Some of you may have already tried the new build we released a few days ago. For the rest of you: Welcome to the new and improved Skara!
It has been months in the making, involved a total rebuild of our replication system (for a lot of reasons you can follow in the Dev Diary) and another go at redefining the combat system (again for a lot of reasons you can follow in the Dev Diary ;).
The biggest changes will be felt in the gameplay, where it matter most. Skara used to be a good concept with a theoretical gameplay. Now we feel comfortable saying the gameplay has finally reached the concept.
Check out this gameplay trailer:
Of course, this is our perspective from the studio with pretty powerful machines and solid internet. We are eager to see what YOU think!
If you have the game, then download the update and tell us about your experiences.
If you haven't already signed up to our closed beta, then sign up here:
We will continue to improve this build in direct response to your feedback. In fact we just released a Patch. It includes a few things we would like you to know about:
- The game should load and play more quickly than it was before. We also worked on eliminating run-time crashes and other bugs that make the game freeze and die in the heart of battle. These are the most crucial problems we found, so if you still experience them--LET US KNOW
- We have further balanced out the new combat system, specifically the strength of the Tamvaasa ‘Ice trap’ attack and the Shinse poison attack. Both have been reduced a little, as has the strength of the Shinse dash and heavy attack.We have also reduced the Shinse hit stun-- Celea stand a chance now :)
- Animations are smoother now, and players should see more feedback when fighting Groth. We know that a lot of you notice these little changes, and we hope you can appreciate them. Skara is about being as smooth and realistic as possible when it comes to animations. Soon fatalities will make this experience more spectacular.
- The lighting in the tutorial has been adjusted (it won’t be so dark for new players) and a few other adjustments in the arenas have also taken place. We would love to hear more about the arenas--especially from players who remember 0.5.6 and before.
- Now for the new goodies. We have worked on some of the new skins! Check out the new Tamvaasa axe designs for the Rockaxe, Bentaxe and the Lakwarguard helmets and armor. As you can see, they are brighter and even more impressive--truly worthy of our favorite northern fighters.
Expect more to come soon.
See you on the Battlefield!
The SKARA Team
