Hey residents!

The winners of the Adventurer challenge are now available in the Community Store! 🤗

Next theme: Mythological!
Deadline: 1st February



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This update is very small.

• Fixed Main Menu buttons not working

Grim Misadventures here with another peek behind the proverbial curtain. Last time, we introduced some of the unyielding denizens of the bitter Asterkarn cold.

Today, we are going to get a little technical as we preview some of the exciting looks you will soon be able to add to your swank collection of illusions with the upcoming Loyalist Item Pack 3. We were not sure the third pack would ever see the light of day, but then again we did not think there would be a third expansion either back then. By extremely popular demand, what you are about to see is all your fault!

Take a look!



Embody the divine visage of the gods with Loyalist Item Pack 3, coming this February!

Greetings,

As we begin 2024, the team continues to work diligently on updating and building out towards release later this year. Today, we're excited to share a work-in-progress update on our upcoming game's combat HUD and UI. Redesigning the combat HUD has been on the radar for quite some time. We’ve wanted the HUD to improve in two major aspects: readability and visual clutter. Our battles have a lot of info going on with things like the cards, ranges, enemies targeting abilities, status effects, movement, health, and defenses. Our goal was to make all of this information available without making the battlefield a collage of icons flying around, especially when facing lots of enemies. The information has to be clear and accessible, but not overpowering.

First, here is a UX/UI Mockup and guide of the new system and the information that will be shown throughout the update iterations.



First Iteration:

We explored the possibility of using shaped icons for Armor and Evasion indicators instead of colored circles. We also considered hiding unused slots for status effects. There are a total of 8 slots to distribute among passives/traits and status effects, so in this iteration, we looked into the placement of unit names, shortening the HP bar, and adding a Cover HP counter.



Second Iteration:

Here, we addressed the display of Movement Points (MP) with more segmented visuals. We can show as many segments as MP the unit has (if it's just 1, then it will look like a semi-circle). We introduced icons for Armor and Evasion while experimenting with the order of the defense indicators. Lastly, we explored different options for visualizing unit movement, enemy intent, and stun status.



Third Iteration:

We aimed to incorporate more variations to illustrate how the HUD would appear in different states. Things to look at here include Squig, who has expended movement for the turn, Agama showcasing a complete HUD, and Norton portraying the appearance when a player focuses on a character – in this scenario, the HUD takes precedence over all other units.

One challenge encountered pertained to Traits, particularly in Norton's illustration. A suggestion we had internally was having Statuses and Traits share the same space, alternating at a fixed interval, and freezing when the player places focus on them. In this envisioned scenario, Norton could display "Charge" as his trait. Addressing feedback from the team, we realized that we had too many colors. To streamline and enhance visual clarity, a proposal was made to reduce the number of colors, especially since shapes will be introduced in the statuses. Using shapes rather than an extensive color palette should simplify the distinction between different statuses.



Fourth Iteration:

In the standard UI state, Norton is the highlighted unit, causing his HUD to take precedence over all other units while being hovered upon. By default, HP numbers are not displayed and only appear when hovering over the unit. HP bars now feature segments, reminiscent of those in League of Legends, where each segment represents 5 HP. This visual enhancement provides a quick assessment of units' HP status. Hovering over the bars reveals the exact HP number.

Notable changes include an increase in size for Armor and Evasion counters, along with the addition of a background to the icons, this is helping to separate them from the battlefield. Stack numbers in statuses/traits are now larger, and HUDs have been extended slightly to improve spacing between icons. Traits and Statuses continue to cycle at a fixed interval below the HP bar.

A consideration regarding freezing traits/statuses when hovering over a unit, given the existence of the inspect window for closer examination. With tooltips accessible from the inspect window, this becomes a point of discussion. An example featuring a stunned unit is provided, indicated in the Enemy Intent part of the HUD.



