Project Warlock II News

[h3]Hey, Warlocks![/h3]

Welcome to the Chapter 2 Rework update! Urd is back, and ready for rampage!

Let's start off with a brief trip down memory lane, to when we released the Reworked Chapter 1. Our main idea was to expand and emphasize on what made Project Warlock II a proper sequel to Project Warlock. We've taken a few pages from our original playbook, brought them up to modern standards, and introduced them to Palmer's campaign. It wasn't perfect, but it felt like we were heading in the right direction. We're also circling back a bit by reintroducing Fire and Ice spells for Palmer in place of Phantom Palmer and Ammo Refill. Fire and Ice just feel like Palmer's elements, and they're back. These aren't the only Palmer changes you'll see in the patch notes, keep reading!

After launching the Reworked Chapter 1 it was time to polish the ongoing Chapter 2 Rework. The whole process had 2 goals:
1. Unify the character progression systems - we decided to move away from Wargression, as having 3 different character progression systems would be too disorienting in the long run. We're still thinking on ways to use the Wargression system in the future, as some of you were really fond of its idea.
2. Update Urd's arsenal to bring it up to Chapter 1 standards - Urd's arsenal was simpler than Palmer's - mainly due to Wargression system as well as the Spell Book. Now that Urd has access to Weapon Upgrades, as well as Stats, Perks, and Passive upgrades, she has a fully upgradeable set of weapons. You'll notice a few familiar guns from the previous Chapter 2 version, But the majority of her arsenal is brand new.

Along the way we've made more changes to how Chapter 2, and, to be honest, the whole Project Warlock II plays out. Reworked Chapter 2 brings a fresh HUD for Urd AND Palmer, as well as brand new SFX to the whole game, including new sound effects for weapons and monsters, and new music tracks for Chapter 2. We've also revised the level design of Chapter 2, and made some adjustments to encounters, and, most notably, the Lava Worm fight happens in E2M7. Not that long ago we've come up with a brand new World Difficulty Level system. After completing M7 of each Chapter the increased world difficulty level allows Elite monster variants to spawn. They are deadly, and should make the second part of each chapter more interesting. We've also adjusted difficulty levels across the board, and let us tell you... the Hardcore is really... hardcore.

We'd like to offer a huge thanks to our brave Discord Playtesters who helped us along the way by providing a ton of valuable feedback. Thank you for all the bug reports, suggestions, and discussions we had over the course of the playtest.

Without further ado, here are the Reworked Chapter 2 Patch Notes:

[h2]Chapter 2 Rework[/h2]
Overhauled and reworked Chapter 2, matching the quality and features from Chapter 1
[h3]Added HUB between levels to Chapter 2[/h3]

• Added Stats & Perks Shop
  
• Added Weapon Upgrade Shop
  
• Added Spell Upgrade Shop
  
• Added Passive Upgrade Shop
  
• Added Bestiary Room

[h3]New SFX for Chapter 2[/h3]
Revised the sound effects of Weapons, Monsters, as well as the Soundtrack.
[h3]Reworked Chapter 2 Arsenal[/h3]
Revised all Weapons in Chapter 2, new arsenal consists of:

• Kunai Dagger
  • Tribal Tomahawk
    
  • Tribal Spear
• Revolver
  • Buckshot Revolver
    
  • Magnum Pistol
• Pump Action Shotgun
  • Winchester Rifle
    
  • Shorty Shotgun
• Crystal SMG
  • Gatling Gun
    
  • Dual SMGs
• Dynamite
  • TNT Charge
    
  • Firecrackers
• Magic Crossbow
  • Magic Tripleshot Crossbow
    
  • Magic Ballista

[h3]Revised Chapter 2 Stats[/h3]

• Strength
  
• Vitality
  
• Spirit
  
• Capacity
  
• Poison
  
• Crystal

[h3]Revised Chapter 2 Perks[/h3]
Alongside pool of common perks, Urd has access to her individual ones:

• Poison Cloud
  
• Poison Aura
  
• Crystal Blast
  
• Crystal Aura

[h3]Revised Chapter 2 Spells[/h3]

