What is this 'Dissonance Mode', you ask? Essentially, it is a game mode you can select when starting a new game, and that shifts the experience toward a more narrative route, easing up on the management and combat mechanics to transform Vagrus into more of an exploration game with a strong visual novel element for those that find the challenge too taxing.
We decided to include this game mode due to player feedback, but the decision to do so was not an easy one because we dreamed up Vagrus as a game that closely fits its setting: a cruel, harsh, merciless world that pulls no punches but once the challenges presented by it are conquered, the sense of accomplishment would be all the more satisfying. So if the world is presented as savage and unforgiving while the difficulty is lower, it can easily cause what is called ludo-narrative dissonance, which in the broadest terms means that what you are told in a game does not match what you play.
This kind of dissonance has been reported by a number of players in times when more experimental patches caused the economy to pour money on enterprising vagri. Most of this feedback described the lack of challenge and the resulting tension, which caused the dissonance, eventually leading to players to abandon a playthrough.
However, not everyone is looking for the same thrills when they play video games, and those players that do not enjoy the tactical combat or the strategy aspect of managing resources and logistics will ultimately feel that they want to delve into the world but not at the cost of a steeper learning curve. Well, Dissonance Mode is tailored for them. In general, it comes with easier combat challenges and a more forgiving economy, allowing players to explore more freely. However, with the removed challenge comes the removal of Achievements, too. It is our hope that those who still wish to earn these badges will get practiced in Dissonance Mode and then go on to enjoy the full experience that we'll from now on call Wasteland Mode.
The list of what Dissonance Mode and 'an easier playthrough' exactly entails is not final yet and will probably change quite a lot until the final release. We'll see what to add partly based on future feedback.
Here is the list of impacts [effective from v0.6.20 going live (hopefully next week)]:
Cheaper supplies
Significantly distorted RNG in the players' favor
Higher level Trade and Mercenary Task commissions available from the start
Higher trade-distance market premium (wider price differences between source and sell locations resulting in higher possible profits)
Constant 'Favored' Property on Companions granting them extra Vitality and Accuracy
Lower chances of Crew Combat encounters, especially in the early game
Slightly easier Crew Combat encounters
Lower defense rate requirements to guard your camp
More allowing workforce rate requirements before the Severely Understaffed and Critically Understaffed states are triggered
Healing chances are higher (both during Camp and via Events)
There is, of course, the possibility that a number of players choose a Mode that is not suited for them consistently, causing them not to enjoy the story without the challenge in Dissonance Mode or become disheartened by the cruelty of Wasteland Mode, but our hope is that in the end, more of them will find the right alternative in the two modes available.
Now that Dissonance Mode was added to the game, we are looking forward to your feedback on it. Until then, stay tuned, stay safe, and conquer the wasteland!
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Wildermyth follows heroes over their whole careers, from their pitchfork days to their powerful primes, and on into old age and memory. It’s a party-based procedural storytelling RPG where tactical combat and story decisions will alter your world and reshape your cast of characters.
Sometimes described as "Fantasy XCOM" or "Single Player D&D", if you like turn-based squad combat and characters who grown and change in response to your choices, check it out! There's a 20% sale running this week.
A five chapter campaign focused on Drauven. This story follows both human and Drauven heroes over the span of the campaign. It's complex and beautiful. Something the team can be extremely proud.
Achievements!
Over 50 achievements have been added to the game. Each achievement unlocks a piece of concept art or a theme skin. You can browse your achievements in the legacy browser or on Steam.
Theme Skins
Some themes now have skins that can be unlocked with achievements. Theme skins are cosmetic variants, and once unlocked, they can be chosen in the customize section in the character sheet.
Ability Upgrades
When a hero levels up, they will now often see 4 choices instead of 3. The 4th choice is for upgrading an existing class ability or theme attack. This is a very big change to how heroes are built, and it will allow players to be more intentional with their builds, and differentiate heroes more.
Generic Campaign Chapters
The team has revamped their generic campaigns, and it's a huge improvement!
Now instead of seeing generic events, each chapter will have an omen, capstone, and victory events that fit together, with a custom capstone mission. Some chapters also include custom keystone missions. These chapters will be mixed together to create a whole campaign. Some are monster specific, and some work for any monsters, but they all have unique battle maps and stories that match what's going on in the overall campaign. Right now there are over 20 chapters in the game, with several more on the way.