Some additional QoL points: The color for movement points has been adjusted for clarity. The Energy Counter has been changed to align aesthetically with the End Turn button for consistency. A vignette effect at the bottom of the screen has been added to enhance separation between the UI and the background, improving readability. A prompt to open the inspect window is now present over the deck indicator. Cover HP indicators have been reduced to match Armor indicators for consistency, as both operate similarly (covers use armor to set the number of hits they can take).

From the previous state, pressing 'Q' or the corresponding button on the controller initiates the opening of the inspect window. This version does not represent Norton's current state but provides an overview of how a complete inspect window could look. When the inspect window is open, players can browse different items within it. When hovering over items in the inspect window a tooltip display appears next to it.



An example is provided for an enemy inspect window, featuring an additional field between Block and MP to show Intent. For characters, this space remains empty unless the character is stunned, considering the potential shift from a Status Effect display. Empty elements, such as traits, persist in the window rather than disappearing. Movement is displayed as greyed out when a unit is unable to move due to stun or when a character expends all movement. In the given example, as the enemy is the focus, Norton's HUD is rendered behind Agama.

Conclusion

Thanks to Felipe and the team for providing the update on the UI and Combat HUD. As we inch closer to the completion of this combat HUD and UI overhaul, the team cannot wait for you all to experience the world they’ve been hard at work on. We would love to hear your thoughts on the UI and HUD updates, please let us know if you have any feedback on what we’ve built so far.

Stay tuned for more developer updates as the year goes on and thank you all for your continued support!

- Rob

ːsteamthumbsupːTwitter

We seem to be all set with our demo ready just in time for the upcoming Steam Next Fest!
Give it a try February 5th to get a taste for the game before launch!

We will likely keep the demo up after the event as well, for those unsure about jumping in on an Early Access title trying a demo is a great way to hook you in figure out if the experience is something you want to play more of immediately or wait until it's finished.

The demo will have the first two gauntlets in the first arena, a fraction of the content we want to add to the full game but a good preview of how the main mechanics feel playing as Gear Guy.

Besides the demo coming out, we will also be announcing the official release date for Early Access soon. We've already mentioned March as the goal, and as we close in on that it becomes more and more realistic! Stay tuned, these will be an exciting two months for us!

Don't forget we also have a Discord server if you want to stay up to date or ask questions.

The date is finally set! We're really excited to announce that our crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter is launching in 10 days, on February 1st!

Make sure to follow our pre-launch page on Kickstarter so you don't miss the launch!


Nico & Pineapple Works

We have been working very hard over the last few months to bring you this unique narrative thriller game. The demo is a taste of what is in store for you. Go play it now, Wishlist and provide a review We really really appreciate your support and feedback. Let's make this a great game together.

Albion's vast open world is made up of hundreds of zones spanning five different biomes across two massive continents. It can all be a bit overwhelming, so we'll break it down with the following sections:

• The Five Biomes
• The Two Continents
• Albion's Cities
• Getting Around

Albion's open-world zones fall under one of five biomes – Steppe, Forest, Swamp, Mountain, or Highlands – which determine which resources and creatures it contains. In addition to their own distinct visuals and terrain, each biome contains three of the five major natural resources:

• Steppe: hide, fiber, ore
• Forest: wood, hide, stone
• Swamp: fiber, wood, hide
• Mountain: ore, stone, fiber
• Highlands: wood, stone, ore
• Fish can be found in all five biomes

While the entire Royal Continent is divided evenly into five massive biome regions, the Outlands, in contrast, has biome "sub-regions" that change often from zone to zone. Each of the major biome zones on the Royal Continent has its own corresponding Starter Town and Royal City, with Caerleon at the center [/url]and not associated with any one biome.



After you finish the tutorial (which takes place on its own separate mini-island), you'll be transported to the Royal Continent to start your adventure. The Royal Continent is Albion's massive southern landmass, and is home to the game's five Starter Towns (where you'll first land after the tutorial) and the six Royal Cities.

