Stoneshard

[Asid]

Devlog: Skinning & New Traps
Sun, 29 November 2020



Hello everyone!

In today’s devlog we’ll tell you about some new features of the Equipment Update II, planned for this December (and which ended up containing more than just new equipment).

Harvesting meat and pelts

Since the game was first released, pelts had been dropping with a random chance. It was meant to imply that sometimes pelts are way too damaged, and that there was no use harvesting them. However, this mechanic wasn’t well-explained - unsurprisingly, it was only confusing players when they weren’t getting any loot after killing an animal.

To resolve this issue (and to increase immersion), we’ve added a new mechanic - skinning. Killing an animal is now just a first step: in order to get pelts, meat, antlers etc, you’ll need to harvest them. To do so, you’ll need something sharp in your inventory: a dagger, an axe, or at least a sword.

For the time being, skinning is implemented as a basic skill with 100% efficiency, but once Survival skill tree is in place, you’ll need to spend some Ability Points to learn how to do it properly.



The way an animal is killed is an important factor. You’ll get the best outcome with piercing weaponry, which won’t damage pelts too much. If you score a kill by primarily using Piercing Damage, the chance to get a pelt will be the highest.

On the other hand, Slashing damage types fare much worse, as cuts won’t do any good to a pelt’s condition. As for using Pyromancy, you can imagine the outcome... Naturally, the market adjusts accordingly: since harvesting pelts is harder now, their value has been greatly improved.



Certain damage types can also affect the harvested meat. Animals killed with Fire Damage get well-cooked in the process, while Poison, Caustic, or Cursed Damage might cause the meat to spoil.

Traps

In addition to skinning, we’ve also implemented more dungeon traps. Let’s start with pressure plates, which, for the time being, will have two variants:



The first one is a fire trap. It will ignite the floor and deal heavy damage once triggered.
The second one has a twist: it creates a cloud of poisonous gas, slowly filling the surrounding area. Staying in this cloud will deal Poison Damage with a chance to cause violent coughing, which reduces Accuracy, increases Fumble Chance, and generates lots of noise.

At the same time, certain traps will be available to players as well.



For instance, claw traps can now be disarmed, stored in the inventory, and then placed.



Caltrops are light enough to be thrown right in front of the approaching enemies.



Nets will help dealing with particularly agile foes (although they won’t help much against ghosts, for obvious reasons).



And finally - smoke bombs, which function similarly to poison traps, capable of ruining the day for enemy archers: the smoke obscures vision, triggers coughing, and deals a small amount of Poison Damage.

That’s all for now. Until the next devlog!

[Asid]

Devlog: Two-Handed Maces
Sun, 6 December 2020



Hello everyone!

In today’s devlog we’ll tell you about the first of the two new ability trees, which will be added to the game with the Equipment Update II – two-handed maces!



Let’s start with the general structure of the ability tree:



Just like ability trees of other two-handed weapons, 2h maces have 10 abilities: 5 Actives and 5 Passives. Their overall theme is controlling the battlefield with Stuns, Dazes, Knockbacks, Debuffs while dealing large amounts of damage with powerful, but slow strikes.

Let’s have a closer look.

Active Abilities



Mighty Swing – the first of the two opening Active abilities is a buff which grants bonus Weapon, Armor, and Bodypart Damage, as well as extra Stun Chance for the next turn.
Other than that, it also synergizes with the rest of 2h mace abilities: if “Mighty Swing” is active when you activate them, they receive additional properties.



Unstoppable Force - the second opening Ability. It performs a strike on three adjacent tiles with a large bonus to Knockback Chance and Armor Damage.
Additionally, for each enemy you successfully Knock back, it reduces Skills Energy Cost for the next few turns.

If “Mighty Swing” is active, successfully Knocking enemies back also puts their abilities on Cooldown for a few turns.



Skull Crusher lets you perform a one tile dash and swing at the enemy’s head with bonus Stun Chance and Bodypart Damage

If “Mighty Swing” is active, this skill also burns the percentage of the target’s Energy equal to the percentage of its missing Health.



Slaughter - a stance-based skill, customary to all Weapon ability trees. It grants bonus Crit and Knockback Chance, reduces Skills Energy Cost, and increases Armor Penetration with each stack of its effect. On top of that, every 3rd attack has 100% chance to Daze.

If “Mighty Swing” is active, using this ability will deliver a strike to a random adjacent enemy.



Forceful Slam - the final Active ability, which can be used to either start a fight or finish off a stunned enemy.

First, “Forceful Slam” marks a tile, skipping a turn. If the next turn this tile is occupied by an enemy, the character will deliver a strike with a significant bonus to Crit Chance and deal bonus damage (scaling with the target’s Max Health) for each remaining turn of Daze, Immobilization, or Stun affecting the target.

If “Mighty Swing” is active, this skill also weakens the enemy occupying the marked tile, applying them with extra Damage Taken and reducing their Control and Move Resistances.

Passive Abilities

•   Blow after Blow - killing enemies with 2h mace attacks and abilities grants the effect of “Mighty Swing” for the next turn and a bonus to Energy Restoration for the next few turns.
•   Unbalance - Knocking enemies back with 2h mace attacks and abilities applies them with extra Fumble Chance and reduces their Control Resistance and Dodge Chance for the next few turns.
•   Bonebreaker - attacks against enemies without Armor or with their Armor Durability lower than 50% gain bonus Bodypart Damage. Attacks against enemies with their Armor Durability higher than 50% gain bonus Armor Damage.
•   Severe Concussion - Stunning, Dazing, or Immobilizing enemies with 2h mace attacks applies them with a debuff to Move Resistance and increases their Fumble Chance for a few turns.
•   Revel in Battle - killing enemies while under the effect of “Slaughter” replenishes 20% Max Energy. Killing enemies while under the effect of both “Slaughter” and “Mighty Swing” additionally reduces the ability tree’s active Cooldowns by a few turns.


That’s all for now. Until the next time!

[Asid]

Deblog: Two-Handed Axes
Sun, 13 December 2020



Hello everyone!

In today’s devlog we’ll tell you about the second new ability tree of the Equipment Update II: two-handed axes!



As always, let’s start with a general overview. This ability tree consists of 5 Actives and 5 Passives, focused around the same thing as 1h axes - damage, Bleeding, and Injuries.

Active Abilities



Wide Cut - the opening skill of the ability tree. It performs a strike with bonus Weapon and Armor Damage. Additionally, it affects three body parts upon a successful hit.



Dismember performs a strike to a random Body Part affected by a Minor or Medium Injury (or a random Body Part if the target is uninjured) with a huge bonus to Bodypart Damage and Crit Chance.
If this strike worsens an Injury or applies a new one, it causes Bleeding, and the target itself loses 9% Max Health.



Reign in Blood performs a strike which prolongs active enemy Cooldowns by 1 turn for each Injury and 20% missing Health affecting them. Also has a chance to cause Bleeding on each Injured Body Part, replenishing 5% Max Energy for each Bleeding caused.



Rampage - a traditional stance-based skill. It grants stacking bonuses to Crit Efficiency, Bleed Chance, Bodypart Damage, and reduces Cooldowns Duration.

Just like with other 2h weapon stances, every 3rd attack with two-handed axes is granted a special effect: it deals bonus damage equal to 15% of the target’s Max Health (the damage has a threshold tied to the character’s level).



Make Space performs a strike on three adjacent targets with bonus damage for each degree of Injury affecting them. If this strike kills at least one target, performs a second strike on the same area (this effect can only trigger once).

