Nov 5, 2024

The Matchless Kungfu 1.0 Release Announcement

The Matchless Kungfu - poor

It has been quite some time!

A year and three months have passed since we launched the game in Early Access. Over this period, we’ve been encouraged and guided by all your support and feedback. In each update, we’ve aimed to preserve the freedom that defines The Matchless Kungfu. However, some versions may have felt restrictive or less considered due to our spur-of-the-moment inspiration. We've balanced and refined these elements now, though inevitably, some issues may still need further polish. We hope you’ll continue to offer your valuable feedback as we keep improving!

The version number for this update is V.1.0.0.0, and we’re not stopping here. As always, the full release is just a new beginning for us. On November 7th (tomorrow!), we’ll share our development roadmap for the period through February 2025.

1.Full Release FAQ (Answers to the Most Commonly Asked Questions)

Q: Can Early Access save files be used in the full release?

A：We understand that Early Access saves represent your hard work and memories in the game. You can load old saves, but please note! As version 1.0 adopts a new save data structure, to ensure the best gameplay experience, we recommend deleting all old save data and starting the game with a new save We’ve rewritten many events, enhancing character and NPC development, and using old saves might lead to data inconsistencies.

Q: The sects feel similar—other than different skills, they don’t seem very unique.

A：Version 1.0 ntroduces three new sects: Skyforge Pavilion, Linglang Swordhouse, and the Esoteric Buddhist Sect. Existing eight sects now also have unique faction gameplay, and the hidden sect Heaven's End Palace features special mechanics. See below for further details. Additionally, we’ve optimized skills and Inner Kungfu acquisition; sect skills now require consulting with the Salute for instruction.

Q: Are NPC AIs still as limited as before, freezing when out of range?

A: In the last update, we added an NPC AI LOD feature, adjustable based on your system configuration (default is set to 1x). However, due to the underlying logic of the game designed by NPC AI, it is not easy to change them, we’ll begin a complete overhaul of the NPC AI system after the 1.0 release.

Q: We keep getting tormented by the Imperial forces and the Yin Leg skill. Any solutions?

A: Now, players can choose whether to include Imperial forces on the game map. Additionally, Unless the player teaches them， NPCs won’t independently learn Yin Leg and Slap; these two skills are now exclusive to players.

Q: All skills are too easy to obtain by repeatedly consulting and boosting favorability

A: We’ve reworked the training and consultation systems. Consulting for skills and Inner Kungfu now grants insights rather than immediate mastery. Characters progress based on their comprehension ability, and consulting multiple NPCs on the same skill can speed this up. Also, when instructing NPCs, rapid consecutive instruction now yields only one favorability boost.
(Sect-exclusive skills are restricted to NPCs within the same sect.)

Q: Combat becomes too easy in the later game; connecting Inner Kungfu techniques allows one-hit victories.
A: We’ve rebalanced combat. Technique power now has a greater impact on skill damage, while Inner Kungfu influence on technique damage is reduced.

Q: The Geomancy skill's theft limit is strange; success should allow taking everything.
A: We’ve overhauled skills like Geomancy and Fly On Snow. Now, there’s no limit to theft amount, and the higher your Geomancy ability, the higher your success rate in stealing and lockpicking. Higher Geomancy levels are also required to access certain special shelves.

Q: Mnemonics take up too much space in the inventory and can only be dismantled one at a time.
A: Mnemonics will no longer appear in the inventory, and batch dismantling is now available, allowing you to decompose all unequipped Mnemonics in one go.

2.Version 1.0 New Content Highlights

1. New Sects Introduced

Skyforge Pavilion was once part of the Imperial Six Ministries, specializing in enhancing Forging abilities. Members can dismantle and refine equipment, adding new attributes.
Linglang Swordhouse was established by the Emperor’s younger brother, King Linglang. Disciples use Sword Cases in combat and travel the world collecting famous swords.

Esoteric Buddhist Sect follows strict monastic discipline, promoting virtue. They have a unique Transcendence mechanic to guide others to enlightenment
(their skills are tied to merit, so avoid taking lives!).

