Steam News29 June 20233y ago

Development News #1

Hello Everyone! It’s been awhile since we’ve had an update here on Steam. We usually do these types of updates on our Kickstarter page, but starting now, we will give these updates directly here on Steam, for all the pl

In this update7

Full notes

Full Gastova: The Witches of Arkana update

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What changed

0 fixes2 additions7 changes0 removals

Gameplay
Store
UI and audio

changedGame Balancing IssuesA set of very important game overhauls are going to happen. One of the most fundamental ones is the removal of the casting bar for boss fights. Why?

changedGame Balancing IssuesFirst, casting times and casting bars have been part of the issues of some boss fights. Sometimes, it allows the player to cheese the fight to the point of losing all fun. Instead, we plan to have visual or sound cues to represent the next attack, and change the behavior of bosses a little to accommodate that change.

changedGame Balancing IssuesA skill name window will appear so you know what attack the boss is going to land a little before it happens, but it won’t be as disruptive as the casting bar has been so far. This will change the pace of some boss fights, and we hope we can use this to create better challenges.

changedGame Balancing IssuesWe will also be implementing several design overhauls in an attempt to make the gameplay feel tighter and more in control. Our hope is that with this change, all of the various mechanics such as summons, elemental bursts, staff attacks and buster attacks will work more in tandem with one another as opposed to feeling like separate mechanics without interactions.

changedGame Balancing IssuesAnd lastly, shop, currency and other upgrade overhauls will be done to make sure the game is more balanced, especially in regards to abuse of potions.

addedFashion Witch?We are happy to confirm the final game will contain 16 costumes for Gastova in total (including her default one). The vast majority will be unlocked in game as you play it. While these costumes add some minor mechanical changes to Gastova, they are not required for players to fully enjoy the game experience.

Gastova: The Witches of Arkana changes

changedA set of very important game overhauls are going to happen. One of the most fundamental ones is the removal of the casting bar for boss fights. Why?

changedFirst, casting times and casting bars have been part of the issues of some boss fights. Sometimes, it allows the player to cheese the fight to the point of losing all fun. Instead, we plan to have visual or sound cues to represent the next attack, and change the behavior of bosses a little to accommodate that change.

changedA skill name window will appear so you know what attack the boss is going to land a little before it happens, but it won’t be as disruptive as the casting bar has been so far. This will change the pace of some boss fights, and we hope we can use this to create better challenges.

changedWe will also be implementing several design overhauls in an attempt to make the gameplay feel tighter and more in control. Our hope is that with this change, all of the various mechanics such as summons, elemental bursts, staff attacks and buster attacks will work more in tandem with one another as opposed to feeling like separate mechanics without interactions.

changedAnd lastly, shop, currency and other upgrade overhauls will be done to make sure the game is more balanced, especially in regards to abuse of potions.

Hello Everyone!

It’s been awhile since we’ve had an update here on Steam. We usually do these types of updates on our Kickstarter page, but starting now, we will give these updates directly here on Steam, for all the players to be on the same page.

Game Content Updates - Where is it?

First, we are sorry for the long time without any updates, as well as the delays of the programmed content updates. It’s gonna take a while longer, and we don’t have a set date for that yet. We deeply apologize for that.

That being said, it’s not all doom and gloom - We had some rough bumps along the road the last 3 months, but we have not abandoned the game at all and today is a joyful occasion. So let’s talk about all the things related to this game and what's happening to it!

The Game Grows!

One of the biggest challenges to finish Gastova is the fact that, content wise, this game is constantly growing. A lot of the updates that we have been planning since forever are things that were not a part of the original premise and promises over at Kickstarter. That double edged sword is cause for much despair at times, but also joy, as we over here at Mechwolf feel we are doing a game we really love.

Boss Fights

We are working on the last 5 boss fights of this game. 4 are pre-final boss - This fight was going to be a gauntlet of 8 boss battles, but we felt that would drag unnecessarily and turn the fights quite empty. Instead, we will have a gauntlet of 4 boss fights right before the final boss. Here’s a sneak peek of the last round of bosses!

We have received feedback that some earlier boss fights are more engaging and interesting than late game boss fights. We have been working on that, as well as trying to fix some of the worst aspects of those boss fights. Aldebaran, being the biggest offender, will be receiving some important fixes.

We also would like to ask: What boss fights do you like the most? What boss fights do you like the least, and why? Let us know in the comments, or the forums, what your experience with the game so far has been like!

Game Balancing Issues

A set of very important game overhauls are going to happen. One of the most fundamental ones is the removal of the casting bar for boss fights. Why?

First, casting times and casting bars have been part of the issues of some boss fights. Sometimes, it allows the player to cheese the fight to the point of losing all fun. Instead, we plan to have visual or sound cues to represent the next attack, and change the behavior of bosses a little to accommodate that change.

A skill name window will appear so you know what attack the boss is going to land a little before it happens, but it won’t be as disruptive as the casting bar has been so far. This will change the pace of some boss fights, and we hope we can use this to create better challenges.

We will also be implementing several design overhauls in an attempt to make the gameplay feel tighter and more in control. Our hope is that with this change, all of the various mechanics such as summons, elemental bursts, staff attacks and buster attacks will work more in tandem with one another as opposed to feeling like separate mechanics without interactions.

And lastly, shop, currency and other upgrade overhauls will be done to make sure the game is more balanced, especially in regards to abuse of potions.

Fashion Witch?

We are happy to confirm the final game will contain 16 costumes for Gastova in total (including her default one). The vast majority will be unlocked in game as you play it. While these costumes add some minor mechanical changes to Gastova, they are not required for players to fully enjoy the game experience.

Voice Acting

The game will now have voice acting during important dialogues! We believe that while not strictly necessary, this will help us flesh out the character interactions a lot more. We have been working with some wonderful talents to achieve this (shoutout to you guys!), and we can’t wait to implement the lines in game!

Final Words

We would like to thank every single one of our players for the infinite patience and goodwill. You guys make all the struggles worth it, as we know we can’t give up with everyone cheering on us. We hope to deliver a good game, and that will only be possible because of you!

Lastly, we are going to take part in the Steam Summer Sale, and we hope that will invite new players to be a part of the Gastova family!

Thank you and stay safe and sound, everyone. Until next time!

Source

Steam News / 29 June 2023

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