THE DAY IS HERE!! After 5 years of working nights and weekends, Pro Philosopher 2 is finally live. Anime Locke, Machiavelli, Confucius and Marx have been eager to challenge each and every one of you, as have all the other characters we have yet to reveal. I trust you'll give them a good (verbal) fight.

To celebrate the big day, we've made a new trailer! And it's easily our most unique yet. When you publish your own indie game, no one can stop you from making a music video:



We had a blast putting this together! And if you got the words "Pro Philosopher 2" stuck in your head, well, that's kinda the point. Thanks to our composer Matt Klingensmith, our sound designer Chris Burgess, and singer DNCrystal for helping us produce something special.



Speaking of music, this trailer track will serve as the final cherry on top of the official Pro Philosopher 2 Soundtrack. While it's not available just yet, the soundtrack will contain high-quality renders of every musical track in the game. And there is QUITE A BIT of music in Pro Philosopher 2; at least twice as much as the original game. Everything from character themes to tonal pieces; just what you need for a hard day of philosophizing. Keep an eye out for its release in the coming weeks!

Check out the page here.



I really cannot overemphasize just how excited and grateful we are that you all took an interest in this game. "Philosophy Debating Sim" isn't the most marketable of concepts, but if the original Socrates Jones showed us anything, it's that there are a bunch of wierdos, just like us, who are hungry to engage empathetically with fascinating ideas and with one another.

We'll be paying close attention to feedback over the next few weeks, and we have a few more events planned where you'll be able to interact with the devs. So join the discussion on Discord or here on the Steam forums to stay in the loop!

Happy Philosophizing,
Connor

1. Added Gristers - a new rare mercenary, and the third property of Flour product (must see!)
2. Due to a bug, ambushes did not appear in the game as they should. Now they do, and you will have to take them into account. Ambushes begin to appear at road danger level 5 and higher (and not as it was before, after many reworks, at road danger 15 and higher).
3. Enemies from an ambush will appear with a fully recharged attack.
4. The property of the Gray Wolf Skin product, which ensures an encounter with a full pack of wolves, is now generated as an additional combat encounter on the road, and not as a replacement for an existing one.
5. Thanks (huh?) to the changes above, the maximum number of mandatory combat encounters (excluding additional modifiers) is ALWAYS equal to two (just like ppl write in some reviews!).
6. Nerf: Now escaping from a road costs money (usually small, but money).
7. Buff: Now it is cheaper to negotiate with the enemy squad at later stages (amount is limited to 500, but you're unlikely to need that.)
8. Additional road from Fishpool to Fortsville (so as not to interrupt Dealer's bonus)
9. New location in the snowy region - Sheepington and a new epic mercenary - Defender Sheep. There are few quests in the location, since it requires other locations that are in development. Therefore, the secret of the settlement remains a secret for now.

10. The ability "Order: Protect" has been significantly weakened, since it gives a 90% chance of intercepting a blow / Redirect, which is twice as much as any mercenary-defender. 40% from 60%, and 60% from 90% when improved. The healing effect from "Order: Protect" remained the same.
11. Additional mechanics for selling goods that are not needed by NPCs - Pitching. Now you can try to sell any goods (not scrolls, not food) to a merchant, get the full price for the goods, bonus reputation. But there is a risk that the merchant will stop trading with you until the next restock (the numbers are displayed in the interface).
12. Hidden from players modification: additional mercenary upgrade slots. Technically, mercenaries can have a scroll and food, so two slots. We added 8 more slots for mercenaries (your saves will be modified accordingly). This will allow us to add additional boosts of different types for mercenaries in the future. On the negative side, although we tested everything in the beta branch, this may break something in the game. I hope not.
13. Regarding localizations: All localizations, except Russian and English, are made by third parties (fan-made). Therefore, there are no guarantees that these localizations will always be and will be updated with each patch (of the current localizations, this applies to Turkish and Korean). The fact that the localizations are fan-made is indicated on the game page. This patch content only supports Russian, English, and Chinese (simplified) for now.

