Windblown News

July was a busy month! We implemented several changes and additions to the game, most notably a whole host of new and reworked gifts (passive upgrades used to make you overpower... We mean, give you a fighting chance). The team also looked at some UI elements, added a rebinding feature, and have turned their attention to game performance. Because nobody likes lag!

Let's take a look!

[h2]Gift System[/h2]

A major part of Windblown is the staggering amount of builds you can create on your runs. A big chunk of this feature is our gift system, designed to allow players to create their own builds and come up with some truly outrageous synergies!

For example, you could go for a bleed build - focused on making your enemies die slowly... You could be more CC focused and freeze everything you touch, or decide everything needs to explode in total chaos with a blast build (these are just a few examples).



We also added something recently called Hexed Gifts. These upgrades give you powerful buffs, at the cost of something else. For example, deal more damage but take more damage (they're flashier than that, but we don't want to spoil anything...).

Our testers have had a blast trying these new gifts out, and has led to some interesting discussions about game balance and boss difficulty. Gifts can basically turn you into a God, so bosses should be bigger and better Gods, right?

[h2]Some Additional Work[/h2]

It wasn't just about Gifts this month though!

• We reworked some UI elements to make choices clearer and better explained. This was especially true when picking upgrades, so we've began adding short video clips of what each pickup does.
  
• We added the option to rebind your keys, meaning you don't have to use what we think is best! This was something we had always planned to introduce, but our guinea pigs wanted it sooner.
  
• Finally, we've began work on addressing the performance of the game. Certain areas or situations could cause frame loss, and is something we know players want to see improved upon. One of these instances happens when you kill a boss and you're showered with loot, maybe we're being too generous?
  

[h2]Testing Continues[/h2]

We're still on track for Early Access later this year, but still have a long way to go!

We recently expanded our pool of testers and invited some other developers to take a look and offer their feedback and expertise on the game.

We have a lot of cool stuff in the works, so you'll be seeing more of us soon!

[h3]Until next time![/h3]

You can Wishlist Windblown below, and stay up to date on our social media!

Twitter Facebook YouTube TikTok

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1911610/Windblown/

Welcome to the June instalment of our Development Log series

Over the last 4 weeks the team has been hard at work on the game, focusing on things like trinkets, progression loop, multiplayer and loads more!

Not to mention we featured in this years PC Gamer's PC Gaming Show, Gamescom latam, and had a bunch of awesome feedback from our closed alpha testers!



[h3]Let's take a look[/h3]

• Trinket Refill - We made some changes to how our trinkets (usable items) recharged in-game. However things didn't quite land as expected with our tests, so more testing and changes have been looked at to make sure they hit the mark.
  
• Meta Progression Loop - We needed to spend some more time ensuring that progression felt accurate and rewarding. Ultimately, we want to push players to experiment, so we changed the way you unlock new equipment and now allow you to test it immediately upon unlock.
  
• Bestiary and Bosses - A huge part of Windblown is it's enemies, so a lot of time has to be spent on the units players will be facing. This means we have continued to work on our existing pool of enemies and bosses, while introducing some new mobs that appear in some of our later biomes.
  
• More Multiplayer Tech Stuff - We continued to develop the multiplayer aspect of the game, ensuring that it is a smooth and easy to understand experience. This is something we will focus on heavily as we continue development and head towards early access.
  
• Steam Friend Integration - We added the functionality to invite and join your Steam friends while in game. The aim is to make accessing multiplayer as easy as possible, as we know players want simplicity when it comes to gaming with their friends.
  
• Lots of Cinematics and Lore stuff- We mentioned in a previous dev log that we needed to revisit our onboarding process and world building. This lead to us to rework how players are introduced to the game and even add additional cinematics to help players better grasp the world of Windblown.
  

[h3]PC Gamer & Gamescom latam[/h3]

We were super proud to see Windblown featured in this years PC Gamer Showcase, where our small community focused video was played alongside some incredible up-and-coming Indie games! And on top of that we were lucky enough to have this same asset be showcased at Gamescom latam, where Click no Paulo was kind enough to lend us his voice to send a special message to all of our latam friends!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h3]Closed Alpha[/h3]

Our closed alpha is still going strong, with testing happening on a near continuous basis. Players have been working closely with the development team to iron out bugs and give their vital insight into what's enjoyable and what's not.

