Shattered Pixel Dungeon News

(For the best viewing experience, please read the original copy of this post on Shatteredpixel.com)

Hey Dungeoneers, I've got some news to share on the Steam release!

Development has been progressing well, and Shattered Pixel Dungeon will be participating in Steam Next Fest, running from Feburary 21st to 28th. During this time there will be a free demo of the game, letting people try the desktop version out before it fully releases with v1.2.0.


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The demo will feature all game content until the end of floor 10. Descending after floor 10 will redirect players to a screen congratulating them for completing the demo. Demo runs can still be continued from just before the moment the player descends and will carry over to the full game.

The demo will be available a bit before Next Fest on February 9th at noon EST, and will stay up until the game fully releases on Steam. It's worth noting that I would have preferred to make the game free for everyone on Steam for a limited time (like with the iOS release), but having a demo is required for participation in Next Fest.

In addition to the existing game content, the demo will also provide a first look at several of the Desktop enhancements I have planned!


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Firstly, I have fully implemented Native Executables for Windows, MacOS, and Linux/SteamOS. This means the game can now be downloaded and run through Steam without the user having to install Java. I'm also going to be working on implementing some platform-specific installers (.msi, .dmg, or .deb) for direct download users. The .jar build will still be available as well.

Getting the game to run via Steam is only the first step though, I'm also almost finished implementing An Interface for Larger Displays. I shared a concept of this in October, which has now been fully implemented plus some refinements. The inventory panel has a more streamlined appearance, and some windows and other game interaction are now centered on it as well. Take a look:

The new full interface at 1080p, 4x zoom. These images show the player selecting their staff, and then selecting to imbue a wand in it. Everything happens in one place on the main UI!

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While these additions are enough to show the game off as a demo, there are some other things I'd like to try and get done before or during Next Fest as well: (note that these pictures are mockups and subject to change)


There's some obvious space to add more quickslots in this larger UI. Players have been asking for more slots for a while, and while I'm still unsure about adding a whole bunch, it would not be hard to bring the slot number up to 6 or so, assuming I can make them fit on mobile as well.


Another major thing I'd like to add is better mouse functionality, such as hover tooltips and right-click menus. In particular I think this could work extremely well with the new on-screen inventory. The player would be able to right click and select an action for their items, rather than having to open the full item window. This would also make game environment actions like examining much easier to do.


There's also a nice empty corner at the top-left of the screen where I might add some more enemy info. This info would essentially be a summary of the details normally shown when examining an enemy, including a health bar and active buffs/debuffs. Each enemy in view would have its own little info pane. This would replace the little enemy indicator at the top right, and possibly also the boss health bar.

I would like to work on some steamworks integration (cloud sync, achievements, etc) for the game as well, but that will likely happen after Next Fest. I also haven't forgotten about improvements like better keyboard and controller support, but I think it's more likely those improvements will be worked on after the game initially releases on Steam.


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Once I wrap up all the changes I want to do for Next Fest I'm going to start working on the actual game content additions I have planned for v1.2.0. As a quick reminder, v1.2.0 is going to include a variety of smaller content changes and additions:

• Balance adjustments to alchemy recipies following the changes in v1.1.0
  
• A redesign to the Master Thieves' Armband to make it useful outside of shops
  
• Various levelgen improvements, mostly focused around special rooms
  
• New music for Yog-Dzewa, and probably music for each other boss as well
  
• Various smaller tweaks, fixes, and improvements as usual
  

I'll make another blog post with more details on these closer to the release of v1.2.0.

I'd like to tentatively put the release of v1.2.0, and of Shattered on Steam, in the first half of March. The Steam version will cost $10 (though I might do a launch sale), and will include all the features of the mobile version plus the enhancements I've been working on. It will also include some supporter benefits, just like the iOS version. Moving forward the Steam version will get free updates in lockstep with the Android and iOS releases.

If you haven't already, please consider wishlisting the game on Steam, and give the demo a try when it releases next week, or during Next Fest!

