Serpent in the Staglands recently got its own fancy backer portal site. Today's Kickstarter update explains what that's about. In short, next month backers will receive usernames and passwords that will allow them to log in to the portal, fill in their information, and download a DRM-free copy of the game when it's released. Steam keys will also be provided, but the GOG release has not been finalized yet. The store page says beta access will available "through February", so it looks like the final release will in March at the earliest. Besides that, the update also comes with a ton of information about the new stuff that'll be in the upcoming Beta 2.0 release - namely, new areas and new mechanics. Here's the part about the mechanics:

• Overworld Map travel - The new overworld map is much smoother than the first couple passes we put on it, and now includes chalk-drawn markers and a moon lord miniature to represent your party.

• Stackables now functioning - Not particularly interesting, but something that will make the beta folks easier going forward. Picking up an item you already have one of will automatically stack it, as well as now being able to split these items.

• MiniMaps - Maps in inventory now implemented. You aren't grinding for quests in the game and there aren't many people hoping for a savior of the day to pass by to fetch something for them, but the tasks you can hire on to do as a Spicer usually come with a map and a shady individual.

• Resting with camp rations - There are various puzzles and events in the game that trigger due to daytime or nightime. Though there are a couple choice ways you can affect that beyond overwrold map travel, we now have one more included by use of camp-rations, a stackable item. When outside of town, as a Spicer camping outside in a town would be quite frowned upon, you can use the item and select someone to watch over the camp. That person doesn’t regain any health, and if they have Woodwise, can hopefully get a good roll preventing being waylaid.

• Inventory pack addition - While playing, especially with the newest couple patches and the inventory database updated, we noticed that inventory space gets cramped fairly quickly. We determined how to alter this without overhauling any big system already in place, and have come up with a really easy addition to the inventory system that doesn’t wildly change the item pickup balance. There is now an equipped pack and miscellaneous pack that your party can distribute amongst each other.

• Potion procing - All consumables (those that return more than a few points of HP) now proc in intervals. Meaning if a potion gives you 15 HP back, it would proc a 3 HP recovery every second. Consumables are now only usable when unpaused.

• Soulbound portraits - There’s another companion available in a 2.0 map (new backer portrait!), and we finally implemented the soul-bound portraits for those who Necholai reallyreally enjoys the company of.

• 100% Scaling - If you’re using a very small monitor you can now render the game at 1:1 scale with the art! This means if you're rocking something like 640x480 resolution, it will render perfectly and nothing will be cropped or squished to fit. Normally we auto-scale up 200% or 300% depending on the resolution, and get as many pixels as possible into that space without any distortion. A lovely addition to the resolution family.

• Runes - Various ancient machines in the game require a runic symbols to be drawn in blood to activate. You won’t get a lot of application of this in the beta areas, but we turned on the feature for three of such scrolls that you may have come across in the beta, and you can doodle as you will.

• Spells & Skills grade 2 - The website gameplay page will be updated with additional information on grade 2 skills and spells soon, so get excited for more combat procing variations and powerfully debilitating spells, including polymorphing into the powerful wolf, a spell worthy of creating a build around.

• Updated Pathfinding - Originally your characters moved in a formation that would attempt to be created even across obstacles. This has been updated so characters check to see if their target position is blocked, and funnel towards the originally clicked position if so. Nice and elegant, and no more crazed party member looking for routes across the landscape to get to a position around a ledge.

• Skill/Spell/Stat Point verification - Small UI change, but some beta folks have wanted a way to remove a point in something if they accidentally added to it. You can save points for future grades of skills and spells if want, so there isn't a formalized "level up" screen, but we think this is an effective, elegant solution.

The full update illustrates these features with a whole bunch of the lovely animated GIFs we've come to expect from Serpent in the Staglands updates, so check it out!