A new version of Magic Research 2, version 1.8.2, is now out for everyone. This update introduces a title screen and the capability to have multiple save slots. It also introduces experimental modding support (it is still a work in progress).

Full patch notes below.

• Add title screen
  
• Add capability to have multiple save slots
  
• Add experimental modding support. See the GitHub or the official Discord for more details.
  
• Input modal for numbers now shows the allowed range and starts empty
  
• Income estimate from channeling now considers Essence caps in its calculation
  
• Strategy tab in Exploration now remembers scroll position for the session
  
• Random "A Book of {element}" events will no longer be considered actionable if not enough Coins are held
  
• Change Rituals view so you no longer need to expand them to toggle them
  
• New Game +: Storyline Oracle Lv2 now starts with "Simultaneous Channeling"; Storyline Oracle Lv5 now starts with "All the Elements"
  
• Quickbar action hotkeys should now work correctly and can be used even if the Quickbar tab is not open (as long as the Exploration screen is being shown)
  
• Action buttons should now span multiple lines, solving display issues mainly with translations
  
• Study is no longer badged when all elements are maxed out
  
• Fix bug where Mountain Grapes were not respecting the HP healing configuration
  
• Fix item "Dispelling Salve" incorrectly clearing effects of "Soak" and "Soar"
  
• Fix caching issue related to spell "Monstrous"
  
• Other minor fixes

As described above, version 1.8.2 introduces experimental modding support. If you are able to code, you can create mods that change various aspects of the game, add content, and so on. There is an SDK available. It is still extremely early, so I'm still working on the development experience, both by improving the documentation and by making the SDK better overall.

Steam Workshop integration is planned, but it still needs some more work and testing.

I fixed a bug that was preventing players from casting there spells using the keyboard.

A ghastly replica of a cursed ship moans within a bottle. Attached to the neck is a jovial tag that reads ‘Open me! :)’

What could possibly go wrong? Just stand out of the way when the cork pops and a spurt of skulls shoots out. How old is this thing?






The one ring to rule them... No, wrong franchise. How comfortable this peculiar ring feels on your finger… But of course, it’s just an ordinary ring that turns you invisible. The pirates have discovered nineteen similar bands in a dormant volcano, so they can’t be that precious.






Did you know, the concept of personal space was invented as a revolt against ‘The Anchor’? So the Golden Age of Pirates had positive societal impact, not just heinous plundering. Thank You very much.






Everyone knows not to engage with strange buckets in dark alleys. After a night of rum-guzzling, many drunken fellows have reached down to investigate and have woken up the next day with tiny teeth marks all over their face. The vague memory of screaming ‘Piranh-AAAA!’ sits snug with a blasted headache.

- Redemption achievement now more achievable (upgraded from nearly impossible to quite tricky)

Quality of Life:
- added backgrounds behind enemy icons in the codex to make them more visible
- Slightly adjusted Depth of Field on main menu to decrease the blur on 4k monitors

Balance:
- Arcane Tank: Counter Chance 15% -> 25%
- Arcane Tank: Block Chance 10% -> 15%
- Barrier Ship: Block Chance 10% -> 15%

*Dev note: Tier 2 bosses felt just a little bit weak compared to the other tiers. Slightly increasing their defenses and keeping an eye on how that goes.

- Cannon Tower's mana ability now deals 150% damage, down from 200%
- Cannon Tower's level 10 ability now increased damage by 2 for each critical hit, up from 1.

*Dev note: the level 5 ability was a bit too strong for a tier 1 tower, but some of that power is now shifted to the level 10 ability which felt underwhelming

Bug Fixes:
- Amplify Power now gives details about Empower instead of Swiftness
- Time Power now gives details about Swiftness instead of Empower
- Jar of Mushroom Gel rank 3 now correctly refers to Mana Lock
- Fixed the conversion panel in the blacksmith missing in act 1 in Adventure
- Fixed conversion panel in blacksmith showing up at level 3 incorrectly
- Fixed an issue with the Titanium Warhammer item giving way too much critical damage
- Fixed Calibration relic not working with classes other than Guardian
- Fixed Corrupt perk reward giving too many choices
- Fixed Victory Points total on reward screen missing on Easy difficulty in Mastery Mode
- Fixed screen shake option not applying to boss death
- Fixed powers earned by the Carnival still appearing in Power Rewards
- Fixed purchasing Tier 3 item slot 3 in the blacksmith
- Added a check for missing nodes in Adventure mode which chooses new ones if none are there
- Fixed Ambush relic not working in Act 2 and 3
- Fixed Thunderstorm relic not working in Act 2 and 3
- Fixed Alternate Medium difficulty not giving you a new lane on wave 11
- Fixed unlocking Knowledge in Mastery Mode incorrectly making Flash Sale available for purchase
- Fixed Energy Saving Mode corrupt perk not allowing you to build lightning towers when at zero electricity
- Fixed Mastery Mode Mage Tower nodes appearing unpurchased when selecting them after they were purchased
- Fixed Beacon challenges incorrectly activating in Mastery Mode
- Fixed Powered Up challenge incorrectly activating in Adventure Mode
- Fixed stat increases for Cotton Seeds rank 3
- Fixed stat increases for Wheat Seeds rank 3
- Fixed Expertise Tech node in Mastery Mode incorrectly being tied to the wrong upgrade

