We're continuing our update streak for Legend of Crystal valley!

This time it's a big one: After many months of hard work, we're bringing English voiceovers to the game!
Originally, this game was released wihout any voiceovers because back then in 2009, we were a very small studio and just couldn't do it.
But today, things are very different and we feel an obligation to do right by the early games that launched our carrers in game development.

Though this game played fine without voices, we can all agree that voices make playing an adventure game a much more enjoyable experience.
The whole process was long and challenging but it was super-fun! We learned a lot and I think the end-result is quite nice!

We hope you give it a try and let us know what you think of the new addition.


This is not the end for Legend of Crystal Valley's 15th anniversary updates, oh no, not by a long shot! :)
Next on our agenda is bringing the game to MacOS and Linux! This will require some major changes in the game's engine though... We already have working prototypes so it's just a matter of doing the rest of the work and testing the game thoroughly. Stay tuned!

Hello Dear Players
The Demonsoft Games team is thrilled to finally share our first official announcement about the development of Eternity's Echo: Patient Zero! We've been quiet until now, but we're excited to let you know that we'll be communicating with you more frequently from this point forward.

Progress in Game Development
We've been working with great care and passion on Eternity's Echo: Patient Zero, and we've made significant progress so far. We're advancing steadily towards our goals, focusing intensely on the game world, story, gameplay mechanics, and graphics. Our team has meticulously crafted the core elements of the game, and we're pleased with how everything is coming together.

More Frequent Communication with the Community
Starting today, we'll be sharing updates about the game's development with you more frequently. Every week or two, we'll provide new updates and content to keep you informed about our progress. These updates will include details on different aspects of the game, gameplay videos, character introductions, and more.

Your Feedback Matters
Your support and feedback are incredibly valuable to us. We'll be working to make our game even better based on your thoughts and suggestions. So please don't hesitate to share your ideas with us. Your feedback will guide us as we continue to develop the game.

Upcoming Updates
In the coming days, we'll share more content and detailed information about the game's development process. In our initial updates, we'll provide more insights into the story, characters, and gameplay mechanics. Stay tuned and don't miss out on the latest developments in the creation of Eternity's Echo: Patient Zero!

Thank you for joining us on this exciting journey. We can't wait to bring you the best gaming experience possible and share this process with you.

The Demonsoft Games Team

Hey hey.

I'm still working on the feedback received from the demo last week.


One that stood out was regarding the movement of the pawns. My initial reaction was not to change what was already in place, as it seemed to me to be working just fine.


The way it worked was that the pawns would follow the exact same rules as classic chess, which is that they can only move forward. And the forward direction in the boards generated here was toward the edge of the tile that was the most facing the opposite end of the board. One drawback of that is that some tiles are placed in a way that makes it hard to see which edge it is. So I added arrows on every tile to show that direction.

It worked, but it also made the board visually cluttered. That's no good.


The suggestion that was brought up to resolve that is to make the pawns not move forward, but instead follow the track on which they start, similarly to a rook.

If that tracks reaches the opposite end of the board, it's great, the pawn can promote to a piece just fine. But if the track does not reach it, and instead reach the left or right side of the board, then the pawn can turn and follow the next track starting at that tile, until it can then reach the opposite end.


And if the pawn captures, it automatically changes track. Although that's where it can get ambiguous, as there can be multiple tracks it can follow. When that happens, the track that can reach the end with the least number of moves will be the one.

And there are actually cases those multiple tracks can reach in the end in the same number of moves. In those rare cases, the pawn will have a choice on which it can take when it moves.

Phew, it wasn't an easy update. But it should hopefully make more sense when you play it.


Now, it still isn't clear which direction pawns can move when you just look at the board. You still need arrows. But a good news is that we don't need arrows on every tile. We only need them where the pawns are.

So I've experimented with a few designs before settling down on one.

A first attempt was with an arrow that would be showing the direction from the pawn itself.



But that felt messy and hard to read. So maybe by adding a more pronounced arrow?



But no, it still feels untidy.

So I went back to the arrows we previously had everywhere, and simply used those.



This way, those arrows feel neatly tidy against the edge of the tile.


Another request was to have symmetric boards.

There was 2 reasons for this request:

- 1. to have boards that would not advantage one player over the other
- 2. to make prettier boards

Now, I still disagree with the first reason, as the features in our twisted boards do not necessarily give an advantage to one player more than the other. They can be used for both attack and defense, and therefore are great for both players.

But 2, I can agree to that, there is a pleasure in symmetry. And that by itself was a good enough reason to add.

So it's here, although it's not available in the demo just yet. You'll have to wait for the release. But here is how it will look:



That's it for now!

Hello Astro Hunters!🚀

We have great news for you - our FREE demo is now available during Steam Next Fest!
Jump in, become one of the Hunters, and be the best! The demo gameplay lasts two hours.⏰

• Undertake dangerous missions and challenge other players.
  
• You can join forces with other players, but be careful, hunting down other players to seize their valuable equipment is also an option!
  
