The Dragoness: Command of the Flame News

[h2]Welcome back Commanders,[/h2]

Now that you know your way around the new capital of Níwenborh, it is time to shift focus over to Artifacts and how they can be used to facilitate your exploration of the peninsula and improve your combat prowess.

Artifacts are sources of immense power which you’ll discover and collect as you venture out on quests. The Commander can equip up to three different artifacts at any one time. With The Dragoness: Command of the Flame we really wanted to emphasise replay-ability with roguelite elements such as the Commander’s Revival Spells and the Quest Challenges. To compliment these mechanics, you’ll also have the opportunity to forge your own randomly generated artifacts as you rebuild the capital of Níwenborh!

[h3]"They Belong in a Museum"[/h3]

During a quest, you’ll often come across treasure troves scattered around the map. While a chest will contain resources, piles of loot and adventuring gear will always contain an artifact.

When collected, an artifact will immediately be added to the Commander’s inventory. To make use of an artifact’s unique abilities, players will need to equip them into one of the Commander’s three artifact slots. Be advised however that you cannot equip identical artifacts, thus preventing you from stacking duplicate bonuses.



You’ll take your entire artifact collection with you on a quest, and you can be freely swap out and equip as you see fit to help you overcome challenges as they arise.

Because of the diversity of artifacts available, some may suit certain situations better than others. For example, Radiant Light increases the commander’s view range to aid in exploration and planning, while Shield of Might increases the shield value of all beasts in the army to give you a defensive edge in battle.

All artifacts discovered during a quest will be brought back with you to the capital and can be used again on subsequent quests, or taken to the Ancient Forge.

[h3]Fire up the Forge![/h3]

In our last post we showcased the Ancient Forge capital building and touched on its various uses including Artifact Forging and Shard Smelting.

Throughout your travels, you’ll come across Green Shards which can be smelted down at the Ancient Forge to create a random artifact. By purchasing Magic Dust upgrades you can gradually increase the % chance of a higher level artifact being produced.



The Smelting Efficiency upgrade can be used to lower the cost of Green Shards required to smelt new artifacts. With a fully upgraded Forge you’ll find that you’ll be churning out exotic and valuable assets in no time at all!

The Enchanted Anvil upgrade will unlock Artifact Forging. This useful ability enables the merging of two identical artifacts to create a higher-level version. Merging two basic artifacts will yield a level 2 result, and merging level 2 artifacts will yield a powerful level 3!

It’s always worth keeping hold of a few duplicate artifacts of various levels to use in Forging later into your campaign as your quests and objectives change, and require a more specialised approach.
Remember that any unwanted artifacts can be exchanged on the Black Market, so keep smelting!

Check back soon as in our next post we’ll be looking at Part 1 of the Bestiary and highlighting some of the beast units that you’ll be recruiting into your army as you travel across the Drairthir Peninsula.

The Dragoness: Command of the Flame launches on 1st September 2022!

See you again soon,

- Crazy Goat Games & PQube

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[h2]Greeting Commanders! [/h2]

Firstly, we’d like to thank you all again for the feedback and support you’ve shown so far on this journey, it has truly been appreciated and we can't wait for you to get stuck in with the full game!

On the subject of release, we have some exciting news to share with you! The Dragoness: Command of the Flame will be launching on September 1st 2022!

To coincide with this announcement, we’d like to share with you our new Story Trailer which introduces the history of the world of The Dragoness as well as some of the major challenges that you'll be facing in the campaign!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

The Drairthir Peninsula has been plunged into chaos following the devastating civil war between the majestic Regal Dragons and the cruel Shai-Va. It is up to you, a veteran Elven Commander from across the seas, to help the Dragoness bring peace back to the land.

In the coming weeks we'll continue to share regular updates with you as we gear up for launch, so stay tuned!

- Crazy Goat Games & PQube

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[h2]Exploring more of Níwenborh![/h2]

In our last post, we took our first look at Níwenborh, the kingdom’s new capital that you’ll be working to restore throughout your campaign. We touched on the utility of essential buildings such as the Magic Amplifier, recruitment Camps, Training Grounds, Oracle, and Marketplace, and how they can be used to bolster the strength of your forces, improve the Commander’s abilities, and trade precious resources!

