Stoneshard News

Hello everyone!

Today’s devlog is dedicated to changes to the global map and a new settlement of the Grand Magistrate - Denbrie! Let’s tackle it one thing at a time.

[h2]Denbrie[/h2]



“By the time the truce was settled, Denbrie had already been turned into ruins. The Council’s army razed this quiet fishing village twice: first during their initial advance, and then - while retreating from their defeat under the walls of Brynn.

Right now the only thing keeping this settlement afloat is the garrison sent here by the Magistrate to oversee its western border.”

Side note: the list of planned settlements present in the current version of the game is no longer relevant and will be updated in Rags to Riches.

Denbrie is situated in the south-western region of the Brynn March and will be the third and final village of the Grand Magistrate. Its few remaining inhabitants - a couple fishermen and a merchant, who was driven insane by the horrors of war, eke out a miserable, poverty-stricken existence. The only reason why Denbrie still exists is its salt-producing infrastructure, which is being slowly rebuilt by workers from Brynn.



The close vicinity to the Magistrate’s borders makes Denbrie an important strategic spot, vital for controlling large swaths of the borderlands - this duty is performed by a squad of soldiers stationed in the village’s crumbling chapel. At the same time, the garrison is woefully understaffed and is struggling to maintain order, so the local captain will eagerly accept any help.



Denbrie also has Outskirts, a couple locations where you’ll be able to rest on your way to a dungeon, turn in a contract, or purchase necessary supplies:

[h3]St Wald's Bridge[/h3]



“This is where St Wald, a much revered Aldorian saint, crossed the river on his quest to bring the Truth to Sentian heathens.

Decades later, one of the Order's brotherhoods built a stone bridge in his honor - and if it hadn't been for the spitefulness of the routed Council soldiers, it could have continued standing here for centuries.”

[h3]Kenrick's Homestead[/h3]



“The place's owner, Old Kenrick, couldn't care less about politics or the rest of the world. Unfortunately, politics don't need an invitation to introduce themselves into a person's life - after almost losing everything when the war was in full swing, he now has to constantly interact with the Magistrate's troops, who are stationed at his homestead for strategic reasons.”

[h2]Map Changes[/h2]



One of the most important changes to the global map is that many locations were moved to a different spot, allowing for a smoother and more organic progression through the game’s world. Additionally, the updated map will do a better job at highlighting the content that players right now have to either stumble upon randomly or learn about from external sources.

Osbrook, for example, will be located in the eastern part of the map, a more suitable place for a settlement that was affected by the war the least. Finishing the village’s introductory quest will instantly let you travel to Brynn, granting earlier access to the Caravan. And once you complete “Gwynnel's Answers”, Verren will begin giving you hints that’ll steer your journey towards Mannshire, the Rotten Willow, and Denbrie.

Mannshire will remain almost the same. The only notable difference is a set of additional rules for the nearby locations’ placement - the Herbalist’s Hut, for instance, will actually spawn close to the village.

In contrast, the Rotten Willow Tavern will be affected the most: it’ll be moved from its current spot (north of Mannshire) to the western region of the map, not far from Osbrook’s old location. Furthermore, the tavern will have its own contracts, a few nearby dungeons, some extra functionality, and two Outskirts:

[h3]Oaken Glade[/h3]



“By the Magistrate trade outposts' standards, this woodcutting camp enjoys an uncharacteristically large amount of freedom. The reason - the lack of a permanent bailiff, a mistake that likely occurred due to simple neglect and forgetfulness.”

[h3]Charcoal Burners' Camp[/h3]



“The burden of producing the charcoal that feeds the New Guild's forges was placed on the shoulders of convicts and prisoners of war.

The close vicinity of the Rotten Willow Tavern isn't a coincidence - the local captain is on much better terms with One-Eyed Wigmar than with his direct superiors in Brynn.”


[h2]Reputation System Changes[/h2]

The Reputation system received many tweaks as well. In the current version of the game, each settlement uses the same Reputation perks - in Rags to Riches, they will differ depending on each city or village’s specific features, allowing for more flexibility when balancing the economy and gear progression. And, if the need arises, it’ll let us add even more unique perks in the future.

