Secrets of Grindea News

Frontline only! Click here for Frontline instructions



Recommended Level: 26-30

Summary

Side quests ahoy!

This is one of those real Frontline updates! All the sounds are either placeholder or missing, and some effects aren't final etc, but the functionality should be enough for testing!

Details

About the patch

So this is the traditional "side content" update that usually follows a main story update, and as always things got a bit out of hand! First and foremost, the teased chests and secrets of the Lost Ship now has proper rewards, and the cards have their effects implemented. Mixe (the Lost Ship bartender) now also offers a pretty substantial side quest with a total of three rewards.

Apart from that, for a polished impression we also felt that we wanted to give the world-shifting ability some place outside of the ship. To that end, we've added ghosts in Tai Ming and the Pumpkin Woods graveyard!

Oh, and the real news everyone has been waiting for: the library is now open!!



Patch 0.873d - February 26th '20

• If someone's been stuck inside the final 'Startington?' room for 30 seconds, an indicator appears
  
• The rolling eyes in the Evil Eye boss fight no longer render their playfield health bars
  
• Shifting to Twilight inside the left doorway of the Evil Eye room no longer pushes you out of bounds
  
• Captain Bones' head no longer disappears when using Blink
  
• The blue eyes in the Evil Eye boss fight should no longer leave behind ocassional colliders for clients
  
• Captain Bones' head can no longer keep fighting even after his user is dead
  
• Captain Bones' head no longer sticks around indefinitely after his user has disconnected
  
• When a client tries reading something in the library, it no longers opens up for the server instead
  
• Smashing a Skeleton Wizard no longer turns it into a Jumpkin, nor disables its spellcasting
  
• Fixed an issue with rendering the Captain Head's chat bubbles in non-latin alphabets
  

Patch 0.873c - February 23rd '20

• Progressing through Tai Ming's Inner Shrine on a new save file no longer crashes the game
  
• Fixed a bug where one of Tannie's chests awarded multiple things if reloading the save after opening it
  
• The Aged Rum should no longer remain in the inventory after giving it away
  

Patch 0.873b - February 21st '20

• Skipping the final Captain Bones cutscene no longer crashes the game
  
• Leaving Brandi without picking up the bottle no longer crashes the game
  
• Skipping Mirar's cutscene now puts him in the right animation
  
• Fixed some text mistakes
  

Additions

• A quite large side quest can now be gotten from Mixe in the Lost Ship
  
• The Lost Ship chests now contain proper items and contribute to save file completion
  
• You can now rebind keyboard controls in the in-game menu (before it had to be main menu)
  
• The Lost Ship Cards now have proper effects
  
• If you've finished the festival, The Library will now be open! Yay, books!
  
• Added a new semi-minor NPC for Evergrind City: Mirar
  
• Added ghost NPCs to other parts of the game, mostly Tai Ming but also one other place...
  
• Added several interactions with aforementioned ghosts
  

Changes

• Adjusted the Torch Puzzle in The Lost Ship to be a bit more readable (and polished)
  

Bug Fixes

• The Lost Ship enemies should now look proper when frozen/in stasis
  
• Haunties can now be targeted by stasis when hidden in Twilight
  
• Skipping the Frozen Fairytale quest no longer locks you out of parts of Temple of Seasons
  
• Returning to the Temple of Season thorn obstacle room now properly shows the ice thorns
  
• Fixed a bunch of text mistakes
  
• The Throw recall animation should now sync properly across host and clients
  
• The Skeleton Wizard/Warrior Armor recipes now requires Twilight Cores instead of Magic Cores from Tai Ming
  
• Using melee skills no longer cause Barrier to be temporarily weakened
  
• Fixed a bug where skipping certain cutscenes as the host caused enemies to disappear for clients
  
• Fixed a bug where releasing the shield button while going into a house would make clients stuck with their shield out for the server
  

If you want to follow the progress and get a glimpse of the wonderful hell/heaven hybrid that is game development, you can check out our DevBlog! Be warned that it contains spoilers, though!



We've just now received a big bag of sounds for the ship, so we'll be adding those, and also be completing a fairly big main story cutscene for when you return to the HQ! Since those things got separated from this side content batch, we'll make another Frontline update before the Stable folks get it. Sorry for the wait guys - hopefully the extra polish makes it worth it!

Frontline only! Click here for Frontline instructions



Recommended Level: 26-30

Summary

Take a good, hard look - it's a motherflippin' boat!

This is one of those real Frontline updates! All the sounds are either placeholder or missing, and some effects aren't final etc, but the functionality should be enough for testing!

Details

About Making A Boat

The boat is here, continuing the story! Let me start out by saying we're very happy with how it turned out, and I think most of you will find a few enjoyable hours in there.

