MEGA Update - Pre-Volunheim MegaPatch!

HAIL Barbarian Horde!

This patch brings with it a hefty amount of fixes, improvements, some new features, and some new content to make ready for Volunheim, and beyond!

Some of the main highlights here include:

• LOTS of fixes and improvements to general traversal (speed fixes, running, jumping, climbing, downward-striking off of ALL SORTS of interactive objects, like moving blocks, enemy objects, and destructibles) -- this makes gameplay and getting around quite a bit more fluid and smooth

• BIG improvements and fixes across just about every enemy type -- hitboxes (especially larger, stranger shaped monsters), melee object placement and animation frames not matching

• Many enemies and bosses have gotten improvements to their behaviors, and even some new attack sets, making them more interesting to fight

• Stats, character growth and building have gotten BIG overhauls in a few ways -- stat scaling is much more important across weapons, armor, and shields, armor class + defense and attack values have been balanced and overhauled

• The FAVOR system has gotten an overhaul, and now operates (but influences growth of LUCK) independently of LUCK

• Luck now dictates things like whether items drop, if RARE items drop, and amounts from gold drops, while Favor dictates WHAT items are being carried by enemies, and also WHAT enemies will spawn (negative VS positive Favor values) -- Luck now deteriorates separately from Favor, and also gives you bonuses during skill checks within dialogues

• NEW weapon category, WHIPS, are now implemented, along with a few new weapons within said category

• CUNNING now actually WORKS and does all sorts of cool things across sub stats like Parry Opportunity, Evasion, and Critical Strike

• PARRYING now actually works the way it's supposed to and is VERY satisfying to pull off

• Different kinds of critical damage can now be stacked based on enemy states and player states (i.e. - did you hit an enemy with the damage type it is weak to? Is it a back stab? Is the enemy in a "parried" state? Are they stunned? Is it a headshot?!)

• ALL SPECIAL EFFECTS collision sprites (things like stun sprites, damage types, and breakable effects) have been redone, as well as new ones added for traversal (jumping, landing, hard landing, dodging and skidding), and other effects like critical strikes (cool looking impacts and BLOODY animations) making gameplay generally feel more satisfying

• Certain enemies can have parts of them broken off and be used as weapons!

• MORE interactive elements -- like tossing corpses onto triggered traps, creating a moving elevator that you can stack other things on to reach places you might not be able to otherwise

• MORE items, like Wayward Grit - an item that can repair lost armor HP, among others

• New rooms, screens, and a few tweaks and improvements to existing areas

• LOTS OF BUG FIXES AND IMPROVEMENTS to other systems

Some screens illustrating a few of these features, updates and fixes:

This is just the tip of the iceberg for this update. I will post more details in the patch notes and go over these items in more detail in a video!

THANK you so much for your continued support, your patience, and your interest in my project! And a big barbaric THANK you and welcome to those who picked the game up during the Summer sale!

More to come! Keep your eyes peeled for VOLUNHEIM!

-Matt