Dear Community,
We now are able to give you insight on our likely last big Update for A Year of Rain. We are sorry for the time of silence, though we wanted to be completely sure, that everything will work out as we decided on. This means as well, that the Update will already hit in the next 2 days. Our goal from the start was to show our own individual passion and love for the RTS genre, and simultaneously gain new experiences in the world of competitive titles. Over the course of this period we have received a lot of feedback both positive and negative, but usually constructive. We have had tournaments with RTS veterans giving us their opinions and praise and we have had great, honest talks with our community on Discord, Steam and at conventions like Gamescom, PAX South/West, Wacken Open Air, Igromir, Dreamhack and others. Unfortunately, even when this was more than we ever could have asked for on the emotional, personal side the low player base that you have witnessed yourselves hurts us substantially - We reached no more than 5000 players worldwide until today. We are deeply sorry for everyone who felt, or will feel, let down by us and the path we had to choose, considering we are an independent studio with limited resources.
We have decided to put the active development of A Year Of Rain on hold and minimize recurring costs by replacing the official game servers with a new P2P System. You will still be able to play multiplayer matches by opening up a lobby that others can join but there will not be any automatic matchmaking anymore.
This means as well, that Leaderboards and player statistics will disappear, but, as a positive side effect, portraits and titles are automatically unlocked from the beginning.
For now, there will be no further additions or significant improvements to the game. Unfortunately, this means that some of the changes we were working on like the revamped pathfinding will not be coming.
Currently we had to choose between the existing pathfinding system, which is not working ideally but functional, and the new pathfinding system, which is more advanced but simply not yet functional at all. There are just no easy or quick solutions for this situation, since the low sales and player base restrict us from finalizing the new pathfinding.
However, we will still release the remaining maps as well as the new game mode Against All Odds when we make the switch to the new version. While the new content does not quite match the usual level of quality that we have set as the bar for ourselves, we believe we should not hold them back and really wanted to share what some team members spent their last two years working on.
To learn more about the changes we are implementing you can find a detailed changelog below. Please excuse that this is in English only.
We hope that you understand the situation we were facing and still find enjoyment with the game in its new form. We were able to preserve as much as possible of the experience and we hope that you are able to see our effort in doing so.
Thank you for the overwhelming support you have shown since we launched. You gave us the needed strength to deal with the very painful decision we had to make. Hopefully we made up to it with this specific way of handling the unfortunate circumstances.
Best Regards - The A Year Of Rain Team
Patch Notes: A Year of Rain Hotfix
[ 2020-02-04 13:07:30 CET ] [ Original post ]
- Linux [8.21 G]
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Story
This world is a harsh and unforgiving place.
Its people have to fight for every scrap. Tenacious tribes, nomadic clans or those huddled in the shadow of those with power... they're all caught in a cycle of war and violence, to wrestle from the land what little sustenance it provides.
Two old friends want to break that cycle and create paradise amidst the desolation. A tempest of change is brewing on the horizon.
Real-Time Strategy
Choose one of three rival factions and get immersed in a gameplay mixture of base building, resource gathering, unit recruiting and battling against or alongside others players in campaign or skirmish modes. Structures and units can be upgraded in order to enhance efficiency and power.
Conquer your enemies with your carefully assembled army led by a legendary hero!
Team Play and Roles
The ultimate Team RTS - play together across all game modes! Select from one of three roles to unlock special technologies and coordinate with your ally to determine your team’s strategy. Alternatively, you can always command your AI companion to deploy its troops according to your masterplan.
Co-Op Campaign
A Year Of Rain’s co-op campaign is designed with a team of two in mind.
The epic story features a range of iconic characters and locations. During your journey you must strategize, survive ambushes, uncover secrets and wage war – always with the option to experience the story together with another player.
Competitive Multiplayer
The classic skirmish mode is being developed for competitive matches from the very start. Those new to the genre can use integrated build orders to get their bearings, while seasoned players will find detailed match statistics to further improve their game – easy to learn, hard to master!
Factions and Heroes
In the world of A Year Of Rain, three unique factions find themselves in a struggle for power. Each faction features three powerful heroes to spearhead your armies.
House Rupah is led by an ambitious man from the northwest, called Jaidee Rupah. He is ready to claim unclaimed lands to make a name and a legacy.
The Restless Regiment. Led by the infamous Lady Llorona, they all dance on her strings and either serve her in mindless obedience or zealous devotion fueled by singular, driving purpose or the torment of martial memories.
The Wild Banners are a coalition of nomads, hunters, tribes, forgotten and fallen civilizations as well as lone wanderers. They chose not to belong where so called civilization thrives. They are beastly savages for some, and tenacious survivalists for others.
Features
- The ultimate Team RTS. Play together across all game modes.
- Ambitious campaign, designed for co-op experience
- A 2v2 skirmish mode that is truly designed for team play
- Three unique factions: House Rupah, the Wild Banners and the Restless Regiment
- Compelling, multi-layered story
- Elaborate, stylized art
- Powerful iconic heroes to lead your army
- Soundtrack by award-winning composer Neal Acree
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