Null is heading down under! We’re bringing Demon Spore to sunny Australia, and will be in attendance at SXSW Sydney from October 16th to the 20th. If you’re interested in catching some Demon Spore and live nearby, feel free to swing by the Games Showcase and find our booth to get your hands on this roguelite inspired by sci-fi horror films of the 80s.

In addition, Ed Kay, developer of Demon Spore, will be participating in a stage talk about the development of the game with AJ Lamarque, conference curator for SXSW Sydney. Join them in the Alienware Arena inside Fortress Sydney on Thursday, October 17, from 8:30 to 9:00 PM.

Here’s the current schedule for the game’s public availability:

Demon Spore - Booth #28

- Thursday 17th - 10am-2pm
- Friday 18th - 10am-2pm
- Friday 18th - 4pm-8pm
- Sunday 20th - 11am-5pm

We hope to see you there!

10/08/2024—October 8 Release Notes
Note to users of third-party programs: The game may not launch or work properly after we release a new build if you use a third-party program, due to possible incompatibilities. ArenaNet cannot offer support if a third-party modification breaks, interferes with, or prevents you from playing Guild Wars or Guild Wars 2. Our policy regarding third-party programs can be found here.

• Fixed an issue that prevented the Is This a Scratching Post? achievement from updating properly.
  
• Fixed an issue that prevented jade bot workbench decorations from recognizing users who placed a workbench nearby and immediately attempted to interact with it.
  
• Description text has been added to the Thesis on Speed effect tooltip.
  
• The conjured doorway can now be summoned in Dry Top, the Silverwastes, Arborstone, Verdant Brink, and Lion's Arch Aerodrome.
  
• The "Keep the troll party from getting out of hand" events in Lowland Shore are no longer group events. The events' completion timers have been increased.
  
• Refined the criteria for the away-from-keyboard timer to prevent it from counting noncombat damage sources such as falling or self-inflicted damage as entering combat.
  
• Improved the precision with which decoration placement checks for valid decoration space near areas where no decorations are allowed, such as the waypoint in Hearth's Glow.
  
• Relic of Rivers: Reduced the alacrity duration from 2 seconds to 1 second and the regeneration duration from 3 seconds to 2 seconds in PvP only.

• Players are now able to dismount the warclaw in midair in all game modes.
  
• Fixed an issue that caused combat mounting to fail when autoattack was enabled.
  
• Updated the Feral Fury Mastery's text to indicate that only the Lance and Battle Maul (Engage) skills gain increased crowd control.
  
• Reduced Lance's knockdown time in PvE from a baseline of 2.5 seconds to 1.25 seconds.
  
• Updated Battle Maul (Engage)'s description to indicate its current functionality. This skill delivers a double strike to enemies within a radius of 180 and stuns them for 2 seconds, reduced from 3 seconds. Updated the skill facts for this skill. This skill is now affected by Feral Fury's control increase. Updated the skill's visual effect to help identify the different attack regions.

• The off-season Halloween vendor in Hooligan's Route now stocks a much larger assortment of Halloween items for players who wish to purchase items with candy corn after the event has ended, including recipes for homestead decorations.
  
• Added Wings of the Sunless and Endless Fractal Challenge Mote Tonics to Zotturrikk's shop inventory in Hooligan's Route in Lion's Arch.
  
• The birthday vendor in Lion's Arch will now also sell the Dragon Decade Spear Skin to players who have finished ten objectives in the Decade of the Dragons achievement, in addition to players who have completed the Birthday—Year 10 achievement.

• To reduce confusion, the Join Team button on the World Restructuring - BETA tab of the World vs. World panel is no longer displayed for players who are already on a team.
  
• Objectives will now remain contested and the "Repel the enemy attackers" event will restart if the objective's lord is dead when the event finishes.

Mechanist

• Barrier Burst: Increased the might duration from 15 seconds to 20 seconds in PvE only.
  
