Soulmask News

[h3]Hello, Players![/h3]

Here is Peter & Maggie, the community managers of "Soulmask." If you chieftains haven't checked out the first issue of the log, you can click here to take a look.

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2646460/view/4143947429358449497

We are refreshing the comments section every minute, paying attention to everyone's feedback on the new weapon movement, hoping that everyone will enjoy them!

This time, we plan to discuss some more fundamental aspects of combat: not as flashy, but detailed enough. Do you like risky combat in the jungle? Let's dive in:

[h2]Core combat improvements: Stamina & Distance[/h2]

In the conflicts between the barbarians in "Soulmask," combat is a highly risky endeavor: we truly hope to convey this reality to everyone. In combat, every attack consumes precious stamina, and the vulnerability (Hitstun) after an attack also becomes an opportunity for the opponent to strike—patiently maneuvering, waiting for the opponent to make a mistake, and delivering a precise fatal blow. Just like a fierce beast in the jungle.



Therefore, in Soulmask, all combat fundamentals revolve around three elements: the rhythm of initiating attacks, the distance between the attacker and the target that determines whether the attack hits, and not wasting valuable stamina.

In the first issue of the log, we shared our plans for improving the rhythm of combat actions. This time, let's discuss stamina management and distance control, which were the features that garnered considerable attention during the previous playtesting event.

I wish that when attacking with weapons, the character would step forward slightly to add some dynamics to the combat; otherwise, I try to hit someone and while my attack animation is playing, the enemy just calmly steps back and prepares for a strong hit, while I stand still swinging at the air.

Losing stamina in combat, making unable to fight. Big Cats just jumping at you, so you can't fight back and just die. from Next Fest test 2024's survey

We also noticed that in the early stages of "Soulmask," certain aspects of stamina and distance determination settings needed optimization. Therefore, we first increased the stamina recovery speed so that when a big cat jumps at you, you still have a chance of survival, right?



We have different types of weapons with various ranges and characteristics, which also bring quite a challenge for players to get used to—indeed, swinging your weapon at thin air can be quite frustratingːsteamsadː. Therefore, in the new version, we quietly added a small mechanism for charging and locking onto the target! When the distance to the target is close enough (a red reticle will remind you of the timing), players can charge and attack by controlling their character to cover a short distance. Yes, they can't resist the urge for blood...



Oh, and one more thing, I want to emphasize again that the above is not the final game result. At the moment you are reading this article, we are still working hard to improve! We will bring you even better content!





But let's expose some small details that only a few people care about, but believe me, we all keep in mind.

[h2]Detail, more details[/h2]

Switching weapons/tools takes way to long.from Next Fest test 2024's survey

Maggie understands the pain of being surrounded by a large group of bush dogs while chopping wood and not being able to switch weaponsːsteamsadː, so we optimized two small details:
● During the weapon switch process, the stun caused by light attacks will not interrupt it! The epic debuff from the bush dog pack!ːsteamhappyː
● The mouse wheel can directly switch the inventory items, as statistics have shown that over 80% of chieftains' fingers haven't grown long enough to reach the number 9 key directly...



Using bandages in a fight causes the character to stand there while being bandaged but it seems very slow since all bosses or mobs can gap close you quickly. from Next Fest test 2024's survey

Bandages can save the lives of chieftains, but they shouldn't be a noose around their necks: now the standing stillness while using bandages can be interrupted by any rolling action!



I would like more realistic battles！---- from Royce

Designer Royce was very concerned about this issue of authenticity during the previous testing, it seems he found a lot of inspiration from cult movies...



lt's awful on a 32 : 9 display——by Shotgun Mike

Oh @Shotgun Mike, we won't forget about you, the 32:9 ultrawide screen resolution support has been implemented!


[h2]What's Next?[/h2]

In the next issue, we will focus more on this world—the jungle is full of vitality, danger, and beauty... Are you ready to say hello to new friends (even though they don't look very friendly...)?

We are Peter & Maggie, and we'll see you again soon!



