Soul Stalker News

Hi everyone!

I just pushed up an update to the beta branch that fixes a few things, and adds some much requested features! Also, we're part of the Steam SHMUP Fest, so you can get Soul Stalker at a sweet discount. Click on the box below to get the game if you don't have it already!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1714240/Soul_Stalker/

Anyways, you can find the patch notes below:

• Added an arrow indicator to all dashing enemies to make it even clearer when they're about to dash, and what direction they're dashing in.
  
• Changed the dash enemy AI to make it such that the dash direction is determined when the enemy starts dashing, instead of when the charge is finished. This should make it much easier to avoid dashing enemies.
  
• Fixed bug that made dashing at the wall at high speeds clip out of bounds.
  
• Fixed bug that made it such that you were sometimes unable to increase your max dash count with the new items.
  
• Much increased the max dash limit to the point where it should be unreachable in normal playthroughs.
  
• Fixed some localization bugs that made it such that some items had the wrong descriptions.
  

In case you don't know how to access the beta branch, follow the steps below:

1. Right click on the game in your Steam library.
   
2. Open Properties.
   
3. Click on Betas.
   
4. Select the "testing" branch.
   
5. That's it! There should be no code required or anything to access it. If you want to switch to the base version of the game, do the same thing again but select "default branch" as your selected branch.
   

Also, we recently announced a new game in the same genre as Soul Stalker, and it has a free demo out as well! Try it out with the box below, I hope you enjoy it!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2491670/Wanted_Shadows


Anyways, that's it for this update, and as always, we would really appreciate it if you left a review! It's the best way to support the game! Also, play the Wanted Shadows demo and give it a wishlist! That helps us out a ton as well!


https://store.steampowered.com/app/1714240/Soul_Stalker/


- Conrad, Lead Developer

Hi everyone!

I'm happy to announce that Soul Stalker's first major update in Early Access, Beta 1.1.0, is out now on the testing branch! If you want to play right now, you can do the following:

1. Right click on the game in your Steam library.
   
2. Open Properties.
   
3. Click on Betas.
   
4. Select the "testing" branch.
   
5. That's it! There should be no code required or anything to access it. If you want to switch to the base version of the game, do the same thing again but select "default branch" as your selected branch.
   

Once we're sure that this update is bug free, we'll put it up on the main branch so everyone will be able to play it without needing to adjust their properties.

You're probably wondering what the update contains, so I've put the patch notes below! Also, read until the end because there's a new game we've just announced under our Radhood Originals label and it has a free demo that's out now! If you enjoy Soul Stalker and other games in its genre, you'll like the new game as well. Apart from the patch notes below, you'll also find a video I've made explaining the development process of both this game and Soul Stalker's new update!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2491670/Wanted_Shadows

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

• Added a new character, Skate. She has incredibly fast dashes.
  
• The Regeneration stat no longer heals you at the end of combats, only in shops. To balance the stat out, all characters now have increased regeneration.
  
• Added the Dodge stat. If you get hit, you have a % to not take damage in accordance with the stat.
  
• New trinket, Ankh Charm - Dodging has a 5% chance to heal 1 HP.
  
• New trinket, Backstab - Dodging has a 5% chance to heal 1 HP.
  
• New trinket, Flying Gold - Dodging grants 10 extra coins.
  
• New trinket, Healthy Heart - Increases dodge chance by 5%.
  
• New trinket, Light Armor - Dash 1 additional time.
  
• New trinket, Sickly Creature - Increases dodge chance by 10% but reduces Max HP by 10.
  
• New trinket, Special Totem - Dodging causes a random projectile weapon to fire.
  
• New trinket, Winged Boots - Getting hit while dashing always results in a dodge.
  
• New trinket, Wolf Dash - Increases dash speed by 20%.
  
• New trinket, Anticipation - Get a stockpiled dodge at the start of each combat.
  
• New trinket, Bat Wings - Increases your chance to dodge by 5%.
  
• New trinket, Cold Blood - Dodging or getting hit applies frost to enemies around you.
  
• New trinket, Contract - Dodging gives you 20 coins.
  
• New trinket, Herba Dodgia - Dodging has a 10% chance to heal 1 HP.
  
• New trinket, Hermes Sandals - Increases dash recharge rate by 15%.
  
• New trinket, Reverse Curse - Get healed for 25% of regeneration at the end of combats.
  
• New trinket, Wave - Dashing surrounds you in a water wake that damages enemies.
  
• Reduced the duration of the first 2 act I combats to 20 seconds, and adjusted gold drops to balance it out.
  
• Reduced the duration of combats after the first 2 of act I to 40 seconds, and adjusted gold drops to balance it out.
  
• Reduced the duration of the first 2 act II combats to 35 seconds, and adjusted gold drops to balance it out.
  
• Reduced the duration of combats after the first 2 of act II to 45 seconds, and adjusted gold drops to balance it out.
  
• All characters now start with 99 coins instead of 50.
  
• Added spawn blocking. This means that if an enemy is about to spawn under you, it picks a different spawn location so it doesn't hit you.
  
• Added pathfinding for the "regular" CPU Load setting. All enemies now follow you and move around obstacles.
  
• Removed the pickup stat, as it had low impact. The Dodge stat now takes its place in the stat display UI.
  
• Fixed some localization bugs.
  

You might notice that the new map system we've been working on still hasn't made it into the game, and that's because we're still implementing it! We decided to make the map update its own thing and release Beta 1.1.0 without it since its already got so many additions and improvements. The next update will have:

• The udated map system.
  
