As we forge ahead into the new year, there are several significant updates that we've been working on.

One of those changes is the revamp of our skills system, evolving it into a more robust skill tree structure.

Today, I'm pleased to introduce Eric Wagoner, the newest member of our development team, who is spearheading this exciting redesign. In this post, he shares his journey and insights directly with you.

Several years into development, we’ve added many skills and abilities… and we’re not nearly done yet. Choosing skills has always been one of my favorite parts of RPGs. Now, the time is right to take our skills system to the next level.


Accelerated Warfare – “Let’s go!”

The decision of what ability to select is a special moment in the game. It is a triumph. By placing abilities in a more structured flow, the player has guidance on where to look and what exactly their current decision is.


On the right is an art mockup, not the actual tree!

Note: In our game, the term "skill" refers to the overarching category you level up in, such as "Chivalry," "Cooking," or "Botany." And within each skill, you unlock items called "abilities" (technically, this means our discussion is about ability trees, but we've chosen to use the more intuitive term "skill trees" for simplicity).

These limitations also add a new layer of strategic thinking to the game as you puzzle out the trade-offs involved in ascending the tree and getting the abilities you want. And with Jake busy on the upcoming Factions update, it was a good time to reconsider ability balance, including how it relates to larger battles and more allied units.

We decided to have our skill trees unlock from the bottom to the top to give players the feeling of scaling a mountain of awesomeness. The bottom level starts unlockable, and abilities can also start deeper in the tree with no parent ability, requiring that any ability (or hard junction) of equal or greater depth be available to unlock first.


Soft junctions (on the left) are unlocked by either prerequisite.
Hard junctions (on the bottom) require each.

Ability powerfulness (& complexity) generally increases as the tree is unlocked. More powerful abilities might be placed earlier on the tree if their connecting paths are reduced or limited. Less powerful abilities may be used as prerequisites to increase the total cost of powerful abilities.


Distributing the most desirable abilities away from each other creates many viable paths through the tree, adding depth to the decision-making process. Since players can earn XP from using active abilities, some are placed early on the trees to give players options to level each skill through use.


Battle Hardened won’t let you go down without a fight

Grouping related abilities together adds realism and makes intuitive sense, since it's easier to learn things which are similar to what you already know. The shape of the trees also allows us to convey meaning through symbolism, such as the stability and connectedness of the new Chivalry tree.

As you might expect, there are lots of considerations when designing a skill system. We want to give each skill a special feel and particular strengths. To do this, we consider the general themes of each:


Chivalry: Virtue, honor, protecting humanity


Warrapt: Tradition, pragmatism, persistence, practice


Dreadheart: Instinctual, barbaric, savage, animalistic

Another consideration is how many abilities are in each tree. Dreadheart had the least number, so I added a few new ones. Warrapt and Chivalry, having the most, received more modifications instead.

The above three are coming first, but deliberation is already underway for the weapon skill changes:


When considering individual abilities, I compare them to similar abilities. For example, ‘Mighty Lunge’ on the Warrapt tree is similar to several other jump-attack abilities. In playtesting, the 2-range limit was annoying, because, being an attack, it only gave one tile of extra movement. This wasn’t quite enough for what it was used for: catching up to those pesky hit-and-run enemies. It also didn’t make ‘Mighty Lunge’ feel particularly mighty.

‘Vicious Lunge,’ in the Daggers tree on the other hand, has a much longer range. This felt off, because a long jump is more mighty than vicious, and daggers are relatively short range. I want to keep a short range jump-attack for variety, because the others are longer range. Therefore, let's make ‘Vicious Lunge’ the jump attack skill with the short range but better energy cost, cooldowns, and less vulnerability, since daggers are light & fast. ‘Mighty Lunge’ can have a longer range.


From concept to completion: can you guess the skill?

Several existing abilities will become applicable to nearby allies in light of the new Factions update. For example: Bravery, Aura of Valor (Chivalry), Guarded Wait, Combat Awareness (Warrapt), Vicious Sustain and Blood Lust (Dreadheart). Other kinds of abilities may also be applicable for allies, i.e., Parry & Knight’s Challenge.

Our dev post just wouldn’t be complete without a few teasers for some of the new abilities coming your way.


Lacerate: Lash out in a bloody attack with +5..15% bleed chance, dealing +5..15% more damage, but taking +20..10% longer. On hit, the enemy takes +8% damage and bleeds twice as fast for 1..3 turns.

