Unsung Ballads News

Hi Everyone!

Two quick things:
Firstly, if you plan to buy our game, wait until the next Steam Sale - Autumn Sale starting on the 27th of November.
Secondly, as usual, try the game first! Our Playtest is open to all, and access is granted instantly.


This is one of the most significant updates to the game since we released it in Early Access.

It has a lot of improvements and additions that we discussed in past Dev Logs.

Please take a look at the important highlights and full patch notes below.


The most disruptive change: the saves folder has been moved, and older saves are no longer supported.


Starting on day 10, the bandit arc begins. That will spawn over a series of missions that can award ballads on completion and discords if they expire. Get 3 discords, and the game is over.

Those critical missions are marked accordingly.



Weapons now have a chance to drop from enemies. You will be able to tell which missions have weapon drops but not what exactly that weapon will be or what its quality is.



The first weapon variants are introduced in this update. Weapon variants modify some cards positively and others negatively. For now, those modifications are limited to the damage they do, but we are also exploring other card effects specific to variants. We spoke in more detail on this in a previous dev log.



The first set of mutations finally made it into the game. Once you are of high enough rank with the Legion, you can get a mutation that gives a bonus to one of your attributes and unlocks the ability to reach the maximum rank in that attribute.


See the full patch notes below:

• First mutation
  
• Weapons can drop from enemies
  
• Weapon variants affect different cards - sica, gladius
  
• Some enemies are more likely to have
  
• Visual updates to swords
  
• New icons for weapons
  
• Critical missions award ballads and discords
  
• Save folder moved
  
• Game over when the 3rd discord is awarded
  
• Various visual updates to the map
  
• Bloom effect - can be disabled from the settings
  
• Map zoom
  
• Visual updates to clothing and armor
  
• Inventory improvements - marking new items, keeping inspected items in view
  
• First optional bandit mission doesn’t expire
  
• Improved AI
  
• Added in-game guide for Legion rank
  
• Decreased attribute gains from duties
  
• Combat initiative is now displayed under the combat order portraits
  
• Added some UI sounds
  
• Changed Taunt mechanics
  
• Shield wall is replaced by Brace with improved mechanics
  
• Added a utility category to the Deck manager summaries
  
• Added combat menu
  

Hi All!

A new big update is coming soon containing the changes talked about in the dev logs since last update.
It already is on the test branch (for both the EA and Playtest versions), so if you want you can try it out right now and feedback would be much appreciated.

To change the game branch open the game properties from the library -> click Betas -> then select from the Beta Participation dropdown "test - Public Test Branch".


Previous saves will not be visible to the new version.

Enjoy!

Hi All!

September went by in a flash, but we haven't been idle.

The focus this past month has been on making the changes needed to support the mutations system. We're finally in a place where we can iterate content much more easily.

We've also worked on AI, and some enemies might act differently based on what cards they draw.

Other notable changes: weapon icons, video effects, and critical path marking.



While we're gearing up for our biggest Early Access update, note that the previous saves will not be compatible.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Hi All,

It's been another busy month, so quite a few things to talk about!

While the focus has been on enabling the supernatural part of the game, we had to invest much time into the game progression, which the mutation system depends on. This new system will allow players to push the boundaries of attributes over those of mere humans into the realm of Ballads.

Along with that central piece of work, we are also introducing the first item drops - which we talked about in the last dev log.

Of course, that highlighted a few issues with the inventory, one was that we had to mark new items appropriately.



Finally, we've also been working on the world map, touching it here and there and introducing a zoom functionality (which still needs a bit of UI work, as seen in the last dev log).



That's all for now, enjoy the weekend!

Hi Everyone,

It's been a while since our last update, and we've been busy.

For the past several weeks, the focus has been on weapon variants and mission rewards.

The first weapon variants introduced are several swords - some curved, some straight. They are historically inspired and have different effects on cards, both beneficial and detrimental. Each comes with its own visual representation and inventory icon to make recognition at a glance possible.



The default/standard/vanilla sword is based on the arming sword, or more specifically, on the Replica of the Sword of Saint Maurice (see wiki page )



Next up is the gladius, which is currently as long as a spatha. We might rename it that, although spathas were historically used by cavalry units. This one, specifically, has a golden guard, golden pommel, and ivory grip.



Finally, the sicas. These have been especially difficult to draw, as there are multiple sources with their interpretations of how they looked. You can see below the evolution of the cel-shaded civilian sica, which is still a work in progress:



We've also been working on new armor suits. Drawing them is a lot more complex due to the number of different components and, more importantly, their angled appearance. We'll share more on this later.

Of course, creating the art is only a small part of the feature. Much effort goes into the code and data necessary to support it. Different enemies have different chances of being equipped with different weapon variants. For example, bandits are more likely to sport a civilian sica, while deserters are less likely and may instead be equipped with a gladius.

The players need to be able to obtain all those new weapon variants, so we thought it was the best time to finally add item drops to combat missions. As an initial implementation, each mission now has a chance for an enemy to drop their weapons. Missions that have an item drop will be marked with a special icon.



That's all for now; follow the game on Steam for more news, and please wishlist if you haven't already.
Enjoy the weekend!