Hey Venturers! After a long hiatus, I'm thrilled to announce that the gates of Arakion will soon be open! It's been a while since my last update, so bear with me as I walk through what took so long, the first in a series of updates about all the changes, and the plans moving forward for Arakion.
What Took So Long? In short, life and an engine change. First, life took a turn when I became a father, which made supporting my family the top priority. This limited the amount of time I could spend developing Arakion. Now, I'm in a place where I can commit to developing Arakion full-time for the foreseeable future. Second, I made the choice to transition Arakion from Unity to Unreal. While I was already working with Unreal on other projects, I decided to bring Arakion into the fold. The switch took longer than I initially anticipated, but its been worth it. Unreals mature systems, along with powerful tools like GAS and PCG, means I can implement vast amounts of content with little effort. This makes the future of Arakion very bright! Let's Talk about Traits For our first preview, lets dive into the revamped traits. First off, classes have been removed entirely. Instead, heroes now gain one of three experience types: Brawn, Skill, and Will. How a hero gains experience depends on their actions, the skills they use, the decisions they make, and more. These points are then used to learn traits (certain traits still require Traitstones found in the world in addition to experience) Each type of experience can be spent in its respective trait branch. As you might expect, Brawn traits focus on melee and health, Skill traits enhance ranged weapons and stamina, and Will traits boost casting and energy. To start your journey, youll answer a few questions during hero creation, earning a couple of experience orbs to spend right away (dont worry, its color-coded with tooltips to guide you as you can see below).
These early experience points can significantly shape your playstyle. For example, you might grab Spellhands early to start your hero's journey as a spellcaster or Armsmaster to wield weapon abilities. One I like to get really early on for mages is "Gifted Spellhands". This modifies Faebolt (think magic missile) to longer require energy to cast, this allows starting mages to really focus on gaining Will experience.
This is the first set of branches in the trait tree. As you see you have two choices for each trait type immediately. As you spend points in Brawn, Skill, or Will, youll unlock new branches in each respective tree. Some branches even require points across multiple trait types to unlock (think Battlemage). In addition to the main tree, additional smaller trees such as race (each race has a unique tree) and crafting trees exist that can be learned.
Another thing to keep in mind when learning traits is the stats that it benefits from. In this tooltip, you can see which stats empower the ability (in this case, a Magical ability enhanced by Wisdom). Here are some example traits (most of these names are temp names):

Brawn Traits

• Armsmaster : After countless hours of training with melee weapons, the Venturer can now harness weapon abilities.
• Squire Armsmaster : The Venturer wields weapons with effortless grace. Swapping weapons no longer requires stamina.
• Lionheart Armsmaster : On a melee strike, the Venturers awareness becomes heightened, granting them one toughness for five turns.

Skill Traits

• Hidebearer : Bestows the Venturer with the ability to clad medium armor.
• Stalker Hidebearer : When struck while clad in medium armor, the Venturer regains one stamina.
• Shadowborn Hidebearer : As long as the Venturer is clad in medium armor, they fully restore stamina upon defeating a foe.

Will Traits

• Spellhands : The Venturer can now weave an array of spells using only their hands.
• Learned Spellhands : The Venturer can now weave utility magic without the use of Energy.
• Gifted Spellhands : The Venturer can now weave Fae Arrow without the use of Energy.

As you can see, traits now offers tangible impacts on gameplay, giving your hero a unique style. I'll go more in depth with traits in a video that should be releasing next month. Plans Moving Forward As mentioned, Ill be able to work on Arakion full-time for the foreseeable future. My goal is to bring it to a point where it can be released and updated far more frequently. A detailed roadmap is on the way, but heres a quick breakdown of the upcoming milestones:

• Bimonthly: News and videos keeping you informed about Arakion.
• January / February 2025: Launching a 10-level dungeon, which will serve as a testing ground for the new systems and introduce side journeys. I originally planned releasing this in December, but decided to push it back to avoid overlapping with the holiday season.
• Spring 2025: Releasing the Prologue, Chapter 1, and Chapter 2 of the mainline series.
• Summer 2025: Releasing Chapter 3 and a new side journey.

And with that I'm going to head back to work, be sure to keep an eye out for a video preview that will release in the next few weeks. Were just getting started, and I cant wait to share more in the coming weeks and months. Your thoughts and feedback are always welcome, so dont hesitate to drop a comment! I'll respond as soon as I see them! Sorry if this first preview was a little clunky. I'm still dusting off the announcement skillset. Have a wonderful day and a Happy Halloween! Lavidimus

[ 2024-10-31 18:14:00 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Everyone!

Today we're getting back into the gist of things, talking about The Builder.

Story

The Builder was much like our heroes in his youth, ready to take on a great venture. He became a member of a small but promising guild and lead it to rapid prominence. As events unfolded in his life, he found himself in a battle to seal The Ancients. Although successful, it came at a great cost. Most of his friends perished and his guild disbanded. Ever present in The Builder's mind is a return of his long-lost guild, or at least seeing a new one rise from its ashes.

Nowadays

The Builder finds himself more caretaker than a hero nowadays. Long gone are the days of his youth. To our heroes, he seems to be just an old man watching over a ruined town. As they come to learn more about him, however, they will find him an invaluable mentor. He will help guide them on a path of learning what it takes to be a hero. Perhaps our heroes can even help him start a new guild. That's it for today! Thanks for sharing your time with me and I'll be posting another update soon. Sorry again it took so long but I'm glad to be back! Have a wonderful day! Lavidimus [url=https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/31474648/a920140f2ed65df16a7ae63f4a2fbaf8f1fa3380.png]
[url=https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/31474648/a72ed7f805962d1ba15b3e879a01d7bd9b0c01a6.png]

[ 2022-06-17 22:56:51 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Venturers!

With this preview, we're continuing our look at the various inhabitants you'll encounter in Arakion. Today let's take a look at The Trogs. This group of flesh-hungry inhabitants of Arakion, will do anything to satiate their hunger and curiosity. Although the majority of them can be found in the aptly named Trogwoods, an unlucky traveler may come across them in deep tunnels throughout all of Arakion. There are countless tales of wayward travelers lost to them.

The Trogs

[Click on images for a larger preview]

The Trogling

The little ones Racing back and forth through the caverns, Troglings run errands and serve the other Trogs. Don't let this fact fool you, if you encounter them they're still as flesh-hungry as the rest.

The Rogue

The hidden one The rogue can pop up anywhere and vanish in an instant. These Trogs carry various quick blades and daggers to slice and dice up their next victim for supper.

The Mage

The bright one The gifted of the group. The mage both supports his brothers and brings havoc on his enemies.

The Warrior

The thick one The Warrior siblings rush headfirst into battle, oftentimes with helmets nailed to their heads. These Trogs love fighting, eating, and bashing anything they can find.

The Trogre

Big Brother The big brother of the bunch. Trogres are as unpredictable as they are massive, laughing and playing in one instant and pulverizing in the next.
Soon I'll do a more in-depth preview of each of these characters, until then that's it for today's update. Check back soon for the next preview! Have a wonderful day! -Lavidimus

[ 2021-07-30 00:51:54 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Venturers!

A lot of work has gone into Arakion over the past few months, and today is the first of many upcoming previews showing off the new content. Let's take a look at The Outlaws. This group of rabble will do anything for a quick fortune. Now landlocked, this devious bunch longs to once again sail the seas! This fiery group works in a team to try and bring down the party, using nearby cannons to rain down. As all mob sets in Arakion, you can explore their zones and defeat them to learn about their weapons, armor, and secrets!

The Outlaws

[Click on images for a larger preview]

The Bandit

The grunt of the group This is the most common Outlaw you'll encounter and he carries a variety of weapons. He's easy to dispatch solo but can be quite difficult when he groups up.

The Sea Witch

The ocean singer and wavebringer Powered by the oceans, her array of spells both support her allies and send waves crashing over our our party.

The Robber

The loot taker and moneymaker The money maker of the group. He uses his large ancient weapons to rob unsuspecting travelers.

The Flamebaron

The flame bringer The Captains right hand, the Flamebaron reins down fire and projectiles on the party from afar.

The Captain

His word is law. The leader of this intrepid band. If our party runs across this big guy, it's best to turn around and run in the opposite direction. He's a powerful man with a powerful appetite for loot.
Soon I'll do a more in-depth preview of each of these characters, until then that's it for today's update. Check back soon for the next preview! Have a wonderful day! -Lavidimus

[ 2021-07-13 17:07:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Venturers! Today's video shows off all the new character models. I want to preface this video by saying sorry for the delay, a few months ago I lost a lot of the source graphics for the game and had to recreate them, most of that is now done and we're about ready to start putting out updates! Be sure to check out the video below for new characters and more information! Have a wonderful day! -Lavidimus [previewyoutube=8lrBZlGiOyQ;full][/previewyoutube]

[ 2021-02-09 23:53:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Venturers! A quick note: in late July, a significant amount of graphical data was lost and subsequently had to be recreated. As a result, all the characters have had to be recreated. This gave me the opportunity to significantly improve some of the races. Today I'll be showing off an early preview of the new Yin models that will be rolling out with the next update! A Little Lore: Yin are a sturdy race hailing from the eastern mountain range. Their attributes make them extremely formidable and powerful warriors. Their once-great kingdom came under the rule of the Fae and they quickly found themselves as a slave labor force. In the years since gaining their freedom, they have been trying to rediscover their now lost culture. Due to evolving in an isolated part of Arakion, their blood is copper-based and they bleed blue. Other races will often refer to them as blue-bloods because of this trait. Some even say this blood gives them mystical powers. Yin culture is based around East Asian culture and I am hoping to show this off in a few areas in-game. They have enhanced strength and extremely useful natural talents such as energy and health absorption. The blood color is based on the color of horseshoe crabs. I tried to make it a little brighter so it's more visible. Starting next update, characters receive damage as their health goes down and if they receive a significant amount of damage it can result in scarring. You'll notice the blue blood in one of the images below! That's all for today, an update should be rolling out by next week! Have a wonderful day!

[ 2020-10-22 01:11:53 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Venturers! Sorry for the few week delay, based on your feedback I wanted to improve some aspects of the game. Unfortunately, this wasn't possible without some underlying code changes, so that's what I've been working on. In addition to these code changes I've also been working on wrapping up the content for Chapter One, it will be rolling out into [beta] soon and then finally onto the main branch! With all that said, I have added an [alpha] branch out to test these underlying code and engine changes. I tried not to change any gameplay in this build (or as little as possible) to keep it similar to the [beta] branch. The purpose for this [alpha] branch is to test this code and find any bugs. Next week, I'll be back to updating the [beta] branch weekly. Coming soon you'll see updates with improved combat, content, tutorials, and more! Please note that gameplay in the alpha is very similar to the beta, the focus with this build is code testing! In addition to the code changes, I've also done a regular engine update. This may cause some graphical glitches, just report them as you see them. Have a wonderful day! Lavidimus

[ 2020-08-17 20:42:57 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Venturers! First off, thank you all for your amazing feedback! Based on your feedback, it's clear that combat needs some improvements. Turn-based has been generally well-received but people feel that real-time could be improved. With that in mind, I've decided to take the time to try and upgrade the combat flow in the [beta] branch. I'm hoping to have this update out in a couple of weeks, until then I won't be pushing out any other updates (unless additional critical bugs are found). I'll be posting a more comprehensive writeup on this subject next week, but I just wanted to let you know what's being worked on. If there is something in the combat you'd like to see (or not) just let me know here or on discord! Have a wonderful day! -Lavidimus

[ 2020-07-23 23:42:02 CET ] [ Original post ]

This [beta] Update is for Windows only. Linux and Mac [beta] will be launching with Update 2 [beta] 04! There will be bugs! Hey Venturers! I'm not quite ready to push out [beta] 04, so it has been delayed until next week. Today I'm pushing out a hotfix to address the reported bugs and critical errors.
Here is a list of the most critical errors fixed in this patch: [quote]

• There was a critical error in loading whenever a party action was assigned.
• Resolved critical error that would allow players to infinitely complete 'Helpers Hands' quest.
• Fixed a bug allowing dead heroes to cast spells.
• Fixed a bug causing the game to break when talking to the merchant in Chapter 01.

