Just because Halloween is over doesn’t mean we’re done talking monsters! Over the last two weeks the entire supernatural roster of Wayward Shadows has been under the knife.
In this update3
Full notes
Full Wayward Shadows update
Read the full published notes in a cleaner layout. The original post stays linked below.
What changed
0 fixes1 addition7 changes0 removals
Balance
Maps
Gameplay
UI and audio
changedOver the last two weeks the entire supernatural roster of Wayward Shadows has been under the knife. We’ve redrawn, retuned, and rebalanced every ugly creature that might try to kill your hunters. The forces of evil have never looked (or fought) better.
changedVisualsIn combat we use 2.5D rendering—hand-drawn 2D sprites that move across a 3D battle map. Is that as cool as having fully animated 3D monsters? Not quite, but as an indie team we can tell you: it's way more affordable ːsteamhappyː
changedCombat BalancingEach monster has a ton of values used during combat to make the fight unique and engaging. Besides the straightforward things such as hit points, movement and turn initiative, each monster also has unique vulnerabilities and resistances. Some monsters will be more vulnerable to fire or holy damage, while others will be almost immune to it. Knowing what monster is vulnerable against which weapon type or element will make your hunter’s life a lot easier.
changedCombat BalancingWe put a lot of time into building tools that allow us to easily tweak and rebalance all combat values since we expect to do a ton of adjustments, even after release.
addedStory and CluesBefore your hunters can fight a monster, they first have to hunt it down and find it. This is where the story bits and clues come in. Each monster leaves certain clues behind that can help to identify it. Once your hunters enter a new town, they have to go looking for evidence, interview witnesses and sort out what clues are important and which ones aren’t.
changedStory and CluesThe best tool for this is the hunter journal which helps to track the found clues.
Wayward Shadows changes
changedOver the last two weeks the entire supernatural roster of Wayward Shadows has been under the knife. We’ve redrawn, retuned, and rebalanced every ugly creature that might try to kill your hunters. The forces of evil have never looked (or fought) better.
changedIn combat we use 2.5D rendering—hand-drawn 2D sprites that move across a 3D battle map. Is that as cool as having fully animated 3D monsters? Not quite, but as an indie team we can tell you: it's way more affordable ːsteamhappyː
changedEach monster has a ton of values used during combat to make the fight unique and engaging. Besides the straightforward things such as hit points, movement and turn initiative, each monster also has unique vulnerabilities and resistances. Some monsters will be more vulnerable to fire or holy damage, while others will be almost immune to it. Knowing what monster is vulnerable against which weapon type or element will make your hunter’s life a lot easier.
changedWe put a lot of time into building tools that allow us to easily tweak and rebalance all combat values since we expect to do a ton of adjustments, even after release.
addedBefore your hunters can fight a monster, they first have to hunt it down and find it. This is where the story bits and clues come in. Each monster leaves certain clues behind that can help to identify it. Once your hunters enter a new town, they have to go looking for evidence, interview witnesses and sort out what clues are important and which ones aren’t.
Just because Halloween is over doesn’t mean we’re done talking monsters!
Over the last two weeks the entire supernatural roster of Wayward Shadows has been under the knife. We’ve redrawn, retuned, and rebalanced every ugly creature that might try to kill your hunters. The forces of evil have never looked (or fought) better.
Monster balancing in Wayward Shadows comes down to three simple pillars:
Visuals
Combat
Story & Clues
Visuals
Getting the visuals right is exactly what you’d expect: make the monster look good and, above all, scary.
In combat we use 2.5D rendering—hand-drawn 2D sprites that move across a 3D battle map. Is that as cool as having fully animated 3D monsters? Not quite, but as an indie team we can tell you: it's way more affordable ːsteamhappyː
Take a look at these three supernatural creatures you might run into at your local graveyard.
Steam post imageSteam post image
Combat Balancing
Each monster has a ton of values used during combat to make the fight unique and engaging. Besides the straightforward things such as hit points, movement and turn initiative, each monster also has unique vulnerabilities and resistances. Some monsters will be more vulnerable to fire or holy damage, while others will be almost immune to it. Knowing what monster is vulnerable against which weapon type or element will make your hunter’s life a lot easier.
We put a lot of time into building tools that allow us to easily tweak and rebalance all combat values since we expect to do a ton of adjustments, even after release.
Story and Clues
Before your hunters can fight a monster, they first have to hunt it down and find it. This is where the story bits and clues come in. Each monster leaves certain clues behind that can help to identify it. Once your hunters enter a new town, they have to go looking for evidence, interview witnesses and sort out what clues are important and which ones aren’t.
The best tool for this is the hunter journal which helps to track the found clues.
There is still a lot of work to do for us before all the monsters are combat ready, balanced and looking nice but the last weeks have really moved things forward.
I hope you liked this little post-Halloween monster update. Thank you for following the development of Wayward Shadows and stay tuned for more!
