* Fixed a crash that occurred when "Execute" move was in the deck and entities were staggered at the start of encounter.
* Fixed a crash that occurred when retrieving items from the Nest event.
* Fixed "Stance: Attack" condition not applying its effect immediately.
* Fixed Slot Machine not refreshing resources immediately after prize is received (needed to re-trigger the event to use gained pennies).
* Updated the input system package in an attempt to fix issues in some systems where directional input gets stuck.
* Applied object pooling to the Options menu to reduce memory consumption.
* Updated the save system package in an attempt to fix crashes and memory issues during saving.

* "Burrow" and "Mole" now only prevents direct damage and won't prevent DoT damage and health loss.
* Timers for events that resolve in a single area now won't show after leaving the area.
* First Aid Kit item can be used in the "Injured Mascot" event.
* Adjusted "You Need to See the Doctor" challenge rules: Starting Health 10->20, Starting Energy 5->8. Added Encounter Count rule: 22. Added Loot Count rule: 22. Added Strong Encounter Count rule: 2.
* "Locked Drawer" event now always appears in the Residence area in Story Mode.
* "Key Hanger" now won't spawn in the final area of a run. Shapeless Key cannot be used in the final area of a run.
* Changed Bigger Areas custom rule from 2x room count to 1.75x room count.
* Adjusted level generation to reduce long generation time for Bigger Areas rule.
* Increased the scale of speech bubbles in exploration for better visibility of text.
* Fixed an issue causing Crusher and Simulation Computer events not to spawn in Challenge and Custom modes.
* Fixed a crash involving "Gumball Machine" event when multiple events spawn during a run.
* Fixed issues with Garuda Statue and Three Statues events when they repeat during the same run.
* Reduced maximum run length in Run Length Custom Mode rule to 10 until some issues with long runs are resolved.
* Fixed "Masochist" status effect not applying properly for ally characters and for DoT and healing.
* Fixed a bug causing "Purification Machine" event not to spawn.
* Fixed text overflow in equipment tooltip move descriptions.
* Fixed various text / language errors.

Fixed an issue causing equipment tooltips not to show for equipment that existed in the inventory from a saved run before the v1.2.9 patch. Equipment names and some related text will still be missing. This only affects equipment existing in the inventory from a saved run before the v1.2.9 patch.

* Fast Travel is now more user-friendly. It will look for non-enemy paths, and won't trigger encounters if one exists. If all paths are blocked by enemies, it will ask if you want to proceed with triggering an encounter, or cancel the fast travel.
* Condition targeting moves (Inner Peace, Pierce, Strip Essence, Time Push, Snap Out of It, Guardian's Blessing, Overwhelming Presence, Patronize, Amnesia Gas, Cleanse, Demoralizing Drug, Adopt) now lets the player select which conditions to target instead of targeting the first condition added.
* Selecting purchased starting items, perks and preserved items / cards now won't cost credits when starting a run.
* (Status) Brittle Bone: Reduced "taken damage increase" to 400%.
* (Status) Altar of Darkness: Added maximum limit for all effects. Power increase per hit 10%->5%. Defense increase base 30->10, limited to 50. Crit. Chance increase base 30%->10%. Now can affect Speed.
* (Condition) Perfect Aim: Duration 1s->2s.
* Fixed an issue which prevented card activation, if card selection and target selection is done in quick succession.
* Fixed Scanner event still being able to be used (with no effect) even if you dont have the required Pennies.
* Fixed some errors with Altar of Darkness event.
* Fixed Recovery, Dim Light moves and Overwrought status not detecting some of the damage dealing moves correctly.
* Fixed Sewer Crawler tile being walkable after loading a save.
* Fixed a language error with Handicapped.
* Fixed higher starting health rule in custom run mode not setting current health properly.
* Fixed Blood Mushroom effect triggering with Corrosion and some of the other HP loss effects.
* Fixed scrolling issue when hovering over the background of scroll areas in Challenge Mode and Custom Mode.
* Improved card hovering and targeting optimisation to eliminate stutter on some systems.

* Fixed a crash occurring with the Robbery event.
* Fixed an error with the Beast Claw item.
* Added a safeguard where translation errors now won't cause crashes but show a translation error text instead.
* Fixed a crash with the Earth-Eroding Worm enemy.
* Fixed several errors in card and item descriptions.
* (Enemy) Earth-Eroding Worm: Blood Rush: Bloodlust layers 4->2, cooldown: 6->30, use HP percentage: 50%->30%. Melt Eyes: Use HP percentage 70%->30%, Cooldown 4->8.
* Increased the Challenge Gem rewards of some of the challenges. You should get the extra rewards if you've already completed them.

Apologies for the frequent patches. It has become a tradition to send out panic bugfix patches following a major update. There may be a few more daily fix patches in the coming days.

I'm thrilled to announce the full release of the v1.2 update for Draft of Darkness! Prepare to navigate the perilous Sewers, confront the challenge of double boss fights, and push your limits in endless runs!

[previewyoutube=Nv6gMfPYQWA;full][/previewyoutube]

[h2]Simplified Chinese and Turkish Support, More Languages Coming[/h2]
Draft of Darkness now supports additional languages beyond English. Initially, Simplified Chinese and Turkish are available, with plans to introduce Russian, Japanese, and Spanish soon. We are actively working on improving translations thanks to our community members and plan to improve localization with upcoming patches.



While not guaranteed, I'm exploring the possibility of enabling custom translations to further enhance language support.

[h2]New Area: Sewers[/h2]
The Sewers introduce a new starting area, offering an alternative to the Residence. Available in Story Mode after completing Part 1 of the story, this dank labyrinth is teeming with slimy monsters and acidic hazards. It features 6 new enemies, 3 new bosses, and unique events. The Sewers' tight corridors contrast with the Residence Area, challenging players to make strategic decisions that can turn the tide in their favor.



This update introduces over 23 new events where you'll make critical choices to survive or risk being consumed by the Darkness! Nine of these events are exclusive to the Sewers, enhancing its dark atmosphere, while the remainder can occur in various areas. We've also refined the cyclic spawn mechanism, reducing the repetition of events across different areas and runs.

[h2]New Game Mode: Challenge[/h2]
Challenge Mode offers a variety of unique challenges, each with its own twist on the game's mechanics. These challenges, designed to extend gameplay beyond Story Mode, can be tackled on any difficulty, allowing you to face them as you see fit.



Successful completion of Challenge Mode rewards players with Challenge Gems, which can be used in the Credits Shop. The shop now features "Epic" rarity moves for all weapons, purchasable with Challenge Gems. Unlocking these moves adds them to your arsenal during runs.



[h2]New Game Mode: Custom[/h2]
Custom Mode introduces the ability to adjust runs with various modifiers, which can either increase or decrease the Credits earned. This mode gives you the chance to craft your own challenges and share them with the community.



Both Challenge and Custom modes are separate from Story Mode, with all areas accessible from the start. Story events are excluded, allowing players to focus purely on gameplay without needing to complete Story Mode.

[h2]Future Plans[/h2]
This is the second planned post-release update for Draft of Darkness, expanding the game's content, and this one is the size of an expansion! With this update, I'm happy to say that the game has reached a state I've been aiming for. This project has been a massive undertaking for a solo developer, and it took years to reach its current state. Although it hasn't performed well financiallyfalling far short of justifying the time and money invested when looking purely at the numbersI'm proud to have succeeded in staying dedicated and completing my first major project after failing to do so for so many others. I'd like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all of you for your support thus far and hope you're pleased with how Draft of Darkness has turned out!

Going forward, I dont plan on releasing major updates. Big updates, as you may have noticed, require a significant amount of time. Given the current size of the game, managing such updates as a solo developer is becoming increasingly challenging, and its unrealistic to expect players to wait patiently for them every time. Instead, Ill focus on releasing frequent bug fixes and balance updates in the coming weeks, along with introducing the remaining planned languages. While I do intend to further expand the content for Custom Mode and Challenge Mode, my immediate priority will be on maintenance, addressing important backlog tasks, and implementing suggestions. If you have any suggestions, bug reports, or requests, please feel free to post in the forums or join our Discord Server!

Don't miss Draft of Darkness for 30% OFF until April 8th!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1380650/Draft_of_Darkness/

[h2]Update Notes for Patch v1.2-v1.2.8 (Full Release)[/h2]
[h3]Mechanics[/h3]
* Custom Mode: A new game mode where modifiers can be added to create runs with custom rules. Rules can be "codes", which modify the run parameters (ex. Bigger ares, no shops, starting health...); and they can be "goals", which can be achieved during the run. Rules have credits multipliers that add to the run's credits prize.
* Challenge Mode: A new game mode with specially designed custom runs. Successfully completing challenges gives "Challenge Gems", which can be spent in the Credits Shop to unlock new content.
* Added an unlock notification screen showing when something is unlocked.
* Separated the credits shop into categories. Added a new category for unlocks.
* Changed the "run time" to be turn-based. The achievements looking at the real-time timer now considers the turn based timer instead.
* Changed how events spawn for better event rotation and preventing repeated events in custom / challenge runs.
* Fast travel now advances timers.
[h3]Content[/h3]
* New area added: Sewers (as first area) (can be unlocked with Challenge Gems).
* Added challenges: "Boss Rush", "Boss Duo Rush", "Dark Escape", "Extermination Team", "Long March", "No Time to Shop", "Punching Jake", "The Darkness Prowls", "Trouble in Sewers", "True Hardcore", "Valkyrie's Revenge", "You Need to See the Doctor".
* Added custom rules: "Big Areas", "Darkness Level at Area Start", "Strong Encounter Count", "Encounter Count", "Starting Energy", "Starting Health", "Goal: Victory", "Goal: Time Trial", "Loot Count", "No Terminals", "Recruit Count", "Shop Count", "Small Areas", "Vision Range".
* 23 new Decision Events are added: "Novice Robot", "Scanner Machine", "Chained Cupboard", "Bloodied Mirror", "Trickster 2", "Gumball Machine", "Slimy Bag", "Altar of Darkness", "Iron Maiden", "Electric Cable Hazard", "Automatic Teller Machine", "Pile of Rubble", "Punch Machine", "Shape Sorter", "Sewage Pipe", "Hidden Arrows", "Old Clothes Dispenser", "Locked Fence", "Tree Roots", "Purification Machine", "Darkness Filled Corridor", "Secret Stash", "Newspaper Machine".
* 6 new normal enemies are added (Sewers):
"Spitting Prowler", "Bloodthirsty Prowler", "Night Prowler", "Sewer Crawler", "Grunge", "Newborn Zombie".
* 3 new bosses are added (Sewers):
"Sewer Disease", "Sewer Walker", "Impending Nightmare".
* 1 new unarmed Rare Run move added: "Think".
* 12 new "Epic" run moves are added (can be unlocked with Challenge Gems):
"Desperado" (Pistol), "Assassin's Prowess" (Knife), "Uprising" (Syringe), "Seraph's Vision" (Flashlight), "Unbreakable Will" (Axe), "Lock and Load" (Shotgun), "Paired Entanglement" (Dark Weapon), "Sticky Situation" (Spray Gun), "Lick Wounds" (Chainsaw), "Bolt: A.I." (Crossbow), "Master Stance" (Shield).
Changes
* (Card/Shield) Shield Cake: Dmg per block 0.25x->0.2x (+1: 0.5x->0.4x)
* (Card/Pistol) Blind Fire: Energy Cost 5->4.
* (Card/Pistol) Warning Shot: Energy Cost 3->1.
* (Card/Knife) Choppy Chop: Dmg 0.75x->0.5x (+1: 1.5x->1x)
* (Card/Flashlight) Dim Light: Resource Cost 3->2; Crit. Chance Increase 30%->40%.
* (Card) Incite: Now can only target other entities.
* (Item/Consumable) Crowbar: Rarity: Epic->Rare. Max drop count: 1->2.
* (Perk) Vicious: Now always reduces Physical Defence on Bleeding trigger, instead of having a chance.
* Reduced "This is an Emergency" achievement time requirement to 15 minutes. Reduced "Parkour Runner" time requirement to 15 minutes. This is because run time is now calculated as turn based time.
[h3]Utility[/h3]
* Added localization support.
* Added initial language choices (translations pending): English, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, Brazilian Portugese.
* Simplified Chinese language support progress. (Credits: Qaym)
* Turkish language support progress.
* Added support for importing translations through Google Spreadsheets.
* Default fonts are changed to fonts that are more suitable for localization. Alternative fonts are added for Chinese, Japanese and Cyrillic characters.
* 2 new music tracks are added: "Sewers Encounter", "Sewers Boss".
* Added visual effects for Stealth condition.
* Changed encounter condition inflict & decay animations to show icons instead of names.
[h3]Fixes[/h3]
* Weird Painting choice gives Dash move instead of Energetic Slash, which is an equipment move.
* Fixed companions having different sufferings if recruited later.
* Fixed crashes occurring with Toxic Worm enemy in certain cases (Burrowed status).
* Fixed "Sunburn" dealing damage based on condition count instead of layer count.
* Fixed some of the card attribute bonuses showing up as ??? in modifier breakdown.
* Fixed Perpetual perk affecting Fleeing.
* Fixed "Crippling Shot" not applying Crippled.
* Fixed Cian's "Light" move dealing Dark Damage.
* Fixed a bug with weapon drops when no character can use weapons.
* Sapphire Cube and Sapphire Fragment now triggers with Restoration heal.
* Fixed Mona repeating her lines in encounter, if her move cooldowns are reset.
* Various fixes.

Hey everyone! I'm excited to announce that the v1.2 update is moving to beta testing. If you would like to try out the update and help test it before release, you can do so by switching to the testing beta branch!

Check out this cool new trailer!

[previewyoutube=Nv6gMfPYQWA;full][/previewyoutube]

[h2]Localization[/h2]
Draft of Darkness now supports localization! This means that the technical changes required for translating the game are finally in place. Translations are still in progress. Currently, I'm relying on machine translation and looking for volunteers who will participate in the community effort to complete the translation of Draft of Darkness into different languages. If you are interested in contributing, please contact me via our Discord Server! I will be notifying those who have already contacted me before, as well. The languages that will, at the very least, receive machine translation include: Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, and Turkish.



[h2]What's New?[/h2]
I can't wait to discuss the additions in detail upon release. For now, here's a quick list of what's new:
- The Sewers Area: You can now start your runs in the Sewers instead of the Residence. The Sewers are filled with 6 new enemies, 3 new bosses, acidic hazards, and unique events.
- Challenge Mode: A new mode where you can complete specially designed runs, ranging from boss rushes to time trials.
- Custom Mode: A new mode that allows you to create runs with custom modifiers and goals. Modifiers will increase or decrease the credits you earn at the end of runs.
- New Content: A variety of content has been added, including 23+ new decision events, new epic moves unlockable with challenge gems, and more!



[h2]v1.2 Release[/h2]
My goal is to wrap up the translations, iron out any bugs from developing the localization system and integrating the new features, and add in some final touches I've been planning. I'm targeting to roll out the update in a month. Currently aiming for March 25th (tentative).

Warning: If you decide to play the Beta and switch to the testing branch, your main save file will be upgraded to the new version. Either backup your save file before switching, or do not switch back to the main branch until the Beta ends. Otherwise, your save file will be corrupted.

[h2]Update Notes for Patch v1.2[/h2]
[h3]Mechanics[/h3]
* Custom Mode: A new game mode where modifiers can be added to create runs with custom rules. Rules can be "codes", which modify the run parameters (ex. Bigger ares, no shops, starting health...); and they can be "goals", which can be achieved during the run. Rules have credits multipliers that add to the run's credits prize.
* Challenge Mode: A new game mode with specially designed custom runs. Successfully completing challenges gives "Challenge Gems", which can be spent in the Credits Shop to unlock new content.
* Added an unlock notification screen showing when something is unlocked.
* Separated the credits shop into categories. Added a new category for unlocks.
* Changed the "run time" to be turn-based. The achievements looking at the real-time timer now considers the turn based timer instead.
[h3]Content[/h3]
* New area added: Sewers (as first area) (can be unlocked with Challenge Gems).
* Added challenges: "Boss Rush", "Boss Duo Rush", "Dark Escape", "Extermination Team", "Long March", "No Time to Shop", "Punching Jake", "The Darkness Prowls", "Trouble in Sewers", "True Hardcore", "Valkyrie's Revenge", "You Need to See the Doctor".
* Added custom rules: "Big Areas", "Darkness Level at Area Start", "Strong Encounter Count", "Encounter Count", "Starting Energy", "Starting Health", "Goal: Victory", "Goal: Time Trial", "Loot Count", "No Terminals", "Recruit Count", "Shop Count", "Small Areas", "Vision Range".
* 23 new Decision Events are added: "Novice Robot", "Scanner Machine", "Chained Cupboard", "Bloodied Mirror", "Trickster 2", "Gumball Machine", "Slimy Bag", "Altar of Darkness", "Iron Maiden", "Electric Cable Hazard", "Automatic Teller Machine", "Pile of Rubble", "Punch Machine", "Shape Sorter", "Sewage Pipe", "Hidden Arrows", "Old Clothes Dispenser", "Locked Fence", "Tree Roots", "Purification Machine", "Darkness Filled Corridor", "Secret Stash", "Newspaper Machine".
* 6 new normal enemies are added (Sewers):
"Spitting Prowler", "Bloodthirsty Prowler", "Night Prowler", "Sewer Crawler", "Grunge", "Newborn Zombie".
* 3 new bosses are added (Sewers):
"Sewer Disease", "Sewer Walker", "Impending Nightmare".
* 1 new unarmed Rare Run move added: "Think".
* 12 new "Epic" run moves are added (can be unlocked with Challenge Gems):
"Desperado" (Pistol), "Assassin's Prowess" (Knife), "Uprising" (Syringe), "Seraph's Vision" (Flashlight), "Unbreakable Will" (Axe), "Lock and Load" (Shotgun), "Paired Entanglement" (Dark Weapon), "Sticky Situation" (Spray Gun), "Lick Wounds" (Chainsaw), "Bolt: A.I." (Crossbow), "Master Stance" (Shield).
Changes
* (Card/Shield) Shield Cake: Dmg per block 0.25x->0.2x (+1: 0.5x->0.4x)
* (Item/Consumable) Crowbar: Rarity: Epic->Rare. Max drop count: 1->2.
[h3]Utility[/h3]
* Added localization support.
* Added initial language choices (translations pending): English, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish.
* Partial machine translations are being added.
* Added support for importing translations through Google Spreadsheets.
* Default fonts are changed to fonts that are more suitable for localization. Alternative fonts are added for Chinese, Japanese and Cyrillic characters.
* 2 new music tracks are added: "Sewers Encounter", "Sewers Boss".
* Added visual effects for Stealth condition.
* Changed encounter condition inflict & decay animations to show icons instead of names.

Hello everyone! I've been working on the upcoming update (v1.2) for quite some time now, and as we approach the new year, I wanted to write a brief devlog article to keep you in the loop about our progress.

[h2]Custom Run & Challenges[/h2]
The forthcoming update introduces two exciting modes: Custom Run and Challenge modes. In Custom Run mode, you'll have the flexibility to adjust various parameters, set goals, and explore different ways to modify your runs. On the other hand, Challenge mode will feature unique runs with various gimmicks and goals, offering a fresh and engaging way to experience the game. Completing challenges will also unlock new content in the Credits Shop.

An early screenshot of the challenge selection screen.

The development of the Challenge and Custom Run systems is nearly complete, and I'm actively working on expanding the content within these frameworks.

[h2]New Content & Changes[/h2]
Version 1.2 will add additional metaprogression, unlockable items, numerous challenges, events and more! (Maybe even a new area?) My goal is to provide enough content so that players who have already completed the game can return for a new experience.

New content not shown here, but an unlock notification screen is added.

[h2]Localization / Translation[/h2]
While budget constraints prevent a professional translation of the game, I've invested time in creating a system to allow custom localization. I've implemented a system, and started transferring all in-game text to this system. Though this task has consumed three weeks of effort so far (which was kind of discouraging), I'm still committed to completing it. (More like, too far in not to complete...)

After finishing the localization system, I plan to offer machine translation as a starting point. Additionally, volunteers can edit a spreadsheet file within the game files to enhance translations. I'll include these improved translations in official patches.

If you'd like to volunteer to assist with translating the game into another language, please reach out to me (@crawlygames) on our Discord Server.

An early screenshot of testing the localization system in the Options menu. New fonts will be added to fix the special characters.

[h2]Overall Progress[/h2]
The v1.2 update will be a free, DLC-quality update. While there's no official release date as of now, it's unlikely to be completed by year-end. I extend my best wishes for a happy new year in advance and am optimistic about releasing the update early in 2024.

While I was busy with the localization and custom runs, we fell a bit behind on fix patches. A small fix patch (v1.1.1_p2) has been deployed, and more will come soon as I work on balance changes and bug fixes.

[h2]Be a Hero Event for CCON Stuttgart 2023[/h2]
Draft of Darkness is part of the Be a Hero event on Steam scheduled for December 9th and 10th. To celebrate, DoD will be discounted by 25%. Be sure to check out the event and take advantage of the special offer!

[h3]Update Notes for Patch v1.1.1_p2[/h3]
* Fixed Glitch event teleporting the player to the boss room while locked door events are present, causing a soft lock.
* Fixed an issue where selling / buying items caused the scroll bar to move to the top.
* Fixed an issue where filtering / sorting cards when editing the starting deck caused the edited deck to reset.

Hello all,

I'm excited to announce that Draft of Darkness is a part of the Turn-Based Carnival taking place between November 14-21!

To celebrate the event, I'll be streaming Draft of Darkness live on November 16, 12:00 GMT and showcase some of the stuff added to the game with the v1.1 update. The stream will take place on Steam and Twitch. Feel free to come hang out.

