Demo 2.0 Update! Chapter 1 playtest open!

Hi everyone!

We're now roughly a year away from our hopeful release date, which means it's a perfect time for a big update!

We've got a pretty significant addition for the Lords of Nysera demo as we continue to work on new chapters, spells and features! Now that we've got a decent pipeline of playtesting ready, we're starting the march to begin testing and improving our maps!

You've all seen the prologue by now, but it's time for folks to get a real sense of what battles will look like in Nysera in Chapter 1! Although it's been tested considerably by myself (The Lazy Warlock) the significantly larger scope of this chapter means we'll need a lot of testing to make sure we squash bugs and chase down our MVP for the rest of the development.

But, in addition to this big new playtest section, we've got a few little additions to the arena as well, with new characters to try (and probably break the game with), a few new loadouts for enemy combatants, and plenty of new spells to mess around with :)

As always, be warned! There will be bugs, so save often, screenshot anything that looks janky, and report things you find to our discord page! We'll be applying any hotfixes needed over the weekend in case some major issues arise.

Once things are smoothed over with the update, we'll be turning our attention back to Chapter 4, which is already well under way with the map itself already tiled and most of the enemies/allies ready to go. But, since it's partially an aquatic battle we'll need to work on some new features for naval combat!

But, we've also taken some of your very kind considerations to heart, and have made an effort to not work ourselves to death :P

But you can't stop me from doing art! So I'd like to share with you some of the fun designs I've been working on when I'm not actively developing!

Those of you who've followed me before the Kickstarter are very likely aware of my love for armor designs. And, since I've already added most of the more mundane/non-magical armors to LoN, I've started moving onto the more fantastic ones. Here's a choice selection from the dreary lands of Cyprovan, a near-inhosptiable land rife with caustic marshes, toxic bogs and unsavory denizens. 

Cyprovan is one of the most unforgiving landscapes in Nysera. Most normal materials fall apart in a matter of days due to the acidic water and harsh enviroment of the Blackwoods. Thus, most armor must be made from or treated with material sourced from the flora and fauna of the region. But such a strife-filled existence has made the residents of Cyprovan into some of the most clever and ingenuitive crafters in the land. Hence, many of the complex designs appear rather alien to most visitors and often eschew many of the aesthetics of the Khuldari heartland, which Cyprovan borders. 

But that's enough of that, Now for the update details!

Update notes:

Many of these changes, while not present in the demo necessarily, are still major additions that are in the full game now!

Demo Additions:

• Added Chapter 1, which can be accessed from the main menu with scaled levels, or played directly after the prologue with items/experience carrying over. It's HIGHLY suggested you start with a new game, as most save files will likely not work!
• Added a new scene for Iyuniah and Merkir after chapter 1.
• Added Lanoa, Les, Kalani and Daimon to the Arena roster (and to the game in general).
• Added sprites for the new Enchanter, Bard and Sapper classes.
• Added rifle and basic firearm bullets.
• Added multiple explosives, such as powder and fire bombs.
• Added multiple new spells: Meteor, Tremor, Earthen Wall, Ice Wave, Vigor, Mist, Scald and Reform (WIP).
• Added shapeshifting for druids, with two forms: Wolf and Bear.
• Added animal companion summoning for rangers.
• Added new NPC AI for shapeshifting, summoning and other special abilities.
• Added equipment for new characters (IE Les, Lanoa and Kalani). Includes dueling spear, quickstep boots, quen locket (WIP) and noble doublet.
• Added advanced Saarcian Equipment, and various new trinkets. Includes Jewel Plate, Warrior Bands, Horn Spears, Spike Shields, casting chains and warding gloves.
• Yaviira now attacks the player when they get close.
• Extreme mode now makes all raiders attack after a certain point (very difficult, but doable!)
• Improved Sholeh's unit sprite to better reflect his portrait.
• Made some small improvements to a few of the unit sprites, mostly placement and some added antialiasing. 
• Touched up Daimon's portrait.
• Added a new Custom Arena battle to test out a new equipping system for atypical builds.

