SWORDHAVEN News

Greetings, friends!
Hope you're ready for love! Or, for finally being able to create fully integrable mods of any complexity. Or, if not that, for playing the game without the pesky issues our last patch introduced by mistake! Cuz this time, we've got a little something for everyone.
Patch v.0.5.1 fixes an array of problems you helped us discover after the last big update. It also greatly improves the existing ModKit infrastructure and adds an example mod featuring a fully functional companion for you to either bring along—or dissect to learn how the NPC creation node constructor system works. That’s something that'll help with any modding project you may have. We even threw in something we're still avoiding in the base game—a semi-hidden romance path modded into her teammate dialogue. We really hope you enjoy it. Now, onto the changelogs:

[h3]Changelog for Swordhaven v.0.5.1:[/h3]

• Fixed camera height inside Gate Quarter buildings;
  
• Updated Old Quarter and Gate Quarter ambiance and step zones;
  
• Added icons for some items;
  
• Fixed teammate death bug on easy difficulty;
  
• Fixed NPC and item duplication issues from the release patch (issue not present in v.0.5.0);
  
• Fixed incorrect trigger activation;
  
• Fixed doors in the sewer;
  
• Fixed bugs with quest after payment (Wustus);
  
• Killing Tomer now fails related quests;
  
• Many distinctions now displayed as a list in the overview;
  
• Fixed issues with some quests;
  
• Fixed TAA mode bugs;
  
• Added sound effects for traps and toxic sewer zones;
  
• Fixed bugs in main quest progression with Bundza;
  
• Improved crocodile boss cutscene sound effects;
  
• Fixed character shaking after combat;
  
• Shield now fades properly when fallen;
  
• Fixed bug with money during trading;
  
• Hunting disabled on Mysterious Mound;
  
• Fixed various bugs with chests and inventory;
  
• NPCs Aldar and Dobrel now appear correctly when starting a new game;
  
• Updated and improved the Circus and Beast cutscene;
  
• Updated map for Secluded Valley;
  
• Fixed repeated quest encounters in beta for saves not overwritten after the bug appeared;
  
• Removed extra scene when starting a new game;
  
• Fixed worker animation;
  

[h3]Changelog for ModKit:[/h3]

• New location added to the world map near Clamreach;
  
• New companion character Liris added;
  
• Added new armour, weapons, and helmet;
  

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3478409150


Please share your thoughts, and thank you so much for reading this far.
Yours,
Atom Team

Greetings, friends!

Today we would like to present you with a new update for the game. This time, we've spent most of our time adding new QoL features, advancing the plot, and expanding the locations you've already explored with new characters, monsters, secrets, and more.


Swordhaven has gained a few new spots, like the Gate Quarter—which will be properly populated with characters in the next updates, but already has some things to check out, including a quest.


Another area that received attention this time is what lies beneath it: Swordhaven Sewers. A sprawling underground complex beneath a large city like Swordhaven is home to dozens of monsters, including new ones like Sewer Porridge—a malicious jelly that can multiply at will.
There are traps, locked doors, and hidey-holes galore. One such secret contains a unique new weapon: a parrying blade that doesn't attack the enemy, but instead catches their weapon or claws mid-swing and retaliates.


Older locations like Smelters Row, the Outskirts, and Tomer's House got more quests and characters—those who'd teach you new weapon techniques and offer other interesting rewards, including magic crystals that let you see into the future... sort of!


Regarding QoL, this update finally lets you select the difficulty level and switch between them at any time. Easy Mode includes a host of player-suggested bonuses, while Hard Mode offers an extra challenge for those who thought our previous setting was a walk in the park. Be warned—companion death is now permanent, so tread carefully!


Many suggestions from players who aren't focused on difficulty were also taken into account—for example, stunning or paralyzing enemies now gives a much bigger accuracy boost.
Many random encounters were reworked, and slowdown zones—like swampy waters—were significantly improved, now functioning much more accurately.
Taverns and smithies now have interactive signs that make it easier to find those buildings in lived-in areas both old and new.


