Pawnbarian News

new: you can now hover over cards in the deck or discard to see a detailed description
change/fix: lots of improvements to some sprites appearing blurry or aliased at certain resolutions
change/fix: the game will now keep trying to connect to Steam for a while after launching, and retroactively award achievements upon successful connection

If you're still not receiving the achievements, please launch the game, wait a minute, and submit a bug report following these instructions (steps 3-5).

build 1d47304 (macOS only):
fix: adjusted Steam configuration for Apple Silicon devices

build 127e050:
fix: Chain 0 achievements now properly awarded retroactively in all circumstances

Pawnbarian's first gameplay update is here!

It ended up being a pretty substantial balance overhaul, even with a bit of new content, so I didn't dive into the Chain progression after all - it might still be necessary, but no point in fiddling with too many variables at once. Overall, the changes should open up more options to deal with whatever the game throws at you.

Hope you enjoy!
Jan

new: Purify, a Blight-cleansing upgrade available only for the Knight Templar (for now??? :>)
new: vfx for Spark Imp's Golem Soul activation
change: shop has 5 upgrades (was 4)
change: Kraken Tentacle no longer has Brawler
change: all Blight Wake enemies move twice (new for Kraken, Tentacles, Blighted Capybear)
change: King Golem randomly spawns either a Guard Golem or a Knight Golem (was just Guards)
change: Pawnbarian checks the 3 Pawn promotion trigger after the row trigger (was before)
change: Knight Templar starts with Purify instead of Shield on one of the Knights
change: Shogun's Pawns start with 2 Cantrip and 1 Cardinal Splash (was 3 Cantrip)
change: every third Gauntlet Floor is a boss fight (wasn't spawning bosses at all)
change: Gauntlet Floors in the Golem Fortress spawn with 3 Spark Imps (wasn't spawning Imps at all)
change: improved clarity of many descriptions
change: made some flavor text more flavorful

build acc6265:
fix: King Golem description no longer partially missing

Pawnbarian now has all that Steam goodness - a dedicated Badge, Trading Cards, Backgrounds, and Emoticons. Enjoy!

- added extra failsafes and backup steps to protect from potential save file corruption
- fixed game launching in a broken state when encountering save file corruption
- fixed Goblin Caves boss not being influenced by Chain X

build 8dbecc2:
- fixed issue with strings not loading properly for systems with locale other than en-US

build 810d645:
- changed the saving mechanism to pre-1.0.6 if encountering a file access violation

Pawnbarian has been out for 2 weeks now, and enough of a success that I can continue to be an indie game developer - thank you!!

As you've seen, I've been pushing out some quality of life tweaks and small bugfixes, and will continue to do so as stuff comes up. I wanted to give you some insight into the future of the game beyond those small patches.

[h2]Balance?[/h2]
On it! I'm generally very happy with how the launch balance held up, but there are some changes lined up, mostly related to the Chain progression.

[h2]Localization?[/h2]
For sure! The game is mostly prepared for it, and I'm currently implementing convenient support for fan translations. Officially included languages might take a while, but we'll get there.

[h2]Controller support?[/h2]
Yeah! It's high up there on my list of priorities.

[h2]Mobile version?[/h2]
Definitely coming! My current rough estimate for both Android and iOS versions is early next year (Q1-Q2 2022).

[h2]Nintendo Switch version?[/h2]
Would love to! I think Pawnbarian fits the Switch really well, and I don't foresee many technical difficulties with porting the game. However, the whole ordeal isn't nearly as straightforward as releasing on Steam or mobile. If you'd like to Bishop some Goblins on the Switch, it'd help a lot if you spread the word about the game - catching the attention of the right person is my best bet of speeding up the process.

[h2]Other console versions?[/h2]
Maybe! I don't feel like the Xbox and Playstation are a great fit for what's ultimately a low-tech digital boardgame, but if there's enough interest - why not?

[h2]More content?[/h2]
I hear you! I consider Pawnbarian to be a mostly complete experience, and want to keep its design lean and focused. That being said, thanks to the way it's structured, it's possible to add extra stuff without bloating what's already there, and some ideas are already crystallizing. Please don't expect anything, and you might just be pleasantly surprised. Wink wink.


Best of luck on the 5x5 chessboard, and please keep sharing feedback any way you find convenient! I might not always respond, but I do hear - and care about - every single bit. Pawnbarian wouldn't be what it is without your participation.