Grimoire: Manastorm - A multiplayer wizard shooter (Steam Early Access)

Legacy UDK Projects
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Grimoire: Manastorm is a fast paced multiplayer shooter featuring magical tactical combat and six unique classes. In Grimoire ammo and cover systems have been replaced by genre-blending mechanics that reward clever play as much as reaction time. As a powerful wizard summon immovable objects and unstoppable forces- then watch them collide in spectacular arcane explosions. Travel instantaneously or turn your skin to impenetrable stone when enemies call down storms of meteors, summon deadly blizzards, and rip apart the fabric of space and time itself to destroy you. Use every trick at your disposal to lure opponents into deadly traps and your own devastating sorcery.

Features:
These are the features currently available in the live build.

  • Exciting magical combat in first and third person
  • Two game modes (Conquest and FFA)!
  • Six wizard classes each with four unique spells and one unique passive ability.
  • Seven fantasy-inspired maps including medieval cities, dark caverns, and towering cliffs.
  • Eight inventive mobility and utility spells that range from teleportation to summoning unbreakable walls.
  • Custom graphics settings and key bindings.
  • Dedicated global server locations.

[video]https://youtu.be/racRzkrh7Ec[/video]

Website
Steam Early Access
Facebook
Twitter
IndieDB
Reddit

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If users like a rocket launcher in ‘Unreal Tournament’ or ‘Quake’, They will interest ‘Grimoire’.

The magic skills are impressive.

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Devblog #38: Free-to-Play is coming to Grimoire.

This year will see some big changes for Grimoire. The biggest will be a transition from Pay-to-Play to Free-to-Play. Throughout development we have faced many challenges but there has always been one major problem: Not enough people playing. We have tried multiple ways to fix this but have not been successful. Now it is time for a more drastic approach.

First off I want to make it clear: All current owners of the game will be granted the “Ultimate pack”. This will give access to all current classes as well as any future classes that are added to the game. We are also working on creating some special bonuses as a reward for being an early supporter.

Here is how Grimoire’s Free-To-Play will work: All of the game’s features including game modes, maps, etc will be available for free to all Steam users. The paid content will be the game’s classes.
All free users will start with access to the Fire class and then be able to access the rest of the classes in three ways.

  1. Playing the game and earning “Arcane” points which can then used to unlock classes.
  2. By purchasing individual classes through Steam.
  3. “Ultimate Pack” bundle which will include all current classes as well as any future classes also purchasable through Steam.

Note: All current owners of the game will automatically be granted the “Ultimate Pack” once the F2P transition happens.

This is not a decision that has been made lightly. There are many reasons, but the transition to Free-to-Play is primarily so that you will have people to play against. Without this change there is simply no guarantee that we will ever reach the critical mass of players required to have full servers.

I have left out details like pricing because I would like to get community feedback and input before finalizing anything so please let me know what you think in this blog’s comments, email, or Steam message. I will answer all the questions that I can and address any concerns.

-Brent

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DevBlog #39: Progression spells, Arcane points, and 50% off sale.

Greetings all! This week’s DevBlog is focused on the upcoming new spells and Arcane points system that will be released with the Free-to-Play update. I would also like to point out that Grimoire is 50% off as a part of the Lunar New Year sale. If you want to support development please consider purchasing a copy for yourself or maybe gift a copy to a friend!

Grimoire’s Free-to-Play system will mostly be based around the game’s six classes. Owners of the game at the time of the transition will be automatically granted all of the game’s classes. Free users will receive one class and then can purchase more through the Steam store or by using Arcane points. As a part of this new F2P system players will be able to earn Arcane points… These points are an ingame currency and are gained by playing the game. Their primary use will be to purchase classes and spells.

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We have been working on the spell progression system for a long time and we are very excited to finally give out some more details. Here is how it will work: Each class starts off with the current four Active spells and one passive spell. As you play the game you will earn Arcane points which can then be used to unlock one of eight new active spells per class (48 total). These new spells are designed so that players can further customize each class to their preferred play style and role. Want to change Lightning into a short range burst DPS class? You can do it! Find Fire boring as an area damage class? You can change it to a single-target direct damage focus! With the new spells you can mix and match to create entirely new combinations or multi-role classes.

The four active spells for each class usually follow this basic pattern:
Spell(1) (left click) is short ranged but high damage.
Spell(2) (right click) is your general use spell and can often be charged.
Spell(3) (Q) is a more unique/advanced/class-specific spell and can often be re-triggered.
Spell(4) (E) is your “ultimate” spell and usually has a long cooldown.

