Dogs Of War Vu

Sim/Strategy/War => Games Discussion => Topic started by: Asid on October 07, 2016, 04:25:36 PM

Title: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on October 07, 2016, 04:25:36 PM
(http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/449960/extras/bod_about_game.png?t=1474030061)

Early Access
Official Site: Here (https://www.return2games.com/)
Official forum: Here (http://steamcommunity.com/app/449960/discussions/)
YouTube Channel:Here (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0dYgISVxvNijn-73S6oziQ)
Steam: Here (http://store.steampowered.com/app/449960/)
Price: £14.99

Trailer Published on 10 Mar 2016
https://youtu.be/0T_3ezRnC_w

About This Game

Book of Demons is a deck-building hack and slash adventure game, where players can decide the length of quests. The game is the first installment of Return 2 Games - a series of original mid-core titles, inspired by the early golden days of PC gaming.

(http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/449960/ss_10e72c2739bbd6686b45819f950a0598c08c0aa8.600x338.jpg?t=1474030061)

Decide the length of quests!
Have only 5 minutes for a game? No problem! Book of Demons allows you to set the length of each quest, thanks to our Flexiscope™ system. It learns your way of playing and gives you the best experience, making Book of Demons the first truly accessible hack & slash!

(http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/449960/ss_d698cd9f233ae08764fc5cae84064d90c4973493.600x338.jpg?t=1474030061)

Build your own deck of devastating skills!
Collect powerful skill cards, combine them depending on the enemies you're facing and assemble your favorite set of devastating powers! But be warned: efficiency of each card will greatly depend on the situation you're in, so be prepared to make constant adjustments!

(http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/449960/ss_1025728d71f3b72f8c69468628dbdab3070127c3.600x338.jpg?t=1474030061)

Relive the classic with a good laugh!
Book of Demons is a universal tale of good and evil about saving the world from total destruction and ultimate devilry! Sounds familiar? Well, how about retelling the story in a different way, with a humorous twist of a parody?

(http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/449960/ss_bfa47e981fd1e85684acfd289634b97363cf67c0.600x338.jpg?t=1474030061)

Be a part of a one-of-a-kind adventure!
Never explore the same dungeon twice - in Book of Demons every level is a procedurally generated, randomly-populated adventure of its own! You won't get bored by the diversity of monsters either - there are over 70 kinds of creatures waiting to be slain: lurking scorpions, snake archers, mad goatmen, not-so-sexy succubi... you get the idea.

(http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/449960/ss_9c962dad130db8feed1d25cd0f7e811bea00303b.600x338.jpg?t=1474030061)

Hack & slash in the world of Paperverse!
Book of Demons is indeed a dark fantasy hack & slash, but unlike other action role-playing games, it's set in the pop-up book world of Paperverse. The paper-cut universe is one of the hallmarks of Return 2 Games - a series of mid-core games, inspired by the early golden days of PC gaming. Book of Demons is the first installment of the Return 2 Games series.

(http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/449960/ss_d5a0879cdf079d797e04759ae2be258feafb5abe.600x338.jpg?t=1474030061)

Looking for even more challenge?
Slaying the Archdemon won't be the end of the story. In Book of Demons, you can master the campaign with 3 different classes (Warrior, Rogue or Mage), revisit your favorite quests in Freeplay mode or rise to the challenge and explore the dungeons on higher difficulty levels (the last one is called Massacre, with good reason).
Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on October 07, 2016, 04:32:39 PM
Planned features (short and long term road-minimap)

We have decided to split roadmap into a long term one and a short term one. That way you will know what's coming before the Early Access ends and what is coming before the weekend. Of course, things can change - new features might get into the list (got a ton of ideas from the community and some are already implemented) and new bugs might delay us.

As you will surely notice, the Mage class has been delayed a bit. Before you get your pitchforks out let me explain in this thread :-)  http://steamcommunity.com/app/449960/discussions/0/343785574524185667/

The long term mini-roadmap!

October:
•   End-game difficulty modes more meaningful (they will not only change difficulty but also limit healing, destroy some of the equipped cards on death and so on) and permadeath.
•   Warrior rebalanced (includes work on several warrior cards and their effects)
•   General and tileset specific polish, new props
•   More comprehensive tutorials
•   More sounds
•   Demo

November:
•   The Mage class
•   More bosses
•   Archdemon fight improvements and polish

December
•   The Rogue class
•   Golden keys mechanic (Quest bosses mastering)

After that (confirmed stuff):
•   More content
•   Stars mechanic
•   Optimizations
•   New cards
•   Translations
•   Cursed sarcophagus mechanic
•   New super rare end game cards

In consideration:
•   End-game card upgrade system
•   Level editor
•   Leaderboards
•   Modding support

Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on October 27, 2016, 02:24:55 PM
Major Endgame Update, Free Demo

(http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/c6a94ffb428448d1555ab9d8b5b0a47e7ad57be8.gif)

WHAT'S LAUNCHING TODAY
One of the major complaints we were receiving is that the game is not challenging enough, especially on higher difficulty modes, and that there is not enough incentive to try different card combinations. What we’re launching today is our first attempt to address all of that.


Bosses can now curse cards

(http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/3356cd60ffa11ecf64f625232e244c6a9fe5a98a.jpg)

From now on, bosses in Freeplay mode will be immune to certain cards, forcing players to adjust their strategy during the encounter. This takes advantage of the game’s hallmark feature, a card system that unifies spells, items, skills, and character stats.


Imposed cards on higher difficulty levels

(http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/b53052cc3329aee168ccc11d92c4a31c9a458e38.jpg)

Additionally, when starting a game on Hard, Nightmare or Massacre difficulty, the game will select 2, 3 or 5 cards at random and equip them in a mandatory fashion. This will force players to build a hand around the weaknesses and strengths of those cards for the upcoming game.


Better way to switch cards during combat

(http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/064013c75c73d347e9ad28c294e25e6548a0f17c.jpg)

Imagine such situation: you stumble upon a pack or skeleton archers or other ranged units, so it would be great to swap one of your cards and equip the Shield. In previous builds, players would rarely change cards during combat, even when encountering a considerable swarm of enemies with certain special abilities. This was because swapping a card takes time, and it’s often better to just push ahead rather than open the cards pane and take the damage while adjusting your hand.

With the current update, once you open the cards pane, the game time slows down so that you can make tactical changes and respond to the threat in a better way.


Daredevil mode ːpaperdeathː ːpaperdeathː ːpaperdeathː

(http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/b28fd12f48e9d584165228f58587993d741a749a.jpg)

Players ready for an even greater challenge can try Daredevil Mode, which adds a brutal permadeath mechanic. Once you die, it’s game over, but the depth you achieved is written to the hall of fame. For now, the hall of fame is local only, but if it works nicely we’ll be enabling Steam leaderboards in the next update!


And much, much more

The changes described above are only part of the update. There are hundreds of bugfixes, lots of balance changes and other minor improvements. You can read the whole changelog here or in the game.

In the next update…

For those who were waiting for the next character class, we ask you for a bit of patience. It will be included in the next major update, which we’re already working on. If everything goes per plan, it should be ready by the end of November. And it won’t be “just” the new class, there will be a usual bunch of other exciting features we can’t wait to share with you!

FREE DEMO AVAILABLE
Intrigued by Book of Demons but haven’t tried it yet? No more excuses now!

http://store.steampowered.com/app/529980/
http://store.steampowered.com/app/449960/

Offering a demo during early access is something very few developers do, but we’re confident in our game and are working hard to raise the awareness. It’s a kind of experiment for us and we’re very anxious to see how well it goes and what will be its impact on our sales.

For now,
stay safe in paper dungeons! ːarchduckː
Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on November 04, 2016, 01:10:54 PM
Demo available

Great game. If you liked Diablo 1 then you will like this. Grab the demo and give it a spin.  8)

http://store.steampowered.com/app/449960/
Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on November 15, 2016, 08:13:22 PM
We do listen!

Hey!

We did a short write-up on how we approach and handle feedback and data gathering for game polishing and balancing purposes. It's mainly aimed at other devs but it's about you - our lovely community

You can read it on our blog. https://thingtrunk.com/awesome-early-access-community/
Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on November 16, 2016, 10:45:44 PM
Version 0.75.11097+ - 09 Nov 2016

•   Borderless window mode added to graphics options
•   Mouse cursor should feel more responsive
•   Visual upgrades in Hell Tileset
•   Fixed typos in both English and Polish versions
•   Fixed potential crash when setting current language



Version 0.75.11161+ - 16 Nov 2016

•   All ghosts will now behave like proper ghosts and walk through walls
•   Skull Spook will now leave a trail of icicles as intended
•   Boots card change: protection against fire is now time limited
•   Charge is no longer interrupted by arrows
•   Speed up scroll speed in cards pane (3x)
•   'Smart keyboard movement' where character tries to always walk straight through crossroads is now optional and can be disabled in controls options. When disabled character movement will be more predictable - each WASD key will map to a single direction.
•   Card slot unlock confirmation window will now work with gamepad
•   Slimy spores spawned by timed state will no longer die instantly after they get out of the radius
•   Although not officially supported, the game should now work on Windows XP
•   Multiple tweaks in gui sounds
•   Monsters spawned by other monsters are now not initially hidden or in stone form
•   Zombie plants now will appear with delay
•   Hungry plant can now attack from distance
•   Voracious plant now spawns slimy spores when it appears and when it dies
•   Sometimes gargoyles would stay too long in the stoneform, now fixed
•   Freezing shockwaves now travel faster

Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on November 29, 2016, 03:56:43 PM
The Last Update Before the Mage*

(http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/f8df0aefd03d2cc5654311bfccb7f41893f37943.gif)

*unless something urgent comes up of course.

Today's update focuses on balance, usability, and bug fixes. It's probably the last update before we introduce the Mage character.

Version 0.75.11310+ - 28 Nov 2016
•   Bosses and special chests can now drop special pouches containing 3 cauldron ingredients
•   Monster's double attack now works as intended
•   Boots now protect from fire for 8/10/12 seconds now (a bit longer than before)
•   Remedy card description now hints what effects are enabled on higher levels
•   Heal card tooltip now better describes card effect
•   After being slowed or frozen, you are now immune to slow/freeze for a short period of time
•   Bosses (especially quest ones) have a chance now to resist stuns
•   Mighty Blow’s cooldown increased by 1 second (3->4 secs)
•   Burning Axe upgraded to level 3 now properly increases damage inflicted by fire to monsters
•   When Burning Axe and Frozen Flail cards are equipped together, attack enhancement (fire or ice) is now selected automatically
•   Each consecutive poison tick on player is shorter now
•   Bosses in timed state now have 25% larger activity radius
•   Regular monsters near the final boss in the Archdemon quest have been removed
•   Improvements in Archdemon death sequence
•   Throw card will no longer stun monsters that are about to die
•   Balance changes in Antipope quest
•   Artifact cards loosened by stun can now be fixed with controller
•   Increased leaderboard score security (scores from backed-up saves won’t be uploaded anymore)
•   Snakes won’t get stuck on barrels anymore
•   Slimy spores won’t play charging sound twice
•   Fixed a bug where player’s character would sometimes make wrong turns on complicated crossings with looped paths
•   Fixed number of collected upgrade cards shown in stats window
•   Elemental Corpse spawn more on death
•   After upgrading cards other cards could incorrectly be added to “requirements met” group until the window was reopened. This will no longer happen.
•   Fast clicking on Cook’s doors or Statues won’t allow for spamming voice message
•   Ghost will no longer be highlighted by loot highlight function when traveling through walls/objects
•   Visual upgrades in Hell Tileset
•   Minor visual fixes in Catacombs
•   Fixed an uncommon visual glitch when junk was rendered if a controller was used to open in-game menu.
•   Fixed rare crash when lob type missile was tossed by a boss and loaded from save
•   Fixed a crash so rare it’s basically legendary: when master monster was removed from map with slaves still present and alive
•   Ghosts spawned by bosses will now collide with other objects as intended
•   Countermeasure for WASD fast attack exploit is now twice as strict.
•   Loot can no longer be picked up when the input is blocked but loot highlighting is on.
•   Fixed Slithering Soldier too small collision radius
•   Fixed a possible crash when dungeon with saved flying spore was loaded
•   Improved stability of Cluster and Throw cards

Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on December 05, 2016, 02:46:49 PM
Major Update: The Mage has arrived!
5 December

(http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/e259c12e33e7b94119346c39c5edddedcc150290.gif)

Book of Demons just got the biggest update so far. After a short testing phase on a different branch on Steam, we are happy to announce that the long-awaited Mage character is now available to everyone and playable. You can, at last, fight monsters in the paper dungeon using real magic ;-)

(http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/833825b26bb023dfe7ec5caa926345dc6e0ca151.png)

Mage is a powerful mystic proficient in all kinds of magic. Wearing only a robe he leaves direct face-to-face combat to his summoned minion, himself bringing devastation from a safe distance.

Mage’s attacks work a little different from Warrior’s. His projectiles are guided and will avoid other monsters to reach their target, but they can still hit walls. That’s why, for a Mage, fighting in tight spaces can be problematic and requires more tactical approach.
But for those (and any other) occasions he has some awesome cards up his sleeve. Mage class comes with 16 new unique class specific cards. Master each of the 11 new spells, 4 artifacts, and 1 item find synergies between them and use them according to situation – and no monster or boss will stand a chance!


Read on: Click Here (http://steamcommunity.com/games/449960/announcements/detail/548707633886029310)
Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on January 09, 2017, 05:55:22 PM
Card Changes The First Wave

(http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/94a74bd5ee6c91a2abc83512d6fe45e68cfa2c38.gif)

Today's update is the first part of the card system overhaul. The less revolutionary part, that prepares the scene for the second update that will come later. I will talk about card changes in more detail at the end of this post. Aside from cards and various fixes and small polish changes main highlights of this update are:


•   Steam Leaderboards are now browsable in-game (in the Hall of Fame)
•   New musical jingles for some events in the game
•   Improved safeguard against antivirus software interfering with the save system
•   Icicles when hit with ice element shockwaves now create smaller echoes of the shockwave, which should allow interesting synergies


Card Changes

In all cases cards on higher levels retain features from lower levels, often increasing the chance for the lower level effect to happen.


•   Ice Bombs spawn icicle when exploding

•   Magic ring (replaced Ring of Balance)
o   Level 1: Dispels all spell caster's by monsters
o   Level 2: Dispel is 2x faster, each dispelled spell spawns 4 mana crystals, 40% to stun dispelled monster
o   Level 3: Each dispelled spell spawns 5 mana crystals, 80% to stun dispelled monster

•   Corrupted Ring
o   Level 1: Healing poison launches guided poison bolts from the player, poison acts faster on monsters, chance to resist poison damage
o   Level 2: Chances improved
o   Level 3: Chances improved

•   Phantom Ring
o   Level 1: Resist slow, chance to spawn icicle when monster is killed (3% per every ːpaperheartː the monster had)
o   Level 2: Player is immune to freeze for 10 seconds after being frozen, when icicle is spawned a small shockwave is spawned, monsters colliding with frozen monsters are slowed
o   Level 3: Monster colliding with frozen monsters have 30% chance for being frozen

•   Demonic Ring
o   Level 1: Monster in flames are 50% slower, when player is standing in flames ice damage is reduced by 50%
o   Level 2: Monsters receive double damage from standing in flame, when monsters are hit with fire shockwave a fire can be spawned (20%)
o   Level 3: Monsters dying in fire fuel it, monsters standing in fire are missing more often

•   Chaotic Ring
o   Level 1: One click on shield now destroys whole shield's level, breaking regular shield spawns 2-4 hearts and magical shields spawn 2-4 electric bolts
o   Level 2: All shields are now destroyed with a single click.
o   Level 3: Destroying magical shield prevents it from respawning.

•   Heal no longer prevents monster's from healing
•   Book of Ice on level 3 now spawns small ice shockwave when icicle is clicked
•   Frozen Flail no longer had monster freeze/slow on collision mechanic but now spawns a small ice shockwave when icicle is clicked
•   Burning Axe no longer slows monsters in fire and doubles their damage. Now has chance to spawn small fire shockwave when monster is hit
•   Blade Storm no longer stuns monsters and no longer triggers card effects ːpaperdeathː
•   Disarmor No longer stuns unpacked monsters
•   Lightning: every segment now has 50% chance to deal 1 dmg to monster, lightnings splits into two lightnings shorter by 1 segment
•   Meteor now deals AoE dmg and breaks shields on impact. On level 2 it spawns shield breaking shockwave. On level 3 that shockwave breaks whole shields.
•   Mana potion no longer resets cooldowns
•   Golem doesn't die when left alone but rather teleports to the player, explodes on death and should be more responsive and less derpy ;-)


That's it for now. If your favorite card got nerfed and lost mechanics don't despair they might return in another form ;-) You can also check the changelog thread to see other changes.

As always, stay safe in dungeons ːpaperheartː
Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on February 05, 2017, 12:59:15 AM
On Cards and Schedule
4 February

(http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/01b4706fa818d83f88587819ffa318113e93df5c.gif)

We thought it would be a nice idea to keep you all up to date with the development. Usually, I sneak information about what we are working on into patch notes. However, since this update is shaping up to be quite big and takes more time I will dedicate a separate post to it.

Card system changes
During the last few months of early access, it became obvious that Book of Demons could use more variety when it comes to cards. Initially, we were planning on adding more cards close to the launch date but a neater and broader solution came up.

We are working on introducing card variants. Every card that is in the game right now will become a common card. Once you find a card, there will be a chance a rarer variant of that card might drop later on. A variant will add an extra mechanic to the card. It might reduce mana cost or it can have an effect on cards in the slot to the left. There are many possibilities. And, of course, every card is rumored to have a legendary variant that introduces twists on existing mechanics.

Because each variant will have to be upgraded separately we are also adding the option to downgrade cards (also often asked for feature, that now is properly justified).

As always we are not planning character wipes, the transition to the new system will be seamless.