Lacerate adds to the short supply of Dreadheart active abilities, but it’s placed so late in the tree that it cannot help much with XP gain, which is addressed by another new ability. It’s fairly powerful, however, so it makes sense that it would be an apex ability to strive towards (the ‘tip of the claw,’ so to speak.) It fits with the Battle Trance line of abilities, but this is purely thematic.

Bleed is a major feature of Dreadheart, so I wanted to give it a little more punch by causing the target to bleed twice as fast (two ticks per turn) for a few turns. I also wanted this ability to create additional blood tiles around the target, so that the player can start using the environment more as part of their tactics and strategy. Blood tiles combo with yet another upcoming ability, as well as future abilities such as the Blood Mage, but be careful; you might not be the only one who likes getting bloody!


Bleed resist never looked so cool


Noble Steel Resonance a new Chivalry ability: firmly embed your weapon into the ground, sending forth a resonating shockwave that weakens the defenses of all enemies in its path. Enemies receive -10..14% dodge chance and -10..14% physical resist for 3..5 turns.

Just when you thought Chivalry had enough abilities, we added more. While Chivalry is bordering a bit much on the magical for a skill not listed in magic menu, it's possible to consider nobility in its own mundane yet semi-magical category, almost as a prerequisite for certain kinds of virtuous magic.



Martial Flourish: Launch a flourishing attack against adjacent enemies when you enter a new stance, dealing -40..20% damage with +15..35% knockback chance.

Martial Flourish puts a bit of kung-fu in your step, replacing Quick Swap, which is merging into Efficient Dispatch to make it more attractive. We don’t stop there; players have said stances were underwhelming, and Swift Transition’s switching stances quicker seemed that way. After all, you can only use one stance at a time, and each stance requires investment.

So, let’s make stances more exciting! Making them compatible will breathe new life into these mechanics. Swift Transition is getting five upgrade levels so that players can now briefly have two stances active at higher levels.


Combat Awareness gets a new ‘look’

I hope you enjoyed reading this update as much as I enjoyed writing it. Development continues on Factions, Skill Trees, and more, so keep your eyes peeled for more exciting updates.

2024 is here and we'd like to wish everyone a happy new year!
As last month was the holidays we have spent the later half of the month with friends and family for festive celebrations which means are work load had slowed during that time and this update will be shorter for this reason.

Character sound polishing
We've gotten far with the sound polishing phase with Mr Hyde, The Lady in White and Dracula now finished!
we have now reach 10 sound polished characters out of 12, Only polishing for Wendigo and Spring Heeled Jack is left and will likely will be completed before this month is over.

Stage polishing

Stages are one of the hardest and one of the most expensive parts of the games development which means each adjustment takes time and money away from the development of other things but we have finished yet another stage!

Underground



Now with a revamp!
The underground we felt was one of our most bland stages out there so we took extra steps to bring more movement to the stage whilst still keeping the dark gritty atmosphere the stage was meant to portray.
we have added some more pillars in the background, a hole where light and water rains down from the surface and a mysterious staircase leading to the unknown.

Hidden Forest

This is the next stage we have decided to touch up and is in development as we speak, we apologies as we can't show any images of the progress at this time but be sure to tune in next month to see the new version of the Hidden Forest.

That's all we can share this month as we continue development to the next month when we can share even more work and progress we made so far.

Have a happy new year - The Terrordrome Team.

Fixed a bug in fleet mode where player HP stacking malfunctioned, adjusted the range of some weapons, fixed some minor bugs, and adjusted the player's numerical UI position，The game has basically completed the post adjustment and bug handling period completely ! Players can enjoy playing the game now ！！！！

First of all, Happy New Year to all and I hope that your goals are met during this 2024!

This month is an important date for Ancient Wars: Sparta Definitive Edition, as its second anniversary is nearing.

For this reason and for all the love that you have given to the project with your support, help and suggestions, it is a pleasure to announce the launch of a series of 2 major updates (the first will be this month or the beginning of the next), on the occasion of the Second Anniversary that will bring the game to the next level, with a new campaign, a large number of improvements, numerous bug fixes, balance and much more!

I hope you like this news and feel free to give your opinion as always.

In the latest game updates, significant enhancements have been introduced to various aspects of gameplay. Notably, each habitable planet now features a dynamic Planet Leader, presenting players with potential allies, neutral entities, or hostile foes. These leaders influence the planet's prosperity or adversity and, if allied, can provide assistance during base invasions. Galaxy Exploration has been revamped, requiring players to dispatch starships to unveil the undiscovered galaxy gradually. Friendly Factions bring a new layer of diplomacy, as factions no longer initiate wars automatically, fostering opportunities for future mechanics such as trade. To balance the friendliness, Pirates have been introduced throughout the galaxy, posing a threat to Scout ships and adding an element of conflict.

