Hey everyone!

Firstly, we’d like to, once again, thank you all for providing such valuable feedback for Shardpunk: Verminfall. Since the release, your thoughts and opinions have helped us shape the game into what it is today.

We’d like to take this opportunity to summarize all the major features that got added to the game over the course of the last 6 months!



Two free DLCs, a handful of new features, tons of tweaks and improvements!

In short: now’s a perfect time to play through Shardpunk once again, if you haven’t in a while.

And if you haven’t played yet, we strongly recommend embarking on an adventure in Capitol right now, there hasn’t been a better time!



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Pilots!

The brand new gameplay trailer for VergeWorld is here! Check it out for a glimpse of upcoming features, environments, ships, and weapons!



Make sure to check out the VergeWorld demo here on Steam!


https://store.steampowered.com/app/1975790/VergeWorld/



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Fixes:
• Fixed misplaced Mare hands in one of dialogs.
• Roui no longer mentions Grullo when inspecting the well if he has not met him.
• Roui no longer mentions Serban's role in creating the bracelet unless he knows about it.
• Roui no longer reappears near goblin body.
• Fireflies near the lantern on the Drobeski vardo are working correctly.
• The door remains closed if you leave the abandoned house alone.
• Fixed the overlay of music after pulling out a fang.
• Fixed sprites of eyebrows and hair for Ingrid, Bo and Lazy.
• Fixed other minor bugs and typos.
Translation updates:
• Fixed incorrect translations of some in-game terms and names.
Known bugs:
• Connection lines are noticeable on some character sprites.

Not even COVID can stop this train, though it gave a good run for it.

The best part of this week – beyond being able to implement missing Kickstarter backer rewards – was the creation of The Big Board, which will track our progress towards v1.1. We are still on schedule for an October release.

Previous Restoring a Village: Week 0, Week 1


Creation of The Big Board

By far the biggest accomplishment was creating The Big Board.



Every single task I have left to do on v1.1 is listed, categorized, and now tracked via The Big Board. When the bottom bar reaches the right side we’re ready for release.

Not all tasks are weighted equally (for example, art and writing issues are generally much easier than code / testing tasks, etc.), but it’s good as a rough guide.

Code Refactor refers to slower and more measured manual code migration from the corrupted source. Features include testing / implementing / reimplementing features of the game.

Feedback and Bugs are similar to each other. Both have been reported by players and testers in the last year, but the latter are defects, while the former represent suggestions or ideas to improve the game.

Finally we have Art / Graphics / UI and Dialogue / Writing. They are probably self explanatory.


Kickstarter Rewards Implemented

All the missing Kickstarter rewards have been implemented into the game. About 30% in total were missing, which is too many though thankfully less than I feared.



There are a number of backers who never got back to me, or perhaps their responses were eaten up by KS’s survey tool or email. In any case, as far as I’m concerned there’s no time limit. If you never sent me anything, or if you did but it’s still not in the game as of v1.1, then please reach out and I’ll get you sorted.



First Day Blues
I discovered a number of crashes that could arise on your first and second day in the village. The reason has to do with the scheduler: villager schedules are purposefully simplified so nothing goofy happens while you’re trying to meet everyone.

But the scheduler wasn’t playing nice with everyone, especially visitors, which could result in a seemingly random crash depending on the time of day and the visitor who was trying to barge in. Thankfully it’s fixed now, but what a mess that was.




Technical Slog 2: Electric Slogaloo

The technical slog continued through this week and I’m ready for it to end lol



Terrible Night for a Curse
Sometime last year I was joking with some friends and family that Village Monsters was cursed. Seemed like whenever I began to work on the game in earnest, something bad would happen in the real world to yank me away from it.

Last week I made the formal announcement on Kickstarter and Steam that development has resumed, and what happens? Myself and nearly everyone I know gets COVID. The curse is nothing if not consistent!

Thankfully everyone is fine. For the two kids it was just a bad cold, and for me it was an issue of extreme joint paint, a sore throat, and a killer headache.

The weirdest part is that getting COVID in 2023 feels very… othering. Absolutely nobody wants to deal with COVID anymore, and that includes doctors and nurses who seemed generally annoyed about answering questions.

But I suppose that’s a subject for another time.

I'm really excited to share The Sand Update, the first major content update to Drift. This free update will be released on October 7.



There is a new striking biome to be found in the field. Covered in sandy, silicate dust and with a plethora of resources to be found, the desert biome holds a lot of mysteries - shipwrecks, islands and more!

Getting off the ship and up to speed can be a chore - but not anymore! The new launchpads give you an explosive start to your journey into the field.



Tired of leaving things to chance? The Long Range Scanner, with a little help from data cards littered through the field, will guide you to rare resources, strange readings and more! Requires massive amounts of power.

Massive amounts of power? Your suit is no longer the only equipment to require high voltage power. For now, only the new launchpads and long range scanner require ship power, which is provided by new power supplies.

Tired of the same old rocks near your ship? Dream of second home ownership? Then outposts are for you! Drive a spike into an asteroid and set up a new base - overlooking a beautiful vista or near your favorite crystal mine.



Launchpads help us leave in a hurry, but getting home can be a pain with no rocks to tractor to. Tractor targets can be placed on your ships, outposts and asteroids to provide a simple path through the field, all the way home. Upgraded versions that increase speed are also available.

Unlimited crystals from a new crystal drill helps ease the resource grind for large builds. New equipment like the inventory expander or build range extender help make building easier than ever. 18 new research opportunities guide you to the new content. New floors, walls and props give more creativity when designing your ship or outpost.



It's not just about the new stuff. Many things of the base game have been improved as well.

• Reduce energy usage of both jetpack and tractoring
  
• Improved asteroid models for performance
  
• HUD Icon when tractor beam is on a valid target
  
• Better feel for speed in the field
  
• Show which way is the front for many building pieces
  
• Optional Speedometer
  
• New settings to reset tutorial messages from the robot and to replay just the last one.
  
• Increase light output from lamp posts

It wouldn't be an update without a few bug fixes as well. Here are the most interesting ones.

• Fix scenarios where shipwrecks would quit appearing during a game session.
  
• Reduce time to load the build menu
  
• Fix flickering fog when near a cave
  
• Upgraded base engine of the game which should solve many crashes (but maybe add new ones? let me know!)

Overall I'm excited to see this in your hands. If you're interested in helping find the rough edges, a new beta build will be available tomorrow, October 1st, on the next branch on Steam.

Thanks for playing!

• Super Kraken bite will not interrupt the fight and leave him idle.
  
• Super Kraken tentacles won't break rafts on death.
  
• Turret Rafts now have a max bullet amount that can be shot at a time to reduce lag.
  
• Upgrade indicators on rafts will only show up if you have enough to upgrade.

• Added trap icon above trap to make it easier to find after placing
  
• Added icons to UI for item numbers and Kyle's tasting indicator
  
• Fixed problem where Gulp kept getting distracted on his phone

930

930

Biggest feature:
Goodies (LVL2) complete re-work.
You work while shrunken. Yes. You work while shrunken.

More scenes, including:
April+Mara (more embarrassing if you have diapers on)

Diapers functionality:
Diapers are now more visible and reduce damage during kicks on the groin and during spanking.

Kelly Questline +1 Quest
Sharylin Questliine +1 Quest
Genia Questline +1 Quest
Ms Herlinda: Bad Ending (very violent / brutal)
Teacher-Ambush events (at night)

Bullying:
You will get bullied you when you have low reputation.
Lower Reputation means: More bullying and more consequences from getting bullied!

Overall a lot of bugfixes and improvements!

Enjoy!