During the first wave of Alpha testing just recently, we've received a lot of useful feedback, especially on the UI (and Combat UI specifically). We've been keenly aware that these elements needed a rework and labored hard on improvements. We are happy to report on how far we've got:
As we've previously hinted at, parts of the game Vagrus has a narrator in the person of Agos the wanderer. An older man and a vagabond, Agos stumbles upon the player one evening on the road and begins telling stories of his travels (if you let him, that is). One such story is the Prologue that you can play through to be introduced to the world and gameplay at the same time, essentially playing through the story Agos is telling.
Time to talk about the Journal. Even though I don't think most gamers are super-excited about the details of in-game journals or quest logs, it is still extremely important to get them right in a game as complex and as full of storylines, tasks, quests, and objectives as Vagrus, and gamers do appreciate quest logs that work well and aid them when they need information.
Quite a lot of you have asked us to provide a map for the continent of Xeryn, where Vagrus is set. The wait is over! Kind of.
Maps are awesome, beautiful things. As it turns out, maps are also complicated things, especially when you have to integrate them seamlessly into several game systems. So it's been in the works for a long time and it's now revealed in this video for the first time, to give you an idea how it'll work in-game.
The Codex is a tool in Vagrus that lets players read up on the world, its inhabitants, locations, lore, characters, and whatever else that has an entry. The idea was to provide players who wish to know more a place to find it and to allow you to look up things you may have forgotten; but to make this absolutely voluntary. If you do not wish to read these entries, you can still absolutely play Vagrus, as this is basically additional fluff.
One of the core mechanics of the game is that time passes in-game each turn (1 turn equals 1 day) and you, as the vagrus, have to plan ahead when it comes to distances, supply consumption, and upkeep. At the end of the day you make camp to rest and make decisions concerning the above. This is where the Camp UI comes in.
We're back again with another Map Movement video!
The most important changes from last time:
Movement Points (MPs) are displayed on the top left UI (March movement points, available as bonus and calculated from normal Movement Points) are displayed in red behind normal MPs. Running out means you have to camp, and thereby end your turn, advancing a day in-game.
Movement Point costs are displayed either in blue (normal movement MP cost), red (the additional cost of Marching), and grey (which only serves to help you calculate longer journeys, as these nodes are not reachable this turn, not even by Marching).
Currently, when you move the comitatus, you can first only move to deplete your MPs, then - and only then - you can opt to March further, using the March MPs, but of course risking brutal fatigue and Morale losses.
As you can see, though the base system of movement is pretty much set, we'll continue to tweak how details work.
#ingamefootage #mapmovement #movementpoints #prealpha #video
This video is showcasing the UI in combat in its current state.
What's new, you ask? Several things:
- Target's Stats and Expected Outcome
While the active character (whose turn it is) is displayed on the left part of the UI, the current target can be seen on the right side. When you select a skill on the active character, you can see its expected outcome (damage, etc.) as well on the target panel.
Here's another short video on the combat of Vagrus for you to check out!
This time, apart from the new combat background, enemies called the Cinderborn are shown in action. These smoldering undead inflict fire damage over time effects with their attacks.
#cinderborn #herocombat #ingamefootage #smolderboneflats #video