New Map
The new map once again takes place in Seaport itself, this time bringing you underground, deep into the heart of darkness…
…well, actually, the map ends in a pretty awkward place. This mission, being the penultimate story mission, is supposed to lead directly into the final mission. But the final mission isn’t ready yet. So the ending to this one is a little placeholder-y right now. Please bear with us as we work to finish the final mission, which should be out by next month.
New Enemy: Aphotic Lurkers
We also have a new enemy to go with this sewer-themed area:
These new enemies are swordfish. Geddit? Fish? With swords? Hahahaha... Okay, sorry about that. These ferocious creatures are based on the swordfish found in the famous Singapore legend of Red Hill.
New UI Features
We are also providing a bunch of cool new features that are meant to improve the user experience, based on player feedback.Shared Stash
We finally have a shared stash, allowing you to transfer items between characters:
Gem Pouch
For those who still struggle with inventory clutter, there is a gem pouch that you can purchase to store your gems away:
Work will continue on the UI. Some players have mentioned that the stat descriptions can be a little bit ambiguous, so the next thing on my agenda is clearer descriptions for stats, and possibly a way to filter/organise them. This is something that I will have to work closely with the programmer Adam.
To give a bit of insight into how we work: I (Andrew) do the art, and Adam does the code. The game design, however, is a shared duty between the both of us.
For example, for the level design I would build various segments of the map, while Adam’s procedural generation algorithm connects them together. For systems design, I would give broad ideas of how things like the glyph system and skill upgrades should function, and then leave the maths to Adam. Occasionally, things will not quite add up, so Adam might tweak certain mechanics to ensure a more balanced and satisfying play experience.
This has resulted in embarrassing situations where players on the Discord will ask me how certain things get calculated, and honestly, I don’t know! You have to ask Adam. But nevertheless, with clearer stat descriptions, hopefully these questions will be put to rest.
Other minor fixes
The scaling of the Hospital map has been adjusted, and the ectoplasms will not split so much any more. This is to solve the issue of the hospital map being very laggy for some players. If any of you are still encountering this, please let us know.In the near future…
Based on player demand, we have decided to significantly extend our project scope to include more post game and side content. Here is a sneak preview:
I’ll leave it to you to google what ‘Orang Bunian’ is ;)
Remember Nadir mentioned something early on about an ‘Institute of Paranormal Studies’? Well, let’s just say you’ll get to pay a visit...
So rest assured, we have a clear direction on how we want to expand the game and provide a more varied experience. Do note, however, that these new features are still in the planning stages and might get adjusted along the way. We got one last story map to go, and then we will focus on these. Till next time!
Andrew
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