In the video game industry of the last decade or so, it has become increasingly common and appealing to talk about involving players in developer decision making, though what this means exactly can vary greatly between projects. In this article, we’ll discuss some elements related to eliciting, handling, and incorporating player feedback in Vagrus, so if you are interested in how you all had an effect on this game, dive right in!

This week, we have two things to talk about that are close to our hearts: we were invited to speak on the Into the Indies podcast, and we’ve just released a brand new update! Let’s get into the nitty-gritty of both.

Into the Indies

We’ve had the pleasure of appearing on Indie Game Picks before in the form of a written interview, but this time felt different. In this Into the Indies episode, our Creative Lead Geri Mácsai and Project Lead Gábor Szutorisz had the chance to sit down and truly reflect on the journey – how it all started from humble, uncertain beginnings, and how Vagrus slowly took shape through years of persistence, experimentation, and learning.

Since World Art Day is today, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on something at the very heart of Vagrus: the works of visual and audio art through which the game’s world manifests. From the first sketches to the final brushstrokes, from the quietest ambient tones to the swelling notes of discovery, the Riven Realms exist because of the people who built them—piece by piece.

Recently, we’ve shared quite a few exciting updates – our latest patch with fresh content, the new Cultured Supporter Pack, and being featured in the Steam Daily Deal, to name the highlights. The response from our community has been incredible, and we truly cannot thank you enough for the support!

Vagri!

Today, Vagrus – The Riven Realms is on Steam’s Daily Deal, a prestigious spot that games rarely get to occupy, but it also has a new release of cosmetics and a beefy update with the continuation of the Expedition storyline, as well as some extras added to our Patronage Pack and OST as well. Last but not least, scroll down for a giveaway we’re conducting to get digital keys for Vagrus or its DLCs!

本公告的中文版请参见文末。

This week, the groove we’re settling into is a little different – it’s for our Chinese players, whose localization team appears to be among the most motivated, something we’re very grateful for. The team is entirely volunteers, who thus far have translated almost all of our UI texts, including item descriptions, encyclopedia entries, and quest details, as well as the main text of the standalone prologue campaign “Pilgrims of the Wasteland”, which also serves as a tutorial.

Since At the Heart of Ruin’s release, we’ve been honored to receive press from a variety of outlets, on YouTube, and be promoted by fellow developers who are kind enough to give the expansion a shout-out.

We are absolutely stoked to announce that our expansion, At the Heart of Ruin, is finally OUT! As usual for us, the project’s scope was vast, and after putting as much as we could into it, be they stories, features, locations, factions, artwork, enemies, or rewards, we’re proud of what we’ve achieved and excited to see what you make of it!

Hey everyone,

As you may have noticed, this last month was exceptionally busy for us on the virtual storefronts, especially on Steam, where Vagrus was featured in the Daily Deal program on May 30 (at a staggering 50% discount, the lowest price as of yet), then took part in the annual TurnBasedThursdayFest between June 2 and 9 (with a similarly attractive discount). The festival received a “featured” spot on the platform, which was a fantastic milestone for everyone involved.

It’s about time we brought to your attention one of the most insane gangs of them all in our new At the Heart of Ruin DLC, who call themselves the Cleansing Conflagration. This band of murderers and pyromaniacs are just as likely to lob fiery projectiles your way as they are to parley, so if you're a vagrus who relies on persuasion to get what you want, you’ll not find these madmen particularly amenable.