[/quote] Let's get venturing! -Lavidimus

[ 2020-07-09 22:51:40 CET ] [ Original post ]

This [beta] Update is for Windows only. Linux and Mac [beta] will be launching this weekend or early next week! There will be bugs! Hey Venturers! A big thanks to all the old and new Venturers joining Arakion during the sale! Please remember to check out the forums or head to the Arakion Discord if you have any questions! In the second update in a week, a lot of gameplay improvements have been made. As promised I will continue updating Arakion far more often. Please remember this patch is only for the [beta] branch. So get in there and check out the Update Two [beta]! If you'd like to wait for the official launch of Update Two, it should be rolling out before the end of this month! Be sure to report any bugs with the feedback form, on the forums, or the Arakion Discord. Let's get venturing! -Lavidimus To see the Update Two notes, click here! To access the [beta]: [quote]

• Right click Arakion: Book One in your library and click Properties
• Select the 'Beta' tab
• Under Select the beta you'd like to opt into, Select 'beta'
• There will be bugs! Also please read the bugs section below before trying the beta!

[/quote]
This patch brings in some stability, balancing, and features. As always, in any [beta] build, There will be bugs!! I will continue to get these ironed out over the next couple of weeks so please be patient and remember to report them with the new feedback tool in Arakion, on the forums, or Discord [quote]

• Items can now be assigned to the hero actions. Items are assigned by holding an item then clicking on an action slot.
• Currently only consumable items work in the assigned items slot
• Added placeholder sets for the Alignment armor (IE the helm you get at the start of the game)
• New icons for stat boost potions.
• Added new graphics and icons for a lot of items. I will continue to update items until the library is updated.
• Added a blood splatter feedback on the GUI when hit. I will improve this over time.
• Added a press key indicator during dialogue.
• Starting hero 'spirits' have been replaced with mannequins.
• Energy now refills before the first slime fight.
• Made the tutorial slime mobs easier.
• Made stamina recovery more evident in realtime combat.
• Stamina now recharges twice as quickly in real-time combat.
• Added a 'closest undiscovered blueprint' to the camera to help find 'some' blueprints. Certain blueprints are still hidden and all non-blueprint photographables are not shown.
• Added some minor graphics to more visually highlight the selected hero.
• Cleaned up some areas where the incorrect or additional text was displaying during the tutorial.

[/quote] Alchemy The Alchemy system has been entirely overhauled. Potions are now inventory objects that can be used and assigned to the hero action slots. Potions can be brewed at the alchemy station once it's unlocked. [quote]

• Potions automatically refill when resting (this may or may not change)
• All potion icons (including stat potions) have been updated.

[/quote]
Bugs Fixes [quote]

• Armor was being calculated too aggressively making it too powerful early.
• Ability visuals were not always showing this has mostly been fixed.
• The 'Motion Sickness' setting is fixed and now properly causes instant turns.
• Fixed a bug that would cause issues with the 'Accept' panel in settings in 4K.
• Fixed hero hud sometimes popping.
• Fixed a bug that was causing the hero hotkeys (RT) to sometimes no longer work.

[/quote] This is a list of known critical bugs that still exist! [quote]

• If you change a hero's race during creation, there is a chance the HUD will show multiple characters. Simply save then restart the game to correct this.
• 'Sometimes' abilities/attacks won't work after creating a new game making the initial training dummy unforgettable, simply restart the game to correct this
• If a mob is stunned in the Sanctuary Arena, there is a chance that the arena won't complete correctly, leaving the player stuck.

[/quote]
These are the planned major features coming next week! [quote]

• Venturer Quests - These are quests given out at the Venturer Hall and will send you to explore old and new areas with special one-off events.
• Outlaw Town - This is a zone with a large arena in Chapter One.

[/quote]
[quote]

• !This update is only available in the [beta] branch!
• There will be bugs! Please read the bug section below for game-breaking bugs
• The [beta] branch will be updated at least once a week until Update Two officially launches. If a critical bug is found and reported I will update the day after it's fixed with an announcement.
• This version of Arakion is incompatible with previous saves.
• Update 2 will be launched in the main branch next month. However, there is a few more weeks of work to do, so I wasn't able to launch officially in time for the Summer Sale.
• To check out other important notes, click here!

[/quote]

[ 2020-07-03 18:47:07 CET ] [ Original post ]

This [beta] Update is for Windows only. Linux and Mac [beta] will be launching next week! There will be bugs! Hey Venturers! A big thanks to all the old and new Venturers joining Arakion during the sale! Please remember to check out the forums or head to the Arakion Discord if you have any questions! As promised I will now be updating Arakion far more often, that starts with today's update (technically the third patch since the Update Two [beta] rolled out two days ago). Please remember this patch is only for the [beta] branch. To see the Update Two notes, click here! To access the [beta]:

• Right click Arakion: Book One in your library and click Properties
• Select the 'Beta' tab
• Under Select the beta you'd like to opt into, Select 'beta'
• There will be bugs! Also please read the bugs section below before trying the beta!

[quote]

• !This update is only available in the [beta] branch!
• There will be bugs! Please read the bug section below for game-breaking bugs
• The [beta] branch will be updated at least once a week until Update Two officially launches. If a critical bug is found and reported I will update the day after it's fixed with an announcement.
• This version of Arakion is incompatible with previous saves.
• Update 2 will be launched in the main branch next month. However, there is a few more weeks of work to do, so I wasn't able to launch officially in time for the Summer Sale.
• To check out other important notes, click here!

[/quote]
This patch brings in some stability, balancing, and features. As always, in any [beta] build, There will be bugs!! I will continue to get these ironed out over the next couple of weeks so please be patient and remember to report them with the new feedback tool in Arakion, on the forums, or Discord [quote]

• Massive changes to learned Traits for all Races / Professions. These are still not finalized but getting closer. After this is done I will be extending out the branches and implementing the new learned ability system.
• Large adjustments to starting Race / Profession stats. This will need balanced as it will likely make the game easier.
• Updated Tutorials to be cleaner and easier to read.
• Updated Stats on Tooltips to be cleaner and easier to read.
• Added a feedback option (bug reporting) in the F4 menu of the main game (seen below). This allows users to report bugs or feedback directly to internal development. Please remember to use this whenever you encounter a bug!
• Re-added the ability to show the in-game date in the F4 menu (seen below).
• Added the Maker's Children shop in the Sanctuary along with initial items. Bug Fixes
• Fixed blood on hit visuals.
• Fixed a bug with Messages showing that weren't supposed to.
• Fixed terrain details to use the correct material increasing FPS and stability.
• Most minor reported bugs have also been fixed.

[/quote]
[quote]

This is a list of known critical bugs:
• If you change a hero's race during creation, there is a chance the HUD will show multiple characters. Simply save then restart the game to correct this.
• 'Sometimes' abilities/attacks won't work after creating a new game making the initial training dummy unforgettable, simply restart the game to correct this
• If a mob is stunned in the Sanctuary Arena, there is a chance that the arena won't complete correctly, leaving the player stuck.

[/quote] So get in there and check out the Update Two [beta]! If you'd like to wait for the official launch and not have to deal with bugs, go ahead and check back in a couple of weeks! Be sure to report any bugs with the feedback form, on the forums, or the Arakion Discord. Let's get venturing! -Lavidimus

[ 2020-06-27 23:23:17 CET ] [ Original post ]

Who's ready for some turn-based mechanics?

This [beta] is for Windows only. Linux and Mac [beta] will be launching next week! There will be bugs! Hey Venturers! In celebration of the Steam Summer Sale, the Update Two [beta] is now on Steam! Additionally, I've given Arakion a deep discount during the sale! For more information or questions please visit the Arakion Discord. To access the [beta]:

• Right click Arakion: Book One in your library and click Properties
• Select the 'Beta' tab
• Under Select the beta you'd like to opt into, Select 'beta'
• There will be bugs! Also please read the bugs section below before trying the beta!

[quote]

• !This update is only available in the [beta] branch!
• There will be bugs! Please read the bug section below for game-breaking bugs
• The [beta] branch will be updated at least once a week until Update Two officially launches. If a critical bug is found and reported I will update the day after it's fixed with an announcement.
• This version of Arakion is incompatible with previous saves.
• Update 2 will be launched in the main branch next month. However, there is a few more weeks of work to do, so I wasn't able to launch officially in time for the Summer Sale.
• About 50% of the Prologue Chapter is similar to the previous starting chapter. Chapter One is 90% new stuff.
• This [beta] is somewhat limited, as such not everything in Update Two is in this [beta]. If you see a little Trog with a 'Coming soon' sign, it means that's an area off-limits for now. The reasoning for this is that I need certain things tested immediately I will then unlock the rest of the content.

[/quote]
This update is a massive overhaul of Arakion. From core mechanics, combat, control systems, the graphical engine, levels, and more. There isn't anything this update doesn't touch on in some way. With that said, There will be bugs!! I will get these ironed out over the next couple of weeks so please be patient and remember to report them on the forums or Discord [quote]The Big Changes

• Turn based combat? Yes please.
• New Tutorials? The user-friendliness!
• An overhauled story? Check
• The initial voice acting? You got it (Currently only The Builder is voice acted, I have most the data for everyone else and it will be implemented soon)
• Controller support? Yep yep! (but buggy)
• Graphical engine update? Oh, the prettiness!
• Smarter mobs & better combat?? Yep!
• New spellbook system? Pew pew pew, buff! Back to the basics!
• New UI? The ease of use!
• New music? The pizzicato strings!
• Brand new levels? Yes! Even this limited version includes 9 new dungeons 1 new massive area, an entirely redone sanctuary, and a reworked initial chapter!
• There is a ton more in this overhaul, but it would be too much to list here.
• This update caught me in the middle of overhauling the traits system, so be forewarned trait bonuses will change greatly in the coming weeks. Additionally, Race/Profession/World skills (outside the spellbook) will be learned in the Trait window after the overhaul is complete.

[/quote]
[quote]

• If you change a hero's race during creation, there is a chance the HUD will show multiple characters. Simply save then restart the game to correct this.
• 'Sometimes' abilities/attacks won't work after creating a new game making the initial training dummy unforgettable, simply restart the game to correct this
• If a mob is stunned in the Sanctuary Arena, there is a chance that the arena won't complete correctly, leaving the player stuck.

[/quote] There is also a massive amount under the hood that has changed to allow more rapid development. These are things you won't see, such as a different data structure fo items, but greatly improve Arakion's performance, stability, and development speed. So get in there and take the overhaul for a spin! If you'd like to wait for the official launch and not have to deal with bugs, go ahead and check back in a couple of weeks! Be sure to report bugs on the forums or the Arakion Discord. Let's get venturing! -Lavidimus

[ 2020-06-25 18:35:47 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Venturers! A brief announcement today to let you all know that the Update Two [beta] will be launching next week. This [beta] will not be the entire update, but will include a substantial portion of the overhaul. I'll try to list all the changes and updates in the patch notes but generally speaking this is a massive overhaul. The full Update Two launch will be rolling out sometime next month. A few more announcements will be rolling out soon as well including a new roadmap! If you have any questions feel free to drop them here and I'll respond as soon as I see them! Have a wonderful day! -Lavidimus

[ 2020-06-16 23:06:50 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey All! Work continues heavily on Update 2, It took a bit longer to move and get settled in my new apartment than anticipated but Update 2 is getting closer and closer to release. Turn-based is now working fantastic, new UI works great and more and more features continue to be refined. Add in all the new levels and I can't wait to get this out to you! A lot of big announcements will be rolling out along with Update 2, but today I'm just going to show off a couple of quick previews before I get back to work! Enjoy! Have a wonderful day! -Lavidimus

[ 2020-01-31 03:14:10 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Venturers! Short and quick announcement this week. I'll be moving across the country and will be unable to implement new beta builds for the next week or two. I will try to get up and running as soon as possible. Currently the Update 2 launch date is slated for late January. I would advise most people to wait until then to start a new game as there is a massive content overhaul in Update 2. In beta news, a big thanks to everyone participating in the Discord Beta! A ton of bug fixes and gameplay improvements have been implemented! Turn-based is running very well, controller support is getting there, combat is smoother, and so much more! I know all the testers are excited and I'm so pumped by the enthusiasm you all show! On a side note, Linux is functioning in the Discord Beta, however, there are some final bugs to overcome associated with the Nvidia drivers. Have a wonderful day! Lavidimus

[ 2019-12-16 22:26:33 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Venturers!