See you then!

* Fixed some percentage reduction effects increasing values when stacked with direct reduction effects. (Detected with the "Focused Energy" card.)
* Fixed a bug causing a hang when card selection effects trigger while draw or discard pile screens are open.
* Changed Ironfist perk to be stackable (Dark & Mend Power increase 30%, Physical Power increase 60% per trigger.) Fixed Ironfist perk not being removed after activation. Fixed an issue with the Ironfist perk which caused a hang.
* (Item/Trophy) Heart Pendant: Reduced max. resource gain (and loss) from 3 to 2.
* Fixed Savant perk still allowing Gift Box and some other card draw effects.
* Fixed Dark Flame move decaying Flight.
* Fixed various scenery placement errors.

* Swapped the default perk (Ironfist) of Ivan with the Engineer perk.
* Changed "Unstoppable Force" achievement to "Stagger the Claw," and removed the extra requirement to do it after her Rage move.
* Added an in-game notification for the Linux build to advise running through Proton.
* Fixed an issue where enemies with the "Sustaining" perk received health while being dead.
* Fixed an issue where the Magician's Glove item would cause a hang when no target was available.
* Fixed an issue where Earth Eroding Worm did not appear in the detail screen.

Hello all,

I'll be streaming Draft of Darkness on 28 October, 12:00 GMT to try out and showcase some of the new stuff added to the game with the v1.1 update. Feel free to come hang out.

See you then!

Just a reminder: Draft of Darkness is 25% off during the Steam Scream Fest!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1380650/Draft_of_Darkness/

As we embrace the spooky season and celebrate the Scream Fest, Draft of Darkness has been updated to version 1.1. This update introduces exciting additions to the selection of Hero Perks, Trophy Items, Sufferings, and Strong Enemy Perks.

[h2]New Hero Perks[/h2]
The Credits Shop now offers a more extensive selection of Hero Perks, allowing you to diversify your arsenal and approach your runs with unique strategies. We've introduced a total of 23 new Hero Perks to the Credits Shop, including 12 entirely new Perks and 11 adapted Companion Perks.


Engineering: Explore a fresh way to utilize Leo the combat robot. You can scavenge "Scraps", a unique resource, to upgrade, heal, and modify Leo using Mech Mods, granting him various advantages at the beginning of encounters. You can also spend Scraps to re-construct him. Engineering perk is available to Echo, which means that you can combine Leo with any build you want!


Vampiric: Embrace your inner vampire and feast on the blood of enemies and allies alike. This perk greatly enhances your Bleeding strategy.
Perpetual: Put an end to condition wastage and contribute to the fight against global warming. With this perk, you can consistently maintain your Buffs and Abilities.
Haunted: This perk is tailored for those who like to hunt and be haunted, both a challenge and an opportunity.

[h2]New Trophy Items[/h2]
The selection of Trophy Items has been expanded with 17 brand new additions, including 6 that were chosen from ideas submitted by players in our Discord Server!


Magician's Glove (by Yobee): The favored glove of the trickster. This item can become incredibly potent when combined with certain other items and perks allowing you to draw the desired move.
Earrings of Balance: Harness the power of Darkness to your advantage and access formidable moves. Is karma on your side?
Watering Can: This cute prop, used by Bubblegum, the pink bunny mascot, offers sustainability for the entire party, albeit with some associated risks. Don't get caught with a lot of cards in your hand!

[h2]New Sufferings[/h2]
As Darkness descends upon you, new challenges await. We've added 6 new Suffering effects that will test your mettle when the Darkness Level exceeds the threshold.


Soaring: This will force you to reconsider your approach to making moves; otherwise, your actions may leave you with a hole in your pocket.
Concealing: If there's anything spookier than zombies, it's invisible zombies.
Stagflation: Monsters aren't the only scary things; the economy can be frightening too!

[h2]New Strong Enemy Perks[/h2]
The strong enemies have become even stronger with the addition of three new perks to their arsenal.


Spike Growth: The more you strike the enemy, the spikier they become. It's advisable to have some ranged moves at your disposal.
Scrounger: When the enemy is this grueling to battle, will you leave them for last or defeat them first to put an end to the struggle?
Cancerous Might: With each passing turn, the enemy gains more strength. You better make this a swift victory!

[h2]Leo Balance Changes[/h2]
Leo's moveset and mechanics have undergone significant adjustments. While preserving the core concept of his mechanics, we have enhanced his capacity to wield Dark Damage, Block, and Flight.


The new "Core: Dark" move significantly amplifies Leo's elemental damage. By replacing his Physical Damage abilities with Dark Damage, he is now more proficient at delivering potent Dark Damage to enemies and can make better use of moves copied from Ivan.
Additionally, some of Leo's moves now synergize with Flight, providing advantages when he is airborne. Leo also gains two unique condition effects through his moves. One of these effects is "Wormhole," which effectively prevents condition decay for a period. For example, you can pair this effect with "Aerial Dive" to use it without consuming Flight. You can also apply it to enemies to maintain effects like Bleeding, Corrosion or other conditions.

[h2]Up Next: New Game Mode and Plans for Localization[/h2]
For the v1.2 patch, my primary focus will be on the upcoming new game mode, which will introduce fresh events and challenges, providing you with a new way to experience Draft of Darkness.

I have also made the decision to explore Localization and consider implementing it, making it possible for a broader audience to enjoy Draft of Darkness. Regrettably, I won't have the means to afford professional translation services. Instead, I will be setting up a framework that will facilitate easier localization, allowing those who wish to translate the game themselves to do so more easily. The translation I can offer will, at best, be machine-generated. Nevertheless, I believe that having even machine translations is better than having no translation at all. The specific languages to be supported have not yet been determined, and I will provide further updates once I have delved deeper into the technical aspects.

[h2]Update Notes for Patch v1.1.0[/h2]
[h3]Content[/h3]
* (Perk/Pavel) Robo-Raged: Whenever you lose Health below 40%, gain Bloodlust 1, if you don't have Unstoppable, also gain Unstoppable 1.
* (Perk/Ivan, Echo) Engineer: Collect exclusive Scraps from encounters and loot events. Use Scraps to construct, upgrade, repair and configure Leo.
* (Perk) Savant: You can't draw extra moves during your turn. After each time you make a move, draw moves until you have a number of moves equal to your Hand Size.
* (Perk) Brusque: Inflict Injury 1 when dealing direct damage to enemies. If it's a critical strike, inflict Injury 3 instead. Suffer Injury 4 at the start of your turns.
* (Perk) Vampiric: Whenever you draw an extra move, add a "Vampiric Bite" move to your hand. At the start of your turn, if anybody has Bleeding 10 or more, add a "Vampiric Drink" move to your hand.
* (Perk) Assimilator: At the end of your turn, consume Block to restore up to 50% of your missing Health.
* (Perk) Spartan: Your moves cost Health equal to resource cost instead of resources during encounters. Reduce Mend Power to 0 at the start of encounters.
* (Perk) Charismatic: Shop goods are discounted by 33%. Stats are reduced by 1, gain +5 to all stats during decision events.
* (Perk) Depressed: At the start of encounters, weak alternatives of moves, including those without alternatives, are randomly replaced with Depression moves.
* (Perk) Haunted: Start every area at 10 Darkness Level.
* (Perk) Perpetual: At the beginning of encounters, restore conditions from the previous encounter (up to 3 layers per condition.)
* (Perk) Sagacious: Intelligence is increased by 3. At the beginning of your turns, select and discard up to 3 moves and draw new moves.
* These perks are adapted from companions to heroes: Beacon, Berserker, Crusader, Dissolver, Gladiator, Juggler, Muscular, Opportunist, Resilient, Stimulated, Versatile.
* (Strong Enemy Perk) Spike Growth: Gain Riposte 1 upon receiving direct damage.
* (Strong Enemy Perk) Scrounger: Whenever you are targeted by a foe's move, increase Energy cost of that move by 1 (max. 10) until the end of the encounter.
* (Strong Enemy Perk) Cancerous Might: At the end of every turn, gain 25% Power.
* (Suffering) Concealing: Enemies are invisible during exploration.
* (Suffering) Hostile: Enemies gain random Buff or Ability at the start of encounters.
* (Suffering) Hindered: Allies suffer random Debuff or Disability at the start of encounters.
* (Suffering) Soaring: Whenever you activate a move, increase the resource cost of that move by 1 until the end of the encounter.
* (Suffering) Challenged: Normal encounter enemies also start with strong encounter perks.
* (Suffering) Stagflation: Shop prices are increased by 100%.
* (Item/Trophy) Magician's Glove (@yobee): At the beginning of the possessor's turn, the first drawn move activates on a random target without any costs.
* (Item/Trophy) Metal Die (@rustydelusion): Roll the die: Face positive or negative effects. Can be used once per turn.
* (Item/Trophy) Gold Star Sticker (@guru_jr): Strong encounters and area bosses drop an additional move choice. Slightly increase chances of finding rare cards in card choices.
* (Item/Trophy) Sniper Scope (@guru_jr): Crit. Chance is increased by 50% when the possessor is in range for a critical killing blow.
* (Item/Trophy) Heart Pendant (@rustydelusion): During looting, gain more combat resources for weapons allies can use (+1, +3); gain less combat resources for weapons allies can't use (-1, -3).
* (Item/Trophy) Tainted Pen (@oftomelf): Above Darkness Level 7, Gain 20 extra experience from encounters per Darkness Level.
* (Item/Trophy) Nettle Leaf: When an ally loses Health during their own turn, they gain Energy equal to half of Health lost.
* (Item/Trophy) Watering Can: At the end of their turns, allies restore 1 Health for each move missing in their hand, but lose 1 Health for each move exceeding their Hand Size.
* (Item/Trophy) Golden Scale: Equalize all Power attributes, then increase all Power by 200% until the end of turn. Can be used once per encounter.
* (Item/Trophy) Sadhu Board: At the start of encounters, increase the condition layers of moves of the possessor by 100%, but reduce their base damage by 30%.
* (Item/Trophy) Recycling Bin: Whenever the possessor discards a move, increase the move's damage or mending by 30%.
* (Item/Trophy) Bug Spray: The possessor deals 50% more damage to pests, zombies and humans; but take 50% more damage from robots and dark enemies.
* (Item/Trophy) Penetrating Oil: The possessor deals 50% more damage to robots and dark enemies; but take 50% more damage from pests, zombies and humans.
* (Item/Trophy) Earrings of Balance: Gain Demonic charges with increased Darkness Level, gain Angelic charges with reduced Darkness Level (max. 10 charges). Spend Demonic or Angelic charges to add the selected move to your hand.
* (Item/Trophy) Blood Die: Roll the die: Increase your Power by 2 times the die until the end of turn. Can be used once per encounter.
* (Item/Trophy) First Aid Kit: Restore 20 Health to the targeted ally. Can be used 3 times.
* (Item/Trophy) Can Opener: The possessor gains Opener 1.
* (Card/Robot) Aerial Dive: Deal 2x(4x). If you have Flight, this move costs no Energy or resources, but consumes Flight instead.
* (Card/Robot) Core: Dark: Gain Core: Dark 1 and Dark Armor 1.
* (Card/Robot) Crescent Barrier: Until the end of turn, every time you deal damage, give 1 Retained Block to other allies.
* (Card/Robot) Unstable Core: Deal 1x. Every time you activate this move, double the damage of all copies. Every time you lose Health, halve the damage of all copies. (Min. 0.25x, Max. 16x)
Changes
* (Condition) Bolt: Serrated: Reworked to "Shots apply Bleeding 1 plus Punctured layers applied. When Punctured effect triggers on a target, decay Bleeding on the target."
* (Condition) Stance: Defence: Added maximum limit of 50 to Defence increase.
* (Perk) Iron Fist: "Once per turn, when another ally receives damage, increase Dark Power and Mend Power by 50%; when another ally deals damage, increase Physical Power by 100%. Lasts until you activate a move.
* (Perk) Inorganic: Also negates incoming Disabilities and increases Physical Defense and Dark Defense by 20.
* (Card/Spray Gun) Wildfire: Burn Dmg. & AcidDmg. 0.75 -> 1.25 (+1: 1.5->2.5)
* (Card/Spray Gun) Make Fuel: Chemical gain increase per use 1->2. Effect now applies to all copies of the move.
* (Card/Dark Cannon) Sap Life: Now restores Health equal to half the damage.
* (Card/Crossbow) Cluster Shot: Primary Physical Dmg. 1.5->1. Secondary Physical Dmg. 1->0.7.
* (Card/Shield) Active Armor: (+1: Removed Kickstart effect. Added 100% Energy Cost reduction.)
* (Card/Unarmed) Recovery: Drawn move Energy Cost reduction 3->2 (+1: Energy Cost 0->3. Increases drawn move Energy Cost reduction to 3. Now keeps the effect from the original move which reduces Energy Cost to 0 when unarmed.)
* (Card/Robot) Dark Flame: Reworked to "Deal 1.5x(3x) dark damage. If you have Flight, target all enemies."
* (Card/Robot) Focused Energy: No longer a 2-Step move. Energy Cost reduction: 100%->66% (+1: Increases Energy Cost reduction to 100%.)
* (Card/Robot) Peace of Darkness: Renamed to "Night of the Machine". Reworked to "Give Frenzy 2 and Stability 1."
* (Card/Robot) Shield Up: Fuel Cost 1->0. Block 6->4 (+1: 10->6)
* (Card/Robot) Wormhole: Reworked to "Give Wormhole 3 to anybody."
* Cian now uses Superposition earlier after using Collapse move.
[h3]Bugfixes[/h3]
* Fixed Levers event showing wrong character selection choices.
* Fixed a hang that occurs when player tries to walk using the mouse after a decision event encounter triggers.
* Fixed Hidden Doors event showing "Recall the solution" choice for wrong characters.
* Fixed an issue where selected preserved card isn't re-ordered as first in the preserved card list.
* Fixed "Pay the Price" card effect not being removed at the end of turn.
* 2-Step effect is now counted mutually for all copies of the move.
* Repeat effect now correctly applies Health Cost of cards for every repeat.
* Fixed various missing tooltips.
* Fixed Melt Iron move's effect not working.
* Fixed encounter item sprite animation not appearing correctly.
* Fixed some item costs being wrong.
* Entities can't have a Hand Size smaller than 1.
* Fixed Daemon prowling SFX getting stuck when encounter starts.
* Fixed an issue where resource cost of moves became negative.

[h2]v1.0.4 Patch is Out[/h2]
The v1.0.4 patch has been released (last week), containing several fixes, balance adjustments and QOL additions. Take a look at the patch notes to see all the individual changes:

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1380650/view/3749867242861854507

[h2]Soundtrack[/h2]
After numerous requests, the Draft of Darkness OST is now available on Steam for free. The soundtrack includes a total of 14 tracks, comprising 5 encounter tracks, 7 boss tracks, and the menu and rest screen tracks, all in 320kbps bitrate MP3 format. Enjoy!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2633130

[h2]Demo Update[/h2]
After receiving frequent player and crash reports for issues that have already been fixed in the full version, I've decided to prepare a new demo. The demo version has been updated to version 1.0.4 and should provide a more accurate representation of the current state of the game. If you encountered problems with the previous demo, please feel free to give it another try. Content-wise, it should be the same as before, but it now includes various fixes, changes to combat flow (such as card queueing), and improved gamepad support.

[h2]Post-Launch Updates[/h2]
Aside from the bug-fix patches, I have begun working on some additional content, which I plan to release as major updates. Currently, I have outlined two updates:

• v1.1 Halloween Update: Featuring New Perks & Items
  
• v1.2 Custom Game Mode Update: Introducing Custom Game Mode & New Events
  

* Fixed an issue causing old save files from before save slots were implemented to not properly import, causing loss of save data.
* Fixed Darkness Remains starting item not appearing for Jake.

This is just a small hotfix patch for a few bugs that needed fixing. I wanted to get this out before I can switch my focus back to content.
* Fixed an issue with the Beast Claw item causing a crash.
* Fixed an issue where items were getting stuck in the "selected" state, causing them to be activating repeatedly upon clicking.
* Fixed "Crusader" perk increasing Power for the current card (which activated combo) as well.
* Fixed "Distraction +1" applying Stealth to enemies instead of Slowness.
* Fixed infinite loop caused by Cat Collar and Cube/Fragment items.
* Changed the placement of the scroll buttons which appear when too many items were in inventory. They were previously unclickable.
* Trivial fixes.

* (Card/Pistol) Heat of Anger: Phys. Dmg. 1->0.75x. (+1: Phys. Dmg. 1.75x->1x.)
* (Card/Shotgun) Sinner's Kiss: Mend healing is replaced with unscaled Health Restoration (3 Health).
* (Item/Trophy) Fly Trap: Health Restoration 4->3.
* (Status/Perk) Muscular: Physical Power increase per move 0.2->0.4.
* (Status/Perk) Crusader: On combo, also increases all Power by 50% for the next move.
* You can now pet Bubblegum.
* Abandoned runs and run wipes now give partial completion credits. Only applies to save data above a certain version. Run wipes with older (pre-1.0) save versions will give 0 credits due to some changes in the save structure.
* Companion equipment will be added to the inventory when the companion is killed or sacrificed.
* Entity type flags (Robot, Pest, Human etc.) are now shown in tooltips and detail screen.
* Decision event choices which involve Status effects now show their tooltips.
* Added a hint to the Brain Artifact fight, where characters who receive "Negate Barrier" will speak to point to it.
* Equipment earned from the "Knight Armor" event is now "Decent" instead of "Pristine".
* Reduced "Darkness Remains" printing batch count from 2 to 1.
* "Unseen" indicator icons are now properly cleared when Library window is closed.
* Fixed a bug where Alt weapons didn't sync to character level unless swapped to the main slots.
* Fixed a bug where Alt weapons aren't destroyed with the "Defective Enhancement Machine" event.
* Fixed issues with the "Daemon Helmet" equipment.
* Fixed a bug where status effects aren't cleared when "Old Rollerblades" and "Tape Recorder" items are sold.
* Fixed "Sapphire Cube / Fragments" item not dealing damage.
* Fixed an issue with "Punch +1" card causing damage to be calculated wrongly.
* Fixed some item counters not visually updating in certain cases.
* Fixed "Fanny Pack" counter not updating on use.

* Fixed a rare bug causing paths to be blocked when there is non-blocking scenery next to the objects.
* Summoned backup companions now trigger "at the start of encounter" effects on themselves properly when they are summoned.
* Enemies will unlock in the Archive when they are first encountered, not when they use a move.
* "Ask Mona/Cian About Scientist" nodes in the Flowchart will both appear unlocked even if you asked one of them.
* "Public Phone" event won't spawn if the ringing condition isn't met.
* Fleshy TV sacrifice option now gives 10 of each resource instead of 15.
* Fixed Statue event causing a crash when some of the companions are in the party.
* Fixed some of the enemies not appearing in the Archive.
* Fixed some missing text in the tooltips.
* Fixed some scenery overlapping.

* Echo's starting weapons now give attributes.
* Upgraded card's activation will also unlock the card in the Archive.
* Fixed "Craft Resources" card having an erroneous requirement to possess a number of cards in hand.
* "I Resist", "Who's The Boss?" and "Puppet Master" outcomes now won't unlock when skipping the boss with the Shapeless Key.
* Tutorials now show gamepad controls when using a gamepad.
* Increased the interval for exploration enemy sfx.
* Added a volume slider option for changing "Environmental SFX" (affects exploration enemy sounds)
* Added a toggle for disabling the distortion/glitch effect (present during Daemon fights and some other)
* Fixed cards getting stuck in hovered state between turns or when unable to use a card when using the gamepad.
* Reduced "Honey Comb" selection cost 50->25.
* Fixed starting equipment not having level modifiers in some cases.
* Fixed a bug where starting equipment did not apply level modifiers or show attributes without level modifiers at the start.

* "Surveillance Camera" event won't spawn in Residence area.
* "Injured Mascot" and "Crusher" event timers are no longer in real time. The timers will decrease on step during exploration, and will advance with timeline during encounters.
* Fixed condition icons positioning for Bubblegum (prevented targeting with gamepad/keyboard in certain cases).
* Fixed duplicate input that could cause errors when closing windows or switching screens.
* Fixed errors occurring when decision event / area end buttons are clicked multiple times.
* Fixed a crash happening when some of the items are possessed by backup (non-figher) companions.
* Fixed crashes happening with some of the items after a backup is summoned.

Apologies for the frequent patches. From now on we will switch to weekly patches unless some hotfix is needed. Frequent patches may come to the "testing" beta branch before they are applied to the main branch.

Next planned patch: September 13
Next possible run-wipe patch: September 20 (if required).

* Added an option to disable Daemon spawn.

* (Card/Shield) Guardian's Blessing: Added unscaled healing: 1 per layer (+1: 2 per layer).
* Riposte won't bypass block, allowing you to use block to protect from riposte damage.
* Crippled condition type is changed to "Disability".
* Fixed "Butter Finger +1" and "Sneaky Blow +1" damage doubling not working properly.
* Fixed a bug causing "Craft Acid Bombs" and "Prepare for War" to not create upgraded versions of cards.
* Fixed a crash occurring with Daemon II's "Sickening Storm" move.
* Fixed a crash occurring with the "Orange Reflector" item.
* Fixed a case when no cards can be dropped, causing a hang when an encounter is triggered.
* Fixed Injury Crit Chance and Power reduction not stacking properly.
* Fixed a crash that occurs when a destroyed entity was being targeted by effects.

* (Condition) Overcharge: Physical Power increase 50%->25%, Speed increase 300%->6.
* Fixed a bug that causes a crash with some cards when trying to draw with no cards remaining to draw.

