Hey Kontras! Welcome to Kingdom-Crier #13!

We've been focusing on quality of life improvements over the last two weeks. We were able to complete and release passes on three major systems during this period - outlined below.

This update better surfaced the relationship between Beds, Rooms, and Buildings and softened some of the requirements to better reward your creativity.

This update was centered on resolving a number of annoying Mortal behaviors related to Jumping down, Climbing, and using Ranged Weapons.

Check out the improved ability to defend your Kingdom from the walls!

This update focused on better surfacing Compatibility between Mortals and your Ruler and Streamlining Conversations.

It's much easier to drill in and tell a Mortal things that will improve their relationship with another Mortal.

Reminder - we're running Screenshot Contest #2. We've received some good entries, but there's plenty of time to take the crown!

Take a sweet new screenshot of the game and post it to #kingdom-shots on our Official Discord to enter. First Place will receive $75 USD, Second: $35 USD, and Third: $15 USD. The contest runs through 7/24 at 11:59 PST.

Full terms can be found on our User Echo.

In addition, we're running Mod Contest #2. There have been a few excellent entries, but there's still plenty of time to compete!

Release a Mod on the Steam Workshop and share it in #mod-announcements on our Official Discord to enter. First Place will receive $300 USD, Second: $150 USD, and Third: $75 USD. The contest runs through 7/24 at 11:59 PST.

Existing mods will be considered if they have received significant updates after the previous contest.

Full terms can be found on our User Echo.

cypr` built an impressive Village!

Scott (senses) captured a great action shot during an Epic Battle!

Somebody built a great Chateau for their ruler!

Karma Drak has dropped the amazing KArtistry mod!


Join the Official Discord to participate in Development and Contests!


If you like the game and the updates, please consider leaving a Review for the game if you haven't already. These help players that may be on the fence to decide whether or not to support us.


Thanks for reading and thanks for playing!
The Noble Fates Team

A view of the interior of a Killhouse with new art and a new room.
Killhouse, our oldest tileset, has gotten a complete rework. You will see new art, new rooms, new props, and old staples brought up to bear with new arrangements, changes and looks. In addition to new rooms and designs, old rooms have been brought up to new standards and remixed for more tactical depth.

• New art, textures, props, room designs and visibility improvements scattered throughout various areas of the level.
  
• New Areas: Airlock, Records, Receiving, Crates, Stairs, Barracks, Loading, Depot...
  
• Updated Areas: Backstage, Club, Kitchen, Hall, Shed, Bar, Lockers, Breezeway, Patio, and more.
  
• New Sub-Room Areas: Meeting Room, Changing, "showers", "bathrooms", Maintenance
  
• Killhouse expands upon the system of room types to bring together complex set piece rooms with simpler connecting rooms along with sub-rooms to expand rooms like Lockers to make them more interesting. Some rooms will spawn more often than others depending on level designer's choice.
  
• Lots of time spent into making the levels more dynamic and placing doors, entrances, and interesting gameplay spaces with much less work, leaving more to the randomness of the level generator.
  
• Torchable metal bars and interior red doors leave plenty of opportunities for alternate routes and plan diversity.
  
• Temporary change to make servers favor killhouses as one of the three tilesets picked in unranked and ranked.
  
• We welcome your feedback on these new layouts, interactions and art!

Preview: A mix of revamped and new rooms

• The Torch destroys a torchable object in the same way as a charge might, except the trade off is that you must spend some time vulnerable while performing the act.
  
• The Torch can be used on most objects that can have a door or wall charge deployed on them except interior walls.
  
• Non-comprehensive list of torchable items: Window Bars, Storefront Shutters, Fences, Exterior Doors, Interior Doors, Factory Fan, Factory Docks, Bank Vault, Bank Security Rotators, Depot Doors, Beach Landing Door
  
• Noteable non-torchable Items (subject to change): Entrance of Bank, Airlock, Bank Vents, Exterior/Interior Walls, props and other misc. destructible objects
  
• A new Torchable only item have been added: window bars.
  
• Barbed wires can now be torched to be removed.
  
• Standard doors have a limitation that you must be "squared up" to torch the door similarly to kicking.
  
• Attackers now get one Torch utility item in the attacker truck in all game modes.

Defenders are getting a new equipment item, a fire extinguisher.
When shot or destroyed by breaching tools, extinguishers will form a small smoke cloud that not only blocks line of sight, but also puts out fire. The duration of this smoke cloud is much shorter than the enforcer smoke grenade.

• Four second smoke duration upon being destroyed.
  
• Can be damaged by gunfire and explosives.
  
