Abalon News

*Also applies to the Abalon Demo

Hi Abalon Fans -

With great appreciation for your numerous reports and feedback, I am proud to release this next update that addresses several of the performance and memory usage concerns. With a game as large and complex as Abalon, this is no easy feat - especially when each unique PC system configuration can manage memory and alter the experience in different ways.

Thanks largely to your reports, profiling, and a lot of time spent with my son recording play sessions and capturing data, we finally uncovered what we believe was the "major" lag build up issue and were able to fix it. Additionally, we identified and resolved several smaller instances of memory leaks, tuned and optimized to improve overall performance and even reduced overall application memory usage by around 40%. In total, we completed over 40 investigations and optimizations over the last two weeks. I had considered including the details of the fixes in our update, but I didn't think too many folks would be interested in scrolling through 10 pages of tech speak :P - so please just take my word that a LOT of work went into this update ;)

All hands on deck! I hosted a family LAN party on Sunday to help me find and fix the remaining bugs before we rolled out this update.

Of course, there is always still room for improvement, and to that end I've added an additional reporting feature to help us narrow in on any future performance related issues. By simply including the word "lag" in your in-game feedback report, the game will automatically capture a report of the game object usage (ex: number of characters on the board, number of listeners active, etc.) so that I better track down and eliminate any further leaks.

1. Performance: Vastly improved game performance by eliminating several memory leaks and optimizing memory usage.
   
2. Performance: Still experiencing lag? Simply submit an in-game report with "Share Feedback" from the main menu and include the word "lag" anywhere in your description to send us additional resource data to help get it fixed.
   
3. Satchel Card Control Improvement: The satchel card controls remain in tactical mode until the player clicks to move a character. This makes it much easier to play multiple satchel cards in rapid succession.
   
4. French Translations Updated several more of the English text into French.
   
5. Fixed Bug: where units could remain lingering on the battlefield if player skips just after defeating a summoner and just as the units start running away. (Thanks Wesley)
   
6. Fixed Bug: where the end turn gets stuck in disabled state if player opens the settings menu while the battle is starting. (Thanks Wesley)
   
7. Fixed Bug: where two phoenix spells cast in a row could throw exception Error: Clock cycle error: TypeError: Error #1009 at view.ui::HM_CardShower/showCard() (Most commonly found during the Red Dragon boss battle). (Thanks Meeky and many others!)
   
8. Fixed Bug: where the mana bar fill could sometimes appear slightly over the mana bar area.
   
9. Fixed Bug: where it was possible to walk diagonally through ice cubes and brambles.
   
10. Fixed Bug: where player's party was truncated after taking secret stairs to demon kennels.
    
11. Fixed Bug: where exception is thrown on Armature/_doAction in low frame rate situations where an armature is disposed because the child armature has been disposed but the clock hasn't yet finished running through current list.
    
12. Fixed Bug: When hovering over a card in collection, exiting collection, and then returning, the enlarged card remained on screen.
    
13. Fixed Bug: where the map, satchel and run score were visible when initiating a retreat prompt that required dice roll.
    
14. Fixed Bug: where resizing the window while in card collection would result in a black screen. Made it so that if player resizes in any screen but the main game view, it returns to the main game view upon completion of window resize.
    
15. Fixed Bug: Settings button should never be blocked by scrim

We're looking for a team of heroes from the community to help us translate the game in your native languages for the 1.0 release. Already, I have one such player to whom I am so grateful: Scribe, who has very generously provided our French translation. As a special thanks for his support, I'll be immortalizing him in the world of Abalon as a playable character in our next update.

The Herald of Hope is one of several new angel units that will perform a "miracle" when entering the battlefield when your Summoner is at critical health to help you turn the game back around in your favor.

If you'd like to volunteer to help translate the game in your native language, please reach out to me on Discord (details below) and I will get you setup with our localization kit.

[h2]Join the Discussion:[/h2]
- Steam discussion board: https://steamcommunity.com/app/1681840/discussions/
- Discord: https://discord.gg/d20studios (RossD20Studios#2359)

*Also applies to the Abalon Demo

I hope you enjoy earning points and seeing your numbers go up...

By overwhelming player request, I'm very pleased to deliver our new leaderboard feature to Abalon! Compete for global rank or aim to improve your score with each new adventure run.



