Darfall News

Welcome to the 13th installment of our devblog, Paladins of Aganor! It’s me Lukas, and today we're diving into the inspiration behind, and the current iteration of, the hero perk system.

In case you missed it, don't forget to check out our previous devblog #12, where we delved into the intricacies of the newly reworked survival map, showcasing its enhancements and difficulty options.

[h2]Perk System Overview[/h2]

Our current perk system represents a pivotal aspect of hero customization. It consists of various nodes that you can unlock using perk points.



These nodes offer a range of enhancements - from health and damage boosts to the exciting possibility of doubling loot drops (yes, double legendary drops if you are super lucky!). They even allow heroes to directly mine resources like iron or silver.

For those interested for more behind the scenes technical info, I have also created a coding session with implementation in Unity:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eQ9XHY99Jo

[h3]Earning Perk Points[/h3]

We've designed multiple avenues for accumulating perk points to allow diverse strategic approaches:

- Leveling up a hero grants +1 perk point.
- Using the 'Book of Knowledge' item from the inventory also adds +1 perk point.
- This valuable book drops from defeating elite or boss enemies.
- Additionally, the 'Book of Knowledge' can be crafted in the new Library building, which consumes mana orbs.



Our aim is to provide you with a variety of strategies and sources to acquire these points.

[h2]From Concept to Reality[/h2]

[h3]Initial Design Stage[/h3]

In the early design phase, depicted in Figma, the focus was not only on the node visuals but also on the mechanics of acquiring them.



Initially, I considered a progression system where performing specific actions with heroes, like resource gathering or enemy combat, would level up related skills. However, this concept often leads to a grinding routine seen in other RPGs, such as Albion Online, and didn't seem to fit a strategy game with city-building elements.

[h3]Final Design Choice[/h3]

Ultimately, I decided on a more straightforward approach: unrestricted perk points that you can assign freely. This decision steers clear of grinding and offers flexibility in character development.

[h3]Inspiration and Future Expansion[/h3]

A major source of inspiration for our perk system is the intricate passive tree from Path of Exile, renowned for its depth and complexity.



This model offers us the exciting potential to continually expand our system. We can add more ranks to existing nodes, like health or damage boosts, or introduce entirely new enhancements to further grow our hero's capabilities.

Stay tuned for more updates and insights in our upcoming devblogs!

- Lukas from beyond the darkness of Darfall

Welcome back, Darfall enthusiasts, to our 12th devblog! It's Lukas here, ready to dive into the latest enhancements we've made to the survival world map of Aganor, as well as introduced difficulty options into the game.



In a shift from the typical UI dropdowns seen in similar genre games, we've embraced a world map approach for our survival mode. This decision isn't just about a fresh gameplay experience; it's about laying the foundation for the expansive Darfall universe, complete with its diverse races, sprawling landmasses, and iconic cities.

Below is our initial world map design, crafted using Incarnate. While this version won't feature in the game directly, it's a crucial step for us developers in shaping Aganor's geography before its digital implementation.



For lore enthusiasts, this map is more than just a tool - it's a window into the world of Darfall. You can trace the paths our heroes have taken and the sites of pivotal events that have shaped our universe.

As for the Darfall Wastes' mysterious northern reaches, we're keeping that under wraps for now. Rest assured, it's a region teeming with perils and rich in lore, with plenty of surprises in store as we advance the game's story through the campaign mode.



Our world map's evolution is ongoing, but here's a sneak peek at its current form in Magica Voxel. This tool is our go-to for everything from terrain modeling to creating trees and units.



A big shoutout to Jany, our talented freelance artist, who's spearheading the 3D modeling of the world map.



We're upping the game with adjustable difficulty levels, offering new challenges for every player.

Before launching a map, you can select from three difficulty options:

- Easy: Enemies at 80% standard damage and health. Score multiplier: 1x.
- Medium: Default setting with enemies at 100% damage and health. Score multiplier: 1.2x.
- Hard: Unlocks after a medium difficulty victory. Enemies have 130% damage and health. Score multiplier: 1.5x.

And here's a glimpse at the revamped hero selection, map choice, objectives, and difficulty screen:





We've repositioned cities on the world map for clarity and alignment with the new continental layout. This change not only clarifies your progression path but also integrates seamlessly with the updated map.

Now, you can also view the survival days required for each map, adding another layer of strategy to your gameplay.

(Please keep in mind, the bellow model is work-in-progress and does not represent the final version)


Stay tuned for more updates, where we will go over the new Perk System and thanks for being part of our Darfall journey!

- Lukas from beyond the darkness of Darfall.

Hello, everyone!

It's me Lukas and I’m excited to delve into the biome features that are in the works for our Early Access release. Our aim is not only to offer visual diversity across biomes, but also to enrich gameplay by introducing unique challenges and interactive environments.

