Heroes of Fortunia News

The long-awaited day is finally here. Heroes of Fortunia's newest update: Version 0.7.0 has now entered public testing, and you may start playing NOW! Continue reading for instructions on how to participate.

[h2]What is the purpose of this test version?[/h2]

Since publishing the 0.6.0 survey near the end of 2019, we've taken early 2020 to evaluate all the feedback that was gathered from that, as well as through other channels such as Discord, the community forums, and the in-game feedback form. We've spent the remainder of 2020 up until now conceptualizing a complete relaunch of Heroes of Fortunia.

With pre-production having wrapped up in May this year, development went underway quickly, but in order to speed the process up, we've decided to open up Heroes of Fortunia's development builds for public testing. The reason behind this is two-fold:

1. It allows us to offload highly time-consuming tasks, such as testing, to the players.
   
2. It provides players the opportunity to experience the development process of the game first-hand, without wait times for announcements or teasers.
   

Why not just use Early Access for this testing phase?

We aim to have the "Early Access" version of Heroes of Fortunia act like a production build. Before publishing a new update, the game build has to go through various stages of testing in order to ensure it is ready for public distribution. This is especially important as it includes micro-transactions, and shipping an incomplete or buggy product while at the same time asking users to pay for it doesn't feel right.

The test version only sees the most basic of QA, that is making sure things "work", but not making sure things are robust, or don't interfere with other features. The bulk of QA is thus offloaded to the participants, which allows us to focus entirely on developing new features and speeds up development tremendously.

We're aiming to fully release Heroes of Fortunia (no more Early Access) early 2021, all the while completely rebuilding the game, so in order to meet this admittedly ambitious goal, this is the best option for us.

[h2]What will await you in this test version?[/h2]

It is important to note that the test version is not a complete game. Features will be missing, broken, or might even crash the game. We thus won't be accepting any feedback on features anymore, but rather limit player feedback to bug reports only.

As everything is currently being reworked, the test version will initially feel a bit more similar to Heroes of Fortunia's very first Early Access version, albeit with all heroes and components still present.

You can expect constant updates to the test version, sometimes even multiple times a day. However, the game will not inform you of a new version when you connect to the server, so you need to make sure to manually keep it up to date via Steam, or make sure your auto-update is working correctly. We won't be making announcements every time we publish a new test version, as the process is largely automated on our end, meaning whenever we finish working on a new feature, it'll be live on Steam roughly 30 minutes afterwards.

[h2]How to participate?[/h2]

Taking part in Heroes of Fortunia's public testing is very straightforward. Follow this guide in order to do so:

1. Right-click Heroes of Fortunia in your Steam library and select "Properties"
   
2. Select the "Betas" tab at the top
   
3. Click on the select box below "Select the beta you would like to opt into"
   
4. Select "testing - Public testing branch"
   
5. Close the window
   

If you are attempting to participate right after this post was published, the branch may not yet be visible to you. Try restarting your Steam client or wait a few minutes.

Here are some screenshots to help you find the way:



You will then notice Steam starting to download the test build. You can switch back to the production version of the game at any time, by following the same process outlined above, but instead of selecting the testing branch, you will select "NONE".

NOTE: Steam only keeps one copy of the game on your local hard disk, so switching between production and testing frequently means you will have to re-download parts of the game also.

________________

Thank you for participating in the Heroes of Fortunia public test version!

It has been a little over a year since Heroes of Fortunia first entered Early Access in April 2019. Since that time, we have been eager in working with the players by collecting feedback, both in-game and through other channels (community forums, Discord, surveys, ...) in order to make Heroes of Fortunia into the best version it can be.

In late 2019, we've stopped collecting new feedback and started devising a plan in order to realize the most requested features and improvements without delaying development too much. Over the last couple of months, we've been busy rebuilding core parts of the game in order to accommodate some of the new features that are to come.

We're still a long way from finishing 0.7.0, but we've felt that you've waited more than enough for a new version. The problem is, 0.7.0 in its current state is not fit for public release, as many things are still disconnected from each other or just outright don't work yet, this includes past features since many things are being redone entirely. Essentially, 0.7.0 is going to be like a new game.

