Build 26379041

Hey everyone,

A lot has changed in Travelers since the August 15 update. This is the first of three updates on the way to the demo: new character models, more combat options, reworked gore, more conversations, and a world with a lot more things to burn, break, and throw around.

The game is still at a very early stage of development and very much a work in progress. This playtest is about trying the new systems, especially when they interact with each other. Expect bugs, unfinished animations, performance issues, and things that do not work as intended yet.

New models and character creation

• Added new human and zombie models.
• Character creation now offers 11 face variants for male and female characters, 50 hairstyles, and 31 beard styles.
• Longer hair and loose strands move with your character. Beard fitting has been reworked.
• NPCs have a wider variety of faces and body sizes.
• Added blinking and facial expressions for conversations, combat, exertion, fear, and injuries. NPCs move their mouths during dialogue.
• Reworked the character preview and selection menu. Your appearance is saved and carried over into the game.

Combat and weapons

• Added an overhead strike on Mouse 4 and a thrust on Mouse 5. The thrust can be held.
• Reworked attack inputs, holding and releasing attacks, and transitions between attacking and blocking.
• Fixed sword attacks getting stuck and characters remaining in their blocking pose after a prolonged shield block.
• Improved sword alignment with the camera, body turning, and freedom of movement during combat.
• Added a strong kick on Shift+F and reworked hits against downed enemies.
• You can sprint with your shield raised again. Sprinting shield bashes can knock enemies down and break through suitable crates and cupboards.
• Added skill upgrades for movement during sword combat and while crouching.
• Reworked first-person sword, shield, and bow animations, along with weapon carrying poses while walking and sprinting.
• Added subtle sword trails to swings in first and third person.
• Fixed the sword hand disappearing after a weapon switch and the character's head obstructing the first-person view.
• Smoothed out revolver aiming.

Movement and rope climbing

• Rebuilt the movement and animation systems for players and NPCs.
• Reworked rope climbing, including hand grips, foot support, and transitions between wall contact and free hanging.
• Fixed rope contact continuing to block dodging and sliding after moving away from the rope.
• Made crouching more responsive, adjusted sliding, and improved climbing over narrow obstacles.
• Reworked swimming, surfacing, and transitions at the water's surface.
• Expanded camera settings for distance, height, and field of view.

Gore, wounds, and blood

• Expanded bullet entry and exit wounds, local wound deformation, and repeated hits to the same body region.
• Sword cuts now leave narrower, continuous wounds.
• Existing wounds remain after dismemberment. Intact corpses can still be wounded.
• Blood can run down the body from wounds, including arrow wounds.
• Expanded blood splashes on characters and clothing. Blood darkens as it dries and can be washed off in water.
• Sword blades become bloody, drip, and can be cleaned in water.
• Reworked reactions to arm and leg injuries, dropped weapons, ragdolls, and getting back up.
• Improved how injuries and equipment are displayed and saved on corpses.

Destruction and objects

• More crates, barrels, furniture, wooden doors, and wooden structures can be damaged and broken apart.
• Added partial breaks and detachable planks. Unsupported frame sections can collapse.
• Debris now appears closer to the actual impact point.
• Thrown objects can knock into other movable objects and damage them.
• More cups, mugs, and buckets can be picked up and thrown. Fixed some objects appearing in the wrong position when picked up.
• Vases and fragile pottery shatter on the first strike or thrown impact.
• A normal kick moves sturdy furniture instead of instantly breaking it.
• Standing metal braziers can be thrown but remain indestructible.
• Filled water barrels can be destroyed, but cannot be carried or set on fire.
• Added lever-operated gates with movement sounds.

Fire, water, and vegetation

• Expanded vegetation fires, including spreading flames, charring, and leaf loss.
• Tree fires start at the point of impact and spread to reachable areas. A fire arrow in the trunk no longer automatically ignites the entire crown.
• Characters and suitable wooden objects can catch fire. Sustained fire weakens wood and gradually breaks it apart.
• Fixed fire damage making wooden objects explode into pieces.
• Flames follow moving wooden objects. Nearby burning objects light up their surroundings.
• Water bottles can be thrown to extinguish fires or used to drink from the inventory.
• Reworked switching torch hands, off-hand use, and flame contact.
• Improved cutting plants, falling plant debris, and grass bending while sliding.

