VALHALL: Harbinger News

[h3]Vikings![/h3]

The promised huge Pre-Beta patch 0.6.5 has arrived somewhere in Midgard!
Let's raise a mug of mead and go choose the best place to build your settlement.

Before diving into this, we want to mention Red Lath, who shared the correct answer to the previous question: "How did the Vikings make and use charcoal?" in the comments under the previous update. Related Steam awards have been granted. Thanks!

[h3]Pre-Beta 0.6.5[/h3]

Survival game mode tests have been started.

Keep in mind that this is only the first patch with Survival, and there will be a lot more mechanics and content coming in the next updates!

[h3]Patch note:[/h3]

• Added Survival game mode.
  
  Multiplayer and singleplayer. 3 server regions are available at the moment (Europe, North America and Oceania).
  
  
• Added new inventory system.
  
  We have reworked the inventory system. It is much more functional and has a new UI. Now you move items manually or automatically, drop them by dragging or selecting an option, show tips, use consumables, and more. By default, the In Survival inventory can be opened by pressing TAB.
  
  
  
  
• Added wood gathering.
  
  Chop trees with lumberjack axe to gather wood. They respawn after some time if nothing blocks it.
  
  
  
  
• Added apples falling from the trees.
  
  When you hit trees there is a chance some apples will fall on the ground. You can pick up them. They are physical objects so can roll away :)
  
  
• Added building.
  
  Using a hammer you can build with different objects. By default, build menu can be opened by pressing Q while the hammer is equipped. There is a foundation, walls, floor, roof, doorway and other building parts. We will be adding more content here with patches so that you can build not only a house, but a powerful settlement. You can also switch to Repair and Destruction modes. All buildings have health points and can be destroyed.
  
  
  
  
• Added doors openable in both sides.
  
  
• Added wall torch.
  
  
• Added consumable items.
  
  You can use bandage to heal or eat apples.
  
  
• Added water driking.
  
  
• Added chest to store items.
  
  
• Added banner to claim your land.
  
  
• Added saving.
  
  Autosaving and saving at quit. For singleplayer we have more saving options in plan.
  
  
• Added updated Weapon test mode.
  
  
  
  
• Added characters logic optimization to allow more players/bots on the map.
  
  
• Added dropped items outline when aiming so you could find them easier.
  
  
• Added death hit from Mjolnir.
  
  
• Added different pause menus for game modes.
  
  
• Added smooth physical items drop.
  
  
• Added main menu level and UI improvements.
  
  
• Progressed in Survival map optimization, around 15 fps gain (depending on machine) in comparison with the previous patch.
  
  
• Optimized game size, free 3gb+.
  
  
• Temporarily turned off Oceania Deathmatch server.
  
  
• During work on Survival we faced a huge amount of bugs that were fixed straight away before its first version publication. Such as game freeze after first tree hit, inventory stops working after drop, game crashes, and many others.
  
  
• Fixed torch fire VFX not showing up.
  
  
  
  
• Fixed sword is not visible when shield equipped.
  
  
• Fixed random character dissappearing.
  
  
• Fixed double sound from hit.
  
  
• Fixed slowed down lower body animation.
  
  
• Fixed possible crash after suicide.
  
  
• Fixed some actions playing third person perspective animations instead of first person.
  

[h3]Main known issues:[/h3]

• Customized weapon equip doesn't work correctly in this patch.
  
  
• Latency has too big influence on block (VFX could not work as well as block quality is not we are aiming for).
  
  
• Destructed building textures disappear.
  
  
• Some bots in singleplayer have None instead name.
  
  
• In rare cases game process doesn't finish on its own for long time.
  
  
• Weapon impulse bugging. Sometimes no impulse or too big.
  
  
• Characters don't play movement animations correctly. We need to fix upperbody bones rotation during movement animations.
  
  
• Dual wield weapons is temporarily turned off while we are upgrading inventory.
  

[h3]Important! [/h3]Some bugs can appear due to conflict with temp / saved files of previous VALHALL versions on your PC.
If you meet any unlisted issue then need to:
- delete all game saves here: C:|Users|*YourName*|AppData|Local|VALHALL.
- uninstall the game through Steam
- delete manually game folder in your Steam folder

[h3]The future patches bring:[/h3]

• New Survival elements and features.
  