This beta is only available on Discord - I am not updating Steam at this time because this beta introduces a massive amount of changes. Once the beta becomes more stable I will begin pushing it to Steam. A short post to keep all you venturers up to date! Want more info? Head to Discord! Have any questions or comments? Leave them below and I'll respond as soon as I see them! Update Two The Update 2 beta is going strong and a new version will be rolling out this weekend. This beta version fixes a lot of issues with previous releases and substantially cleans up the control quirks that players were experiencing. It will still be limited to the prologue chapter but I am expecting to push chapter one into the beta in the next update (likely next weekend). After Update 2 launches, the goal is to update Arakion once per month. Final thoughts.! Thank you, everyone, for your patience! I'm almost back up to speed and am really looking forward to getting more of you in this update! It's a lot of fun! My current goal is to release Update 2 by the end of December, stay tuned! Have a wonderful day! Lavidimus

[ 2019-12-06 21:20:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Venturers!

A short post to keep all you venturers up to date! Want more info? Head to Discord! Have any questions or comments? Leave them below and I'll respond as soon as I see them! Update 2 beta begins this weekend! The Update 2 beta begins this weekend with an official release shortly after! This update introduces a lot of underlying changes to Arakion that allow for more agile development and more frequent updates. The goal is to get Arakion updated once per month. A new developer joins the crew! Arakion up to this point has been primarily developed by myself. Beginning early next year, a new developer will be joining Arakion fulltime! This will allow better, faster and more accurately timed updates. Final thoughts. . . Thank you, everyone, for your patience! In real life events caused a lot of slowdowns the past few months, but I'm back to full steam! I do deeply apologize for the delays but sometimes life happens and we just have to roll with it. I really can't wait for you to get your hands on this update! It's a lot of fun! Players have been asking for more posts to stay updated - so would anyone be interested in weekly Steam announcements? Let me know! Have a wonderful day! Lavidimus

[ 2019-11-20 15:18:29 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Venturers!

Due to some in real-life events, Update 2 is delayed until next week! Arakion is currently running the wishlist drive discount and is 30% off until November 1st! Be sure to snag this bargain! Go ahead and play Arakion now or wait until the massive Update 2 to dive in! Dealers choice! I had originally planned to launch Update 2 with this discount, but due to some in real life stuff, I have to hold off on posting the update till next week. The update will launch either Tuesday or Thursday! Thank you all for your patience and enjoy this preview of the new main menu scenery! Back to work for me! I hope you all have a happy Halloween and a wonderful day! Lavidimus [previewyoutube=6gAJ9VgyAxU;full][/previewyoutube]

[ 2019-10-30 20:14:05 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Everyone

A quick preview today of a heavily asked for feature. Someone has journeyed from the hidden satyr villages and joined our band of heroes. Starting in Update 2 you can now begin your journey as a satyr heroine! Side note, Satyr are heavily inspired by Celtic culture (thus the fiery red hair). Customization will be very bare-bones for now but more will be added with each update. The Satyr male overhaul should be coming in Update 3.
Please note that because of the time it took to get controller support to a playable state, the Update 2 launch is expected on October 31st (next Thursday). Looking forward to having the Satyr heroine join your group? Be sure to leave a comment below! Have a wonderful day! Lavidimus

[ 2019-10-24 23:30:25 CET ] [ Original post ]

Good news Venturers!

I spent this past week adding the much-requested feature, controller support. My main goal while adding controller support is to make sure it feels as smooth and fun as keyboard and mouse. Not much to say here, but a lot to show, so check out the video below! [previewyoutube=EhsN6wrTLNY;full][/previewyoutube] Controller support required extensive UI and code changes which means Update 2 is now expected on Octorber 29th. Until next week! Have a wonderful weekend, Lavidimus

[ 2019-10-04 17:56:25 CET ] [ Original post ]

Good news everyone,

'Update Two' will be launching next month (current goal is the 17th). With this update, I will also be adding the wishlist drive discount of 30%. This is a large update and required extensive reworking of core code to produce. The primary reason for the delay was the addition of the turn-based system. The system itself was implemented pretty quickly however updating all the old gameplay elements to work with that system and then check them repeatedly took much more time than anticipated. Another big improvement is the new focus on injecting a lot of lore and charm into the world. Allies and enemies have been given a sense of story and purpose. To keep it short, the world has become a lot more interesting. Major Features

• Turn-Based Mechanics
• Combat improvements
• Significant story and world improvements.
• More story-driven allies and enemies.
• A new system that will provide Mac and Linux updates at the same time as Windows.

I want to thank everyone for your patience and I am extremely excited for you all to check this update out! After this update, there will be a focus on providing monthly updates, whether they are large updates like this one or simply quality of life improvements, I have a long term plan for Arakion and I want updates to begin to roll out in a regular fashion. Back to work for me! Have a wonderful day! -Lavidimus

Welcome To Trogland!

[ 2019-09-26 17:57:02 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Everyone!

A quick update today - I had originally planned to release the story update this week, however, the turn-based system has taken longer to test than originally anticipated. With that in mind, my goal is to launch the story update next week. I can't wait for you all to get your hands on it, it's a ton of fun! This update will add a lot of structure to the main branch and restrict unfinished areas quite heavily, unfinished areas will exclusively be within the [beta] branches from now on. A big graphical change will be coming as well - Substances are finally back in Arakion which allow for much more character visualization and customization than is currently in-game. Below is a preview. That's it for today, I just wanted to keep everyone in the loop as many have asked when the update will launch. Thank you all for your patience. As a (mostly) solo developer, large updates like this take time, but I can't wait for you all to get your hands on it.

Have a wonderful day!

Lavidimus Click for larger detailed preview

[ 2019-08-16 19:27:51 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Everyone!

Short but awesome announcement today! I'm happy to announce that turn-based is working and in Arakion! I absolutely love it and it really gives Arakion that Might and Magic feel that has been sorely missing. It will be included in the story update launching in (hopefully) two weeks. I will likely be playing most of my games in turn-based mode from now on. Check out this video for more information. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFx3h2J2mEo&feature=youtu.be

Have a wonderful day!

-Lavidimus

[ 2019-07-25 16:43:47 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Everyone

First off thank you to everyone for participating in the wishlist drive! Arakion received a total of 1600 wishlists during the drive! It may not seem like a lot but for Arakion this is a huge result and a great outcome! So let us move onto the goodies!

30% Discount During Story Week

This reward is for everyone! Even though we didn't quite hit the 2500 wishlists necessary, we got darn close. So I'm going to go ahead and post the largest Arakion discount ever of 30% during the story week update!

Journey Quest Winner!

Winner - Nyat17 ('Pale as the Moon, Proud as the Sun') If you didn't win, don't fret, more wishlist drives coming soon! Dun dun dun dun dun dun dun (trumpets playing in my head). The official winner of the Journey Quest contest is Nyat17 with 'Pale as the Moon, Proud as the Sun'! I'll be working with him to create a journey that will forever be part of the world of Arakion. I'm really excited about this opportunity to create a community built experience. I may post quest updates along the way so you all can see how this community reward is progressing.

More Wishlist Drives?

Due to the positive results of this wishlist drive, I would love to hear from you! Do you want to see more wishlist drives? What would you like to see as rewards? In-game item? NPC? More quests? How could I make the experience more fun and engaging?

Story Update Coming Soon!

TL:DR - This update will launch sometime between June 23rd and August 6th. Turn-Based combat with it, pending. The story update has taken a little longer than expected. I have gotten side-tracked working very hard to try and get turn-based combat in. This has been the most heavily requested feature and some serious bugs were found during testing. I'm going to continue working on this to try and launch it alongside the story update but will wait no longer than August 6th to launch the story update. That's all for today, look for an announcement about the story update very soon!

Have a wonderful day!

-Lavidimus

[ 2019-07-16 15:09:03 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Venturers!

The wishlist drive has officially hit 1000 strong! I will be extending out the drive until the end of the Steam Summer sale, we're only 1500 away from an even larger discount! Be sure to keep it up. A large story update will be coming soon I'm hoping to release it next week! That's it for today, be sure to tell your friends about Arakion so we can get those wishlist numbers even higher! Have a wonderful day! Lavidimus

[ 2019-07-01 22:19:07 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Venturers!

A hotfix has been patched in to [beta] 7 fixing some critical bugs. These include things like some enemies ignoring the player and being unable to leave certain dungeons (load screen stuck). Thanks to all the new and returning Venturers for reporting these issues, be sure to report any others you find on Steam or Discord! If it is a critical bug I will fix it in the shortest time possible, if it is a minor bug I will patch a fix in the next week! Also, I will finally have a new Linux and Mac build available next week! That's it for now, have a wonderful day! Lavidimus

[ 2019-06-27 14:19:55 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Venturers!

It's time for another fantastical update! Today, I'm officially moving the Early Access 2 content into the [default] build. Players can and will always be able to switch to Early Access 1 by changing to the [ea1] build! Early Access 2 is still considered to be in beta but given the amount of content and engine changes, I felt it was time to move to the [default] branch. If you try to play EA2 with an EA1 save, there will be bugs! Please start a new save! After review, I'm expecting Early Access 2 to be in beta for another four weeks. This update primarily focuses on bug fixes and graphical optimizations. Updated builds: Windows Unity hasn't fixed my ability to use cloud builds, I have been attempting to create mac and Linux builds on my end without much success yet. I will be continuing to attempt to get a Linux and Mac build out. Be sure to check out the new Intro and first story cinematic here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Mn2iyqKClg Be sure to check the video for a preview of some graphical changes! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sS9xaPsXo8U&t=1s

For the immediate future, I will mostly be focusing on improving the current content in the game while slowly rolling out the final pieces of Chapter Two.

• Chapter Two Hub: General visual enhancements, a lot of content will be added over the next two weeks.
• Story Ennhancements: The first of many cinematics has been added for the story update!
• Mob Skills: Some mobs have gained new skills as I continue to improve combat mechanics.
• Graphic Optimizations: A lot of graphical optimizations have been implemented for the new and previous zones. Arakion currently runs at 100fps on my machine and should run reasonably well even on lower-end machines.
• Bug fixes: Reported bugs have been fixed.

As noted above I am running a bit behind my schedule so please check for new dates!

Combat Improvements [2 weeks] - While this is only the start of things, a combat improvement patch will be rolling out to make combat in Arakion more enjoyable.

Story Enhancement [2 weeks] - Arakion has a wonderful story to tell and I want to make sure it is told. I have been frustrated with myself that a big part of Arakion that has been lacking is a coherent story and world progression. This will be changing soon - with this launch, areas in Chapter One and Chapter Two will be modified to work with this update.

Chapter Two Part Three [4 weeks] - The final part of Chapter Two, with this launch I will be moving from [beta] to full release and continuing updates on full release from then on. Oh, and there are some very very large lizards you're going to be fighting.

