Wands News

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Watch the Magic Battling and mystery panel. Meet the devs behind the awesome games Wands and Elven Assassin!

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[h2]Wands Update – Version 1.7.0[/h2]

After listening to lots of useful community feedback, we at Cortopia Studios have enhanced certain gameplay aspects of Wands, aiming to increase the game’s accessibility, pace, and depth.

(1) Player Movement

Aside from various bug fixes and spell balancing changes, we improved the inverse kinematics, which means your opponent will appear to move more naturally. We also enlarged the playable space to VR’s room scale standard. This creates a more immersive experience since you can move more freely without going out of bounds. All levels have been reworked to accommodate the larger tiles, and the tile locations have been optimized.

(2) Dual Wielding

The main feature we are introducing with Version 1.7.0, is dual wielding. This addition will allow players to wield a Wand in each hand! The community has made it clear that they want the off-hand to be more useful, and we are thrilled to finally make it happen. Being able to do different things with two hands independently from each other is a big change. It allows for new ways to mix and match spells, and it paves the way for new tactics and strategies to emerge and evolve.

(3) Controls

The new mechanics also make it easier to cast spells, and the controls have been simplified for all dual wielding controllers. We have spent the last couple months working on the patch and refining the new controls with the help of beta testers. Previously, players had to select and use their spells with different buttons, which many new players found cumbersome. The new system allows for more instantaneous gameplay. Now, you can unleash havoc at the press of a button, rather than using analogue inputs.

The patch goes live on all supported platforms July 9th, 2020. The dual wielding feature will be available for Oculus Quest, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Cosmos, Valve Index, and Windows Mixed Reality.

[h3]Full 1.7.0 patch notes:
[/h3]

• New Feature
  
  • Added Dual Wand control scheme for Quest, Rift, Vive, Index, Cosmos, and WMR. Players can now use a wand in each hand
• Improved Features
  
  • Tile size increased to room scale
    
  • Improved IK (your opponent’s character moves more naturally)
    
  • Improved AI animations
    
  • Acid Cloud now gives a clear visual warning before inflicting damage
    
  • Petrifying Prison’s base has been removed for improved visibility
    
  • Petrifying Prison now animates
    
  • 6DoF opponent’s wands point in the exact directions they’re aiming
    
• Game Balancing
  
  • Hail of Death – Fire rate increased 50%
    
  • Blood Bolt – Projectile speed increased 65%
    
  • Chilling Clutch – Projectile speed increased 35%
    
  • Magic Missile – Cost per charged missile increased from 10 to 12
    
  • Electric Fist – Projectile count reduced from 8 to 7
    
  • Pickups take an additional 1.5s to collect for dual wielding players
    
  • Mana regen for 3DoF players is now 2/s faster (17/s total)
    
• Bug Fixes
  
  • Newly unlocked relics do not lay down on the shelf
    
  • Relic icon does not pop out of relic when it’s being unlocked
    
  • Warden’s arm no longer rests on the Aspis elevator tile
    
  • The Aspis elevator tile’s hitbox is now the correct size
    
  • Hours and minutes are now correctly spaced on the events board
    
  • In-game menu is no longer tilted downward
    
  • Player’s feet no longer drag after recentering
    
  • And many more!
    

We hope you will enjoy these changes, and we are looking forward to hearing more of your feedback for future improvements!

We're excited to announce a new Wands patch!

This update is loaded with improvements based on player feedback. For example, some people thought the AI was too easy, but other people thought it was too hard ... so we built a super easy AI, a ridiculously hard AI, and added a few more options in between!

Wands now officially supports Windows Mixed Reality on Steam! If you've already tried the game on a WMR device and didn't like it, we encourage you to give it another shot, since the controllers work as intended now!

The main purpose of this update, which is full of bug fixes and improvements, is to build a solid foundation for the bigger and better updates that are coming later this year! We're very excited about the future of Wands, and we hope you are too. See you in the Beyond!

The full patch notes for 1.6.3 are listed below.