As we teased in our latest devlog post about Mercenary Tasks, we have extended Crew Combat with a new feature: you can decide how to deal with the enemy from now on following a victorious battle.
The option appears on the Crew Combat UI at the end of the fight opposite your heal options provided that your enemy surrendered (remember, only humanoids can), fled, or retreated but you caught some of them while pursuing them.
Your options are:
Recruit: Depending on their willingness to join, this results in a few fighters, scouts, or workers to be added to your ranks. That, of course, will not sit too well with your existing crew who have fought them just moments ago, and the result is Morale loss. It's also considered to be a 'kind' action and certain companions may like or dislike it for the same reason.
Conscript: Somewhat similar to Recruit, except joining is not voluntary, and so in this case, neither your existing crew nor the newly added members are happy about it, leading to an even more significant Morale drop.
Enslave: Instead of joining as free crew members, all surviving enemies are pushed into slavery. As expected, a massive drop in Obedience accompanies this decision.
Release: Once you stripped the foe of their valuables, you set them free. It may sound kind but in fact, it's a relatively cruel decision given the dangers of the wasteland.
Execute: This is a drastic measure considered 'malevolent' and brings no benefits since the valuables of the enemy have been turned over anyway when they surrendered or got caught.
Imprison: The last one is an option that players will only see when they have an active Mercenary Task to capture such enemies (be them bandits or other faction rivals). Hence the timing of us implementing this feature alongside Mercenary Tasks.
These expanded options provide further incentive, strategic depth, and even immersion to Crew Combat encounters and we hope you'll like them and provide us with the usual valuable feedback.
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In Part I. of our breakdown of Mercenary Tasks, we discussed what this new kind of gameplay element brings to Vagrus, how it works, and began describing the types implemented in the current build. Now it is time to delve into the rest of the Mercenary Task Types:
Escort
This type is a classical RPG task: take someone (or several people) to a location and protect them on the way there. There are simpler variants - usually lower level Tasks - where you have to take them between settlements. In contrast to most regular passengers, these have known enemies hunting them, so an attack during your journey is almost certain - with several attempts at higher Task levels.
Losing Crew Combat against the attackers fails the Task. A future update would change this so that certain passengers can be killed and then these Escort Tasks will indeed focus on keeping them alive in the fight.
A more difficult variant is where the passenger's destination is out in the wasteland and once you take them there, you need to wait until they finish their business, then escort them to their final goal.
Abduct and Rescue
These types are the opposites sides of the same coin in some respects. Both would have you find a location in the wasteland, win a battle there, be joined by a passenger whom you need to take to their destination. The biggest difference is that the passengers do not join you voluntarily in Abduct Tasks, of course.
Both types carry the risk of being attacked on the way to the final destination as the foe tries to recapture the passenger.
Capture
In this type of Mercenary Task, you do not escort or take certain passengers but rather have to gain them from defeated enemies, that is, capture prisoners and turn them in at the given location. Most of the time, this can be accomplished in more than one Crew Combat encounters, but it depends on how many of the enemy flee or are killed during the battle.
Somewhat connected to this is the mechanic that allows you to decide the fate of the remaining captured enemies after a Crew Combat encounter. This means that during Capture Tasks, you could take the right kind of enemies prisoner, hastening your Task completion. The details of this will be discussed in a future post.
Be sure to try Mercenary Tasks with the right kind of comitatus now that they are added to the game and tell us what you think!
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One of the latest content updates (Patch 0.5.30 Codename: Brimstone and Bones) brought with it a spacious region to explore, the most prominent part of which are the Smolderbone Flats. Players who took the 'Pilgrims of the Wasteland' standalone story for a spin surely recognize this place, as it was an important location in that story. And yet you will find that much has changed since your last visit, with 10 years passing, allegiances shifting, and new threats rising.
Companionship
One of the most important additions is a new companion you can hire to serve in your comitatus. It is none other than Skornar, the kingpin and former marauder who ran a gang of smugglers in 'Pilgrims of the Wasteland'. What trouble did he get himself into? You will have to find out for yourself.