This update to Abalon incorporates a new scoring mechanic for adventure runs. You'll earn points for your performance in battle, successfully completing fate encounters, and exploring to find lore.

[h2]Battle Score[/h2]


Victory in battle will now earn you points based on your performance in battle. Each type of enemy has been assigned a "par" score based on our players' battle statistics.

Par is the average number of turns it takes to beat this particular type of enemy determined by their level, type (minion, elite, boss), chapter, and your adventure difficulty setting. Substantial bonuses are awarded if you can beat the battle in fewer turns than the par average - creating a nice tensions between playing it safe, conserving resources - or burning through your deck to get the highest score possible.

[h2]Run Summary[/h2]

Your run summary screen can be accessed anytime while exploring by clicking the trophy button or hotkey (R). This will show a detailed record of activities that have earned you points.

[h2]Fate Score[/h2]
Successfully completing fate encounters will earn predetermined scores based on the encounter difficulty. Certain encounters (like the Sandpit Arena) will earn substantially more points than others. Unlike battles, fate encounters always earn a fixed point value regardless of chapter or difficulty. You also earn points for hiring mercenaries (or the entire den if multiple are sold together) or buying out an entire shop.

[h2]Resource Score[/h2]
Unspent resources in your inventory will also grant additional points at the end of your run. However, please note that I incentivized exploration - so you'll almost always earn more points by spending your dice and gold to recruit guardians or complete encounters. Also note that paying off bandits does not earn points (but does spare you fight).

[h2]Challenge Modifiers[/h2]
Coming in our next update, challenge modifiers will allow you to customize your difficulty and grant bonuses to your score. If you've got ideas for challenges you'd like to appear in the game, please share them here, on our community forums, or in our Discord.

[h2]Run Completion Bonus[/h2]
Complete your adventure to earn a 10% bonus.

[h2]Personal Leaderboard[/h2]

Clicking on your score in the Run Summary, pressing hotkey (K), or going to Progression -> Stats will take you to your personal leaderboard. Here you'll find a list of all your previous runs, when you last played or completed them, which Summoner you played, and a score.

"Wow! How do I already have points here, Ross?"

Great question! I built Abalon with the future intent to incorporate leaderboards, so, your runs statistics have been accumulating since our EA launch. What I didn't have was a clear understanding of how to effectively score players, and I wanted something that would really encourage performance and promote healthy tension between pushing yourself for high scores and conserving your resources.

Thanks to all of your feedback, I was able to derive these preliminary scores. I even factored in outliers, such as resource cheat exploits and game breaking artifacts - such as the Red Starling army - so that all players can fairly compete on the leaderboard.

[previewyoutube]https://youtu.be/91SWVTPINqQ[/previewyoutube]
The Red Starling flock was a powerful exploit of the Pied Pipe artifact. I hope you enjoyed it while it lasted

[h2]Global Leaderboard[/h2]


The Global Leaderboard will show you your personal rank relative to the global Abalon player community. Here's our current top-rated players from around the world!

[h2]Summoner Leaderboard[/h2]

And in case you're curious to see which Summoner has racked up the most points - the Summoner leaderboard will show the player with the highest score for each Summoner. Here are the current world's highest scoring Summoners and the players who achieved this honor.

[h2]What about Steam friends?[/h2]

I've got you covered here, too! I've hooked up our cross-platform leaderboard with Steam Leaderboards so you can closely follow that fun climb-to-the-top rivalry with your friends. You can find these on the web here: https://steamcommunity.com/stats/1681840/leaderboards/10462919

The Steam leaderboards also feature individual leaderboards for each Summoner, so you can see how close you are to claiming the top position.

1. Winning battles now award points. Win harder battles in fewer turns to earn more points.
   
2. Leaderboard shows your personal run scores, global high scores, and the top rated players for each Summoner in the world. You can also browse the Steam community leaderboard to compare scores with your Steam friends.
   
3. Balance: Pied pipe has been changed from "Small animals are loyal" to "Small animals that cost zero are loyal." The intended purpose of this artifact was for squirrels, rats and other rodents to follow around the player like in the folktale. But, I'm happy and delighted how players discovered you could make a ridiculously OP army by combining it with Breed and Red Starlings.
   
