Greetings, Companions! We've been hard at work refining your experience in Glorious Companions. This update brings important fixes, balance changes, and exciting new content!

Fixes:

- Map icons are now properly localized. - Fixed abilities that could break the game. - Recruits can now be renamed correctly. - Save playtime now displays accurately.

Improvements & Changes:

- Rebalanced NPC encountersexpect a more appropriate challenge beyond the early game! - Adjusted pickups & POI placements for smoother progression. - Enhanced worldmap visuals with new animated elements.

New Content:

- New Offhand Items : Players can now obtain unique offhand items as rewards for clearing vaults. These items provide you with the chance to fight with style!
- More Character Customization Options : Customize your mercenaries even further with new appearance options. With new skin tones, eyes and other tweaks, youll have more ways to make your companions stand out. - New Loading Screen : A fresh loading screen has been added to enhance immersion while transitioning between different parts of the game.
- Ambient Sounds in Cutscenes : To make the story moments more engaging, ambient sounds have been added to cutscenes, adding depth to the atmosphere. - New Battle Maps with Obstacle Variants : Additional battle maps have been introduced, featuring new obstacle types that change tactical positioning and movement strategies. Expect more variety and strategic depth in combat!
- Seethrough Shader for Tall Obstacles : A new shader effect has been added to battlemaps, allowing tall obstacles to become semi-transparent when they obstruct your view. This improves battlefield visibility and clarity during combat. See you on the battlefield!

[ 2025-02-03 12:54:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

Fixes: - Misc UI fixes - Fixed appearance of buttons in unit stats panel - Fixed battle not triggering after failed test in IO - Fixed dungeon quests rewards - Fixed broken enemy company with only dead units - Fixed battle related achievements - Fixed EA clock item position in hand Added content and improvements: - Added posibility to exit dungeon mid-run to world map where player can save map or decide to abandon current dungeon run (keeping already gained exp/loot) to prepare better and try again - Improved visibility of tiles on tundra battle maps - First batch of enemy and player units balancing - Improved failsafe teleporter for when character drops under the map - Changed possible combinations for item enchanting - Added unit stats tooltip in camp panel

[ 2025-01-17 18:37:01 CET ] [ Original post ]

Fixes: - Fixed game lag when exploring - Fixed two broken cities in volcanic biome - Fixed dialogue in Valrenay campaing ending too quickly - Fixed issue with main quest not progressing after obtaining item from fight - Fixed first second of outro cutscenes overlaying multiple scenes Improvements and changes: - Improved worldmap loading times by about 25% (depending on pc configuration) - Reduced RAM usage by about 20% - AI is now less focused on killing captain and will now target other more profitable targets (near death unit for example) Added content: - Added info panel for unit that is being currently deployed. - Added posibility to select units in unit panel by using keyboard arrows or clicking on portraits - Latest items obtained are now displayed as first in company stash - Added filters for item types in flea market - Added sorting option in flea market - Added tooltips for enchanting and crafting

[ 2025-01-10 16:55:15 CET ] [ Original post ]

Fixed issue with quest not updating correctly after some fights.

[ 2025-01-06 15:04:09 CET ] [ Original post ]

Fixed issue with items/recruits generation in cities under some circumstances.

[ 2025-01-04 12:53:46 CET ] [ Original post ]

Fixed issue that prevented assigning units in the camp by dragging them.

[ 2025-01-03 21:12:10 CET ] [ Original post ]

Bug fixes: - Fixed bug that prevented overwriting existing saves when saving manually. - Fixed playtime counter - it will now start to properly track time. - Fixed bug where swapping two-handed weapon with one-handed weapon + shield casues shield disappear. - Fixed unwanted map closing while editing custom marker description. - Fixed dialogue loop after fight before Tundra dungeon. - Fixed losing dungeon after last enemy dies due to poison. - Fixed inability to cancel some side quests. Added or adjusted content: - Increased frequency of settlement refreshing content of market and tavern. - Nerfed some weapon enchantments. - Added failsafe that will teleport player onto the terrain after falling under it. - Added missing SFX's to UI buttons. - Adjusted amount of items, health and energy gained from pickups. - Added popup with info for which region player walks into. - Added info before fight about dungeon lenght and inability to return during it. - Tweaked values of armor protection and armor penetration of equipment. - Increased food consumption of companions but reduced how fast they get hungry - it will now be better tied to company energy and camping. - Increased active quest limit. - Increased sensivity of scroll in few panels.

[ 2025-01-03 18:44:05 CET ] [ Original post ]

Fixed issues: - improved performance and reduced FPS lag when exploring (some of it is still there - we are working now on fully removing it) - Fixed company size achievement - Interactive points will now be properly marked as used after battles Other changes: - Small balancing round for ranged weapons (firearms got buffed and throwing weapons got nerfed to better reflect their prices) - Added sfx and message to the log when picking up healing pickups. - Added possibility to downgrade unit stats to respec them - Changed AI priorities - they should now use more balanced approach to fights instead of going fully ranged. - Added passive for player captain that will reduce damage they take by 10% making them less vulnerable to first round death. - Added tooltips to loot in screen after battle. - Tweaked Deer and Doe spawn rates in enemy companies to make them more balanced instead of favouring one type over the other. - Added version text in the bottom left part of the screen

[ 2024-12-23 18:14:58 CET ] [ Original post ]

Fixed Issues: - Broken quest progression after visiting Frostveil (please go to Frostveil again, it should show the dialogue and fix the progression from there) - Missing "continue" button in dungeon - Missing discard quest button - now if you want to discard quest you can use the red X on the quest entry on the left side of the screen. - Villagers appearing after the quest should now either disappear properly or be at least dissmisable from company panel. Know issues: - Game will sometimes lag during exploration - ETA for fix is for monday 23.12 - Units cant be moved to reserves and from reserves after dungeon fight - ETA for fix is for monday 23.12

[ 2024-12-22 16:18:13 CET ] [ Original post ]

Fixed issues: - Fix for whole game sometimes crashing after certain fights Changed how fast company log in lower left corner fades out. It will now be visible much longer.

[ 2024-12-21 00:32:12 CET ] [ Original post ]

New content: - Added voice overs and lore for dungeon fights. - Added EA special items (they will be granted to everyone that bought the game before 20.12. These items will be added to already existing saves). - Added special shield made as "thank you" for our friend Kornel who have helped us with testing and good word before 1.0 release (it will also be added to everyones inventory). Fixed issues: - Fixed rare instance of infinite loading screen after certain fights. - Replaced some old tutorial images. - Fixed company level up panel not refreshing properly after spening points. - Fixed company equipment panel replacing equipment from wrong units. - Fixed quests in journal not displaying properly after being completed. We are aware of lag that sometimes appear during exploration and we are working on the solution for this as our main priority now.

[ 2024-12-20 17:15:24 CET ] [ Original post ]

Fixed issues: - Quests not counting kills after battles - Apply button missing from main menu - Changed locations of unreachable pickups and interactive objects

[ 2024-12-20 10:51:01 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, Companions! The Big Day Has Arrived! Together with the entire Ancient Forge team, we are incredibly proud and excited to officially announce that Glorious Companions has just left Early Access! After years in development, and valuable feedback from our amazing community, the game has reached its full release! [previewyoutube=gQ3qG8aR4iU;full][/previewyoutube] You can grab the game today in its refreshed form, and theres no better time than now because the Steam Sale is here! That means you can get Glorious Companions 40% off!

What Awaits You in the Full Release?

Turn-Based Combat Vast open world of Terscara with breathtaking biomes waiting to be explored 1v1 PvP Arena Mode Challenging Tactical Adventure and Complex Battle Maps Rich Mercenary Management System Immersive Story of Terscara This journey with Glorious Companions has been incredible and we wanted to say - Thank You! Thank you for your trust and support throughout all these years. Now it's time to dive into the world of Terscara and experience the new era of our tactical RPG. We've prepared a list of changes included in the 1.0 Release of Glorious Companions.

Patch notes 19.12.2024

Changes since 2021: A completely reworked world map featuring 9 unique regions with distinctive layouts, including Lowlands, Swamps, Desert, Tundra, and more! New buildings in the cities for units training or healing Nearly ten times more battle map variants Five challenging dungeons with unique battle maps, enemies and bosses New enemy units traveling the lands of Terscara Upgraded enemy AI that utilizes their abilities better and more often New armor sets Two campaigns (Valrenay and Scarres) centered around the looming threat of awakening enormous statues Over 60 side quests available in towns and facilities scattered across the map Journal with quest entries and tutorials Map showcasing regions, cities locations with possibility to add custom markers Spectator mode added to the multiplayer arena mode A complete visual overhaul Reworked UI Gamepad support Steam Deck support Voiceovers for dungeon bosses Crafting and enchanting systems Special items for Early Access players Steam achievements Matching city names Campaign outros New Localizations (Simplified Chinese, Turkish, Polish, German, French, and Russian) See you on the battlefield! Ancient Forge

[ 2024-12-19 18:00:05 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Companions! As we gear up for the launch on December 19th, the preview build of Glorious Companions is making its way to the media. With this milestone, we wanted to take a moment to share an update on whats new and exciting in the game since Early Access. We also want to thank you for being a part of this journey with a proper gift! Whats New Since Early Access?

• Steamdeck and gamepad support
• A completely reworked world map featuring 9 unique regions with distinctive layouts, including Lowlands, Swamps, Desert, Tundra, and more!
• Nearly ten times more battle map variants + map with an option of adding markers
• New city buildings for units training or healing, and new armor sets.
• Five challenging dungeons with unique battle maps, enemies, and bosses
• New neutral units, who now use abilities against the player
• Two campaigns (Valrenay and Scarres) centered around the looming threat of awakening enormous statues.
• Over 60 side quests available in towns and facilities scattered across the map. And a Journal with quest entries and tutorials.
• Spectator mode added to the multiplayer arena mode
• A complete visual overhaul and reworked UI

+ Things we will implement with the Day1 Patch: voiceovers for dungeon bosses, an updated 2D map, crafting and enchanting systems, large side quests, Steam achievements, and campaign outros.
Exclusive Gift for Early Access Players To show our appreciation for everyone who never stopped believing in us, weve prepared an exclusive gift bundle for anyone who purchased during Early Access or will buy the game before its release: The Buckler of the Old Times Forged in an ancient forge, this buckler bears images of a forgotten age. Its artistry is a solemn reminder of what was sacrificed for progress. The Spear of Redemption Forged in the Scarres Arcanate, this spear drains the vitality of all who stand in its way. The Clock of Early Arrival Legends claim that those who carry this clock always reach their destination ahead of time. The Grand Hammer of the Ancient Smith A mighty hammer said to grant mercy to the dying with a single decisive blow. Your feedback and support have been the cornerstone of shaping Glorious Companions into the game it is today. We cant wait to share more as the release approachesstay tuned for updates and share your thoughts! See you in Terscara this Thursday! Ancient Forge Team P.S. Our player Kornel, supported us massively with his feedback and bug-tracking during the Early Access. Thanks to him, we have one more gift! Kornel's Shield, item designed especially for him as a token of gratitude for his ongoing support. With his permission it will be available for everyone in-game since 1.0 release!

[ 2024-12-16 17:09:35 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello, Companions The grand release of Glorious Companions is just around the cornermark your calendars for December 19th! As we approach launch day, were thrilled to share some amazing updates and an exciting event that will keep you on the edge of your seats!

What's Coming with the Full Release?

With the upcoming update, youll experience Glorious Companions like never before:

• A Completely New Map : Explore a reimagined world filled with fresh adventures, challenges, and an updated visual style.

• PvP Mode : Test your tactical skills against players worldwide in the arena or practice against challenging AI opponents.

• Challenging Tactical Adventure : Face hordes of unique enemies and their cunning leaders, offering battles like no other.

• Rich Mercenary Management System : Recruit, train, and manage your squad using city-based facilities, unique unit traits, and powerful gear to gain the upper hand in battles.

• An Immersive Story of Terscara : Travel through a vibrant world full of random events, discover ancient lore, and shape your story based on your chosen faction.

And to make the adventure even more accessible, were adding: English Voice Over New Localization Options: Simplified Chinese, Turkish, Polish, German, French, and Russian! [previewyoutube=sR0VpWMq9PI;full][/previewyoutube]

Glorious Tournament

As Glorious Companions is not only the single player story-filled campaign, we wanted to showcase some of its multiplayer mode aspects. We're hosting the Glorious Tournamenta thrilling showdown featuring some of the most talented content creators in the turn-based RPG scene. Watch as they compete in 1V1 arena battles in a Best of 3 format! When: Wednesday, December 11th Time: 6 PM CET (9 AM PT) Where: Tune in live on the Ancient Forge Twitch channel and participating streamers channels. + GIVEAWAY Round 1 Matchups: ShuffleFM vs. DasTacticF Turn-Based Lovers vs. Pingvinharcos Streamek Gerier vs. BestMarmotte STLK vs. Zach Ponch The top four competitors will advance to the semi-finals, where theyll face off to determine the top two finalists. Best of the best! The Champions Rewards:

• 20 Steam Keys for Glorious Companions to share with their community.

• A monument commemorating the winner finalist victory near the arena zone in the game itself!

• All participants will also receive keys for giveaways, ensuring every community can celebrate!

Join us on December 11th at 6 PM CET to witness the birth of the first Glorious Turn-Based RPG Champion. Cheer on your favorite players, and get hyped for the full release of Glorious Companions! Don't forget to wishlist the game and prepare to explore Terscara on Day 1! See you on the battlefield!

[ 2024-12-06 13:13:06 CET ] [ Original post ]

Were excited to announce that Glorious Companions is part of the Autumn Sale! This is your chance to grab the game at a special discount before our big December relaunch. Sale's time frame: from the 27th of November to the 4th of December
Upon full release, Glorious Companions will offer:

• A completely new map - featuring new adventures and challenges alongside a fresh graphic design.
• PvP Mode: Enter the arenas to defeat opponents and pledge allegiance to one of the factions.
• Challenging Tactical Adventure: Overcome unique enemies and their hordes awaiting you in the depths of each region.
• Rich Mercenary Management System: Assemble your team based on unique unit traits, manage their equipment and progression, train them in city-based facilities, and ensure they are well-rested for the next battles.

• An Immersive Story of Terscara: Travel the world, experiencing random events and places tied to the history of Xandar and all of Terscara. Discover the story from the perspective of a chosen faction and become the hero it needs.

Dont miss this chance to join the battle for glory!

[ 2024-11-27 17:47:38 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, Companions! Let's make it offical - Glorious Companions is finally leaving early access! Check out the trailer for the new, completely refreshed Glorious Companions [previewyoutube=ZB9_fV_qop8;full][/previewyoutube]
Upon full release, Glorious Companions will offer:

• A completely new map - featuring new adventures and challenges alongside a fresh graphic design.

• PvP Mode: Enter the arenas to defeat opponents and pledge allegiance to one of the factions.

• Challenging Tactical Adventure: Overcome unique enemies and their hordes awaiting you in the depths of each region.

• Rich Mercenary Management System: Assemble your team based on unique unit traits, manage their equipment and progression, train them in city-based facilities, and ensure they are well-rested for the next battles.

• An Immersive Story of Terscara: Travel the world, experiencing random events and places tied to the history of Xandar and all of Terscara. Discover the story from the perspective of a chosen faction and become the hero it needs.