Passive Abilities

•   Finish ‘Em - attacks against targets with more than 50% Health gain bonus Bodypart Damage. Attacks against targets with less than 50% Health gain bonus Weapon Damage.
•   Shieldbreaker - 2h axe attacks decrease their target’s Block Chance and Block Power for 5 turns. This effect stacks.
•   Maim and Kill - applying Injuries and Bleeding grants bonus Weapon Damage and Crit Chance for 4 turns.
•   Fatal Strike - while under the effect of “Rampage”, Critical Hits grant an additional stack of it and apply their target with extra Damage Taken.
•   Tool of Execution - activating “Rampage” grants bonus Crit Chance for each enemy within two tiles.


And finally, here are some of the two-handed axes which will be added to the game:



That’s all for now. Until the next time!

[Asid]

Devlog: Update Wrap-Up
Sun, 20 December 2020



Hello everyone!

In today’s devlog we’ll tell you about the remaining new features of the Equipment Update II and also announce its release date - December 25th!

Hearing System



The noise system will now work not just for your enemies, but your character as well, allowing you to better plan out your actions. As you explore the surface or dungeons, you’ll be able to hear enemy activity, which will mark their location on your screen. The chance of hearing the enemy depends on their actions and your Perception: enemy steps are the hardest to detect, but the noise from a fight will be heard from many tiles away.

Berry Bushes





Berry bushes will come in handy if your character is starving. Depending on the biome, you’ll be able to encounter six berry types: bilberry, raspberry, blueberry, lingonberry, gooseberry, and barberry.

New NPCs





Two new characters will be added to the game: Bran the Trapper and Unar the Scribe.

The trapper will periodically appear in either Osbrook or Mannshire, offering you some hunting gear, including the new traps.

Unar the Scribe can be found selling treatises in the Mannshire castle - you’ll be able to shop from him after completing three Osbrook contracts and gaining access to the castle.

New Consumables



We’ve added a number of new narcotic substances to the game. Consuming them provides powerful buffs for a short period of time, however you’ll have to pay for them with a long and painful aftermath.

•   Al’qud will give you a stamina boost, increasing Max Energy and Energy Restoration, while decreasing Abilities Energy Cost.
•   Abasa will put you into the state of narcotic rage, granting bonus Weapon Damage, Crit Efficiency, Armor Penetration, and Pain Resistance.
•   Hornet Honey will sharpen your reflexes, improving Accuracy as well as Counter, Dodge, and Crit Chances.
•   Nikkaf will improve your concentration, increasing Vision, Experience Gain, Hunger Resistance, and decreasing Fumble Chance.
•   Paregoric is a potent painkiller which will decrease Pain and Pain Limit while improving Morale, Pain Resistance, and Healing Efficiency.
•   Stardust has already been available for quite a while, but its effect is now different: it will grant Magic Power, Magic Resistance, Bonus Range, and decrease Cooldowns Duration.

New Enemies



The enemy roster has also been expanded: this update will add 10 new brigand enemies, armed with two-handed maces and axes, and a few new minibosses, including the skeleton ones - eliminating the latter will be a part of a new contract.

That’s all for now. Until the next time!
Game

[Asid]

0.6.1.0 - Equipment Update II: Changelog
Fri, 25 December 2020



NEW ADDITIONS

•   New weapon type: Two-handed axes - 29 pieces.
•   New ability tree: Two-handed axes- 10 new skills.
•   New weapon type: Two-handed maces - 23 pieces.
•   New ability tree: Two-handed maces - 10 new skills.
•   New mechanic: Throwing. Throw weapons and other items to deal damage, distract enemies, and trigger traps.
•   New mechanic: Skinning. The chance to harvest a pelt now depends on the damage type used to kill an animal. Added new hunting trophies: dog pelts, snake skin, and bear fat.
•   New mechanic: Hearing. Increase your Perception to hear nearby enemies before seeing them.
•   Two new NPC: Bran the Trapper and Unar the Scribe.
The trapper travels between Osbrook and Mannshire, selling various hunting gear and some other items.
The second NPC can be found in the Mannshire castle upon completing 3 Osbrook contracts - he trades in treatises.
•   20 new enemy types, including 7 new minibosses.
•   25 new armor pieces: 7 helmets, 9 chest pieces, 5 belts, 2 sets of gloves, 1 pair of boots, and 1 shield.
•   New traps: Pressure Plate (Flame & Poison Cloud), Sound
•   Combat consumables: added a claw trap, a net, caltrops, and a smoke bomb.
•   5 new drug types, completed with reworked drug mechanics.
•   New Mannshire crypt contract.
•   Additional flora: added 6 berry shrubs, 1, new mushroom type, and 1 new herb type.

ATTENTION: This patch IS COMPATIBLE with the previous version’s saves. It should be possible to continue your current playthrough after this update.

However, we highly recommend starting a new game: item tweaks won’t affect the already equipped or stored items. Additionally, the new contract won’t spawn when playing from an old save.

GAMEPLAY

•   Enemies can now also feel pain.
•   Throwing potions applies enemies with their effect for 25% of the original duration.
•   Fabric, leather, paper, and organic items will burn if dropped on a burning tile.
•   Added a system for enemy interactions with traps. By default enemies are aware about the traps of their faction and the traps which were installed within their Vision. Other traps will remain hidden - the chance for them to be discovered depends on enemy Perception. Some enemies also learned how to disarm discovered traps.
•   Activated claw traps can be picked up, repaired at a blacksmith, and then placed again.
•   Manually disarming traps will grant experience.
•   New stat: Stagger Chance
•   New effect: Stagger. Reduces Crit, Counter, Dodge, and Block Chances to 0, and increases Fumble Chance to 100%.


BALANCE

•   Changes to the characters’ Affinities:

Arna starts with Two-handed maces.
Jorgrim starts with Two-handed axes.
Dirwin starts with Two-handed axes.
Velmir starts with Two-handed axes and Two-handed maces, but no longer has Maces affinity.
Jonna starts with Dual Wielding.
•   Rebalanced primary Attributes:

Strength:
+[1 > 0.5]% Melee Damage
+[1 > 0.5] Block Power
+[2 > 1.5]% Crit Efficiency
+[1 > 1.5]% Armor Damage

Agility:
+[0.5 > 0.75]% Counter Chance
-[0.25 > 0.5]% Fumble Chance
Added +0.5% Armor Penetration
[Removed +0.5% Stealth

Perception:

+[0.5 > 0.75]% Accuracy
+[0.5 > 0.75]% Crit Chance
+[1 > 0.5]% Ranged Damage

Vitality:
+[1 > 2] Health
+[5 > 4] Energy
Removed bonuses to Immunity
Added +1% Intoxication Resistance

Willpower:
+[0.75 > 1]% Pain Resistance
+[0.5 >0.75]% Magic Resistance
+[1 > 0.5%] Magic Power
•   Rebalanced pain gain from all damage types.
•   Made balance changes to most enemies.
•   Increased the base chance to evade a trap.
•   Reduced the base chance to disarm a trap.
•   Traps balance changes:
•   [Claw Trap] 20 Slashing Damage > 35 Rending Damage.
Immobilization duration: 3 > 4-10
Base disarm chance: 60% > 75%

•  [Spike Trap] 25 > 40 Piercing Damage
Bleeding duration: 10-16 > 10-20
Change the formula for damage from Bleeding and Burning - now they don’t scale from Max Health as much.

•  Base unarmed damage was increased by 2 points.