4. Fixed Bug: Server cloud saves containing ampersands weren't loading properly.
   
5. Fixed Bug: Where goblins retreating from the party or mischief events would linger in the overworld (Thanks Kuza).
   
6. Fixed Bug: Where null error was thrown in targeting (I think I fixed it, I couldn't actually reproduce it... but I added some conditions to prevent the exception...if not, I'm sure I'll get it next time)
   
7. Fixed Bug: Red Imp in the demonic realm wasn't charging gold for his services... silly imp... always ask for more than 0 gold.
   
8. Fixed Bug: Stuck camera after collecting a card from a Suspicious Tomb encounter.
   
9. Fixed Bug: Where my dev messages to you about game updates were getting spammed every time a battle started (Sorry about that!)
   
10. Fixed Bug: Time Flux now works on ANY ally on the board (not just visible ones) - thanks mr.kitty
    
11. Fixed Bug: Blind units (ex: sandstorm) could not target adjacent spaces as targets (only adjacent units). This resulted in spells not being highlighted in hand. It also caused the spell to fizzle when cast on adjacent tile. (Thanks Reiga)

There's still a lot more coming before our 1.0 release on May 11th. Our next update will be a major one.
This will add 4 new Summoners, a large collection of new cards, characters and artifacts, and challenge modifiers you can use to customize the difficulty and earn even more points on the leaderboard.

I hope you've enjoyed this update. I love hearing your feedback, so please feel welcome to reach out via reply email or join our community on Discord. I can be reached almost any time RossD20Studios#2359 :)

Your Steam reviews of Abalon are also very much appreciated - thank you so much for your positive feedback and thumbs ups!

[h2]Join the Discussion:[/h2]
- Steam discussion board: https://steamcommunity.com/app/1681840/discussions/
- Discord: https://discord.gg/d20studios (RossD20Studios#2359)

This build updates the game client and demo with our new title and cover art as well as several fixes.

[h2]Important Note[/h2]
Your progression, adventure progress, or saved decks may appear to be missing when you launch the new version due to the save file location having been changed. If you observe this behavior, simply exit the game and restart and these items will be restored.

Also note that any system specific settings (ex: video settings) will have been reset to default and need to be reconfigured as these are not stored in the cloud data.

1. Updated title from Summoners Fate to Abalon
   
2. Updated the loading screen with new cover art and logo
   
3. Updated default installation folder from Summoners Fate to Abalon (new installs only)
   
4. Updated the executable paths from Summoners Fate to Abalon
   
5. Updated save folder location from Summoners Fate to Abalon
   
6. Fixed bug where Cleanse would not remove self-inflicted debuffs from ally (ex: Meditation vulnerability). (Thanks mr.kitty)
   
7. Fixed bug where Deconstruct would not draw a card after being used on an enemy unless they had armor. (Thanks mr.kitty)
   
8. Fixed bug where sacrificing a mind controlled enemy to Abysmal End would result in your own units being injured instead of the enemy. (Thanks Meeky)
   
9. Fixed bug where satchel cards with surprise effects (ex: Stone Ankh) were being removed when entering or exiting camp. (Thanks mr.kitty)
   
10. Fixed bug where Turn Back Time isn't removing debuffs if the unit is already at full health. (Thanks Reiga)
    
11. Changed Marauder Acolyte so his Witness Me buff is applied to last controlling player's units instead of his owning player's units.
    
12. Changed Crystal Golem and Arcane Giant so their downfall mana boost is now applied to their last controlling player instead of their owning player.
    
13. Changed Water Elemental so its downfall healing is applied to its last controlling player's units instead of its owning player's units.
    
14. The following units downfall abilities continue to apply to their owning player (not the last controlling player): Acheri (Transforms to original owner banshee), Phoenix (Returns to original owners hand), Cat of Nine and Hellhound Puppy (resurrects under control of original owner).
    
15. Fixed bug where the Unsummon spell was not applying the mana discount indicated in card description. (Thanks mr.kitty)
    
16. Increased the delay for being able to choose a card from half second to full second to further help with double clicks resulting in accidental card choices.

