Greetings, friends! We hate to keep you waiting for any longer, so here is a post announcing the first big update for Swordhaven, planned to release around the end of February. In short, most of our work this month and the next revolves around the suggestions you've provided to us on Steam, Discord and other platforms. Now, let's discuss them in detail. Please note that even if you don't see your suggestion in the list below, it doesn't mean it was ignored. To keep this post (somewhat) concise, we're only mentioning the things we are currently working on, not everything that is planned.
1. Game Balance and Weapon Techniques: Weapons, from the initial ones you start with to craftable and higher-tier weapons found throughout the world, have received a significant overhaul. Now weapons in each tier are more in line with one another, hopefully fixing the issue of one weapon choice being more viable than the other, as happened with Martial Arts in the current version.
The planned rebalance aligns much more closely with how our team envisions this battle system. Halberds hit hard but can only strike once per turn, while knives are the quickest, albeit weakest, hitters, boosted by their bleeding potential. Staves and mauls offer a variety of defensive fighting options, while two-handed swords provide the highest offensive potential. Sword-and-shield users excel at tanking, and axes trade off some defense for increased damage. Clubs may not inflict as much damage as some other weapons, but they can completely demolish armoured foes. Spears fall somewhere in between, and martial arts provide either a highly mobile or high-damage-dealing style, allowing for various combinations to accommodate a wide range of builds. Ranged weapons will also receive a lot of care, making the hassle of always requiring ammo worth it, through improved damage potentials and range.
Craftable weapons, shields, armours and items you have previously witnessed in a rather undercooked state are now also balanced out, making crafting much more viable, and the interface changes should make the process smooth. To highlight each weapon type's strengths and weaknesses we have revamped some techniques, keeping usefulness and damage potential in combat as our highest priority. As we mentioned once before, now, just like you asked, all skills will feature a default 100% chance to hit against an enemy with 0% resistance, so you will only have to worry about one to hit dice roll instead of two when performing a weapon technique.
Some weapon techniques have switched places. For example, the valuable but damage-less debuff skill for halberds, Bannerman's Cry, will be moved to an earlier tier, where it will be much more viable. We will also be opening the fourth Technique skill, since now most players will be able to reach a level where they will be able to get those, thanks to the new content. Shields have also been revamped for the upcoming update. With new, higher blocking chance percentages and Stamina debuffs, they will now represent a trade-off between defense and mobility. Same can be said for armours and jackets, which were rebalanced. Both of them will provide their own unique bonuses and will feature their own flaws. Healing will also receive an upgrade based on your suggestions. Now, the amount you heal operates on a spectrum, with both maximum and minimum amounts influenced by your skill. This change allows for events like critical success in healing. Additionally, you won't need to worry about the destruction of your mortar and pestle while crafting, as all crafting tools will have a set number of uses. They are generous but finite, so at some point, you will need to purchase a replacement. Potions and poisons are still somewhat more WIP than other craftables, but these will also get some tweaks and new additions. The way information about current buff or debuff effects and resistances will now become way more elegant thanks to our 2D artist. There is still a lot of testing to be done, but the update's battle system can be considered semi-final. We hope it will leave a good impression, and we look forward to your feedback!
2. New Locations: We will be adding the first legendary weapon master to the game, and his secluded woodland hermitage is just one of the several locations we have in mind. You will finally get to visit the outskirts of Swordhaventwo major locations that are home to a tavern, numerous market stalls, an ore foundry, and of course, a blooming conflict that your character will have the opportunity to resolve or exacerbate.
One of the first planned dungeons is currently in the works, featuring a vast cave system andwell, let's not get ahead of ourselves, shall we? ;) In the new part of the country you will get to fight feather-beasts, evil snapping turtles, and a larger variety of human enemies with new tactics and more complex AI behaviour patterns such as proper patrolling of areas, calling for help, and more. All that on an expanded pool of new random maps.
3. Tweaks and QOL Improvements: We're planning to add such features as better inventory sorting buttons and NPC name highlighting. We are also working on optimization-related tasks which will ease up on the CPU power consumption, give out more FPS, and reduce load times. The locations that you can see in the current version of the game are also planned to receive some attention before the update hits. We are working on a range of improvements, including visual upgrades for villages and dungeons, adjustments to loot spots, the addition of new enemy encounters on the maps, and the expansion of some NPC dialogues.
4. Conclusion: It goes without saying, that the update will fix a numerous amount of bugs, but to keep this post a bit shorter, we will save a complete report on those for the appropriate future patch note. In conclusion we would like to thank you again for your great contribution to the development process. Nothing beats creating something side by side with fellow lovers of the genre! We hope you are stoked for the update! We sure are :) Yours, Atom Team