Hello fellow delvers,

We are presenting a new major update "Nature and Death"! Try new battle strategies with new Druid and Necromancer classes, enjoy new companion models, gear item art and immersive voice acting of companions!

In addition to the Elementalist, you can now hire your mercenaries as Druids or Necromancers:

• Druids are the ultimate allies, wielding powerful healing magic and summoning mighty totems to aid their companions.
  
• Necromancers are sinister spellcasters that harness the power of death, using forbidden arts to control undead minions and unleash devastating curses upon their foes.

New professions share a skill tree but have different base stats and different skills. All three professions are designed in a way so any combination of professions in a group of 3 mercenaries has some interesting synergy.



Companion portraits and wearable gear items have new art now! Even more, the gear is visible on the mercenaries in battles and in the preview in worker manager, which got an interface overhaul as well.



Enjoy the update, and please report any bugs or suggestions in Discord!

The Roadmap includes updates completed from version 0.25 to the 0.3 EA version, as well as upcoming updates. More content is actively in development.


Update may vary and are subject to various factors. Your feedback is of great importance to us. Please feel free to leave your comments and suggestions in our Discord！

English localization is still in progress, and currently, the demo does not support English. We sincerely ask for your understanding and patience.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2716930/The_Emperor_and_State/

(Localization(UA)) Some names of the characters and NPCs have been corrected.
(Localization(UA)) Sound/text sync has been improved.
(Localization (UA)) Some typos in the dialogs have been fixed.

We express our thanks to KromSania and EMP for the proofreading and significant contribution to the improvement of Ukrainian localization!

Congratulations to the winners of the event!

RU server

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Hello players,

We are excited to bring you the latest updates from our first play test. Here are the detailed patch notes:

**Corrections:**
- Resolved issues with stun, paralysis, and freeze states.
- Fixed the bug causing negative life values.
- Corrected the unlimited dash exploit.
- Fixed issues with shields.
- Aligned the crosshair with the cursor correctly.
- Adjusted options settings: mouse sensitivity, and input management (movement, spells, jump, dash, etc).

**Optimizations:**
- Optimized Polemos: players should notice a significant reduction in lag thanks to the addition of numerous LODs.

**New Features:**
- Implemented automatic server relaunch.
- Added automatic return to the lobby.
- Introduced a hit marker sound when you strike an enemy.
- Added a sound marker for when you are hit by an enemy.
- Enhanced the cursor with an animation upon hit marker.
- Health bar now appears when an opponent is struck, disappearing after 3 seconds of inactivity.
- Shield bar appears when an opponent has a shield, disappearing when the shield is broken or expires.

Thank you for your continued support and feedback. Happy gaming!

CG

• Added the Golden Idol to the CG gallery

Engine

• Numerous optimizations

Grammar

• Fixed numerous Grammar mistakes
  
• Completely overhauled and rewrote the Lore books with better readability and grammar

Graphical

• Notifications about lore entries and such are now presented as popup notifications instead of regular messages

Input

• The game now detects usage of gamepad and shows gamepad icons when applicable

Overhaul

• The game has been remade from scratch to ensure better functionality and to eliminate all the issues.

Unity Version

• Updated to 2019.4.40

Hi everyone,

We just wanted to jump on here and let you know that our demo is back for the Steam Next Fest! We've been tweaking the demo and fixing bugs that have been spotted, but if you do notice anything that doesn't quite work right please do let us know. 🧡




Our demo lets you explore the first section of REKA, where you can venture out into the mysterious woodlands, meet the legendary witch, Baba Jaga, and begin to build and decorate your very own chicken-legged hut. 🐔

Having our demo live is always such an exciting experience for us as we love reading through your comments. To keep things all in one place and to make it a little easier for you, we wanted to cover off some questions we've seen popping up recently...


When is REKA launching?
Announced during the PC Gaming Show, our new trailer revealed that REKA is launching in August. This is a little later than we had originally planned, but we wanted to make sure we had enough time to polish our game and implement important feedback we received from our playtests. Thank you so much for your ongoing support, we can't wait to finally show you more of our game! 🍄

Will REKA have Steam Deck support?
We don't have official Steam Deck support yet, but this is something we are looking into for Early Access. We can't say for sure whether this is something we will have Day 1 for launch, but this is ideally what we are working towards.

Will there be voice acting?
Voice acting is not currently planned. We're always open to hearing community requests, however voice acting would be a pretty big one for us to do as a small indie studio. We've been focusing our efforts on the exploration and house-building aspects of REKA, and we hope that the world will still feel immersive without VO.

Can we stream the demo?
Yes, please feel free to make content from the demo. Unless it's a closed playtest, we're happy for you to stream our game. 🔮

There's optimisation issues with the demo, are these being fixed?
We're aware of the problems with optimisation, and thank you so much for flagging them! Optimisation is a big focus for us in the run up to launch, and our team is working hard to iron out these issues and make improvements.