•  Block Chance now only works if you have a weapon or a shield equipped.

•  Crit Efficiency: the base damage multiplayer for crits has been increased from 110% to 120%.

•  Rebalanced loot from the brigands.

•  [Brigand Madman]: removed “Adrenaline” and “Painful Stabs”.

•  [Ancient Troll]: Decreased its Accuracy from 100% to 90%.
Troll’s Armor was decreased to 50.
Experience granted on death was increased by 20%.

•  [Stun]: its maximum duration was decreased from 5 to 2 turns

•  [Daze]: added maximum duration – 5 turns
Removed: +5% Fumble Chance

•  [Unholy Blessing]: +20% > +15% Life and Energy Drain, Damage Reflection.

•  [Blessing]: The duration of shrine blessings was increased to 1440 turns.
Removed passive Sanity and Morale change.
Added an immediate Sanity and Morale boost upon using a shrine
Added +10% Healing Efficiency.

•  [Satiety]: added +10% Healing Efficiency.

•  [Deafening Roar]: To avoid situations with the simultaneous Stun and Disarm, there’s now a sequence of checks, launched one after another in case the previous one fails: firstly, it’s 25% to Disarm. Then, it’s 75% to Stun, and finally - 100% chance to Daze.

•  [Henbane]: reduced the duration of “Battle Rage” to 12 turns. The effect is no longer guaranteed to activate, instead there’s a 25% chance – high Intoxication can raise this chance up to 100%.

•  [Velmir]: The Condition of his starting helmet was reduced from 60% to 40%

•  [Waterskin]: reduced the number of uses from 10 to 6.

•  [Stardust]: changed its effect.

•  An item’s level now has lower influence on the damage from enchantments.

•  Dual Wielding now consists of 3 tiers, just like all other ability trees with 10 skills.

•  Increased the maximum level for items sold by merchants.


CHANGES TO ABILITIES

SWORDS

•   [Endurance Training] 25% chance to replenish 5% Max Energy on hit > +25% Energy Restoration for 3 turns after using a sword ability.

•  [Honed Edge] +5% Bleed Chance for 5 > 3 turns.

MACES

•  [Armor Break] Added a Stagger Chance.
Applies -30% > -15% Control Resistance.

•  [Dazing Strikes] Changed: +5% Daze Chance for mace attacks > Mace attacks apply their targets with -3.5% Accuracy and -3.5% Damage for 4 turns.

•  [Moment of Weakness] Stunned enemies take +33% > +20% Damage.

•  [Concussion] Changed: Mace attacks apply -5% Control Resistance for 4 turns > Mace crits apply -15% Control Resistance for 3 turns.[/list]

TWO-HANDED SWORDS

•   [Feint Swing] Now applies its target with +10% Damage Taken for 4 turns.
Other bonuses are doubled if the target is Staggered.

•  [Feast of Steel] Added +5% Crit Chance to its stacking effect.
Every third attack gains +100% Crit Chance > +100% Stagger Chance

•  [Heroic Charge] Added a Stagger Chance

•  [Parry] All received attacks are guaranteed to trigger a Counterattack > Grants +75% Counter Chance
Each successful block reduces the Skill’s cooldown by 1 > 2 turns.
Added: Each Counterattack grants +7.5% Crit Chance for 3 turns.

•  [Arc Cleave] Added a Stagger Chance.
Each enemy hit reduces active Cooldowns of the ability tree by 1 > 3 turns.
Added: Replenishes 7.5% Max Energy for each Staggered enemy.

•  [Courage] Added: If the target survives, grants +10% Damage for each adjacent enemy.

•  [Fight to Death] While “Feast” is active, killing enemies reduces active Cooldowns of the ability tree by 3 turns > Each consecutive strike against the same target grants +7.5% Stagger Chance and +5% Counter Chance for 5 turns. The effect resets upon attacking a different target.

•  [Taste of Victory] Killing enemies with two-handed swords replenishes 7.5% > 15% Max Energy.
Added: Attacks against Staggered enemies grant +5% Damage for 4 turns.

•  [Revanche] Added: while Parry is active, blocked attacks replenish 5% Max Energy.
[/list]

DAGGERS

•   [Double Lunge] Now also reduces the Skill’s cooldown when killing an enemy.

•  [Deadly Trick] Grants +25% Crit Chance > +25% Bleed Chance and +25% Counter Chance.
Added: The strike also has a Stagger Chance.

•  [Gaping Wound] Applies the effect for 8 > 10 turns.
Using abilities has a 50 > 75% chance to trigger Bleeding.
The Bleeding duration has been increased.
The effect applies +20% > +33% Abilities Energy Cost.
Added: the effect applies -25% Bleed Resistance.

•  [Coup de Grace] Finishing an enemy off with this skill now grants +50% Crit Chance for 4 turns.

•  [Quick Hands] Killing enemies > Dagger strikes reduce active Cooldowns of the ability tree by 1 turn.

•  [From the Shadows] Added: Thrown daggers do +30% more Damage.

•  [Counterattack Mastery] Dagger strikes grant +4% > +5% Counter Chance for 5 turns.

•  [Weakening Jabs] Dagger attacks apply their target with +4% Damage Taken > -5% Damage and +5% > +7.5% Cooldowns Duration.

•  [Danse Macabre] Changed: Dagger crits gain +10% Life Drain > Dagger Crits grant +4% Dodge chance for 5 turns and permanently apply their target with +10% Damage Taken and -10% Bleed Resistance.[/list]

STAFFS

•   [Unwavering Stance
] Added: Every 3rd attack gains +100% Crit Chance

•  [Destabilizing Hits] Added: the effect is also triggered by applying Stagger.

•  [Now or Never] Effect duration 1 > 2 turns.
Added: is now also triggered by Dodging and grants +25% Stagger Chance.

•  [Battle Trance] Staff crits now reduce all active Cooldowns, not just the ability tree’s.


SHIELDS

•   [Retaliation
] Added: Can now only trigger once per 5 turns.

•  [Last Bastion]: Added: Can now only trigger once per 8 turns. [/list]

PYROMANCY


•   [Ring of FIre] Applies -20% > -10% Fire Resistance for 4 > 3 turns.

GEOMANCY


•   [Rune of Sustention
] Added: Grants the caster -10% Damage Taken when occupying tiles adjacent to their runic boulders.

•  [Runic Boulder]: Raising a boulder will now generate noise.

COMBAT MASTERY

•   [Seize the Initiative
] Reduced the maximum number of stacks from 6 to 5.
If the target uses active abilities, they reduce the number of debuff stacks on it and the number of buff stacks on the attacker.
Added: added a Stagger Chance to the initial hit and Counter Chance buff/debuff to its stacking effect.

•  [Defensive Tactic] and [Offensive Tactic]: Changed:
Instead of a static bonus for each enemy within Vision , they now grant stacking bonuses for performing certain conditions.
Tactics now work for a limited number of turns.
Switching tactics no longer takes a turn or spends Energy.

•  [Finisher]: Added: this attack now has +25% Crit Chance.

•  [Against the Odds] Prevents Health from dropping below 10 > 15%
Added: the first attack received during the next turn does no damage and is automatically countered.

•  [Stance Training]: “Defensive Tactic” now increases weapon stances’ duration by 1 turn for each received attack.

ATHLETICS

•   [Mighty Kick
] Added: Failing to knock the opponent back now Staggers them for 2 turns.

•  [Sudden Lunge] Confusion Chance was replaced with Stagger Chance.

