A special cosmetic item can be obtained during the Chocolate Campaign.
Be sure to suit up and join the wargames during the period below!

February 14th (Wed) 3:00 a.m. UTC - March 1st (Fri) 2:59 a.m. UTC
February 13th (Tue) 7:00 p.m. PST - February 29th (Thu) 6:59 p.m. PST

Chocolate Suit
This cosmetic item can be equipped by the 10 default exosuits.

Complete a Dino Survival mission once during the campaign period.

The Exoprimal team appreciates your interest and support, and we hope to see you in the wargame!

A special cosmetic item can be obtained during the New Year Campaign.
Be sure to suit up and join the wargames during the period below!

February 1st (Thu) 3:00 a.m. UTC - February 13th (Tue) 2:59 a.m. UTC
January 31st (Wed) 7:00 p.m. PST - February 12th (Mon) 6:59 p.m. PST

Lion Dance Hat
This cosmetic item can be equipped by the 10 default exosuits.

Complete a Dino Survival mission once during the campaign period.

The Exoprimal team appreciates your interest and support, and we hope to see you in the wargame!

A double EXP campaign is coming. Battle in wargames during the campaign to earn double EXP for player level, suit level, and Survival Pass level.

January 19th (Fri) 3:00 a.m. UTC - January 23rd (Tue) 2:59 a.m. UTC
January 18th (Thu) 7:00 p.m. PST - January 22nd (Mon) 6:59 p.m. PST

The Exoprimal team appreciates your interest and support, and we hope to see you in the wargame!

Hello again, Survivors!

Last week, we introduced the narrative direction we were going for and mentioned the main issue being the time required for development.

Today, let’s look at the specific problems we encountered and the direction we are currently considering.

Reasons for abandoning the “Choice” approach and the current direction

Last week, we discussed a quest design example from the Tavern, presenting players with the choice of whether to take the Innkeeper's medicine, who had guided them on their journey, to cure an ally's illness.

When we initially prepared this design, we believed that incorporating such narrative elements would provide clear motivation for the player to visit the Tavern, creating a diverse experience based on player preferences and situations. We also thought that, compared to CRPGs, the number of required scenarios would be reduced.

However, just looking at the case of the Tavern, there were exceptions that needed handling beyond our intended design. The innkeeper could die before reaching the medicine, or players might choose to abandon the search for the medicine and leave the Tavern. Additionally, opinions emerged like what happens when the innkeeper dies, and players return to the ailing wife.



The originally estimated time for map design, which was around 1.5 to 2 months, ended up taking close to 4 months. Considering that we need to handle increasingly complex stories as we progress, it became clear that even with an additional year, we could only create three more maps.

In other words, unless we stretched development out to 4-5 more years, we were in a situation where we must significantly reduce the volume of the game.

However, since we didn't plan for this time frame from the beginning, if we reduce the volume of the story to fit the realistic development timeline, it becomes an ironic situation where, due to the direction chosen to enhance narrative value, we end up lowering the overall narrative value.

Furthermore, there were more frequent conflicts between “game elements for storytelling” and “game elements for tactical gameplay” than anticipated. For instance, to facilitate normal NPC conversations, there were many situations where we had to teleport all party members to a specific location, which became a tactical issue as it turned into an “exploit.”



In the Early Access version, we have used this in some sections, but we tried to minimize situations where it can impact combat. However, in this version, achieving good storytelling without feeling like it's being “overused” was challenging.

Recent cases like Baldur’s Gate 3 have addressed all these possibilities in a highly polished manner, creating true freedom of choice. As someone who briefly attempted a similar approach, I genuinely commend their efforts.

However, the conclusion for our team was that it was not a scale of work we could handle. The final decision was to focus solely on “tactical aspects,” resulting in the current Early Access version you’re playing.

Attempts within the Early Access version:

In the new version, all elements of choice within the game have been removed, and the experience from the start to the end of a tactical session is filled solely with elements meant to convey “tactical aspects.”

Events like rescuing the NPC Aldris in the Monastery map exist, but they serve as a reward after reaching a specific point or a trigger for enemies. Others provide excitement such as the surprise appearance of the Cultists in the early stages.



Of course, even within this direction, we attempted to express our narrative theme within reasonable limits.

When tackling the theme of “human nature” without being too grandiose, the aim was to portray the reactions of real people in our world to the events that were unfolding.

Characters like Willam, Edwin, and Diurmuid initially meet with suspicion, but as they go through the journey, their relationships evolve. In the final chapter of Early Access, Stag Manor, dialogue supporting each other's uncertainties emerges, expressing the growing understanding of each other's differences.



However, conveying the desired narrative experience only through text, without more aesthetic direction or supporting mechanics, made it challenging to create the experience we wanted to.

