KickStarter Stoneshard - open world roguelike RPG - now available on Early Access

[The Wall]

New school of magic taught by prof. Nikola Tesla:


*Imgur and spoilers tags on Codex are enemies. That's why pictures didn't load. I learned something today. Fuck Imgur

 

[Tyranicon]

Church of Chad

Lol.

Also, I find it ridiculous that so many "RPGs" now are focused on advertising their pixel art while not expanding or highlighting game mechanics at all.

Looking at you too, Iron Oath.

 

[The Wall]

[NEW] Sexy teasers for Stoneshard. Update is coming Soon.TM. Drink one more Potion of Patience

 

[Gastrick]

Imgur and spoilers tags on Codex are enemies. That's why pictures didn't load. I learned something today. Fuck Imgur

It works if you copy the image url directly, that starts with "i.imgur" like this:

Spoiler

 

[Sykar]

Church of Chad

Lol.

Also, I find it ridiculous that so many "RPGs" now are focused on advertising their pixel art while not expanding or highlighting game mechanics at all.

Looking at you too, Iron Oath.

Raifeisenbank is an actual IRL bank.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volksbanken_und_Raiffeisenbanken

 

[Sykar]

Oh wow, there are a lot of negative reviews on Steam in recent history.

 

[normie]

Oh wow, there are a lot of negative reviews on Steam in recent history.

they sold it too well for their own good

 

[fantadomat]

Oh wow, there are a lot of negative reviews on Steam in recent history.

they sold it too well for their own good

Ahhh they just pocketed the gibz and fucked off,nothing bad for them.

 

[Aemar]

Played the demo and liked it quite a bit. I'll probably buy the game eventually.

 

[Contagium]

Think they have some Ukranian devs, too....this thing won't be getting finished any time soon.

Some Steam reviewer gave it a bad review because they thought they were Russian.

Another reason Steam's review system has to go.

 

[Harthwain]

Some Steam reviewer gave it a bad review because they thought they were Russian.

Another reason Steam's review system has to go.

It will likely get flagged and ignored by the system as review bombing if that's the case.

 

[Aemar]

Is there some sort of road map that mentions any major upcoming features and improvements?

Edit: apparently there is one

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/s...st/scale-to-width-down/1000?cb=20211215160158

Quite a few more years of development ahead from what I reckon.

 

[Raghar]

Think they have some Ukranian devs, too....this thing won't be getting finished any time soon.

Some Steam reviewer gave it a bad review because they thought they were Russian.

That's amazing. Bad reviews only because of nationality... We are truly living in wonderful age.

Ukrainians? Well, it's same genetics (thus the reviewer wasn't entirely wrong), if they eventually join Belarus and Moscowites again, they would return into family.
...
But, well I remember Owlcat games. If they would have the same development pace as Owlcats, we would see EU falling apart before we would see finished Stonehard.

 

[Aemar]

Is there anything else going on right now in the game besides the random contract missions and the rare fetch quests for various vendors?

The game has a lot of potential, but the 1.0 version seems years ahead right now.

 

[Zanzoken]

Reminder this was originally funded on Kickstarter in mid-2018 with EA release targeted for end of 2018 and a full release sometime in 2019. And yet here we are in mid-2022 and it's still far from done.

Current events notwithstanding, the project has obviously been spiraling out of control for years now. Maybe they'll keep plodding away at it for a couple more years but I'll be very surprised if the game is ever able to come close to what was promised.

The fact that they still haven't implemented character creation (which is the first thing you do in-game and the foundation of the CRPG genre) is enough to tell me that whoever is in charge doesn't know what the fuck they are doing.

 

[The Wall]

Drink Greater Potion of Patience

 

[Aemar]

Reminder this was originally funded on Kickstarter in mid-2018 with EA release targeted for end of 2018 and a full release sometime in 2019. And yet here we are in mid-2022 and it's still far from done.

Current events notwithstanding, the project has obviously been spiraling out of control for years now. Maybe they'll keep plodding away at it for a couple more years but I'll be very surprised if the game is ever able to come close to what was promised.

The fact that they still haven't implemented character creation (which is the first thing you do in-game and the foundation of the CRPG genre) is enough to tell me that whoever is in charge doesn't know what the fuck they are doing.

The game has been a success as far as the sales go. It goes to show that nowadays people would buy any half-arsed product as long as it shows some potential.

 

[normie]

Devlog: Current Progress

Hello everyone!

It’s been a while since our last devlog, so we’d like to share some details about what we’ve been working on.

In the previous entry we mentioned a plan to release an interim patch with the Mint Square’s missing interiors and NPCs. There’s been some adjustments since then: first of all, we decided to add new content not only to the Mint Square but also to the Docks.