Other changes
Many other systems will be influenced by the card system update:
•   The cauldron - good news everyone, it will give way more rewards than before  !
•   Mana burn mechanic will change as well. After the update demons on hell tileset will be able to drain hero's mana with successful attacks.
•   During their downtime guys are working on fancy atmospheric effects in the town (right now we have falling autumn leaves :D)
•   Since we had some trouble with antivirus software raiding save files we are adding smart backup features and we will also rework save system to be more power-failure resistant

The Roadmap
“No Battle Plan Survives Contact With the Enemy”
Helmuth von Moltke

So how does all that affects the schedule? As I mentioned before card system changes were not planned when we prepared the initial production plan for early access. That means that the plan has to be updated. We also now have a better feel of overhead related to early access, bugfixes and efforts required by the marketing. We are in the process of preparing a detailed plan, which will take some time since only one person can work on it full time while the rest of us works on cards and other stuff.

I will post details once it's ready but it's safe to say that there are going to be some delays. The rogue will be delayed by a month or two since the cards are getting a major overhaul. The launch will be delayed by some time as well. We initially aimed at Q1 2017 but not we can see that we will need more time to polish the game to the quality levels we find acceptable. We will also have to intensify marketing (gah  ) efforts before the launch and this will take time and resources.

Rest assured that we will work as hard as possible to get all the features in the game as soon as possible and only then we will focus on polishing stuff. We are also recruiting a programmer to speed up the efforts.

Less frequent but bigger updates
You also probably noticed that recently updates were mostly focusing on stability and backend. We made a concentrated effort to address all known bugs and enable features that will allow for easier debugging in the future.

Thanks to that, right now the game is pretty stable we have the lowest crash rate since launch and we are gathering info on the few remaining bugs. For that we have to stop issuing updates for a few days, so we can get more feedback from the same build (it's the only way to get reliable data from Steam).

This will also let us save some time on preparing builds and we will be able to focus on new features.

So, unless something urgent comes up, the next update should be the one with cards.

As always,
Stay safe in the dungeons
Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on March 15, 2017, 05:27:06 PM
Legendary Update!
15 March

(http://cdn.edgecast.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/5acd75251f83464e1c405be9dfdbb8d43335e1ee.gif)

The wait is over! The card system update is finally here. I will try and break down the main changes. Buckle up.

All is common now

(http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/9b196308ff6c9a69edcdd44a706f89a44c3c8112.png)

The first thing you will notice is that all your cards are now of common rarity. Yes, you read that right, the old common/rare/legend system has flown out of the window. All cards you knew are now common. Additionally, all unidentified cards you might have had before the patch will be identified at no cost, you will find then in your inventory after starting the game.

Pave way for Card Variants
From now on every card can be found in multiple variants. The common rarity has to be found first. After that, there is a small chance that a rare more powerful variant will drop.

There are two variant rarities: Magical and Legendary. Each rarity has modified icon and card template. Magical and Legendary cards use silver and golden templates respectively. Those used to indicate card level, which now will be indicated with stars on the left side of the template and card icon.

Magical variants

(http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/875dc6e1ec585a1be14ec877113f87b94c65a409.png)

Each Magical variant will have one special effect. The effects vary between card types (Artifacts can have different effects than Items or Spells). He are example additional effects:

•   Mighty Blow of Tsunami - the Tsunami variant will cause all shockwaves generated by the player to be bigger. Effect does stack.
•   Left-winged Mana Potion - the Left-wing variant secures the card to the left of it and that card can't be cursed by a boss! However, if this variant gets cursed and disabled the protection expires. So if you have that one crucial card that must be protected against curses better find the Right-wing variant as well!
•   Levander Boots - Levander artifacts increase hit chance against spiders (did you know that placing lavender in your room scares spiders aways? True story!)

Legendary variants
(http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/b5b4b29969d33245788d3d8616f29ec0c2e5946a.png)
Each card has at least one legendary variant with a very low drop rate (and guaranteed drop from a Quest Boss, making the quest mastering a potentially profitable activity. Once it's added to the game, that is).

Read on for full list: HERE (http://steamcommunity.com/games/449960/announcements/detail/521695323702794937)
Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on April 02, 2017, 08:30:06 PM
The other side of the story
1 APRIL   - KONSTANTY

(http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/dabfc15c418381143eccb76b0dff550256f17ee6.png)

We had a long talk about the core concepts of our game and we agree that portraying Town dwellers as the heroes paints an unjust and skewed image of the whole story.

It was humans who first dug the maze under the Cathedral. When viewed from this point it's obvious that the undead and demonic hordes are simply defending their homes! Maybe sometimes overzealously, true, but how can blame them?

Besides, who doesn't love the underdog? Science seems to back us up on that one
[1][www.humankinetics.com]
[2][scholarcommons.usf.edu]
[3][academic.oup.com]

That's why we decided to retell the story in Book of Demons. Once we are done the only available class will be the Skeleton.

https://youtu.be/jQRuANnc2pQ

You will get an opportunity to fight the onslaught of so-called heroes who invade your warm and cozy Hell. Repel the invaders, fight all the way up to the Town. Raze it to the ground in the name of the Archdemon!

Obviously, Warrior, Mage and Rogue classes will become unplayable once the update rolls out. However, since we don't want to wipe your progress the human mobs in dungeons will retain skills and levels of your current characters.

Cards!
New cards will have to be introduced to help you in your quest. Skeleton's signature cards will include:
•   “Awkward Boner” - summons a huge but clumsy skeletal minion
•   “Genesis” - conjures a female skeleton companion at a cost of a rib (usable up to twelve times)
•   “Cardboard Barrel” - hide your skeleton in a paper barrel so he can surprise enemies!

Foreshadowing
The changes in the game should not come as a total surprise as many hints were in place from the very start. For example, during the final showdown, Archdemon states: “Let’s consider who is really evil here. Did I break into your home to destroy you? I have a circle in hell reserved just for you!”

All glory to the Archdemon! Fight for your dungeon! 
Konstanty
Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on April 02, 2017, 08:30:53 PM
 :laughing4  hmmmmmm
Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on May 11, 2017, 01:08:23 AM
The Archdemon fights for awards!
9 May - Konstanty

(http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/443136a7af61d54132f4985a4921663cbfc6ed14.png)

We have some good news to share! This month we are going to fight for awards at two events!

Digital Dragons
Book of Demons got nominated not only for Indie Award at Digital Dragons 2017 but also for the main award in the Best Polish Game Art and Best Polish Game Design categories alongside such games as Shadow Warrior 2 or SuperHot. If you find yourself visiting Digital Dragons this year you can meet us in the indie showcase area.

MomoCon
We also got nominated for the main award at MomoCon 2017! We will be honored to be judged by people whose gaming related content we read on weekly basis. Sadly we won't be able to attend in person (flying over ocean tends to be expensive and we can't sail on a raft until spring storms pass). Still, there will be a raffle with Book of Demons keys so it's worth keeping an eye out for the awards ceremony if you are attending.

Meanwhile
We are finalizing all the plans from now to the launch and work on the Rogue. You can expect an update preparing the ground for the Rogue in the next few days. It will contain multiple bugfixes, balance changes, and improvements. If all goes well it will be accompanied by a longer post about roadmap and timeline changes.


Stay safe in the dungeons
Konstanty
Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on May 11, 2017, 04:45:32 PM
This update and beyond
Book of Demons - Konstanty


(http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/1fc601cc54e41e3624d666e858eac6b0f8736cc8.gif)

Today's update brings a lot of under-the-hood changes in preparation for the Rogue class along with optimizations, balance changes, and bug fixes. You can check the list of changes at the end of this post and in the forums. Changes related only to Rogue class are not listed if they don't change current mechanics. We wouldn't want to spoil the surprise ːpaperdeathː

Roadmap

We are also ready to share the new updated roadmap, for now without dates (more on that in a moment).

Confirmed features

Features we are committed to adding before the launch, work on many of them has already started.
•   Full gamepad support (with the current mouse emulation mode optional for enthusiasts ;-))
•   More sounds and voiceovers
•   Stars mechanics
•   Challenge mode where players can generate their own random dungeon with some degree of control over it and compete with friends and enemies alike trying to complete it in an optimal way
•   Quest mastering on higher difficulty levels (golden keys mechanic)
•   Weekly speedrun to cook leaderboards
•   Special sarcophagi mechanics (like cursed chests)
•   Additional achievements
•   More languages (including Russian, Chinese and Korean) with support for community translations
•   A surprise reward for ending the game ːarchduckː
•   Automap!
•   Redesigned and polished Archdemon quest
•   Improvements to poison and fire mechanics
•   Irritable monster mechanics
•   Support Razer Chroma with full spectrum of glorious custom RGB effects
•   Lots of polishing, balancing, and bugfixes

Features in consideration

Things we would like to add but they might not make it into the game before launch. Again some of them are already prototyped but we may not have time to polish them and fully implement. Or they might prove utterly uncool in tests and we won't do them after all:
•   More cards
•   Twitch social play - enabling viewers to make streamer lives hell ːpaperdeathː
•   Online competitive play mode - not exactly multiplayer but as close as we can get without rewriting the game
•   Full touch controls
•   Level editor/modding/steam workshop support
•   Mac port
•   Eye tracking support
•   Experimental hands-free control scheme ːarchduckː
•   Collector’s edition content

Timeline and launch

(http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/3374c397a973ed06b8aaa0eb9d11111a6fc0e3e2.gif)

As you probably know, parallel to regular development we are working on the production plan and preparing the grand strategy for launch. The launch is the most important moment in the game's lifetime and we have only one shot at doing it right, which is further complicated by the fact that we never launched a game on Steam before.

One of the things we must consider is the launch schedule of large AAA titles. Launching at the wrong time can topple title into obscurity if it can't compete with marketing budgets of titles launched at the same time (something like that happened to Vampire: Masquerade for example).

That's why we are considering rolling out the Rogue update a bit later even though she should be ready in two to three weeks. The Rogue Update (I think I just found the perfect post title for the occasion!) should mark the beginning of our "last straight" marketing effort period ending in the launch. However, considering how many features we want to add before the launch and that we are still in the process of preparing marketing plan we might need a bit more time.

But don't worry, as you have seen we have added more features to the roadmap so we won't idle in the extra time if it comes to that :-)

And now it's finally time for...
Changelog for version 0.85.12641+ - 11 May 2017
•   Numerous backend changes in preparation for Rogue class
•   Archdemon's timed states now spawn monsters as intended
•   Poison now ticks 2x faster on monsters
•   Monster will no longer attack through doors (they can still jump over them) - this may cause regeneration of some dungeon setups.
•   Lowered all projectiles attitude by 30%, now it will be easier to visually estimate missile trajectory and dodge
•   Fixed a rare issue with Mage unlocking when game was started with a very old save file (pre 0.8 version)
•   Gargoyles will now wait for a short period of time after waking up and before jumping at the hero
•   Spiders will now hide less frequently when near the player
•   Heal visual effects will now be disabled when card gets disabled during the effect
•   Refactored and fixed the way Skeleton Belt affects cooldowns
•   Fixed "card can now be used" to work correctly with card variants
•   Added casting sound also for bosses
•   Difficulty spikes on Hell tileset leveled
•   Fixed many typos in cards' descriptions
•   Using special missile card now selects corresponding missile type
•   Changed how attack cursor behaves when shift is held down
•   Added a mechanism that automatically detects changes to card variants configurations in this and subsequent updates and tries to compensate for them (takes away now defunct variant but grants new one of the same level and value when possible)
•   Card variants that decrease mana cost will now be working correctly. Mana cost of a spell cannot be lowered below 1 mana.
•   Small visual improvement to dispel effect
•   Save backup system now will detect if saves got corrupted in an unlikely event of power failure and will attempt to recover previously saved game
•   Bottled Zap & Zeus Fork switched names
•   Fixed kangaroos getting disoriented below 20FPS
•   Fixed doors on Cook's quest level sometimes being rendered as fire or ice sprites
•   Fixed an issue when Undead Kangaroos and skittering monsters could appear undecided under low framerate conditions
•   Fixed a crash when Bomb card tried to toss a bomb when player exited the level
•   Fixed a crash when player was hit with an ice orb
•   Fixed a crash when player played as a warrior
•   Fixed spider spit skill not triggering when hero was close
•   Finding a magical variant won't trigger "new card" glow on common variant
•   Quest boss corpses will no longer remain highlightable with gamepad
•   Optimized low-level particle rendering code
•   Improved the way remaining effect time is presented in card tooltips in case of Hourglass and Golem
•   Fixed Hourglass of Elephant/Time incorrectly calculating effect time
•   Fixed issue when sometimes common cards could be equipable from notification window due to level being too low
•   Fixed rare bug in the Cook quest, where the key wouldn't spawn.
•   Multiple other small balance changes
•   Fixed potential crash in Game of Crows achievement
•   Shortened num_# key labels under the cards, they should fit better now
•   Fixed a rare crash when skipping loader intro

Edit: Looks like we messed up and the game doesn't launch on Windows 7 after this upate. We are working on it right now, sorry :( !

Stay safe in the dungeons! ːpaperheartː
Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on June 07, 2017, 03:06:52 PM
Controller update

A big update just went live - it contains a lot of fixes and experimental controller support in UI. Old mouse emulation mode should be on by default.

If anyone would be so nice to test that new mode please go to "Controls" menu in Book of Demons options and on the new Controller tab uncheck "mouse emulation".

What kind of issues are we looking for? Mouse cursor showing when the player is using the controller, buttons difficult to select, controls that are not obviously highlighted when selected.

We also changed some button mappings in the dungeon, so please check the new tab to see what does what now. Getting used to new layout might take a minute but it should work better and is the first step in controller "in dungeon" scheme overhaul.

Steam controller users - new mapping file should be available as of now. A new action is introduced - "previous special missile".
Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on June 14, 2017, 08:36:39 PM
"Where is the Rogue and why not here yet" discussion


It's the end of May so I'm writing this new sticky in anticipation of "where is the Rogue posts".

As I hinted earlier in the forums we have finalized production plan (without a complete SFX listing, but besides that, it's pretty much done) and it looks like we won't be able to make it before September. After September many AAA titles launch and we can't compete with that. Worst case scenario the game would get drown and no one would notice the launch. This kicks off a period of intensified AAA titles launches and big gaming events (also a bad time to launch since press and streamers are busy - we did our homework and asked around when to launch :-)).

That's why we have to delay the day we exit the early access. Probably until as far as February. Why and how this affects us and you and, most importantly, the Rogue? If you refer to our Roadmap, the Rogue will be our biggest content update before the launch. If we were to release her over the next few weeks then we couldn't do any major marketing event for the next 9 months until the launch. That would make people forget the game (or at least the hype to die down a bit).

Of course we will be adding a lot of stuff like quest mastering and peripheral support or better and more comprehensive sounds (right now we have a bit less than a half of the sounds we would like to have; a few hundreds more sounds will change or be added) and more voice overs for the heroes so that they could comment events in the dungeon (usually in a sarcastic way, obviously!). We scheduled A LOT of polish tasks like improving tilesets, missile and monster death effects and quality of life tweaks. It's not like we will be sitting on our hands during that time, we will be actively improving the game and adding stuff. But no update will be as exciting as the Rogue.

This brings us to the difficult decision - we have to delay the Rogue for a little bit. And by a little bit, I mean up to a few months. It's hard because she is almost ready, we are polishing her skills right now. But when we look at the bigger picture it's what must be done to give the game fighting chance on release. We have decided to put the cards on the table (pun not intended) and tell you, the community, why the Rogue is delayed. I hope you will understand that decision and support us in it.

Of course a few weeks before the Rogue update goes eventually public we will create a beta branch for volunteers from the community like we did with the Mage.
Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on August 07, 2017, 05:29:07 PM
A Year in Early Access

(http://cdn.edgecast.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/cacfc677064f42301a56aed13b1e9b7ae53f2d57.png)

When we launched Book of Demons through Steam Early Access a year ago we had a pretty fixed plan for the future. We knew that the first month or so we would be focusing on bug fixing and stability issues. The game was already tested in-house and by our gamedev friends but that proved to be only a drop in the ocean. Next, we planned to release 2 additional character classes (Mage and Rogue), implement quest mastering (for players who want to test their skills with quest bosses on higher difficulty settings), polish second and third tileset (we believed that the maze tileset is pretty solid already) and add more sounds and voiceovers.

The first phase (testing and bug fixing) passed pretty much as planned. We have fixed a lot of bugs, resolution issues and exploits (my personal favorite was a possibility to completely skip the final boss fight just by clicking on the stairs down which one surprised player discovered unintentionally).

But what came next was a little unexpected for us. We have invited players to take part in the development of the game not only by testing it but also to shape the game’s final form. And, in spite of our fears, we got plenty of really great and reasonable ideas.

Many of them were quality of life improvements (like loot highlighting, last item blinking or remappable keyboard controls) which we could implement right away. Others were either ideas for features proposed by the community (like borderless window or daredevil mode) or issues reported by players that we felt we had to address. Those needed much more work but still ended up in Book of Demons. Most noticeable were legendary and magical cards, multiple character slots, higher difficulty modes, new mechanics like imposed cards, cursed cards, gold and card loss.

Those features had a great impact on how the game looks and feels today. Of course, we still added some of the components we had originally planned (Mage class, a lot of balance changes, more variety in dungeons) but with all the previously listed features, it took much more time than we thought it would.

We are a small indie studio, with 7 devs working days and (more frequently than we should acknowledge) nights on the game we love. But every new feature that we add, every new mode that we didn’t plan or didn’t think about, influences our roadmap and postpones the game’s final release. We can see that the game is now much better both in terms of stability (crash rate is over 2.5 times smaller than it was a year ago) and nd players' reception (Book of Demons has an Overwhelmingly Positive user reviews at the time of writing this post) but it all comes at the cost of deteriorated development speed. Please keep that in mind when reading our roadmap or while waiting for the Rogue class :) All of those features and, from what we have learned from the last 12 months, many more will come to Book of Demons. It will just take some more time.

Below, you will find some figures we gathered that illustrate Book of Demons’ Year of Early Access in numbers. Enjoy :)

(http://cdn.edgecast.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/c8bba7a08493924b909a6f19d70c8ddd76f39691.png)

 Read on (http://steamcommunity.com/games/449960/announcements/detail/1443819397212338607)
Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on August 08, 2017, 02:42:11 PM
The Last Big Update Before the Rogue
7 August - Konstanty   

(https://thingtrunk.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/AntipipeState.gif)

Today's update brings a lot of changes in preparation for the Rogue. Before you ask - the Rogue will be the next big update. I will try to explain the biggest changes below. Change log for this update is our longest yet, but few changes stand out.

