Cursed Companions News

[h2]Why we made it[/h2][p][/p][p]We built Traitor Mode because players were already trying to trick each other in Co-op Mode. They were trying to work the curse words into the conversation and killing their teammate for fun. So it became clear we had to build this new mechanic as it added a new dimension of fun. With just a few tweaks, this co-op game turned into a social deduction game. ːsteamhappyː[/p][p]
In this mode, players are split into two roles: Companions and Traitors. The game assigns these roles randomly at the start. The game Host sets how many traitors there are and can adjust some other settings.

[/p][h2]How it works:[/h2]

• [p]Traitors can see the curse words of Companions. They can use these to damage teammates by saying or baiting others into saying the wrong word.[/p]
• [p] Traitors can curse other players by firing a 'Death Curse projectile'. Only the Traitor firing the Death Curse can see the projectile. Other players can't tell who fired it. (Players who receive a death curse will have a Death Curse aura, everyone can see the aura.)[/p]
• [p]Traitors can even curse themselves to avoid suspicion. [/p]
• [p] Companions can’t see anyone’s curse words but their own.[/p]
• [p]Traitors can see who their fellow traitors are but they can't see their curse words[/p]
• [p] The main goal is to collect Treasure from the Dungeon, same as Co-op Mode, but now you only get 1 day to do it.[/p]
• [p] Each player can carry up to 4 Treasures (compared to 1 in co-op)[/p]
• [p] You get one Emergency Meeting per game. Anyone can call it by saying the trigger phrase - "Emergency Meeting". This teleports everyone who's still alive to the Voting Hall, where the group votes on who they think the traitor is.[/p]
• [p] The player with the most votes is eliminated.
  [/p]

[h2]Win conditions:[/h2]

• [p]Traitors win if all companions are dead, or if the companions fail to collect the required treasure.[/p]
• [p]Companions win by reaching the treasure goal before the Day ends.
  [/p]

[h2]A whole new way to play[/h2][p][/p][p]This mode changes the way you play completely. It adds social deduction to the mechanics. Players start watching what they say, reacting to suspicious behavior, and trying to figure out who’s working against the group. You’ll notice:[/p]

• [p] Traitors faking mistakes or "slipping up" to appear innocent [/p]
• [p]Teammates over-explaining or staying quiet to avoid attention (this is a dead giveaway, especially if they are really chatty beforehand) [/p]
• [p]Accidental "Death cursing" (firing the Death Curse projectile) from panicking or poor timing[/p]

[p]It’s a completely different vibe from Co-op Mode and it’s made for people who like to lie, bluff, or catch others in the act. [/p][p]If you haven’t tried it yet, give it a go. Just don’t be surprised if your best friend is the one that curses you!! Wishlist us! [/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink] [/p]

[h2]Words Have Power - How speech became a game mechanic [/h2]

When we first tested the voice activated mechanic, the idea was simple: you say the spell, and cool stuff happens. But so what, right? It's cool only the first time.

Then while test playing the proof-of-concept prototypes, we realized it was way more fun (and chaotic) when someone else could say it for you. Suddenly, you could rely on your friends to help you out. That teamwork angle really clicked, and it became one of the core pillars of the game.

But then we thought… if words could help, what if they could also harm?



That’s how the idea of curse words - literally, words that are cursed - were born. Saying the wrong word can doom your team and adds to the chaos and laughter.


Then taking this concept of 'taboo' words further, adding an imposter or traitor mode was the next natural step. In traitor mode, the chosen traitor (who can see curse words) can intentionally (and claim it was an accident!) say the wrong words to kill non-traitors and win the game.

[h2]Writing Spells 101[/h2]

At first, our spell phrases were super serious, like "Ashes to Ashes" or "Whispers of Ruin". But once we started testing (and messing about), the serious "wizardy" stuff didn't feel right, it was just funnier to say funny words and phrases.

Writing those spells wasn’t as simple as we thought. Under normal conditions, the spells trigger fine but when players panic, they speak faster, with a higher pitch, and mispronounce everything!

We had to craft spells that were short - around 3 to 4 syllables - and could be said clearly in under two seconds. We rewrote them so often, we ended up making a tool just to test them. We’re now working on releasing that tool to the community so you can make your own spells and share them. More on that soon.

The name Cursed Companions feels more perfect than ever. The pun on the word "Cursed" works so well. "Curse" as in hexed, and "curse" as in speaking foul words.