For example, even though there are almost no merchants in the dilapidated remains of Denbrie, the settlement’s unique perk, “Magistrate’s Frontier”, will reward you with additional Brynn reputation upon completing its contracts, which in turn will grant you access to better gear, even if indirectly.



Special Boss-related quests, which right now are tied to the character’s level, will too be a part of the Reputation system and will become available once you unlock their corresponding perk.

[h2]Brynn[/h2]

Originally, Brynn’s Reputation was meant to be acquired through alternative means, and city contracts were introduced only as a placeholder. In Rags to Riches, we want to return to the original vision of Brynn as a center of commerce, which you’ll need to visit from time to time to buy new gear and sell off loot. Obviously, the list of big city activities will eventually feature sidequests as well: over the last year, we’ve put a lot of effort into adapting our dialogue-creating tools for the game’s engine, so the addition of new dialogues will require much less time than before.

This leads us to the next big change, the complete removal of Brynn dungeons and all contracts tied to them: high danger contracts will be split between the Rotten Willow and Denbrie, which should flatten the difficulty spike reported by many players.



Brynn Reputation will depend on your standing with other settlements of the faction, giving a lot of weight to Osbrook, Mannshire, and Denbrie contracts. On top of that, the option to bribe Bailiffs won’t be available by default, instead requiring a Commendation Letter, which will also be connected to a Reputation perk.

[h3]Distant Dungeons[/h3]

Another thing that we want to do with Rags to Riches is to implement a complete progression system that provides content throughout all 30 character levels, which, subsequently, will allow us to stress test every mechanic before expanding the global map.

As mentioned in previous devlogs, this will be achieved by splitting the existing dungeons, items, and settlements into 5 tiers. This change will also affect distant dungeons, which will stay the main source of late game content - they’ll be present in tier 4 and tier 5 variants, offering more lucrative rewards and nastier opponents.



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That’s all for now. Until next time!

Hello everyone!

In today’s devlog, we’ll conclude the topic of Caravan Upgrades by revealing the final upgrade path - “Communication”.

Interesting fact: Caravan Upgrades are not Abilities and therefore DON’T require Ability Points. Instead, they are unlocked with items and materials.

Its main focus is staying in touch with civilization. Let’s take a closer look at what this entails:

[h2]COMMUNICATION[/h2]



[h3]Caravan Banner[/h3]



“A symbol of fellowship and hope.”

Requirements: Foldable Flagpole (acquired during the Caravan introduction quest)
Effect: adds a flagpole to the Caravan Camp that can be used to raise Banners found in dungeons or while exploring the world



All raised Banners will slightly increase your Reputation Gain and also provide some additional benefits: for example, the Wolf Banner will grant you a bit of Pain Resistance, and the Owl Banner - a bonus to Experience Gain.



[h3]Messenger Pigeons[/h3]



“Messenger pigeons are trained to return home regardless of the distance, even if said home never stays in one place for too long.”

Requirements: Cage with Pigeons (x1), Sack of Grain (х1), Bucket (х1)
Effect: allows to take a Carrier Pigeon with you
While not in immediate danger, the Pigeon can be released to send a message to Verren, which will open the Caravan’s Travel Menu, allowing to move it to a selected location



[h3]Old Favors[/h3]



“Verren has lots of acquaintances. Many of them still remember their old friend and won't mind vouching for him to the right people.”

Requirements: Pile of Letters (х1), Inkpot
Effect: killing enemies near settlements improves your Reputation there by 20% of the received Experience
Increases the time limit for contracts by 1 day

[h3]Web of Contacts[/h3]



“The war made people's allegiances crystal clear - good fame is much more valuable right now than gold.”

Requirements: Signed Permit (х1)
Effect: grants 50% more Reputation when completing contracts in settlements affected by negative Situations
Grants +5% Reputation Gain for each settlement you’ve achieved “Respect” with
The “Common Cause” Reputation perk now works all the way up to “Amity” instead of “Benevolence”



[h3]Local Informants[/h3]



“Rumors and hearsay are not to be brushed aside. What at first may appear as empty talk can eventually pave a path to riches.”