• Collect resources - store them, sell for good money, or trade with other players.
  
• Craft new and better equipment.
  
• Gather a diverse range of weapons.
  
• Explore one of the planets with diverse landscapes, challenging enemies, and protected bases full of precious items.
  
• Beware of other players lurking on the planets for your loot!

Don't forget to add the game to your Wishlist!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2715910/Astro_Hunters_VR/

Please keep in mind that this is a demo version, not an open beta - we're still working on new features and improving existing gameplay. We wanted to give you a little glimpse of what this game will be about, and hear your feedback and thoughts as they are very valuable to us.

Share your thoughts with us and fill in the questionnaire:
https://forms.gle/JFUjunZ1nkoNsGPD9

Be a part of our amazing community and join our Discord !
There is a special channel dedicated to demo.📝

Follow us on our socials, to stay updated:
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Hey guys,

another build was rolled out, adding:

- new environment biome (crystalline), new caves,
- overhauled astro weapon visuals
- new music tracks by our music composer Tomas Oliva (he's done amazing work also for Urtuk)
- additions to geometry and physical behavior of some effects and abilities
- bugfixes

Please let us know if you enjoy the demo and what else we can improve and work on!

Thanks a lot!

David

A new adventure begins!

During Steam Next Fest, Mime from Arcadia Fallen: The Legend of the Spirit Alchemist will be playing the demo for Arcadia Fallen II.



Become a student at the magical Seven Winds Academy, and uncover its secrets.
Prep for finals, fall in love and maybe start a revolution...

Thanks to everyone who's joined the adventure, Arcadia Fallen II was funded on Kickstarter in less than 12 hours!! But we still need your help getting even more voice acting into the sequel, which is expected to be twice as long as the first game and we're still a ways off from securing the same budget we had for voice acting last time!

Join the adventure

Like many other promising indie developers, we weren't picked for any of the summer showcases and are bracing for a strong headwind going into the Steam Next Fest. Your support will help us get the best possible start to Steam Next Fest and get us through the most challenging part of our campaign, and you'll also have a chance to get a Mime Plushie of your own! ❤️

Cheers,
The Galdra Team

Hello, Overlords! The first update within the Anniversary Festival is coming next week, and it's time to tell you about what it's going to bring to the game. This update will be aimed at improving the player's experience from the main story, so most of the changes will affect it.

The story has been reworked. We've studied the user experience and changed the game's story and the tutorial to make the first introduction to the game more convenient and player-friendly. With the update, the story progress will be wiped for all players. But worry not - all your resources, buildings, empathy progression and girls will stay with you!

New empathy level and matriarchs' story expansion. All main matriarchs will receive a 5th empathy level and a corresponding memory scene, their personal stories will be expanded. Also, there'll be a new building added to the Overlord's castle called Shrine – you'll have to build it in order to get access to the matriarchs' memories.

Battle girls' equipment. We plan on making the battles in Overlewd more challenging and interesting. When this process is over, the Overlord's team will become more important. This means battle girls will be in dire need of some new equipment. With this update, each class will receive a unique set of armor, so all girls will now have 6 slots for equipment (5 armor pieces and a weapon), same as Overlord.

Nonlinearity in the main plot completion - each story chapter now has 2 side battles. These battles will be used for some additional quests and for navigating players through the story.

A Special monthly daily login calendar will be added to the game along with the update. It will contain a lot of juicy rewards, so be sure not to miss it!

Tokyo Babefest event will be prolonged for the duration of the Festival. We plan on working on it and implementing some changes with the third update.



Improvements:

• Girls' equipment and skills screen have been reworked to be more convenient for gearing and levelling up.
  
• Interface elements have been reviewed and changed to be more convenient for PC users.
  
• Notification markers have been reworked - they'll be much more useful and understandable for players.

Summons' and economy changes:

• Changes to the pre-battle team composition screen: you'll be able to change your team's equipment from there.
  
• Girls equipment will be added to the Overlord's equipment summon.
  
• Some of the basic summons for silver will be removed.
  
• Some of the characters and their animations have been reworked.
  
• Magic Spheres used for characters and equipment improvement have been added to the in-game shop, you'll be able to buy them with crystals.

Fixes:

• Notification markers will now correctly show you that you have new girls, equipment, available quests or rewards for them, etc.
  
• Some of the interface bugs are fixed.
  
• Completed and claimed quests will now drop to the bottom of the quest book.
  
• Equipment sorting is now fixed - items will be shown in order according to their rarity.

Hello survivors and engineers!

We are thrilled to announce our very first live-stream event on Steam! Get ready to dive deeper into the world of Heat Death: Survival Train as we bring you an official live playthrough of the demo and Q&A session.

• Live Gameplay: Watch us play the game and experience building a battle train with us!
  
• Q&A Session: Have burning questions about the game? Now's your chance to get them answered! Our team will be on hand to respond to your queries either live or in the chat!
  
• Community Interaction: This is a community event, and we want to hear from you! Share your thoughts, suggestions, and feedback in real-time.

