Novus Orbis News

[p]This is the longest I've gone without an update since release.[/p][p]Live has been a little busy recently, so the next level is taking me more than I hoped.
The good news is that I'm done with the last boss! Now to the enemies and mini bosses.

The last boss, and this next level, have been in my head since I started working on the game. After three years of development I've finally managed to reach this point in the game.
I'd like to keep the boss itself secret, but as a little treat, here are some examples of the backgrounds for the next level.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]One of my hobbies before starting this journey was astro photography. I had to pause it to be able to focus on the game, but this is an homage to that hobby, that I hope to resume some day.
I've based most of the stuff in the background on actual pictures I've taken myself.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]To this update content.[/h3][p]
No new content, but I needed to fix some issues with the game, as well as the usual balancing (I've completely reworked one specific card, too).[/p][p][/p][h3]Changes:[/h3]

• [p](General) Made changes with how the game is first loaded. The game will now take a little more time in the first loading screen, but should start more quickly when launched. The total wait time is the same, but before this change it could seem like the game was not launching at all on lower spec machines.[/p]
• [p](General) Made some adjustments that should result in smoother performance on lower spec machines.[/p]
• [p](General) Made some adjustments to pad controls. Still not perfect but I'm getting there.[/p]
• [p](General) Improved the anti stall system, it will now take into account whether you have any attack cards in hand when ending turn (a turn where you have no attack cards to begin with won't be considered as heavily as one where you do have attack cards and choose not to use them).[/p]
• [p](Status) Spikes changed to deal 1/3 instead of 1/4 damage back per stack.[/p]
• [p](Status) Dual Wielding changed to have a value starting from 1, gaining 1 more for each stack, with the effect of "attack cards are played one additional time per stack". Because of how the status was coded, you would get one additional attack when using Dual Wielding once, but two additional attacks when using it after the first time. While stacking Dual Wielding is a very rewarding thing to achieve, the way it was working wasn't really well balanced, especially with the addition of the "Double Use" mark.[/p]
• [p](Card) Storm can now only be found from level 2.[/p]
• [p](Card) Brainstorm changed to give 4-8 Boost instead of 3-5[/p]

• [p](Card) Complete rework for Paper Airplane. It is now a card that can be actively used. It will remove from your deck all Equipment, Item, and Affliction cards in your hand. You receive 5 Strength and 1 SP for each card discarded this way.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Bug Fixes:[/h3]

• [p]Fixed solid Flame triggering when enemies lost Block.[/p]
• [p]Fixed bad text for Soul Steal card.[/p]
• [p]Solved an issue with the new run reward when playing with a pad.[/p]
• [p]Solved a bug that would break the game if you used pad buttons while the game was loading up.[/p]
• [p]Solved Fireworks card being unplayable.[/p]
• [p]Solved various issues with navigating the world map using a pad.[/p]
• [p]Removed the ability to access the menu and exit to the main menu while receiving a card reward. Doing this would lead to having the whole deck removed.[/p]
• [p]Fixed blessing Afterimage leaving you with a softlock.[/p]
• [p]Fixed instances where a copied card would remain semi transparent.[/p]
• [p]Tentative fix for a bad interaction between blessings Afterimage and Risk of Heat.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Remember, if you like the game, each single positive review helps me a lot![/h3][p] If you have any feedback or want to discuss about the game, join my Discord server. [/p][p][/p][p][/p]

[p]Good news, I've been working on the next level (the last for the second path), and I've finished working on the backgrounds.
But since a whole level takes time, I've decided to take a break mid way, and address a few known issues with the game.

Aside for bug fixes, I'm reworking a few cards and mechanics.[/p][p][/p][p]One important change I'm making is drop rates for cards.
I feel that despite the game having a lot of cards (on par with StS), runs often feel too similar in terms of the cards you find. At the same time, Legendary cards don't feel as special as they should.
Because of this, I've reworked how card rewards work for normal, mini boss, and boss fights, as well as for golden chests.
This change may not be great, or good at all, but I want to give it a try and see how the game goes for a while.[/p][p]I'll go back to making the next level, and there probably won't be updates until that's ready (unless I need to make some important bug fix).[/p][p][/p][h3]Changes:[/h3]