• Temporal Speed
  
• Crystal Spell
  
• Poison Spell

Revised Chapter 2 Spell Upgrades

• Temporal Speed
  • Melee Master
    
  • Duration Increase
• Crystal Spell
  • Unstable Crystals
    
  • High-speed Crystals
• Poison Spell
  • Grand Opening
    
  • Cloud Control

[h3]Revised Chapter 2 Passive Upgrades[/h3]
Passive Upgrades are commonly shared between all Chapters
[h3]Added Rune Tasks for Chapter 2 Weapons[/h3]
Urd can augment her weapons with either Poison or Crystal runes.
[h3]Revised Chapter 2 Levels[/h3]

• Most levels received updated and balanced encounters
  
• Moved Lava Worm boss from E2M11 to E2M7
  
• Reworked E2M12 Final Boss Fight mechanics
  
• Reworked area where Lava Worm boss was in E2M11

[h2]Chapter 1 Changes[/h2]
[h3]Reworked Chapter 1 Spells[/h3]
Frost Spell replaces Phantom Palmer
Fire Spell replaces Ammo Refill
[h3]Reworked Upgrades for Spells[/h3]

• Frost Spell
  • Ice Bolt
    
  • Ice Storm
• Fire spell
  • Extended Flames
    
  • Extended Range

[h3]New SFX for Chapter 1[/h3]

• Revised Weapons Sounds
  
• Revised Monster Sounds
  
• Revised Audio Balance and Mixing

[h2]Game Difficulty[/h2]
[h3]World Difficulty Level[/h3]
World difficulty level increases after completing M7 of each chapter.
Increased world difficulty level allows Elite monster variants to spawn.
[h3]Elite Monsters[/h3]

• These monsters have a chance to appear on the increased world difficulty level.
  
• They move and attack faster and have higher health pool.

[h3]Game Balance[/h3]

• Balanced monsters and difficulty levels

[h3]Difficulty Levels[/h3]

• Adjusted difficulty levels

[h2]Weapons[/h2]

• Reworked the magazine logic
  
• Magazines now show real magazine ammo
  
• Ammo is not subtracted from the ammo pool when shooting, only from the magazine

[h2]Visuals[/h2]

• Added Emission Maps to active Upgrade Stations
  
• Added Emission Maps to doors for better visibility
  
• Added SSAO effect around sprites, when SSAO is enabled
  
• Added Visual Hint for explosive projectiles displaying their hit radius

[h2]UI[/h2]

• Overhauled Chapter 1 HUD
  Palmer's Mugshot is still in the works, therefore new HUD contains an outdated icon
• Overhauled Chapter 2 HUD
  
• Revised all menus visually

[h2]Gameplay[/h2]
[h3]Coyote Time[/h3]

• Coyote time got an update and works more accurately!

[h3]Loading Screen[/h3]

• Added new loading screen between Buckshot Software and Main Menu to prepare the assets for the game

[h2]AI/Monsters[/h2]
[h3]Flying Monsters Rework[/h3]
Flying monsters now actually fly (kinda)
[h2]Bugfixing[/h2]
Fixed over 120 bugs total found during past months
[h2]Known Issues[/h2]
- You might encounter some audio-related issues, such as sound cutting out, multiple sounds overlapping each other - we are working on fixing those and we'll have a patch ready in the next few days to address that. If you come across any audio-related issues, make sure to let us know!

- The icons for Fire Spell upgrades in the shop are placeholder and subject-to-change.

[h2]Next Steps...[/h2]
We can't wait for you to re-enter the Brutalist West and see what Urd's new arsenal is capable of. We'll be taking a close look at your endeavors, and making adjustments where necessary and can't wait for your feedback.


Have fun in the Brutalist West, and see you next time!

Hey Warlocks,

We're ready to share some exciting news about the upcoming Chapter 2 Rework. For the last couple of weeks we've been working hard on incorporating the feedback we've received from our Discord playtests, and making changes where needed. Apart from that we've also come up with tons of changes between the playtests and now, including a brand new World Level System!

