Hi, dungeon-crawling fans!

I thought this month we could do something a little different, so instead of giving you the usual written update, I created a few video devlogs going into detail on various subjects of the project's development. In particular, the videos focus on the following topics:

• Current Progress
  
• Sentries
  
• Telekinesis
  
• Fire Propagation
  
• Rune Traps

You can watch them right here or head over to the RatTower Youtube channel, which I plan to use more regularly in the future:







I will probably adapt the format a bit for coming updates. So instead of releasing several videos at once, I might upload material more frequently. Either way, I hope you will enjoy these videos and I will keep you posted!

Best wishes,
Michael

Hi, dungeon-crawling fans!

another month, another update! I am still very busy with beta update 2, which I hope to finish and release very soon. So let's quickly take a look at what has happened over the last couple of weeks!



The area in which most of update 2 takes place is far below the Lysandrian Heartlands. I originally had a different level layout in mind but I decided to rework it into something more manageable (and also more interesting). Now, after about two months of work, the level is about 90% there. It still misses some details and narrative assets, but the lion's share of the work is done.






Update 2 will feature one of the biggest areas in the game. I believe this is a good opportunity to introduce you to Monomyth's fast travel system. Of course, this system can't just be activated through a map menu. Instead, it is a part of the world itself. Players will have to figure out the mechanics of ancient teleporter rooms that can be found all over Lysandria.



Talking of mechanics, update 2 will also introduce a few quest-specific mechanics that are related to the new area. There will be some mining and smelting, and while there is no real crafting system in the game, players will be able to toy with some of the interactive machines that can be found in the area.



I also took a little break from level design and worked on the game's inventory. Not only does Monomyth now feature visually more appealing menus, but the menu interactions have been streamlined to a point where most player/environment interactions can be done from the inventory. Players can now pick up, throw and combine items directly from within the inventory screen. I also integrated the object placement system that I implemented a few weeks ago. This way players will have a much easier time placing fish or pie next to a cooking spot (a recurring problem in the demo).



As a result, the inventory interactions are now a lot more intuitive (and coincidentally, also a lot closer to what Arx Fatalis did).



As you probably all know, Monomyth was partly inspired by the King's Field series. Because of that, the project was featured in a Gamespot article on upcoming King's Field-like RPGs. So if you haven't checked that out yet, you can find the article here:

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/move-over-dark-souls-the-from-software-title-inspiring-a-new-wave-of-games-is-kings-field/1100-6507649/

And now it's time for me to go back to the mines and finish that beta update 2! Then it's on to updates 3 and 4, which I hope will be finished much faster since most of their level design is already done. Update 4 will also be the last content update before I start polishing everything for the open backer beta. As you can probably already guess, this also means that the release will slip slightly into 2023. Lots of progress has been made but there is still quite a bit of work left to do. I will give you a more detailed overview of the road to release in one of the next updates. Until then!


Best wishes,
Michael

Hi, dungeon-crawling fans!

another month has passed and it's time for another update! This one will be a bit shorter, for reasons I will get into in a moment, so let's start.



Monomyth is now in Beta Phase 1. The beta is basically split into six phases, where the first five are mostly content updates and the last is about polishing.

So the first content update was released in August and it contained demo content ported to the new codebase, as well as some extra areas and level mechanics. Beta testers have already provided useful feedback which I will integrate in the coming weeks.


The Serpent's Bastion has been reworked and patched back into the beta.

Following this update, I originally wanted to work on the game's main hub and trading system. However, I decided to switch beta phases 2 and 3 around. I did this because beta 3 contains a major quest area that existed only as a gray blockout so far. I was concerned about this area and wanted to get to work on it as soon as possible because I felt that much of the original blockout would require a major overhaul. In fact, I decided that a large portion of it was a) not particularly interesting and b) not within the scope of the project. So I restructured the entire thing and now it is more manageable and still becoming one of the more complex areas in the game. It contains the part of your journey that leads you truly into the depths of the earth and verticality is a major aspect of it.

Unfortunately, I cannot show much of the work so far. As expected, this update is probably the most labor-intensive update out of the entire beta and I am in the middle of creating its content. The area's base geometry is almost complete and it should be fully traversable within the coming week.


Verticality in Beta 2 (WIP)

This beta update will probably be released sometime next month. After that, I will continue working on the game's main hub, which is already significantly further along in development.