• [p](Warrior) Reworked Boost: it will now always give you 1 strength, 1 defense and 1 SP as long as you have Boost charges. Will give you 1 more of each for every 10 charges. These statuses WON'T disappear next turn anymore. You'll lose half boost charges (rounded up) +1 at the start of the turn.[/p]
• [p](General) Reworked how rarity is handled for fights and gold chest rewards.[/p]
• [p](General) Starting a new run, or loading a saved one should now be a lot faster.[/p]
• [p](General) Slightly reworked the anti stalling mechanic, to give more weight to turns where the player doesn't play any attack cards.[/p]
• [p](General) Added a small delay before you can pick a card when receiving a card reward, to avoid clicking on one by mistake (this could easily happen during the Enigma encounter).[/p]
• [p](Enemy) Ice Elemental will now give 1 Evasion charge instead of 2.[/p]
• [p](Enemy) The boss Husk will now have a "Dry" status that will make it impossible for it to heal. This is to avoid interactions with the card Bite Mark or any future additions that may heal it, making it basically impossible to beat.[/p]
• [p](Mark) Keep has now an additional effect: when the card is discarded, go to combo 4.[/p]
• [p](Event) Added Ice Melt to the pool of cards you can give to the Hurt Creature.[/p]
• [p](Card) Stance Change cost raised to 3-1 from 0-0.[/p]
• [p](Card) Weak Spot will now deal double damage when the enemy is not blocking.[/p]
• [p](Card) Lightning Bolt's thunder gain raised to 3 from 2.[/p]
• [p](Card) Foam's water reduction increased to 5 from 2.[/p]
• [p](Card) Bird Feather's cost decreased to 1 from 3.[/p]
• [p](Card) Vacuum's cost out of combo raised to 6 from 4.[/p]
• [p](Card) Discharge's Delay set to fixed 2 instead of being relative to the current Thunder value.[/p]
• [p](Cards) Ice Melt, High Conductor, Aerodynamics, Static Electricity and Kindle cards converted to Rare instead of Common.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Bug Fixes:[/h3]

• [p]Fixed a new bug that would make it impossible to get the Academy Dropout achievement.[/p]
• [p]Mud Slide card would show an "earth" damage animation as if it were AoE, fixed.[/p]
• [p]When pressing control and shift at the same time, the game would get locked in "showing cards combo value" mode. This state can be exited by simply pressing control or shift again, but for unaware users, the game is now set to exit this with either mouse click.[/p]
• [p]Fixed Parasite effect staying on cards after discarding the Parasite card, this time hopefully for good.[/p]
• [p]Set Paralux mini boss to remove all its statuses before copying the player's. This should remove cases where this enemy's statuses would do weird stuff.[/p]
• [p]There is a bug I can't pinpoint with the shop, that may make it so portals are clickable while the shop is open. Added an additional check so that portals should never be able to be accessed while the shop is open.[/p]
• [p]Risk of Heat would make it so until you hit End Turn, the enemy's Countdown would never go down. Fixed.[/p]
• [p]You could hit End Turn while copying, burning or discarding cards. Fixed.[/p]
• [p]Fixed bad text in Hydro Gauntlet card.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a small gap while enemies are gaining statuses at the stat of a fight, where the player could play cards before enemies gain the statuses.[/p]
• [p]Fixed the "alternative font" button not to work when used from the in run menu.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Remember, if you like the game, each single positive review helps me a lot![/h3][p] If you have any feedback or want to discuss about the game, join my Discord server. [/p][p][/p][p][/p]

[p]No new content, this small update focuses on a few issues I've fixed and some balancing tweaks.[/p][p][/p][h3]Addition:[/h3]

• [p](General) More a bug fix than an addition, but since version 0.3.0 the game stopped presenting the "mirror" portal pixie. It's now back in the game.[/p]

[h3]Changes:[/h3]

• [p](General) The "Costly" negative mark will now not target Item and Equipment cards.[/p]
• [p](Event) The forced sanctuary spirit encounter is now in the 3rd level instead of 2nd, and you won't be able to find more than 1 per run anymore.[/p]
• [p](Enemy) Great Mimic was performing less actions than I intended when in "Mitosis" mode (after 8 turns). Fixed to its intended number of actions (should now be more difficult).[/p]
• [p](Enemy) The Core will now give you Hell's Gaze and get Great Strength x2 every few turns until you hit the threshold for max number of Hell's Gaze cards, then it will use Great Strength x2 and Block.[/p]

[h3]Bug Fixes:[/h3]

• [p]The Mage's new cards weren't correctly implemented, making them not findable. Fixed.[/p]
• [p]Solved an issue that could lead to have levels with zero healing springs. [/p]
• [p]Fixed enemies' Cooldown value change (like "-1") disappearing too soon when multiple are called in rapid sequence.[/p]
• [p]When marking a card with a negative mark, the "stamp" animation would go to the right of the card, with the mark appearing on the left. Fixed[/p]
• [p]Ice Melt card had inverted values for healing and element gain, fixed.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue with Parasite's effect persisting when discarding or burning a Parasite card.[/p]
• [p]The recent change to Emerald Tortoise's sprite made its shadow red when in shell, fixed.[/p]
• [p]You could open the deck while the marking animation was ongoing, fixed.[/p]
• [p]Light Elemental's light ray from above would get cut when fighting a weaker (smaller) version, fixed.[/p]
• [p]Hell's Gaze card would leave you with the ability to play while getting damaged. Fixed.[/p]
• [p]Entering the Sanctuary in Echo Tower would trigger the background to behave like it's at the top level from the first one. Fixed.[/p]

