VALHALL: Harbinger News

[h2]Vikings![/h2]

The Pre-Beta 0.9 patch is here! New content, important fixes and improvement. Let's check it out!




[h2]Waves attacking player settlement[/h2]

Today's update adds waves of enemies that are looking for and attacking your settlement.

AI navigation now covers the entire map, which means they will find your house anywhere. And they will try to destroy it!



Settlement raiders can come at any time of the day. They aim to destroy your respawn.

There are different waves with different enemies. The more days you survive, the harder enemies visit you (although there are a few random relax waves).



First, several Vikings with swords will knock on your door, but after a few days, fiery arrows will fly into the house. There is a chance that even a bear and other animals will become your guests.




[h2]DLSS and FSR 2[/h2]

NVIDIA DLSS uses the power of the NVIDIA RTX Tensor Cores to boost frame rates and generate sharp frames that approach or exceed native rendering.

AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 2 works across both Radeon and GeForce graphics cards, and on older models such as the GTX 10 and 16 series too.

You can find their customizable options in the Video settings.


[h2]Hotbar and swapping fixes[/h2]

We've heard from many players about an issue where swapping slots stopped working. Now it's fixed.


[h2]Torch fixes[/h2]

Previously, the torch could stop igniting. Now this is fixed, also in the Control settings there is a slot for changing the ignition key of the torch.


[h2]Scoreboard stuck fix[/h2]

The scoreboard will no longer open randomly in Survival.


[h2]Ore climbing issue fix[/h2]

A collision while mining an ore caused the character to fly into the sky when you try to climb it. This has been fixed.

However, we know that this problem also occurs with other objects, causing the character to fly into the sky when trying to parkour. This will be fixed in the next patches.


[h2]Stone respawn fix[/h2]

After you cut down trees and mine ore, they respawn in this area after a certain time. The respawn of stones stopped working correctly at some point and is fixed now.


[h2]Attack animation timing adjustments[/h2]

Attack timings have been adjusted to improve combat.






[h2]Craftable timber axe[/h2]

You can find it in the Craft menu.


[h2]Water and map fixes[/h2]

In the previous patch we broke landscape and water in the main build when we were working on the new coastline, sorry about that. It will appear in the next patches, but for now the landscape and water have been fixed. There should no longer be holes in the water next to mountains.




[h2]Fire arrows and AI not destroying buildings fix[/h2]

Raid bots looking for the player, not the attacking settlements, were already able to shoot fire arrows and attack buildings, but they stopped due to numerous problems. They are now fixed and if you hide from enemies that are targeting the player they can attack that building and also switch to fire arrows to fire at it.


[h2]Enemy AI fighting each other fix[/h2]

It was a bit of a fun bug, if one of your enemies accidentally hits the other, they start fighting each other. Now they share the same fighting spirit and stick to the goal. Also hostile vikings now can attack you with their wolves, they will fight together.


Thanks to everyone for sharing feedback and filling the form!


Skål!
Blackrose Arts

[h2]Vikings![/h2]

Today's patch brings important bug fixes and improvements. Also lately we have been working on bigger content that will be shown not today, but in the coming updates.




[h2]Raiders[/h2]

Now in Survival, the raiders are set to a new environment, hostile Vikings are looking for you around the map. We're starting with a low gang frequency based on previous feedback. On the way we have a new form of raids, they will turn into special waves.


[h2]Hiring warriors[/h2]

To fight back and make your own raids, you need warriors under your command. You can now hire people in Survival. Find the head of the mercenaries marked on the compass.



Choose a suitable generated warrior, they have different characteristics. Keep in mind, a stronger warrior costs more and you will need to pay him a regular salary. You can find gold in various places, raid the camp, or loot those who have come for your head.


[h2]Attack animation system bug Fix[/h2]

Thanks to community feedback, we have discovered a bug that caused the attack animation system to break and not execute attacks. Players experienced this more often during gathering. Now it is fixed.


