SAVAGE: The Shard of Gosen News

Horizontal thrusts? Up thrusts? DOWN thrusts?! I've got you covered, Barbarian Horde!

The last few months I've been grinding away at the one last juicy feature I felt was necessary to make Savage really shine: Directional combat! I mean, I can't cite one of my big inspirations as Zelda 2 without allowing players to strike their enemy's head from above. Let's have a look.










Across several new player states, new sprites (774 frames), new armor sprites (2,322), shield positions (you can also shield bash upward and downward!), and weapon positions, bringing the pain to the baddies is now possible from WHEREVER. This has also fixed certain issues I wasn't excited about. Situations like climbing a ladder and having a stubborn enemy directly above you, or some harder to hit, low lying enemies like the cave crawlers and rockbiters.

This also makes existing enemies (like skeleton warriors that spawn with specific gear sets, for example) that are able to mimic the down/upward attacks feel a LOT more fair, giving the player the same strategic choices -- making combat feel WAY more interesting.

Timing a perfect downward strike and HOLDING the attack button also gives you some good air on your bounce!




In those gifs above, I'm sure you've noticed some new sprites and visual effects, like new clouds, and an honest to goodness SUN in the sky. Good eye, I say! There is now a fully functioning dynamic weather system, along with new sun sprites and effects, moon sprites (with actual phases, i.e. new, waxing, waning, full), new cloud sprites that reflect the day/night/weather change, and star constellations that correspond to the different deities worshiped (or abhorred) in the world of Lor.

Here's a look at all of that in action in the 2D platforming sequences and the 3D overworld:







The weather system is also dependent on what in-game season it is (and what location you are currently in -- probably not going to snow/blizzard in the desert, ha!). Along with it, a slew of new backgrounds reflecting things like snowstorms (and winter) have been added:









New weather types include clear skies, cloudy, thunderstorms, light rain into rainstorm, snow, and blizzard.

The combination of location, day/night, season, weather, moon phase, and dominant constellation can, and sometimes WILL affect what sort of randomized encounter you are going to have on the world map.

There are also some secrety fun things constellations can do, depending on what God's fetish, fetish level, and FAVOR stat you currently have (more on that in a future update!).




The new Gosen Highlands location also brings with it some new areas, dungeons and baddies, like the Noctwurm Assassin, courtesy of the Noctwurm Cult (all with their own backstory and lore)!








NEW FEATURES

• Able to attack upward and downward from all appropriate player states (i.e. DOWNTHRUSTING!)
  
• New animation sets (across 774 player frames, 2,322 armor frames!!), weapon and shield placements, and armor sprites to reflect the new directional attack feature
  
• Dynamic weather added:
• clear skies
  
• cloudy/foggy
  
• thunderstorms
  
• light rain
  
• rainstorms
  
• snow
  
• blizzard
  
• (sandstorms are planned for appropriate areas)
  
• The dynamic weather is dependent on the current area (biome) you are in, and what game season (fall, winter, spring/summer)
  
• New sun sprites and effects to reflect runrise, noon, sunset, and if there is currently "bad" weather
  
• New cloud sprites that actively reflect the time of day and current weather
  
• New moon sprites and moon phases
  
• New stars and constellations that change over time
  
• New seasonal backgrounds for different areas to reflect the change in season
  
• The day/night system, along with factors like season, weather, moon phase, and what constellation is currently dominant in the sky will affect the randomized encounters on the overworld map. Constellations and their corresponding gods will also trigger certain events and secrets on the overworld map (MUCH of this is still being worked on!)
  

COMING SOON New Gosen Highlands overworld props and locations including the "Hell's Teeth" dungeon
Gosen Highland specific enemies, including members of the Noctwurm Cult (assassins and ambush-y warriors!)
Vanaheim overworld props and locations
Vanaheim specific enemies, including icy themed monsters, frost giants, and the Vaniir - hardy frozen wasteland warriors
Bug fixes... ALWAYS bug fixes

A reminder - Kickstarter backers can access all the newness via Steam, provided they redeemed their Steam Keys.

Groupees Greenlight Bundle folks can access the same from their product pages (their Steam Keys will unlock once the game is released).




I have zero excuses why this is taking me as long as it's taking, but the reasons are pretty important. Wanting to deliver a game to you all that is worth your time to play is chief among them. It turns out trying to make the best damn game I possibly can takes time, and more time than I initially accounted for. That's 100% on me, and I'm sorry for making you all wait so long.

