Dec 4, 2024

Update 4: An Explosive New Character and Campaign!

Adrenaline Rampage - boec38

Hey, Adrenaline Survivors!

It’s December 4th, and we’re releasing the MASSIVE UPDATE #4!
For three months, we’ve been working together with you to make the game better. The result? Hundreds of new content and changes. Here are some of the highlights:

New Game Mode - Campaign

Now there are two game modes: Arenas and Campaign.
Campaign consists of 3 locations.
Includes 30 stages with a boss fight every 10th stage.
Bonus rooms are included.
Artifact system added.
Increased enemy density for a more intense experience.
Campaign progress is saved independently from Arena progress.

Artifacts (or Mutations)

Artifacts are hearts from exceptionally strong enemies. Characters consume these hearts to gain unusual mutations.
Artifacts can ONLY be found in Campaign on stages 6, 16, and 26. Reaching them won’t be easy - good luck!
Defeating bosses on stages 10 and 20 also rewards you with artifacts.
Mutations vary. Some grant new abilities, while others modify character stats.

New Hub

The base has been redesigned - it’s now visually larger, brighter, and more powerful.
The number of floors remains the same for now - 4. Each floor serves a unique purpose.
Character selection is available on the second floor. There are now three characters, each resting in cryo chambers.
A second portal has been added for the Campaign mode.

Characters

General Changes:

Improved running animations - after rigorous training, our characters now run better rather than glide.
Previously, characters would cry out in pain even when invulnerable. After some stern conversations, they now react only when truly hurt.
Removed character outline highlighting. While useful, it detracted from the game’s visuals - and we all want a beautiful game, right? ;)

New Character - Bomber - It’s a Blast!

Primary weapon: mines.
9 unique offensive abilities.
1 unique defensive ability.
8 unique evolutions.
New mechanic: Skill Synergies (not detailed in the interface, but you’ll encounter unexpected events and figure it out).
4 new achievements added.

Stormtrooper (formerly Shooter)

This tough guy threatened to quit unless we repainted his rifle from orange to a manlier color. We had to oblige - he took a paint bucket and handled it himself.
Fixed aiming issues when targeting spiders during their attack animations.
Assaulter’s shooting is disabled upon defeat - no more flying, shooting corpses that clash with the game’s tone.
Improved response to zombies - he now attacks immediately when his personal space is invaded.

Berserk

Reduced wind-up time for the first strike - now attacks occur faster.
Enhanced the damage zone for basic attacks, ensuring no misses on zombies eager for hugs.
Updated attack visuals to match the actual damage zone.
When manually controlled, attack effects now align with the direction of the strike.
Added a gauge (below the health bar) to display the character's attack enhancements.
Fixed an issue where auto-attack visuals didn’t align with attack direction.
Removed an unnecessary visual effect triggered by the Thorns skill when taking damage.

Bosses

General Change: Reduced the attack speed penalty for all bosses when frozen, including mini-bosses.
Zomboid: Added a new ability, Gravity Trap.
Gorilloid: Added a new ability, Stomp.
Spheroid: Added a new ability, Pyromaniac. Increased size. When hit by an axe, no longer bleeds - now sparks appear instead. Gravity Trap no longer affects its projectiles.

Enemies

New Enemy: Kamikaze Spider, found only in the Laboratory in Arena mode.
New Enemy Type: Elite enemies in Campaign mode. Among the grey techno-zombie masses, you’ll encounter unique foes with active abilities - be warned, they’re particularly dangerous.

General Changes:

Zombies are now smarter, with improved walking animations.
Even distribution across floors - no priority given to the character’s floor.
Begin attacking from a closer distance and pause briefly before striking.
Jumps now have slight landing variability.
Fixed disappearance effects for all enemies - no more awkward vanishing.
Bombers: If destroyed while frozen, they shatter along with their bomb instead of dropping it.
Nerds: Grenades replaced with rockets.

Shield Bearer:

Shields now match the zombie's color.
Shields disappear along with their owner, no longer lingering on the ground.
Blocks projectiles from Plasma Turrets and Railgun Turrets.
When destroyed while frozen, the shield shatters with the bearer instead of falling off.

Kamikaze:

Replaced the warning effect before detonation for better visibility.
Warning effect radius now matches the damage radius.