2.Special Sect Gameplay Expanded

Eight Major Sects now have official titles and unique features.
Millibeast Sect and Oro Sword Sect grant action-based abilities upon joining.

Other sects require consulting elders within their ranks to unlock special features.

Drunken Immortal's Parlor masters the art of Brew, granting unique buffs from drinking.

Nethershade Cult can use exclusive medicinal skills for silent, bloodless victories.

Five-dragon Cult now allows worm breeding and worm battling, creating powerful hybrid effects.

Oro Sword Sect can now form cold areas in snowy regions

Fire God Vale provides new weapon and equipment blueprints, with the option to commission the crafting of divine weapons.

Seance has enhanced fortune-telling, with the ability to perform divination with Moon Blocks for guidance.

Millibeast Sect’s can now assign animals to collect resources

Bamboo Pond members have access to a wider variety of Concealed Weapons, capable of weakening opponents before battle.

Heaven's End Palace masters meridian manipulation, enhancing Acupoints and unlocking new ones.

3. Character Abilities Reworked and Enhanced

Now abilities are ranked across six levels (Beginner, Expert, Veteran, Master, Guru, and Sage) for a total of 100 points. Each point increases the corresponding ability’s effect.

1 point of boxing experience will be converted into 1 point of boxing attack power

We have re-planned the learning and growth methods of all abilities. Now all abilities can be introduced through the behaviors that players can perform in the game.

4. Main Questline Expanded

The main questline is now available, and pacing has been adjusted. After reaching five plots, Dragonspring Town will unlock. Completing its events will trigger Sect Wayscroll events for each sect.

5. Inner Kungfu and Meridian System Redesign

Acupoints can now level up. Joining hidden sects unlocks additional levels and higher stats.
Upgraded Acupoints consume more qi, and inner techniques can be leveled up to three stages. Upgrading increases the load on meridians, requiring balance adjustments.

Reversed Inner Kungfu: A new option allows players to invert inner techniques, giving different effects but requiring altered meridian alignment.
But you need to have the corresponding skill book

6. Additional System Enhancements

Farming: New watering and fertilizing options increase crop yield. Different crops now have terrain preferences, with a one-click harvest button.

Wooden Poles: Redesigned to train techniques and skills, boosting progress for current techniques.

Sneak: Now Sneak can correctly hide the player. If you are chased by an NPC, you can try to use Sneak. Of course, whether Sneak will be discovered depends on your Sneak ability. And now if Sneak is discovered, you will not be able to enter Sneak again for a short time.

A Message from Huanmos

Dear players,

Thank you for standing by us on this journey. With your passion and encouragement, The Matchless Kungfu has grown and evolved to this point. Version 1.0 marks not only a new beginning for the game but a shared achievement for us all. We hope you’ll continue to find joy and challenge in this world.

As Huanmos' first creation,it is like our child. The Matchless Kungfu will continue to evolve based on your feedback. May our adventures together carry on!

With gratitude,
The The Matchless Kungfu Development and Publishing Team
November 6, 2024

Nov 5, 2024

20241106 V1.0.0.0 update

The Matchless Kungfu - poor

Additions

1. Three New Sects: We’ve added three completely new sects, complete with their own unique locations, *Inner Kungfu*, *skills*, and gameplay features.

2. Overhaul of Personal Abilities: Characters’ personal abilities have undergone a large-scale rework, now with six tiers (*Beginner*, *Expert*, *Veteran*, *Master*, *Guru*, and *Sage*) across a total of 100 points. Even if you don’t level up, any 1-point increase in stats will provide a corresponding ability boost.
- For example, each point in fist skill translates into an increase in *Fist ATK*, and every point in *Geomancy* will add a 1% boost to lockpicking and stealing success rates, among other similar effects.

3. Redesigned Consult Function: Now, consulting on *skills* and *Inner Kungfu* doesn’t directly teach the ability. Instead, it progresses the *Inner Kungfu* and *skills* into a state of insight, where progress gradually builds according to the character’s understanding until the *skill* or *Inner Kungfu* is fully learned.