[h3]New Features[/h3]

• Added multiple AI difficulty levels that the player can choose from
  
• Added support for Windows Mixed Reality controllers
  

[h3]Improved Features[/h3]

• New tiles added to Halls, Ortus, and Sanctum
  
• Tile location tweaks on Aspis, Halls, Ortus, Vale, and Sanctum for improved LOS
  
• Reduced 6DoF recentering time from 1s to 0.5s
  
• Tile boundary is always visible on your current tile for 6DoF platforms
  
• Tutorial won't automatically restart after reinstalling the game
  
• Added additional connection messages for the Workshop portal
  
• The AI now defends itself more effectively against several spells
  
• The AI is now less proficient with Shield and Dome at low difficulty levels
  
• Improved controls for Valve Index controllers
  

[h3]Game Balancing[/h3]

• Curse of the Undead - Reduced duration from 15s to 10s
  
• Disc of Antioch - Increased cost from 35 to 40, increased cooldown to 0.5s between shots
  
• Cerberus Collars - Are now limited to 1 active at a time for each player
  

[h3]Bug Fixes[/h3]

• Fixed issue where Prison could lock a summon in place if cast on another tile in quick succession
  
• Fixed issue where casting Twins could block further spell casting
  
• Teleport beacons no longer stay active when releasing the Teleport button outside your boundary
  
• 6DoF players can no longer cast spells before the match starts by pausing/unpausing the game or by stepping out and into their play area
  
• Fixed issue where Disc could sometimes get inside Dome
  
• Fixed incorrect hints on the Monolith
  
• Mana now properly regenerates faster during the last minute of the match
  
• Fixed lighting issue behind the Workshop Portal that created weird shadows
  
• Fixed issue that prevented Teleporting to distant tiles on Sanctum
  
• 6DoF players can no longer cast spells through the floor
  
• Gamepad is no longer recognized as valid input on Quest
  
• Fixed issue where the AI could grab pickups while casting spells
  
• Fixed issue where Lightning sometimes failed to deal damage on Ortus
  
• Fixed issue where two walls were invisible from certain tiles on Temple
  
• Fixed issue where player’s position dropped when standing on Aspis elevator as match ended
  
• Fixed issue where Assassin’s picture was briefly visible when unlocking any other character
  

Hello Wielders,

The 2018 Holiday Update is here, and with it we're adding a number of improvements to Wands!

First off, there are a pair of feedback related changes that are aimed at helping you keep track of how a duel is going during the heat of battle.

Part one is the addition of a HUD (or Heads Up Display) that will show you your health, mana, and spells, at all times during a match. And part two is a persistent health bar over your opponent, so that its easy to tell how close you are to victory.

Second, we've added a new control scheme called PRESS to the Go, Daydream, and MiVR platforms. This control scheme allows you to directly cast a spell by pressing the corresponding part of the touchpad. For example, if you have Hail of Death assigned as your right spell, pressing the right part of the touchpad will cast it. It's as simple as that!

Third, we've made some significant improvements to how long it takes for the game to start up. And, while you wait, there's now much more information about what's actually being loaded.

You can find a full list of all the changes, including the balance updates and bugfixes, below.

See you in The Beyond!

 Join us on Discord to share your thoughts on this update, we'd love to hear your feedback.  

New features

• In-Game HUD - Your spells, health, and mana are now always visible in the center of your view while in a match.
• Overhead Opponent Health - The health of your opponent is now always visible above them.
• New 'Press' Control Scheme - Allows you to cast spells directly with the touch-pad (Oculus GO, MiVR and Google). Teleport by trigger hold/release (Oculus GO, MiVR).

Improved features

• You'll now get into Wands faster! We reduced the startup time for the game, and we now give you information about what parts of the game are loading while you wait.

Game balancing

• Mana regen rate increased to 10/s (from 8/s) during normal play, and 15/s (from 12/s) during the final minute
• Decreased Phoenix's max damage from 30 to 25, decreased min damage from 15 to 10, added constant splash damage of 10 and decreased damage increase per second from 5 to 3
• Decreased Chilling Clutch's fire rate from 5 to 2 per second
• Reduced Hail of Death's accuracy from long range; increased its accuracy from short range

Bug fixes

• Improved the targeting behavior of The Vale's crystal and addressed an exploit
• Hail of Death and Blood Bolt can no longer fire two projectiles at once
• You're now correctly sent back to the workshop after losing your connection in the lobby or an arena
• It should now be much less likely for more than 2 players try to connect to the same match
• Daydream players can no longer prevent the countdown from starting

Komuso rules the Beyond combining his samurai past with his present as a Wielder. He hides his true identity through his straw bascinet previously given by his master.

Komuso's Story

After losing his teacher as a samurai, Komuso became masterless and was thrust into despair and agony. Living on the streets as a beggar, Komuso began his search anew for a fulfilled life. In this desperate search, Komuso found his calling in the Beyond and the many wonders it had to offer. He now lives and breathes for the taste of magic and hides his true identity through his straw bascinet previously given by his teacher.

Bug fixes

Earned points should now properly be reflected in your score

We've improved on the connection issues some players have been experiencing

Fixed login issue on Daydream