Lords of the Void News

Visuals of the game has been improved.

Full changelog:

1. New Fog of War
2. New Void
3. Units outlines and shadows
4. One click orders and new cursors in battles
5. Other changes
6. Bug fixes

Details below!

[h2]New Fog of War[/h2]
The Fog now works like in classic RTS games. The first layer is complete darkness, hiding everything that has never been explored. The second layer is a subtle shadow that covers areas you've already explored but are not currently visible.



[h2]New Void[/h2]
The Void is a key element in this game — let’s just say it plays a titled role. 😄



From a lore perspective, it surrounds all the lands that still exist in this world. Sooner or later, it will likely consume all life... and it needs to look magnificent while doing so!




[h2]Units outlines and shadows[/h2]
It's not a game-changer, but I believe it enhances the overall feel of the game. Units now have outlines that appear in a few situations: when you hover the mouse cursor over them, and when they're performing an action.



Additionally, every unit now has a shadow.



[h2]One click orders and new cursors in battles[/h2]
Sometimes, less is more :)
With this patch, you no longer need to click twice to issue an order during battles. Now, simply hovering the mouse cursor over a tile will prompt the game to automatically select a target or calculate a path. One click is all it takes to perform the action.

To make this change clear and intuitive, I've added new cursors for melee attacks, ranged attacks, spell casting, ability usage, and unit selection.



[h2]Other changes[/h2]

1. With new Fog of War I had to change Scouting Decree from Order faction
   
2. Cartographer's House increases every team and structure vision range on the world map
   
3. Towns gold income has been increased from 25 to 50 and Treasury is now increasing this value to 100 gold
   
4. Longbow costs less now, only 150 gold and 5 wood
   
5. Spacebar only center camera on your capital (before it was selecting it and enters the capital panel if capital was already selected)
   
6. New skull icon; also used in battles, when min damage is higher that target's hit points so so killing the unit is certain
   
7. Menu screens loads faster now
   

Now I'm going to focus on 3rd campaign for the Early Access version, so I might be quiet for some time.

Take care!
— Mateusz from Boargames

Welcome Lords!
A new patch is here.

Updates:

• Range has been renamed to Efficiency and I believe, the new name fits better to what that statistic means in the game
  
• unit cards now shows only these stats that are important for the unit. It means that only Magicians will have Mana and only Shooters will have Efficiency in their cards
  
• now team leaders, that are not heroes, might be ressurected (just like heroes)
  

Bug fixes:

• fix for Bot player behaviour, it was using Stone Curse ability sometimes when it didn't have a chance to work
  
• fix for Paralyze and Stun, now both should not work on units with Protected status
  
• fix for auto battles, there was a tiny bug in it
  
• fix for notifications about new Level and new Heroic Quests. If Bot player attacked but was defeated, and player's hero got a new Level and finished a Heroic Quest, there was only a notification about the one thing. Now it's fixed
  
• fix for Diplomacy panel, when player uses an option to chase away monsters, the UI was not updating properly. I was using this option so rarely, that I just noticed the issue
  
• few small fixes for the triggers system
  

Right now I'm working on campaigns for the Early Access release. I have changed release date to December this year, just to have more time to do it right.

Two campaigns, out of four total, are ready. Every single mission is different in the campaigns and I think the main story is good and unique :)

Plans for near future:

• visuals update. This is going to be a big deal! I have some ideas, but, like always, I would like to hear your opinions about it
  
• engine update. I built this game on engine called Godot. There is a new version of it and maybe it is worth to switch on it
  

That's all for now.

Once again, if you have any opinion about this game, if you like it or not or maybe you have any suggestion what/how should be improved, you can contact with me through Discord or Steam discussion section.

Take care!
Mateusz from Boargames.

Welcome Lords!
A new patch is here.

Today a new object has been added to the game – Town Portals on map. It will send your hero back to your capital or to your nearest town. It was an object requested by one of the players, so here we go :)

Town Portals are added to the two maps for now: Rudrig’s quest and Dragon hunters.



Bug fixes:

• fix for saving short tutorial progress. The game didn't store short tutorial progress in the save file because, well, I forgot about it. Lol. Now it's fixed
  
• small improvement to Bot player pathfinding
  
• there was a bug when Paralyze didn't work (when it was used against a hero with Art of survival skill)
  
• small fixes here and there
  

That's all for now.
Feel free to comment, thank you for playing Lords of the Void, take care!
Mateusz from Boargames.

This time, we're rolling out some significant changes designed to enhance the gameplay experience. Here’s the full changelog:

1. A new, concise tutorial
2. No more unit limits outside the player’s faction
3. Game speed options
4. Tooltips for unit statistics
5. Screen shake effect for big hits
6. Various bug fixes

Below, I’ve outlined the core details of this update.

[h2]New and Shorter Tutorial[/h2]
The previous tutorial was long and highly detailed, perhaps a bit too much so? :)
I've now created a new, shorter tutorial that focuses on the essentials. With just 10 popups, it highlights the most important aspects of the game. A well-crafted tutorial is key to ensuring players understand the mechanics, and this one should get you up to speed quickly.

