Dwelvers V1.1.7 beta testing version is now released. This release have mostly been about bug splatting and AI optimization. But I have also added some requested features such as having frequent autosaves, and using the numpad * key to toggle between x1 and x8 speed.

With the last version I got a crash reported to me, and I take this very seriously. I noticed that the uploaded for crashdumps didn't work - so this is now also fixed.

So if you experience any crashes in this version, please press "Yes" to upload the dmp file to our server. This helps me a lot!

Oh, and that is right, I almost forgot - You can no longer farm in the last Dark Sister scenario, the elves have put a curse on the farmland! (will only work when playing the scenarion from the beginning) So enjoy living on fish and trading ;)

To opt into the beta, use this code:

tuK82JR1JgNsK1OC

1. Right-click on Dwelvers in your Steam Library

2. Choose Properties → Betas

3. Enter the code and select the beta branch

• Solved with the next version - Bug (1.1.2) - When exiting/entering the Spells menu, the area of influence mode is not turned on/off.
  
• Solved with the next version - Bug (1.1.3) - The player color cannot be chosen in Skirmish and Generated games.
  
• Solved with the next version - Bug (1.1.3) - Rally flags (except for squads) do not disappear after all creatures belonging to the flag die
  
• Solved with the next version - shows 23 Bread, but only 3 are usable which were produced in Cooking Room
  
• Solved with the next version - sudden lack of water, where most of it was taken to the nearby Farm Room
  
• Solved with the next version - Missing Elements or Intentional?
  
• Solved with the next version - Bug (1.1.3) - Wave of humans just stops at some point
  
• Solved with the next version - (v1.1.1) Portal needs a room flag
  
• Solved with the next version - Bug (1.1.4) - Can see more terrain and objects outside the realm

• Added to the next version - Toggling min and max game speed with the * key.
  
• Added to the next version - Autosave feature

Thank you all for playing and supporting the game!

/ Rasmus

Dwelvers V1.1.6 beta testing version is now released. Here I have added the Dark Sister voice lines to the remaining two campaigns. We also have all the Dark Sister voice messages added.

We are now getting closer to the release date for the Dark Sister, and we would love to get so much feedback as possible on the campaign levels - this will help us make Dwelvers even better, and when we start the publicity round we want the game to be as enjoyable as possible for new players.

To opt into the beta, use this code:

tuK82JR1JgNsK1OC

1. Right-click on Dwelvers in your Steam Library

2. Choose Properties → Betas

3. Enter the code and select the beta branch

• Crash (1.1.4) - DM campaign lvl 2 + bug at the start of the game
• Bug (1.1.5) - After quitting the game the Closing Dwelvers window stops at Cleaning up game data

Thank you all for playing and supporting the game!

/ Rasmus

Dwelvers V1.1.5 beta testing version is now released. Improved pathfinding, optimization and AI bugfixing have been the goal for this release.

I have a date in mind for leaving the Dark Sister beta mode and join the Dark Mother for real: June 26th – just two weeks away. If you have time, please report any bugs you encounter so I can prioritize fixes before the release.

To opt into the beta, use this code:

tuK82JR1JgNsK1OC

1. Right-click on Dwelvers in your Steam Library

2. Choose Properties → Betas

3. Enter the code and select the beta branch

I took the time to scrap the old system where the pathfinding relied on rooms and replaced it with a pathfinding system that instantly find the shortest path from any point on the map to any other point on the map. This is an improvement from the old system because it is faster, and that the old system could take some detours. The backside is that the memory the game uses have increased with about 1 GB, bringing the games total memory usage to something around 5 GB (unless you play a 100x100 map). But I find that acceptable with todays standard.

Since a long time ago I have been using threading in Dwelvers, but something has always bothered me, it never felt like the threads were using the computers max processing power. The loading phase always brings the CPU usage up to 80% - 90% for faster loading. But in game only 5% were used. Which for my computer is about using 2 processors. for my computer.

This made me look closer into how I handled the threading, and one big clue was that I could reload the same level over and over again and get different CPU usage each time - It seemed like different threads were using different processing power.

After some research I found that each thread were assigned a specific processors, meaning that if I had 6 threads running simultaniously could all be assigned to the same processor, and what is even worse, they could be assigned to the same processor that the OS was using.

