Ghostlore has succeeded far beyond our wildest dreams, with 30k+ downloads on Steam, 100k+ downloads across all platforms and a peak of 1000+ concurrent players.
Most of the work since launch has been to fix bugs found by players. We have also tried to address some of the common criticisms found in reviews. Here is a quick recap of the improvements since launch.
QOL improvements
- We have greatly increased the size of the personal stash.
- Improvements and new options for the item filter.
- Improved character stat tooltips to correctly include all modifiers.
- Show items on ground toggle is now saved between sessions.
- Added option to bind a third key to actions.
- At crafters, you can now craft equipment and gems to the max level by holding the shift key.
Post-game map improvements
We've worked on addressing the issues people have had with the end-game content. The hell gate maps should now be a lot more challenging but also more rewarding and feel less tedious. After killing a certain amount of monsters on an Institute or Hell Gate Map, keep a lookout for a red portal that will appear in the vicinity. The portal will transport you directly to the boss.
All Institute and Hell Gate maps will now only require you to kill 1 boss in order to proceed to the next map. We have removed the requirement for multiple bosses.
We realized that the unique affixes which only came from the shrine of balance led to the shrine being the only source of "perfect" items. We've added a new rare Tranquil Turmoil crafting material which adds this affix to any item.
Finally, Hell ingots now have a chance to drop from elites as well as bosses. The chance of hell ingots dropping also increases as you go deeper.
Balance and build variety
We've made some small changes here but are mostly still waiting for more feedback on which skills or combinations are too strong or weak. A big part of Ghostlore is being able to create absurdly powerful characters, so we don't want to nerf skills too much. At the same time there's definitely still a lot of work to be done to make some options viable and others less of an obvious choice. With the complexity of the skill system this is hard to do without feedback from players.
Modding
Adam and I both got our start in game development by modding, so personally we are happy to see that there have already been some mods for Ghostlore. Adam is happy to answer any modding questions or even help implement features modders want in our Discord. As modders, we strongly encourage players to go crazy and mod whatever they would like to see in the game. So in addition to the official mods, we would like to highlight some community mods that have caught our attention:
QoL changes by GodogRussian Translation by BlueberryInfiniPin by BlackNemoDual wield by Bonizin
Fair warning, this last one might not be good in all circumstances, but it did spark some discussion of where we want to go in future updates, as outlined below.Future plans
Our plans revolve around changes to itemization to make them more varied. Possibilities include:
- More gear slots for shirts, pants, boots etc.
- Visual customization and more visual variety
- Proper dual wielding
- Legendary items with unique affixes and designed around a theme
- Affixes that add or modify skills to a character
- Cosmetic pets that can pick up gold or items
This is going to be a major update, akin to what we did for the skills overhaul and post-game overhaul. We will continue to release smaller updates and fixes, but the major item update will likely be only done next year.
In the meantime, Ghostlore is 25% off for the Steam Summer Sale, please enjoy the game and keep the feedback coming!