You can find the new tutorial here:


[h2]No More Limits on Units Outside of Player’s Faction[/h2]
When I first implemented this restriction, I thought it would provide a more immersive experience, encouraging players to rely mainly on faction units, with just one unit from outside their faction (such as a Neutral monster).
However, after testing and reflection, I now see this was a misguided choice. This game offers a wealth of creatures with unique abilities, and the most enjoyable part is combining these units in creative ways during battles.

So, I’ve decided to remove that limit! Now, team compositions only have two restrictions:

1. You can have a maximum of 3 Elite units
   
2. No more than 3 identical units in one team (for example, no more than 3 Footmen)
   

With this change, you can conquer a Kobold’s Dwelling and recruit up to 3 Kobolds in one team. These creature has the unique ability to summon reinforcements during battle. Now, your Kobolds can call even more Kobolds! Kobolds everywhere!



Additionally, the Ambassador hero skill, which was previously used to bypass this limit, has been reworked. The new version of this skill reduces the Diplomacy Food cost with Neutral creatures to 0. That means you can recruit Neutral units for free if you have a hero with the Ambassador skill.


[h2]Game Speed Options[/h2]
Is the game running too slowly? Or perhaps too fast? Not anymore.
In the game options menu, you’ll now find an adjustable game speed setting. This allows you to fine-tune the pace of the game to your liking.

Available speed options:

1. 75%
   
2. 100%
   
3. 125%
   
4. 150%
   
5. 200%
   
6. 250%
   
7. 300%
   

By default, the game will be set to 125%.


[h2]Tooltips for Unit Statistics[/h2]
I've added a handy new feature to enhance your gameplay experience!
Now, when you open a unit card, you can simply hover your mouse over any statistic you're interested in, and a tooltip will pop up with detailed information.

This also works for checking the current status effects on a unit.



Additionally, the bonuses provided by Glyphs or auras are now visible directly on the unit card, giving you a clearer view of how these enhancements affect your units.



[h2]Screen Shake Effect[/h2]
To make high-impact hits more satisfying, the screen will now shake slightly whenever a unit deals more than 100 damage with a single attack or area ability. This adds a nice bit of flair, letting you feel the power of your high level heroes and units.
If you’re not a fan of this effect, don’t worry, you can turn it off in the settings.

[h2]Bug Fixes[/h2]
Bugs are a constant challenge, but I’ve squashed several major ones in this update:

1. Fixed an issue with the Charge ability, where it sometimes activated even if the Cavalier or Knight hadn’t moved at least 2 tiles
   
2. Resolved a glitch that allowed players to move through the Portal without spending a move point
   
3. Academy shows all abilities to buy, even if some units that use these abilities are blocked in the mission (that is mostly important in the campaigns)
   
4. Fixed a bug where loading a save would activate all hostile teams on the map, even those that should have remained inactive while waiting in their Dwelling to recruit more units
   

Several minor bugs also have been addressed.

[h2]What’s Next?[/h2]
Looking ahead, I plan to focus on visual improvements. Perhaps some lighting and shadow enhancements, weather effects, or contrast and color corrections.
As a programmer, I don’t have much experience with visuals, but I’ll give it my best shot.

That’s all for now. Take care!
— Mateusz from Boargames

Last week, we discussed the unit classes in the game, and now it’s time to share some insights about the heroes.
The design of heroes in Lords of the Void was guided by two main principles:

1. Breaking the norm of having a single main hero while maintaining the sense of progress and growing strong.
   
2. Ensuring that heroes are intrinsically tied to the faction they belong to, meaning there is no scenario in which a barbarian, for example, becomes a master of magic.

In Lords of the Void, heroes continue to level up, enhance their stats, and unlock new talents. However, each hero can be defeated if forced to battle multiple armies in a single turn.

[h2]Hire Many Heroes, Not Just One[/h2]
A player with only a single hero will most likely lose the game. Even if this hero is the most powerful in terms of levels, they will inevitably face attacks from multiple armies, overwhelming them in the process.



[h2]Synergize Hero Talents with Your Units[/h2]
Do you have heroes in your faction with auras? Consider recruiting units that will benefit most from these abilities.
Does your hero have a spell that paralyzes an enemy unit? Perhaps your strategy should involve including a unit with mana restoration skills, allowing your hero to continuously paralyze powerful foes. There are numerous synergies like this in the game, and leveraging them can be the key to victory.



[h2]Heroes from Other Factions[/h2]
There are special locations in the game known as Ruins, where you might find a Prison with a hero from a different faction than yours. Releasing such hero can introduce new tactical opportunities and catch your opponent off guard. Who knows? There may even be more such locations in the future.



[h2]An Important Request[/h2]
Outside of the main topic, I have an important request: please share your feedback on the game, even if you haven’t played much. The game is still in the early stages, even before Early Access, and many of the game’s mechanics are subject to change. This is the perfect time to provide your input if you're interested in a fresh and unique turn-based strategy game.

As a solo developer, managing a project of this scale is challenging. I’m preparing for another round of gameplay and visual improvements, and your opinions would be incredibly valuable.

Probably a new tutorial will also happen, with a lot less reading :)

That’s all for now. Take care!
— Mateusz from Boargames