Structural changes have also been made in the game's building system. The Fabricator buildings have been replaced by a versatile Manufacturer building, capable of processing various resources like Iron, Titanium, and Platinum into Parts. Building upgrades have been implemented, offering players the ability to enhance efficiency and unlock additional benefits. The 2D plane limitation for starship movement has been broken, allowing ships to travel over and below objects using 3D positioning. In the UI, a new game setup screen facilitates customization options, including faction colors, icons, and AI factions in the galaxy.

Ships have seen notable additions, such as the Scout ship with automated exploration abilities and new weapons like Long Range Missiles and Homing Missiles. Siege Weapons, including Artillery and Atomic Bombs, have been introduced for planetary invasions. The graphics department received an overhaul, with all projectile effects being reworked, and ships now showcase faction colors. Bug fixes address issues like buildings not taking damage during construction and units spawning outside the map after interplanetary transfers. However, the tutorial has been temporarily disabled, to be replaced by a future story mode, and there are known critical bugs in multiplayer mode related to projectile synchronization with clients.

• Planet Leaders Every habitable planet will have a Planet Leader. These leaders provide certain benefits to the planet and/or penalties. The planet leader can be hostile, neutral, or allied. If hostile, they will continue to attack your base. If allied, they will aid you when enemies are invading your base.
  
• Galaxy Exploration The galaxy is undiscovered at the start of the game and must be discovered by sending a starship to them
  
• Friendly Factions Factions do not automatically start a war when traveling to their planet. This will eventually lead to gameplay mechanics that allow you interact with other factions through things like trade. To attack a faction, go to the faction menu and choose to declare war.
  
• Pirates With the factions being friendly, there needs to be some initial conflict, right? You will now encounter pirates throughout the galaxy. They can put a real damper on your Scout ships, so be careful out there!
  
• Removed Wood Iron Parts are now the primary resource used for building construction. It can be salvaged on planets from shipwrecks by colonists.
  
• Building Upgrades A lot of buildings have upgrade options that can be researched, making them more efficient or giving other benefits.
  
• Breaking the 2D Plane Starships will now travel over and below other objects, utilizing 3D positioning. The player can only issue ships to move to a 2D coordinate, but the ability to set the height in the future is being considered.

• Single Manufacturer The Fabricator buildings for each resource were removed and replaced with a single building, Manufacturer. The Manufacturer building can manufacture Iron, Titanium, and Platinum into Parts by choosing which one to process.
  
• Offensive Buildings Artillery and Atomic Bomb buildings were updated with new projectiles that now spawn from the building and travel to their destination.
  
• New Bot Factory The current buildings in the game have been a great placeholder, but the plan was to eventually change them all out. The new Bot Factory is a new design that we are considering for all buildings. Let us know what you think!

• Scout Ship The Scout ship has an ability to automatically seek out and discover undiscovered areas. Since the galaxy is largely undiscovered at the start of the game, these ships allow you to map out the galaxy without having to manage the movement. However, with the addition of pirates, these ships can be taken out quickly if they land in the wrong system.
  
• Siege Weapons A new type of weapon was added. These weapons can be used on the planet against planetary units. There are currently only 2 implemented, artillery and atomic bomb. More will be added in future updates!
  
• Long Range Missile These can be fired from afar
  
• Homing Missile These will track the enemy ship for a (almost) guaranteed hit

• Game Setup Screen There is now a setup screen when starting a new game that allows you to pick a few options, including:
  
• Faction Colors You can now change yours and the AI factions icons and colors

• All projectile effects were reworked. This was primarily due to moving technologies from the Unity particle system to the Unity GraphVFX system.
  
• All ships will now use the color of their faction (which can be set by the player). Other units (buildings and ground units) will still default to blue, but will be switched over in a future update.

• Buildings were not taking damage while they were constructing
  
• When you select a mech and you hover over a harvestable site, you get the pickaxe icon.
  
• After transferring units to the another planet, they would spawn under the ground outside of the map

• Tutorial has been disabled. The tutorial will eventually be replaced with a story mode that will have tutorial tips available.
  
• Multiplayer has also been disabled. The new projectile system has not been updated to support multiplayer, this will be fixed in the next version.
  
• …I’m sure there are more, please submit them in the bugs report channel on Discord!

Welcome starchasers! It’s a new year! A new you! A new us! New gods, built to burn down the old ones and establish a new pantheon inside their corpses!
We like to do yearly recaps at this point, to summarize everything that’s happened in the past 2023s. So… what is done?