Other:
- Changed descriptions of class unlocks to use more consistent terms
- Changed description of Harmony, Power Grid, and Lightning Rod perks for more clarity
- Changed description of the Augments Relic to clarify that it only affects tier 1 through 4 towers

-Updated all shaders to aid OpenGL compatibility

● Can now use Power when outside the track
● Improved Ball Editor Lighting
● Can now turn off Auto Rotation in the Ball Editor
● Reworked Lighting in All Levels
● Increased amount of entries displayed in the Leaderboard

Nestled on a mysterious and vibrant Planet Muggo, lived a unique and enduring race known as the Muggos. These small alien beings, standing merely 12 inches tall, possessed an extraordinary trait: immortality. Their distinctive physical features were perfectly adapted to their environment, allowing them to thrive on their home planet.

Oversized Head: The Muggos are characterized by their oversized heads, which house a highly developed brain. This evolutionary adaptation allows them to process information quickly and efficiently, making them exceptionally intelligent and intuitive. The large head also provides space for their specialized visual organs, enabling their remarkable night vision.

No Nose, Mouth, or Ears: Muggos lack the traditional sensory organs of other species, such as noses, mouths, and ears. Instead, they communicate through a complex system of body language and telepathy, which is perfectly suited to their communal lifestyle. The absence of a mouth means they do not consume food in the conventional sense; instead, they absorb nutrients directly through their skin, drawing sustenance from the rich, nutrient-laden atmosphere of Planet Muggo.

Lanky Arms: The Muggos have long, lanky arms that are incredibly flexible and dexterous. These arms are essential for their daily activities, allowing them to manipulate their environment with precision. Whether constructing elaborate structures or crafting intricate tools, their arms provide the necessary range of motion and finesse.

Feet Without Legs: Muggos move using feet directly attached to their bodies, without the need for legs. This adaptation allows them to glide smoothly over the soft, gelatinous surface of their planet. Their feet are equipped with a glue like substance, providing stability and grip on the varied terrain of Planet Muggo.

Pot Belly Filled with Goo: The most striking feature of the Muggos is their pot belly, filled with a jelly-like substance. This substance is central to their immortality, serving as both a nutrient reserve and a mechanism for regeneration. When a Muggo is injured, they explode into this jelly, which quickly reforms into their original shape, allowing them to survive even the most catastrophic events. The pot belly also serves as a storage area for absorbed nutrients, providing energy and sustenance over long periods.

The Muggos' unique features are a result of millennia of evolution on Planet Muggo, where the environment shaped their development in several ways:

Adaptation to the Gelatinous Terrain: The absence of legs and the presence of suction pad-equipped feet enable Muggos to navigate the soft, gelatinous terrain of their planet efficiently. This unique mode of movement allows them to travel smoothly over diverse surfaces, enhancing their ability to explore and interact with their surroundings.

Regeneration as a Survival Mechanism: The ability to explode into a jelly-like substance and reform is a critical survival adaptation, providing the Muggos with resilience against environmental hazards and predators. This regeneration process, coupled with their immortality, allows them to live extended lives, accumulating experiences and wisdom over time.

The Muggos are a testament to the power of evolution and adaptation. Their unique physiology, tailored to the specific conditions of Planet Muggo, allows them to thrive in an environment that might be inhospitable to other species. Through their specialized traits, the Muggos exemplify the harmony between form and function, showcasing the diverse possibilities of life in the galaxy.

