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Dev update - Combat, Environments and More

Hello there! 👋

Welcome to our very first developer update. Hope the beginning of fall has been treating you well 🍂 Oppidum has been really shaping up during these months since the release of the store, and we want to give you a rundown of some of the stuff we've been working on. Join us while we go through some of the biggest points we want to share with you 👇

[h2]TIME TO SHARPEN OUR COMBAT 🔪[/h2]
We've been working a lot on making combat feel good, while still being a challenging experience. The 'feel good' part is easy to figure out but requires a lot of hard work and attention to detail. Animations, VFX, sound effects... all add up to this. For example, have a look at this small comparison when parrying an enemy's attack. The previous version cancelled its animation when parried, while now it flows smoothly from one to another in a much smoother way:



Visual effects also play an important role in making the player feel each enemy's strike and distinguish them from each other. Here are some of the visual effects we've been working on:



Challenge will depend entirely on the player's preference. We want to make the game accessible and give you the choice of whether you want it to be a difficult hurdle or a more chill experience. Ultimately, it will depend on how you decide to play. However, different enemies will behave differently, so if you decide to engage in combat, you will have to be ready to learn about their techniques.



[h2]ENVIRONMENTS ARE IN PLACE 🍃[/h2]
As you might already know, Oppidum is heavy on storytelling and exploration. You're going to spend a lot of time wandering these lands in search of adventure, so they have to look great!

Take a look at one of the two main settlements of the game, Litore: a nice and cozy coastal town that will play an important part after you arrive in Insule.



And speaking of Insule, we've also been working on making the island lively and full of history. For anyone wondering about these landmarks, it should be clear that someone came before them. The isle is sprinkled with the remains of a civilization lost to time and memory:



And of course, don't forget that neither you nor the friends you will make are the only ones with a claim to these lands. Thudulks have camps all over Insule, and they are a source of valuable loot as well as challenging battles.



[h2]AND MUCH MORE! ✨[/h2]
Aside from these grand visual additions to the game, we've also made sure that everything surrounding your gameplay will uphold to the same standards of quality. We've worked hard on aspects of the game such as visual effects for items and resources, improvements to the light:



Of course, not everything is 3D models and visual effects. We're particularly proud of the icons our illustrator has prepared for every item in the game. This is how they will look in your inventory; take a look at some of them:



The story of the game is coming along nicely. It's a quest-driven story that will make you progress through the game while you explore the island and discover everything it has to offer. We can't wait to show you more about it!

Coming next, we're working on the settlement building mechanics, which involve crafting your own weapons and armors, cooking delicious treats that will buff your character, and farming and fishing to gather those nutritious ingredients. We'll also keep working on multiplayer. It's an essential part of the game, so we're determined to make it as good as it can be. Look forward to future devlogs about this!

Remember that we have a bunch of socials where you can follow our progress in smaller doses, for those of you who are impatient about the game and want to keep up with it. You can follow us on Twitter (yeah, we're not calling it 'X' 😅), Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. We also have a Discord server where we share stuff we won't show in public, listen to the community's feedback... and even give a chance at getting a copy of the game if you indulge us with your participation 👀 You're very welcome to join us there!

That will be all for today; see you next time! We wish you a very cozy season, and take care!

Hugs from the fun people at EP Games!