• Mech Frame: Channeling Conduits: This trait now applies might instead of alacrity in WvW only.

• Solar Storm: This skill now deals reduced damage on subsequent hits to a target. Reduced the damage coefficient from 1.8 to 1.5 in PvE only.

• Restorative Illusions: Reduced the healing power scaling from 0.46 to 0.3 in PvP only. Reduced the base healing with no clones from 360 to 219.
  
• Illusionary Inspiration: Reduced the outgoing healing increase from 15% to 10% in PvP only.
  
• Temporal Enchanter: Reduced the resistance duration from 3 seconds to 2 seconds in PvP. Reduced the superspeed duration from 3 seconds to 2 seconds in PvP and WvW.
  
• Journey: Reduced the base healing from 719 to 527 and reduced the regeneration duration from 4 seconds to 2 seconds in PvP only.
  
• Signet of Inspiration: Increased the cooldown from 20 seconds to 30 seconds in PvP only.
  

Mirage

• Split Surge: Reduced the might per hit from 2 to 1 in WvW only, and reduced the damage coefficient per hit from 0.45 to 0.36 in WvW only.
  
• Phantom Razor: Fixed an issue that caused this skill to daze when used by a clone.

• Locust Swarm: This skill now grants swiftness to nearby allies in addition to its previous effects.
  
• Perforate: Increased the number of targets from 3 to 5.
  
• Extirpate: This skill no longer inflicts Extirpation in WvW and PvP. It will continue to apply Extirpation in PvE.
  
• Ritual of Life: Increased the revive percentage from 2% to 3.5% in PvE only.
  
• Transfusion: Increased the revive percentage when the scourge elite specialization is equipped from 1% to 2% in PvE only.

Scourge

• Trail of Anguish: This skill now grants its initial boons to nearby allies in PvE only. Increased the cooldown from 20 seconds to 25 seconds in PvE only.

• Abyssal Raze: Fixed an issue that caused this skill to inflict torment for a longer duration than intended. Increased the torment duration from 4 seconds to 6 seconds in PvE only.
  
• Song of the Mists (Call of the Centaur): Reduced the base healing from 1920 to 1300 and reduced the healing power scaling from 1.0 to 0.5 in PvP only.
  
• Generous Abundance: Reduced the base healing when using a Legendary Centaur skill from 463 to 271 and reduced the base healing when using another legend skill from 197 to 152 in PvP only.
  
• Purifying Essence: Increased the cooldown from 5 seconds to 10 seconds in PvP only.
  
• Energy Expulsion: Increased the energy cost from 35 to 50 in PvP only.
  
• Natural Harmony: Reduced the healing power scaling from 1.75 to 1.0 in PvP only.

• Balance in Discord: Reduced the base healing from 810 to 522 and reduced the regeneration duration from 6 seconds to 3 seconds in PvP only.

• Maiming Spear: Reduced the initial-hit damage coefficient from 1.2 to 1.1 in PvE only. Reduced the shock-wave damage coefficient from 1.2 to 0.75 in PvE only. Reduced the shock-wave damage bonus from 50% to 20% in PvE only.
  
• Spearmarshal's Support: Reduced the damage coefficient from 0.6 to 0.4 in PvE only.
  
• Harrier's Toss: This skill no longer evades and now applies vulnerability to enemies it hits.
  
• Defiant Stance: Increased the casting time by approximately 0.5 seconds.
  
• Balanced Stance: Increased the cooldown from 40 seconds to 50 seconds in PvP only
  
• Wild Throw: Fixed an issue that occasionally prevented certain on-hit traits such as Building Momentum or Sundering Burst from activating properly
  

Spellbreaker

• Cull the Weak: Reduced the weakness duration from 3.5 seconds to 1.5 seconds when the spellbreaker elite specialization is equipped, in PvP only.
  
• Full Counter: Increased the cooldown from 12 seconds to 14 seconds in PvP only.