The first iteration of ModKit has also been added for all you modders out there. We hope to get a lot of feedback from you in order to improve the toolset more!

Plot-wise the game now holds the second encounter with the evil Bloodclaw. And even non-plot related quests now hold more story, for example Tomer's line of quests.


New monsters have also been added: Terror Birds that swoop from the skies to attack you with their razor-sharp beaks, Saber Cats with their nasty talons, and, of course, the aforementioned Sewer Porridge. Existing enemies have also been improved, gaining new perks and traits.
New types of secrets—like loose bricks in the sewer, signs, lore notes, weapons, hats, item icons, minimaps... Every aspect of the game has received some love in this update.

We really hope you'll enjoy it, and rest assured, there's much more to come this summer!

Yours,
Atom Team

Greetings, friends!

The next content update for Swordhaven is scheduled for May, and we're not wasting any time working on it. Today, we'd like to share some information on what you can expect.



[h3]New locations[/h3]

The upcoming update will feature several new locations, the most important of which are the Gate Quarter of Swordhaven and the Sewers—a sprawling dungeon filled with monsters, puzzles, treasures, and loopy loners who have found solace underground.

Several mini-bosses will also be added, not to mention a completely new monster type—a foul jelly beast that doesn't seem too strong... until you notice it can strip you of most of your armour points with its acidic spit attack!

Along with all this new content, we'll also introduce unique distinctions, new achievements, a pair of legendary weapons, fresh monster loot, and weapon techniques—one of which relies on a non-martial skill to work.


↓↓↓


[h3]Finishing touches on already existing locations[/h3]

Smelters Row and the outskirts of Swordhaven, which were previously presented in their bare-bones form, will feature many more characters with quests and new skills to teach you. Some characters that were already present will now be included in these new quests.

All locations added in the last update will receive finalized minimaps, new interactable items, improved sounds, and animations we are currently developing.

Those of you who discovered the lively ghosts of Nova Drakonia will also be pleasantly surprised, for there is now another spectre added to the flock of restless spirits that roam both old and new locations.

Many of the portraits and item icons that weren't there before are currently being worked on. Some of these will be added in minor patches, so there's no need to wait for the full content update to see the portraits of boars and other critters that were previously faceless.



[h3]Quality of life features galore![/h3]

We always listen to your suggestions, and here are some we have been working on for the upcoming update:

• We are fine-tuning the sound quirks and enhancing the overall soundscape by adjusting footstep sounds based on distance and varying them according to the surface they're on;
  
• We are adding an improved TV mode;
  
• Those of you who prefer using a gamepad will find targeting and global map travel easier through a selector menu;
  
• The weapon mods now share an inventory;
  
• Crafting menu design is also in progress; it is now easier to see if you lack the skill for certain recipes, how many items you need, and so on;
  
• We are tweaking and enhancing the passive buffs you receive for reaching specific skill levels. For instance, maxing out your medicine skill now allows you to create two potions instead of just one.
  

Naturally, the list of additions also includes optimization improvements, bug fixes, typo corrections and much more.

We hope you are as excited for the big update as we are!

See you in the next post where we will announce the date.

Yours truly,
Atom Team

Greetings, friends!

Today's the day we're rolling out the February content update from the beta branch, officially adding it to the game along with a few extra features we decided on, thanks to your patience and a bit more development time.



Here's a list of the things we did, but you'll also find a bunch of surprises, including locations you've explored before.

On new locations:

Cursed Underhalls, our team's largest dungeon yet, has received a lot of polish and will require a very capable party to completely clear. Compared to the version you might've experienced in the beta patch, the full version includes the following extra additions:

• Destructible environment (just click the manual attack button and go for it);
  
• Explosive* solutions to some combat encounters were added. Look for red jars and see what they do upon destruction. More environmental elements with potential strategic uses are on the way;
  
• The area miniboss now has unique attack animations and custom-built particle effects;
  
• More options for stealthy players were integrated;
  
• Unreachable loot (especially the rain drums) issue was fixed, alongside a myriad other bugs;
  
• A hidden new interaction available after beating the ...
  