• Blocks molotovs flames from forming in it's area of effect
  
• Three available in the defender room for planning.
  
• Can be thrown a short distance to be deployed.
  
• Has 20hp, making it resistant to frag grenades and some wall bangs unless primed.

• Door Charges can now make entrances when used on most fences without the need for a wall charge.
  
• Attackers have three less flashbangs in total (15 -> 12)
  
• Defenders get one less of each: Ingmar, Legros, KR82M
  
• Shotguns now only shoot doors slightly open instead of rotating them 90 degrees after shooting the handle.

• Fix for server side bug causing players to load the wrong map when joining a server.
  
• Change to UAV audio that should make them not sometimes be "silently" lasing a player.
  
• Fixed target dummy bots in training respawning to wrong position after Push gamemode addition
  
• Changed flare spawn rate in Push to limit abusive capability. Flares in push will last only 60s and have a longer respawn time (20 -> 40).
  
• Small adjustment to items on Push wall to help them spawn faster.
  
• Changed defender invulnerability zone in relation to the weapon wall position
  
• Fix issue on backend that could sometimes result in joining a match in progress not working

• Some visual artifacts with the torching overlay on torchable objects.
  
• Certain objects on CStore may have some artifacts. Please report if you see anything gamebreaking!
  
• Possibility of some objects on old maps not properly updating to full torchable state. Please let us know if you find some so we can investigate these inconsistencies.

Additions

• Leaderboards will now sync in both directions. If you achieved a world record time while Leaderboards database is offline, you now have the possibility to retry the upload using "Sync data" in Leaderboards menu.
  
• V-Sync option added.

Bug fixes

• Solar Resort fence had some holes in the collider, fixed them.

Patch 1.1.0 is now available on our test branch! As with many of our previous patches, I've decided to release this patch on a separate branch that you must opt-into before you can download it.

Please expect some bugs and crashes associated with this patch today. I will update the game pretty aggressively over the next few days to fix any issues that come up. With that said, if you feel like some hiccups might frustrate you, I suggest you wait until this patch is released to the main branch before playing it.

In order to download the patch, please do the following:

1) Make a backup of your save folder. You'll find it in C:\Users\YOUR_USERNAME\AppData\Local\SiralimUltimate. Copy the entire "save" folder to somewhere else on your computer. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!

2) In your Steam Library, right-click Siralim Ultimate, go to Properties, then the "BETAS" tab. Enter the code "specializations123". Click the "check code" button and then you should be able to select "test" from the list of betas in the dropdown menu.

3) The patch should download automatically now. If not, restart Steam.

Expect this patch to remain on the test branch for a few weeks. Once it's stable, I will need to prepare it for all other platforms and launch it simultaneously on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android to prevent issues with cloud saves, so that will cause the full release of this patch to take longer than usual.

Please note that this test is only for Windows; I'll release a Mac and Linux version when we're ready to send the patch to the main branch, or perhaps a few days beforehand.

Let me know on our support board if you run into any issues!

NOTE: Cross-platform cloud saving will not work while this patch is on the test branch.
___________________________________________


PATCH NOTES
- 8 specializations have been added to the game: Toxicologist, Engineer, Shadowbringer, Demonologist, Mime, Graveborn, Gladiator, and Brewmaster. You can unlock them via new projects.
- 2 Challenge Specializations have been added to the game: Pariah and Deprived. Instead of providing you with bonuses, these specializations make you significantly weaker. However, if you're able to Ascend them, you'll earn a special reward. These specializations' projects are only available after you unlock the Gate of the Gods.
- Additional content related to the new specializations has been added: 120 achievements, 30 costumes, 10 skins, new anointments, and more.
- 10 spells have been added to the game. These were added to extend support for under-utilized debuffs such as Poison and Cursed.
- 11 minions have been added to the game. Many of these work much differently than normal minions (and most are exclusive to the new Demonologist specialization), so check out the Codex for more information.
- Each week, a new buff will activate that either increases your Card Drop Rate, Skin Drop Rate, Nether Stone Drop Rate, or Bonus Loot. You can see which buff is active by interacting with the new Calendar decoration in your castle (found in the Utilities/NPC category).
- You can now choose to consume 1, 2, or 3 tickets at the Gambling Dwarves. This multiplies your rewards by the number of tickets spent, and also counts as playing that many times for the sake of Prophecies and Achievements.
- The following new macro conditions have been added to the Macro Editor: Resurrection Count, Death Count, Is Not At Top of Timeline, Is Not At Bottom of Timeline, Has Trait, and Doesn't Have Trait. Note for those last two: prior to this patch, many traits were not recorded in your Codex (False Gods, God Battles, etc), so you'll need to encounter these traits in battles before you'll see them appear on the list.
- You can sort Nether Stones by Locked and Unlocked in all interfaces.
- You can now rename your Nether Stones at the Blacksmith using the new "Etch" function.
- Most Arsenal and Booze spells have been changed/buffed to be more useful.
- Most Exotic creatures' traits and backer traits are now more powerful.
- The Lister and Jotun fights no longer use battle fatigue as their metric for victory, and are instead based on the number of turns creatures have taken in battle (24 total turns for Lister, 36 total turns for Jotun). The intent of this change is to shorten these fights under normal circumstances, make them a bit more predictable, and prevent players from feeling like they need to fish for certain realm properties to defeat Jotun in a reasonable amount of time.
- None of the False Gods are immune to Blighted anymore, and False God self-healing from their innate traits no longer counts as healing effects.
- Cabalist's "Flow of Magic" perk has been revamped because it was simply an inferior version of this specialization's "Prism" perk.
- Enemies can no longer spawn with the "Saving Grace" spell. Note that they can still acquire this spell in battle through other effects.
- Numbers greater than or equal to 1 quadrillion are now expressed using scientific notation. This means that all numbers can now be displayed so the game won't default to "?!?!" if you reach too high of a number.
- Massive optimizations to make the game run smoother, especially in battles that drag on for a long time.
- Several fixes and improvements for Steam Deck.
- Tons of bug fixes.