• Improved performace (we're porting some performance-improving tech from Wanted Shadows).
  
• More weapons.
  
• More ascensions.
  
• More trinkets
  

Anyways, that's it for this update, and as always, we would really appreciate it if you left a review! It's the best way to support the game! Also, play the Wanted Shadows demo and give it a wishlist! That helps us out a ton as well!



https://store.steampowered.com/app/2491670/Wanted_Shadows

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1714240/Soul_Stalker/

- Conrad, Lead Developer

Hi everyone!

In the last update we touched upon what is being worked on for Soul Stalker's first major update, Beta 1.1.0, and in this post we wanted to show you some of the progress we've made so far! By the way, as always, we would really appreciate it if you left a review! It's the best way to support the game!



The first point that we've been working on that wasn't in the original update sheet is pathfinding for enemies! Some players have complained about how enemies sometimes get stuck on level geometry, and while this was originally intentional to keep the game in line with others in the genre, we've got no complaints with advancing the genre 😎

Below you'll see the editor and game view of the pathfinding in action! It's already functional, and we're just doing the final tests to make sure it's as bug free as possible. Because this feature can put a bit of strain on lower-end CPUs, it will be on by default but can be turned off with the "CPU Load" setting!



Another feature we're testing is upgraded map visuals. Given that we're re-doing the map logic to allow for more strategic decision-making, it was the perfect opportunity to revisit the visuals as well. The image below shows the WIP version of what we're testing.



For ease of comparison, the image below is how it currently looks like in-game, and the image above is the (potential) new version.



Do you prefer the new version? We'd love to hear your thoughts! Apart from the visuals, we're revamping the decision making to make the map have fewer paths, but each path makes a bigger impact on your run.

Apart from those 2 major additions, we've made smaller changes that we'll reveal in the patch notes, and many of the points in the update sheet are already finished!

Anyways, that's it for this update, and as always, we would really appreciate it if you left a review! It's the best way to support the game!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1714240/Soul_Stalker/

- Conrad, Lead Developer

Hi everyone!

Over the past few updates we've been mentioning multiple potential changes, and now we've solidified a few of them and they'll be making their way to Soul Stalker in the game's next major update! Check out the update plan below:

(By the way, we would really appreciate it if you left a review! It's the best way to support the game!)



The first thing you'll notice is that we're adding new content! That is, a new character, new trinkets, and new weapons! On top of that, we're adding new ascensions, and a new stat (dodge). Some of the new trinkets will also interact with this new stat! The last addition is the new "campfire" node, which will function similarly to the upgrade/healing portion of the current shop node. Because of this, weapon upgrades will be tweaked as well.

In regards to the tweaks, the regeneration stat will no longer heal you after combats, and instead will be limited to the new campfire node. However, to counterbalance this, the regeneration of all characters and relevant trinkets will be boosted!

Lastly, we've also adjusted the frequency of weapons in shops after you're maxed out, and we have bug fixes too of course! :)

Anyways, that's it for this update! We look forwards to finishing it and improving the game for all of you! As always, we would really appreciate it if you left a review! It's the best way to support the game!)

See you next time!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1714240/Soul_Stalker/

- Conrad, Lead Developer

Hi everyone!

We're working on Beta 1.0.9 by squashing some more bugs, but it looks like the game is beginning to be almost fully stable with few/no major bugs (if you've found any, feel free to report them in the Steam discussion forum)! Since the post from 2 days ago regarding map nodes was so useful, I thought I would post about the future of metaprogression in Soul Stalker as well! By the way, we would really appreciate it if you left a review! It's the best way to support the game!

In short, the game's current metaprogression model works as such - you unlock characters through completing achievements. This follows what Brotato does very closely, and the reason for that is because it's my favourite game in the genre! However, some of you have expressed that you want something more akin Vampire Survivors.

I want to get something out of the way, Soul Stalker will never have a metaprogression system where you upgrade stats and are numerically stronger the more you play the game. My expertise as a developer/designer lies in making strategic/synergistic games, and making metaprogression numerical in this way goes directly against my strengths.

This does not mean that Soul Stalker won't have metaprogression at all though. 20 Minutes Till Dawn has a nice middle ground where you have currency that you gain in runs, and you can then use it to purchase permanent equippable upgrades. Since the purchasable upgrades are not always on, you never get "strictly stronger", but you become more powerful through having more options.

What do you think of this model? Would you like to see such an approach applied to Soul Stalker? I've had the following ideas in my head in the past couple of days, and I'd love to hear the community's opinion on them:

• Starting weapons/trinkets for characters are not unlocked from the start, and must be purchased. To compensate, all weapons and trinkets could be used as starters for any characters as long as they are purchased.
  
• Adding "powers" that are unlocked through purchasing them with currency. They could have effects similar to powerful trinkets that shape runs/builds. Only 1/a limited amount of powers can be equipped.
  
• Adding an equipment system that allows you to equip different armors in different slots (helmet, body armor, boots). The equipment could be purchased with currency, or obtained by drops in runs. Equipment would have effects ranging from simple stat increases, to power-like effects.
  

Let me know what you think of these potential changes! I think any of them could work well in adding meta strategy, as well as incentivising ascensions even more given that the higher difficulties would reward you with more currency per run.

That's it for this update, and as always, we would really appreciate it if you left a review! It's the best way to support the game!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1714240/Soul_Stalker/

- Conrad, Lead Developer