What's New?: Beta v0.135 from Beta v0.134

Major Game/Gameplay Changes

• "+X EXP" text now pops up after an enemy is killed, letting you know how much EXP has been earned for each enemy.
• Enemies now spawn in "waves", rather than spawning as a constant stream. This allows the player to recuperate if they dealt with a wave efficiently. Over time, more enemies spawn per wave, increasing the difficulty.
• In response to the addition of "waves", item mechanics have changed slightly (for example, Mjolnir deals less damage), and bombs spawn less frequently.
• Item text has been modified to indicate item quality, based on how powerful the item is at damaging enemies. Items with higher quality will drop later in the encounter, while during the first few waves of enemies items with lower power will drop.
• Items with the new "Legendary" quality will only drop off bosses (Balrog), off enemies with a lower drop chance, and/or after the player as completed some prerequisite (in the case of Masfury).
• The legendary sword Masfury requires you to collect Pieces of Balrog Hearts to assemble. The sword drops after the player has collected three Pieces of Balrog Heart in one sitting.
• Enemies have been adjusted across the board to accommodate the major gameplay changes listed here (health, movement speed, damage, etc.).
• A new healing animation has been added to the Scroll of Regeneration, which plays whenever the item is activated.
• Two new enemy types have been added: the Skeleton Mage and Bat Riders. These enemies will cast spells on you from afar, have a large health pool, and must be dealt with fairly quickly. Bat Riders stay in the air until killed.
• You are no longer unable to shoot until your last arrow has landed. Players can now rapidly shoot for faster and more engaging gameplay.
• A new item has been added: Akash, Greatstaff. This is a one time use item that will summon the Wizard to cast Genesis, a large area of effect attack that can help clear the map.
• Fireball animation for the large Fel Bats has been updated. It also has a small animation when it hits the ground or the player.
• Mark of the Barbarian, the first game buff, has been added to the game. This buff will give you a 10% chance to "evade" or completely dodge an enemy attack upon each enemy hit. This buff is provided by the Barbarian and is given to your character at random intervals. Lasts 1 minute.

GUI Changes

• The text for your player's current angle has been slightly adjusted to anchor to the right of the health bar.

Item Changes

• Mana cost per second of Angelsbane has been increased to 7%.
• Mana cost per second of Mjolnir has been increased to 5%.

Bug Fixes

• The "earth shaking" effect of the Infernal Balrog walking will now no longer occur if the Balrog is currently playing the "die" animation.
• Fixed an issue where the player could spawn item effects even while the game is paused.
• Force quitting the game will no longer cause the chat window to report your "last onslaught" score when you log back in.
• Fixed an issue where users could add a new paragraph line in their name.
• Some GUI elements have been re-positioned to avoid overlap with other elements.
• Players will no longer be able to spawn item drops (Ghost Ship, Sword of Justice, etc.) while the game is paused.
• Fixed an issue where players could equip a "hidden" Marksman skin by accident.
• Fixed an issue where players could take "negative damage" (essentially a heal) if they had sufficient Fortitude.
• Tooltips will now reposition to the left of items if the item is on the far right side of the screen. This is to prevent any tooltips from going "off screen".
• Fixed an issue where bosses could not be hit by the ghost ship spawned from the Captain's Mace.
• Fixed an issue where "EXP gained" was being incorrectly reported.
• Fixed an issue where items would potentially spawn right on top of one another, making it difficult to selectively equip one.
• Fixed an issue where the player could generate many "frozen" arrows in the air with the multishot, by spamming the shoot key while the arrows were firing.
• Fixed a few issues whereby sound effects would not be properly adjusted by your settings in the game's options.

[ 2020-07-21 22:40:37 CET ] [ Original post ]

HOW LONG CAN YOU SURVIVE? Lord Pain has summoned his infernal minions once again to wreak havoc on the realms of men... As one of the last of the Bowmen, a long forgotten but elite Elven race that once guarded the living against this malevolent evil, you must conjure up your courage and venture forth toward the portal of doom to save mankind once again. With a bit of skill, a dash of luck, and the help of unusual accomplices, you may hold these demons off just long enough for the living to be saved and mankind to emerge victorious once again!

SURVIVE THE ONSLAUGHT OF A CARTOON HELL

Fight against Lord Pain's relentless armies in a single game mode called "onslaught", whereby enemies spawn in progressively more and more difficult waves the longer you stay alive. To succeed, you'll need to call upon allies for aid, equip unique items, use health potions, and decimate your foes by detonating powerful explosives.

Leveling up your character after each encounter will allow you to invest in player attributes that will improve your character's damage throughput and survivability, slowly allowing you to progress into more daunting and brow-sweating difficulties.

EQUIP UNIQUE ITEMS

Bowmen comes "equipped" (heh, see what I did there?) with a plethora of items that drop from enemies that have succumbed to your inescapable wrath. These items can improve your player's stats, grant you extra experience per kill, heal your character, or empower you with unique skills and abilities. Will you stick with a scroll that gives you some additional health regen, or will you drop it in favor of that sick legendary sword that will allow you to do maximum damage? The choice is yours!

EARLY ACCESS EXCLUSIVES

Completing specific objectives, performing feats of strength, or reaching high global ranks in Bowmen will unlock unique skins that will allow you to customize your character for a more personalized gaming experience. Starting with RC v1.04, as a token of our gratitude for supporting Bowmen during its early stages, players that purchase the game before its full release will be given the Panda skin, a unique skin that makes a menacing face whenever you get a double kill or greater during onslaught. Early Access backers will also unlock the Vanguard achievement, forever solidifying your Steam account as an Early Access supporter.

Early Access backers will also be providing key feedback to the developers that will shape how the game plays and feels. Those that provide us feedback during development will be given specific recognition in the game's credits once it launches.

FIGHT YOUR WAY TO THE TOP

Lastly, you can fight your way to the top of our leaderboards to earn exclusive bragging rights among your fellow archers! After each session of onslaught on Inferno difficulty, your score will automatically be submitted to Steam along with your character's name and your current level. If your score is higher than any of the scores within the top 1000 for that season, your score and rank will be shown in-game so that everyone will know their place relative to YOU in the Bowmen hierarchy!

Disclaimer: Bowmen is currently available through Steam Early Access, but is considered a work in progress and not representative of the final product. If you wish to play Bowmen in its current state and provide us with feedback, you may do so by purchasing a copy of the game and providing feedback on the Steam forums. For more information about Early Access, please see the Early Access Q&A above.