[h3]\Reworked Chapter 2 will release on Thursday, November 7th![/h3]

Here are the highlighted features coming to the refreshed and improved Urd's campaign:

[h3]World Difficulty Level[/h3]
World difficulty level increases after completing M7 of each Chapter.
Increased world difficulty level allows Elite monster variants to spawn.
[h3]Elite Monsters[/h3]

These monsters have a chance to appear - the chance will increase as the World Difficulty level grows.
The Elites move and attack faster and have higher health pool.
[h3]Chapter 2 Rework[/h3]
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Overhauled and reworked Chapter 2, matching the quality, progression, and features from Chapter 1
[h3]Game Balance[/h3]
Balanced monsters and difficulty levels
[h3]Difficulty Levels[/h3]
Adjusted difficulty levels
[h3]Overhauled UI[/h3]

Revised all menus and HUD
[h3]SFX Rework[/h3]
Brand new SFX for Chapter 1 and 2
[h3]The comeback of Ice and Fire[/h3]
Fire and Ice Spells are making a comeback for Palmer with brand new upgrades. It just feels right.


When the Reworked Chapter 2 goes live you can expect a full-length patch notes with all the changes compared to the previous version of Urd's adventure. You might want to prepare some snacks for that.

Hey Warlocks,

We're exited to let you know that Project Warlock II is officially a part of the Boomstock 2024 event! This celebration of retro-inspired games is packed with a fantastic lineup of games, and we're happy to showcase Project Warlock II alongside them.

As we're gearing for the upcoming Chapter 2 Rework, we’ve prepared a brand-new trailer that gives you a glimpse into what’s coming in the refreshed Urd's campaign. Get ready for adrenaline-pumping action, seriously wicked weapons, and brand new progression system for the not-so-young witch.

Check out the trailer:
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h3]Get Project Warlock II now with 35% discount![/h3]
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1640300/Project_Warlock_II/

Until next time!

Hey Warlocks,

We’re back with some news about the upcoming Chapter 2 Rework, and boy, things are getting intense! Development is in full swing, and as we’re polishing the final details of Urd’s campaign, we’ve also been making major progress on Chapter 3, which is now almost fully fleshed out. We’re stoked about Kirsten’s adventure, and can’t wait to share more news after the Reworked Chapter 2 goes live.

Today we’re ready to pull back the curtain a bit more and share more about how Urd’s chapter is evolving. Let’s start with the basics - the new HUD!

[h3]NEW HUD[/h3]



This is one of the most noticeable changes we’ve made to Project Warlock II - switching from the old, classic HUD structure to a completely new one. Our main goal in this process has been simplicity. We want the HUD to be easy to read with as many details and as few elements as possible. The new structure balances the visual appeal and user experience and provides the necessary information through a modern-looking interface. Since the beginning of Project Warlock, we had different Warlock faces and expressions shown on HUD - we want to keep that in the new layout, the portrait is now bigger than before and isn’t constrained by the HUD frame anymore.

Each character is going to have a unique HUD. Reworked Chapter 2 will be released with the new HUD for Urd, and Palmer’s getting his own soon after that.

[h3]CHANGES TO LEVEL DESIGN[/h3]



Chapter 2 is getting some important improvements when it comes to level design. We’re adjusting all the levels and arenas to make sure that the action is correctly paced. One major example would be that previously monsters in arenas would spawn right after one enemy died. This wasn’t working as we’d like as it significantly slowed down the action. All spawners, including the ones in arenas are on a timer so all monsters are going to appear at a certain rate, and will not wait until you get rid of a wandering straggler before reinforcements join the fray.

[h3]URD’S UPDATED PROGRESSION[/h3]



Since we’re implementing all systems from Chapter 1 to Chapters 2 and 3, Urd is going to have her own, unique Perks in the Stat & Perk Shop. Just like Palmer’s, four of her available perks are connected with the elements she wields - Poison and Crystal, each enhanced by 2 perks.

Urd’s unique perks are:

• Poison Cloud
  Grants a 10% chance to trigger a poison cloud when killing a monster.
  
• Poison Aura
  Grants a 10% chance to apply poison effect to monsters.
  
• Crystal Blast
  Grants a 10% chance for crystal explosion on killing an enemy.
  
• Crystal Aura
  Grants a 10% chance for an additional crystal projectile when firing any weapon.

