1.0 Preview
Today's build is the 1.0 update preview. I figured it would good to put this on the main branch so you all can check it out before it becomes the official launch build. More on that in an upcoming announcement!
Very important - as mentioned in previous announcements, this build is not compatible with existing saves. Because of all of the new features and content, if you used an existing character you'd miss out on the early story elements, the new skills, and a bunch of other stuff. I do not plan on making any further updates that will require a restart.
For those that haven't had a chance to play the test builds, I'll detail all of the changes at a high level in this update. There's a lot!
A New Story
This build includes the new story, which starts with a prologue, includes the Scarecrow and Orc quests and a bunch of new quests leading up to finale that unlocks new parts of the game.
There's also a new dialogue system allowing you to get more information for the story quests.
New Systems and Structures
After completing the story you will unlock a new Trading System, new materials, some new structures, and a new armor outfit!
New Graphics for the Town
The textures for town buildings and most structures have been updated to bring them more in line with the rest of the graphics and to make the town a bit less dingy and more cozy and welcoming.
Also included is a new customization system for you house!
Big shout out to Alexis Bierschbach who created the new textures. She also created a lot of the new art over the past year, like the Apiaries, Firefly Lamps, and the new hatchet and pickaxe tools.
New Skills System and Updated Combat
The 1.0 build includes a brand new and expanded skill system and updates to combat to accommodate some of the skill.
The new skills, increased from 9 to 22 with most having multiple levels. New skills are unlocked by increasing the size of your town!
Combat Updates include multiple special attacks and a new interface to choose the one you want to use.
Most of the attacks have received new particles - even the basic attack has been upgraded and includes a slight camera shake when you hit an enemy.
Giving you all of these new skills wouldn't be fair to the monsters unless they got some new stuff too! Monster spellcasters can now cast buffs on their allies and some monsters carry shields!
There are also new non-combat skills and updates to the old skills. Get extra resources when you chop down trees or break stone. The riches and luck skills are enhanced too. These skills have graphics to let you know when they worked too! There's even a skill to increase the overall mood of the town.
Speaking of chopping down trees, you will now automatically collect the wood when you chop down a tree rather than having to find the fallen logs.
New Music
Everything from the title screen to the Orc quest has updated music. There's also combat music when you are in fights in the wilderness and two versions of the main world exploration music, one when you are outside of your town and one when you are in the town! Some new tracks for the new content have also been composed.
Updated User Interfaces
Many of the user interfaces that had small text have been updated to accommodate larger text. There's also a new UI for managing your buildings, so no more crazy alt + ctrl + key combinations.
And More!
There's a lot more in this build too, including a new jump (so you don't run in the air if you fall after jumping), a bunch of optimizations, and a new tunic hueing system.
I hope you enjoy playing all of these updates as much as I enjoyed making them. The past few months have been a whirlwind of activity and I think this update brings home the town-building + rpg experience I've wanted HammerHelm to be since the beginning.
As always, if you have any feedback, suggestions, or concerns please feel free to write a comment in the forums, post in Discord, or email me directly. I'm still working on some smaller tweaks and enhancements.
Whether you're new to HammerHelm or have been here since the start, thank you everyone for your support!
-Jonathan "Calandryll" Hanna
[email protected]
Very important - as mentioned in previous announcements, this build is not compatible with existing saves. Because of all of the new features and content, if you used an existing character you'd miss out on the early story elements, the new skills, and a bunch of other stuff. I do not plan on making any further updates that will require a restart.
For those that haven't had a chance to play the test builds, I'll detail all of the changes at a high level in this update. There's a lot!
A New Story
This build includes the new story, which starts with a prologue, includes the Scarecrow and Orc quests and a bunch of new quests leading up to finale that unlocks new parts of the game.
There's also a new dialogue system allowing you to get more information for the story quests.
New Systems and Structures
After completing the story you will unlock a new Trading System, new materials, some new structures, and a new armor outfit!
New Graphics for the Town
The textures for town buildings and most structures have been updated to bring them more in line with the rest of the graphics and to make the town a bit less dingy and more cozy and welcoming.
Also included is a new customization system for you house!
Big shout out to Alexis Bierschbach who created the new textures. She also created a lot of the new art over the past year, like the Apiaries, Firefly Lamps, and the new hatchet and pickaxe tools.
New Skills System and Updated Combat
The 1.0 build includes a brand new and expanded skill system and updates to combat to accommodate some of the skill.
The new skills, increased from 9 to 22 with most having multiple levels. New skills are unlocked by increasing the size of your town!
Combat Updates include multiple special attacks and a new interface to choose the one you want to use.
Most of the attacks have received new particles - even the basic attack has been upgraded and includes a slight camera shake when you hit an enemy.
Giving you all of these new skills wouldn't be fair to the monsters unless they got some new stuff too! Monster spellcasters can now cast buffs on their allies and some monsters carry shields!
There are also new non-combat skills and updates to the old skills. Get extra resources when you chop down trees or break stone. The riches and luck skills are enhanced too. These skills have graphics to let you know when they worked too! There's even a skill to increase the overall mood of the town.
Speaking of chopping down trees, you will now automatically collect the wood when you chop down a tree rather than having to find the fallen logs.
New Music
Everything from the title screen to the Orc quest has updated music. There's also combat music when you are in fights in the wilderness and two versions of the main world exploration music, one when you are outside of your town and one when you are in the town! Some new tracks for the new content have also been composed.
Updated User Interfaces
Many of the user interfaces that had small text have been updated to accommodate larger text. There's also a new UI for managing your buildings, so no more crazy alt + ctrl + key combinations.
And More!
There's a lot more in this build too, including a new jump (so you don't run in the air if you fall after jumping), a bunch of optimizations, and a new tunic hueing system.
I hope you enjoy playing all of these updates as much as I enjoyed making them. The past few months have been a whirlwind of activity and I think this update brings home the town-building + rpg experience I've wanted HammerHelm to be since the beginning.
As always, if you have any feedback, suggestions, or concerns please feel free to write a comment in the forums, post in Discord, or email me directly. I'm still working on some smaller tweaks and enhancements.
Whether you're new to HammerHelm or have been here since the start, thank you everyone for your support!
-Jonathan "Calandryll" Hanna
[email protected]
- My Twitter: https://twitter.com/SuperSixStudios
- Discord Channel: discord.gg/soedesco
