Dec 22, 2023

Introducing The Luminous Triarchy, a new kingdom to explore!

Alaloth: Champions of The Four Kingdoms - Eldacar

Hello Champions!

We are thrilled to announce the arrival of Skylight, a new massive update that brings forth a radiant new chapter to the world of Plamen. The Luminous Triarchy has emerged, unveiling the majestic city of Gleamreach, ruled by the enlightened triumvirate known as The Radiant Council. The council, comprised of the clergy, the Shield Bearers, and noble houses, seeks to maintain the divine balance in the face of encroaching shadows from the ever-expanding influence of Alaloth. You can now visit the opulent capital city where the Temple of Light stands tall, emanating divine energies, or spend a few time in Greedstone, where you can find a renowned market, hiding political intrigues. However, with the disappearance of the High Priest, anxiety grips the land, and the people of the Triarchy fear the future...

Eastern part of Plamen, ranging from The Jest to The Southern Spine: The Luminous Triarchy is here!

Pair with newly introduced noble houses, each with its unique history, and influence and prepare to face new challenges in carefully crafted Fighting Areas, where you'll encounter new formidable mobs, embark on epic quests, and uncover hidden lore that adds depth to the narrative. We've surpassed the 400k words and 90% of this is about dialogues and lore-related stuff. But it's not over! We've introduced a plethora of new items to discover, revisited loots and made many other changes! Take a look here...

REVAMPED LEVELING SYSTEM

Take your character to new heights with the addition of 10 levels, bringing the maximum Level Cap to 20. With the reworked UI, you now have access to 6 skills, and can delve deeper into character customization with 4 traits and 4 proficiencies. This is the second iteration of the system, first one was available with Dragonhold and we can say we are happy now with the progression, considering that the community was asking for this! Stat Points are now awarded at a rate of 1 for each level [up to 20].

From Level 11 on, progression will change a bit but we have now 6 Skills Points and 8 Legacy Points to spend...

GM will now teach you passive skill without asking to respec to their class

Hero Books assigning Stat Points have been temporarely deactivated, to be iterated with the next patches and be used in a slightly different way. Also, Grandmasters have been reworked: each of them will now teach a passive skill upon meeting certain requirements and up to two Grandmaster’s passives can be active at anytime. They won’t lock skill loadouts anymore. In general, progression is now a bit harder after Level 10, even considering a new round of balancing, including a bunch of items directly affecting combat. Focus is now on the char development[ and skills[/b] even if equip is still a big thing of course. We've not wiped any save as usual but you'll have to reassign all the Skill and Legacy Points earned with the new Level Cap.

QUALITY OF LIFE IMPROVEMENTS

Skylight isn't just about new content: the focus is on making your Alaloth experience smoother than ever. You can enjoy a massive array of improvements, including a better UI, enhanced world map navigation, and a variety of small new features. We've enhanced the Atlas, rewritten many quests, and added new hints to make progression easier. Additionally, we've adjusted enemy spawns to avoid aggro for large groups and to provide combat with the intended pace

A new tab for Ways of Power. We think there is enough space for a new one...

Bow before the master of the castle, for here, I am the ruler of both stone and soul!

The tabs have been reorganized with a better ratio, and a new one has been created specifically to manage your stronghold. Responding to your feedback, in-game notifications and dialogues were deemed insufficient for keeping track of everything, and now it is much easier. You can now hire servants through the Councilor and monitor progresses in real-time, including when they are arriving and the bonuses they bring with them. A new bunch of servants will be added in a while.

QUICK ACTION ITEMS AND NEW LOOTS

We are introducing a new feature today, and we're confident that it will positively transform combat. This feature is intricately tied to a comprehensive rework of FA responding to your valuable feedback. Throughout FA, you'll discover a diverse array of new lootable objects, ranging from weapons and armor to wearables, and even various consumables that you can choose to use on the go. You will be basically able to dynamically equip consumable items in your reserved slot with just a swift action now. And of course you can engage in seamless combat as you wield these extra items on the fly, triggered effortlessly with the dedicated input action (default ‘R’/’RightTrigger’).

We've dressed 25% of the FA as new, with new loots and QA items around. First step of a long term plan built around the full rework of every single FA

.Queen's Rest, were our beloved Firelords wait for you. We've tweaked them and QA items help a lot with these bad guys

Right now, it's about food and potions mostly, we are going to expand this feature to other items with different usage in the future. At the moment, we've dressed just 1/4 of the FA available, we are going on with this with the new year. It is a work directly connected to quests and lore so it takes a huge amount of time. When replaced with another item or leaving the FA without being used, the extra item is moved in the inventory, ensuring that your strategic arsenal remains as versatile as your prowess in the ever-evolving battles that await. Having a feeback on this by you all would be great of course! It's about making the first steps a less more difficult, while keeping the hardcore soul we've pushed since D1!