Glorious Companions 1.0 will have its official premiere December 19, but you can already try the demo. As a surprise, we will be streaming on Wednesday, November 20 at 6PM and giving away keys for the game, here! During the livestream, we will discuss changes made during early access, show the preview of the PvP mode, and reveal some of Terscaras lore.
Thank you everyone for your attention and support! Ancient Forge

[ 2024-11-13 15:25:13 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello, Companions! You noticed that the loading time is too long, and we managed to improve the loading time and quality of life with a small hotfix uploaded yesterday. Hotfix 24.10.2024 - Improved loading time up to 20% - improved optimization for lower specification hardware configuration - Improved balance for the first fight with eliminating chance to spawn a high level warg in the enemy ranks We continue to work on implementing your feedback. Thank you, for the ongoing support! Ancient Forge Team

[ 2024-10-24 09:35:53 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello, Companions! Its time for another news from us! A new hotfix has been released, addressing the inability to move the company after certain interactions or fights. We appreciate everyone who took the time to report the problem. The fix is now live in the main Glorious Companions build. This patch also adds the missing portraits for dungeon enemies along with some missing texts. Thank you for your continued support. The Ancient Forge Team

[ 2024-10-18 17:02:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello, Companions! Its time for another news from us! A new hotfix has been released, addressing the inventory issue that was reported, along with a few other quality-of-life fixes.
We appreciate everyone who took the time to report the problem with opening the inventory and management tiles after obtaining 25 items. The fix is now live in both the New Era Demo and the main Glorious Companions build. This patch also corrects location detection in the starting quest and reduces the strength of the wolf pack in this quest, which had been locked as a high level horde. Thank you for your continued support. The Ancient Forge Team

[ 2024-10-04 17:00:06 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, Companions! Here we come with the new update of Glorious Companions! Although, we are constantly working on many things right now to make the game ready for the upcoming December's re-launch - we wanted to show you the progress we are making as soon as possible!
We are happy to inform you that the new map is already available on a current game build. Don't forget, that you can also play the demo of Glorious Companions right now - it presents all the changes weve made throughout the recent period of time. Unfortunately old saves are not compatible with the new build. Please keep in mind that the works on the game are still in progress Thank you everyone for your attention and support! Ancient Forge

[ 2024-10-02 15:36:06 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, Companions! Its been a while, but we are back with the best news possible! We are finally ready to announce that the new era of Glorious Companions is coming to Steam this December! For the last few months, we have been really focused and dedicated to refresh the game and rework a lot of things. To catch a glimpse of whats coming - check out the teaser below: [previewyoutube=g4UiE5a0fp0;full][/previewyoutube] From the 30th of September to the 7th of October, we will be attending Steam Turn-Based RPG Fest and its a great opportunity to try out the demo of Glorious Companions! It will not only be free, but it will also present all the changes weve made throughout the recent period of time. During this time you can also grab the game 50% cheaper and it will be the only occasion to do that before the decembers re-launch. Let's focus a little bit more on what you may expect in the refreshed version of Glorious Companions!

BRAND NEW MAIN MENU

THE PROLOGUE

Prologue storyline with cutscenes (and voice over!), dialogues, story quests and more. After this prologue (available in the demo as well!) the game allows for more free exploration with some main quests/goals included.

THE WORLD MAP

Whole new handcrafted world map. With new places to visit, explore and challenge. Before
After

BRAND NEW BATTLE UI WITH IMPROVED UX AND INFORMATION READABILITY

Improved unit control in battle - long gone are the days when you had to change actions to attack enemy or had to rotate to move backwards. Movement and attacking is now omnidirectional and contextual - just hover mouse over the enemy to attack or on the ground to move. Despite these changes, units facing still plays a big role in combat - attacks of opportunity are made only in front of the character and backstabbing enemies gives multiple bonuses.

THE JOURNAL

We added journal for easier bookkeeping of active and finished quests. There is also a tab with all tutorials that player already encountered.

NEUTRAL ENEMIES

Visual and mechanical upgrade to neutral enemies. Animals even got array of new skills and passives to provide You with better challenges.

POINTS OF INTEREST

A lot of new points of interests with various interactions - some of them will even provide unique quests or challenges. Above all, we prepared over 60 new battle maps - there are custom maps for story battles, for new dungeons and each biome on the map got their own unique maps in various sizes! Challenging dungeon battles with new enemy types with their own weapons and unique abilities. These battles will take you through series of encounters one after another - better prepare for it!
We made some changes to the equipment as well. It now comes with various tiers that modify their stats and bunch of enchantments with secondary effects (burn, poison etc). There might be even some more new mechanics for them - stay tuned! Thank you everyone for your attention and support! Ancient Forge

[ 2024-09-27 10:28:06 CET ] [ Original post ]

Today on May 7th, all of us celebrate Ancient Forge's 5th anniversary . The GC team wants to thank all the players who have been with us during this journey. We gathered the experience, tailored the strategy for our future titles and have watched our team grow from 20 to 50 amazing individuals over the past few months, and we're just getting started!
The Future of Glorious Companions After the success of The Tenants, our team has been busy refining Glorious Companions, a turn-based tactical RPG set in the fantasy world of Navaroth. We're aiming for a full release in early December this year, bringing loads of new features and enhancements based on player feedback from the Early Access phase. Here are some key changes and additions we've made to Glorious Companions this year:

• Brand New World Map: Handcrafted and visually striking, offering a more immersive experience.
• Prologue: A revamped tutorial and storyline that helps set the stage for player goals.
• 12 New Battle Maps: Unique battle maps for each biome, offering varied combat scenarios.
• 5 New Dungeons: Tackle challenging dungeons with epic loot, unique enemies, and powerful bosses.
• New Side Quests: More variety and depth as you explore the world of Navaroth.
• New Points of Interest: Encounter fresh challenges and secrets as you journey through the world.
• Overhauled UI: An improved user interface for smoother gameplay.
• Balancing, Fixes, and Quality Improvements: Enhancing the overall experience.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1001040/Glorious_Companions/

[ 2024-05-07 16:00:11 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey everyone! First of all, we need to apologize for being so quiet for a while. For a long time we were processing the feedback coming from you to the Glorious Companions team, and while we were working on The Tenants to close all the publisher milestones, we had more than enough time to start thinking about new features for you! Now its time to get back with some great news, a big sale, and whats most important, a full release date! But first, let me share with you our special news. Today on May 7th, all of us celebrate Ancient Forge's 5th anniversary . The GC team wants to thank all the players who have been with us during this journey. We gathered the experience, tailored the strategy for our future titles and have watched our team grow from 20 to 50 amazing individuals over the past few months, and we're just getting started! The Future of Glorious Companions After the success of The Tenants, our team has been busy refining Glorious Companions, a turn-based tactical RPG set in the fantasy world of Navaroth. We're aiming for a full release in early December this year, bringing loads of new features and enhancements based on player feedback from the Early Access phase.

Here are some key changes and additions we've made to Glorious Companions this year:

• Brand New World Map: Handcrafted and visually striking, offering a more immersive experience.
• Prologue: A revamped tutorial and storyline that helps set the stage for player goals.
• 12 New Battle Maps: Unique battle maps for each biome, offering varied combat scenarios.
• 5 New Dungeons: Tackle challenging dungeons with epic loot, unique enemies, and powerful bosses.
• New Side Quests: More variety and depth as you explore the world of Navaroth.
• New Points of Interest: Encounter fresh challenges and secrets as you journey through the world.
• Overhauled UI: An improved user interface for smoother gameplay.
• Balancing, Fixes, and Quality Improvements: Enhancing the overall experience.

Anniversary Sale - 50% Off for 5 Years of Ancient Forge! In celebration of our milestone, we're offering a special 50% discount on Steam for Glorious Companions and The Tenants. Take advantage of this amazing deal from May 7th at 6PM CEST with our anniversary bundle! Anniversary Broadcasts During the sale, we'll be hosting broadcasts for our released and upcoming games:

• Blockbuster Inc. (Steam release June 6th! Wishlist now)
• The Tenants
• Glorious Companions
• And The Constructors

All broadcasts will be available from May 7th at 6PM CEST. Join our new Community Manager Janek, and check out all 4 titles! If you want to know more, see what's more we are preparing for this year and check our other projects, visit our blog post here. We will be back soon with more content details about the upcoming full release! https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/41220/AF_Anniversary_Bundle/

[ 2024-05-07 16:00:11 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, Companions!
We know that it's been a long time since the last update so we wanted to share some light on the development of Glorious Companions. Unfortunately over the last year we've had some major problems related to the development of the big update that we've been working on. We've had a few issues with important refactors of key systems, as well as the ongoing war in Ukraine also had an impact on the development.
However we're still commited to release the 1.0 version with everything we mentioned in the last devlog. Recently we've managed to get the gears going and involved new programmers in the process, so we're hopeful that it'll go much faster now. Taking into consideration the scope of changes and additions we don't want to throw random dates at you and we'll keep working on the storyline until we have a more realistic release date to share.
Thank you for your understanding, Ancient Forge Studio

[ 2022-07-14 11:44:22 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, Companions!
As we're approaching the release of our biggest update yet, the Titans Rising Update, we wanted to share a summary of what you can expect to change when it goes live. We've been working on this update for one and a half years so we're extremely excited to finally reach the end of its development. As the game currently stands, we're pretty happy with the battle mechanics and the big aspect that we've wanted to change for a long time already is the world map gameplay. While the foundation is here, the overworld lacks clear direction and progression, as well as it is hard to balance properly, due to the procedural generation approach.
With the Titans Rising Update we're remaking the World Map from the ground up. The whole map will be carefully handmade with various areas and biomes to explore. On top of that we're introducing a fully-fledged storyline with cutscenes, NPCs, side-quests and most importantly, the main story with vital choices. We don't want to spoil it here, as we'd love for you to experience it first-hand.
Anyhow, let's finish up this lengthy introduction and go over the major changes and new additions that you'll find in the Titans Rising Update.

New World Map

The biggest upfront difference (apart from the overhauled main menu) will surely be the new world map visuals, along the fact that we're scrapping the old procedural generation approach in favor of a finely handmade continent with much more variation and carefully balanced biome layouts. Additionally we'll be strategically placing various enemy spawn zones, which will allow us to balance the progression and difficulty curve in a much easier manner. On top of those changes, we're adding a bunch of new types of Interactive Objects, as well as brand new Resource Outposts and a Fog of War mechanic on the world map.

Main Storyline

The story in Glorious Companions revolves around the mysterious Titan statues scattered across the land and the nearby shores. One day the Titans begin to slowly awake and the whole continent is thrown into chaos. Amidst it all the player tries to forge their own path to glory. As mentioned above, we don't want to spoil you the fun of experiencing the story, and thus we won't go into more details here. This update will introduce the Prologue and the First Act along with a lot of main and side quests to complete. You'll be able to explore the Grassland Biome as well as the Swamp Biome, with further areas unlocking in a future update. The story will feature both various recurring NPCs as well as cut-scenes that we've put some effort into making them visually enticing.

Journal

To make the story progression easier to track we'll be adding a Journal where you'll be able to read through your previous quests and see your current objectives in more detail. Additionally we'd like to add a way to browse through tutorials via the same UI panel, so you'll be able to go back to crucial information at the time when it's relevant to you.

Dungeons

This is a feature that we've been teasing for quite some time already and with the Titans Rising Update you'll be able to challenge the defenders of 2 tough dungeons, with each one ending in an exciting boss fight. While exploring a dungeon you'll be faced by a series of encounters with increasing difficulty. If you lose a battle or decide to leave the dungeon before the final fight, you'll have to restart it from the beginning. In-between each battle you'll have a chance to heal up your units or make some crucial roster changes.

New Enemies

Along with the addition of new dungeons and new storyline acts, we'll be adding in new enemies with their own abilities and play styles. While providing a fair challenge, they will also drop unique loot if you manage to beat them.

New Battle Locations

With this upcoming update we'll be introducing a plethora of new battle locations. First of all, each biome will have a bunch of dedicated battle zones of various sizes. Then there'll also be unique battle maps appearing throughout the storyline to make the whole experience more memorable. On top of that each dungeon will come with its own set of maps, scaling up their epicness factor right up to the final boss stage.

New Camping Actions

We've decided to remove the old placeholder Camping action of prisoner watching and instead introduced a new unique action for each of the playable races. The Scarres will be able to perform Blood Rituals and sacrifice their blood in exchange for random buffs for up to three units. And the Valrenay will receive the Prayer action that allows one selected unit to also gain a random buff. Bare in mind that sometimes the will of fate might turn against your favor, and your unit(s) will receive a curse instead of a buff.

Wounds & Blood

We've felt like our companions' looks after a tough battle didn't exactly correspond to their HP bars. To make the encounters seem more impactful, wounds and blood will be now visible both on the 3D unit models as well as on their portraits.

New Main Menu

To celebrate all the grand changes coming in the Titans Rising Update we felt that the main menu also had to be overhauled. With the new look we're aiming to better convey the atmosphere of Glorious Companions, the hardships of a mercenary life and the companionship it creates among the crew members.

New Music

[previewyoutube=QTXILrea1bo;full]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTXILrea1bo&ab_channel=GloriousCompanions[/previewyoutube] The new atmospheric soundtrack we've teased a long time ago will finally find it's way into the game. Give it a listen and let us know what you think!

New promo/cover art

As some of you might've already noticed, we've gone and replaced our promo assets on Steam. While the old artwork was well done, it didn't seem to convey the heart of Glorious Companions, and so we've decided to remake it. We'd love to learn what you think of the new cover art! Let us know your thoughts in the comments and remember to follow the game for more updates! Thank you, AFS

[ 2021-10-06 12:58:56 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, Companions!
Today were releasing the long awaited Update 0.8 that introduces a complete itemization overhaul that aims to make each playthrough more unique and exciting. Additionally, we took the time to rework a few other procedural generation systems, including the very important part of the game that is responsible for spawning and maintaining NPC companies on the map. Oh and by the way: you can grab the game cheaper with the -33% Weeklong deal! Lets dive right into what the update brings into the game:

Item Rework

The item rework we've been teasing for the last couple of devlogs is finally here! With Update 0.8 you'll enjoy the new item quality system, unique item effects and a variety of new items to play around with. Additionally, the two equipment set slots have been replaced by a new unit item stash, that will allow you to store multiple items of your choice to be accessible in combat. In the future we'll also implement consumable items that will provide another layer to the battle mechanics.

NPC Group Generator Rework

To bring some more variety into the game we've added three new neutral group types running across the world map: Sword Sisters, Iron Hammers and Swamplings. As mentioned in the previous posts, the first two groups are higher tier enemies that should make for compelling targets late game, while the Swamplings are Bandit-level units based on the Scarres race to spice up the early game. Additionally, with the new item rework, we went ahead and rebuilt our procedural generation tools for NPC groups and you should be seeing a lot more diversity in enemy builds, which in turn should create more balanced encounters throughout your entire time in Navaroth.

Procedural Portraits & New Scarres

Considering how much the progression systems for units have evolved over the past few updates, we wanted to translate the degree to which each unit differs in gameplay to the forefront of the game that is the UI. Hence, we built a new procedural portrait system that gives us thousands of unit looks to choose from, and no two Trappers should now ever look alike!
Speaking of graphical upgrades, the Scarres have received a major texture update and they are now more in line with the art direction we've chosen for the game. Just look at all that detail!

What's next

We understand that the Early Access has already taken a while and some of you have questions concerning the development and where the game is headed to. We've recently hit a major milestone in the World Map 2.0 Update that will bring not only a new map itself, but an entire storyline split into multiple acts. The initial update will feature a prologue unique for each race, as well as Act 1 that will tell the tale of a new threat awakening on Navaroth, full of new quests and enemies to joust. We can't promise any dates, but the vast majority of the work is already done and we're now at the stage of assembling it all together for you to play. It might have taken some time, but we're confident the new campaign mode will be more than worth the wait.

Full Changelog

Warning: Old saves won't work after this update!

Content:

• Itemization Overhaul - 6 different item qualities, 10 suffixes and 23 brand new items.
• New NPC groups: Sword Sisters, Iron Hammers, Swamplings.
• Three new abilities: Aura Transfer (Acolyte), Soul Steal (Trapper), Ammo Bags (Gunner).
• Revised NPC group procedural generation system.
• Procedural unit portraits system featuring thousands of variants.
• Player character portraits that fit chosen variants.
• Unit Stash - new way to store equippable mid-combat items.
• New Company Emblems - now also displayed in combat on all shields.
• Revised Scarre textures.