Turn Based Mechanics [6 weeks] - This is the highest priority after launching Chapter Two Part Three.
Have a wonderful day! Lavidimus

[ 2019-06-25 12:25:32 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey everyone! Short and sweet announcement. After a week on we have officially hit 500 wishlists for the wishlist drive, so a community journey quest will be created! A big thanks to everyone who has wishlisted so far and be sure to tell your friends about Arakion! The more wishlists the more fun stuff you get! To learn more about this check here: Journey Quest Additionally, with the story overhaul in full swing, be sure to check out a preview of the new intro cinematic here: https://youtu.be/8Mn2iyqKClg That's it for today, a big update rolls out next week! Have a wonderful day!

[ 2019-06-22 16:55:29 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Venturers

Today kicks off the 'Design A Quest' wishlist drive! This is the first in a line of wishlists drives that are planned for Arakion. Over the next two weeks, we hope you will add Arakion to your wishlist, help shape the world of Arakion by designing a quest that players from all over will experience, and head to your favorite corners of the internet, spread the word about Arakion and drive up wishlists! The more wishlists that Arakion receives the more quest designs will be unlocked. When all is said and done, up to THREE winners will be announced and have their quests live on forever in Arakion! Discussion Thread Design A Journey

What is a wishlist drive?

A wishlist drive is a way to promote Arakion and reward the community with fun events and discounts.

How long is it?

The drive is a little over two weeks long and will end on July 1st.

How do I participate?

Participation is easy! First, click that wishlist button to drive up those numbers! Next up, head to the stickied posts on Steam and lay out your best ideas! Finally, head to your favorite gaming forums or social networks and tell people about Arakion! Chat with anyone you think may be interested in Arakion to help drive up those wishlist numbers!

What are the rewards?

Every drive will have a discount reward. This will reduce the price of the Arakion based on the total number of wishlists received. Additionally, each drive will have specific rewards, you can probably guess the 'Design A Quest' drives reward. 'Design A Quest' has three types of rewards: Design A Journey Quest Each venturer can post one time with up to three ideas A minor quest a venturer may stumble upon during the course of their journey. These quests are ideally short and fun. Maybe you need to slay a giant monster in a nearby tavern or perhaps a lonely troll lost his special blanket in the nearby woods, use your imagination and design something FUN! Design A Recruit Quest Each venturer can post one time with one idea. These are one of my favorite types of quests in Arakion. These are multipart quests that end with our heroes gaining a new recruit for their town. Maybe you need to help a noble knight see his quest to the end or maybe you just need to simply help an insane brawler entertain his puppets by putting on an imaginary show in his arena, the possibilities are endless. You are not only designing a quest but also shaping a character in the world! Design A Lore Quest These quests are directly related to the world of Arakion and dive deep into the lore. Aspects of this reward will be announced once the goal is met. Winners of the contest will also be represented in Arakion!

So who wins?

Everyone is a winner in the sense that you all will get the discount! For the contests, each quest type chooses a winner differently as follows: 'Journey' - Winner will be chosen via a random roll. 'Recruit' - We will curate the top quests (count to be determined) and allow the community to vote on what they would like to see in game! 'Lore' - there will be a single elimination tournament to determine who the final winner is! Each matchup will be polled.

What are the limitations?

Limitations are noted in the threads themselves. So head to the threads in the discussion forums and get started on your own quests! I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with! Discussion Thread Design A Journey

Have a wonderful day!

[ 2019-06-13 15:40:47 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Venturers!

It's time for another fantastical update. Early Access 2 officially launches in two weeks! Updated builds: Windows Unity hasn't fixed my ability to use cloud builds, so it looks like I'll need to manually build Mac + Linux. I'll be attempting that this weekend. Important Notice! This build will be laggy for some! My energy will be focused on resolving this issue, with an update as soon as possible. Once the lag is fixed I'll be pushing the build to the main branch as I prepare for Early Access 2 official launch. I am running a bit behind my schedule so please see upcoming for changes! Be sure to check the video for a preview of some graphical changes! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sS9xaPsXo8U&t=1s The big addition this week is the introduction of the Chapter Two hub, new dungeons, story improvements and graphical overhaul of some previous zones. While the hub is very unfinished you are free to roam around and explore the secrets already in place. This new zone has really helped with the flow of Arakion and I'm very excited about what's coming next!

For the immediate future, I will mostly be focusing on improving the current content in the game while slowly rolling out the final pieces of Chapter Two.

• Chapter Two Hub: This new zone is quite large. There are secrets to find and people to meet! This hub now connects all content in Chapter Two.
• New Dungeons: New dungeons have been added connecting the Chapter Two hub with content.
• New Settings: Some new settings have been added to help optimize the game. These help Arakion run more smoothly under the hood and affect some graphics, they can be toggled on or off in the settings.
• Minor Story Enhancements: Very little done so far but story enhancements have begun to be added in Arakion. Big changes and improvements can be expected over the coming weeks!
• Mob balancing: A single pass at balancing mobs to be more enjoyable. Big combat improvements rolling out soon.
• Bug fixes: Some annoying bugs, such as the new action buttons not saving, have been fixed.

As noted above I am running a bit behind my schedule so please check for new dates!

Combat Improvements [2 weeks] - While this is only the start of things, a combat improvement patch will be rolling out to make combat in Arakion more enjoyable.

Story Enhancement [2 weeks] - Arakion has a wonderful story to tell and I want to make sure it is told. I have been frustrated with myself that a big part of Arakion that has been lacking is a coherent story and world progression. This will be changing soon - with this launch, areas in Chapter One and Chapter Two will be modified to work with this update.

Chapter Two Part Three [3 weeks] - The final part of Chapter Two, with this launch I will be moving from [beta] to full release and continuing updates on full release from then on. Oh, and there are some very very large lizards you're going to be fighting.

Turn Based Mechanics [4 weeks] - This is the highest priority after launching Chapter Two Part Three.
That's it for now - a big community event will begin later today! Have a wonderful day! Lavidimus

[ 2019-06-13 12:17:25 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Everyone!

It's character creation week! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sq4kbl5Xx50&feature=youtu.be https://youtu.be/BIOsEXWRmuc

The big addition this week is the introduction of the new character creation system as seen above. While it's not quite finished yet and in a very beta phase, it does add a lot! This system overhauls ALL old character customization, so until the town building is implemented to further customize your characters (next week) old save games will have characters without any customization set. Build notes are small this week as creating the data for the new CC system took longer than anticipated. Builds Updated : Windows Note to Linux users, I'm waiting on unity to resolve cloud builds - I'm hoping it is fixed this week. After that, I will be pushing both Mac and Linux builds with each update.

• New character customization: This new system will allow me to easily add new customization options in the future as well as more easily manage it in the games memory. This is a much-needed update that should have happened a while ago.
• New Game Changes: When starting a new game you are now presented with options for choice of difficulty and settings. This makes them more obvious and clear. Additional creation changes will be rolling out in the next few weeks.
• Character Textures: I've finally gotten around to enhancing the characters' textures. They were years and years old and they really need a facelift.
• Run In Background: Please note that the game will now run in the background by default. You can change this setting in the gameplay settings.
• Chapter 02 Part 02: Additional content has been added and changed in this zone. I'm hoping to add a big and final chunk in two weeks.

There are some really cool things in the pipeline, but I'm going to try and keep this area limited for today. The dates are an estimate of time.

Chapter Two Part Three [2 weeks] - The final part of Chapter Two, with this launch I will be moving from [beta] to full release and continuing updates on full release from then on. Oh, and there are some very very large lizards you're going to be fighting.

Story Enhancement [4 weeks] - Arakion has a wonderful story to tell and I want to make sure it is told. I have been frustrated with myself that a big part of Arakion that has been lacking is a coherent story and world progression. This will be changing soon - with this launch, areas in Chapter One and Chapter Two will be modified to work with this update.

Turn Based Mechanics [4 weeks] - This is the highest priority after launching Chapter Two Part Three. This will be launched alongside the story enhancement. That's it for today - I'll try to get better at making patch notes in the future. Have a wonderful day! Lavidimus

[ 2019-05-18 00:01:38 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Everyone!

Sorry for the delay between updates. I updated Arakion to Unity 2019.1, yearly version updates with Unity usually take a couple of weeks to implement. There are still some minor bugs that exist from the update and I will make note of them in the build notes. Instagram As promised, proper build notes activate!!
Builds Updated : Windows Note to Linux users, I believe I figured out the issue some users were experiencing. It's related to Cloud builds with Unity - I will be manually creating a Linux build every other update in the hopes to fix the problem. Thank you all for your patience (I'll try to get a Linux version out for this update this weekend!).
The big feature drop for this update is Chapter Two Pt. Two. This includes 1 to 1.5 hours of gameplay. Not all content for this area has been implemented but the core gameplay is there and ready to test!

• Chapter Two Part Two - Early launch of this puzzle filled zone. Feedback for this area will be important as it implements a lot of new features and puzzles that haven't been released before. This currently includes 1 major zone and one dungeon. Two more dungeons, as well as the final boss, will be added in next weeks update!
• Streamlined Hero Interface - The primary interface has been streamlined. This includes an overhaul to the hero panels themselves as well as the inclusion of Action Buttons.
• Action Buttons! - Pets, Potions, World actions and more have been transitioned into two easy to use buttons. Actions can be set with right-clicking. This will allow Arakion to expand features without worrying about where they will fit in the UI.
• New Puzzle Mechanics! - Along with the large new zone, additional new puzzle mechanics have been added. Be sure to let me know if any of these are difficult, fun or whatever your response may be.
• Randomized Woods - Additional bug fixes have been patched into the randomized woods. They should be more stable now.
• Title -
• Main Menu Overhaul - The Main Menu has been updated once again.
• Potion Update - Potions now operate strictly in the Action Button or hero button. This has made them far more streamlined and easy to use.
• Graphical Enhancements - Along with most updates this one includes some graphical enhancements. These upgrades are primarily viewed in the new zone.
• Resolution Scaling - Arakion has switched to Unity native resolution scaling. It is much faster and works better.
• Settings Fixes - Most settings now work. Including the camera effects settings. A bug has also been fixed that was causing the game to go fullscreen or windowed randomly.
• New Options! - Players now have the option to only show the selected hero as well as the option to disable unselected heroes UIs. These have been separated so you can toggle on whichever ones you like.
• A lot of minor changes - Many other things have been updated that would take too long to list.

A quick preview!

• Graphical Glitches - There are quite a few graphical glitch leftovers from the Unity 2019 update. A big one is that I had to overhaul how the characters are displayed on the screen. This has caused a couple of issues such as really dark characters having pieces of their skin not showing. This will be fixed in next weeks build.
• UI Issues - Some new features appear out of place on the UI, I'll fix this shortly.

There is a ton of really awesome stuff in the pipeline, but I'm going to try and keep this area limited for today. The dates are an estimate of time.

• New Character Customization [2 weeks] - A complete overhaul to character customization is in the works. A preview will be released soon.
• Chapter Two Part Three [4 weeks] - The final part of Chapter Two, with this launch I will be moving from [beta] to full release and continuing updates on full release from then on. Oh, and there are some very very large lizards you're going to be fighting.
• Story Enhancement [6 weeks] - Arakion has a wonderful story to tell and I want to make sure it is told. I have been frustrated with myself that a big part of Arakion that has been lacking is a coherent story and world progression. This will be changing soon - with this launch, areas in Chapter One and Chapter Two will be modified to work with this update.
• Turn Based Mechanics [6 weeks] - This is the highest priority after launching Chapter Two Part Three. This will be launched alongside the story enhancement.

That's it for today - I'll try to get better at making patch notes in the future. Have a wonderful day! Lavidimus

[ 2019-05-03 02:27:19 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Everyone

Updated Build: Windows Join the discussion on Discord Early Access 2b3 has been launched for Windows. This update fixes numerous bugs and adds the initial implementation of the Farm Dungeon (Access via Sanctuary). My goal is to move EA2 to the main build branch next Thursday. A big focus, for now, is making sure most of the serious bugs are fixed in addition to testing how performance works in the new Dungeon system. As you can see from the screenshots, the Farm Dungeon has drastically enhanced graphics. These have been optimized to run smoothly, however, I need feedback on any areas that people may be experiencing lag. This is the initial implementation of the dungeon and much more content will be added and many changes will be made over the next couple of weeks. Next weeks update will include Chapter 2 Part 2. So get ready! Brief Notes:

• New Content: Randomized Farm Dungeon
• New Content: Randomized Stone Dungeon
• New Content: Multiple new recipes
• Numerous bug fixes
• Greatly enhanced performance in Chapter 2 Part.
• Shader fixes for character clothing (general visual improvement)
• Town Quest bug fixes.
• A lot more that I should have kept track of. . .

