Tormentis News

Unfortunately, the summer months are coming to an end and we want to publish a new demo of Tormentis very soon that focuses on online gameplay. Thanks to your extensive and sometimes very detailed feedback, we were able to implement many suggestions for improvement.

[h2]More skill-based than stats-based gameplay[/h2]

From your feedback, this was your top concern. It must be possible to escape complex and dangerous situations through excellent gameplay. So we'll introduce a new skill category: the evasion skills, which will receive an additional skill slot. The first implementation is a roll forward - further skills will follow and these will be selectable depending on the type of weapon selected.

As a part of this, all projectiles have been revised so they'll have a linear trajectory and are no longer homing. This affects both the skills of heroes and all attacks of monsters. All of the monsters' melee attacks have also been given a delayed evaluation of the hit, so that even melee attacks can be dodged with a very quick reaction.

[h2]Dungeon Editor[/h2]


This was also a topic that was addressed very often in your feedback and many small ideas for improvement were implemented. The editor usage has been completely redesigned and easier drag & drop has been made possible. Dungeon components are now slightly raised and lowered and supported with additional visual effects.

The extensive data on monsters, traps and rooms has also been completely reworked. The most important data is now highlighted and easy to find.

[h2]Minimap of the dungeon with Fog of War[/h2]

In order to find your way through a dungeon, the wish was expressed several times for Tormentis to have a minimap. In addition to the small map (top right), you will be able to open a full map of the dungeon, revealing all the areas you have already walked through. This will help with orientation, especially in large dungeons.

[h2]Heraldic shield[/h2]


We didn't really like our first approach with icons that you can unlock during the game and you also mentioned it in the feedback quite often. That's why we added heraldic shields that can be changed and individually designed with different elements. Here, too, we have plenty of opportunities to unlock additional heraldic shield components through special achievements.

[h2]Ground Effects - Timing and Visualization[/h2]


Since both elite and boss monsters have special attacks that also cause ground effects, all timing processes have been improved and the visual display of their progress has been added.

[h2]Fun to play[/h2]

In addition to the skill-based gameplay, there were other points of criticism regarding the fun of the game. Above all, the small selection of monsters and the very similar traps were mentioned here. Thanks! This kind of feedback helps us to understand you and create something you can really enjoy.

The traps will be revised again and more traps will be added at an early stage. These include the ever-repeated mine, where you have to react to spontaneously, or towers that can fire projectiles of different elements at the hero like a mortar.

There will also be one or two more monsters for the first chapter. Including a small enemy that can appear in large numbers due to its low defense value.


The new Tormentis multiplayer demo will be released in November. In our Discord there are regularly new insights into recent development. We would be happy to welcome you!

As soon as the last news about Tormentis was published, we received the first inquiries as to whether a demo update with the revised mouse control could be released earlier. Last weekend we gave a lot of thought to what such an update must contain so that the development status is consistent and everything works as usual.



Reworked mouse controls allow left-click to attack with both movement and skill 1, and right-click to attack with skill 2. Camera rotation is no longer necessary, walls automatically become transparent as soon as you get behind she moves. In the Story Dungeons you can see the first draft of the “Abandoned” room style. This makes the dungeons look much more varied and filled.



Another innovation are random and triggered sound effects that can be heard in the dungeon. In addition, the hero can also be controlled with WASD (in preparation for future controller control).



The story dungeons have been revised and some levels, in which the paths to be walked were very long, have been shortened and changed. We've also doubled the dungeon time to 10 minutes. We are currently working on a nicer representation of the available time that is visually less intrusive and thus creates less time pressure.



We hope you enjoy the new demo update!

Since the Tormentis demo was released, we have received and evaluated very helpful feedback from you. It feels great and we are very thankful you like our game concept. We are currently working on a new demo version that focuses on the implementation of the suggestions for improvement from the feedback.

[h2]Hero controls[/h2]


One of the biggest issues so far has been the controls, as the right mouse button was occupied for perspective/rotation. From other ARPG games you are used to using the mouse buttons not only for movement, but also for attacks and skills.

In the next demo version no more rotation is necessary! Walls automatically become transparent as soon as the character moves behind a wall. With the left mouse button (LMB) you can move and optionally execute the first attack in the future, the right mouse button (RMB) can be used for the second attack/skill. The first vector control is also tested, so that gamepads are also supported.

