We now join our troopers live from the surface of what our brave colonists call “Gehenna”. It is here, on this unforgiving hellscape of molten lava and volcanic activity that the brave men and women of the Mobile Infantry beat back the Arachnid threat.

But why fight for this uninhabitable rock? Orbiting above lies the critically vital Vilon Station. A true feat of human ingenuity, the station provides the Federation with access to the vast fuel extraction and refining industry on the planet's surface. Thus, the station is a nexus of trade between Kwalasha, other Federation colonies and Earth.

Breaking News - The battle for surface is heating up, but worry not, as our reporter is embedded with the new and formidable “Engineering Biped”. As you can see, this machine was originally designed for heavy industrial labor, welding, drilling and the like. However, a combat redesign by security forces have turned this machine into an effective defense against the Arachnid aggressor.

It’s not just close quarters combat which is the Bipeds forte, as it possesses the elite ability to drop a trail of fire. Activating this ability gives the bipedal vehicle a speed boost, allowing it to quickly lay down a barrier of flames that can stop a Bug attack from reaching vulnerable positions.



What is that? It appears to be one of the recently discovered Immolator Bugs! Scientists have yet to fully understand this endemic-to-Gehenna Arachnid, but comprehension of the enemy is not a requirement for its destruction! The heavy armor of the Engineering Biped is more than a match for this flame-spewing monster. But be careful troopers, this Bug has been known to make suicidal charges in its last desperate moments.

Scientists recommend that you keep your distance!



Federal Engineering is truly something to behold, but don’t get complacent troopers. Disturbing reports of a new kind of flying bug have just recently arrived, and it’s a dangerous one. Nicknamed the “Bomberbee”, this ugly abomination carries a payload of deadly acid - released when it suicide bombs its victims.

Our mechanized units are particularly vulnerable, so be sure to shoot down these threats quickly troopers!



That’s all from our live reporting for now, but if you would like to know more, why not volunteer to serve in the Mobile Infantry? Nobody knows when the next wave will be drafted, but some say it will most likely be in the fall. You’ll have your chance to experience this action and excitement for yourself.

Keep a keen eye out, and you too could be a Citizen.

Offsprings of the first men, once again, welcome back to another #FeatureFriday! ːthetreeoflifeː

As always, we're buzzing with excitement, eager to unveil the fruits of another week's labor. Your constant feedback and encouragement have been instrumental in guiding the evolution of TFM: The First Men and we're truly grateful. Our dedication to refining and expanding the game's landscape remains unwavering. ːFistpumpː



This week's enhancements are a true testament to our commitment. We've taken significant strides in implementing the anticipated Tags system, ensuring a more intuitive and enriched gameplay experience. From the introduction of 13 new claimable faction constructions to comprehensive adjustments to gameplay dynamics, the game is now more dynamic and engaging than ever. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. There's a plethora of tweaks, new content, and improvements waiting for you. ːreexcitedː



Without further ado, let's dive right in and explore what we've been up to! ːmapː

Total number of additions implemented this week: 23 ːhappyhfː
Changes made in response to community input and assistance are 30% and marked with ːhappyheartː

ːhappyhfː [Feature] New Tags system further implemented, refining current content with appropriate tags.
ːhappyhfː [Content] Added 13 brand-new claimable faction constructions.
ːhappyhfː [Content] Teleportation scroll now boasts a comprehensive effect description.
ːhappyhfː [Content] Introduced the Weaver's Ring - activates a Power-enhancing buff post-spell-casting.
ːhappyhfː [Content] Nature Totem skill updated to restore Stamina.
ːhappyhfː [Content] Jamuqa's Retreat updated, necessitating the defeat of a Kor Gatai character for claiming.
ːhappyhfː [Content] Memoria's "Carnip's Camp" faction now offers the "Carnip's Business Partner" profession, rewarding assigned characters with extensive trade goods options upon progression.
ːhappyhfː [Balance] Fire Totem weapon persists after the character's demise.
ːhappyhfː [Balance] Adjustments made to the Soul Shatterer weapon effects – no longer inflict injury traits.
ːhappyhfː [Balance] Comprehensive tag additions to various game elements: Family tags assigned to all races, "Rogue" tags to Rogue abilities, and Injury tags to specific debuffs.
ːhappyhfː [Balance] Debuff removal items restructured in line with the new tags system.
ːhappyheartː [Balance] Memoria's Carnip reward now generously includes 10 Pumpkin Fields.
ːhappyheartː [Balance] Arachnae Husbandry perk reward substituted with the immediate availability of Spider Husbandry in the BUILD menu for Memoria's Driftvale Spiders.
ːhappyhfː [UI/UX] Tag list received a complete overhaul.
ːhappyhfː [UI/UX] Notification added for new BUILD rewards.
ːhappyheartː [UI/UX] BUILD button now shows an upward text when map object rewards are added.
ːhappyheartː [Fix] Addressed the unassailable snake issue in Memoria due to terrain height.
ːhappyheartː [Fix] All Spider Cave tiles are made impassable.
ːhappyheartː [Fix] Settler trait now applies correctly to female elves equipped with Fae Feathers.
ːhappyheartː [Fix] Resolved faction perk description discrepancies for Scorpids' Aid and Breath of Winter.
ːhappyhfː [Fix] Memoria's Iron Gate Key drop is now linked to Jamuqa's Retreat.
ːhappyhfː [Fix] Adjusted Quilted Coif's equip trait and Bandit's Mask now grants the Energized effect under certain conditions.
ːhappyhfː [Internal] Series of back-end fixes and enhancements, improving database fields, localization entries, and more. This includes better tool-tip descriptions, claim reward adjustments, and proper database field functionality.