First of all, the duck held by the Archdemon on the cross-section is now squeezable for your and Archdemons' enjoyment.

(http://New Cooldowns)
In other news, big changes to cards' cool down system. Positive effect on cooldown concept is no more. From now on, all cooldowns are negative (as in the card cannot be used for the duration of cooldown and offers no special effects). However, fear not. Cards that used to have a positive effect on cooldown now have Timed Effect state after use.

(https://thingtrunk.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Potion.gif)

In that state, the card has a golden glow that shows how much time is left until the effect is finished. As the effect timer runs out the glow will gradually turn red to alert the player.

Once the effect is done the regular cooldown will kick in. The minimal cooldown is one second now, meaning that cards that could have been used "back to back" now have a one-second cooldown. This change will make effects over time more readable and should make Skeleton Belt more useful (it won’t extend positive effects anymore but now it shortens cooldown on all cards!). Also, now Boots card can be found in Elephant variant, that will make the protection from flames last up to 30% longer.

Damage subsystem
We have also rewritten attack system, now many attacks will have different visual effects and elements will add tints to those effects. In the process, we also removed a lot of bugs and elemental effects will trigger more often.

Dialogue system
You will also notice that now all spoken text outside of cinematic scenes will be displayed next to a head of the person (or monster) speaking in the upper left corner of the screen. Gone are the days of crude text window obscuring center of the screen.

(https://thingtrunk.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Iamtheswordthatsplits.png)

Sound
The effort to enrich sound aspect of the game is ongoing. A ton of new sounds made it into the game and much more will be added. Also, the Hell tileset now has its own music theme!

A lot of visual improvements
We have also added many visual improvements and tweaks, including some monsters' effects, easier to read font in gossips and so on. It's worth mentioning that now the type of equipped elemental damage card is reflected in how character's weapon (or staff) looks.

The complete change log
The change log for this update was so long we actually found a bug in the change log window itself, it had problems handling long change logs 

Here you can read the detailed list of all changes:
•   Really important stuff first - Archdemons' duck can now be squeezed on the cross section screen
•   The game has a new fancy book icon
•   We also made changes to all tilesets and they might cause levels the player is currently on to be rerolled. This won't affect the characters or anything else
•   In other news, big changes to cards the cool down system. Positive effect on cooldown is no more. Now all cooldowns are negative (as in card cannot be used for the duration of cooldown and offers no special effects)
•   All active Timed Effects on cards will end when hero exits the dungeon, this includes Mana Shield card
•   We have made huge "under the hood" changes to the damage dealing system, practically rewriting it. Visually the most obvious change will be different and better-looking shapes of the strike effects on monsters
•   Fixed legendary Ice Bolt, it used to never trigger unless Fireball card was also equipped and then it would trigger all the time
•   When monsters with golden shield are standing in flames and golden shield timer is sped up their shields will have a red tint to better communicate that fact to the player
•   Bomb cards will now be better at targeting monsters that showed up after the card was activated
•   Ranged cards like Throw or Cold Nova now will display their range in the dungeon when the player hovers mouse cursor over them
•   Dialogue system has been rewritten. Now instead of a window over characters head all dialogue will be displayed in the upper left corner of the screen with a neat character's head icon. That way dialogues won't interfere with clicking and we will have more opportunities for one-liners
•   Fixed line spacing in changelog window
•   Added lots of missing sounds and made small improvements to a number of pre-existing sounds
•   Fixed errors in Archdemon scripts that rendered him mute
•   Added visual effects to Spell and Item cards on use, similar to the effect that was present on Artifact cards on proc
•   Skeleton warriors now have more varied appearances, there are variants with missing body parts
•   Level completed summary window now allows distribution level up points right in that window
•   Tweaked monsters' accuracy modifiers granted by magical variants
•   Skeleton Belt now works as a separate dodge mechanic, granting an extra 20% chance to dodge damage from skeletons
•   Added a new type of tutorial - a small window that pops up on important events in a predefined area of the screen and goes away after a few seconds or when clicked. Right now it should appear when a usable card is equipped for the first time.
•   Fire shockwaves no longer kill Fire Imps (this will prevent mass Imp suicide events)
•   Re-enabled Antipope's visual fight sequences when changing states, 20x more awesome now
•   Balance: Charge Card cost increased
•   Balance: Teleport Card cost and cooldown increased
•   Balance: Legendary Teleport effect trigger chance decreased from 100% to 50%
•   The Cook and Antipope now have custom casting effects
•   The Cook and Antipope now have custom casting effects
•   Arcane bolts deflected with legendary shield will now deal damage to enemies
•   All missiles deflected by legendary shield won't trigger card effects now since they are technically not player's missiles
•   Fixed true damage being damped to 1 instead of destroying elemental hearts as it should
•   Added poison death indicator. Now when monsters has enough poison to stacked to kill it a green skull icon will be displayed to the left of his health bar
•   Poison now affects spiders when they stalk player on ceiling, spiders killed by poison when stalking fall to the ground and die
•   Changed poison tutorial to reflect new poison mechanics
•   Cards tutorial now mentions keyboard shortcuts
•   Timed state tutorial rephrased to be more clear
•   Rebalanced chances for card drops
•   Polished Golem card effects
•   Mage's missiles that fly too far and die will now fade out their light in a smoother manner
•   Improved landing effects after monsters jump
•   Added extra particle effects to casting monsters' staffs
•   Tweaked NPC's nodding animations
•   Current flexiscope depth is now indicated on the depth slider, so the players can see how much they will progress
•   Fixed player not being slowed by monsters (only visual effects were applied)
•   Increased font size in gossips for better readability
•   Small visual fixes to quest bosses' intro scenes
•   Font was changed in gossips, new one is not italic in order to increase readability
•   Balance changes to various cards' cooldowns and costs
•   Remedy card now protects from poison, stun and cold from level 1
•   Equipped cards will now be marked as such in upgrade pane
•   Added tooltip to the golden key, explaining that that mechanic is not yet implemented
•   Newly found cards will now be properly marked as "unseen" with purple glows and as seen if equipped
•   Item Cards' variants other than the equipped one will now show zero charges
•   Equipped cards will now be marked with a green tick in upgrade pane
•   Changes in Demonic Ring, among others fire now damages non-magical shields and shields are destroyed on fire monsters too
•   Added tooltips to selected GUI controls
•   Fixed progress bar in the Summary Window
•   Cold attacks now will trigger ice visual effect on hit, same effect will be displayed on every click on an icicle
•   Arrows now have nice fade on appear to make them stop "popping" into existence in middle of skeletons' heads
•   Hell tileset now has its own music theme
•   Cards "loosened" by charging goats won't get unequipped anymore when inventory was open and player clicked the card to fix it
•   Unified use conditions for potion cards
•   Slot buyout tooltips and confirmation windows now have more neatly formatted prices
•   Adjusted visuals of monsters landing on the ground.
•   Visual tweaks of magical monsters staffs
•   Charge won't be stopped by enemy missiles
•   Improved confirmation dialog text when switching Item Card's variant
•   Avatar unlock progress bar cannot be moved with controller anymore (glitch was only visual)
•   Fixed a crash when upgrade card was clicked in upgrade pane with cauldron open
•   Fixed a glitch that caused points needed for the next rang to be incorrectly calculated in Summary WIndow after finishing a flexiscope
•   Fixed minor issues with Teleport Card's shockwave
•   Fixed an issue where Mage would change targets when trying to right click and attack target
•   Fixed appear and disappear visuals of Skeleton Whopper
•   Fixed an issue where some body parts on larger monsters would disappear abruptly when monster's death animation started
•   Fixed ghost movement bug that caused ghost to warp in and out of map under some circumstances
•   When avatar is changed in Summary Window the new one will be displayed (old one used to stuck around until the window was closed)
•   Dungeon unfolding effect will no longer play at the same time as cutscene in order to avoid "sliding" effect
•   Legendary Lightning and Staff of Lightning names swapped
•   Visual fixes to some arrow types (added shadows and such)


As always, stay safe in the dungeons! 
Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on September 06, 2017, 03:52:51 PM
Rogue is on the test branch!

(https://thingtrunk.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/rogue_2_580x2001-1.gif)

 They tried to stop her, but the call of great adventure finally brought her here to deliver a final blow to the Ultimate Evil. She is smart, cunning and very, very deadly... She has sharpened her Claws to scavenge for valued fermented blood (known aphrodisiac), precious lost souls and beautiful goat skins.

We are happy to introduce the Rogue's bow to the hordes of hell, and hordes of hell to her bow. We also wish you good luck in convincing her to stop shooting at anything that moves...

If you'd like to meet her, she will wait for you in the tavern on Test Branch district of the Town. But beware! ♫ Beauty always comes with dark thoughts…♫

The Rogue is meant to be a ranged class, but when encircled, she switches to a risky melee style and attacks only those in her reach. The Rogue comes along with 16 totally new cards with lots of magical and legendary variants. Her deck consists of 4 types of magic arrows that apply various elemental effects, 5 new artifacts that support her individual fighting style and 7 unique offensive spells.

For now, the class is available only on the public test branch.

She will be added to the main branch once all the bugs are ironed out. If you'd like to test your skills as a rogue, we'd love to hear your opinion about the new class!
Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on September 07, 2017, 06:38:16 PM
September Devlog

(https://i.imgur.com/aULac7X.gif)

Hello, everyone!

We rolled out an updated yesterday and I would like to bring you all up to speed with new stuff and what we are working on right now.

Angry Monsters
We added a new mechanic to selected monsters. Such monsters when hit 4 times in quick succession become enraged, heal and deal extra damage. You can tell when a monster is on verge of becoming angry because a red exclamation mark will pop-up next to its health. The exclamation mark will go away if the monster is not hit for a few seconds. Auto attacks won't make monster more angry.

It should add a pacing element to fights introduce a bit more strategy and make hard hitting cards more valuable while simultaneously making AoE cards a bit more risky to use.

Columns in dungeons now cast dynamic shadows from player's light
While we won't add dynamic shadows to everything we thought that columns could use a dynamic element. It nicely builds gloomy atmosphere, we hope you will like it!

(https://i.imgur.com/smU6axl.gif)

Improvements to Steam Controller
Valve has updated Steam Controller API and so did we! Not only icons for Steam Controller will be displayed correctly but also when mapping non-steam controllers in Steam you should get your controller specific icons in-game (where possible).

We have also tweaked targeting pointer and stun mini-game pointer speed depending on what type of controller you have mapped in Steam.

This was a part of a larger controller refactoring effort paving the way to possible more input methods in the future.

Other stuff
We also changed web kit from Awesomium to Chromium which is updated more often and had better cross-platform support.

Lots of in game effects were improved and new sounds were added. This kind of changes will be happening with every update now since we are constantly polishing visuals and adding more sounds.

Detailed patch notes
•   Columns in the dungeon will now cast simulated dynamic shadows cast by the player's light
•   New monster mechanics: Angry. Angry monsters get enraged when hit too often. When monster becomes angry an exclamation mark appears next to its health bar. Once enraged monster heals itself and deals extra attacks over a short period of time
•   Legendary Divine potion changes. While it no longer has a chance for double duration it causes all attacks to heal player instead of dealing damage
•   Charge/Teleportation icon will now be displayed under the card as well as in the dungeon for more readability
•   Improved sounds effects for attacks and selected monsters
•   Improved various visual effects in dungeon and GUI
•   Charge/Teleport will now act more reliably near stairs/doors and will ignore collisions with player's missiles
•   Icicles will now be hit by lobbed projectiles (spears)
•   Legendary cards now have unique descriptions in tooltips and Identify Window
•   Backend: Updated Steam Controller to better handle emulated 3rd party controllers (right stick won't be super sensitive anymore on emulated controllers)
•   Backend: switched web framework from Awesomium to Chromium. Although it doesn't sound as awesome it's updated on more regular basis
•   Legendary Amulets will now trigger on mana pickup in addition to health pickup
•   Decreased mage's missile radius, should allow better trick shots
•   Dungeon generation code was optimized - entering a new level should be a bit faster
•   Small optimizations in dungeon generation time
•   Visual improvements to spider mechanic tutorial
•   Visual improvements to Mana Sphere
•   More supporters added to credits
•   Improved descriptions for most cards
•   Fixed stuttering motion in ghosts, it should happen very rarely now
•   Fixed a bug where goat would bleat and heal only when a non-legendary Heal spell was in effect
•   Fixed achievement "Magic Friend"
•   Fixes to Cathedral tileset
•   Fixes to Hell tileset
•   Fixed Ghosts' fear movement
•   Fixed: Chaotic Ring one-click shield bash should work now
•   Fixed small hiccup when level Summary Frame was opening
•   Fixed a crash when Skeleton Belt wearing player was hit with a critical attack
•   Fixed a crash when displaying upgrade tooltip on potion card
•   Fixed Full Deck achievement
•   Fixed Legendary Boots to work with all shockwaves
•   Fixed mangled tooltip on common variant in Variants frame
•   Added support for disabling coloring on levels for older Radeon cards that experienced glitches

Last but far from least: Rogue is in testing
Rogue's testing has begun; those who feel like enduring more than the regular dosage of bugs is worth getting an early look at that class can head to the public test branch. Details on how to access it can be found in this thread. (link will work only for game owners since there is no test branch for the demo). Be warned though, Rogue is a bit unstable right now and she will spend some time on the testing branch. Once we are satisfied with stability and her balance we will carefully pick the best date to unveil her and move her to public branch. I detailed our reasoning behind that in this this thread.

As always,
Stay safe in the dungeons ːpaperheartː
Konstanty
Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on September 22, 2017, 04:15:21 PM
Support for community translations
Book of Demons - Konstanty


Today we are rolling out community translations update which gives you tools to create your own localization of in-game text.

Why community translations?
Book of Demons is in Early Access and that means that string tables change daily. Translating every change to all languages we would like to eventually support would delay the updates ad infinitum as it would require us to track every change and probably hire translators full-time (or use automatic translation and while it would probably result in some hilarious errors, in the end, no one wants that).

From the beginning of Early Access, many players offered their help and asked us if we could make it possible for them to translate the game. Preparing the backend to facilitate translation to most languages took us a lot of time as we had to create a system for rendering and caching true type fonts on the fly that would be robust, flexible and memory efficient. Now the system is ready and everyone who would like to help is welcome!

Before we exit the early access we will take the best community translations and have professional translators do a proofreading pass on them to assure everything is in order and then they will get included in the final release. Their authors will get immortalized in game's credits (and our hearts, obviously ːpaperheartː)

How can I help or use the ongoing translations?
If you would like to try translating the game to your language or take an ongoing translation to a test drive and report problems (or praise flawless execution!) head to the dedicated subforum. You will find two pinned threads with detailed instructions there.

Over time, as translations become increasingly complete and more players report them to be playable, we will be including them into official builds so everyone will be able to play native language without the hassle of adding translation files by themselves.

What languages are potentially supported
Some languages are supported natively by our old font system. Languages that use more exotic characters will switch to the new font system which utilizes a mega true type font file. We tried to be as inclusive as possible and so most languages should be covered by that file.

Some examples of languages with supported characters:
Abkhazian
Afrikaans
Belarusian
Bulgarian
English
Chinese (Simplified)
Czech
Danish
Dutch
Esperanto
French
Filipino
Finnish
German
Greek
Hungarian
Indonesian
Italian
Japanese
Klingon (no support for pIqaD script since it's not supported in Unicode, we are as disappointed as you are and we are writing a very ːsteamsaltyː letter to Unicode Consortium about that!)
Korean
Kurdish
Latvian
Lithuanian
Norwegian
Portuguese
Brazilian Portuguese
Romanian
Russian
Slovak
Spanish
Swahili
Swedish
Thai
Turkish
Ukrainian
Vietnamese


Other stuff
Besides that the update, of course, includes most recent fixes and improvements.

Worth mentioning is new improved Angry State visual representation that communicates better how angry the monster is at the moment.

Another important thing is that we have dropped the use of the Steam wrapper. This might help with overzealous antivirus programs quarantining the executable.

Stay safe in the dungeons ːpaperheartː
Konstanty
Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on September 22, 2017, 04:47:55 PM
(https://cdn.thingtrunk.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/community-translations_600x3xx-e1505994905387.png)
Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on October 06, 2017, 01:13:45 PM
Latest Changelog (0.86.14285+ 06th October 2017)


Version 0.86.14285+ 06th October 2017
•   Multiple fixes and improvements to tooltips and card descriptions in game
•   Added card slot icons and actions for steam controller radial menus
•   On controllers Y is now the default alt-use key and B will serve as "back" as is tradition
•   Added an option to swap suffixes and prefixes for some languages
•   Long tooltips on Avatar screen should now wrap correctly
•   Added footnote and information about charges to arrow cards
•   Fix for monsters not dying when stunned (in rare situations)
•   Added extra safeguards in feedback widget code to prevent possible crash on startup
•   Fixed epic arrows spawned by Splitting Bow card sometimes orbiting around monsters with golden shields.
•   Fixed a rare crash when Game of Crows achievement was obtained
•   Fixed a rare issue when player was upgrading saved games from the oldest possible build to current and key mappings could get wiped
•   Fixed an occasional crash when exiting level with Horror Whooper on it
•   Fixed mana cast cost blinking in Golem card in upgrade pane
•   Fixed linked monsters not unlinking in a very rare situation when player killed a monster and quickly used stairs only to re-enter via different stairs

Version 0.86.14229+ 02nd October 2017
•   Added card slot icons and actions for steam controller radial menus
•   Added an option to swap suffixes and prefixes for some languages
•   Added footnote and information about charges to arrow cards
•   Fix for monsters not dying when stunned (in rare situations)
•   Added extra safeguards in feedback widget code to prevent possible crash on startup
•   Fixed mana cast cost blinking in Golem card in upgrade pane

Version 0.85.13971+ 10th September 2017
•   Fixed crash when stunning or freezing Angry monsters
•   Fixed occasional crash when starting a game with a new character

Version 0.85.61396+ 8th September 2017
•   Monsters that are stunned or frozen won’t get angered when hit. Stunning/freezing also resets the anger meter
•   Fixed Ghost Mage, he won’t spawn huge number of teleport missiles anymore
•   Fixed angry demons getting stuck in the anger state
Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on October 24, 2017, 04:50:35 PM
Razer Chroma more
Book of Demons - Konstanty

(https://i.imgur.com/e1FIdPD.gif)

We have a ton of fixes, tweaks and controller updates that we have bundles into this update. I will break down most important points below.

