped HammerHelm in ways that I could never have anticipated and I am very grateful for that. It makes working on HammerHelm even more fun!



So, how do we get HammerHelm out of Early Access? I’m glad you asked, because I have a plan and it breaks down to something like this:

• Replace the remaining placeholder monsters.
  
• Replace the major world assets (trees).
  
• Replace the armor and weapons.
  
• Add some more features and content – this is probably the biggest of the bunch here.
  
• Fix more bugs and continue to optimize and polish existing features.

Let me expand on the first four as the fifth one is pretty self-explanatory.



About half of the monsters have been updated in the game already and the remaining have concept art. The 3D artist who made the in-game assets for the new monsters is going to start on the last batch in about a month. This will likely take a few months to complete.



Trees and other large flora will have a consistent art style that matches the rest of HammerHelm and will be better optimized. The work on this has just started. We’re going to focus on replacing the big trees first and then explore smaller things like bushes, flowers, and grass. Also, maybe some new textures for the ground, especially the town pathway.



Even though the characters got updated, the armor and weapons that you use are still the old art and don’t quite match. I’d like to replace those with new models in addition to having some kind of visual progression. So, a Blood Stone Hammer looks cooler than a Copper Hammer and not just a different color. This hasn’t started yet. It will be a pretty big undertaking and would likely start after the monsters are completed.



Most of the core features of HammerHelm are in the game. Creating a character, building a town, all of the townspeople traits and jobs, quests and events, the main buildings, combat, monster AI, etc. I like the core gameplay so I want to focus on adding features that support and improve it. Some of this could be added during Early Access and some might be added after full release. In no particular order…

• Character skills. These are special abilities that allow you to define your character a bit more. Abilities can include everything from “tough skin” that makes you take less damage to really powerful things like if you kill a monster using your power attack there is a chance that your power attack will immediately recharge and you can use it again! Note, I don’t want to go too crazy with this as HammerHelm is more of an adventure game than a traditional RPG, but I think having a progression system for your character makes a lot of sense in a game like this. I’d likely add about 10 – 12 of these skills in addition to some kind of an XP system that would allow you to gain and improve the skills.
  
• Add some more life to the town. This is mostly having the townspeople move around their shops, do work, visit the tavern, etc. They won’t go to sleep (unless they are sick, see below) however as I’ve always found it annoying in games where you can’t speed up time to have to wait for an NPC to wake up.
  
• Add more meaningful events for the townspeople. When a townsperson falls ill, they actually go to bed. When hurt, they visit the infirmary (if there is one) or go home, eating binges at the tavern, and maybe brawls too.
  
• Alerts for when your town is low on a resource and other important messaging. This would be a full messaging system that could be used for various notes that you need to be aware of.
  
• Add a few more points of interest to the map.
  
• Add some more uses for alchemy ingredients other than potions.
  
• Controller support.
  
• Add some kind of fast travel system especially once I fill in the remainder of the map and you are sent further away from your town.
  
• More customization. A few more hair and beard styles. Skin tones too.
  
• Add some more Steam Achievements.
  
• Add some more items to place in your home.
  
• More quests.
  
• Other stuff not mentioned here because I haven’t thought of it yet!

That’s of course not a full list, but it’s where my thoughts are for now and feels like a solid direction.

One more thing I want to say about full release is that when HammerHelm leaves Early Access nothing really changes for me. I’m still going to update the game and I’m still going to add new features, more content, add new and improved art, and fix bugs. It’s really more of a signal that the game’s core features and gameplay are in a state that I am happy with and that you all are happy with too!



Now on to something else. Mod support and multi-player. I get asked about those two features a lot and I’ve talked about them at various times in updates and forum posts, so I’ll pretty much say what I’ve always said.

They’re both unlikely, certainly not before leaving Early Access. For multi-player, it just wasn’t something I ever considered for HammerHelm. Many of the game’s core systems wouldn’t really support multiple characters anyway. So “unlikely” probably isn’t a strong enough word, it’s almost definitely not in the cards.

