Last week I ran a private playtest with my mailing list followers. Everything went really smoothly, so I'm happy.

• Over 100 players tried out the game
  
• Players got to try 2 different maps and 13 different weapons
  
• More than 80 total hours of play time
  
• 100+ successful missions
  
• 300+ failed missions

• Soldier Radio Chatter: Many players want more immersion with radio calls from on-the-ground soldiers. I completely agree — it makes the battlefield feel more tactical and also helps the gameplay. I’m already planning to bring in voice actors.
  
• Clearer Objectives: Many players mentioned it can be unclear what to do during mission. I plan to add more detailed mission prompts and UI elements to address this, with a comprehensive tutorial coming later in development.

• The smaller desert base map is well-liked.
  
• The bigger swamp factory night map is more polarizing: some love it, some find it less appealing.
  
• Everyone loves the minigun!
  
• Railgun and rockets are popular.
  
• 40mm autocannons get mixed reactions; 120mm cannons are clearly underpowered.
  
• The laser is currently the weakest option.

Minor issues

-Laser Chaos/v51 map is now bigger and nicer. Even got a new recording.

-Some bug fixes

Hey everyone!

It’s official: Microtopia will launch on February 18, 2025! We’re beyond excited to finally share the full game with you, and we can’t thank you enough for all the amazing feedback you’ve given us through the playtests and demo.

Check out the release date trailer

Here’s what you can look forward to in the game:

• 30 different ant castes
  
• 45 buildings to construct
  
• 7 different types of trails
  
• 10 logic trails and gates to sort your ants
  
• 5 biomes to explore
  
• 44 material types to find and craft
  
• 3 full tiers of progression, each with their own missions
  
• 80 objectives to achieve

Microtopia will be available for $19.99 (price may vary by region) with a 10% launch discount during the first two weeks.

Don’t forget to wishlist now so you’re ready on day one!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2750000/Microtopia

- Added New Enemies: Forest Animals
- Added Sound Effects
- Improved Loot Probabilities

Join the DSI Developers as they play Tales of Valoris!

-Pt-Br translation added. Thank you Rocotroco to translating my game <3
-I fixed skip fast button so you can press "V" to skip fast. (Please dont use with Veronica since she is already talking so fast.)
-I added Extras part for future updates and artbook. (Work in progress...)
-I finished almost half of the new Lora route. I will update soon. (Please don't mad at me I had exams, I got DD on physics class.)
-Fixed some spelling mistakes and bugs.

Hey everyone!

Thank you all for the tremendous amount of support yesterday. We hit new and trending amongst some heavy hitters, and the day surpassed any expectations I had going into it. A special thank you to everyone who left your feedback in the form of reviews, bug reports, and in the forums/Discord/social media!

This first hotfix is going to be a little sparse as I was focused a lot on responding to comments and generally handling the release yesterday. I plan on doing a hotfix every day so keep sending in anything you find!

• Fix: Hitting "main menu" in chapter one glitches the game.
  
• Fix: Traversable tiles hidden behind house in chapter 3 now made untraversable (so you don't get surprise flanked).
  
• Fix: Leaping Strike and Raiding Strike will now move the defending unit even on miss so you don't share the same tile.
  
• Typo: Small typo in Thrillbeat.
  
• Typo: Updated Exploitive Strike to be clear it's the battling enemy.
  
• Typo: END tooltip in promotion UI.
  
• Typo: Minor typos in some dialogues.

If one of your fixes didn't make it into the list, don't worry I'll still be heads down grinding today to get as many fixes in as I can tomorrow. I think it not being the release day will give me more time to focus on squashing any bugs. I'll be prioritizing any game breaking bugs you find (like the leaping strike change above) that don't have an easy work around.

I also hear all the great feedback on QoL changes such as save states mid battle, main menu navigation in base menus, and the scaling issues on ultra-wide monitors. In some cases I don't have the hardware to properly test everything, but I'll be leaning on the community to help me in cases where I come up short. I'm keeping tabs of everything you all report on a Trello board and am steadily working through each one. Ton of stuff to work on, so I appreciate your patience! I'll be getting to as many as quickly as I can.

You've all been absolutely phenomenal, and your support means the world to me.

Thank you all. <3

Best,
Eldin T.

Happy Chinese New Year from Methods!

The fifth and final mobile game in Methods: The Detective Competition series is coming soon!

