Arken Age News

Hey Guys, we're back again with another update! The game is doing really well and we want to continually improve it while making changes that could work in a sequel as well.

The biggest additions are the new Shield shoulder grab, Syringe grab from your chest, and buffs to all guns in order balance melee/ ranged combat damage.

If you open your in-game tablet and go to Settings>VR Body, you can choose from three Syringe Modes, "Button Press (Default), Button Stab (Auto-Heal), & Chest Grab (new). Chest Grab mode allows you to physically grab a syringe from your chest instead of using a button press at all. In addition, we have added a Shield Mode setting, with options for "Button Press (Default)" and a new "Shoulder Grab" setting. This setting allows you to quickly grab a shield from over your Left Shoulder (or Right Shoulder if swapped with Heavy Gun). These two settings combined means that most of the combat in the game can be played without any button presses (other than for jumping & occasionally deploying grenades etc.)

Another big change is the damage balancing of all ranged weapons. Changes have been applied to the Light Gun (Pistol) and Heavy Gun (Shotgun) plus all barrel mods at varying damage increases. This should increase the viability of full ranged/ gun-based combat in the game.

In addition, we added an inverted controls option, climbing pick-sensitivity options, and some additional map icons, among many other new options (all in the patch notes below). Hope you guys enjoy the update! And it would be great to hear your thoughts on this new way to play Arken Age.

Cheers, Blake & the VitruviusVR Team

Here's the Patch Notes of version 1.006.000 with all bug fixes, changes, and additions:

• Added ability to quick grab a syringe physically from the players chest
  
• Added setting to swap shield battery equipment slots (Grab Shield from Shoulder)
  
• Buffed base Light Gun (Pistol) and Heavy Gun (Shotgun) plus all barrel mods
  
• Balanced Arborist Boss fight across all difficulties
  
• Added 12 Impaler locations to map (not trackable)
  
• Added Controller Layout setting (Normal & Inverted) for left-handed players
  
• Added setting for Always-On sprinting
  
• Added setting to change max pick linear sensitivity separately from angular (easier pick-flick)
  
• Changed Max Pick Angular Sensitivity 10 -> 20
  
• Added setting to change the size of the equipment triggers around the players waist
  
• Added map POI for finding Harvester Bell in Nara Sanctuary
  
• Added map POI for attaching Harvester Bell in Gildwood Kingdom
  
• Changed “Auto Heal” setting to “Button Stab” and bundled it into “Syringe Mode”
  
• Changed Shield to be immune from Gravity Mace explosion damage
  
• Changed equipment triggers to accept any equipable item (easy drop items on either hip side)
  
• Changed hip and leg equipment slots for to pick up items easier when crouched
  
• Changed Vitus and Ramaug Boss fights endings
  
• Changed Arborist Boss fight on Novice difficulty (Reduced damage needed to down, reduced time between projectile shots)
  
• Fixed infinite metal alloy glitch at buy stations
  
• Fixed metal alloy dissolve if added to machine and removed
  
• Fixed adding health fruit to inventory after removing at health station and losing stack
  
• Fixed incorrect Polish map translations
  
• Fixed God Axe blade angle when thrown
  
• Fixed short POI box trigger after Killing Ramaug to open Sarcophagus
  
• Fixed melee hints at end of Arborist boss fight
  
• Added player hints to Crafting Station in Custodian Tower
  
• Added player hints to climbing picks in Custodian Tower
  
• Added player hints to Crafting Station when swapping melee blade for the first time
  
• Added player hints to Health Stations
  
• Added player hints to Buy Stations
  
• Added player hints to Refineries
  

Hey Guys, hope you've been enjoying Arken Age over the past couple weeks! The launch has gone extremely well and it's been amazing to hear your thoughts on the game so far. We've been listening to your feedback everyday and I'm happy to share that we have finished the new Map System in the game!

You can now open your main tablet and select "Map" from the left hand display to bring up the full Bio-Chasm map. From here you can track main objectives, side quests, and machinery locations much like the Relic tracking works in the game. Our biggest worry was that the Map would deter exploration in the game, so we added 3 tiers of Objective "Hints" on the Map.

Hints set as "Basic" will function exactly like the teleporter map works in the game currently, hints "Off" will remove all objectives, and hints "On" will have an arrow pointing at the next main story objective in the game. While hints are "On," you can also click on side objectives on the map to track, instead of proceeding with the main story. Once side objectives are completed or cancelled the map will point you along the main path once again.

In addition, in Map "Settings" you can turn on Buy Stations, Crafting Tables, Health Stations, Teleporters, and Refinery locations that you have previously been to, in order to backtrack easily to those locations. Hope you guys enjoy the update!