The solution we've come up with is to create a separate "Public Testing" version of Heroes of Fortunia. This is different from Early Access in such a way that things change rapidly and drastically on a frequent basis. This does not only include features and game content, but also the economy, that is player currency, inventory, etc. since we are actively working on both the game and the server.

[h2]We're planning to enter 0.7.0 into public testing on August 2nd, and we'll make a separate announcement that day with instructions detailing how to participate.[/h2]

The full 0.7.0 update is expected to enter proper Early Access later this summer, and you'll be able to track live development process in the public testing version. Finally, we'd like to give you a rundown of our currently planned timeline, and some of the features you'll be able to expect in the future:

[h2]0.7.0 (summer 2020)[/h2]

• Complete revamp of internal systems & server architecture
  
• Complete UI redesign
  
• Removal of Overtime
  
• Removal of casual play until 0.8.0
  
• Complete revamp of currency, store & component acquisition (no more lootboxes)
  
• Component crafting temporarily removed until armory introduction in 0.8.0
  

[h2]0.8.0 (late 2020 / early 2021)[/h2]

• Introduction of items for your heroes & crafting
  
• Introduction of component upgrades
  
• Introduction of new armory (includes store, collection, crafting menus, etc.)
  
• Introduction of "creative mode" as the replacement for casual play
  
• Introduction of player leveling
  
• Complete hero redesign of the three major heroes (visual + abilities)
  

[h2]0.9.0 (early/mid 2021)[/h2]

• Last big update before final release
  
• Introduction of guilds
  
• Introduction of tutorial for new players
  
• Introduction of story mode
  

Note that this list only includes the biggest changes that are to come, and does not take into account smaller features. Note also that this list is not final, and items may be (re)moved and added later on during development. We will make separate announcements for the upcoming updates when the time has come, in order to elaborate some more on the new features that are listed here.

We'd like to take this opportunity to thank all those of you who have submitted extensive feedback, as most of the features we are currently working on, and planning to work on, have been inspired by you. We're looking forward to seeing you once public testing commences!

Hey everyone,

it's been a while since Heroes of Fortunia has received a major update, and there's a reason for that.

But first, we need to make a slightly related announcement which is that we will be performing some internal reorganization in regards to server storage within the coming days, in order to improve accessibility, speed & security. This means that between now and January 22nd, you may experience sporadic maintenance breaks & outages (depending on where you live). We'd like to apologize for the inconvenience in advance and thank you for your understanding.

Now, back to the regularly scheduled news. It's been no secret that the launch of Heroes of Fortunia into early access had its ups and downs. This is something that was to be expected, as it is a game very early in development, though it quickly became quite clear that the gripes most players had with the game were related to core mechanics that couldn't simply be changed with a quick update.

The feedback we've received through the various channels made it quite clear of which mechanics you like, which mechanics you dislike, and features you are still missing. Therefore, we made the decision to pretty much start development all over by rebuilding those core parts in the game which you feel are lacking, in order to try and have a fresh start.

This has been going on since fall 2019 and is still very much work in progress. Do keep in mind that the original development for Heroes of Fortunia, from the very beginning towards the barebones early access version you got to experience in April 2019, took about 1 year and 8 months to produce, so rebuilding most of that will take quite some time as well.

However, we do believe that this is a worthwhile investment to make, as we believe that together with your help we can make Heroes of Fortunia the game it was always meant to be.

If you are more curious about what it is that we are doing to rework the game, feel free to join the community-run discord server for Heroes of Fortunia, where we are able to communicate more directly and immediately with you: https://discord.gg/bwdT2S5

However, here is a quick summary:

• Talent levels for player profiles, allowing you to make your dungeon & heroes stronger.
  
• Items for heroes that can be collected in the shop & during attack mode, which can either provide passive buffs during attack, or act as one-off consumable skill buttons.
  
• Removal of dungeon-publishing, and have publishing be done automatically instead.
  
• Real-time multiplayer functionality.
  
• Guilds.
  

Automatic dungeon-publishing and the inclusion of items is basically what is prompting this huge workload, as the first requires a complete new system to be built, and the latter requires a complete revamp of the existing combat system in order to accommodate for it.

We would like to take this moment to thank you for your continued feedback. You are what keeps the ball rolling, and what keeps the development on the right track. Thank you for that.