4. Reworked Learning Function: Instead of simply increasing the corresponding ability attribute, learning now boosts the rate at which experience for that ability is gained over a certain period. The higher the other character’s ability level, the greater the experience boost.
- We’ve revamped the learning and growth paths for all abilities—now, all abilities can be learned through actions available to players in the game.
- When teaching *Inner Kungfu* or *skills* to NPCs, they will now express great gratitude, significantly boosting favor. However, for a short time after, NPCs will not gain favor simply from further instruction in *Inner Kungfu* or *skills*.

5. Revamped Meridian and *Inner Kungfu* Systems: Added new *Acupoint* upgrades, *Inner Kungfu* upgrades, and reverse cultivation methods for *Inner Kungfu*.
- *Acupoints* can now be leveled up by joining specific sects, increasing attributes.
- Each upgraded *Acupoint* will consume more qi once linked.
- *Inner Kungfu* can be upgraded to increase its effects, with a maximum of three levels available.
- Reverse cultivation requires the corresponding reverse cultivation manual, which can then be activated by pressing the reverse cultivation button on *Inner Kungfu*. However, reverse cultivation flips the activation order of the *Acupoints*.
- If your meridian setup doesn’t support this reversed activation, you may understand the method but cannot correctly use it.

6. Revised Combat Mechanics: Rebalanced combat values—*skills* now have a stronger impact on move damage, while *Inner Kungfu* has less effect on move damage.

7. New Sect Features: Eight major sects now have official names and unique gameplay features.
- Drunken Immortal's Parlor: Formerly the drunken sect, this sect masters the art of *Brew* in the vast wilderness, providing unique buffs through drinking.
- Nethershade Cult: Formerly the poison sect, Nethershade Cult specializes in unique elixirs, allowing members to triumph effortlessly.
- Five-dragon Cult: Formerly the worm sect, Five-dragon Cult now has capabilities in worm cultivation and combat. Cultivating worms eliminates the need to hunt them daily, while combat allows the combination of worms for new effects.
- Oro Sword Sect: Formerly the ice sect, Oro Sword Sect now has the ability to form *cold areas* in icy terrain, although their overall abilities remain the same.
- Fire God Vale: Formerly the heat sect, Fire God Vale now holds a monopoly on blueprints and forging improvements for weapons and equipment, although you may commission them for artifact forging even if you don’t join them.
- Seance: Formerly the misfortune sect, Seance now offers *divination* for guidance using the *Moon Block*.
- Millibeast Sect: Formerly the beast sect, members can now send animals to gather resources and use *Dragonform* on animals with reworked *Inner Kungfu*.
- Bamboo Pond: Formerly the concealed weapon sect, Bamboo Pond members have access to various new *Concealed Weapons* to weaken opponents before combat, which can be crafted using blueprints by a skilled craftsman.
- Heaven's End Palace: Previously a hidden sect, now they wield knowledge of human meridians, aiding in *Acupoint* upgrades and new *Acupoints*.

Hidden sects now all have official names, including Shaolin, Iron Armor Alliance, Wudang, Beggar Gang, and Tianya Sword Alliance. Players can unlock *Sect Wayscrolls* in-game through *events*, providing opportunities to join these sects.
- Skyforge Pavilion: Formerly part of the royal government’s Ministry of Works, this new sect holds advanced *Forging* abilities and can dismantle, cleanse, and add inscriptions to equipment.
- Linglang Swordhouse: Founded by a prince, this new sect’s disciples wield *Sword Cases* in combat and roam the world collecting famous swords.
- Esoteric Buddhist Sect: This new Buddhist sect guides others toward good through strict rules, possessing the unique *Transcendence* ability, helping others abandon past wrongs and embrace enlightenment.

Players who do not wish to join an established sect may establish their own, gaining access to the abilities of defeated sects. A custom sect can include abilities from sects eliminated by the player; it’s even possible to create a sect with all abilities by conquering all others.

8. New Main Storyline: Expanded and restructured the main storyline’s pacing. Now, five plots unlock Dragonspring Town, and after completing its storyline, *events* will trigger on town plots where sect representatives can grant *Sect Wayscrolls*, allowing players to join.

9. Enhanced *Skills* and *Inner Kungfu* Learning in Sects: Players can now talk to a sect *Salute* to learn the sect’s *Inner Kungfu* and *skills* through specific dialogue options.

