Mage Tower: Call of Zadeus News

Hey everyone, thanks for playing! You've given a lot of great suggestions and feedback, and I'm taking it all into consideration as I plan the first content update. For now, here are all of the patch notes since the July 31st release!

Patch 2.1.0.1

Note: Other smaller issues will be resolved in another hotfix update soon, for now I have to get this out to fix the resolution bug.

Major Bug Fixes:
-Fixed a major bug that glitched the game out if you picked any resolution besides 1920 x 1080.

Gameplay Changes:
-Unlocking Dungeons on the Achievements screen now only costs 800 Achievement Points instead of 1000. (Dungeons are unlockable in the bottom left of the Achievements screen.)

Other Bug Fixes:
-Fixed a bug where Gladehart had no text indicating that it has Agile (arrow damage skips over it.)
-Fixed a bug where Alter World was not a Wizardry and was going to the discard after being played.
-Fixed a bug where the Beastiary achievement to kill 75 monsters was unlocked after 35 monsters.
-Fixed a bug where Bandit Camp said it was casting "Lurking Army" when it was supposed to say "Reinforce".

Patch 2.1.0.2

(Another quick bug fix patch.)

Other:
-Music added to the class select screen.
-Added a box that says "Unlocks" on the Achievements screen so it would be less likely for people to miss unlocking dungeons etc.

Bug Fixes:

-Pickpocket now correctly gives you 2 gold instead of just 1.
-Trade Routes now gives you the correct amount of gold instead of just 1.
-Fixed Venom Blast so that its text and effect are correct (It makes all poisoned monsters non-angry, then adds Poison 1 to all monsters, then you gain a Spell Charcoal.)
-Lowered volume of Poison sound.
-Fixed a bug that could sometimes cause a crash after battle because of a "onechoiceflag" variable.
-Fixed an issue with War Camp's text not being shown correctly.
-Reclusive Homunculus should no longer be able to revert to being a Knowledge Blast.
-Fixed a bug where attack/health upgrades weren't showing up at the Blacksmith.
-Fixed a bug where you could get the "Trader's Fortune" start-of-run boon even when you didn't have Trade Resources unlocked.

Patch 2.1.0.3

Major Bug Fix:
-The display issue that was causing things to be shown in the incorrect places or for mouse clicks to not work SHOULD be fixed. Make sure your version says 2.1.0.3 in the bottom left of the title screen to ensure it's updated, if not you may have to restart Steam to update. (If your mouse is being only slightly offset that is a separate issue I'm looking into. Restarting the game or using fullscreen mode may fix that issue in some cases.)

Other Bug Fix:
-Upgraded Insight now correctly costs 1.

Patch 2.1.0.4

Bug Fixes:

-Fixed a bug where class score achievements would not be unlocked until the following run.
-Fixed a bug where Summon Comet was adding four Spell Charcoal to your discard instead of one.
-Hyperion now correctly displays its ability (Stationary - It can't get angry or attack.)
-Bodysnatcher's text box now correctly notes that it deals its damage as —> damage.
-Fixed a bug where an enemy's unique monsters on the "prebattle" screen were being shown with empty text boxes.
-The score values on the achievement screen were displaying incorrect values. They should be about 95% accurate now... I will get them 100% accurate at a later time. Note that this is only a display bug and that you're receiving the correct points and final score.
-Fixed a bug where the "Explorer" achievement would be given for receiving a dungeon clue, when it's supposed to be received when you enter a dungeon.
-Fixed a bug where the class select screen music would play even if you had the music volume turned down.
-Alter World now correctly counts as a Wizardry for cards that care about that.

Patch 2.1.0.5

Major Bug Fixes:

-Fixed a bug where sometimes the game would crash when getting a dungeon treasure.

