Superstar Strategy News

[p]Hey there! We’re entering the home stretch on development for Superstar Strategy, and to celebrate, here’s a new patch before we go live into Steam Next Fest! Check out the changes below, and remember to play the demo! This will be the last major demo update before release. Stay tuned for an announcement on when you can expect to play the FULL RELEASE later this year![/p][p][/p][h2]New Features[/h2]

• [p]New Villager portraits. Adjusted how villager portraits are displayed to reduce duplicate portraits being shown in the same mission.[/p]
• [p]New animations and polish for various skills.[/p]
• [p]New contextual info when selecting invalid units in-game.[/p]
• [p]Progress indicator for Campaign Progress in the Main Menu.[/p]

[h2]Balance Changes[/h2][h3]Player Units[/h3]

• [p]Rogue[/p]
  • [p]Assassinate command skill now a Free Action.[/p]
• [p]Vampire[/p]
  • [p]Reduced cost of Shadow Step command skill to 2CP.[/p]
• [p]Mage[/p]
  • [p]Spikecicles now can be cast at Range \[0,2], no longer castable at melee range \[1].[/p]
• [p]Sorceress[/p]
  • [p]Contagion[/p]
    • [p]Now can copy negative statuses applied to SELF and ALLIES to enemies, not just from enemy to enemy.[/p]

[h3]NPCs[/h3]

• [p]Units that lay traps now prioritize placing traps under unexhausted units before placing them on top of entities or random spaces.[/p]
• [p]Archers[/p]
  • [p]No longer cast Poison Arrow.[/p]
  • [p]Are now less likely to consistently place traps when they could have attacked an enemy in range.[/p]
• [p]Poacher[/p]
  • [p]Can now cast Poison Arrow[/p]
• [p]Witch[/p]
  • [p]Reduced NPC Witch ATK[/p]
  • [p]Increases Player Witch HP+AMR[/p]
• [p]Kobold[/p]
  • [p]Can no longer use Drag.[/p]
  • [p]Can now use Aggressive/Defensive stance.[/p]
• [p]Pugilist[/p]
  • [p]Can now use Meditate to cleanse statuses[/p]
• [p]Champion[/p]
  • [p]Can now use Fortify[/p]
• [p]Marauer[/p]
  • [p]Can now use Guillotine[/p]
• [p]Soldier[/p]
  • [p]Can now use Fortify[/p]
• [p]Piker[/p]
  • [p]Can now use Fortify[/p]
  • [p]Player-controlled unit can now use Venom[/p]

[h3]Misc[/h3]

• [p]Recruitable Units should always start with Player Statlines and never NPC statlines[/p]

[h2]Rework + Polish[/h2]

• [p]Adjusted intro screen animation.[/p]
• [p]Adjustments to the HUD to make it less busy. Objectives are now shown as icons next to the Round counter window in the top-left. You can re-enable the expanded view in the Options menu.[/p]
• [p]Rewrite the particle system to a custom implementation to improve performance.[/p]
• [p]Redrew some unit portraits and made adjustments to others.[/p]
• [p]Adjusted display of Rogue Steal and Trade menus to make it more obvious what’s being given/taken.[/p]
• [p]Added new particle effects during Combat to show healing effects (e.g. with Mettle, Drain, Guillotine or Execute).[/p]
• [p]Replaced Lucky Clover item with Lucky Die. This is just an aesthetic change.[/p]
• [p]Adjusted visuals of Loading Screens, System prompts and Start of Round notifications.[/p]

[h2]Quality of Life Changes[/h2]

• [p]Adjusted how the rotary menu behaves when using a thumbstick to reduce risk of double-moving or counter-moving, causing the menu controls to feel finnicky.[/p]
• [p]Improved performance of just about every system in the game.[/p]
• [p]Allow the ability to pause and exit a mission from the drafting screen.[/p]
• [p]Added hazard notifications when using a Launchpad or Booster to land on a trap tile when opening the action menu.[/p]

[h2]Bugfixes[/h2]

• [p]Far too many to list out here, but please report any new ones you find![/p]

[h2]Misc[/h2]

• [p]Renamed “Context” menu to “Interact”[/p]
• [p]Adjusted font and display of New Round and Victory transition banners.[/p]

[p]For updates on game development progress and to join the community, consider following me on BlueSky and joining the Talberon Games Discord Server. Don’t forget to Wishlist the game on Steam if you haven’t already![/p]

Hey everybody! Wow, it’s been nearly a year since the last update to the Superstar Strategy demo. It feels like only yesterday. However, today I’ve got something special to share; the main game is nearly complete! This update will provide you a window into the full Superstar Strategy experience, including access to the first several missions of the Campaign. The goal is to allow you to import your save file from the demo to the full game when it is released so you can keep your progress!

