Valor Of Man News

Hello there Wardens!

We're back with a big update, and we’re excited to walk you through all the new features, changes, and improvements in version 0.5.0. but, before we start and as a heads up: this update makes some major changes under the hood, so the save files from earlier versions won’t work with this one.

Why? We've made a massive overhaul to the Hero abilities system, which means a bit of a fresh start here will allow us to build more smoothly in the future. This change aims to prevent any issues when we add new abilities or make adjustments. If you have any questions, jump into our Discord server, and we’ll be happy to chat! And now… Let’s get started!

[h2]Heroes, Classes, and New Abilities! [/h2]

The hero roster just got a major upgrade with 12 new classes spread across our four main archetypes. These new classes bring fresh playstyles and strategies, giving each run a unique twist. Here’s a quick breakdown:

[h3]Alistair (Warrior Archetype)[/h3]

• Captain: Tactical Command - Empowers allies and controls the field.
  
• Berserker: Unleashed Rage - Unleashes raw fury but sacrifices defense.
  
• Champion: Shield of Valor - Absorbs and redirects damage to protect the team.
  

[h3]Ignatius (Cleric Archetype)[/h3]

• Theurg: Shield of Compassion - Healer and protector of those in need.
  
• Paladin: Divine Resilience - Gains strength from injuries and can survive deadly hits.
  
• Inquisitor: Blood Pact - Risks health to weaken enemies with powerful debuffs.
  

[h3]Elara (Rogue Archetype)[/h3]

• Blade Dancer: Dance of Blades - Strikes swiftly and evades with finesse.
  
• Ranger: Ranged Specialist - A master of ranged attacks, especially effective on distracted foes.
  
• Assassin: Cunning Disguise - Blends into surroundings, surprising and avoiding danger.
  

[h3]Octavia (Mage Archetype)[/h3]

• Archmage: Sorceress of Destruction - Commands powerful, destructive elemental magic.
  
• Seer: Prophetic Insight - Can reveal hidden dangers and prevent surprises.
  
• Occultist: Whispers of the Abyss - Taps into the abyss, with some risky (but powerful) spells.
  

Each class comes with its backstory, strengths, weaknesses, and a unique quote that hints about its personality. As you play, you can mix and match these classes to find your favorite combos. Unlock them as you progress, and explore a whole range of tactics as you unlock and level up! We’d love to know: Which combo are you most excited to try?



[h2]Cinematic Action Cam [/h2]

Get ready to see your heroes in action like never before! We’ve added a cinematic action cam that zooms in on big moments during combat—attacks, critical hits, and finishing blows all get their own spotlight. This feature amps up the intensity and gives battles a fresh feel.



[h2]UI and UX: Smooth and Sharp [/h2]

We’ve polished up the UI to make every move in combat feel smooth and intuitive:

• Enhanced Feedback: Clearer action visuals mean you’ll never miss a beat in battle.
  
• Detailed Hit Info: The cursor now shows combined hit and damage percentages, so you can better predict outcomes.
  
• Action Queueing: Queue up moves and attacks for a seamless flow—single moves need confirmation to prevent misclicks.
  
• Targeting Improvements: One-click attack on an enemy lets your hero move and attack in one go.
  
• Ability Previews: Right-clicking abilities now shows possible upgrades in the Heroes screen, Level-Up screen, and the Almanac.
  

[h2]Balance Tweaks [/h2]

With these new classes and abilities we’ve adjusted enemy stats, so now you’ll notice Elites gaining more HP as you progress through each act. Our goal is to keep the encounters challenging, making the enemies nastier as you progress through the game.



[h2]Bugs and Fixes [/h2]

No update is complete without a round of bug fixes. Here’s a look at some of the biggest fixes in 0.5.0:

• Reduced Almanac load times and improved UI.
  
• "New Abilities!" notification now clears after you leave the Level-Up screen.
  
• Fixed multi-hit animations so every hit plays as expected.
  
• Corrected bugs with specific abilities, like the Scorched Dice artifact and Berserk ability upgrades.
  
• Lots of visual tweaks for abilities, tooltips, and character screens.
  

You can check the full list in its dedicated post: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2699280/view/4445708897933590810


[h2]And That’s a Wrap on 0.5.0![/h2]

We’re thrilled to bring this update to you, and we hope you have as much fun with the new classes and features as we did making them! Dive in, experiment with class combos, and let us know what you think. Join us on Discord, tell us about your favorite class, or share which ability saved your team on the toughest level.

Until next time, happy gaming Wardens!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2699280/Valor_Of_Man/

As mentioned in the Dev Blog, here is a full list of Bug fixes for update 0.5.0:

• Improved Almanac load times and UI architecture.
  
• The new abilities ! notification will now disappear when you leave the Level-up screen.
  
• Improved visibility for abilities with charges in the Heroes screen.
  
• Fixed a bug where multi-hit attacks would not play subsequent attack animations after the first Hit.
  
• Fixed a bug with the Scorched Dice artifact sometimes not giving +1 Action Points upon killing an enemy unit.
  
• Fixed a bug where Beast Within would not grant Deadly damage bonus correctly.
  
• Fixed a bug where the action queue would permit executing actions targeting nothing.
  