Quality aside, though, we're not at all happy about how stupidly long this took to make. Vilya wrote about it on her blog a week ago, and it's worth a read I think: http://www.vilyaroo.com/2019/12/monday-meeting-reflection.html

TL;DR: We started off designing this dungeon like monkeys and it bit us in the behind. We had to remake probably three times as much for this update than in any other. Some of it was due to our approach to the dungeon planning, and some was just bad luck/lapse in skill. Even at the best of times, not everything that's cool in your head works out in game. We usually end up scrapping 10-20 % of things we thought would turn out nicely, but damn, this time we scrapped half the things we made, maybe more.

Aaanyway, enough of the process and back to the patch!

It's a boat! If you're currently at the end of the previous patch, you can continue your journey by talking to Vilya in the Port Monnaie harbor.

We hope you enjoy The Lost Ship, despite it taking so long to get! Remember, this is a frontline update so it's missing that final layer of polish, and we also welcome all feedback to improve the experience before the Stable patch!



Hotfixes Patch 0.870c - December 27th '19

• Added some Lost Ship graphics: animated water edges, spooky key chest on first floor
  
• Change: The inspection phase of the Lost Ship kitchen now works like in Ivy's office, with each icon remaining until examined
  
• Change: The chief cook's log now survives the fridge smash, and can be read after the battle
  
• Bugfix: Ghostys and Haunties should now behave more consistently when perfect guarded, regardless of how far into their attack they are
  
• Bugfix: The Ghost Ship weapons will now properly appear at the weapon displays
  
• Bugfix: Fixed an out of bounds bug when Twilight shifting inside the goo in the cabin you find Shaik
  
• Bugfix: Fixed a bug where the ship's third boss would get stuck on terrain while trying to find a good spot to swing from
  
• Bugfix: Quinton now properly shows a quest update icon after completing the Lost Ship arc
  
• Bugfix: Fixed a bug that caused some bosses to move improperly in cutscenes (most notable first Marino encounter, placing his post-fight interaction awkwardly)
  

Hotfixes Patch 0.870b - December 25th '19

• Change: Crafting the Spectral Blindfold no longer requires a regular Blindfold - those who already crafted it will get a new Blindfold
  
• Change: During the Fridge fight, the player is now locked inside the room to prevent from leaving accidentally
  
• Change: In order to get to the quick-skip phase of the Evil Eye intro, you must stay in the boss room a while longer
  
• Change: Evil Eye's fire labyrinth has been made easier on Hard Mode
  
• Bugfix: Twilight shift can now be used during phase shift without rebinding or restarting
  
• Bugfix: Arcade Mode now properly ends at Floor 17 again
  
• Bugfix: The Fridge's healthbar is no longer visible before it becomes aggressive
  
• Bugfix: Ghosties can now spawn in the arena and during the alchemist quest without the game crashing
  
• Bugfix: the ship's third boss' triple strike during berserk now actually deals damage
  
• Bugfix: Skipping the Ghost Ship cannon cutscene now removes the quest update icon
  

Additions

• Hit the deck - we're on a boat!
  

Changes

• When 100 % completion has been reached, the 'how to get completion' zoning tips will no longer show up
  
• Guardians will no longer shield Loods
  
• Having 10 quickslots filled in Arcade Mode will no longer push the map down, blocking some things in game
  
• In Arcade Mode, the quickslots now remember the player's preferred bindings per spell instead of per slot
  
• When players are trying to zone (showing the gather prompt), they no longer collide with other players
  

Bug Fixes

• Charging Smash after a Perfect Guard now properly spawns a Smash Ball
  
• Blinking into a new Arcade Mode room will no longer confuse the enemies in that room
  
• Gold Charged Smash no longer bugs out the Red Spinsects in the Big Boulder challenge
  
• Facegear equipment comparisons now work properly while masks are equipped
  
• Fixed a bug where a specific timing of turning around with the shield put it up in the wrong direction
  

If you want to follow the progress and get a glimpse of the wonderful hell/heaven hybrid that is game development, you can check out our DevBlog! Be warned that it contains spoilers, though!



As always we'll be fixing bugs, and then we're going to finish up the polish for the ship - sounds, missing graphics, and a pretty big side quest we've got planned. After that's been on Frontline for a few days, the whole ship will run ashore into Stable and we'll continue on with the rest of the game!

We're not 100 % yet if we'll power through to the story-end before touching Arcade Mode again. It kind of depends on if I (the programmer) get some extra time on my hands - Arcade Mode is mostly programming after all.

Recommended Level: 23-25

Summary

Now everyone can get hot and dirty in the Dragonbone Dunes!

