Swordeye News

[h3]Major Updates and New Features[/h3]
This month I've focused on the new Othari Raid Event which is a co-op PvE focused event where an army of Othari swarm the sect outpost and players must defend with turrets, guards and the sect elders.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Killing NPCs during the event gives special raid tokens which can be used to upgrade the sect turrets and guards to bolster your defenses. The goal is to survive the attack and slay the Othari general before your base falls.



Performance

Having 150+ npcs attacking and defending the base simultaneously required both server and client side performance optimizations. The good new is that these optimizations have also improved the performance of animated skeletons and the NPC behavior across the board. With only few players / npcs on screen the improvements aren't huge but they are noticeable and when 20+ enemies are on screen they are massive.



New NPC and Sword

There is a new NPC type, the Othari Raider, who wields a new sword that has bonus overhead damage and reduced stab damage. Currently they only appear during the Othari raid event so that is the only way to get their sword.

The event also rewards Sect Contribution Tokens based on your position on the scoreboard, (next patch you will get these for End Boss damage as well).


Other additions

There have been tons of other small improvements, check out Discord for full patch notes.

[h3]Major Updates and New Features[/h3]
Since playtest 8, in addition to working on addressing all of the player feedback, I've redone a lot of the animations, added proximity voice chat, a friend system with cross server dms, and tons more.

Name Change

I decided to change the name of the game from Swordai to Swordeye. I picked the name years ago before generative AI was a big thing like it is today. I always wanted it to be pronounced "swor-die" similar to the martial arts ki-ai pronunciation as that is one of the core abilities in the game. I also wanted to be the first to bring really strong NPC combat behavior to the slasher genre (which I think I've successfully done) as I have always been drawn to games with NPCs that surprise you with their skill. I still remember playing F.E.A.R as a kid and being blown away and I believe that NPC behavior in games is an art form that a lot of developers neglect.

That said, things are really different now with "AI" showing up everywhere and its pretty common that people see the name and (very reasonably) think its "sword A.I." and based on gen AI in which isn't the case at all. It’s definitely a pain to change a name but I think it was the right thing to do.

Animation Updates

I decided to do a major update to pretty much all of the animations in the game. For some of them I worked with a contractor but for the core combat animations I decided to redo them by hand myself. I think the results are really good. This video was made about halfway through the process, the final version is live on the playtest build now.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]


Other additions

As I mentioned in the Short Term Roadmap on Discord a major focus this quarter will be adding more social features to the game. So far, I've added proximity voice, a market system, a friend system, and cross server direct messages. Parties are coming soon and will be ready for Playtest 9 in March.

Playtest 8 will run from 1pm Pacific on 12-17-2025 through 12-23-2025. This playtest features major additions to the game including a massive open world, potion crafting, sword smelting, cultivation expansion, combat changes and more.

A rundown of the biggest changes is here:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

That is just the highlights, for full patch notes see discord.

As usual, gold name tags are up for grabs! See discord for details.

Playtest 8 will start at 1pm Pacific on 12-17-2025 and will run through 12-23-2025. This playtest features tons of new content including a giant open world where you can siege the Othari castle, gather herbs to craft potions, explore the underground mines and find new bosses and much more. Everyone who requests access will be able to play on 12-17.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

What's new in Playtest 8?

Below is just the highlights, for full patch notes see discord.

Content

• A massive new open world with scattered entrance portals to the tower
  
• Sword recycling / smelting
  
• Herb Gathering
  
• Potion crafting
  
• Soul strength / soul flame
  
• New secrets / puzzles
  
• New NPC types
  

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Community Feedback

• Feint changes
  [previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
  
• Control of sword upgrades
  
• Can add "Awakens" to swords that don't have it
  
• Lets of minor UI polish
  
• Potion Crafting
  

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

QoL

• Lots of animation and sound improvements
  
• Lots of visual improvements
  
• Further optimization of the ice cave
  
• Bulk purchasing
  

Can't wait to see you all at the next playtest.

[h3]Major Updates and New Features[/h3]
This month I've primarily been working on a new map but I've also made some core combat changes, loot changes, a few ability tweaks, and more. Here is a video sneak peak of the new map.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]


Combat Changes

Riposte Damage Reduction: The base incoming damage reduction while riposting was increased from 50% -> 75%. The riposte invulnerability passive was removed and replaced with a new passive that gives riposte life steal.
Feint Attack Charge: You now maintain 50% of your previous attack charge when feinting.
Frost Armor: The frost armor active now immediately ends when you get hit and grants you a riposte. If you get hit during its active duration its cooldown is reset.

See below for a discussion of the feint changes:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Sword Recycling / Awakening / Upgrading

You can now smelt down swords you don't want into raw components that can be used to upgrade or awaken other swords. In addition, you can now pay an extra cost to select a specific upgrade rather than a random one to apply to a sword and you can add or replace the awakening buff on a sword. See the video below for details.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

QoL
I've also done a significant amount of QoL / polish / bug fix work based on community feedback. Huge thanks to everyone on discord giving suggestions.

As always this is just the highlights, for full patch notes see discord: https://discord.gg/tK64nsXheq