New patch due to player feedback!


I listened to your feedback and updated the controller layout and a few controls:

• transformations are now accessible with the D-Pad and don't require holding two buttons at the same time anymore!
  
• interacting with Alkina is now the same input as interacting with anything else
  
• continuing the dialogue is also executed with the interaction input
  
• input priority is now: continue dialogue -> interact with world objects -> interact with Alkina.
  
• standard attack is now X
  
• target switching with LB (left) and RB (right)

This is how the controller layout looks now:

• targeting and target-switching is now working properly, also the current target shouldn't be dropped as often.
  
• change of music at chapel is now less aprupt.
  
• image blends to white are not changed to blends for white for various reasons
  
• after camera sequences the camera now just fades back to the player.

Demo v1.4.1 Add Head Bob, Fix Video Bug 😓

• Add head bob function, you can turn it off or crazy in the menu
  
• Make videos to 24Hz to let them can run on low-end device

[expand type=details expanded=true]

1. Steam & Epic Account linking
   
2. Crossplay
   
3. Custom Content Sharing
   
4. Important info to share

[/expand]

• Added preparations for the games release to the EPIC game store on Thursdays Oct 10:
  
• The game will be updated synchronously on both platforms

• With the addition of our game on the Epic Store, we've introduced an in-game option in the server browser to link your Steam account to your Epic account for crossplay between Steam and Epic friends in Co-op/MP. Follow the pop-ups that appear when you open the server browser.
  
• If you do not wish to use this Account Linking option, simply select "No" when prompted.
  
• The “Link Account” button will appear from then on in your server browser should you change your mind in future.
  
• Note for Epic players: If you have a PC stats overlay enabled (such as MSI Afterburner + RivaTuner), it may prevent the User Agreement GUI from loading when the client starts for the first time, causing a loading screen loop. This also affects the GUI for linking Steam and Epic accounts & the Epic in-game social UI (shift+F3) from loading. Epic Store players should disable any overlays and restart the game to agree to the User Agreement.

• EPIC players will be able to join any steam dedicated server that is publicly visible
  
• Crossplay is available between Steam and Epic versions for Co-op mode once Steam and Epic accounts are linked.
  
• Epic players can invite their Steam friends to join their Co-op sessions, and Steam players can do the same with their Epic friends. Only players added to your friends list can see and join any Co-op games from the server browser's "Friends" tab. When a friend on either platform is hosting a Co-op session & you want to play together, check the server browser's "Friends" tab to find the Co-op server in the list.

• Where is the “Workshop” content for other platforms ? We are exploring options for this topic for an alternative to the Steam workshop that will work cross platform between Steam & Epic for players to share any custom made content (Blueprints, Custom Scenarios etc like we already do on the Steam workshop). When this is up & running we will make an announcement to say when it is going to be released & available for everyone to use. We don’t have an ETA just yet to give for this but will update as soon as we are ready.
  
• See here for a temporary workaround to be able to get workshop blueprints: https://empyriononline.com/threads/epic-store-release-and-custom-content.102562/
  
• Epic players will be able to join servers with custom scenarios being used.

• The SharedDataURL option for Co-op & MP (dedicated server hosts) makes downloading any SharedData folders from scenarios (Stock or Custom) much faster & it is highly recommended to use this method. Please see here for more info with our “SharedData to Cloud Setup” guide:
  https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3330424692
  
• The Standalone dedi server is not available on EPIC but can be easily downloaded for free via steamCMD. See here under “SteamCMD” for instructions in our “Dedicated Server Setup” guide : https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3321555415

Survivors, it’s time to lock and load!
🧟‍♂️ Prepare for the Ultimate Zombie Showdown! 🧟‍♀️

Dead Streets: Zombie Blitz is taking over Steam Next Fest this October, 14–21! Ready for some adrenaline-pumping action? The undead are on the move, and it’s your job to put them back in the ground—again.