[h2]Character starts flying Fix[/h2]

The issue that caused your character to fly has been resolved.


[h2]Deathmatch multiplayer disconnect Fix[/h2]

Since the last patch, Loki's Maze Deathmatch servers have occasionally disconnected players during a match. Sorry for the inconvenience. That is fixed.


[h2]Ship disappearing Fix[/h2]

Fixed an issue that caused player ships to disappear after restarting the game.


[h2]Different display ratio and other UI issues Fix[/h2]

The UI has been updated with some improvements and bug fixes. Issues that existed with some display ratios have been fixed.


[h2]Equip-unequip animations update[/h2]

Updated equip-unequip animations for all weapons. Now they work faster, blend much smoother and became more satisfying. Fixed custom issues with certain weapons, the two-handed axe no longer does weird things.


[h2]Improved parkour[/h2]

If you get hit while climbing, it will be canceled and you may fall. Fixed various issues related to parkour.


[h2]Improved exposure compensation and fog[/h2]

Brightness no longer jumps in a strange way. This was especially a problem on cloudy and rainy days when it was too dark to see well. The night under the moon also became a little brighter. Adjusted the fog for better visibility and it also gives a slight performance improvement.


[h2]Bots blocks and dodge arrows[/h2]



A Viking with a shield is not such an easy target for an archer from a distance. Those who do not have a shield still have a chance to successfully dodge at the last moment.


[h2]Pause menu update[/h2]

It now freezes time in Singleplayer. Also, fixed several bugs in pause menu.


[h2]Feedback button[/h2]

A feedback button has been added with a question form, where you can also report bugs and share suggestions.


[h2]Additional improvements[/h2]

Day time is longer now based on received feedback.



As we said earlier, the map is not in its final form. Better coastline and many other improvements on the way.


Skål!
Blackrose Arts

[h2]Vikings![/h2]

The Pre-Beta 0.8.8 patch is here and has brought a lot of new content, let's check it out!




[h2]Procedural Attack Animations[/h2]

First, many animations become procedural. They get the most influence from how you move your mouse. This makes the blade feel like an extension of your hand. This area of improvement can be developed further, but it already increases control satisfaction.



This is where the fun begins, all attack animations also have procedural animation logic. This means that all attack animations can now play differently depending on your mouse movement.

You can adjust the direction of the blade in flight.



In addition, you can control the angle of your shield to adapt to the attack.



We've also tweaked the stamina balance a bit for the more intense fights we're preparing for when you and your squad face more enemies in the future.

This allows you to use directional dodges more freely. Dodges add a lot of combat dynamics, and it is the dynamics that we want to emphasize in our Viking combat.



Today's combat improvements include other nice adjustments, we've added more weight to each attack with diverse animation and camera movement techniques, it now feels like more natural physics.


[h2]Animation System Update[/h2]

The animation system has been adjusted to make animation transitions smoother and more natural. For example, earlier when entering a sprint, there was a sharp rough animation change, and now it corresponds to an acceleration of speed.




[h2]Diverse Parkour[/h2]

Now you can climb walls, jump over fences, step on rocks in different ways.



For convenience, the climb will be performed automatically when sprinting over an obstacle. For example, run over the fence, and your character will jump over it.

When you're not running, just walk up to an obstacle and press the jump button.

Moreover, NPCs also know how to parkour. Enemies and your squad will epicly enter the battle under your command. Some of them won't, it's possible to fall from there...



Note: not all rocks and building objects are compatible with parkour at the moment, they will be in the next patches.


[h2]Crouch For All Weapons[/h2]

Now there is a crouch with all weapons.




[h2]Fishing Trap Fix[/h2]

The last patch had problems with the fishing trap, this fixes them. The fishing trap must be placed in the lake. One of the lakes has a default marker on the compass.


[h2]Roaming Warriors[/h2]

Hostile Vikings may appear on your path through the forest.


[h2]Weather Improvement[/h2]

Some graphics tweaks, a general increase in brightness and a change in weather probability.


