Interlude Patch: In Circulation
Welcome back, Scribes! It's been almost two weeks since 1.0 dropped and we've been blown away by the enthusiasm and support for Vellum. Thank you!
Today - we're channeling our own 1.0 excitement into Interlude Patch: In Circulation!
This update includes Circulate: a new Movement Spell, Performance and QOL Upgrades, Book Club Reward Updates, Vignette Secrets, an Ascendant Rewards Adjustment, Raid Tuning, Photosensitivity Mode and many bug fixes.
Check out the highlights of this patch below and watch for our next update: 1.1 - Beyond! As always, you can track our journey from the Roadmap in Vellum's main menu (quite the saga!).
Go for a leisurely scroll...
Build momentum with mounting anticipation and a trusty Scroll - then zoom off into and through your foes with the first Movement Spell to have baseline damage!
What wild combos will you skillfully scrawl into existence? Use the new Pages of Power and clever strategy to show the Torn what 'doom-scrolling' really looks like!
Intrepid adventurers may have noticed some extra secrets and rewards in the various Vignettes found within the Tomes. Sometimes these hidden rewards give new Pages of Power, Temp Mana, or other useful statuses.
I dare not speak further of such secrets - only to say that previously secret-lacking Vignettes are now up to date with something more to discover. Happy hunting!
Performance and quality of life have been top of mind for us since the 1.0 launch! With today's Interlude Patch, we're taking a more ink-laden pen to performance! Many of the wild interactions between mechanics in Vellum come down to core building blocks: Projectiles, Areas of Effect, Statuses, and Augments. Improvements in this patch aim to smooth out each of these pillars' performance - both in solo and multiplayer games!
We've also made a number of networking changes and upgrades aimed at improving the stability and synchronization of your team-up scribbling adventures!
Elsewhere, in the realm of Quality of Life - we're directly addressing feedback in a few key areas: we're adding new toggles for photosensitivity and visual effect intensity, we've clarified language and tutorials in the beginning of the game and throughout the Binding/Attunement/Ascendant processes, and smoothing out other experience-impacting bugs!
Please continue to share your feedback with us as you interact with these systems!
The Book Club is now more rewarding! From now on, you'll be able to gain a first-time 500 Quillmark + Gilding bonus from playing new Book Club challenges - the perfect way to spice up your journey as a Scribe. Because Book Club challenges are ink-level-agnostic, tackling the Book Club right after Ascending may be a great way to kickstart your level-ups! On that topic...
Ascending is now more clear, no longer restricts Tome access, and will now allow multiple Bindings to drop at once when Over-binding Tomes! As a bonus - Ascendant Scribes also start with 500 Quillmarks to more flexibly reignite their journey!
Ascending in Vellum is designed to be an optional way to continue playing the game - we want it to be rewarding and fun, but not feel like a mandatory part of your journey. We'll continue to keep an eye on this system - let us know what you think!
We're adjusting and improving many aspects of the Torn Raids - from multiplayer scaling and boss ability frequency to visual telegraphs and Codex hints. Full details are in the patch notes below, but Araxiom, The Taking Tree, Styxen, and both Torn Lords have all received adjustments.
Quillmark and Gilding rewards have also been increased to help celebrate your victories!
Eyes on the Horizon...
1.1 - Beyond is coming soon and the Tangent Lord's curiosity knows no bounds!
In the meantime, come join us in the official Discord to share your feedback and show off your achievements, strategies, and your Reading Nooks designs (in a new dedicated channel)!
If you've been enjoying your time in Vellum, please consider leaving a review on Steam (it's a huge help, we read them all, and we always love to hear about your experiences)!
Thank you for playing Vellum - write on!
- The Vellum Team
[h2]Features[/h2]
[h3]Movement Spell: Circulate[/h3]
- New Spell: Circulate
- Hold & Release: Charge up a Scroll and charge forward when released, damaging foes (Speed and Damage increase with hold time)!
- Tap: Charge a short distance in your movement direction.