https://steamcommunity.com/games/700820/announcements/detail/3664275387883515658

Every update is a step closer to our vision of the perfect gaming experience. While we're incredibly proud of this week's achievements, rest assured, we've got even more in store. So, mark your calendars and prepare for more exhilarating updates next Friday. ːreimpressedː

Till then, happy gaming, and may your adventures in the worlds of TFM: The First Men be ever thrilling! ːgearthumbsupː

It's been a while since the last update! New in this one:

• Improved camera/rendering system - this should prevent vegetation suddenly disappearing when outside of the vehicle and using the pause screen. Ghosting/aliasing artefacts are reduced as well (they still show up in certain situations, but visually they are massively reduced)
  
• Probe battery - the probe now has a battery that will slowly discharge once deployed. When the battery runs out the probe stops sampling. To recharge put the probe back in the truck. Both the battery capacity and recharge time can be upgraded.
  
• Main menu bugfix - after returning to the main menu there was a bug preventing loading back into the game (stuck with a random view of the terrain), this should now be fixed
  
• New settings: MSAA level (this was previously automatically set to 8x, it now defaults to 2x and should result in an FPS increase), screen/window resolution, texture resolution (defaults to full resolution but can be set to 1/2, 1/4 or even 1/8 resolution to improve performance)

It's been a whole month since Desynced launched in Early Access, and we could not be more grateful for the energy and creativity this community has showered upon the game.

Every day, we dive into reviews, keep up with Discord chats, and check social media to follow the vibrant activity and valuable feedback you all have to share. Your enthusiasm not only impresses but also motivates us to forge ahead!

Our Steam Workshop has blossomed in just one month with over 100 player-created mod. This is a huge milestone in such a short period, and we are nothing short of thankful for your active participation.

There’s a lot in Steam Workshop worth checking out. To celebrate, we'd like to spotlight a few standout mods that have caught our attention:



https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3028475425&searchtext=Production+Monitor

• Get a comprehensive overview of your global production metrics to pinpoint factory bottlenecks quickly.
  
• View each item's producing and consuming components with detailed current and maximum rates per minute.
  
• If you are familiar with the Dyson Sphere Program, consider this a friendly nod to the BetterStats mod.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3025230746

• Quickly find anything unlocked by your faction through a convenient search bar, similar to the Codex page.
  
• Customize the omnibar's size and location from the mod menu and change keybinds from the input menu.
  
• Enjoy two new features inspired by community suggestions: searchable instructions and draggable results for a smoother gameplay experience.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3021263114

• Revamp your gameplay with custom settings for Modules and Events through an in-game mod menu.
  
• Explore new technologies, frames, components, and items through a tailored tech tree.
  
• Enhance various game aspects, including bot speed, production time, and resource availability through different modules.
  
• Introduce a fresh challenge with bug waves that ramp up the difficulty level by generating enemy waves.

Feel free to share your thoughts and favorite mods in the comments below. Thank you once more for your ongoing support!

Greetings Swordsmen! ⚔️

We hope your Wandering Sword adventure has been filled with thrilling duels and epic tales. As you continue to hone your skills, make alliances, and journey towards becoming a legendary Wuxia master, we're thrilled to share that our first major game update has now been rolled out! Without further delay, let’s delve into the enhancements and tweaks we've introduced.

• Adjusted the game to allow players to resize the window in windowed mode in a 16:9 ratio
  
• Added a new game resolution setting of 1280 x 720
  
• Adjusted the 4K resolution to 3840 x 2160
  
• Introduced Large, Medium, and Small font size options for dialogues

Note: We've yet to add other font size options such as task descriptions, but we will get to it soon!