Known Bugs

• The Farm Dungeon uses the Unity terrain system. For whatever reason, thrown objects may fall through the terrain. I'm working on some fixes.

I'm going to try to keep a better log of notes in the future as many players have been asking for better patch notes.

Have a wonderful day

Lavidimus Preview Video

[ 2019-04-13 18:25:16 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Everyone

Update releases on Thursday in [beta] Today I just wanted to give you a little preview of the Farm Dungeon. This is a randomized dungeon with a lot of unique features and secrets. There is also a recruitable NPC and so much more! Preview images can be seen below. This is an early version and will be added onto in the coming weeks. It can be accessed from the old Woods randomized dungeon portal in the Sanctuary. My goal is to have Early Access 2 moved out of [beta] and into full release next week. I will continue to fix bugs as they're reported so keep reporting!

Have a wonderful day!

Lavidimus

[ 2019-04-09 17:13:04 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Everyone!

Platform Updates: Windows | Linux Please Note: Early Access 2 is intended to be played with a new party. Although old heroes may or may not work, Early Access 2 is an overhaul to a lot of gameplay areas and content. This means that old parties may present bugs or unintended behavior. Early update today. I've pushed out a new build for Early Access 2 [beta]. A few things of note - first, this build also updates Linux and will require a lot of testing and reporting to squash/fix bugs on that platform. Secondly, There is a visual error in some dungeons (including the starting dungeon). This error will cause all objects that are stone to be super shiny, it has been fixed and will be patched in with the next version. It is visual only so won't impede gameplay. I believe this bug affects around 4 dungeons. Finally, this is the first cloud builds submitted to Steam. There may be other bugs that I don't know about caused by the cloud builds, so please let me know if you come across any unintended behavior! This build contains a laundry list of bug fixes from the previous version. Assuming there are no major bugs, I will build and push to full release on Thursday, otherwise, I will continue to push builds to the [beta] branch. Have a wonderful day!

Lavidimus

As always, some screenies.
Preview of Chapter 3
Roads, roads everywhere!

[ 2019-03-26 13:32:38 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Everyone!

A bit late, but I have uploaded and pushed the Early Access 2 build for Windows to the [beta] branch. Assuming I don't find any major bugs (one noted below that will be fixed in the next build) or issues I'll push it to wide release on Thursday along with the Linux and Mac build. For all those Windows Venturers out there, help Arakion out by downloading the [beta] build now and start your journeys! If you join the [beta] it would be great if you could discuss any issues you may have on Discord, if that's not possible, be sure to report any bugs and issues you find on the forum. The final Windows build ended up taking around 9 hours - I'm working on speeding this up as well as getting cloud builds working again. Thanks for your patience and sorry for the late post (I had intended to upload at noon today but last nights build failed) I did notice a severe issue with NPCs on a speedrun through the content. NPCs are spawning in incorrect positions. As you can see in the below image, the NPC is on the left, however, he should be on the right. This is a severe bug as you need to CLICK on the area to the right to talk to him (a chat bubble should pop up). This will be fixed in the next build (potentially tomorrow). If you have any issues talking to critical NPCs you can usually find me on Discord through the day while I work.
Have a wonderful evening,

Lavidimus

[ 2019-03-20 01:55:03 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Everyone!

Just as a heads up, Early Access 2 will have a soft launch on Tuesday! Soft Launch? Well, I'm calling it that. A chunk of the Early Access 02 content won't be in this version (namely the second half of Chapter 2), but there will be new content as well as all the underlying updates and all the new features and engine changes. This means everyone will be receiving the new graphics engine, new data engine, combat improvements, new UI menus, new equipment forging and so much more. (There will be some bugs but they should be minor!) Major Features

• New Graphics Engine
• New Data Engine
• Reworked Chapter One
• HALF of Chapter Two : Return to the Dream (preview images below)
• Reworked Sanctuary
• Reworked Town Building
• Dungeoneering (No online functionality yet)
• Overhauled UI
• Human Females
• Torti
• More on Trello

With that said, moving forward, Arakion will be doing an official update every 2 weeks with a major content patch every 3 months (New Chapter). Arakion is on much better footing after the changes required over the past 6 months and is much easier to develop with. Read the note below for more information.
On a personal note TL;DR: Sorry for the long delay between versions. Everything is fixed now and it won't happen again. I want to apologize for the longer than expected delay between EA1 and EA2. I have been generally frustrated with how much time it has taken. There were a lot of reasons for the delay between the versions - the biggest and most egregious is that some of the code in Arakion was just really REALLY old. I was torn between continuing to develop with deprecated code or redoing it. The decision was made for me when a new Unity version launched back in 2018 and substances (what Arakion used for textures) no longer functioned. I was left with the choice to no longer upgrade Arakion with new versions of Unity, or fix my code so that it would be more agile and future proof. Since I plan on releasing 3 dungeon crawlers in the Arakion world, the choice ended up being easy. I spent months going through and fixing all of that. None of this is an excuse for the delay between the versions, it's just an explanation. Arakion has 1 core developer and 1 part-time 3D developer, so even though I thought it could be done quickly, it ended up taking a long time. Moving forward, Arakion is ready to rock! Starting Tuesday, you will be getting new updates every 2 weeks and a major update every 3 months. Additionally, Arakion will begin introducing seasonal events, so look for them soon! Get ready! If you have any comments or questions, drop them below and I'll respond as soon as I see them! Have a wonderful day!

Lavidimus

More preview images below

[ 2019-03-16 17:11:36 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Everyone!

I appreciate all the awesome feedback from everyone in Early Access 2 so far. I've put out 5 builds in the past week each one adding new content and features from the EA2 cycle. I expect that EA2 will move into [beta] by next Thursday with a full release the Tuesday after. The next couple of alpha builds will heavily focus on implementing all the new Dungeoneering and town building content as well as part two of Chapter One and the start of Chapter Two. The full Early Access 2 release will be a massive content and feature improvement over the initial launch and I can't wait for you all to begin playing. For those with motion sickness, the most recent build has added a motion sickness toggle in the gameplay settings, this will hopefully help alleviate any issues people are having. Special thanks to Bambaladam for finding so many bugs that are now squashed!

Have a wonderful day!

Lavidimus New Tooltips + Crafting UI
Just a random dungeon shot.

[ 2019-02-16 01:43:00 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey everyone!

Early Access 2 will be rolling out over the next week! The rollout begins today - the [alpha] build has been updated! In addition, enjoy a 25% discount as Arakion rolls out this massive update! Here is a handy dandy tool to show exactly what you can expect for Arakion. Handy Dandy Tool There are some noticeable graphical glitches and a few major bugs in [alpha] - these will be fixed rapidly. I will continue rapidly updating the [alpha] version throughout the week until we finally do a full launch of Early Access 2! So get your explorers' cap on and prepare to dive into Arakion with the updated graphical engine, features and everything else! If you're waiting for the full release, my goal is for a full release out next Tuesday! Have a wonderful day! -Lavidimus Currently only Windows [alpha] is updated.

[ 2019-02-06 02:31:28 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey everyone!

The Steam winter sale has started and Arakion has a 25% discount! Be sure to grab Arakion on steam while the discount lasts. This is the last major discount before the huge Early Access 2 update! In Arakion news, not only will you be able to journey through the world as the learned Torti, but Human females have joined the crew! We continue the steady march towards Early Access 2 by implementing massive chunks of content and gameplay features. I'm so excited for you all to get your hands on it! A preview of my female Imperator getting ready to begin her journey.
So be sure to pick up Arakion while it's discounted and get prepared for Early Access 2! If you have any questions toss them below and I'll respond as soon as I see them! Have a wonderful day! Lavidimus

[ 2018-12-20 19:32:19 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey everyone!

I'm happy to announce that we're about 3 weeks out from the EA02 full release! I want to apologize for the very very long delay in EA01 to EA02. Real life happens and unfortunately, one of the new developers on Arakion wasn't able to continue working. This left us in a bit of a weird spot with a lot of half-implemented things that had to be cleaned up or removed. With that said, Arakion is now back on track! Daniel is now neck deep in Arakion and has learned a lot about its development tools. He is now creating some awesome content for you all! "We've been waiting forever, this better be good!". Here's a brief list of some major points

• New Feature: Dungeoneering
• Overhauled Feature: Town Building
• New Race: Torti
• New Content: Chapter Two
• Overhauled Feature: New graphical engine
• New Content: Our first side story "Murder Mansion"
• New Content: Hero quests - your hero must venture alone to further their profession.
• Overhauled Feature: Reworked forging system for both horizontal and linear progression.
• New Content: Human Females
• New Content: 100+ new forging items
• New Content: 30+ new traits
• Skills have been updated!
• New Feature: New emotions and sickness visuals for HUD heroes!
• And so much more!

All in all three is about 5-10 hours (depending on your speed) of additional content and a lot of replayability with Dungeoneering and the new town building. I'm trying to launch Early Access 2 with all of these ready and rolling out. However, if a feature will delay release beyond 3 weeks it will be pushed back to a weekly patch. As always if you want to test out Arakions new features before anyone else, hit us up on Discord! Have a wonderful day! Oh, I almost forget, let's see some prettiness!
Ah updated graphical engine. I love you.
Character creation screen (no UI)
Who's ready to tear through Arakion as a fearsome Torti?

[ 2018-12-19 04:35:15 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey everyone! As work continues on Early Access 02 Arakion has joined the Steam Autumn Sale. Sorry about the delay, I was so focused on development I totally missed that the sale was going on! If you haven't already picked Arakion up now is a great time. Enjoy everything that Early Access 01 has to offer (around 10 hours of gameplay) and get your bearings before the launch of the next chapter in Early Access 02!

Have a wonderful day!

Lavidimus

[ 2018-11-24 02:42:51 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Everyone!

[alpha] has been updated with Windows version once again. Cloud builds are in progress and Linux & Mac will be updated as soon as they're done (around a 24-hour delay). Thanks to everyone for reporting bugs in the alpha and look forward to all your feedback on this one! [beta] will be rolling out next week with a full release with a sale soon after! For now - this continues to be a limited build simply to refine new code, shaders, and all that jazz. Please remember if you're going to test the [alpha] version to start a new game.

Have a wonderful day!

Lavidimus I'll post a full list of changes in the beta announcement.

[ 2018-11-06 23:16:45 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Everyone!

Hope you all are having a fun and festive time this Halloween season! Keeping with the Tuesday update schedule - I want to inform you that cloud builds are once again working in Arakion and I'll be posting EA02 Alpha 3 later this week for Mac, Linux, and Windows! I'm excited to transition to the cloud build system as it frees up a ton of additional dev time. (Cloud builds have a 24-hour turn around time so I'm working on the timing to make sure that they're out on Tuesday in the future.) The update this week introduces the first new large zone to hit Arakion and second Dreamrealm zone. I'm excited for all you enthusiastic Venturers' to get your hands on it! I'll post another update as soon as the builds are up, shouldn't be later than Thursday. Thanks to everyone so far for the feedback in the Alpha builds!

Have a safe and wonderful Halloween!

Lavidimus

[ 2018-10-30 21:06:03 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Everyone!

[alpha] has been updated with Windows version once again. I'm still working with Unity to resolve the cloud build issues and as soon as it is resolved I will add the Linux and Mac versions! Thanks to everyone for reporting bugs in the first alpha and look forward to all your feedback on this one! I'm hoping to have the [beta] rolling out next week including ALL Early Access 02 content. For now - this is a very limited build simply to test new code, shaders, and all that jazz. Please remember if you're going to test the [alpha] version to start a new game.

