I've read a lot of complaints about the difficulty and gameplay. I wonder if that's improved.
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Devlog: Dungeon Generation - Part I
Hello everyone!
In today’s devlog we’ll demonstrate the final version of the reworked Dungeon Generator and showcase the main principles that governed its development.
Let’s start with a list of reasons that led us to reevaluating our approach to dungeon generation. The player feedback we received about its current state revealed the following issues:
- There isn’t much visual variety to speak of - the only difference between dungeons of the same type is what enemies can spawn in them, not their layout or overall design. This quickly makes dungeons feel predictable and uninspired.
- All dungeons use the same generation algorithm, which limits the room for structural distinction and environmental logic.
- The overall room structure and the abundance of single tile passages facilitate the funneling of enemies into doorways, trivializing both combat and positioning.
Our new approach is based on dungeon tiers. Initially, tiers were an informal term used by players to refer to dungeons based on their difficulty - in RtR they will actually become an official form of categorization. So instead of using hidden, rudimentary mechanics built around levels, this new system splits everything, be it enemies, items, or dungeons, into 5 distinct tiers.
Let’s explore what it entails, point by point:
Now let’s have a closer look at Crypt specific features:
- Different dungeon types will use different generation rules: the structure of Crypts will have noticeable differences from the structure of Bastions or Catacombs.
- Dungeons will feature varying visuals and room presets depending on their tier: the higher the tier, the more opulent a dungeon will appear, and the greater diversity of rooms it will display. Tier 4 and 5 dungeons in particular will look especially awe-inspiring.
- All dungeons will be split into two categories: generic and large, the latter consisting of two floors. We don’t have plans to introduce dungeons deeper than that: three floors or more would be way too tiresome and draining in most scenarios. The visuals will change depending on how deep you go: lower Crypt floors, for instance, will appear more damaged and use alternative room layouts.
- Rooms with bosses or contract objectives will spawn in dungeons’ farthest reaches, with secondary rooms branching off from the main path rather than being a part of it, giving you options for additional exploration.
- The updated visuals for dungeon descents and ascents will make them easy to spot and separate from one another: descents will always be a part of the floor, and ascents will be built into dungeon walls, just like they are right now.
- We decided to almost completely do away with single tile passageways, which should bring additional depth to the combat system and positioning by making group fights more frequent or even inevitable in certain situations (obviously, this comes with tweaks to most enemies’ stats, especially high tier ones).
- Rather than remaining the same once they spawn (or respawn after being cleared), dungeons will be generated when you enter them for the first time, just like in the earlier versions of the game (the layout won’t change if you save your progress after discovering it though). This will make dungeon exploration more engaging and unpredictable, since the ability to familiarize yourself with the location of enemies and traps throughout multiple save-load attempts won’t be as easily available by default.
- Secret rooms will be generated once per dungeon instead of once per floor. The roster of available secret rooms and their visuals will also depend on a dungeon’s tier.
- Even though it’s not directly related to the Dungeon Generator, we decided to rework the Noise and Enemy Awareness Systems, as the old ones didn’t work well with new dungeon layouts.
- New Crypts will appear as spacious tombs, with large hallways connecting separate burial chambers that are protected by stone plates. To access such a chamber, your Character will need a crowbar.
- Crypts won’t have wooden doors or narrow passages. Their vast halls will demand some clever maneuvering if you want to avoid getting surrounded by the Undead.
- Among other things, Crypts’ visuals will be affected by Dungeon Modifiers. Each dungeon type will have its own set of possible complications: for example, wafts of nauseatingly greenish air will signify the presence of “Miasmas”.
- The varied and unusual objectives of the reworked Contracts System will affect dungeon layouts as well: for instance, Wells of Souls will serve as spawning points for Wraiths, and the Holy Figurine contract will work quite differently from how it does right now…
- We also changed how the Loot System functions in Crypts and added a number of new items that can’t be found anywhere else. Here are some of them:
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That’s all for now. Until the next devlog!
Im very curious about this.
Smarter, maybe. Disappointing? Absolutely.
Devlog: Caravan Upgrades - Part III
Hello everyone!