With that, let’s get to the juicy details.

[h2]New Features[/h2]

• Campaign Content
  - The first 6 missions of the Superstar Strategy Campaign are available. You can maintain up to 4 different save slots to maintain different runs or take a different approach in another run.
  
  
• Mouse Support
  - You can now control the game with the mouse in addition to the existing keyboard and gamepad control schemes. The mouse and keyboard can both be used interchangeably as one set of controls. The left and right mouse buttons are bound to the Confirm and Cancel actions, and the scroll wheel can be used for various functions such as scrolling through options in the menus.
  
• Steam Input
  - This update introduces full Steam Input support! You can use any Steam Input-compatible controller and you should automatically see the appropriate glyphs in-game whenever you use that controller. You can configure further using Steam’s tools for remapping buttons.
  
• Steam Remote Play Together
  - You can invite your friends to the game from the Main Menu with the Remote Play Together option, then sending them an invite. Remote players cannot control the main menu, but once in a match, can count as a local device and be assigned to an army when setting up the game, or rebinding the controller via the Pause Menu in-game.
  
• Kudos and Tagging system
  - Whenever a unit reaches milestones in a match, they will receive tags on their hover pane that shows the kind of actions that unit has been performing. You’ll also get notifications when you go on combat streaks or do anything cool!
  
• New Title Sequence
  - A new fancy animation plays during the startup, featuring characters from the Campaign.
  
• New Music
  
• NPC Behaviour System Updates
  - NPCs can now use unique Skill routines during their turn, including pushing, pulling, taunting and other behaviours. Check an NPC’s status to view their unique behaviours.
  
• New Units
  - Dog
  - Only available in the Campaign. Acts as a well-rounded off-tank and high-mobility skirmisher.
  - Kabuto (NPC)
  - Can flip enemies to the other side of it, then attack.
  - Mantis (NPC)
  - A high damage, low HP enemy. Defeat it quickly before it roughs you up!
  - and More!
  
• Error Reporting
  - You can now opt-in to automatic error reporting that will notify the developer when you run into crashes during the game. You can also opt-out if you wish via the Main Menu Options menu later if you change your mind.
  

[h2]Balance Changes[/h2]

• Honestly, far too many to list out in detail here. Play the game to find out!
  

[h2]Rework + Polish[/h2]

• Multiplayer Time Limit Adjustments
  - Instead of a flat timer that passes the turn when you run out of time, players now have an amount of time added to the clock each time their turn starts, cumulatively. If you finish early, you’ll bank more time, but if you dawdle, you will forfeit the match if you run out!
  
• HUD Redesign
  - Large character portraits added for all units
  
  
• Unit Codex Redesign
  - All units now have a large portrait variant and skill info that is displayed in the Unit Codex for viewing. You can also see some NPC descriptions in the Codex.
  
• Draft Screen Redesigned
  - The Draft phase has been overhauled to look much nicer and allow cancelling of choices so you can rechoose when you make a mistake.
  
  
• Map sprites redesigned
  - The Cleric map sprite has been completely redrawn.
  - The Bard map sprite has been significantly adjusted. The Bard will now play different animations when she is active based on the Song she is currently playing.
  
• Combat screen adjustments
  - Blocks are now visual as parries
  
  
• Rewrote in-game manual
  - Now uses a nested menu for quick indexing and improved performance.
  

[h2]Quality of Life Changes[/h2]

• Action Shortcuts
  - Now when you hover over a unit that would be in range during the Movement phase, you will automatically end movement and highlight an action that can be used on that target, if available.
  
• Fast-forward through combat during player turns by holding down the Confirm button.
  

[h2]Bugfixes[/h2]

• Several significant performance improvements and various bugfixes.
  