Join discord：https://discord.gg/Vjh9gteNEn

[h3]Greetings players:[/h3]

We are community managers, Peter and Maggie, primarily responsible for community operations in Soulmask (you might encounter us rushing past a llama in the game). News from the developers has been somewhat quiet, as there is a lot of content we're eager to showcase, but we are deeply immersed in development iterations. Today, we want to share the latest iteration plans and exciting designs.

We have carefully reviewed past feedback and conversations, and it's clear that everyone is very interested in combat, creatures, tribal management, and construction. Based on your feedback, the developer's roadmap contains hundreds of design elements, including new ideas, iterations, and optimizations.

So, in the days to come, I will share with you the progress of our designs in the order of your concerns, as well as some small details that you might not think about and are often easily overlooked (I find them quite interesting), and I hope you all enjoy it.

Combat has always been one of the most important aspects of Soulmask. Our original intention was for combat to be realistic, allowing players to focus on each opportunity for attack and managing stamina. We will discuss this aspect in detail in a future article.

From the past trial events, we have received a lot of feedback on combat. Here are some interesting comments that I have selected.

I think that（combat system） needs to be the number 1 priority they fix in this game. But yeah, if they can improve upon the combat and the suggestions you（Shizai） provided, I think they're going to have a real fun game on their hands. Had a blast playing it.——from General Lee Stoned |StUn|

Fighting needs smoothed out seems to jerk sometimes——from mikesmithiii

There are many similar comments, so for this issue, I want to share some of the latest combat details with you.

[h2]Combat will become smoother[/h2]
In the past, there was feedback about the combat needing to be smoother. Based on this issue, we spent several days making adjustments, and we believe there will be a significant improvement in the combat experience in the future of the game. Now, we can show you some progress:

*Note! This is not the final product; we are still working hard to improve!

Dual-blade

Visually, we have significantly enhanced the swinging effects of the dual blades. Compared to the previous feeling of being like wooden clubs, they now resemble truly deadly weapons. At the same time, we were not satisfied with the smoothness of the character's skeleton structure from before. Adjustments have been made to the transitions between normal attacks, making our control feel smoother and more agile.



Hammer

The great hammer must deliver a deadly blow, but that doesn't mean it has to be overly cumbersome. We have re-evaluated the recovery time of the great hammer's normal attacks, allowing for interruptions during the lifting process, which greatly increases the hammer's output frequency. Additionally, players can choose to quickly reposition themselves after retracting the great hammer, enhancing their survivability.



Giant Sword

Similar adjustments have been made to improve the fluidity of the basic attacks with the Giant Sword. Of course, this doesn't mean the Giant Sword will feel lightweight, but rather the movements are now more seamless and less rigid.


[h2]The New Weapon Mastery will be very interesting.[/h2]

Maggie has already lost count of how many Bush Dogs she has slain with the Quadru Tornado Slash technique. Mastery always seems to come to our chieftain's aid at their most difficult moments. However, the designers felt that the masteries were still not numerous enough! We have recently added Mastery to every weapon. It's time for some carnage! I'm very excited to share a few exciting Mastery with everyone

Hammer

The hammer in the game revolves around the concept of "Heavy Strikes," and this is also the core of our new Mastery design. It involves a three-stage charging mechanic, and while it requires some patience to charge up, once fully charged, you can deliver a heavy blow to your opponent (gut punch). Just like Soulmask, you may need a little patience, but then you will embark on a fantastic journey in the game.



Giant Sword

Regarding the Giant Sword, our lead designer Royce once envisioned a scenario: a fierce black panther pounces towards you, and you raise your weapon, close your eyes, and pray. Then, you crouch down and slide, with the blade intersecting the vulnerable belly of the beast. When you open your eyes, all you see is blood and entrails scattered on the ground.

Yes, he has implemented this action in the game.Using the Giant Sword, you can perform a slide maneuver to hit the target's abdomen, causing additional damage. Moreover, during this process, you are immune to the charge and pounce of wild animals (perhaps the black panther scenario has left a strong psychological impact, but that's a good thing, isn't it?)



In addition, I have also obtained Mastery for several other weapons and can share them with you.







[h2]Is that all?[/h2]

Of course not! The next issue of the combat-related content will be unveiled in a few days. New fun stuff is on the way! We hope you enjoy this issue. We are Peter & Maggie, and we will see you again very soon!



