It's been quiet lately, what's been going on behind the scenes? Over the past several months, I've been rebuilding Hammerheart from the ground up for a more dynamic, immersive and replayable experience.
Since its inception in 2019, Hammerheart's primary objective has been to immerse players in an authentic depiction of Viking age Britain. My programming skills and game design knowledge have improved massively since then, and earlier this year I decided that the best way to deliver Hammerheart's main objective would be with a complete overhaul. This has required a lot of planning and a total redesign of even the most fundamental mechanics, with special care taken to preserve the features and themes core to the current Hammerheart experience.
Meanwhile, new music made specifically for Hammerheart by Tyler Cline has been implemented in the latest Hammerheart build 22.04.21.2. I will continue to fix bugs in the current version of Hammerheart, and the overhaul will release in the future as a free update for all players.
So, what can you expect in the future overhaul?
A Third Dimension
As you might notice from the screenshots, the camera has changed to a third-person angle attached to the player character's shoulder. As well as turning horizontally, you'll be able to look up and down to target different areas of your opponents with your weapon and avoid their shield. Every melee weapon will have at least two different attacks and damage is based on exactly where the weapon hits. Hills are now a possibility and complex terrain will be a much more significant factor for your success in encounters.
Command Mode
The slowed-time command mode is set to stay in Hammerheart, and the camera will pan to look down from the sky when you enter command mode.
Damage and Death
Hammerheart will retain its roguelike elements - the encounters will still be procedurally generated and death will be permanent. Damage, however, is becoming slightly more conventional. Like many other games you'll have a health bar, and upon being hit you'll start bleeding and the health bar will deplete (as well as the damage you take immediately from the hit). You can stop the bleeding without using a resource, but it will require you to stand still without the ability to attack for a set amount of time. Management of injuries during encounters adds another layer to the tactical aspect of Hammerheart.
Character Customization
Unlockable cosmetic items will stay with you even after death. You can customize your height, weight, gender, hair, clothes and more! With the improved level of detail required for the new 3D perspective, the characters in Hammerheart will also have eyes.
Accessibility
My understanding of game development has improved a lot since Hammerheart's release on Early Access, and accessibility features that I didn't put much thought into during my first years in game development are now high on my list of priorities. The overhaul is being made with settings for keybinds and graphics from the start. Despite being visually more impressive than the current iteration of Hammerheart, the overhaul is already less demanding on hardware thanks to careful consideration of performance in every aspect of development from the start.
Much, Much More
This overhaul will bring Hammerheart to its full potential. It's still active in development, and progress will be posted on the various Hammerheart social media channels: linktr.ee/hammerheartgame. I'm very excited to announce this new beginning to you, and can't wait for you to play!