Bug Fixes:

-Fixed a bug where Conjury was doing nothing sometimes.
-Fixed a bug where when Thuridian Colossus was destroying Defenders like Golden Golem or Stalwart Knight, their on-death effects weren't happening.
-Fixed a text bug for Rogue's Dagger where it didn't say it draws a card.
-Fixed a text bug for upgraded Training where it didn't say it draws a card.
-Fixed a bug where Constellation Beast was visually missing its Void Stone.
-Equipment are no longer supposed to have the "pay 2 to discard and draw a card" ability from the physical game but it was sometimes popping up, so that was fixed. Quick details on why this was removed: The player now has access to a lot more card draw so it's not as necessary, it could be confusing to new players to have two modes on a card (and these are supposed to be simple cards a new player sees when they boot up the game), it added a lot of text to cards, it would sometimes confuse players into thinking an equipment was playable when it's not, it would often make players "miss" their defender/equipment pairing which would dilute the effect and weight of the equipment cards, and it would lessen the impact of some card drafting and deckbuiling decisions. It's possible it could return but we'll see how things shake out, for now the player will need a plan for how to utilize and work with equipment cards just like with other context-sensitive cards.

Patch 2.1.0.6

Major Bug Fixes:

-Fixed a major crash bug that would crash the game whenever the Irko card was killed. He is temporarily losing his "damage all monsters" ability since that was causing the bug. He was reduced from an 8/8 to a 2/2 to help compensate. He will be returned to his original form later.

Patch 2.1.0.7

Known Bug:

-I'm surprised it took me this long to notice this, but apparently the first 5 damage taken in each dungeon battle is being prevented. It's easy to miss because animations make it look like you took the hit and your life was lowered, then the life reverts. This 5 damage shield mechanic was leftover from an old system. Since all the dungeon enemies were balanced with this in place, I will likely just keep this mechanic and add a UI element for it soon in a patch, so just keep playing as normal knowing it exists. Dungeons have been playing well and do have the desired level of tension and push-your-luck elements.

Bug Fixes:

-Fixed a bug where the cards from Starmap were displaying incorrectly.
-Fixed a bug where Golden Golem was only giving 1 gold instead of 2 when discarded.
-Fixed a bug where Circus Bear wasn't returning to hand at end of turn after it attacked.
-Fixed a bug where Runic Grove could sometimes crash the game.
-Fixed a bug where Banish was sometimes not available in the card pool.
-Fixed a bug where Plaguemaster's (ratfolk enemy) Plague ability wasn't working.
-Fixed text on Grand Slime to say that it has Finale (always the last card in monster deck) and not Slow (takes 2 turns to become angry.)
-Fixed a bug where Grand Slime was destroying Slime's Trinket/Mace/Lance when it activated the Slime's Mace ability.
-Fixed a bug where Grand Slime appeared to be dealing 2 damage to Permanents as well as Defenders when it used the Slime's Mace ability.
-(Note: Now Grand Slime's abilities should be working correctly mechanically, at some point additional animations will be added for them.)
-Fixed text on The Fathomless to say that it has Hulking (immune to Destroy, Transform, and Purge effects) and not Slow (takes 2 turns to become angry.)
-Dungeon monster cards weren't being counted for beastiary achievements (the achievements that count the number of differently named slain monster cards.) This has been fixed.
-Unicorn and Ultademon (from Fae Rabbit), as well as Cosmigorius (a player card that turns into a monster), are now also correctly counted in the number of slain monster card types.
-Fixed a typo on Orc Archer.

Patch 2.1.0.8

Monster Aggression:
(These changes are to stop new players from being overrun by monster spawns, and to ensure they are given time to draft cards as they learn the game. These issues can be a huge problem for the new player experience.)

-The first enemy in a run now takes longer to spawn.
-(Mastery 1 and 2 only) If a player hasn't drafted many cards from towns (as is often the case with brand new players), enemies will see the player as less of a threat. That means the enemies won't be as aggressive towards the player, and not as many enemies will spawn. This will give brand new players more time to get their bearings.
-If you stop moving, you'll go into a "soft pause" where time stops, enemies will not spawn, and existing enemies will move more slowly. This is so that new players (or any player) will no longer be punished so much for stop-and-go movement or stopping to think.

Bugs:
-Fixed a visual bug where Lightning Arrows incorrectly said it's a Permanent rather than an Ability.
-Fixed a bug where Slice could sometimes do nothing if you'd just killed a monster at nearly the same time.