Click here to join discord：https://discord.gg/wsnZvXpm94

Hi everyone, I'm Wing, the marketing team leader of Soulmask. I'm writing this letter to everyone with excitement and nervousness.

During the Steam Next fest in mid-February, we released a 40-hour demo version for players to try out. To our pleasant surprise, we gained over Hundreds of thousands of new friends and accumulated over 470,000 hours of gameplay!

With the enthusiastic support of our players, Soulmask quickly rose to the 8th position on the Trending Upcoming list during the festival and eventually reached the 3rd position. Additionally, our wishlist ranking has increased by over 400 places!

On YouTube and Twitch channels, we received more than 1000 pieces of contents from 532 creators and garnered 127 media news reports for "Soulmask". These contents not only provided reviews and answers for our players but also offered us a lot of inspiration.

We are very thankful for everyone's attention and love!

Among the reviews and feedback, the most prominent topic was the 40-hour gameplay experience we provided.

For a demo version game offered for free during the festival, a 40-hour trial is nearly unprecedented and is indeed a bold move for us.

Initially, we planned to set the trial duration at 16 hours. However, based on previous testing and feedback from our internal team, 16 hours might not even be enough to obtain the bronze equipment.

We are a slow-paced game, which means we might miss out on many lovely friends.

But we are confident in our game, as it gets more enjoyable and addictive the more you play. This confidence stems not only from our game's development and design but also from the feedback of our testing users and our community of over 5000+ friends on Discord.

So when our long-time community member Adam suggested extending the trial duration to allow more players to experience the true fun of Soulmask, "let them explore relics with different equipment, let them experience abundant wildlife and crops, and train the coolest tribe, as well as the taste of defeat in battle,"

After intense discussion, we ultimately decided to extend the trial time to 40 hours and open an unlimited single-player mode at the start of the festival.

This adjustment provided more opportunities for friends to get to know us, and it's these opportunities that led to the achievements mentioned above.

Here I must thank Adam for giving us the courage. ːsteamhappyː

I want to give a special thanks to Shizai for his valuable feedback, which was over 18,000 letters. As a seasoned survival game player, Shizai provided us with detailed feedback on various aspects of Soulmask, including the user interface, building and farming mechanics, and the mount system. Our development team carefully read and thoroughly considered the best optimization solutions.



However, what touched me the most was this passage:

【In a lot of games the world feels empty and sad, no matter how pretty the world looks (e.g. Icarus), and NPC tribes & tribe management could be THE feature to make the game more alive, interesting and deep】

This is exactly one of the original intentions behind our design of the tribal system!

The intelligent tribal system is a major feature of the game, aimed at freeing players from repetitive tasks and allowing them to focus more on exploration and combat. More importantly, we hope that the tribal system can provide players with a sense of family and belonging in the game.

Regardless of the size of the thatched hut or the small stone house, there will always be tribal members at home, tidying up everything and waiting for your return from the hunt.

We also appreciate Mr. Beans' thoughtful criticism. It allows us to maintain a clear perspective while celebrating small achievements. We indeed have many shortcomings and are still far from those great works. However, this is also one of the driving forces for us to continue our efforts!

In addition, a big thank you to Wak for your wonderful performance during the Steam Next Fest's official live stream, showcasing the tribesmen gameplay for our players

Next, our community manager Peter will address the most pressing questions and concerns from the trial event.

[h3]Q1: I experienced unstable servers and high latency while playing the game.[/h3]

A1: Following the start of the trial event, the player enthusiasm exceeded our expectations, leading to a large influx of players and causing some servers to experience lag due to high player numbers or excessive constructions. Upon identifying the issue, we promptly decided to open more servers and optimize the game's performance. Additionally, our development team worked intensively to open an unlimited private mode for players at the beginning of the festival. Our optimization work has been proceeding according to plan, so we ask our players to trust in our efforts.

Furthermore, in response to the high-latency issue reported by European players on official servers, we have prepared local servers in Europe. During the subsequent testing and early access stages, European players will be able to enjoy a lower-latency gaming experience.