Secondly, there were some tweaks to the timeline, so these additions will be a part of the next major update, which we haven’t yet chosen a name for. This update will also include some of the features that were originally planned for Rags to Riches and Wizard’s Fate. Here’s a list of things we’re working on right now:

Spoiler

- Next stage of the main quest - it will wrap up the introduction sequence and will prepare players for the sandbox part of the game. After that, the main story will be put on hold until we finish implementing all the remaining mechanics and content.

- New magic school, Electromancy, that has potential to deal high damage while offering some decent crowd control.

- New utility tree, Magic Mastery - a worthwhile addition to any magic-focused build.

- Fatigue System and supplementary magic mechanics that will require mages to be more thoughtful about positioning and the way they spend their resources (including financial ones).

- Second tier of Proselytes: ten new dangerous enemies that come with roughly 20 new active and passive abilities.

- Several carefully designed Points of Interest, each of them boasting its own backstory.

- Caravan stop, which will provide you with a place to save your progress and store your items. As for global map traveling, we plan to add this functionality in one of the subsequent major updates.

- Folios, a new type of valuable loot that will give you an opportunity to learn more about the game’s world as well as gain some experience points.

- New content for the Mint Square (the Cathedral, the University, a bank, a printing house, the Golden Grain Inn, Azure Thread Tradehouse) and the Docks (the Alchemical Emporium of Curious Goods, a dockside store, the Close Harbor Tavern, and a bathhouse) that we already mentioned.

- Something cool and unexpected that will be revealed alongside the announcement of the update’s release date.

The ongoing war still causes certain financial and organizational issues, so we can’t guarantee that everything mentioned in this devlog will be a part of the next major update, but we’ll do our best to make it happen nonetheless. We’ll tell you more details about the new additions in future devlogs, so stay tuned and follow the news!

The update’s release date will be revealed in a separate announcement once we complete the bulk of the work on new content. And after the update is out, we’ll also revise our Development Roadmap and publish an up-to-date version.

That’s all for now. Until next time!

 

[Aemar]

Played the demo and liked it quite a bit.

Come to think of it, the current amount of content qualifies as a demo by itself.

 

[cyborgboy95]

Standing stones

 

[cyborgboy95]

A mysterious new character to drive you between settlements and certain Points of Interest - someone has to pick up the slack while Verren is busy with other affairs

 

[Salvo]

Cool DeviantArt

Oh wait

 

[normie]

Devlog: New Proselytes

Hello everyone!

This post is the first one in the series of devlogs where we tell you about new content that will be a part of the upcoming major update. Today, we’ll share the details about high tier Proselytes - new dangerous enemy types which you’ll be able to encounter in Catacomb dungeons.

Proselytes are a disturbing, mysterious vampire cult that only recently became prominent in Aldor - they are definitely on the fantasy side of things when compared to the rest of the setting. While working on them, we decided not to focus too much on realism and the restrictions of the world we created, instead fully embracing the opportunity to make new enemies memorable and unique.

Here they are, left to right…

Spoiler

Let’s start with the Proselytes whom you might run into while exploring both low and high level Catacombs.

Martyr

“The sight of martyrs' agony only strengthens other Proselytes' loyalty to the Court. How deep into madness does one need to descend to volunteer for something like this?..”

Martyrs are stationary foes whose main task is to support other cultists. Their “Neverending Torment” passive causes Martyrs to lose Health each turn as long as there’s both an enemy and an ally within their Vision, while “Willing Sacrifice” transforms some of the damage they take into healing for their allies.

As a result, it might be a good idea to prioritize Martyrs in combat. There is one thing to keep in mind though - killing them doesn’t immediately end your troubles. Even upon taking fatal damage, a Martyr continues hanging from the stake, replacing their abilities with the “Blessed in Death” passive that grants significant buffs to the rest of the Proselytes. The solution here is simple - you’ll just need to finish the job and topple the stake propping up the corpse.

Bell-Ringer

“Echoing through the pitch darkness of underground tunnels, the otherworldly cluttering of his bell can send even the most reckless hotheads fleeing in terror."

The Bell-Ringer is yet another cultist whose main task is supporting other Proselytes. Aside from the standard Proselyte bag of tricks, he also has two unique active abilities: “For Whom the Bell Tolls” and “Unholy Anthems”. The first ability generates a huge amount of noise, attracting cultists from distant rooms and chipping away at your character’s sanity, increasing the damage they receive. The second one grants a random buff to every Proselyte in a large radius.

=======================

Let’s have a look at the next tier of Proselytes:

Fiend

“This Proselyte is a perfect soldier: inhumanly strong, ferocious, and feeling no pain, fear, or mercy.”

Fiends retained their ability to handle weapons, so they act as infantry of sorts. Armed with axes and crude clubs, they have access to some Weaponry skills. On top of all that, they also have two new passives: “Witness His Might” and “Anthems of Bloodshed”.