[h2]Misc[/h2]

• Migrated to FNA from MonoGame. This has no bearing on gameplay, but helps with future development efforts.
  

For updates on game development progress and to join the community, consider following me on BlueSky and joining the Talberon Games Discord Server. Don’t forget to Wishlist the game on Steam if you haven’t already!

The Steam Deck is an awesome portable machine, and I want my fellow Steam Deck users to feel right at home when playing Superstar Strategy. I've been taking care to ensure that your user experience on the Steam Deck with Superstar Strategy is totally seamless, as if it were a portable-native game (which, in a sense, it is)! The following details explain how Superstar Strategy meets Valve's recommended Steam Deck guidelines:

[h2]Input[/h2]

[h3]Controller Support[/h3]

The game can be launched from the Steam Deck and be fully controlled with the Deck’s controller. If additional controllers or a keyboard/mouse are plugged in, they will also be compatible for multiplayer and/or docked scenarios.

[h3]Controller Glyphs[/h3]

All glyphs match the current input device being used without the need for configuration, including custom glyphs for the Steam Deck controller itself.

[h3]Text Input[/h3]

There is no text input required for the game.

[h2]Display[/h2]

[h3]Resolution Support[/h3]

The game has a dynamic resolution in 16:9 aspect ratio.

[h3]Default Configuration[/h3]

The default graphical settings are compatible with the Steam Deck at a playable frame rate (60fps).

[h3]Text Legibility[/h3]

Valve recommends the smallest font rendered on screen to be a size of 9 pixels absolute minimum, with a recommended minimum of 12 pixels. The smallest font in the game at 720p renders at a height of 12px.

[h2]Seamlessness[/h2]

[h3]No device Compatibility Warnings[/h3]

Not applicable. Steam Deck builds are created on Steam Deck hardware and tested for compatibility on SteamOS.

[h3]Launchers[/h3]

Not applicable. No custom launcher, no problem!

[h2]Proton Support[/h2]

Not applicable. Native Linux builds are made for, tested and compiled on the Steam Deck itself, so Proton's Windows compatibility isn't necessary!



I hope you have a great experience playing Superstar Strategy on your Steam Deck. Since the game is heavily inspired by handheld SRPGs of the past, I want to honour that lineage by letting players have the same freedom of motion to scratch that tactical itch, wherever they go. Have fun saving the realm!

This week is the PixElated Fest, featuring awesome games featuring pixel art, and Superstar Strategy is part of the show!

Try out the demo and check out other pixel games now!

Hey folks! Talberon here to share a new update to the Superstar Strategy Demo. It’s been a while, but development is back in full swing, and to celebrate, we’re releasing a new version of the demo with the latest and greatest enhancements! I hope that you enjoy the new content and share your feedback on your experiences! Now, with the preamble out of the way, here’s the detailed list of changes!

[h2]New Features[/h2]

• New multi-map tutorial series replaces the Academy to introduce a group of mechanics at a time in digestible chunks. Reward for unlocking the Vampire unit now is attached to the last tutorial in this series.
  
• Added ability to inspect AI routines in the AI Unit Codex when selecting one of the options
  
• Added indicators during combat showing what bonuses are applied to units during combat from which sources.
  
• Added toast that displays when player should select a target after picking a skill.
  
• Added ability for some map traps (such as fire) to apply damage over time status effect.
  
• Added new lava tileset
  
• Added new pirate ship tileset
  
• Added new AI Personality that can fetch and use items
  
• Adjusted control scheme to always allow using thumbstick to control the cursor in addition to the normal controls
  
• Added new failure conditions for future scenarios
  
• Added shader effects to various tiles and units, such as when they are affected by positive or negative status effects
  
• Many new terrain tiles
  
• Added unique barks to various Terran units
  
• Added unique damage SFX for all units in combat
  
• Added support for purple text in custom markup
  
• Show unlocked content that was earned during a match on the game over screen
  

[h3]New NPC Units[/h3]
Terra

• Reaper
  
• Ghost
  
• Witch
  

Nova

• Vigilante
  
• Thief
  
• Barbarian
  
• Soldier
  
• Bowman
  
• Knight
  
• Witch
  

[h3]Available Map Adjustments[/h3]

Adjusted available maps in the demo (removed maps may still appear in the final game).