Patch 2.1.0.9

(Not every reported bug has been fixed yet, but these are most of the major ones. More bug fixes coming soon.)

Bug Fixes:

-Fixed a bug where class achievements for 4000 points and 8000 points weren't unlocking when they should. (Note: Achievements are only unlocked right after a run. So if you already have 4000+ points on a class pre-patch you can either play another run, or just start a run and let a monster kill you, then it will unlock when you go to the achievements screen. For players under 4000 points it will just unlock normally when you get there.)
-Fixed a bug where you couldn't see your class's points by overlapping their achievements.
-Fixed a bug where Fae Rabbit was crashing the game when it tried to transform a Spider into a Unicorn.
-Fixed a bug where Mana Eater, Circus Bear, and Relic Seeker were missing their void stone icons (the icon that shows they'll be removed from the game when they leave play.)
-Fixed a bug where Yod'ithrul'ix was deleting other monsters sometimes.
-Fixed a bug where Beetlemorph could trigger Flameception infinitely.
-Fixed a bug where the Zadeus Tentacles from Tangle of Tentacles didn't have Slow and were getting angry immediately.
-Fixed a bug where Clash of Lightning was dealing 4 arrow damage instead of 6.
-Fixed a bug where Poison Bomb (from Contagion) wasn't dealing 1 damage when you poisoned a monster with it.
-Fixed a bug where Crawler's ability did nothing when it attacked you.
-Fixed a bug where 0-cost cards were unplayable at negative energy.
-Demon was missing its text still, this has been fixed.
-Fixed a bug where Pause (the card) wasn't working in the Irko and Zadeus battles.
-Fixed a bug where the Craggling achievements were displaying the kill count for Glade Nymphs instead.
-Corrected Bolt text to say it adds a Spell Charcoal and not a Confusion.

That's right, after 3+ years of development, including multiple betas and gameplay overhauls, Mage Tower 2 is FINALLY releasing into Early Access on July 26th, 2023!

If you wishlisted this a long time ago, or played one of the old betas from 2021-2022, here are the new gameplay features that have been implemented in the 2023 version:

[h3]A Complete Combat Overhaul[/h3]

We removed the 2nd player, and now it's just you against a deck of monsters. Each turn a new wave of monsters attacks, just like in a tower defense game. Use your spells to fight them off, and survive against all the waves to achieve victory. New monster types (such as "Spellcaster", "Familiar", and "Miniboss") change things up from turn to turn.

[h3]New Card Mechanics[/h3]

Now you can cast "Level Up" cards which grow in power each time you play them. Or play "Scheme" cards which take several turns to activate, but have overpowered effects. Then there are "Wizardry" cards, which are one-time-use spells, but offer huge effects. Think of Wizardries as "mini-ultimates" that you save for just the right moment each battle.

[h3]Overworld Overhaul![/h3]

Visit towns to build buildings, and buy cards. Collect trade resources for special effects, or to draft any card you want (allowing for targeted, creative deckbuilding.) Discover Obelisks which give you powerful Artifacts. And more!

[h3]Dungeon Overhaul![/h3]

Dungeons now have specialized enemies that test specific facets of your deck (for example, an enemy whose monsters are immune to a certain damage type, or which summon 16 small enemies every turn.) A smart player plans their dungeon delves and routes based on their deck's strengths and weaknesses, and of course on which treasures they seek!



So you DID play in the 2023 beta test and think you've seen it all, huh?!?! Wrong! Here's what's coming in release that wasn't in the beta:

[h3]Achievements[/h3]

A robust achievement system with over 110 Achievements that tracks your stats, and rewards you for your progress. This gives the game a sense of progression, and makes losing more fun as you get to see how you've progressed on the achievement board.

[h3]Zadeus[/h3]

After completing a run, you'll battle Zadeus itself... which has a massive monster deck of progressively increasing difficulty. While most bosses have 6 or 7 different monster cards in their deck, Zadeus has over 30! It's an epic end-game boss that truly tests the mettle of your deck.

You'll still "win" the run even if you die to Zadeus, so your goal is to see how far your deck can make it against the creature. Only the most overpowered and synergistic (or exploitative) decks will be able to conquer the otherworldly monstrosity known as ZADEUS.