Balance:

• Rebalanced all neutral enemy stats.
• Rebalanced all item stats and prices.
• Rebalanced and reworked enemy item choices.
• Makeshift Weapon now has a buff duration.
• Adjusted Piercing Thrust range for short weapons.
• Adjusted a number of ability cooldowns.
• Updated default custom game battlecrews.

Bug fixes and tweaks:

• Selected battlecrew will now be displayed in the lobby chat.
• Spider's Cocoon Strangle ability will now apply the Entangled debuff instead of a generic slow.
• The Unit Panel will now properly show two handed weapons when equipped, with an opaque icon displayed in the left hand slot.
• Tweaked player names in combat to be displayed in accordance to their starting side.
• Tweaked Counterattack and Weasel animations to be more clear.
• Updated the Ancient Forge Studio logo.
• Fixed a number of issues with the Dispel ability.
• Fixed a memory leak related to dead units.
• Fixed a bug that caused battles to freeze when trying to use certain abilities within the Smoke Grenade radius.
• Fixed selection marker rendering on the world map.
• Fixed a problem with the invulnerability effect visible on health bars.
• Fixed an issue with the change equipment action failing to update rendered weapons in multiplayer.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments and remember to follow the game for more updates!

[ 2021-05-31 10:56:32 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, Companions!
It's been quite some time without any news on the development of Glorious Companions, which doesn't mean that there wasn't any progress being made. Anyhow, now when we're getting close to releasing the new update, we're back with a fresh development log. Without any further ado, let's go over the biggest changes and new additions that this update will introduce into the game. Of course as usual there'll be some balance changes, bug fixes and QoL tweaks along with a few new abilities, but for now let's talk about the big stuff.

NPC Group Generator Rework

This is a change that finally allows us to configure more interesting NPC groups. Thanks to this rework we can now easily adjust unit types, levels, equipment, skills, number of units, etc. With this backend change we've also tweaked the already existing groups of enemies, such as Bandits, Shadows, NPC Lords and the likes. Bandits will from now on yield weak and cheap equipment, while Shadows and NPC Lords will begin the game with higher levels and more expensive equipment.
Then there'll be three new neutral group types running across the world map: Sword Sisters, Iron Hammers and Swamplings. The first two groups are higher tier enemies that should make for some interesting encounters in the later stages of the game, while the Swamplings are Bandit-level units based on the Scarres race to spice up the early game. Tavern units also received some tweaks. Now aside form the regular level 1 newbies, sometimes you'll come across more experienced and better equipped mercenaries, which of course will cost a lot more gold to recruit.

Item Rework

You can read more about the upcoming Item Rework in our previous devlog: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1001040/view/2932368153396806250 In short there'll be new item types, new weapons, new offhands, item quality tiers, special item effects and some balance tweaking to top it off. Oh, and completely new (and consistent) models for all the items! One of the changes that wasn't mentioned before is the addition of unit stash. It'll take the place of the second item set and it'll come with 4 equipment slots. You'll be able to freely swap items from the stash and you'll no longer have to equip two shields in each set, just swapping the weapons will do the trick from now on.

Scarres Visual Overhaul

Just like with Valrenay we've improved the textures on our vengeful lizardmen folk. We wanted to make them look more serious and to enhance their lizard-like features, such as scales, eyes and teeth. Though in this case it's best to just show you the difference. Let us know what do you think of the improvements:




(the RTX thing is just a joke, the enhanced textures will come at no performance cost) While we were at it, we took some time to overhaul the Bandits' and Shadows' textures too, but we'll leave that for you to see in-game when the update goes live.

Procedurally Generated Companion Portraits

Finally, a feature that many of you asked for and it's something that we also wanted to implement for quite a long time, though as we had no 2D artist on our team it always got postponed for a later time. Now, with the awesome Marcin Kulesza who joined our studio a few months ago, we were finally able to add some character to all the companions you'll be meeting on your journeys.
We've prepared a set of various head/face elements for each unit type, which will then be mixed and matched to create unique portraits, differentiating units of the same archetype.

When

We plan to release this update in 1-2 weeks, we're finishing up with some final bug fixes and balance tweaks, as the changes in the item system were quite substantial and spread out to all the aspects of the game. Also we've made some great progress when it comes to the World Map 2.0 Update, though we'll talk about that more after this update is released.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments and remember to follow the game for more updates!

[ 2021-04-17 12:11:38 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, Companions!
Were back with some fresh news and development updates. We want to share with you some details on the slowly upcoming update. In this post well focus on one particular part of it - the item rework. The current item design stems from the design of the multiplayer mode - we wanted all the weapons to be equally viable and on equal footings with each other considering the differences in their costs, strengths and weaknesses. Obviously what works well for a multiplayer gameplay doesnt always work quite as well in singleplayer. The biggest problem here is that the current system doesnt allow for good progression, which is crucial for gameplay to be enjoyable. As it stands now the player can get access to the most powerful items in basically no time. In most RPGs itemization is a really important and fun part of the game, just as we want it to be in Glorious Companions. Lets go over what changes were currently working on!

New Visuals

First off, were reworking all the item models to better fit the new art direction weve taken up, as you could already see with our new unit textures. A nice bonus that comes with that is that the item icons will finally resemble the actual items look.

Item Qualities

Items will gain a quality stat ranging from Broken to Masterwork, totalling up to 6 quality tiers. Qualities will impact the items stats and value, thus a Broken Dagger will be much weaker than a Masterwork Dagger. And so weaker enemies will mostly use cheaper items, while lord companions will sport expensive sets of equipment. Vendors will sell items in the range of -1/+1 of the Common (default) quality, so to get your hands on better gear youll have to fight more dangerous opponents. Later on we plan to add special locations on the World Map that will allow you to upgrade your items quality by 1 tier.

Special Effects

The most unique items will possess special effects that will further increase their power. After defeating the Swamp Dungeon you might find a couple of items with the of Poison suffix in your loot. Therell be a variety of different effects, with the way they work depending on the type of the item. So a shield will trigger its effect when the unit successfully blocks an attack, while the armor will trigger by getting hit.

New Items

Not only are we changing how the item system works, were also adding a bunch of completely new items and item types to spice things up.

New weapons

Some categories of weapons didnt offer as many choices as, lets say the blades family. To remedy this, were adding a bunch of new axes, blunts and polearms. Were also adding new firearms and a new bow. Theres also a completely new weapon type that will make its way into the game - the crossbows.

New offhands (left hand slot)

So far weve only had the shields to accompany single-handed weapons and we want to add some cool new choices for non-tank units.
Roth Spheres and Wands will be a great pick for any unit focused more on their active abilities than conventional fighting. Theyll increase Magic Defense, the Mind attribute or the Resource pool of their wielder.
Then we have the Ammo Bags which will help those constantly running out of javelins or throwing knives. Of course as the Ammo Bags are slotted under the offhand slot, they will be only available for one-handed ranged weapons (meaning all the Throwing Weapons).
Offhand Knives will be a perfect choice for offensive fighters wielding single-handed melee weapons. They can increase either the chance for a critical attack, the raw damage or even the wielders Parry stat.
And to finish it up we have some miscellaneous items that will be a wise pick up when wandering into dungeons, as they increase the lowered range of sight in those dark battle locations. Let us know your thoughts in the comments and remember to follow the game for more updates!

[ 2020-11-16 14:00:09 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, Companions!
Today were releasing Update 0.7 that introduces a few new features and a variety of important balance changes & bug fixes. Were laying important foundations for the next update, which will finally bring the new World Map. Oh and by the way: you can grab the game cheaper now with the -33% Weeklong deal! Lets dive right into what the update brings into the game:

City UI Rework

The City UI is by far one of the oldest pieces of the interface that weve had in the game. Today were ready to roll out the new and improved version that features cleaner design & a couple of changes. Make sure to visit some of the Temples - the word is that the Monks of Navaroth have learned to Inspire everyone whos ready to donate coin for their cause. The new cities feature a couple of new artworks that better resembles the local architecture, and well be adding more unique features and art in the coming months.

Flee from Battle

In an ideal world a brave commander should never retreat on the battlefield. But reality can be tricky and so can be certain skirmishes, especially when the good of ones people is concerned. Weve implemented a new feature which allows you to flee from any combat scenario, provided you can get to the edges of the map. Note that its not exactly a Get Out of Jail Free card that you can keep using at all times - youll still suffer losses, but the upside is that you wont die.

New Graphics Settings

Even though Glorious Companions is not that performance intensive of a game, we do want to provide an experience that the vast majority of people can run smoothly. Weve added a bunch of sliders that control the density of in-game vegetation (that is: trees, grass and other non-gameplay elements) that you can use to customize the game to your liking. We recommend lowering some of them to increase performance on lower-end machines.

Brazilian Portuguese localization

We're excited to announce that both the store page and the game got localized into Brazilian Portugese with the help from @ZKuerten! Let us know if you find any errors or lacking translations lunar2020contentgoat Warning: Old saves won't work after this update!

Content:

• City Panel rework - overhauled UI and improved functionality.
• New feature: Flee From Battle.
• Implemented Sound Effects for the new abilities.
• Added settings for Vegetation (that can be used to improve the game's performance).
• Added a new functionality in the Temple - now you can Inspire your units with the monks' help.
• New Engineer's grenade models.

Balance:

• Made the Gravity Trap invisible for enemies.
• Increased the unit level limit.
• Lowered the healing costs in the Temple.
• Now units can't see past the Smoke Grenade's area of effect.
• Increased the amount of quests available in cities.

Bug fixes and tweaks:

• Fixed a bug that occured when swapping two-handed weapons between sets (reported by Zethrio).
• Fixed a bug with the armor stats not updating when switching armor parts (reported by Zethrio).
• Fixed a bug that occured when cancelling battlecrew changes.
• Fixed a bug with refreshing stats in Battlecrew Manager.
• Fixed a visual bug with Corpse Eater skill.
• Added tooltips for gadgets.
• Fixed a bug with Weasel ability.
• Fixed a bug with Counterattack ability.
• Fixed a bug that occured when you had too many status effects on one unit.
• Fixed a bug with fog of war not reappearing at the spot where a unit died.
• Fixed a lot of multiplayer bugs.
• Fixed a bug that allowed users to interact with units after a battle ended.
• Fixed a bug with the rotation tip staying on screen after a battle.
• Fixed an animation bug when stopping on the World Map.
• Fixed a bug with units taking damage from gadgets that were already destroyed.
• Fixed a bug that caused the game to freeze when some buffs were in play.
• Fixed a bug with Blade Fury ability.
• Fixed a bunch of issues connected to the Smoke Grenade skill.
• Fixed a bug that allowed enemies to see some of the abilities being used in the fog of war.
• Time Limited Statuses (such as wounds) are now displayed in the above-unit UI.
• Tweaked a few ability FXs.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments and remember to follow the game for more updates!

[ 2020-10-19 17:01:41 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, Companions!
Today wed like to share some news on how the development of Glorious Companions is going at the moment. There are currently two updates that were working on simultaneously and a bunch of upcoming features that were extremely excited about.
As for the medium-sized update that is nearing its release, itll be mostly packed with various bug fixes & tweaks. However, youll also get the chance to finally hear the lacking sound effects for all the new abilities we introduced in the last patch. On top of that, weve also prepared a new feature that allows you to flee from battles, at a cost of course, and its also scheduled to be released in the same patch!
The big update will take a longer while to finish up properly. Were essentially working on a complete visual overhaul, both for the World Map and the battle scenes. With it, we hope to make the environment look more consistent and unique, and well also be releasing a fresh soundtrack to fit with the new vibe. But the changes arent limited to only the visual side of the game - together with the 0.8 Update well introduce new major gameplay mechanics. The most important one is the Dungeon System, where youll be able to take on new enemies and try to take down the big and ugly bosses guarding powerful artifacts in a series of challenging encounters.
Were also working on major improvements to the equipment system. We want to introduce much more variety into the items that you see throughout the course of the game and thus were working on an item class system that will feature items of varying quality and stats. Of course it wouldnt be a great rework without some visual upgrades, so weve also decided to overhaul all the old weapon models and to add a bunch of new items (and new item types) along with the update. Let us know your thoughts in the comments and remember to follow the game for more updates!

[ 2020-10-04 15:25:32 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, Companions!
Today were releasing the Update 0.6 that introduces a completely reworked Ability System and a glorious Visual Overhaul for the Valrenay race among many other things. Other notable changes are the new Dialogue System and over 40 new abilities for you to choose from. Were also putting the game on a -40% Weeklong Deal! Lets dive right into what the update brings into the game:

Valrenay Visual Overhaul

We werent quite happy with how the Valrenay race turned out in our first attempt. The main problem was that they didnt look cohesive, but the design also seemed too modern on some of the units, not exactly the steam-punk vibe weve imagined for them. The other issue was with their armors that lacked detail. For those reasons weve decided to redo the textures on the units themselves and on their armors. They now look like they actually are a part of one army, the details on their clothing and armors are greatly improved and they share a common color palette. Well eventually unify the designs of our Scarres too, in order to streamline the games art style. Let us know if you like their brand new look!

Reworked Ability System & 40 New Abilities

The Ability System had a few problems of its own. The main offender was that it was hidden and we wouldnt be surprised if some players didnt even know that there were abilities in the game. The abilities have also cost precious Learning Points to unlock them and required you to leave your units stationed at cities for extended periods of time, which didnt work well for the overall pacing of the game. Now instead of teaching your units new skills at special training facilities, you unlock new Ability Tiers on certain level ups (levels 2, 5, 8, 12 and 16) and choose from 3 skills that are available on a given tier. Each unit still has its own Skill Tree, though they might now share a few abilities with other units.
Coupled with the changes to the Ability System itself, weve also added quite a lot of new skills into the game. The biggest beneficiaries of this were Valrenay Engineer, Scarre Warlord and Scarre Avenger. If you want to test out their new abilities without grinding for levels, try the Custom Battle mode!

New Dialogue System

Weve finally got rid of the old placeholder Dialogue Panel and implemented a proper Dialogue System into the game that comes with a brand new and shining Dialogue UI. Most of the dialogue lines received some lifting and there are quite a few new dialogue options. For example, you can now pay the toll to the Bandits to avoid a fight with them, or trade an important piece of information to Shadows (if you have a high enough Intelligence stat) for a free passage. However, the most important part in this is that the new Dialogue System opens up tons of options for us to design more immersive quests, interesting interactions with various NPCs and to actually implement the main storyline of Glorious Companions. And that is coming soon. Warning: Old saves won't work after this update!

Content:

• Valrenay Visual Overhaul - all Valrenay units received new, more consistent textures.
• Reworked Ability System - now you learn new abilities in the Unit Panel, they don't cost Learning Points and Gold anymore.
• Implemented the Abilities Tab in the Unit Panel.
• Over 40 new abilities! - now each unit can have up to 5 abilities instead of 3.
• New Dialogue System coupled with new UI and new dialogue lines & options. It'll allow us to expand on the storyline and add more interesting quests and interactions in the future updates.
• Added an option to pay Bandits and Shadows to leave you be.
• Added the Settings menu in the Esc Panel on the World Map.
• Added a few new quests that can be obtained from NPC Lords.
• Added new NPC portraits for the Dialogue System.

Balance:

• Added ammo limits on ranged weapons.
• Balanced ranged weapons stats according to their ammo limits.
• Added a Grace Period after fighting with/running away from an enemy party.
• Adjusted quest rewards.
• Increased Gunner's Speed from 3 to 4.
• Rebalanced some melee weapons and shields stats.
• Made sure that the starting companion doesn't spawn with very negative traits.