A key great example of this is when we added some changes to how Trinkets recharged in game. We went from a time based system where you just had to wait for the ability to be available again, to an on-hit system where attacking enemies reduced the cooldown instead. Our players reported that although the change was interesting, it was harder to grasp and wasn't quite what they were expecting. This lead us to make some changes and revert back to a time based system.

The goal here is to make sure that Windblown is in the best possible place and condition for when we launch into Early Access later this year, as the more testing and iterating we do now, the better the experience you'll all have when you dash into your first run!

That's all for this month's development log, but stay tuned for some incredibly exciting things we have in the pipeline!

[h3]Until next time![/h3]

You can Wishlist Windblown below, and stay up to date on our social media!

Twitter Facebook YouTube TikTok

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1911610/Windblown/

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

We have loads still in the works, so head over to our Steam page for the latest updates!

Follow us on Social:

X: https://twitter.com/windblowngame
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/windblowngame/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@windblowngame
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/windblowngame/

[h3]Wishlist today![/h3]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1911610/Windblown/

new trailer from the PC Gaming Show highlights some key bits of new gameplay from Windblown, the next game from Dead Cells developer Motion Twin. Notably, Motion Twin wants it to be not just a good single player roguelite, but a cooperative one for up to 3 people...
Read more.

In this months Dev Log, we'll be discussing a topic we've been super excited to dive into!

[h3]Multiplayer[/h3]

As gamers ourselves, we know how much fun it is to jump into experiences with our friends, and we knew right from the beginning that Windblown would be a perfect, chaotic fit for co-op.

Over the recent weeks we expanded our closed Alpha test to a bunch of new players, and at the same time flipped the switch for a Multiplayer update. This enabled teams of up to three to dive into Windblown and tackle its diverse biomes as a group.

Since then we've had a TON of feedback, ranging from balance discussions and tweaks, to adding additional features and systems to help improve the overall experience.



Based on this feedback from players, we wanted to dive a little deeper into why we chose to make the game multiplayer, and explain how the process has gone.

[h3]Why make a Multiplayer Game?[/h3]

• Ultimately, we wanted a fast-paced game that was playable with friends. Looking at the current market, there wasn't something that ticked both of those boxes, and we felt this was our opportunity to create something unique!
  
• We took a lot of inspiration from games like Dark Souls and Elden Ring. We wanted something challenging that allowed you to overcome hurdles together. This sense of comradery was a key focus for us when looking at Windblown.
  
• Fun fact: Motion Twin mostly made community based and multiplayer games before Dead Cells, so making Windblown was a way to go back to our roots!
  

[h3]The challenges of making multiplayer:[/h3]

• With fast-paced multiplayer: there is no “how-to formula”. It took us years to find features and systems that were compatible with the level of octane we wanted to reach, while keeping them understandable. This was particularly true when it came to the readability of the game. The game needs to be readable when you play it, as our combat is pattern-based and requires clarity.
  
• Single player VS Multiplayer struggles:
  
  • a LOT of ideas had to be thrown in the trash because multiplayer simply made them incompatible.
    
  • You need to find the right balance on social friction (collective decisions VS individual).
    
  • Testing takes WAY more time, as you need more people at the same time and technical issues can block you for several days in some cases.
    

[h3]Feedback from the players:[/h3]

• Players told us that they wanted more of a connection to the world earlier in the game. This meant we had to look at how we onboarded players, and set the stage for Windblown. This way, everyone should be on the same level of knowledge and understand why they should care.
  
• Our healing system wasn't quite up to scratch for multiplayer, as it was too easy to accidently use a potion and waste it's shared effects. This lead us to some tweaks that have made a significant difference to our players experience.
  
• We are working on enhancing the Alterattack system (the big flashy attacks at the end of a combo), to bring more depth and diversity.
  
• We've implemented Voice and Text chat to have a more seamless co-op experience.
  

That's all for this months monthly recap! We hope you've enjoyed this sneak peek into Windblown's multiplayer, and better understand the direction we're heading with it. We're still on track to releasing into Early Access later this year, and can't wait to welcome you all in!

Stay tuned though, as we still have plenty of cool stuff on the way!

[h3]Until next time![/h3]

You can Wishlist Windblown below, and stay up to date on our social media!

Twitter Facebook YouTube TikTok

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1911610/Windblown/