Razer Chroma
We now officially support Razer Chroma RGB backlights. This is important for two reasons. All of you who have Chroma enabled keyboards, mouse or other peripherals can now enjoy Book of Demons in a cool RGB glory. The second reason is equally important - we are taking part in Razers' marketing events later this month and this might generate additional exposure which is crucial to our marketing outreach efforts.

(https://i.imgur.com/AHxmh0J.gif)

The full list of effects now available includes:

•   Health and Mana indicators on F5-F8 and F9-F12 respectively (also on keypad and mouse). We use fewer keys but rightmost key dims as the parameter value gets lower for fluid visual feedback. Additionally, health is tinted green when the character is poisoned.
•   Equipped cards highlight keys bound to their slots. Type of card equipped is color coded exactly as they are presented in-game. Additionally, when the card is not usable at the moment it's dimmed. And when it's on cooldown it's also indicated by gradually making the key brighter. These keys and health/mana bars are rendered on top of other effects as they are utility indicators.
•   When the card becomes usable or its passive effect is triggered respective key flashes gold
•   When the card is used by the player a shockwave originating from the key it's bound to is rendered on the keyboard. Of course, it's in the card's color.
•   These are additively rendered so they make for a nice ripple storm when the player is in the middle of intense combat ːpaperdeathː
•   When the character is frozen the keyboard mimics on-screen effect and "freezes" in blue color on the edge rows and columns.
•   When the character is poisoned again the keyboard mimics the on-screen effect and "bubbles" of green spawn at the lowest key row and make their way upwards.
•   Level up, level clear and card identified/discovered notifications now have fast "swipe" effect on the keyboard, each in a different color
•   Mouse midsection and mousepad glow in the color the current dungeon is tinted with. This creates a cool ambient effect at player's desk that compliments the in-game color scheme.
•   Upon death, the keyboard gets "flooded" with red to mimic the on-screen effect.
•   When player is stunned headset blinks yellow to mimic the yellow stars on screen


Margaret prepared a demo video highlighting some of the effects on Black Widow keyboard:
https://youtu.be/Td3UOPGo3eU


Controller support
We are continuously working on better and full support for controllers. Plenty of bugs got fixed and quirks ironed out in this update. There is still a lot to do but controller support with mouse emulation turned off should be a much smoother experience now.

For Steam Controller users we recently added custom actions for cards using that can be mapped to extra buttons or radial menus for which we also added icons.

So what's ahead?

A lot ːarchduckː

The Rogue looms in the near future. Thanks to our brave trailblazing testers from the test branch with each update we are fixing a lot of bugs and balance issues related to the Rogue. She will go live later this year (I have explained the reasoning behind the wait here) and already tested and polished up to the quality of the Warrior and Mage classes. With her release, we will begin the long march to the launch and we will share a detailed roadmap of events we will do or participate in.

We are also working on adding all the sounds we would like to hear in the game (right now we have less than half of what's planned) and more one-liners for the heroes. We are also tinkering with audio system and might have a surprise for you later on.

Archdemon quest is being reworked. It's a lot of work and will take much time but from what we already did it's obvious that the improvement will be huge. Right now he is just an archdemon. Once we are done he will be The Archdemon with an extra duck on top.

We will have a rigid roadmap with more or less fixed dates for you before the end of the year, probably at the same time as the Rogue official launch.

Until then,
Stay safe in the dungeons ːarchduckː
Konstanty
Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on December 11, 2017, 10:45:02 PM
The Rogue Update
Book of Demons - Konstanty

(https://i.imgur.com/dcGcYgq.gif)

The time has come, and the Rogue is here! She is charming, she is funny, she is deadly with the bow and wit. Voiced by insanely talented Rachael Messer she is ready to end the Archdemon.

Arrow and dagger
Of course, her core mechanic differs from pushy Warrior's and bookish Mage's playstyles. She uses her trustworthy bow for the main attack and has an impressive range. She can hit anything she sees (and sometimes stuff she doesn't see so careful there unless you don't mind angry goats charging at you from shadows with arrows sticking from their bottoms).

However, as always, there is a fine print here. Her arrows, unlike Mage's bolts, do collide with monsters other than the intended target. This means that picking the remote target in a melee can be tricky. Until she finds a card that makes her arrows pierce enemies and split... But that's a different story.

And since we are on the topic of melee. Bows are useless in close range, which is why Rogue switches to dagger when an enemy gets close and personal. Once it gets to this, things are probably going pretty bad, but she has a few neat tricks just for such an occasion.

Speaking from a strictly gameplay point of view, when at least one enemy gets into melee range the bow becomes unusable and Rogue switches to close range melee attacks. The melee mode is indicated by the red circle around the Rogue. Until it's empty of monsters, the bow is off the table. It's worth mentioning though, that some cards have special effects on monsters in melee range so sometimes it might be worth intentionally getting close and personal with a zombie.

(https://i.imgur.com/z8OIixu.gif)

Those of you who helped us in debugging and polishing her on the test branch will be happy to know that there are new spell effects in this update so there is a reason for you to check her out again :-) Most of your feedback that was not yet addressed in recent smaller updates got addressed in this update. Thank you for bravely facing bugs and imbalances, without your help we couldn't have polished her to the current state ːpaperheartː

What now, eh?
With this addition of the final hero to our party, we can begin our march toward the launch. We will be regularly checking off things from the roadmap and we will be more active in the marketing department reaching out to media and new players with each update. Can't wait ːpaperdeathː but it has to be done if we want to generate buzz for launch. Anyway, it's time to talk about the roadmap.

(https://i.imgur.com/01bFJNG.gif)


The Final shape of the Roadmap

Below are the content updates that we are planning before the launch. At this point we are freezing feature list, meaning that our urge to include new features will have to be kept under control. Without doing so we wouldn't be able to have more or less fixed dates for updates and plan marketing efforts accordingly.

Now for the roadmap itself. There are no dates but all this will happen more or less in that order and we are planning to exit early access in the second half of 2018.
•   Rogue Live - We are here!
•   Cursed Sarcophagi + Spatial Sound Update - a special kind of Sarcophagi for those who dare take the risk. And yes, you read that right, spatial stereo sound in the dungeon (currently everything is flat center).
•   Mac Support + Minimap Update - Due to popular demand we will be adding minimap and the update will come at the same time as Mac support
•   Quest Mastering + Archdemon Fight - This one will include the ability to use golden keys to fight through quest levels again at higher difficulties for better rewards and an overhaul of the whole Archdemon level and fight (extra duck included).
•   Tobii Support + Speedrun to Cook Update - Ever wanted to play Book of Demons with your gaze? With Tobii Eyetracker you will be able to. Plus a new mode and leaderboard are coming in that update - how fast can you get to the first boss?
•   Challenge Mode Update - Generate custom levels and challenge your friends to beat them in an offline competitive mode!
•   Sounds + Languages Update - This update will include all remaining sounds in the game. We will also proofread and include community translations into the game at this point.
•   Launch Day Update - New cards. As always we plan to go with quality over quantity so expect a couple of new cards meshing nicely with pre-existing mechanics.

There are other minor mechanics and additions that we will distribute among the bigger updates but those are the most important things. And, of course, the updates are not going to stop with the release of the game.

Changelog for this build
Version 0.90.14720+ 11th December 2017
•   Rogue class is now available (this point wraps a million fixes and tweaks from the last two months which won't be pasted below for brevity's sake)
•   Major balance changes to Catacombs
•   Achievement Highway to hell footprints number lowered to 200 000 (was 1 000 000)
•   Added special effects for boss' card block removal
•   Minor tweaks to Antipope level layout
•   Fixed frozen flail damage being too high (was 3 instead of 2)
•   Fixed interruptor achievement to count also effects of spell cards
•   Visual tweaks to spider's web lobbed attack
•   Fixed a soft lock when clicking on heart scroll and then choosing health point on level up screen
•   Fixed level with cursed chest being regenerated if it was saved with the chest open (so no more gold farming, sorry :))
•   Added Devanagari block in TTF fonts (support for Hindi, Marathi, Sindhi, Nepali, and Sanskrit)
•   Controller: Consistent handling of B button as back in all windows
•   Fixed a bug where loading a game saved during a spell effect would end the effect
•   Fixed one of the snake bosses movement pattern to snake movement (was regular walking)
•   Fixed text embedded sprites not fading smoothly with the rest of the text
•   Fixed lava jet timer not stopping when menu was open resulting in ultimate over 9000 eruptions on closing the menu
•   Epic arrow drop sprite redone for better readability
•   Rephrased casting tutorials to be more consistent
•   Rephrased fire/ice weapon tooltips to be more consistent
•   Boss health/stage bar now will disappear when controller target selector is north of player position to make picking casters easier
•   Changelog window can now be closed by clicking anywhere outside of it
•   Healer's vial pickup range increased and auto pickup on controller input added
•   Controller: Reworked identify and charge windows to be more controller friendly
•   Controller: pressing left thumb will now toggle loot highlight in dungeons
•   Controller: charged cards won't be used by accident anymore
•   Controller: pressing right thumb resets the target selector back to player's position
•   Controller: unified scrolling functions under left thumb
•   Controller: target pointer rendering and movement tweaked. Picking targets should be more intuitive now
•   Steam Controller: controller text input should work in all suitable text fields now
•   Controller: changed buttons' functions in menus. Should be more consistent now.
•   Steam Controller: exported new mapping with new actions.


In other news, by popular vote, we are in top100 best indie games of this year and the top one in Hack'n'Slash category. I know you organized in the forums to vote for Book of Demons ːpaperheartː Thank you for your support, we appreciate it a lot!

Right now we are in the final round of voting, so if you would be so cool to give us the final push now would be the best time! (Book of Demons in under the Hack'n'Slash category).

Stay safe in the dungeons ːarchduckː
Konstanty

Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on December 13, 2017, 03:45:14 PM
Deck-building dungeon crawler Book of Demons gets a new class in its latest update


https://youtu.be/RO0ESzsGAvc



We first played Book of Demons in mid-2016, just before sitting down with its creator at PAX West, who said it was born of a desire to distill Diablo down to its purest form. Which came as no surprise, it immediately reminded us of Diablo, albeit far cuter. It's been trucking along in Steam Early Access ever since, and recently received a big update which added the rogue, the last of its three classes.

With the addition of rogues, Book of Demons has completed its high fantasy class trilogy. Where mage does magic things and warrior does tanky things, the rogue is described as a flexible class with long- and close-range options thanks to her bow and daggers.

Like mage and warrior, rogue also has unique class cards—16 to be exact. Book of Demons' combat works on a deck system: the cards you include become the skills you can use while dungeoneering. This plays into its procedurally generated dungeons, as you'll likely never build the same deck or run the same dungeon twice. You can sample the cards for yourself in the free demo available on Steam.

Developer Thing Trunk says Book of Demons will exit Early Access in mid-2018. Before it does, the studio says it will receive eight major updates including Mac support, improved sound, more cards and new game modes like an offline challenge mode.
Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on December 31, 2017, 04:59:25 PM
'Tis the season!
22 DECEMBER   - KONSTANTY

(https://i.imgur.com/E5cFh4o.gif)

Best wishes from the whole team at Thing Trunk!
We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the fun we had together this year and all the support you gave us! Together we hunted down a lot of bugs and came up with a number of new features and improvements. We also wish you even better 2018, with even more cards dropping and Gargoyles too lazy to jump away. After all, it will be the year in which Book of Demons launches. Lots of cool stuff ahead.

Matt likes to tinker with music and video in his free time and recently he has been preparing something special for you. Without a further ado, I present you with the one and only Book of Demons music video!

https://youtu.be/nwxtxdA8QbA

In other news: supporters bundle is now available on Steam
From the very start, on our Book of Demons website, we’ve been offering an option to become an official supporter of the Return 2 Games series. Now we’re bringing it to Steam, and yes, this includes the option to upgrade to Supporter’s Bundle if you already own Book of Demons. That’s what the bundle upgrade is for – it adjusts the price automatically so you only need to pay the difference. Some of you probably noticed that the bundle was available on and off for a week now - it was us testing ways of creating it in a way that would be most convenient and possible in Steam's framework.

So, again without a further ado:

The pack upgrade is for those of you who already own Book of Demons but wish to support the idea further.
If you don't own the game yet but want to make a leap of faith and get it and the Supporter's Pack at the same time, the bundle is for you.

We had to make both bundle and pack because of how Steam works. It was the only way to grant owners access to future products.

But what is the Supporter's Pack anyway?
In short, the R2G Supporter Pack is a way for our biggest fans to support our future development and to receive all forthcoming R2G games once they become available. Because yes, Book of Demons was planned from the start as the first installment in a series of games.


https://youtu.be/quURg6X1jdo

Anticipating a flood of questions to follow, Matt wrote an article on our dev blog[thingtrunk.com] that goes into more detail, describes our motivation and analyzes some of the perils we might face ahead. If you’re thinking about going above and beyond in supporting us, be sure to read it, so that you know what to expect now and in the future.

As always,
Stay safe in dungeons
Konstanty
Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on January 15, 2018, 09:15:46 PM
40%  off   £14.99   £8.99

for the next 18 hours

https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/book-of-demons

(https://gallery.mailchimp.com/8c91a39196d452fc8446b9e62/images/cac3d3fc-6039-4764-b4fa-3ef22b63dd56.jpg)
Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on February 22, 2018, 10:51:29 PM
Cursed Sarcophagi and spatial sound now live!
Book of Demons - Konstanty

(https://i.imgur.com/aa02umf.gif)

This update brings, among other stuff, the cursed sarcophagi mechanics and spatial sound system.

Cursed Sacophagi
They are a mixed bag - some contain great treasures but others are packed with deadly enemies. Take a gamble, toss the coin. Who knows, maybe it will be your lucky day. Or maybe it will be Archdemon's lucky day. Either way, it's better to clear the area before opening one, just in case.

Note: When playing on Daredevil on higher difficulties take extra care around Cursed Sarcophagi, they can spawn multiple bosses!

(https://i.imgur.com/4YYx2O4.gif)

(https://i.imgur.com/lo11qgH.gif)

Spatial sound
The game now localizes the sound sources spatially, meaning that when an arrow hits a monster near the left edge of the screen the sound will originate from the left speaker. This required a lot of under the hood changes to the audio system since at time tens of monsters get hit at the same time all over the screen, but the final effect enhances the atmosphere of the game and we think it was well worth the effort. GIF totally not related:

Stop! Hammer time!
(https://i.imgur.com/MnTFHTl.gif)

Other significant changes
Besides above, this update bundles a lot of fixes, quality of life improvements general polish and tweaks. The complete changelog is available in the game and at the end of this post.

(http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/17efc485b03d06d35317ee1e852895c557eab0c8.png)

Among many others: Legendary Icebolt and Fireball trigger chance increased from 0.1% to 10%, however it triggers only on the kill, not any damage as it used to.

Magic Robe now damages boulders, has visual effects tweaked and cooldown reduced by 20%.

Meteor now tries to predict where the target will be when meteor impacts and aims there.

Skeleton Belt legendary variant trigger chances increased tenfold.

Holy bolt completely reworked - now can target any kind of monster and damages them for 50% maximum health. However, a monster can be targeted by holy bolt only once. The legendary variant might spawn additional bolts on the hit and target any valid targets in the vicinity.

We also discovered two ancient bugs (there were more bugs obviously but those two were like Methuselahs of bugs) that survived since time immemorable. When card activated a shiny effect passed over it and it used geometry 100 times more complicated than required, it was the most complex render call we had in the game. Performance impact was probably minimal because rest of the game is well optimized but we fixed it nonetheless, obviously. The second one will impact the gameplay - frozen monsters thawed after 16 seconds instead of 8, as was intended. This is also fixed now.

Also, fountains got visually overhauled with animated paper-textured liquids, glowing eyes, and ambient light.

(http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/1226fd325cb2ea6674511df158e358861a21e039.png)

This change will require saved dungeons to be re-generated if there were fountains in them, but we hope that nicer fountains will be worth it ːarchduckː

Official Discord Channel

(http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/4760b26fe2879cc44ac9d577922a4c57cafec4c6.png)

If you don't feel like posting on the steam community but would still get in touch with other players we have created an official Disord channel.

We will try to hang out in there as often as possible but due to real-time nature of it when you want to make sure we get your feedback please use the in-game widget, shoot us an email at support@thingtrunk.com or post in the forums.

Anyway, without a further ado, here is the invite link: https://discord.gg/y8P8Xps

The complete changelog

Below are the changes introduced in this update. The list is not complete, there were tons of typos fixed and smaller bugs squashed but more prominent ones and changes affecting gameplay and balance are listed.

