State of the game - Beta 0.8.1.1.
Currently the game is coming out of closed beta and into the open. Bugs are likely still there, but game-breaking bugs should be quite rare. Appreciated if you'd take some time among your game to post them either on these community hub or straight via email to [email protected]
Big things - Game modes
The campaign is 12 levels long at the moment. Some levels are a bit easier, some a bit harder, some a bit shorter, some a bit longer. Play-through time is around 2½ hours. Depending on how much min-maxing you stop to do along the way. Campaign multiplayer has occasionally been really annoying to code, but it is in a state now, where it's playable and players joining the game shouldn't lose their gear out of the blue. That said, campaign multiplayer is where the bugs are.
1vs1 is fairly balanced and really fun. Every build has an obvious counter, but the high damage spell builds are often favored. Everything depends on balancing your build with your initial drop though, so it's difficult to pick true favorites. 1vs1 has only one map at the moment, and it's a bit rough on the detail.
Rumble is anything but balanced. With a 40 level character and a good drop with high affinities, you can occasionally score builds with +130% in one affinity. If you are against someone with -40% on that same affinity, insta-kills are possible. Rumble has one map at the moment, and it's really rough in detail.
Hosting is possible only by players themselves as listen servers, ie. while they are playing. This gives a pretty good advantage to the host.
During early access, there will be a test game mode in the game called "The Pit". Player starts at level 40 and the level is just full of chests and monsters. It's there from internal testing, but was left so players can try builds.
Small things - Items, models, animations, spells
There are some 58 different weapons, divided into 12 types. 4 of these types are ranged. Currently all melee weapons "penetrate" ie. if there are multiple enemies (or friends) that are hit by the swing, they are all damaged. Of ranged weapons, only the crossbow penetrates. Only daggers can be dual-wielded.
There are around 60 different armor items (if you exclude different types of jewelry). These are divided into 4 categories (cloth, leather, ring, mail) and 11 different types, one of which is shield. Categories are really powerful at the moment, as they have a direct impact on mana regen (although it's techinically hidden).
Item generation in the game is random, scaling with level. Stats are based on player/chest level, item slot, and item category. Two items that go in the same slot and are of the same category will have stats in the same range. There are a few legendary items that have been pre-programmed into the campaign (and might spawn in Rumble).
Weapon animations and range are key to the whole game, and a large part of the balance. It's possible to start an animation earlier if you time your click right - if you repeatedly click, you will become slower. That said, some of the animations might be a bit op at the moment, while some suck. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on them.
Skills/spells are divided into 8 different trees, each containing five spells. Only five spells can be equipped at a time. Level cap being 40 at the moment, it's possible to know 8 spells. Some spells are downright useless in the campaign, but in PvP all are more or less useful. There are some obvious combos in the trees, but once you go Rumble and ally with someone else you can build some really powerful chains. Keep that in mind, when you play. Some spells take a long time to cast, and that's yet again a balancing factor.
Going forward
Next patch:
There is a large amount of armor items that will go into the game with the next patch.
Shoulder items will likely become invisible in the next patch. I am of the opinion they look really stupid in most games and want to get rid of them. Currently debating whether to remove the whole slot and replace it with something else, or just leave them and hide them. Some people also think shoulder items "can be cool", but they are just wrong.
Internal debate continues whether Rumble players should start at level 25, or at level 40, as it currently stands. Thoughts welcome.
In the horizon:
Player-hosted dedicated servers are bubbling under, and will hopefully be released during the summer. These are the main focus at the moment.
As the item pool grows, there will be some changes in how the random generation of loot works. Much like other ARPGs, there will be a level-based tier system on the models as well, reserving the "cooler" items for later in the game. This overhaul doesn't need much work, but requires a lot more items, so it will be a few months in the making.
New Rumble and 1vs1 arenas are in the works. Will take a fair bit of time, no deadline yet.
And as always, balancing.
Skeletally,
Dapper Grim