VALHALL: Harbinger News

[h2]Greetings, Vikings![/h2][p][/p][p]Our next patch arrives on Saturday, November 8th. It will bring an overhaul to our AI logic systems, resulting in performance gains and allowing us to enrich the world with more life. We've also addressed highly-requested Co-op features, quality-of-life improvements, and bug fixes.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Here's what it will bring:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Bot Logic Optimization[/h2][p][/p][p]We have overhauled our AI logic, specifically how the game handles characters and creatures at a distance, including in Co-op. This change reduces the performance cost of each individual bot.[/p][p][/p][p]Bots and animals that are far away from the player now use a fraction of the resources they did before.[/p][p][/p][p]The performance impact of dead bodies has also been reduced.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]More Populated World[/h2][p][/p][p]Thanks to the AI system upgrade, we've been able to make the world feel more alive. The number of animal spawners across the map has been substantially increased.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Boars[/h2][p][/p][p]The forests are now home to a new animal. Keep an eye out for aggressive wild boars (small). Watch your step, and happy hunting![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Co-op Session Improvements[/h2][p][/p][p]You can now add a password to your Co-op sessions.[/p][p][/p][p]A Friends Only option has been added.[/p][p][/p][p]Structures in Co-op no longer have automatic ownership. This means your friends can open doors, use your chests, and help you deconstruct. To protect your belongings from being altered by others, you must place a Banner in the area.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Other Survival & Quality of Life Improvements[/h2][p][/p][p]Fixed a critical issue that caused the player character's physics to break and become distorted after switching weapons. Note: We are aware of other issues with character physics and are planning further improvements for future updates.[/p][p][/p][p]The resource cost for building defensive structures has been slightly reduced again.[/p][p][/p][p]Adjusted the world events system to prevent events from repeating in a row (with the exception of the Frost event in Co-op).[/p][p][/p][p]Added a preparation countdown timer before the Challenge starts.[/p][p][/p][p]Regular wolves will no longer appear during the Frost Challenge. They have been replaced by a greater number of big snow wolves.[/p][p][/p][p]Increased the amount of pickable Stone to make it easier to find.[/p][p][/p][p]Implemented a more robust fix to prevent trees from respawning through player-built structures addressing issues from a previous patch.[/p][p][/p][p]Slightly increased the overall respawn time for trees.[/p][p][/p][p]A V-Sync option has been added to the graphics settings menu.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed multiple collision and snapping issues where walls, ceilings, and other building pieces would not align correctly.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed numerous terrain collision issues on islands that could cause players to get stuck.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed trees that were incorrectly spawning inside lakes and other bodies of water.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed a bug that caused the player to become permanently stuck if the ship they were controlling was destroyed.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Thank you for your feedback and support![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Skål![/p][p]Blackrose Arts[/p]

[p]Hey![/p][p][/p][p]We’ve just pushed a hotfix to the last patch to address several critical issues with the Frost Challenge ❄️[/p][p][/p][p]Fixes & Improvements:[/p]

• [p]Fixed visual bugs where dynamic fog was appearing instantly and then disappeared, and the snow effect on trees and grass was out of sync.[/p]
• [p]Fixed spatial audio for blizzard, you will now correctly hear muffled wind sounds when inside a building.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where cold wasn’t changing or causing damage in some cases, breaking the core of the Challenge.[/p]
• [p]Fixed snow wolves disappearing unexpectedly.[/p]
• [p]Made more plants disappear during the Frost.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a rare crash that could occur during travel.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where arrows hitting ships would stop them from sailing.[/p]
• [p]Fixed Glory Points not updating in the tab without restarting the session.[/p]
• [p]Snow will now properly extinguish campfires that aren’t covered.[/p]
• [p]Added clearer notifications and countdowns to signal the arrival of the Frost Challenge and how long you have left to endure it.[/p]