- Circulate Pages of Power
- Illuminated Library Race Course
- Illuminated Library Tower Platforming Puzzle
[h3]Book Club Rewards and Ascendant Adjustment[/h3]
- Book Club now grants 500 Quillmarks and Gildings for first-time completions
- Book Club now highlights the cosmetic rewards available (and your progress)
- Ascendant no longer locks access to Tomes (jump into illegible at Level 1!)
- Ascendant now grants a 500 Quillmark starting bonus
- Over-bound Tomes now drop multiple Bindings, increasing with higher Over-Binding
[h3]Performance and QOL[/h3]
- Performance improvements (Enkindle and Many AoEs are vastly improved)
- Network Connection improvements (harder to be disconnected, easier to rejoin, less stress from game actions)
- Damage VFX intensity slider
- Photosensitivity Mode
- Arachnophobia updated for Raids
- Change Ink in Antechamber
[h3]Vignette Secrets[/h3]
- New Secrets can be found in Vignettes, awarding Pages, Temp Mana, and other Statuses
- No changes to Raid or Pride and Profit Vignettes
[h3]Raids & Raid Tuning[/h3]
- Scribes may now swap Signature Inks in the Antechamber
- Quillmark rewards have been increased(100/encounter, 150/Torn Lord)
- Gilding rewards are now visible (25/encounter, 100/Torn Lord)
- Scribes will now be fully healed when defeating an encounter
- An "!" now appears over the Codex when it becomes available
- The Codex now has an introductory UI Tutorial for Encounters
- The AFK timer should no longer function in Raids
- Binding Workshop appied typo fix to Decomposition
- Raid Boss HP Reduced in Multiplayer:
-- 2 Players: - 8%
-- 3 Players: - 20%
-- 4 Players: - 20%
- Araxiom: Reverberate Cooldown increased by 3s
- Araxiom: Awaken, Legions! Cooldown increased by 11s
- Araxiom: Removed duplicate ability in Codex Entry
- Araxiom: Bombardier Broodling now has improved hitbox points
- Araxiom: Burstling Broodling now has improved sound effects while attacking
- The Taking Tree: Beam Walls have increased visibility in their spawn location, with a slight grace period
- Raving Lord (Normal): Will now be immune to damage while channeling a - - Statue (matching Hard Mode behavior)
- Raving Lord: Lantern attacks and Blossom will now target a maximum of 2 Scribes
- Styxen (Normal): Avalanche size decreased by 20%
- Splice Lord (Normal): Foil damage reduced to 35 (was 50)
- Splice Lord (Normal): Wordsmith damage reduced to 30 (was 50)
- Splice Lord (Normal): Jot damage reduced to 15 (was 18)
- Splice Lord: Callback AOE size reduced slightly
- Splice Lord: Now changes phase at 5% higher HP
- Splice Lord: Encounter Info tip is now clearer
[h3]General Fixes and Improvements[/h3]
- New Pages are available for Orange
- Clarified text for some Teal and Orange Inscriptions
- Teal Ink: Now has Book VFX when Signature Spell is ready
- Pink Inscription: Exceeds Expectations now functions as written
- Pink Signature Challenge: Doctrine will now properly record progress
- Spender: Weave targeting has been improved
- Spender: Passage now shows the proper colorization when infused with Signature Ink
- Page of Power: Molten Slag (Wordsmith) will now properly rain metal
- Page of Power: Explosive Payload is no longer lethal to players
- Page of Power: Measured Response credit now persists through death
- Page of Power: Father of Quill has improved targeting
- Page of Power: Four Scour and Seventy - Scour now deals +70% damage to the first 4 Torn hit (had been only allowing 4 Torn to be hit at all)
- Scribes can now collect Signature Challenge rewards from the Cosmetics window (in addition to the Questboard)
- Bindings UI: The rewards section now shows +1 Attunement - which has a hover tooltip for reviewing the system
- Bindings: "Random" will now opt to fill over the Target value if an exact match is not found
- Binding Attunement reward bonus is now properly capped at 600% (and is now appropriately reflected in the UI)
- Binding: Stormy Night will now longer appear purple
- Tome: On the Nature of Seasons now displays hover text and information for the Seasonal Statuses
- Tomes: To avoid confusion, Binding Tome rewards are now hidden until Bindings are unlocked (continuing into the Appendices is still available as usual)
- Vignette: Tundra Pass platforming has been adjusted
- Vignette: Lighthouse has been remodeled (how'd the construction crew even get there?!)