The three starting Early Access biomes are:

1. Grassland
2. Desert
3. Swamp

Each biome is designed to offer more than just eye candy, they integrate unique natural obstacles or events that compel you to adapt your gameplay strategies.



In the Grassland biome, prepare yourself for heavy storms, accompanied by rain, fog, and lightning. These weather conditions are random and will sporadically occur as you progress through the map.

- Lightning Strikes: Not only do these add a visual spectacle, but they can also be dangerous for your city. Lightning can strike randomly across the map, causing damage to whatever it hits.
- Spread of Fire: To make things more challenging, lightning strikes can ignite fires. These fires will spread and last for a certain duration, posing a risk to both units and structures in their path. Fire damage is currently mild, as there's no fire defense mechanism in place. We plan on evolving fire mechanics in future updates.



[h2]More about Fire[/h2]

Fire will play a larger role in the game. Our plans involve allowing you to use fire as an additional defensive line by igniting a flammable surface, such as oil, just before the undead wave reaches you.

One scene that comes to mind is the famous Battle of Winterfell in Game of Thrones, for those of you who have watched it:



In Darfall, each tile and object has a flammable level, which determines how quickly fire can spread to that tile if there is already a fire nearby. For example, grass tile has a flammable level of 1, while in the desert, it may be just 0.5, preventing the spread of fire on sand.

To recreate a flame wall similar to Game of Thrones, we can introduce buildable flammable oil tiles with a high flammable level, such as 10. Igniting just one of these tiles will rapidly spread the fire to the rest of the connected oil tiles.

Here is a quick preview of some flame wall tests we plan to integrate into the game in the future:



So for now, the only way how the fire can be created is via lightning strikes, as there are still unanswered design questions regarding the fire, particularly how to ignite it and how to combat it when it spreads into your city.

Any ideas will be much appreciated! Feel free to share them on our Discord.



The desert biome has its own environmental obstacle: heatwaves. At any moment, the temperature can soar, affecting your workers' efficiency.

- Adapting to Heat: You can counter the impact of heatwaves by crafting specific building upgrades—a refreshing mug of beer for your workers. This innovative mechanism will negate the adverse effects of the heatwave entirely for that structure.





In the Swamp biome, mud is the primary natural obstacle. Although it doesn't trigger like other events, mud patches are present right from the start.

- Reduced Mobility: These mud patches slow down the movement speed of any unit—friend or foe—that crosses them.
- Counteracting Mud: You can build roads over these patches to eliminate the slowdown effect. Road construction becomes a strategic necessity in this biome.



[h2]What's Next?[/h2]

That sums up the features of our initial three biomes. Post Early Access, expect to see even more biomes, each teeming with its own set of unique features and challenges.

So, stay tuned for more exciting updates from us!
- Lukas

Hello everyone,

This is Lukas, and we have some exciting news to share with you today. Darfall is about to embark on a thrilling new journey as we enter into a collaboration with a publisher. While we can't reveal the publisher's name just yet, we promise to unveil this exciting partnership in the coming months. What we can tell you is that this collaboration will bring about significant changes, transforming Darfall into an even more immersive and polished experience.

As a gamer myself, I've had the privilege of playing many titles from this publisher, and can tell you I'm a huge fan. This partnership is a dream come true, and I can assure you that you won't be disappointed. Together, we're committed to elevating Darfall to new heights.

Currently, we've set our sights on an Early Access release in Q1 2024. We acknowledge that news of a release delay may not be everyone's preference. Yet, we stand firmly behind the belief that ensuring a polished and immersive product is well worth the wait. After all, you can only launch a game once!

This collaboration opens up exciting opportunities for us to enhance Darfall in various ways. It enables us to invest in crucial aspects such as localization, creating bespoke music and sound effects in partnership with sound studios, and refining animations or particle effects to enrich your gaming experience.

Over the next few months, we'll be sharing more updates as we work diligently to bring you an even better Darfall. Our focus is on delivering more content and improvements to the game before its Early Access release.

Thank you for your unwavering support. This collaboration marks a new chapter in Darfall's development, and we can't wait to share the incredible journey ahead with all of you.

Stay tuned for more exciting updates, and let's make Darfall's future brighter than ever.

Warm regards,
Lukas and Martin from beyond the darkness of Darfall.

Greetings,

the latest patch for Darfall is ready and released.

[h2]0.2.8 Patch Notes[/h2]

[h3]Fixes[/h3]

• fixed input field throws error due to missing reference field
  
• fixed issue where the windows build is 32bit instead of 64bit
  

If you encounter any issues or want to share a suggestion, feel free to do so in our discord suggestions forum, or bug-reports forum respectively.

Farewell,
Lukas and Martin from beyond the darkness of Darfall