Solo

• Added
  
  
  • Bandit Camp (Seize)
    
  
  
• Removed
  
  
  • Crypt of the Sun King (Rout AI)
    
  • Mountain Pass (Escape)
    
  • King of the Jungle (Rout AI)
    

Co-Operative

• Added
  
  
  • The Great Hunt (Rout AI)
    
  
  
• Removed
  
  
  • The Sacking of Beaverton (Evacuate)
    

VS Scenario

• Removed
  
  
  • A Game of Crowns (Relics)
    
  • Vital Intelligence (Escape)
    

VS Competitive

• Added
  
  
  • Volcano
    
  
  
• Removed
  
  
  • Castle
    
  • Desert
    
  • Forest
    

[h2]Balance Changes[/h2]

• Added weighted loot table for chests to adjust how often some items are given
  
• Added -1 MV to Tree/Woods entities.
  

[h2]Rework + Polish[/h2]

• Reworked the logic for AI unit pathing under the hood.
  
• Redrew Necromancer, Skeleton and Piker sprites.
  
• Redrew villager NPC portraits used when visiting residences.
  
• Added new animation for Necromancer when summoning skeletons
  
• Replaced scrolling background with solid border around each map
  
• Replaced Spiked Helmet item and sprite with Spiked Gauntlet to better match the RET bonus it gives.
  
• Redrew Key sprites.
  
• Polished and updated unit item trading behaviour
  
• Adjusted colour and vibrancy of range tiles.
  
• Adjusted order of unit stats in the unit hover pane.
  
• Reworked deployment phase to alllow adjusting all unit positions at once instead of one at a time
  
• Adjusted objective cutscenes to be better timed and more consistent
  
• Adjusted unit render order during player turn
  
• Adjusted rotary menus to remove text outline and fade colour slightly when an option is unfocused
  
• Added colour coding for various main menu sections
  
• Redrew Cleric Portrait
  
• Redrew Champion Portrait
  
• Adjusted various map layouts
  
• Added visual effect to show obscured unit silhouettes under Overlay layers
  
• Updated Game Over banner visuals and game over sequence
  
• Adjusted Champion sprite and idle and active animations
  

[h2]Quality of Life Changes[/h2]

• When hovering over Launchpads and boosters (only specific-distance ones), shows a preview of the travel distance rather than the interact range.
  
• Adjusted ordering of some unit context actions to prioritize more meaningful skills like Recruit over Trade.
  
• Removed the tile select confirmation step when selecting Wait during the action menu.
  
• Added range window to unit skill descriptions everywhere instead of just the preview menu and codex.
  
• Adjusted contents and font of the Manual to make it easier to read and block less of the main menu UI
  
• Pushable tiles no longer show context action if they can’t be pushed from their current position
  

[h2]Bugfixes[/h2]

• Adjusted various actions that would count as a free action but would end the game to instead end the unit’s turn to end the match gracefully.
  
• Fixed entity preview window for antidote item to have a background
  
• Fixed unit health pips from jiggling whenever a new hover windows is generated while moving the cursor
  
• Adjusted colour of dust particle when units are walking onto stage in combat
  
• Fixed a bug where maps would not load on first game launch after accepting EULA.
  
• Many many other minor bugfixes.
  
• Fixed soft lock when winning a match during the AI’s turn
  
• Disabled earning non-tutorial achievements when completing tutorial maps
  
• Fixed NPC Pursue routine still making a unit move after it should be stunned (0 MV)
  
• Fixed bug allowing ranged NPCs (Witch) to open chests from a distance
  
• Moved Play Next BGM to In-game Option menu and disabled option when match is over
  
• Fixed issue where on first launch, opening the New Game menu, backing out, and opening it again would not show the tutorial suggestion description window along with the menu
  

[h2]Misc[/h2]

• Reworked Unit Generation logic under the hood. Won’t affect anything visible, but makes it much easier to introduce new units in the future if needed.
  
• Removed EULA from in-game and moved to Steam client
  
• Added Wishlist option to game over menu while in Demo Mode.
  

For updates on game development progress and to join the community, consider following me on Twitter and joining the Talberon Games Discord Server. Don’t forget to Wishlist the game on Steam if you haven’t already!