[h2]Online Mode & PvP[/h2]


The feedback repeatedly emphasized that it's a pity that the demo can only be played offline. We would like to change this with the next demo version! The new version of Tormentis will also be playable online and you will also be able to raid other players' dungeons.

[h2]Trading with other players[/h2]


We would also like to include a simplified version of the auction house in the next version of the demo. The Auction House will be the place where equipment can be traded with other players. In the release there will also be 1-on-1 trading, so that personal trading interactions will also be possible.

[h2]Customize dungeon environment[/h2]


The dungeon theming was only implemented on an experimental basis in the current demo. The new demo will give a better impression of what makes dungeon theming possible. On the one hand you will be able to choose the building structure (dungeon, dwarf fortress, gothic, etc.) and on the other hand you can change the background and subsoil (endless depths, surrounded by a lava lake, surrounded by the sea, floating above the clouds, etc.).

[h2]Customize dungeon rooms[/h2]


It will also be possible for a style to be selected for each room. This style transforms the space with non-blocking decorative elements. This can be a style like Forsaken, Royal, or Battleground. Of course, we'd love to hear your ideas!

Placeable decorations will be blocking items only in the future. On this topic, too, it was often requested that decoration could be damaged. We are working on making the dungeon appear as interactive as possible.

The story will also change a bit in the next version. There was very intensive feedback regarding the paths in the story dungeons and the timing of unlocking one's own dungeon.

We plan to release the next update for the demo towards the end of the summer. We really appreciate your feedback or a visit to our discord (https://discord.gg/dYFZwbbwAQ).

As announced in the last Development Status Update, the public demo will is coming! Over the past few weeks, we have been working very focused on the release, and through regular testing, we have found and fixed all known bugs. Thanks to the great feedback, a lot of suggestions for improvement, both in terms of gameplay and user experience, have made their way into the demo.



Regarding the content of the demo: the demo includes the first chapter of the SinglePlayer Story, which includes 10 dungeons with increasing difficulty up to the first boss enemy, the Undead Knight. Additionally, with each mission, new gameplay functionalities are unlocked, such as the blacksmith or even your own dungeon.



By creating and validating your own dungeon, you can earn gold over time through placed treasure chests. In multiplayer mode, you can also attack other players' dungeons or have other players try to break through the defense of your own dungeon. The multiplayer mode is not part of this demo.



The public demo will be available from tomorrow, February 17, through Steam and our website.

We would be very happy if you could share your feedback with us!

A lot has happened since the second alpha test. We've reviewed all of the feedback and improved and reworked many game features.

Our next big goal is the release of the public demo version in the first quarter of 2023. The Tormentis demo will be playable offline. Even though core elements of the game like raiding other players' dungeons or trading equipment may only be available online, we really like being able to play the story and the random dungeons in single player offline mode.



It took a while, but we finally decided on a consistent design that runs through all Tormentis menus. The header controls provide access to essential functions from all menus.



The dungeon editor has been completely overhauled and the controls on the bottom control bar have been merged instead of being spread all over the screen as before. We've also tried to make it easier to use and reduce the number of clicks required.



In one of our first prototypes we already played with large scaled stats tree, but for various reasons it didn't make it into the alpha versions. After the desire for an original solution arose during the second alpha test, we also worked out something new here that can also be controlled well with a gamepad or touch input.

Players will receive two stats points per level, which can be freely distributed to best support the chosen skills and refine the build. Stats points can contain simple bonuses, but they can also cause very strong changes in the goal of the game.



The skill selection has also been completely revised and rearranged. Now it becomes obvious that the available skills depend on the equipped weapon. Skills are now divided into mana-generators, offensive skills, defensive skills, and tactical skills.



We want to display hero data as clearly as possible! That's why we spent a lot of time designing a stats overview where the most important numbers and values are easy to see at first glance and all the details are available via tooltips.



A lot has changed in the gameplay as well. By revising the lighting and some technical adjustments, the frame rate could already be improved to a constant 50+ fps. This will be sufficient for the public demo, but we still have some opportunities to make significant gains here later.



We would love to read your feedback and wish you happy holidays and a good start into the new year 2023.