(For the best viewing experience, please read the original copy of this post on Shatteredpixel.com)

Hey rat punchers, happy new year!

Just as with previous years, I'm writing a blog post at the start of 2022 to summarize my longer-term plans for Shattered Pixel Dungeon! This post starts with a year in review, and then lists a bunch of major changes and additions that I have planned for the game. These will end up being the focus of future updates both in this year and into the future.

If you'd like to look at my previous 'ShatteredPD Plans for the Year' blog posts, you can find them here: 2021, 2020, 2019.


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2021 only had four updates, but each one was pretty substantial! You can read some of 2021’s blog posts for full details, but here’s a quick summary in relation to Shattered Pixel Dungeon in 2021.

Of the 15 items listed in that blog post 5 were fully completed and 2 were partially completed:

• Of the high priority items, The talent system was finished, alchemy was improved, and new music was added! In medium priority, v1.0.0 was released, and some improvements were made to the new player experience (Though there is still more that could be done there).
• Shattered also released on iOS, which was one of the two new platforms I discussed in 2021. The Steam release is next and is the primary focus for the beginning of this year.
  
• Finally, there was also some incremental progress on challenges, with the new badder bosses challenge added in v0.9.3.
  

Of 2021’s updates, v1.0.0 was easily the most significant for the game’s exposure and sustainability. The iOS playerbase has tripled the number of people financially supporting the game. Thanks to this, I should be able to financially support my game development efforts well into the future!

There have also been some improvements over at my Patreon! In addition to the existing rewards (mini blogs, content polls, Q&A, etc.), I’ve finally started shipping out pins as a loyalty reward for long standing patrons, and have started to give Patrons access to limited early playtests of content updates!


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For 2022 my main focus is firstly on finishing up the game’s Steam release, and then working on various bits of new game content that I’ve mentioned in previous yearly posts. While I’m sure I’ll make some improvements to game systems and existing content, I want 2022 to be mostly about adding new content to the game. Read on for more details.

Please note that this is not a specific plan or roadmap. I really try to avoid locking something down until I’m actually developing it directly. Everything I’m about to discuss is speculative and may change. These also aren’t necessarily the only things I could work on in 2022.


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These are things I'm giving more immediate priority to because I have a fairly solid idea how they will all fit into the game. I'm going to try and get most or all of these done in 2022.

[h2]Full Desktop Support and Steam Release[/h2]

As mentioned in October 2021, Shattered is coming to Steam! I intend to make some technical and UI improvements to the game to take advantage of different control schemes and larger displays. Mobile users (especially tablet or controller users) can expect to see benefits from this as well. Working toward this is going to be my exclusive development focus in the first bit of 2022, so expect to hear more about this very soon! I'll be making another post about this toward the end of January.

[h2]Smaller Additions[/h2]

I’ve got a bunch of smaller content additions and improvements I’d like to make in 2022. These will likely appear as bonus side content in other updates, rather than being the focus of an update themselves. These sort of improvements could take many forms, but here’s a quick list of some of the things I’m considering most:

• Improvements to alchemy recipes following the v1.1.0 changes
  
• Rebalances or reworks to items/talents/subclasses/abilities
  
• Expansions to level generation
  
• New challenges
  
• More new music and SFX
  
• Incremental lore additions
  
• New badges
  
• New items
  
• Various QOL and new player experience improvements
  

[h2]Quest Improvements[/h2]

I have some rough ideas for both of the later quests, but at the moment the blacksmith's idea is the most promising. Rather than having you run around the existing dungeon, the blacksmith might task you with mining out a special area filled with unique dangers and rewards. This would be a bit like a minigame, pulling inspiration from other mineral digging games like motherload, minecraft, etc. The quest's rewards will be expanded, and how much the blacksmith is willing to do for you may depend on how much ore you manage to bring back.

[h2]Better Shops[/h2]

As mentioned in previous blogs, I want to convert shops to use an interface, rather than placing items on the ground. This will both be more convenient, and would mean shops can take up less space. That would allow me to add new more specialized shops and merchants to complement the existing ones. These shops would appear semi-randomly through the dungeon with more limited and specialized stock. Some may trade in things other than gold as well.