Arrows, armor, and crafting

• Added fire arrows, explosive arrows, and combined fire/explosive arrows, with five crafting and upgrade recipes.
• Reworked bullet trails, ricochets, smoke, sparks, and wood splinters.
• Expanded armor and shield wear, protection, and breakage.
• Added repair recipes for more clothing and armor pieces.
• Added Metalworking as a Survival skill. Iron, silver, and gold ores, ingots, and smelting recipes are now included; the materials are also available from the armor merchant.
• Sascha offers repairs and a first upgrade tier for metal armor. Reinforced pieces last longer.
• Fixed overlapping layers of NPC clothing. Equipping, looting, and loading corpses now correctly account for occupied armor slots.

NPCs, dialogue, and quests

• Improved target selection, combat facing, sidestepping, and close-range self-defense for ranged fighters.
• Zombies keep more distance from walls and bars during their screaming animations.
• Expanded daily routines, patrols, torch-carrying night watches, and resting activities.
• NPCs can loot the fallen and equip suitable armor.
• Reworked sleeping, getting up, and interruptions caused by conversations or combat.
• NPCs use benches, chairs, and couches, look at each other, and gesture. Kicking occupied furniture can knock them off their seats.
• Reworked secondary weapons, holsters, and positional combat, hit, and impact sounds.
• Expanded prison dialogue and conversations with main and side characters, with more personal questions, background on guilds and mages, and reactions to help and threats.
• Merchants now have their own conversations. Ask to see their goods right away or learn more about them.
• Expanded the mage's quest paths. NPCs remember certain decisions and information, changing their later responses.
• Added side quests, including the bandage task, and more encounters with Otis, Ned, and Rook. Rook's instrument search has new location clues.
• Expanded conversations when meeting characters again after they move elsewhere. Completed quest offers are removed from the dialogue options.

Menus, map, and saves

• Reworked the lobby, character selection, inventory, crafting, trading, repairs, and quest journal.
• Improved text readability, enlarged the inventory character preview, made more crafting recipes visible at once, and reduced the size of the status HUD.
• Replaced internal item and quest names with readable names, and hid empty, invalid journal entries.
• You can draw on the map and add, edit, delete, and save your own text notes.
• Added Controls & Help to the pause menu. Gameplay hints explain important actions and can be adjusted or disabled.
• Play Demo in the lobby takes you to the main world and the prison start.
• After death, you start a new character at level 1 without learned skills. World and quest progress remain, while health, hunger, thirst, and stamina are restored for the new life.
• Added world save management with multiple worlds, naming, copying, archiving, and restoring. Co-op players receive a copy of the world so they can host it themselves later.
• Added a Steam wishlist button to the menus.

World, atmosphere, and performance

• Expanded snow accumulation, tracks, mountain clouds, and weather transitions.
• Added birds, beetles, butterflies, fireflies, and nature sounds.
• Added migrating bird formations and a quieter wind and thunder soundscape to the lobby.
• Restored exploration and combat music. Combat music responds to the current threat.
• Reworked slope and stone materials, along with daylight in interiors.
• Further optimized NPC movement and animation, resting corpses, wound calculations, wood destruction, and fire effects.

A look at the new monster models

I'm also working on more creatures for Travelers. Here are some of the new models, from the wider lineup to two close-ups. These are work-in-progress model previews; more monsters will join the game as development continues.

Please break my game

Try these systems together: shield-bash through a crate, fire special arrows into wood and vegetation, then put the flames out with water. Try rope arrows, weapon switching, armor, conversations, and your saves. Bring a friend and try it in co-op, too.

If something breaks, tell me what you did and where it happened. A short clip or screenshot helps a lot. For co-op issues, please mention whether you were hosting or joining.

NPCs can still get stuck on obstacles. Gore, explosions, get-up animations, snow, and terrain transitions still have visual issues in places. Stuttering and problems with quest or co-op interactions are also possible.

I'm continuing to improve the existing systems and prepare the next two updates. I'm really excited about where Travelers is heading.

Thanks for playing, trying things out, and reporting bugs!