- Vignette: Timeless Alcove will now appear less often
- Vignette: Skyline Belfry has been remodeled (how'd the construction crew even get there?!)
- Library: the Vault jump puzzle will no longer vanish while midair
- Lore: Codex/Cosmetic/Nook breadcrumb pages now appear at Attunement 1
- Lore: "Knowledge, Unending" will now appear in the proper space (should now be collectable for all eligible Scribes)
- Suggested Reading bonuses now properly account for chapters completed
- Curiosities (back items) will now scale properly
- The Abandon Run button will no longer negatively affect performance when spammed
- Improved the performance of high volume of damage numbers
- Nook Object: Money Bag will no longer go invisible (but keep an eye out for thieves!)
- Boss: "Big" Cap VFX will properly clean up after the encounter
- "Donut-shaped" AOEs are now more accurate with their inside calculation
- Updated Bell visuals
- Fixed the elusive "Empty Quillmark Tracker" bug in the Library
- Adjusted text and icons in the FTUX Tutorial Chapter
- Various Vignette Arena structural cleanup
- Fixed various issues with Multiplayer AOE Status applications
- Fixed an issue with Boss reward scrolls not appearing properly in Multiplayer games
- Freeze effects on Zombies will now scale properly
- Entities will no longer turn while Frozen
- Improved the performance of high stacks of various Green and Orange statuses
- Improved the performance of all statuses
- Fixed various stuck camera issues
- Fixed the display of some Nook Items
Today - we're channeling our own 1.0 excitement into Interlude Patch: In Circulation!
This update includes Circulate: a new Movement Spell, Performance and QOL Upgrades, Book Club Reward Updates, Vignette Secrets, an Ascendant Rewards Adjustment, Raid Tuning, Photosensitivity Mode and many bug fixes.
Check out the highlights of this patch below and watch for our next update: 1.1 - Beyond! As always, you can track our journey from the Roadmap in Vellum's main menu (quite the saga!).
New Movement Spell - Circulate
Go for a leisurely scroll...Build momentum with mounting anticipation and a trusty Scroll - then zoom off into and through your foes with the first Movement Spell to have baseline damage!
What wild combos will you skillfully scrawl into existence? Use the new Pages of Power and clever strategy to show the Torn what 'doom-scrolling' really looks like!
Vignette Secrets?
Intrepid adventurers may have noticed some extra secrets and rewards in the various Vignettes found within the Tomes. Sometimes these hidden rewards give new Pages of Power, Temp Mana, or other useful statuses.
I dare not speak further of such secrets - only to say that previously secret-lacking Vignettes are now up to date with something more to discover. Happy hunting!
Performance and Quality of Life
Performance and quality of life have been top of mind for us since the 1.0 launch! With today's Interlude Patch, we're taking a more ink-laden pen to performance! Many of the wild interactions between mechanics in Vellum come down to core building blocks: Projectiles, Areas of Effect, Statuses, and Augments. Improvements in this patch aim to smooth out each of these pillars' performance - both in solo and multiplayer games!
We've also made a number of networking changes and upgrades aimed at improving the stability and synchronization of your team-up scribbling adventures!
Elsewhere, in the realm of Quality of Life - we're directly addressing feedback in a few key areas: we're adding new toggles for photosensitivity and visual effect intensity, we've clarified language and tutorials in the beginning of the game and throughout the Binding/Attunement/Ascendant processes, and smoothing out other experience-impacting bugs!
Please continue to share your feedback with us as you interact with these systems!
