Shadow Heroes: Vengeance In Flames

Community Showcase Game Development
21

Patch 0.2.7

Copy from http://www.shadowheroes.com/patch-0-2-7/

Patch 0.2.7

New Features

  • New tutorial that teaches you the basics of the game and the unit inventory
  • Very Easy and Easy difficulty levels were added
  • Insane difficulty will now always equip the AI with random Meta 11 items
  • Items will now reward based off of victory and difficulty level
  • Multiplayer item rewards will only be given for victory, no longer on defeat

Fixes

  • Fixed a bug that would made item decomposing impossible in 0.2.6
  • Fixed a problem with passive items being able to activate
  • Fixed health not updating properly in the unit inventory
  • Chanter invocation now shows up for clients in multiplayer
  • Fixed a bug that made it so clients did not have access to the in-game menu
  • Modified the way loading screens work, they should once again be working throughout the game
22

Patch 0.2.8

http://i2.wp.com/www.shadowheroes.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Patch2.8.jpg?resize=776%2C310

Another week, another patch! This week are have out tutorial fully functional so people can learn to play more easily. We are also starting to accept testers who want to try out a demo of the game. If you are interested in helping us by testing Shadow Heroes let me know or sign up on our website here

Copy from http://www.shadowheroes.com/patch-0-2-8/

Patch 0.2.8

New Features

  • Tutorials now have an in-game menu that allows you to quit
  • During gameplay you are able to dismiss the in-game menu by hitting escape again
  • Mouse scrolling no longer triggers if you are hovering an ability or an item
  • Tutorial navigation beacon has been improved to be more intuitive
  • Tutorial now contains tracking arrows that show you where to go if the goal is not in view
  • Starting position for host and client should be at their respective commander location as intended
  • Modified equipped items during tutorial, you will no longer be able to win the second fight through luck
  • Tutorial arrows no longer go away after a period of time

Fixes

  • Fixed a problem with the camera having the incorrect rotation on client machines
  • Fixed a glitch where tooltips would remain on screen when clicking on icons in the stats panel
  • Fixed a problem with sound sliders in options not applying the settings on save
  • Fixed a bug with tutorial that allowed you to skip steps by purchasing units
  • Fixed a bug with tutorial that allowed you to skip commander ability training by activating the auras instead
  • Fixed paladin shots, they are now properly dealing damage when at range instead of only while in melee
  • Fixed an item duplication exploit in Unit Inventory
  • Fixed a glitch in the tutorial that would allow you to keep spawning your commander if you went back a step
  • Fixed a glitch in the tutorial that would constantly spawn your first exorcist if you kept going back a step
23

http://i1.wp.com/www.shadowheroes.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Patch-0.2.9.jpg?resize=776%2C310

Just a small patch this week. We are gearing up our steam store to launch early access. We have sent alpha keys to a bunch of people already and contacted a number of alpha access distributes such as AlphaBetaGamer.com If you are interested in helping us by testing Shadow Heroes let me know or sign up on our website here

Copy from http://www.shadowheroes.com/patch-0-2-9/

Patch 0.2.9

New Features

  • Visual improvements done to Cave Entrance
  • Added a new reddit button that takes you to our sub-reddit
  • Updated the checkboxes in options to be in line with the checkboxes found in unit inventory

Fixes

  • Fixed an issue that would hide back and save buttons on options screen if the resolution was too small
  • Fixed a problem with the unit name not updating on switching units in the unit inventory
24

Patch 0.2.10

http://i0.wp.com/www.shadowheroes.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Patch_0.2.10.jpg?resize=776%2C310

It’s been a busy week with hundreds of new players trying Shadow Heroes. If you are interested in helping us by testing Shadow Heroes let me know or sign up on our website here. We have added a bug report form to the game that posts directly to our Jira for tracking. We will be adding this code plugin to the marketplace in the future and are testing it in the real world right now!

