Hidden Pass is making great strides forward; last month was dedicated to improving its visual appearance on Global map and developing demo features.
Overall, we have completed conceptualizing a global map and its two states: default and Eruption. Each has distinct features related to player achievements or failures.
Hidden Pass is built around your constant competition with The Gates. As The Player, you must contend with unpredictable wormholes and tears as you traverse Elyrium Belt; an extremely unstable space itself - while your main objective remains unfulfilled orders from above; all while encounters, expansion requirements, and subsequent successes depend heavily upon their power growth - stronger they become, the warpier their effects become on space itself! Your successes depend directly upon increasing The Gate's power growth; more powerful they become, greater warping of space occurs due to warped warped warping effects! Your successes depend directly upon their power growth; greater their success means more warp warped space warping effects from within and instability throughout its borders!
Therefore, you can gauge the strength of a Gate by taking note of both its initial state and when Erupted. Your faction could face massive difficulties during an Eruption; try holding back as much Gate as you possibly can until an eruption takes place - wanderers tend to sense when this will occur! So be ready!
Combat overhaul is nearly complete and we are nearly on schedule to releasing an April Demo. At present, there's just the question of what can be implemented before Turn-Based Fest (4-8 April). At present we have an improved compact map ready for testing.
Now our focus has shifted toward player movement during combat in the game, similar to our earlier discussions in DevDiaries. As was stressed earlier in DevDiaries, you need to reach all parts of the map easily; now this can easily happen; one can move easily between map layers; earlier only flying units had access to reach layer 3 heights but now with additional terrain pieces added, you have access to previously unavailable places, for instance Elyrium Updrafts launch you from layer one all the way up onto small Eolites on layer 3; so now anyone can easily reach every part on the map; new terrain pieces allow players from layer 1 all the way up onto top small Eolites on layer 3!
Due to the compactness of the map, you can take immediate action from the outset! No more unnecessary steps between combats! Sling spells or use weapons!
Push has become an essential aspect of combat. Spells and abilities (explosions, for instance) now push units in various directions; when they encounter obstacles they take damage based on collision power and nature of said obstacle itself - for instance colliding with a boulder wouldn't do too much damage, while getting stuck into Elyrium crystal could require medical intervention to reverse poisoning effects of exposure to Elyrium crystal.
Elysium Madness has reached its final state. If your Intelect drops below 20, Elysium Madness becomes lethal within several turns if this gauge fills to full. To save this unit - finish combat before they die to stave off death as often happens with Madness grants temporal damage boost before death takes its course; so channel hard hitting spells, finish combat before death takes over your existence, and repeat!