•  [Dash] Bonus Damage for each adjacent enemy was replaced by Counter Chance.

•  Each enemy adjacent to the starting position increases the Energy cost of the Skill by 20% > 10%[/list]

DUAL WIELDING

•  Some of the skills were moved around. “Dual Wielding Training” is now available earlier, while “Dying Fervor” was moved further down the ability tree.

•  [Enough for Everyone] The effect is no longer removed if the target leaves the adjacent tile.

•  [Deflect] Changed: Using this skill no longer reduces Hands Efficiency.
Each fully blocked attack now grants +5% Hands Efficiency for 2 turns and reduces active Cooldowns of the ability tree by 1 turn.

•  [Whirlwind] Changed: Can now jump between the same targets for an unlimited number of times.
Each jump now grants -10% > -15% Hands Efficiency .
The Skill’s Cooldown is no longer reduced by killing enemies. The same goes for bonus Hands Efficiency - killing enemies no longer increases it.
Added: +4% Dodge Chance for 3 turns per each strike.

•  [Concentration] Lasts for 6 > 12 turns.
Added: receiving damaging attacks reduces the duration of the effect by 1 turn.

•  [Dual Wielding Training]: Using weapon-based skills no longer grants bonus Hands Efficiency.
Using weapon-based skills while wielding two weapons of the same type grants +7.5% Crit Chance and -7.5% Fumble Chance for 2 turns.
Using weapon-based skills while wielding two weapons of the different type grants +25% Off-Hand Efficiency and +7.5% Counter Chance for 2 turns.

•  [Berserk Tradition] +2.5% Hands Efficiency > +4% Counter Chance.
All bonuses now scale based on the character’s level and Attributes.

•  [Dying Fervor] Grants +10% > +20% Hands Efficiency when Health drops below 50%.
Added: Additionally grants +7.5% Crit Chance and +7.5% Counter Chance when Health drops below 33%


SPEARS

•   [Nail Down
] Changed: Immobilizing enemies with this skill no longer reduces active Cooldowns of “Nail Down” and “Impaling Lunge”.

•  [Impaling Lunge] Changed: The bonuses are no longer doubled when attacking Immobilized Enemies.
Using this skill against Immobilized enemies now does -25% Damage and halves other bonuses, but instantly refreshes this Skill’s Cooldown.

•  [Maneuver] Changed: now gains stacks for each reduced Cooldown, not fully refreshed one.

•  [Determination] Added: replenishes 10% Max Energy for each affected enemy. The enemies are additionally applied with -20% Move Resistance for 3 turns.

•  [Precise Hits] Grants +10% Accuracy > -5% Fumble Chance and +20% > +15% Bodypart Damage.

•  [Stay Back!] Affected enemies are applied with -25% > -15% Piercing Resistance for 1 > 2 turns.
The chance to trigger “Impaling Lunge” on a basic attack is 15% > 10%.

•  [Wounding Spearhead] Spear crits deal extra damage equal to the target’s 4% Current Health > 5% Max Health. Added a threshold for the max damage, based on the character’s Strength and Agility.
BUFFS TO UNIQUE ITEMS

As you may already know, the shortcomings of the existing item quality system prevent the unique items from being enchanted, which makes them less attractive to players. To compensate for this issue while the quality system is being properly reworked, most of the existing unique items (with the exception of the starting ones) were buffed:


•   Fancy Sword: -15% Abilities Energy Cost
•   Engraved Sword: -15% Cooldowns Duration
•   Decorated Warhammer: +25% Armor Penetration
•   Ornate Flanged Mace: +10% Daze Chance, +5% Stun Chance
•   Decorated Dagger: +10% Crit Chance
•   Carved Longbow: +10% Immobilization Chance
•   Vagabond Knight's Armor: -7.5% Damage Taken
•   Ceremonial Cuirass: +5% Health Restoration, +25% Healing Efficiency
•   Occult Cloak: +13% Bleed Resistance
•   Jousting Cloak: -5% Damage Taken, -5% Abilities Energy Cost
•   Raven Heater Shield: +15% Fortitude
•   Pig-Faced Bascinet: +15% Fortitude
•   Cervelliere with Ear Guards: +10% Control Resistance
•   Ornate Barbute: +5% Accuracy


ART

•   New potion sprites.
•   New icons for some modifiers.
•   New sprites for some consumables.
•   Some enemies got their visuals updated.
•   New shop signs for merchants and artisans in the settlements.


UI & UX

•   Changes to the mode menu: the attack and rest modes can now be moved to the ability bar. Added Shout and Reload actions to the mode menu.
•   Upon equipping dual weapons, the stats for both hands are now being displayed separately in the character menu.
•   Sleep and Blindness effects now make the screen go dark.
•   Bow and crossbow hovers now display their Range.


FIXES

•   Removed the rain sound from the winter biome.
•   Fixed issues with the enemies’ Injury thresholds.
•   Fixed issues with the fog of war.
•   Fixed blood decals appearing in wrong situations
•   The Ancient Troll now properly fells trees when moving.
•   Surface enemies no longer spawn inside trees and impassable ravines.

[Asid]

Year One Anniversary & Progress Update
Sat, 6 February 2021



Hello everyone!

Today Stoneshard celebrates its first anniversary: it’s been exactly a year since the game was released into Early Access! By an amazing coincidence, the Black Boar tavern’s anniversary shares the same date - to honor this remarkable event, Brukk the Innkeeper decided to decorate his establishment. During this month his guests will also be gifted a free pie, baked by a special recipe. Make sure to launch the game to participate in the festivities!

Now back to our plans. Over the last year the game saw noticeable improvements: there were four major updates and a content patch, as well as an innumerable amount of hotfixes and smaller updates. We still have a long road ahead of us, something we will talk about today.

Right now we’re working on the “City of Gold” update, the largest one yet. It’s meant to significantly expand the global map, add basic caravan mechanics, the first major city, new biomes, new points of interest, random encounters, and also a number of currently unannounced, but very important features. As you can see, this is a lot of content, so “City of Gold” will be released approximately in Q2 2021.

Most new systems are still being prototyped, so it will be a while before the devlogs on them are published. While we’re working on the technical side of the global map, have a look at this concept art and teasers for the upcoming content:


 



 




As we implement the city of Brynn, we also plan to expand the game’s lore. There’ll likely be a few devlogs dedicated to it as well.

That’s all for now. Until the next devlog!


0.6.1.8 – CHANGELOG

- The Black Boar tavern was decorated in celebration of the anniversary.
- You can now get a free pie from Brukk.
- Changed the troll rewards:
•   Increased the gold reward up to 10 000 crowns.
•   Most item rewards were changed: Weber will now give more expensive and higher level items.
•   Added an option to ask for a crossbow, a spear, a two-handed axe, or a two-handed mace.

-Increased the loot quality in secret room containers. Some of them are now guaranteed to have unique items.
- Vases as well as both common and wealthy sarcophaguses now contain less valuable loot.
- Temporarily removed unpopular or useless effects (such as resistances to rare damage types) from the list of possible enchantments.
- Changed the power of some enchantment effects:
•   Bleed Chance, Damage Reflection: +5% > +7.5%
•   Fire, Unholy, Move, Control, and Bleed Resistances: +5% > +10%
•   Armor Damage: +25% > +33%
•   Crit Efficiency: +20% > +25%
•   Spells and Skills Energy Costs, Cooldowns Duration: -10% > -7.5%

- With certain exceptions, equipment higher than level 10 can no longer be found in graves. Drop rates for the rest of the valuable loot were increased.
- [Counterattack Mastery] No longer grants Off-Hand Efficiency if the main hand holds a shield.
- Decreased the base level range for the equipment sold by merchants.
- Fixed the Skeleton Crossbowman, which was technically armed with a bow.
- Defensive Stance now works as described.
- Skinning a dog now yields a pelt of the correct color.
- Fixed the bug preventing unlocked skills from being saved.
- Fixed the bug with the Sigil of Darkness disappearing prematurely.
- Fixed animals not displaying a visual indicator when entering a territorial state after being shot at.