Have a wonderful day!

Lavidimus

Version Early Access 02 [alpha] 2 | October 17th 2018

[quote] Please keep in mind as this is an Alpha version some content will flow a little weird and may seem out of place. This is normal and will be resolved in a later version. Gameplay

• Readjusted starting zone once again - players will now start in the Dreamrealm (Spiritrealm)
• Opened up additional access to new zones.
• Testing for new town building is now available.
• Implemented new mob 'Faun'

Graphics

• Optimized Arakion shaders a small amount
• Added a new shader for spirits.

Bugs Fixes

• Gameplay: Fixed a bug where throwing objects wouldn't always work.
• Graphics: Fixed a bug that was causing some vegetation to 'Pop' visually.
• Graphics: Added crossfading to some vegetation objects for better LOD transition.
• Graphics: Cursor was displaying incorrectly when over selectable and map UI
• Fixed most bugs reported.

[/quote]

[ 2018-10-23 23:00:05 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Everyone!

WINDOWS ONLY UNTIL CLOUD BUILDS ARE FIXED : Unity Cloud Build isn't working in the project (they're fixing it now) so I had to build this one on my end. I will upload Mac and Linux as soon as cloud builds are working again. The Early Access 02 [alpha] version for Windows has been uploaded. If you would like to play this version, please switch your build target to [alpha]. Please note that this version is currently extremely limited in scope. It is intended to be played with a new party! [alpha] is for testing out all the new shaders, graphics, code, etc before the wider rollout of the [beta]. I will be using [alpha] from time to time for large overhauls such as this one. This version includes the new starting zone and dungeon, with about 30 minutes
to 1 hour of total gameplay. Thanks to everyone for your patience. Updates will now be headed your way on most Tuesdays! I'm excited to be bringing you new content again! Please post below if you have any questions and be sure to post any bugs here on the Steam forums or our Discord channel. https://discord.gg/SRHhPyr If everything goes well I will upload the much larger scope [beta] later this week.

Have a wonderful day!

-Lavidimus

[ 2018-10-16 21:06:05 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Everyone!

I'm starting to feel like George R. R. Martin on South Park. "Oh don't you worry, it's coming, it'll be here soon!" Jokes aside, Early Access 02 [beta] should be launching later this week. With that in mind, this post is to inform you that if you are going to participate in the EA02 [beta] phase, please MAKE A BACKUP of your current save files. Ideally, until EA02 is out of beta just create a new game. Early Access 02 is a major systems update, content and script overhaul and may or may not corrupt save files until I get all the bugs worked out. I've done my best to ensure compatibility, but with Acade focused solely on getting Turn-Based in game, I've been left to my own devices testing out Early Access 02. This warning will also be included in the EA02 launch but I figured better safe than sorry, don't want anyone losing their save data! Back to work, so much to do so little time - check out some test shots below! Have a wonderful day! Lavidimus The Fall Main Menu (WIP - Kinda looks more like spring yeah?)
Dungeon Preview (Also some EA02B UI adjustments, notice how the selected character is more highlighted) (Additionally I'm testing some tweaks where the UI disappears when out of combat)

[ 2018-10-02 21:04:34 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Everyone!

I'm happy to announce that after a long time in development, Early Access 02 will be launching soon! The [beta] will be launching sometime in the next two weeks (if you want to access it before then - come hit us up on Discord) - with a full launch likely one week after [beta]. With that said let us talk about what all is going to be added in the Early Access 02 Cycle. Please remember that each version (A, B, C, D) has a two-week development cycle. The version will release one week with a hotfix version the week after for feature refinement and bug fixes. Early Access 02A

• Chapter Zero - An all-new starting chapter with new content to sink your teeth into! New Building Mechanics - Worldbuilding got a complete overhaul. It is now much easier to use, much more expansive and much more fun! Dungeoneering - Create and explore custom player-made dungeons! Take the banner off the corpses of players who have fallen in your dungeon or head to other dungeons and steal banners directly! Banners can be exchanged for numerous rewards!

Early Access 02B

• Crafting Update - Another 100 craftables ready to launch!
• Skill Update - A massive cleanup for skills.
• Combat Upgrade - General combat upgrade (This is part of the turn-based mechanics overhaul)

Early Access 02C

• Town Visiting - Visit and shop at other players towns. Each town can focus on unique research that allows specific blueprints to be purchased there. Turn-Based Mechanics - This is currently Acade's singular focus. He's trying to get it out as soon as possible and has gotten a lot done already.

In The Pipeline

• Chapter Two - This could be added at any point. It is mostly done but requires to fit seamlessly with the previous content.
• Steamworks - This will be implemented so that players can mod the game with their own world, pets, weapons etc. The basics of this are already implemented but it requires extensive testing. We also have to decide how expansive we want this to be in the initial launch.
• New Profession! - Keeping this under wraps for now but a new profession is about to launch!
• Extra Sexes - Finalizing the rest of the sexes that don't exit (IE Human Females)

Be aware that these are the general goals. Updates more than 3 out may change as we may shift focus to something else if it's deemed more important. What took so long? The first reason for the delay is that Arakion hasn't generated much revenue through its initial launch. This isn't a huge deal and was semi-expected but it did end up limiting my work on Arakion the last couple months as I focused on freelance work to get funds for development. With that said we're full-steam ahead again! The more important issue was that Arakion desperately needs more community involvement. I decided that more town, dungeon, and world-building will greatly help in this area. Although these features will be launching relatively lightweight they should get much better with time. Being able to visit each other's dungeons internally has been an awesome experience and I hope you all get the same enjoyment out of it!. That's it for today. Have any questions or comments? Leave them below, otherwise hit us up on discord at https://discord.gg/SRHhPyr

Have a wonderful day!

Lavidimus

[ 2018-09-18 21:06:33 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Everyone!

Progress update today, we're hard at work on Early Access 02 and it is AWESOME! I'm really excited for you all to get your hands on it. The launch window is currently late August. Sorry about the delay (it was supposed to launch today), it took a little longer than expected to get everyone in the project and collaboration tools setup. As you know a big focus in Early Access 02 is dungeon building. We've spent the last two weeks building a new level editor and dungeon builder from the ground up. These will be the same tools that I'll be using to build levels from now on. Eventually, you will not only be able to build your own dungeon, but you'll be able to create your own adventures, campaigns, and worlds! You will have a ton of control over everything including puzzles, visuals and more! Soon, I'll post a video update previewing the dungeon builder in all its glory! Until then, here are a few screenshots showing off some features. Vegetation and detail painting? Check! (The blue circle is the painting area)
Click and drag linking? Check! (Also full customization of all things like notes, traps, and more)
Ability to create beautiful and treacherous dungeons? Check! (This took 2 minutes to build)
A video update will be coming soon followed by the [beta] launch of Early Access 02! So get prepared to enjoy a massive content update! Have a wonderful day! Lavidimus

[ 2018-08-07 20:52:59 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Everyone!

Although Early Access 02 isn't quite ready, I wanted to post a general update. I'm very excited to announce that two amazing developers will be joining to work on Arakion part-time. Andrew Milne a coder extraordinaire! He helped code the foundation of Arakion a long time ago and will be joining to create and maintain some of the new Early Access 02 features as well as improve existing features. Daniel Viana Alcaraz an excellent 3D and graphic artist. He will help develop additional graphics and once the new editors are finished will hopefully join in on level creation/content implementation! With these two joining in, I need to bring them up to date on all things Arakion. This shouldn't take longer than a couple weeks. Afterward, we'll be able to produce better content for you at a faster pace. The long-term goal is to eventually bring them on full-time but part-time for now is fantastic and a huge help.

So let's talk a little about Early Access 02.

So what is it? Early Access 02 is a massive update and content addition for Arakion. It adds a new early chapter, multiple new dungeons (and new randomized dungeons), tons of new loot and puzzles, an extensive town overhaul, player made dungeons, the ability to visit other players towns (universes), extensive graphical updates, extensive skill updates and so much more! When is it? The new planned launch date is August 7th. A little later than I wanted, but this is a good thing. Internally we're focusing on speeding up long-term development including building new and better custom editors (that you'll be using to create your own dungeons in-game!) Will saves transfer over? Yep, no worries. Some New Features:

• [beta] Player made dungeons - This OPTIONAL gameplay mechanic allows you to create a dungeon beneath your town that your friends can visit. If they fall in your dungeon you are rewarded. The first player to succeed in your dungeon daily will receive a reward.
• Massive optimizations! The install size has already been reduced from 5.5 gigs to 2.5 gigs in early testing. Additionally, memory usage and the overall cpu/gpu footprint has been decreased dramatically. Additionally, Arakion is now being built with Unity Cloud which will allow all versions of Arakion to be built every week.
• Extensive town overhaul! You will begin creating your town within an hour of beginning your journey. Additionally, the content of the town will expand greatly and [beta] town customization will show up (like changing the season).
• New starting chapter! This will be right before the current Chapter One and will introduce the player to the major threat of the game.
• New Recipes, new dungeons, new content! Just lots more of the same stuff you already love.
• General mob and combat improvements (maaaybe turn-based, we're working hard on it!)
• Lots of player feedback features implemented!
• So very very much more!

A big focus of Early Access 02 is to bring the story to the forefront and get the community more involved in the game. Having two people help develop, even part-time, will go a long way towards speeding up development in Arakion. So be sure to get involved! Tell me what you think below and what you'd like to see (or not see) in this big update. What type of dungeons would you like to create? What recipes would you like to see? What type of areas would you like to explore? I take player feedback to heart and really try to implement features you all would like to see.

Until next week!

Lavidimus

[ 2018-07-10 18:42:59 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Everyone! Fingers crossed Early Access 02 should be out next week. At the latest, it will launch in two weeks. For today we have another minor update with some bug fixes and general changes. I will push the Linux & Mac versions out later this week as they take some time to build.

Version Early Access 01F | June 26th 2018

[quote] Changes

Changed movement animation to feel smoother with new speed.

Removed escape pausing, was causing too many issues and needs custom implemented.

Journal has been removed.

You can now exit character creation.

You now have to confirm before releasing a recruit.

Clicking on the quest popup will now bring up the quest log.

Updated a few tooltips to be more accurate.

Items can now be right clicked on for easy equipping. Bugs Fixes

• CRITICAL - Game would fail to load properly if a potion was set on an Action bar slot.
• Unity will now pause when alt-tabbed out again.
• Changing recruit will now properly update stats.
• Left-Hand action buttons were showing the wrong tooltip.
• Character window will update now when switching stances.
• You were able to modify the right and left-hand action buttons of Hero 1, this is unintended.
• Action button potion icon was incorrect, this has been fixed.
• Left-hand icon is now more accurate.
• Female Yin has the wrong animations
• Skill panel will now close when other UI windows open
• Construct panel will now properly show the interact key.
• Hunger descriptions were inaccurate
• Camera will no longer shake when a game is loaded.

[/quote] The update has been pushed directly to the [default] branch as it has a critical bug fix. If you have any questions or comments be sure to post them below! Have a wonderful day! Lavidimus

[ 2018-06-26 17:32:31 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Everyone! Small update this week as I continue work on the massive update Early Access 02 (should be launching soon). To save time this version has been pushed to Windows only. I'm still working on getting Mac versions working in Unity and some Linux fixes.

Version Early Access 01E | June 19th 2018

Smal update as I continue work on Early Access 02 Changes

Hunger no longer reduces Stamina.

Hunger now only affects players at 50%+

Hunger penalty has been reduced by half.

The game will now pause when in the 'Escape Menu'. Please note I have no idea if this will cause any issues as I cheesed it by setting the timescale to 0.

Player Forward/Backward speed has been increased by 20%. Some puzzle/trap areas will be easier until I can go in and tweak them.