This time around we’ll be examining some of the more specialised buildings that you’ll be constructing and utilising in the later stages of your adventure.

[h3]Monster Mash[/h3]

Mercenary Camp - One of the strongest buildings you can erect in the Capital, this tall tower allows you to begin recruiting unique and dangerous units that would not otherwise be available through camps.



While these creatures hold no loyalty to the Dragoness, they can be bought for a price. Commanders can use the rare resource, Mercenary Sigils, to hire these Units for their next quest. Players can hire multiple mercenaries at the same time and mix them into their army with regular units, provided they have enough space of course!

Shrine of Souls – An essential upgrade for those with an affinity for battle. The Shrine of Souls maintains a record of all the beast units that you have defeated while undertaking quests. If you defeat enough of a specific creature, you will unlock extra resources which in turn can be used to build more capital structures.



The more powerful or rarer the slain unit, the better the rewards!

[h3]Forge Ahead[/h3]

Ancient Forge – As you explore the Drairthir Peninsula you’ll discover and collect various exotic artifacts and rare shards.

Artifacts are powerful items that the Commander can equip to provide offensive and defensive buffs to her army and improve her spells and abilities. Shards on the other hand are artifact fragments which can be smelted down at the Ancient Forge to craft entirely new items.



By upgrading the Ancient Forge you’ll eventually be able to combine two of the same artifacts to craft an even more powerful version. Just remember that an artefact can reach a maximum of two-star levels, at which point it can no longer be improved.

Black Market – Unlike the regular Marketplace which trades in resources, the Black Market deals exclusively with artifacts. As you explore and through the use of the Ancient Forge you’ll gradually start gathering multiples of the same artifact. Fortunately, any unwanted or spare artifacts can be traded on the Black Market for random artifacts of the same star level.



[h3]Upgrades, People, Upgrades[/h3]

Almost all the buildings that you construct in the Capital can be upgraded in some way. These upgrades vary depending on the structure but all will aid you in your quest to overcome the Shai-Va and the mysterious affliction that has blighted the peninsula.

For example, upgrading the Ancient Forge unlocks the ability to create more powerful artifacts by merging duplicates. Further upgrades will then increase your percentage chance of creating more powerful artifacts when smelting shards, or reduce the cost of shards needed when creating a new artifact!



Níwenborh will gradually become more vibrant and grander as you continue to work on its restoration. You’ll notice this when you upgrade an existing structure, with new visual elements appearing as you purchase each upgrade.

And that is everything you need to know about the capital of Níwenborh! We hope you’ll enjoy creating a mighty city to act as a bulwark against the chaos spreading throughout the kingdom.

In our next update, we’ll be elaborating more on the use of Artifacts as well as their importance during battles.

See you then!

- Crazy Goat Games & PQube

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[h2]Welcome to Níwenborh, Commanders![/h2]

Upon reaching the Drairthir Peninsula you will hasten to its new Capital, Níwenborh, home of the Dragoness and refuge from the chaos wrought in the aftermath of the civil war with the Shai-va.

Encircling the Dragoness’ throne at the heart of the Capital, are various sites where you can construct buildings. Alas, the capital is in a state of severe disrepair and in dire need of resources required to restore and upgrade its facilities.

Throughout the course of the campaign, you’ll have plenty of interesting buildings to discover, and in today’s post, we’ll be taking a closer look at some of these improvements.

The first sites we’ll be exploring are the Magic Amplifier, Training Grounds, Oracle, and Marketplace. These are some of the most vital buildings you can construct, as each one will dramatically affect your approach to quests going forward. We’ll also be looking at the various Camps from which you can recruit your units. Each camp has units associated with the environment from which they hail, and you’ll gradually unlock each one as you progress through the Drairthir Peninsula.