The new progression spells will also generally follow this same pattern and so each class will gain two new Spell(1)’s, two new Spell(2)’s, etc. You will also find that some new spells are similar to the original starting spell but with a different purpose in mind. We have designed them to fit a variety of sub-classes and roles but we are also extremely excited to see what you all come up with!

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As we get closer to the F2P/Progression patch we will be releasing even more details about specifics of the new spells. I hope that this has at least provided an interesting peek at our plans and the future of the game. Please let us know what you think in the comments and don’t forget the game is on sale for the next 48 hours!

-Brent

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DevBlog #40: Character models, tooltips, and the Arcane patch.

In today’s DevBlog I will be going over changes to our character models, introducing spell tooltips, and giving an update on the status of the Arcane patch (F2P and 48 new spells progression system). If you are looking for more details about the upcoming F2P transition please check out the last two DevBlogs 38 and 39.

First up is an exciting update to the look of each character model. A player’s team is currently indicated by a colored glow around their character. This has always been a temporary placeholder measure so that we could start using the new models. Soon they will be changed to more of a Team Fortress 2 style where each team’s color (Red and Blue) is much more obvious in the character’s clothing.

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The new progression system will be introducing a ingame currency called Arcane points which will allow players to purchase the 48 new class spells (8 per class). In order to help players make an informed decision on which spells they will unlock we will be adding tooltips to each spell. As you can see below these will be in the traditional style and will include the spell name, description, range, and type.

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In addition to the above changes we have also been making great progress on the backend systems needed to make the F2P transition work. I don’t want to give an exact date yet but unless we run into some huge unexpected problems you should see the patch go live within a month. Once that happens everyone who purchased the game will be automatically given the Ultimate pack which includes all six classes. Old players and new will then be able to begin earning Arcane points which can be used to unlock the new spells and/or classes. All players will have access to all servers and game modes and the only paid content that won’t be unlockable with Arcane points will be purely cosmetic. We are designing the system in a way that avoids Pay-To-Win so while paid players may be able to look cooler they will never have an in-game advantage over free players.

Thank you so much for being patient with us while we work on this large patch. I know that it has been a long time coming but we need to take our time with it and not rush things so that everyone has the best possible experience. Next week I will be releasing some more detailed information about the 48 new spells. As always please let me know what you think in the comments or through email!

-Brent

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Wow! That’s a lot of spells! @_@
Hope you make a fortune.

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Nice usage of the foliage example :D. Nice art!

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haha yeah we always planned to replace it with our own custom art but after a failed kickstarter and less than ideal Steam sales you do whatever you have to do to make things work! I just feel really fortunate to have such awesome art to work with, Epic is an awesome company for giving indie devs so much to work with.

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**DevBlog #41: Weeklong 50% off sale and F2P update news!
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This week begins the last sale before the Arcane update which will convert the game to F2P and add 48 new class spells. Early access players will then be automatically given the Ultimate pack once the F2P patch is live. This Ultimate pack will include instant access to all current and future classes, a permanent exp boost, and other small rewards.

Starting next week we will begin showing off some of the new class spells and going into our thoughts behind the spell design. One of the most exciting things about this new update is the ability to not only decide what utility and movement spells you want to use but also to customize the actual class spells. We can’t wait to see what you all come up with!

The transition to a F2P model was not taken lightly but we are confident that it will bring new life to the community and fix our #1 problem: player population. In addition to the change in business models we are also adding a large spell progression system that will allow players to customize each class by mixing and matching 48 new spells (8 per class). The F2P model will be based around the game’s classes with one available at the start for Free players. The other five classes can then be earned using in game currency called “Arcane points”, purchased through Steam as individual DLCs, or purchased through Steam as a bundle. In addition to this we will also be adding new maps, 48 new class spells, additional mana spells, sound effects, spell effects, stats systems, music, options menu, and server browser. For more details please see the last three DevBlogs 38, 39, and 40.

We have been working on this update for months and can’t wait to finally release it to the community. There will also be a pre-F2P patch that will allow Early Access users to play with the 48 new spells so please consider taking advantage of this sale! You will get an early look at the new spells as well as a head start with designing new spell combinations and learning the new mechanics.

For the latest Grimoire news and a chance to win free copies of the game follow us on Twitter @Omniconnection](https://twitter.com/Omniconnection) and on Facebook!

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DevBlogs #42 and #43

DevBlog #42 - F2P update delayed
Greetings all! First off I want to apologize for the lack of DevBlogs and game updates. The past month or so has been rough and I really wanted to wait until I had some good news to report along with the bad. That was a mistake and I won’t let it happen again.

Let’s start with the bad news. We have run into some issues with development of the F2P system and will be pushing back the release date for a month (possibly longer). I have always believed that it is important to never push out a game before it is ready. One of the benefits of being an indie studio is that we are in a position where I can make this decision without the bureaucratic pressure that often comes from publishers and large companies.