Bug fixes and tweaks:

• Limited the view range on the world map, so you won't see all the npc groups anymore.
• Added camera auto-follow on the World Map.
• Added highlighting the obstacles and units that block your Line of Sight to selected target.
• Changed the World Map selection circle to align with terrain and adjust its size depending on the target.
• Made the Interactive Objects of the same type not spawn next to each other.
• Added mirroring of animations when a unit holds their weapon in their left hand.
• Changed the Default Battlecrews in Custom Battles.
• Fixed a bug with AI units attacking with ranged weapons from the Fog of War.
• Fixed a bug with Camping First Aid not healing properly.
• Fixed bugs with Power Drain and Furious Charge.
• Fixed some bugs with wrong numbers displayed in the Attack tooltip.
• Fixed a bug with Spiders not using their special ability.
• Fixed a bug with wrong language displayed in the Settings.
• Fixed a bug with Audio settings.
• Fixed a bug with generating the same trait twice for a unit.
• Fixed a bug with animation on an AI unit that left the Fog of War and re-entered it.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments and remember to follow the game for more updates!

[ 2020-08-17 17:00:25 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, Companions!
We're happy to announce that you can buy Glorious Companions cheaper for the Steam Summer Sale's duration. While we're at it we wanted to show you some of the stuff from the upcoming update that we plan to release in July. First of all, as you can see in the image above, we'll be releasing our visual overhaul of the Valrenay race. Our goal was to make them more consistent, so they all look like they're from the same faction. We also wanted them to fit better into the fantasy world of Navaroth, which the previous iteration hasn't quite achieved.
We decided to focus solely on the textures and not change the meshes, as that would require us to also update the animations, etc. (Though the Blade Dancers and Gunners will probably receive new Run and Idle animations winter2019coolyul) Another big change that we're implementing is an actual Dialogue System that will enable us to create more meaningful and immersive quests. It should greatly improve the interactions with NPCs while making the whole world feel more alive and organic. Here's a rough WiP of the new dialogue window (of course the important stuff happens under the hood):
Those are only a few of the things that we've planned for the next update, so keep an eye out for the full changelog when the patch airs (or perhaps another devlog that'll go into more detail about the upcoming update). Also consider leaving us a review if you like the updates that we keep pushing out, it matters a great deal to us! winter2019happyyul Let us know your thoughts in the comments and remember to follow the game for more updates!

[ 2020-06-25 19:10:25 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, Companions!
Were excited to announce that we have a new, big update for you! It addresses a lot of the core problems with the gameplay, balance and progression in Glorious Companions. To make it even better were coupling it with a -33% Weeklong Deal! Lets dive right into what the update brings into the game:

Fog of War

Weve finally added a feature that we had been planning to add since the very beginning. Fog of War will serve as a vital component in every battle. Our initial intention in making the battle maps as large as they were was to provide enough room for this mechanic, which requires you to move carefully through the battlefield in order to first scout your opponent. The night shall prove to be a bigger obstacle too, as all units now suffer from reduced vision range when the moon is out above. It took longer than anticipated, but with the Fog of War system youll finally be able to put all your tactician skills to use.

Battle Win Conditions

Weve read a lot of your feedback suggesting that the current win condition (killing the enemy captain) makes battles boring instead of exciting (which was our intention). After a few discussions weve decided that while this mechanic serves its role in a competitive multiplayer setting, it doesnt work quite as well in a single player experience when playing against AI controlled enemies. But we also didnt want to completely get rid of it. From now on killing the enemy captain wont end the battle, but instead itll substantially hinder enemy morale. First of all, death of the enemy captain will trigger a Fear check among the party and each unit will receive a slight debuff thatll weaken its fighting capabilities. That way aiming to take down the enemy captain will still remain important to win the battle, and yet it should also make for a more fun and balanced gameplay. Oh, and letting your own captain die will still trigger an instant defeat like it did so far.

Temporary Ability Learning Tweak

While were working on an overhaul of the Ability System, we wanted to implement a quick quality of life improvement into the game in this update. Till the next update is released youll be able to instantly learn your skills at Training Facilities (though the time will still pass while training) just like it was before for the captain unit. The training times were also significantly lowered. Of course youll still need the Learning Points and Gold, but you wont have to say goodbye to your companions for multiple days each time you want to teach them a new ability.

Interactive Objects

We have a bunch of new and awesome illustrations for our Interactive Objects on the World Map. To spice things up weve decided to refresh the whole panel and implement some fancy fx on top. Weve also added special sound effects for each of the interactives to convey the mood even better. Expect a lot more Interactive Objects in the game when the new World Map Update is finally released! Warning: Old saves won't work after this update!

Content:

• Fog of War in battles.
• Changed the win conditions - now killing an enemy captain applies a debuff to their units instead of ending the battle.
• Added Escape menu in battles.
• Dynamic HP bars that hide and show up automatically.
• Overhaul of the Interactive Object panel.
• New Interactive Object illustrations and sound effects.
• Sight range is shorter at night.
• Added a confirmation popup on turn's end.
• Added adjustable outlines on allied and enemy units in battle.
• Added contextual tips / onboarding in battle.

Balance:

• Tweaked the distribution of neutral enemy groups on the World Map.
• Temporarily made all skill learning instantenous, units no longer have to stay at a training facility to learn them. (We'll be reworking this system in further updates.)
• Rebalanced item prices as well as unit prices.
• Taverns will host at least one of each unit type available in the given city.
• Camp Training EXP now scales with the unit's level instead of Mind stat.
• Camp First Aid heal buffed, passive HP regen on the World Map nerfed.
• Buffed Poisonous Dart damage and poison.
• Lowered the required EXP for levels past 6.
• Lowered the required company EXP for all levels.
• Buffed the Leather Armor's resistance.
• Mystic Well gives more EXP on success.
• Destroyed Wagon deals less damage on fail.
• Abandoned Camp gives more gold on success.

Bug fixes and tweaks:

• Fixed Knockback and Rain of Bullets being castable without ammo.
• Fixed displaying accuracy % for all abilities.
• Speed of camera scroll on the World Map now depends on the zoom level.
• Displaying damage dealt to shield with Farewell ability instead of '0!'.
• Fixed the range of Dragon Plague jump.
• Fixed the range of Vengeance replenishing.
• Tweaked the text appearance in the cutscene.
• Unaffordable items at Flea Market have their prices colored red now.
• The training facilities now show what you're lacking to learn an ability.
• Fixed aura effects healing issue.

Bonus: New World Map progress

We can finally share with you some of the progress that were making on the new World Map. Keep in mind that these are WiPs though!


Let us know your thoughts in the comments and remember to follow the game for more updates!

[ 2020-06-01 17:00:06 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, Companions!
We've decided to lower the base price of Glorious Companions to $19.99, which will stay this way at least until the Full Release. We feel that this new price better reflects the current state of the game, especially that we're planning to stay in Early Access for another year. Now when we're about a month away from our 0.5 update, which will introduce a lot of gameplay improvements, new features and a better progression balance, we thought that it's the best time to drop the base price of Glorious Companions. We're glad for your support so far and hope that you understand our reasoning here lunar2020contentgoat Check out what's coming in the future updates in our recent devlog (including a sample of the new and awesome soundtrack): https://steamcommunity.com/games/1001040/announcements/detail/2224158720771427187
Let us know your thoughts in the comments and remember to follow the game for more updates!

[ 2020-05-05 16:46:24 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, Companions!
Were back with some fresh news and development updates. Well talk about our plans for the future of GCs development, as well as the contents of the next update. To be frank, in the recent months weve thought a lot about the direction were taking with this game and weve spent a lot of time analysing the feedback weve received since our EA release. Weve decided that what the game lacks the most at the moment are not new races or abilities. Our biggest priority right now will be fixing and improving the gameplay foundations, and youll see the first batch of that in Update 0.5. Weve come to the bitter realization that no amount of new playable units will make the game fun, when theres little to do on the world map and the battles dont offer enough challenges and/or variety after the first few. Fortunately, based on the feedback weve received and our own conclusions weve got a solid plan on how to get the game to where we want it to be. Itll require a lot of hard work but were confident that itll be for the best.

Update 0.5 Major Contents

Anyhow, for now lets go back to the upcoming 0.5 Update that will be released in the first week of June. Besides the QoL improvements, smaller features and bug fixes, here are the two biggest changes that were preparing for you:

Fog of War

This is the biggest feature weve been working on recently and it meddles with a lot of other mechanics, especially with the AI and special abilities. Weve still got a lot of testing, balancing and bug fixing to do when it comes to it but the core mechanic is already up and running. Were hoping that this change will make battles more interesting and thrilling. It should also allow for more intricate strategies and tactics to be used successfully on the battlefields.

Battle Win Conditions

Weve read a lot of your feedback suggesting that the current win condition (killing the enemy captain) makes battles boring instead of exciting (which was our intention). After a few discussions weve decided that while this mechanic serves its role in a competitive multiplayer setting, it doesnt work quite as well in a single player experience when playing against AI controlled enemies. But we also didnt want to completely get rid of it. In the next update killing the enemy captain wont end the battle, but instead itll substantially hinder enemy morale. First of all, death of the enemy captain will trigger a Fear check among the party and each unit will receive a slight debuff thatll weaken its fighting capabilities. That way aiming to take down the enemy captain will still remain important to win the battle, and yet it should also make for a more fun and balanced gameplay. Oh, and letting your own captain die will still trigger an instant defeat like it did so far.

Plans for the future

Okay, so lets go through the biggest features/changes that were planning for further development (as in stuff that we want to have in the game when we release the full version / leave EA).

Skills / Abilities rework

We thought that itd be fun to leave units at special training facilities so they can master new skills, but it turned out to be a lot more tedious than we expected. Additionally, its not very intuitive and some players might even completely miss that there are abilities to be learned in the game. Instead, were working on a system where units will gain special skill points used to unlock abilities every few levels, and players will be able to use them right away in the Unit Panel. Thus learning new abilities wont require time and gold anymore. We also plan to implement a lot of smaller skills that units will be able to learn besides the major abilities we have implemented at the moment. When maxed out, each unit will have 5 skills, of which at most 3 will be active abilities.

Story / Gameplay Direction

Heres the biggest news: weve decided to scrap the idea of going full-on sand-box mode with Glorious Companions. Rather than that, well focus on implementing a main quest line so that players have interesting stuff to do from the get-go. Weve realized that we simply do not have the manpower to ever get to the point where that mode alone would be compelling enough for most players. That doesnt mean that were downgrading our vision. Instead, we hope to hook you with an interesting story and a mystery to solve around the continent, one that will require a skilled commander. We have something quite special prepared for that and its certainly a big topic, so well be back to talk about it in more detail in future devlogs.

Dungeons

We also plan to implement a Dungeon system, and with it a lot of unique enemies and bosses. Therell be a total of 5 dungeons (one per biom), each with its own defenders and a tough boss at the end. Theyll be much more challenging than your typical world map encounters, as you wont be able to heal up between rooms and their defenders will come equipped with some interesting abilities of their own. Youll have to put in some work to even find some of them, and then in the final room youll face a big ol boss that youll need to defeat to complete the dungeon.

New World Map / Cities

Weve already teased that a completely new world map is coming, but theres still work left to be done before we can release it. Along with the graphical overhaul youve already seen, well be adding a brand new soundtrack to fit the visual changes and the darker fantasy mood were aiming for, composed by Zofia Domaradzka. Heres a little preview, a track titled Restless Night Ahead that will be featured in the new main menu screen. Check it out for yourself! [previewyoutube=QTXILrea1bo;full][traczek zofii na yt][/previewyoutube] The new world map will bring in more interactive events, objectives and encounters for you to face. Additionally, well be rolling out a neat looking volumetric fog of war for the world map, as we strive to make exploration more meaningful and dangerous. After the World Map upgrade we plan to change the way cities look and their UI.

NPC Interactions

Last but not least, we will be reworking the NPC interactions and dialogues. At the moment NPC interactions along with the city UI are the most outdated and underdeveloped aspects of the game and we definitely feel the need to improve them before we leave EA. This will go hand-in-hand with our focus on the new main story within the campaign.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments and remember to follow the game for more updates!

[ 2020-04-23 15:12:50 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, Companions! Here are a few more fixes for the bugs you've reported and we've found ourselves.

Bug fixes and tweaks:

- Fixed a bug with Baron's Knockback in Training Facility. (reported by CaptainSol) - Fixed a number of bugs with Camping assignments. (one of them reported by MoonShadow) - Fixed a bug with some abilities requiring firearm ammo to use. (reported by CaptainSol) - Fixed Shamaness's passive and Power Drain's damage. - Captain Call descriptors tweaked.

[ 2020-02-28 10:37:50 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, Companions! Turned out that the amount of new additions to the game in our 0.4 Update kind of impacted the stability of the build. To be honest it was one of the most thoroughly tested builds that we published, unfortunately we weren't able to catch some of the bugs before the Update's release.
Anyways, we've fixed a number of game-breaking bugs that you've reported and the game should be much more stable now. If you encounter anything else, please send us your Player.log and save files to contact@gloriouscompanions.com or post them on the Bugs subforum.

Bug fixes and tweaks:

• Fixed mouse camera scrolling in Battle.
• Fixed a bug with the Sweet Revenge quest. (reported by Bristly Stranger)
• Fixed the Fur Armor texture on Walord. (reported by Bristly Stranger)
• Fixed a bug with the Trapper goal. (reported by madra)
• Fixed World Map loading bug. (reported by Rob'sEvilTwin)
• Fixed a bug on the World Map with the time still flowing after stopping the company's movement in some cases.

[ 2020-02-24 09:35:34 CET ] [ Original post ]

Bug fixes and tweaks:

- Fixed another bug with game getting stuck in battle after a ranged attack. (reported by Grandfinale1)

[ 2020-02-21 10:41:16 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, Companions! We're back with another small fix.

Bug fixes and tweaks:

- Fixed a bug with some projectiles not being destroyed properly.

[ 2020-02-19 10:42:01 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, Companions! We've managed to fix a bug some of you've reported, it happened when you exited to main menu right after a battle and tried to 'Continue' or start a new game.

Bug fixes and tweaks:

- Fixed a nasty bug with Continue/New Game not working in some cases.

[ 2020-02-18 09:18:28 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, Companions!
Were happy to announce that the new playable race, the Scarres, has been added to the game in the biggest update since our Early Access release! To celebrate this were launching a Weeklong Deal that puts Glorious Companions at 50% off until Feb 24th. This is the biggest discount so far and the price wont drop this low for quite some time, so get the game cheap while you can! winter2019joyfultearsyul https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQJmVahRIAA The Scarres took us longer to develop than we initially thought, but in the end we didnt want to launch them too soon, without dedicated Captain Calls or fully working special abilities for each one of the red lizardmen. Unfortunately the changes in this patch will require you to start over from the beginning. To sweeten that weve added some features and tweaks that will improve the initial campaign experience. If you want to learn more about the new race check out our special Scarres Steam Guide here -> Scarres 101 Guide Anyways, lets dive into what the update brings into the game:

Scarres - the New Playable Race

Some of you might know that in theory some Scarre units were already in the game. However, they all used outdated models that were made some 7 years ago, they didnt have any abilities nor all the weapon animations, and on top of that, they didnt even have dedicated armor models. They were also not a playable race, in the sense that you couldnt pick them when youre starting the campaign. All this changes with the Scarres Update. The old content was scrapped entirely and weve redesigned the whole race, their play style, unit types and skills from the ground up. Scarres come with their own resource called Vengeance, which they need to use their special abilities. Contrary to the Valrenay that start each battle with their resource bars filled up, Scarre units start battles with no Vengeance and replenish it when their nearby allies receive damage or die, making them stronger as the battle progresses. Scarres will have 5 classes of their own, each with 4-5 special abilities (out of the 10-12 planned for the full version) to wreck havoc on the battlefield. They will introduce the fantasy element back into the game that was up till now overshadowed by steampunk themes. The Red Lizardmen use blood magic instead of technology, which will introduce a few pretty cool spells.