The Royal Continent contains blue, yellow, and red zones, but no black zones (see Zones and Flagging for more info). Thus, while full-loot PvP is possible, the 100% unflagged, always-hostile black-zone PvP is limited to the Outlands.

The Outlands is Albion's major northern landmass, accessed from the Royal Continent via five Realmgates in each of the five Royal Cities. All zones in the Outlands are black zones, meaning "winner takes all" rules apply, and any player can attack any other player with no reputation loss. The Outlands are where much of Albion's guild warfare takes place, with guilds battling over territories and placing Hideouts. 


The open world of Albion includes realms that exist on alternate planes outside of mapped regions. These realms are unstable, and feature unpredictable zone connections, group size limitations, and varying entry/exit conditions.

Roads of Avalon: The Roads of Avalon are a network of hundreds of regions, accessed via portals that open at random throughout the open world. Once inside, Black Zone PvP rules apply and any portal found could lead to any part of Albion's open world – or further into the Roads – with no connection being permanent.

The Mists: A magical region that can be entered through short-lived portals. These areas do not correspond to any particular biome and can contain all resources. You can also find one-way connections to different parts of the world or a portal to the City in the Mists: Brecilien. The Mists also feature unique creatures found nowhere else, which have a chance to drop rare and valuable artifacts when defeated.

Starter Towns: Each major biome region on the Royal Continent is home to one of five "Starter Towns": Steppe Cross, Mountain Cross, Swamp Cross, Forest Cross, and Highlands Cross. These towns offer basic marketplaces and crafting/refining stations for players who are just starting out.



Royal Cities: Each of the five Royal Continent biome regions also corresponds to a Royal City:

• Lymhurst (Forest)
• Bridgewatch (Steppe)
• Fort Sterling (Mountain)
• Martlock (Highlands)
• Thetford (Swamp)

A sixth city, Caerleon, sits at the center of the Royal Continent.

In addition to their own unique crafting and refining bonuses, the Royal Cities offer plots of land for sale, access to private and guild islands, local player-run marketplaces, the chance to join the city's Faction and fight in Albion's Faction Warfare system, and (with the exception of Caerleon) Realmgate access to the Outlands.

[/url]Rests (Outlands Towns): While the Outlands are generally wild and hostile, three small towns called Rests – Merlyn's Rest, Morgana's Rest, and Arthur's Rest – offer a chance to buy and sell goods, craft items, refine resources, and log off safely in the midst of Albion's most dangerous zones.


On foot or mounted: The best way to see what Albion has to offer is to simply head out into the world, either on foot or on a trusty mount. Whether you have a destination in mind, or are just exploring, you're sure to encounter something new each time you set out. You'll generally want to bring a mount along for the added speed and carry weight they offer.

Fast travel: In Albion, fast travel is limited to specific destinations, and can only be initiated via the Travel Planner or Island Merchant NPCs. As trade and transport are essential parts of Albion's economy, fast travel to most destinations is only free when your inventory is completely empty, and becomes dramatically more expensive with each additional item.

Realmgates & Portal Towns: Each of the five Royal Cities has a Realmgate leading to a Portal Town that shares a Marketplace and a Bank with its corresponding city. These each then lead into a different part of the Outlands.

Over the past few weeks, the community on Discord has worked hard to ship this new Localization Update so that as many people as possible can enjoy Bio Inc in their native language!

So today, we are pleased to release the update for the following languages:

• Slovak – Made by @juurty (Discord)
  
• Simplified Chinese - Made by @irregularnumber_37995 (Discord)
  
• Turkish – Made by @fungusgenerator (Discord)
  
• Polish – Made by @jalapeno2137 (Discord)

If you want to help/contribute to these localizations or create new ones, please join our team of collaborators on Discord!

Special thanks to @juurty (Discord) who organized all of this and who is maintaining our Discord Community like a champ!!

Thanks all, Happy Bio Inc!