LOCALIZATION UPDATE AND FAQ

On January 15, 2024, we're going to release a highly anticipated update featuring a Localization FAQ here on Steam. Our team has diligently completed the necessary tooling and has a clear vision of the anticipated flow, as shared in a previous update. Stay tuned for detailed information on the supported languages and community-related features coming your way on that date. To all localization experts or individuals eager to lend a hand, we invite you to get in touch. Your contributions can help make our gaming world more diverse and accessible for everyone!

News on the way soon: we've found a smart sys to speed-up things with loc apparently...

ISOMETRIC SOULS-LIKE BUNDLE

We've partnered with Dark Point Games to bring you an unparalleled gaming experience. Introducing the Isometric Souls-Like Bundle at a special price. Immerse yourself in the dark fantasy world of Alaloth, battling ancient evils and forging your destiny. Then, embark on an epic adventure with Achilles: Legends Untold, where myth and legend collide in a gripping narrative. This limited-time bundle offers the chance to snag both games at a discounted rate, delivering hours of immersive gameplay and unforgettable storytelling. Secure your bundle now and elevate your gaming library with this one-of-a-kind collaboration!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1314000/Achilles_Legends_Untold/

LET'S TALK BUSINESS

We want to express our utmost gratitude for your unwavering support. Over the past year and a half, we've been committed to transparency and delivering on our promises, consistently providing updates on time. We truly believe that this journey has built a foundation of trust between us, and we want you to know how much we appreciate you guys. Our team, albeit small, consisting of just 6 dedicated individuals now, has been working tirelessly to bring you the best possible gaming experience.

While we have refrained from resorting to Kickstarter, opting instead to rely on our community's support, we now find ourselves at a crossroads. To sustain the pace of updates and maintain the quality you've come to expect, we need to ensure the project's financial stability. We have kept the Early Access price unchanged for an extended period, and we feel it's time to make our pricing more reflective of the ongoing development.

Just a recap of what Alaloth is: words from the one and only, Splattercat: "...it is an original RPG that is doing something that no other RPG is doing right nown that is to say isometric souls-like gameplay!

The current Winter Sale offers the last opportunity to secure the game at a special price before we implement a modest increase in regional prices. We promise to provide more details in January but in general, we plan to adjust the RRP to €29.99/$29.99, but we won't be following Steam's suggestions 100% on this matter. Just as we didn't align on this in the past [with countries charged 400%], we won't be doing so now. Instead, we will address this country by country, seeking the best resolution for both our players and us. For those who are unaware, Steam doesn't simply use exchange rates to set prices. In a nutshell, they try and consider many factors so that, hopefully, the average consumer pays a fairer price in each country. As just said, we trust them but we think that the alternative of setting prices, manage and update the plan across 30+ countries oursvelves is something due to our people. But $/€ increase can be considered confirmed at the end of this sale.

Also, as many of you already know, we are facing a frustrating international lawsuit with those who failed to honor their financial commitments, disrupting our plans back in time. We believe in keeping you informed, and we want you to know that we're doing everything in our power to address this issue.

NEW YEAR ROADMAP AND FULL RELEASE

As we bid farewell to 2023, we're bursting with enthusiasm for what lies ahead in 2024!
As the year draws to a close, we're taking a short break after the festive season to recharge and spend time with our loved ones. But rest assured, we'll be back with renewed energy and exciting plans for the upcoming year!. In early January, we'll unveil a fresh roadmap that outlines our journey towards the highly anticipated full release, slated for sometime in later during the year.

Our latest shared roadmap...Skylight is gone now, what's next? Who knows...

Your enthusiasm and feedback have been invaluable, guiding us every step of the way. We can't wait to share what's in store for you in the coming months. During our break, we'll still be available in case of any urgent needs [or bugs, even if we've tested things a lot!]. Wishing you a joyous holiday season and a fantastic start to the new year! Thank you for being with us!

And now, as usual, the full changelog with all the improvements coming with our latest update! The number of sys we've touched is huge but we are pretty confident about the build which we consider pretty solid. In case of issues, please report sending over dumps and save files! Instructions here on the Steam board.