Fix patch with some level gen improvements and fixes:
* Added tooltips for conditions and status effects mentioned in status effects.
* (Card/Crossbow) Head Shot: Base Dmg 0.3x->0.6x, Crit. Multiplier 8->3
* (Item) Cat Collar: Health restore 1->2.
* Increased loot chest count for the Streets and Factory areas (10-15 to 15.)
* Increased loot chest count for the Lair area (10-15 to 20.)
* "Surveillance Camera" event encounter can now be fled. Now always spawns farther away from the start position of the map. Agility requirement is lowered (8->5.)
* "Reflection" events now won't block paths and they can all be re-visited after being left.
* "Locked Cages" event items can no longer have the resource they are worth as their cost.
* Fixed a bug causing paths to be blocked by scenery or events.
* Fixed a bug causing the "Sentinel", "Flashlight Specialist" and "Spray Gun Specialist" achievements to unlock all at once.
* Fixed a rare crash occurring at the end of an encounter.
* Fixed card damage preview values being shown wrong when using cards that would cause a weapon swap.
* Changed the description of "Confusion".
* Reduced the count of some of the scenery objects that spawn in the Lair lab section.
* Fixed a decal being placed wrong in the Lair area.

* Fixed gamepad controller card navigation when there are many cards held in the hand.
* Fixed a crash occurring in the Levers event.

* Lowered stat requirements for the Guard Computer (pattern puzzle) event in the Lair area. Can now be opened with the Crowbar and sacrificing some Health, without requiring to meet a stat value. Added a hint pointing to the enemy with the Crowbar.
* When playing with the gamepad, after editing the deck, pressing the "Close Window" key will highlight the "Apply" button.
* Added key bindings to Apply and Undo deck editing.
* Fixed a crash occurring when using the "Perfect Substitute" card.
* Fixed a crash occurring with the Infernal Beast enemy.
* Removed the Quest flag from the Wooden Puppet item.
* Typo fixes.

There is a run wipe patch scheduled for August 30th at 02:00 PT / 09:00 GMT. This patch will fix some of the errors in the level generation algorithm. Run wipe patches will be announced in advance through in-game notifications, and listed on the Steam forum and the Discord server.

* (Card/Flashlight) Ricocheting Beam: Can now critically strike.
* (Card/Shield) Harden Shield: Resource cost 2->1.
* (Card/Shield) Shield Bash: (Upgrade: Damage per block: 5->3.)
* (Card/Chainsaw) Pull Start: Max. discard count (to gain fuel) 2->3.
* (Card/Strange) Expedite: Now removed from play after use.
* Disabled the flag for the Residence area which makes the Daemon appear early for the first time he appears.
* Changed some wording in the Organisation Boss dialogue, which may cause misunderstanding.
* Changed the name of an achievement.
* Fixed Slot Machine not giving the card prizes.
* Fixed an issue where "Expedite" card would affect itself.
* Fixed an error occurring at the start of enemy turns when Kaleidoscope item is in inventory.
* Fixed an error in the Retained Block description.
* Fixed a crash/error occurring involving the "Radio Transmitter" item.
* Fixed Ceramic Parrot item's price value.

Notice: We got a few error reports that are hard to retrace and find the reason of. If you encounter a hang, a crash or an error, please notify us through the forums or Discord and we will solve it ASAP. Thanks for your understanding!

Small patch with some fixes:
* (Card/Dark Weapon) Ritual of Darkness: Energy Cost 4->0. HP cost is now equal to the card's resource cost. Fixed the error which caused cards with no resource cost to cost HP. (Upgrade: Cards with resource cost will cost 1 HP independent of their resource cost.)
* (Card/Syringe) Serotonin: Resource cost 3->1. (Upgrade: Energy reduction 1->2.)
* (Card/Robot) Configure Circuits: Energy Cost 2->0. Power increase 1->2.
* Defeating the Brute and the Chainsaw Killer after they surrender will increase the Darkness Level by 2.
* Fixed upgraded equipment not applying upgraded attributes upon levelling up. (In ongoing runs, there may be changes on attributes upon swapping equipment.)
* Fixed a crash that occurs when closing the Daemon Head item's window.
* Fixed a crash involving the Flash Step card.
* Fixed a bug which allowed adding upgraded versions of limited moves to the deck.
* Fixed some of the equipment having attributes with decimal values when they shouldn't and not showing properly in the UI.

Draft of Darkness has finally exited Early Access and is now available in v1.0!

If you've played the pre-release test version, you'll have the opportunity to import your testing branch save file when you first launch the game.

The full version now includes the Part II story campaign, new areas, new characters and more.

To celebrate, improved gamepad support is now available!

It's time to survive the Darkness!

Draft of Darkness was released in Early Access back in July 2021. Now, we are thrilled to announce that the game is all set to transform into v1.0 on the 23rd of August!

[previewyoutube=9sZE1xr7wvI;full][/previewyoutube]

During the Early Access phase, we received invaluable feedback and suggestions from our dedicated players, which has played a significant role in shaping Draft of Darkness into what it is today. Let's take a moment to reflect on our Early Access journey together!

[h2]Embrace New Heroes[/h2]
Four survivors have been added to the roster of heroes, brandishing the five new weapons. Meet Rene, whose Chainsaw mastery lets her slice through zombies with deadly precision, complemented by the acid-spewing Spray Gun that melts enemies away. Ivan harnesses the power of Darkness through his Dark Cannon and fights alongside his loyal robo-dog companion, Leo. Freya's Crossbow skills exhibit unparalleled accuracy, while her protective Shield safeguards allies from harm. Last but not least, Echo, the final unlockable hero, boasts the flexibility of wielding all weapons, empowering you to devise creative synergies.



[h2]Enlist Powerful Companions[/h2]
You won't face the darkness alone. With the inclusion of five new companion archetypes - Chemist, Brute, Leo (exclusive to Ivan), Mascot, and Reverend - and four variants - Sergeant, Outlaw, Fugitive, C. Candy - you will have a diverse array of allies to aid you on your perilous journey. Each companion possesses unique weapons and perks that are essential for survival in the Draft of Darkness.



Overall, there has been 265+ new cards added over Early Access, summing up to a total of more than 400 cards!

[h2]Discover New Areas[/h2]
Two new areas have been added during Early Access: the Factory with its blood and rust-covered walls, and the ominous Lair, the heart of Darkness itself. As you explore these uncharted territories, you'll encounter over 58 new decision events, face 22 additional enemies, and challenge yourself with 11 new boss fights! Your choices in Part 2 of the story will determine which of the three final bosses you'll confront and which of the three endings you'll experience.



[h2]Improvements & New Mechanics[/h2]
[h3]Darkness Level[/h3]
Prepare for a heightened challenge in the dark corners of the maps with the Darkness Level feature. As you explore each area, be mindful of your choices, as facing tougher enemies and suffering debilitating effects awaits those who linger too long. This addition aims to introduce a higher risk-reward dynamic to exploration while maintaining a faster pace. The Darkness Level also replaces the previous hidden "Karma" system.



[h3]Improved Metaprogression[/h3]
Dive into the game with more control over your runs through the introduction of Starting Items & Perks. Now, you can choose from a selection of unlockable Perks and Items to kickstart your adventures. Have some extra credits to spare? Unlock new Starting Items and Perks to expand your arsenal and customize your experience.



Preserving Items has also been enhanced. Now, you can preserve one item per run without fear of it being destroyed, and choose from the last 5 preserved items at the beginning of your new run.

[h3]Improved Combat[/h3]
Embrace the new possibilities brought by Card Upgrades. Push the limits of your decks further by upgrading cards between areas or through consumables and various events, adding depth and strategy to your battles.



Early Access started with somewhat confusing power and defense values, which have since been simplified and fine-tuned during the course of development, resulting in improved progression of power and defense throughout runs.

[h3]Streamlined Equipment Management[/h3]
Managing your Equipment has become more user-friendly and efficient compared to the early stages of Early Access. Simplified tooltips enable easier attribute comparison, helping you make informed decisions about your gear.



With the introduction of Equipment Moves, looting becomes more impactful, allowing you to directly enhance your decks.

[h3]Enhanced User Interface[/h3]
Instead of a cluttered item bar, a cleaner and more organized item bar now await you. With enhanced filtering, sorting, and search options, navigating the content has become a more seamless experience. Additionally, the new Archive lets you access all the cards, items, and enemies in the game, while the improved Flowchart offers better insights into the overarching story, providing valuable clues for your journey.



[h2]v1.0 Release and Beyond[/h2]
We're excited to announce that Draft of Darkness will be officially released from Early Access, launching as version 1.0 on Steam on August 23rd. The release price will be $17.99 USD.



Following the release, we remain committed to supporting the game just as before. Your feedback and suggestions are invaluable to us, so feel free to join our Discord server and be part of the ongoing journey to make Draft of Darkness even better.

As promised, we're also working on the v1.1 patch, which will introduce the Custom Run Mode. This mode offers a unique opportunity to experience the Draft of Darkness without the story, while facing additional challenges.

Get ready for an enhanced, more thrilling experience as you embark on your journey through the darkness. Stay tuned for the full release of Draft of Darkness and prepare to face the challenges that lie ahead!

The patch v0.11.3 has been released in the Testing branch. Due to my focus on development, I couldn't catch the opportunity to write articles for each update in the Testing branch. However, let's discuss them now!

This update is currently in the "Testing" beta branch on Steam, and not available on the main branch. You can play this branch and give suggestions to help get it ready for the v1.0 release. Your feedback is valuable!

[h2]New Hero: Freya[/h2]
Freya, a hero located in one of the cells in the Factory, is equipped with the new Crossbow and Shield weapons. The Crossbow operates on two main principles: Bolts and Shots. Bolts modify your attacks in various ways, such as increasing their impact, making them lightweight for low energy consumption, or imbuing them with different damage types. With these modified effects, Shots can be used to inflict damage on enemies in diverse ways.



The Shield revolves around Block mechanics and group defense. It allows you to acquire and provide Block and defense to your allies, redirect damage towards yourself, and utilize different Stances to transform your defense into various advantages. Additionally, you have the ability to shield your allies from harmful conditions and absorb them to restore your own health.



The Crossbow was one of the weapon ideas suggested in our Discord server, thanks to @Ammako for the contribution! As a prominent weapon often seen in survival games and movies, the concept of a weapon with retrievable ammunition felt perfectly suited for DoD. On the other hand, the Shield was introduced to address the need for defense-focused combat and to support the underdeveloped block mechanics that were previously spread across different weapons.



[h2]New Hero: Echo[/h2]
With the inclusion of all these new weapons, there has been a popular request to add a character who can utilize all of them. Echo is unlocked once you have unlocked all the other characters, granting the ability to equip any combination of weapons and build decks with synergies that were previously impossible. The only drawback is that Echo does not possess any unique perks and can only equip shared perks.



[h2]New Companions[/h2]
In addition, two new companions have been added to the game: Mascot and Reverend. To unlock these companions, you can assist the injured Mascot found in the Streets and complete tasks for the Old Devout located in the Lair.



Mascot specializes in using the Flashlight and Shield, serving as a powerful support character who can initiate combat and provide additional resources to your survivors through their unique perks. On the other hand, Reverend wields the Dark Weapon and Flashlight, combining burn damage and dark damage in formidable ways. Reverend excels as a support character with timeline and deck manipulation moves while also being capable of dealing heavy damage when the situation calls for it.

[h2]Move Upgrades[/h2]
Along with deckbuilding, DoD contains RPG elements to make the characters stronger over time. Since card upgrades allow for interesting modifications to the cards and put more emphasis on deckbuilding -also with many suggestions coming from you- I've decided to implement it. Now, you can upgrade your moves at the Rest screen, between each area. This addition requires you to carefully consider how to allocate your Dust, as it is also used for card removal and character healing. Moreover, there are more opportunities to upgrade your cards. You can utilize the new "VR Headset" event to merge move copies to upgrade them, or upgrade all your "Starter" moves at once. There is also a new consumable called "Darkness Remains", which serves as another method to upgrade moves. Keep in mind that, you cannot directly upgrade equipment-tied moves. Instead, you need to upgrade the equipment piece, which will also upgrade its move.



[h2]More Synergy[/h2]
Balancing deckbuilding and RPG progression is a challenging task. If one aspect becomes too dominant, the other may lose its relevance. In Draft of Darkness, you have the potential to achieve power by both improving your character's attributes and enhancing your deck. Success can be attained by strategically selecting the optimal path for character leveling, making wise equipment choices, and effectively managing resources.
That being said, it became evident that certain decks lacked the synergistic edge necessary to unlock their full potential and provide emergent complexity. Taking your feedback into account, we have made adjustments to several cards and items to foster more synergy during deckbuilding. Particularly, we have reworked and added new cards to older weapons such as the Pistol, Knife, Flashlight, Syringe, Spray Gun, and others.

• Pistol: Added new, more synergistic cards. Changed Dodge to Block for some of the cards to demote Dodge stacking.
  
• Flashlight: Changed staggering mechanics to be more balanced and synergistic. Added some powerful support moves that can be used both for party support and for supporting other weapon moves in the same deck.
  
• Knife: Reworked "Stealth Blow" card to demote Stealth stacking. Added more synergy possibilities with Stealth, weapon switching and hit count.
  
• Syringe: Merged seperate condition manipulation effects together (into Cleanse and Demoralizing Drug). Reworked some of the cards to be more synergistic. With the newly added "Refill" move, Syringe is now both a good secondary weapon for a character, as well as a good main weapon for a support character.
  
• Chainsaw/Axe: Improved self-damage themes, making them much more powerful. Reworked "Injury" condition to be both a debuff and a way to inflict percentage-based damage.
  
• Spray Gun: Added a possibility to craft resources on the go. Added more synergy with card creation. Reworked "Stir" into a more easy to use card draw alternative.
  
• Shotgun: Added more synergy with other weapons.
  
• Dark Weapon: The new "Ritual of Darkness" card can be used to use cards by paying Health, which can be a way to conserve resources or synergy with self-damage. Added more timeline manipulation combo possibilities.
  
• Unarmed: Reworked hard to use moves into more synergistic and easier to use ones.
  

The patch v0.10.0 has been released in the Testing branch. This patch includes Part II story events, a new Lair Area, 7 new enemies, 1 area boss, 5 story bosses, new items, balance changes and fixes!

This update is currently in the "Testing" beta branch on Steam, and not available on the main branch. You can join the testing and give suggestions to help get it ready for the v1.0 release. More information below!

[h2]Part II Story Events[/h2]
The remaining events of the story, along with the story endings, are now available. If you have already completed Part I, which was the part of the story available during Early Access, you can now pick up where you left off. The new events take place in the Factory and the Lair areas, where you will be able to reach one of three endings, depending on the path you take in these events. Note that any story-related element in the testing branch may change.

[h2]New Flowchart[/h2]
The "flowchart" section in the game serves as a guide for players to navigate the story and get clues on how to progress forward. However, there were some issues with the previous flowchart. The layout was not user-friendly and it was difficult to get an overall view of the chart. With the newly designed flowchart, all the nodes are presented in a more concise manner, even with the addition of nodes for Part II. In the new flowchart, more "clue" images have been added to make it easier to get a hint on what to do next. It is also possible to zoom in and out freely to see the overarching story.



Additionally, you can use the "Reset Part II" functionality in the flowchart to start again in the second part of the story. This allows you to alter your decisions and reach another ending without replaying Part I.

[h2]New Area: The Lair[/h2]
The newest area added to DoD is The Lair. This area is the biggest area in the game and, unlike other areas, consists of two sections: the cave and the lab. When you first enter the Lair, you will start exploring the medieval-themed cave section and notice that the inner laboratories are locked up. There are a few ways to gain access to the labs: you can use the required items and pass skill requirements to break open the access panel, or you can find clues and solve the procedurally generated pattern lock puzzle. Be aware that the corridors of both the cave and the lab are filled with distinct and dangerous enemies.



[h2]New Enemies for The Residence and The Lair[/h2]
Five brand new enemies are added to the game, showing up in the new Lair area:
Custodian: Towering in their mighty armors, these enemies look like lifeless statues at first glance. As time passes, custodians will grow stronger with each layer of condition affecting them.
Advisor: These robed dark figures prowl in the shadows of the caves and inflict powerful buffs and debuffs. If you don't burn away the Darkness infesting their bodies, you will be afflicted with a deadly "curse."
Butcher: Blood-hungry butchers will build up Brace and devastate you with powerful physical and acid attacks if you are not careful.
Zombie Assistant: The lab assistants are reanimated, and their bodies have given in to the virus. They will throw any chemicals they can get their hands on at you, inflicting heavy acid damage.
Lurker: Bodies heavily infected with the Darkness were once used as secret weapons due to their ferocious offensive nature. They stay dormant until provoked but become bloodthirsty killers once disturbed.
Apart from the Lair area enemies, two new wasp variants are added to the Residence. The new area boss, "Queen Wasp," also guards the exit gate of the Lair.



[h2]New Story Bosses[/h2]
Five new story bosses have been added, including two mid-story fights and three ending bosses. During the design process, we placed great importance on avoiding "gimmicks" as much as possible, especially for the ending bosses. These bosses currently only appear during story events, but they have also been structured in a way that allows them to be used as regular area bosses in a future Custom Run Mode. To avoid spoilers, I won't go into detail about the new bosses. You can expect a challenge from the ending bosses, as we believe they will need some adjustments to achieve the right level of difficulty. Please feel free to give us your feedback either through our Discord server, Steam forums, or in-game reporting tool.



[h2]Balance Changes and Fixes[/h2]
Many adjustments have been made to the content in general. Weaker trophy items have been buffed or reworked to make the choice between them more meaningful. Some of the less popular and difficult to use cards have been changed to make them easier to include in decks. To make balancing enemy attributes easier, a tier-based system has been introduced. This means that all attributes are classified into tiers, such as "Low", "Medium", or "High". Enemies with the same HP tier will have the same health value and progression per level, which should help keep them in a similar difficulty level.

Alongside various bugfixes, some of the text in the game also went through proofreading to fix typos and language errors. It's in the plan to do proofreading for the rest of the content before v1.0.



[h2]Testing Branch[/h2]
The v0.10.0 patch is now available on a separate branch on Steam called "Testing." To access the update, go to the "Properties" menu for Draft of Darkness, navigate to "BETAS," and switch to this branch using the dropdown box. This branch will get more regular updates and fixes which may cause run wipes and save wipes (main branch save file won't be affected).



One reason for using a separate branch is to thoroughly test the new content without spoiling it or breaking save files for players who don't want to join testing. So far, we have done an excellent job of maintaining overall progress and have not needed to wipe saves throughout the Alpha and Early Access phases. To continue this trend, new content will only be available in the Testing branch before the full release. Accessing the Testing branch will automatically clone your save file, and all progress in this branch will be omitted when you switch back to the main branch. That said, I'm planning to add a way to import back the testing branch save to the main branch.

My original plan was to release Part II directly into the main branch. Regrettably, the game's size and the fact that it was being developed solo with a small internal testing team led to a period without updates due to the long development time required. With this approach, you will be able to access the content earlier, and in turn, help Draft of Darkness come out in a better state at the time of full release.

Note: Fixes, balance changes and improvement changes from this patch will also be applied to the main branch next week.

[h2]Future Plans[/h2]
As we approach v1.0, DoD still requires some testing and polishing. There will be yet another content patch that adds the promised two new weapons, new hero, and companions. The new weapons that will be added are determined as "Crossbow" (original idea by @Ammako) and "Shield". The cards for these weapons are currently in development.

There are several other planned additions for Draft of Darkness, such as missing enemies in newer areas, more scenery and non-story events, rotation bosses in the Lair area, improved controller support etc. These updates will be made available earlier on the Testing branch and will be added to the main branch upon full release.

I plan to complete the development of all remaining content within the next months and allocate enough time for marketing and polishing. While I wasn't able to stick to the initial plan during Early Access, I am doing my best to bring Draft of Darkness to a satisfactory state and taking the necessary time to do so. Hopefully, we will reach that goal by the second-year mark of DoD's Early Access. Thanks for your patience and support!