Horsefish Anchorage, another one of the new locations, now has environments that change based on what you do and the quests you take on.

• There's an unmarked—let's say—ritual, that will allow you to benefit your main character greatly;
  
• The area features newly added enemies like snapping turtles, and giant toads. Their animations have been improved, and a special technique given to the turtles will make battles much more strategic;
  
• Plenty of small interactions were added as well. From reading signs, to discovering new types of hidden loot containers;
  
• Two mini-bosses with stories told through the environment and hidden notes were also added.
  

The Abandoned Ship now features more interactive objects with special animations, much more environmental storytelling, and an upgraded ambush event.


The Lonely Cabin, home to the first custom skill teacher in the game, has received some improvements. Now, the skill you're taught finally has a proper icon. Plus, Tomer's shield-holding stance has been fixed.


There's also a new companion, and as always, you'll need to do a bit of snooping and make some key decisions before you can recruit them. If you've already gathered all the party members up to this point, this will boost your party size to five!



On graphics:

The full version of this content update features a ton of new works from our designers. There are many more animations for weapon techniques, unique idle animations, more portraits, and items, which means you'll see the dreaded placeholder-box icon way less than in previous iterations.


New particle effects were added. Environmental explosives now feature an actual blast wave that harms all who stand in its way. While throwable objects are still WIP, these received a much more intuitive throwing and missing mechanic that might lead to some unforeseen consequences, as well as more variety in the visuals.

Trying to go for more show than tell, we added animations to many interactions. For example, should you go grave digging in one of the new locations, you will see your character actually flinging and rolling rocks away, instead of us explaining how the character digs through dialogue.

As with the portraits, we have added more NPC clothes to the game, making characters more distinct.


For isometric mode fans: more materials were changed to allow you to see your character through them—like roofs, rocky overhangs, trees, etc.

More interactive objects:

We've added (and will continue to add) new little interactions you can have with the world—from digging in cow patties (!) and reading signposts to disturbing special light-producing mushrooms, lighting snuffed-out candles, and avoiding new traps.


New weapons, armours, weapon mods and more were added. Older equipment received newer 3D models, updated icons where needed, and some items were slightly rebalanced.

More love for craftables:

Most craftable objects now have icons, models, and are far more balanced. Ingredient weight issues were also tackled.

Tools now come with proper use point pools, so you can predict when you'll need a new cross-peen hammer or mortar and pestle long before they actually break on you. We should thank our community for that suggestion.

And speaking of community efforts—many player-suggested QOL features were added. There's name highlighting for NPCs on the map, new sorting options, price changes, weight adjustments, and improvements to weapon techniques for both playable characters and monsters. We'll keep adding more with each new content patch.

More love for older locations:

Many older locations, from dungeons to more peaceful places like Clamreach and Grainhold, now offer some extra goodies for you to discover, including new characters!

New hostile NPC behavior beginnings:

From this patch on, we will do our best to make combat much more strategic than it currently is.

Now, many of the enemies you'll encounter have hidden perks that relate to their roles within a larger squad. In the upcoming updates, we'll connect those perks to custom models and AI behavior, making the enemies act as a cohesive team.

An example of this can be found in one of the new dungeons, where a certain type of foe has a hidden perk. Larger enemies have more natural armour but less stamina, so they'll tank you, while the more nimble ones will try ranged combat. After a few updates, they'll also exhibit kiting behavior.

Their perks will be visually represented by how their models look. However, this is still a very early Work In Progress. The initial building blocks for the system are already in place, and the same will eventually happen for non-humanoid monsters.