So the solution was that I assigned the threads manually to different processors - and the result was HUGE. I was able to bring the framerate up from 50 fps to 70 fps. And if we compare with the 1.0 release I have more than doubled the fps.

• (1.1.3) - Bugs related to the Possession spell
  
• Creatures sometimes climb up and down the ladder
  
• Bug (1.1.4) - Reinforced walls in one column are immortal
  
• Road construction sites disappear after reloading the game.
  
• builder getting stuck when building walls
  
• Workers closest to the wall do not dig it out.
  
• Workers closest to the wall blueprint do not build it.
  
• After placing all the required items on the construction site, the structure does not always begin construction immediately
  
• Bug (1.1.3) - Structures are not buit immediately after all resources are placed
  
• Bug (1.1.3) - Creatures often choose to climb ladders instead of taking the path on the same level of terrain
  
• Bug (1.1.2) - Creatures changes the way to Rally Flag if there's another portal closer to it
  
• Bug (1.1.3) - The enemy waves go back and forth or change their route on their way to my dungeon.

Thank you all for playing and supporting the game!

/ Rasmus

Dwelvers V1.1.4 beta testing version is now released. In this version we have focused on bug fixing, achievements, improving upon features and of course the Dark Sister campaign. We also have a release date for when the Dark Sister leaves the Beta stage and becomes a full worthy member of the Dwelvers family.

To opt into the beta, use this code:

tuK82JR1JgNsK1OC

1. Right-click on Dwelvers in your Steam Library

2. Choose Properties → Betas

3. Enter the code and select the beta branch

We thank you for all the feedback we have got about the Dark Sister campaign. All campaign levels have now been balanced with more enemies and cave-ins to make the game play more interesting between all the points of interest.

We have now added 14 more achievements connected to the first Dark Mother campaign. These are not added in Steam yet, just locally in game.

As you may have noticed there have been some changes to how the reinforcing and road building works. Now I have improved upon it even more.

We can now build roads on top of already existing roads, making it easier to upgrade them. The roads don't cost resources to build, but they do take time to build. And the higher level road you build the longer time it takes to build it. The reward is faster travel speed.

• Wooden Road - 25% faster transportation speed - 5 seconds building time.

• Cobblestone Road - 55% faster transportation speed - 10 seconds building time.

• Brick Road - 85% faster transportation speed - 20 seconds building time.

I have added information about the travel speed in the road description.

Here I would love some feedback on the transportation speed and building time. The player should not have an easy time building brick road from start.

A feature that is sort of unknown but have existed for a long time is how the reinforced walls works. I have now added some clarification in the description about this.

An enemy will always avoid digging or climbing a reinforced wall if there are other paths that they can take into your base. In that way it is very important to reinforce the walls around your base and leave one opening so that you can focus your defense there.

Currently we have 2 types of reinforced walls:

• Reinforced Beam Wall - Max detour an enemy will take is 25 tiles - 15 seconds building time.

• Reinforced Stone Wall - Max detour an enemy will take is 100 tiles - 40 seconds building time.

1. Bug (1.1.2) - Destroyed portals do not appear as such

2. If your road is next to the ladder that is breakable, like natural ladder, you'll get alert that your structure is attaked.

3. Ladders (and maybe doors) do not highlight properly when hovering the cursor over them

4. Building a reinforced beam or stone wall costs two stones, while building a rock costs nothing.

5. (v1.1.1) Imps reinforces walls with a higher level reinforcement

6. (1.1.1) Upgrade option for roads and reinforced walls missing

Thank you all for playing and supporting the game!

/ Rasmus

Hi all,

V1.1.3 is now out and things are going fast! Our voice actor has given us the Dark Sister voice for the two first scenarios in the Dark Sister Campaign, and our dungeon designer have added 12 new achievements for the Dark Sister campaign.

And besides this a lot of bugs have been fixed as well!

We would very much appreciate it if you could play the new campaign as our beloved Dungeon Designer need feedback on his work to make it as good as possible.

So you're all welcome to check out the latest beta release.