  
• New gathering options.
  
  
• Crafting.
  
  
• Dual wield back with fixes.
  
  
• New characters and equipable armor.
  
  
• Bots logic upgrades.
  
  
• Other combat improvements and bug fixes.

We keep pushing to bring you more content and increase the playability asap. Stay tuned!

Skål!
Blackrose Arts

[h3]Vikings![/h3]

News from the development field:

We are working on a large patch that will bring new experiences and new content to the game.

Before we look at the coming patch, we want to mention AislynnMune who shared the most complete & complex answer to the previous question "Do you know where and how the Vikings got ore for iron?" in the comments under the previous update. Related Steam awards have been granted. Thanks!

And we have a new interesting question for you:
How did the Vikings make and use charcoal?
As before, we will add a Steam award to the first correct and most complex answer under this update!


Pre-Beta 0.6.5 patch will come around April 20, possibly earlier.

Some of the content it will include:

• Settlement building.
  
  New inventory system.
  
  Optimization of logic allowing more players/bots on the map.
  
  New item drop system.
  
  Survival map optimization.

And more. Full patch details with full progress details will be posted in the next update that will accompany the upcoming patch.


Skål!
Blackrose Arts

[h3]Vikings![/h3]

News from the development field:

As said in the previous update, we keep working on survival mechanics for Survival and Battle Royale, while also improving the combat system and overall gameplay.

We added a Test mode so you could try out such new features while we prepare the rest for the mode complexity for the next patches.

In VALHALL we keep the balance between the interesting historical facts about the life of Vikings and comfortable gameplay process.

Do you know where and how the Vikings got ore for iron?
When you find out, you will most likely be a little surprised:):) If you know the correct answer - comments are ready to hear your thoughts!
We will add a Steam award to the first correct and most complex answer!

Let's prepare for a real Viking experience!

[h3]Pre-Beta 0.6.3[/h3]

The patch will arrive this week.

[h3]Patch note:[/h3]

• Added the first iteration of the Survival map with a new lighting setup, improved shaders and color correction.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Added day night cycle.
  
  
  
  
• Added fall damage and turning character into a falling ragdoll if it's too high.
  
  
  
  
• Added torch item.
  
  
• Added numbers for bars.
  
  
• Added hunger system.
  
  
• Added thirst system.
  
  
• Added a new sprint system.
  From now there are two stages of sprinting (fast and faster). You enter the second stage after sprinting normally for a few seconds.
  This mechanic is designed to help at long distances on Survival and BR maps without affecting combat.
  Moreover, it will have a good effect on the combat experience, because now we can reduce the running speed in the first stage, which will make the battle more active.
  
  
• Added section of game modes to the main menu.
  
  
• Added Test mode.
  
  
• Added test watermark.
  
  
• Added a small highlight when hovering over an item.
  
  
• Fixed Mjolnir missing in Weapon test.
  
  
• Fixed the disappearance of a dead body almost immediately after the death of a player.
  
  
• Fixed FPS drops caused by character respawn.

[h3]Known issues:[/h3]

• Latency has too big influence on block (VFX could not work as well as block quality is not we are aiming for).
  
  
• Pressing of inventory slot during its loading can cause some bugs (invisible weapons, etc.). Temp solution - press any inventory slot again.
  
  
• Weapon impulse bugging. Sometimes no impulse or too big.
  
  
• Characters don't play movement animations correctly. Only hands move according to animations. We need to fix upperbody bones rotation during movement animations.
  
  
• Dual wield weapons were temporarily turned off while we are upgrading inventory.
  
  
• Rare crash on Mjolnir drop.

Important! Some bugs can appear due to conflict with temp / saved files of previous VALHALL versions on your PC.
If you meet any unlisted issue then need to:
- uninstall the game through Steam
- delete manually game folder in your Steam folder
- delete all game saves here: C:|Users|*YourName*|AppData|Local|VALHALL.