[h2]A New Hero![/h2]
That's right, now that the talent system is done it's becoming more feasible to add new heroes! I have two designs, which I'll show in a random order, along with a little tease at their splash art.


The first hero I have planned is The Duelist. She's a weapons master who will gain unique abilities based on what melee weapon she has equipped. I want her to contrast with the Warrior, who wants to upgrade armor to gain lots of passive power. The Duelist will instead focus on weapons through a bunch of activated effects.


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These ideas may depend on other things being finished first, I may not have a complete idea of how they may work, or they may not be worth the time commitment versus other updates. I may get one or two of these done in 2022, depending on how well the higher priority items go.

[h2]Another New Hero[/h2]

The other hero I'm planning is The Cleric. They're a divine magic user with a wide variety of defensive, supportive, and utility spells. I want them to contrast with the Mage, who likes to heavily upgrade wands. The Cleric will get a wider variety of utility-focused magic instead, without having to use scrolls of upgrade.

[h2]Lore System[/h2]

I've promised a dedicated lore system in the journal for quite a while, but unfortunately I'm going to hold off on this until I've added the new heroes mentioned above. That being said, I do hope to add lots of incremental lore improvements via other updates. Improving shops and quests are both obvious candidates for this, as quite a bit of lore could be conveyed through the dungeon's friendlier denizens.

[h2]Dailies or Weeklies[/h2]

In most roguelike games a ‘daily run’ lets players play with the same dungeon generation once a day, and then be ranked against each other based on score. Some of this, like an online leaderboard, will be very tricky to implement, but it would be relatively easy to build an offline system where players will get the same run based on the day or week. Sharing your scores with others manually isn't ideal, but it would be a good start and would fulfill the oft-requested feature of being able to play the same dungeon as your friends.

[h2]Overhauled Badges[/h2]

Right now the game's badge system is mostly made up of badges that are unlocked through regular gameplay, and so the system becomes pretty sparse once a player is experienced. I'd like to improve how badges are organized, and add a bunch of badges that encourage alternate game styles or reward specific accomplishments. This way badges could add a lot of replayability to the game. While a full overhaul is a bit of a ways off, I do think there's room in the current system to incrementally add a reasonable number of new badges.


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These ideas are lower priority due to some mixture of heavy dependency on other updates, high difficulty of implementation, or lack of any clear design direction. These ideas might get more fleshed out concepts in 2022 but I am unlikely to work on any of them directly.

[h2]New Item Type[/h2]

I think there's room for one more type of equippable item in the game. This would be a 'modifier' item, which is more about tweaking gameplay variables than giving direct power or utility. Just like with artifacts, I'm considering alternative ways to power up these items, instead of scrolls of upgrade. Alchemical energy might work very well as a means of producing and powering up these items, and would give more reason to turn excess consumables into energy.

[h2]More Subclasses[/h2]

It would be nice to make some more subclasses which take advantage of Shattered's increased equipment and class diversity. This absolutely has to come after adding new classes though, and it's important that I have enough good ideas to ensure that all of the new subclasses are interesting. Ideally I'd like each hero to have three subclasses, to go along with their three armor abilities.

[h2]Alternate Paths[/h2]

It's a common request for Shattered to have more dungeon floors, but I don't really want to make the game longer. An alternate path solves that problem by offering a sort of 'hard mode', with new environments and enemies which tax the skills of experienced players. Of course, adding in such a path would be a gigantic time commitment, which is why this is toward the bottom of the priority list.

[h2]New Pixel Art[/h2]

Since I started it in 2014, Shattered has gotten a new 2.5D art style, new sound effects, hero splash arts, and most recently new music! We're now at a point where the pixel art itself feels a little dated next to all the other things that have been improved. I'm not sure exactly how I might do this yet, but I have a few ideas about remaking the game's sprites and environment texturing, while still trying to stay true to the original style.

