Hear ye, hear ye, dear Minstrels!
As you know, we still have a lot of work ahead of us to make Herd enjoyable and accessible to every pair of little hands.
Today, we are bringing you a small update before the big one, to address a few urgent issues.
We are also updating our current roadmap, to give you a clearer idea of the direction we will be taking in the coming weeks and months.
First of all, we want to warmly thank everyone who has supported us, believed in the project, and taken the time to get involved. It truly means a lot to us.
Here are some of the things we are currently working on:
Tutorial fixes and improvements:
The current tutorial is not clear enough and does not allow players to fully understand the game. It is not effective enough at reducing the friction we have observed during new player onboarding. That is why we are going to rebuild it from top to bottom. We are creating a sequential tutorial, with dedicated sections for the different mechanics of the game, which you will be able to follow or skip depending on your level and your progress in mastering the rules. You will not only get a rules section, but also a lore section, where Faerion himself will introduce you to the universe we are trying to build.
Streaming tools:
The game can already be streamed as it is, but it will be much more enjoyable once we develop dedicated tools: observer mode, the ability to invite Steam friends to play, tournament creation and joining, and online titles to fight over. The title of World Champion is currently held by Shiva, and soon, you will be able to try to take it from her!
New cards and new decks:
We have already planned to add new decks and new ways to play. However, we have not yet fully refined the balance of Rising Star and Black Orange, which will serve as our benchmark for the future. We are not far from the result we are aiming for, and the more you play, the closer we will get.
Deckbuilder:
The deckbuilder is currently under construction. We are working on defining the smoothest possible user experience before producing a first testable version. Once the deckbuilder is in place, we will have taken a very big step toward Early Access!
Interactions with the Mélodus and customization:
We are currently thinking about how we will let you interact with the Mélodus, and how you will be able to customize them. We want you to enjoy the most pleasant experience possible, and in that regard, we are exploring several options.
Mélodus plushies:
Many people have asked us whether it would be possible to get Mélodus plushies. This request is currently being studied by Herd’s Merch department.
UI overhaul:
We already have the first elements of the UI overhaul, and they look promising. We want to offer a clearer and more enjoyable experience for everyone, and watching you play has taught us enough to know where we need to go next.
Shader overhaul:
Thanks to you, once again, we were able to observe that the shader we were using was incompatible with some machines. We have therefore decided to fully rework the shaders used in the game, in order to move toward a rendering style that is compatible with all machines, potentially portable to mobile in the distant future, and closer to the game’s Art Direction. The Mélodus, environments, and water will change a little very soon, and we should no longer have the visual issues that currently occur on some configurations.
New achievements:
We are looking into the possibility of expanding the achievement system and adding new achievements. This will take a little time, as we already have many topics to address first, but we have heard loud and clear that this matters to you.
Bot improvements and adaptive difficulty:
We want playing against the AI to help you improve, whatever your current skill level may be. Some players are already reaching an impressive level of play, so we need to keep up and be able to offer a level of difficulty adapted to your progression.
All these features will help us gradually move toward a proper Early Access, where you will have the features you need to enjoy the game as much as you want, and still for free!
Minor Update 0.19.2:
Added a new card placement animation.
Added two new cards to discover in Rising Star.
Added two new cards to discover in Black Orange.
Clarified the main menu.
Fully transitioned to 10 rounds, both in solo and multiplayer.
Turn timers in solo are now unlimited, as is the mulligan.
Thank you for your support, and see you very soon!