Requirements: Directives (х1), empty Coin Purse (х5)
Effect: decreases the chance of being Ambushed by 25%
Setting up the Caravan Camp reveals the location of all Points of Interest within 5 tiles
Reveals some of the ongoing Settlement Situations and Dungeon Modifiers, showing them in Global Map hovers

[h3]Trade Preferences[/h3]



“In these uncertain times, most folks aren't brave enough to continue trading - their loss might as well become someone's gain.”

Requirements: Letter of Trading Authority (х1), achieving “Respect” with any settlement
Effect: +10% Trade Favorability when buying or selling Commodity Goods
Selling Commodity Goods in settlements improves your Reputation there by 5% of the received sum (15% if a settlement is affected by a negative Situation)



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That’s all for now. The next devlog will be dedicated to Global Map changes, including a new settlement of the Grand Magistrate:



Until next time!

Hello everyone!

In today’s devlog, we’ll take another look at Caravan Upgrades. This time the focus is on the third category - “Traveling”. As always, a reminder: Caravan Upgrades are not Abilities and therefore don’t require Ability Points. Instead, they are unlocked with items and materials.



But let’s give these upgrades some context first. One of the Caravan's primary features is far-distance traveling. It can be accessed by talking to Verren at the Caravan Camp, then choosing a tile on the global map to travel to.

Caravan travels will work by the following rules:

• Your destination must fit two main requirements. Firstly, it must not be concealed by the fog of war (tiles are revealed either by scouting them yourself or by using paper maps) - the Caravan can’t travel through uncharted territories. Secondly, the tile must not contain dungeons, Points of Interest, roads, or bodies of water - only empty tiles are suitable for setting up the Caravan Camp.
  
  Another thing to consider is how close your Caravan Camp is to settlements. If the distance is short enough, you’ll be able to directly access the Caravan Storage while trading, and your Followers will receive an opportunity to restock their wares.
  
  
  
  
• The Caravan has a limited max travel distance which can be increased with upgrades.
  
• The Caravan moves with varying speed depending on the terrain it has to traverse. Obviously, most suitable tiles are the ones with roads - they’ll be prioritized by the Caravan when possible. On the contrary, off-road tiles will take a significantly greater toll on both your time and resources.
  
• Before you can move out, you’ll need a sufficient stockpile of Fodder for your horses - the exact amount depends on the difficulty and duration of the chosen route as well as the number of acquired upgrades and Followers. Fodder can either be crafted from whatever suitable items you have at hand or purchased in bulk from merchants or stablehands in some settlements.
  
  
  
  
• Upon arrival, your Character will take some time to establish a camp. The time required depends on two factors: the tile’s biome and the number of Followers. Setting up a camping spot in the middle of an open field will be a much speedier affair than chopping down trees to make a clearing.
  
  
  
  
• There’ll be a limit on how often you can travel: after each journey, both Verren and the horses will need some time to recover. Initially the cooldown is a day and a half, but it can be gradually halved with specialized upgrades.
  
  
  
  
• Ol’ Tott isn’t going anywhere - his services will remain an alternative to the Caravan, although he’ll become much stingier with his prices. The main difference, however, is that the Coachman will only transport you between settlements and Outskirts - the Caravan is more flexible in this regard.

And now that we are done with mechanics, let’s move onto upgrades:

[h2]TRAVELING[/h2]



[h3]Hitching Post[/h3]



Requirements: basic upgrade (available from the start)
Effect: grants access to Caravan travels



[h3]Old Cart[/h3]



Requirements: basic upgrade (available from the start)
Effect: sets the base Caravan Distance at 20 tiles

[h3]Worn Chests[/h3]



Requirements: basic upgrade (available from the start)
Effect: grants access to 200 inventory slots of the Caravan Storage



[h3]Sturdy Wheels[/h3]



Requirements: Set of Sturdy Wheels (x1), Bottle of Oil (x1), Carpenter Hammer (x1)
Effect: +25% Caravan Distance and Speed

[h3]Ironbound Wheels[/h3]