Skornar is a stout man who can take quite a beating despite his age, but he can also dish out one. His shield and armor allow for a defensive play-style enhanced by his ability to retaliate against attackers. He's also a veteran traveler, marauder captain, and lover of tall tales. He'll most likely fit right in.
Avernum
Avernum itself is home to the private army called the Avernus Legion and its master, the Prefectus. Although Imperial in name and culture for the most part, the city has always been fairly independent. And with the sources of attainable ore in this metal-starved world, as well as the blacksmiths to work it into weapons and tools, Avernum has become a power in its own right, overshadowing all but the greatest of Imperial cities.
Should you not be drawn to the metallurgists and forges, worry not. Avernum has other services and attractions for enterprising travelers, such as the Carpenters' Guild's headquarters, the Imperial arena, or the odd but certainly very powerful mage who set up shop here decades ago.
The Sadirar
A peculiar tribal people, the Sadirar are made up of several tribes, each worshiping the Great Spirits that embody the elements. They are masters of the western deserts and on the whole are a relatively peaceful folk. In this build, you can visit the village of the flame-worshiping Utvorar and the oasis of the water-worshiping Vitrar. Their shamans deal in special goods and services that might interest any industrious vagrus.
Paths To and Fro
There were quite a number of story-lines that led to this very region and most of these can now be concluded or at least continued. Have you undertaken a job for House Venari or are you looking for the Invisible Arena? Or perhaps you are interested in stories that begin here? Bounties, investigations, errands, and quests will present themselves to those that look.
It is a good time to return to the Riven Realms if any of these grabbed your attention. With Brimstone and Bones, the main campaign's size grew considerably and we are now very close to adding the final zones to round out the map. But that is not the end of the story content - we'll be working on companion quests and longer, more complex questlines, too.
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it's been a long time coming but finally Mercenary Tasks are live in today's build. These not only add a ton of variation and replayability but also go a long way in softening up story content and allow the running of a combat oriented comitatus for players. Fair warning, though: just like none of the other income sources work by themselves, Mercenary Tasks do not either. Combine them with Trade Tasks, passengers, and stories, with an emphasis on whichever you prefer over the others.
Mercenary Tasks are received from factions. Each faction is unique when it comes to the ratio of Trade and Mercenary Tasks you can get from them as well as the type of mercenary contracts they hand out. Enemies in these missions can be almost any kind, from beasts to outlaws and Undead - even the mercenaries of other factions.
It's perhaps good to clarify here that major changes to Point of Interests on the campaign map (like razing a settlement) are always the result of an active choice by players in story-lines and not Mercenary Tasks. Mercenary tasks are similar to Trade Tasks: both are repeatable, procedurally generated options that influence Faction relations and serve as a way to earn money. Accordingly, they always involve locations out in the wasteland on unnamed nodes.
Perhaps the easiest way to learn more is to watch a video about this feature:
You can read more about Mercenary Tasks in our design posts: Part I. (already here on Steam) and Part II. (on our website).
Dissonance Mode
Another big change that comes with this build is Dissonance Mode, which you can select when starting a new game from now on. While based on our statistics (thanks to everyone for ticking the box!), the vast majority of players gets the hang of the game after a few botched trials, there are others who are looking for a more relaxed experience. Dissonance Mode is still not 'easy', so we try to avoid calling it an Easy Mode, nor is it a Story Mode since it is the cruel story itself that is left unsupported by the more lenient gameplay, but still, it's something along those lines, easing up on the management and combat mechanics so that you are less likely to be wiped out during a playthrough. Note that Achievements will be disabled in Dissonance Mode.
Combat Improvements
Just like for Mercenary Tasks and the Dissonance Mode, we will have a detailed design post about all the combat changes that are rolled out in this release but in short: skills involving movement or push-pull mechanics now switch around enemies making the tactical aspect of the companion combat more challenging and - hopefully - more exciting. You can find additional information on the exact improvements below.
Important Note: Considering the extent of these improvements there is little to no chance that we broke nothing in the process. Assume that we did not want to make anyone's life harder. If you see something amiss, please flag it to us using the usual channels, like the inbuild reporting tool (F1 button), forums, and our Discord server.