• Tune in: Simply visit our game's Steam page at the scheduled time and join the stream.
  
• Follow us on Steam: Make sure you're following Heat Death: Survival Train on Steam to get notified when we go live.

Mark your calendars, prepare your questions, and join us for an interactive session.
See you soon!

We are thrilled to reveal a new gameplay trailer for Island of Winds! Prepare to be transported to 17th-century Iceland where monsters roam the land and magic fills the air. Journey through awe-inspiring locations steeped in Icelandic folklore and be immersed in an engrossing, rich story filled with adventure and intrigue.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=speHKQ_T4bE

A brand new gameplay trailer for Island of Winds premiered during the recent PC Gaming Show and reveals more of the protagonist Brynhildur, a member of the Balance Keepers who draws her magical power from the nature around her. Watch as Brynhildur embarks on a journey of danger and discovery and draws her magical powers from the natural world to face off against legendary creatures she encounters.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1689340/Island_of_Winds/

When her homestead is attacked and her mentor abducted, Brynhildur a Balance Keeper who draws magical power from the natural world must embark on an emotional journey of discovery to find him. Inspired by nature, folklore and history, Island of Winds is set in the awe-inspiring lands of a fantastical 17th-century Iceland, filled with extensive lore and intriguing puzzles, legendary creatures, spellcasting and a special focus on empathy encounters.

Today we’ll be showing you the interesting Namer 30, an Israeli armored personnel carrier developed on the Merkava chassis, coming to the top ranks of the Israeli ground tree as part of the Seek & Destroy major update!


Features:

• Deadly 30 mm cannon.
  
• Spike missiles!
  
• Decent protection.

Vehicle History
[expand type=details]
Up until the early 2000s, Israel’s primary APC was still the American-built M113 which first entered service in the early 1960s. Becoming increasingly clear that the vehicle was susceptible to the threats of the modern battlefield, engineers began work on developing a successor based on the Merkava tank. Following rapid development and successful testing, the Namer officially entered service with the IDF in 2008. In 2016, the Namer underwent an experimental modification which saw it outfitted with a remote controlled 30 mm turret and Spike missile launchers.
[/expand]


The Namer 30 will soon take up the place as the new top light vehicle available to the Israeli ground tree in the Seek & Destroy major update. Outfitted with highly potent weapons and offering great mobility, the Namer will greatly reinforce the top ranks and will help diversify ground lineups Let’s dive into the full details!




This experimental variant of the Namer first derived from exploring the concept of outfitting these vehicles with more powerful weapons, and as a result, this variant features a much different design compared to the others. When comparing to the Merkava though, instead of the high-caliber main tank gun, the Namer is outfitted with a remote-controlled 30 mm turret, possessing fantastic versatility thanks to its high rate of fire and excellent ballistic properties. Furthermore, there’s a pair of twin Spike launchers that greatly expand this vehicle’s anti-tank capability, allowing it to engage even heavily armored targets at a distance of up to 4 km!

Interesting: Because the Namer is based on the Merkava MBT, it features much better protection than most other IFVs.




You’ll most likely be familiar with IFVs in War Thunder, knowing that they all feature similar characteristics such as being light-weight and having good mobility. The Namer does also stick to this design philosophy to some extent, however due to it inheriting the Merkava’s chassis, it boasts significantly better protection than most other IFVs in the game. While this chassis doesn’t mean you’ll be speeding around like an R3, it does mean you’ll be able to survive extra shots, particularly from other IFVs and aircraft for example. This is thanks to the good positioning of vital modules and the crew behind the engine acting as a barrier to penetrating shots, plus using a remote-controlled turret, further lowering the exposure of crew members from incoming fire.

In your matches by Dmitry, Lead Game Designer: “On paper you have a rather strong hull for an IFV and an uninhabited turret with the well-known 30mm cannon, which is already familiar to many vehicles. On its BR, this cannon can penetrate some MBTs in the LFP, but almost always non-fatally. So don’t go head-on on MBTs, fire at them from afar with spikes, drive into the side of close targets, or don’t light up if both points are no longer feasible. Also try to hunt for other IFVs and SPAAs, and don't forget about scouting -- it helps your allies a lot.

Spike missiles are also well-known to players from such vehicles as Freccia, Vilkas, KF41. They can pleasantly surprise and bring an unexpected frag, but you can't rely on them. They fully support their name -- "fire and forget". I always joke about this: "shoot and forget about the missile", it doesn’t owe you anything, but it may accidentally bring you a reward. Also, don't forget that they reload quickly enough at the capture zone, and on open maps such vehicles become quite good defenders of points: with scouting, an autocannon effective in close combat, and "endless" RNG Spikes.”

That’s today’s blog wrapped! The Namer is going to prove to be a good addition to Israeli ground lineups, where you’ll be able to research and try it when it comes to the game in the Seek & Destroy major update. In the meantime, make sure to stay tuned to the news that we’re currently cooking so that you don’t miss out on what’s coming. Until then, have fun in your battles!