Gladiator Guild Manager News

After much thinking, we have decided not to put the "Full Release" tag on the game yet. We planned on releasing it on 25th August. We have finished all 12 arenas, with 3 endings, and many new things that make the game complete. And we will release this update on the 25th as planned, so there are actually no delays when it comes to content. However, we want to delay announcing that the game is in "Full Release" yet because we wish to put in more work, polish things further, and add several new features that can make the game a lot more fun. I’ll discuss those features in a moment.

The update on 25th August will be by far the largest update yet. This update will address all the game-freezing bugs that appeared in recent updates, including those with necromancers and other units. We have tested it thoroughly, both manually and with our auto-tester feature, to stress-test all possible scenarios that could break the game (gif image at bottom).

The update will introduce the final two arenas, the second half of the main quests for all 3 factions, with illustrated endings when you finish the game with each faction. The main gameplay loop and quests in the campaign are complete. Alongside these new main quests, there will be new side quests for the final two arenas. These will introduce 8 new quest units and 7 new bosses, including the challenging final bosses for each faction. The update will also feature a new set of quirks and items, allowing for innovative strategies and customization. Additionally, we're introducing a feature many of you have requested: multiple save slots. On 25th August, I’ll detail all the new content in an updated blog post.

Though we’re releasing all this content in what was meant to be a "Full Release" update, why aren't we placing the "Full Release" tag on the game yet? That’s because we believe there's still room to refine things, content to polish, and more features to introduce.

Shortly after this update, I’ll publish a blog post detailing the new features we aim to incorporate. But for now, I’ll just share a few main ideas. One feature we're excited about is the post-battle chart, showing each of your unit's damage dealt, damage received, DPS, kills, healing, and more. This feature would clearly show the effectiveness of each gladiator. There have been situations while playing when I’ve hired a new high level gladiator and been very excited about seeing them in a fight but I’d never really know how good they are compared to my other gladiators.
Or for example I’d like to see how much the DPS of my Pyromancer improved after buying her that expensive powerful item. Overall, being able to understand better what happened in each fight will help us make decisions while building our gladiator teams and make the whole process a lot more fun.

Next, we're considering introducing an auto-positioning feature. Currently, we’re thinking about a mechanism where units can be placed in battle with a simple right-click. We also plan to add more guild buildings that allow for quirks to be taught (or forgotten) and more. This comes along with a general polish of the game, editing certain gladiators to make them more interesting, and several other features we’re considering.

We’ll go deeper into these topics soon. For now, please share your thoughts on these feature ideas and on decision not to move game into Full Release yet. And tell us what you’d like to see improved in the game. Join the discussion on discord as well.

So, we’re postponing putting a Full Release tag on the game, but not the update itself. At 25th you'll be able to play all 12 arenas. But we want to put in some more work into the game before it goes into 1.0 version.

Thank you!

[Stress testing units on x3 in editor auto play mode]

After two years of Early Access and many updates, we're preparing for the biggest update yet, moving the game into Full Release. We're thrilled to announce the full release date as the 25th of August, 2023!



[h2]Recapping Our Progress[/h2]
The game entered Early Access with six arenas and will transition to Full Release with a total of 12. Initially, we had 31 units and 5 bosses; at Full Release, we will have 68 units and 15 bosses. The number of quirks and items will more than double. We began with side quests for the first six arenas only, but now the game will feature both main and side quests for all 12 arenas. We've introduced a new mode called "Tournament Mode" and enhanced the level editor to allow for the addition of both items and quirks to the gladiators. The game's content will more than double compared to its Early Access stage once the Full Release update rolls out.

[h2]Price Change[/h2]
We're also planning to update the price of the game from $9.99 to $11.99 in about a week. This change is in anticipation of the Full Release, but we need to make it now so that Steam allows us to discount the game at the Full Release as well. If you haven't done so yet, now is an excellent opportunity to purchase the game while it's still $9.99 and enjoy a discount until the 24th of August.

[h2]Future[/h2]
Full release does not mean end of all updates. We still have new things that we want to add in the game. But full release will mean that we are able to call the game complete as all 12 arenas and story lines are finished.

[h2]Thank you![/h2]
We want to express our deepest thanks to all who have stuck with us on this long journey. It took us three years to develop the Early Access version of the game and another two to reach Full Release. We'll continue to keep you updated on the development process. We'll likely offer beta access to the new continent when it's ready. Please join us on Discord and hang out with us during this final phase of development.

Cheers!
- The Entertainment Forge Team

Save game fixes.
item that were in development were left in game and are now removed.

Item roll over pop up in wrong layer fixed

In update v0.885, we're introducing 4 new gladiators, a lot of quality of life improvement, bug fixes and adding new functionalities in the Level Editor.

[h2]Editor[/h2]
We started improving Level Editor in previous updates already by allowing you to add items to gladiators. Now we also added an option to add any quirk and to set the weather in arena. Allowing you to test any kind of battle situation in the Editor. This will help us create new quirks, balancing them, discovering any bugs, and will let you try any sort of tactic or just to play in the Editor.



[h2]New Gladiators[/h2]
We're excited to introduce 4 more gladiators for which you can purchase buildings in guild or choose them in Tournament Mode.

[h3]Metal Brute[/h3]
This heavily armored gladiator who resists a significant portion of damage dealt to him. While his basic hammer attacks deal low damage, he can execute enemies with a tremendously powerful attack once they're left with only a small percentage of health. This makes him highly effective in battles featuring numerous melee fighters close to each other.

[h3]Storm Bringer[/h3]
This gladiator wields a massive hammer, with each attack causing area of effect damage. In any weather condition other than Clear, his hammer attack also knocks down enemies. Storm Bringer begins the battle in stealth mode, allowing him to launch his first attack undetected.

[h3]Venomous Mortar[/h3]
This dwarf mortar unit fires poisonous grenades, inflicting area of effect damage to enemies and applying a poison debuff that depletes their stamina over time.

[h3]Dark Mage[/h3]
This mage can cast Dark Void, a spell that causes area of effect damage to groups of enemies, pulls them towards the center, and knocks them down. Additionally, she can cast Death Mark on enemies, which automatically kills them once they fall below a certain percentage of health.



[h2]Quality of Life Improvements And Various Fixes[/h2]

New visual effects are added as well as additional combat text. Now showing when gladiators do actions like block or dodge. As well as major buffs like knocked down, set on fire and more.


Rolling over gladiator stats used to show if those stats are affected by items but didn’t show the quirks. Now when you roll over a stat like Strength, if it is affected by a specific Quirk you will see the exact quirk that’s affecting it on the pop up list.

Improved unit targeting (aiming) system as now they focus on custom adjusted center of each unit that follows the animation. As well as bone following mechanics that knows feet, center and head of each unit. This improved positioning on effects and ray lines during spell casting. Example: knockdown stars effect is now always following unit head and visible no matter how big or small the unit is.

Quirks can now affect stats with percentages instead of only fixed numbers and those stats can be seen in roll over pop up. Overall improved system that lets us add a bigger variety of quirks.

Many items, quirks as well as Editor fixes.

[h2]Full Release Progress[/h2]
While we still have much work ahead, we're getting closer to the final version of the game. Your feedback was super useful in brainstorming ideas for items and quirks, and we're already in the final stages of implementing some of them. Join us on Discord for more brainstorming. Next, we'll focus on creating a variety of new units, two new arenas, main quests, and more.

Thank you all for your support!