🔫 Intense combat
🧠 Strategic survival
🌆 Gritty post-apocalyptic streets

Already curious? The DEMO is live — download now 🚀 and get a taste of the zombie-blasting chaos before the full horde arrives!

October’s just the beginning 🔥 Get ready for Blitz Mode 📲 and prove you can outlast the apocalypse!

Stay sharp, survivor. The streets aren’t forgiving….🎮

On Wednesday, October 9, 7:30 UTC, maintenance will begin on the Caliber servers. The game will be unavailable.

Continuing this series of short guides aimed at helping new players, we’re going to be looking at some of the base resources, and they don’t get much more basic than money. In GalCiv we use the term Credits, which sounds a little bit fancier! In this developer journal, we’ll take a quick look at how Credits are acquired, and a few of the many ways you can spend them.


Credits are rather unique in that they’re both acquired and spent in many more ways than Manufacturing, Food, Control or any of the other in-game resources you’ll come across. Credits are gained by taxation, through Trade Routes, diplomatic exchanges with other players, selling Strategic Resources at the Bazaar and as a consequence of the many varied Events that crop up during the game.

So, how exactly are Credits generated via taxation? Here follows a very brief and simplified rundown, if you want more detail, I’ll point you to the developer blog video I made covering the economy here.


Core Worlds and attached Colonies have a Planetary Input value called Wealth Input, representing the riches on and flowing into the planet. Citizens, Financial Districts and certain Improvements further modify this value, representing combined on-world commercial activities.



Your tax-rate, set at the top level with the one rate affecting your entire Civilization, is then applied to this modified Wealth Input value as a multiplier to become a Core World’s Income.

The sum of your Core World’s Income is shown on the Civilization Overview screen too, where you can see your Civilization’s GDP (summed Income) before it’s modified by tax.

You can also see that you make Credits from the Trade Routes you set up by sending a Freighter from one of your Core Worlds to one owned by your neighbors. You can see the Trade Route UI below, with all the current Trade Routes set up between yourself and your trade partners.


Going back to the Civilization Overview screenshot, you can also see some of the things Credits are spent upon: maintenance for your Ships, Colony Maintenance (stuff you’ve built on your Core Worlds), Starbases and the Credit cost of an Civilization Policies you have set.


Credits can be used for barter in diplomacy, either to acquire other goods or to sweeten a Treaty proposal. Not sure I like this deal much though, those Navigators don’t seem very willing to part with their Credits here.

This is simple stuff: sell whatever you’re willing to part with for Credits when you’re in need of them, and if you’ve got extra Credits to spare, you can buy Techs, Strategic Resources, Diplomatic Capital and other useful things from those that have them.


If you have excess Strategic Resources, you can sell them at the Bazaar in exchange for Credits, which is the preferred barter resource for the aliens who run it. Here they’re offering 83 Credits for each Aurorus Arboretum. Sadly, I don’t have any. Be aware that repeatedly selling the same resource will devalue that stock and reduce the Credits you’ll receive for each unit.


Certain Events, such as finding exotic Artifacts, modules or useful space junk, will give you the option to sell your new acquisition for Credits. This can make Survey a profitable endeavor for much of the game, so don’t neglect those Flag Ships!


With the Credits earned from selling that Armor Module, Lord Kona can rush build a warship he needs. This will cost a lot of Credits but the faster you build your military, the stronger you’ll be. This will also cost some Control, and you’ll take a hit to your Approval too as your Citizens don’t much enjoy being forced to work long overtime, even if they are being paid extra for it.

Building a large treasury of Credits can be handy, as you’ll notice that Credits are used as a shortcut to gaining certain things a lot faster than you’d be able to without that cash injection: quickly gaining Techs through diplomacy, rush building Ships, Districts or Improvements, buying Strategic Resources from the bazaar and more.

Credits are such a ubiquitous resource that I’ve likely missed some of their more subtle uses here, but I hope this has clarified just how you can make and spend them.