Reward Upgrades - Book Club & Ascendant Progress
The Book Club is now more rewarding! From now on, you'll be able to gain a first-time 500 Quillmark + Gilding bonus from playing new Book Club challenges - the perfect way to spice up your journey as a Scribe. Because Book Club challenges are ink-level-agnostic, tackling the Book Club right after Ascending may be a great way to kickstart your level-ups! On that topic...Ascending is now more clear, no longer restricts Tome access, and will now allow multiple Bindings to drop at once when Over-binding Tomes! As a bonus - Ascendant Scribes also start with 500 Quillmarks to more flexibly reignite their journey!
Ascending in Vellum is designed to be an optional way to continue playing the game - we want it to be rewarding and fun, but not feel like a mandatory part of your journey. We'll continue to keep an eye on this system - let us know what you think!
Raid Tuning
We're adjusting and improving many aspects of the Torn Raids - from multiplayer scaling and boss ability frequency to visual telegraphs and Codex hints. Full details are in the patch notes below, but Araxiom, The Taking Tree, Styxen, and both Torn Lords have all received adjustments.
Quillmark and Gilding rewards have also been increased to help celebrate your victories!
Epilogue
Eyes on the Horizon...
1.1 - Beyond is coming soon and the Tangent Lord's curiosity knows no bounds!In the meantime, come join us in the official Discord to share your feedback and show off your achievements, strategies, and your Reading Nooks designs (in a new dedicated channel)!
If you've been enjoying your time in Vellum, please consider leaving a review on Steam (it's a huge help, we read them all, and we always love to hear about your experiences)!
Thank you for playing Vellum - write on!
- The Vellum Team
Interlude Patch: In Circulation - Full Patch Notes
[h2]Features[/h2]
[h3]Movement Spell: Circulate[/h3]
- New Spell: Circulate
- Hold & Release: Charge up a Scroll and charge forward when released, damaging foes (Speed and Damage increase with hold time)!
- Tap: Charge a short distance in your movement direction.
- Circulate Pages of Power
- Illuminated Library Race Course
- Illuminated Library Tower Platforming Puzzle
[h3]Book Club Rewards and Ascendant Adjustment[/h3]
- Book Club now grants 500 Quillmarks and Gildings for first-time completions
- Book Club now highlights the cosmetic rewards available (and your progress)
- Ascendant no longer locks access to Tomes (jump into illegible at Level 1!)
- Ascendant now grants a 500 Quillmark starting bonus
- Over-bound Tomes now drop multiple Bindings, increasing with higher Over-Binding
[h3]Performance and QOL[/h3]
- Performance improvements (Enkindle and Many AoEs are vastly improved)
- Network Connection improvements (harder to be disconnected, easier to rejoin, less stress from game actions)
- Damage VFX intensity slider
- Photosensitivity Mode
- Arachnophobia updated for Raids
- Change Ink in Antechamber
[h3]Vignette Secrets[/h3]
- New Secrets can be found in Vignettes, awarding Pages, Temp Mana, and other Statuses
- No changes to Raid or Pride and Profit Vignettes
[h3]Raids & Raid Tuning[/h3]
- Scribes may now swap Signature Inks in the Antechamber
- Quillmark rewards have been increased(100/encounter, 150/Torn Lord)
- Gilding rewards are now visible (25/encounter, 100/Torn Lord)
- Scribes will now be fully healed when defeating an encounter
- An "!" now appears over the Codex when it becomes available
- The Codex now has an introductory UI Tutorial for Encounters
- The AFK timer should no longer function in Raids
- Binding Workshop appied typo fix to Decomposition
- Raid Boss HP Reduced in Multiplayer:
-- 2 Players: - 8%
-- 3 Players: - 20%
-- 4 Players: - 20%
- Araxiom: Reverberate Cooldown increased by 3s
- Araxiom: Awaken, Legions! Cooldown increased by 11s
- Araxiom: Removed duplicate ability in Codex Entry
- Araxiom: Bombardier Broodling now has improved hitbox points