[Asid]

0.6.1.9 - French Localisation
Sun, 7 March 2021



Hello everyone!

We’re happy to announce that Stoneshard has been fully translated to French. The today’s update added French to the list of available localizations, making it eleven in total!

In the near future we also plan to make the game available in European Spanish and Korean languages. Stay tuned for the upcoming announcements!

Until the next time!

0.6.1.9 - Changelog

- Added French localisation
- Black Boar Inn celebration has ended

[Asid]

Devlog: Crime System
Sun, 2 May 2021



Hello everyone!

In today’s devlog we’ll tell you about the crime and punishment system, which will be added with the “City of Gold” update, planned for the end of this summer.

Initially, we didn’t plan to add this feature so soon, however the random encounters system that we’re currently working on requires killable NPCs and, subsequently, a punishment for killing them. Other crimes are just a logical continuation of this option. Let’s start with reviewing the general mechanics.

Crime Mechanics



Any unlawful action that you perform in front of a NPC is considered a crime. This includes:
•   Disturbing the peace
. Opening containers that don’t belong to you, setting traps in public locations, throwing items at NPCs, using certain abilities (such as spells) in public, trespassing, and so on.
•   Breaking a lock
. Attempting to pick or force open locked chests and doors.
•   Theft
. Taking items that don’t belong to you.
•   Livestock slaughter
. Killing animals that are considered more valuable (such as cows and horses) will result in a more severe punishment than killing cats and dogs.
•   Assaulting an NPC
. Delivering a first strike counts as an assault.
•   Killing or knocking NPCs out
. In case you decide to follow through with your assault.
•   If you commit anything from this list (other than an assault or a murder) and don’t get caught in the process, this won’t count as a crime.

Punishment



Every crime has a number of consequences:
•   Reputation loss
. The amount lost depends on the severity of a crime. For instance, a murder can negate the Reputation gain from completing a few dozen contracts and will make the locals hate you.

It’s worth mentioning that the Reputation loss also affects your standing with the entire Faction, even if to a lesser extent. Therefore, if you frequently get caught stealing in Osbrook, the rumors will reach Mannshire and Brynn, damaging your Reputation there as well.
•   Becoming wanted
. For the duration of being wanted, guards will try to fine or arrest you, and the local population will refuse to have any dealings with you, be it trading, giving contracts and tasks, or even talking. It’s also impossible to sleep and save your game in the settlements where you are a wanted person.

You’ll also become wanted in other settlements of the Faction, not just the one where you commit a crime, so it might be a good idea to wait it out in a neutral location or, in the future, with another Faction.
•   Receiving a fine and serving jail time
. You can atone for your crimes by doing one of the following: pay a fine or go to jail. The amount you have to pay or the time you must serve depends on the severity of your crimes.



However, you can always refuse to cooperate, temporarily making the guards hostile. If you start losing a fight with them, you’ll be given another chance to surrender.

Jail



If you decide to save your money and go to jail instead of paying a fine, your sentence will depend on the amount and severity of your crimes - up to forty days. You’ll also experience it personally: all your items will be temporarily confiscated, and your character will be locked up in a cell. You’ll have access to a cot, which you can use to skip a day, and to a guard, which will bring you a daily plate of gruel and a chunk of bread to keep you from starving to death.

Spending time in jail will gradually increase your reputation up to Neutrality, reflecting your redemption. At the same time, the lack of practice will cause you to lose experience. However, you won’t lose much and you can’t regress in levels - you can only lose the experience accumulated towards your next level up.

Thievery



Most containers in the settlements will now belong to Factions, and any item that you take from them will be considered stolen.

It won’t be possible to sell “borrowed” goods to traders in the same location - you’ll have to either move to another settlement, find a fence, or just wait for things to calm down. The duration of search for stolen items depends on their value - for instance, a stolen bucket will quickly be forgotten, while a piece of jewelry will have people looking for it for a long time. The same logic also applies to the severity of fines.

Murdering NPCs



All NPCs outside of settlements will be killable - any patrol or a merchant that you encounter on the road can be murdered and looted for an immediate gain.

NPCs within the settlements will remain unkillable, since doing otherwise might potentially prevent the players from being able to progress. It would also require a huge amount of context-dependent dialogues, visual changes to the settlements, and so on. To sum it up, it wouldn’t be wise to spend so much resources on a feature that would be ignored by most players.

Although, it will still be possible to attack these NPCs - upon being brought down to 0% HP, they’ll become comatose, regaining their senses once their Health regenerates to a certain threshold. Doing so will count as a murder within the planned crime system. If you have the inclination, this will allow you to knock out village merchants and rob them of their crowns and a few items, but you won’t get to loot the entirety of their stock..

=========================================

That’s all for now. Until the next devlog!

[Asid]

Brynn Lore: Part II - Leaders
Sun, 23 May 2021



Hello everyone!

Today we’ll share some of the lore coming with the “City of Gold
” update, planned for the end of this summer
. This time it’s about the most influential people of Brynn, whom you will have a chance to encounter. To better understand the context, we recommend checking out the previous lore entry.

Denvar Brie, the Guildmaster



Unlike the rest of the Brynn elites, Denvar Brie is neither of noble birth nor possesses incredible riches. He was born in the family of a successful, yet common artisan, which makes the journey to his current standing even more remarkable.

Denvar has always been energetic and assertive. These qualities, in addition to his reputation as an outstanding weaponsmith, allowed him to claim the venerable title of the Grandmaster in the Blacksmith Guild, one of the most influential guilds in Brynn.

Despite his position of power, Denvar never forgot his roots. Although his lavish spending habits set him apart from simple craftsmen, he put a lot of effort into making their lot easier, something which no one in Brynn had ever done before. As a result, he gathered widespread support among common citizens.

The events of spring 427, when the freshly-formed Magistrate attempted to subjugate independent guilds by merging them into a single, easily controllable entity, only increased Denvar’s popularity, solidifying his place among the city leaders. Right now he’s the man representing the interests of every craftsman in the city, so both the local merchants and the nobility have to reckon with him.

Denvar is well-aware that he’s surrounded by enemies, and he’s also not too eager to openly confront other factions. No one knows what plans are brewing in his ambitious mind, but one thing is certain: he’s waiting for an opportune moment to strike a painful blow against his opponents, leaving them no chance to recover. For now his main weapon is a threat of mass strike, which he uses to gain further influence.

An otherwise enlightened man, Denvar has an open distaste for elves, whom he sees as the main threat to both his position and the prosperity of Brynn. Thanks to Jeon Ballar’s protection, elven goods recently took the city’s market by storm – there isn’t much that can rival their quality, and their price, while still fairly high, continues to drop with every weekly shipment of Ahjat weapons and Jibean jewelry unloaded in the Docs. If nothing changes in the next few months, many of the Guild’s craftsmen might lose their job.