Gameplay

Added a new mechanic - using the elevator now pushes zombies aside, allowing the character to move between floors relatively safely. Cooldown: 15 seconds.
Improved gamepad support and menu navigation.
Manual and automatic firing modes can now be toggled with a single button during gameplay. No more diving into settings!
Faster character response when turning around - now happens immediately upon pressing the button, without holding it.
Fixed interface element selection issues when switching between keyboard, mouse, and gamepad. The focus now updates correctly with the input device. Q button or R3.

Skills

Rocket Swarm: Increased projectile size - no more laughter from zombies.
Echo Strike: Disabled visual effect reflections on walls.
Plasma Shield: Fixed parameter display for the first skill level.

Plasma Charge:

Now fires in the character's movement direction instead of their gaze direction.
Pushes back enemies and no longer veers randomly when the character changes direction.
Evolution: Removed the increasing sound of the charge during movement.
Fixed parameter display for all levels, including evolution.

Dash:

No longer blocked by Shield Bearers.
Ignores knockback from Gorilloids.

Bugs

Fixed several objects on levels where projectiles and experience crystals could fall through them.
Corrected texture flickering on walls in some locations.
Resolved an issue where the game wouldn't pause upon minimizing.
Zombies of the Nerd type could previously attack even after being destroyed. We’ve upgraded our technology, and now your weapons are even deadlier... but still, keep an eye on your back. Zombies are zombies, after all.
Fixed an issue where Plasma Turrets occasionally stopped appearing after progressing to another stage.
After defeating a boss, characters can no longer take damage from saws, even with low health.
Projectiles from some skills no longer remain on the level after transitioning to the next stage.
Item drops from bosses are now disabled on the final stage.
Interface language now changes correctly through settings when using a gamepad.
Voiceover volume settings now affect all character lines. If desired, voices can be muted entirely.
Fixed an issue where toggling the mini-map didn’t work correctly.
Disabling enemies' outlines upon portal entry is now consistent.
Elevators no longer fall when the player loses.
Fixed an issue where elevators could get stuck if hit by Nerd’s rockets.
Corrected an orange glow effect that sometimes appeared on certain crystals.
Saw impact sounds no longer play if the character takes no damage.
Drones now fly at any height and emit sparks instead of blood when hit.

Optimization and Interface

Portal sounds are now muted on the location selection and skill selection screens.
The Settings menu has been revamped. New options include: frame rate selection, hiding enemy health bars, disabling damage numbers, disabling enemy hit effects, adjusting camera shake intensity, and gamma settings.
When auto-aiming is disabled, the cursor changes to a crosshair.
Added a display for the current aiming mode - manual or automatic.
Updated boss introduction screens.
Improved damage number rendering performance.
Skills that can't deal damage no longer appear in the damage statistics.
Updated all skill icons.
Timer removed from the final Arena stages.
Skill lists now always offer at least one skill of a different type. You won’t see three or four passive or offensive skills anymore.
Enemy projectiles are now easier to see, even when hidden behind zombies - visibility has been significantly improved.
Health bar segments change color before disappearing.
Optimized effects for explosions, freezing, and the destruction of frozen zombies.
Conducted color correction for various effects.
Updated effects for explosions and skills (Gravity Trap, Revive). When Revive is activated, time now slows down briefly.
Effect sizes now match their damage radius.
Disabled glow effects on frozen projectiles.
Traps now leave traces of the character’s blood when dealing damage.
Improved low-health visual effects - they no longer reduce visibility.
Mini-boss portals now have a distinct color compared to regular zombie portals.

Sincerely,
The Midhard Games Team

Dec 4, 2024

Dauntless: Awakening - New Weapons and What It Takes to Make Them

Dauntless - dcmphoenix

Hello, Slayers!

It’s hard to believe that Dauntless: Awakening is only one day away.

One of the biggest changes coming in Dauntless: Awakening is an overhaul of the weapons. This blog isn’t meant to be a comprehensive breakdown of every weapon and every ability - we want you to discover all these weapons for yourself! But we do want to give you a primer on the change, offer an inside look at how we approached the design, and tell you what we’re most excited about.

Weapons… With Personality

In the past, weapons have operated basically the same way within each category. A Hammer would play like a Hammer, etc. etc. And so, aside from Exotics, different “weapons” would really be more like different skins. One of the goals for Awakening is to create a different relationship between a Slayer and their weapon. You won’t just be an “Axe” main, anymore - maybe you’ll turn out to be a “Fury of the Mountain” main instead.