Details

(This patch basically moves the Frontline content to the Stable branch - so Frontline players don't need to read this)

Finally there's some new Story Mode stuff, and it's the next area: Dragonbone Dunes (aka the desert)!

The role of the desert in terms of pacing is a bit different than how we did for Seasonne and Mt Bloom. The reason why is that Tai Ming itself was so very different from the other temples!

For one, Tai Ming was very NPC-heavy. This put us in a situation where players who leave Tai Ming might feel that the next part of the game seems like a ghost town in comparison. Since this is the final non-temple area in the game, and is supposed to be this bustling trade hub, we really didn't want that! In the end, we made over 70 NPCs for the desert and its port town.

Another thing we felt was that Tai Ming pushed the story forward into a place where another forced mini-dungeon (like the Toy Factory or Lurifix quest line in Mt Bloom) would be weird pacing wise. Still, if the desert just had a lot of NPCs but no gameplay content, that would be bad as well.

Because of this, we decided we'd shift the main/side content balance a bit for the desert, with a slightly more streamlined main quest (still with a couple of bosses), but more side content to do instead. This way, people who felt Tai Ming left them yearning for a more traditional gameplay/story pace can go through it relatively quickly, and people who want to spend more time in the desert area can do so with the side quests and secrets!

Hope you all have a good time in Dragonbone Dunes!



If you want to follow the progress and get a glimpse of the wonderful hell/heaven hybrid that is game development, you can check out our DevBlog! Be warned that it contains spoilers, though!



We'll skip Arcade Mode for now and go straight to working on the fourth dungeon: the mysterious ship!

Frontline only! Click here for Frontline instructions



Recommended Level: 23-25

Summary

A whole bunch of bonus content for the desert!

Details

As I wrote in the previous patch notes, and as people who played through the main story in Dragonbone Dunes probably noticed, the main story portion was fairly short. To reiterate what I said then, this was a deliberate decision since we didn't want the story to linger too much before moving on to the next dungeon.

However, we we also didn't want the desert and Port Monnaie (its harbor town) to feel rushed or empty. In fact, as the final big "friendly" area, we wanted it to be one of the best areas in the game in terms of atmosphere and amount of content!

To that end, we've been adding a whole bunch of stuff to the desert, and also to other parts of the game (we've finally made the chests blocked behind water accessible and also added some flashback orbs that will unlock after finishing Tai Ming, giving context to some lore).

The goal is that coming from Tai Ming, you can go through it quickly if you like, but if you like to take it slow there's a lot of stuff to do before tackling the fourth temple/dungeon.

At some point we're going to add even more stuff (like the story behind the huge tree in the desert), but for now we're satisfied with the amount of content Dragonbone Dunes and Port Monnaie has, and we're ready to move on full force on the next dungeon! We hope you enjoy the additions!



Hotfix 0.830b

• Jonathan and his mom now has some updated dialogue as the game progresses
  
• Added a loading hint for how to craft the Best Recipes book
  
• The game should no longer crash when teleporting to Port Monnaie sometimes
  

Additions

• All desert enemies now have an elite version
  
• Added a cave with some bonus math-based puzzles (sorry)
  
• Added a side quest for the drinking guy in the saloon
  
• Added a side quest for the author in Port Monnaie
  
• Added a side quest for Sandie in Port Monnaie the harbor
  
• Added a side quest for Finder in Dragonbone Dunes
  
• The statues in the math cave can now be inspected for side-lore
  
• The Port Monnaie music now alters character when close to Riley
  
• The sound effects of the Desert arc has been added!
  
• Card Effects and Card Art for the desert enemies have been added
  
• Desert fishing and its customary achievement has been added
  
• All the merchants in the Port Monnaie marketplace now have proper shops
  
• Five flashback orbs will now be available outside of Tai Ming for players who have completed it
  

Changes

• Misc: The Sol-Gem and Marino will no longer become aggro'd by Frosty Friend
  
• Balance: Various crit items have been buffed, as well as the Brutality talent
  
• Balance: Projectiles deal 30 % less damage if shielded
  
• Balance: Perfect Guard damage reduction is now 66 %, up from 50 %
  
• Balance: Crystal Shield Perfect Guard damage reduction is now 80 %, up from 66 %
  
• Balance: Card drop rate now slowly, slowly climbs if you've been extremely unlucky with a particular enemy
  
• Balance: Season Mage projectiles now deal much more damage to enemies when reflected
  

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that made some pet types attempt grand escapes from Arcadia
  
• Fixed a few bugs related to skipping the Sol-Gem and boulder cutscenes
  
• A gold charge meteor hitting a burning target should no longer cancel the burn effect
  
• Getting Cammy before Oldman in Arcadia should no longer block Oldman from spawning
  
• Arcade Mode now remembers how much lumber you've bought between sessions and adjusts prices accordingly
  
• Fixed a bug where activating the mimic while another player was by the door would lock that player out
  
• A server talking to Quemi should no longer cause the dialogue to show up for the client as well
  
• The Port Monnaie NPCs should now move around properly for clients
  
• The 'I Got You Covered' talent now previews the effect increase properly when leveling it
  
• Canceling a dodging strike with a weapon swap can no longer be used to create invincibility fields
  
• Fixed a bug where Katarina could appear at two places at once. This is not Game of Thrones!
  
