Stoneshard News

Hello everyone!

The work on changes to the AI and dungeon generation is well underway, and we'll soon publish a devlog with some details on our progress. In the meantime, here’s a small interim patch to keep you from getting bored - it expands the roster of available equipment and brings a number of fixes and improvements.

[h2]New Items:[/h2]

• 2 new daggers: Commoner’s Dagger and Elven Stiletto
• 5 new axes: Exquisite Tabar, Heavy Aldorian Axe, Aldwynnian Axe, Gilded Axe, and Lordly Axe
• 1 new mace: Elven Flail
• 4 new chest pieces: Dwarven Armor, Light Brigandine, Elven Brigandine, and Skadian Yushman
• 8 new helmets: Barbute (4 variants) and Cervelliere (4 variants)
  
• 3 new pieces of footwear: Town Shoes, Duelist Boots, and Splint Boots
• 3 new mage sets (mantle + cowl): Cryomancer, Electromancer, and Chronomancer
• 4 new amulets: Gold Medallion, Jibean Pendant, Amber Amulet, Lazurite Amulet
• 1 new cape: Jousting Cloak

[h2]Miscellaneous:[/h2]

• Traders can now sell many items which were previously excluded from their stock.
  
• Added log messages for critical shots.
  
• Added a warning about the progress not being saved on exit when leaving the game.
  
• Reduced the effectiveness of roasted mushrooms.
  
• Numerous fixes across all localizations.
  
• Fixed the item dupe exploit with some of the containers in Osbrook.
  
• Fixed the incorrect block power calculation.
  
• Fixed the incorrect durability loss when blocking attacks.
  
• Fixed the collision between a cell and a door in Mannshire prison.
  
• Fixed visual effects displaying above enemies while they are in the fog of war.
  
• Mobs no longer display speech messages while they are petrified, stunned, or asleep.
  
• Added new equipment sounds.
  
• Fixed the incorrect “Blood Oath” log message.
  
• Fixed pathfinding when clicking on a NPC to start a dialogue.
  
• Fixed the fleawort usage with an open backpack.
  
• Fixed the possibility of dropping items on the ground when dragging them outside of the trade menu.
  
• The fog of war is now being properly calculated when using “Onslaught”.
  
• Fixed the possibility of decapitating targets by using “Mighty Kick” and other non-weapon skills.
  
• Fixed the possibility of reloading while stunned.
  
• Fixed the absence of psionic damage on items.
  

Hello everyone!

In this devlog we’d like to share our progress on the “Way Forward” update. It will be released in the end of summer or in the beginning of autumn and will be the largest and the most complex update we’ve delivered so far - it will include a massive rework of the AI and dungeon generation.

The large amount of time required to develop this update is linked to a significant number of systems, closely connected to the rework. Even if these systems will only be fully implemented at a later date, they already require a proper foundation which we have to lay down. Additionally, AI rework itself requires lots of testing and tweaking, so it’s hard to predict the exact amount of time needed to achieve acceptable results.

However, this rework is essential to finally start adding not just quantity to the game, but also quality. It will allow us to experiment with the behaviour of different enemy factions, add new enemy types, and introduce unique abilities to the existing enemies. With any luck, some of the new enemy types will be added with the “Way Forward” update.

At the moment the basic structure of our new AI is still being conceptualized and prototyped, but we can already share the list of targets we plan to reach:

• Create a more complex ecosystem. This will include the manual tweaking of the relations between different animal types instead of crudely splitting them depending on their ration. We plan to add some specific behaviour patterns as well. For instance, deer will flee from loud noises (instead of running towards them), carnivores will be territorial (which will allow avoiding their aggression if you make a timely retreat from their territory). There will also be a herd/pack simulation added among other things.
  
  A concept scheme for the reworked relations between different animal types
  
  
• Improve pathfinding and positioning. In the current version of the game mobs simply follow the shortest route to their enemy. We’d like to give them an ability to walk around traps and dangerous AoE zones when it’s possible, avoid tiles with solid objects behind them if the player makes an active use of Knockback, and keep their distance when using magic or ranged weaponry.
  
• Add a more context-dependent system for using abilities instead of the existing system, which is based on chance and just one or two conditions per action.
  
• Grant enemies some additional options: retreat or swap positions in certain situations, call allies for help, properly react to arrow fire and spells, correctly prioritize targets.
  
• Introduce a more transparent awareness system, which will become a basis for the upcoming stealth system.
  
• Rework the NPC system, which will allow adding random NPC encounters to the game, making the exploration much more varied.

The variety aspect also pertains to the dungeon generation rework. The existing dungeons are nothing more than a few dozen square rooms, connected with a web of hallways. We are currently working on adding lots of unique rooms to the dungeon generator, removing the mandatory hallways in certain situations, as well as trying out different approaches for generating different dungeon types.

Once we achieve all this, we’ll be able to start introducing new dungeon types to the game, populating them with new enemies (the product of the reworked AI), which in turn means the beginning of the long-awaited expansion of the game’s world.

We’ve already finished working on the prototype for the updated dungeon generation. We are pleased with the result, so it’s currently being added to the game. Still, it will take quite a while to fully flesh the system out, so for now here are some concepts for the new rooms which we plan to add to the game:



That’s all for now, thank you for your attention.
See you in a few weeks!