I will also not release a crippled, ugly thing that I am not proud of, ha! So, the battle continues, but the end is certainly in sight. With the directional combat completed, in the game, and fully functional (and actually feeling pretty great), aspects of the game like personality, mood and atmosphere are coming together very quickly. Especially with the new atmosphere and weather effects in place, the game is looking and feeling like the game I wanted to bring to life in the first place - and I have all of you to thank for that.

The current step is content, content, content (finishing dungeons, NPCs, items, weapons, armor and shields, and a handful of enemies that are not completed to flesh out certain areas).

So again, thank you for your patience, your involvement, and your support - it is keeping the fire going bright, strong and SAVAGE... (*ahem*)!

Your loinclothed (is that even a word?) friend,

-Matt ːcartridgeː

P.S. Forgot to mention! If you're curious about checking in on the game's progress more frequently, I have been very active with live development streams here: https://www.twitch.tv/toborprime ːcartridgeː

Horizontal thrusts? Up thrusts? DOWN thrusts?! I've got you covered, Barbarian Horde!

The last few months I've been grinding away at the one last juicy feature I felt was necessary to make Savage really shine: Directional combat! I mean, I can't cite one of my big inspirations as Zelda 2 without allowing players to strike their enemy's head from above. Let's have a look.










Across several new player states, new sprites (774 frames), new armor sprites (2,322), shield positions (you can also shield bash upward and downward!), and weapon positions, bringing the pain to the baddies is now possible from WHEREVER. This has also fixed certain issues I wasn't excited about. Situations like climbing a ladder and having a stubborn enemy directly above you, or some harder to hit, low lying enemies like the cave crawlers and rockbiters.

This also makes existing enemies (like skeleton warriors that spawn with specific gear sets, for example) that are able to mimic the down/upward attacks feel a LOT more fair, giving the player the same strategic choices -- making combat feel WAY more interesting.

Timing a perfect downward strike and HOLDING the attack button also gives you some good air on your bounce!




In those gifs above, I'm sure you've noticed some new sprites and visual effects, like new clouds, and an honest to goodness SUN in the sky. Good eye, I say! There is now a fully functioning dynamic weather system, along with new sun sprites and effects, moon sprites (with actual phases, i.e. new, waxing, waning, full), new cloud sprites that reflect the day/night/weather change, and star constellations that correspond to the different deities worshiped (or abhorred) in the world of Lor.

Here's a look at all of that in action in the 2D platforming sequences and the 3D overworld:







The weather system is also dependent on what in-game season it is (and what location you are currently in -- probably not going to snow/blizzard in the desert, ha!). Along with it, a slew of new backgrounds reflecting things like snowstorms (and winter) have been added:









New weather types include clear skies, cloudy, thunderstorms, light rain into rainstorm, snow, and blizzard.

The combination of location, day/night, season, weather, moon phase, and dominant constellation can, and sometimes WILL affect what sort of randomized encounter you are going to have on the world map.

There are also some secrety fun things constellations can do, depending on what God's fetish, fetish level, and FAVOR stat you currently have (more on that in a future update!).




The new Gosen Highlands location also brings with it some new areas, dungeons and baddies, like the Noctwurm Assassin, courtesy of the Noctwurm Cult (all with their own backstory and lore)!








NEW FEATURES

• Able to attack upward and downward from all appropriate player states (i.e. DOWNTHRUSTING!)
  
• New animation sets (across 774 player frames, 2,322 armor frames!!), weapon and shield placements, and armor sprites to reflect the new directional attack feature
  
• Dynamic weather added:
• clear skies
  
• cloudy/foggy
  
• thunderstorms
  
• light rain
  
• rainstorms
  
• snow
  
• blizzard
  
• (sandstorms are planned for appropriate areas)
  
• The dynamic weather is dependent on the current area (biome) you are in, and what game season (fall, winter, spring/summer)
  
• New sun sprites and effects to reflect runrise, noon, sunset, and if there is currently "bad" weather
  
• New cloud sprites that actively reflect the time of day and current weather
  
• New moon sprites and moon phases
  
• New stars and constellations that change over time
  
• New seasonal backgrounds for different areas to reflect the change in season
  
• The day/night system, along with factors like season, weather, moon phase, and what constellation is currently dominant in the sky will affect the randomized encounters on the overworld map. Constellations and their corresponding gods will also trigger certain events and secrets on the overworld map (MUCH of this is still being worked on!)
  