Wasteland and Dissonance Modes are now selectible upon New Game
'One More Day' option to continue your playthrough after the 10 year mark added (alas with Achievements disabled)
Companion and Crew Combat
Push/Pull now switches the characters behind each other. Both roll Resist & immunities apply (Stunned, Immobilized, and Downed combatants can also switch place this way)
Move +Action Skills no longer need an empty space but auto-switch with the other party member occupying the target position
Downed Companions can now be dragged away to switch places with an active Companion using a full Move action
Combat Skills with multiple phases are presented in the same camera zoom
Garrik's 'Salvaged Rune' Skill now works as intended: it randombly draws a rune from several possible ones - each affects the enemy in different ways
'Acrobatic' Perk now available (you can select where to Evade!)
Decide the fate of the foe if they surrender in Crew Combat or if you capture them as they flee or retreat - they can be let go, enslaved, and more!
User Interface Improvements :pencil:
Passengers and Trade Tasks now have chart markers by default
We have also added a selector that allows you to filter which markers you want to see
Inside a settlement, you can see the destinations of all available tasks and passengers with the :eye: filter turned on
Factions - Active tab filter buttons added
Equipment filter buttons on the Market added
Event choice hover SFX added
Bug Fixes :bug:
Boosting Chain Lightning now works as intended
Some end of the day exploits prevented
Various smaller fixes and Event script tweaks
Known Issues:
Load times are getting higher and higher. We plan to address the issue closer to the final release.
'Is Vagrus properly balanced now?' - Nope. 'Was it a step in the right direction?' - We think so. Please let us know how you find it.
Coming Up Next
So we said that the Smolderbone region was the last one... but yeah, let's go for one more! Then that's it, promise. :)
Stay tuned, stay alive, conquer the wasteland! - The Lost Pilgrims Team
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The Riven Realms, the setting of Vagrus, is a harsh, violent place. Up until now, many players have felt that their ventures are the primary targets of this cruelty but with Mercenary Tasks, you will have the opportunity to return the favor. This facet of gameplay has been in the works since we began developing Vagrus, and it not only adds a ton of variation and replayability but also goes a long way in softening up story content. Along with the branching story and trading, we consider mercenary work as one of the three pillars that hold up the game. Of course, we leave it to players which facet they want to concentrate on at times in each playthrough. Mercenary Tasks even allow for a completely combat-oriented gameplay, concentrating on forging a warband from your comitatus.
Mercenary Tasks are received from factions. Their orientation influences the ratio of Trade versus Mercenary Tasks with a given faction and also the type of mercenary contracts they hand out. Enemies in these missions can be almost any kind, from beasts to outlaws and Undead - even the mercenaries of other factions.
Eliminate
The simplest, most common type. You have to reach a location indicated on your chart, find the right node, then defeat the enemies, sometimes once, other times in a series of Crew Combat encounters. Victory and crushing the enemy is all that matters.
Defend
You have to reach a location and defend it against the enemy. An option to reinforce the location with fighters from your own crew is always present in this type. The cunning vagrus plans ahead and brings extra forces to be able to reinforce, of course, for weakening yourself before a battle might prove disastrous even though the number of warriors given thusly lowers the fight's difficulty somewhat.
After the decision of reinforcing or not, there is some waiting, since the enemy you have to defend against takes some time to arrive. This also makes planning ahead with supplies important. Just like with Eliminate, there can be a single enemy wave or several.
Conquer
This type is a sort of a combination of Eliminate and Defend: first you reach the location, then defeat the enemies already present there, then organize the defense (you can reinforce it similarly to Defend), wait for the enemy to arrive and beat it back. Should you fail the first time, you can attempt to complete the Task again until the deadline is reached.
Alternatively, you can move on after defeating the enemies the first time and hope that the place defends itself. In this case, you must reinforce it with fighters, however.
More To Come
As you can see, Mercenary Tasks mix things up in the best way possible and add a huge amount of variation. In Part II. we are going to discuss the rest of the types: Escort, Abduct, Rescue, and Capture. And who knows, in the long run, we might be able to add even more Mercenary Task types.
Mercenary Tasks are coming to Vagrus soon so stay tuned and let us know what you think once you give this new feature a spin.
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There has been a number of Quality of Life changes to the game in the last couple of months and we wanted to collect them in one post.