A good amount of work has already gone into the game's main hub


At the moment, testers are already providing great and in-depth reports on various issues they find in the closed beta. However, as more content is added to the game, the current amount of testers will likely not be enough to properly cover all problems that may still persist.

That is why I have decided, that once most of the main quest has been fully patched into the game (roughly beta phase 5) I will open the beta for all backers of the "Pilgrim" level and above (that's everyone who will receive a digital copy of the game).

Like all other beta testers, these backers will receive a dedicated test key, which will be locked before the release of the full game (i.e., this is not the fulfillment of your pledge, and you will receive a separate key at release). I will provide more information on this in the coming updates.


Until then!
Michael

Hi, dungeon-crawling fans!

Another month, another update! Beta 1 is just around the corner and in the last few weeks, plenty of significant improvements have been implemented. So let's take a look at those!


As you know, Monomyth's beta has been out for about a month now. In this short period of time, there have been numerous hotfixes. Beta testers have been very busy reporting various problems and as a result, both major and minor bugs were corrected. One particularly nasty bug involved the functionality of NPC navigation, which, luckily, could be tracked to a simple, incorrect engine setting.

Besides fixing bugs, I have also been adding various features that would improve the overall experience of the game. NPCs will now greet the players via text messages over their heads. The same system is also used for idle chatter and combat taunts.



I have also re-introduced Offhand Actions, which were sort of a last left-over from the old codebase's feature list. This means you can now, again, press the middle mouse button and use your torch to light other torches in the game world (and set certain inflammable objects on fire as well).



Some of you may have been unaware of it, but the Kickstarter demo also featured a shield-bash that could be activated in the same way. This feature is back as well, however, this time it is far more impactful. It can be used to knock enemies down or push them off ledges.



Combat AI has been improved as well and while it still needs work encounters are now more balanced. The rebalancing in the latest version of the game also affected weapon durability. A frequent feature request from the Kickstarter demo was the possibility to pick up the weapons dropped by enemies. This was an option in Arx Fatalis and Ultima Underworld. However, in Monomyth, this feature devalued some weapons, because of their sudden high availability. More precisely, it had an effect on the urgency of keeping an eye on your weapon's durability. This called the necessity for the durability feature into question (at least with regard to highly available weapons). Ultima Underworld circumvented this problem by permanently breaking weapons. This introduced an element of resource management into the game and reduced the effects of readily available weaponry.

I have been experimenting with a similar system in Monomyth's early game now. You can still repair your weapons at a forge, but if you don't pay attention to their durability you will risk losing them permanently. So far, at least in my experience, this little change makes the early game significantly more exciting. Obviously, this feature will be somewhat less relevant for rare weapons. These aren't readily available in the first place and some of them are indestructible anyway (they still wear off over time though, so they have to be repaired to fulfill their potential).



I have also been thinking about the save system during the rebalancing process. At the moment free saving is the standard game mode on the basis of which the distribution of level-up shrines is balanced (these were originally used to save). I might actually turn this around and balance the distribution around the classic system from the Kickstarter demo. People will still have the option to turn on free saving during the character creation though.

I have also reworked the object carrying/placement system since I have noticed that players kept having problems with putting bread near a fire or into an oven. Therefore, I implemented a feature with which they can drop items from the inventory directly into their character's hands. Players can then precisely rotate and place the item with the help of a "ghost object". This is also very useful for stacking boxes.




The rest of the time, I have focused on closing the gap between the actual beginning of the game and the current beta content. This required a rework of the "Serpent's Bastion", an area you already know from the Kickstarter demo.



The patch integrating this content should be ready within the next few days. With its release, Monomyth will enter the "Beta 1" phase. Just like after the release of "Beta 0" I will then shortly focus on documenting and fixing various bugs found by the beta testers. Afterward, I will shift my focus toward working on the next beta patch. Going strictly by the plan from last month's update that would include the game's main settlement, I might, however, switch Update 2 and 3 around, since the latter still requires more work.

Either way, there is still a lot to do. I will keep you posted!

Best wishes,
Michael

Hi, dungeon-crawling fans!

Just a short update: I have sent out the e-mails for backer-created content rewards. If you have backed the project at the "Lysandrian Knight" level or higher, you should have received a short message with a form to fill out. If you have not received such an e-mail please get in touch with me via michael@rattower.com. You can take your time filling out the form since backer-created content will probably be added to the game last. I will notify you in time when the deadline is coming up.


Due to popular demand, I have also re-opened the slacker backer option, which can be found here:

Monomyth - Slacker Backer Page

All rewards are the same as on Kickstarter. The slacker backer option will be open until the end of the month. So if you know anyone that wanted to back the project last year but could not at the time, you can send them this link.