[h2]More Ores[/h2]

Thanks guys for the feedback after the previous update. Added more stone and iron to the map, making them easier to find. Also in future patches, it will be possible to mine those rocks too so that there is no confusion.


[h2]Increased Animals Population[/h2]

More wild animals in the forests are happy to meet you.


[h2]Additional Improvements[/h2]

Improved water material.

Added temporary water blocking volumes to prevent the ship from falling under the map.

Fixed collisions that caused weapons to fall underground.

Fixed exploding eyeballs on characters.


Skål!
Blackrose Arts

[h2]Vikings![/h2]

Today we are bringing new content and many gameplay improvements. As said in the previous update, we are starting to focus heavily on actual playability of the game, rather than just adding new features as we prepared them separately before.

In this patch a new map with more gameplay suitable landscape and better optimization arrives. Here, after certain amount of polishing, many previously prepared mechanics will make sense and start playing together in a really enjoyable gameplay loop.

[h3]Clear old saves, fresh game start is required[/h3]
If you have old saves, please press Restart button in the pause menu.
Alternately you can clear your save folder here C:|Users|*YourName*|AppData|Local|VALHALL if there are any issues.

Survival mode is available in Singleplayer, while the servers are offline for now.. We have finished the previously mentioned preparations, but have rethought some points and decided to bring them back at a later stage after adding certain upcoming content. In this way, we will be able to optimize the development and reduce the frustration of the players due to possible problems.
Loki's deathmatch servers are online.

Also, this patch fixes some significant issues and improves the overall smoothness of the game.

Patch Pre-Beta 0.8.5 is out, hope you enjoy it!

[h2]New map[/h2]



The new map is an island. Its terrain has appropriate curves for animals and warrior bots navigation. It is also being prepared for various game events and quests. The landscape is still a work in progress, if you find an unfinished part somewhere on the map, we are preparing it for future content.

There are different aspens, firs, red pines on the map. And you can cut them all!



Breathing life into the environment step by step.



Iron ore can now be found mostly in swamps.



There is a new enemy camp that you can raid.

The island you start on is the main place where you survive and will be the main battleground with future game events.



However, we are preparing other smaller islands that you will be able to reach by ship!


[h2]Water[/h2]

It's here in Survival. As well as buildable ships! You can find it in the Build menu.




[h2]Swimmable lakes[/h2]

Previous lakes were weird, mostly because you couldn't swim in them, you could just walk through the water. Now it's fixed. You can swim and drink from slightly more beautiful lakes on the new map. A marker has also been added for it to make it easier to find.




[h2]Weather[/h2]

Atmosphere and lighting have been improved for different weather. The nights are much clearer, but still dark enough that good vision requires a light source. The night sky now rotates not horizontally, but naturally.



According to players feedback, the day and night have become longer.

Also, now there is an eye adaption effect.


[h2]Seasons[/h2]

Adjusted the weather for different seasons. Some aspects are still work in progress. Snow covers the foliage in Winter.




[h2]Mushrooms[/h2]

Ready to eat, hold E to pick up.




[h2]Performance improvements[/h2]

The game improved not only visually, but became more performant too. It's still pretty heavy and we're still working on it. Weather settings and graphics configs were adjusted. The graphics settings configs have also been changed, the game looks better at lower settings than before.


[h2]Directional aim[/h2]

Based on player feedback, we've added an aim UI. It shows the direction of your mouse, which can help you navigate through directional attacks. The bow remains unsighted.


[h2]Smooth camera movement[/h2]

The camera has been adjusted to make movement more enjoyable, and some actions, such as the construction process, have become smoother.


[h2]Survival mode player characters[/h2]

Changed the set of characters in Survival mode.


[h2]Running and acceleration adjustments[/h2]

The running speed has become mostly higher to feel more agile and reach destinations faster. The important point is that it has a speed acceleration curve that greatly affects its actual feel and various nuances such as being able to run away from attackers.