COMING SOON New Gosen Highlands overworld props and locations including the "Hell's Teeth" dungeon
Gosen Highland specific enemies, including members of the Noctwurm Cult (assassins and ambush-y warriors!)
Vanaheim overworld props and locations
Vanaheim specific enemies, including icy themed monsters, frost giants, and the Vaniir - hardy frozen wasteland warriors
Bug fixes... ALWAYS bug fixes

A reminder - Kickstarter backers can access all the newness via Steam, provided they redeemed their Steam Keys.

Groupees Greenlight Bundle folks can access the same from their product pages (their Steam Keys will unlock once the game is released).




I have zero excuses why this is taking me as long as it's taking, but the reasons are pretty important. Wanting to deliver a game to you all that is worth your time to play is chief among them. It turns out trying to make the best damn game I possibly can takes time, and more time than I initially accounted for. That's 100% on me, and I'm sorry for making you all wait so long.

I will also not release a crippled, ugly thing that I am not proud of, ha! So, the battle continues, but the end is certainly in sight. With the directional combat completed, in the game, and fully functional (and actually feeling pretty great), aspects of the game like personality, mood and atmosphere are coming together very quickly. Especially with the new atmosphere and weather effects in place, the game is looking and feeling like the game I wanted to bring to life in the first place - and I have all of you to thank for that.

The current step is content, content, content (finishing dungeons, NPCs, items, weapons, armor and shields, and a handful of enemies that are not completed to flesh out certain areas).

So again, thank you for your patience, your involvement, and your support - it is keeping the fire going bright, strong and SAVAGE... (*ahem*)!

Your loinclothed (is that even a word?) friend,

-Matt :cartridge:

P.S. Forgot to mention! If you're curious about checking in on the game's progress more frequently, I have been very active with live development streams here: https://www.twitch.tv/toborprime :cartridge:

Yes, new build! But we'll get to that in a second -

- I've been down in a development hole working like a demon to get this game polished, feeling great, and worth your time to play. I'm finally coming up for air to show you all the shiny new progress that's been done, and I'm sorry it's taken me since January to do so - but here we go!



The mining prison is now teeming with characters you can interact with in the current build - their stories might continue on from here, or end tragically depending on how you handle these interactions. I also completely redesigned the dialogue font for better legibility while retaining the dark fantasy theme:



There is also a new KEYS section in the inventory to store mundane Iron Keys, Gold Keys, and unique quest keys and items:





The game FINALLY has a tutorial sequence with appropriate prompts (the prompts are purely optional and can be interacted whether you choose to or not) at the start of the game, leading up to the intro story bits:



There is now also a DEDICATED GRAB button for grabbing objects, pushing/pulling them, lifting and tossing them:



Tutorial prompts have been placed elsewhere in the game world where necessary, also:






The user interface elements have all gotten an overhaul (visually and mechanically) and now have mostly functioning mouse support! In addition, you can now fully remap either a gamepad, or mouse and keyboard to play EXACTLY how you want to play!



Swapping between gamepad input and keyboard input will also be reflected now across ALL prompts, user interface elements, and HUD elements:






You can now gain Essence Points from battle and spend them at designated restore points (or, for the lore junkies, "Essence Vessels"; artifacts left behind by ancient beings as they carved their way through the old world):



Spending Essence Points on your three primary stats (FAVOR is a liquid stat, which can also raise and lower depending on other actions) will increase your level, but also increase sub stats like knockback resistance and knockback power, dodge speed, allow you to equip more powerful gear, and lots of other things that we'll go over closer to release!




You can now sell and buy things! FINALLY!



As is included in the vendor system, you can also compare potential weapons, shields and armor stats against your currently equipped gear to see whether you will gain any increases (or decreases) in things like damage output, resistance, armor hit points, and whether you have enough MIGHT or RESOLVE to use a piece of equipment:





Here's an assortment of new (and redone) music tracks that have made it into the game! These are mostly done, but still need an eventual final pass for EQ-ing and mixing/mastering:

Go HERE and scroll to New Music to listen!



The game's main page has been updated with more information and story info!





There are many other improvements, additions and bug fixes in the latest build - to many to go into detail over, so here are the patch notes!




I had the spur of the moment opportunity to bring the game to DreamHack in Austin over the weekend.



I was incredibly nervous and didn't quite know what to expect (and wasn't sure if we were going to make it), but the show went well! I got a LOT of good feedback, and PC Gamer came over and did a video interview and captured some game footage. Here are the videos if you fancy watching me be a sleep deprived idiot in front of a camera!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkbq_L5z304

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmEhsoiKwVI

(the Youtube comments sections are especially hilarious)

Here is the article featured on PC Gamer also.