- “Pikeman's Stance” cancels in the Rest Mode.
- Enemies no longer move between locations if they are Immobilized.
- Fixed weapon critical effects not applying to offhand critical strikes.
- When delivering items to complete a task, items in your inventory have higher priority than equipped ones.
- Ancient Troll no longer attacks while Petrified.
- Decreased hunger and thirst gain from the Gnawmaw curse.
- “Parry” and “Piercing Shot” now work correctly.
- “Feint Swing” now correctly decreases Fumble Chance instead of increasing it.
- Weapon Damage stat no longer affects unarmed strikes.
- Bonus Range now applies correctly in the Attack Mode.
- Fixed crossbow unloading crashing the game on some occasions.
- “Anticipation” and “Precision” now work correctly with crossbows.
- Fixed “War Cry” duration.
- Fixed “Sudden Lunge” cooldown reset.
- Fixed immediate decrease of charge skills cooldowns upon usage.
- Fixed “Shoot to Kill” Crit Chance calculation and “Anticipation” duration.
- Fixed “Hunter’s Mark” working incorrectly.
- Fixed “Adrenaline Rush” bonus duration calculation.
- Fixed “Flurry of Blows” not working correctly when used by enemies.
- Fixed some Osbrook’s containers not being properly saved.
- Osbrook Mill location was redesigned.

Hi!

We’re delighted to take part in the Steam Game Festival (June 16 - June 22), which is already live now! Throughout the event we've brought demos for each of the 8 games we are currently working on.



All of them are in different genres, settings and styles. You will surely find something that piques your interest! All the content available for Steam Summer Festival is free, some demos are long, some allow infinite play. Here is a little sneak peek of every title available.





Voidtrain is a first-person action/survival game where you become a crew member of an interdimensional express. Build your own train, upgrade it, craft weapons and travel across different mysterious worlds full of outlandish creatures, Nazis and other dangers.

https://youtu.be/o0bIODWSX5Y

Voidtrain’s demo features a base loop of the game, where you’ll be able to travel between biomes on your train, gather resources to upgrade it and stop by interdimensional train depots filled with Nazis ought to be defeated.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1159690/Voidtrain/





Tunche is a charming, hand-drawn beat'em up hack and slash game with roguelike elements, co-op and a pinch of shaman witchcraft. Visit the amazonian jungle alone or together with your friends, choose one of the 5 unique characters and hack through hordes of enemies!

And if you like A Hat in Time, we got a big surprise for you — Hat Kid will be the 5th Playable Character in the game. Moreover, you’ll be able to test her in the demo!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/887450/Tunche/





Do you miss the golden era of Game Boy? Linked Mask is a 2D platformer that will make you reminiscent of the good old days, where a player has to overcome six towers, collect six masks containing elemental powers and ultimately conquer the Castle of the Primals. And there’s a chillingly cool soundtrack that will make your head bop as you traverse the deadly Towers!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1111590/Linked_Mask/





Plunge into a VHS-era cyberpunk world of Jack Move, an RPG featuring japanese style turn based battles and gorgeous Hi-Bit pixel art. Take on the role of Noa, a vigilante hacker who is thrust into a world of murder, kidnapping and dark research after her father goes missing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yOLVvhsJFw

There’s a brand new demo of Jack Move available that features a new slums area, a new dungeon and a whole bunch of new enemies for you to tangle with.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1099640/Jack_Move/





Black Book is a dark RPG Adventure based on Slavic mythology and featuring card-based combat. You will take on the role of Vasilisa, a young sorceress on a quest to revive her beloved one. In order to do so, she has to uncover all the 7 seals of Black Book — a demonic artefact, said to be powerful enough to grant any wish.

The demo features an essential part of the story — the First Day of Vasilisa becoming a witch. You’ll be able to test test the core game mechanics, battle regular demons and even test your strength in a fight against a boss.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1138660/Black_Book/





There Is No Light is a pixel-art action adventure in a dark post-apocalyptic setting, which tells a story of a protagonist fighting against a fallen underground civilization and its appalling religious rituals.

In this demo you’ll be able to explore a small part of the game world. Visit a village, the existence of which remained unknown for a long time. Find out how people live in the underground world ruled by the Church of the Great Hand. Find your own playstyle by combining 3 available weapon types, so that eventually you can fight a giant boss Behemoth that gets in your way to freedom.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1132980/There_Is_No_Light/





Tower Princess is a 3D roguelike action platformer where you'll have to beat a dungeon, defeat a dragon, rescue a princess/prince and manage a perfect date with them! There’s a wide variety of royalty members you can hit on — you’ll be able to find someone you like even if you’re not into humans.

The demo is a linear and brief sample of a run in one of the Castle's areas. It shows the visuals and the core gameplay of Tower Princess, but it's focused on the princess aid in combat, as without her help, you wouldn't stand a chance against the Evil Dragon. Are you ready to test yourself as a knight in shining armour?

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1138650/Tower_Princess/





SuchArt is a painting sim game featuring you being such an amazing artist. Really you rock, your latest DNA test is very positive about it. Now please paint, sell and expose your art from your new studio aboard the Space City. And don’t forget — the only limit is the size of your brush (or a flamethrower).

SuchArt demo features a separate room (a virtual studio instead of a real one you’ll get in the full game) with a limited amount of tools and an introductory part of the story. However, you’ll be able to test the core game mechanics and take a couple of commissions from virtual clients, which is already fun!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1293180/SuchArt/