• Fixed a bug where sometimes AOE spells could not be used on the ground.
  
• Fixed a bug where Ogre would sometimes not perform its Action turn when Collapsed
  
• Fixed a bug where Astral Conduit Teleport ability could target Large monsters and would spend action points but not do anything.
  
• Fixed a bug where the Hero Almanach would sometimes show an incorrect number of unlocked abilities.
  
• Fixed a bug where, after winning a run, the Back button would sometimes hide the top menu.
  
• Fixed a bug with the Berserk ability not having an upgrade.
  
• Fixed typos with some ability descriptions.
  
• Fixed a Vfx bug with the Short Bow Ranger starting weapon.
  
• Fixed a visual bug where new weapons would be much darker than normal.
  
• Fixed a visual bug where hidden abilities would sometimes be shown.
  
• Fixed a visual bug where keyword tooltips would sometimes go out of screen in the Heroes screen.
  
• Fixed a visual bug where Status Effects would not show keyword tooltips.
  
• Fixed a visual bug where the Hero Class tooltip would show underneath the ability keyword tooltips in the ability reward screen.
  

Hello, hello!

We’re Traian and Florian Cazacu, two brothers with a lifelong passion for playing and making games. This shared love for gaming is what drives us and what we hope will resonate with you, future players of Valor of Man. As we approach the final stages of our development journey, we wanted to share with you how we reached this point and what inspired us to start this project.

[h2]Origins[/h2]

Our gaming journey began nearly 30 years ago on the HC (Home Computer), and while some might call us "kinda old," we prefer to say we’re experienced! We’ve got a deep well of nostalgia for the games that shaped us, with some of our favorites being Diablo 1 & 2 for their dark, gothic atmosphere, Baldur’s Gate 1 & 2 for the epic power fantasies and tactical combat, Fallout 1, 2 & Tactics for that wasteland grit, Icewind Dale for its grand battles, and Starcraft for the thrill of teamwork and real-time strategy.



Of course, that’s just a taste of the games we love. We’re drawn to profound, complex experiences that reward curiosity, ingenuity, and cooperation. We also love board games, with some of our top picks being Eldritch Horror, Robinson Crusoe, Shadows over Camelot, Space Alert, Descent, and Kingdom Death: Monster.

[h2]The Modern Era of Gaming[/h2]

Modern games feel pretty different from those we grew up with. Maybe we’ve been spoiled by years of gaming, but now we tend to “see the Matrix” quickly: understanding the structure of a game and then reducing it to a transactional grind (play X hours, get Y reward). That approach doesn’t hold the same appeal for us anymore.

There’s also the matter of speed. Many games today cater to fast-paced play, but we remember the thrill of spending hours struggling to beat a red dragon in Baldur’s Gate 2. While it took time and effort, the eventual victory felt incredibly satisfying compared to today’s flashy bosses that often fall in minutes.

[h2]The call[/h2]

As technical people, we naturally gravitated toward problem-solving careers. We’ve spent years developing software and automating systems. But games have always been a constant in our lives, and that passion is hard to ignore, no matter how exciting other fields can be.

Over the years, we talked endlessly about games and game design. Then, in March 2023, something clicked. After revisiting an idea repeatedly, we decided to build a prototype. At that point, we were on a personal journey, searching for what truly inspired us, and we found joy and freedom in what would become Valor of Man. After almost two years of work and countless hours of fun, we’re nearly ready to bring it to life.



Our vision for Valor of Man is to combine the excitement of real-time games with the strategic depth of turn-based combat. But here's the twist that we're sure will pique your interest: enemies react to your attacks, making the battlefield dynamic and adding a layer of strategy to every encounter. Each enemy has its distinct style and personality, with tailored tactics and reactions, which keep the game moving and ensure that no two battles are the same.

To better explain this, imagine the start of a battle: Your initial strategy might be similar most of the time, but look how your enemy reacts differently each time you hit him. There isn’t a set order for this. So you know how you will start the fight, but you never know what’s coming next.



[h2]We need you![/h2]

Wow! Have you reached this point? We started to think we were talking alone! Anyway, we wanted to thank you for taking the time to read about us and our journey towards the launch of (how we call it) “our first child”.

Reaching this point has not been easy, and we know the most exciting yet challenging phase is upon us. Together with you, fellow gamers, we want to make sure that Valor of Man meets the expectations of those who, like us, are missing something in this new era of gaming.

Stay tuned to join upcoming playtests and beta phases and help us give Valor of Man the final tweaks. Furthermore, if you want to discuss our game (or the gaming scene in general) more deeply, find us on our Discord Server! We are eager to hear your opinions!

See you soon!

Hello everyone,

Valor of Man BETA is now ready to play. We'll keep it open until at least September 18, 12:00 GMT.

You are more than welcome to dive right into the game, we hope you will enjoy it.

Feel free to share with us any feedback you have!
You can find us at:

• Discord server
• support [at] legacyforgestudio [dot] com
  

Thank you for your support!

Hello everyone,

We are happy to announce that we are planning to open the Beta for Valor of Man later today. We’ll give access to everybody that registered. Stay tuned!

We hope to hear your feedback, suggestions and bugs through our Discord server or email: support [at] legacyforgestudio [dot] com

Thank you for your support!