Therefore, Denvar considers the House of the Azure Thread, the trade representative of the Jacinth Kingdoms in Brynn, his personal enemy. Many are afraid that if he ever becomes a ruler, he will not rest until Aldor is free from all traces of elven influence, even if it unleashes Jacinth armies upon the realm...

Jeon Ballar, the Comprador



Throughout his entire life, Jeon Ballard has been incredibly lucky, starting with him being born in the wealthiest family of Brynn. A silk-cushioned childhood, a carefree adolescence, rowdy university years, an easy, profitable job in the merchant League – while others fell victims to intrigues and hardships, Jeon always appeared unscathed by misfortune.

The period of political infighting and instability, which followed King Etbert’s untimely death, brought ruin to many, but Jeon only benefited from it: if anything, that’s when his swift rise to the top began.
Brynn had long been discontent with the Crown, and the King’s death gave the conspirators, Jeon being one of them, a free rein. The meticulously planned overthrow was a success: the freshly-formed Magistrate seized the power, and Jeon managed to become its leader in just a few weeks, greatly assisted by the sudden murder of the previous burgomaster, something which he vehemently denies any connection to.

Knowing nothing of the military matters, Jeon was smart enough to delegate the control over the army to experts. Unfortunately, the sudden outbreak of the Crimson Plague robbed the Magistrate of its victory, leaving Jeon surrounded by power-hungry military commanders. Still, Jeon’s remarkable ability to drop meaningful hints and make promising concessions allowed him to firmly remain in his seat.

This can’t go on indefinitely though. The truce becomes shakier with each passing day, and it won’t be easy to finish off the Council, which had enough time to recover from its defeat. Perhaps this fear of an encroaching demise was exactly what forced Jeon to seek the help of the elves, whom Aldor has an age-long grudge with. For now their support isn’t very noticeable, but Jeon has big plans - after all, establishing closer ties with elven allies is where the profit is at. This trend, however, unnerves the rest of the Magistrate – very few people are willing to share money and power with outlanders.

Jeon’s luck might soon run dry… But who knows how many more tricks this genius of intrigues and compromises still has up his sleeve?

Arno di Berro, the General



Poet. Warrior. Strategist. Leader. Duke Arno di Berro is an embodiment of true aristocracy, making it even more remarkable that he found himself a part of the republican Magistrate.

A scion of a noble family, which fled from the Bronze Isles, Arno di Berro was born and raised in Aldor. At the same time, he still feels like an outsider, making him as demanding to himself as he is to others. Some ill-wishers claim that Duke di Berro’s main goal in life is to become a better Aldorian than actual Aldorians – although one has to admit that if that is true, he has been quite successful so far.

Until recently, very few people knew the name of di Berro: he had an excellent education in the University and participated in many of King Etbert’s wars, but otherwise he was a completely unremarkable Brynn nobleman. After the monarch’s death, he became a major player in the Magistrate – the sudden cooperation between the haughty Duke and merchants and craftsmen, whom he had previously openly despised, came as a surprise to many, even his new allies. At the same time, no one in Brynn can deny that upon taking control over one of the city’s armies, Arno proved his loyalty to the Magistrate with his actions.

Under the skillful leadership of their decisive and fearless commander, the Magistrate forces successfully captured pro-royalist Maen and, after the Council launched an attack on the Southern front, marched back to Brynn, breaking the siege. All this earned the Duke a reputation of a war hero and the savior of the Magistrate. During the truce Arno also made great strides in reforming the military: under his command a ragtag army of mercenaries and militia transformed into a powerful force, ready to follow their leader to the end of the world.

Unsurprisingly, both the League and the Guild wish to garner Arno’s favor, however he believes himself to deserve much more than that. Too prideful to compromise and share power, the Duke doesn’t want to join forces with other Magistrate leaders, counting only on himself and his soldiers. At the same time, there is an increasing number of mysterious ships being met in the Docs by the Vanguard troops under the cover of night, so perhaps the usually straightforward Duke plays his own game, just like everyone else in Brynn.

Arno continues to proclaim his unwavering support for the Magistrate, and yet, judging by the fiery speeches he gives to his soldiers, his vision for the realm is much more different than what the Guild or the League have in mind. Proud and power-hungry, the Duke wishes to unite the land under a single banner, with him leading Aldor towards great victories. And even though Arno di Berro continues calling this new order a republic, will it actually be any different from the monarchy, which so many in the Magistrate died fighting against?

[Asid]

Devlog: Global Map
Sun, 8 August 2021



Hello everyone!

It’s been a while since the last announcement! During this time, we’ve been working on lots of stuff: new enemies, locations, mechanics, quests, changes to combat, and other features - we’ll tell you about it all in a series of devlogs prior to the “City of Gold” release, planned for this October.

The first devlog will showcase the largest of the new systems: the global map.

GENERAL OVERVIEW

The global map is one of the most ambitious mechanics that we have ever worked on. It’s vital for implementing the proper scale and introducing the intended progression system, so that’s why it took the longest to make.

We experimented with multiple map sizes, settling on a size smaller than what we had originally intended - this way the map will be denser with points of interest and random events. In the “City of Gold” update you’ll be able to explore Brynn and its surrounding areas - it’s about 20% of what we plan Aldor to be on full release and ten times larger than the existing map.



The map generation uses a mixed approach: some elements are static, while others are randomized with each new playthrough. The static locations are mostly tied to lore, they include cities, villages, some story locations, mountain ranges, the coastline, and rivers (although rivers will also be randomized in the future; we’ll talk about them in greater detail in a separate devlog).

Most points of interest, dungeons and their types, forests, some bioms, and roads are procedurally generated, preserving the spirit of exploration even after multiple playthroughs.

In the future it’ll also be possible to use the caravan to travel across the global map, but it won’t be just an unlimited fast travel option. It’s more of a means to occasionally cross large distances rather than something you use to ride to a dungeon and back.

NAVIGATION



In a sense, the global map records your journey, only marking the locations you personally visit or hear about. The rest is concealed by the fog of war.

That’s why instead of replacing paper maps, the global map will complement them. You’ll still need to purchase paper maps in order to find points of interest and to navigate through new zones, comparing the information you learn from them with the global map.

Naturally, there’ll be other ways to learn about interesting locations (rumors, for instance), but paper maps will remain the most readily available and reliable option to do so. They will more or less work as notes - the large part of their function, such as pop-ups with tile descriptions, was moved to the global map.



This function was greatly expanded as well: most locations now have lore descriptions, letting you better understand the game world. Abandoned carts, roadside shrines, graves, and other minor landmarks now have their own map marker. So does the player character, as it’s way too easy to get lost on such a large map without a character marker, especially after taking a long break from a playthrough.

Our ultimate goal is to make exploration exciting and unpredictable, and the world - vivid and more detailed. That’s why we also added many new points of interest as well as places where you can rest and regroup for a fair fee, such as lonely homesteads or roadside inns.



SYSTEMS

The global map has a few hidden systems under the hood, meant to improve the player experience and make the world more logical and believable.

The most important of them is the reworked progression of dungeons. Now that we aren’t limited by the map’s size, we can place many more dungeons on it. As a result, there’ll be only beginner level dungeons around Osbrook, which will prevent sudden difficulty spikes and will make levelling smoother and more measured.



The dungeon respawn system was also reworked. First of all, it will take significantly longer for them to respawn: you’ll have to move between settlements upon completing all their contracts, otherwise you’ll waste a huge amount of time waiting.

The level of enemies you encounter in dungeons is no longer static - it can shift with subsequent respawns, making enemies stronger or weaker. However, it’s still limited by the zones’ level: even by the time you reach the endgame, you won’t be able to encounter rogue knights around Osbrook.