• Added a tutorial for switching combat modes after Jiang Yin Feng joined the party
  
• Optimized party members’ strength in Mount Wanzi mission and reduced the number of enemies
  
• Introduced a new medicinal item drop after defeating Wei Huo, ensuring players could immediately build rapport with him
  
• Simplified the conditions for Wei Huo to leave the party after completing his initial quests
  
• Optimized Jiang Yin Feng's combat movement animations
  
• Relocated the Fisherman in Wutong Village to prevent simultaneous triggering of dialogue and fishing
  
• Adjusted the difficulty of the “Skyline Battle” side quest, including improved health regeneration after battles
  
• Addition of prompts for initiating certain side quests
  
• Optimized text on the loading screen regarding keyboard and mouse battlefield controls

• Fixed an issue where pressing ESC during dialogues would unintentionally close both dialogue and options
  
• Fixed an issue during the first battle tutorial with Master Qingxu that could prevent players from progressing ahead
  
• Fixed a display issue during a cutscene animation between Mowen & Mo Qi
  
• Resolved issues related to the interactions and boundaries within certain areas of the world map
  
• Fixed the backdrop setting of certain sparring battles to match the location
  
• Fixed the display animation of enemies and teammates during certain battles
  
• Updated and improved visual effects for certain special skill techniques
  
• Fixed a description error in the "Seeking Help from All Quarters" side quest
  
• Fixed the excessive auto-saves before the “Skyline Battle” side quest

In addition, there are also some known issues that we would like to address:

We've been informed that controller support is bugged for certain users, which is making the game unplayable for them. Issues such as swapped button inputs, and non-responsive joysticks have been reported.

We're planning to enable accurate key mapping even if you don't disable certain settings in the Steam client, and also introduce various controller modes for everyone to choose from. As this requires time for us to design and test, please bear with us while we work on it - we will keep everyone updated!

In the meantime, if you are facing any controller button mapping issues, please try these workarounds to see if it solves the issue!
Just in case, please ensure to keep a save file backup before trying these workarounds.
Workaround 1: Adjusting External Gamepad Settings

- Navigate to Steam Settings>Controller>External Gamepad Settings
- Uncheck the options highlighted in the yellow box shown in the image below:


- Once done, restart the game to implement the changes.

Workaround 2: Disabling Steam Input for Specific Game

- Right-click on "Wandering Sword" in your Steam Library.
- Navigate to Properties > Controller
- Under "Override for Wandering Sword", set it to "Disable Steam Input".
- Then, go to Steam Settings > Controller > External Gamepad Settings
- Check the option: "Enable Steam Input for Xbox Controllers".
- Finally, relaunch the game.

A big thank you to Zleven for sharing this workaround with the community!

Workaround 3: Installing Xbox Extended Feature Support Driver

- Head over to Steam Settings > Controller > External Gamepad Settings > Xbox Extended Feature Support Driver.
- Install the driver.
- After the installation is complete, reboot your PC and relaunch the game.

A big thank you to CoffeeStainedShirt for sharing this workaround with the community!

Whether these workarounds were effective for you or not, your experience would help us as we aim to refine the controller modes, so please share with us how it went, and the controller you are using on this discussion thread!

We've heard your feedback regarding character orientation during battle. We are actively working to enhance this, starting with allowing characters to automatically face enemies upon moving. Given the complexity and time required to craft detailed pixel art for different orientations, we're mapping out the most feasible solution to strike a balance and ensure the best experience for everyone.

We acknowledge the feedback regarding character direction after movement. We're actively working to enhance this, starting with an automatic face-off towards enemies post-attack. For those seeking more granular control, we understand the desire. Given the complexity, including creating pixel art for all possible orientations, we're mapping out the most feasible solution. Balance is our guiding principle, and we want to ensure the best experience for everyone.

We are glad to share that an auto-battle mode is in our future plans! Concurrently, we're coordinating with our technical team regarding an option to speed up battles. Our focus is on delivering these improvements without compromising gameplay stability, and we'll keep everyone updated on this.

As your Affinity with an NPC rises, the likelihood of receiving rewards when you spar with them will increase as well. When you have reached 70 Affinity, you are guaranteed to be rewarded with an item. However, we recognize that our current tutorial may not convey this effectively, and we're in the process of optimizing this aspect for clarity and better understanding.

We genuinely appreciate the time you've taken to share your experiences and feedback with us, as is crucial in helping us refine Wandering Sword every step of the way. Please continue to share with us your feedback, suggestions or any issues either here on Steam or through our Discord channel!

If you've enjoyed our recent updates and feel we've addressed your concerns, we kindly ask that you consider updating your review, especially if you previously left us a negative one. Your positive feedback is a tremendous encouragement and motivates us to continually improve. Thank you for your support!