The history of the Muggos stretches back millennia to a time when their planet was a chaotic and untamed wilderness. Legend has it that the Muggos emerged from the fertile soil of Planet Muggo, born from the fusion of cosmic energies and the planet’s rich resources. Initially, they were solitary creatures, living in isolation amidst the dense jungles and towering mountains. These early Muggos relied on their ability to reform to survive the harsh conditions and frequent natural disasters that plagued their world.

In those primitive times, a simple stumble or an unexpected fall would send a Muggo into a splatter of jelly-like goo, only to see them reform moments later, slightly older and wiser from the incident. They saw these mishaps not as setbacks but as integral parts of their evolution, learning and adapting with each reformation.

Over centuries, the Muggos evolved from simple survivalists to a sophisticated society. This period, known as the Age of Enlightenment, marked a significant turning point in their history. It was during this time that the Muggos began to understand the value of their immortality and the potential of their unique abilities.

The Muggos discovered that their regeneration was not just a survival mechanism but a pathway to enlightenment. Each jelly-like splatter and subsequent reformation brought new insights and wisdom. They began to view their injuries as opportunities for growth, learning from each experience, and passing their knowledge to the next generation.

This newfound understanding led to the development of a structured society. The Muggos organized themselves into various groups known as "Mugg Clubs." Each Mugg Club was formed around common interests, skills, or goals, with some focused on exploration, others on technology, and still others on art and culture.

With unity came progress. The Muggos embarked on a technological revolution, harnessing the energy of their planet to develop innovative tools and machines. They built intricate cities and infrastructure, transforming their world into a thriving hub of activity and innovation.

The Muggos' unique ability to see in the dark allowed them to explore the hidden depths of their planet, uncovering valuable resources and ancient secrets. They developed advanced technologies to harness these resources, improving their quality of life and expanding their understanding of the universe.

Island Map added to generated map list in Hard Difficulty and Above.

and PhotoMode [F3] : Still work in progress.

Content update #3 is here! We had originally planned to release it in July, but both of us got sick, causing a bit of a delay. It's here now, and we hope you have fun with it!

In this update there is a new type of co-op challenge map called Guardians of Ruhnu!

Defend the small island of Ruhnu from attacks landing in waves using only your hero. There are rumors of bear sightings. Recommended to play in a group.

This map is what you could call an RPG mode: there is no basebuilding and you do not control worshippers. You start with only your hero and have a slightly modified ability roster to fit this gameplay style. Try to survive 30 waves of enemies while defending the people and buildings of Ruhnu. This mode is best enjoyed together with friends, but play nice and share the resource pickups that spawn on the map. There’s also 2 glyphs to find that should help you complete the map.




This map also comes with 2 achievements.




As always, there’s a whole bunch of tweaks and fixes based on community feedback.

Features:

• New achievement for completing Guardians of Ruhnu on insane difficulty.
  
• New achievement for recruiting the bear on Ruhnu island.
  
• New glyph: Affixed, reduces respawn time of heroes by 30 seconds.
  
• New glyph: Summon Bear, allows summoning of a bear for a food cost.
  
• There can now be zones that deny enemy godpowers. The shrine has a godpower denial zone to prevent players from just nuking the enemy shrine off the map.
  
• The Raider torch throw now has a custom throw animation.
  
• A new upgrade for Saule can be made in the Gathering Hut, granting +1 yield on Gathering Huts and Farmsteads.
  
• Tweaked some player colors slightly to be more distinct from each other.
  
• There is now a message when a player is sent resources from another player.

Fixes:

• Snapping logic has been rewritten, fixing abilities ending up under bridges, and other height related issues such as floating cows.
  
• Flooding Light no longer multiplies its effect per unit in the target area. To compensate, the heal has been upped to 400 health.
  
• Demolishing an unbuilt building no longer leaves a build denial area.
  
• Hard disabled start button for campaign once launched to avoid double spawning heroes.
  
• Sharpened Weapons description fixed.
  
• White Zaltys no longer multiplies its effect per unit in the target area, numbers have been adjusted to match.
  
• Converted units should now be removed from active selections.
  
• Pickups can no longer be picked up by 2 heroes at the same time.
  
• Atonement no longer locks other friendly units in place other than the exploding target.
  
• Teammate glyphs are now below the portrait instead of next to it.
  
• Friendly fire warnings now also display in the divine skilltree and lobby inspector.
  
• Picking random in the lobby now shows a question mark instead of the faction symbol.
  
• Added anti-stuck behavior for building/garrison assignment.
  
• Ranged units no longer run to their max range when not having a standing position.
  