Some dungeons can only be found far from settlements - you’ll have to search for them on your own, as they don’t have contracts leading to them. The payoff is usually more than worth it: there you will find not only the strongest foes, but also the most valuable loot.

Another important factor is the Wildness
of an area. This hidden parameter influences many things: it increases the overall amount of animals, the chance of them spawning, and also reduces your chances to run into a random bandit group in the middle of the woods. This parameter is much lower next to cities and dungeons, so it will be a rare occurrence to come face to face with a bear or a huge wolf pack upon stepping outside of Osbrook. The wilderness factor also affects the chance of being ambushed: there’ll be less ambushes on distant roads and more of them near brigand Bastions.



There’s one more important addition - a new type of points of interest that can be called “dens
” or “habitats
”. These locations attract specific animal types, guaranteeing that you will encounter them there. Most large animals will have such locations: wolves, bears, moose, boars, etc. The habitats also increase the spawning chance for these animals in the surrounding map tiles, so discovering them can make hunting much easier. On the other hand, it’s best to exercise caution in your search - sometimes instead of a deer trail you can find a ghoul den or something even worse...

==================================================

That’s all for now. Until the next devlog!

[Asid]

Devlog: Changes to Mechanics
Sun, 22 August 2021



Hello everyone!

The City of Gold update is going to be the largest one yet not only in terms of content, but also the overall mechanics. The introduction of the global map will greatly affect the progression and will be the first step in making it work as originally intended - and that’s where tweaks to the mechanics come into play. Today we’ll address some of them in this devlog and tell you about every important change to the combat system.

Splitting Protection

Let’s start with the most important change: splitting the Protection stat between different body parts. The current Protection system is a remnant of those times when Stoneshard was envisioned as a simpler and shorter game. Every piece of armor increased the unified Protection stat by a certain amount, affecting all incoming strikes and allowing, say, plated boots to protect the entire body.

This resulted in a number of issues: the stacking of resistances and heavy armor was way too effective, allowing to almost entirely shrug off most enemies’ attacks. We decided to abandon this system: Protection, as well as Damage and Bleed Resistances, granted by each individual piece of armor, now affect only their designated body parts. Helmets only protect the head, cuirasses - the torso, and gloves - just the hands.



This makes middle and late game combat noticeably deadlier, strengthens the role of individual pieces of equipment, and allows more flexibility in armor progression - before the City of Gold, heavy helmets only granted 2-3 more Protection than the mail coif, but now the difference is quite substantial.

Finding the balance between the offensive and defensive playstyles will become more important than ever: the heavy plate is safer, but takes a toll on Energy; on the flip side, light and medium armors provide less defense, but allow using skills more liberally.



The shown numbers are subject to change


Protection, just like Block Power, now also affects the incoming Magic and Nature damage, but only with 50% effectiveness: you’ll need 20 Protection to fully soak 10 Fire Damage.

Changes to Block

As you may have guessed, the Blocking mechanic was affected as well, gaining some extra depth. Meet the new stat: Block Power Recovery.

Before the rework, it didn’t really matter how hard or how many times you got hit on the shield: if your Block Power was high enough, you were completely invulnerable to enemy attacks. Now, however, Block Power is expended by blocking, representing the exertion and the loss of balance, and then slowly being recovered each turn.

Let’s say you have 25 Block Power and 20% Block Power Recovery. An enemy strikes you for 25 Damage: you block it, spending 25 Block Power, so you’re left with zero. After that, 20% Block Power Recovery replenishes you 5 Block Power: if you block another attack during the next turn, you’ll receive 20 Damage.

This way prolonged fights, especially against multiple opponents, will quickly drain your Block Power, so you’ll have to use your resources more strategically or rely on specialized skills.

Naturally, shields were affected by this change the most. They lost their innate Protection and gained higher Block Chance and Block Power to compensate for it. Other than that, shields were roughly split in three categories: light, medium, and heavy.



The shown numbers are subject to change.

•   Light shields
have the lowest Block Chance and Power, boasting a large bonus to Block Power Recovery instead: they block limited amounts of damage, but they do so with reliable effectiveness. Certain Shield skills also grant them additional bonuses.
•   Medium shields
are a jack of all trades: they have decent Block Chance and Power, but lack the bonus to Recovery, making them a balanced choice for defensive playstyles.
•   Heavy shields
have a huge bonus to Block Chance and Power and can withstand some of the most devastating attacks. But woe to you if you run out of Block Power in the middle of a fight - heavy shields Recover incredibly slowly, so unless you invest into the specialized skill tree, you risk handicapping yourself with an unwieldy, heavy piece of equipment.

Accuracy Calculation

In the current version of the game, the hit chance formula is very simple:

 Hit Chance, % = The attacker’s Accuracy - The target’s Dodge Chance
 


We decided to change it by splitting dodges and misses into two distinct categories: there’ll be two independent checks for the attacker’s chance to hit (depends on their Accuracy) and the target’s chance to perform a dodge.

At the same time, Accuracy over 100% still reduces the target’s Dodge Chance, and the negative Dodge Chance contributes to the attacker’s Accuracy.

Changes to Dodge

Now to the next important change - the new Dodge system.

Initially, Dodge Chance was a completely secondary stat, and we didn’t plan making dedicated Dodge builds a thing. This changed with the introduction of the Dual Wielding skill tree, when we tried adding some dodge-focused gear and the “Berserk Tradition” passive that granted a huge Dodge bonus to characters without armor.

That experiment wasn’t very successful. The issue with its current implementation lies in the “all or nothing” conundrum: you either take no damage or you take it all. Dodge builds revolve entirely around stacking Dodge Chance, running a very thin line between invulnerability and being borderline unplayable: sometimes it’s possible to consistently avoid all damage only to have your character annihilated by a single instance of bad luck..

To sum it up: Dodge builds ignored a large portion of available gear, mindlessly stacked a single stat, and were overly reliant on two key skills (Elusiveness and Berserk Tradition) - none of it worked with the rest of the game.

That’s why we listened to our community and changed Dodge in accordance with the suggestion made on our Discord server by @WatcherOfArabia, that was also supported by other players: instead of simply negating all damage, performing a dodge turns successful attacks
into fumbles
, and fumbled
attacks into misses
.

This way Dodge becomes more nuanced, functioning as an important stat with numerous applications. It can be combined with light and medium armors (their lower Protection is more manageable with the 50% Damage penalty on fumbled attacks) or with more aggressive playstyles that focus on applying Stagger
and Fumble Chance
debuffs with skills, passives, or certain consumables.

The “Berserk Tradition” passive was remade as well - it no longer requires you wearing no armor and has different mechanics and bonuses associated with it.

Other Changes

The rest of the changes aren’t that massive, but they are still worth mentioning:

•   Most conditions and injuries were rebalanced to make them more distinct and to increase the influence they have on gameplay.
•   Being knocked back into an occupied tile now applies Daze instead of Stun. This was done to prevent stunlocks and counteract the strategy of abusing doorways and corners, which is way too effective in the current version
of the game. Stun now grants a significant bonus to Control Resistance, which should also make stunlocks much less frequent.
•   Some effects received a rework: Wetness, for instance, now has stacks that depend on the overall duration of the debuff. The longer you stay under the rain, the stronger the effect. Rain now also causes metal items to slowly degrade
•   Skill trees received short descriptions with keywords, meant to help new players to quickly understand their theme and possible synergies..
•   There were also some changes to main Attributes, but more about them later...