[h2]New demo coming, stay tuned[/h2]
Thanks for following along - we're still cooking. We have a new demo coming up for Next Fest so stay tuned for more updates. Drop by our Discord channel and say Hi.

And as always WISHLIST!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3265230/Cursed_Companions/

Howdy Companions! Part three of our progress update continues. We're covering topics such as user experience and improvements to the game mechanics.

[h2]UI/UX Improvements[/h2]

[h3]New Menu Screen[/h3]

In the Demo, most people didn't see our Traitor mode! That's why playtesting is so important (duh)! The new menu screen is designed to be more user-friendly. The two game modes - Co-op and Traitor - are now in a more prominent location.

[h3]Other UI/UX improvements and Bug fixes[/h3]

• Host Identification: There was earlier no way to know who the host was, especially if the earlier host disconnected and the host status was transferred to another client.
  
• UI improvements: We’ve made a few tweaks to the UI to make the game more intuitive. Pressing the Esc buttons will close the UI overlays first (before this, it always brought up the Settings screen). And other small improvements have been made for smoother navigation.
  
• Late Joiner Issues Resolved: Players who joined games in progress were experiencing syncing issues, which resulted in different gameplay experiences. E.g. Late joiners see open traps when it in actual fact was closed, or vastly different dungeons were generated. We’ve fixed this problem (hopefully).
  

[h2]Tweaks to Game Mechanics[/h2]

[h3]You get a curse! You get a curse! Everyone gets a curse![/h3]

All players get a Death Curse by default at the start, in the Co-op Mode. Why? The Death Curse mechanics only kicked in when players died and respawned on Day 2, which delayed the introduction of the Death Curse concept. Therefore we decided to give everyone a curse when they start! So the fun/chaos starts earlier too!

[h3]Inventory Tweaks and UI[/h3]

As you get deeper in the game, you may have upgraded your inventory and treasure carrying capability. And it was obvious that players needed a way to see how much they could carry. Secondly, we increased the item slot by one (now you can carry 5 items). This is also due to the change we made covered by the next point below.

[h3]Loot now includes potions and items[/h3]

Abyssal Lands and Dungeon loot drops includes items such as potions, items, along with the original Adventurer Parts and the Coins. This makes life a little better, especially if you have no Gold left to buy items, you may pick up some life-saving items in the Lands or in the Dungeons.

Say, you end up deep in the Dungeons, lost and destined for death, and through sheer luck pick up a Teleport Stone and survive! What a story to tell! That's what we want to achieve!

[h3]Other changes to the mechanics:[/h3]

• Gregory spawns on all maps now, previously it was a coin toss, 50/50 chance.
  
• Boomer Mine stuns Monsters (they slow down and attacks deal 0 damage) allowing you to escape
  
• Lurker, Bride, Mandrake, and Mannequin will re-target if they no longer detect you.
  
• Reward for completing each Quest loop (Gold and Black Coins)
  
• Dark Shrine will revive dead players at the Shrine instead of on the Island
  
• Multiple monsters can spawn in the same spawn spot in late stages
  
• Balance tweaks to Traitor mode (Players now can carry more than one Treasure, so Traitors don't always win)
  

[h2]Roadmap[/h2]

• Working on a tool for players to change the phrases: make your own phrases and share with your friends
  
• A new monster who doesn't like people to stare, plus a few more, but we won't ruin the surprise
  
• More Treasures with special abilities
  
• New Dungeon rooms and magic doors
  
• New languages for the spells and phrases
  

[h2]Conclusion[/h2]
We're working hard fixing bugs, and watching all the playtests and constantly improving the mechanics and user experience and content! Stay tuned for more updates, and as always, WISHLIST!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3265230/Cursed_Companions/

If you want to get in touch with us, join our Discord, or follow us on Twitter.

Regards,
The Devs at Crimson Forge Studios

Hey Companions! Part two of our progress update continues. More items and facilities to help you last into Day 4 and beyond. Especially as the dungeons get deeper, players need more tools and strategies to survive.

[h2]Facilities[/h2]
These structures on the Island help with your overall strategy, whether to heal yourself, teleport to a team mate, teleport to the dungeon, and more.

[h3]Teleportaloo[/h3]

It's an outdoor toilet and a teleportation device! A magical outhouse that will teleport you straight to one of your team members. This will come in really handy when equipped with a Teleport or the Wayhome stone, so you can keep making runs back and forth, collecting as much Treasure as you can. Pro-tip, load up on the Queen's Favor potion to carry more Treasure in your inventory!