Version 0.91.15269+ 22nd February 2018
•   Cursed sarcophagi added, like regular ones but cursed (open to toss a coin and see whenever you get a lot of loot or a lot of trouble)
•   Enabled spatial sound, on two speaker setup source of sound should be now localized depending on wherever the sound originated from in the game’s world
•   Archdemon now uses unique bouncing fire missiles, as a part of groundwork laid down before Archdemon quest level overhaul (that is still in the works)
•   Added a quick throw animation to hero when tossing bombs
•   Visually polished fountains - liquid now has paper texture, is animated, and statues have glowing eyes and delicate glow from liquid
•   Fire won’t damage boulders anymore
•   Boulders now receive damage from shockwaves
•   Quality of life: now holding down shift will block clicking on doors and staircases
•   Ghost hidden outside of map won’t block Rogue’s arrows anymore
•   Due to popular demand we shortened key descriptions in binding option (so Mouse.2 became m2)
•   Added scaling to critical strike and spider spit animations, for more readable and menacing effect
•   Boss missiles will now disappear on boss’ death
•   Frozen monsters now will have special visual effects applied
•   Fixed Antipope’s cards spawning always two monsters instead of intended 1,2 or 3
•   Loading game ended ongoing cards effects, this will no longer happen
•   Trigger icons were swapped in tutorials on Steam, this is fixed now
•   Quality of life: improve tooltip and descriptions in card discovered window
•   Quality of life: in case there are not enough slots or mana to equip discovered card there will be option to close the window and automatically open inventory
•   Added fancy ornaments around card in card discovered/identified window that change with card rarity
•   Fixed: ranged monsters would fire at player on trigger even if there was no line of sight
•   Boss Statue poem will start after the cinematic camera pan
•   Fixed a discrepancy in Remedy description
•   Improved visual effects on stairs marker when level is clear
•   Holy bolt reworked - now can target any kind of monster and damages them for 50% maximum health. However, a monster can be targeted by holy bolt only once
•   Meteor card now tries to predict where the target will be and aims there. Impact radius increased two times. Legend now throws explosive ice shards, not fire shards
•   Fixed: Monsters were frozen twice longer than intended, this is no longer the case. Was 16 seconds, will be 8 seconds now
•   Linked monsters visuals improved - added shake and more visible red blink when attacking the master monster. New effects for unlinking, circle under slave monsters and number of slaved monsters will now be visible even when not in light radius
•   New visual effect for ending a link to summoned monsters
•   The blinking start indicating position of last objects on level won’t blink during cutscenes
•   Mighty Blow visual effects diversified between levels
•   Charge card - Polished visual effects
•   Bomb cards changes - now each bomb has a chance to bounce that increases with card’s level instead of set number of bounces
•   Chaotic Ring changes fixed to match description, now crushes whole shields in one click on level 3
•   Meteor card is now smarter, it tries to predict where the monster will be when the rock hits and aims accordingly. Light dimming power and delay between strikes decreased
•   Hourglass visual effects improved. Added fullscreen effect for legendary effect trigger.
•   Magic Robe cooldown reduced from 5 to 4 seconds. Orb's visual effects improved.
•   Disarmor visual effect tweaked (monsters jump when hit with a lightning, electrical discharges on monsters) and legendary chance increased from 15/30/45% to 50/75/100%
•   Legendary Blade Storm slow chance increased to 10,15 and 20% (was 1,1.5 and 2%)
•   Legendary Skeleton Belt now will properly work for potions. The card proc GFX will be no longer triggered by monster misses but rather on potion use to increase readability
•   Legendary Helmet now spawns twice as big stun shockwave, should reach every monster in light radius
•   Legendary Throw mana drop chance increased to 2% and amount changed
•   Changes to legendary Icebolt and Fireball - chance to trigger storm effect raised from 0.1% to 10% and above, however it triggers on target death not receiving damage.
•   Legendary Rejuvenation description made clearer
•   Changes to Magic Robe: orbs now deal damage to boulders as well as icicles. On level one they deal one damage, on level two they destroy icicles and boulders and on level three they don’t get destroyed themselves.
•   Monster that enters Rogue’s melee range will also be selected for shield breaking on the controller without the need for switching targets.
•   Added ice decal ground effect to frost nova card
•   Polished tutorial object visuals
•   Optimized card highlight visual effect 100x
•   Optimized several particle effects
•   Talking to healer now instantly replenishes health and mana (just like picking up vials)
•   Daredevil icon will no longer persist on slot button after character was deleted
•   Visual polish: Characters now flex a bit when jumping/landing
•   Next locked slot used to glow for a few seconds once the player found enough gold for it. Now it will stay delicately highlighted the whole time it can be afforded
•   Fixed: Completing a quest boss level won’t award the same amount of experience as the previously completed flexiscope anymore
•   Fixed a bug where once stunned flying monsters would never play wing flapping animations again
•   Fixed: Sound playing in loop when pedestal was selected on controller
•   Fixed: Goatchanters glow flickered when they bleated
•   Fixed: Daredevil red sprite now will disappear when deleting daredevil character slot
•   Fixed controller buttons handling in the engine, previous implementation could have caused buttons to get stuck on rare occasions
•   Fixed LT and RT icons swapped in GUI on Steam Controller
•   Fixed counting progress for "Bronze Division achievement"
•   Fixed idle animation sometimes overriding colorize applied to a character by external effects like being frozen
•   Fixed tooltips being displayed over objects not on screen in the bestiary window
•   Fixed discovered monster families counter in stats windows, should display correct value now
•   Fixed stairs marker would exit level with a single tap on controller sometimes
•   Fixed: dead monsters will no longer get stunned
•   Updated chromium libraries
•   Added pad support to a few rarely used windows
•   Added tutorial for upcoming quest mastering mechanics (not yet implemented)

What's ahead?
We are working on a better way for community translators (who are super awesome, big thanks ːpaperheartː) to translate the game files. The current mode is cumbersome and can get chaotic after updates when a lot of changes are introduced to string tables. Once the new system is up and running we will add currently complete community translations to the game. We estimate that will happen by April.

Then there is the good news, not-so-good news, and good news situation. The good news is that we are toying with an idea for a whole new game mode/core mechanic that would be more CCG (collectible card game) than the current mode. Assuming it works as an internal prototype we will make it publicly available for you to test. Then we will be able to determine if we should develop it further.

The not-so-good news is that in that context we re-evaluated the production and marketing schedule. We used historical performance data to create work time estimates as realistic as possible and it looks like the release we initially planned for around Q3 will get delayed. While this is not a terrible delay it should give us more breathing room not only to prototype the new experimental core mechanic but also to add more cards we planned and avoid crazy crunch that would affect the quality.

That last part is important because the other good news is that one member of the team will have a kid around the time of originally planned launch (again, something we didn't exactly plan for :D). Those of you who had kids or even been around a newborn for longer than 10 minutes know too well how it can turn your brain to mush, so we will have fewer hands on board for a few months. The upside is that in 18 years we might get one more team member!

As always,
Stay safe in dungeons ːarchduckː
Konstanty

Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on March 06, 2018, 01:54:16 PM
Performance update
Book of Demons - Konstanty

(https://i.imgur.com/LrAMdLl.gif)

This update is small but neat, so we decided to give it its own post. Also, more posts mean more opportunities for cool gifs ːarchduckː

We have identified a possible optimization in the rendering engine that, depending on many factors, could bump FPS up to 25% during big fights. Not that the performance was bad before but more FPS is always better.

We have also identified a possible cause for a black screen on startup issue that some players had and we included that fix as well.

Full changelog
•   Version 0.91.15370+ 6th March 2018
•   Optimized main rendering loop which should result in up to 25% FPS gain in logic heavy scenes
•   Fixed rare black screen on startup issue
•   Aiming Rogue's arrows with hold button pressed outside of light radius won't snap to nearby doors/staircases anymore
•   Added an extra safety to make sure that doors open on The Cook's level
•   Fixed minor visual glitches in Maze
•   Fixed a crash when playing with the controller and exiting dungeon when a shielded monster was near
•   Updated supporters list in credits

(http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/4760b26fe2879cc44ac9d577922a4c57cafec4c6.png)

Also just let me remind you that we have official Book of Demons discord server now in case you would like to chat with other players. Or us.

https://discord.gg/y8P8Xps


Stays safe in dungeons ːarchduckː
Konstanty
Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on April 24, 2018, 02:39:38 PM
Community translations and Minimap Update!
Book of Demons - Konstanty

(https://i.imgur.com/Qda3U3j.gif)

Hello everyone!
This update introduces in-game community translations, various bugfixes, identify all feature, the minimap and, last not least, the updated final roadmap (with dates). Let's talk details.

Community translations

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/5cebf0e4503f9a804182ea79fb85f24c352f25a6.png)

With Chinese, Russian, French, Brasilian Portuguese and Italian community translations finished we are ready to incorporate them into the game. From now on, the most up to date translation into these languages will be available in Options-> Video and Languages window.

Huge thanks to our community translators! ːpaperheartːːpaperheartːːpaperheartː

Please keep in mind the community-sourced translations are on-going so the quality will only improve over time. It would be hugely helpful if you could report issues with translations. Get in touch with us at our official discord server or via email: support@thingtrunk.com! Or you can talk directly to translators in the forums.

The minimap
The minimap was on the very top of the most requested features list so due to popular demand it's finally here! We went with minimalistic representation for maximum readability and to keep the dungeon visible underneath the minimap since we feel that's the most traditional approach.

The map updates as you explore the dungeon, with the path being drawn as you walk and points of interest are marked as you discover them. No more wondering which turn to take on the crossroads.

The default key for minimap is the tab.

(https://i.imgur.com/B26W4DC.gif)

By the way, once the level is cleared you can click on the stairs marker (the friendly gizmo that shows you the direction towards the staircase down). It will instantly exit the level for you saving you the jog back. Not everyone knows that feature and it's pretty useful :-)

Identify all
Another often requested feature, the identify all. It's enabled in freeplay since that's when cards start piling up and only if the player has enough gold to identify all cards. It will skip the fluff identify animation and all identified cards will available for inspection after a short animation.

(https://i.imgur.com/Dtdh3bi.gif)

The updated roadmap
Last but not least, the updated roadmap. We have a pretty good idea what lies ahead now.

Up until now, we were sticking to bi-monthly larger updates. Now that we are entering the home stretch the large updates will be more frequent, we are aiming at one every six weeks. Of course, in between, there will be a lot of small updates containing fixes and minor tweaks.

Here is what will happen up until launch:
•   Early June - Difficulty levels. It's tricky to make everyone happy with one difficulty for all so we are going to differentiate by introducing more casual mode and two more difficult modes.
•   Late July - Overhauled Archdemon quest (new bosses, unique mechanics) because the current one is actually a placeholder and is way too forgiving ;-)
•   September - Complete sounds (over 300 new or reworked sounds)
•   October - Mac support
•   Early November - all remaining features and content integrated into the test branch, those willing to do so can begin testing the final build candidate
•   December - The magic happens, the game launches
•   Late December - Christmas!



As always,
Stay safe in the dungeons ːpaperheartː
Konstanty

Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on April 27, 2018, 06:43:36 PM
New monsters!
Book of Demons - Konstanty

(https://i.imgur.com/hitdp2z.gif)


Usually, we add content in larger updates on the six-week basis, but today we make an exception to this rule. Without a further ado, please welcome the remaining three monsters!

Skelserker
Surprisingly lively for a skeleton, he shortens the distance by jumping at the unsuspecting victim. Best dealt with quickly.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/9ecf5251364d2d96fe6efb9317bb1c26cd06962d.png)


Hyper Skelserker
Some of the smarter Skelzerkers figured that while the fighting in close quarters is great, it's even better when your opponent doesn't suspect a thing so you can focus on stabbing without interruptions. Beware of their ambushes.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/d4e0e3067527c0cd6a63eb93b45fc1d035f735e7.png)


Incubus
Like there wasn't enough foul demons roaming the hell now heroes have to deal with the Incubus. Not only he hits like a truck, he also has a new unique skill where he calls others monsters to gang up and jump the hero!

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/b53556656901925745be6e065d53ae3918339099.png)

As always,
Stay safe in the dungeons ːpaperheartː
Konstanty
Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on May 17, 2018, 09:23:25 PM
Book of German and Turkish Demons
Book of Demons - Konstanty

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/5f30c865cb5eb097603192f8bbc30b0c99af5fe1.png)

Hello everyone!

Thanks to the tireless work of our Community Translators you can now slay demons in two additional languages: German and Turkish. If you’re a native speaker and have any suggestions to those (or any previously added) translations, get in touch with us at our official discord server or via email: support@thingtrunk.com! Or you can talk directly to translators in the forums.

We wanted to use this opportunity to add some fixes and QoL features like the improved stability of the sound system (we’ve been fighting with this problem for quite some time now) and unifying the way card effect and cooldown times are described in the tooltips.

Aside from that, it should no longer be possible to get 65 000 unidentified cards after using Identify All function. You’ll have to go back to finding cards in the dungeon and cauldron as it was meant to be, sorry ;-)

Full changelog

Version 0.92.15945+ 17th May 2018
•   German and Turkish community translations added
•   Normal bosses should no longer drop slightly used coin after death
•   Increased stability in the sound system
•   Fixed an issue where Identify All could give player 65k unidentified cards
•   Fixed a bug where Icebolt could sometimes miss its target
•   Cooldown and effect time card info is now more unified
•   Minor fix to Return 2 Games intro timing

As always, Stay safe in the dungeons ːpaperheartː

Konstanty

Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on June 08, 2018, 10:49:17 PM
Roguelike and Casual game modes beta!
Book of Demons - Konstanty

(https://i.imgur.com/w6Qpl3V.gif)

Hello!

What initially started as difficulty settings eventually ended as different modes. The changes run deep, rendering Daredevil setting absolute, among other things.

Both new modes are in what we consider a beta stage. This means we will closely watch their balance and it would be super awesome if you could report any glitches you encounter via the feedback widget. We can't fix what we don't know about! Of course feel free to write down your thoughts on the new modes as well, we appreciate all the feedback we get!

But first things first. Without a further ado, let me present the new modes:

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/2c3651f70b1b295071d8d17c473de9d27a349c27.png)

This one actually is not new, it's the mode you all know. It remains as it used to be. Characters playing this mode are eligible for the "First death" leaderboard (one on new leaderboards in a moment). Characters created in this mode can also be switched to Casual mode at any time (however, they will be recorded in the "First death" leaderboard when they are switched for the first time).

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/9924b7c915d71c470fc753a7f6d02a7a5d4d6c4b.png)

Looking for a relaxed run? Look no more. In this mode:
•   Healing is much easier with rapidly replenishing fountains
•   Fights mechanics are more forgiving and monsters less vicious
•   At any time you can switch to the Normal mode.
•   

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/3e7a09134dad85f60836744abb4ef22a2a865113.png)

We heard that the game was too easy, so... In this mode:
•   Fountains do not replenish
•   Amulets work only in combat
•   Healer finally got a shred of business sense and is charging for healing in town
•   Healing, mana and rejuvenation potions cannot be charged in town
•   Switching item card variant won't refund gold for charges lost (and it will discard current charges)
•   Cards drop in a completely random order and are usable regardless of any level requirements
•   Ressurection after death costs gold and the cost increases with each death. Looks like the healer has some serious gambling debts to pay... Anyway once you run out of gold the character dies permanently and is immortalized in the "Final death" leaderboard
•   Once a rogue always a rogue - character created in this mode cannot be switched to any other mode
•   Characters eligible for "Final death" leaderboard
•   Characters eligible for "First death" leaderboard

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/0645d5f0cd3be7692c45fad234e04c0c97c8c271.png)

New leaderboards, the old style Daredevil is no more
While we are keeping old leaderboards (and new scores will be uploaded there until game's launch) the Daredevil mode now will work differently. All characters playing Normal mode will have their first death recorded in the "First death leaderboard" and can continue playing afterward but won't be recorded in the leaderboards again.

Additionally, all characters playing in Roguelike mode will be recorded in the"Final death" leaderboard exclusive for Roguelike mode.

While we will be keeping all-time leaderboard data for posterity the public leaderboards will be wiped on a monthly basis.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/d7454daa0e6386ab16c2ed4a3e6371cc181a04bb.png)

In other news
This update changes a lot of stuff under the hood, so saved dungeons will get regenerated on the first load. Besides the new modes, there are also some quality of life changes and small fixes included. Most prominent one is cutscene skipping (including miniboss introductions), which we know many of you wanted.

•   Added two new game modes: Casual and Roguelike. Dungeons can get regenerated starting this version for the first time
•   Quality of life: cutscenes can now be skipped
•   Quality of life: the mouse can be now dragged from one monster to another's shield in order to break it
•   Quality of life: dragging the mouse over next monster will switch target after one second
•   Massive under the hood changes to the game architecture
•   Vamp Gloves card will no longer grant passive effects when disabled
•   Cold Nova will no longer grant legendary effects even before legendary variant is found


As always (and especially now in Roguelike mode)
Stay safe in dungeons ːpaperheartː
Konstanty

Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on June 22, 2018, 08:24:43 PM
New seasonal leaderboards!
Book of Demons - Konstanty

(https://i.imgur.com/DcK2q2V.gif)

We have overhauled how the leaderboards work and just in time for the Summer Sale too!

When a Normal or Roguelike mode character finishes a level its name will be recorded in the First Death leaderboards. Additionally, there is a separate leaderboard for the Final Death of Roguelike mode characters since getting as deep as possible without dying will require a different strategy than getting as deep as possible in general.

The position in leaderboards will be updated with each death or completed flexiscope, dying is no longer necessary ːpaperdeathː

Seasonal Leaderboards
To make it easier to compare yourself against players playing the game right now and with the current balance we are introducing seasonal leaderboards. Each month will get a new leaderboard and all characters created in that month will compete in their own leaderboard. Once the month ends recording to that leaderboard will no longer possible.

You still have a few days to get a nice spot in this month's leaderboard ːarchduckː

All Time Best Leaderboards
Old style leaderboards are making a comeback, now named All Time. They work exactly as they used to before, with a separate one for Normal and Roguelike modes. All characters are recorded here additionally to being recorded in their Seasonal Leaderboard.

In other news
Turns out the Archdemon was a little bugged and shockwaves from his meteorites (or rather from the little fire elementals spawned by impacts) were dealing around 80 damage. That skill got nerfed but other got buffed a bit and he also now have critical strike ability. Thank you, everyone, for reporting that!

Icicle missiles thrown by some monsters will no longer block players path even before landing. However, they will freeze on hit.

Full Changelog
Version 0.93.16363+ 22nd June 2018

•   New seasonal leaderboards in addition to the old-school All-Time leaderboard
•   Leaderboard loading is now multithreaded, cuts refresh time by up to 70%
•   Icicle thrown by enemies won't block player's path until hitting the ground
•   Icicle missile will now freeze player on hit or create an icicle when hitting the ground
•   Archdemon's firesprites (spawned by his meteors) damage decreased 40 times
•   Archdemon's meteor now deals damage as intended instead of 0 damage
•   Archdemon now deals critical strikes as well as regular strikes
•   Archdemon meteor's shockwaves will no longer affect the player if meteor scored a direct hit
•   Fixed a possible crash when switching cards

As always,
Stay safe in dungeons ːarchduckː

Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on July 18, 2018, 07:32:27 PM
Quest mastering and the new Archdemon quest!
Book of Demons - Konstanty

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/04b7e72edd40c2454c128faf29f2bea0aaf4aec7.gif)

Quest mastering!

