This update introduces various new features and interactions to the late game. Importantly this introduces a "save system", but it is only a part of what's added and it is fairly involved. We're only going to talk about it in vague terms as we'd like for you to discover these new interactions in game yourselves. There's various new mechanics and changes to mechanics that open up new strategies for approaching some of the game's most difficult challenges.
This changelog covers some notable additions, but details were omitted in order to not spoil what some new features and mechanics are:
Late game save system introduced
Added an alternate "cheat death" mechanic
A new "minion" can now be acquired
Added a new way to progress through content
Added various new interactions and mechanics
Added ability to combine and separate certain items
Added new crystal interactions and mechanics
Added new token based interaction
Added option to continue from checkpoint
Various remastered items and other assets
Fixed AI not reacting to some encounters correctly
Fixed AI not knowing how to use flails properly
Horizontal swings can aim lower, especially when crouched
Fixed a cause of incorrect impact sounds on characters
Fixed ornate polearms not having random configurations
Added resolution scaling to compass overlay
Performance improvements
Cumulative changelog from 0.9.5:
New message / reporting system
Added guided placement feature (e.g. torch -> holder)
Improved balance and movement on uneven ground in combat
Significant combat AI improvements
AI Pathfinding improvements
AI behavioural improvements
Removed Volition from Gentry shapers
Made encumbrance curve more linear (less)
Reduced crystal usage for some items after mechanic changes
Adjusted (mostly reduced) inventory size of many items
Adjusted (mostly reduced) orb usage for many items
Many physics and animation improvements
Many bug and content fixes
More detailed changelogs with many specific bug fixes and improvements can be found pinned on the discussion page or the testing branch thread on our discord.
SAVE SYSTEM AND MORE
The game has grown much larger than we originally imagined it would be, and this makes its unforgiving nature a bit problematic. A death late in the game is no longer a matter of "better luck next time", but can undo too much of what you've accomplished. That said, we absolutely want to preserve the real sense of danger, tension and immersion that the game offers. We view an unconstrained save system (and the inevitable savescumming) as giving the player the ultimate power of rewinding time at will, completely dwarfing any other capabilities the player might acquire and simply making everything mostly meaningless. There would be no consequence to any choice or failure, no challenge that isn't utterly trivialised and overcome through just dumb luck or trial and error, no risk, no threat, and by extension no value to any advancement or accomplishment.
The save system is therefore limited, but we also wanted it to be a meaningful part of the experience and not just some tacked on gamey feature. We've tried to do something that allows players to save their progress while still feeling immersive and introducing an element of player agency, accomplishment and strategy. We also wanted to accommodate different playstyles, including those that don't want outright saving and different ways to experience the game depending on what path you choose.
Along with the saving come various new systems, interactions and supporting mechanics that introduce important strategic options for how you approach the game. These may not be obvious, but how you use certain resources and in what order can significantly affect your experience and what relative challenges you face. Exanima is a thinking man's game that encourages experimentation and creative solutions.
HOW IT WORKS
We're not going to spell it out for you in detail, as this is intended as something you discover within the game. Various elements of this have been in the game for some time now, and we're sure many of you have largely pieced much of it together already. You will have to make a certain amount of progress after the portal before you're able to access the new features, however we've provided the tools to do this without having to overcome very difficult challenges. Remember that threats in Exanima are dangers that you may want to avoid, and it's a very open game of problem solving, not mandatory challenges.
You will need to acquire a couple of items before you're able to access a limited number of save points. The idea is that you will use these strategically when you feel you've accomplished something important. One of the items is guarded by a difficult encounter, but you can avoid engaging it by doing something else first. There's multiple ways to do this and make it easier, only the most obvious are dangerous. Work smart not hard.
Once you have acquired the necessary item you must choose how to use it. If you use it to permanently save your progress you will be locked out of its other uses, otherwise you will have access to other things that can significantly change your gameplay experience, including a way to cheat death, but without simply reverting everything to a save point. All choices are very powerful in their own way.
Best,
Bare Mettle