[h2]> Updated Roadmap[/h2]

[h2]Update Notes for Patch v0.10.0 (Testing)[/h2]
[h3]Improvement[/h3]
* New Flowchart: The new flowchart represents the story events in a more compact and clear manner.
* Added animations to exploration phase health bars.
* Changed character sprites for Mona and Cian.
* Added custom event icons for events Mona and Cian.
* Many technical improvements.
* Mona and Cian events can now be used to fast travel to.
* Added a card play counter to the encounter screen to make it easier to keep track of Combo mechanics.
* Implemented save cloning for testing on a separate branch.
* Re-enabled in-game player reports.
* Added "Difficulty" into the run ending screen.
[h3]Content[/h3]
* Lair Area added.
* Part II Story Events are added.
* New Enemies added: Zombie Assistant, Butcher, Custodian, Advisor, Lurker, Acid Wasp, Blood Wasp.
* New Area Boss added: Queen Wasp.
* New Story Bosses added: Cian, Mona, Daemon, Factory Chief, Organization Boss
* Removed Part I End message.
* (Item/Consumable) Behavioral Adjustment Pill: Change target's perk to another random perk they could have. [Credits: Twidge#8731]
* (Item/Trophy) Adaptive Cushion: After the possessor is struck with an attack, they temporarily gain 40 defense for that damage type, but their defenses for other damage types are reduced by 10. [Credits: Twidge#8731]
* (Item/Trophy) Red Eyeball: Critical strikes will reduce enemy defenses for other damage types by 100% for the next attack they receive.
* (Item/Trophy) Vertigo Emitter Mk1: Once per encounter, select a target and swap all conditions to a random condition of opposite type. [Credits: Strikeing#1158]
Changes
* All enemy Health, Power and Defence values are adjusted and structured into a tier-based system for better and easier balance. Instead of being independent for each enemy, these attributes are now designated by common "Low", "Medium", "High" etc. tiers.
* (Enemy) Puppet / Twitching Puppet: "Mince" Base Damage 1->0.5.
* (Enemy) Daemon: "Retaliate" Base Damage 1->0.6.
* (Enemy) Brain Artifact: No longer has Bleeding Immunity.
* (Enemy) Shield: No longer has Bleeding Immunity.
* (Enemy) Great Shield: No longer has Bleeding Immunity.
* (Enemy) Incubator: Has Melee Resistance instead of Ranged Resistance.
* (Item) Radi-Bye: Also gives Cytotoxic Immunity 1.
* (Item) Ceramic Parrot: Increases damage by 30% instead of base damage by 0.25.
* (Item) Old Backpack: The requirements for Hand Size increases are reduced (+2 Hand Size 24->20, +3 Hand Size 30->24).
* (Item) Banana Peel: Crit. Chance increase 25%->30%.
* (Item) Broken Syringe: Bleeding applied 2->4.
* (Item) Cross of Faith: Hand Size increase 1->2.
* (Item) Fake Cinnamon Roll: Crit. Chance increase 25%->30%.
* (Item) Filthy Needle: Poisoned max. effect increase 50%->40%.
* (Item) Focusing Lens: Photophobia chance 50%->100%.
* (Item) Kaleidoscope: More inclined to reduce the energy cost.
* (Item) Kunai: Triggers every 3rd damage instead of 5th. Damage caused by Kunai won't count towards itself.
* (Item) Metal Vice: Changed to increase all direct damage by 30% instead of affecting power multiplier.
* (Item) Nazar Bead: The chance to trigger is increased when an ally is critically low on HP.
* (Item) Old Coupon: Discount count 3->5.
* (Item) Clay Figure: First turn Hand Size increase 2->4.
* (Item) Razor Blade: Damage increase 25%->40%.
* (Item) Magnifying Glass: Intelligence increase 3->4.
* (Item) Reverse Card: Stacks transferred 2->4.
* (Item) Spiked Collar: Speed increase 5%->10%.
* (Item) Suppressor: Damage reduction 30%->10%.
* (Item) Tape Recorder: Changed to give status Retainer 3 allowing to retain cards between turns.
* (Item) Sphygmomanometer: Adrenaline effect increase 10%->20%.
* (Card/Pistol) Self Assured: Now does not consume Courage.
* (Card/Flashlight) Betrayal: Battery Charge Cost 1->0.
* (Card/Flashlight) Flash Step: Now reduces the energy cost of drawn moves by 1.
* (Card/Flashlight) Maul: Base Phys. Damage 1->1.25. The repetition effect triggers when target has any disability instead of only Blinded.
* (Card/Flashlight) Ricocheting Beam: Base Burn Damage 1->1.2.
* (Card/Flashlight) Snap Out Of It: Battery Charge Cost 1->0.
* (Card/Flashlight) Sunburn: Now deals 0.2x damage per condition layer instead of per condition.
* (Card/Flashlight) 30,000 Lumens: Energy Cost 10->6; Battery Charge Cost 10->5.
* (Card/Knife) Out for Blood: Energy Cost 3->0.
* (Card/Syringe) Blinding Needle: Additionally applies Sickly 2.
* (Card/Axe) Vicious Assault: Now applies Bleeding equal to sum of Riposte on yourself and target. Riposte of the owner won't be removed.
* (Card/Spray Gun) Potent Additive: Now affects only resource-costing moves.
* (Card/Robot) Wormhole: Energy Cost 1->2. Battery Charge Cost 3->1.
* (Card/Robot) Dynamo: Reworked to "Select and shuffle up to 5 move(s) from your discard pile to draw pile, gain 1 temporary resource for each move. If the move requires no resource, restore 1 energy."
* (Card/Unarmed) Load Bag: Removed the requirement for being unarmed.
* (Card/Unarmed) Accumulate: Discard Count 2->3. Physical Dmg Increase 2->100%.
* (Card/Unarmed) Buildup: No longer a "One Shot" move.
* (Weak Card/Spray Gun) Weak Spray: Changed to Melee Damage.
* (Status/Perk) Doctor: Reworked to "Whenever you use a move with a mend effect, remove 1 layer of disability from the target."
* (Status/Perk) Maimer: Reworked to "Whenever you use a move with a mend effect, remove 1 layer of ability from an enemy."
* (Decision Event) Levers: Added a new choice allowing to receive 1x"Behavioral Adjustment Pill".
[h3]Fixes[/h3]
* Fixed environmental effects (Radiation) not properly being applied to party members.
* Fixed Rusted Kettle and some of the perks not affecting damage values and cards with a base damage below 0.5x.
* Fixed infusions triggering with non-physical damage moves.
* Fixed "Repeating Shot" not triggering critical strikes.
* Fixed "Unicorn Mask" affecting moves with no physical and burn damage.
* Fixed "Ceramic Parrot" affecting moves with nullified damage.
* Carve card is properly classified as Weak.
* Fixed "Sick Stranger" event blocking paths.
* Fixed a typo in "Acid Knife" card.
* Fixed missing tooltip for "Dark Wave" card.
* Fixed various typos.
* Notes and some of the events went through proofreading.
* Fixed an issue with Weak cards and base value view in the details window.
* Fixed "Flame Thrower" move erroneously classified as a run card.
* Fixed "Flammable Substance", "Inaccurate Eruption" and "Melt Iron" erroneously classified as common.
* Fixed damage types not correctly being marked as ranged or melee damage in certain cases.
* Fixed "Lube Up" card effect not clearing.
* Fixed Dodge condition not triggering for Corrosion applying attacks.
* Fixed "Prod" card affecting only physical and burn damage.
* Fixed moving encounter icons on the map getting stuck.
* Fixed filtering and sorting in the Archive window.
* Fixed scroll view automatically scrolling to the top when an item is bought.

Fixed "Sneaky Hawker" event causing corruption in the save file, resulting in saved runs to not show up. If you encounter this issue (incomplete run not showing up on game launch), you can send your save data to our Discord Server to get it fixed. Make sure to not start a new run, or the old run will be replaced.
- Fixed buttons in item selection UI staying disabled because of object pooling.
- Fixed chainsaw auto decay at the start of turn not increasing card fuel costs.
- Fixed The Scientist event not spawning in certain situations.

During this special Halloween event, playing as Rene will give you 50% more credits at the end of every run! A new perk "Hunter" is also added, which can be bought from the Booster Pack shop and equipped by Rene at the start of a run. This perk is a permanent addition themed around "Injury" condition and synergizes with chainsaw cards, giving a huge offensive and defensive advantage! You didn't hear it from me, but this may be a great time to get that solo-run achievement!



If you don't have Rene unlocked yet, you can do that by reaching the "Streets" area and completing her event by defeating her in an encounter (and keeping her alive). Once you unlock Rene, you will gain access to the Chainsaw and Spray Gun weapons and use them to destroy every spooky monster standing in your path.

Happy Halloween!



[h2]Update Notes for Patch v0.9.1_p4[/h2]
Caution: This update will abandon ongoing runs. Please consider finishing up your run before applying the update!
- (Perk/Rene) Hunter: Increase your Crit. Chance by 3% (max. 60%) for every layer of Injury on entities. When you defeat an enemy with Injury restore 1 Health for every Injury layer on the target.
- Added +50% Halloween Bonus credits for Rene runs.
- Added Halloween decoration to levels.
- Fixed some events dropping equipment cards.
- Fixed an issue where booster pack window wasn't behaving correctly.
- Fixed "Intimidate" card HP loss not triggering properly.
- "Intimidate" card can now be used by targeting allies.
- Fixed "The Guide to Hacking" to trigger for all robot enemies.
- Fixed "Fanny Pack" triggering draw effects every time a card is retrieved. Fanny Pack now can't be used the same turn a card is added to it.
- Fixed Oily Hands not applying its effect when added to the hand by means other than drawing it.

[h2]Balance[/h2]
Brute fight balance changes:
- (Move) Recovery: Cooldown: 5s->10s. Will unlock at turn: 2->3.
- (Move) Kick: Energy Req: 4->5.
- (Attr) Mend Power: Base 3->6. Lvl Scaling 0.5->1.
[h2]Bugfixes[/h2]
- Fixed some of the events not triggering fights.

This is a general improvement patch with various QOL and technical changes, focusing on tasks which have been collecting in the backlog.

[h2]Performance Improvements[/h2]
The biggest performance improvement came from optimising the 2D character animations. This will eliminate big performance drops occurring when multiple characters appear or characters with many animation bones show up (such as Factory area enemies, Daemon etc.) UI is also updated with object pooling and re-making some of the poor-performance layout components the game engine provides. In screens where many elements are shown (such as the Archive), there should be much better performance.

[h2]Level Generation Improvements[/h2]
There has been important changes to the level generation and placement of events and scenery. Before this patch, scenery blocked paths very frequently, if another alternative path existed. While this sometimes resulted in interesting layouts, most of the time it just limited choices during exploration and made the levels more linear. With the new changes, static scenery and blocker events won't be placed in a way it locally disconnects the map.

The new "corridor" tag will now detect corridor shaped rooms and mark them as such. Enemies have a lower chance to be spawned in corridors, which should reduce the amount of inevitable encounters.

[h2]Save Backups[/h2]
I received a few reports of saves being corrupted due to power outages and hardware problems. Seeing these problems, I realised it wouldn't be so hard to prevent this issue by simply backing up the save file and restoring it in case of a corruption. Even if the backup is inaccessible for some reason, the game will just create a new save file instead of crashing and getting stuck in the black screen.

[h2]Other Changes[/h2]
There has been many small changes which are hard to group under a title. Please check out the patch notes below to see all of the changes.

[h2]Status Update[/h2]
I'm fully focused on preparing the final content and getting the game ready for the v1.0 release. This may mean that this patch will be the last bigger patch before the release. I'm planning to continue releasing smaller patches for fixes and non-content tweaks until the v1.0 update, but I want the last update to add a good amount of content at once so that people who exhausted the EA content will also enjoy the newer content in the full version. If you don't care about being spoiled, and want to help test the new changes before the release, keep an eye out on the experimental branch; I'm planning to have it updated with the new stuff.

The v1.0 update will add a whole new area with new enemies, second part of the story, new hero, 2 new companions and many events and items. The release date is still not final, but I will announce it very very soon. For now, I can roughly estimate it as between the end of 2022 and start of 2023. Thanks for hanging on so far!

[h2]Update Notes for Patch v0.9.1[/h2]
[h3]Improvement[/h3]
- Improved 2D animation performance. This significantly improves performance during both exploration and encounters.
- Added object pooling to many parts of the game, improving memory management and performance.
- Added a new component for handling grid layouts. This significantly increases UI performance where these layouts are used (such as card lists etc).
- Added save file backups. Save files are now automatically backed up, and restored if a corruption occurs. The game will also launch with a new save (instead of crashing) if the save file is corrupted.
- Removed unnecessary last steps with no additional information or story shown when leaving decision events.
- Added detection for corridors during level generation. Encounters have a higher chance to spawn in rooms rather than corridors. Some events/scenery won't spawn in corridors.
- Added detection for scenery obstructing paths during level generation. Scenery now won't obstruct paths.
- Guard condition will apply the damage with its damage type to the guarding entity. Defence value of the guarding entity is considered for directed damage. Guard damage will also combo with and trigger conditions such as Dodge.
- Pressing the button for opening character edit window will also close it if open.
- Health bar added to the character edit window.
- During decision events, it's now possible to view character edit screen with a button.
- Changed "point-and-click" walking to right click by default instead of left click. This is to prevent accidental walking when trying to click UI elements. Left click will cancel walking.
- Arrow buttons will show up when items in the inventory overflow the info bar. Clicking the arrow buttons will auto-scroll to show overflowing items.
- Added an option to buy a refresh for the Second Hand Shop.
- Shops will always have all weapon types for sale.
- Added sorting and filtering to shop window.
- Added an animation when cards move between draw and discard piles.
- Draw and discard piles are separated into different pages (categories) during card selection effects which allow card selection from both piles.
- Library window is now accessible during runs through the ESC menu.
- Added a door to starting rooms, representing level entrance.
- Encounter event icons are changed to be different colours depending on encounter type (orange for elite and red for boss encounters).
- Added tooltips to companion choice buttons in the Fireplace event.
- Added an alert when weapon required for cards in deck isn't equipped while starting a run.
- Added a notification message when a companion is added to the party as bystander for the first time.
- Added various decals, and a new level generation step where these decals are placed.
- Improvements to level generation to reduce generation duration.
- Added a delay to tooltips shown when hovering over entities during encounters.
- Added card count to rest deck arrangement window.
- Decision event window layout is changed to allow more text to be shown and improve readability.
- Improved readability in the equipment edit window.
- Added more lighting to the encounter rooms of some of the areas where it was too dark.
- Swapped cards are now highlighted while arranging cards during resting.
- Data collection will now be off by default for new saves.
- Added an option to always show hero intros at the start of runs.
- All equipment now shows as unusable (highlighted with red) for Leo.
- The game will now start in windowed mode at first launch.
[h3]Content[/h3]
- (Item) Antique Metronome: Looks at all damage types dealt during a card's activation and increase the combo counter once per card played. Overall, it's easier and more intuitive to keep the combo going. Non-damage moves won't break the chain.
- Minor adjustments to some notes and decision event texts.
- Added various scenery objects.
- Added new room type to Residence (toilet).
[h3]Fixes[/h3]
- Fixed scroll panels not scrolling with scroll wheel when not hovering on an item.
- Fixed Heroic Moment and various other cards/items affecting cards with other damage types.
- Fixed Lever event not being marked as blocker (therefore blocking paths).
- Fixed Scientist event not spawning in the Hospital.
- Fixed Block not being removed at the end of encounters.
- Fixed Rotten Lemon triggering every 3th card instead of 4th.
- Fixed Handicapped status animation running at the end of encounters due to equipment cards.
- Fixed character getting stuck while walking after abandoning a run.
- Fireplace event will have its sides empty (no enemies close).
- Typo fixes.

Small patch with some balance changes and fixes.
[h3]Improvement & Balance[/h3]
- Discard piles won't be shown shuffled when inspected during encounters.
- Infusion conditions now increase Power by 6 instead of 3.
- (Card/Dark Cannon) Dark Collapse: Battery Charge Cost 3->2.
- (Card/Dark Cannon) Mimic Move: Changed to be able to clone any character's card into the hand. The cloned card will be turned into "Dark Cannon" weapon type, so that any weapon or non-weapon card can be cloned and used this way.
- (Card/Dark Cannon) Mind Palace: Energy Cost: 3->0.
- (Card/Dark Cannon) Perfect Plan: Changed to be able to clone any character's card into the owner's draw pile.
- (Card/Dark Cannon) Recall: Energy Cost: 5->2, Battery Charge Cost 1->0.
- (Card/Dark Cannon) Rejuvenating Armor: Energy Cost: 5->0.
- (Card/Mech) Dynamo: Battery Charge Cost: 2->1.
- (Card/Mech) Materialize Shield: Energy Cost: 5->3.
- (Card/Mech) Weak Claw: Physical Dmg 0.6->0.4.
- (Card/Mech) Wormhole: Energy Cost: 3->1, Battery Charge Cost 1->3.
[h3]Bugfixes[/h3]
- Fixed "Clarity" card giving different amount of Courage layers than shown.
- Fixed "Core: Agile" condition affecting other characters' cards.
- Fixed "Core: Overheat" condition affecting other characters' cards.
- Fixed "Sick Stranger" event giving quest reward trophy items.
- Fixed "Terminal" having quest reward trophy items.
- Fixed "Old Patient" boss having wrong Mend Power attribute.
- Fixed "Black Pendant" not having "Unique per Run" flag.

Small patch with some balance tweaks and bug fixes.
[h3]Improvement[/h3]
- Tooltips are now shown in the card detail screen when hovering over the card.
- Attribute calculation tooltips now show Crit. Chance in the percentage format.
- In "Mystery Box" event, one of the reference phrases for the crow token is changed from "the scavenger" to "the carrion", to prevent confusion with the axe token. In addition, this puzzle will use the same phrase for each token per generated puzzle.
- Added "Locked Drawer" as another trigger for the "Public Phone" event, to increase players' chances to trigger it.
- Some changes have been made to the "Hidden Doors" event when triggered with Ivan. It's now possible to advance in the event to get rewards with Ivan.
[h3]Balance[/h3]
- (Card/Knife) Withstand Pain: Protection Layers 3->2. Now gives Block 10.
- (Card/Axe) Axecelsior: Physical Dmg. 5->10, Fatigued Layers 10->5.
- (Card/Spray Gun) Stir: Chemical Cost 1->0, HP Loss 1->2. Now HP is lost when a card with 3 or less energy cost is drawn (instead of 3 or more).
- (Card/Spray Gun) Weak Spray: Acid Dmg 0.4->0.25.
- (Card/Mech) Aerial Shot: Physical Dmg. 1.5->3.
- (Card/Mech) Chemical Bomb: Acid Dmg. 3->4.
- (Card/Mech) Cluster Bomb: Physical Dmg. 2->2.5.
- (Card/Mech) Dark Chain: Dark Dmg. 1->2.
- (Card/Mech) Dark Flame: Dark Dmg. increase per use 1.5->2.5.
- (Card/Mech) Incendiary Bomb: Burn Dmg. 3->4.
- (Card/Mech) Repeating Shot: Physical Dmg. 1->2.
- (Card/Mech) Shoot: Physical Dmg. 1->1.5.
- (Card/Mech) Weak Claw: Physical Dmg. 0.4->0.6.
- (Card/Mech) Shield Up: Block 3->4.
- (Card/Mech) Wormhole: Battery Charge Cost 2->1.
- (Condition) Core: Agile: Speed Increase 20%->30%, Crit. Chance Increase 20%->40%.
- (Condition) Core: Gunslinger: Power Increase 30%->50%. Now increases all Power attributes, instead of just Physical Power.
- (Condition) Core: Overheat: Speed Increase 40%->60%.
- (Condition) Core: Defender: All Defence Increase 30->50.
- (Perk) Repellent: Push Back 10%->5%.
[h3]Bugfixes[/h3]
- Fixed "Black Pendant" item not giving Virus immunity.
- Fixed some of the equipment card effects not working when equipped in the alternative weapon slots.
- Fixed Ivan getting high amount of unarmed cards because of Leo being considered unarmed.
- "Weird Painting" event now gives "Out for Blood" card instead of "Choppy Chop", since "Choppy Chop" is an equipment card.
- Fixed "Burning Chain" card having wrong target type.
- Fixed "Public Phone" event being active for Ivan.
- Fixed "Matter Collapse" not showing crit. damage.
- Fixed "Hidden Doors" event puzzle giving Pennies over and over when "Recall Solution" is selected with Ivan.

Hello all! With this content patch, a new hero, new companion, new weapon type, 40+ new cards and 1 new boss fight are added to Draft of Darkness!

[h2]Hero: Ivan[/h2]
Ivan can use the brand new weapon type: the Dark Cannon! This weapon type comes with more than 20 cards, and specialises in deck & timeline manipulation. With Dark Cannon cards, you can create moves in your and allies' decks, advance allies and push back enemies in the timeline, retain moves to use them in the next turn, or clone cards to gain advantage against powerful foes!

To unlock Ivan, you need to defeat the Brain Artifact boss.



[h2]Unique Companion: Leo[/h2]
Ivan is a special hero, in that he starts with a mech companion named Leo. Being a machine cat, Leo can't use weapons like other characters, but he has a completely unique "Mech" deck with its own moves. Leo also learns these moves while leveling up, instead of getting them from encounters. Instead of going to the trunk, Mech moves will be added directly to the Leo's deck upon being acquired.



"Core" mech moves give Leo powerful abilities during combat. Only one Core can be active at a time, but they each significantly change how Leo fights. You can increase Leo's defences or choose to boost his offence by making every attack repeat itself. You can even make Leo fly! (Special thanks to "@Strikeing" and other people in our Discord server for giving the initial ideas of "core" mechanics and cards being gained every level-up.)



Leo also can't wear equipment, but he naturally gains defences when his level increases. His "Mech" perk advances him in the timeline when allies get hurt, which makes Leo a great companion in the party. Leo's deck synergizes well with Ivan's Dark Cannon and other weapons.



[h3]Boss Fight: Brain Artifact[/h3]
When visiting the Factory, you will come across a new boss: Brain Artifact. This boss is one of the experiments of the Puppet Master, creator of the Puppets and the Dark Cannon. While trying to construct a fully sentient being who will obey him without condition, Puppet Master realizes something new.



Upon defeat of the Brain Artifact boss, you will unlock a new Outcome, and this boss will be added to the boss rotation of the Factory.

[h3]What's Next[/h3]
Draft of Darkness is a solo-developed game: it's hard to isolate the development process from the personal issues. In short, due to problems with my family's health, I had to take a few breaks from the development past two months. Right now, I can say that everything is under control and I'm back to my normal development schedule. That said, the planned release date for Draft of Darkness v1.0 is unfortunately delayed to later this year. I've already re-planned the release schedule and I will announce the new date once it's final.

I've been focusing heavily on content, but there has been some important tasks piling up in the backlog as well. So I'm planning on releasing a few bugfix and balance/technical improvement patches along the way. Aside from those, the next big patch will be adding the Part II of the story, and add the final content for the game. The up-to-date schedule can always be found in the Steam Forums or our Discord Server, feel free to check them out. Until next time!