Yes, before you ask, the golden keys are making a comeback. The number of keys you have accumulated will be readjusted to the new system when you start the game for the first time after the update. This is necessary because we have changed drop rates a bit and, as some of you might remember, there used to be a bug that would fill some dungeons with hundreds of golden chests filled with golden keys. Ah, the good old days.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/81de5946e806db220f6e5de55fc92d5cedc71436.png)

But back to the mastering itself. You can now use golden keys to unlock much more difficult versions of quest boss levels to test your skill. Keep in mind that Quest Mastering levels and bosses were balanced for certain character level. If a quest proves too demanding you can always gain more levels in free play and come back later.

Defeated bosses during quest mastering drop legendary cards (assuming there are any left to be dropped of course) so it's worth a shot. Or multiple shots since some bosses are meant to be challenging on higher mastering levels.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/50f934f16f3e6960877c7aa8c7ff63d3850f0d51.png)

The new Archdemon's dungeon
The old Archdemon quest left something to be desired in our opinion so we tweaked it a bit. The new one has unique challenges and bosses. The Archdemon himself learned a few new tricks as well. Not to mention that the new level has significantly more ducks than it used to!

And once we add all the new voiceovers it will truly shine!

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/d7454daa0e6386ab16c2ed4a3e6371cc181a04bb.png)

In other news
We fixed a number of bugs in this release, among them the double attacks the hero performed when clicking on a shield. That resulted in shields being much easier to crush. I wonder why no one reported that one ːarchduckː

We are now working on adding all the new sounds to the game and post-processing and adding the new voiceovers that our super talented voice actors recorded for us. Once we are done you will hear a lot more one-liners (and situational comments) from our heroes bosses and townsfolk.

Last but not least, an option was added to disable auto attack by changing a value in the custom settings file. If anyone is interested in that hop into forums for more details!

Full changelog

Version 0.94.16723+ 18th July 2018
•   Quest mastering is now available
•   The new Archdemon quest is available
•   Legendary Vampiric Gloves will no longer pick up items even when not equipped or disabled
•   Belarusian language community translation added to the game
•   Fixed a bug where shields could be slashed at twice normal speed
•   When finding a stolen card that cannot be equipped notification with card's type will be shown
•   Card Mana Sphere now has 30% chance to absorb damage instead of 50%
•   Card Epic Arrow now deals 1 damage instead of 4 (card claimed to deal 3 dmg but there was a bug)
•   Balance: Deathrage gold cost is now higher
•   Balance in Roguelite mode: potions drop rate is now lower
•   Balance in Roguelite mode: resurrection cost increase is now higher
•   Archdemon quest outro can now be skipped
•   Three new Roguelike achievements
•   Fixed Eeny Meeny achievement
•   Razer Chroma support can now be disabled in the config file
•   Autoattack can now be disabled in the config file
•   Razer Chroma support temporarily disabled for testing purposes

As always,
Slay safe in the dungeons ːarchduckː
Konstanty

Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on September 07, 2018, 12:47:51 AM
Major sound and voices update!
Book of Demons - Konstanty

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/a5615a16522a2179a881178a4b3c3b39c0cf1635.gif)

It is time for the September's major update. Let's quickly run through all the new stuff.

Sounds
This update adds over 450 new sounds and remastered version of selected old ones. Many cards get their own sound and dungeons should sound more lively. Finally, the game sounds like we wanted it to sound!

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/88a28d574320cf334a401370d1c5dfafddf5b376.gif)

Voices
Aside from a lot of new sounds we are also adding over 300 new lines of spoken dialogues and one-liners. Expect all characters to get a lot more chatty and crack occasional jokes. They will comment on fights and events in the game.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/e4332b6adea43a1749dd071e4136cd31a7ae24d9.gif)

More card variants!
Many of you asked for this feature so we ironed out a few code quirks and now you will be able to find rare magical cards with two properties. And yes, left and right winged cards are possible. Not only that, occasionally a card with three properties can be found.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/87455db4dd1bb5b8a50f27944dc6e309ff0bfda9.gif)

And disenchantable too!
But wait, there is more! Since this boosts the number of cards that can be found by a few thousands we also added card disenchanting. For a modest amount of gold, you can destroy a variant you have no use for to get back a rune card.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/7dd15961124ae442827c62ad69dfe61d46d1b0ba.png)

Roguelike mode is out of beta
After three months in beta, we are satisfied with the general stability and balance of the roguelike mode, which is why it's time for it to exit the cocoon. This doesn't mean we won't be adjusting minor stuff of course, but gameplay wise roguelike mode offers the unique permadeath experience we hoped for.

Full changelog
Version 0.96.17156+ 6h September 2018
•   Magic cards now can have up to three properties
•   Magic cards can now be disenchanted into Rune cards
•   Added notification when the player has found all common cards in the game
•   Added over 450 new sounds
•   Added over 300 new lines of spoken dialogues
•   Added a few new easter eggs
•   Skipping cutscenes in the dungeon now requires holding a key down for 1.5 seconds to avoid accidental skipping
•   Fixed Skeleton Belt's bonus values when browsing unequipped potion card variants
•   Added in-game disclaimer about tutorials. Shown on the first dungeon entry.
•   Amulet magical bonuses (like passive health bonus) will work in Roguelike mode regardless of the target
•   Score for badges earned will now be adjusted for the game size
•   Fixed timing and visual effects for achievements awarding animation
•   Fixed an issue with Archdemon Sweep skill triggering after loading a game saved when fighting him
•   Fixed Cook not saying his lines on 3rd mastering level
•   First card dropping on Roguelike can't be Town Portal, that was cruel
•   Improved and extended tutorials
•   Reworded Roguelike low gold warning
•   Made crows more explodey
•   Fixed a bug where a random variant was destroyed upon death on higher difficulty modes instead of equipped one
•   Fixed a rare crash related to crows singing
•   Added new "Ready for magic" achievement
•   Added new "Ready for stories" achievement
•   Added new "A-maze-ing!" achievement
•   Added new "Don't Die Hard" achievement
•   Added new "Master Chef" achievement
•   Added new "Craving Battle" achievement
•   Added new "Golden pot" achievement
•   Added new "1 step back" achievement
Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on September 26, 2018, 12:03:57 AM
Latest Changelog (0.96.17333+ 25th September 2018)


•   Enabled missing Warrior comments on Hell tileset
•   The game will now synchronize achievements with Steam on startup
•   Adjusted timings for how long boss fights should take - characters will now comment on very quick and slow kills
•   Fixed a bug that granted "In good hands" achievemnt for simply opening and closing Healer's dialogue
•   Controls improvement - it will now be easier to target monsters standing directly behind a monster playing death animation
•   Fountains can no longer be used if "hold" key is down
•   Readability improvemnt: potion cards that can't be charged due to mode rules will now be visible in charge window but tinted red and unusable.
•   Multiple readability and usability improvements in GUI
•   On dungeon cross-section ambient music will start sooner to avoid awkward silence when the screen scrolls to the Archdemon
•   Fixed crash after abandoning a game in free play mode
•   Fixed missing character voices in some cases in freeplay mode
•   Fixed a crash when switching between character in town rapidly
•   Improved Phantom Ring's description to be clearer
•   Score counting sound will now pause properly on the summary screen
•   The Archdemon will now scream less, he was losing it at times
•   Fixed charging monsters running out of map in Hell
•   Fixed Archdemon Obelisks sounds glitching
•   Fixed a bug that required a restart after enabling for Razer Chroma effects to affect other devices than keyboard



Version 0.96.17188+ 7th September 2018
•   Fixed issues with disenchanted cards not being actually destroyed
•   Fixed issue with healing costs in Roguelike Mode being too high on the massacre difficulty

Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on October 11, 2018, 02:58:02 PM
Mac version is live! Along with bugfixes and stuff.
Book of Demons - Konstanty

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/65c78bf213e51a9637d5b646e46ad2744f0a553d.gif)

The Mac native port is ready and went live on Steam moments before this post was published. The game fully supports Steam Cloud on both Windows and Mac, so you can now enjoy it on the system you prefer whenever you feel like switching.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/8bbf00b333329083068d1d1a4cd5626fe142153b.gif)

Other notable changes in this update
The Mage has a new voice. Due to some unforeseen circumstances, we had to recast the Mage. We took that opportunity to find a great actor and we hope you will enjoy his work as much as we do.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/4009b4a72e195340c5a390d2e10a9daa8ac307a0.png)

Looking ahead
We are now testing and tuning new cards and streamer support features. Over the next month, we will continue to add remaining content and next month we expect to have the final build candidate ready on the test branch.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/f34f88bb959787976081112f8cfc8e125497c2c3.png)

In my free time, I have been also tinkered with support for Logitech RGB hardware (as you probably figured out adding RGB support is a hobby of mine). You can expect Book of Demons to light your Logitech devices soon.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/95af7ee4201322461650d23012a29632d2f660ad.png)

We are also working on Linux native port, but we his some last minute snags. However, the game works well in Steam Play so if you are on Linux and can't wait for the native port check it out. Also, consider wishlisting with store set to Linux. That way Steam might whitelist it for Proton and save you some hassle.

Full changelog
Version 0.98.17491+ 11th October 2018
•   Mac native version available
•   Improved visual effects for Archdemon gate opening sequence
•   Removed duplicate character voice over during Archdemon fight
•   The mage has now a new voice
•   Fixed: obsolete card variant combinations were not always replaced by new ones
•   Added random cameo skeleton encounter in Hell
•   Fixed: score counting sound would sometimes play during avatar unlock sequence
•   Bosses will now have jingles
•   Normalized card range tooltips (from numbers to descriptive terms)
•   Added more sounds for spiders
•   Added support for clicking in-town crows on a controller
•   Crows will now reset after the achievement is unlocked
•   Prepared backend for new cards
•   Improved exploration and movement tutorials
•   Fixed multiple typos
•   Added new supporters' names to credits

As always,
Stay safe in paper dungeons ːarchduckː
Konstanty

Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on October 30, 2018, 12:04:55 AM
Destructible columns update
Book of Demons - Konstanty

(https://thingtrunk.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/logitech-2.gif)

Destructible columns
We heard reports of columns being used by monsters as cover. No more, though. Now with mere three hits of arrows or shockwaves, you can bring down any column and reach monsters cowering behind it.

Lightsync support
I hinted at it before and here it is. We got our hands on some RGB hardware thanks to awesome people at Logitech G, I tinkered with it in my free time, and now Book of Demons should set RGB enabled Logitech hardware alight. Assuming you are running Windows.

(https://thingtrunk.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/logitech-1.gif)

Full changelog
Besides that, this update contains various fixes and tweaks as listed below.

Version 0.98.17603+ 29th October 2018
•   Columns are now destructible
•   Fixed a bug that prevented the player from getting frozen by most ice shockwaves
•   Fixed a visual glitch in level up notification
•   Fixed ice sprites sometimes blinking into existence for one frame
•   Improved ice disappear effect, now looks more like ice melting
•   Fixed issue with sound being looped under the certain circumstances in summary frame
•   Fixed a potential crash bug when a common variant of a previously lost card was found
•   Fixed current card variant being reset to common when another variant was disenchanted
•   The Cook will now have an idle animation during the intro cutscene
•   [Win] Logitech Lightsync support added
•   [Mac] Fixed broken serialization, skills effects will now save correctly
•   [Mac] Fixed Archdemon quest sarcophagi not spawning bosses after loading level
•   [Mac] Quality of Life: scroll will no longer open minimap


As always
Stay safe in paper dungeons ːarchduckː

Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on November 07, 2018, 04:07:12 PM
The last such sale

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/4e0d8a8c84858cf14c21a8184ba8061f0681845e.gif)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/449960/Book_of_Demons/

-50%  £14.99   £7.49


I really like this game  :thumbsup
Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on November 07, 2018, 04:14:24 PM
Release date is set to 13th Dec!
7 NOVEMBER   - KONSTANTY

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/a1887b0d4b18093a133374cb63539c9826ea482c.gif)

We have been in Early Access for over two years. It's been a wild ride. Wild but awesome, thanks to you guys. We initially planned of being in Early Access for only six months but the community took the game in directions we never anticipated. We now have an end game, Roguelike and Casual modes, randomized card variants, and much more. Not to mention a gargantuan number of bugs reported and fixed.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/fc280410bba674938f23eb3e2181e6dfdf36c1c4.png)

The game has reached the point at which we can say it has almost all the stuff we envisioned and so we can safely set the release date. We hinted at it before but now it's time to make it official: Book of Demons will exit early access on 13th of December. And yes, this year :archduck:




The run-up and the launch itself


As I type this post the release candidate build of the game is being finalized and deployed to the test branch. Those of you wishing to test the new cards and legendaries can check this thread for instructions on how to switch to the test branch.

The changes include sixteen new cards, each with magical and unique legendary variants, and a special thank you song performed by townsfolk after the Archdemons is defeated :archduck:



We will continue polishing and finalizing balance on the test branch until a few weeks before the launch date. Until launch, no new stuff is going to be added except bug fixes.

Meanwhile, on the public branch, we have some fun stuff planned to make the wait time fly but I will talk about that in another post :archduck:

What can you do?

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/a6a3dc4186890db1110be65bf7f0f06018d550d8.gif)

As it turns out a lot. First of all, you can keep an eye out for 13th and play the game to see the new stuff. This in itself will mean a world to us.

Besides that, it would be awesome if you could spread the word. December is rather busy month when it comes to new releases and we will be in direct competition for players' and media attention with heavy hitter AAA titles. Although we will do all the standard stuff indie games do on launch and a bunch of non-standard things word of mouth is still king. So on 13th December tell your neighbor, tell your kids that Book of Demons is out!

Last but not least, if you haven't yet please consider writing a review on Steam. Reviews are the lifeblood for small indies and greatly help your friends discover games you consider worthy.

A slight post-launch price increase

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/9dc09b298a4d8569ffff268bf7485ec7e5a1f690.gif)

This topic popped up in the community forums a few times with players urging us to increase the price of the game. We considered it and decided not to do it at least until we exit Early Access.

That time has come and we will increase the price by 5 dollars. The price of the game will change after this sale, on 9th November. We wanted to celebrate Polish Developer Sale but this sale is also the last such significant discount for a long time.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/b350efa14c6bfabf1689083acce38847dd653eb0.gif)

Why the price change now and not at launch? The reason is due to law to which Steam must adhere: there can be no sales for 30 days after the price change. We would like to have a sale for launch, of course, so we have decided to raise the price in advance so the "no discount" period would end in time for 13th December.

Post-launch roadmap

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/e27cc242b3179933f7ee8d6200c31bf627e9ab62.gif)

Of course, the launch is not the end of the road but rather the beginning. We have a slew of features we want to add to the game and stuff we have already done and while it didn't exactly make the final product we still deem worth sharing with you. Like our attempts at competitive multiplayer modes (with extra stress on "attempts", as it's not exactly multiplayer in a classical sense of the word). This, however, will come after the launch.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/06fb6991fdd6a74101c07a99fa0fc6fcbe86440c.gif)

There is also the matter of Book of Demons being the first installment in a series of games. Some tentative work has already started on the next game and this will gain momentum after the launch. We have many cool ideas and depending on how the launch goes we will decide which get to be implemented and when.

As always,
Stay safe in the paper dungeons :archduck:
Konstanty
Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on November 23, 2018, 01:12:48 AM
Version 0.99.17749+ 22nd November 2018

•   Summoning sparks won't block player movement anymore
•   Book of fire and ice will now grant special attacks even on a monster with hearts of the same element
•   All achievements can now be disabled by setting achievementsEnabled flag to "0" in customsettings.txt

Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on November 29, 2018, 12:34:03 AM
Dungeons & Streamers free DLC
28 November - Konstanty

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/088dfd969fece516044aa35742b23c2029b63037.gif)

We are introducing our streaming integration for both Twitch and Mixer, thus answering the age-old question: what is best in life? Apparently to crush your streamers, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women!

(https://i.imgur.com/RdpB7Zp.gif)

Or, optionally, helping them overcome hordes of monsters and those who would rather see them fail by spawning drops and picking better cards. After all, in this streaming mode, it's you, the viewer, who decides what will happen next.

You can see the integration in action here:

https://youtu.be/m2YZ3JtVvMk


(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/583b89219249b111b07e99f3262b6f9879564f48.gif)

But how does all this magic work?
When streamer of your choice chooses to use our free Dungeons & Streamers DLC viewers will be able to take part in the game via chat commands on Twitch and handy buttons on Mixer.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/a4b4e32915613a010445d85777056d09c77df194.gif)

What can be done? By timing your commands right you can
•   Steal drops like gold, card charges or even cards!
•   Spawn new cards and charges
•   Spawn an extra monster or even mini-boss and the new monster will be named after you for everyone to see
•   Attack monsters alongside the streamer
•   Surround the streamer's hero with ice, poison him or give his mouse cursor little nudge in a critical moment
•   Trigger Death Rage, grant invincibility or heal the streamer
•   Lure nearby monster to gang up on the unsuspecting hero
•   When a legendary card is identified in this mode, two possible outcomes are presented and channel-wide voting takes place. The streamer will receive the top voted legendary card. Make sure it's Town Portal if you want to make their day!

In general, all actions will be displayed in the game so both other viewers and the streamer will know who was that guy who just stole his gold.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/782089e44aa34c3de071eb79354f8a6963ed5d41.gif)

We also had a few secret commands during testing, some of them crashing streamers PC but these got disabled in the final build. Or were they? No, they totally got disabled.

We made this into an optional DLC to avoid cluttering GUI for non-streaming players by default and also that way we were able to test this mode ahead of launch.
 
You can see the full list of commands and features on the DLC's page:

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/968890/capsule_184x69.jpg?t=1543415597)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/968890/Book_of_Demons__Dungeons__Streamers/


Where can I participate in such streams?
Ideally on your favorite streamer's channel - ask them to play the game which will help to spread the word of the game. Which is the point

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/02fa6d32f6d6cbf762dec03d915b251830b61f5d.png)

In other news
We are on the last stretch before the launch, which is why we are releasing the streaming integration now. Getting more people to know about the game and Early Access exit is more important now than ever.

Testing of new cards is progressing nicely, we already fixed a ton of bugs. Some bugs in the old cards also came to light thanks to dedicated testers (cheers!).

