It's getting intense, or How Are We Doing? (Part 11)

[p][/p][h2]Hello, horde![/h2][p][/p][p]Starting today, a hectic and exciting period begins for us. We’ve been hard at work on the next major update for several weeks, but until now, it felt like “just another day at the office.” From here on out, though, we will be even busier than before! [/p][p]So, let’s dive into what’s happening at Polished Games. We’ll talk about the events we’re attending, a minor (but intriguing) update coming in September, and reveal more about what you can expect from the big October update. Yes, there’s a little “boring” stuff here in the form of the wall of text, but as always, we want to be transparent with you. So let’s answer the question: “How Are We Doing?”[/p][p][/p][h2]WE’RE TRIPPING[/h2][p][/p][h3]GAMESCOM: August 20–24[/h3][p]Part of our team has stepped away from development to proudly represent us at Gamescom at the Indie Arena Booth in Cologne, Germany. If you’re attending the world’s biggest gaming event, take a few minutes between AAA demos to visit our crew in Hall 10.2. Look for Moriana’s wallprint and three cheerful Polished Games members exchanging evil laughs with visitors. Don’t be shy — they don’t bite. But if you notice an undead sheep bouncing happily around our stand… stay wary. They do bite. (And explode.)[/p][p]For those brave enough to approach, we’ll have Be My Horde pins and lanyards waiting as souvenirs![/p][p][/p][h3]PAX WEST: August 29–September 1[/h3][p]That’s not the only event in August. Once our Cologne crew returns from their adventures, three more of us will hop on a plane to Seattle for PAX West! We’ll be there as part of the Games from Poland initiative. So if you’re in Emerald City, come find us at the Seattle Convention Center. We’ll have pins and lanyards, and we will be surrounded by other amazing Polish games, so stay a while and try them too![/p][p][/p][p]Both events are a perfect chance to ask us questions directly or give us blunt feedback to our faces. Speaking of feedback…[/p][p][/p][h2]SPOOKY UPDATE WALTZING IN[/h2][p][/p][p]The Welcome to Hell update was a huge success. It showed us the potential in Be My Horde, and we decided to increase the game's scope and give ourselves more time to fully realize this potential. We received tons of valuable feedback from you on what works and what doesn't, and what we could improve in the future. For the last weeks, we've been heavily focused on designing and planning the final scope of the game, working out how to best address your feedback and how to make the game you truly want us to make.[/p][p]Right now, we’re preparing the next major update for October. It will address some of the most pressing issues in the game. To be crystal clear: it WON’T BE as massive as the Welcome to Hell update, as we've been mostly focused on working on systems and content that will come later on in future updates. However, it will introduce meaningful gameplay changes and improvements based on your feedback. These will help us polish the game’s core and prepare it for future content. We won’t spoil the fun of discovering those changes yourself, but here’s a little sneak peek:[/p][p] [/p][h3]DIFFICULTY[/h3][p]One of the main issues in the game right now is the lack of difficulty options and no rewards for playing at higher difficulties. Many players find the Normal difficulty to be too easy, and Hard to be, well, too hard. To address this, we will add more difficulty levels with the October update to ensure the game always provides the perfect amount of challenge. We also learned lately how to adjust the difficulty much better. In the past, with Hard Mode, we were simply tweaking the numbers, like minions' health and damage. Now we understand we can do more than that. Do much more with waves, enemies spawn, the amount of environmental hazards, etc. Higher difficulties will now award a souls multiplier, increasing the rewards you get from facing bigger challenges. [/p][p] [/p][h3]META PROGRESSION[/h3][p]You will be able to spend the mentioned additional souls on expanded meta progression. There will be numerous new upgrades, not only for Moriana, but also for your units and other things, like points of interest you find on the map. Those upgrades will help you progress through the higher difficulty levels.[/p][p][/p][h3]PERKS[/h3][p]Another common point of feedback we hear is that the Perks aren't impactful enough, especially in the mid and end-game. We are rebalancing the game to make them much more powerful and more relevant throughout the entire run. Some of the less exciting and interesting Perks will be moved to meta progression as permanent upgrades.[/p][p] [/p][h3]STORY AND DIALOGUES[/h3][p]We’re planning significant story changes for the full launch. We aim to introduce a plethora of new story content for the full launch. Still, October will already add some new dialogues, revamp a few existing ones, and… add a special Dominion building where you can revisit previously unlocked conversations with Moriana. This way, story lovers won’t miss anything, while those less interested or too intimidated by Moriana can simply ignore it. Choice is yours![/p][p] [/p][p]And of course, October will bring plenty of smaller fixes and improvements too, but these are the main things we are focused on. If all goes well and you like the changes, this will put us on a clear path to full launch, letting us focus more on adding the juicy content you want along the way.[/p][p][/p][p]We also announced some time ago that we’d be running extra playtests for these changes. More info will be available in the second half of September![/p][p][/p][h2]WAKE ME UP WHEN SEPTEMBER STARTS[/h2][p][/p][p]Before October, we’ll also release one minor update in September. However, it’ll just add a new language to the game, but along with a fresh new outfit for Moriana. ;) We won’t spoil which language yet, but we know you’re smart guys. And you’re probably aware what another gaming event will take place in September. And you will probably connect the dots.[/p][p][/p][p]That’s all for today! Between events and updates, we’ve got our hands full. Please keep your fingers crossed for us and keep the feedback coming. Your messages and comments—both positive and negative—motivate us to work even harder. Thank you, truly, for your criticism, feedback, and encouragement. You keep us going.[/p][p][/p][p]Our main goal is clear: to release the best game we can at full launch. We believe that with your support, we will get there and deliver the best possible Be My Horde 1.0 in 2026![/p][p][/p][p]PRAISE BE MORIANA![/p][p]The Polished Games Team[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]