Special Abilities

Weve made a lot of fixes and balance changes to the already existing abilities. Additionally, the Tooltips System has received a small rehaul and we will finally be able to show more information about the skills your companions use. On top of that, weve finally enabled AI to use some of the spells (mostly single-target abilities at the moment), so dont get caught surprised when an enemy unit pulls out a Master Ability on your captain.

Goals System

Weve been getting a lot of feedback about the lack of direction at the beginning of the game. To combat this, weve implemented an Overarching Goals System that will always give you something to do. Right after the first battle, youll be able to choose your first Goal. Weve made a whole tree of goals and you can expect different progression based on your choices.

Misc

As for the smaller stuff, as always weve spent some time fixing quite a few nasty bugs, both the ones that we discovered on our own and the ones the community has reported. The AI has received another batch of changes too, though its still nowhere near the state which we intend for the full game to feature. Weve added thin HP bars for the shields as its honestly pretty weird that we hadnt thought of this one earlier. And finally, weve made some important fixes / changes that should get rid of the frequent crashes, or at the very least minimize the issue. Well investigate it further to see if the problem was successfully eradicated. Warning: Old saves won't work after this update!

Content:

• New playable race of Scarres featuring Acolyte, Scarrling, Warlord, Shamaness and Avenger.
• Four to five abilities for each Scarre unit.
• Captain Calls for Scarres.
• New Captain Call for the Trapper.
• Changed the Gunner's Captain Call.
• Enemy AI can now use some special abilities.
• Overarching Goals System.
• Shield HP bars.
• Improved Ability tooltips that show more info.
• Small Main Menu overhaul.
• Displaying a success chance % when using abilities.

Balance:

• Enemy Captain AI tweaked.
• Tweaked the enemy party balance.
• Applied an uniform distribution of buildings across the island's cities.
• Added a unit number limit in Custom Battle modes.

Bug fixes:

• Fixed 'Tough' trait bug. (reported by lordnivek1)
• Fixed the bug with bindings not saving after restarting the game. (reported by TheRealHoseHead)
• Lots of bug fixes for the Valrenay abilities.
• Fixed a bug with ranged projectiles not disappearing and the camera going too far.
• Fixed a leak that caused the game to crash.
• Fixed a lot of Camping related bugs.
• Fixed a few bugs with the Esc menu.
• Fixed a few bugs with time flow and targetting on the World Map.
• Fixed the invisible tutorial wolves bug.
• Fixed a bug with ability fx glitches when used for the first time.
• Fixed Blade Dancer's fingers glitching through shields.
• Fixed unit HP bars displaying incorrectly at low camera angles.
• Fixed a leak when selecting abilities in Custom Battle.
• Fixed a bug with training the captain unit and Hunger.
• Polished scene loading.

Also you can read our recent interview with Turn-Based Lovers under this link: https://turnbasedlovers.com/10-turns-interview/with-glorious-companions-developers/ Let us know what you think about the changes! lunar2020contentgoat

[ 2020-02-17 16:59:43 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, Companions!
Were back with a very special teaser announcement for the upcoming Scarres Update (0.4). This one might be the biggest update since weve launched the Early Access version of Glorious Companions. Well be pairing it up with a 50% off Weeklong Deal on Steam to spice the whole thing up. So, without any further ado, lets dive right in to what the 0.4 version will bring into the game.

Scarres - the New Playable Race

Some of you might know that in theory some Scarre units are already in the game. However, they all use outdated models that were made some 7 years ago, they dont have any abilities, dont have all the weapon animations, and on top of that, they dont even have dedicated armor models. They are also not a playable race, in the sense that you cant pick them when youre starting the campaign. All this will change with the Scarres Update. The old content was scrapped entirely and weve redesigned the whole race, their play style, unit types and skills from the ground up. Scarres come with their own resource called Vengeance, which they need to use their special abilities. Contrary to the Valrenay that start each battle with their resource bars filled up, Scarre units start battles with no Vengeance and replenish it when their nearby allies receive damage or die, making them stronger as the battle progresses. Scarres will have 5 classes of their own, each with 4-5 special abilities (out of the 10-12 planned for the full version) to wreck havoc on the battlefield. They will introduce the fantasy element back into the game that was up till now overshadowed by steampunk themes. The Red Lizardmen use blood magic instead of technology, which will introduce a few pretty cool spells.

Special Abilities

Weve made a lot of fixes and balance changes to the already existing abilities. Additionally, the Tooltips System has received a small rehaul and we will finally be able to show more information about the skills your companions use. On top of that, weve finally enabled AI to use some of the spells (mostly single-target abilities at the moment), so dont get caught surprised when an enemy unit pulls out a Master Ability on your captain.

Goals System

Weve been getting a lot of feedback about the lack of direction at the beginning of the game. To combat this, weve implemented an Overarching Goals System that will always give you something to do. Right after the first battle, youll be able to choose your first Goal. Weve made a whole tree of goals and you can expect different progression based on your choices.

Misc

As for the smaller stuff, as always weve spent some time fixing quite a few nasty bugs, both the ones that we discovered on our own and the ones the community has reported. The AI has received another batch of changes too, though its still nowhere near the state which we intend for the full game to feature. Weve added thin HP bars for the shields as its honestly pretty weird that we hadnt thought of this one earlier. And finally, weve made some important fixes / changes that should get rid of the frequent crashes, or at the very least minimize the issue. Well investigate it further to see if the problem was successfully eradicated. Let us know your thoughts in the comments and follow the game for more updates! lunar2020contentgoat

[ 2020-01-30 15:16:29 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, Companions! We're back with another -34% sale for the end of this year! Also we're still making progress on the development of the new playable race - the Scarres. Check out a few of their portraits below:


We've just hosted a small in-house tournament at our team to test out the new units and their abilities. It turned out to be lots of fun and we've even managed to record footage from the final best-of-3 match. You can watch the full gameplay videos from all three games below, however keep in mind that they're still work in progress! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rs8SBY7qM1c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvBP6ustSew https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvKavUxFlMY Have fun and let us know if you have any questions or feedback! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1001040/Glorious_Companions/

[ 2019-12-19 18:00:36 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, Companions! So, its been six months since our Steam Early Access release and weve learned a lot during this time. Weve released a total of 7 big updates during the first half of the year that Glorious Companions has been out. We thought that it would be the perfect time to sum up how it all went.
First of all, we want to thank all of you who supported us throughout the release and up to this point. Weve received countless quality feedback reports and suggestions on how to improve the gameplay experience. We know that weve launched really early and were glad to have your support during the development process.

Development Progress

Lets recall what our plans were for further development when we launched. Heres a quote from the release announcement: [quote]Short Term Continuous Updates (aka things you can expect in the coming weeks) Valrenay Abilities Updates New Weapon Types Updates AI Updates Hair Style Options for Player Characters Bug Fixes & QoL tweaks Balance Patches Big Content & Feature Updates Scarres Fully Playable Race Update Camping System World Map 2.0 (region based, roads, simulated trading, new environment assets) Settlement Management and Sieges Update Procedural Generation of Battle Locations (based on their position on the world map) Anderia Fully Playable Race Update Trigoths Fully Playable Race Update Politics & World Map AI Update Peer-2-Peer Multiplayer Update Mercenary Faction Update Ancient Guardians Uprising Update[/quote]
So lets see what we actually managed to do since then:

• Lots of QoL tweaks and bug fixes.
• Unexpected Captain Update that introduced new mechanics that we didnt plan beforehand. It differentiated the Captain units from the other companions and improved Captain survival during battles.
• Added new neutral enemy groups.
• Implemented Firearms and reloading mechanic.
• Implemented Company Overview panel.
• Implemented Food & Companion Happiness Systems.
• Reworked the AI.
• Added Day & Night cycle in battles.
• Added the Custom Battle mode and the Battlecrew Builder.
• Implemented local and online multiplayer.
• Implemented Procedurally Generated Battlefields.
• Added Diplomacy panel.
• Implemented a few special abilities for all Valrenay units.
• Implemented the Camping System.
• Added functional Options screen and rebinding controls.
• Added new Shields.
• Had a Halloween Event that introduced new enemies, new interactive world map objects and new legendary items.
• Added new character portraits for the Valrenay units.
• Made Trapper into a playable character based on your feedback.
• Revamped the Character Creation screen.
• Added an Easy Start option.
• Added a Changelog to the main menu.
• Implemented tips showing on the loading screen.

As you can see weve managed to release a lot of stuff that we didnt expect to work on, however, some other things took us longer than we had hoped for. The main offenders here are the Scarres that weve nearly finished, but were still implementing special abilities for all of them. We want to launch them properly with all features fully working. The other thing that we had hoped would take less time to implement is the World Map 2.0 Update. Unfortunately, weve had so much on our plates regarding other tasks that we havent had much time to pour into it.

Further Development Roadmap

Were also striving to be as transparent with the development as possible, thus weve created a public roadmap. Now youll all be able to track progress and learn what exactly is in store for the full release of Glorious Companions. Check out the Development Roadmap here: https://trello.com/b/nyHcc2eE/glorious-companions-roadmap Also, we're always ready to answer your questions or feedback on our official Discord server. Join the community here: https://discordapp.com/invite/cSp6znH

New Cover Art

As some of you might have noticed, weve also commissioned a new cover artwork for the game! We feel it represents the mood of the game way more accurately. What do you guys think?
You can check out other works by the artists on his website. Let us know your thoughts in the comments! And take advantage of the Autumn -34% Sale while it still lasts, should be up for a few more hours steamhappy https://store.steampowered.com/app/1001040/Glorious_Companions/

[ 2019-12-03 12:34:23 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, Companions! After our yesterday's update we're back with a nice sale for Glorious Companions. Until December 3rd you'll be able to buy it for $10 less! steamhappy

Get the game cheaper here:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1001040/Glorious_Companions/ Have fun and let us know if you have any questions or feedback! Also tell us what you think about the new promo art we've got cozyroe

[ 2019-11-26 17:55:03 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, Companions!
Today were releasing an update that introduces a new Valrenay playable class, Trapper. Weve heard your feedback regarding male playable characters and weve decided to rebrand this whole idea. We want you to think of these characters as classes, each with their own strengths and weakness, but ultimately with plenty of room for you to customize. While each race will feature 5 classes total, we plan on making the final class (until now known as the fifth unit tier) a prestigious one (thus not playable as a captain) that youll have to spend extra coin on to hire. Weve also finally updated the character portraits to a higher quality artwork, as opposed to the old renders that looked really out of place. Heres a brand new look for our Blade Dancer & Trapper.
The update also features a new Easy Start option when starting a new campaign playthrough. This should come in handy if youre just starting out, or you want to get through the boring bits a little bit faster.

Content:

• Valrenay Trapper now became a playable character as a captain.
• Trapper received face and hair options.
• Character creation screen revamped.
• Added new character portraits for the Valrenay race.
• Turned off the Halloween themed menu and battlefields.
• Added an 'Easy Start' option when starting a new game.
• Added tips that show up on the loading screen.
• Added a changelog window in the main menu.
• Added a loading circle to the loading screen.

Balance:

• Lowered EXP required for unit levels from 6th and up.
• Lowered EXP required for company levels.
• Lowered the spawn rate of Spiders Nest interactive object on the world map.

Bug fixes:

• Fixed Quest panel sometimes rendering over the Unit / EQ panel. (thanks to Phil85 for the report)
• Engineer's Heal now works on player characters too.
• Fixed the bug with camping while in city area.
• Fixed rotating after attack mismatch in the battle state.
• Fixed AI not suffering AP penalties.
• Fixed a number of bugs with incorrect synchronization of the battle state when using some of the Valrenay abilities.
• Fixed a bug with some attacks using up Movement AP.
• Cleaned up attack tooltips. All disadvantageous notes will appear in yellow from now and advantageous ones in green.

In the meantime we've started working on the first boss in Glorious Companions. Take a peek at this work in progress model:

[ 2019-11-25 13:55:48 CET ] [ Original post ]

Bugs

• Fixed a bug where the Resolution change would revert on clicking 'Back' even after applying the changes.
• Fixed the UI & HUD in the Main Menu and on the World map to work in various window size ratios, including 4:3 and 21:9.

[ 2019-11-03 18:38:27 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, Companions!
We've prepared a short video showcasing some of the changes in the Halloween Update: [previewyoutube=bIARCcQLuEs;full][/previewyoutube] Here's what's new: Bug fixes:

• Fixed displaying Energy in HUD.
• Fixed a bug with entering enemy melee zones.
• Fixed a bug where the game would freeze at the beginning of a week.
• Fixed a bug where the Hunger wound wouldn't apply to hungry units.
• Fixed a bug with the meat gained from Hunting didn't refresh the value in the HUD.

We'd love to hear your feedback on the Camping System. Is it fun? Do you have any issues with it or suggestions? Let us know in the comments!

[ 2019-10-30 14:25:27 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, Companions!
Today were releasing a Halloween themed update that also introduces a big, new gameplay mechanics into the game, the Camping system, along with a bunch of new content and fixes. To celebrate this, the game is now 25% off! Make sure to tell your friends and family! If you encounter any bugs with new systems, please report them on our Forums or on our official Discord Server. Keep in mind that youll probably have to wait until the next in-game week to access new quests, items, etc if youre using an old save file.

Camping

Each company on the world map will now feature their own energy meter (condition), which is used when moving across the continent and when engaging in combat. If the energy drops down to zero, the party is forced to camp. For that reason, wise commanders should plan their camps ahead of time to avoid getting trapped in enemy territory. Camping will open up new gameplay options for you to choose from. Now youll be able to delegate your people to hunt for food, heal the wounded companions or cook a tasty meal to boost the companys morale. Each of your units will be more predisposed towards different responsibilities at the camp. For example agile units will yield better results when hunting, while strong companions will serve you better building fortifications. For now two Camping activities are still locked for future development - Crafting & Watching Prisoners.

Graphics Settings & Rebindable Controls

Yes, theyre finally in the game. Youve waited long enough for them.

New and revised quests

Weve sat down to fix some of the old quests and add new ones. There are a total of 12 new quests, including two special ones that will grant you new Halloween-themed items: the Eternal Punishment and Eternal Vengeance. To get them youll need to raid the Spider Nests scattered across the island. Weve raised their spawn rate quite a bit to celebrate Halloween, so make sure to take advantage of it while it lasts.

Halloween stuff

While were on the topic of new quests, during the Halloween event youll have a unique chance to obtain limited items - the legendary Eternal Punishment sword and the Eternal Vengeance axe. Just raid some Spiders Nests, collect the Spider Eggs and cash them in for an epic reward! Beware though, the new Spider enemies will have a few special abilities up their hairy sleeves, so youd better not let them surprise you. The battle locations also received a time-limited Halloween-themed decor, make sure the check them out while theyre available.

New Shields

The shield models have been changed and there are quite a few new shields to choose from. Weve split the Ranged Defense and the Melee Defense into two different stats so theres more to play around tactics-wise.

Smaller changes and tweaks

In this update we have also addressed some of the concerns raised by the community: food amount problems, merchant money issues, the ability to discard items and the Berserk Rush bug to name a few. Heres the full changelog Temporary:

• Main Menu got a little spooky to celebrate Halloween.
• Added a number of special Halloween decorations on the battle locations.
• Increased the number of Spider Nests on the world map.

Content:

• Implemented Camping System and Camp Battles.
• Added a controls rebind screen in settings.
• Added a graphics settings screen.
• Added a new interactive object on the world map: Spider Nest.
• Implemented a new penalty for failing the attribute check in interactive objects that results in a battle.
• Added 2 new legendary weapons with On Hit effects.
• Added 2 new enemies: Spider Queen and Spider with a unique Captain Call Call Of The Nest.
• Added 12 new quests and changed some of the old ones.
• Added 5 new types of shields.
• Changed Moon Shield to Griffin Shield.
• Changed the Hunger mechanic: you can find it displayed for each unit in the Unit Panel and the Overview Panel.
• Implemented pathfinding on the world map: companies will now avoid traversing through the water, etc.
• Added an Item Context Menu in the Unit Panel. Its accessible under RMB and the Quick Action (equip/unequip) is now under the MMB.
• Added a Discard option for items.
• Added a new Bandits type - Shadows. Theyre more powerful and wield more expensive equipment.
• Regular Bandits got nerfed and will now wield barely any armor and only cheap weapons.
• Redesigned the melee control zone mechanic in battles. Units wont be able to pass through a defense line without getting a few hits in return anymore. This should make it more feasible to protect your Captain, enhancing the positioning aspect of the game.
• Added 6 new food items.