General Additions:

• Added scene controls (needs testing!), allowing players to move and forth in conversations, and scroll up/down on text.
• Added many new tiles, specifically for chapters 3 and 4, including three brand new castles, a new type of village, barricades, fog, mist, wet terrain and forests cleared by logging.
• Added Goldoak trees (WIP) as part of a soon-to be added foliage/forage update.
• Added a new  dialogue system ,  allowing players to choose dialogue options that can change story elements, give favor/disfavor for factions and characters, and in general give players choices in the story.
• Mostly finished Chapter 3, but it needs testing before it can be released publicly.
• Added a new AI order injection, allowing for direct control of units through events and by enemy leaders (very powerful stuff! Will allow for semi-scripted battle elements).
• Added 4 question lists for the major lord of Evallon. Using the dialogue system, players can now learn about lore info to their hearts content, so long as they stay in good standing with said lords :)
• Started on a large quest after chapter 3, which will allow players to gain favor with one of the major Lords of Evallon. Make sure to choose wisely!
• Added new powerful allies/enemies for chapter 3: Ishava, Mallach, Khimar and Issam (enemies); Theris, Callibran, Brenne, Atranzhi and Vheir (Allies), fully equipped and everything!
• Made shapeshift forms use the haircolor of units, giving tons of variety!
• Added multiple new area types for spell effects, including lines, connected lines and cones.
• Added many new particles and projectile effects for spells.
• Started fleshing out the system for magic terrain combos. Units in wet terrain are now susceptible to freezing spells, and mist/water will douse fires and prevent the burned condition/fire spreading.
• Added a new AI method for units to try and talk to the player's units.
• Added new conditional scripts for scenes to check when a certain number of units reach an area.
• Added new checks for players with "Permadeath", which can alter how conversations and scenes play out.
• Added rewards for secrets and for saving specific units. Rewards are now obtained by visiting key characters between battles.
• Added a faction/character favor system and relevant checks for when it impacts dialogue options.
• Started on Chapter 4 - Tiles, unit placement and general layout is finished, along with new tile sprites.
• Added bears.
• Added new sound effects for various spells and effects.

Fixes and changes:

• Fixed offloading delays when Saarcian ships reach the shore.
• Fixed a softlock with enemy units who use potions.
• Fixed Yaviira not fighting back in the prologue.
• Fixed dialogue buttons showing after conversations ended.
• Fixed multiple menus causing button issues.
• Fixed menu scrollers not showing full unit rosters.
• Fixed convoy unit info not closing properly.
• Fixed convoy unit info not showing correct items.
• Fixed terrain tools not replacing other terrain tiles (like earthen wall not replacing fire).
• Units in water can't be set on fire (unless they're walking on water, or are a boat).
• Fixed raiders attacking their own tents.
• Fixed villagers deciding to attack the player (hopefully fixed)
• Fixed AI priorities for most units in existing chapters.
• Fixed directional tiles with waver shader showing missing textures (now has a buffered texture!)
• Changed how magic affects terrain. Terrain values can now be modified on the fly, such as fog giving avoid boosts, reduced vision etc.
• Fixed fog being set on fire.
• Fixed multiple bugs with the new dialogue system.
• Fixed mastery not being carried over to new chapters.
• Fixed detail viewers for masteries, mounts and stat bonuses.
• Fixed depth drawing for the main menu and pantheon scene.
• Fixed prologue terrain palette swapping.
• Returned shadows back to some terrain elements.
• Fixed lots of bugs for chapter 3, mostly with scenes.
• Fixed background units in Arena not grabbing the correct sprites.
• Fixed enemy units not attacking buildings when they're supposed to.
• Fixed conversations causing a menu depth glitch when closed.
• Fixed Chapter 1 units forgetting to follow their leader.

And... There's probably even more... This was a long time between updates, so there's been a ton added!

Thanks everyone!

~ TLW