Copy from http://www.shadowheroes.com/patch-0-2-10/

Patch 0.2.10

New Features

  • The lobby screen will properly indicate which players are ready
  • Updated visuals on Cave Entrance
  • Players have the ability to report bugs through the in-game menu now

Fixes

  • You can no longer start multiplayer games without any players connected
  • Fixed an issue with the casting circle staying up if you kept clicking on the skill button without using the skill
  • Fixed a bug in unit inventory that would destroy an equipped item if you tried equipping something else over it without un-equipping first
25

http://i0.wp.com/www.shadowheroes.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/SteamEarlyAccess.jpg?resize=776%2C310

](Shadow Heroes: Vengeance In Flames on Steam)

After a lot of blood, sweat and coffee (more than is healthy, I’m told) I am happy to announce that Shadow Heroes is being released for Early Access!

Is it still Alpha?

Absolutely! Most of our time has gone into making the core code, which we want to be rock-solid so we can support all the updates to come. We’re trying to build a strong base for the future, rather than to cut corners to release a sub-par Alpha. We feel that’s the best path for delivering for the overall vision of Shadow Heroes.

So while the core game is getting pretty solid, there’s still a pretty limited amount of player-facing features. Here’s what’s in the Alpha:

  • 12 Unique Items with active and passive versions of each.
  • Items upgrading with the 12 different items each with 11 tiers
  • 9 Different units
  • 5 Levels of difficulty that will help you progress through the game
  • 1 Game mode. 1v1 Commanders. Take out the enemy commander to win!
  • Multiplayer support and basic match making.
  • Lots of little bugs, animation glitches, and UI annoyances, and much much more!

As our first public Alpha release, there are lots of small bugs, but here are some high profile ones that you might run into and are high on our list to fix.

  • The UI layout does not function correctly on small resolutions
  • Spirits possess the same unit and are a bit unbalanced.
  • Tool tips snap into place

How to Give Feedback

Please send your feedback and bug reports to us via the in game menu. These will be posted directly to our Jira server. You can also post on our subreddit. We will be monitoring posts there closely, so please do start up some discussionsand let us know your thoughts! You may also leave feedback and suggestions on our steam hub discussions.

Coming Next

While we know the Shadow Heroes Alpha isn’t a full game yet, because we’re in a good place with the core systems, we are ready to start pumping out gameplay. So the good news is that you can expect the Alpha to be regularly, updated with bug fixes, unit balancing and new features like multiplayer factions, game modes and levels.

Because of our (ridiculously) small team, we are able to move quickly and address your concerns right away. That’s why we try to have patches every Friday.

While we still have a long way to go, this is a huge milestone for Allied Games. There is a huge story to tell about all the nations of Hendrika and we can’t wait to share it all with you!

26

Patch 0.2.12

http://i2.wp.com/www.shadowheroes.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Patch-0.2.12.jpg?resize=776%2C310

First week on stream early access and we have already received a bunch of feedback that we are addressing in this patch! Our development cycle is designed around quickly addressing issues that users find and we are putting it to good use!

Copy from http://www.shadowheroes.com/patch-0-2-12/

Patch 0.2.12

New Features

  • Multiplayer Chat system now implemented
  • Keys can now be rebound in the options menu. (This currently requires a restart but we are working on that)
  • New Camera system that should feel smoother
  • You may now include your email in bug reports so that we can follow up with you and help solve your issues directly
  • Default graphical settings are now medium

Fixes

  • Fixed a collision error on the tutorial that caused the fire pit to appear in the sky
  • Adjusted the minimap on Cave Entrance to show the whole map
  • Fixed an error that caused hosts to no longer see a new players joining if one had left the room
  • Addressed an issue where a client that loaded into a multiplayer game before a host will not receive a hud. They will now receive a hud after the host clicks ready
  • Collisions added to cave level so you can’t leave the map anymore
  • Added a deadzone to drag select so that is is easier to click on units. We also added larger collision boxes (for selection purposes) to units as well
  • Very easy difficulty is now selected by default instead of normal
27

Patch 0.2.13

http://i1.wp.com/www.shadowheroes.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Patch-0.2.13.jpg?resize=776%2C310

Lots to talk about today. We did a balance pass on the units based on what people where using mostly. It was very skewed to early game units in mass. To put less emphasis on them, I took out the nerf bat and smacked them around a bit. On top of that, some of the support units got better. We wanted the more expensive units to have a real impact on your army to make them good value. Now Demigods will easily take out 10 exorcists as they should.