Balance:

• Abandoned Camp will now trigger a battle with bandits on attribute check fail, instead of inflicting a permanent negative trait.
• Sped up company movement on the world map.
• City merchants will now have a guaranteed minimum number of food items in store.
• Increased the capacity of Food items.
• Bandits will now travel with some materials and food in their party stashes.
• Increased food drop rate from Animals.
• Split Shield defense bonus into Ranged and Melee.
• Increased the number of Bandits on the world map compared to Animal neutrals. (Say goodbye to Hunter Simulator :D)

Bug fixes:

• Fixed a bug with Captain Calls not always working.
• Fixed starting wolves not dropping any loot.
• Added quite a few improvements for the enemy AI.

QoL improvements and tweaks:

• Merchant gold now refreshes every week.
• All tooltips react quicker now.

[ 2019-10-28 17:00:42 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, Companions!
This time were here with a short tease of the upcoming Halloween Update for Glorious Companions. Aside from the Halloween-themed additions, well also release a brand new gameplay mechanic - the Camping system.

Camping

Each company on the world map will receive their own energy meter (condition), which is used when moving across the continent and when engaging in combat. If the energy drops down to zero, the party will be forced to camp. For that reason, wise commanders should plan their camps ahead of time to avoid getting trapped in enemy territory. Camping will open up new gameplay options for you to choose from. Now youll be able to delegate your people to hunt for food, heal the wounded companions or cook a tasty meal to boost the companys morale. Each of your units will be more predisposed towards different responsibilities at the camp. For example agile units will yield better results when hunting, while strong companions will serve you better building fortifications.

Graphics Settings & Rebindable Controls

Yes, theyre finally coming. Youve waited long enough for them.

New and revised quests

Weve sat down to fix some of the old quests and add new ones. Discover whats new for yourself!

Halloween stuff

While were on the topic of new quests, during the Halloween event youll have a unique chance to obtain limited items - the legendary Pumpkin Helmet and the Eternal Flame sword. Just raid some Spiders Nests, collect the Spider Eggs and cash them in for an epic reward! Beware though, the new Spider enemies will have a few special abilities up their hairy sleeves, so youd better not let them surprise you. The battle locations will also receive a time-limited Halloween-themed decor, make sure the check them out while theyre available.

Smaller changes and tweaks

In this update we will also address some of the concerns raised by the community; food amount problems, merchant money issues, the ability to discard items, the Berserk Rush bug to name a few.

[ 2019-10-22 15:21:41 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, Companions!
Today were releasing a long awaited update that introduces special abilities for all Valrenay units. Now everyone will have at least a few to let them shine on the battlefield. It is by no means the complete selection of unit skills, we plan to have at least 10 special abilities to choose from for each unit. If you have any questions or suggestions, head over to our Steam Forums or our official Discord Server.

Content:

• 6 new abilities for Valrenay Gunner: Steam Punch, Shield Bash, Watch Out, Taunt, Papa Bless, Power Knee Gong.
• 3 new abilities for Valrenay Engineer: Fixer Upper, Steam Release, Frag Grenade.
• 2 new abilities for Valrenay Blade Dancer: Hurricane Strike, Dance of Blades.
• 2 new abilities for Valrenay Trapper: Makeshift Weapon, Ancestral Equalizer.

Balance:

• Reduced AoE of Barons Rain of Bullets from 3x3 to 2x2.
• Changed the Battlepoints cost of most weapons and armor pieces.
• Changed Valrenay Resource stats.
• Changed the dead trees from half cover to full covers.
• Balanced the resource / ap costs and cooldowns of Valrenay abilities.

Bug fixes:

• Fixed a bug with playing two consecutive games in the online mode.
• Fixed sorting and calculating MVP in post online battle window.
• Fixed a double aura / stacking auras bug.
• Fixed a bug with leveling up Construction company attribute even though it is disabled.
• Fixed last enemy AI behaviour.

QoL improvements and tweaks:

• Added quest givers name in the UI.
• Added a small resource bar under units health bar in battle.
• Implemented companys First Aid attribute.
• Added Resource bar under the HP bar in battle UI.
• Optimized game save file size.
• Changed how the permadeath chance is calculated and now your units may die even in a won battle if their wounds were grievous enough.
• Added an option to level up the Resource attribute.
• Added an orbiting camera rotation under LMB in battles.
• Changed the movement on the world map to RMB for consistency.
• Added camera scrolling under LMB on the world map.

As for the Scarres, were currently working on their armors and special abilities. Heres an Acolyte in Fur Armor:

[ 2019-10-01 10:23:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

What's changed in the newest update:

• Added increasing LP cost for leveling up attributes in Campaign.
• Changed Battlecrew Builder's popup when switching a unit to be more intuitive.
• Added turn time limits to Online battles.
• Made unit battlepoints cost more intuitive in Battlecrew Builder.
• Optimized Rain of Bullets' fx.
• Fixed a bug where the game would detect a timeout in Online battles after the battle was already finished.
• Added sound effects when someone joins an online lobby or sends a message.
• Fixed a bug with lost battles in Campaign. (reported by Does)

[ 2019-09-05 09:59:54 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, Companions!
Today were releasing a small update with the promised Barons special abilities and some QoL improvements / bug fixes.

Content:

• 5 new abilities for Valrenay Baron (Rain of Bullets, Knockback, Pierce Through, Way Out and Farewell).

Bug fixes:

• Battlecrew Builder: fixed unit highlight that caused the game to crash and didnt display correctly.
• Battlecrew Builder: fixed quite a few bugs with abilities in unit customization.
• XP gain no longer shows in Custom Battles.
• Fixed spawning multiple obstacles at the same place.
• Trappers Piercing Throw animation fixed.
• Fixed a bug with some auras getting resolved at the wrong time.
• Fixed sizes that some obstacles cover on the battlefields.

QoL improvements and tweaks:

• Battlecrew Builder: added an option to unequip abilities.
• Battlecrew Builder: added Tooltips.

[ 2019-09-03 13:29:14 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, Companions!
This time weve prepared something for you that we actually thought will take us a few more months to roll out - online multiplayer! Coupled with it, we have also implemented the Battlecrew Builder and the Custom Battle mode where youll be able to play out various scenarios against AI, another local player (in a hot-seat mode) or via the online multiplayer. Along with our grand update, weve got a brand new trailer video and a new Steam banner art. Let us know what you think of them! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMzE7Y8MBNc Thanks to the new game mode and the battlecrew management options, well also be able to focus more on the games balance and well gladly welcome any suggestions on this from the community. Bear in mind that its merely the first iteration of the online functionality, so there might be some issues and lacking features here and there. Wed love to hear your feedback on how the multiplayer mode works, along with reports of any bugs or odd situations youve encountered during your playthroughs.You can either post those on the Steam forums or on our Discord server. So, without further ado, lets get to the changes in the games newest version.

Battlecrew Builder - experiment with various combinations freely

Youll be able to prepare pre-set battle groups of custom units for various Custom Battle tiers. Each unit will have a pool of Learning Points (as if it were level 10) to spend on attribute upgrades and unlocking special abilities. All the skill upgrades, equipment elements and learned abilities add up to a total Battlepoints cost of the unit along with its base cost depending on the archetype tier (Baron is worth more points than a mere Trapper). With your battlecrew setups youll have to fit into a chosen battle tier criteria. Those go as follows (they might be changed based on playtests though):

• Quick Skirmish (400 Bpts max)
• Medium Encounter ( 800 Bpts max)
• Clash of Commanders (1200 Bpts max)

In the future well add an option to import battlecrews from your Campaign mode save files.

Custom Battle mode - play vs AI, in old-school Hot-Seat or in the Online Multiplayer

Custom Battles will feature the option to play versus the AI, a hot-seated opponent as well as your friend in an Online Multiplayer match through Steam. When creating a Custom Battle match youll be able to pick a time per turn limit, battle tier, map as well as map seed.

Procedurally generated battlefields

Were also working on a solution that should make the maps feel less samey! Weve created a tool that allows us to design a number of different obstacle layouts (so that they make sense tactics wise) and bundled it together with a new vegetation system that should a) improve rendering performance in battles b) randomize all the vegetation and background objects based on the seed value. In the future well experiment with modifying the terrain mesh as well and make the battlefields resemble the part of the world map where the battle actually takes place.

Diplomacy Panel

We didnt quite forgot about the main game mode, which is the campaign. From now on youll be able to follow your characters relationship network with all the nobility, settlements, houses and factions via a handy panel. Keep in mind though that we havent focused on this aspect of the game yet as were waiting for the World Map 2.0 to put more work into it. So dont get too worried if the relationship system doesnt seem to have enough depth yet.

New Special Abilities for the Baron*

Took us more time than we expected to get to this, but were finally adding more special abilities for the Valrenay troops with even more coming in the next weeks. __ If you notice anything report-worthy please let us know about the issue by posting on the Bug Reports forum board.

Content:

• Custom Battle mode with local and online multiplayer
• Battlecrew Builder
• Procedural generation for the battlefields
• Diplomacy Panel
• A few special abilities for the Baron:*
• Way Out
• Farewell
• Rain of Bullets
• Knockback
• Pierce Through

__

Whats ahead

Were getting closer and closer to finishing the Scarres race, currently working on their armor sets. Though well most likely wait with their release until we have their special resource and abilities ready to roll out as a fully playable race.
*- special abilities for Baron will be added in the next couple days.

[ 2019-09-02 17:04:57 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, Companions!
(ui layout work in progress) As weve mentioned in our last post were currently working on a bigger update that we plan to release in the second half of August. Were also at the same time preparing for the next big update which will be the playable Scarres race. In the meantime we wanted to show you some development progress and tell you more about what to expect from the upcoming patch for Glorious Companions. So lets start with the latter; the major new additions to the game will be:

Battlecrew Builder - experiment with various combinations freely

Youll be able to prepare pre-set battle groups of custom units for various Custom Battle tiers. Each unit will have a pool of Learning Points (as if it were level 10) to spend on attribute upgrades and unlocking special abilities. All the skill upgrades, equipment elements and learned abilities add up to a total Battlepoints cost of the unit along with its base cost depending on the archetype tier (Baron is worth more points than a mere Trapper). With your battlecrew setups youll have to fit into chosen battle tier criteria. Those go as follows (though might be changed based on playtests):

• Quick Skirmish (400 Bpts max & 6 units total)
• Medium Encounter ( 800 Bpts max & 10 units total)
• Clash of Commanders (1200 Bpts max & 15 units total)

In the future well add an option to import battlecrews from your Campaign mode save files.

Custom Battle mode - play vs AI, in old-school Hot-Seat or in the Online Multiplayer

Custom Battles will feature the option to play versus the AI, a hot-seated opponent as well as your friend in an Online Multiplayer match through Steam. When creating a Custom Battle match youll be able to pick a time per turn limit, battle tier, map as well as map seed.

More Random Maps

Were also working on a solution that should make the maps feel less samey! Weve created a tool that allows us to design a number of different obstacle layouts (so that they make sense tactics wise) and bundled it together with a new vegetation system that should a) improve rendering performance in battles b) randomize all the vegetation and background objects based on the seed value. In the future well experiment with modifying the terrain mesh as well.

New Valrenay Special Abilities

Took us more time than we expected to get to this but were finally adding more special abilities for the Valrenay troops with even more coming in the next month.

Diminishing returns on leveling up attributes

While working on the Battlecrew Builder weve decided that its finally time to contain the leveling balance at least a tad. From now on the LP cost for upgrading an ability will go up every couple upgrades which should also make the archetypes a little more oriented towards their own advantages instead of every unit being able to fulfill the same role too well. To finish up this post let's take a look at our progress with the fully remade Scarres race:
Tier 3 Warlord
Tier 1 & 2 Armor Designs
Tier 5 Avenger

[ 2019-08-11 16:05:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, Companions!
We continue with improvements to the core aspects of Glorious Companions. We know that weird behaviors and actions taken by the computer-controlled opponents may instantly put you out of immersion and thats why weve decided to focus on reworking the AI system early on. Wed love to hear your feedback on how the new AI plays, along with reports of any bugs or odd situations youve encountered during your playthroughs. You can either post those on the Steam forums or on our Discord server. So, without further ado lets get to changes in the games newest version.

Reworked AI System

The biggest problem with our old approach was the behavior of the enemy captains, which is crucial for balanced and challenging gameplay - we wanted the captains to focus on surviving the battles. The AI will now move all its units in a tight formation and will no longer leave the poor slow Gunners behind right from the get-go. Weve also spent a lot of time deciding how to value different actions in varied scenarios, for example enemy units shouldnt decide as often to move out of melee combat zones (which in turn caused them to receive opportunity attacks) or rotate randomly. The AI has also learned how to utilize covers and will use them to safely reload their guns when needed. Weve also made a lot of groundwork for the AI to use abilities which should come in the near future.

Day & Night System in Battles

Weve connected the world map clock with battles and thus you wont have to play through whole battles at night time. Each turn will last an hour (of the games time) and youll see a smooth daytime transition at the beginning of your round. This feature also allowed us to customize each battle locations lighting settings more easily and give them a more distinct look.

World Map Travelling Speed

You might also notice that your party will move slower through rough terrain from now on. Keep that in mind while traversing mountains or water. In the future (with World Map 2.0 update) this will get more sophisticated but itll do as it is for now.

New Scale and Plate Armors

The previous Scale and Plate armors werent on par with the other ones and so weve decided to remake them from scratch. Check out the new Valrenay looks below:

__ If you notice anything report-worthy please let us know about the issue in the Bug Reports forums board.

Content:

• Remade Scale and Plate Armors.
• Added dynamic lighting (day & night system) in battle maps.

Bug fixes:

• Fixed a bug with the party size not updating in the world map tooltips.
• Fixed a bug with recruited Gunners displaying the beard/hair from the playable characters customizable options.

QoL improvements and tweaks:

• Battle AI: AI will now move in a formation instead of leaving the slowest units behind.
• Battle AI: AI will react to flanking.
• Battle AI: AI Captain will now play much safer, will try to stay in the second line of formation.
• Battle AI: AI will favor positions behind covers when their enemy has a lot of ranged units.
• Battle AI: Ranged units will no longer favor walking into the enemy melee range.
• Battle AI: Fixed AI doing random rotations.
• Cities will value different item types differently from now on. (small tweak before the fully fledged resource / region based system)
• Movement speed on the world map will now depend on the terrain youre traversing.

__

Whats ahead

Were working on a pretty big update that might take us some time to finish (dont expect it to arrive in 2 weeks time) but were really excited for it. You might need a friend to play through it, if you catch our drift ;) Along with the new update we plan to release a new (and much better) trailer for the game. So stay tuned for whats coming! Also heres a couple of work in progress images from the upcoming Scarre race:

[ 2019-07-10 12:19:31 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, Companions!
Were back with the first content update for Glorious Companions - the Captain Update. Weve mostly focused on strengthening the games core mechanic and the main goal of the battle, which is to kill the enemy teams captain before yours dies. IMPORTANT: Save files from the previous version wont work on the newest update. Unfortunately youll have to start a new playthrough, although the changes weve made would impact the games beginning and its balance so itd be wise to start with a new company anyhow.