[h3]Upgraded UI[/h3]

Your hand of cards is now fanned out, easier to read, and offers the standard "drag and drop" interface to avoid misclicks. Monsters now forecast their abilities and spells, so it's easier to see what's going on. Many spells now have visual and sound FX. Overall the game is cleaner and plays more like a modern game.

[h3]Dungeons Upgraded (Again??)[/h3]

There is a brand new pool of dungeon-exlusive "legendary" cards and artifacts. These offer super-powered effects that may make you rethink the entire structure of your deck. We've also made dungeons less empty. So now each dungeon delve is a run-defining decision with great risks and even greater rewards!

[h3]More Info Soon...[/h3]

Right now we're developing and finalizing these new changes and systems. Leading up to release, we'll release more screenshots and gameplay footage. So stay tuned, and get ready for July 26th!!

-Brett
supermegagames.net

The Mage Tower: Call of Zadeus Kickstarter has just launched! Be sure to back it so you can get first access to the closed beta of the new build, your name on a card, and exclusive skins. You can check out the project at the link below!:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/648592395/magetower

-Brett Brimmer
Super Mega Games
supermegagames.net

Hey everyone, lots of news today. Let's get into it!:



Before we get into the development update, we wanted to let you all know that there will be a Mage Tower: Call of Zadeus Kickstarter on October 11th, 2022! We're raising funds to finish the game, and you'll be able to get rewards like Kickstarter-exclusive card frames, creating your own in-game enemy and designing its deck, and more. Here's the link to the pre-launch page which you can follow to be notified on launch!:

Mage Tower: Call of Zadeus Kickstarter Pre-Launch Page



During the last alpha we'd been testing an additional node-based mode. We've decided to scrap that, and refocus on what was originally promised - a huge roguelike card game rpg in a procedurally generated world.

We've made the world larger, added two additional biomes (with corresponding enemies and bosses), and added many more features like "dungeon clues" and a card ante system where you risk cards in battle. We've also implemented classic draft battles into the game. Here are a few screenshots with additional info:











This is a fraction of the new features added! There will be much more info on the Kickstarter page.

Beta testing will happen after the Kickstarter (backers only), then we're planning on releasing the game into Early Access a few months after.

The game is really coming together after all the testing done this year, and we think it's poised to be something really awesome! We hope you'll join us for the Kickstarter!

-Brett Brimmer
Super Mega Games
supermegagames.net
Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/cbZ7r3ZBcd

Hello everyone, the last beta test went really well and phase 2 is about to begin. This is an open beta, just click the "Request Access" button on the Mage Tower Store Page and it'll activate on April 2nd. We need YOUR help to test the game and get it ready for Early Access!

Make sure to join the Mage Tower Discord as well!

SO, we've revamped a lot of the game systems for this new build, check it out!:



The game now includes five factions, each with their own unique abilities. For example, try the Silver faction to get cards from outside the game, or use the Green faction to stack the monster deck in your favor. Each faction has four unique mechanics.





To make thematic factions, we added 55 new cards (in two months!) The old card pool was a hodge-podge of effects, while the new one is tailored around faction themes and cross-faction synergies. There are so many new types of decks to build!





The old build was criticized for not having enough player choice. You didn't really draft cards, you just grabbed the cards that showed up and threw the best ones into your deck.

In the new build you get to draft a LOT of cards (there's a five card draft in almost every town), and you can change your deck before battle. Now every enemy encounter feels like a new deckbuilding puzzle! Other mechanics also reward you for building and trying out new decks.





While you're designing all these fun decks, you'll want to Fortify and Upgrade the cards in your favorite "end-game" deck that you save for dungeons, castles, and difficult encounters.





The bottom line is that now you draft a lot of cards and build a lot of decks! As you do so, you'll fortify and upgrade your favorite deck to use for the hardest encounters. The new build provides a deckbuilder experience unlike anything else out there - where you actually get to build decks!

See you on April 2nd! :D

-Brett Brimmer
Super Mega Games
supermegagames.net