Heroes of Fortunia version 0.6.8 is now live. Please update your game to the latest version in order to keep playing.

This update brings some big gameplay changes in attack & publish mode, so be sure to update your dungeon in order to accommodate for these changes.



The timer in ranked & casual mode now runs out based on the publish time of the player you're attacking. Once the timer runs out, the game will enter Overtime Mode for another 30 seconds - 2 minutes depending on the publish time.

Once overtime hits, the screen begins flashing and the music changes. All enemies' maximum health and your own maximum health is reduced by 50%, and certain traps will stop working in order to speed up gameplay. Below you will find a list of traps that are affected:

• B.O.U.L.D.E.R.: Automatically drops upon the start of overtime.
  
• Freezing Tower: Completely deactivated during overtime.
  
• Electric Fence: Completely deactivated during overtime.
  
• Defense Gate: Automatically opens upon the start of overtime, and will no longer close during overtime.
  

When overtime expires, you immediately die akin to the concede function.

In addition to the timer changes, we've now added out-of-combat health & mana regeneration, in order to make dungeons less punishing for a few mistakes, and to allow longer dungeons to be built & completed in a reasonable manner.



We've changed the way attack rewards work for 0.6.8. Instead of receiving 75 gold after each successful attack, you will now receive 50 gold. However, rewards are no longer capped on a daily basis, but instead now follow the season reset pattern. The amount of gold you can receive uncapped during a season hasn't changed, but you are now 100% in charge of when you do your attacks, instead of being forced to complete a set amount each day to avoid missing out on gold.

We've also introduced golden heroes as a reward for the most dedicated ranked attackers. In order to unlock a golden hero, you will need to win 500 ranked attacks with said hero. The golden variant will replace their default skin for you permanently.

• Freezing Tower: Increased placement box size.
  
• Flaming Exhaust: Reduced the hitbox size of the flame projectiles.
  

Hey everyone,

it's been a while since the last update and unfortunately the recent heat wave in Europe has adversely affected our ability to work on the game, but things are back to normal (for now) and we are back on track!

Today we are finally bringing you the very first alternate hero in the form of the Electro Knight, as well as some other miscellaneous features and gameplay improvements.

• The Electro Knight has entered the dungeon as the first alternate hero! More info on what he does and how to get him below.
  
• You can now dissolve components you don't want for some extra elixir. Gone are the days of having to scour through hundreds of chests to get the components or the elixir you need.
  
• We've overhauled the character selection screen to allow you to pick different hero skins, and to make it a bit prettier overall.
  
• We've added support for special offers & promotions through the game's shop. More info below.
  

As mentioned before, the Electro Knight is Heroes of Fortunia's first alternate hero. He plays exactly the same as the Knight, but has a different color and his abilities have an electric flair.

You can get the Electro Knight plus 40 chests as part of a special promotion right now. This offer will only be valid through Sunday, after which the Electro Knight will enter the personal offers rotation. More info on personal offers below.


From now on, special offers will appear in your shop every now and again, and the game will notify you whether that's the case. Special offers are split into two categories: Seasonal offers and personal offers.

Seasonal offers are available for everyone and are usually one-time purchases. The Molten Fort theme for example is now a seasonal offer, which is valid until the game's full release. Note that in-game, the reference date for the Molten Fort offer is December 31st 2019, but the game's release may possibly happen before that date, and thus the offer may expire earlier also.

Personal offers are different for every player and follow the same timer as the dungeon challenge. Every Wednesday morning, you are allocated a new personal offer which you are able to buy until the next Monday morning. Some personal offers are one-time purchases, while others have the option to reappear in your shop. These are often value packs of chests and/or elixir at a discount, but can also be something else like an alternate hero or a dungeon theme.

All Heroes:

• Mobility skills & other knockback now properly scale with haste.
  

Components:

• Freezing Tower: Reduced time frozen from 2.5s -> 2s.
  

• Epic components are now guaranteed to be looted once every 10 chests (was 20), and are statistically expected once every 5 chests (was 10).
  
• Adjusted some visual elements of the Molten Fort theme.
  
• Fixed an issue that would cause knockback to behave differently depending on frame rate.