Is the demo localised?
Our demo is not localised at the moment. We're still working through translations, and currently our demo is only playable in English. Very sorry if you're unable to play because of this.

What languages will REKA be localised in?
For Early Access, REKA will be playable in English, French, German, Spanish, Polish, Russian, and Ukrainian.

Will there be controller support?
Controller support is something we are working on, and ideally hoping to have ready for Early Access. We will keep you updated with our progress on this!



If you have any other questions, please do let us know and we'll do our best to answer. <3

Thanks so much for your continued support and we hope you enjoy the demo!

Minor bug fix

We're pleased to announce today's update! Thanks for waiting patiently. There are two major additions, a handy shortcut to Skirmish in the map editor, and a bunch of other improvements and fixes. Although there are no balance changes, we've got our eye on some for the next update. Stay tuned!


Knocked out of the game early? Assist your friends after you're eliminated with this new feature.

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To avoid people sitting out battles when they are taken out and keeping the fun rolling, we have added a new feature to allow you to join a teammate in their fort and carry on the battle. Using the above series of screenshots as an example, if you are manning the fort on the hill it will work like this:

1. Happily building, battling and causing rubble in your original starting fort.
   
2. Uh oh! Your reactor is destroyed, and you are left fort-less.
   
3. Click on a teammates fort and confirm your choice to join them in co-op.
   
4. Building, battling and causing rubble once more in your new home!

Off by default, to activate simply click the box marked Allow Co-op on Elimination in the Host Game/Lobby Settings screen.



New pause button (1) has been added to right-hand panel, with the help button (2) shifted to the left. The lobby host can now bring up the menu panel without pausing the game, but still pause (3) if necessary.

---

We often receive feedback about wanting to stop the game and look around without pressure. With this update you can pause independently from the menu using the new hotkey, defaulting to F4, or the pause button on the HUD. While paused you can pan and zoom, inspect the enemy, read the item and commander tooltips, and refine your strategy. During multiplayer the host can now access their options screen without pausing everyone else in the game.



Add: Co-op elimination - when players are defeated they can join another fort on their side
Add: Game can be paused with F4, HUD button, and observer button while scene can be navigated
Add: 'Save & Skirmish' shortcut from map editor to rapidly test the current mission
Add: (CastRay) RAY_EXCLUDE_BG_MATERIALS and RAY_DOORS_AS_CLOSED flags
Add: (CastRayFromDevice) RAY_INCLUDE_FRIENDLY_DOORS and RAY_DOORS_AS_CLOSED flags

Improve: (Lobby Select) layout adjusted to prevent overlap of controls in some languages
Improve: (Lobby Settings) Layout to improve alignment of controls
Improve: (Map Editor) Allow undo/redo when console is down
Improve: (SendScriptEvent) Lua errors are logged when executed on scripts
Improve: Added Avoid button to lobby "player has disconnected" message
Improve: Added option for Show Match Results In Replays, with the options Ask, Once Only, and Never
Improve: Added tips for propellers and smokestacks
Improve: Confirmation dialogue box when quitting lobby when clients are connected
Improve: Connection failure notices are shown in a message box instead of the console
Improve: Devices stop producing effects when disabled, turn off for an individual effect using StopWhileDisabled = false in their lua script
Improve: Options screen now uses a scrolling list
Improve: Overhauled credits screen to be a scrolling, centered list
Improve: PauseWithoutFocusSingleplayer setting can now be set on the options screen
Improve: Pausing the game is now decoupled from the pause menu in multiplayer
Improve: Prevented swastika symbols from showing in chat
Improve: Projectiles can reflect off shields with DestroyShield flag set and destroy them
Improve: Ranked season results are cached and display faster
Improve: Season list on the ranked screen is now scrolled to the end to show the current season
Improve: Skirmish configuration is saved between game sessions
Improve: Tooltips on lobby buttons