[h3]Q2: I don't know what to do in the game, and it feels like there's no guidance or tutorial, so I logged off after playing for a while.[/h3]

A2: Players who participated in the early stages of development testing know that the game's content and mechanics are very rich and engaging. In this round of testing, many players have provided feedback that the game lacks clear guidance, and they feel lost in the initial stages. We have long been aware of the issue of incomplete tutorials, and the development team has been working according to the plan to create a more comprehensive guide to help players better immerse themselves in this world. In future versions, we will provide improved guidance and objectives, along with adding CG animations to stimulate players' desire to explore the world.

[h3]Q3: The house I built decayed, and I didn't know that lighting a campfire could prevent buildings from decaying.[/h3]

A3: Regarding the "decay mechanism," we will enhance the guide on using campfires to protect buildings and significantly reduce the materials required to craft campfires. Additionally, after the early access phase, players will be able to adjust various parameters, including the speed of "decay," and even directly disable the "decay" system using a custom panel before starting in single-player/local network/private server mode. Moreover, in single-player mode, decay will not continue when the player is offline.

On official multiplayer servers, considering the gameplay experience of all players, the "decay" mechanism will be retained (otherwise, the world might be filled with abandoned bases from other players, making it difficult for new and old players to place their own base). Of course, we will also listen to player feedback in subsequent testing phases and may make detailed adjustments based on their opinions.

[h3]Q4: Some surfaces in the game cannot be climbed, resulting in a poor climbing experience.[/h3]

A4: We will optimize the climbing experience and strive to make all-terrain surfaces climbable, enhancing the player's exploration experience in the world.

[h3]Q5: The night time in the game is too long, and it's difficult to see anything at night.[/h3]

A5: Many players have provided feedback that the night time in the game is too long. We will significantly reduce the duration of night time in the game to prevent players from feeling lost during the long night. Additionally, after the early access phase, players will be able to adjust various parameters using a custom panel before starting in single-player/LAN/private server mode.

[h3]Q6: The game's font is too small, and the taskbar background is transparent, making it difficult to read.[/h3]

A6: We will add a non-transparent background to the game's text to make it easier for everyone to read. As for other details such as font size, we will consider each one individually and optimize the player's experience as much as possible.

[h3]Q7: The early game difficulty is too high, and I often get killed by monsters. It's also complex to craft and gather materials in the early game.[/h3]

A7: In response to these issues, we have made the following adjustments:
- Adjusted the difficulty of the barbarians and added sound effects for wild animals to provide warnings to some extent.
- Significantly reduced the number of early-game workbenches, so players will no longer spend a lot of time collecting resources to build workbenches.
- Reduced the materials required to craft certain items and weapons. For example, bone weapons can now be crafted with just thick rope and animal bones, eliminating the need for leather rope.

[h3]Q8: The UI/UX (game interface) looks uncomfortable and the operation feels cumbersome.[/h3]

A8：Interactivity has always been a part we value highly, and this trial has had a lot of player feedback on operational issues, such as long-pressing the left mouse button to learn skills, long-pressing the E key to view information, and having to remove and place high-level equipment into the workbench before repairing. We will make adjustments to these issues, and some problems will need further discussion before deciding on how to modify them, aiming to make the player's operation experience as convenient as possible.

We welcome players proposing specific issues and will continue to optimize!

In addition to addressing the player feedback mentioned above, we will also share with you our upcoming game optimization efforts.

[h3]1, About game guide and interaction:[/h3]

In order to help players quickly understand what kind of game "Soul Mask" is, we will focus on the following aspects to enhance player perception:

Operation: Strengthen the guide for gathering, building, and combat, helping players quickly become familiar with the basic operations of "Soulmask."
Worldview: Create more CG animations to introduce the game's worldview, gradually uncovering the secrets behind the mask, and guiding players to explore the world.
System: We will create a detailed in-game tutorial page separately to allow players to easily access game tutorials at any time.