EXPLANATIONS
The game was developed in the FPS Creator which, as it is an old engine and not intended for games that would be published on Steam, ends up not having any support for Achievements, to include achievements in the game I had the help of the user "Franco514" who provided me with a Launcher that enables the achievements of the game, making it more complete.

The problem is that this Launcher, running as administrator or not, disables Steam Overlay, which ends up being a problem for many people who would like to get screenshots of the game to publish on their profiles. Unfortunately I didn't find any way to enable achievements and Steam Overlay at the same time in the game, so I created multiple ways to launch the game.

"SCHÜTZE UNSER LAND 3D" OPTION
This launch option disables game achievements but enables Steam Overlay, making it possible to take screenshots and other Steam Overlay functions during the session.

"SCHÜTZE UNSER LAND 3D (ACHIEVEMENT MODE)"
This option disables Steam Overlay but enables achievements for those who want to complete 100% of the game!

"Join EA Play to make your games more rewarding with access to great player benefits and a library of top titles. Members get more from your game including monthly member-only rewards like Transitions and Weapon Charms in Apex Legends. And when it’s time to find your next favorite game, we’ve got you covered with an ever-expanding library of our fan-favorite series and premium games. You can even try out select new release games for up to 10 hours of playtime with no commitment. If you decide to buy, your saved progress will carry over, so you can continue where you left off. Our members also save on purchases of EA digital content, with a 10% member discount. Letting you save on full games, points packs, and DLC. Find out more about upcoming EA Play benefits at https://store.steampowered.com/subscriptions/ea or
follow us on Twitter @eaplay!"

Bond has been a part of Rocket League for the past year, but we’re also celebrating the 60th anniversary of Britain’s favorite spy. Players can get 007’s Aston Martin DBS for the first time, plus the iconic James Bond Theme as a Player Anthem! Looking to go full-on super spy? Pick up the returning Aston Martin DB5 Bundle or Aston Martin Valhalla Bundle.

All Bond bundles will be available July 13 - 19.




Our top egg operatives have found classified info on 007’s Aston Martin DBS, let’s take a look.

• 007’s Aston Martin DBS Car (Dominus Hitbox)
  
• 007’s Aston Martin DBS Engine Audio
  
• 007’s Aston Martin DBS Wheels
  
• Reel Life Decal
  
• Aston Martin DBS Player Banner

[/b]
[/list]

*Note: Some items included in the bundle can only be equipped by 007’s Aston Martin DBS. 007’s Aston Martin DBS cannot be customized with other branded content.

Although the car does include a license to demo, please do your best to bring it back in pristine order! Players can also pick up the famous James Bond Theme Player Anthem for 300 Credits.


To celebrate 60 years of Bond we’ll be re-releasing some of our favorite spy bundles! Players can pick up the Aston Martin DB5 Bundle or Aston Martin Valhalla Bundle for 1100 Credits each.

Your mission begins July 13 at 9 a.m. PDT (4 p.m. UTC)

The latest update to Lumote adds DLAA technology to the game, allowing Lumote to appear smoother and squishier than ever! Here's a quick run down of what DLAA is and what it means for lumote!