Now for the good news. This delay means that we will have time to add more content to the game before the big release. This will mainly be more maps but I am also looking into adding a single-player wave survival mode in which players can test out all of the spells in a fun and challenging mini-game. The delay also means that we will have one more 50% off Early Access sale before release.

The next big patch will introduce the new spells, new character textures, and the newly updated map - Market. This patch will come before the F2P transition and we are hoping that the community will help us test the new spells. We will specifically be looking for bug reports but information on balance and general design is always welcome.

On a personal note I want to assure everyone that I am doing everything possible to get this game finished. I really hate pushing back release dates and I completely understand that you all must be getting frustrated with the lack of updates. Thank you all for being patient with us. I’m looking forward to seeing what everyone thinks about the new spells and maps.

DevBlog #43 - A new look for Conquest - Market!

We haven’t had a map update in awhile so I thought I would take some time to share the latest progress. The next map to be added is called Market and some of you may have played earlier versions of it throughout Early Access. It isn’t finished yet but these screenshots should give you a good idea of what it will look like!

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With the help of a talented freelancer - Kieran Dubrey and under the direction of our lead artist - Justin Dickerman-Stewart we are using a mix of brand new models and recycled old models to bring a fresh look to Grimoire! By using a fancy snow material that Justin created we can now add realistic looking snow effects to all of our models.

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With the addition of a blizzard-like particle effect and some new gameplay elements we are also introducing a dangerous new addition to the already perilous center area of the map. Every few minutes a blinding and powerful blizzard will sweep through the central area causing the ground to be slippery and strong winds to blow players around. Quickly use movement spells and manasteps to escape - or brave the icy winds and try to take advantage of the confusion to capture that highly critical middle point!

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In addition to the visuals and blizzard map mechanic we have also made significant changes to the layout of the map. Various unnecessary flanking paths have been removed in order to better streamline and focus combat in central areas. There are still quite a few places where you will be able to teleport over buildings for a quick advantage but there is now no way to simply run from the middle to the final points. We have also added high ground in many places to help with a defender’s advantage and provide multiple tactical choices around each control point.

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We hope that the community will help with feedback, bugs and balancing the new changes. This map will be included in the upcoming 48 new spell patch along with some of the other changes we have been working on. That patch will come before the big F2P change so that we can get feedback and bug reports on the new spells. Please let us know what you think of the new map in the comments!
-Brent

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DevBlog #44 - New single player game mode and a Discord server!

Greetings all! Today I want to talk about the new game mode: Safeguard but before that I’m happy to announce we now have a Grimoire: Manastorm Discord server! “Discord is an all-in-one voice and text chat for gamers that’s free, secure, and works on both your desktop and phone.” It’s a great program that makes chatting and arranging game sessions a breeze so please feel to join us!

What is Safeguard?
Safeguard is a basic and barebones wave survival mode with an objective to defend. The main goal behind releasing this mini-game is to give players a chance to test out new spells, classes, and general gameplay in a fun and challenging offline setting. This isn’t a huge epic campaign with lots of voice acting and cinematics and while we would love to develop a more traditional style single player campaign this is all we can currently afford. Depending on the response from the community we may spend more time adding on to it in the future but the initial release will be limited to these features.

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Features:
Single player only
Three maps each with a different difficulty setting: Easy, Medium, and Hard
Access to all classes and spells (regardless of whether you have them unlocked in multiplayer)
2 Ranged Skeleton AI (Fire and Lightning)
2 Basic Skeleton Melee AI (Pawn with low hp and “uber” with 100 hp)
1 Suicide Skeleton Melee AI (Leeeerooyyyy!!)
1 “Boss” Golem AI (Huge Ice golem with a few special attacks)
Simple “Defend” objective and time limit (Protect the door and survive for 10 minutes).

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Story:
A powerful enemy mage is attacking the city and summoning the dead. You have teleported in to defend the people as they escape through ancient catacombs located inside a tavern basement. Your main objective is to defend the door for 10 minutes while they evacuate.

So essentially you will spawn in and fight wave after wave of basic AI which will provide a challenge and the chance to test out spells, classes, and tactics. Some enemies (the big skeleton warriors) will have the exact same health as enemy players in multiplayer so you can test out combos.

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We are currently fixing a few final bugs with this and about 40 new spells. After that is done there will be a big pre-F2P update which will include the new spells, Safeguard, a new conquest map, tooltips, in-game combat log text, bug fixes, updated environment art, and a few small things.

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook or join us on Discord for the latest news and as always a big thanks for your patience and support!

-Brent