[h3]2，About the unique gameplay experiences in the early game:[/h3]

We have prepared various gameplay features such as intelligent tribe management, possession control, and mask collection. However, in this testing phase, many players did not experience these aspects and missed out on the fun of the game. Therefore, in future versions, we will bring forward the introduction of control gameplay. Players will be able to easily unlock the control feature and utilize the abilities of the masks to possess other tribesmen, experiencing the core gameplay of the game. The unlock conditions for other masks will also be lowered, and the acquisition of related materials will be made easier. When players place their first campfire, a wanderer will join their tribe voluntarily, becoming their tribesmen and providing the best opportunity to experience the control gameplay.

[h3]3, About optimizing the tribe management system[/h3]

Many players have expressed that while the AI of the tribesmen is intelligent enough, setting tasks for them is cumbersome and increases the learning curve. This can lead to situations where the tribespeople have nothing to do, resulting in a decrease in their satisfaction and their eventual departure from the tribe.

In regard to tribesmen, we have optimized their intelligence, and now players only need to issue simple commands to direct them to gather the corresponding resources, eliminating the need for cumbersome preliminary operations. Players can also assign professions to tribespeople, and once tasks are assigned at the corresponding workbench, tribesmen meeting the professional requirements will automatically start working.



[h3]4, Enhancing Immersion in the Game[/h3]

During this trial, the sound effects presented were only for testing, and many sound effects were not implemented. In subsequent versions, we will incorporate more sound effect updates, including ambient sounds of the natural environment, sounds of wildlife attacks and movements, and sounds of characters swimming. The existing sound effects will also undergo optimization to enhance a more immersive and realistic experience. For example, the rustling sound in the rainforest may represent danger, and we want players to feel as if they are personally hunting in the rainforest.

In terms of the ecosystem, we have introduced more wildlife such as mice, brown bears, spiders, and grey wolves, among others, to strengthen the overall ecosystem.

There are still many areas in the game that have not been unlocked. As players continue to explore, the secrets hidden behind the masks will gradually be revealed, and there are many more discoveries awaiting players in the game.

[h3]5, Game Language Support and Localization Accuracy[/h3]

In the upcoming versions, we will add support for languages such as German, French, and Portuguese. In this trial, many players provided feedback on the accuracy of the game's text. This is because in the testing version, many texts have not gone through final proofreading, and these issues will be addressed in the EA version. We have also recruited volunteers from among the players to collaborate with them in providing better game text. We would like to express our gratitude to these enthusiastic players.

[h3]6, Gamepad and Peripheral Support[/h3]

Many players have mentioned gamepad support and Steam Deck support, both of which will be added in future versions.

Finally, we want to express our gratitude to all the players who have been eagerly anticipating our game, whether they have had a taste of it at a gaming event and are left wanting more, or have watched numerous content creators' videos and are eagerly waiting. We appreciate those who have played the early access version and provided valuable feedback for us to improve.

Our EA version won't keep you waiting too long; perhaps it will be available in just three months ːsteamhappyː.

Greeting players,
The Soulmask Demo for the Next Fest will come to an end at PT23:59 , February 18, and in time the players with the Demo won't be able to start the trial version from Steam. We hope you've had your moments in the game during this period of time.
We're well aware that the game still has room to be improved and appreciate your enthusiastic participation and feedback. Every bit of this helps us make it a better game. In the future, we’ll continue the original development plan and complete the main game features as soon as possible while paying attention to your feedback and fixing hot issues, especially regarding game guidance and ease of use.
If you like our game, we sincerely hope you may add Soulmask to the [Wishlist] and recommend it to your friends. We also invite you to [join the Discord community] to communicate with players from across the world and receive game news. Please follow our official announcements and social channels for the incoming content. Looking forward to meeting you again in the official version.
Everything is just beginning. Soon, you will be able to enter the complete new continent, recruit tribesmen, develop your own tribe, and uncover the secrets behind the masks...

👉 Join the official Discord: https://discord.gg/eVsURRrKU3
👉 We invite you to tell us about your experience: https://wja.mobijoygames.com/vm/Q15eIaE.aspx

Greeting players, we've invited closed-test friend Wak4863 to showcase how to recruit barbarians in Soulmask and how to assign automatic quests to them.
He will streaming from GMT 1:00 am to 2:00 am at Feb 8th.
Hope you enjoy!