Q: What is DLAA?
A: DLAA stands for Deep Learning Anti-Aliasing, it's an anti-aliasing feature that uses the same kind of pipeline as Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS), with a twist! Instead of upscaling the image it uses A.I assisted tech to work for better anti-aliasing at native resolution!

Q: Okay neat, what is Anti Aliasing?
A: Anti-aliasing solves the problem of aliasing in video games. Pixels are arranged in a grid on your display, so when a diagonal line shows up on screen, it creates a blocky, stair-stepping effect. These are known as jaggies. Anti-aliasing techniques try to fill in the gaps between pixels, leading to a smoother edge on objects.

Q: But my games already have Anti aliasing? Why do I need this?
A: A lot of games do have AA features, however some of them can be quite resource demanding especially at higher levels of implementation - much like DLSS allows higher resolution through A.I implementation at a fraction of the cost resource wise, DLAA does the same with aliasing!

Q: Okay sounds good, can I use DLAA right now?
A: Yup! But with a caveat, like DLSS, DLAA requires the Tensor cores to do the magic A.I needed to use this tech, a feature that is currently only seen on Nvidia RTX cards. As such - to use DLAA for smooth squishy AA - you will need an RTX 2000 or RTX 3000 series graphics card.

Q: Is this the start of the machine uprising?
A: Hopefully not, but at least if it is the A.I will render us smoother than ever - so there's that.

Learn more about the tech behind DLSS and DLAA here : Nvidia Blog

Wired Facebook | Wired Twitter | Wired Youtube | Wired Discord | Wired Instagram | Wired Twitch | Wired Reddit | Wired Imgur

Synth Riders celebrates four years since players first rode the rails and danced through its neon-drenched, retro-futuristic world back in 2018. To mark the occasion, fans of the game will receive a special gift: two brand-new free songs which join the game’s extensive library of included free content, now sitting at 57 free songs!

From today, players can sing along in Multiplayer to the sparkling electro-pop of Finesu’s “On My Way”, or ride the ambient breaks between the dubstep drops of Skybreak’s “Stardust”. These tracks also add depth to the game’s pool of content-creator friendly music.



Synth Riders has continued to steadily grow since first launching into Early Access on Steam in July 2018. Regular free content updates in recent years include the addition of Spin Mode, 10-player Multiplayer (including the kart-racer inspired fun of Power-Ups) and the recent addition of a mind-bending Spiral Mode.

In addition to free songs, the base game now has 12 environments, alongside 7 paid DLC packs featuring artists such as Muse, The Offspring, Bad Religion, Caravan Palace, Parov Stelar and Lindsey Stirling.

A highlight of these DLC packs are the highly-regarded Synth Riders “Experiences”, which are considered the “future of music videos”, blending together synchronised visuals, music and gameplay to create a uniquely immersive way to experience a featured song, such as Lindsey Stirling’s “Underground”.

"Four years on, I am still amazed and delighted by the growth of our community and their creativity - how they connect and share the game and the experience of playing it with others. We are still going strong, I am excited about what the future of Synth Riders will bring!”
Abraham Aguero Benzecri - Creative Director

The new songs are available in-game inside of the Ninety9Lives pack from July 12 as a free update for all Synth Riders players on Oculus Quest, PlayStation VR, Steam, and Viveport.

Enter our celebration giveaway for your chance to win Official Synth Riders Merch or VR Accessories by Kiwi Designs. Full details can be found here:
https://gleam.io/competitions/G3Cel-synth-riders-4-year-anniversary

Release Notes for the Anniversary Update:

Please make sure you and your friends are all updated to this version of the game before going into Multiplayer, this version of the game is not compatible with previous versions of the game.*

• Celebrate our birthday with two new, free songs! You'll find "On My Way" by Finesu (feat. Ryan Konline) and "Stardust" by Skybreak ready to play now in the Ninety9Lives song pack.
  
• Customize your play platform with our special birthday decals to get you in the party mood! See Settings > Color > Decals to check them out in the Seasonal section!

As always we welcome your feedback and bug reports on our Official Discord server (Invite: http://discord.synthridersvr.com) or in the Synth Riders Official Community on Facebook.

If you want to support the development of Synth Riders, we really appreciate reviews left in the store!

We will be playing in the 3:15pm Royale mode Tournament and are trying to get as many players and bands as we can to try and defeat us!! Ready up After 3:10pm EST and Good luck!

If you need more bandmates to do battle with or want more updates and reminders of this and other events come over to our Discord and maybe find bandmates or rivals.

Good luck and See you on stage!