As for the project itself: The beta is going well. The testers and I are locating and fixing bugs almost every day. Since the last update, there have been numerous hotfixes, adjusting menus, gameplay mechanics, visuals, etc



Besides that, I am also preparing the "Beta 1 Update", which will reintroduce the Serpent's Bastion into the game.


You may remember the Serpent's Bastion from Monomyth's Kickstarter demo.


In the full version of the game, you will also gain access to a formerly closed cellar section.

And that's already all for the moment! Until the next update!

Best wishes
Michael

Hi, dungeon-crawling fans!


Monomyth's closed beta has finally started! Those of you, who backed the game at the "Seventh Oath Cleric" level (€ 125) should have received their invitation mail by now. In case you haven't, please do not hesitate to contact me via contact@rattower.com.

The first beta phase will still be a bit of a bumpy ride with many bugs and some missing features. It is mostly a focus test for the new code base and the first area of the game (hence the name Beta 0). What follows now is a constant loop of feedback and patches that will push the project closer and closer to a stable release.

In that regard, the game already received various hotfixes over the weekend. Among other things, these fixes included the following:

• Slimes are no longer invincible
  
• Various level design fixes
  
• Swimming should be much less of a pain now (still not entirely painless)
  
• Comfortability features + fixed bugs in container GUIs
  
• Some adjusted/corrected dialogue options
  
• Books should display correctly while being carried around
  
• Torches burn longer and burnt-out torches are now placed in the inventory
  
• The GUI for money should update correctly now
  
• Fixed a bug that would respawn the player in a mysterious Ankh room
  
• Fixed a collision problem that made leaning impossible
  
• Visual updates to the environment

And so on. At least until next week, I will still focus on hotfixes of this nature. After that, I will start focusing on the first beta content patch. Speaking of which, the roadmap for the coming months looks as follows:

Update 1: To close the gap between the beginning of the game and the current beta content I will first reintroduce the "Serpent's Bastion" - the area you may already know from the demo. In the full version, this area will be slightly extended. In the same patch, item balancing will be overhauled as well.

Update 2: This patch will include the game's main settlement as well as the updated trading systems. It will also include some portions of the game that may not be accessible until later but are possibly interesting for testing at this point.

Update 3: This patch will introduce the area below the heartlands, where players will really start their vertical descent into the depths of Ariath. Releasing this patch will probably take the most time because the area in it is still at a very early stage of development.

Update 4: This patch will introduce the most classic dungeon crawling experience Monomyth has to offer. Lots of dark hallways, lots of traps, lots of tough enemies. Stressful and my personal favorite at this point. The development of this area has already progressed nicely.

Update 5: This patch will introduce the final area of the game. This area is slightly smaller than the others. The core focus of testing here will likely be level mechanics, as well as the conclusion of the main quest.

Polishing: At this point in time the content creation phase should be concluded. After that, I might open the beta to all backers or go for a short early access phase before the final release.

And that's the entire plan for the beta. Some parts may still be adapted in terms of scope but overall this is how I will attempt to push the project forward. Something that will be helping me in this regard is a highly useful debug tool I implemented some time ago. This tool is, by the way, also available to beta testers. You can bring up the GUI by pressing "K".




Due to popular demand, I will also be re-opening the Kickstarter Encore (slacker-backer option). I will send out a short update about this later this week. The same goes for the backer-created content rewards.

Until then!

Best wishes,
Michael

Hi, dungeon-crawling fans!

time is going by fast and I have been busy preparing everything for the approaching first beta phase. So let us take a quick look at what has been happening over the last few weeks and how we will proceed.



During May I ported some major features into the refactored codebase. Among other things, I made sure that the reworked dialogue system would find its way into the latest version of the game. Feature-wise the system is similar to what you may have seen in the Kickstarter demo (that is if you didn't slaughter the only peaceful NPC).



To quickly recap: The dialogue system is a mix between keywords and dialogue trees. The player can collect clues from documents and conversations and ask different NPCs what they know about a topic. Dialogue trees can trigger different commands, from skill checks to setting the hostility of an NPC. Much like in Ultima Underworld any item given to an NPC via dialogue options will appear in their inventory.


Building upon the modular character system I also introduced visible player armor. At the moment there are two armor sets consisting of multiple equipment items. Much like weapons, armor can break, however, this happens very slowly. Broken armor can still be worn but barely provides any protection.