Requirements: Set of Ironbound Wheels (x1), Bottle of Oil (х2), Nails (х6), Carpenter Hammer (x1)
Effect: -33% Caravan Rest Duration, -10% Traveling Costs

[h3]Sturdy Chest[/h3]



Requirements: Sturdy Chest (x1), Rope (х2), Nails (х6)
Effect: adds 200 inventory slots to the Caravan Storage (up to 400 in total)

[h3]Spacious Chests[/h3]



Requirements: Spacious Chests (x1), Nails (х6), Bottle of Oil (х2)
Effect: adds 200 inventory slots to the Caravan Storage (up to 600 in total)

[h3]Ironbound Chests[/h3]



Requirements: Ironbound Chests (x1), Nails (х8), Bottle of Oil (х3)
Effect: adds 200 inventory slots to the Caravan Storage (up to 800 in total)



[h3]Fitting Accouterments[/h3]



Requirements: Quality Reins (x1), Horseshoe (х8), Nails (х2)
Effect: +25% Caravan Speed, -10% Traveling Costs

[h3]Сustom-Made Gear[/h3]



Requirements: Reinforced Harness (x1), Bolt of Cloth (x1), Rope (x1)
Effect: -33% Caravan Rest Duration, +25% Caravan Distance



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That’s all for now. Until next devlog!

Hello everyone!

In today’s devlog we’ll demonstrate the final version of the reworked Dungeon Generator and showcase the main principles that governed its development.



Let’s start with a list of reasons that led us to reevaluating our approach to dungeon generation. The player feedback we received about its current state revealed the following issues:

• There isn’t much visual variety to speak of - the only difference between dungeons of the same type is what enemies can spawn in them, not their layout or overall design. This quickly makes dungeons feel predictable and uninspired.
  
• All dungeons use the same generation algorithm, which limits the room for structural distinction and environmental logic.
  
• The overall room structure and the abundance of single tile passages facilitate the funneling of enemies into doorways, trivializing both combat and positioning.

Our new approach is based on dungeon tiers. Initially, tiers were an informal term used by players to refer to dungeons based on their difficulty - in RtR they will actually become an official form of categorization. So instead of using hidden, rudimentary mechanics built around levels, this new system splits everything, be it enemies, items, or dungeons, into 5 distinct tiers.

Let’s explore what it entails, point by point:

• Different dungeon types will use different generation rules: the structure of Crypts will have noticeable differences from the structure of Bastions or Catacombs.
  
• Dungeons will feature varying visuals and room presets depending on their tier: the higher the tier, the more opulent a dungeon will appear, and the greater diversity of rooms it will display. Tier 4 and 5 dungeons in particular will look especially awe-inspiring.
  
  
  
  
• All dungeons will be split into two categories: generic and large, the latter consisting of two floors. We don’t have plans to introduce dungeons deeper than that: three floors or more would be way too tiresome and draining in most scenarios. The visuals will change depending on how deep you go: lower Crypt floors, for instance, will appear more damaged and use alternative room layouts.
  
  
  
  
• Rooms with bosses or contract objectives will spawn in dungeons’ farthest reaches, with secondary rooms branching off from the main path rather than being a part of it, giving you options for additional exploration.
  
  
  
  
• The updated visuals for dungeon descents and ascents will make them easy to spot and separate from one another: descents will always be a part of the floor, and ascents will be built into dungeon walls, just like they are right now.
  
  
  
  
• We decided to almost completely do away with single tile passageways, which should bring additional depth to the combat system and positioning by making group fights more frequent or even inevitable in certain situations (obviously, this comes with tweaks to most enemies’ stats, especially high tier ones).
  
• Rather than remaining the same once they spawn (or respawn after being cleared), dungeons will be generated when you enter them for the first time, just like in the earlier versions of the game (the layout won’t change if you save your progress after discovering it though). This will make dungeon exploration more engaging and unpredictable, since the ability to familiarize yourself with the location of enemies and traps throughout multiple save-load attempts won’t be as easily available by default.
  
• Secret rooms will be generated once per dungeon instead of once per floor. The roster of available secret rooms and their visuals will also depend on a dungeon’s tier.
  