• Ausrine’s Stunning Lights sound effect now responds to SFX sound levels.
  
• Fixed Pukis’ double stacking of power from loot.
  
• Rejuvenate no longer stacks per unit and has been adjusted accordingly.
  
• Reworked damage PFX system (buildings on fire) to not have a huge drain on memory.
  
• Fixed a bunch of high memory intensive assets.
  
• Skybull attack can no longer be interrupted to reset cooldown.
  
• Skybull attack damage should be now aligned with the animation.

Campaign:

• Fixed an issue where you would win Journey from Dausos after losing.
  
• Journey from Dausos normal/easy difficulty waves have been made easier.
  
• In Bishop's Bane Ausrine no longer starts at level 3.
  
• Made slight tweaks to colors of Ausrine and Meness to separate their colors more for readability.
  
• Ausrine has been given shoes to match the visual of the campaign intro cinematic. Saule, this is what happens when you don’t give your servants any shoes.
  
• In Journey from Dausos, the popup of low food has been disabled as it was unnecessary.

Balance:

• Righteous Fury, Michael’s flame sword upgrade, does damage in a cone again. Michael stans rejoice.
  
• Moon Calendar cost reduced from 500 to 300 faith.
  
• Wolfblades cost reduced from 400 to 250 gold.
  
• Solstice Celebration cost reduced from 500 to 300 gold.
  
• Pukis fire damage has been upped while the cooldown has been increased as well.
  
• Baltic tower cost now increased to better match the cost of Order towers.
  
• Farmstead cost -100 wood.
  
• Order farm cost -40 wood.
  
• Barn cost -50 wood.
  
• Michael T2 wood cost -100 wood.
  
• Castle -1000 HP.
  
• Auseklis upgrade +10 HP.
  
• Tribesman cost -10 food.
  
• Werewolves cost +10 food.
  
• Werewolves -10 HP.
  
• Marauder cost +10 food +10 wealth.
  
• Marauder axe throw -5 dmg.
  
• Marauder axe throw range -1.
  
• Marauder throw cooldown +4.
  
• Tracker cost +5 wealth -10 faith.
  
• Nurse/Herbalist speed set to 4.5.
  
• Herbalist/Nurse range from 15 to 18, while search range has been lowered to 15.
  
• Solar Stardaughters flight ability can now be toggled off.
  
• Halberd of Zeal now requires church instead of blacksmith.
  
• Skirmisher +10 HP.
  
• Skirmisher throws faster.
  
• Cleansing Flame cost lowered to 150.
  
• Enthralling hearts cooldown to 60 instead of 90.
  
• Enthralling hearts faith upkeep from 2 to 3.
  
• Summon Shadow Wolves cooldown from 20 to 30.
  
• Raider throwing nets are now togglable and can be manually casted.
  
• Warrior cost -30 wealth +20 food.
  
• Celestial Hold cost changed to 300 wealth.
  
• Wolf Warrior speed set to 5.5.
  
• Spigana speed set to 4.5.
  
• Bear Shield cost 250 to 200 wealth.
  
• Recurve Bow cost from 250 to 200 wealth.
  
• Ranger shooting animation speed increased.
  
• Witch XP set to 10.
  
• Witch +10 HP.
  
• Warrior XP set to 20.
  
• Warrior Hall set to 75 construction time.
  
• Witch creation time from 30 to 20.
  
• Witch range from 10 to 12.
  
• Footman cost set to 110 food and 50 wealth.
  
• Blanket of Stars cost from 300 to 100.
  
• Absolution now requires blacksmith instead of T3.
  
• Guarded Throw cost from 250 to 200.
  
• Amber Encrusted time from 120 to 60.
  
• Knight base damage from 30 to 34.
  
• Solar Fury +200 damage.
  
• Michael +200 HP.
  
• Cost of all walls has been reduced.
  
• Rebuke now also stuns for 2 seconds after exploding.
  
• Rebuke cost reduced from 250 to 100.
  
• Atonement now has a small faith cost.
  
• Valka slight rebalance of resources.

We have a whole lot more features and tweaks on the list, but it’s a really big list and it takes time to go through it so please bear (heh) with us. As for future content, we expect the announcement of the next Order hero to be coming very soon, keep an eye out.


On the Discord a community organized friendly 2v2 tournament just concluded with team Krutie Bobri (Caligula and Bezo16) taking first place!
If you would like to join the community, find some players for the new co-op map or give us some feedback, join the official Discord: https://discord.gg/r2qBuBXfVc