Welcome to Heralds' monster compendium. We now have 17 critters out of 30 planned, so today we’ll show you 5 creepy crawlies and share 3 uplifting tales of perseverance and hope.
Hookworms
A common cave worm that preys on oversized insects, from centipedes to unwary bipeds. Its hook-like beak is strong enough to punch through chitin and armor alike to reach the nourishing flesh beneath. A lone worm is rarely a threat, but a cluster can strip a caravan to the bone.
Pit Terror
They call 'em Pit Terrors and rightly so. Deep pits with rich ore, that’s where you’ll find ‘em. Some fools swear it's the ore they're after. I reckon it's the miners. Sit by a rich vein long enough and sooner or later dinner will come to you.
One day a crew went down and never came back. The foreman sent us to find out why. Thought five armed men would be enough.
Down we went, expecting one of these things to burst out of the dark without warning. Instead, we found it feeding on what was left of the miners. It barely paid us any mind at first, until someone lost the nerve and shot a crossbow bolt at it.
Slowly, the Pit Terror rose higher and higher, swaying hypnotically, then its great maw split open...
Seventeen men went down that shaft. Three of us climbed back out, and only because the bastard had already eaten its fill.
Ravager
Make no mistake, everything the desert breeds wants to kill you. Things that burrow under your skin are bad enough, but I'd rather lose a limb to those little bastards than to a Ravager.
On my last run we came across a couple of Stalkers. Managed to drive them off, or so we thought. Turned out they weren't after us at all. They were staying clear off a Ravager, and we rode straight into its sandpit.
One moment we're cheering, thinking we'd won. The next the sand explodes and the Ravager is among us. It’s not fast. Doesn't need to be. Hit hard enough and there's no need to chase.
So, like it or not, you have to stand and fight, but how do you fight an armor-plated worm the size of two wagons chained together? Takes you awhile to realize you aren't paid to kill the worm, but to feed it while the rest of the caravan gets away. By then it's too late to do anything about it.
Sand Dragon
A voracious ambush predator that lurks beneath the sand, waiting for the slightest vibration. Smaller prey is dragged below, while anything too large to carry off is simply ripped apart by its powerful jaws.
Ironback
The sea gives you everything you need, if you know how to take it. Fish won't jump into your boat on their own. A Deep-Claw won't hand over its plating if you ask nicely. And an Ironback... well, there's a fortune under that shell, yours for the taking.
We hunted one before, long ago. A magus came to town looking for men. Chances like that don’t come often, so word spread fast and by sundown every man who could hold a spear wanted in.
The magus picked his spot and started chanting. Sounded like a dying frog, but it worked. The water parted and up came the horns. Then the shell, then the rest of it. Bigger than a house.
It reached the shore and stopped, looking almost confused. So we rushed in, hacking at the soft parts beneath the shell. Didn't do much good.
Then the magus tried another spell, which got the Ironback's attention in a hurry. Ever seen a frog catch a fly? Same thing. Half a dozen tongues shot out, wrapped around the magus, and he was gone before anyone moved.
The Ironback just stood there, chewing slowly, then turned for the sea. Anyone who got in its way followed the magus. The rest of us kept our distance. The hunt was over and we all knew it.
Group photo:
Frequently asked questions:
Q: Why are we posting these updates here instead of setting up a proper store page?
A: Once we're certain Heralds is actually going to make it to release, we'll set up a Steam page.
Yes, we’ve been working on the game for 18 months now, but as we all know the gamedev graveyard is full of projects that spent as long or longer in development, yet never saw the light of day.
Q: What's the status of the project?
A: Right now we're at the Barely Playable stage: the basic framework is there, but many core systems are still missing or incomplete. The next step is Mostly Playable: all the core gameplay systems are implemented and working together.
The next 6-8 months will be critical.
Q: Is there a way to support the project?
A: While we appreciate your generosity, the best way to support us is to leave a review, no matter how brief. Reviews boost visibility and influence sales, and we'll need all the help we can get there, since the revenue generated by Colony Ship is Heralds’ development budget.
AoD and DR help too, but CS is doing all the heavy lifting.
Thank you for reading.