In today’s devlog, we’ll take another look at Caravan Upgrades. This time the focus is on the third category - “Traveling”. As always, a reminder: Caravan Upgrades are not Abilities and therefore don’t require Ability Points. Instead, they are unlocked with items and materials.
But let’s give these upgrades some context first. One of the Caravan's primary features is far-distance traveling. It can be accessed by talking to Verren at the Caravan Camp, then choosing a tile on the global map to travel to.
Caravan travels will work by the following rules:
- Your destination must fit two main requirements. Firstly, it must not be concealed by the fog of war (tiles are revealed either by scouting them yourself or by using paper maps) - the Caravan can’t travel through uncharted territories. Secondly, the tile must not contain dungeons, Points of Interest, roads, or bodies of water - only empty tiles are suitable for setting up the Caravan Camp.
Another thing to consider is how close your Caravan Camp is to settlements. If the distance is short enough, you’ll be able to directly access the Caravan Storage while trading, and your Followers will receive an opportunity to restock their wares.
- The Caravan has a limited max travel distance which can be increased with upgrades.
- The Caravan moves with varying speed depending on the terrain it has to traverse. Obviously, most suitable tiles are the ones with roads - they’ll be prioritized by the Caravan when possible. On the contrary, off-road tiles will take a significantly greater toll on both your time and resources.
- Before you can move out, you’ll need a sufficient stockpile of Fodder for your horses - the exact amount depends on the difficulty and duration of the chosen route as well as the number of acquired upgrades and Followers. Fodder can either be crafted from whatever suitable items you have at hand or purchased in bulk from merchants or stablehands in some settlements.
- Upon arrival, your Character will take some time to establish a camp. The time required depends on two factors: the tile’s biome and the number of Followers. Setting up a camping spot in the middle of an open field will be a much speedier affair than chopping down trees to make a clearing.
- There’ll be a limit on how often you can travel: after each journey, both Verren and the horses will need some time to recover. Initially the cooldown is a day and a half, but it can be gradually halved with specialized upgrades.
- Ol’ Tott isn’t going anywhere - his services will remain an alternative to the Caravan, although he’ll become much stingier with his prices. The main difference, however, is that the Coachman will only transport you between settlements and Outskirts - the Caravan is more flexible in this regard.
And now that we are done with mechanics, let’s move onto upgrades:
TRAVELING
Hitching Post
Requirements: basic upgrade (available from the start)
Effect: grants access to Caravan travels
Old Cart
Requirements: basic upgrade (available from the start)
Effect: sets the base Caravan Distance at 20 tiles
Worn Chests
Requirements: basic upgrade (available from the start)
Effect: grants access to 200 inventory slots of the Caravan Storage
Sturdy Wheels
Requirements: Set of Sturdy Wheels (x1), Bottle of Oil (x1), Carpenter Hammer (x1)
Effect: +25% Caravan Distance and Speed
Ironbound Wheels
Requirements: Set of Ironbound Wheels (x1), Bottle of Oil (х2), Nails (х6), Carpenter Hammer (x1)
Effect: -33% Caravan Rest Duration, -10% Traveling Costs
Sturdy Chest
Requirements: Sturdy Chest (x1), Rope (х2), Nails (х6)
Effect: adds 200 inventory slots to the Caravan Storage (up to 400 in total)
Spacious Chests
Requirements: Spacious Chests (x1), Nails (х6), Bottle of Oil (х2)
Effect: adds 200 inventory slots to the Caravan Storage (up to 600 in total)
Ironbound Chests
Requirements: Ironbound Chests (x1), Nails (х8), Bottle of Oil (х3)
Effect: adds 200 inventory slots to the Caravan Storage (up to 800 in total)
Fitting Accouterments
Requirements: Quality Reins (x1), Horseshoe (х8), Nails (х2)
Effect: +25% Caravan Speed, -10% Traveling Costs
Сustom-Made Gear
Requirements: Reinforced Harness (x1), Bolt of Cloth (x1), Rope (x1)
Effect: -33% Caravan Rest Duration, +25% Caravan Distance
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That’s all for now. Until next devlog!
Always was cuz its a scam
Is it really a scam when they keep adding stuff? Personally I think they should've focused on releasing the necessary stuff and then do everything else as expansions/DLC to the base game.
