The Helm Update, Factions & Medieval Fest!

major update

Dungeons and Warbands · published · build 22866095

It is time for a major expansion! Our latest update, timed for the Medieval Fest, brings three massive pillars to the game: We now have Dynamic Factions on the World Map, Companion Context Menus, and a huge collection of New Medieval Helms. Because so much has changed, I’m running a 15% discount to celebrate. Whether you are leading a solo beast or a full warband, the new sandbox mechanics will completely change how you play.

Big Features & Content

  • Many New Helms Added: Prepare to equip your warband with a variety of new headgear!

    (I couldn't squeeze all into this image, also more are on the way including hats!)

  • Factions on the World Map: Factions are now visible on the map with their own colors and their own roaming warbands in their colors.

  • Companion Context Menu: Companions can now be healed, spawned, or called back from the dungeon! This was a highly requested feature, so I added.

    Simply right-click on them or their UI cards in the Companion screen to open the Context Menu with Options: Heal, Summon (if not spawned yet), and Call Back (if summoned):


  • Context Menu also opens without needing to open Companion Menu. Simply right click on your party members inside the Dungeon too: (Future plans for this menu: Companion Inventory, and Command functions like: Follow, Defend, Stay, Aggressive, etc.)

  • New Skill: Added the "Follow Me" skill.

  • Potions of Energy: Added the Potion of Energy family (Minor Potion of Energy, Major Potion of Energy, Greater Potion of Energy, etc.) to help manage your fatigue.

Gameplay & Balance

  • Polearm Tactics: You can now attack behind piles of crates, barrels, or prison bars with a polearm, but not through a solid wall. Thanks to @tepdeck for the suggestion!

  • Fatigue Refresh: The player now always starts a new Dungeon Level with refreshed energy.

  • Follow Logic: If skills like "Follow Me" or "Summon Allies" are enabled, newly spawned companions will keep follow you correctly.

UI & Quality of Life

  • Companion Health Bars: Added Health Bars above Companions in the UI. The bar is green if the companion is in a good state and red if they are in a bad state, matching their health bars in the Dungeons.

  • Fatigue Tooltip: The Fatigue Bar's tooltip has been made extra detailed.

  • Inventory Controls: "Click to Sell" wasn't working correctly (I forgot to update its functionality based on the latest state), so I disabled it until further updates. However, Drag-and-Drop inventory behaviors work correctly, smoothly, and reliably. Please use that method for now!

  • Dungeon Context Menu: Right-clicking on companions directly inside the Dungeon now opens the Context Menu as well. Just mentioning here again as a QoL update.

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed the Victory Screen so it no longer prevents mouse clicks on the game field.

  • Fixed an issue where Skill buttons stopped working after opening and closing the Skill Tree.

  • Fixed incorrect weapon values being displayed. Weapon damage values are now calculated correctly.

  • Fixed an issue where the Activity Log text was blocking mouse clicks (Raycast issue). You can now click the UI behind the text.

  • Fixed an issue of not showing two different loot drops if two enemies died on the exact same spot. Enemies now have a 70% loot drop chance for each equipped item.

  • Fixed an issue where swapping an item from a chest or loot bag to the Action Bar was erasing the item in the destination cell. Thanks for reporting @Special Caesar!

  • Fixed the Quest chain in the Tavern of Applebrook Crossing so finishing the Quest gives rewards properly. Thanks @manne6 for reporting!

  • Fixed a bug where the Goblin King was no longer offering to hire Goblins. (Fixing the "Dungeon is cleared" bug introduced this new bug, but it is fixed now).

  • Fixed an issue with Skill behaviors where skills that make Companions follow would be disabled if the Inventory was opened.

  • Fixed shadows appearing incorrectly on some characters.

  • And there are honestly more things I fixed, I just do not remember all of them right now or ignored writing them down in the rush!

Important Warning: Save Incompatibility

As the game expanded with more features, old saves are sadly no longer playable. I added a system to warn you about old saves and request you to start a new game. I am really sorry for that. I am a gamer too, and I know how uncomfortable it is to lose a save file, but as the game is still under development, this is sadly the nature of game development. Otherwise, running an old save does very unexpected things.


Developer Notes & Future Plans

  • The Conquest System: The foundation for the Conquest system is almost finished. Soon, Factions will start declaring war on each other, create big armies enough to conquer a city, create alliances, and send Trade Caravans for trade missions. More importantly, the player will start talking with each faction to join them or work for themselves and conquer places. Siege maps will be needed, and I am still considering how I should design them: should there be basic walls and a city gate to ram into, or a large map with towers, fortifications, more siege weapons, and streets where each element adds extra complexity? Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!

  • Horse System Delayed: I decided to delay the horse system a little bit. Not only does it require new skills (like gallop, dismount) and its own inventory system, but it also needs its own AI behavior (horsemen need to flank or head-on charge in battle). As I am working solo, I have to prioritize what to do to make the game more playable and dynamic. The sandbox game experience has the highest priority right now, so I decided the Conquest system is more important.

  • Upcoming Gear: More helms (and hats), Boots (and Leg armors), Rings, Necklaces, and some interesting loot will arrive from time to time.

  • Destructible Environments: Breakable crates, barrels, and pots are in the works for the next content update. It is a good way to relieve some stress by breaking stuff!

Hope you all enjoy!
-Omer

The Helm Update, Factions & Medieval Fest! · Dungeons and Warbands patch notes · SteamPeaks