[p][/p][p]Sorry if these issues affected your first experience with the Frost Challenge![/p][p][/p][p]If the cold feels too punishing and you’re freezing faster than expected, let us know. Though remember, the goal is to endure it.[/p][p][/p][p]Note: Challenges currently occur once every 30–50 minutes.[/p][p][/p][p]Skål![/p][p]Blackrose Arts[/p]

[h2]Vikings![/h2][p][/p][p]Most of you haven’t had the chance to experience winter in the game, as it previously required too much playtime to trigger and was set to occur infrequently due to earlier issues. But now, you’ll definitely get to see it, as its upgraded version is part of the new Challenge in the Dynamic world event system we’re building.[/p][p][/p][p]This is the first Challenge event to take place globally across the realm and is available in Co-op too (not only in Singleplayer).[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]This patch arrives next Wednesday (October 8th)[/h3][p][/p][p]Here's what it will bring:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]The Harsh Winter Challenge[/h2][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]It is a Challenge. You need to survive by overcoming the harsh winter until the very end to successfully accomplish it.[/p][p][/p][p]If you fail and die, you’ll simply respawn at your bed, but you won’t receive the reward.[/p][p][/p][p]As with all recurring Challenges, you will hear a horn that shakes the ground announcing its beginning and gives you some time to prepare. Then, the whole world will be covered by frost.[/p][p][/p][p]The winter during the Challenge is an intense blizzard. It is bitterly cold outside, and you must stay warm to survive.[/p][p][/p][p]Natural resources such as raspberries, flax, and mushrooms will disappear, so make sure to prepare food in advance. Regular animals like bears and deer will also vanish.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]However, formidable snow wolves will appear. They are more dangerous than their usual counterparts. During the Challenge, you can hunt them for rewards, both Glory and unique loot that only they possess.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]And finally... beware a terrifying new encounter you may trigger on your voyage home.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Co-op Host Performance Boost[/h2][p][/p][p]If you are hosting a Co-op session, you will notice a performance boost (up to 20% increase in frame rate).[/p][p][/p][p]In some cases, Co-op clients will also get a smoother experience.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Co-op Client Steering[/h2][p][/p][p][/p][p]Friends playing as clients in Co-op can now have and steer their own ships alongside yours (the host).[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Diverse Survival Improvements[/h2][p][/p][p]Increased the durability of walls and fences so bots can’t reach your chests too quickly.[/p][p][/p][p]Increased pickaxe durability.[/p][p][/p][p]Arrows can now be crafted in stacks of 5.[/p][p][/p][p]Made fighting wolves easier and improved auto-targeting when enabled.[/p][p][/p][p]Improved wolf sounds to make them less annoying.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed a bug where the torch could get stuck and prevent weapon switching.[/p][p][/p][p]Temporarily disabled climbing for rework to prevent bugs (was rarely useful, but will become cool later).[/p][p][/p][p]Reduced the price traders pay for stones.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed incorrect sound effects for Thor’s hammer.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed remaining issues with collateral building destruction.[/p][p][/p][p]Adjusted several map areas to prevent players from getting stuck.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed rain and snow not aligning with wind direction and foliage.[/p][p][/p][p]Adjusted a few problematic dual-wield attack animations.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed an issue where animals would sometimes stop aiming and slide during attacks, breaking combat.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Thank you guys for your feedback and support![/p][p][/p][p]Skål![/p][p]Blackrose Arts[/p]