Changelog

Version 0.99.17769+ 28th November 2018
•   Dungeons & Streamers free DLC available, adding Twitch and Mixer integration to the game
•   Fixed Eeny Meeny Miny Moe achievement and made it a little easier (gold pickups don't break it and both clicking and killing zombies works)
•   Gargoyle obelisk tile in Hell fixed
•   Multiple improvement and fixes to Twitch and Mixer integration after the beta run
•   [Mac] Fixes to resolution handling on high resolution screens

As always, Stream safe in the paper dungeons 

Konstanty

Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on December 06, 2018, 03:15:53 PM
Die, Demons Die! (Book of Demons song)

https://youtu.be/TpuO-PxWATI


:laughing4
Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on December 13, 2018, 06:23:35 PM
Demons are out of Early Access! Woohoo!
13 December

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/7114b0a4340a6607c4bc8ca3bfaf1956b34eab78.gif)

There comes a time in the life of most of the games when they have to spread wings and leave the nest. Yes, I'm talking about exiting Early Access and this time is now.

For this occasion we have prepared a launch trailer narrated by the Archdemon himself:

https://youtu.be/Nra-iXBBLrM


Book of Demons launched in Early Access two years ago. Since then we worked on improving and completing the game with unyielding support from many of you. You were amazing and together you created the best community we have seen on Steam.

It was an amazing adventure that doesn't end here. We will need a few weeks to prepare the post-launch roadmap so meanwhile let me tell you about the stuff we are adding in today's launch update.


Read On (https://steamcommunity.com/games/449960/announcements/detail/1683672224398238933)
Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on January 01, 2019, 12:20:07 AM
Happy New Year update!
31 December, 2018 - Konstanty

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/60ddc4a469263a833a9929d0fcebf634c4a77fa6.gif)

To set a good example for the upcoming 2019 we are rolling out an update with some quality of life improvements and various bug fixes that the community reported over the holidays.

Besides the minor stuff like missing strings and credits not being displayed most notable fixes are:
•   The Arachgod spiders that wouldn't come out of an ambush will now behave as expected. The ones already on maps won't be fixed but ones in newly generated dungeons will be bolder.
•   Added option to collect cauldron's prizes with a stick on a controller, now each prize will be highlightable.
•   We also changed the useless extra magical parameter on legendary Fan card to something much more useful (it will be swapped in already found cards).
•   Last but not least, we have disabled Razer Chroma support to do some testing. We are in touch with guys at Razer and it will be back as soon as we are sure it's stable.

Full changelog
Version 1.00.17927+ 31st December 2018
•   Fix problem with Arachgod not always getting out of hiding
•   Fixed incorrect number of stars in the equipped projectile tooltip
•   Legendary Fan Card now have more useful magical companion variant
•   Add prize collection under pad stick
•   Crows in Town are once again usable with a controller (Left Trigger + Thumbstick)
•   Fixed a possible crash in upgrade window when displaying a tooltip
•   Fixed card upgrade window not refreshing after a card was downgraded
•   Fix to language change restart doesn't save the game
•   Fix algorithm fixing scroll allocations in the roguelike mode
•   Fixed confusing avatar research related tooltip
•   Fixed missing string on Avatar research screen when using the controller
•   Fixed incorrect upgrade cost in the variant window (was calculated based on equipped variant)
•   Fixed Fortune Teller's gossip sometimes not unlocking properly
•   Fixed missing credits
•   Fixed Healer's missing VO
•   Supporters added to credits

Happy New Year
Have an awesome 2019 everyone, we wish you many ducks and a calm and satisfying year. And, most importantly, stay safe in paper dungeons
Konstanty

Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on January 24, 2019, 02:10:03 PM
What’s next for Book of Demons and R2G?
Book of Demons - Konstanty

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/ad280cc28b77bf1aecde485806afd0896e052625.gif)

It’s been a whole month since Book of Demons went out of Early Access and the launch dust has settled a bit, so we feel it’s the right moment to talk about the future. Also, it’s the beginning of a new year, so what better time to make new and bold plans? But before we jump to the point, let’s take a step back and look at what we’ve accomplished so far (and why getting here took us so long).

Read on (https://steamcommunity.com/games/449960/announcements/detail/3610099207837076000)
Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on February 07, 2019, 12:10:52 AM
Online Battles timed event is live!
6 Feb - Konstanty

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/d40585d04c004f5e211e45d5696d2f071bafdebf.gif)

One recurring request during Early Access was to add multiplayer to the game. We researched that and experimented but in the end, it became obvious we can't do it without rewriting the game from scratch. However, while experimenting we came up with a multiplayer competitive mode that works and we had a surprising amount of fun playing it.

We decided to share this experiment with you. So, without further ado, we present...

Online Battles

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/a01707921cfeaa2ae7d2c35d7658995bcc4b35d2.gif)

What are Online Battles? It's a timed event that will run for a week starting now. Two players are matched together. Both competing heroes share the same class, same random cards, and the same dungeon.

After initial 20 seconds for picking a hand out of random cards, the battle begins. Each time a player slays a monster, a shadow of this monster will spawn in opponent's dungeon. Shadows are tinted red and while they can deal damage and be killed they don't count against total monsters count. Whoever kills all the enemies (excluding shadows spawned by the opponent) wins! There is no way to interact with the other player besides throwing your defeated enemies at him. Watch your opponents moves, time your kills well to throw a wrench in his plans. Two men enter, one man leaves

Why? For fun and science!

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/091e12e4b88df0da9b286615b1142f1e6dc7447b.png)

It's very important to stress that this is not a completely finished product. It's more of an experiment we put together and are sharing after hewing the roughest of edges. This is our first attempt at multiplayer so we hope it will work reasonably well and you will have fun with it.

We would love to include multiplayer in all future games and we are looking forward to learning a lot from this experiment.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and feedback.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/03bb0ead50bb7eb0412d405e63c47cd7bba46a33.png)

Changelog for version 1.00.18019
•   Experimental Online Battles mode
•   Fixed walking in the dungeon using WASD keys not working when mouse cursor was over the lower bar
•   Fixed issue when the player could walk in the dungeon with stats window open
•   Fixed card Relic of Rage showing incorrect initial trigger value
•   Disenchanting currently not equipped card variant won't switch the current variant to common while resetting charges to zero anymore
•   Fixed issue when crosscut was scrolling simultaneously with opened frame scrollbar
•   Fixed typos in multiple translations

As always,
Stay safe in the paper dungeons (and slay faster than the other guy) 
Konstanty

Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on November 16, 2019, 01:51:22 AM
Book of Demons

-60%   £19.99   £7.99

https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/book-of-demons

Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on November 16, 2019, 01:52:59 AM
Book of Demons Final Release Trailer

https://youtu.be/Nra-iXBBLrM




Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on February 13, 2020, 08:45:10 PM
Get Book of Demons for iPad!
Thu, 13 February 2020

The day has come - Book of Demons finally hit iPads! Today, on February the 13th (sadly not Friday but what can you do!), you can descend into Hell tapping your way through demonic hordes and hellish cooks - all made out of paper! The game is available on Apple Store for just $4.99 (launch week promotion, the regular price will be $9.99 so grab it while it’s hot :archduck:).

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/a923d14621827e7756b844b6bb375239ae8fd91f.png)

We introduced a bunch of changes into the Tablet Edition, making elements such as shields a bit easier to hit, and completely reworking control scheme to make it touch-control friendly. It's as responsive as you would expect it to be, and the only thing that might be lacking from the tactile experience is the feeling of crumpled paper you would expect from a pop-up book game :archduck:!

Book of Demons: Tablet Edition requires iOS 13 to run and is available on iPad devices. This version is also up-to-date with the current PC build and contains all the content. You can now take your demon-killing everywhere you want, and let's face it: there is no setting unfit for a classic evil-fighting adventure.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/fec2ede60cae31e2127ca3c4b90139a524b55118.gif)

Tell your wife, tell your kids and spread the word in general: Book of Demons Tablet Edition is out!
And as always,

Stay safe in the paper dungeons (and join us on Discord)!


Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on March 10, 2020, 12:15:26 AM
March update has been served!
Mon, 9 March 2020

The Cook got uneasy with how some of our achievements looked, so he forced us to brew up a new update to fix a few things here and there! In the latest Book of Demons update, we have a full menu of changes, including a litter of letters rearranged for your literal convenience.

He rises to fix your letters!

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/87269ce77b6b38451182fbee5ad645bcd5890f3a.gif)

As Book of Demons is receiving a new batch of fixes and changes, our team is hard at work on upcoming projects. For Book of Demons: HELLCARD we are designing a new card look. You can see how the cards will be transformed below. Expect a larger blog update regarding that soon!

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/ed7d0e538523c774f23d23c2bc8b5fdbc2995f21.gif)

Changelog - Version 1.03.20383 9th March:

•   Fixed a very rare bug when Archdemon level would crash
•   Fixed missing controller support in wishlist window
•   Fixed GUI displayed incorrectly when 3:2 screen ratio was chosen
•   Fixed many typos and style inconsistencies in English and Polish language versions of the game
•   Fixed Identify button lightning up when there were no cards to identify at Sage's
•   Fixed legendary Shield card killing zombies with their own poison missiles (sorry!)
•   Fixed Fury of Blows description in the Spanish version of the game
•   Updated translations
•   Added new Supporters and Community Translator to credits
•   Updated Steam API SDK to a current version
•   WASD auto walk on short taps can now be disabled in custom_settings.txt by adding WASDAutoMove = "0"

There's even more... somewhere else!

If you liked the Hellcard cards sneak peek above, consider joining our discord for more information on Book of Demons, Book of Demons: Hellcard, and Book of Aliens! We will have some very exciting news to share with you soon!

As always, stay safe in the paper dungeons,
Artur 

Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on April 07, 2020, 03:13:43 PM
Developer update
Sat, 4 April 2020

(https://i.imgur.com/8mjXKI8.gif)

I thought it would be cool to share what we are doing, hence this update. First of all, although the Town might seem deserted, the work continues behind the shutters!

We have switched to a home office model early during the pandemic. As a team, our origin story is that of working from our bedrooms and we always encouraged working from home when someone was feeling under the weather, so the transition was smooth. We are now scattered all over the country and kept alive thanks to brave pizza delivery people (seriously, everyone who keeps the infrastructure going in these grim times is a hero, kudos to you!).

Meanwhile, we keep working on both Book of Demons: HELLCARD and Book of Aliens. For those of you who are not on our Discord, I will do a quick recap. And encourage you to join the server, of course. It's where we post sneak peeks and where we will organize alpha and beta tests: Discord.gg/bookofdemons

So, without further ado...

Book of Demons: HELLCARD


We finished card rendering subsystems. Sounds straightforward but it was a lot of work actually, we want cards to be super readable, smooth, and clear regardless of scaling and we are using a custom engine. We will probably write a separate post about that later on.

(https://i.imgur.com/TwEaf53.gif)

I will also have a better quality gif, Steam size requirements are atrocious :archduck:

The card art was a subject of hot debate both internally and with the community on our Discord. We have written a blog post on how the art style evolved and what motivated our decisions.

(https://i.imgur.com/drM9LnN.gif)

We are also in the process of reforging the prototype into a production-ready engine. Yet another topic for an upcoming post! The work is progressing smoothly, all things considered.

Book of Demons: HELLCARD
Releasing on Q4 2020
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1201540/Book_of_Demons_HELLCARD
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/1201540/header.jpg?t=1583151101)



Book of Aliens

In the case of Book of Aliens, we are still tinkering with low-level mechanics, so a lot can (and will) change before release (planned for 2021). We are preserving our playable prototypes, so if all goes according to the plan we would love to show you what the game could have been.

(https://i.imgur.com/8zxjVs4.png)

While we tinker, our more artistically inclined part of the team is coming up with coolest ways to render scenes, shaders and, effects. But it all always begins with early concept sketches. Here is a sneak peek of the very earliest paper aliens concepts

(https://i.imgur.com/9cGM7iU.png)


Book of Aliens
Releasing on 2021
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1196230/Book_of_Aliens/?snr=1_2108_9__1601
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/1196230/header.jpg?t=1583151350)


If you don't want to miss sneak peeks like that and have an opportunity to discuss them with us, consider joining our Discord and the Sneak Peek channel there: Discord.gg/bookofdemons

Aside from that, if you would like to support us further simply wishlist the game you are interested in (or both, if that's the case!). Steam offers more visibility to often wishlisted games and that's the best an indie studio without big marketing bucks can count on!

As always,
Stay safe in the paper dungeons :paperheart:
Konstanty



Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on April 24, 2020, 12:49:15 PM
Book of Demons hits consoles on 30th April
Thu, 23 April 2020

(https://i.imgur.com/UboHtaa.gif)


The date is set!

In our previous post, I mentioned that guys at 505 Games are helping us with console publishing and are aiming for release in April. We just found out that everything is on track and only one week from today Book of Demons will hit Xbox One, Playstation 4, and last but very far from least, Nintendo Switch! Also, preorders on Switch are live now and come with a 10% preorder discount.

Coincidentally, today is World Book Day. Life works in mysterious ways :archduck:

In other news

Development on both Book of Demons: HELLCARD and Book of Aliens continue at full speed, regardless of the fact we have to work from homes. We will have a more fleshy update HELLCARD soon, so stay tuned! And if you want to keep an eye on the development consider joining our Discord server where we post sneak peeks. It's also the place where we will organize alpha and beta tests for our games, so the more the merrier :archduck:

Book of Demons: HELLCARD
Releasing on Q4 2020
Hellcard is a cooperative roguelike deckbuilder with Singleplayer and Multiplayer modes. Descend into the paper dungeons on your own, recruit computer-controlled companions or join other gamers in fast-paced tactical card battles against the armies of darkness and the Archdemon himself!


Book of Aliens
Releasing on 2021
Aliens invade Paperverse! Protect the terrorized civilians and discover the source of the alien threat in this minimalist game of battlefield tactics and global defense strategy.


As always,
Stay safe in paper dungeons :paperheart:
Konstanty

Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on April 30, 2020, 02:23:45 PM
Book of Demons is now on Switch, PS4 and Xbox One!
Thu, 30 April 2020

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/0be39edaaafea6470922b199f1487af89400a963.png)

The hour is upon us! The Book of Demons made it to Switch, PS4, and Xbox One.

The console version is pretty much the same as the PC version when it comes to features, achievements, and stuff. What changed were under the hood optimizations and a lot of UI tweaks to make it more readable and more couch gaming compatible. The same goes for controller support - in console version the card selection was redesigned to make for more snappy combat.

Meanwhile, once the launch dust is still settling, we are hard at work on the upcoming HELLCARD and Book of Aliens. If all goes well I will have cool news to share soon.

PS Some of you might have seen this post earlier today - yeah it was totally me fumbling and posting too early by accident :paperdeath:

As always,
Stay safe in crawled from the comfort of the couch paper dungeons :archduck:

Konstanty

Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on June 17, 2020, 01:00:54 AM
Hellcard pre-alpha demo test!
Tue, 16 June 2020

(https://i.imgur.com/ZocETwU.gif)

Since Hellcard is going to be a multiplayer game, it's crucial to get the netcode right. We want to squeeze as much as we can from the available solutions and that calls for a lot of testing :archduck:

Testing, testing, and then some testing on top of it

That's why a few weeks ago we have started tests with the players over at our Discord Sneak Peek channel. Testing raw net code is no fun, which is why we are doing that on a pre-alpha Hellcard prototype. It has only a few enemies and some early cards but is playable and a challenge. It also gives us a "two birds one stone" type opportunity. Not only we can test the netcode but also core mechanics. By the way, if you would like to be part of similar closed tests in the future consider joining our server:

https://discordapp.com/invite/XTXcYzN


We have already learned a lot, switched the network topology as a result and we know how we will rework netcode and architecture for the final game. We have almost all the data we need to scrap the prototype and get back to work.

One missing piece is a large scale stress test. We already invited our supporters for closed tests but now it is time to hold an open pre-alpha demo test. And what better time to do that than during Steam Summer Game Festival.

(https://i.imgur.com/toWfu2p.gif)

Disclaimer

Please keep in mind, that what we are testing here is a pre-alpha prototype build. It will actually be scrapped after the public test and we will use what we learned to improve the actual game. The demo focuses on battles, contains only a fraction of final gameplay and content. Still, it shows what we are going after, can be played and can be won. It features our feedback widget so if at any point you spot bugs or have an idea for improvement write to us! And expect to see a lot of our Work in Progress Skeleton Crew, who came to symbolize the pre-alpha state of the build:

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/33019925/839c96df51e5e6c18210804761e9ba99531e43ee.png)


As always,

Stay safe in paper dungeons :archduck:
Konstanty

Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on June 25, 2020, 01:03:50 AM
Hellcard's public pre-alpha test summary!
Wed, 24 June 2020

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36304302/f16f3edfa5e7cba0267791e6e871fd577c91a624.png)

The Steam Games Festival was a blast, to say the least! We scrambled to get the demo up and running and tested for it but it was well worth it. We got a ton of valuable feedback from all of you. What's more, we also tested the network backend. You are all amazing, thank you 

As you might already know from the past updates we are now scrapping the demo and writing the net code and the game from scratch. We will use all of that knowledge gathered to power-up the production of Hellcard. With more content, less Infernal Network Errors... aaaand without small cards sticking to a mouse cursor from time to time 

(https://i.imgur.com/N0BN0bb.gif)

Demo in numbers

Curious how the playtests went? Here are some data we can share!
•   It was quite crowded - over 3000 players tested the demo 
•   DemoN, the community boss, was slain over 100 times! We expected him to die maybe twice, nice 
•   You did a great job spreading the news - 1 out of 7 players told about the game to their friends, almost half of the players played with a friend!
•   You were real brothers-in-arms - almost 9 out of 10 players stayed with their initial party for good and for bad
•   I streamed the game for 16 hours using my homemade jury-rigged setup (green curtain bought for 10 bucks and my phone). Streaming the game is something we will be doing more often in the future (maybe we will even get a real camera not to use my mobile phone!).
•   At one point there were over 7000 viewers on the stream and Hellcard was #1 stream on the whole Steam - that’s INSANE!
•   I also ate 4 candy bars, 2 dinners, and showed my cats twice three times while streaming


But most importantly, we got tons of feedback messages and surveys filled! We were flooded and floored by the amount of feedback we got  It was very positive too, which is a good sign since the demo had only a sliver of the final content of the game!

Oh, and to celebrate the 100th death of the Community Boss, we are working on a special wallpaper. Here is a sneak peek of the early speed paint concept:

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36304302/d525d7d433d9ee4569b73d4adfd122011e194140.png)

So, what will the final game look like, then?