[h3]The future patches bring:[/h3]

• Survival elements and new features.
  
  
• Inventory system upgrades.
  
  
• Bringing dual wield back with fixes.
  
  
  
  
• Gathering and building.
  
  
• New characters and equipable armor.
  
  
• Bots logic upgrades.
  
  
• Other combat improvements and bug fixes.

Skål!
Blackrose Arts

[h3]Vikings![/h3]

First of all, many thanks to everyone for the feedback you shared with us after the Loki's maze Deathmatch tests beginning.

Sometimes people ask why we are working on multiple game modes at the same time. That is why we would like to share information about this again.

We are developing the core mechanics required for the different game modes, while continuing to test new features in certain modes that have enough playability with their complex and current amount. This method helps a lot because it allows to build the global systems correctly, get more feedback in the process, tune them with testers and avoid extra reworks in the future.

It is worth noting that each next mode that enters testing receives many elements from the previous one. For example, the next testing mode is Survival. Then Battle Royale, etc. Our Viking BR includes gameplay aspects of Survival as well as its environmental stuff (animals, weather, biomes, etc.). Just like BR contains content from Loki's maze Deathmatch (rune stones activation, a dynamic maze, and others).



We recently switched to the latest version of the engine, which made it possible to have an optimized volumetric sky. The day cycle and varied weather for the upcoming Survival and Battle Royale looks beautiful.



[h3]Pre-Beta 0.6.1[/h3]
The patch will arrive next Friday at 19:00 UTC.

[h3]Patch note:[/h3]

• Switched to the latest version of the engine. Optimization and new possibilities.
  
  
• Added better block response to stop it from missing hits.
  
  
• Added forced character movement during dodge. Dodges became real dodges.
  
  
• Added bots with shields.
  
  
• Added new main menu.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Removed bow crosshair.
  
  
• Fixed a headshot with a bow not killing from the first shot.
  
  
• Fixed wounds being not visible on characters.
  
  
• Fixed wounds and blood remain on character after respawn.
  
  
• Fixed archery shooting with 2 arrows.
  
  
• Fixed the bot name being displayed as None in Deathmatch.
  
  
• Fixed bot running backwards to spawn point.
  
  
• Fixed total points score player position bug.
  
  
• Fixed getting hit while drawing a bow causing an arrow to disappear.
  
  
• Fixed only one character getting hit from slash.
  
  
• Fixed hands playing running animation while jumping during sprint.

[h3]Known issues:[/h3]

• Latency has too big influence on block (VFX could not work as well as block quality is not we are aiming for).
  
  
• Pressing of inventory slot during its loading can cause some bugs (invisible weapons, etc.). Temp solution - press any inventory slot again.
  
  
• Weapon impulse bugging. Sometimes no impulse or too big.
  
  
• Characters don't play movement animations correctly. Only hands move according to animations. We need to fix upperbody bones rotation during movement animations.
  
  
• Dual wield weapons were temporarily turned off while we are upgrading inventory.
  
  
• Rare crash on Mjolnir drop.

Important! Some bugs can appear due to conflict with temp / saved files of previous VALHALL versions on your PC.
If you meet any unlisted issue then need to:
- uninstall the game through Steam
- delete manually game folder in your Steam folder
- delete all game saves here: C:|Users|*YourName*|AppData|Local|VALHALL.

[h3]The next patches bring:[/h3]

• Inventory system upgrades.
  
  
• Survival elements and new features.
  
  
• Loki's maze Deathmatch polishing.
  
  
• Bots logic upgrades.
  
  
• Other combat improvements and bug fixes.

We keep getting closer to the essential Battle Royale experience. In Loki's Maze Deathmatch, we are testing various features that will move there, including the labyrinth, and basically improving the combat. Now we will be adding new features for survival in Viking world to test through other game modes, that will also help to properly prepare the core.

Also we are improving combat mechanics and Loki's maze Deathmatch. Maybe you already tested both Solo and Multiplayer versions and noticed how offline feels more fluid. The following patches are aimed at adding new features, as well as making PvP combat more enjoyable.