[h2]Vikings![/h2][p][/p][p]This update focuses on rebalancing resources and adjusting crafting and building costs to make the experience more rewarding and logical. Less wood grind. It also fixes diverse issues that were impacting the gameplay.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Here's what the patch brings:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Global Survival Balance[/h2][p][/p][p]The global crafting and building costs for most items and structures have been adjusted. Based on the valuable feedback we received through the form, we've reduced the heavy reliance on wood and diversified the resource requirements. This reduces the wood grind.[/p][p][/p][p]The consumable stats for food have been adjusted to prevent one way being much more efficient than the other.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Faster Crafting Timings[/h2][p][/p][p]Made a change to all crafting timings, reducing them significantly (to 10 seconds in most cases).[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Survival Improvements & Bug Fixes[/h2][p][/p][p]Added visual markers for important interactive points that will appear at appropriate times to help guide you.[/p][p][/p][p]The first crafting and building categories will now open instantly when you open the tab, so you won't have to select them manually.[/p][p][/p][p]The chance of rain at the very start of the game has been removed.[/p][p][/p][p]The crafting and building UI has been adjusted for better readability.[/p][p][/p][p]The pickaxe now has durability.[/p][p][/p][p]Added more slots to the fish cage so you can leave it for longer.[/p][p]
We know the fixes we made to the two-handed axe physics caused some wild new issues, including the character explosion. While we work on a full solution, this patch addresses the helicoptering bug and a related crash.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed an issue where the charcoal burner was too difficult to place.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed an issue where the tanning and drying racks would incorrectly ask for wood even when no items were inside.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed a glitch where arm physics would behave strangely after equipping and unequipping weapons.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed a bug where a character's torso would sometimes detach when destroying ore parts.[/p][p][/p][p]Removed stability checks for certain buildings so they don't blow up nearby structures.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed a bug where loot chests would sometimes respawn items too early.[/p][p][/p][p]Resolved a bug where the trading and cooking UI were overlapped by other tabs.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed a bug where a well could be placed on a foundation.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed a bug that allowed players to spam arena duels.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed compass markers disappearing when sailing.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed enemies not spawning on the island during the quest.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]WIP Sneak Peek[/p][p][/p][p]Also we've been working on a new Dynamic world event that will be featured in the next update: a very harsh winter you'll need to overcome.[/p][p]Previously, seasonal winter was a very rare occurrence that had little impact beyond visuals. Turning it into a new challenge makes it much more frequent and adds new goals, obstacles, and rewards. Visually, it will also be a more intense blizzard.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Thank you guys for your feedback and support![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Skål![/p][p]Blackrose Arts[/p]

[h2]Vikings![/h2][p][/p][p]While we continue working on dynamic world events and pushing them further, we're also adding more features for crafting, building, and other survival gameplay elements.[/p][p][/p][p]This patch will arrive next Friday (August 8th).[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Here's what the patch will bring:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Second Dynamic Event Visuals[/h2][p][/p][p]The second world dynamic event now introduces visual changes to the world when it begins, with auroras in the sky and guiding runes leading to the entrance. Even if you choose not to take on the challenge, these will make the world feel more dynamic and diversify the atmosphere.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Bones & Skulls[/h2][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Now you can loot bones and skulls directly from dead enemies, or co-op friends...[/p][p][/p][p]And then use them for building.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Sitting[/h2][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]You can now sit down to relax after a fight or gather around a campfire.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Character physics interacts with the landscape while sitting. This is also a “touch the grass” feature.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Two-Handed Weapons Fix[/h2][p][/p][p]Fixed the physics issues that affected two-handed weapons. Their usage will now increase.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Gradual Recipe Discovery[/h2][p][/p][p]Added a gradual discovery system for crafting recipes. Some items, and many more in the future, will only appear in the crafting list after you discover them through triggers like collecting a new resource or completing a quest.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]New Weapons & Buildings[/h2][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Added 2 bows and 3 two-handed axes available for crafting.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Added Odin's visage decoration and throne made of stone.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Added a placeable tent to provide shelter from rain and a place to relax during travel.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Survival Improvements & Fixes[/h2][p][/p][p]Added a new resource - Silver. The trader on the distant island sells more Silver at a much cheaper price.[/p][p][/p][p]Added a new trader to the map with his own selection of goods.[/p][p][/p][p]Added a Jeweled Bracer to the starting items.[/p][p][/p][p]Added a smooth fast travel camera animation.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed a rare issue where the last enemy would not spawn during the camp quest.[/p][p][/p][p]Starting items will now only be granted the first time a character enters the world.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Thank you for your feedback and support![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Skål![/p][p]Blackrose Arts[/p]