If you already activated your Steam key, the new build should automatically update in your Steam client!

After this update, builds will also differ between what's available via Steam and the other live demo locations:

GameJolt

IndieDB

Anyway, thanks for checking out the update! That's all for now - more to come soon!

-Matt

Yes, new build! But we'll get to that in a second -

- I've been down in a development hole working like a demon to get this game polished, feeling great, and worth your time to play. I'm finally coming up for air to show you all the shiny new progress that's been done, and I'm sorry it's taken me since January to do so - but here we go!



The mining prison is now teeming with characters you can interact with in the current build - their stories might continue on from here, or end tragically depending on how you handle these interactions. I also completely redesigned the dialogue font for better legibility while retaining the dark fantasy theme:



There is also a new KEYS section in the inventory to store mundane Iron Keys, Gold Keys, and unique quest keys and items:





The game FINALLY has a tutorial sequence with appropriate prompts (the prompts are purely optional and can be interacted whether you choose to or not) at the start of the game, leading up to the intro story bits:



There is now also a DEDICATED GRAB button for grabbing objects, pushing/pulling them, lifting and tossing them:



Tutorial prompts have been placed elsewhere in the game world where necessary, also:






The user interface elements have all gotten an overhaul (visually and mechanically) and now have mostly functioning mouse support! In addition, you can now fully remap either a gamepad, or mouse and keyboard to play EXACTLY how you want to play!



Swapping between gamepad input and keyboard input will also be reflected now across ALL prompts, user interface elements, and HUD elements:






You can now gain Essence Points from battle and spend them at designated restore points (or, for the lore junkies, "Essence Vessels"; artifacts left behind by ancient beings as they carved their way through the old world):



Spending Essence Points on your three primary stats (FAVOR is a liquid stat, which can also raise and lower depending on other actions) will increase your level, but also increase sub stats like knockback resistance and knockback power, dodge speed, allow you to equip more powerful gear, and lots of other things that we'll go over closer to release!




You can now sell and buy things! FINALLY!



As is included in the vendor system, you can also compare potential weapons, shields and armor stats against your currently equipped gear to see whether you will gain any increases (or decreases) in things like damage output, resistance, armor hit points, and whether you have enough MIGHT or RESOLVE to use a piece of equipment:





Here's an assortment of new (and redone) music tracks that have made it into the game! These are mostly done, but still need an eventual final pass for EQ-ing and mixing/mastering:

Go HERE and scroll to New Music to listen!



The game's main page has been updated with more information and story info!





There are many other improvements, additions and bug fixes in the latest build - to many to go into detail over, so here are the patch notes!




I had the spur of the moment opportunity to bring the game to DreamHack in Austin over the weekend.



I was incredibly nervous and didn't quite know what to expect (and wasn't sure if we were going to make it), but the show went well! I got a LOT of good feedback, and PC Gamer came over and did a video interview and captured some game footage. Here are the videos if you fancy watching me be a sleep deprived idiot in front of a camera!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkbq_L5z304

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmEhsoiKwVI

(the Youtube comments sections are especially hilarious)

Here is the article featured on PC Gamer also.

If you already activated your Steam key, the new build should automatically update in your Steam client!

After this update, builds will also differ between what's available via Steam and the other live demo locations:

GameJolt

IndieDB

Anyway, thanks for checking out the update! That's all for now - more to come soon!

-Matt

Merry (post) Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year!

You've got one more present to open before the year's over:

2016 Pre-launch Trailer!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtcM_Svj6TU&t=3s

The credit for direction, cinematography and visual FX goes to the insanely talented Christine Carstairs!

Go check her site out and other works here:

http://www.escapingwestlawn.com/

https://twitter.com/DSLR_Girl

Sorry this wasn't shot to you all sooner -- I've been in and out of consciousness all week thanks to a cheerful little holiday flu ('tis the season!). As soon as I'm able, I'll fire off the next update to the live playable build!

Updates that you can expect:

• New NPC interactions and story events
  
• LOTS of traversal bugs fixed for the main character (game feels MUCH better now)
  
• UI fixes
  
• Gamepad and keyboard fixes (especially as it relates to the UI)
  
• LOTS of new stuff (including enemies)!
  

Expect a more in-depth change log once the build goes live!

Until then, have a safe and happy New Year! See you in 2017!

- Matt