Cheers, Blake & the VitruviusVR Team

Also here's the Patch Notes of version 1.005.000 with all bug fixes, progress stopping fixes, and changes made:

• Added map system to player tablet
  
• Track primary objectives (3 levels of visibility: ON, BASIC(default), OFF)
• Track secondary POIs (Teleport stations, Crafting stations, Hyperion Nectar stations, Refineries, Hyperion Buy Stations)
• Added red “Quit Game” button to profile select
  
• Added crouch mode to control settings menu to disable crouch input
  
• Added karma tracker to player progress menu
  
• Added karma percent when breaking helmets or stealing alloy from dead Nara
  
• Added karma percent to tutorial karma screen
  
• Added player melee weapon highlight to Arborist phase 3 to make it more apparent to hit his head
  
• Added functionality to spawn important items if lost before using them (i.e. Losing Important Heads, Keys, Runes, etc. is fixed)
  
• Changed “Main Menu” to red in profile select to deter players from clicking on it and losing unsaved profile specific settings
  
• Changed karma calculation after game is complete to fix not being able to claim reward
  
• Changed fist to allow punch damage without thumb touching
  
• Changed how weapon reload hint works (from tutorial only to first 5 reloads and anytime game is started)
  
• Changed Pistol damage +2 and shot count +2
  
• Changed Assault Rifle damage +1
  
• Changed shotgun spread -20%
  
• Changed Ritual Dagger damage +15
  
• Changed heroic item costs (Battery +1 metal, Health Syringe +15 metal, Shield +5 metal)
  
• Changed AC-40 Coil Converter purchase requirements (-100 metal & -40 energy)
  
• Changed Flux Resistor Stock purchase requirements (-100 metal & -40 energy)
  
• Changed Buy Station menu to reset scrolling position when attaching player tablet
  
• Changed short sword highlight brightness to make it more apparent to grab it when switching to another melee mod
  
• Changed God Axe aiming to more closely match gaze direction (PS5 only)
  
• Changed player tablet closing behaviour (no longer stops interacting while closing & no longer stops interacting while riding on elevators)
  
• Changed Bio-Infused green soldier’s health (Tier Two -50 & Tier Three -100)
  
• Changed player weapon damage modifiers on bosses to improve balance
  
• Changed Arborist down damage thresholds (Phase 1 -500 & Phase 2 -250)
  
• Fixed draw bridge deserialization bug that would cause bridge to always deserialize as down
  
• Fixed physics bug that would cause sporadic movement if grabbing harvester handle with 2 hands
  
• Fixed bug that would block teleporting after talking to Arturo in Grand Reservoir
  
• Fixed bug that would block flick grabbing fuses after they were removed from socket
  
• Fixed play on awake particles & SFX on brute heads
  
• Fixed bugs in Elderwood Passage after solving cypher puzzle but not progressing
  
• Fixed bug that would allow breaking arborist knee crystals with God Axe throw
  
• Fixed bug that would allow Arborist particles in phase 3 to play forever
  
• Fixed Arborist Phase 1 target that was impossible to break with climbing picks
  
• Fixed issue where knocking light soldier off ledge in Forbidden Causeway wouldn’t kill them
  
• Fixed convex mesh collider blocking relic in Elderwood Passage on top of tower
  

Hey Guys, It's Blake Stone here from VitruviusVR, I just wanted to start off by saying thanks to everyone in the VR community for their support over the years. Without your support of "Mervils" when we first started developing for VR there never would have been "Shadow Legend," and without your overwhelming support of Shadow Legend we would have never been able to make Arken Age into the game it is today. Launch Trailer below:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

For those unfamiliar with Arken Age, the game is a single-player sci-fi fantasy adventure with an over 15 hour campaign. The game is set in the Bio-Chasm—a terraformed fantasy world created by the Grand Arborist. In the game you can engage in full physics combat using Arkenite infused swords & guns—and freely explore the densely filled environments under siege by Hyperion's neural corruption.

Arken Age is a full fledged VR adventure with climbing, swimming, weapon customization, crafting, physics based combat, and an engaging story. In the game you will uncover the truth behind the disappearance of the Grand Arborist, forge an alliance with the Nara alien race, and take up arms against the usurper Hyperion & his legion of corrupted soldiers.

Really hope you guys enjoy the game!

-Blake & the VitruviusVR Team

Hey guys, It's Blake Stone here from VitruviusVR, our team is very excited to get Arken Age out to you next week!

The game has been with YouTuber's/ Reviewers for 3 weeks now and we all thought it would be a great idea to show you some early gameplay impressions this week (without spoiling too much!), videos will be dropping today Jan 9th around 10am EST.

For those unfamiliar with Arken Age, the game is a single-player sci-fi fantasy adventure with an over 15 hour campaign. The game is set in the Bio-Chasm—a terraformed fantasy world created by the Grand Arborist. In the game you can engage in full physics combat using Arkenite infused swords & guns—and freely explore the densely filled environments under siege by Hyperion's neural corruption.

We hope to bring you a full fledged VR adventure with climbing, swimming, weapon customization, crafting, physics based combat, and an engaging story. In the game you will uncover the truth behind the disappearance of the Grand Arborist, forge an alliance with the Nara alien race, and take up arms against the usurper Hyperion & his legion of corrupted soldiers.

Arken Age will be releasing next Thursday Jan.16th for $39.99 US/Euro and we are really excited to hear your thoughts on the game!

Here's just a few "First Impressions" videos so far on PCVR:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

The wait is almost over! Arken Age will be releasing this January 16th on Steam & PSVR2! Watch the New Trailer & Wishlist today.

Engage in full physics-based combat, epic boss fights, climbing, swimming, crafting, and a full 15-hour story driven campaign. Thanks to all our beta testers and everyone in the VR community that helped make Arken Age possible!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]