Note: not a real toilet 😎

[h3]Bath House[/h3]
Need to heal up? Head over to the Bath House where you can restore your health, remove toxins and other forms of virulent plagues.

[h3]Teleport Ring[/h3]
The Teleport Ring will randomly teleport you to a new location in the dungeon. But be warned you could end up deep in the depths! Make sure you bring along a Teleport Stone or a Wayhome Stone so you can make your way back!

[h3]Status Board[/h3]
With the Status Board, you’ll always know who’s alive and who’s dead. It’s a quick way to check the current game state and track the progress of your companions in real time.

[h3]Beacon Upgrade[/h3]
Say "I can see clearly now" in the Abyssal Lands, it now displays the Dungeon Side Entrances in red and Dark Shrine in purple. This will come in handy in the later stages of the game.

[h2]Items and inventory[/h2]
We're making an improvement to the items. Along with the coins, body parts, items now appear as loot in the Abyssal Lands and the Dungeons. Previously you could only buy it in the Shop, but now there is a chance the torch may drop, or a potion. It makes exploring more rewarding and also helps you survive better. Because of that change, we have also increased the number of items you can carry by default from four to five.

[h3]Boomer Mine[/h3]

A new explosive that’s triggered by a word! If you say the right word, the Boomer Mine will go boom, dealing damage to nearby players and stunning anyone who survives the blast. Use it strategically to slow down monsters... or your teammates.

[h3]Curse Remover[/h3]

Use the Curse Remover to scrub away any Death Curse you have. Useful if you keep stacking up those annoying curses. Expensive though, so you better collect as much gold as you can.

[h3]Cure-All Potion[/h3]

These potions are here to restore your health and remove any poisons, blight and more. Super useful! Very handy for advanced levels where monsters are aplenty! Or if you friends talk way too much and trigger your curse words by accident!

[h3]Cleansing Bell[/h3]
Got too many curses? The Cleansing Bell can transfer your curses to other players. Use it strategically to offload your bad luck onto someone else - perfect to cause total chaos!

[h2]New Decor and Furniture[/h2]

Decorate your house with brand new furniture items! From chairs to tables, we’ve got a whole host of new options to help personalize your space.

[h2]Conclusion[/h2]
This is not a comprehensive list of new stuff, there's a lot more we've not revealed. Just a little teaser of things you'd get when we launch the game into Early Access.

We're working to playtest these features so if you're interested, please hop to our Discord and give us a holler.

We're working hard towards the Early Access release this year, trying to ensure the experience is as great as possible. Stay tuned for more updates, and as always, WISHLIST!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3265230/Cursed_Companions/

Regards,
The Devs at Crimson Forge Studios

Hey Companions! It has been an exciting few weeks since our last update. NextFest in early March was great in giving us more exposure and boosting our wishlists. Lots of players played our demo and gave excellent feedback! We've been growing our community since then.

We've been hard at work, adding new features, balancing gameplay, and fixing bugs to make your Cursed Companions experience even more chaotic and fun. We're working towards releasing the Early Access of our game and this is a good time to share with you what's in store.



[h2]All new monsters[/h2]
First up in the series of upcoming updates - MONSTERS. Watching your streams and hearing your requests, you wanted a way to 'counter' the monsters. So we added a few more monsters that you could kill with your voice.

[h3]Chatterbox[/h3]

They may be small but they come in numbers. But easily dealt with. This is one of the first monsters you can kill with your voice.

[h3]Meatgrinder[/h3]

The Meatgrinder is a mechanical construct in the Dungeon. It's slow and but deals a lot of damage.

[h3]Blightwalkers and the Blight[/h3]

The undead walks among us! This is another way to die - the Blight. This virus infects players. There's always a chance to save your infected friend, so make sure you stay by their side and don't let them die!

[h3]Bile Burster[/h3]

This monster rushes toward you and explodes. Steer clear and you'll be safe.

[h3]Boomer Mine[/h3]

If you say the correct word, the Boomer Mine will explode, dealing damage to nearby players and stunning anyone who survives the blast. Use it strategically to slow down monsters... or your teammates.

[h2]Stay tuned for Part 2...[/h2]
So that about covers our new monsters but that's just a little of what we're revealing! We're adding more soon as we go along so stay tuned for more updates.

In the next post we'll talk about gameplay changes and new items in the game.

And as always - WISHLIST!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3265230/Cursed_Companions/

Regards,
The Devs at Crimson Forge Studios