To opt into the beta, use this code:

tuK82JR1JgNsK1OC

1. Right-click on Dwelvers in your Steam Library
   
2. Choose Properties → Betas
   
3. Enter the code and select the beta branch

1. Texture glitches when possessing a creature
   
2. Realm (Map) Editor: Removing a single tile in the Realm Editor deletes the entire column of tiles, down to the bottommost Solid Rock tile.
   
3. Wooden and stone bridges, mouse traps, and mines cannot be removed
   
4. Roads and reinforced walls in not built in campaign levels
   
5. Roads in all campaign levels cannot be built.
   
6. You can change player colors during normal game, in the same way as in the Realm Editor by pressing "V" key.
   
7. Bug (1.1.2) - Squad rally flag is green for other players than red
   
8. Bug (1.1.2) - Destroyed portals do not appear as such

Thank you all for playing and supporting the game!
/ Rasmus

Hi all,

A lot is happening right now! We've just reconnected with our voice actor, who has agreed to give the Dark Sister a completely new voice — adding even more personality to the character! This new voice will also be featured in system messages and idle chatter, and I’m really looking forward to hearing the final result.

Meanwhile, Marcus — our beloved dungeon designer — has completed level 3 in the second campaign. In this level, you lead a group of scouts searching for a new cave, but without access to the Dark Sister. It’s a real game changer!

You're all welcome to check out the latest beta release.

To opt into the beta, use this code:

tuK82JR1JgNsK1OC

1. Right-click on Dwelvers in your Steam Library
   
2. Choose Properties → Betas
   
3. Enter the code and select the beta branch

Thank you all for playing and supporting the game!
/ Rasmus

Hi all,

We’re getting closer to the next major release of Dwelvers! But before that, we need your help to test it and squash any lurking bugs. That’s why we’re launching this beta version, and you're invited to join in.

At Divine Robot, the company where I work, and which is supporting Dwelvers, we recently brought on a level designer—who’s built a new campaign introducing the Dark Sister. I asked him to describe her, and he said:

#Discussions_QuoteBlock_Author

"She's blue, she's got evil to do, and enemies to subdue... and in the last hour, her true self will come through"

To opt into the beta, use this code:

1. Right-click on Dwelvers in your Steam Library
   
2. Choose Properties → Betas
   
3. Enter the code and select the beta branch

This is a work-in-progress build, and we’re eager to hear your feedback. Some things are still incomplete:

• The Dark Sister voiceover is not implemented yet
  
• Campaign Level 3 is missing
  
• Campaign Level 4 is incomplete
  
• Some placeholder text/icons remain
  
• Some UI elements still use the default red color

We now have a new campaign with 4 levels. The first level is back to basics, but it will get harder as you progress. What is special about this campaign is that the Dark Sister have a character arc—a first for Dwelvers! Which is something that me (a cold, logic-driven programmer) was happy to explore.

Dwelvers has been optimized and now runs up to 60% faster on most machines. Enjoy smoother gameplay!

Players are now color-coded. While red is still the default, skirmishes and custom dungeons let you pick your own color. This affects:

• Creatures
  
• Room flags
  
• Roads
  
• UI elements

• There are now two types of reinforced walls
  
• Roads are no longer upgradable; instead, choose among three road types before building
  
• Stairs will auto-generate when building roads on slopes

• Finish the campaign
  
• Add the Dark Sister’s voice
  
• Polish, bug fixing, and balancing based on your feedback

We’d love your input! Please:

• Report bugs
  
• Share balancing issues
  
• Let us know if something feels missing or confusing

I’ll open a beta-specific forum here on Steam for your posts.

Thanks for playing and supporting the game!
/ Rasmus

Hi all!

As usual, I've been struggling to find time to work on Dwelvers. In my last news post, I talked about introducing an enemy keeper AI. This would, of course, require a lot of work to get right, and once it’s implemented, I’d need to design levels where you face off against this enemy keeper. If I followed that plan, it might be a while before you see the next release.

So, I’ve been thinking...

Dwelvers already has a lot of game mechanics, and most updates I’ve made have focused on introducing new features or mechanics. Perhaps it’s time to concentrate on adding more content instead. This approach is much quicker for me to implement, and I believe it would significantly enhance the gameplay.

For example, we need to get the workshop up and running. The game is highly moddable at the moment, and that potential should be fully utilized.