Each class of weapons (Swords, Pikes, etc.) will still share a basic moveset and core combos, however each weapon now also has unique abilities and Talents. For the examples below, we’ll talk about the ones for the umbral Netherlights Chain Blades.

(note that this gif isn't from the Netherlights, it just looks cool)

Special Ability

Eg. Cruel Riftstrike, which allows you to teleport past the closest Behemoth, then turn around and strike it to leave an umbral rift that deals damage over time. When the rift expires, it explodes for Umbral damage

Passive Ability

Eg. Shadowdodge, where dodging an attack causes an explosion of umbral energy, which can interrupt

Legendary Ability

Eg. Power Syphon, which performs an umbral slash that steals health from a Behemoth, dealing damage, healing you, and instantly inflicting the umbral status on a random Behemoth part

Talents, which give you the ability to add enhancements to 2 different buffs, your Special ability, your Passive ability, and your Legendary ability

Note that you can only activate 3 Talents at a time for each category, so there’s some strategy behind choosing Talents too

Ultimately, what you do with these weapons is up to you (as long as you’re using them to hunt Behemoths… don’t make us revoke your privileges). And with each weapon being so distinct, you may be surprised at what you can do. Like if you prefer to be a tank, but you really like Ostian Repeaters, then the Oathkeepers, with their Shield, Health, and defense boosts will help you live out that fantasy.

Cheating On Your Main

It would a shame to have so many awesome new weapons and NOT let you swap them.

Weapon swapping was actually the first thing that we decided to do during this update, because there are just so many advantages, for both new and seasoned Slayers.

For one thing, we designed Dauntless combat to be easy to pick up for new players. Adding weapon swapping (along with the deep customization we just mentioned on the unique weapons) adds a whole new layer of (the good kind of) complexity, where dedicated Slayers can optimize and customize their builds in unprecedented ways.

Plus there are some pretty immediate gameplay advantages - like being able to swap from a heavy Axe for some up-close-and-personal damage before swapping to Ostian Repeaters from a distance. You can be a menace from anywhere!

Since every weapon has its own element, being able to swap with the hit of a button means you’ve got up to twice as many elements at your disposal at any given moment. Or, just stick to one element if you want! Do what you want, I’m not your dad.

The way Behemoth parts break has gotten kind of wacky over time, so we’re also resetting to a more logical approach to part-breaking. Cutting damage can sever tails, while crushing damage breaks horns and tusks. This is another win for weapon swapping, as you track down particular Behemoth parts.

Not to mention, both your weapon and subweapon gain equal XP!

And last, but certainly not least, weapon swapping, especially weapon swap combos are just COOL! I mean look at this.

Weave between your weapons for as long as your stamina will allow.

On a personal note, the designer of weapon swapping’s personal favourite is the sweet roundhouse kick whenever you swap to Aether Strikers. Make sure you check that one out in the Training Grounds.

Guns That Shoot Frickin' Raptors

With a new weapon at the heart of Awakening’s new Hunt Pass, designing Alluring Moons was no small task.

When designing a new weapon, the first thing we do is to look for gameplay holes - what haven’t we done yet, that we want Slayers to be able to do? In this case, there was a great opportunity to use some of the ideas we’ve been throwing around regarding pets. The original concept was for this new weapon to actually corrupt nearby fauna to fight for you. It turned out they were rarely in convenient enough places for that to be advantageous, so instead, the new weapon actually summons the new fauna, Chaoxes.

From there, Ostian Repeaters were the weapon type that made the most sense for this summoning ability, since you’d be able to trigger it at a far enough distance to leverage those Chaoxes properly.

The original name for the repeaters was Umbral Moons, which then changed to Corrupting Moons, before landing on Alluring Moons (since they “Lure” the Chaoxes). Just how much luring can you do? Between the Leader of the Pack Legendary ability (which summons a unique, mutated Chaox), your Special ability, and Talents, you can actually have up to 7 Chaoxes fighting for you at once! Talk about chaox-tic.

Alluring Moons is available immediately upon purchase of Dauntless: Awakening’s Elite Hunt Pass. And Level 50 contains the Alluring Moons-inspired repeater transmog - Alluring Suns.

As always, we want to hear what you think about weapons in this new phase of Dauntless, the Alluring Moons, and everything else coming in Dauntless: Awakening.

We can’t wait for you to play it… TOMORROW!

Until then, Slayers,

Clear skies!