The situations the player encountered on each map, the thoughts of NPCs and player characters about the events, relationships, and personal stories—all of these were conveyed through text, and the result was not where we wanted it to be.

If the narrative is reorganized once again in the future, I would like to first clarify the principle that "the fun of the gameplay is key".

If the expression of the theme and narrative does not harm the overall design of the mechanism that expresses strategy/tactics, it will reduce the probability of "excessively expensive issues" or "narrative and tactics conflicting" again.

We’re curious if this kind of "Archive’’ post is interesting to you as players. Since the direction we will choose is closely related to the project's history so far, we plan to gradually introduce more past attempts as we go.

Given the various discussions within the team, selecting the right topics every week isn't easy, but we just want to show our thoughts as a development team as honestly as possible.

Again, sharing your thoughts through comments on Discord or any other way you like, would be immensely helpful to us! :)

We'll be back next week with another topic.
Until then, see you soon Survivors!
REMORE

Stormgate Makes Its Public Debut at Steam Next Fest

We have super exciting news to share as we gear up for a major moment in the Stormgate journey. Stormgate will be part of Steam Next Fest!

Steam Next Fest takes place February 5–12, during which we will be opening up access to our closed beta, including full access to our ranked 1v1 and 3P co-op vs. AI modes. This marks the first time we have opened the gates to the public, offering everyone an opportunity to get their hands on the RTS we’re building with the support of our incredible community.

Early Access for Kickstarter Backers

To our incredible Kickstarter Founders, as thanks for your support, those of you who pledged to receive a Deluxe Founder’s Pack and above will get in ahead of the pack with a few days of early access to the Steam Next Fest closed beta. This is your chance to jumpstart your experience in Stormgate before the public gets in. You will also continue to have access after Steam Next Fest for the duration of the closed February beta, and during all future testing phases, including the first opportunity to playtest our third faction (later this year).

Not a Founder yet? You still have time to support the Stormgate Kickstarter. We’d love to have you with us throughout this exciting year!

The EGC Stormgate Open 2024: Esports Competition Begins

If you’re a Founder planning to get in early to hone your skills so that you can dominate on the ladder, you won’t have to wait long before you can test yourself with real stakes on the line.

We are excited to share that the EGC Stormgate Open will be your first opportunity to win money by playing Stormgate! With a whopping $10,000 prize pool, this event will be open to the public. While Stormgate is still relatively early in development, we're grateful to EGC for partnering with us on this Closed Beta tournament. Sign up (details to be announced soon) and be part of Stormgate esports history by participating in our first-ever prize tournament! Mark your calendars for Steam Next Fest and be there when the battle begins!

See you on the battlefield,

-Your friends at Frost Giant Studios

Added Japanese language.
Characters turn more smoothly when moving by jumping or swimming.
Some English scenes were not translated.
Added sun flare.
Added Pyro's voices.
Fixed serious bugs at the end of the game as well as minor bugs.

• Fixed a problem where some data was not being saved correctly
  
• Fixed an issue where the values of the sliders in the settings menu were not loading correctly
  
• Fixed problem where the laptop puzzle in the pig's room had more than one solution
  
• Added some improvements to the user interface

1. improved difficulty curve
   
2. improved visibility when using spiral strike ability
   
3. fixed issue where an incorrect stat would show for the void staff
   
4. fixed rare issue with map load stalling at black screen
   
5. fixed issue where dash direction was sometimes unreliable, now it's solid!
   
6. fix some gaps in hall of relics that allowed sneaky playtesters to clip through walls
   
7. various balancing improvements

All crash issues addressed:
BUG: cannot set speed to cheetah when in options menu
BUG: Background music now turns off when sound slider is all the way down
BUG: crash on load residual openssl removed from all parts of the project

After a long development, the first trailer is finally out! With this showcase, we wanted to give a feel of the game, and the direction of the storyline. The game is still worked on and there will be lots more of upcoming screenshots and trailers!

The footage was recorded in-game on PC. This is still a development stage footage.





Ordinary Beginnings

Embark on a journey with Ethan Nelson, an ordinary man leading a mundane life. Uncover hints of intrigue surrounding the old Stonevale Mines, a place shrouded in mystery.






Dimensional Odyssey

Enter the mines and discover the forgotten tales buried within. A mysterious portal propels Ethan to another dimension, where challenges are everywhere.

Traverse diverse landscapes—ancient temples, dense jungles, expansive deserts, and snow-capped peaks. Each step requires careful thought and strategic moves to overcome obstacles and unlock the mysteries of this otherworldly realm.









There is so much more to share but one post won't do. So make sure to check back for upcoming content and trailers!

You can also visit out YouTube and Discord channel where we will post exclusive development footage, as well as on Steam Announcements like this one.


Hope to see you soon!

- Mighty Mouse Games