CHANGELOG
Added
New kingdom “The Luminous Triarchy”, with new locations and enemies.
Level Cap has been increased to 20 claimed Fighting Areas: increased skill slots to 6 (up to 4), masteries to 8 (up from 6), added two new passive slots
Stat points are now awarded at a rate of 1 for each level (up to 20).
Grandmasters have been reworked: each of them will now teach a passive skill upon meeting certain requirements (up to two Grandmaster’s passives can be active at any time).
They won’t lock skill loadouts anymore.
Added “Stronghold” tab in Character UI as a way to keep track of upgrade unlocks (and their progress).
Added Extra Item mechanic: special lootables in FAs will equip on the fly a consumable item in the reserved slot, usable with the Extra Item input action (default ‘R’/’RightTrigger’). When replaced with another item or leaving the FA without being used, the extra item is moved in the inventory.
Multiple unique armors and shields now have an animated effect.
All interactable NPCs will now display their name along the interaction hint key.
All lootable objects with a fixed item will now display the item name above the interaction hint key; color of the name and outline will also match the item rarity.
Enemies will now display their name on top of the head health bar; can be turned off through the “Enemy Nameplate” option under general settings.
New narrative timelines available.
Changed
The location infobox in the world map will now include a typename, denoting the scene kind.
The narration book opening on first access to a location will now display also its name and typename.
Gamepad input for the Throwing Knife action changed from ‘Press’ to ‘Hold’, and moved on the same button for the Kick action. Relative tutorials and texts updated accordingly.
Disconnecting a secondary player in FA and choosing to reassign the companion to AI will no longer replenish his consumable.
Add more lootables objects and extra items to various FAs, available only when the location is yet to be claimed: “Na’Drar”, “Capstone”, “Lookout Tower”, “Raven’s Hideout”, “Black Heart”, “Tyrant Grave”.
Banish Undead skill to stay on cast location instead of binding to the caster.
AI party members will now actively engage enemies only while the party is in combat.
Separate with empty space tutorials’ texts combined from multiple pages in the Codex.
Increased interaction range of innkeeper at “Rockstarn”.
Common trinket “Scholar” removed from drop tables.
Lowered perception range of “Firelord” enemy for in-combat allies.
Changed Gholuk’s subzone name.
Updated “Queen’s Rest” visuals.
Removed the table in the middle of the boss area in “Gates of Mourning”, enhanced line of sight, fixed graphical glitches.
Quest item “Hand Mirror of Matriarch Greija” will now show the prop when lootable.
Weapon “Burial Greatsword” changed into a non-unique weapon.
Quest “Roll of the Die” will now reward the weapon “The Sentry”.
Add armor “Gravekeeper” in the final chest of Skullface’s FA.
Updated stock of general vendor “Krognak Sharog” at “Ballek Mahl”.
Changed Pantheon gods grouping in Codex.
Changed formatting of event log messages to include the in-game day when the event was fired off.
Reduced Cortians’ aggro range from in combat allies.
Reduced Firelord’s bolt skill travel speed.
Fixed
Fixed narrative timeline for “Hashak” arena focusing on player after a short time from start.
Fixed loop mismatch in player’s sprint animation.
Fixed various dialogues/barks/names typos.
Fixed Lorian’s bolt skill never hitting targets outside the firing height; also correct the description stating that the skill damage is applied x3 times, while it’s actually a single hit.
Fixed gold drops occasionally exceeding the intended amount.
Fixed path borders in “Brystead’s Lookout”.
Fixed path borders in “Queen’s Rest”.
Fixed outlines for some lootable props.
Fixed quest marker misbehaving when acquiring quest items from vendors.
Fixed notification of “0 Gold” when looting the cooking recipe in “Capstone”.
Fixed enemy “Death Sister Amaya” unable to follow up with the intended counterattack after a shield block.
Fixed enemy “Death Sister Morana” bow skills visuals.
Fixed proc floating texts spawning alongside their triggering combat event thus making the texts overlap.
Fixed enemy “Ratkin Shaman” outline.
Fixed rewarding players with dice “Base Set” on each win against common gamblers using it; this set is not rewarded and only purchasable from general vendors.
Fixed World Map receiving zoom input even when the Journal UI was on-screen.
Fixed armor “Dune Strider” using the wrong 3D model.
Fixed “Doren Fergin” NPC’s bark in “Turquoise Ice” misbehaving upon approach.
Fixed some armors that weren’t properly handling body skin color upon being equipped.
Fixed interactables for “Legacy of Bedar” quest in “The Portcullis” and “The Sentinels” not turning off after being looted.
Fixed various NPCs animations in “The Portcullis”.
Fixed various multiline texts truncating the last line.
Remove double spaces in cutscenes texts.
Fixed Lileah’s quest “A Shield Against the Darkness” not specifying that tasks in “Tears of Light” can be completed only at daytime; also fix Cardinal Lankester’s dialogue.
Remove some floating flames in “Nir-Lathias”.
Fixed NPC misplacement in “Lindorwind” tavern.
Fixed “Malbork’s Castle Cellar” access requirements when using the World Map’s fast travel picker.
Fixed some interaction icons not hiding when the relative NPC plays a bark causing overlap.
Fixed the player’s throw knife occasionally passing through the target without damaging it, also fixed the trail visual.
Fixed minor graphical issues in “Cleaverock”.
Fixed minor issues in “Queen’s Rest”.
Fixed proficiency icons not refreshing in Character UI recap pane upon Orb of Chaos usage.
Fixed an edge case where calendar events could end up not triggering.
Fixed edge case where the cave hole collapse trap in “Temple of Virtues” could fail and leave the player soft-locked within the dungeon.
Fixed quest “Roll of the Die” bug making impossible to deliver the quest item Rigged Die“; also fix the quest item not appearing at night time in the intended location..
Fixed introduction scene for boss “The Devourer” showing two instances of the boss.
Fixed artworks for minor houses in codex.
Fixed access requirements to Alaloth’s lieutenants locations.
Happy Christmas Champions, share the love!

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