Another example is that the game currently only has one type of reinforced wall, one type of reinforced floor, one floor type (even if it can be upgraded), and a limited selection of tables. Imagine how much more fun it would be to design a dungeon with a variety of options.

Plus, being able to choose the color of the Dark Mother is already implemented (though not yet released), and it adds an extra layer of fun.

And let’s not forget more levels—each new level with fresh objectives can add many hours of gameplay.

So, even though an enemy AI would be exciting, I think it should be paused for now. We have a lot of low-hanging fruit that needs to be picked as soon as possible, and focusing on these will mean more frequent releases.

What do you think about this?

Dear Dwelvers community,

Since the last post in March, I was able to put down quite a lot of work on Dwelvers, and my intention was to continue doing so. I was able to continue on the computer AI for the Dark Mother and reached a point where the computer could build rooms in an orderly way, and repair them if they got destroyed.

Unfortunately, life got in the way again. My regular job, together with me prioritizing my family first of all, made little time for development. In the past, when this happened, I always hoped to get back to the development as soon as possible, and the longer it took for me to get back, the harder it was.

To be honest, I have found out that the time of year I usually have time for development is in the autumn and the winter, so I think this will be the case this year as well. I soon go on vacation, and that will make it impossible for me to find any time as I want to spend as much time with my family as possible during this time.

I wanted to make this announcement telling you all that development will probably continue in the autumn, because I don't want to keep you in the dark about what is going on, as I've done before.

I hope you all enjoy playing the current (full) version of Dwelvers, and I will try to get some new content in there as soon as I have time!

Take care all, and I hope you all get a good summer (or winter depending on where you live).

Sincerely,

Rasmus Ljunggren
(The only developer of Dwelvers)

Dear Dwelvers community,

This month I have been working on something extra. It wasn't my original plan but when it came to me I just had to pursue it.



So what is going on here? Do we have more than one Dark Mother in the picture?
Yes we do :D

Since the first time I started developing Dwelvers I always had the design in my mind that more than one player should be able to play the game at once, either it be in multiplayer, shared screen or just a computer player. Even if this was a long time ago and nothing I have prioritized during the 10 years of development I've always kept the original design intact. So when I tested to just add another computer player in the world another Dark Mother came forward!

Before I even wanted to go into all the bugs the new Dark Mother took with her into the underground, I first needed to be able to seperate the Wardens with all their creatures apart. So now we have rooms with green or red room flags depending on which player the Dark Mother belongs to.



And the creatures needed to be color coded as well.



Together with the roads.



And a very green Dark Mother!


(Perhaps too green??)

This opens up for a whole new campaign with the player fighting against, or cooperating with other Dark Mothers.

Scenarios that comes to my mind are the following:

• Player fighting against other Dark Mothers.
  
• Player fighting against other Dark Mothers and Humans (that are cooperating).
  
• Player cooperating with other Dark Mothers to fight other Dark Mothers or Humans.
  
• Player rescuing other Dark Mothers from humans.
  
• And so on..

I also have this idea that if a Dark Mother is killed she will spew out her heart and her creatures will become neutral, and whatever imp takes the heart and feed it to their Dark Mother, gets the killed Dark Mothers' creatures. This could add a lot of tactics to the game play!

If you have more game play ideas please let me know here: Multiple Dark Mother's gameplay suggestions

This also takes the first steps towards actually being able to play the game in multiplayer! First I need to add supports for gamepads (which also increases the Steam Deck support), and once that is done we could have split screen multiplayer!

It went surprisingly well adding another Dark Mother to the dungeon, there weren't many bugs and most of them are already fixed! I bugtest by switching between players and make them build bases and fight against each other. Once all the bugs are fixed I will start working on the computer players AI, and I am not sure how long this will take because there will probably be a lot of tweaking and bugtesting.

I want computer played Dark Mothers to have different "personalities", like if they prefer to defend or attack and also how efficient they are at building up dungeons.

With that said, my mind is bubbling with inspiration right now, and I can see that this is very feasible to add into the game without it taking to long time to develop!


Thank you all for your support and I will see you soon again :)

Sincerely,

Rasmus Ljunggren
(The only developer of Dwelvers)