[h3]Mage Revamp[/h3][p]This update brings a major overhaul to the Mage class, aimed at delivering a more dynamic and satisfying experience right from the start of a run. While the core mechanics were already enjoyable, the card pool leaned too heavily toward skill cards, leaving early stages slow and underwhelming. Elemental management also felt clunky in certain situations.[/p][p]To address this, I’ve added four brand-new cards directly to the Mage’s base pool—no unlocks required. Several existing cards have also been reworked or improved, making the Mage more versatile, aggressive, and fun to play. Check the “Changes” section below for the full list of updates![/p][hr][/hr][h3]New Feature – Stall Punishment[/h3][p]I’ve introduced a new system to discourage excessive stalling (like endlessly healing HP or Monster Blood farming). This kind of playstyle goes against the spirit of the game, and the new Stall Punishment mechanic ensures that pacing remains tight and engaging.
When playing too conservatively (like playing 1 card per turn, not attacking, ending turn without playing cards) the game will give you two warnings before going into "Divine Punishment" mode, where every time you end your turn, enemies will get Great Strength 4x. The fight will continue in this mode regardless of your playstyle until you either win or lose. The threshold will be less strict during boss fights. The formula I'm using may be tweaked after further testing.[/p][hr][/hr][p]As always, I’ve included a healthy dose of balance adjustments and bug fixes.[/p][p][/p][h3]Additions:[/h3]

• [p](General) Stall Punishment[/p]
• [p](Card) Mud Slide[/p]
• [p](Card) Low Pressure[/p]
• [p](Card) Fireworks[/p]
• [p](Card) Ice Shield[/p]

[h3]Changes:[/h3]

• [p](General) Choosing a level with increased difficulty will now increase your chances to get Legendary cards, as well as adding a chance to get blessings from the "strong" pool when you would get "normal" ones (from blessing rooms, mini bosses and some events).[/p]
• [p](Cards) Improved the description for the Mage's cards that increase one elements based on a different one.[/p]
• [p](Cards) Mage's cards (Aerodynamics - Ice Melt - Kindle - Static Electricity - High Conductor) now have additional effects (like attack or block). This change tries to make mix up elements more streamlined, to speed up early game and early turns in combat. Because of this change, Kindle and High Conductor are now attack cards.[/p]
• [p](Cards) All Grimoires now, additionally to their previous effect, give you 1 of their elements when drawn.[/p]
• [p](Card) Railgun, removed elements reduction, converted to +2 elements addition.[/p]
• [p](Card) Steam Jet, removed elements reduction, converted to +2 elements addition.[/p]
• [p](Card) Scorched Earth, removed elements reduction and elemental requirement, added elements addition, set to AoE, reduced damage, reduced cost in combo.[/p]
• [p](Card) Foam, removed element requirement, element consumption increased to 2, the card now deals AoE damage 3 times.[/p]
• [p](Card) Slight change to Concrete Barrier's visuals.[/p]
• [p](Card) Brainstorm combo value set to 1 from 2.[/p]
• [p](Event) Removed Mimic encounters from Lands-Night and Lands-Storm.[/p]
• [p](Enemy) The normal Mimic can now perform "chomp" max 1 time per turn. Great Mimic behavior unchanged.[/p]
• [p](Enemy) Wall of Sorrow will start using the "Falling Bricks" attack two turns earlier.[/p]
• [p](Enemy) Ophanim's status Omniscience, when drawing a Special card, decreases the enemy's Countdown by 1. This will now cap at Countdown 1 (can't go to zero with this effect).[/p]
• [p](Enemy) The Core's second phase will now give you 1 Eye card on phase change, then give you more per 10 cards owned (a second one if you have more than 20 cards, a third if more than 30, etc). Additionally, the card burn action has been replaced with a block one.[/p]
• [p](Pet) Minic action that would increase your HP can now trigger only once per fight. Given HP increased to 10 from 5.[/p]

[h3]Bug Fixes:[/h3]