[h2]Main menu bugs fix[/h2]

Fixed various main menu bugs such as overlapping different UI tabs in some cases when after entering the Armory. Also disabled the current background animations, the appearance and functionality of the main menu will be updated in future patches.


[h2]Faster game loading[/h2]

Now the game starts faster, game modes load faster.


[h2]Game process not shutting down fix[/h2]

Fixed an issue where the process not stop after closing the game. It also affected in-game performance and could cause minor freezes every few seconds before fix.


Skål!
Blackrose Arts

Hello! Sorry for the delay with this update. Our team in Ukraine stays strong and we continue to push progress.

Today we are bringing gameplay improvements and new features. Some of them are currently only available in the Weapon Test mode, but will appear in Survival with a new map in the next patch.

And this new map will be a place where a lot of previously prepared mechanics will make sense and start playing together.



The new environment will be concentrated in terms of visuals and events. You will no longer need to walk from one point to another for a long time along a huge empty hill.

The behavior of animals and characters will improve significantly in the new landscape. The interactivity of nature and the dynamics of the weather will also feel better.

[h3]Pre-Beta 0.8.2 patch has arrived![/h3]

• Added recruitment of mercenaries.
  
  
  
  You can hire mercenaries to fight for you. All mercenaries have their own characteristics: health, stamina, damage multiplier, inventory slots and salary per day. There is also one additional gold payment upon hiring.
  
  You can go to the mercenaries chapter to see the list of available mercenaries. If you don't like them, there is an option to update the payment list. The list is updated on its own from time to time.
  
  On the Weapon Test gold for hire can be found in chests and enemy pockets.
  
  
• Added commands wheel to rule your squad.
  
  
  
  You can give different commands to your squad using the new command wheel.
  
  Now there are Charge, Follow me, Stay here, Make me laugh, Switch to fists fight, Auto mode.
  
  The last one means that your squad will follow you, but it will have the freedom to decide who and when to attack. If you order just to Follow you, they won't attack anyone. Later commands will be supplemented with such as the shield wall, and the current ones will be enhanced with a variety of sounds and animations.
  
  If you are killed, the warriors will protect your body until their last breath. This system also has safety measures in case they get stuck somewhere.
  
  
• Added Commander menu.
  
  
  
  A new tab where you can manage your warriors.
  
  Check their stats, control pay, retire. Here you can keep track of who is alive and who is dead. Also, your warrior can be revived if you are near special places.
  
  
• Added a Restart button to the pause menu.
  
  This allows to start a new game in singleplayer or reset your current save files in the event of a critical problem.
  
  
• Added exit from any in-game menu by Esc in addition to these menus buttons.
  
  
• Added a new way to enter the Building menu.
  
  Crafting and Building are now submenus of one common tab. By default, you enter the crafting menu with the R button. If you have a Hammer equipped and press the R button, the Build menu opens. With this new way, if you don't have a Hammer equipped and don't want to spend time to get it from your inventory to the hotbar, you can now simply select a structure from the Build tab. The hammer will be equipped automatically so you can build right away.
  
  
• Added torch limit to prevent crashes.
  
  
• Changed default feint button to Second thumb mouse button.
  
  
• Adjusted clash to make it feel more fluid. Chopping wood has also become a little more enjoyable.
  
  
• Fixed a bug when moving an item to your inventory from another with RMB does not stack.
  
  
• Fixed incorrect impacts on some structures, such as the fence.
  
  
• Fixed the effect of mouse scrolling on gameplay in the quest menu.
  
  
• Fixed that wolves and bears do not attack, but trigger and run up.
  
  
• Fixed a bug due to which the bear did not attack on the run in some cases, and it also became a little faster.
  
  
• Decreased deer population.
  
  
• Reduced the number of raid bots and made them less aggressive based on feedback.

Note: after adding or adjusting new content, in some cases, old saves may not work correctly with the new version. If you encounter a game-breaking bug, you can try clearing your save by clicking the new Restart button in the pause menu.

Skål!
Blackrose Arts