Comitatus UI
The comitatus UI on the top left over the campaign map is one of the most frequently used interfaces in the game and we wanted to add several stats to make it more informative. To save space, we changed text to icons and now it also displays Nutrition and Obedience, as well as Combat Strength and Defense for Crew Combat.
Traverse
Another addition to the comitatus UI is the button to use the Traverse Leadership Perk - the last one missing from that category. Activating it converts 3 March Movement Points to regular Movement Points, which can be done every 3 days for 4 Resourcefulness.
Deployment Autofill
When deploying your companions in Companion Combat, now you have the option to autofill the positions using the new button. The order in which they are deployed depends on their health (Wounded entities come later).
Formations
Similar to Autofill, this improvement helps with Companion Combat deployment. You can save and load three different formations. Especially since you can enter Companion Combat from Crew Combat, players have come up with their preferred setups so using Formations, they can access them very easily.
Chart Node Cards
These cards unify settlement and POI cards with quest and Task markers. Button mechanics are the same now and there is a significant visual tune-up, too. For settlements, Codex, Price History, and Mark buttons are available, while quest and Task markers have buttons opening the relevant Journal entry as well as Mark options.
Chart Markers
These were improved to show how many nodes fall into the area designated by the marker. They are color-coded to be easier to differentiate even at a cursory glance. Better yet, preview versions of these same markers are available for Tasks and Passengers (if the destination is unknown for your character), so you can better calculate travel times and risks.
We hope you'll enjoy these changes - we have put a lot of work into them.
Also great news
Vagrus has made it into the finalists in the Digital Dragons Indie Celebration competition!
Besides the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places awarded based on the votes of the jury, there is also a Community Vote you can participate in here. The list is in alphabetical order, so Vagrus is the last one. ;)
By the way, the voting for Untold Games Awards' community award is still on, so if you haven't, head over there, too, and have your voice heard.
Words can not express how much we appreciate your continued support. Stay tuned, stay safe, and conquer the wasteland!
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In this short article we've collected the recent changes to the Event UI in a more detailed format. This is something that's been a long time coming and we believe that it improves the playing- and reading-experience considerably.
Choice Boxes
There is a frame around each choice now, and the whole box thus created is clickable while also providing visual feedback when hovered over, too. These choice boxes help differentiate the various choices better and contain everything you need to make the choice.
Dependencies
What you have and what you need to make choices are called dependencies (a fancier name for 'requirements' really) and from now on, these are much better differentiated. Each category has its own icon and detailed tooltips. Optional dependencies are now signified as such, and many hidden, story-related dependencies at least show up to inform players that they are lacking something for that choice.
Tooltips
A great number of improvements were added to tooltips in Events, which mostly deals with the clean-up of dependency tooltips.
Buying and Selling
Specialized shops or ad hoc deals are often encountered in Events. From now on, the choices that lead to buying or selling are better marked, with more information on the price (and its relation to prices elsewhere). You can also see the right icon for items, equipment, goods, and gear in these choice boxes.
Enhance
Last but not least, we have implemented the 'Enhance' Leadership Perk, which can be used to raise your choices in Tests presented in some Event choices. This has been planned for a long time and we hope that it will lessen the impact of the somewhat more arbitrary Tests and give you a measure of agency.
The team has done a lot of awesome work on the Event UI and we hope you'll like these improvements when you get your hands on them in the next build! Until then, take care, and conquer the wasteland!
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We are immensely honored, happy, and proud to share that Vagrus has been nominated for two awards in the upcoming Unfold Games Awards show. It feels like quite an achievement for a game still in Early Access, especially since over 400 high-quality games entered the contest. The nominees were selected by a panel of 20 judges comprised of top industry professionals. The two categories are:
We cannot express how much these mean to the whole team, how their love for the game and dedication to turn it into something truly special got recognized in the form of these nominations.
The Audience Award is, of course, one that will be awarded on the votes by players so we would very much appreciate your show of support for Vagrus under the link here:
We are also grateful to You, our players, for having made it possible for Vagrus to get here. Your continued support, constructive criticism, and dedication to the game keep pushing us to deliver more and better.
Stay tuned, stay safe, and conquer the wasteland! -The Lost Pilgrims Team
Wanna see the full game released as early as possible with even more content? Please share our pages and posts with your friends through your favorite social media channel(s). Appreciate it!