[h2]Update Notes for Patch v0.9.0[/h2]
[h3]Content[/h3]
- New hero added: Ivan.
- New unique companion added: Leo.
- New weapon type added: Dark Cannon.
- New deck added: Dark Cannon (20+ cards).
- New deck added: Mech (20 cards).
- New booster pack added: Quantum Vortex.
- New boss fight added: Brain Artifact.
- Added a system where cards can be gained when leveling up. Leo uses this system to gain Mech cards.
- (New Perk/Ivan) Iron Fist: Increase base damage of your first damaging move in a turn by 0.1x for every 2nd move used by allies between turns. If this effect isn't triggered in a turn, it stacks.
- (New Perk/Leo) Mech: Can't use equipment. May learn 1 move upon leveling up. Physical, Burn and Dark defenses are increased by 3 per level. Whenever an ally loses health, Advance 5%. Immune to Bleeding. Can't benefit from Pills, Vitamins or Energy Drinks. Negate incoming Blinded, be Staggered instead.
- (New Item) Old Rollerblades: The possessor gains Slippery 3.
- (New Item) Gray Cloak: The possessor gains Sneaky 3.
- (Condition) Flight: Now can also decay with a melee hit (if not dodged).
[h3]Bugfixes[/h3]
- Fixed an issue with Brute (enemy) making no moves and getting stuck.
- Fixed an issue with some of the conditions affecting damage types when they shouldn't (ex: Dodge condition affecting health loss in card previews.)
- Fixed some of the problems where events block other events or chests.
- Various typo & small fixes.

With this content patch, a new boss fight, new events, new enemies and items have been added to Draft of Darkness!

[h2]Boss Fight: Puppet Dolls[/h2]
Puppet Dolls are one of Puppetmaster's earliest experiments to infuse organic and inorganic materials using the Darkness. This new boss fight is located in the Factory as an area boss. In this fight, you will encounter 3 enemies, each with different roles and attacks. One of the dolls will try to capture your companions, rendering them stunned; while another will sap the energy and health of the captured survivor. Be careful which doll you focus on, they will become more and more aggressive as their pretty faces crack.



[h2]New Enemy: Wasp[/h2]
It's been a while since the Residence area got new enemies, so I thought it's time to add some! The new wasp enemies have an exciting ability they are eager to show off: flying! When they take off, they will gain an ability to dodge melee attacks. You can shoot them down with ranged attacks, which will render them defenseless. In the following patches, I will add new variations to this enemy. I'm also planning to utilize this flight ability for the next hero added to the game.



[h2]New Items and Events[/h2]
11 new (10 trophy, 1 quest) items have been added. With the newly added events, the event variety in the Factory area is now matched with the other areas.



While exploring the Factory, you may hear an unsettling sound. Upon investigating, you will see that it's coming from a door. I will leave it up to you to decide whether or not to try to open it, all I gotta say is: Be prepared, if you do so!

Most of the events seen in other rogue like games consist of choices with basic risk/reward or negative/positive tradeoffs. Events in Draft of Darkness mostly have been more complex or in a different taste when compared to those types of classical events. With the "Levers" event, I wanted to add such an event that is simpler, but containing randomized tradeoffs with different advantages. Basically, you can select one of 3 randomized effects, which include ones such as:

• Gain 2x random rare consumable, lose 30% health.
  
• Gain a random trophy item, sacrifice a companion.
  
• Randomly transform 3 cards in trunk.
  
• Cure Virus, suffer Radiation 40.
  

With this improvement & content patch: the fast travel mechanics, a new companion and various content have been added to Draft of Darkness.

[h2]Fast Travel[/h2]
I've been trying to improve run durations by introducing options to speed up exploration and encounters. I kept focusing on this matter to make further improvements. After exploring the map and reaching the boss, players generally backtracked to a shop or terminal to resupply. The fast travel system aims to speed up this part of the game and skip the mostly uneventful travels taking place in already explored areas.



The fast travel is simple: you can open the map, click on a fast travel location and initiate the process. You can fast travel to shops and terminals if you already interacted with them. There is a caveat though, this is not a teleportation, you can still get interrupted by the enemies! When the fast travel begins, a path is calculated between your current position and the target. If an encounter is hit, it will be triggered. This makes it important to have a clear path between yourself and the fast travel position. If you fled from the enemy and cornered yourself into a dead end, you shouldn't trust the fast travel to save you from harm's way.

[h2]New Companion: Brute[/h2]
The newly added companion can be unlocked by completing a challenge offered by Brute Osman in the Streets area. Brutes use none other than their punches as weapons. They excel in utilising "combos" with the help of their unique perks.



The new unarmed cards manipulate hand & draw pile, getting more powerful when the combos are invoked at the right time.



[h2]New Events[/h2]
With this patch, I've added several non-story events, focusing on the newer areas. One of the new events is the "Fireplace" event, found in the Residence area. This event replaces the recruitment event of this area, giving you a choice to select one of four companions. In other words, this will give you more control over your first companion. Credits to @GoldenEulogy in our Discord Server for suggesting this idea.

Other events add new opportunities to get more resources, cards, items and equipment. The "Supply Boxes", for example, will allow you to receive resources and rarer consumables if you have the necessary item to open them. With the "Statue" event, you can spend leftover Anolette dusts and petals in the last area of the game. To see the full list of new events, check out the changelog below.



Draft of Darkness incorporates puzzles of survival horrors in the rogue-like formula, by re-thinking them in a procedurally generated manner. The new "Grid Panel" puzzle event added to the Factory is another step towards the goal of having such puzzles in every area. I won't spoil the puzzle here, but as in all other puzzles in the game, I aimed to make it one that will be easy to master and fun to solve each run. Also, while it can be solved simply by itself, you can also find a clue dropped from an encounter in the area. Pro tip: When you are done with the puzzle, you can sell the clue for a high price!

[h2]Next Patch[/h2]
The next month's patch will continue focusing on adding new events. There will also be a new boss added to the Factory area. Until next time!

[h2]Update Notes for v0.8.1[/h2]
[h3]Improvements[/h3]
- Fast Travel: You can now use the map to fast travel to shops, terminals and area bosses. To fast travel to shops and terminals, you must interact with them at least once; while bosses can be travelled to if you revealed them. When fast travel is initiated, the path to the target is checked for enemies; if there is, fast travel will fail and the encounter will be triggered. Environment effects such as Radiation will still be applied according to the calculated path. Fast Travel is disabled while the Daemon is active.
[h3]Content / Balance[/h3]
- (New Companion) Brute: A companion who can only use unarmed cards. Unlocked using "The Brute" event.
- (New Perk/Brute) Crusader: When you trigger a combo, remove 1 Debuff layer from yourself.
- (New Perk/Brute) Muscular: Increase your Physical Power by 0.2 per card in your draw pile.
- (New Perk/Brute) Zealous: When you trigger a combo, restore 2 Energy.
- (New Decision Event) The Brute: An event where you fight Brute Osman in a one-on-one duel. The Brute companion will be unlocked if you succeed.
- (New Decision Event) Fireplace: Appears in the Residence area, in place of the regular recruit event. Through this event, you can choose a companion among 4 of them. The chosen companion will join the group.
- (New Decision Event) Supply Crate: Can be unlocked using a Crowbar or Lockpick to gain resources. Appears in all of the areas, but crowbars can be found in the Factory.
- (New Decision Event) 3 Chains: Appears in the Factory area. A choice between a rare move, trophy item and pristine equipment can be made to obtain one of them.
- (New Decision Event) Grid Panel: Appears in the Factory area. A procedurally generated puzzle event. Adds a special encounter to the area, which will drop a clue item as loot.
- (New Decision Event) Statue: Appears in the Hospital area. "Anolette Petal" or "Anolette Dust" item can be spent to obtain pristine condition equipment. Weapon drops are based on group members.
- (New Item/Consumable) Crowbar: Can be used to open supply crates. Encounter: Draw 1 move.
- (New Item/Quest) Crumbled Paper: Upon use, shows a clue for the Grid Panel event.
- (New Card/Unarmed) Cobra Stance: Select a move from your draw pile (except "Cobra Stance"), draw all moves with the same name from your draw pile.
- (New Card/Unarmed) Accumulate: Select and transfer up to 2 move(s) from your hand to draw pile. Until the end of turn, -Combo 2: Reduce Energy Cost by 1. -Combo 3: Increase base Physical Damage by 2. -Combo 4: Restore 4 Energy.
- (New Card/Unarmed) Elbow Strike: Deal 0.4x Phys. Damage. If unarmed, gain 2 Block. -Combo 2: Gain 2 Block. -Combo 4: Dealt damage is increased by 10% of Block you have.
- (New Card/Unarmed) Load Bag: Send to the bottom of the draw pile. While in draw pile, increase all defenses by 20 and reduce Speed by 0.5 while unarmed.
- (New Card/Unarmed) Suplex: Deal 0.5x Phys. Damage. If unarmed, gain Kickstart 1. Combo 2: Increase base damage and combo requirement by 1.
- (Card) Stall: Now has "Advance 20%", instead of "Advance 5% for each move in your hand".
- "Crowbar" is added as a new starter item.
- "Zealous" is added as a new starter perk.
[h3]Fixes[/h3]
- Refresh rates removed from options, as the game uses desktop refresh rates in both windowed and fullscreen modes.

Hello all! Thanks for sticking with Draft of Darkness so far. I'm excited to announce the plans for the rest of Early Access!

(Click image to Enlarge!)



There are still a few improvement ideas I'm planning to implement, such as fast travel (for faster backtracking). I also want to work on optimization and improve the game's technical aspects for the release. Aside from these, we will mostly focus on content. The release update will add the rest of the events, bringing the game's story to an end. I'll also keep supporting the game post-release, and add an endless mode, where you will be able to embark on customized runs with different modifiers.

As with all plans, no matter how carefully made, things may change and delays may happen. But do not worry, we have a forum thread where such changes are announced and the updated plan is kept. It's right here. The same plan can also be seen in our Discord server. I'll also try to push out more updates to the "experimental" branch this time around.

To celebrate this announcement, the demo version of the game is updated with the latest changes. Once again, feel free to join our Discord server if you have any feedback, or want to follow the development more closely. Until next time!

[h3]Balance[/h3]
- (Enemy) Drone PAI09: Physical Power per level 0.2->0.3.
- (Card/Knife) No Mercy: Damage multiplier (per Bleeding layer) 0.5x->0.2x.
- (Card/Knife) Out for Blood: Now applies Bleeding equal to 5 times the base damage of the card (1x->5x).
- (Card/Shotgun) Execute: Damage (no stagger) 3x->2x.
[h3]Fixes[/h3]
- Fixed Out for Blood card not working with most of the cards.
- Fixed Execute card dealing damage from two conditions at the same time.
- Fixed hang occurring when hovering over the expand icon (...) in the item bar.
- Fixed companion from the Robbery decision event starting with Shoot and Roll (unremovable).
- Small addition to stat tooltips to prevent confusion about attribute value increases per level.
- Fixed several missing source names in attribute calculation tooltips.
- Fixed cards with health loss crashing the game.
- Fixed health loss not applying in some of the decision events.
- Fixed shotgun weak cards showing lock sprites.
- Fixed several trivial bugs generating error reports.

[h3]Improvement & Balance[/h3]
- Now only one item can be preserved per run (item won't be removed from inventory). Preservation text is changed to clarify preservation mechanics and list all preserved items.
- (Enemy) The Daemon: Increased the ally remaining health threshold for Daemon to switch to execution mode (25%->33%). Now, the Daemon will wait 2 turns before attacking the target in execution mode. "Menace (Low Health)": Applies Slowness 1 to all allies.
- (Enemy) Twitching Puppet: Base Health 60->100.
- (Card) Toy Gun: Now has weak alt.
- (Card) Warning Shot: Pistol Bullet Cost 1->2.
- (Card/Weak) Weak Heal: Mend Heal 0.4x->0.3x.
- (Condition) Strong: Physical Power Increase 50%->30%.
- (Status/Perk) Daredevil: Damage increase per missing resource 20%->10%.
- (Status) Regenerative: Mend Power Increase 5->20.
[h3]Fixes[/h3]
- Fixed Explosive status not triggering with the killing blow.
- Entities won't get a turn while their speed is 0 (fixes blinded enemies getting turns).
- Bosses now spawn in a fixed order. Finishing a level or dying to a boss will mark the boss as seen, and spawn the next in order in the next run.
- Prepare card now swaps from conservation mode to normal mode automatically when used.
- Fixed cards with health loss not having correct description.
- Fixed the move given by Regenerative status fully healing the enemy (strong enemy encounters).

[h3]Balance[/h3]
- When Darkness level starts affecting events, it will now set all affected encounter event levels to the same value, regardless of the position of the event.
- (Enemy) Daemon: Reduced the ally remaining health threshold for Daemon to switch to offence mode (50%->25%).
- (Card) Wild Fire: Acid Damage 1x->0.75x, Burn Damage 1x->0.75x.
- (Item) Elbow Grease: Stat increase 3->2.
[h3]Fixes[/h3]
- Fixed stutter occurring when hovering over the "..." to show collapsed items in the item bar.
- Fixed a crash occurring when trying to show descriptions of certain cards.
- Fixed Pliers item description not showing the health loss amount.
- Removed "Limited" keyword from "Shake to Charge" card.
- Fixed erroneous tooltip of "Reverse Bash" card.
- Fixed some of the health loss values counting as "Bleeding".
- Fixed various bugs generating errors.

Welcome to v0.8.0 update for Draft of Darkness! This update introduces a rework for the Power & Defence calculations; and adds equipment moves, starter items & perks, darkness level system, save slots and much more!

[h2]New Power & Defence Calculations[/h2]
Draft of Darkness has some emphasis on RPG type progression, where you distribute stats to get stronger over time. Balancing the general strength of the cards emerging from pure stat distribution, synergy of the deck, synergy of the party members and other such elements together proves to be much harder with this type of progression.

Before this patch, the game used a logarithmic decay formula for the damage increase caused by Power. With increasing Power between 0-100, you would get only up to 4x the base damage of the card. While this kept Power as an important but not a be-all and end-all attribute; it also made most players feel confused and limited. For this reason, I changed Power & Defence calculations to be much simpler, which also makes these attributes much more powerful.



Power now equals damage! If you have 10 power, you will have a potential of dealing 10 damage. Of course, it will depend on your cards. Card base damage values now serve as a damage multiplier, and will determine the damage you deal based on your power. For example, "Pistol Shot" deals 1x your power, while "Pistol Whip" deals 0.5x (half your power). Here is a comparison of the old vs. new on a graph (yellow=new, orange=old).



Defence also had a similar but less significant change. Instead of an obscure logarithmic growth formula for the damage reduction, it now uses flat percentage reduction. Between defence values 0-80, the value is equal to the damage reduction: meaning x defence reduces the damage by x%. After 80 defence, there are diminishing returns to prevent complete immunity. You can see the comparison of the old and new formulas in this graph (green=new, red=old).



With this change, all content in the game has been re-adjusted for a balanced difficulty curve. You will notice that it's easier to reach higher damage values, but enemies have much higher defence and slightly more health than before. Similarly, enemies can have higher damage values, and you need to choose your equipment carefully and increase your defences before engaging in combat.

[h2]Explicit Attribute Calculations[/h2]
For all attributes and damage values, you can now hover over them to see a breakdown of how they are calculated. The places this tooltip is shown include the equipment screen, entity and card detail screens, and the combat log!



[h2]Equipment Moves[/h2]
During EA period so far, there has been several requests for equipment cards. This sounded like a great way to make the equipment system more interesting. With this patch, equipment (both for weapons and clothes) can now give you cards upon equipping. These cards are selected from a separate card pool, and will be special to the weapon type or the class of the clothing.



Swapping to alternative weapons during combat will also swap equipment cards if you have a weapon (with a card) equipped in the corresponding slot. In addition, dual weapon bonus and starting conditions given by equipment are now removed; since the purpose for these mechanics is fulfilled by the new equipment cards.



[h2]Starter Items & Perks[/h2]
Another frequently requested feature was the ability to change the starting perks for heroes. There was also no way to spend the growing heap of credits, after unlocking the booster packs. You can now buy new starting perks and items in the main menu shop (which is now named "Credits Shop"). After buying them, they will be available for a subset of the heroes at the start of a run. Selecting them will cost credits.

All heroes now always start with some amount of resources required by their weapons. Jake's and Rene's default starting weapons are changed to Flares and Smoke Grenades respectively. As mentioned, other items are at your disposal to buy from the Credits Shop.



You can also now see and change your preserved item before starting a run! Your preserved items won't be replaced; instead, the last 5 items will be kept in the save file and will be available for selection. Along with the starter items and perks, this adds a lot of flexibility to the meta-progression.

[h2]Darkness Level System (Experimental)[/h2]
The new Darkness Level system aims to solve two problems:
1) The emphasis on grinding encounters to get more cards and XP, which prolongs runs and disrupts the survival horror aspects.
2) The obscurity of the karma system.



With this patch, you will notice a new counter at the top of the screen. This Darkness Level counter increases with each encounter, and may also increase and decrease with your choices in the decision events. After Darkness Level 8, non-boss encounters will start to get a boost, increasing their levels and making them harder. In addition, your heroes and companions may receive "Sufferings", which are negative status effects. The spawn chance of a certain enemy is now also tied to the Darkness Level, instead of the karma system. Leaving an area will reset the Darkness Level, and remove all the Sufferings.

I'm planning to add increased rewards for fighting enemies with high Darkness Levels. For now, this system is added as an experimental feature to collect feedback.

[h2]Other Changes[/h2]
There are many changes to talk about still. Since the article is becoming too long, I'll go over them with a quick summary.
New Card Faces: The card graphics are changed to make them more readable, and better fit the UI of the game. The rarity and type of the cards are now clearly shown.
Improved Item Bar: The item bar is now split up into categories. Passive items are collapsed to make the item bar more compact. The items are also sorted by the order they are first added to the inventory.
Save Slots: The game now has support for 5 save slots, where you can start new games and continue them in parallel. In-game achievements will also reset in a new save.
Chainsaw Rework: Chainsaw mechanics are changed for compatibility with alt. weapons. Using Engine Off/On labeled cards will now change the engine state automatically. In other words, the engine state is now independent from the conservation system.
New Stats: If you were wondering how muscle Strength increased firepower, worry not! Strength is now renamed to Handiness. Aside from naming, the attributes given by them are also changed to have better balanced stats. You can see the changelog below for more detail. To summarise the changes, Handiness now gives some Burn Power, Vitality gives Energy and all stats give a small amount of Speed.
Critical Heals: You heard it right!



To see all of the changes coming with the update, see the changelog below. As this update is heavy on changes, you might notice new bugs or out of tune balance. If you do, feel free to reach out by joining our Discord Server, or through Steam forums!

[h2]EA Plan Incoming[/h2]
As you know, announcement for the 2nd part of the Early Access plan has been delayed. The reason for this was that I wanted to allocate as much time as possible for the v0.8.0 patch, and go through most of the rework ideas, improvements and balancing in the backlog. With this patch out of the way, we can finally focus fully on content.

I will be making the announcement for the Early Access Plan Part II on 24th February. On the same day, the demo version will also be updated for it to be a better preview of the game.