With mod support, that’s something I’m not closing the door on, but I also want to be clear that in HammerHelm’s case it’s much easier said than done. It’s something I’m investigating but for now let’s assume it’s not part of the plan. I’m exploring using an extension that would allow mods to be created in Unity (the engine I use to create HammerHelm), but that needs some more investigation. So, I say “unlikely” mostly because I’ve done only a very small amount of research into it and I never want to promise something and then not deliver on it. That would stink.



One more thing I wanted to talk about (and it’s a big one!) is Survival/Sandbox Mode. I’ve had a lot of people ask me about creating a mode in HammerHelm that has more survival and sandbox elements in it and while I haven’t started any meaningful work on the idea and it’s not on the above roadmap, I want to talk about it because I think it could be cool.

I’ve thought about this a bit and I don’t think simply adding survival elements to the current game would make sense or be fun. I can’t imagine trying to actually track the hunger of almost 50 characters in a large town, having them die off because of the cold, while also having to complete the quests that keep popping up, let alone the other complexities in the current game!

But I do think there is an opportunity to do something unique and fun with HammerHelm. When I think about this, I think about it as a new mode within HammerHelm. I think of something smaller, yet larger. What I mean by that is a smaller town but a larger world. A mode where you take on more of the resource gathering, crafting, and building responsibilities, but still have a village and some townspeople that you are growing and nurturing.

It’s more of a sandbox, with less focus on quests and more focus on exploration. Monsters, Caves, Dungeons, and other obstacles would be scattered across the map, and always be there for you to find on your own. So, it’s less about the game giving you challenges and more about finding your own! It’s not about tracking food and water meters though, but rather, its more personal, focusing on your character and exploration, but still maintaining some town gameplay that sets it apart and makes it feel “HammerHelm”. I think it could be a really fun way to play HammerHelm without forcing big changes to the core game that all you initially came here to play.

Maybe a crazy idea. Maybe something I shouldn’t even talk about yet. But I like to provide you with some insight into my longer term thinking and get your feedback. I’d rather throw it out there than keep it myself since if you all hate the idea, then the last thing I’d want to do is spend months and months working on it only to be booed off of Steam! :) And if you are intrigued by the idea (and I hope you are because I think it would be really cool!) then I’ll spend some more time experimenting with designs in the background while continuing to release the main updates I talked about above.



Lastly, I want to close by expanding on something I wrote on my Twitter account the other day that I think is fitting since we’re talking about what’s next for HammerHelm.

Apparently, there are over 30,000 games on Steam now. Thirty thousand! It is incredibly humbling to know that from all of those choices, you all found HammerHelm and decided to support it. I have been in the games industry for over 20 years now and making this game has been a life long dream of mine. And it wouldn't mean anything without all of you. All I can say is thank you and hope you're as excited about the future of HammerHelm as I am!

As always if you have any questions, concerns, or feedback feel free to write me a note! I’ve created a forum thread so we can discuss things together and/or you're more than welcome to email me directly.

https://steamcommunity.com/app/664000/discussions/0/1744483505471025947/

-Jonathan "Calandryll" Hanna
Founder and Developer, SuperSixStudios
- supersixstudios@gmail.com
- https://twitter.com/SuperSixStudios

Today's update includes a fix for a bug that occurred the first time HammerHelm was played. The UI and game world would fail to load properly.

This bug was tricky to track down as it ONLY happened once and then never happened again even after uninstalling and re-installing. Turned out it was related to how some preferences files were being saved in the registry. Anyway, it's fixed and the game will now correctly load on the first try and every try after that. :)

This build also includes an optimization for the collision for trees and a fix for the UI scaling for the welcome message that appears on first load as well.

Two builds in one night!? Madness! Or in this case, I goofed and let a bug related to chopping trees slip through.

I've been doing a bunch of testing to optimize the trees and wasn't happy with the results so I put everything back. Forgot to set the falling leaves particle back to normal, which caused trees to not register being chopped. So this quick update fixes the bug so you can chop down trees again!

Also, speaking of trees...rather than trying to further optimize the current trees, I'm going to be working with an artist to create new trees. The trees in the game now are placeholder assets anyway and don't really fit the look I'm going for with HammerHelm's art style.

So I figure with the updated monsters well on their way, it's time to update and improve the world a bit too.