Action buttons are now unassigned on Right Click instead of having an unassigned button.

Modifed base pointer to be pointier

Weapons now have proper attacks.

You now have to rescue the Forgemaster before heading to the farm. Bugs Fixes

• Fixed a bug where additional action button options were being displayed

As always, the update has been pushed to the [beta] branch and will be moved to the [default] branch on Thursday assuming no issues. Have a wonderful day! Lavidimus

[ 2018-06-19 21:44:18 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Everyone!

Updates are back to their weekly selves! Sorry for the delay in this particular update - In order to make skills easier to develop and work with going forward, I had to redo a lot of the underlying skill code. Please note that new skills are in a very bare bones state and will be added on to with each update moving forward.

• Build has been pushed to [beta] branch and will be pushed to [default] in a couple days assuming no issues!
• Please note that Linux now includes a .x86 executable. If you are crashing on launch this may resolve your issue!
• The Mac build has not been updated yet but will be updated in a couple days.

There has been a minor UI upgrade to the hero UI. Heroes now have a left and right hand and items can be equiped simply clicking on the hand. Also those Action buttons can no longer be modified. Additionally the Skill UI has been completely overhauled.

Version Early Access 01D | Notes

Not all skills have been updated yet! Some skills could be acquired in previous versions that will be updated in future versions. [quote] Changes

• Skill Overhaul - Initial skill code and content overhaul. This is the initial version with a LOT more coming down the pipe. The focus here is to make skills more varied, functional and fun. Additional changes will be implemented with every update going forward. A brief overview of each skill including a medium upgrade node can be found below.
• Skill code was substantially overhauled, this may cause issues in the first version. Just report bugs and I will fix them as they are reported.
• Skill upgrades now have 3 costs. Minor nodes cost 1 Skillshard, Medium nodes cost 2 Skillshards, Major nodes cost 1 Skillcryst. Players should be able to obtain 1 upgrade per hour at minimum.
• All skills now have minor upgrades such as cooldown reduction, duration increase etc... ( Many more will be added in the future )
• Generally speaking skillpower was not being properly applied to skills, this has been fixed. As such some combinations may be overpowered (looking at you keg)
• UI Update - Hero UI now has a clear left and right hand, equipment can be equipped by dropping it on the left or right hand as well.
• Heroes now have 2 skill choices at start. Additional skills will be gained through gameplay. (Will begin in Early Access 02)
• All weapons now only have 1 Attack type (Light, Medium, Heavy). Currently all weapons use Medium attack, in the next build each weapon will have a correct attack type.

Brewmaster

• Keg - Spawn a keg in front of the party. (Base contains minimal changes from the previous version)
  • Big Keg - Keg now deals double damage.
  • Flask Saturation - Spawns flasks around the party dealiing 2 damage each
• Regenartive Field - Create an energy field around the party that regenerates stamina.
  • Greater Stamina Field - Restores additional stamina per tick.
  • Health Field - Field now restores a small amount of health
• Chanty - Spawn a keg in front of the party.
  • Big Keg - Keg now deals double damage.
  • Flask Saturation - Spawns flasks around the party dealiing 2 damage each
• Miasma - Create nodules that steadily stream out mists - increasing hero stats.
  • Strengthening Mists - Mists now boost the heroes even more.
  • Regenerative Mists - Restores hero health over time.

Ethermage

• Etherblade - Now works with slashing weapons only.
  • Netherblade - Each strike now deals 5 Dark damage.
  • Ethercrescent - Etherblade now affects all mobs in the group.
• Inkgrab - Creates a pool of ink in front of the party that grabs the first victim to step on it.
  • Nightmare Ink - Pool now deals massive damage over duration.
  • Ink Flood - The ink pool now spawns all around the party.

Monk

• Palm Arts - Now contains charges that heal 1 health and restore 3 stamina per strike. (Previously this skill healed every X strikes and restored stamina on cast)
  • Way of Water - Restore 1 additional health per strike.
  • Way of Flames - Deal 4 added Elemental damage per strike
• Mending Rune - Create a rune beneath the party that heals 3 health over 9 turns
  • Bursting Rune - Immediately restore 10% health on cast.
  • Regrowth Rune - Restores 3% health per 3 turns for duration of Rune.
• Fate Bomb - Creates a Fate explosion in front of the party.
  • Bomb Echo - A small fate bomb explodes shortly after the initial.
  • Bomb Minis - Create mini fate bombs all around the party.
• Fate's Judgement - Create a Fate circle that judges all who enter
  • Fate's Vengeance - Deal additional damage when stricking a judged mob.
  • Fate's Mercy - Restore health when stricking a judged mob.

Imperator

• Imperator skills now receive a damage bonus from total Aggro.
• Hook - Pull a mob close to you and increase self Aggro for a time.
  • Barbed Hook - Deal Moderate damage over time.
  • Ball and Chain - Incapacitates mobs for a duration.
• Leap - Deal a minor amount of damage and then increase aggro for a while
  • Path to the Empire - Deal moderate damage over time.
  • Path to the Kingdom - Cripple and Disarm the foes for 5 turns.

Bugs

• Fixed a bug that was causing effects with duration to proc when launched twice.
• Spawn skills (like Keg) were not being affected by skillpower and now will be.
• Have added .x86 build to Linux. Hopefully this will fix issues where some players are crashing.

[/quote] Skills are still in the process of being worked on and have been primarily moved to grid-based or charge based. Grid-based skills simply spawn or affect a grid tile, similar to Keg from previous versions. This helps add a level of strategy and stability moving forward. Charge based skills will proc X times after castin the skill and performing required action. Some skills like Palm Arts now proc only when attacking with a weapon type such as Unarmed or Slashing. Back to work on Early Access 02! If you have any questions or comments be sure to let me know below! Have a wonderful day! Lavidimus

[ 2018-06-12 18:12:43 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Everyone!

Just a general information update this week, I'm still deep into the skill overhaul. I've also been implementing a lot of player feedback and feature requests into the game. The skill update has overhauled almost all skills and includes a lot more upgrade nodes. Additionally, skills now have two upgrade types similar to Traits. You will also be granted approximately one skill upgrade per hour. The UI has been simplified and now includes a popup that covers the entire screen and so much more! I'll be sure to make a video update showing off all the new stuff as soon as it launches. I expect to launch the skill update (Early Access 01D) next week - the 12th and Early Access 02 to launch on the 26th. Early Access 02 includes an entirely new starting zone, multiple new dungeons, town building within the first hour, and a ton of new awesome changes! I'm excited for everyone to get their hands on both the skill overhaul and Early Access 02. Until then keep up the awesome feedback on the discussion forums and we'll keep making Arakion great together! If you're a new Linux player - some people have had difficulty starting new games. Be sure to start a new game with the [stable] build - save game and exit - switch back to the [default] branch. Have a wonderful day! Lavidimus

[ 2018-06-05 20:05:32 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey everyone!

[Update for Windows only] I'm working on some important Linux fixes that should be available in next weeks update. Next week will update Windows - Mac - Linux I was out of town most of this week, so this update is pretty small in comparison to a normal update. The next couple of updates will focus on combat and skill upgrades. So if there are changes you'd like to see, be sure to state them below! Work on Early Access 02 is progressing well and should launch in Mid-June. It will be a nice and hefty update! I'm excited to get it into beta soon! The new skill system should be launching soon as well! I've been focusing on getting the project size down so I can begin using cloud builds. [quote]

Version Early Access 01C | May 28th 2018

Changes

• Added a findable armor set. One piece per dungeon.
• Can now click-through the tooltip.
• Updated the hero UI to be more accessible.

Bug Fixes

• "Lamp Oil Filled" Message will no longer show after rest.
• It looks like bad weather would have never properly applied its ailment for staying in the weather too long. This has been fixed. It is applied after 180 turns.
• Trait upgrade purchase warnings were out of order and will now first show the warning of has purchased
• Tooltip delay slider will now properly work, it is 0 to 3 seconds [/quote] Here is a preview of the new character UI. The focus here is to make it easier to read and access. Health, stamina, and energy are easily readable. Skill icons have been slightly modified in size and everything has been centered.
  Have issues with the build? To access the most recent stable branch click here If there are some combat changes you'd like to see, be sure to put them below. If you have any questions or comments just let me know! Have a wonderful day! Lavidimus
  
  [ 2018-05-29 20:39:02 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Everyone! I'm launching the update a little early this week. This update is primarily focused on improving controls and making Arakion more accessible to new players. I'm hoping to have Early Access 02 out by mid-June. I wasn't able to get a ton done in this update because of the comp frying. This update has been pushed to both the Beta and Default branch. If you have issues with this update, you can access the previous branch by selecting the [stable] branch in your download settings. To change branches check here

Version Early Access 01B | May 21st 2018

Please note this version updates Arakion to Unity 2018 - unexpected issues may arise! Keep calm and carry on, they will be fixed quickly. Updated Builds: Windows & Linux (Will update Mac next week, there is a weird issue) Please note I found this from elsewhere for Linux users. I would recommend forcing windowed mode if you're crashing on startup. [quote]There is still a problem in Unity with detecting the list of available resolutions in some versions of Linux X64. To fix an error «Receiving unhandled exception in funlockfile», please, run the game in windowed mode, there is no full-screen solution for now, it is up to Unity.[/quote] Changes

• The party will now turn while walking when using the camera to look around. Previously this would only happen if you stopped walking for a moment.
• Q&E Rotation speed has been decreased slightly
• WASD Movement speed has been increased slightly
• Easy Mode players now start with +5 Hitpoints
• Normal Mode players now start with +3 Hitpoints
• Mobs will now always hit heroes if they play a melee attack animation. (To deal with dancing)
• Stances added - Heroes can now change between three stances
  • Neutral: No Changes
  • Shielding: +15% Aggro
  • Hidden: -15% Aggro
• Mob Damage has been decreased across the board
• Mob HP has been decreased across the board
• Added camera look sensitivity to gameplay settings.
• Cursor will now stay within the game window on Windows & Linux (this isn't available for Macs)
• All races now have a +1 regen trait that can be purchased early (after first bridge)

Bug Fixes

• CRITICAL: The games turn ticker would stop working when a mob was hit by a trap
• CRITICAL: Unity was updated to 2018 to address Linux crashes. Please let me know if you are still crashing on Linux and I can try a few more things.
• Due to the 2018 update and substance overhaul, lag spikes experienced from substances taking forever to load should be gone (such as when the party dropped from a high place and all 3 were hurt at once.
• Audio settings will now save properly
• Second monument near the first camp wasn't activating properly.
• Players should no longer fall through the world randomly when entering randomized dungeon.
• Traits that gave regen would sometimes show ammo regen instead.
• Sometimes the portals wouldn't show up if you spam looked at them with the camera.
• Monument near camp should now properly activate
• Grunts Armor now has proper stats.
• Fixed a bug where some traits showed wrong description.

If this version is unplayable for you, remember you can head back to the most stable version by picking the stable branch! Early Access is important for Arakion! If there is something you'd like to see in the game - head over to the Early Access 02 discussion here To access the beta branch please check here If you have any questions or comments just let me know! Have a wonderful day! Lavidimus

[ 2018-05-21 16:14:59 CET ] [ Original post ]

To access the beta branch please check here

Hey everyone!

I finally got the project up and running on new comp yesterday! I have uploaded a beta branch of Early Access 02 for Windows. This should fix a critical bug encountered @Nyast. Huge thanks for finding the bug. Typically Arakion updates on Tuesdays. Given the fact that this is a critical bug, I went ahead and updated the [beta] branch. This build also contains the following changes. Please note this version updates Arakion to Unity 2018 - unexpected issues may arise! Keep calm and carry on, they will be fixed quickly. Changes

• The party will now turn while walking when using the camera to look around. Previously this would only happen if you stopped walking for a moment.
• Q&E Rotation speed has been decreased slightly
• WASD Movement speed has been increased slightly
• Easy Mode players now start with +5 Hitpoints
• Normal Mode players now start with +3 Hitpoints
• Mobs will now always hit heroes if they play a melee attack animation. (To encourage non-dancing)

Bug Fixes

• CRITICAL : The games turn ticker would stop working when a mob was hit by a trap
• Audio will now save properly
• Second monument near the first camp wasn't activating properly.