[h2]Update Notes for Patch v0.8.0[/h2]
[h3]Improvement & Balance[/h3]
- Power & Defence Rework: The formula for how damage values are calculated is changed. Defence calculation is simplified to a percentage reduction, with diminishing returns after 80 defence. Power calculation is changed to a simple multiplication. Damage value is now simply calculated by: [Card Multiplier] x [Power] x (1-[Defence]/100).
- All cards, items, status and condition effects, enemies are revised with new base damage multipliers.
- Equipment and enemy base and level scaling for power and defence attributes are revised for the new calculation.
- Darkness Level System: After every encounter, Darkness Level increases by 1, and shown at the top of the screen. Some of the player choices in decision events also increase or decrease Darkness Level (previously hidden karma system is integrated into the Darkness Level system). Above Darkness Level 8, non-boss encounter levels will gradually increase, and the heroes and companions will have a chance to be inflicted with Sufferings (negative status effects). When the player moves on to the next area, Darkness Level will reset and all Sufferings will be removed.
- "Strength" stat is now called "Handiness". "Dexterity" is now called "Agility".
- Stat Rework: Stats are changed with the aim of giving them a more balanced feeling. All stats now give Speed, and Handiness also gives Burn Power.
| "Handiness": 1 Physical Pow, 0.5 Light Pow, 0.03 Speed.
| "Vitality": 5 Health, 0.2 Energy, 0.03 Speed.
| "Agility": 2% Crit Chance, 0.05 Speed.
| "Intelligence": 1 Acid Pow, 1 Light Pow, 0.5 Mend Pow, 0.03 Speed
- Added tooltips showing attribute calculations including card damage, cost, character attributes like power and defence. Hovering over attributes in card/character detail screens and combat log will show all modifications made by equipment, items, etc.
- Hero and companion details can now be seen just like enemies by pressing the "Details" button (middle click by default).
- Save Slots: Added support for a total of 5 save slots. Ongoing saves are placed in slot 1 with name "user1". A new save can be created in an empty slot by clicking the newly added button in the main menu.
- Improved Item Bar: Item bar is separated into categories, making it easier to manage items. Usable items are always shown in the item bar, while passive items after 3 per category are hidden to make the item bar more compact. Hovering over the "..." icon will show the hidden items. Items are sorted from newest to oldest added to the inventory. The scrollbar is made more visible when the items overflow the screen. Sorting & Filtering option is removed from the item bar.
- Chainsaw Rework: Engine state is now independent from the conservation mode. Chainsaw normal cards are marked with the "Engine: On" keyword, and weak cards are marked with the "Engine: Off" keyword. Using an Engine. On card will automatically use up extra Fuel to turn on the engine. Similarly, using an Engine: Off card will turn off the engine. With this change, alternative weapon cards can now be utilised without any incompatibility.
- Equipment Cards: Some of the clothing and weapons now give cards when equipped. Unequipping will remove the card from the deck. Swapping weapons during encounters will also swap the weapon cards equipped in the connected slots (Main weapon will be swapped with main alt. weapon, offhand will be swapped with offhand alt. weapon.)
- To simplify equipment, clothes will always give defence, but not power. Weapons will give power, but not defence. There may be rare exceptions such as special equipment dropping from events.
- Equipment and clothes with moves have a low chance to drop with the keyword "Muted", which removes the attached move.
- Starter Items & Perks: Booster Pack window is now called "Credits Shop". In the Credits Shop, starter items and perks can be bought by spending credits. Bought perks and items can be selected when starting a run. Selecting perks and items other than hero's default configuration will cost credits upon starting the run. Certain starting items and perks can be selected for certain heroes, as specified in the Credits Shop.
- Heroes will now always start with 8 of the resources required by the weapons they can use. Heroes with resource starter items are changed. The default starter items for heroes are: Flare (Jake), Warning Letter (Cara), Charger (Pavel), Smoke Grenade (Rene).
- Starter items added: Flares, Pills, Smoke Grenades.
- Starter perks added: Assassin, Combatant, Empowered, Scorching, Steady, Vengeful.
- Last 5 preserved items are now recorded. When starting a run, one of these 5 preserved items can be selected to start the run with. The last preserved item is selected by default and is free, while selecting the others costs credits. Preserving a new item while all 5 slots are full will remove the oldest item from the list.
- Cards can now deal multiple types of damage in a single attack. "Infusion" conditions are changed to use this system, scaling and dealing half the base Physical damage as Acid or Burn damage.
- Some of the damage dealing items won't scale their damage with power.
- Reworked how conserve mode cards are being handled in the background. This fixes weak cards not being affected by most of the effects.
- Preserving an item will no longer remove it from the inventory.
- Dual wield bonuses and starting conditions are removed from equipment, since the purpose of these mechanics are now fulfilled with equipment moves.
- Movement performance is improved. Delays during movement between tiles are reduced.
- Added an option for increasing movement speed during exploration.
- Cost of non-weapon equipment cards are reduced to 0.
- Energy and Health values after decimal point are now rounded down. Now, every 5 point in Vitality will increase Energy by 1.
- (Achievement) "Absolute Demon": Changed to "In a single run, complete 3 areas with Darkness Level 15 or more."
- (Achievement) "Absolute Angel": Changed to "In a single run, complete 3 areas with Darkness Level 5 or less."
- (Card/Chainsaw) "Pushing Saw (Weak)": Push back 50%->20%.
- (Card/Chainsaw) "Ripper Saw (Weak)": Advance 50%->30%.
- (Card/Chainsaw) "High Stance (Weak)": Block 3->4.
- (Card/Chainsaw) "Rev Up the Engine": Reworked to have number of hits increase per discarded card, instead of damage.
- (Card/Knife) "Poisoned Blade": Poisoned 1->2.
- (Card/Spray Gun) "Splash of Poison": Poisoned 1->2.
- (Card/Spray Gun) "Spout Poison": Poisoned 2->4. Energy Cost 3->4.
- (Card/Unarmed) "Recovery": Now draws the last damage dealing move discarded, instead of any move.
- (Item) "Filthy Needle": Poisoned max effect increase 30%->50%.
- (Item) "Kaleidoscope": Now has a higher chance to reduce energy costs.
- (Item/Resource) "Shotgun Shell": Price 3->2.
- (Decision Event) "Hole in the Wall": Health reduction now goes up to 80%.
- Heals can now be critical.
[h3]Visuals & Polish[/h3]
- Card visual design is changed. New design now clearly shows card rarity and type.
- Defence and power values are shown separately in a column layout on equipment tooltips, for a cleaner look and easier comparison. Same change is also applied to how entity attributes are shown in various screens.
- Tweaks to how card damage and mend values are shown. Added tooltips for mend heal. Added icons for condition categorisation (buff, debuff, ability, disability) in card descriptions.
- Cards are now referred to as "moves".
- Cards are positioned a bit higher while targeting to show calculated attribute values more clearly.
- Save icon now won't show up when the Daemon spawns.
- Changed icon for Easy Mode.
- Hovering over the Conservation Mode button or the Weapon Swap button will preview cards changing in the hand.
[h3]Content[/h3]
- 1 new equipment kind is added to every weapon type, for a total of 4 kinds: 3 with moves and 1 without a move.
- 6 new unarmed (clothing) equipment cards are added: Block, Dodge, Hide, Prepare, Sprint, Order.
- 12 new weapon equipment cards are added: Offensive Stance (Axe), Capacitive Load (Flashlight), Hit and Run (Knife), Toy Gun (Pistol), Sinner's Kiss (Shotgun), Acidic Coating (Syringe), Amnesia Gas (Spray Gun), Wildfire (Spray Gun), Perfect Substitute (Spray Gun), Fine Tune (Chainsaw), Extended Chain (Chainsaw), Burning Chain (Chainsaw).
- 3 new weapon cards are added: Acid Knife (Knife/Starter), Stir (Spray Gun/Run), Payment (Shotgun/Starter).
- 12 of the existing weapon run cards are changed to equipment cards: Ponder-Second Act (Axe), Shake to Charge-Sunburn (Flashlight), Energetic Slash-Choppy Chop (Knife), Shoot and Roll-Play the Victim (Pistol), Payout-Double Barrel Shot (Shotgun), Hippocratic Oath-Blinding Needle (Syringe).
- (Status) "Suffering: Handicapped": Hand Size is reduced by 1.
- (Status) "Suffering: Overwrought": Energy cost of damage dealing moves are increased by 1.
- (Status) "Suffering: Worn Out": Max. Energy is decreased by 2.
[h3]Bugfixes[/h3]
- Fixed some damage values not being rounded up. Standardised damage values always rounding up and other attributes rounding to the nearest integer value.
- Various fixes to items, cards and conditions.
- Fixed a bug where pills healed more than they should.
- Fixed the categorization for some of the items so that they are sorted in the correct group of the item bar.
- Fixed health not resetting after stats are re-specced via Wooden Puppet.
- Fixed companions spawning with equipment cards.
- Fixed shop price increases and decreases not being highlighted.
- Fixed opening detail window before loot window appears in encounters freezing the game.
- Fixed Riposte and Explosion effects triggering after the target dies.
- Fixed holding "Preview Weak Version" key while hovering over a card not working during encounters.
- Fixed weak version previews not switching to the normal version after the key is released.
- Fixed tooltips showing up upon opening a window, while a gamepad is not in use.
- Fixed tooltips getting stuck upon closing some of the windows.

Warning: If you have an ongoing run from before the update, you may experience some stats & attributes acting funny when you level up etc. This is due to a known change and won't happen on a new run.
[h3]Improvements & Balance[/h3]
- Events can now have custom icons. Added custom icons to "Terminal" event, and encounters spawned for the "Gear Machine" event in the Factory.
- Gear Machine event now shows required and placed cogwheel counts.
- Dexterity now gives 2% Crit Chance per level instead of 1%.
- (Enemy) Frail: Slippery 3->5. "Rejuvenate" move Restoration 20->15. "Dodge" move cooldown 4->8.
- (Enemy) Incubator: New status "Umbilical Cord". New move "Heartbeat" (Heal Frail by 10).
- (New Status) Umbilical Cord: Lose all buffs when Frail dies.
- (Status) Ranged Resistance: Ranged damage reduction 50%->40%.
- (Card/Knife) Shadow Rush: Energy Cost 4->2.
- Block gaining effects are now shown in the combat log.
[h3]Fixes[/h3]
- Fixed "Insurgent" perk not having effect on enemies "Puppet" and "Maniac".
- Fixed tooltips showing and getting stuck in various screens.
- Fixed clicking middle mouse button to see details also transferring cards in the rest screen.
- Fixed equipment selection screen buttons not toggling as selected.
- Fixed block text being too small if the entity has both normal and retained block.
- Fixed occasional info text on top of controls bar not showing if the controls bar is disabled. This text shows item use and info modes, signifying that other input is disabled. When not shown, it was causing confusion about why the game won't accept input.
- Fixed Bleeding and Corrosion not showing as Damage Over Time effect in enemy moves list.
- Fixed Headache condition tooltip not showing moves left.

Fixed a bug where lever controlled door in the Factory area made the character stuck.
- Fixed a bug where Hospital was accessible through Factory before it's unlocked.

This new update adds a new area to the game; explore the dark depths of the Factory, try to overcome new challenges, defeat extra-twisted terrors and fight the new boss: The Frail.

[h2]The Factory[/h2]
The Factory is the new area added to the game. Being a horizontal expansion, it's located between the Residence and the Hospital just like the Streets. For new players, the Factory area will be locked by default, and you will be able to unlock it simply by coming across a certain event (Public Phone) in the Streets. On the other hand, it wouldn't be fair to require an extra run for the returning players. Therefore, if you've played the game before and visited the Hospital in a previous run, the Factory will be automatically unlocked for you. Once it's unlocked in the "Flowchart", starting a new run and completing the Residence area will give you a choice to go to the Factory.



The Factory comes with 3 new enemies, 1 new boss and 3 new events. I aim to add another set of enemies, 2 more bosses and new events to this area in the upcoming updates. For now, the "story" part of the Factory area isn't yet in the game. This means that the decision events in the area won't progress the story. The "Part 2" story events will be added altogether, when the last area of the game is finished.

Quick warning: You won't be able to unlock the Hospital via the Factory, since it requires defeating the Baron. After unlocking the Hospital, you should be able to complete "Part 1" events by passing through the Factory as well.



I aim to make the Factory the heaviest area in terms of the horror theme. Being inspired by the Silent Hill's alternate world, I'm hoping that horror fans will have a good time with it. With more polish coming in the future updates, you can be sure that this area won't be a walk in the park!

[h2]New Enemies[/h2]
In the Factory, you will come across abominations who have fallen victim to the darkness-infested world. The factory workers whose brains are sucked dry by acid worms, "puppets" who were put together to obey their master, failed experiments tucked away in the dark corners...



The new enemies are themed mostly around "Acid Damage", "Corrosion" and a new condition called "Headache" which will make you re-think your strategy when fighting against them. The new boss, Frail, is a deceptively weak looking creature who will find ways to mitigate your attacks and summon minions.



[h2]New Events[/h2]
With the added events, I wanted to use the procedural generation system in new ways. The multi-part events are designed to be more quest-like, instead of being one-shots. I feel like the new events need further randomisation; rest assured that this is in the plan for the future updates.



[h2]Winter Sale[/h2]


Draft of Darkness will take part in the 2021 Steam Winter Sale. It will have a 10% discount until January 5th, 2022!

[h2]The Future of Early Access[/h2]
With the Factory Update, we hit the end of the first part of the EA plan. I'm happy that we've come this far in the EA journey with little to no hiccups. First of all, I thank you all for your support and positivity. I try to take into account all your feedback and be motivated with your good words. Every bit helps!

Draft of Darkness is in a much better shape compared to the start of the Early Access phase. With several improvement updates, the game now has a better equipment system, gamepad support, mouse-only support and performance improvements! The 2 content updates added a new hero, a new companion, 6 enemies, 2 bosses, 53 new cards, 30 new items and more! From now on, the updates will focus heavily on content to reach our goal of doubling it by the end of EA.

The next part of the Early Access plan will be announced in the first weeks of 2022. With the new roadmap, you'll be able to see the rest of the plans for Draft of Darkness up to the point of full release! Make sure to follow the game to catch the announcement.

Make sure to send your feedback about the update and the game through our Discord Server, or Steam forums. Now is a great time to do that, I will make sure to take into account your suggestions while finishing up the rest of the Early Access plan!

Happy new year and see you on the next update!

[h2]Full Patch Notes for v0.7.0[/h2]
[h3]Content[/h3]
- New area added: Factory. Added as a 2nd area to the game, serving as an alternative to the Streets. Currently only includes non-story events (except old ones). Unlocked by interacting with the "Public Phone" event. Also automatically unlocked for players who have reached the Hospital area before the patch.
- (New Enemy) Puppet: Fast enemy inflicting Bleeding and Wounded.
- (New Enemy) Zombie Worker: Acid and Physical damage inflicting enemy.
- (New Enemy) Cargo: Acid damage and Radiation inflicting enemy. Has a chance to explode on receiving critical damage.
- (New Boss Fight) Frail: A fragile boss with low health. Uses summons and other means to defend itself.
- (New Enemy Status) Ranged Resistance: Receive 50% less damage from ranged attacks.
- (New Enemy Status) Explosive: Have a chance to explode, dealing damage to other enemies and the attacker.
- (New Enemy Status) Burglar: Enemy steals an item and runs away after certain amount of turns.
- (New Buff Condition) Acid Infusion: Deal additional acid damage upon dealing physical damage.
- (New Debuff Condition) Headache: After certain amount of moves in a turn, start losing HP per move.
- (New Event) Nest: Spawns a new special encounter. Lost items can be obtained back from the nest.
- (New Event) Jail: If the key is found, a companion can be freed from the cell to join the player's group. Currently has a nurse, planned to have more companion types later.
- (New Event) Gear Machine: A mechanically locked door blocks the path. At least 2 of the 3 special encounters should be defeated to collect cogwheels.
[h3]Improvement & Balance[/h3]
- (Card/Chainsaw) Max Setting: Energy Cost 4->6.
- (Perk Status) Repellent: Effect now applied only when spending resource.
- (Perk Status) Scorching: Effect now applied only when spending resource.
- Door animation speeds are increased by 20% and delay is decreased by 50%.
- Intro sequences are changed to be progressed with player input, instead of being timed.
- Changed acid shoot sound.
- Removed the constant chainsaw sound which plays in the background when the chainsaw is on. Shortened and lowered chainsaw attack sound.
- "Quick Enhancement Machine" equipment upgrade cost is reduced from 30 to 20 pennies.

In this improvement patch, gamepad support, an "Archive" section, 2 new perks and 11 new trophy items are introduced to Draft of Darkness!

[h2]Gamepad (and Steam Deck?) Support[/h2]
I'm happy to announce that Draft of Darkness now supports gamepad controllers! Although I've spent a lot more development time than initially calculated, I have to point out that is not yet a finished feature. That's why I'm labeling the gamepad support as "experimental", meaning it's another part of the game that will be tweaked and improved with future patches. That said, our tests showed that it's completely usable and already in a good shape. Here's the default key bindings shown on a controller:



This also means that you should be able to play Draft of Darkness with the Steam Deck! Unfortunately, we weren't able to test the game on a Steam Deck console, since we don't have access to it yet. Hopefully we'll get our hands on one soon! (Come on Mr. Valve, send me one please!)

The game should detect the input method you're using automatically. You can peek at the newly added bar at the bottom of the screen to remember relevant key bindings. This piece of UI can be toggled off in the options menu, if it bothers you.

[h2]The Archive[/h2]
The new "Archive" section now resides in the Library and allows you to list all cards, items and enemies in the game. Once you use/encounter these, the corresponding archive entry will unlock, allowing you to see the details of the entry. You can also filter & sort entries using various options.



Card and item details will show additional info and statistics such as "times collected/used", while enemy details will list their moves. The listed moves give hints at what an enemy can do, allowing you to prepare beforehand or apply your strategies accordingly during combat. To access the detail screen at any time, simply click on the item/card/enemy with your middle mouse button (or other bindings depending on your input method). One of the ideas for a future update is: for cards, a breakdown can be shown for each value on the card, giving you a better idea for how the damage values are calculated.



[h2]Weapon Skills & Content[/h2]
A "Weapon Skill" system is added to the game, mainly as a way to allow switching initial Chainsaw weapon states. Before this addition, a chainsaw equipped character always started with "Engine: On" condition, causing an unavoidable 1 fuel loss at the start of the encounter. As a solution, you can now toggle between "Engine: On" and "Engine: Off" in the exploration phase, by clicking the new "Chainsaw Skill" slot near the party UI. I'm planning to expand this weapon skill system to other weapons, giving each weapon an extra effect during exploration or encounters. For example, flashlights can give "Vision" during exploration (like Matches), while spray guns can create smoke clouds for a similar effect like the "Smoke Grenade" item (but costing Chemicals). In essence, weapon skills are special "items" kept in a separate slot instead of inventory. Let me know what you think!

Content-wise, 2 perks are added to the chemist companion, further enhancing their own damage output, as well as giving them a way to boost allies' damage. 12 new trophy items also wait for you to discover their combo and synergy potential! See the full changelog below for details.



As a small compensation for the delays on this patch, Draft of Darkness will be discounted by 10% during the Weeklong Deals between Dec 6 and Dec 13!

[h2]Winter Patch (v0.7.0)[/h2]
The planned date for the Winter Patch is December 22nd. The update will focus on content, adding a brand new area with newly introduced enemies and events! This new area also will be a starting point for the second part of the story. In addition, I'm planning to complete the power/defense rework in this patch, making these mechanics more clear. See you on the next patch!

[h2]Full Patch Notes for v0.6.1[/h2]
[h3]Improvement[/h3]
- (Experimental) Gamepad support has been added.
- A new "Archive" section is added to the Library. Lists cards, items and enemies (including their moves).
- Detail screen is added, showing detailed info about items, cards and enemies. Clicking [MMB] while hovering over any of them should open the screen. Detail screen also lists enemy moves along with their types.
- Item suggestions are credited with their Discord IDs in the item detail screen (some of the items may be missing this information).
- Added support for Weapon Skills. For now, only chainsaws have a weapon skill, which is used to switch between initial Engine: On or Engine: Off states.
- Chainsaw equipment now won't start with an "Initial Engine: On" attribute. Instead, they will have a third attribute.
- Control tips are added at the bottom of the screen, showing key bindings depending on input method and current screen. This can be toggled off in the options menu.
- Status decays will now take into account revealed tiles instead of walking on unvisited tiles. When the player moves during exploration, each tile revealed in the map will count down status decays. All status decay intervals are adjusted to balance new faster decay rates.
- The Daemon won't move, if the player is in the pause menu (ESC menu).
- Added type icons showing buffs, debuffs, abilities and disabilities in the condition tooltips. This will be improved and more icons will be added signifying other types.
[h3]Content[/h3]
- (New Perk / Chemist) Dissolver: Deal 5% increased Acid Damage for each debuff or disability on the target.
- (New Perk / Chemist) Scorching: When you deal Acid Damage, increase Burn Power of all allies by 4 until the start of your next turn.
- (New Item) Elbow Grease: Increase Strength, Intelligence and Dexterity of the possessor by 3.
- (New Item) Scold's Bridle: Lose 8 health, gain 3 of a resource most required by the cards in your hand, until the end of turn. Can be used once per turn.
- (New Item) A+ School Report: Gain +5 to all stats during decision events. | Encounter: Once per encounter, give the acting character Stingy. (Credits: @Strikeing#1158)
- (New Item) Wind-Up Toy: Whenever you are hit with direct damage, gain Kickstart 1.
- (New Item) Wooden Horse: The possessor gains 3 block at the end of their turn. (Credits: @Yobee#0866)
- (New Item) Pumice Stone: Whenever the possessor receives self damage or condition damage, they gain block equal to half the damage. (Credits: @Anything Goes#5236)
- (New Item) Contact Lenses: At the start of posessor's turn, apply Revealed 1 to enemies who have Stealth. (Credits: @Anything Goes#5236)
- (New Item) Anti-Coagulant Mixture: Dealing damage has a 20% chance to apply Bleeding 1. (Credits: @KanadeBacon#0746)
- (New Item) Nozzle Extension: Whenever an ally deals Acid Damage, apply Corrosion 1.
- (New Item) Voltage Detector: Reveal the locations of terminals on the map.
- (New Item) Movement Detector: Reveal the locations of all regular enemy locations on the map.
- (New Item) Super Glue: Increase the effect of Slowness by 10% on enemies.
[h3]Balance[/h3]
- Drop system now takes into account items. As a result, Pavel will get batteries as a prioritized resource.
- Spray gun cards now have an Acid Damage dealing weak alternatives, instead of Physical Damage.
- (Enemy) Demikhov's Dog: "Delirium" won't give self Dodge.
- (Enemy) Rat King: "Bite" Base Damage 5->4.
[h3]Bugfixes[/h3]
- Fixed "Juggle" perk sometimes not applying at the start of encounters.
- Fixed damage over time effects dealing extra damage on trigger, if previously applied with a direct damage dealing card.
- Fixed a bug where it's possible to flee during a companion turn using keyboard input.