- Araxiom: Burstling Broodling now has improved sound effects while attacking
- The Taking Tree: Beam Walls have increased visibility in their spawn location, with a slight grace period
- Raving Lord (Normal): Will now be immune to damage while channeling a - - Statue (matching Hard Mode behavior)
- Raving Lord: Lantern attacks and Blossom will now target a maximum of 2 Scribes
- Styxen (Normal): Avalanche size decreased by 20%
- Splice Lord (Normal): Foil damage reduced to 35 (was 50)
- Splice Lord (Normal): Wordsmith damage reduced to 30 (was 50)
- Splice Lord (Normal): Jot damage reduced to 15 (was 18)
- Splice Lord: Callback AOE size reduced slightly
- Splice Lord: Now changes phase at 5% higher HP
- Splice Lord: Encounter Info tip is now clearer
[h3]General Fixes and Improvements[/h3]
- New Pages are available for Orange
- Clarified text for some Teal and Orange Inscriptions
- Teal Ink: Now has Book VFX when Signature Spell is ready
- Pink Inscription: Exceeds Expectations now functions as written
- Pink Signature Challenge: Doctrine will now properly record progress
- Spender: Weave targeting has been improved
- Spender: Passage now shows the proper colorization when infused with Signature Ink
- Page of Power: Molten Slag (Wordsmith) will now properly rain metal
- Page of Power: Explosive Payload is no longer lethal to players
- Page of Power: Measured Response credit now persists through death
- Page of Power: Father of Quill has improved targeting
- Page of Power: Four Scour and Seventy - Scour now deals +70% damage to the first 4 Torn hit (had been only allowing 4 Torn to be hit at all)
- Scribes can now collect Signature Challenge rewards from the Cosmetics window (in addition to the Questboard)
- Bindings UI: The rewards section now shows +1 Attunement - which has a hover tooltip for reviewing the system
- Bindings: "Random" will now opt to fill over the Target value if an exact match is not found
- Binding Attunement reward bonus is now properly capped at 600% (and is now appropriately reflected in the UI)
- Binding: Stormy Night will now longer appear purple
- Tome: On the Nature of Seasons now displays hover text and information for the Seasonal Statuses
- Tomes: To avoid confusion, Binding Tome rewards are now hidden until Bindings are unlocked (continuing into the Appendices is still available as usual)
- Vignette: Tundra Pass platforming has been adjusted
- Vignette: Lighthouse has been remodeled (how'd the construction crew even get there?!)
- Vignette: Timeless Alcove will now appear less often
- Vignette: Skyline Belfry has been remodeled (how'd the construction crew even get there?!)
- Library: the Vault jump puzzle will no longer vanish while midair
- Lore: Codex/Cosmetic/Nook breadcrumb pages now appear at Attunement 1
- Lore: "Knowledge, Unending" will now appear in the proper space (should now be collectable for all eligible Scribes)
- Suggested Reading bonuses now properly account for chapters completed
- Curiosities (back items) will now scale properly
- The Abandon Run button will no longer negatively affect performance when spammed
- Improved the performance of high volume of damage numbers
- Nook Object: Money Bag will no longer go invisible (but keep an eye out for thieves!)
- Boss: "Big" Cap VFX will properly clean up after the encounter
- "Donut-shaped" AOEs are now more accurate with their inside calculation
- Updated Bell visuals
- Fixed the elusive "Empty Quillmark Tracker" bug in the Library
- Adjusted text and icons in the FTUX Tutorial Chapter
- Various Vignette Arena structural cleanup
- Fixed various issues with Multiplayer AOE Status applications
- Fixed an issue with Boss reward scrolls not appearing properly in Multiplayer games
- Freeze effects on Zombies will now scale properly
- Entities will no longer turn while Frozen
- Improved the performance of high stacks of various Green and Orange statuses
- Improved the performance of all statuses
- Fixed various stuck camera issues
- Fixed the display of some Nook Items