10. Revised Wooden Poles Function: Wooden poles now allow players to practice move skills and *skills* (currently equipped ones). Practicing *skills* also advances the progress of *skills* that are being learned.

11. Revised Sneak Feature: Sneak mode now accurately hides players, and it’s possible to escape pursuing NPCs by sneaking. Success in sneaking depends on the Sneak skill, and being detected briefly disables re-entering Sneak.

12. Revamped Abilities Like *Geomancy* and *Fly On Snow*: Theft no longer has a value cap, and *Geomancy* now boosts the success rate for both stealing and lockpicking.

13. Overhauled *Inner Kungfu* Effects: The effects of *Inner Kungfu* have been thoroughly reworked across the game, resulting in fresh experiences.

14. Revamped Martial Arts Moves: NPCs no longer perform *Yin Leg* or *Slap* (unless taught by the player). Replaced with Taizu Long Fist, Large Pi Gua Palm, and Six Styles Flick Leg. *Yin Leg* and *Slap* are now exclusive *skills* for players.

15. Reworked Production System: Almost all equipment and item recipes now require blueprints, typically gained by joining the respective sect or through treasure map *events*.

16. New Interactions: Players can now carry unconscious characters to beds, allowing forced sharing of the bed.

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Optimization

1. Improved *Events* System: No longer reliant on dialogue responses, NPCs assigned *event* tasks will now display an *event* button that, when clicked, completes the task.

2. Improved Farming System: Farming now includes watering and fertilizing to boost yields. Different crops also have preferred terrains that further increase yield. Added a one-click harvest option to collect all mature crops on a plot simultaneously.

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Fixes

1. Bug Fixes: Resolved numerous bugs throughout the game.

2. Logic Adjustments: For example, attacking bandits or notorious NPCs/buildings no longer increases infamy.

Nov 5, 2024

Patch 2.0 is LIVE!

Firmament - Hannah

Firmament Patch 2.0

Hello, everyone! Firmament version 2.0 is here with some big stability updates, tech-adds, improvements, and more to make your experience playing Firmament even better.

This update is a beefy one, and we’ve tried to consolidate it as much as we could to make sure you all know what to expect. Let’s do this thing!

Engine Upgrade

First things first: We’ve upgraded Firmament from using Unreal Engine 4.27+ to Unreal Engine 5.3.2. Doing this has resolved a WIDE number of stability issues related to the game running on various platforms.

Visual changes/stability: The newer engine has resolved a lot of flickering texture issues we saw come up on lower-end hardware especially. There should also be some slight improvements in lighting, reflections, and more, despite not using all of the bells and whistles in UE5 (no Lumen, no Nanite here in Firmament… yet!).

HDR support changes: HDR has better support on all platforms now, including Steam Deck (when plugged into an HDR-capable screen if it’s a regular Steam Deck, or natively on an OLED Steam Deck), where previously the game would crash on startup if HDR had been enabled on an OLED Steam Deck.

RHI support changes:

Windows: DX12 support is now a requirement for playing Firmament on Windows. Engine support on this RHI is much better here moving forward, and it enables us to get rid of most shader compilation hitches when you move around the game.
Mac: Metal 3 RHI support has been added. This is enabled for the M3 family of chips on Mac.

Device support changes:

Windows: Nothing is changing here, actually, other than adjusting our minimum specifications to require DX12 (see above).
Mac: We are increasing our MacOS minimum requirement from MacOS 13.3 to MacOS 14.5.