  
  
  
• Even though it’s not directly related to the Dungeon Generator, we decided to rework the Noise and Enemy Awareness Systems, as the old ones didn’t work well with new dungeon layouts.

Now let’s have a closer look at Crypt specific features:

• New Crypts will appear as spacious tombs, with large hallways connecting separate burial chambers that are protected by stone plates. To access such a chamber, your Character will need a crowbar.
  
  
  
  
• Crypts won’t have wooden doors or narrow passages. Their vast halls will demand some clever maneuvering if you want to avoid getting surrounded by the Undead.
  
• Among other things, Crypts’ visuals will be affected by Dungeon Modifiers. Each dungeon type will have its own set of possible complications: for example, wafts of nauseatingly greenish air will signify the presence of “Miasmas”.
  
  
  
  
• The varied and unusual objectives of the reworked Contracts System will affect dungeon layouts as well: for instance, Wells of Souls will serve as spawning points for Wraiths, and the Holy Figurine contract will work quite differently from how it does right now…

• We also changed how the Loot System functions in Crypts and added a number of new items that can’t be found anywhere else. Here are some of them:

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That’s all for now. Until the next devlog!

Hello everyone!

Today’s devlog is dedicated to another new feature of the upcoming Rags to Riches update - the Crafting System.

The main principle behind the titular mechanic is that it allows only the creation of consumables and other similar items. The possibility of crafting complex gear and equipment was discarded very early on: doing otherwise would result in constant interactions with a broad range of specialized crafts and tools, which doesn’t mesh well with the game’s main theme - adventuring and exploring the world as a mercenary. On top of that, being able to craft armor and weapons would demand a rather cumbersome system with lots of materials, tools, and so on, shifting the game’s focus even further from what we aim to achieve.

Therefore, a system that revolves solely around the creation of consumables and various utility items makes the most sense in the context of the preexisting basic gameplay loop, adding more depth to the preparation stage.

Anyway, let’s start with the basics. Crafting is performed through a dedicated menu, which can be accessed in three ways: by using the “Crafting” basic ability, interacting with a workbench (such as the one you can upgrade your Caravan with), or by using a Crafting Kit:



In order to create an item, you’ll need to possess both the correct ingredients and the knowledge. In the beginning, your character will know how to craft only the most simple items - the schematics for making anything more sophisticated will need to be found, looted, or purchased from traders.



Schematics are split into two categories: basic and advanced. Basic items can be crafted anywhere, any time, all you need is ingredients. On the contrary, advanced schematics can’t be followed through without a workbench or a Crafting Kit - a new consumable that loses charges with each crafted item.



Creating a consumable will award a bit of Experience, the exact amount depending on the finished item’s complexity. To make the search for new schematics even more enticing, crafting an item for the first time will grant you five times the basic amount of XP. And even though the current list of crafting schematics is relatively short, we plan to greatly expand it in the future with the addition of many new consumables.

It’s worth mentioning that this new system brought a lot of changes to Bedrolls and Campfires: Bedrolls will no longer require you to learn any skills to craft them, while Campfires will be created by using a special craftable item - a Bundle of Brushwood.

Consequently, the Survival ability tree saw some significant tweaks too: it now has a much more flexible structure, and some of its skills were heavily revised.

Each character will also start with “Butchering”, a new Survival skill that will allow you to harvest meat from dead beasts without investing any AP. Skinning and looting rare ingredients, on the other hand, will still require you to learn the dedicated passive.



Additionally, the Crafting System will allow your character to create Fodder, a resource used to fuel your Caravan travels. Although Fodder will be purchasable from stablehands, there’s still a risk of finding yourself stranded far from civilization without sufficient supplies - that’s where additional options come into play.



Fodder can be crafted from any foodstuff suitable for horses: grain, straw, apples and carrots, even some herbs. Using grain in particular will yield the most Fodder, while the low nutritional value of straw will require you to collect a whole lot of it to make a difference.

That’s all for now. In the next devlog we’ll return with more information on the Caravan Upgrades. As a parting gift, here’s a glimpse of something else that we’re currently working on:



Until the next devlog, and have a happy New Year!