[h3]URD’S NEW ABILITIES[/h3]

Urd’s also getting a complete abilities overhaul, compared to the previous version of Chapter 2. While Palmer’s abilities are mostly utility ones, Urd is going all out with offensive spells. As we mentioned last time, the Spellbook is here to stay, although in a slightly different form. We’re saying goodbye to the Fire and Ice pages of the book since they are no longer elements Urd is associated with. Instead, the Poison and Crystal pages of the book will have separate cooldowns and are cranked up to 11.

• Temporary Speed
  This spell allows Urd to move much faster for a short time. You can upgrade the spell to extend its duration or make you invincible when using melee weapons.
  
  
• Poison Spell
  The Poison Spell deals corrosive damage over time, has no ammo limit, and can be upgraded to conjure a poison cloud which deals damage over time in an area, or poison enemies around Urd when opening the book.
  
  
• Crystal Spell
  The Crystal Spell deals crystal damage (duh…), has no ammo limit and can be upgraded to explode in an area, dealing heavy damage, or stun and penetrate enemies.

[h3]WEAPONS[/h3]

Urd’s arsenal is going through a significant overhaul. She’s keeping some of her previous weapons, but also reaching for new ones to amp up the rampage. We’ve prepared a sneak peek of two weapons coming in the Reworked Chapter 2 - Dynamite and Dual SMGs.

Dynamite

We’re working on the throw trajectory simulation. The aim (pun intended) is to make sure you know where the explosive is going to land in advance. This is a work-in-progress GIF of what we have in mind:



As you see, the dynamite trajectory is now a parabola instead of a straight line, and it detects walls. Yes, we hear you, the lighter is still not flipped correctly. Working on it.

Dual SMGs



What is it? Akimbo? Nope, that’s Palmer’s thing, but one of the upgrades for Urd’s SMG is two rapid-shooting guns. You know what they say - what’s better than one gun… TWO GUNS OF COURSE.

[h3]Upcoming Playtest[/h3]

As we’re adding finishing touches to the Reworked Chapter 2, we’d love for you to try it out before it goes live, and share your thoughts regarding all the changes. We’re planning to have a Playtest session on our Discord server in the coming weeks. If you’d be interested in being amongst the first Warlocks to step foot in the Reworked Brutalist West, make sure to join our Discord, check out the Playtest Club channel, and stay on the lookout for more news!

Until next time!

Hello, Warlocks.

Since releasing the Reworked Chapter 1 we’ve been working hard on the Chapter 2 rework, with substantial progress on Chapter 3’s development as well. Chapter 2 benefits from all the feedback we’ve received in the past, and has all the news systems implemented from the get-go.

We are happy with how things turned out with the Chapter 1 Rework and appreciate your reaction to the introduced changes. While Chapter 1 is content complete, and is locked down in regard to the general design, our audio team is working on new SFX and audio changes to bring to Chapter 1 soon, and we’ll continue to look at your feedback and bug reports and make the required changes while fine tuning some of the underlying systems at the same time.

With the upcoming rework of Chapter 2, we are ready to share some details of what you might expect going forward. Our goal with the Chapter 2 Rework is to make sure that Urd’s arsenal stands out, gives you more weapons and ways to mow through the hordes of hell, and fits the magical Brutalist Western setting of Urd’s Campaign. We want Urd’s progression to be more in line with Palmer’s, but there will be differences when it comes to specific upgrades that define Urd’s archetype.

Without further ado, let’s jump right into Urd’s tools of destruction.

Note: The weapon models are still in development. We don't want to show our hand just yet, and wish to leave some of the guns for you to check out when Chapter 2 update goes live.

[h2]Urd’s Arsenal[/h2]

[h3]Magic Dagger[/h3]
Urd’s most trusted companion. Dagger can stab quickly in melee range, and it can also be thrown for heavier damage. Each consecutive headshot kill regenerates throw charges and HP.

Magic Spear


Greatly increases the stabbing range, and can also be thrown to regenerate health.

Magic Tomahawk

Allows you to slash horizontally in a wide cone, and can also be thrown to regenerate health.

[h3]Revolver[/h3]


It wouldn’t truly be a Brutalist West without a revolver. Urd’s gun is accurate and offers high damage output. It can be fired from the hip with less accuracy, but a higher fire rate for more firepower.

Buckshot Revolver

It’s a revolver, it’s a shotgun, it’s the best of both worlds! It can also be fired from the hip.