Old Save File Locations (Safe to Delete): Windows: C:\Users[UserName]\AppData\Roaming\com.d20studios.summonersfate
Windows: C:\Users[UserName]\AppData\Roaming\com.d20studios.summonersfateDemo
Mac: /Users/[UserName]/Library/Application Support/com.d20studios.summonersfate
Mac: /Users/[UserName]/Library/Application Support/com.d20studios.summonersfateDemo

New Save File Locations: Windows: C:\Users[UserName]\AppData\Roaming\com.d20studios.abalon
Windows: C:\Users[UserName]\AppData\Roaming\com.d20studios.abalonDemo
Mac: /Users/[UserName]/Library/Application Support/com.d20studios.abalon
Mac: /Users/[UserName]/Library/Application Support/com.d20studios.abalonDemo

[h2]Join the Discussion:[/h2]
- Steam discussion board: https://steamcommunity.com/app/1681840/discussions/
- Discord: https://discord.gg/d20studios (RossD20Studios#2359)

Dear Players,

Abalon (formerly Summoners Fate) will launch from Early Access into 1.0 on Thursday, May 11th.

After seven years of full-time indie development and close collaboration with many of you, it’s an honor to finally deliver on our ambitious vision: a game that combines the best elements of classic tabletop games: tactics, cards, dice, and the magic of using your creativity to devise amazing strategies!

I can't express enough my gratitude for your encouragement, your feedback, and your support. It is because of you that we've made it this far - and what an incredible journey it's been! I smile looking back at some of our early Steam reviews. Many of you had shared that the game felt very complete for an EA title when we first launched - but take a glance at our update history to see just how much we could (and did) improve the game during Early Access:
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1681840?updates=true

[h2]What can we expect in the 1.0 release?[/h2]

Here's a quick look at the 1.0 content and how it's changed since our Early Access launch.

[h3]Abalon 1.0 Launch Features[/h3]

1. 5 Worlds to explore, each with its own events, characters, and bosses (+2 from EA launch)
   
2. 15 Bosses to hunt down and defeat (+9 from EA launch)
   
3. 20 Summoners to guide through an adventure, each offering a unique ability for you to master (+12 from EA launch. 16 currently in the game. 4 more coming for 1.0)
   
4. 48 Guardians to meet through world events, all of which can join your adventure (+15 from EA launch)
   
5. 400+ cards you can collect on your quest to build the perfect deck (+100 from EA launch)
   
6. 50+ Artifacts that provide permanent upgrades to your heroes for the duration of your adventure run (New since EA Launch, More Coming for 1.0)
   
7. PvE Battle Mode, the perfect arena to master your favorite Summoner
   
8. Full Gamepad Controller and Keyboard Support with customization (New since EA launch)
   
9. Endless Adventure Mode lets you continue your adventure with ever increasing challenges. (Also known as New Game+, this was our top player-requested feature so it's been added to our roadmap for 1.0 release, replacing our previous goal of multiplayer)
   
10. PvE Leaderboards let you compare stats with your previous adventure runs and other players so you can set a new personal best (Coming for 1.0)

Due to their random and replayable nature, it's hard to gauge how many hours of content a roguelike game has. I use this formula to conservatively estimate: Number of unique heroes * adventure length (3 hours). The EA had around 24 hours of content and I'm confident the 1.0 launch has 60 hours or more.

[h2]Will the price increase?[/h2]

Yes. In consideration of the many updates we've made to the game and the many more we still plan to add up to and post 1.0 launch, the price of Abalon will increase from $19.99 to $29.99 following the conclusion of the Steam Spring Sale, which runs March 16 - 23. During the sale, you can pick up Abalon at a 10% discount on the current price of $19.99.

[h2]What does the new roadmap look like?[/h2]

Looking back on the past year in Early Access, I've realized a few things. As a player-driven developer, I need to be flexible and able to adapt to meet the needs of our community. I also need to be more considerate of how these changes can impact production. Many features, like gamepad controller support, were a lot bigger than I thought. Others, like multiplayer, were far too ambitious and not the right focus for the majority of our player base that wants more single player content and challenge modes.

I realize it's not possible to please everyone. I'm not perfect, and I appreciate your patience and understanding as I continue to learn. I am entirely sincere in my belief in this game, this community, and the potential we have to continue building something great together.

My next goals for Abalon are:

1. Complete Remaining Features indicated in the 1.0 launch feature list above. This includes adding the remaining 4 Summoners, additional spells and artifact cards, the new endless adventure mode, thematic shops where players can purchase the new spells and artifacts, AI improvements, bug fixes and performance improvements.
   
