I know It has been a long time since the last update. We've been working really hard on a number of tasks all at once and while we've got a lot done there wasn't really anything to share until now.
To name a few things we've been working on bug fixes, performance tweaks, enhancing the inventory system, adding combat effects as well as user interface streamlining and polishing.
Trello Board
In the hopes of being more transparent about how the game is progressing we've added a Trello board here. The intention is to show you tasks we're working on, tasks we we tackle soon and what has already been released.
This is also a place you can vote on your favourite features and discuss them with us and the community to help us prioritise features that matter most to you.
Of course you can always talk to us on the forum too.
Website
The website has received some much needed love with a lot more to come.
There are some new screenshots and now you can signup to our newsletter to stay up to date.
No more manually checking for updates, we'll tell you there is more content for you to view.
I will be committing some time each week so that things happen more quickly.
Check it out here.
Projectile Blast Radius
If you've been to the village you know just how fast and tricksie peasants can be when fleeing in terror.
Even in the heat of battle it can be difficult to land accurate shots when all around you is mayhem.
In the past it has been difficult land a successful hit with the staff. Not anymore. Now your projectiles will cause "blast radius damage" to enemies when they explode making the staff a much more useful weapon.
Watch as your enemies take damage when you strike the ground, a wall or even other enemies nearby. You're welcome :)
The only catch is that blast radius damage only deals half damage and cannot inflict critical hits.
We can't make it too easy for you.
Streamlined HUD
The current user interface was taking up too much space on the screen which sometimes made it difficult to see what was happening in the world. It was also looking too much like old school RPGs for my liking.
I spent some time removing some of the heavy weight UI elements and repositioned/resized much of the other HUD elements.
I also made some changes that will see that the UI performs well on all resolutions.
I think you will like the result.
Cure Potions
We have added a new Cure Potion to the Quick Item menu which will remove any debuffs that your character is currently suffering.
You will only be able to carry a small amount of potions in the beginning. However, you will be able to increase the maximum number of potions you can carry by updating your Belt and Bandolier in the skill tree.
Inventory Screen
The Character screen in the Easter build was clunky and unattractive. A lot of the nicer features just weren't ready in time and we've made great strides towards fixing that.
You will notice that the model of the selected character is now shown on the right and will reflect all of your equipped body parts.
The character stats were moved to the left beneath the inventory list to make more room for the character model and the content just fits better there.
I have added some Filter buttons above the inventory list to show only items of a given type i.e. all, heads, torsos, arms, relics.
Soon to come is the ability to add an item to your "Junk" pile. This is where you can place items that are essentially useless, but you intend to sell the the Undertaker later.
There will be another Filter button added to show all Junk items in future.
Quest Journal Screen
This screen is not much to look at yet, but you can now discover quests and select your "Active" quest and view the tasks related to the selected quest.
The Quest System is actually driving this screen now which means all we have to do is make the screen prettier and it'll be job done.
The next Alpha release should have a lot more to do other than hunt infinitely spawning necromancers.
Save/Load Screen
This screen is a work in progress, but I have completed the first version of the Game Save system and it is working well. Loading the game state is proving a little more tricky, but it's almost complete.
Once I iron out all the bugs in loading your game I will remove the current checkpoint system. The checkpoint system was only put in place to allow you to play the Easter Pre-Alpha and was never meant as a permanent feature.
Character Customisation
Recently Scott and I have been arguing discussing whether or not we add a feature that allows you to customise your character.
We have not decided on anything yet and we'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter so I've added a dev log to the forum to talk it over here.
Feel free to join the conversation on the forum or leave a comment here. Is character customisation important to you? What should it look like?
That's it for another update with more to come soon. We'll be resuming our monthly update cycle from here on.
You can follow us on Twitter or Facebook for all the latest news, pictures and updates.
You can get involved in the discussion on the Forum.
Watch the latest dev videos and technology demos on YouTube
Thanks for the support
Damian
Sandbox D7 Team
Great update. Nice to see you guys are still working hard!
Any progress on the Linux version?
The Linux build is still under development. Unity 5.4 brought some much needed graphics fixes and we'll actually do a proper testing round with the Linux before the next release.
Awesome! Great to hear. Keep up the hard work
Beautiful update, as always. I completely understand the character customization issue. If the game will be more of a linear style story, then leaving it out may be for the best. As you are telling THAT necromancers story. But if the game will be mold-able to the players wishes, perhaps customization wouldn't be such a bad idea?
That's a very good point. You will be telling the story of a specific necromancer and the story will be linear.
I think things will become clearer in the next update.