The answer: Everything. The game is content complete. Both campaigns (multiplayer and singleplayer), every quest, system, station, dungeon, boss, random mission, party member, flyable ship. There’s several hundreds hours of play here. As our testers can attest to, the game is absolutely MASSIVE.









Last year saw some of our most important changes ever. In addition to pumping out the majority of the content, we signed on with a publisher, started uploading our first steam builds, got quite a lot of coverage, and acquired a secondary orange cat.



The publisher’s probably the biggest one there. Our publisher, Camlann Games, will be spinning all the plates that my decaying and bruised body simply can’t spin anymore. That includes promotional work, community management, translations, ports, and the eventual subsumption of the continent into our lunar-based hivemind. Typical stuff.
They even filmed a fancy new trailer for us, check it out!




So with all this in mind, you’re probably asking “what’s left?” or more appropriately you’re probably asking “where the hell is my quirky space game you train-eating bastard?”.
The answer: It’s coming. And sooner than you might think. We’re now in the polishing and completion stage, which brings with it a LOT of testing, which itself takes time.



Still, two major blockers remain: The first is station detailing. This is going at a breakneck pace, in no small part because we have multiple level designers out there turning stations into stations with things on them.






The second is finishing up multiplayer. Again, this is going at a breakneck pace but testing can often be slow. If anyone ever tells you developing a multiplayer game is easy, they’re right. If anyone ever tells you that testing a multiplayer game and making a stable multiplayer game is easy, they’re wrong and you shouldn’t be speaking to them.






With that in mind, our release on Steam will be considered Early Access. The game you will be getting will be content complete and utterly massive, but at the end of the day this is a very small studio taking on a game as large as my ego. An early access release will allow us to better incorporate feedback on systems and tweak the game to make it as good as possible. There will not however, be less trains. There will be more trains if you ask for less trains.




As part of that release, Underspace’s demo will officially be coming to Steam quite soon! This brings with it a whole host of advantages, not the least of which is a much smaller download size and an easier way for us to push patches.



And that’s our yearly recap! We’ll return to your regularly scheduled weekly updates now.

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed a bug that caused the Perennial Flame to be non-intractable after receiving a Spirit's Mask.
  
• Fixed a bug that caused some projectiles not to spawn during phase 2 attacks of the 4th regional boss. For those who fought the boss without it, prepare for a small step-up in challenge during the second phase!
  
• Other various minor fixes

Happy New Year!

This update adds our first alternative skins to the game! Seven new skins for your spider! They will be available for purchase throughout January and then vanish from the store after that!

They are called Tumblers, they roll around as you swing!

• Implemented "Input 6.1" by Juju Adams, replacing the previous input system. This update aims to enhance compatibility with a variety of existing gamepads by incorporating community-contributed bindings for commonly used controllers.
  
• Updated the visuals for the Xbox gamepad buttons. Additionally, introduced graphics for PlayStation controllers, with the system automatically displaying buttons based on the connected gamepad type.
  
• Revamped the controls window to align with the new Input system, including the addition of buttons for "show/hide fireplace" and "controls" to provide a comprehensive overview.
  
• Included keyboard keys "Q" and "E" for "show/hide fireplace" and "autoaim" in the controls window's keyboard section.
  
• Adjusted the controls window to dynamically display the relevant section instead of defaulting to the gamepad section upon opening.
  
• Changed the toggle autoaim command to the X button (square on PS gamepad) instead of A (X on PS gamepad).
  
• Enabled the use of A and B buttons (X and circle on PS gamepad) for attacking and dodging in addition to LB and RB.
  
• Implemented automatic showing/hiding of the mouse based on the input device in use, eliminating the need for the "always show mouse" setting.
  
• Updated the "Close" button to "Ok" during language selection at the first start for clarity.
  
• Bugfix: Resolved a bug where Townhall souls were erroneously credited when the game was paused.
  
• Bugfix: Increased the width of the "back" and "forward" buttons during language selection at the first start.
  
• Bugfix: Fixed a bug where autoaim could not be activated or deactivated in the hometown, potentially causing confusion.
  
• Bugfix: Addressed a bug that previously prevented aiming in the hometown with disabled autoaim, where the direction was consistently to the right, creating an odd visual effect.

EDIT:
Hotfix to v.1.045: Fixed movement bug.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! ːhappy_yetiː

Once again, it's a great time to take a look at my games, if you still haven't!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1485900/Eye_caramba/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/682780/Breaking_Good/

And there are even bundles that let you get the games cheaper!

https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/18459/SeekSick6_collection/
https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/18460/SeekSick6_collection_for_gifting/