[h3]Balance[/h3]
- Bosses and elite encounters now drop rare cards.
- Police companions will now start with a flashlight equipped.
- Card drops will only include obtainable weapon cards (Shotgun and Chainsaw cards won't drop if the heroes who can use them aren't selected).
- Card selections after encounters will mostly let the player choose between the same weapon types. These drops are more skewed towards currently equipped weapons.
- Resource drops are more skewed towards usable resources.
- Reduced all non-acid damage dealing enemy Acid Defenses per level from 1 to 0.5.
- Fixed Fuel price (1->2).
- Slightly increased Fuel drop rate.
- Fuel is now printable with correct cost.
- Swapped the card "Make Fuel" with "Flame Thrower", making it a run card. "Flame Thrower" is now a starting card.
- (Enemy) Claw: Phys. Def Per Level 2->1; Acid Def Per Level 1->0.5; "Claw" Crit Multiplier 3x->2x; Now gets out of Stealth if she can't make other moves.
- (Enemy) Shield: Now uses its guard move before block.
- (Enemy) Daemon: Acid Def 0->5; Acid Def Per Level 0->0.5.
- (Card/Axe) Inner Peace: Health restore 6->equal to buff/bleeding stacks removed.
- (Card/Flashlight) Search in the Dark: Energy Cost 3->0.
- (Card/Chainsaw) Rev Up The Engine (On): Damage multiplier 2x->3x.
- (Card/Chainsaw) Stashed Fuel (On): Stash: Fuel Stacks 3->4.
- (Card/Chainsaw) Reverse Bash (On): Phys. Damage 3->10.
- (Card/Chainsaw) Max Setting (On): Energy Cost 6->4. Phys. Damage 5->7.
- (Card/Chainsaw) Chainsaw Massacre (On): Fuel Cost 3->2.
- (Card/Chainsaw) Momentum (Off): Added "Draw 1 card".
- (Card/Chainsaw) Momentum (On): Fuel Cost 3->2. Added "Draw 2 cards".
- (Card/Spray Gun) Corrosion Ball: Corrosion 3->5.
- (Card/Spray Gun) Clinging Acid: Acid Damage 4->3; Corrosion 2->3; Energy Cost 4->2; Chem Cost 2->1.
- (Card/Spray Gun) Inaccurate Eruption: Corrosion 1->2; Random Corrosion 2->3; Energy Cost 3->4; Chem Cost 2->1.
- (Card/Spray Gun) Corrosion Stream: Corrosion 3->6.
- (Card/Spray Gun) Make Fuel: Energy Cost 1->2; Chem Cost 3->1.
- (Card/Spray Gun) Pressurize Tank: Corrosion Increase 1->2.
- (Card/Spray Gun) Splash of Poison: Energy Cost 3->4; Chem Cost 2->1; Applies "Poisoned" instead of Corrosion.
- (Card/Spray Gun) Craft Battery: Energy Cost 1->2; Chem Cost 3->1.
- (Card/Spray Gun) Corrosion Wall: Corrosion 1->3.
- (Card/Spray Gun) Lube Up: Energy Cost 1->0.
- (Card/Spray Gun) Craft Acid Bombs: Will transfer attribute modifications to the bombs, will now combo with "Pressurize Tank" and "Potent Additive".
- (Card/Spray Gun) Acid Bomb: Corrosion 2->6.
- (Card/Spray Gun) Flammable Substance: Chem Cost 2->1.
- (Condition) Corrosion: Decay duration 4->3. Also reduces Physical Defense.
[h3]Bugfixes[/h3]
- (Workaround) Temporarily disabled Daemon's encounter time limit until it's made more apparent and related bugs are fixed. Planned to be enabled back on the next update.
- Fixed "Football Helmet" (and some other items) not triggering when the damage value is exactly equal to health.
- Fixed equipment attributes increasing with the level of the character they are equipped to.
- Fixed a bug where Daemon spares the hero with 0 health.
- Fixed "Broken Fork" triggering before Riposte effect.
- (Workaround) Dodge won't trigger with 0 stacks. Workaround for the bug where the conditions get stuck at 0 stacks.
- Fixed "Inaccurate Eruption" not working properly.
- Fixed chemical drops not being prioritised for spray gun characters.
- Fixed Chemist starting with a syringe card.
- Fixed Chemist character floating in the recruit screen.
- Fixed some of the trophy items not having price values associated.
- Fixed decapitated entities reviving with missing heads.
- (Technical) Fixed error reports being generated.

[h3]Fixes[/h3]
- Added a cooldown to "Shield-Wielding HAI10"'s push back attack.
- Fixed a bug causing hospital keycard chest to spawn on top of other obstacles.
- Fixed Smoke Bombs not being able to be used more than once in encounters.
- Fixed "Carved Pumpkin" equipment slot type.
- Fixed an error report caused by wrong equipment generation.
- Added Rene's own card rewards to the "Weird Painting" event.
- Typo fixes.

Happy Halloween and welcome to Draft of Darkness Halloween Update! This patch adds a new hero, a companion, 40 new cards, and new enemies to the game! The game will also be 10% off during the Halloween Sale. Let's dive right in!

[h2]New Hero: Rene[/h2]
Our new hero is a blood-thirsty chainsaw-killer with a pumpkin-head! She can use the new chainsaw weapon, mowing down the zombies and robots with little effort. Look for a new event in the Streets area to unlock her!



[h2]New Weapon: Chainsaw[/h2]
(An idea suggested by BlackDragonMagician#1680 in our Discord Server)
The chainsaw is a two-handed weapon, which can be used to deal repeated heavy melee damage and apply injuries. When using this weapon, the Conservation System functions as a "Turn Engine On/Off" switch. Keeping the engine on to use the strong versions of cards will continuously cost fuel: a new resource type. Don't worry, though; the chainsaw's weak mode cards are both distinct and more powerful than the other weapons!



[h2]New Companion: Chemist[/h2]
You will find out that a group of chemists are working on discovering a new weapon against the Darkness. By helping them out in the Hospital area, you will unlock the new Chemist companion to aid you in battle. They use spray gun to deal acid damage and get rid of the over-sized pests.



[h2]New Weapon: Spray Gun[/h2]
(An idea suggested by Kaaven#7321 in our Discord Server)
The spray gun deals the new damage type: acid. Acid damage ignores block, which makes it not so easy to defend against. Spray gun cards also apply corrosion, a slow but powerful damage over time effect; and can craft batteries and fuel on the go! Moreover, it can double as a flame thrower, dealing burn damage (the new name of light damage).



[h2]Block Mechanics[/h2]
Block is a familiar mechanic to every deck-builder fan: you simply gain x block to negate x damage. This was missing in Draft of Darkness due to it leaning more towards a traditional RPG style combat style of "receive damage, then heal". One could also argue that the lack of an "intent system" whittles away from the usefulness of a block mechanic. To try how such mechanic will fare in DoD, it is now introduced in the game and used mostly by the enemies. Block wears out in the beginning of an entity's turn; so you can choose to wait it out, brute force it, or circumvent it with acid damage.

[h2]New Boss: Disease[/h2]
A new boss fight is added to the Residence Area, with an enemy who utilises the new block mechanics to shield itself from incoming attacks. It can also unleash its acid attacks upon you. Basically, it does all the new things! (Not really...)



[h2]Other Additions[/h2]
Going into the Conservation Mode now won't cost energy! You can now freely switch back and forth between weak and strong cards! The only exception is the new chainsaw, which will cost fuel to switch to strong cards.



With the increasing number of resources, I color coded them to make them a bit easier to distinguish at a glance. They are now going to have a fixed order in the info bar above.



I can't fit all tweaks and additions in this article, so I'll let you explore the rest of them yourself (or see them in the changelog below).

[h2]Next Update[/h2]
The next update will add controller support, an encyclopedia of sorts where you can look at seen enemies (+their moves) and cards. There will be more content such as items and events coming up as well. Until then!

[h2]Full Patch Notes for v0.6.0[/h2]
(Will be added shortly...)

I am happy to announce that Draft of Darkness will be participating in the Steam Tabletop Festival (RPG Edition) running between 21 Oct - 25 Oct!

The game will be discounted by 10% during the event! Make sure to give the demo version a try!



I will be livestreaming the game on 23 Oct, 16:00 PDT / 23:00 GMT. Feel free to join me playing the latest Early Access release of the game!

This patch aims to make improvements to the equipment system, making it a much more enjoyable part of the game with the help of your suggestions. There is also a significant performance optimization, which should let the game run much faster. Aside from these improvement changes, 3 new trophy items and 2 consumable items are added along with a brand new decision event!

[h2]Equipment Rework[/h2]
With the new changes, I aimed to make the equipment you come across in your journey much more recognizable and easier to manage. The weapons and clothes are now not fully randomly generated. Instead, there are several pre-determined sets with fixed attributes. These set names designate the primary attributes of a piece of equipment. The images will vary based on this name as well. On top of this, an adjective may be added, giving it another attribute for variation. In summary, the attributes of an equipment are solely determined by its name, rarity (condition) and level. This will let you recognize each piece of equipment more easily.



The attribute values of equipment are also now much more simplified. The power attributes will always be integers (like +1, +2, +3...), while defense values will only have one decimal place (such as +5.1 instead of +5.14). This should help with equipment management feeling too convoluted and crowded, by eliminating the unnecessary clutter.

The equipment UI is also refined. The inventory is separated by slot types. In addition, the loot window along with the card selection now contains character avatars, which you can select to directly give equipment and cards to your allies.



[h2]Performance Optimization[/h2]
The performance of Draft of Darkness is greatly improved. With this optimization tweak, the game should run up to 500% faster (depending on your hardware) during the exploration phase. This is more of an "overall" update to the exploration phase. I'm still working on making the path-finding time for the point-and-click based movement better, and eliminating the pauses between each step while walking.

[h2]Content[/h2]
I've added a new decision event involving a background character, The Puppetmaster, who hasn't been mentioned before, but was already related to some of the events in the game. This event can be seen as a small side-quest for obtaining a new consumable item called Wooden Puppet, which can also be turned into a blueprint. This item lets you re-spec one of your allies by reassigning their stat points. The new event has a chance to spawn in the Streets area.



Aside from the event items, 1 new consumable and 3 new trophy items are added to the game. The newly added consumable "Smoke Grenade" allows you to disable enemies during exploration to walk past them if they are blocking your path. It can also be activated during an encounter to gain Stealth, allowing you to flee or avoid a powerful attack. (Or use it for your Stealth strats, anything is possible).

The trophy items are selected from the ideas which have been sent to our Discord Server by our members. I have credited them in the full changelog below. Thanks again to our members for taking their time to write item and cards ideas, I'm looking forward to add more of them to the game.

[h2]The Halloween Patch[/h2]
The next patch will be coming during the Halloween, and will contain a new hero, companion, new weapon types and enemies. When the exact date of the patch is decided, I will update the roadmap with it. If you have anything you think should be prioritized, send it over via the Steam forums, our Discord Server or via the in-game reports. Until next time!

[h2]Full Patch Notes for v0.5.5[/h2]
[h3]Improvement[/h3]
- Gear generation has been changed to generate from set names and fixed attributes.
- Character selection is added to loot window allowing for attribute previews and directly assigning equipment.
- Character selection is added to card selection window, allowing for directly assigning cards to a character.
- Equipment inventory UI is separated into segments according to slot type (Head, Chest, Weapon, Legs).
- Equipment comparison tooltips will now show equipped item side-by-side with the aimed equipment.
- Holding "Shift" while equipping weapons will equip it to the offhand slot.
- Equipment can be designated as Junk while looting them.
- Added an animation to the health and energy bars, visualising damage and heal amounts.
- For simplicity, attribute values on equipment now have fewer decimal places. The amount of decimal places are as follows: Power attributes: 0, Defence attributes: 1, Speed: 1, Crit. Chance: 1.
- Character avatars in character window, loot window and rest screen will show tooltips when hovered over.
- Flavour text is removed from generated gear.
- (Optimization) Sprite animation scripts are disabled for hidden objects during exploration.
[h3]Content[/h3]
- (Item/Trophy) "The Guide to Hacking": Stagger robot enemies whenever an ally deals critical damage to them. (Credits: @King Mordred#6223)
- (Item/Trophy) "Kaleidoscope": At the start of each ally turn, randomise the energy cost of all cards in hand until the end of turn. (Min -3 Energy, Max +3 Energy) (Credits: @Strikeing#1158)
- (Item/Trophy) "Spoiled Beef Jerky": Whenever the possessor gains Radiation during encounters, have a 50% chance to negate it and heal for the amount negated. (Credits: @Waffles#2657)
- (Item/Consumable) "Smoke Grenade": Exploration: Aim at a floor tile to disable enemies within 3 tiles for 6 seconds. Encounter: Give all allies Stealth 1.
- (Item/Consumable) "Wooden Puppet": Re-spec the targeted ally's stats.
- (Item/Quest) "Puppet Master's Box": Contains "1x Wooden Puppet".
- (Item/Quest) "Puppet Master's Key": Unlocks "Puppet Master's Box".
- (Decision Event) "Public Phone".
[h3]Balance[/h3]
- Tweaked some of the starting equipment and event reward weapons to be upgradeable.
- Equipment upgrades will advance equipment level by 10 instead of 5.
- (Card/Unarmed) "Repel": Energy Cost 3->2.
[h3]Bugfixes[/h3]
- Fixed character death state not registering when they have 0 health.
- Fixed double activation of cards when clicking on a target quickly after selecting a card.
- Fixed not being able to use zero-cost cards while having negative energy.

In this content focused patch, 2 new cards have been added for each existing weapon type, as well as 5 new cards for the unarmed card set. This brings us closer to our goal of 25 cards per weapon type. In general, I aimed to fill in the gaps and improve existing mechanics for the weapons; for example: more light damage opportunities for the flashlight, more synergy for the pistol, damage and energy sustain for the syringe, better deck control for the shotgun, a new bleeding approach for the knife etc. Some of the new cards intentionally promote inter-weapon type interaction, hoping to achieve better synergy in the current and future character decks.

I've also added a total of 13 new trophy items. These are distributed in the already existing item batches, so if you have already unlocked them, you'll start getting these items right away. Big thanks to those who helped me by giving awesome item ideas and inspiration in our Discord Server! I've credited them in the changelog below. If you have an item idea, you can join in and send it over too!

New decision events are also added to the game, which will add a bit more variety to your runs:

• "Hole in the Wall" will spawn in any one of the areas, which will let you get resources by sacrificing your hero's or companions' health.
  
• "Morgue" will spawn in the Hospital, giving you an opportunity to gain equipment, resources and cards.
  
• "Quick Enhancement Machine" will spawn in the Streets or in the Hospital, making it possible to upgrade your equipment, increasing their attributes.
  

Hello all, I'm excited to announce the Early Access Roadmap of Draft of Darkness for 2021. While planning this roadmap, I aimed for bigger updates focusing mainly on content; with the rest mostly containing improvements, as well as addressing issues arising and feedback coming in from you.

In summary, there will be two big content patches: The Halloween Patch coming near the Halloween Sale, and the Winter Patch coming at the end of the year. These updates will add new heroes, companions, weapon types, enemies and areas to the game. Aside from these, there will be improvement updates: An equipment rework patch, aiming to enhance the equipment system from the ground up, will be coming at the end of September. Another improvement patch will aim to add controller support to the game, planned for sometime in November. Of course, these are the major goals of the updates, there will be many changes and content included along with these goals.

Keep in mind that the dates are not final and patch contents announced might be subject to change. I'll keep an updated version of this roadmap in the Steam forum and in our Discord server.

The next patch (v0.5.4) will be adding 17 new cards, new items and new decision events! We are also still working on various balance fixes and hoping to include them in this update. If you'd like to follow development a bit more closely, I'm once more inviting you to our Discord server. I'll be posting development logs and related stuff more frequently there.

[h3]Bugfixes[/h3]
- Fixed a bug with effect orders, causing issues such as Guard triggering even if the damage is dodged.
- Fixed blueprint creation taking the Dream Coin cost even after the process being cancelled.
- Fixed Alert Healer giving Dodge even if 3 Dodge stacks exist.
- Fixed preserved unique items not registering as "seen", causing them to be dropped again during the run.

In this second improvement patch, I've added two of the highly requested features to the game: Mouse movement and quick-playing cards.

You can now simply point and click at a tile you want to move to, and the hero will start moving towards that tile on a calculated path. This path is calculated taking into account obstacles and locked doors etc., so it's possible to click on a far away tile and you will start moving there if a path is found. Depending on the distance, finding a path may take a while. So, you might experience delays if you click on a hard to reach tile. I'm planning to polish this system by adding indicators for when a path is being calculated etc.



Also, be aware that the path calculation won't take into account enemy positions. This means there is a high chance you will run into enemies since you have less control compared to manual movement. Clicking the "Back" key (Right Mouse Button by default) will stop the character from moving on a path; so you can use this to stop when you notice an enemy. I might add enemy avoidance only for enemies that are visible, but I couldn't decide yet if that's a good idea. It also brings additional questions such as: Should the path adjust if an enemy becomes visible on the path? Let me know what you think about enemy avoidance: is it necessary or not?

With this patch, it's also possible to double click cards to quickly use them without the need to aim at a target. This is of course only possible if there is no need to aim with the card. In other words, double-clicking while selecting the card will immediately play it if the card:

• targets all enemies,
  
• targets all allies,
  
• has a single available target.
  

More than a week passed since the Early Access launch of Draft of Darkness. First of all, I'd like to thank you for all your support during the launch week! The positivity and all the feedback we received was invaluable!

I'll be preparing a roadmap for the content patches soon. For now, I'll be releasing improvement patches and balance updates with ideas gathered from your great feedback.

In this first patch, I made some improvements to eliminate some problems and streamline a few things to reduce confusion. The tooltip and card preview sizes are increased, for better readability of text. The stats screen is also simplified, letting you distribute your stats easily. Stats will show tooltips when you hover over them. You can see all improvements listed in the changelog below.



There were also some big balance related changes, mainly involving the "knife" weapon. Cara being very powerful due to her being able to stack high amount of Bleeding despite spending no resources was a common opinion. Using Stealth to hide after applying some Bleeding, then watching the boss melt away was feeling a bit exploity to say the least.

To fix this, I've made a big change to Bleeding condition itself: it decays by half when it triggers. This means the bleeding won't decrease by one after doing damage. Instead, it will lose half its layers, making it decay faster the more you stack it. If you stacked 50 Bleeding, after dealing 50 damage, it will be reduced to 25, then 12 and so on... This indirectly limits how much you can stack Bleeding, and requires a more active gameplay to effectively use it and benefit from its advantages.



Also, cards applying or manipulating Bleeding have been tweaked. One example is "Open Wound", which can now be used to have some control over Bleeding, by triggering it manually and delaying its decay.


(The Daemon now applies "Revealed" if it sees you hide in the shadows!)

Next week, I'm planning to add more exciting improvements, such as movement with mouse, faster ways to use cards, and more! I'll be releasing the next week's changes to the "experimental" branch on Friday, and it will be merged to the main branch on Monday! If you want to test things earlier, you can always switch to the "experimental" beta branch of the game on Steam.

Looking forward to hear more of your feedback. See you around!

Note: If you have a saved run, you might come across some anomalies when you load it in the new patch. For example, some attributes may decrease on leveling up. This will fix itself when you start a new run. On the other hand, if you come across any crashes or game-breaking bugs, please contact me in our Discord Server.

[h2]Full Patch Notes for v0.5.2_p2[/h2]
[h3]Improvements[/h3]
- Bleeding now loses half its layers when it decays.
- Encounter card drops will now include unarmed cards more often.
- The Daemon now applies Revealed with its "Menace" moves.
- Increased text size for tooltips and cards.
- Pressing corresponding keyboard shortcuts to open equipment/deck window will also close the window if open. The shortcuts will also function to switch between tabs while this window is open.
- Level up screen is more streamlined by adding "-1" buttons to remove points. Tooltips are added to stats.
- Equipment inventory screen now shows character stats.
- Equipment can be marked as junk inside the shop window.
[h3]Balance[/h3]
- Sell prices are reduced from 0.2x to 0.15x.
- Reduced the amount of Speed given by higher rarity equipment.
- Resource drops are now more uniform. The drops will be selected from all resource types 50% of the time, instead of being skewed towards characters currently in the party.
- Necessity drops are tweaked to only drop if player has less than 5 of a resource.
- "Strength": Phys. Power per level 1->1.5.
- "Intelligence": Light Power per level 1->1.5. Mend Power per level 1->1.5.
- "Dexterity": Crit. Chance per level 2%->1%. Speed per level 0.05->0.03.
- "Dodge" will now negate application of "Bleeding".
- (Item) "Broken Syringe": Reworked to "Whenever an ally draws a Viral Infection card, apply Bleeding 2 to all enemies."
- (Item) "Glass Cannon": Damage increase 40%->30%.
- (Card/Axe) "Carve": Won't apply Bleeding if its damage is dodged.
- (Card/Axe) "Pierce": Won't remove buffs or apply Bleeding if its damage is dodged.
- (Card/Axe) "Swiss Army Axe": Bleeding 5->3, 8->5. Won't apply Bleeding/Crippled if its damage is dodged.
- (Card/Flashlight) "Blunt Hit": Phys. Dmg. 5->7, Energy Cost 5->4.
- (Card/Knife) "Butter Finger": Phys. Damage 4->3, Crit. Multiplier 4->3.
- (Card/Knife) "Dash": Added Limited 2.
- (Card/Knife) "Sneaky Blow": Phys. Damage 2->3.
- (Card/Knife) "Stealth Blow": Crit. Multiplier 5->4. Added Limited 2.
- (Card/Knife) "Wounding Tantrum": Bleeding inflict count 5x->4x.
- (Card/Knife) "Vanish": Added Limited 1.
- (Card/Knife) "Twist the Knife": Applies 100% Bleeding instead of 50%.
- (Card/Knife) "Open Wound": Energy Cost 7->5. Now triggers only 1 layer of Bleeding, but also serves as a refresh for Bleeding, delaying its decay.
- (Card/Pistol) "Wounding Bullet": Won't apply Weak if its damage is dodged.
- (Card/Shotgun) "Head Blaster": Crit Multiplier 3->2.
- (Card/Unarmed) "Repel": PhysicalDmg 2.5->2. Stagger Chance 20%->10%.
- (Card/Unarmed) "Punch": PhysicalDmg 2.5->2.
- (Companion) "Nurse": Base Speed 3->3.5.
- (Companion) "Police": Base Speed 3->4.
- (Companion) "Scavenger": Base Speed 5->4.
- (Companion) "Thug": Base Speed 4->4.5.
- (Enemy) "Albino Rat": "Scramble" Bleeding 6->8.
- (Enemy) "Crawler Brute": "Head Slam" Bleeding 5->8.
- (Enemy) "Sentry": "Saw" Bleeding 3->4, Wounded 2->4. "Triple Chop" Bleeding 2->3.
- (Enemy) "Crooked Zombie": "Hack" Bleeding 6->8. Wounded 6->8.
[h3]Fixes[/h3]
- Fixed item tooltips obstructing the view when selling items in shops.
- Fixed Assassin perk not increasing Crit. Chance when weapons are switched using a card.
- Fixed card highlights not updating after a card is used.
- Fixed an issue with critical hit screen shake being delayed.