Pre-order it here:

⭐App Store:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/methods-5-the-last-stage/id6738909485

⭐Google Play:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.erabit.methods.tdc5.paid.gp

⭐TapTap:
https://www.taptap.io/app/33783356

— LockedOn & Erabit

Greetings, Penitents!

Welcome to the second instalment of The Deadly Path tutorial series. Suppose you’ve just completed the tutorial or are starting your first unguided run. In that case, this guide will walk you through the essential mechanics and gameplay elements to ensure your path through the underworld is as smooth (and deadly) as possible. Let’s dive in!

Understanding the game’s interface is your first step to mastering the path:

1. Population
   The top number represents the current population of minions.
   The bottom number represents the population cap (which can be increased by constructing Hovels)
   If population exceeds it’s cap then your upkeep will be increased.
   
2. Age
   This represents what age you are currently in and what your technology level is.
   Hovering your mouse over this will also remind you which God, Custodian and level you are playing with.
   
3. Bones
   
4. Meat
   
5. Gold
   
6. Knowledge
   
7. Blood
   
8. Resurces / Upkeep
   The number alongside Resources represents the amount of that resource that you have.
   The number alongside Upkeep is the amount of that resource that will be deducted from your resource pool each cycle.
   
9. Resource Info Indicator
   The colour of the skull represents if your production of the relevant resource is less than (red), equal to (yellow) or greater than (green) your upkeep cost.
   Hovering over this skull will show a detailed breakdown for the relevant resource.
   
   
10. Cycles Remaining
    This represents how many cycles are remaining in the current run. You will lose the run if this reaches 0 before completing all objectives.
    
11. Cycles until killing moon
    How many cycles remain before the next killing moon event begins (Greater upkeep costs)
    
12. XP Bar
    This represents how much XP you have towards your next upgrade/building unlock.
    
13. Time left in current cycle
    How much physical time is left for the current cycle.
    
14. Game speed / Pause buttons
    Clicking on the pause symbol will pause the game.
    Clicking on the arrow will speed up time in game, or reset back to normal time if clicked after reaching the max speed.

Movement: Use WASD or hold the middle mouse button to move around the map.
Zoom: Use the mouse wheel or Q/E to zoom in and out.
Time Controls:

• Press the space bar or click the pause button to pause/unpause the game.
  
• Use the 1-3 number keys or the arrow buttons to adjust time speed.
  
• Note: Building on a tile will automatically unpause the game.

To expand your empire, you’ll need to excavate tiles:

• Click on an entombed tile to excavate it.
  
• Excavating costs Meat, and the cost increases the further the tile is from your throne room.

Resources are vital to survival and progression. Here’s how to gather them:

• Scavenger Hut: Extracts Bones (used for constructing new buildings).
  
• Carving Spit: Extracts Meat (used for excavation and upkeep).
  
• Rock Chisel: Extracts Gold (used to cover upkeep costs of buildings like the Hovel).
  
• ⚠️ Important: Resources from tiles are limited! Once a tile is depleted, it will remain empty, so plan your resource management carefully.

Efficiently assigning units is key to maximizing resource collection:

• Drag a unit card onto a tile to assign it to a building.
  
• Right-click the tile to unassign the most recently assigned unit.
  
• Shift: Hold to view all currently assigned units.
  
• Unit Management: Click on a unit to unassign it from its task.

Actions such as excavating, gathering resources, and constructing buildings earn you XP:

• Levelling up lets you choose between unlocking new buildings or upgrading existing ones.
  
• Upgrading existing buildings (e.g., a Carving Spit to extract more Meat per cycle) will apply to all iterations of that building at no additional cost.

Adjacent to your throne room, you’ll find ERA Beacons:

• Upgrade these beacons to advance through the ages, unlocking higher-tier buildings and expanding your excavation range.

Killing Moon: This event increases upkeep periodically. Prepare by managing resources wisely.

Upkeep Costs: Every full cycle (visible on the cycle countdown on the right of your UI) incurs upkeep costs for your god, buildings, and units. Balance expansion with sustainability.

Manual of Misery: Press Tab to access this in-game manual, filled with useful details, tutorials and tips.



You’re now equipped with the basics to take your first steps toward appeasing the gods of the Dread Pantheon. Experiment with your strategies, adapt to challenges, and remember: the gods reward the cunning and punish the careless.

In the next part of our series, we’ll dive into more advanced mechanics, including strategies for Roiann, the blightcaster and preparing you for the Killing Moon.

Download the Demo Now on Steam
Join the Discord for Tips and Challenges
Wishlist The Deadly Path

May the gods guide your steps, Penitents.