Hi peeps. Sorry for radio silence! We have been interviewing for a programmer and did not want to start talking solid plans before we had found our programmer and he could confirm exactly what is achievable in given time frames.
Obviously there were some major troubles towards the end of development, and given the amount of slippages there had already been , we (wrongly) decided the right idea would be to ship and patch fast based on feedback, but then we lost our programmer...in hindsight Early Access would've been the way to go. Again, we spoke about this internally but (wrongly) decided against it.
We are a new team and have learnt an awful lot throughout this process, and its really sad that our learnings came at the price of your confidence in our ability and our image. But after 10-12 weeks Slain! will be the product we all hoped it would be first time round.
Below is an outline of the first patch...we are aiming to deliver this within 5 weeks. Depending on how smoothly this goes...we will then outline Patch 2 and take some thoughts/suggestions from you! Patch 2 focused on playability rather than functionality and should be delivered within 6-8 weeks from delivery of patch 1.
Patch 1
Fix keyboard input lag.
A controls diagram for joypad and keyboard in the options menu (changes depending on the currently connected joypad).
2 key layouts to choose from for the keyboard and each joypad. Joypad users will be able to choose whether to use the control stick or d-pad.
A more detailed control tutorial plus less vague combat hints
Saving player progress at checkpoints, plus fixing any other bugs related to saving.
Menu option to quit back to HUB on levels that have been passed (appears after completing Bloodgrounds).
Saving symbol when game is saving.
Fix checkpoint bug and any other bugs that turn up.
New level transition art.
New font.
Improved tutorial.
Improve dialogue / script.
Fix SFX volume.
Cross fading from one scene to the next.
New SFX
Introducing myself + Update
Hi everyone, I'm the new programmer. I'm really excited to help get Slain to where it needs to be! Having evaluated the game and also having looked through the comments, it's clear that some issues are of far greater urgency than others, so we're working hard to resolve those first.
What we've done so far:
Fixed the horrible lag on the keyboard inputs.
Added in cross fading between scenes. So no more abrupt and jarring transitions between levels.
Your progress is now saved at checkpoints.
The in-game font has been updated. I think you'll agree it's much more legible and pleasing to the eye!
We've started adding in some lovely new introduction screns for each level.
Expect to see some more updates next week! Thanks for your patience everyone.
The game has been updated.....feels smoother, intro and saves fixed....this is patch 1 and patch 2 will be released in July!! I love this simple yet awesome game!!
Since the release of Patch 1 we realise that for many of you, your gamepads are not being recognised by the game. We're working hard to fix this and are currently implementing a menu that will allow you to fully customize your gamepad controls. We want everyone to enjoy the game as soon as possible so we're going to release a patch between now and Patch 2: Patch 1.5! It'll be available 3 weeks from now.
This will also be released for Mac OS and Linux, which are currently not up to date with the latest patch. Sorry about that, all 3 platforms will be updated together from now on!
As well as fixing the gamepad issues, we've been working on some cool new features.
There is now a dedicated block button, which will allow you to defend yourself against a number of projectiles and melee attacks. A perfectly timed block will cause your opponent to become staggered, allowing you to step in and perform a powerful counter-attack:
New Patch 1.25 is out!! They added a level and fixed the controller issues....I don't promote games a lot but this one is really becoming good!! If you are into 2D scrolling Hack'N'Slash games...grab this one....discounted 10%....NICE!!
update 2.0 out and game renamed to Slain: Back from Hell
Quote:
This set of augmentations and fixes has turned into something much deeper than just a ‘patch’ - it’s more like a re-launch, hence the game’s new name. Our aim is that it will address every issue within gameplay, visuals, audio and functionality to bring Slain up to the highly polished standard we always intended it to be.
We’ve significantly changed and improved pretty much every single element of the game’s look and feel in the last two months and endeavoured to assimilate all of your (very useful) feedback – below is a summary of what’s been worked upon.
STRUCTURE
• Difficulty curve has been completely re-calibrated.
• Checkpoint spacing has been re-regulated to allay difficulty spikes.
• Comprehensive review of health/mana pick-up frequency and placement to ensure improved balance.
• Total overhaul of tutorial elements.
ENEMIES
• More complex and challenging behaviours for nearly all enemies, including added secondary attacks and augmented AI.
• Four brand new highly lethal enemy types.
• More challenging flying creature attack patterns
• Cursed Souls will steal Mana instead of damaging the player.
BOSSES
• Comprehensive additions and refinements to all existing boss encounters.
• 3 all-new bosses, including an epic multi-stage battle with the villainous Lord Vroll!
FUNCTIONALITY
• Hit detection improvement between Bathoryn's weapons and enemies
CONTROL
• Weapons can be switched whilst on the move.
• Jump height is now controllable.
• Subtle refinements to hero’s movement characteristics to increase ‘feel’.
COMBAT
• ‘Brutal Attack’ introduced that requires skilful timing to execute, provides huge visual reward and inflicts massive damage.
• New parry ability and ensuing Critical Strike riposte.
• Fireball and magical bolts can now be reflected back to the target with a carefully-timed sword swing.
• Enemies have vulnerability to steel, ice or flame weaponry, necessitating tactical switching on the fly.
• Larger creatures can be hit in the head for extra damage.
• Dedicated block button.
• ‘Dash back’ now more responsive and effective.
MANA
• Mana can be harvested from enemies that are killed by high-value attacks
• Mana Spirit now has two levels of power and can carve straight through enemies.
• Mana abilities now on dedicated Mana button.
VISUALS
• Improved hit impact animation feedback from enemies.
• 'Correct' elemental weapon usage particle splash and positive audio feedback effects.
• General improvement in smoothness and quality of character animations.
• Seamless scene transitions.
• Backgrounds no longer blend with the foreground and characters.
• Aesthetic and practical overhaul to many characters.
• Two scan line modes for that authentically retro CRT look.
AUDIO
• Almost 100% revamped audio – a multitude of additional sound effects, ambient sounds and new music (including extra tracks from Curt Victor Bryant over the next few weeks).
• Improved sound balance between music and effects.
CAMERA
• Camera now keeps Bathoryn in-frame when falling and shifts position in anticipation to avoid ‘leaps of faith’
FRONT END
• Overhauled Save system
• Comprehensive options functionality.
• Tutorial recap function.
NARRATIVE
• 100% re-scripted dialogue.
• Additional background lore
• Fleshed-out story denouement and enigmatic epilogue.
REWARDS
• New multi-part pickup with valuable gameplay effect hidden in secret challenge areas
• Headbang to honour victory - in the name of the Great Horned Metal God!
Controls seem to be fine except for dodging... it should be shift+ A\D(direction where to dodge) but here we have just SHIFT and our character dodges backwards. When you fight bosses it's a real bummer..coz say, I get cornered by a boss and I need to get behind him.. I have to turn my back to him and then press SHIFT and dodge through him..
PS Meh.. this ridiculously implemented dodge totally screws things up later on when fighting tough enemies..
This game is so enraging. A lot of the time it feels like it's impossible to avoid damage since enemies just swarm you and you can't escape without getting hit, and the dodge is next to useless since it doesn't cancel your attack animation. The most annoying parts are the rooms where you fight progressively harder swarms with no way to heal.
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