[h3]Camps and Crystals[/h3]

Magic Amplifier – A mysterious structure brimming with powerful magics at the heart of the Capital. The Magic Amplifier will be the first building you construct as it enables the Commander to regain her physical form. Its upgrades are centred around improving the Commander and her revival spells. Mana Provisions will permanently increase the Commander’s mana pool by 5, while Beast Provisions will expand the maximum army size recruited in the capital by an extra unit. The Enchantment Crystal upgrades will allow the Commander to pick from more Revival Spells, and the Reinforced Amplifier will strengthen the Commander’s revival spells and starting statistics.



Forest Camp - Alongside the Magic Amplifier, the Forest Camp will be one of the first buildings you construct. Muddy yet lush and verdant, this humble camp is home to Centaurs, Tree Ents, Harpies, and Griffons.

Frosthyll Camp - Travelling to the frozen north will allow you to build the Frosthyll Camp, full of beasts and monsters acclimatised to the treacherous cold. Winter Elves, Mountain Things, Werewolf Grunts, and Undead Soldiers are among the recruitable units.



Ashen Camp - Venturing further east across the desert sands unlocks the Ashen Camp and the creatures that hail from the wastes and its oasis-like havens. Units include the Giant Crab, Desert Eye, Desert Viper, and majestic Phoenix.

Zildarya Camp – In spite of the lava-filled lands being corrupted by a demonic presence, there are still some locals that remain sentient enough to take up the Dragoness’s cause including the Imp, Succubus, Dark Skull, and vampiric Bat.



[h3]Getting Buffed[/h3]

Having a balanced army is important but the Commander will also need to bolster her own strength and improve her abilities to achieve victory!

Both the Training Grounds and Oracle are excellent buildings for boosting the Commander’s power and versatility as their individual upgrade trees allow the player to manipulate Revival Spells to reduce their element of randomness.

Training Grounds – This building can be used to unlock and configure individual Talents for the Commander’s Revival Spells. The Deep Pockets Talent grants your army 5 additional rations at the start of a quest, while Fire Affinity bestows an additional 5 points of shield to every owned Zildarya unit. Talents are a passive buff to the Commander and her army and once purchased from the Training Grounds can be manually toggled on the Revival Spell menu in between quests.



Oracle - The Oracle’s upgrade tree allows the Commander to replace one of the randomized Turn Bonuses linked to their chosen Revival Spell. Turn Bonuses are activated during map exploration after running out of Steps and can provide several helpful bonuses. Mana Regeneration grants an additional 5 mana, while Bonus XP adds 40 XP in the next turn if chosen.



Marketplace - If you find that you’re low on a particular resource but have acquired an abundance of another, the Marketplace can be used to exchange resources, for a fee of course. For example, the normal trade rate between Iron and Granite is 2:1, so for every two Iron you trade, you’ll gain one Granite in return. Rarer materials have different exchange rates depending on the resources you are offering!



[h3]Supernatural Resources[/h3]

After completing Quests and Challenges you’ll receive valuable resources. Remember, these resources have a variety of uses so you’ll have to consider your options, whether that be investing in building new structures, improving existing ones, or buying and upgrading units. The rarity and distribution of these resources will vary as you progress through the campaign so you’ll be gradually improving the Capital and its forces over time.

Carefully balancing the resources you bring back after a quest will be key. Keep an eye out for extra Victory Conditions during quests to earn bonus resources and valuable upgrade materials.

That’s all for now but we’ll be back in a few weeks’ time to bring you Part 2 of our spotlight on “Restoring the Capital”.

See you then!

- Crazy Goat Games & PQube

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[h2]Greetings commanders, [/h2]

We have a quick update for you regarding bug fixes and recent changes that have been made to the demo version of The Dragoness: Command of the Flame.

New changes implemented include:

• Various bugfixes.
  
• Unit Rebalancing e.g. Ranged Units now have longer effective ranges.
  
• Map Rebalancing e.g. The Gates of Noita quest has had general balancing changes and we have removed one Granary from the Fearann main quest to be make the experience smoother.
  

That’s all for now, but please stay tuned as we have some big news regarding our release date coming very soon!

Until then!

- Crazy Goat Games & PQube

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