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Those are my plans for 2022! While there's still plenty to do, I am excited to see some very old promises start to move up the priority list. If all goes well, 2022 should be a great year for new content in Shattered, and carve a pretty clear path toward 2023.

(For the best viewing experience, please read the original copy of this post on Shatteredpixel.com)

Hey Dungeoneers, I’ve got some more exciting news, Shattered Pixel Dungeon is coming to Steam in early 2022! I’m moving so quickly on this due to a mix of the game’s success on the iOS App Store, and a promotion from Roguelike celebration 2021!

As I mentioned in the last blog, I’ll be giving a presentation at Roguelike Celebration 2021 tomorrow, titled “Community-Driven Roguelike Development”, you can find more details about it Here. Roguelike Celebration will also be running an event on Steam this week, which Shattered is a part of!

While the game won’t release for another few months, it already has a page on Steam! If you have any interest in the Steam version of the game at all, please considering adding it to your Steam wishlist. The game will be paid on Steam just like on the App Store, costing $10 US when it releases.

Just like with iOS, I want to give PC users a first-class experience. This requires some more direct changes than iOS though, as user-interaction is fundamentally different on PCs. I want the game to play just as well on big desktop screens as it does on tiny phone ones, and that means I can't just scale up the game's current mobile UI. Because of this, I have a bunch of plans for improvements to make before release. I hope to get most of all of them done in time for a release in early 2022.

[h2]New PC Features[/h2]


Firstly, the most fundamental change is Native Executables for Windows, MacOS, and Linux. Currently the game requires the user to install Java on their computer, but there are ways for me to bundle Java with the game which allow it to be run/installed like a normal program. This is pretty crucial, so I plan to have this implemented with the release of v1.1.0.


After v1.1.0, I’m going to start working on several Core Interface Improvements, which take advantage of the extra real-estate of full-size computer displays. In addition to shifting some elements around, the most important thing I think will be to move the inventory into the main UI. This will allow the player to do all inventory-based interaction right from the main interface, instead of having to constantly open a window.

Here's an early draft of what this UI might look like at a standard 1080p resolution.
The mobile UI will remain as an option, for those who prefer a minimal interface.

I have plans for other UI improvements as well. The extra space means that quickslots could be replaced with a hotbar. This would mean that an entire keyboard row (number keys) could be dedicated to game and item actions. The hotbar would at least work for items, but it’s possible I could extend its functionality to game actions as well.

Additionally, there is empty space at the top-left which could be used for more detailed enemy info. This info would essentially be a summary of the details normally shown when examining an enemy, including a health bar and active buffs/debuffs. Each enemy in view would have its own little info pane.


I also want to look into providing Better Mouse Functionality, such as hover text and right-click menus. Hover functionality could let the game display helpful contextual tooltips, and right-click menus could be used to quickly select all sorts of game actions, such as examining something or dropping/throwing/using an item.


And lastly I’d like to look into Better Keyboard and Controller Support. The game currently has some keyboard support and basically no controller support, many interfaces cannot be used without a mouse. I would start with partial controller support, like binding game actions to buttons, but eventually I’d like the game to be fully playable without a mouse or touchscreen.

[h2]Other Plans[/h2]

As a reminder, if you’d like to play the PC version as it is currently (a straight mobile port + keyboard bindings), it’s available right now on Github! I also plan to be releasing the game on Itch.io soon under a ‘pay what you want’ model, with $10 as the suggested amount. These versions of the game will also get the improvements I’ve mentioned above.

Once Roguelike Celebration is over I’m going to be getting back to work on v1.1.0, including those alchemy changes I mentioned last time. You can expect another full post about v1.1.0 sometime in November, but until then you can follow me on Twitter for smaller updates and some animated gifs.

My plans for updates after v1.1.0 are still not locked in, but there are some exciting things coming, especially once I’ve gotten PC porting work out of the way. We’re getting closer to 2022 so expect a big blog on it then, just like the yearly posts I’ve made in 2021, 2020, and 2019. It looks like we’re going to get through about half of the items listed in the 2021 post by 2022.