There are three branches you can play in Arakion:

Beta | Most recent branches, typically may contain bugs but has the newest content

Default | Most recent Steam-wide stable release, has been thoroughly tested and unlikely to contain many bugs.

Stable | Known stable branch - tested thoroughly by users. (Basically, a default branch that has been tested for a week or so) Please play in the one that is appropriate for you. Early Access is important for Arakion! If there is something you'd like to see in the game - head over to the Early Access 02 discussion here To access the beta branch please check here If you have any questions or comments just let me know! Have a wonderful day! Lavidimus

[ 2018-05-19 14:27:23 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Everyone!

I'm glad to see so many people enjoying Arakion! I have been closely following feedback and wanted to share a list with you of intended improvements as I wait for my comp to get back up and running. Early Access 02 will primarily focus on general gameplay improvements. Generally, I update weekly, but because of the need to upgrade to Unity 2018, and my computer frying, this update will hopefully launch in two weeks. The good news is - this gives us a lot of time to chat about what you'd like to see improve the game! ( I will update this list as more things are added or removed) Early Access 02 Plans:

Increased starting HP. This will help reduce early combat difficulty.

Smoother positional-rotation when using camera to rotate.

Early access to Town/Town Building. Players will gain access to the Sanctuary earlier.

Story - Arakion has a large story to tell, it needs to be made more clear.

Slower player rotation (Q & E)

Faster player movement (WASD)

Beefing up Recruits. Giving recruits their own set of attacks & skills.

Remove 'Dancing'. Implementing some features to begin removing it as a playstyle. I'd love to hear any suggestions.

Overall tightening of controls.

Formations. Formations allow each member to be in a front-mid-back position. Each position will have its own strength and weakness. (This is implemented in code just need to give players access)

Update to Unity 2018. For Linux users who have experienced crashing, it appears to be an internal Unity error with 2017.3. Unfortunately, Unity deprecates a major graphical component that Arakion uses in 2018 so this could add 1 week to the EA02 dev cycle.

Secondary save slot - Each profile will have one automated save and one manual save slot to choose from. You will still always start at the last position you rested! Please remember Arakion launched in Early Access for a reason! I really want to improve the game through your feedback, so if you have something you'd like to see? Share it below, this is what Early Access is about! Have a wonderful day! Lavidimus

[ 2018-05-17 13:03:33 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey everyone! I hope everyone has been enjoying Arakion! Last night, just as I was working on some bug fixes - my computer died! I'm working on figuring out what fried and getting everything up and running again, but I wanted to post here just to let you all know that next weeks update may be delayed depending on how long this takes to fix. In the meantime, I'll still be checking on Steam and Discord when I can. Thanks everyone for understanding and have a wonderful day! Lavidimus Be sure to check out this Early Access gameplay video from Colonel RPG! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFrR227XQO4

[ 2018-05-16 13:16:12 CET ] [ Original post ]

Open The Gates!

The gates of Arakion are now open - dive in and begin your journey! As a thank you for being early adventurers, Arakion is launching heavily discounted! Not only that, but there is an additional 10% off for 1 week!

Begin Your Journeys

I am so excited for you all to begin your adventures! Currently, you can play through Chapter One, enjoy portions of the Sanctuary and even begin town building! Since this is early access your feedback is important - so head over to the forums to get involved!

What Comes Next?

Arakion is launching in Early Access for a reason, this is just the beginning. Through the coming months, the world of Arakion will expand even more. Moving forward, development each month will have a particular focus and theme. I listen closely to feedback head over to the forums and help make Arakion even greater! As the testers already know and you're soon to find out, Arakion is updated regularly. You can usually expect [beta] updates weekly. Exactly how those updates will roll out on Steam will be discussed soon. For the next couple of weeks, I will be focusing on player feedback for immediate changes before diving into the June dev cycle!

Start your journey today!

More Stuff!

Have questions? Head over to Discord!

General discussion? Head to the forums!

Updates? Check out previous updates here!

Linux user? Check out the user created guide!

Want to see what Arakion is like?

Check out this awesome video by Colonel RPG https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFrR227XQO4

[ 2018-05-15 15:48:37 CET ] [ Original post ]

Let's Talk About Questing!

About

Questing has been a much-asked-for feature in Arakion, and it's finally here! In Arakion the primary focus of questing is to help develop the story and retain a log of everything the party has accomplished. Quests may begin when you stumble across something unique or are simply chatting it up with a local. Each quest can have a number of sub-quests and chapter quests tend to be the longest! Chapter One, for instance, has six sub-quests.

Types Of Quests

There are three types of quests in Arakion and each one is very unique. Chapter quests focus on the main story of Arakion and any developments therein. Recruit quests revolve around the stories of individual NPCs you meet during your travels. Journey quests are quests that focus on aspects outside of the main story.

Journey Log

To view any current or previous quest, simply open up your journey log! In this log, you can find all the quests you've completed, quests you're currently on and what the status is of each. Many logs also contain additional backstory that you otherwise wouldn't know about!

Let's Talk About The Guide!

The Guide is a handy-dandy little friend of our heroes. He was created by The Maker himself to help the heroes on their journey. They meet him shortly after waking up and he will help 'guide' them on their journey as they begin. He has a lot of useful information for the group and you should pay close attention to his words, even if he tends to be grumpy!

Thanks For Reading!

There you have it - the basics of 'Questing and The Guide'! With these additions, you are much more informed about the world, story, and what you should be doing! Arakion launches Early Access on May 15th, be sure to dive in and tell me what you think about questing!

Have a wonderful day!

-Lavidimus

[ 2018-05-09 18:36:22 CET ] [ Original post ]

Let's Talk About Crafting!

https://youtu.be/NitrYM8pL8g

About

Unlike many other dungeon crawlers, you can’t go to spot X and grab the Hammer of Destiny to crush all foes. Instead, most equipment must be crafted. There are two aspects to crafting: developing new ideas and putting them together.

Developing An Idea

The first thing to do before crafting is to develop an idea for an object. Ideas are primarily developed by taking a picture of a relevant object, such as this spear. However, ideas can also be developed by gaining traits, learning lore, reading storybooks and much more.

Taking A Photo

In order to develop an idea with your camera, you first have to find a promising object. These are often accompanied by a rare species of blue butterfly. Looking at the object with your camera will highlight it, and taking a picture will grant you the new idea.

Crafting The Object

Crafting the object itself is pretty straightforward. Head to the forge. Once there, you can either talk to the Forgemaster or simply open the crafting panel directly while you're near the forge. Click on the object, and, if you have enough resources, click 'craft' to craft it.

Crafting Is Additive

A Wooden Spear isn't very exciting on its own - the next part of crafting is where Arakion gets unique. Nearly every craftable object can be upgraded in different ways. The spear has a number of unique upgrades. These include a Brass Spear, a Pitchfork, and a Javelin. In turn, each one of those items has their own set of upgrades - and so on.

Thanks For Reading!

There you have it - the basics of crafting! Crafting is core to your heroes' performance, and selecting which objects to craft is nearly as critical as crafting them at all! Crafting is something that I love in Arakion and just another way to customize your heroes. Arakion launches Early Access on May 15th, be sure to dive in and tell me what you think about crafting!

Have a wonderful day!

-Lavidimus

[ 2018-05-05 15:03:29 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Everyone!

Arakion Early Access is rolling out on May 15th! Get ready to begin your journey into the unique world that is Arakion. The one-of-a-kind dungeon crawling experience. Why Early Access? Well, Arakion is large. Our testers currently spend ~10 hours on current content in the first playthrough. So, although it's Early Access there is a lot to do. As our testers have already found out, Arakion also gets updated a lot, weekly in fact! So be sure to check out the Roadmap & Updates to always stay up to date with Arakion's developments! Over the next two weeks, I'll be showcasing all the new and awesome stuff in Arakion such as crafting, constructs, randomized dungeons and more! Have a wonderful day! -Lavidimus If you haven't seen Arakion in a while, take a look! [img=https://i.imgur.com/S0PoQHM.png] [img=https://i.imgur.com/whZtF9e.png] [img=https://i.imgur.com/yoDi9dP.png] [img=https://i.imgur.com/qrQGcc4.png]

[ 2018-05-02 00:35:27 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Everyone! Late night update! During Steams review process they noted that Arakion may have some translation issues with the intended languages. For this reason, to expedite the review process, I have removed all supported languages except for English. You can still access Russian, Japanese, Chinese, Italian, French, Dutch, Spanish and German in their current state within the settings menu. Dutch, Spanish, Italian have been manually translated. Chinese is in the process of being manually translated. Russian, Japanese and French will begin manual translation shortly. Have a wonderful day! -Lavidimus

[ 2018-04-27 04:10:11 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Everyone!

Discord is now open to everyone! Chat it up on Discord if you have questions about Arakion or would like to join testing! You can join at https://discord.gg/eN5dZeK In other news Arakion continues to improve and stabilize thanks to tester feedback. There is one more major area to test and Arakion will be ready to launch! A precise launch date should be announced soon but I'm hoping to have it launched by the end of April. Depots are now being tested directly on Steam and everything seems to be running very smoothly, even low-end computer seem to be playing Arakion well and I can't wait for a wider audience to get their hands on it! Again if you have any questions, think you'd like to test Arakion or just want to chat about Blobbers, head over to the now open Discord channel! Have a wonderful day! -Lavidimus

[ 2018-04-07 16:39:28 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Everyone, If you emailed me to become a tester your email may have gotten lost in spam, I deeply apologize for that I just noticed the issue today. So if you're still interested in testing, and haven't gotten an email from me already, head over to the discussion forums and sign up on the thread there. I'll be sure to get you invited straight away! Easy Link http://steamcommunity.com/app/528980/discussions/0/1694914735990429438/ Sorry again about that! -Lavidimus

[ 2018-02-28 03:01:48 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey everyone! Just a quick update here, due to the feedback from our awesome testers, I've pushed the initial launch to March. Some testers who hadn't played this genre of game before had minor difficulty understanding what to do, so I have created a new zone to handle introducing the players to the mechanics better. I'm still bringing more testers on board and appreciate everyone's patience. The next invites should go out on Tuesday and as always, if you think you would make a great tester for Arakion, feel free to email me at contact@arakion.com -Lavidimus

[ 2018-02-23 16:31:04 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey everyone

Arakion is full steam ahead ever closer to launch! The launch window right now is looking likely at the end of January or early February. I'm waiting for a few more pieces to fall in place and then Arakion will be ready to go! In the meantime, Arakion is always looking for more testers. So if Arakion is something you think you would enjoy testing, email me at contact@arakion.com and I'll get you an invite to the Discord channel! I'll also begin posting updates more frequently now that we're closer to launch, so be on the lookout! Have a wonderful day, -Lavidimus

[ 2018-01-15 23:05:43 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey everyone

Arakion has quietly been in development over the past year making massive amounts of progress along the way! Today I'm happy to open up the Steam Store and welcome all you awesome people in! Be sure to check out the Early Access Trailer! https://youtu.be/vjr6jUzlbn4 The release date for Arakion isn't definitive yet, however, the likely launch is Mid-January. The launch may include some fun community events to get everyone even more excited to dive into the game! As soon as there is a precise date set, I'll post an announcement.

Want to be part of internal testing?

Arakion is always looking for more able-bodied adventurers, to take up the call, and test out new features before they go live. If you think this is something that might interest you feel free to email contact@arakion.com. As a heads up, I'll be gone next week (vacation) so my responses to any questions may take a little longer than usual. Have a wonderful day, -Lavidimus

[ 2017-12-16 03:57:25 CET ] [ Original post ]