Great news for those of you following the game's localization process. This patch is adding French, Brazilian-Portuguese, Italian and other new, improved localizations. Please feel free to provide us with any and all feedback you might have!

What's next? Once we're completely satisfied with the results so far, we'll keep working on the game, this time putting much more emphasis on the main plot. Next time, you'll finally be able to visit Swordhaven proper!

We will announce this next content update sometime next month.

Thank you so much for your patience, your amazing feedback and your overwhelming support. We hope you enjoy the game!

Yours, as always,
Atom Team

Greetings, friends!

It's finally time to unveil the February content update we discussed earlier. There are still quite a few kinks that need ironing out, so for now, the patch is being uploaded to the beta directory on Steam, with a proper release planned for a later date in March. But don't worry! A handy set of instructions on how to access and play the beta branches will be included in this thread.


Now, onwards to the most important question: what's new?

An entirely new region around Swordhaven City features mountain ranges, fields, plains, and forests packed with challenging encounters. New creatures, like wild boars and even wilder snapping turtles, will lie in wait as you traverse fresh maps filled with surprises, thanks to a new beta mechanic we're calling the Loot Point system.



The game now checks what type of random encounter map you're on and adds loot depending on the region. This system was also retroactively added to the previous random encounter maps. Even NPC behavior in random encounters has become more complex.



Swordhaven has become much closer too. While the city itself is still under development and not available yet, its outskirts are bustling with new characters, quests, and even a new follower.

Weapon Master is also added into the build, with his hut hidden somewhere in the dense woods of the new region, so prepare to receive a handy new skill... If you have the moxy to complete the master's challenge, that is!

Speaking of challenges, the dungeon we promised earlier has gotten a bit out of hand. The Forgotten Canyons is now our biggest location yet—two sprawling maps featuring an outdoor area, a giant cave, and a mysterious ancient complex.



The best thing about this dungeon, though, is that it inspired us to get more creative with the environment. We've added explosive gas barrels, visual puzzles that let you move parts of the environment to continue your exploration or earn special rewards, destructible environments, more types of hidden loot, and even more environmental and physics-based traps. There's a lot more in store!
We would love to hear your feedback.



The other locations that deserve a mention are the Pirate Bay area, which will continue a certain quest(s) from Grainhold.

We're closely following the wishlist stats to determine the order of localization. You can check out the latest additions to the language pool in the beta.
Thank you so much for your support! Here's hoping for a lot of valuable feedback on the quality of the ongoing translation projects! You can visit our Discord for that.

[DISCORD LINK]

This month has also been great for the animation aspect of the game—we've gained even more unique animations than we hoped for. While this means that many of them still need tweaking, the end result will surely be worth the initial jankiness. Now, most of the special weapon techniques feature their own movements, including both the player and the enemies, as well as the monsters you've already encountered.



Speaking of combat, you'll now have a lot more options to choose from! We've sorted out the craftables, balanced existing weapons and skills, added new ones, unlocked the final level of combat techniques, and rebalanced the combat formulas and enemy stats. We took many of your suggestions into account to improve the overall battle experience.



Choose-your-own-adventure encounters got a fresh set of graphics, just like those NPCs that didn't have portraits before. A lot more items now come with unique icons and models. Plus, we've added a bunch of new musical tracks and various sound effects for the game!

All in all, a surprising number of improvements have been added to the game, including locations you already visited. Once all the bugs and kinks have been eradicated, we would recommend starting the game over instead of continuing via a save, since even the humble Clamreach village now hosts new secrets and extra fun stuff hidden in certain nooks and crannies scattered around the map.



First dungeons, like the Snatcher's lair received makeovers, the performance issues have been fixed, and various small but important quality of life upgrades have been added just like many of you suggested.

Now, here is how you can get into the beta branch to see it all for yourself:



We really hope you enjoy the fruit of our labour! However, we also understand if you'd like to wait some more until this update receives a proper mainstream branch release. As always, your feedback and support are greatly appreciated!

Yours truly,
Atom Team