But wait - before we end this article, we have a special treat to share. One of our players has beautifully reimagined our battle BGM through this violin cover! It's amazing to see our game music inspire such creativity. Do give it a listen and immerse yourself in the soulful strings that capture the essence of our battles!


Thank you once again for your unwavering support. Stay tuned for more updates, and keep your swords sharp! ⚔️

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1876890/Wandering_Sword/

Wandering Sword Twitter
Wandering Sword Discord
Spiral Up Games Facebook
Spiral Up Games Youtube

We have been working on the map, which when the game loads, looks like the game is crashing. We have decided that instead of having a complete random map that has no limits, to limit the mapsize. The reasons for it is we want to add multiplayer to the game, vs and co-op mode, and thus would need a more limited map, for a more arena style play.

After taking what we want to do with Scrap Bastion into what we currently have, we have decided to share the news of what the game will be on release

- More maptypes with Unique plays to it, not just an open field
- The game will change from 2D top down, to 2.5D, giving more depth, but still give the 2D topdown
effect.
- Adding Multiplayer co-op and vs mode
- Adding random map generation, where maps will be generated for the game, with seeds
- Changing the current play to the boss spawning every x amount of time, to the boss grows, and
enemies spawn from certain points within the boss base
- Story and Biography updates(giving you more insight as to what scrap bastion is about)
- Leaderboard
- Unlock system

- Graphic changes to bring the 2D world to a 3D world. Better animations and enhancement on graphics for the player, enemies and world itself
- More game modes
- In depth Sounds effects
- Advanced features
- Better enemy AI

Keep an eye out, we will be keeping you up to date with all that is happening, and updating the game as we go :-)

Greetings, Shelf Stockers! 🛒🍎

Today I'm bringing more bug fixes and two small additions to the game that will be expanded in the future.

Before the notes, there is currently a bug when loading your saved game that does not load everything properly and your store will be empty. No furniture, no products, not even lights.

I'm already trying to find the source of the problem and hopefully this will be fixed in this latest version (0.4.33).
If this happens to you, please don't exit to the menu, save the game, or even submit a bug report in-game. Close the game with ALT+F4 and send the save file directly to me via Discord or email to support@nerogames.pt.

I'm currently releasing new versions every few hours to get to the bottom of this.
Sorry for this problem! 😞

---

• The engine version has been updated to the latest version. This should help with some random crashes that some players were experiencing.
  
• Some optimizations have been made to improve performance. This should be especially noticeable as your store grows.
  
• The navigation system is now loaded from a pre-generated file instead of being calculated at runtime. This will improve performance and also the frame drops when loading the game or even expanding the store.
  
• Added missing translations for the banking application.
  
• Reputation drop is now halved. This doesn't mean it's easier to progress, but it's easier to keep your current reputation without dropping too much if things get out of hand.
  
• Now there is a real bus stop in front of the shop! 🚏
  
• Thieves now move much slower and have a different animation than other customers.

• There is a new application in the tablet called 'Services'. This will provide some services that you can hire to improve your store.
  
• The first service is 'Security'. With this service you will have 24/7 protection against thieves. Don't hit the cop outside... 👌

Currently, I've planned two more services. One is a delivery service, where you will have to handle some delivery packages to be handed to the deliveryman.
Another is a stock management tool, where you will be able to define a minimum stock for each product and they will be bought when the stock gets below the threshold.

• Now you can train your employees.
  
• You can choose which trait you want to train and the amount of time/money you want to spend. While the employee is training, he will be out of town 🏃‍♂️

• Rain in the store? I called the plumber and he fixed it. 😎
  
• Fixed an issue where employees would get stuck against each other in the middle of the store.
  
• Money changes are now displayed in the bottom left corner in order instead of all at once.
  
• Fixed an issue where you could interact with the open/close button from outside the store.
  
• Fixed an issue with the store sound announcer after expanding the store.
  
• Fixed an issue where the player was disconnected when unlocking a store expansion.

As for the second floor store expansion, I'm still working on it! I just need more time to finish it!
Thanks to all of you who continue to help improve the game! ❤️❤️❤️

Shipyard 2.0
• [new] Modules are now used in combat.
• [new] Calibration has been implemented, visualized, and improved information text for gaining.
• [new] Ship Access shows installed modules.
• [new] New materials have been added and can only be found with a ship from Shipyard 2.0.
• [tune] Improved world scrolling in Shipyard 2.0.
General
• [fix] Server crash caught (cause unknown).
• [tune] Quick move no longer results in a swap with the first slot index.
• [tune] Increased text sharpness in various places.
• [dev] Player backup improved.

Fix Panel mission over

Fix Panel mission over