This time around we have a pretty packed update with lots of different news. We have worked a bit on everything so this will just be a short compilation of those changes. Hope you like it!
Redesigning Classes
We have some big news about changes in the class system of Starshard. Instead of using generic units to form armies we are changing the entire system to be character based. This means that now most units will be unique. We decided to do this to be able to give them more interesting skill sets and designs. To still classify all characters we will keep the six classes described in the beginning. Instead of unlocking the next rank of a unit type class reputation will be earned by using a character of a certain class. Characters can then be unlocked once you earn enough reputation to fulfil their requirements. Be warned though as not all characters might be as easy to persuade. Here you see a mockup for unlocking a class by increasing your reputation with the enforcer factions. This is just some temporary UI though and will likely change later in development.
Eldran History: A brief guide
One of the 6 main races in Starshard are the Eldra. So far you have been introduced to one member of their race in form of the Eldran evoker unit. However the entire race is far more diverse than that. So here is a very brief guide to the Eldran race.
To understand the Eldra you have to know their society is built upon bloodlines. Although there are many minor and less respected bloodlines there are only three major ones. Out of those only the first one is shown in the game so far. All Eldran bloodlines are similar in appearance with exception of the Eldr’ath (the second bloodline), which is the most visually different. To show the differences here are some very rough sketches:
A female Eldra of the first bloodline on the left; A female Eldra of the Eldr'ath bloodline on the right
These just show off some basic differences though. More details will be shown in a later post. We’ll also get to hear some more about the other bloodlines at a later time. So if you’re an Eldra fan look forward to that.
Market Assets
There are a few new objects and tiles available that go along the theme of civilization to make more towny scenes possible. Among those we have some market stalls, signs and some crates. Here are some pictures:
In addition we added a first non-violent NPC. He might be encounter-able in peaceful procedural fields. The exact function of NPCs has yet to be determined but we were thinking of adding procedural cities that need protection from bandit attacks or similar things. More on that later when we actually put it in the game. Anyways here is his sprite:
Battle Emotes
To make the characters come alive more we added emotes for certain characters. In addition to letting your favourite characters show some emotion in battle you might also see special stuff happen when you activate emotes under just the right conditions. Here are two examples, an annoyed and a excited sprite for the footpad and the evoker:
Looking for a party?
By the way, if you’re an artist, animator, or illustrator interested in contributing to Starshard, we would love to have you on our team! Feel free to give us a shout if this seems like fun! Cookies for everyone!