That’s all for now! Stay tuned: we’ll begin revealing the upcoming update’s content starting with the next devlog.



Until the next time!

[Asid]

Devlog: City of Gold Release Date & The Latest News
Mon, 4 October 2021



Hello everyone!

Let’s start with the release date: as many of you might already know, the City of Gold update was moved to November due to a number of reasons. And today we’re ready to announce its exact release date - November 18. This date is final, so make sure to set up a reminder!

Now to the latest news. We’re currently working on bringing the city to life, setting up NPCs and implementing side quests, many of which will have multiple paths and long-term consequences. Even though we would be happy to give you details, it’s not possible without getting into spoilers, so we’ll let you discover the secrets of Brynn streets by yourself.

Here’s a teaser just to get you started. And in return we’ll tell you about many other things that will be added with the City of Gold:


We haven't yet finished setting up NPCs, so you can expect the end result to be much more lively.

Read on: Click Here

[Asid]

Devlog: Changes to the Leveling System
Sun, 10 October 2021



Hello everyone!

In today’s devlog we’ll tell you about changes to the leveling system that will be introduced with the City of Gold update.

ATTRIBUTES

As we observed choices made by players when building their characters, we found out the following things:

    Players rarely spread points between multiple Attributes - both stat points gained upon leveling up are usually invested into a single Attribute to receive a more noticeable increase in power.
    Primary Attributes affect too many secondary stats: it’s difficult to keep track of them for most players, and leveling usually comes down to focusing on 1 or 2 build-defining stats.
    Some primary Attributes are way too important for certain archetypes while being pretty much ignored by others.


That’s why we decided to revise our old Attributes system:

    All Attributes are now capped at 30 points
    .
    Each Attribute governs only two secondary stats
    .
    You only gain one stat point
    upon leveling up, but its impact is now much more noticeable.
    Each primary Attribute now also has thresholds
    - upon reaching them your character will receive a powerful bonus to 3 additional stats. Each Attribute has 4 thresholds that you can reach - 15, 20, 25, and 30 points.

    We noticed that many players enjoy investing into Perception for much-desired Bonus Range breakpoints - it’s one of the reasons why we’re introducing a similar twist to other Attributes, making leveling more engaging and providing players with goals to pursue.
    The bonuses to characters’ starting Attributes were reduced.




All these changes will require you to put more thought into building your characters - many important stats are only increased upon reaching an Attribute threshold, so you’ll have a lot of things to consider: shall you put your precious SP into Vitality to gain bonus Health? Perhaps it’s more worthwhile to invest into Perception for Accuracy and Crit Chance? Or maybe the best course of action is to continue pushing Strength, hoping that its bonus Damage will offset the characters’ shortcomings? The decision is yours to make.

Read on..... https://steamcommunity.com/games/625960/announcements/detail/3005581668794326902

[Asid]

Devlog: Rumor System & Artifacts
Mon, 8 November 2021



Hello everyone!

The City of Gold is almost here! Before its release on November 18th, we plan to publish one more devlog with a summary of the update’s most important changes and additions. Today, however, we’d like to tell you about two previously unannounced systems.

Rumor System

Rumors are closely tied to the new global map. As you may recall from its designated devlog, the global map will be initially concealed in the fog of war that you need to clear by exploring the world.
The same principle applies to Points of Interest, the location of which will be hidden until you stumble upon them yourself or learn about them from rumors.

Rumors are scraps of the latest news, gossip, and other interesting information, mostly exaggerated and sometimes not matching the reality at all. This mechanic is already partially present in the game: most NPCs can be chatted up to learn their thoughts about recent events, although this feature currently doesn’t have any gameplay applications.



After the CoG update, talking with some characters will actually provide you with valuable information, usually hinting at nearby POIs, which will then be marked on the global map. Different types of Points of Interest will have their own rumors associated with them: you’ll be able to learn about nearby camps, hunting grounds, monster dens, unique locations, distant dungeons, and so on.

Keep in mind that sometimes NPCs will request payment for valuable rumors, so make sure to bring your gold purse when fishing for information. If you fail to learn anything useful on your first attempt, don’t be discouraged - you’ll be able to try again in a few days.

Artifacts



Let’s talk about artifacts, a new type of loot with special properties. Artifacts are powerful relics of both recent and ancient past, some of them even dating back to antiquity. They’re usually imbued with mystical properties and can greatly benefit your character if you’re willing to sacrifice inventory space to carry them around.

Artifacts function as unique items: each of them can only be acquired once per playthrough. You’ll be able to find them in distant dungeons - dangerous locations situated far from settlements. These distant dungeons don’t have contracts associated with them, so you’ll have to either find them on your own or rely on rumors.



In the future, we might introduce additional means of acquiring artifacts: you’ll be able to find some of them in special locations, and others - in secret rooms or during quests. But for now, here are some of the artifacts you’ll have a chance to encounter in this update:

Casket with St Wald Relics



“St Wald, one of the first Aldorian saints, left his mark in history as a great preacher and an implacable enemy of heretics and the wicked. His relics are said to possess miraculous properties, capable of warding off the evil eye and cleansing malicious curses”


Effect:
grants +30% Unholy Resistance and immunity to the “Curse” effect.

Codex of the Triple Hand Order



“This hefty tome is written in the Order's notorious code which no one has yet managed to crack. It's rumored that this book was blessed by all three Hands of the Host, and that it contains the full history of the Order and every mystery of creation they were privy to…”


Effect:
killing undead or Proselyte enemies has 25% chance to grant “Blessing” for 100 turns.

Nikos of Arpheon's Astrolabe



“Nikos of Arpheon was perhaps the greatest seafarer known to the world. He was the first one to make a successful voyage around the Continent about a century ago. Even in the eye of Southern storms or amid icebergs of the North, Nikos's unparalleled skill as a navigator allowed him to always keep his ship on the chosen course”


Effect:
can be used on the surface during night time once per day. Upon activation, grants the effect of “Clear Vision” for 2880 turns, boosting Crit Chance, Accuracy, Vision, and Bonus Range.

Blessed Aquamanile



“A bronze jug in the form of a lion, expertly crafted on the Bronze Isles by an unknown master. Somehow this aquamanile found its way to Aldor, where it was blessed by the Archtheurgist of the High Hieron himself to serve as an eternal source of water to those dying of thirst - whenever emptied, it miraculously refills itself”


Effect:
can be used once per day. Upon activation, sates 50% Thirst and also replenishes 25% Health and 15% Condition to each body part.

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That’s all for now. Until the next devlog!
Game
Stoneshard

[Asid]

Devlog: Final Preparations
Wed, 17 November 2021



Hello everyone!

The City of Gold update is soon to be released: the approximate time is 21:00 MSK, November 18th. Right now is a good moment to give a summary of the progress we’ve made, talk about the update’s new features and what will be added to the game until the end of the year, and also discuss our plans for the future development of Stoneshard.

Global Map and Rumor System

The City of Gold update will feature the long-awaited expansion of the game’s world: the old 17x11 map will be replaced with a 40x40 one - there’ll also be a new menu for navigating it. This map will be filled with numerous Points of Interest, including monster dens and some new unique locations.



As for finding these locations, you’ll need to make use of the new Rumor System - chatting with NPCs will occasionally provide you with valuable (and sometimes not so valuable) hints about places that are worth checking out.

Read on..... https://steamcommunity.com/games/625960/announcements/detail/3119301148800909733