Magnum Pistol

Precise shooting pistol with a scope allowing accurate shots at a longer range. It packs a serious punch as it is loaded with extremely heavy-hitting bullets.

[h3]Pump Action Shotgun[/h3]


Another Western classic. Deals massive damage but has a higher spread and lower fire rate than other weapons.

Shorty

Shorty has increased reload and pump action speed at the cost of the magazine size.

Winchester

A precision rifle, dealing high amounts of damage with pin-point accuracy, but low fire rate.

[h3]SMG[/h3]


Urd’s keeping her SMG, which now has a high rate of fire and deals moderate damage. However, in dire situations, or when you’re out of ammo, you can now hit enemies in melee range with the stock.

Gatling Gun

A chunky modification to the SMG uses a crank to fire the rotating barrel for extra carnage.

Dual SMGs

What’s better than one SMG? Easy, two SMGs. If the fire rate wasn’t enough for you, you can now, effectively, double it. You can also use both SMGs to hit enemies with the stock.

[h3]Dynamite Stick[/h3]
There’s surely a lot of dynamite lying around in the Brutalist West. As for how this works? It’s really simple - just chuck the highly volatile stick of dynamite at a gathering of monsters and watch the pieces fly.

TNT Charge

You'd think that a centuries old witch would know how to hold a lighter properly... We'll make sure she unlocks that ancient knowledge before the rework launches!

The TNT Charge does not explode when thrown - instead, you can shoot it to trigger an explosion or chain reaction of TNT charges.

Firecrackers

Firecrackers explode over time on the ground, dealing AOE damage. If you’re not that patient, the alt-fire will allow you to detonate all the charges at once.

[h3]Crossbow[/h3]

Wonderful in its simplicity, the crossbow shoots bolts which penetrate monsters.

Ballista


Shoots explosive bolts that penetrate monsters. Bloodbath guaranteed. Perfect for making kill montages.

Multishot

Allows you to fire bolts in a wide cone, and can also fire bolts in a burst.

[h2]Urd’s Abilities[/h2]

We’re introducing brand new abilities that better define Urd’s archetype. You might have noticed the absence of Spell Book in her arsenal. We want to make a clear distinction between characters’ arsenal of weapons and their abilities. Since Spell Book was closer to the latter, we’re re-introducing it with a twist. The Spell Book will give you access to a Speed-Up spell and cooldown-based Crystal and Poison spells.

Fire and Ice are up Palmer’s alley, while Urd dabbles in Crystal and Poison schools of magic.

[h2]Progression Changes[/h2]


As mentioned before, we have redesigned the Urd’s progression system to align with Palmer’s progression system - now you’ll have access to a brand new Urd’s HUB filled with upgrade stations. She will share all Passive Upgrades and most of the Perks with Palmer, as each character will have a number of their own unique Perks to choose from. All this on top of the completely new weapon and skill upgrades mentioned before.

Similarly to Palmer, the fiery Witch will be able to imbue her weapons with runes - in this instance choosing between Crystal or Poison ones.

[h2]Level Design Changes[/h2]

At this point, the overall layout of the levels are finalised, with the first half of the chapter as an introduction to characters’ arsenals and progression systems, while at the same time making sure that the power curve aligns properly across the whole chapter.

There is one major change concerning a certain level…



To fit in with the latest progression changes, the Lava Worm boss moved to another level - to make sure he has a chance to greet the player a bit earlier in the game. Similarly to Chapter 1 his defeat will open up the Passive Upgrades system to Urd.

[h2]New HUD[/h2]


Some of you might have seen a screenshot of a work-in-progress HUD a while ago on our Discord. Since then we’ve refined it and we’ll be launching the Reworked Chapter 2 with a completely new HUD. It is a significant change that we feel looks and feels better than the old one, but we’d love your feedback on this. Our current plan is to introduce the new HUD to Chapters 1 and 3 in the future if the reception is warm enough.

The Reworked Chapter 2 is currently being playtested internally, and it will be ready for you to try it out in August.

As we’re ramping up the development of Reworked Chapter 2 and upcoming Chapter 3, you can expect regular updates on our progress going forward. We’re excited for the upcoming months, and can’t wait to share more news. But for now, we’re going to leave you with a small Chapter 3 teaser.



See you in the next one!