HammerHelm News

Today's build includes some fixes and updates to the UI related to the localization updates I made the other day.

• Corrected the name of the decorative armor sets.
  
• Fixed a word wrap issue related to the placing furniture message.
  
• Fixed a bug that caused NPCs to get assigned to the same building.
  
• Fixed a bug that caused the Choose Dwarf UI to appear behind the Build UI.
  
• Fixed a bug that caused the Name Town UI to appear behind the Choose Dwarf UI.
  
• Updated the Wishing Well, Bitter Bulbs, and Magic Pool to use the new button message system.
  
• Fixed the pop-up text word wrap.

Continuing to make some progress on the collectible system. Super happy with how the updated Rose Trellis turned out!



I'm hoping to have time to work on resource spawning the system more this weekend.

-Jonathan "Calandryll" Hanna
[email protected]

• My Twitter: https://twitter.com/SuperSixStudios
  
• Discord Channel: discord.gg/soedesco

Beta 9.7 includes some more updates to the UI to better support controller inputs and localized text in addition to some other changes and fixes.

• Added the tutorial guides for building and the townspeople UI to use controller instructions when using a controller.
  
• Fixed a bug that caused jumping when using a controller to fail to actually jump. The animation played, but the character didn't jump up.
  
• Updated more text to support keyboard vs. controller localized text.
  
• Fixed a bug with the close button in the intro story UI.

Also, a quick look at the current in-game assets for the collectibles system. After getting some great feedback, I decided to add both ore and alchemy ingredients to the world resource spawner that also handles the new stuff like the beehives and bags of seeds.

A screenshot of all of them together. Note, we're still working on the Trellis, specifically the leaves and flowers.



The smaller ore deposits will appear in the world as part of the resource spawner. The large deposit will continue to appear in caves and in quests. The medium size deposit will yield between 4 and 5 ore and the smallest will give 1 to 2. The large ore will continue to give 10 to 11 ore. The logs with the alchemy resources will likely give around 5 of that resource.

A Beehive with bees


A Firefly Lamppost


As part of the collectible resources update I'm also going to be balancing the game a bit. Mostly on the weapons, armor, and potions. Since you'll be getting more resources from exploring, rather than only from quests, I'm going to need to adjust the resource requirements for the items. The net effect of crafting items should be similar to the current rate, perhaps a touch longer. I don't want it to feel like a grind though so once the update goes live I'll definitely be looking for your feedback!

Another balance change I am considering is making chopping down trees take three hits rather than four once you have a Woodchopper and also increasing the amount of spawned resources in the new system once you have a Woodchopper as well. I think that building needs a buff!

Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms out there! Hope everyone continues to stay safe and healthy and as always, thank you so much for the feedback and support!

-Jonathan "Calandryll" Hanna
[email protected]

• My Twitter: https://twitter.com/SuperSixStudios
  
• Discord Channel: discord.gg/soedesco

Tonight's build includes some updates to the building placement system, mostly related to controller support and the UI in general. Also some bug fixes.

• Updated the build mode UI to use the new UI look for keys.
  
• Improved controller support for the road placement tool.
  
• Added a particle and a light to the road building tool to make it easier to see.
  
• Improved the initial placement of the road building tool when using a controller.
  
• Added controller instructions for build mode and the road placement tool.
  
• Updated the text for build mode to work better with the localization system.
  
• Updated the NPC Orc conversation UI to use the same UI as the NPC Dwarves.
  
• Fixed a bug that caused the game to sometimes freeze after defeating Gorefinger.
  
• Fixed a bug that allowed you to drink a potion while attacking.

Also a sneak peek of the work in progress for the in-game Apiary!


-Jonathan "Calandryll" Hanna
[email protected]

• My Twitter: https://twitter.com/SuperSixStudios
  
• Discord Channel: discord.gg/soedesco

I'm working on a new system to add some variety and some reward for exploring the map. One of the pieces of feedback that I get is the journey from town to a quest and then back again can get a bit boring as there is little to discover or see between destinations. The Collectible Decor system will add some things to the world that you can find and use to improve your town!

To start, there will be five resources to discover on the island - Beehives, Cherry Blossom Seeds, Birch Tree Seeds, Roses, and Fireflies.

Collecting enough of these will allow you to build special structures for your town, including Apiaries, Cherry Blossom Trees, Birch Trees, A Rose Trellis, and a special Firefly Lamppost.

Some Concept Art



I made a quick mock-up of how the beehives will appear using the concept. They'll be found on the small birch trees. Beehives are more commonly found to the east of the town.



A bag of seeds hidden in a bush. Seeds for Birch Trees and Cherry Blossoms are often found north of the town, with Cherry Blossom seeds being more prevalent near the ruins.



A Cherry Blossom placed in a town!



Fireflies. These are more common near Willow Grove.



A Birch Tree placed in a town.



Each resource can be found anywhere, but will be more common in certain areas. Most of these will add beauty to the town when placed near homes with the exception of the Apiaries. These can be placed near Brewers to enhance the beer and improve the mood buff from beer.

The artist who drew the concepts is now working on the actual in game assets while I work on the system to spawn the collectibles and build the new structures. My hope is to add about five more of these after the launch of the initial five.

I'm also likely going to increase the size of the build space for the town since you'll need the room to fit the new decor!

I'd love to hear your ideas for collectible resources that could be used to build decorative structures in the town too.

I hope everyone is staying safe, and as always, thank you so much for your support! :)

-Jonathan "Calandryll" Hanna
[email protected]

• My Twitter: https://twitter.com/SuperSixStudios
  
• Discord Channel: discord.gg/soedesco

Beta 9.5 is a big update to the controller and how dynamic text is created in HammerHelm.

This update includes a new controller layout.



The biggest change is a the d-pad radial menu. This appears when you press the Y button if you don't have anything to interact with such as a treasure chest or an NPC to speak with.



Pressing the d-pad in the direction of the button opens that UI. This frees up the other buttons to be used for specific things, rather than doubling up on having a button do something combat related in one instance and something UI related in another. Since they are freed up now, pressing the Right Stick will cycle quests and the X button now cycles monster targets. You can also press down on the d-pad when a potion is selected to place it back into your inventory.

In addition, all of the UI that asks you to press a button or press a key has been updated to use icons rather than embedding the key in the text. This will make translated HammerHelm a lot easier.

You can see this in the Speak with NPC text along with the cycle quest and build/town text. If you change the key in the options menu, the keys in the UI will update with the new key. They system will also switch to showing controller buttons if you use a controller.



I've added a new keybind specific to cycling quests. It defaults to the B key.

This build also includes a fix to resolve a bug that caused the skill point bar to not update properly when loading a save.

Sorry I haven't had an update for a bit as I've been sick the past week. Feeling better now and really happy to be able to get this update out to all of you!

-Jonathan "Calandryll" Hanna
[email protected]

• My Twitter: https://twitter.com/SuperSixStudios
  
• Discord Channel: discord.gg/soedesco