Technical library update to fix the crash occurring on systems with certain CPUs. If you were getting a hard crash on starting a new run, please give it a go to see if it's fixed.
- Added a notice in case of save data corruption.
- Removed the check for Steam Client. If the game can't connect to Steam, achievements won't unlock on Steam.
- Fixed "Pay It Forward" card pump action mechanics not working correctly.
- Fixed encounter input getting stuck if the map is opened just before entering an encounter.
- Fixed encounter input getting stuck if the menu is opened after an encounter ends.

Cards can be transferred with left-click in deck editing screens.
- Fixed Shotgun cards leading to a crash after long sessions. Also fixes Discharge and Pump Action cards getting stuck locked/unlocked.
- Fixed some cards applying a condition on an un-loaded enemy, causing a hang. Was seen on bosses: Corpulent Worm, Scientist, Subject.
- Fixed typos in notes.

Increased Hospital Area generation retry count to prevent error on prolonged generation.
- Added an error message for when the game fails to connect to Steam client.
- Fixed a rare error occurring when hovering over Decision event buttons.

[h3]Balance[/h3]
- The scientist and the subject won't take damage from bleeding ticks when they are immune.

[h3]Fixes[/h3]
- Fixed a crash occurring when the audio framework isn't initialized properly.
- Fixed condition animations showing on dead entities.
- Fixed conditions not becoming visible after an entity is revived.

Fixed a bug where the Daemon wouldn't make a move.
- Fixed a bug where "Rusted Kettle" item was causing a crash at the start of encounter.
- Small fixes.

Fixed an error that occurs when two companions with "Brave" perk are in the party.
- Fixed flowchart nodes involving the Baron. They were not unlocking after finishing a run from a loaded save. Retroactively unlocked if the condition is met.

Hotfix

- Fixed a bug introduced in the previous patch, causing a crash at the end of a successful run.

Fixed achievements not unlocking. They should automatically unlock when the game is launched.
- Bug report window will now disable input so other actions aren't triggered when writing a message.
- Fixed an issue with Guard and Leader conditions. If a damage is dodged, Guard and Leader won't trigger.

Draft of Darkness is finally here, in Steam Early Access!

Remember to conserve your bullets, they are hard to come by!

Draft of Darkness is coming to Early Access in just 3 days! Here's the release time for some other time zones:

Draft of Darkness Early Access release date is set to be 30th of July, 2021! You can watch the new trailer below, and play the updated demo on Steam! Don't forget to wishlist the game to be notified on the release date!

[previewyoutube=bcwWaAH36sw;full][/previewyoutube]

[h2]Development Progress[/h2]
Since the last devlog Draft of Darkness has been in Private Alpha where a lot of improvements and content additions are made. To compensate for being slow on writing dev blogs, I'd like to go over how the development went during this time. Keep in mind that I'll be pointing out the biggest bullet-points, while there have been many other tweaks and improvements in the background.

[h3]Character Perks[/h3]
All heroes and companions now have perks, which will give them an extra ability that adds variety to how the character plays. Each hero will have a single perk, while companion perks will be randomised depending on the companion type. When you come across a new party member, their perks will be a factor for you to consider whether or not to recruit them.

As an example: Thug's "Assassin" perk gives them increased Critical Strike chance when they swap weapons during an encounter. Here, we are swapping to our pistols and execute the Pursuer with the Last Shot card having 100% Crit. Chance.



[h3]New Companion: Thug[/h3]
Speaking of thugs, they are the new companions added to the game, who can use knife and pistol cards. Thugs have high dexterity, giving them speed and powerful critical strikes. Their perks mostly give them advantage when swapping weapons, so be prepared to give them a powerful hybrid deck with good synergy!

[h3]Rest Screen[/h3]
After every floor, you'll be able to spend a new resource called "Anolette Dust" to heal your party members or rearrange the cards in their decks. This item can be looted from bosses and strong enemies. Before this addition, there weren't many chances to remove cards from your deck or fix the cards in the companion decks. The resting mechanics will allow you to have more control over your companions, and provide a way to heal your party after boss fights.



[h3]Difficulty Settings[/h3]
There has been many changes to cards, enemies and characters to balance the game; but it sure is not an easy feat to make the game perfectly balanced for everybody. For this reason, 2 difficulty modes (aside from the normal mode) are added to the game: Easy and Hard modes. The difficulty settings change various parameters such as enemy strength and defences, resource drop rates etc. Hard mode also gives some of the enemies new buffs and moves. Why not individual difficulty modifiers? I'm not planning to implement them for the story mode. Those should be more fitting for the "Custom Run Mode", which is in the plan of the Early Access phase.

[h3]Starting Weapon Choice[/h3]
When you unlock the booster packs for the secondary weapons that can be used by heroes (flashlight, syringe, axe), these weapons will be available for them from the beginning of the run. You can now try out new starting decks such as flashlight-only or syringe-only decks, without the risk of not finding the corresponding weapon.



[h3]Various UI Improvements[/h3]
There has been many suggestions to improve the UI experience of the game. While there still is room for improvement, the QOL changes definitely helped fix some of the issues players were having. Some of the important UI changes:

• You can now filter & sort items, equipment and cards in various screens. This will help you have a better time looking through your equipment and cards.
  
• "Collect All" button is added to loot windows, which can also be activated with a key shortcut.
  
• Shop goods and booster packs can now be bought in multiple quantities. You can directly input how many you want to buy and the cost will update to show the total price you'll pay.
  
• Items in the item bar can be assigned to one of 10 slots. This will order the items and help you organise the item bar. You can also press key shortcuts to activate the items in these slots.
  
• You can mark items as "junk" in your equipment inventory, then sell them with a single click in the shop.
  

Draft of Darkness is now in the Private Alpha phase with the release of v0.4.0 patch. If you'd like to help test the game and keep playing it with the most recent content, you can join our Discord server and request access!



[h2]New Hero: Pavel[/h2]
In the full game, Pavel will be an optional, unlockable character. If you played the Steam demo, you may have clues about how you can unlock him (or maybe you've already completed the questline). In this patch, Pavel is added to the game and he's unlocked during the Private Alpha for everybody.



Pavel can use the new Shotgun and Axe weapons, coming with a total of 40 new cards! Shotgun is Pavel's main weapon; it's very hard hitting, as expected, but it's ammo is relatively scarce and building an effective deck requires careful planning due to the Discharge / Pump Action mechanics of the shotgun cards.

Axes are heavy, bleed inflicting weapons that require you to build up a new condition called "Brace" on your character. Building up more Brace will make cards stronger and more effective. The defence buff coming from the Brace effect will let you take more damage during battle, and taking damage will let you "Rampage", getting faster and stronger to obliterate foes. If that doesn't work out, you can always use the new "Leech" ability to get your health back by inflicting damage to your enemies.



[h2]New Companion: Scavenger[/h2]
Scavengers are part of a leaderless group, trying to survive by taking on whatever dirty job they can find, clearing out swarmed areas and looting resources. You can now recruit scavengers you come across as companions, just like officers and nurses.



Scavengers can use axes and knives, allowing for a powerful Bleeding synergy. Scavengers can also use the axe cards to serve as a tanky character in the party, taunting enemies and showing their true strength when they absorb enough damage.

[h2]Turbo Mode[/h2]
Two new settings are added to Draft of Darkness: "turbo encounter animations" and "time bar animation skip". Enabling these options will make encounter animations faster and remove the slow time bar filling delay between turns.



[h2]Balance Changes and Conservation Mode[/h2]
There has been a big number of balance tweaks after the feedback I got from people trying the Steam demo. One of the big issues were that the game was too easy, as you could get high damage with a correct setup, without any risk. Some of the cards were very overpowered, basically guaranteeing you the win. The second issue was that the resources in the game were too randomised, sometimes making you run out of ammo with no way to recover, other times you would swim in resources.

Two weeks ago, I released an experimental balance patch in the Discord server, making many changes and adding the new "Conservation Mode". The Conservation Mode is enabled by pressing a new button and paying 1 energy in the encounter phase. This turns your resource costing cards into "Weak" cards, which won't cost any resources. This gives you a bigger control on conserving your ammo; you can finish off enemies with weaker cards, for example. In addition, running out of resources won't make you completely helpless as well, you can always use the weak cards!



To help with the resource balance even more, shops will now have bigger stocks of ammo and will always have the main resources available to buy. If you run low on pistol bullets, you can sell your extra batteries to trade with the bullets, or vice versa.

As I've mentioned before, there has been many tweaks to enemies and cards, to make the game more challenging with a better difficulty curve. The biggest changes were focused on knife cards, which were overpowered because of the infinite draw possibilities with "Dash" and "Fake Out" cards. The carrying condition effects such as "Blinded" and "Stealth" also got tweaks that will eliminate crowd control chains and infinite invisibility they were giving.

[h2]Private Alpha Plans[/h2]
The game will stay in Private Alpha until the Early Access release, which is currently planned for May. There will be 3 major patches coming in the Private Alpha, which will add more content and mechanics, making the game ready for the EA release. At this time, the Steam demo won't be updated except from possible bug fixes. If you want to try the newest patches coming for the game, you can join the Discord server and request access to the Private Alpha!

Take care!

Hello! I'm the solo developer of Draft of Darkness, the surival horror roguelike deck-builder and dungeon-crawler game! In this livestream, I'll be showing of the game's new features, chatting with you and answering your questions. Feel free to come along and join the livestream!

You can also play the demo version of Draft of Darkness until the end of the Steam Game Festival!

In Draft of Darkness, you will be:

• exploring procedurally generated maps,
  
• fighting enemies in "Slay The Spire" inspired card combat - with unique twists,
  
• recruiting new allies to aid you in battle,
  
• making decisions to change the outcome at the end of your run.
  

Hello! I'm the solo developer of Draft of Darkness, the surival horror roguelike deck-builder and dungeon-crawler game! In this livestream, I'll be attempting to complete a run in the game! I'll be also chatting with you and answering your questions. Feel free to come along and join the livestream!

You can also play the demo version of Draft of Darkness until the end of the Steam Game Festival!

In Draft of Darkness, you will be:

• exploring procedurally generated maps,
  
• fighting enemies in "Slay The Spire" inspired card combat - with unique twists,
  
• recruiting new allies to aid you in battle,
  
• making decisions to change the outcome at the end of your run.
  

It's been a while since I could get a chance to write a blog, but rest assured that there has been a lot of improvements to Draft of Darkness in the last months. In fact, there has been so many that I decided to split the blog into two parts! These changes and the ones in part 2 are already in the Alpha version, so join our Discord and try them out!



Let's not waste any more time and get right into part one!

[h2]Renewed UI[/h2]
I went over the UI's design to adjust it a bit since I wasn't happy with the previous one's color scheme and big pixels. I was torn between changing to a more "post-apocalyptic" style or keeping the futuristic computer interface style; but I decided to go for the latter since that fits to the story of the game as well.



While working on the UI, I've also changed how some of the windows' functions as well. The biggest change is merging the party, gear and deck windows. All the functionality of managing your party, editing decks and equipping gear is now under a single window. It's now much faster to switch between party members, see their decks and make quick changes.

There are also the new "!" indicators to notify you that there is something new! For example, when you get cards during the run, the character edit button will have this icon, as well as the new card, once you open the deck window. Same thing applies for newly acquired gear, booster packs, notes in the library, achievents etc.



[h2]3D Encounters[/h2]
With the switch to 3D in the exploration phase, I started feeling like the styles for the 2D encounters and 3D exploration did not match anymore. After a test I've put together, I liked the 3D encounter style more and decided to keep it. I've added a transition animation to the encounter phase. Also, the camera rotates in a similar manner to "Darkest Dungeon" for entity turns, which enhances the 3D perspective.



[h2]Encounter Animations[/h2]
Characters now have attack, hurt and death animations during the encounters. This was a task I was dreading to work on since it was a lot of work to make separate attack animations for each weapon type and hand. New animations are definitely an improvement over the "slightly slide towards enemy" animation they were doing before.

I've also added blood (and poison) decals, meaning the blood will splatter onto the floor and stay there. This adds some juice (literally) to the combat and makes shooting zombie rats a lot more satisfying. Also there is a twist: if you kill an enemy with a critical hit, you will see a special effect! (Works only on streets area enemies for now.)



[h2]Map System[/h2]
With the new 3D exploration, the "Detector" item had been removed from the game. That item was the main way to find your way in the "dungeons" of the game. I've originally aimed to give player a more organic way to explore the map, by seeing something they want to explore rather than an arrow pointing to things. But with the Detector's removal, keeping track of where everything is in the map got harder. To solve this, I've added a mini-map that can also be expanded to see the whole level. It shows where the events are and you can see the parts of the floor you haven't explored yet. And it was easy to implement for me since it's actually mostly reused code from the old 2D exploration. That's always a plus!



[h2]Tile Grid[/h2]
Something I've noticed with people playing the game is that, the movement in the exploration phase felt very wonky to them; as if the character is getting their input in a delayed manner. This is very apparent with people that are not very familiar with the true movement mechanics of the roguelike genre. Since players don't see the "tiles" while they move, they expect to have free control over the character's movement. As a possible solution for this issue, I've added a grid that shows the tiles during exploration. This is hidden by default, and can be enabled by pressing a key or in the options menu. This grid also highlights tiles that will trigger an encounter, in other words, tiles that are next to enemies. This might be useful for players that prefer to have clear vision on the mechanics instead of trying to immerse themselves in the game's atmosphere. I personally prefer playing with the grid off, but I won't hold it against you if you enable it!



[h2]Huge Performance Boost[/h2]
If you're in our Discord server and have read my recent devlog messages, you're probably aware that I've recently lost my precious GPU. As grim as it is, this technical issue actually turned out good for the game. I've been literally forced to optimize the game to be able to continue development on my Intel onboard GPU. I'm happy to announce that the game now works on Intel integrated GPU on 60 FPS on low settings!

I don't want to go into technical details but I've made many changes to what the preset quality settings actually do. For example, "Low" setting now completely removes shadows, which brings huge performance boost. There are also separate options to disable taxing post processing effects like "ambient occlusion", "color bleed" etc. Other than these options, I've also worked on dynamically merging game objects after generating the level. Since static batching is out of the picture for the fully procedurally generated levels of Draft of Darkness, this method of merging meshes on the fly was a huge improvement for a big performance increase.

[h2]Are We Done?[/h2]
We are not done yet, but since there are a lot of changes, I split the blog into two parts. If you want to see all the changes yourself, you can play the game for FREE in our Discord server. Draft of Darkness is in the last stretch of the Alpha phase of development and will soon evolve into it's Private Beta phase. So catch it while it's available by joining our Discord server! See you on the next one...

This week's patch was focused on the input system of Draft of Darkness. These changes make the game controls customizable and adds some quality of life improvements here and there.

This update is also applied to the demo version on Steam, which will be deactivated on October 18th! If you miss the demo or want to continue playing, you can join the Discord server to play the Alpha version:



[h2]Customizable Key Bindings[/h2]

I've updated the project's input system to a newer method, making it a lot easier to customize. I've cleaned a lot of the code for the input handling while doing this. As a result, we have rebindable inputs with a much more resilient framework.

You can now assign keys to many new shortcuts like directional card switching, numerical card selection, end turn, flee etc. These shortcuts make it possible to play the encounter phase only using the keyboard. This system also makes it easier for me to possibly add gamepad support in the future.

[h2]Better Buttons For Encounters[/h2]

With the brand new pristine buttons, you now won't accidentally click the flee button or you won't be frustrated why the end turn button doesn't work. The "Try to Flee" button will now require you to hold it for 1 second before triggering. The "End Turn" button will now remember that you clicked it, even if you did during the card play animations. I call these smart buttons!

From this point on, I'll be continuing the development with bi-weekly updates. This means that the next update will be on October 30th. That update will be focusing on the UI Overhaul. I've also been experimenting with improving the visual style further. It's possible that I'll roll those changes into the update as well. If you want to try out the game after the demo expires, please feel free to join our Discord server. Until next time!

[previewyoutube=YBozf2MjuxQ;full][/previewyoutube]
The Alpha demo for Draft of Darkness is now playable for a limited time (7th October to 18th October) on Steam! It's a survival-horror roguelike deckbuilder with party and resource management. Recruit survivors to fight infected creatures and government robots in an eerie post-apocalyptic world. This demo comes with the huge dungeon exploration and character art update.

If you want to get more updates and follow the game progress more closely, I invite you to join our Discord server below! By entering the server, you will get bi-weekly updates through the Alpha version of the game. You can also gain access to the future closed beta by being an active tester or unlocking the "Savior" achievement in game!



[h2]Journey from 2D to 2.5D: A New Horror Dungeon Experience[/h2]
While the overall gameplay loop of Draft of Darkness was pretty much complete, the exploration phase of the game was always one step behind the rest of it. The card combat mechanics, namely the encounter phase, was really fun and strategic; but the dungeon exploration part, which occupies a significant portion of the play time, did lack in both of these aspects. You basically walked towards wherever your "Detector" points to, and face whatever events randomly occupy the tiles on your path.



This design of the exploration tries to invoke "fear from the unknown", but the problem is that it leans into this premise 100% and completely discards the decision making. You can't choose between a shop and an encounter, because they are all in the dark! Granted, it's possible to utilize items such as flares to see a part of the hidden tiles, but by default, you were effectively blind. This resulted in almost fully eliminating the player choice during the dungeon navigation.



The second problem was that everything you encountered during the exploration was "one time only". You encountered a shop; well, guess what? That was your only chance to buy something you'd seen there. You weren't able come back to any event unless it's an ally you had rejected, or an encounter you had fled from. This was another missed opportunity to introduce player choice to the exploration.

Lastly I wasn't really happy with the top-down visual style, since it limited my range of adding details to the maps to invoke the eerie feeling through atmosphere. I know that this is a subjective point, since there already are really good examples of such atmosphere implemented (ex. Darkwood). Nevertheless, I wanted to go for a new perspective, giving me more space to work with (hopefully another whole dimension will be enough space, am I right?).



Before I started working on this, I organized a poll in our Discord server to see what people think about the state of the dungeon exploration. I split the matter into two questions, one regarding the visual style and one for the gameplay aspect. Although the results weren't cut-and-dried, players were in favor of the 3d visuals and more adventure style gameplay instead of going for a more strategy game approach. I also participated in a roundtable with some fellow game developers, where I got great feedback about Draft of Darkness. Big part of the feedback was on the exploration and all that helped me finalize my decision.



Three months later, I am proud to announce that the big exploration rework is complete! The switch from 2d to 3d was totally worth it. I feel much comfortable with working with 3d models and I'm really happy with how the game's atmosphere turned out.



I'm also really happy with the new mechanics. While there aren't huge differences in the gameplay, how the vision and events are handled really changes the feel of the game. You can now see three tiles around the player instead of being completely in the dark. In addition, shop events are now re-visitable, meaning you can now go back to buy something you couldn't afford before. Similarly, in some of the decision events, you can come back to resolve it after finding a key item.

During the rework, a lot of the development time was actually spent on the map generation algorithm. I've basically re-coded the whole system for a much more flexible procedural generation. The new algorithm includes room themes, event generation on top of other scenery, exterior style scenery placement (demonstrated with the streets area) and other cool stuff. I would be happy to write a more detailed article on the generation algorithm itself, if anybody is interested.

[h2]Character Art Redo[/h2]


Even though the exploration rework was complete on the two months mark, there was another blocker for the update to be released: the sprites did not have the movement animations in the map. Since I was already thinking of replacing the sprites, I didn't want to bother with adding temporary animations. As a result, another month of a huge transformation had begun: replacing all the character art.



I am satisfied with how the new sprites turned out (although I gotta admit the old ones had their own charm in a way). Ultimately, the new character art fits the rest of the game going with a more realistic, grungy style. I was having a bad time replicating that style with the traditional pixel art so I think the new sprites turned out pretty good in comparison!

[h2]Future of Draft of Darkness[/h2]
All in all, it's great to be freed from the heavy feeling of working on a huge update, instead of being able to put out small patches. As a solo developer, working on reworks like this completely stops the game content and mechanics from advancing. After this point on, I'll be going back to bi-weekly updates and I don't plan to do another two or three month update. There are a few more overhauls that I want to take on, including the UI and input system updates, but I believe those can be completed with regular two-week patches.

For now, my short term goal will be to work on the polish of the game, do a lot of improvements and get the game ready for the Steam Winter Festival. I'm planning to continue focusing on the look & feel at least until December. This means that the game won't get a lot of content updates for the time being. Rest of the content for the early access version will be added after switching to the private beta.

[h2]How to Gain Access to The Closed Beta[/h2]
If you want to play Draft of Darkness in it's full glory, join our Discord server to become an alpha tester. I'm planning on switching from open to closed testing for the beta phase, so join now and become an active tester (or get the "Savior" achivement in-game) to keep your access to the game during the beta as well!