Skål!
Blackrose Arts

[h3]Vikings![/h3]

[h3]Pre-Beta 0.6:[/h3]

Loki's maze Deathmatch tests officially begin!



Its features:

• The central arena where the main battles take place. PvP is available elsewhere as well.

• Each kill gives you a certain amount of glory points depending on the enemy (real player or AI) and the type of weapon (melee, bow).

• Two types of glory points: saved and unsaved. All unsaved points will be reset to zero at the end of the match. Points are provided for killing enemies (players, AI).

• Points can be saved by activating of runestone. From time to time, it randomly appears in the maze. A pillar of light is a sign.

• The runestone appears from time to time and dynamically changes its location in the maze.

• Dynamic fog grows stronger after 1/2 the duration of each runestone. While moving, you need to keep in mind its location.

Loki's maze Deathmatch is available for both Multiplayer and Solo modes.
Current state of PvP is being polished - we are decreasing lag input that still affects combat experience, and we continue to work on optimizing the game. If your ping is high and you want to feel better combat experience you can test Solo version of this mode.

[h3]Patch note:[/h3]

• Added additional combat information. Such as info about damage, about player you kill, who killed you, about in-match events, etc.
  
  
  
  
• Added upgraded bots logic: now they can run / pursuit, block, move during combat in different sides. All bots gain vertical sight of view (can look up and down).
  
  
  
  
• Added archery bots logic.
  
  
• Added instant maze loading (no regeneration bug on joining match).
  
  
• Added environmental improvements: hanged deer, sacrificed goats, arena became bigger, dynamic fog, etc.
  
  
• Added suicide option.
  
  
• Optimized game size.
  
  
• Improved parry mechanics. However, improvement applies mostly for bots and still not perfect, especially with PvP, we continue improving it.
  
  
• Improved balance between melee and range weapon.
  
  
• Fixed artifacts and improved whole look of the blood overlay.
  
  
• Fixed bow disappearing when get hit during pulling.
  
  
• Fixed bug with minigun bow crashing server.
  
  
• Fixed camera inside head when spawning.
  
  
• Fixed Mjolnir not showing up in 2nd slot in solo testing.
  
  
• Fixed T-pose that appeared sometimes at the start of match at the moment of choosing inventory slot 3.

[h3]Known issues:[/h3]

• Block missing hits on close distance and also latency has too big influence on block (VFX could not work as well as block quality is not we are aiming for). We are repairing the parry system to make it work properly in the next patches.
  
  
• Pressing of inventory slot during its loading can cause some bugs (invisible weapons, etc.). Temp solution - press any inventory slot again.
  
  
• Weapon impulse bugging. Sometimes no impulse or too big.
  
  
• Characters don't play movement animations correctly. Only hands move according to animations. We need to fix upperbody bones rotation during movement animations.
  
  
• Wounds are visible not on all the characters, also remain on after character respawn.
  
  
• Dual wield weapons were temporarily turned off while we are upgrading inventory.
  
  
• Rare crash on Mjolnir drop.

Important! Some bugs can appear due to conflict with temp / saved files of previous VALHALL versions on your PC.
If you meet any unlisted issue then need to:
- uninstall the game through Steam
- delete manually game folder in your Steam folder
- delete all game saves here: C:|Users|*YourName*|AppData|Local|VALHALL.

[h3]The next patches bring:[/h3]

• Inventory system upgrades.
  
  
• Dodges improvements.
  
  
• Survival elements and new features.
  
  
• Loki's maze Deathmatch polishing.
  
  
• Block improvements.
  
  
• Bots logic upgrades.
  
  
• Other combat improvements and bug fixes.

We keep getting closer to the essential Battle Royale experience. In Loki's Maze Deathmatch, we are testing various features that will move there, including the labyrinth, and basically improving the combat. Now we will be adding new features for survival in Viking world to test through other game modes, that will also help to properly prepare the core.

Also we are improving combat mechanics and Loki's maze Deathmatch. Maybe you already tested both Solo and Multiplayer versions and noticed how offline feels more fluid. The following patches are aimed at adding new features, as well as making PvP combat more enjoyable.

Skål!
Blackrose Arts