• Fixed a bug that made uncharged Insect Swarm stronger than the bronze charge
  

If you want to follow the progress and get a glimpse of the wonderful hell/heaven hybrid that is game development, you can check out our DevBlog! Be warned that it contains spoilers, though!



Now we're going to monitor the stability for a week while working on the coming temple. When any new bugs have been squashed, we'll upload it all to Stable! After that it's full focus on the fourth dungeon!

Frontline only! Click here for Frontline instructions



Recommended Level: 23-25

Summary

Don't invite Rick Astley because this update will totally desert you!

This is one of those real Frontline updates! All the sounds are either placeholder or missing, and some effects aren't final etc, but the functionality should be enough for testing!

Details

About Dragonbone Dunes

Finally there's some new Story Mode stuff, and it's the next area: Dragonbone Dunes (aka the desert)!

The role of the desert in terms of pacing is a bit different than how we did for Seasonne and Mt Bloom. The reason why is that Tai Ming itself was so very different from the other temples!

For one, Tai Ming was very NPC-heavy. This put us in a situation where players who leave Tai Ming might feel that the next part of the game seems like a ghost town in comparison. Since this is the final non-temple area in the game, and is supposed to be this bustling trade hub, we really didn't want that! In the end, we made over 60 NPCs for the desert and its port town.

Another thing we felt was that Tai Ming pushed the story forward into a place where another forced mini-dungeon (like the Toy Factory or Lurifix quest line in Mt Bloom) would be weird pacing wise. Still, if the desert just had a lot of NPCs but no gameplay content, that would be bad as well.

Because of this, we decided we'd shift the main/side content balance a bit for the desert, with a slightly more streamlined main quest (still with a couple of bosses), but more side content to do instead. This way, people who felt Tai Ming left them yearning for a more traditional gameplay/story pace can go through it relatively quickly to get to the next temple, and people who want to spend more time in the desert area can do so with the side quests and secrets!

That means this Frontline update is a bit unusual, as well. For the other areas, we first released only the main quest and no side content, but since the side content is a more integral part of the experience, we decided to add a portion of the side content to the Frontline patch!

Of course, since this is the first Frontline patch of the area, we're going to polish things up a bit and also add more stuff to do in coming updates, before shipping it all in one big lump to Stable.

Hope you all have a good time in Dragonbone Dunes!



Hotfix 0.820c

• Added some polish to NPC behaviors in Port Monnaie
  
• The Cacute aggressive state now reverses if you leave them alone for a while
  
• Perfect guarding the first tick of the Solem laser now interrupts the attack
  
• Perfect guarded Cacute projectiles now move faster and deal significantly more damage to enemies
  
• Fixed a number of multiplayer bugs in the desert
  
• Bees no longer spawn en masse outside of bounds in Pillar Mountains
  

Hotfix 0.820b

• Added some chat commands for desert reset: /desertreset (entire desert), /desertsidereset (all side quests), /desertmainreset (the main quest), /farmareset (only the Farmamera battle), /solgemreset (only Sol-Gem battle), /marino2reset (only Marino battle)
  
• You can no longer stand next to Sol-Gem during its shockwave attack
  
• You can no longer blink past the Marino cutscene trigger
  
• Candy should now accept that you completed her objective in the museum quest and move on
  
• The vegetable enemies should now keep spawning properly next to the farm after their quest has been finished
  

Additions

• The desert and its storyline are now accessible
  

Changes

• Balance: Chain Lightning's gold charge damage has been increased
  
• Balance: Earth Spike's damage has been slightly decreased
  
• Balance: Meteor's damage has been slightly increased on silver and gold
  
• Balance: Enemies now build up stun resistance a short period after being stunned, preventing chain stunning
  

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a skill-related underflow bug
  

If you want to follow the progress and get a glimpse of the wonderful hell/heaven hybrid that is game development, you can check out our DevBlog! Be warned that it contains spoilers, though!



As always we'll be fixing bugs, and then we'll add a bunch more side content to the desert (including some obvious stuff like giving the cards art and effects, elite enemies, fishing and content for the shops). After that we'll put it all on the Stable branch and sail away to the next temple!