Captains Calls

Weve always wanted the captains to feel like something more than just ordinary soldiers, and thus each captain will now possess a special ability thatll improve their survivability (as long as your allies are still alive) as well as provide an active skill enabling some clutch plays. Keep in mind though that using your Captains Calls active part will make you vulnerable afterwards, as the passive part wont work while the ability is on cooldown.

New neutral enemies

At last you wont have to decide between only fighting bandits or wolves, as weve added a bunch of new neutral opponents for you to challenge and, most importantly, have some easier targets to chase in the early game. Weve also changed the Wolf model so say goodbye to the good ol low-poly one. In the future updates you can expect the neutral parties to gain their own cool Captain Calls to differentiate them even more.

Firearms

Weve added the first batch of firearms, weapons mainly utilized by the Valrenay men and women, although their technology has already spread throughout the continent and a sight of a Scarre Raider with a musket in his hand isnt exactly that shocking to the common folk. In the future the Valrenay units will gain even more abilities that can utilize these weapons to their fullest potential, but you can already give it a try in a regular battle.

Company Overview panel

Based on the feedback weve received from the community we decided to add a new panel window where youll be able to find grouped information on all your units, how much do you have to pay them and how much food they eat. Itll also come in handy when you cant recall in which city youve left one of your companions to train a new ability.

Food System & Companion Happiness

The food system is finally here and you may now stress about your companions starving to death (or more likely leaving the company as itll get them quite unhappy). Coupled with this change weve also added Happiness meters to your companions so you can closely monitor their mood. Extremely content companions will gain additional EXP boosts while the unhappy companions will suffer adequate penalties.

Hair options for the Player Characters

The character customization got a little more interesting with the addition of different hair options for the player characters. As mentioned on launch, the customization system is something that well keep expanding on incrementally as we progress with the Early Access. __ If you notice anything report-worthy please let us know about the issue in the Bug Reports forums board.

Content:

• Added a new type of abilities available only for the Captain units, the so called Captain Calls:
• Last Stand - Engineer / Wise,
• Berserk Rush - Mercenary / Wise,
• Covering Fire - Gunner / Tough.
• Added new neutral enemies:
• Bears and Bear Cubs,
• Stags and Does,
• Foxes,
• Boars,
• New Wolf models.
• Implemented the first few firearm weapons.
• Implemented a Company Overview window panel.
• Implemented the Food System.
• Implemented Companion Happiness.
• Added different hair options for Valrenay Player Characters.

Bug fixes:

• Fixed a bug connected to having only captain in your company and the weekly upkeep window showing up.
• Fixed the notification panel on the world map.
• Fixed a bug where you could take back a companion after training even when you didnt have space in your company.
• Fixed Engineers shield socket position.

QoL improvements and tweaks:

• Added keyboard shortcuts for controlling the games speed on the world map (1, 2 and 3)
• Added an option to delete save files directly in game.
• Added a popup window when a companion leaves your party.
• Tweaked captain generation for the NPC parties.
• Were now displaying special status effects under the units HP bars.
• Added a popup window after a companion died in battle.
• Animals can no longer parry melee attacks. So cant your fists.

[ 2019-06-17 16:14:49 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, Companions!
With the weekend in sight weve decided to hotfix a few other bugs that have been missed previously as well as implement another batch of QoL tweaks. Hopefully youll be able to play without any game breaking interruptions! Meanwhile were returning to work on the next weeks content update which you dont want to miss. Stay tuned! If you notice anything report-worthy please let us know about the issue in the Bug Reports forums board.

Bug fixes:

• Fixed a bunch of bugs with the unit equipment screen and item management.
• Fixed a bug with the battle result screen, where switching to the loot tab quickly would cancel all the companion animations.
• Fixed the incorrect battles won value in the its time to pay your dues interaction.
• Fixed the equipment tab of the unit screen not refreshing on stat level up.
• Fixed a bug with units not firing death animation when killed with the second hit of the Blade Furry ability.

QoL improvements and tweaks:

• Added a popup message about a completed quest in the city screen (NOTE: You might be getting some of them retroactively on your old save files - its not a bug).
• Changed the name of a neutral creature Wolf to Grey Wolf for clarity.
• Added Action Points icon in the equipment tab of the unit screen next to the armors AP penalty value for clarity.
• Added Dodge/Block/Parry skill values to the equipment tab of the unit screen.
• Made the Captains crown icon show above all other health bars.
• Slightly increased the font size in the tutorial.
• Added the number of units currently in training to the Manage button in character training facilities.

[ 2019-06-07 16:07:53 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, Companions!
Today were pushing the very first update that should address all the game breaking bugs and issues you have reported so far. Weve included a bunch of small QoL changes and weve already started working on a bigger update that should come next week. Wed like to send a big Thank You to all the people who have already bought the game and are supporting us with positive feedback, suggestions and bug reports. Were very aware that the game is still in an early stage of development and would like to say that its totally fine to wait with purchasing GC until its more fleshed out / a more complete experience. Nonetheless, were very happy to see that a number of players are already having fun with the game in its current state and believe in the final product weve envisioned.

Bug fixes:

• Fixed a bug with the forever-alive tooltips.
• Fixed a bug with battles not loading after teaching the Agile captain an ability.
• Fixed a bug with not being able to select the captain unit in the unit panel.
• Fixed a bug with swapping Unit Stash Right Hand item with the Right Hand item.
• Fixed a bug with langs not loading in the character creation screen.
• Fixed the lang NOQUESTS not showing properly.
• Fixed long names overflowing in the Tavern screen.
• Fixed a bug with Rotating costing AP even when rotating to the current direction.
• Fixed a bug with NPC Lords sometimes giving you the same quest twice.
• Fixed the level and exp UI elements in battles.
• Fixed a rare bug with overlapping music from the world map in battle.

QoL improvements and tweaks:

• Tweaked the world map HUD hitboxes to hopefully be less annoying when scrolling.
• Disabled the camera following player projectiles.
• Using all of your unit's AP will now switch to the next one.
• Lords now acknowledge youve completed quests for them.
• Tweaked the cameras tilting in battle so it works smoothly when zooming in and out.
• Added Volume options. (!)
• Added a tutorial popup explaining Quests after the first one is taken.

Weve disabled the auto update of the langs database feature at the games startup for now since a number of users have reported issues with missing strings (the large traffic at the release mightve caused this). Instead all the strings will now be always included in the build itself.

Next update tease

• Expanding on the Options menu with rebindable input settings and some graphical settings.
• A bunch of new abilities
• New neutral enemies
• Food System
• ...and more!

[ 2019-06-06 12:43:25 CET ] [ Original post ]

We cant believe its been almost 10 years since the first time the initial idea for Glorious Companions sprinkled into our minds. We had been dabbling in pen-and-paper RPGs for a while and we thought itd be really cool to one day create a video game, where we could share the vision for all the mechanics and the world of Navaroth with a broader audience. At that time, the game was really tiny. 2D avatars moving around the board in an awkward and sluggish way and yet we were so happy to our ideas come alive. This is why we have stuck with game development as its a very satisfying medium to share your vision. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWTGDnHtST8 Today marks a very special day. Were releasing Glorious Companions in Early Access - the first milestone out of many others to come. While the day in itself is special, we want to stay humble and treat it as a beginning of something new, not a finale to the whole journey. Weve got amazing plans for this game and wed love to invite you all to get on that ride with us. Heres a rough content & feature plan for the Early Access. There are all the planned features that we want to complete before moving out of Early Access. Keep in mind that depending on the games financial success, some of those features and content might be out faster and some of them might take a little bit longer to roll out.

Short Term Continuous Updates (aka things you can expect in the coming weeks)

Valrenay Abilities Updates New Weapon Types Updates AI Updates Hair Style Options for Player Characters Bug Fixes & QoL tweaks Balance Patches

Big Content & Feature Updates

Scarres Fully Playable Race Update World Map 2.0 (region based, roads, simulated trading, new environment assets) Settlement Management and Sieges Update Procedural Generation of Battle Locations (based on their position on the world map) Anderia Fully Playable Race Update Trigoths Fully Playable Race Update Politics & World Map AI Update Peer-2-Peer Multiplayer Update Mercenary Faction Update Ancient Guardians Uprising Update The first few months are going to lay a lot of groundwork for the future and we want to take that time to see what the community thinks of the game and the direction you guys would like to see it go. Ultimately, our aim is to create something that people can legitimately have fun with for a long time, and were not afraid of criticism of our ideas. Thats why for now were committed to the following 6 months plan while the further future is something we intend to craft with your feedback in mind.

[ 2019-06-04 15:00:57 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, Companions!
Weve been a bit quiet for the past couple of months, but we really wanted to focus on the project to ensure that we can deliver the best product that we can for the EA launch. Today were releasing an ultimate video update, showcasing the top 10 biggest changes that the project has seen in that time. Make sure to watch the whole thing! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itc61QHLQ8M Well be releasing a content & feature plan as well as the roadmap for the Early Access tomorrow, alongside all the details that youre asking for. Tonight though, weve still got some work to do and a few bugs to iron out, so set your alarms for tomorrow, 8:00 AM PDT, 17:00 CST. You dont want to miss it.

[ 2019-06-03 22:38:16 CET ] [ Original post ]

As you might've noticed we've just updated our Steam capsule for Glorious Companions.
Now instead of a dull landscape it features a vibey artwork that shows a Trapper sitting by a campfire, resting between tough battles. What do you think of this scene? Here's a gif showcasing all the steps of progress:
It's been a few years since I drew anything and I'm not perfectly happy with the outcome here, but we think it'll do better than the last version for now. We plan to revisit the capsule artwork in the coming months, hopefully with better results. Do you have any cool ideas on what it may feature? Something brighter perhaps steamhappy We've also sent out the first batch of closed alpha invites to that applied through our Glorious Companions website. Check your email inbox to see if you got selected in the first wave! cozybethesda

[ 2019-04-25 11:27:35 CET ] [ Original post ]

Greeting, Companions! Weve just opened a sign up form on our website for Closed Alpha participation. You can also sign up for the newsletter if you only want to get a notification on the release. There will be a few waves of the closed access invitations, starting with the smallest one which will be probably around 20 people. Head over here to sign up: gloriouscompanions.com
Well be sending the game out to randomly selected people that signed up for the closed access. Companions with access to the Closed Alpha will have their own secret channel on our Discord server and will be able to post on our secret forum here on Steam. We hope to gather insightful feedback about the gameplay, mechanics and the user experience in Glorious Companions. Well also gladly welcome any suggestions for future features and other ideas. GC Discord server: https://discord.gg/732xV6N Well appreciate if you spread the word about our Closed Alpha sign ups for Glorious Companions. And get ready to dive into the world of Navaroth!

[ 2019-04-16 13:25:56 CET ] [ Original post ]

Greeting, Companions! Today we have released a new gameplay trailer for Glorious Companions steamhappy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_dvHOrAVSs Let us know your thoughts on it in the comments! Moreover we've had some long discussions and in the end decided to postpone the Early Access release a bit further down the road. We know that many of you waited for the upcoming release but we don't want to disappoint you as we can make the first impression only once. Saying that, we really appreciate the positive reactions and feedback we receive from the community here on Steam and we want to deliver a great game! There are some features and (more so) content that we really feel like we need to include in the EA release, to name a few: visual representation of armors which requires a lot of parts designed for each unit archetype separately, special abilities and spells, and improvements to the battles such as fog of war.
However, as to not leave you empty handed we'll be hosting some closed alpha tests for the game, we'll let you know how to get into them in the next devlog. You can also join our Discord server to not miss them: https://discord.gg/vQJ33s As always we'll really appreciate sharing the word about our project and / or the new gameplay trailer. Thanks for staying with us and we hope you understand our decision!

[ 2019-04-08 15:59:03 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there Companions, Today our Steam store page has received a bit of a lifting. Be sure to check out all the new screenshots as theres a couple of new interesting things to be found.



Weve also created a Discord server for our community as were getting closer and closer to the EA launch, which should happen this month, in April. Be sure to join the server if you want to chat and mark your calendars! Official Glorious Companions Community server on Discord Weve reached out with preview access to some youtubers that we thought would like Glorious Companions and well see if anyone picks it up. If you know any good content creators that would be interested in GC, let us know in the comments! Heres our email address for press inquiries: contact [at] gloriouscompanions.com

[ 2019-04-02 11:50:42 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there Companions,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbywG3Qx5tc Today we have something special to show you - the first official gameplay video from Glorious Companions, and it's whole 10 minutes of unedited gameplay with a developer commentary on top! Let us know your thoughts and please share it, we'll greatly appreciate it steamhappy

[ 2019-03-25 17:50:45 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, fellow Companions!
This time we want to share with you some informations about the company leaders skills. However, we should start with explaining the basic attributes that each character in Glorious Companions possesses and is defined by. Lets cover them one by one.
[STR] Strength - its used to calculate your companions melee attack accuracy. On top of that most weapons have at least some STR damage modifier, and while when fighting with a sabre the amount of Strength your companion has wont make that much of an impact on the resulting damage, having more STR will significantly increase your damage output with weapons such as axes, maces and polearms. The only weapon types that dont take STR into consideration are firearms and crossbows. Strength is also used to calculate companions chance to Parry an attack (which can be only done in melee combat). [AGI] Agility - used to determine the accuracy of ranged attacks, as well as your companions ability to dodge incoming strikes and projectiles. [DEF] Defense - reduces the amount of damage your companion receives and is also used to calculate the probability of blocking an incoming strike with a shield. [MND] Mind - its crucial for both casting powerful spells / special abilities and surviving arcane attacks or curses. [SPD] Speed - a permanent attribute which can not be leveled up, each unit archetype starts with a given amount of speed and itll stay that way forever (unless the companion breaks their ankle or something). It determines how many AP points it costs to move a given distance. Its also used to calculate the travel speed of the whole company on the world map. [HP] Health - this one is pretty obvious, dont let it get down to zero or your character will die. [AP] Action Points - a crucial attribute, the more AP your companion has, the more it can do on the battlefield. First off in each turn you can only use up to half of units Action Points for movement. Then each possible action has its own AP cost assigned, be it swapping weapon sets or rotating (positioning in very important in GC). Also each weapon has a different cost for attacking (and some also have an additional cost for reloading), for example a dagger uses only 4 AP per attack, while a heavy halberd will require 8 Action Points. [RES] Resource - each race in Glorious Companions has its own resource along with a unique mechanic paired up with it. In short it allows units to use the special abilities they have learned. That sums it up pretty well, we didnt want to go with too many base attributes as to make each one count - so the players dont just keep leveling up only a single stat. Next we have the Leader Skills, and as the name suggests, only the companys leader has those. Lets cover them one by one as we did with the attributes.
Leadership - increases the maximum party capacity, the more you level it up the bigger your company can get. Trading - increases your bartering ability, youll receive fairer prices when buying items from the merchants of Navaroth and youll be able to make a bigger profit when selling. Tactics - increases the range of your deployment zone at the beginning of a battle. Intelligence - when leveling up this skill the tooltips will start giving you more and more info on enemy parties in the world map and on enemy troops on the battlefield. First Aid - increases the chances of your companions not permanently dying after receiving a fatal wound. Spoil - increases the amount and/or quality of loot your receive after a won battle. Wayfaring - impacts your companys travelling speed on the world map. Construction - decreases the amount of time it takes to construct new buildings in the settlements you own, as well as the time it takes to properly fortificate your camps (more on that in future devlogs). Surgery - increases the rate at which your companions regenerate their health passively on the world map. Thatd be it for this weeks update, thanks for staying with us! Which Leader Skill will you be maxing out at the beginning of your journey? As always remember to add Glorious Companions to your Steam wishlist and share the game with your friends!