• [p]Fixed an issue with handling difficulty with Sky Archipelago and Abyss.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue that wouldn't properly set the effects of levels' increased difficulty when loading an ongoing run.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue that could leave a small card on the screen when using Defensive Sacrifice card.[/p]
• [p]Fixed the game making your hand not playable after checking the "Archive - Cards" during combat.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug that would not give you the right amount of SP the first fight after loading a run.[/p]
• [p]Clearing a higher version of Lands (like Lands - Evening) before clearing Lands would unlock the achievement for the higher version, leaving the normal Lands achievement locked (this would happen when winning with one class, and then playing the next run with a different class). This behavior was not intended, now the normal unlock will always happen together with any other version of Lands.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug that would allow you to enter a portal right after clicking "Run Away" from a Mimic, creating possible big issues.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug that would softlock the game in some instances when having Risk of Heat blessing.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a small visual bug when opening the world map when playing consecutive runs.[/p]
• [p]Fixed Parasite Affliction card not working as intended when having more than one in hand.[/p]
• [p]Fixed some rare instances where cards could get stuck in a "raised" position while the enemies are attacking.[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][h3]Remember, if you like the game,
each single positive review helps me a lot![/h3][p]
If you have any feedback or want to discuss about the game, join my Discord server.

[/p]

[p]Here we go, new level![/p][p]With the Sky Archipelago, continues my vision for the second path in the game, with the first one taking to the depths of hell, and the second one up to the sky. The next level will be the last for this path![/p][p][/p][p]New content in this update is strictly related to the new level, in the next one I will go back focusing on adding a few more smaller things: I have a set of new cards for the mage in mind, as well as at least one or two new pets.[/p][p][/p][h3]Additions:[/h3]

• [p](Level) Sky Archipelago[/p]
• [p](Enemy) Yawarasaphire[/p]
• [p](Enemy) Light Elemental[/p]
• [p](Enemy) Amethyst Tortoise[/p]
• [p](Enemy) Spuma[/p]
• [p](Enemy) Corallum[/p]
• [p](Enemy) Elemental Cluster[/p]
• [p](Enemy) Ophanim[/p]
• [p](Card) Slow Punishment[/p]
• [p](Card) Wind Dance[/p]
• [p](Achievement) Sky Explorer - Warrior[/p]
• [p](Achievement) Sky Explorer - Mage[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Changes:[/h3]

• [p](Enemy) Attack Duplicarta and Skill Duplicarta will now perform their action based on the number of your cards (attack or skill) plus 1. Which means they will perform at minimum a single action even when you have no cards in hand.[/p]
• [p](Enemy) Ghosts' status "Ghostly" changed to give the owner Evasion only if it currently has less than 2 Evasion.[/p]
• [p](Enemy) Updated Emerald Tortoise's visuals.[/p]
• [p](Card) Changed the description for Fancy Bottle, Spring Water and the Mysterious item cards, to hopefully make summoning pets for new players less obscure.[/p]
• [p](Card) Complete rework for Stance Change. It can now be used only if you have no attack cards in your hand. Will draw 5 cards and give 1 SP out of combo, 5 SP in combo. Combo value changed to 3.[/p]
• [p](Mage) Reduced cost for most Mage's initial cards. Also increased the healing from Healing Dew. While I still want to keep the concept of "Mage's cards should cost a lot out of combo", I understand that as it currently stands, the beginning of every run is too slow, difficult, and feels like a chore. Hopefully these changes will make starting a new Mage run more fun.[/p]
• [p](Event) Added Spring Water and all pet Item cards to the pool of cards that "float back up" in the Pond event.[/p]
• [p](UI) The game window can now be resized in windowed mode.[/p]
• [p](Level) Retouched some lights and colors in Hell.[/p]
• [p](Challenge) The challenge that would make you not heal between levels will now heal you for half your max HP. (With the addition of new levels and difficulties I realized that it's very tough to win bosses with a reasonable amount of health, and that having low health would restrict your choices in the next level too much).[/p]

[h3]Bug Fixes:[/h3]

• [p]Fixed an issue where the game would not save the Blood Bank's deposited amount of blood.[/p]
• [p]Fixed some issues when selecting different screen modes.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a softlock in the tutorial.[/p]
• [p]Fixed cases where you could play cards while drawing them at the beginning of fights.[/p]
• [p]Fixed Meditate card showing its healing value in red.[/p]
• [p]Fixed the map not showing the right icon and tooltip for a Mini Boss room, when the level's difficulty would include "force a mini boss".[/p]
• [p]The last update completely broke the card Grand Strategy. It's now back to a working state.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue that would call the score screen twice if you spam clicked after beating the final boss.[/p]

[p][/p][p]Thank you as always for the support! [/p][p][/p][h3]Remember, if you like the game, each single positive review helps me a lot![/h3][p][/p][p] If you have any feedback or want to discuss about the game, join my Discord server. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][hr][/hr]