2. Post 1.0 we're planning to add an additional world (cave biome), continued enhancements to AI, additional artifacts, more QoL changes, new and revisited fate encounters, and continuing to adapt and improve the game based on player feedback.

[h2]Abalon Arena[/h2]

I still strongly believe in our potential for multiplayer, and I've realized to succeed we're going to need a critical mass of players and a whole suite of new features to enable the best competitive and cooperative play experience. I want to do it justice to realize its vision, so I plan to release a new stand-alone multiplayer focused game called Abalon Arena.

My sincere intent is to ensure we'll have enough players for matchmaking, and this way we can directly reach multiplayer focused Steam players and dedicate the development resources necessary to give multiplayer the attention it deserves.

I’m committed to supporting everyone who purchased Abalon in Early Access. Anyone who's already purchased Abalon Early Access or buys the game from now to 1.0 launch will get access to Abalon Arena at no additional cost! We even have a sign-up for multiplayer in our Discord in the #multiplayer channel where you can register to get access to Arena right now and help shape its development with fellow players.

[h2]Thank You![/h2]

Thanks again to all of our players for supporting our journey! As always, please feel welcome to share your thoughts and feedback.

Join the Discussion:
- Steam discussion board: https://steamcommunity.com/app/1681840/discussions/
- Discord: https://discord.gg/d20studios (RossD20Studios#2359)

~Ross

The cover art for Abalon is designed to look like a boardgame box, which best represents our innovative mechanics that combine cards, dice and tactics together.



Greetings players!

It is with great excitement that I share my latest and wildest idea yet: We're changing the title of Summoners Fate to Abalon.

What?! What kind of crazy are you talking here Ross? Who changes their game's title so close to release?

Well, I'll tell you something about indie devs like me: We don't get much sleep. The second my head hits the pillow, thoughts flood my mind. And no problem more concerns my attention more than this ever-burning question: “How do I get folks to discover this amazing game I’ve created?”

It’s during these late night musings when the “muse” - a manifestation of sudden inspiration that ancient Greek legends depicted as a goddess - often visits. And sometimes, she suggests an idea so crazy, it just might work. In this case, “What might happen if you change the name of your game?”

Once an idea like this hooks in, it's hard for me to ignore it. I have known for some time that the title of Summoners Fate hasn't done us any favors. Combined with the previous cover art, the whole package has given many the initial impression that Summoners Fate is a generic mobile game, when in fact, as popular YouTuber Retromation states in his coverage “this game is anything but generic. It is outlandish. It is weird. And it is, honestly, it is quite fun.”

Retromation's words echo the sentiments of many shared here. It's time to take action and change that first impression. That's why the cover art for Abalon is designed to look like a boardgame box. Tabletop games like D&D, Magic the Gathering, and Hero Quest are what inspired me. A boardgame depiction also best represents our innovative mechanics that combine cards, dice and tactics together - and signals to players the actual experience they can expect when they play.

[h2]When will the change roll out?[/h2]

Changing a title is no easy feat, as we have websites, social media, trailers, and of course the game client itself still referencing Summoners Fate. It'll take some time to fully roll out the changes, but my plan is to do everything I can to have everything transitioned over by the end of next week.

[h2]Why Abalon?[/h2]

I wanted a name that was totally original, and Abalon just appeared in my head - a gift from the muse. Pronounced like Babylon, the ancient city at the cradle of civilization, it immediately evoked that feeling of an ancient, fantastical world that I wanted to convey. Coincidentally, it also sounds similar to Avalon, the ancient island of King Arthur legend, which sweetened the deal as I’m a huge fan of these stories.

I want to create a world people care about, one filled with original and amazing characters like our squirrel hurling druids, time traveling steampunk rats, and psychic lizard wizards. Abalon just has that fantastical ring to it, I think - something players will want to revisit, and something I can continue to expand and explore with new game titles.

So here, in this final leg of the journey towards 1.0 release, I've decided to take a leap of faith and make the bold move to change the title of “Summoners Fate” to “Abalon”.

I have deeply appreciated our players' support, and invite you to join us in this new and exciting chapter of the journey. To Abalon!

~Ross Przybylski,
Founder & Game Developer, D20Studios