Fix: AI can undo strut deletion by deleting nodes consecutively
Fix: AI does not aim spotters before opening doors, causing desyncs
Fix: AI script ai/forts/hanging/long/fort-t1f1-TemplateHang-2.lua is unable to build or fire its lasers
Fix: Bad argument to AdjustMusicVolume error message at end of Quick Battle missions
Fix: Capture mode panel is not updating during instant replays
Fix: Console error and missing combined forces sprites in Motherlode mission
Fix: Crash after desync during LAN games
Fix: Crash in lobby when mods have long names
Fix: Crash when changing skins in the options screen
Fix: Crash when dofile is called at runtime
Fix: Crash when ShowResult script function is called in the map editor
Fix: Crash when using some terrain property keys with no terrain selected
Fix: Cutscene text is missing when missions are loaded via skirmish or replay
Fix: Devices explode when upgrade and destroy messages are received in the same frame
Fix: Devices marked for deletion are visible to scripts via DeviceExists, FindDeviceInstance, etc.
Fix: 'dofile' can load files outside of the game's file system
Fix: GetNextUpgradeStep doesn't work for 2-barreled deckguns
Fix: If players interrupt lobby connection, they can get in later through orange listing
Fix: Input outside the game window triggers game actions in borderless fullscreen mode
Fix: Joining 'Paused' label is missing from loading screen while the host has the game paused
Fix: Lobby mod list is too short for its background panel
Fix: Lobby remove mod buttons disabled for host after accepting remove mod suggestion
Fix: Mortars can shoot each other when fired in a group in TDM
Fix: Observer tools are visible after the game has ended
Fix: One end of a portal can be reversed when a connected strut breaks
Fix: Penetrating projectiles terminate unless the projectile has a penetrate effect with Terminate = false
Fix: Players can connect via a public listing after a match has started
Fix: Players can bring up the pause menu before the results screen and break the end game flow
Fix: Population caps can't be customized per side
Fix: Portal orientation is not affected by obstructing devices in Team Death Match
Fix: Pressing Escape or F1 when replay details menu is open doesn't close the menu
Fix: Propellers function out of water
Fix: Scripts can use dofile on inactive workshop items
Fix: Slave weapons can fire at illegal angles
Fix: Snipers don't open doors for target painting when 'Allow Target Self' is enabled
Fix: Terrain surfaces don't animate, e.g. hazard blocks and safe zones
Fix: The integer version of SimpleRandom::Range doesn't evenly distribute values
Fix: The Storm environment forces weather to be on (no change to The Gathering Storm Pt 1 mission)
Fix: Tool tips can be stuck on after game ends
Fix: Turbines and smoke stacks function under water
Fix: Upgrade icon is missing in TDM
Fix: When projectiles with DestroyShields flag penetrate the shield, the shield has zero hitpoints but is not destroyed

Remove: 2v2 from ranked match screen


Improve: Toggle show names (F6) applies to debug read out as well as on device selection
Improve: (Black Gold, Moonshot campaigns) Chinese translations

Fix: (Phantom) unable to move upgraded devices using the context menu
Fix: After failing ranked ping test, players don't attempt to connect to others
Fix: Connection and disconnection notices don't appear for players with chat bans
Fix: Crash in ranked after failing a ping test
Fix: Deselect hotkey is missing
Fix: Grouped weapons with different platform angles are unable to fire
Fix: Holes sometimes appear in cladding after breaks
Fix: Players with chat bans can be reported for chat related offenses
Fix: Reactor bars overlap the help panel
Fix: The Deselect and Pause (Escape) key can't be rebound
Fix: The pause (F4 and LCtrl + Space) keys can't be rebound

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If you haven't already, join our Forts Official Discord server to connect with other players, share strategies, create maps/mods, and receive advance notice of upcoming events.

Cheers,
EWG

Strinova Closed Beta Test: Quark is currently underway!
Let's check out this FAQ for some of your concerns.



How can I register for the test?
You can book a spot for the Strinova Quark Test by visiting our official website or Strinova's page on the Steam store.

Which regions is the registration open to?
The Strinova Quark Test is open to North America and Japan. The game matching will be divided by region, so you can choose based on your convenience.

Does registration guarantee a spot in the test?
Yes! However, there are some limitations on timing and participant count for the Quark Test. If the spots exceed capacity, you'll need to queue to play Strinova. It's first come, first served!

When is the test?
The test will take place from June 20 to June 30! There are time differences depending on your location. For instance, the test starts at 5 PM PDT (Pacific Daylight Time), 8 PM EDT (Eastern Daylight Time), and 10 AM in Japan. However, these times are approximate. Please wait patiently according to your local timezone!

How do I download the game after registering?
After pre-download begins, log in to the official Strinova website or visit Strinova's page on the Steam store to download the Strinova launcher.

How do I enter the game after downloading it?
On the Strinova launcher, click the registration button. After successfully registering, you will be able to log in to Strinova! Steam users need to register and bind their accounts on the Strinova launcher before entering the game. You won't need to re-bind for subsequent log-ins.

Will game data be wiped?
Yes, this is a free data-wiping test. The game will be wiped after the test, so no player data will be preserved during this period.

Is top-up available?
No, we're not planning to offer top-ups during this test. Since it's a free data-wiping test, all game data will be wiped after the test ends.

Are there any device requirements?
Yes, please see the image below for details.



Where can I ask questions or give feedback?
If you have any suggestions or feedback for Strinova, you can get help on our official Discord or X.

Official Discord: https://discord.com/invite/strinova

Official X: https://x.com/Strinova_EN