Beyond the Grove News

[p]Hello Future Grove Keepers! [/p][p][/p][p]One of the most important aspects of the game is the Golem Creator interface - this will be the place where you experiment with elements to create the perfect golem. We've spent a lot of time prototyping and tweaking the interface and wanted to share with you all the journey. [/p][p][/p][p]Initially, we just started with a list. What is it that we wanted the players to be able to do?[/p]

• [p]See the elements they had and didn't have to work with[/p]
• [p]See the potential golem to be created[/p]
• [p]Create the golem and prepare it to be summoned[/p]
• [p]Undo actions [/p]

[p]Sounds simple, right? Here was our first prototype:[/p][p][/p][p]It did the things we wanted it to do, but not only was it hard to read, but it took up a lot of space. The next step was to try and consolidate it to one container. [/p][p][/p][p]Better. Next was to add the "chrome".[/p][p][/p][p]We really liked this one and stuck with it for a while, but through all the playtesting, we noticed that either: 1) players weren't using many of the other buttons or 2) they were clicking the wrong thing. Also, we figured we could do a better job simplifying the interface. This is where we are now:[/p][p][/p][p]The current interface is clean and seems to flow better. The top section is the combination and golem preview, then the parts you interact with are in the bottom of the top panel, and finally the queue and miscellaneous stuff is in the bottom panel. [/p][p]Thanks for reading and we hope you like the Golem Creator interface! [/p]

[p]Hello Future Grove Keepers![/p][p]Today I'll be covering the various points of interest during battles in the game. We're planning to have 8 maps available for the demo, and dozens more for Early Access. On each of these maps, there are different points of interest that you'll be competing for. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]In our handy chronicle, you'll find a description of all of the points of interest. Each point of interest has different qualities, but each one provides some benefit to the capturer. In combat, you can hover over each one and it'll show you the benefit.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Not all points of interest are as simple as a thing on the map for you to capture. For example, on some maps, Magic Mushrooms telegraph when they will appear, and it's up to you to decide on whether or not to fight for them or to watch the enemy go for them, and take advantage of their over-extension.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Mastering battles in Beyond the Grove means skillfully balancing advantageous positioning, offense, defense, and area control. With a wide array of golems and blessings at your command, the possibilities for strategy are nearly endless! We can't wait to see what strategies players come up with! [/p]

Hello Future Grovekeepers!

Today we’re covering golems! In Beyond the Grove, between the action phases you can combine elements to create golems to complement your army. We already covered how to craft golems, but this time around we’ll cover some of the details of golems.



There are 4 tiers of golems in Beyond the Grove. Tiers are determined by the number of elements they require to build. For example, the Cinder Golem that requires only “fire” is tier 1, the Ember Golem that requires 2 “fire” is tier 2, and the Steam Golem that requires 2 “fire” / 1 “water” is a tier 3 golem, and so on.



Each golem has its own unique shape, attack, and stats. The attack damage, range, duration, area-of-effect, and status effects are all different for each golem. The Golempedia has all of that information. Also in the Golempedia, each golem has a set of icons for you to quickly identify its general category. Assassins deal heavy damage if they can be kept alive, while bruisers are great overall units. Check out all of the golems and see how they fit into your strategy!

Hello Future Grove Keepers!

In Beyond the Grove, every time you venture out of your grove, you have the opportunity to earn experience that carries over from run to run. For every level up, you will get a skill point and possibly an unlock. You can allocate skill points to fuel various upgrades.

After a defeat or victory, your Grove Keeper gains experience based on various factors: how much essence you earned, how many golems you killed, etc. With that experience, you level up. To start with, leveling up allows you to pick certain elements to start your run with - eventually, there will be more unlocks on the leveling path.



When you level up, you also get a skill point, which can be spent on abilities that power you up so that you can be stronger on your run. Skills vary in cost, and their effects can be upgraded once or an unlimited amount of times. NOTE: The screenshot below doesn't have all of the unlocks!



Your Grove Keeper, although strong, is limited in their ability. However, it does seem possible that if a particular challenge is too hard, another Grove Keeper with different abilities could do better… Until next time!

Hello Future Grove Keepers!

In Beyond the Grove, you can grow in power as you travel outside of your grove. This is achieved through the accumulation of Essence and communing with Mother Mushroom to obtain blessings. Below is that process in detail.



You will be awarded Essence depending on how efficiently you win a map. You will always get 50 Essence for winning, but that number can go higher. You can also get Essence via other means, like through blessings and objectives on the map.



After you complete a map, you will convene with Mother Mushroom, your source of power (via the mycelial network). While communing with her, she provides you with possible blessings for you to choose from to power up. These blessings could be new elements, new Grove Keeper powers, power ups for your caps, powers for your golems, and more.



However, if you get overwhelmed, you will teleport back to your grove and Mother Mushroom - and in doing so, will lose all of your blessings. It will not all be for nothing though! You will accumulate experience which you can take with you always - we’ll cover experience and skill points in the next dev update.

Thanks for reading!