VR:

We’ve officially moved to using OpenXR in Firmament! This brings stability improvements, more generic launch options (see below), and a more flexible environment for our VR users.
Were you tired of the trillion VR launch options we had? We were as well! There’s now a single launch option and it should work for all officially supported headsets in Firmament (and maybe even some unsupported ones, since it’s still using the OpenXR backend).
In-line with Meta’s official support drops, we are dropping official support in Firmament for the original Rift and Rift S headsets. We are also dropping official support in Firmament for the original Vive headset, but rest-assured that we still have official support for the Vive Pro. This doesn’t mean that you CAN’T play Firmament with those headsets, it just means that we are unable to give official support for them anymore. This statement also applies to WMR headsets, especially because of Microsoft’s own announcements to deprecate this support on Windows. Note however that now that we have moved to OpenXR, it is very possible that folks will have an even easier time playing Firmament on unsupported HMDs.
Performance changes: “Mileage may vary” based on your machine. We’ve seen areas have both increased performance on some hardware, and decreased performance on some hardware. We recommend toying with the existing & updated Supersampling options to see what works best for your machine and your preferred playstyle.
Online Subsystem improvements: Some folks were reporting instability with achievements on Mac in particular (with the occasional instability on Windows as well, but that was much rarer). This should be resolved now that the engine is using an updated version of the Steamworks SDK. We have been unable to reproduce any issues related to this since updating the engine.

Content Changes

Ray Tracing Changes

This is a big one…

We’ve got two things to cover, the first being that ray traced reflections are now supported in Firmament! You can now experience higher quality, more realistic reflections around Firmament when you enable ray tracing in your graphics settings menu. Note that enabling ray tracing will have a performance impact on your machine based on your screen’s resolution and hardware capabilities.

Second, ray tracing isn’t just supported on Windows in Firmament – it is now available for the powerful M3 and M4 family of chips on Mac as well. We just recently released a patch for Myst that added the same support. It has been very hard to find out in any of our research if Myst or Firmament are, in-fact, one of the first titles with hardware ray tracing support for the M3 and M4 family of chips to be released (maybe they’re the first Unreal Engine title with this support?). Let us know if you know! We want another excuse to celebrate our hard work on this patch over here.

Updated Supersampling Options

All Supersampling options have been updated to newer versions to bring you even better performance and visuals in Firmament based on your hardware’s needs.
MetalFX is now the default Supersampling option on Mac.
FSR has been removed as a Supersampling option on Mac.
DLSS is now allowed to be used in VR if you have compatible hardware.
DLSS is now the default Supersampling option on Windows if you’re running the game with compatible hardware, regardless of whether or not you are running the game in VR.

General Fixes

Global

Fixed various instances of the crane getting stuck when placed in various positions
Fixed an instance of the camelus stationing improperly, preventing the player from embarking
Fixed various fallthroughs that could occur while saving and loading on the planter puzzle, as well as various fallthroughs that could occur while rotating the planters while standing on them
Fixed the player being able to adjust the track junction in Juleston while a sulfur cart is on it, causing the cart to be unable to move
Fixed various instances of the adjunct getting stuck in an upgrade machine
Fixed player potentially getting stuck if they solve a dive suit puzzle, then re-enter the dive area
Fixed missing localization for “Shutters Opening”
Fixed menu being inaccessible if you open the menu while the adjunct is locked into a socket, while also listening to the mentor speak to you
Fixed missing localized image for the irrigation diagram on the camelus
Fixed some cases of mouse input not working after reaching the end-game
Fixed being able to stand on the edge of the omniwheel
Fixed some elements of the end-game missing if you save and load your game while in the area
Fixed the sulfur carts losing collision on save/load in some circumstances
Fixed a particular mentor speech not playing on an omniwheel ride
Fixed adjunct UI scale option tooltip not displaying any information
Player movement is now locked down while adjunct upgrade stations are moving to prevent the player from getting stuck in boundary collision

VR Only

Fixed shadow flickering in the right eye in various areas of the game
Fixed issues with cycling through individual quality settings
Fixed flickering in menus when resolution scale is set to 100%
Adjusted the VR bindings in some circumstances so that the menu can be opened on non-system reserved buttons

Support & Future Update Questions

“I’m running into new issues in this new patch that I never used to run into. How do I report these?” Please see our pinned post in the Steam discussion forums here for our to properly report a problem to our support team: https://steamcommunity.com/app/754890/discussions/0/3826415752024788425/

Looking for more adventures?

If you haven’t already, check out our latest release from this year, Riven, which is the sequel to Myst, which also received a remake treatment a few years ago... It launched in June to absolutely rave reviews by press and fans alike! If you already own Myst, you get a special discount on Riven by buying it as a part of a bundle here.