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

[Matador]

Picked this in the sale. Still playing the tutorial. The health/injury system seems very compelling

 

[BanEvader]

I'm here for the monthly check up.
Have they released character creation yet?

 

[BanEvader]

Okey dokey, see you in November.

 

[notpl]

Okey dokey, see you in November.

Probably smarter to do the check-ins on a yearly basis at this point.

 

[Takamori]

Given their schedule I'm kinda hopeful for a march 2023 update with the character creator?

 

[Fedora Master]

By March they'll have added three new sprites for bushes and 2 new armor icons

 

[rusty_shackleford]

By March they'll have added three new sprites for bushes and 2 new armor icons

and a handful of berries from the bush will fill up your entire inventory

 

[Abu Antar]

Devlog: Dungeon Generation

Hello everyone!

It’s been a while since the last devlog, so we’re here to tell you about the current state of affairs and our plans for the near future.

Let’s just say the workflow has been less than ideal - the Ukrainian part of our team experiences blackouts and disrupted internet access due to the constant shelling of the country’s infrastructure, and the part of the team that formerly resided in Russia needs time to adjust in a new place. Nevertheless, we’re still determined to continue working on Stoneshard.

The main focus right now is on the next major update, “Rags to Riches”, which will both introduce and expand upon a number of key gameplay systems, namely the Caravan, the dungeon generator, and the economy.

Unfortunately, we’re in no position to announce even approximate release dates, definitely not within the next few months. But it doesn’t mean there won’t be any new content until then - we plan to release a few small patches, mostly focusing on fixing bugs, implementing some long-awaited QoL improvements, tweaking the existing ability trees, and fleshing out certain minor mechanics that we kept on the back burner. This approach will keep the game from getting stale while simultaneously giving us an opportunity to clear the accumulated backlog and resolve some technical issues.

For instance, in the near future we’ll release a hotfix that will improve the Drunkenness mechanic and add a few hundred new speech lines - both for the main character and the enemies - to cover a much larger number of scenarios.

Now back to Rags to Riches and the progress we’ve made so far. Many of you may remember that the dungeon generator was already reworked in the “Way Forward” update. But even though the result was much better than the original iteration, the last couple of years brought us enough experience and feedback to realize that we can do better. After all, dungeon-delving is one of the most prominent mechanics in the game, so any improvements to it will serve the betterment of the experience in general.

The dungeon generation rework is meant to achieve the following:

• Move away from the boring and predictable dungeon structure that consists almost entirely of small rooms separated by doors.
• Get rid of single-tile doors and hallways, as they promote the repetitive tactics of funneling enemies into the same choke points over and over again. New rooms will have a more engaging design, giving you more reasons to reposition and interact with the surroundings.
• Add more distinguishing features to each dungeon type: the Bastion should differ from the Crypts - and the Crypts from the Catacombs - not only in terms of decorations but also their overall layout.
• Make dungeons and room structure more logical and believable: upon entering a room, you should be able to get a basic idea about its function.
• Make dungeons’ visuals consistent with their difficulty and loot quality: high level dungeons will boast richer decor and additional room types that you won’t be able to encounter early in the game.
• Add dungeon modifiers that will shake up the established routine and make you adjust your usual preparations - we’ll share more details in future devlogs.
• Change enemy spawns to make fights more fair and interesting.

While our game designers are busy conceptualizing the Contracts rework (and all the new mechanics that come along with it), our artist and level designers are working on gradually transitioning the Crypts to the new generation ruleset - of all the dungeon types, it needed a facelift the most. For now, here’s some of the results:

The next step is to use the Crypts as a testing ground for the entirety of the reworked system, which includes new contacts, modifiers, and certain other additions - after that, we’ll make the necessary adjustments and apply it to the remaining dungeon types as well. That’s all for now. Until the next devlog!

 

[Sacibengala]

If there wasn't any war, this game would already be released by now?

 

[Jrpgfan]

If there wasn't any war, this game would already be released by now?

Not really. Progress has been slow since day 1.

Now they just have an excuse.

 

[Jedi Exile]

I'd forgive them for this, because what they had released so far is very good and there is enough stuff to do. I haven't killed the troll yet.

 

[Curratum]

I mean, it's only been five years since the kickstarter, what's the rush anyway!

 

[Fedora Master]

I'd forgive them for this, because what they had released so far is very good and there is enough stuff to do. I haven't killed the troll yet.

Not really. The game makes a good first impression but there are many faults in the basic game loop.

 

[Tweed]

I forgot I bought this. Is this a game yet?

 

[Harthwain]

I forgot I bought this. Is this a game yet?

But what is a game? It does have combat - does that count?

 

[Fedora Master]

Love to see it. BIG FUCKING UPDATE WE REWORKED DRUNKENNESS.

 

[Sacibengala]

Love to see it. BIG FUCKING UPDATE WE REWORKED DRUNKENNESS.

maybe drunk you can at least see your character the way you want it to be.

 

[Takamori]

I keep checking the notifications in this thread with the hope they will finally announce the character creation release date.

 

[Salvo]

Main fault I see with the release schedule is that they rework something, then add something new, then go back and rework that something AGAIN because the patch shifted things around

They're obsessed with having the game balanced at all stages but they have reworked stats like 5 times at this point

Should release all the content and THEN make sure it's balanced, although im no dev so who knows

 

[Sacibengala]

so who knows

At this point, maybe neither them.

 

[Teut Busnet]

Main fault I see with the release schedule is that they rework something, then add something new, then go back and rework that something AGAIN because the patch shifted things around

They're obsessed with having the game balanced at all stages but they have reworked stats like 5 times at this point

Should release all the content and THEN make sure it's balanced, although im no dev so who knows

I suspect this is happening to disguise how little progress is actually made. Juggling around some numbers is not getting in the way of finishing the talent trees or whatever.

When the guy who programmed MWO for piranha games left, they had trouble changing/adding anything to the game. I heard likewise happened with Cyanide and their 'Cycling Manager'. Both didn't mind, as long as they could still sell mech-packs / an almost unchanged yearly version fiddling around with minor maechanics and some spin.

Wouldn't be surprised if something similar happened here.

 

[whydoibother]

By March they'll have added three new sprites for bushes and 2 new armor icons

T-theres t-time. T-they m-might add them.....

 

[PapaPetro]

What's a word for that describes something that isn't Vaporware but is eternally strung along in Early Access, drip fed with trite updates?

 

[whydoibother]

What's a word for that describes something that isn't Vaporware but is eternally strung along in Early Access, drip fed with trite updates?

Star Citizen.

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

What's a word for that describes something that isn't Vaporware but is eternally strung along in Early Access, drip fed with trite updates?

Still vaporware. Other terms are only needed as a cope for the gullible, particularly if they got shafted for money.