Some of you also mentioned it wasn't clear for them what differs the demo from the full version of Hellcard. As we’ve mentioned before, the demo was supposed to test the core mechanics and multiplayer with the new code only.

This demo prototype sported 28 cards, the final game will have well over 100 cards. There were only a few monsters and two bosses in the demo. The final game will have a lot more, it will be impossible to see all of them in a single run or to play a similar run twice.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/33019925/839c96df51e5e6c18210804761e9ba99531e43ee.png)

In the demo, you got to pick one card or heal between fights. This was obviously a placeholder. In the final game, there will be story events between fights. I don't want to spoil too much as I plan to focus on this in another post.

Last but not least - the singleplayer mode. Obviously, in the final game, there will be a single-player mode. It won't be simply playing with bots either, but a more complex system of companions. Again, it's something I will focus more in a separate post.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36304302/965650f83e3e80548a56d8888d387b70a48c4ab0.png)

A huge THANK YOU
This is also the time to thank all the Supporters and Discord beta testers who answered the call and tested the game before it hit Steam Games Festival. Without you, this demo wouldn't be anywhere near the quality it was.

Also, a separate BIG thank you goes to all our friends on Discord who helped us answer the questions during the AmA on Stream. The Discord community even wrote a standalone debug tool and save manager! You are amazing!  For anyone who would like to be a part of that fantastic community here is the link to our Discord https://discord.com/invite/Ue28HQz

 
If you tried the demo and liked what you saw, please consider spreading the word and wishlisting the game - it's the only way Hellcard can reach new players as Steam shows wishlisted games to more people. This means a bigger player base and thus more people to play with! Not to mention you will get notified once it's released 


HELLCARD

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/1201540/header.jpg?t=1592579362)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1201540/HELLCARD/


As Always,
Stay safe in the paper dungeons!

Konstanty 


Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on October 28, 2020, 03:24:03 AM
Book of Demons' Special Halloween Special is here!
Tue, 27 October 2020

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/696ee24bcad30787f9b6a37c22276a33fa8d1863.png)

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/2f5b5d1b915a12c5cb10314a0406ae88b66685dd.gif)

Defeat the Archdemon and his army of spooky skeletons, ghosts, and fiends in Book of Demons - a modern Hack & Slash game reimagined. Are you ready to enter the dungeon and save the Paperverse from the forces of evil? Grab your swords and shields, bows, and magic staffs, because it’s adventure time!

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/4c85b3f4c24eb9f780ab30b141d411ca12eec93f.gif)

Halloween under the Cathedral

Colourful fallen leaves, warm sweaters, and the pumpkin spice latte - ain’t autumn great? And if you want some fun, October got you covered too. There is this one day a year when all ghouls, ghosts, vampires, zombies and other monsters leave their comfy dungeons to visit their definitely-not-terrified human friends. Yes, you’ve guessed it - it’s HALLOWEEN time!

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/f0e01cb9faea7ef8892cffa5bc1da28c10524d6d.png)

This year will be different, however. This year, you will pay all the spooks a visit first instead. The dungeons are already decorated. The treats are already prepared. The monsters are already waiting for you to come and play with them (and steal all their candy). So what are you waiting for? Challenge the Archdemon in a Special Halloween Special

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/f4cb786ff4fc932fe188c34709ffe93d9c6d9a6b.gif)

Limited Edition Spooky Challenges

We celebrate Halloween with Limited Edition Spooky Challenges and Halloween decorations in all the dungeons (made by the Archdemon himself). Introducing:

All you need is Blood - each second you lose 1 HP point. Each broken enemy heart gives you +1 HP point. Hearts become a resource you have to manage in order to survive.

Spooky Spores! - we heard you like spores, so we put spores in your spores, so that you can get spores while strolling around the dungeon. Now your own body will spawn spores which then spawn even more spores. And that’s how you become constantly poisoned. Do you run or kill enemies around you? The choice is yours.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/60aa7a114478bc7a06fba13536ec2ff0b11ccdcf.gif)

For The Horde! - the enemies are super fast and can sense you from a long range

7th sense - enemies spawn once killed and drop gold (killing them doesn't give you more points) - grab as much money as your pockets can hold and run before the monsters surround you!

The more the merrier!

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/d587560cb6d210c470913324624f1722074688c0.png) (https://discord.com/invite/bookofdemons)

If you want to meet like-minded people or get in touch with us, click here https://discord.com/invite/bookofdemons in order to join our Discord channel! Among other stuff that's where we are running sneak peek channel with early betas and previews of Hellcard. Hellcard is going to be a sequel spinoff to Book of Demons and a true single and multiplayer co-op deckbuilder! If that sounds cool, wishlish and follow the game to get updates on public tests and launch.

HELLCARD
Q2 2021

Coming Soon


Enjoy Halloween everyone and don't get spooked!

Stay safe in the Haunted Dungeons,
Mathyou
Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on November 11, 2020, 12:59:57 AM
Launcher rework!
Tue, 10 November 2020

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/ef2e35aad5b1859210f45f12547f2f35ecbc76af.png)

Hello everyone!

As a part of the general backend modernization effort, we have reworked the launcher. Most of the changes are under the hood and affect the way games in the series will talk to each other, unlock avatars and show up in each other's launchers.

Avatar system changes
So there is more than meets the eye here, but what meets the eye is how the avatar system changed. As you might remember avatars were placed on a graph and unlocked with a meta score. This idea was cool but difficult to work with and, to be honest, a tad clunky visually.

Which is why we have reworked that system. Now each game can unlock an avatar according to its own rules and will inform other games that it did so. All avatars are now browsable in a neat list with descriptions visible all the time and not only in tooltips:

(https://i.imgur.com/kwM0wAE.gif)

Looks much better, doesn't it?

There will also be an option to copy avatar in .png format to a folder, so it could be used online with ease. This option will be available on selected platforms that allow it (Steam does ).

Aside from that check out Hellcard and Book of Aliens if you somehow missed them

HELLCARD
(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/1201540/header.jpg?t=1600068460)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1201540/HELLCARD/

Hellcard is a cooperative roguelike deckbuilder with Singleplayer and Multiplayer modes. Descend into the paper dungeons on your own, recruit computer-controlled companions or join other gamers in fast-paced tactical card battles against the armies of darkness and the Archdemon himself!
Coming Soon


Book of Aliens
(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/1196230/header.jpg?t=1583151350)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1196230/Book_of_Aliens/

Aliens invade Paperverse! Protect the terrorized civilians and discover the source of the alien threat in this minimalist game of battlefield tactics and global defense strategy.
Coming Soon


and consider joining us on our Discord server! https://discord.com/invite/bookofdemons

As always,
stay safe in the paper dungeons
Konstanty


Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on November 26, 2020, 01:57:22 AM
SteelSeries RGB support glory
Wed, 25 November 2020

Rainbow spotted in the paper dungeons!

(https://i.imgur.com/BO4iqsO.gif)

Have you ever thought to yourself, “man, those paper dungeons are bleak and dull?” Well... good, because that's how dungeons are supposed to look like But if you really want to add some color, you can now make good use of your SteelSeries peripherals and light the room with all shades of red, green, blue, and more!

(https://i.imgur.com/jcqm3XM.gif)

We've partnered with SteelSeries to implement GameSense support in Book of Demons. What's GameSense and how does it work? To put it simply, it allows the game to lit up your SteelSeries RGB enabled mice, keyboards, and headsets and react to events in Book of Demons in real-time. That's coding magic for ya!

The full list of effects now available includes:

•   Health and Mana indicators on F5-F8 and F9-F12 respectively. We use fewer keys but the rightmost key dims as the parameter value gets lower for fluid visual feedback. Additionally, health gets tinted green when the character is poisoned.
•   Equipped cards highlight keys bound to their slots. The type of card equipped is color-coded exactly as they are presented in-game. Additionally, when a card is not usable at the moment, it's dimmed. And when it's on cooldown, it's also indicated by gradually making the key lighter. These keys and health/mana bars are rendered on top of other effects as they are utility indicators.
•   When a card becomes usable or its passive effect is triggered, it flashes gold
•   When the character is frozen, the keyboard mimics the on-screen effect and "freezes" in blue color on the edge rows and columns.
•   When the character is poisoned again, the keyboard mimics the on-screen effect, and "bubbles" of green spawn at the lowest key row and make their way upwards.
•   Level up, level clear, and card identified/discovered notifications now have a fast "swipe" effect on the keyboard.
•   Mouse glows in the color the current dungeon is tinted with. This creates a cool ambient effect at the player's desk that compliments the in-game color scheme.
•   On death, the keyboard gets "flooded" with red to mimic the on-screen effect 
•   When the player is stunned, the headset blinks yellow to mimic the yellow stars on the screen


(https://i.imgur.com/mhRUV1f.gif)

As always,
stay safe in the colorful dungeons!

Mathyou


Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on December 30, 2020, 01:48:43 AM
Book of Demons goodies in the Point Shop
Tue, 29 December 2020

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/449960/ss_a9a284e77b1ebe46bd43cf6c788e833fa7e87ce0.1920x1080.jpg?t=1602600139)

Liven up your Steam profile with brand new animated frames and backgrounds to stand out among other players!

The Steam Points Shop allows you to spend your hard earned points on emoticons, profile backgrounds, and avatar frames related to various games, including Book of Demons. While we already had some items in the past, such as the lovely archduck emote  or paper skull  , they were static and didn't do much (apart from looking good, of course). This time we've added something more lively that will bring your Steam profile to life!

(https://i.imgur.com/zLDrikl.gif)

The new items are:
•   an animated profile frame that shows around your avatar
•   4 animated mini-profile backgrounds with our heroes (visible whenever someone hovers the mouse over your avatar)
•   3 animated profile backgrounds with our heroes (visible on your Steam profile page)

You can access the Steam Points Shop for Book of Demons and get all animated items for 2000 points  right here.
https://store.steampowered.com/points/shop/app/449960

The more the merrier

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/d587560cb6d210c470913324624f1722074688c0.png)

If you want to get in touch with us or hang out with other Book of Demons' fans, click here to join our Discord channel https://discord.com/invite/bookofdemons . That's where you can chat and discuss and play together. And that's where we are running sneak peek channels with early betas and previews of Hellcard - a sequel spinoff to Book of Demons and a true single and multiplayer co-op deckbuilder! If you think that's right up your alley, wishlist and follow the game to get updates on public tests and launch!

 
HELLCARD

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/1201540/header.jpg?t=1600068460)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1201540/HELLCARD/

Q2 2021

Hellcard is a cooperative roguelike deckbuilder with Singleplayer and Multiplayer modes. Descend into the paper dungeons on your own, recruit computer-controlled companions or join other gamers in fast-paced tactical card battles against the armies of darkness and the Archdemon himself!
Add to your Wishlist
Coming Soon


As always,
stay safe in the animated dungeons!

Mathyou 

   
Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on January 30, 2021, 01:21:11 AM
2021 Roadmap: This Cook's work is never done
Fri, 29 January 2021

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/242ff6ac5b98d77053ab505fb07c7474c20dbabf.png)

Our last roadmap began with the words ‘2019 was a particularly chaotic time for all of us here.’ Oh boy, were we in for a big surprise, because we all know how 2020 turned out. But was it really all that bad? Let’s find out!

In the roadmap for 2020, we announced not one but two new projects: Hellcard and Book of Aliens. Internally, we had big (not to say brazen) plans: to find and onboard five new team members and finish moving into the new office.

What we didn’t exactly plan for was abandoning our new office pretty much the day it was finished! Thankfully, we were ready for the transition to home office model since our philosophy was always to be flexible and if someone on the team needed to work from home it wasn’t an issue. What we never tried was everyone doing so at the same time. The pandemic helped us improve our work organization and lower heating and electricity bills at the same time (hello, remote work!). Unfortunately, it also tossed a wrench into our recruitment efforts. Still, we were lucky enough to welcome aboard two new team members: Wacław – a new graphic designer, and Mateusz – a new community manager (that would be yours truly, actually!). We are still recruiting and even though the process is moving slower than we have hoped, we are on track to hit our 2020 target of 5 new team members in 2021.


Despite having moved onto new projects, we have been keeping Book of Demons up-to-date and alive. Not only that, but it also made it to new platforms! iPad users can now play Book of Demons: Tablet Edition. With the great help of 505 Games and Sonka, we released Book of Demons on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch as well. Last but not least, Book of Demons was included in Humble Choice in February, helping us spread the word about our games and Return 2 Games vision.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/897473e9f3b3ecceb8ee7812939a0be75e7e8be2.png)

As you can see, 2020 wasn’t all that bad for our team. But now, let’s move onto some exciting stuff you’re all waiting for!

Hellcard

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/1201540/header.jpg?t=1611833313)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1201540/HELLCARD/

Hellcard is a cooperative roguelike deckbuilder with Singleplayer and Multiplayer modes. Descend into the paper dungeons on your own, recruit computer-controlled companions or join other gamers in fast-paced tactical card battles against the armies of darkness and the Archdemon himself!


As you might remember from our previous announcements, Hellcard started as an idea for a Book of Demons’ mode, not unlike Superhot mode. It quickly became clear that in order to execute it properly and with multiplayer, we will have to write it almost from scratch and so it evolved into a standalone spin-off title. Hellcard will feature its own Archenemy, a slew of new cool features, game mechanics, and we really can’t wait to show it all to you!

Since most events and shows moved to digital form due to the pandemic, we took that opportunity to show you our internal tech demo during Steam Spring Festival, Tokyo Game Show, PAX/EGX, Taipei Game Show, and Gamescom (we even had an awesome virtual Booth at IndieArena!). In November we also participated in The Escapist Games Showcase – Fall Edition, where Konstanty answered a couple of questions about Hellcard.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/1af0cb3bf4d2131368007ea0fc805c34e0133415.png)

We gathered a lot of useful insights and feedback from you but the work is far from over. As you know, what you have played was barely a prototype. Since then it was scrapped and rewritten as was always the plan. The actual game will be… more polished The development process is especially challenging for us due to the multiplayer mode – it is the first time ever we’re making a multiplayer game. We’re also exploring the possibility to implement modding to Hellcard (nothing 100% confirmed, though!), which further complicates the matter. But how cool would that be? Very cool, we think, which is why we are trying to squeeze it into the production plan.

(https://i.imgur.com/2vOJqE9.gif)

Still, with so much stuff going on with Hellcard, instead of pushing for an Early Access release at all cost, we’re instead aiming for a Closed Beta launch at some point in 2021 and Early Access after that. This will allow us to do further testing and tweak the game along with your feedback, while at the same time giving our community exclusive access to the game.


Book of Aliens

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/1196230/header.jpg?t=1611833308)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1196230/Book_of_Aliens/

Aliens invade Paperverse! Protect the terrorized civilians and discover the source of the alien threat in this minimalist game of battlefield tactics and global defense strategy.

The second installment in the Return 2 Games series, Book of Aliens, will pay homage to UFO: Enemy Unknown. While it will share card-based mechanics and the paper art style of the whole series, ultimately, it will represent a completely different genre – a turn-based tactical strategy. We made a lot of progress in the design department and finalized how the tactical part of the game will work.

Because our plans to grow the team were thwarted, we made progress slower than we have hoped for. This means that Book of Aliens won’t come out in 2021 as we initially planned. There is good news too. We brought about a revolution in the visuals department. The game will look different from what you might expect from the first screenshots. Later this year, expect a solid post on the art style of Book of Aliens, similar to our post on the same topic regarding Book of Demons. But that's not all, we are also planning a bigger surprise reveal about Book of Aliens later this year.

As an exclusive sneak peek below you can see one of the rejected art prototypes from the process and see how far it came since the first screenshots we shared. And now we are even further.

(https://thingtrunk.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/boa_teaser-1-1200x734.png)


But wait, there is more! Something Wicked This Way Comes

There are some things that are inevitable. One such thing is happening later this year after brewing in secret for some time now. Sometimes you finish a book, close the cover but the thing just won’t stay closed. Let’s see if you can guess what it is before we are ready for a full reveal.

Being unable to assemble the full-strength team for Book of Aliens left part of the team, paradoxically, with more time on their hands. We were able to keep working on a secret project of sorts. We are not ready to reveal what it is just yet, but it will be ready soon.

Here's a small teaser for our secret project. Can you guess what it might be?

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/d58ab060a49450b5052ed84940ae0bad9068962c.png)

We are super excited and can’t wait for you to check it out.


New year, new prospects

I think we can all agree that 2020 was disruptive and not the best year on the record, to state it mildly. Despite all the setbacks, challenges, and other minor issues, we stay optimistic. This year shapes to be the busiest year Thing Trunk ever had when it comes to reveals and mystery projects.

Thank you for your continued support - we are lucky to have such a great community. Remember to join our Discord channel to hang out with us and other Book of Demons’ fans, and make sure to follow us on Twitter and like our Fanpage!

And if you are intrigued by the mystery project or would like to get your hands on early builds of Book of Aliens or Hellcard, consider subscribing to our Newsletter and joining our Discord server. Discord and our newsletter are where all the super early previews and tests will happen so it’s the place to be. Not to mention it’s a great community.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/d587560cb6d210c470913324624f1722074688c0.png)
https://discord.com/invite/XTXcYzN

Take care and feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below!

Title: Re: Book Of Demons
Post by: Asid on April 19, 2022, 09:36:30 PM
Languages and Bugfixes Update
Tue, April 19, 2022

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/12639450/9475e9b87f57346eba854adafd87c2f04c102321.png)

Although we work hard on the next titles in the series, we of course keep maintaining and updating Archdemon's dungeons. Like we could stop

Ukrainian translation
Without any further ado, the first and the biggest news of this update is the addition of Ukrainian community translations!

Other stuff (read: bug fixes)
We have also found and fixed multiple minor issues with other languages. There were also some controller issues and crash bugs that are no more.


Full changelog:

    Ukrainian language is now available thanks to awesome community translators!
    Fixed a seemingly random crash on Massacre difficulty
    Various updates and fixes to all translations in the game - also thanks to awesome community translators!
    Controller - fixed an issue where the game pedestal would be highlighted on game startup but pressing a button opened the menu instead of launching the game
    Fixed avatar sharing to Facebook



As always,
Stay safe in paper dungeons
Konstanty