I also reworked spells, skills, and utility items. Since the code refactoring largely focused on the core character class, some of these things had to be rewritten. A few things still require tidying up but all the functionality is there again and I will use the beta to address these issues.




By the way, porting explosive barrels to the refactored codebase also gave me an opportunity to test out the modular character's ragdoll model.



The beta will feature an initial version of blacksmithing, which allows players to repair broken equipment. Since any character will sooner or later break an item, repairing is not bound to a skill but has to be done in a forge. Blacksmithing in mid to late game will largely revolve around optional weapon improvements. The equipment's damage is visible as well.



Since the first beta area features an underground river, I have also reworked swimming & diving. There are still a few aesthetic things I have to fix on that, so I will present this in a future update.


I also spent some time adding more treasure to the game. During the beta test phase, I will implement an updated trading system. The plan is a more comfortable version of Ultima Underworld's trading system - that means a value-based barter system, where trades can be balanced out either by cash or goods (for a modern example of this you could look at "Stalker: Call of Pripyat").



To put a bow on all the refactoring I rebuilt the game's saving and loading system from the ground up, so it nicely fits the new code. Unlike the public Kickstarter demo, the beta version will let players save and load at any time. Technically I already implemented something like that last September (still on the old codebase), but to lower the chance for nasty surprises I redid the whole system. I also exposed some parts of Unreal Engine's level data to Blueprints to make sure that all persistent entities have unique IDs (regular display names may overlap between streaming levels).



All in all, I must say that the refactoring of the game's core classes slowly evolved into an extensive rewrite of most of the code. That should have probably not been done during production, but in the end, I believe it was worth it. Some features still need to be tweaked here and there but I suppose that should happen with the respective beta tester feedback in mind anyway.



The first beta phase will be set in the "Lysandrian Heartlands", the first non-tutorial area of the game. This very early phase should probably be regarded as more of a focus test for the refactored codebase. With regard to our past definition of what the beta will look like you could maybe call this "Beta 0", because you can play a part of the main quest but it can't be finished at the moment. That will be part of future beta updates, which will add more areas.

Together with the trading update, I will introduce the game's main hub (where most traders are located) and then, step by step, all other important areas will follow. Most of these are currently "work in progress" and I will try to get them into the tester's hands as swiftly as possible.

With a full feature set and the first focus test done we can hopefully concentrate on content testing.


Talking of content, I still need to fix some stuff in the upcoming beta area, which is what I am going to do now. You will hear from me around the 17th when I will send out emails including instructions on how to access the beta. For those of you that have not backed the game on a beta tester level, I will write a short update here. Until then!


Best wishes,

Michael

Hi, dungeon-crawling fans!

I just wanted to drop by and mention that the development of Monomyth is progressing very nicely. I'm busy preparing the game for its closed beta, which should start toward the end of June.

Here is a quick video overview of some of the things that have happened throughout the first quarter of 2022.



If you are interested in a more detailed breakdown of some of these features, please check out the various updates posted on the game's Kickstarter page.

I will try to keep you posted more frequently in the future!

Best wishes,
Michael

Hi dungeon-crawling fans,

today I would like to address you via a short video message:



Thank you all again for your fantastic support! I'm looking forward to content creation now and I will be happy to keep you updated about that as well.

Best wishes,
Michael

Kickstarter Encore (PayPal Backer Option)
http://rattowersoftware.com/store/kickstarter.html

Hi dungeon-crawling fans!


A small bug found its way into the halls of Lysandria with the last patch. That is why I decided to release a little hotfix today. Here are the patch notes:

• You should be able to play the entire harp again
  
• Character attribute buffs/debuffs are now colored accordingly in the character menu
  
• Requirements and damage on the broadsword are now properly balanced
  
• Disabled inventory access during an attack
  
• Parrying with swords and the dagger is now accompanied by the correct sound effect
  
• Holding a torch in front of you (Standard: <Mouse 3>) should now consistently set inflammable objects (powder kegs, wall torches, etc) on fire.

Also, after being pulled from GoG a few weeks ago, Ultima Underworld 1+2 are now available again!

Better yet, they are both free until the 3rd of September (as well as the first two Syndicate games by the way)! So, if you want to conveniently check out one of Monomyth's biggest inspirations, you can now do that! In case the game's controls are too archaic for you in their original form, there is also a Unity port (and plenty of excellent install guides for the same).


More updates to come!


Best wishes,

Michael