“Witness His Might” increases Fiends’ damage and Health for each unique Proselyte type within their Vision, and allows their attacks to gradually decrease your character’s resistance to damage. “Anthems of Bloodshed” grants them a guaranteed critical hit with bonus Bleeding Chance on every 6th attack that also buffs nearby cultists upon landing.

Impaler

“Impalers are unmatched in their ability to track down and capture those poor souls who unknowingly wander into the catacombs. The victims that survive the hunt either join the cult or serve as sacrifices for the Court.”

Impalers’ main task is to wear your character down and quite literally bleed them dry. To aid them in this task, they have access to a number of abilities: “Impaling Lunge”, “Lacerate”, “Net Throw”, and “Sudden Lunge”. Other than that, Impalers’ “Blood Scent” buffs their Crit and Counter Chances as well as their damage for each Bleeding affecting enemies and allies within Vision.

Murkstalker

“The horrific murkstalkers resemble underground bats not only in appearance but also in their behaviour, taking full advantage of the catacombs' impenetrable shadows.”

Murkstalkers are among the most devious Catacomb creatures - defeating them won’t be an easy task. Their main strength lies in mobility and being unpredictable: “Murkwalk” allows them to teleport over large distances, and “Embrace the Murk” grants them a short dash and invisibility. While invisible, they regain some of their strength and receive a stacking bonus to stats, which they can unleash at the right moment by rushing your character down with a devastating “Murkstrike”.

An invisible Murkstalker can only be revealed by standing on an adjacent tile, so it might be a good idea to bring a net or some other means of Immobilization when facing them - those will prevent any attempts to retreat into the Murk.

Girrud

“Girruds are too far gone in their disturbing metamorphosis, giving off the impression that their repugnant tongues have a mind of their own.”

This Proselyte’s main weapon is his incredibly long tongue, skillfully utilized through the following three active abilities: “Tongue Pull” allows him to drag the target a bit closer, “Tongue Push” creates a two tile distance, while “Tongue Leech” has a chance to Immobilize and Drain a large amount of Health.

Yagram

“This bestial cultist's mind is clouded with unbridled rage - there is very little human left in it.”

Yagrams are an embodiment of rage and brute force, posing danger to allies and enemies alike. They are capable of multiple AoE attacks: “Swipe” lets them knock nearby targets into walls and other props, while “Earthshaking Strike” Stuns and Dazes anyone who happens to stand in front of a Yagram.

Additionally, every attack delivered to or by Yagrams fuels their hidden rage stat. Upon reaching a critical level, it activates the “Bestial Rage” passive that increases both their damage dealt and damage received. While in this state, Yagrams abandon all common sense, causing their attacks to frequently hit random targets instead of your character - with enough luck, this can be used to your advantage.

Saggul

“Sagguls still bear the mark of the Crimson Plague, although for them it's a blessing rather than a curse.”

Sagguls are twisted, ugly mutants that act as ranged units for the Proselytes. In combat, they rely on “Blood Spit”, creating puddles of liquid that damage your character and heal other cultists. When forced into melee, they can still fight back with “Blister Burst”, dealing damage and creating blood puddles on every nearby tile.

=======================

And finally, minibosses:

Wormbearer

“Wormbearers are the grotesque embodiment of the Court cults: the host suffers from its parasites, while the parasites suffer for their host.”

Clumsy and hard to kill, Wormbearers rely on giant worms that they can summon on any tile within Vision by spending a bit of Health. They are also willing to make use of any dead bodies lying nearby, destroying them with their “Wormfood” ability to summon a few worms on random adjacent tiles. The resulting number of worms depends on the size of the affected corpse.

A single worm isn’t all that dangerous, but a whole swarm of them can be rather difficult to deal with - their “Feed the Host” passive converts some of the damage dealt to the enemy into Health for the Wormbearer, allowing more and more worms to be summoned.

Anmarrak

“The only thing keeping this vaguely human-shaped product of vile rituals alive is its blind faith in the Court.”

An Anmarrak is a miniboss with a unique style of combat. Upon spotting an enemy, it burrows its tentacle arm into the ground, receiving a massive boost to various resistances, while losing its ability to move around and attack directly. The tentacle arm then resurfaces near the enemy and begins striking them. Moving away from the tentacle or killing it forces the Anmarrak to reposition it or spawn a new one.

The key to defeating the seemingly invulnerable Anmarrak is to methodically slay its tentacles: thanks to its “One Body” passive, any damage received by these two entities is split between them, permanently increasing with every destroyed tentacle.

That’s all for now. We hope you enjoyed reading about these upcoming additions to the game’s bestiary! Make sure to stay tuned: in the next few devlogs, we’ll tell you more about new Ability Trees and changes to the Magic System.

Until next time!

 

[Abu Antar]

 

[Fedora Master]

Every time I see the thread get bumped I'm like "Oh neat, finally an update?" but then...