[ 2019-03-24 11:06:16 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Companions! Come and see how weve made the new character for the Valrenay race - from the concept stage to the finished low poly, textured model.
We start off with a blueprint for each character, its a base for further modelling. We focus here on the general proportions and the silhouette of a unit, as well as its color scheme. However, we often change the latter in the later stages of production. The blueprint is also a nice reference for texturing further down the line.
The next step is creating a sketch of the character in high poly. Its important to get the overall proportions of the model right at this stage. Considering that it allows us for a faster iteration speed, its the stage where we can implement any of the last minute ideas that we had not thought of during the concept art phase. After that, we try to make it a rule to leave the geometry alone and use texturing to polish everything up.
The low poly model is subsequently created based on the high poly version. After that, we get to the most important part in bringing the character to life - the hand painted texture. On top of that, to be fully game-ready, the model needs to be rigged and properly animated.
Engineer is the 4th Tier unit of the Valrenay race and has unique access to the Engineering skill tree. She is known for her vast array of different gadgets that she deploys on the battlefield as well as surprisingly high defence capabilities. Shes able to control the battlefield well, making it harder for enemies to pass through the initial line of your formation. Pair her up with a couple of Marksmen and suddenly youre cooking with gas. Thats all for this week, make sure to tune in for the next weeks devlog! As always remember to add Glorious Companions to your Steam wishlist and convince your friends to do so too! steamsalty

[ 2019-03-15 20:05:20 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Companions! Today we'd like to talk a little a bit about the intricate process that is procedural world generation. It is a vast topic, a core feature of the game and something that we're constantly improving and as such we've decided to split this material into few parts. In this devlog we're going to focus on landmass generation. First, in order to construct our terrain we generate two maps represented as 2D textures that contain information regarding the elevation and moisture of the island where our players (that would be you guys) will play. These textures are created by taking simple noise functions which are subsequently manipulated to fit our needs. The elevation map has more details as we don't want our terrain to be too boring whereas the moisture map provides us with more general areas that affect the environment.
Both maps have the dimensions analogous to the vertices count of the mesh they're describing. The whiter the pixel in the elevation map, the higher the vertex of the mesh becomes. Likewise, blue areas of the moisture map constitute wet areas on the map. All that information is taken into account when constructing our terrain. Elevation is scaled and modified accordingly to not be too overwhelming considering the camera angle and the zoom of the map that we're targeting in the game. On the other hand, moisture alongside elevation dictates the specific texture and biome of the area. For instance, flat regions just above water with little moisture will produce a desert, whereas regions with the same height but high moisture will yield beautiful meadows.
In order to avoid a situation where the terrain would stick out above water like a sore thumb, we've implemented a gradual yet steep falloff outside the coastline where a plane with a water shader seamlessly blends with the mesh and produces a nice illusion of the water gently lapping the beaches.
Looks pretty cool and it's just the beginning! In the next part of the series we'll cover generating our cities and vegetation to bring some more life onto the playing field. As always remember to add Glorious Companions to your Steam wishlist and convince your friends to do so too! golem

[ 2019-03-10 00:31:50 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Companions!
This week we've only got a short news update for you. As you can see in the image above we have a brand new logo for the game and we're gonna update all the promo materials in the nearest time. Let us know if you like it and what came to your mind when you've looked at it at first. Other than that we already have the quest system working and it should be easy now to add new types of quest objectives and rewards, and generate proper quests for the player at various stages of his gameplay.
Currently we're laying down the fundations for the politics system as well as world generation process. Wish us good luck with that! That's all for this week, thanks for staying with us and don't forget to comment what you think of the new logo! cozybethesda As always add Glorious Companions to your Steam wishlist and convince your friends to do so too! cozyroe

[ 2019-03-02 22:02:41 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, fellow Companions! We are remaking all the character models from the ground up and wed like to share with you the first unit that went under the chisel - Trapper from the race of Valrenay. Heres a before / after comparison, whatchya think?
The downside is that the process of redoing both races will take time and well have to wait even longer to start making the armor assets but the upside is that all the units will have the same, consistent style and will be ready for customization and further development.
Weve spent some time compiling a list of all the animations that each character will need, not including the animations for using special abilities or casting spells which will depend on the units skill tree. Itll total around 25 animations per character if we group up some similar types of melee weapons together as a starter which is still a pretty significant amount to make.
Weve also planned out the geopolitical system in detail but well talk about it on a later date since its a pretty big topic on its own. For the time being lets just say that weve already started working on the procedural generation of the world map for each playthrough and more news will come in the upcoming weeks. Thats it for this week, remember to add Glorious Companions to your Steam wishlist and tell your friends to do so too! steamhappy

[ 2019-02-21 19:00:28 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, fellow Companions! This week wed like to talk a bit about the health system in Glorious Companions and the approach we took in making sure our players stay wary of the threats on the battlefield without the frustration that a fluky permadeath can cause. In Glorious Companions characters whose health drops below 0 HP faint and are unable to continue the battle. After the end of the battle, you will be able to perform first aid on the fallen companions (thus healing them by a small amount). However, if in spite of that the final blow causes them to drop further below 25%+ of their max health (the exact percentage depends on the units Agility) a couple of things happen.
First, we roll whether or not that character makes it. Units with a higher Defense stat have a lower chance to die, although the probability is rather slim anyhow. If the unit doesnt die it suffers from an injury which are grouped into two categories:

• Lesser wounds: injuries which will take a long time to heal themselves, to get rid of them quicker you should seek aid from a skilled healer.
• Permanent wounds: injuries that wont go away and will remain with the character until their last day.

Theres a very small chance that the unit will get away scot-free without suffering any injuries, which is quite a feat in itself and something that other companions will surely be talking about for days! Each injury as well as other critical actions on the battlefield will adorn the units achievements card and youll be able to boast about and share your companions success with everyone.
Now, getting back to the death situation. We want to make death a real threat, otherwise players can easily get too jaded as each battle seems less and less exciting and meaningful. On the other hand, an unlucky death that eliminates your key companion for many becomes a quick trigger to uninstall the game as they cant be bothered to continue playing. Thankfully, the world of Navaroth holds many secrets and you might come across certain characters on your path who could help you out even in the direst of scenarios. It can be risky and time consuming, but youll have a chance to make things right. Thats it from us for the week. Stay tuned for future devlogs and make sure to tell your friends about the game!

[ 2019-02-16 23:32:03 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, fellow Companions! This week we want to shed some light on the system behind cities and other estates in Glorious Companions. There are a few different types of interactable objects on the world map, these include cities, outposts, resource gathering facilities and others. Cities start as just a City Center surrounded by fortified walls, along with some empty space inside to build various buildings as the time goes.
Each building serves a special function, for example Lords and merchants can trade in the Flea Market, wounded units can be healed in the Temple. Mercenary groups look for new recruits in Taverns. The types of recruits that are available in a specific Tavern depend on the other buildings built in the town - Scarrlings Den will bring wanderous Scarrlings looking for work and so on. Then there are also buildings which allow your companions to learn special abilities if theyre left to train there for a few days. Each skill type has its own school, i.e. aspiring magicians will learn new spells in Roth Academies. Outposts are similar to cities but they have less space for buildings and a more limited selection of them. Although there are some constructions that can be built solely in the outposts too.
At the beginning of your adventure therell be estates around you at various stages of development. So for example if you want to recruit some Avengers into your party straight from the get go, even if you had the money youd have to first find a city that has the Ancient Palace built in it. You can always try to wait it out, maybe some other Lord will build it in his town soon enough? Or better yet - you may decide to besiege the city and after you take it over build whatever you want. That is if you have enough resources and gold for the construction.

[ 2019-02-09 09:51:19 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, fellow Companions! Today we'd like to talk about the issue of User Interface and how tricky it can get to relay information well - in a way that is both simple and yet descriptive enough to satisfy player's interest. In Glorious Companions, a player unit can enter multiple modes during combat. The three basic orders include: the move command, the basic attack command and the rotate command. The remaining three slots are taken up by your unit's special abilities that you select and level up however you see fit. The battlefield's map grid changes depending on the active mode and our tooltip system should tell you everything you need to know regarding its mechanics.
We've crafted it so that every action builds it own descriptor and has a custom UI control. That way it allows us to to manually build a unique template for each command - even if it's an ability that has unique mechanics that no other ability posses. For instance, when issuing a basic attack command, the UI is already able to show you a bunch of interesting details that go into the math behind our system.
Here the attack tooltip lists all the modifications that go in your favor in green and all the effects that help the enemy in yellow. Red is reserved for effects that directly preclude you from performing the action. The consistent color coding allows us to "train" the players so that a quick scan over the tooltip will immediately help them to intuitively tell if the attempted action is complicated to execute, while the numbers will be essential for those who like to do the math by themselves. We hope to deliver a system that is easy to read and yet sufficiently detailed, as we'd really hate it if our players had to google things up by themselves while keeping an open tab with the game's wiki on the other monitor. We'll keep you updated as we continue to polish our interface with this goal in mind.

[ 2019-01-31 22:58:23 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello, fellow Companions! This week we bring you a throughout look at the first race in Glorious Companions, the Scarres.
Scarres are a tribal race that originally had lived solely in the desert, though in recent history they have been spending a lot of time fighting Anderian troops for access to greener lands. Their tribes are usually led by older Shamans or in some cases by the mighty Raiders or Avengers. They have a strong pro-war culture, they prefer fighting their opponents face-to-face and rarely use ranged weapons (especially bows, crossbows and firearms). Their unique resource required to cast special abilities is called Vengeance. They start each battle with zero Vengeance and they gain it when fellow companions get hurt or die nearby. So the remaining soldiers get more powerful the fewer theres left of them. Scarres are split into two kinds: smaller ones (Sca-cerya) and the bigger ones (Sca-valya).

Scarrling

Usually spend their life gathering food, hunting for smaller prey or crafting items for the tribe. In dire times they too get called to arms but they make for poor fighters. Their biggest upsides are high Agility, Action Points and Movement Speed which enables them to become useful (and annoying) harassers. They also do well as cheap meat shields.

Zealot

Ambitious to become proved warriors some Scarrlings leave their tribes to become Zealots. Scarre society usually discourages Scarrlings from pursuing a fighters career, instead they are expected to perform tasks for the good of their tribe. When deciding to leave their old lives they turn into outcasts driven to prove their skills in battle. They have the same advantages as Scarrlings and are able to wield more specialized equipment from the get go.

Thrall Raider

The bigger kind of the Scarres, they lack the mobility of their little brothers but surpass them by far in the toughness department. One could say they are the exact opposite of Scarrlings - strong, tough and slow. They spend their lives on the path - taking part in various war campaigns and collecting weapons of their fallen foes as trophies.

Shamaness

The brightest of the Scarrlings may strive to become Shamans and gain the arcane knowledge of the Blood Magics. Members of this caste often end up as leaders of Scarre tribes but in some cases a Raider may have a stronger influence on the local folk and act as the leader. Shamans specialize in debuffing and disabling enemy units with their spells but they may serve as capable warriors too.

Avenger

The remnants of the old Scarres legacy, before they left their old continent in hopes of finding a new motherland. No Avenger has been born in the last few hundred years and the last few remaining are worshipped among other Scarres as some kind of demigods. Its not known if they even die of old age, some of the oldest ones have lived for over a thousand years. They can use Blood Magics too, though in a more limited form. Which unit from the Scarres race do you like the most after this short introduction? Wholl be the go to companion in your adventures?

[ 2019-01-22 15:20:01 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, fellow Companions! Today we'd like to talk a bit the approach we've taken into designing and building our combat AI systems. In a combat heavy game it is paramount for the AI to behave in a realistic and seemingly smart way. Players want it to be challenging and yet play fair - by the same rules that the game world imposes on them. In order to check all the boxes and build an easily extensible module, we've decided to explore and utilize the so-called Utility AI approach (used in games such as Hitman or Civilization). Instead of following a bunch of set defined rules the AI system takes a look at all the possible actions and scores them using a list of considerations. The decision making layer then takes all these scores and chooses an action in one of the few possible ways, i.e. by simply choosing the best one or by performing weighted randomization where each option's weight is represented by its score (in other words: if attacking a unit has a utility score of 5 and moving away has a score of 1 then attacking would be 5 times as likely to roll compared to running away). We've quickly found out that in Glorious Companions simply looking at a single action ahead wouldn't be enough to build an immersive system. Consider the following:
In this situation if we were to analyze only the very next command, then the Scarrling on the right would almost always choose to attack the beefy Avenger that stands right next to him as opposed to moving to a different tile. There's way more immediate value to that, whereas the correct play would be to move past him and then attack the wounded captain in order to win the battle. What constitutes a reasonable play in context of the entire turn gets in fact quite complicated especially as you introduce more and more mechanics into the game. In order to get the best response from our AI controlled enemies, we have implemented a solution which looks at all the different permutations of all the possible actions a unit can take. AI agents construct a list of command chains and then evaluate them as a set. For instance, suppose we only have two possible to execute actions: AttackAction and MoveAction and a scenario from the image above, the AI would build a list of the following chains:

• { AttackAction(target: tile [x-1, y-1]) },
• { MoveAction(target: tile [x-1, y]) },
• ..
• { MoveAction(target: tile [x-1, y]), AttackAction(target: tile [x-1, y-1]) },
• { MoveAction(target: tile [x-2, y]), AttackAction(target: tile [x-1, y-1]) },
• { MoveAction(target: tile [x-2, y]), AttackAction(target: tile [x-3, y]) },

Once we sum up all the chains then it is quite obvious that its the last set that makes the most sense (walk up to the captain and attack him). If during the execution of a previously selected chain something happens that makes the execution unable to continue (lets a say a unit has died that we were supposed to keep on bashing) then the AI will reevaluate its plan.
Well, thats quite a lot of information to process right there, hope youre still with us. The thing were talking about today is merely the unit layer of the system were working on. The layer on top of that, called the tactics layer, works on influencing each units goals (should we focus the captain? build a formation around a key wounded unit?) which makes sure the entire army is able to swiftly adapt to the situation on the battlefield.

[ 2019-01-17 14:14:32 CET ] [ Original post ]

The world of Navaroth has been carefully built and maintained by us throughout the years. The whole premise began as a pen-and-paper RPG system. Even the game itself had many different forms throughout the years. In 2009 it was a small mini-game with 2D cards representing the characters. However, it has turned into so much more.
As you can see the first prototype for Glorious Companions was created a decade ago, and the rpg system behind the game began its existance even earlier than that. Although naturally as we learn and gain experience our vision becomes clearer and we become less and less restricted when it comes to the execution side of development. Compare what difference 10 years of learning makes:
2009
2019 So far our biggest problem was focusing on the multiplayer aspect too much, we wanted to start with a massive online experience with e-sport in mind. In the last year we finally decided to put that on hold and focus solely on delivering a great single player game that will gather a solid community around Glorious Companion's universe. The code we're working with stays ready for addition of multiplayer later on so once we release GC we will probably restart the online mode development. We didn't entirely scrap our dreams but for the moment being we wanted to go about the development in a more realistic manner. Add the game to your Steam wishlist and follow our community to stay up to date!

[ 2019-01-10 08:13:38 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there, fellow Companions! First of all we wanted to say thank you to everyone that followed our game or added it to their Steam wishlist. We greatly appreciate it and are surprised by the positive response! During the last month we managed to finish the design for Scarre armors, including both light and heavy ones for all units. Our goal was to make the armor look distinct between different units of the same race, but also give the visual feedback on how well the character is armored and what weapon to use against it.
The latter is pretty important as in Glorious Companions we have varied weapon types that are suited for different opponents. For example maces and hammers are great vs heavy armor users while sabres and scimitars will do better against lightly armored foes. When deciding which armor to wear the players will not only have to consider its price and the damage reduction it provides. The heavier the armor the bigger penalty it applies to your companions Action Points and Dodge skill. The better light armors also require a certain amount of Agility attribute while heavy armors require higher Defence. We also spent a lot of time discussing which version of heavy armor design will fit Scarre Shamaness and were still not quite sure. Which design do you like the most?


At the moment were skewing towards version C because of how cool those shoulder pads look on her. Let us know in the comments which version would you pick and why!

[ 2019-01-02 12:41:56 CET ] [ Original post ]