On top of that, we got some feedback that things where not that intuitive. Commanders got stuck on your own units and that there wasn’t really a way to see if your strategy was working. Well we tried to address all these issues since they are good points. We added a Battle Meter that looks at what’s on the battlefield and calculates who is winning based on the cost of the units on the field. It dynamically updates as units spawn and die so you can always get a quick glimpse of how the battle is going.

http://www.shadowheroes.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/BattleMeter.gif

On top of that there is more tooltip updates, clarifications and bits of lore being added in to the game. Our focus has been on making what we have really solid and we plan on continuing to do so. Coming up next you should expect some performance improvements and maybe some bonus content :wink:

Patch 0.2.13

New Features

  • Tutorial now has the same camera system as skirmish and multiplayer
  • Commanders are now able to walk through their own units, enemy units will still be able to surround and block them
  • Commanders now display their names in unit stats
  • Commanders skill tooltips have been improved with a more accurate representation of their damage and when it is dealt
  • A new battle progress meter has been added to provide a quick visual representation of the winning side
  • When units take damage, a health bar will now be displayed above their heads

Balance
Exorcist

  • Damage has been lowered from 15-17 to 5-7
  • Defence reduced from 1 to 0
  • Health lowered from 150 to 90

Hunter

  • Hunter’s mark now reduces armor by 1 instead of 5
  • Hunter’s mark can no longer reduce defence below 0

Spirit

  • Possession duration is now based on the amount of damage the spirit can deal. Every point increases the duration by 1 second so 10 damage would possess a unit for 10 seconds. This gives you a reason to put damage items on your spirits
  • Spirits will avoid trying to possess the same unit as another spirit
  • Spirits will no longer possess other spirits (because that was just silly)

Paladin

  • Damage has been lowered from 17-19 to 12-15
  • Paladins now only regenerate health when out of combat

Archangel

  • Attack speed has been increased from 1 to 1.5
  • Defence increased from 1 to 2
  • The Archangel’s radiant light ability will now trigger every 10 seconds and can be used while she is in melee range
  • The Archangel’s radiant light ability no longer has falloff damage. All targets will now take full damage

Chanter

  • The Chanter’s Invocation buff will now increase defence by 2 instead of 1

Martyr

  • Damage has been increased from 7-9 to 17-19
  • Defence increased from 0 to 1

Fixes

  • Fixed a bug that required you to reload the game if you modified keybinds
  • Fixed a problem with fullscreen not being shown properly in options after being set
  • Fixed an issue with active items that increased health, now a unit that goes to 0 health after the effect wears off will properly die
  • Loading screen hints will now properly display the key that is bound to a specific action

Source http://www.shadowheroes.com/patch-0-2-13/

28

Patch 0.2.14

http://i2.wp.com/www.shadowheroes.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Patch-0.2.14.jpg?resize=776%2C310

Whooo. A hell of a patch today. Not a lot on the front end but the changes on the back end where huge. Two of the major systems in the game got most of their functionality converted to C++ from blueprints. That the major game thread elements of AI as well as the entire Status effect system. This should increase the speed of the game substantially until you start hitting larger number of units. One thing on the horizon is to better optimize the navigation of units so that it does not slow down the game thread as much.

We also added a new commander to the game. He is a cherub who supports his allied while hindering his enemies. His main ability does 150 damage over times to enemies in the casting circle while also healing friendlies in the same area. His ultimate, Fog Trick, creates a massive fog cloud that stuns enemies in it and hinders vision. while using Fog Trick, enemies are immobile and easy pickings for your units or your base ability. Fog trick is centered on you so you can use it and run into your enemies to stun them.

Patch 0.2.14

New Features

  • New commander, Roshan joins the fight
  • Roshan is the first commander that has the ability to heal as well as damage with his main ability
  • Completely re-worked status effects, how they are applied and how they are polled, you will notice a definite performance increase as a result
  • AI has begun getting improvements, over time this will greatly improve performance during games

Fixes

  • Fixed an issue with in-game menu not going away if you hit the hotkey again
  • Battle progress bar now properly displays on client machines during multiplayer games
  • Using hotkeys for quick buy and quick sell will no longer trigger invalid tooltip errors
  • Fixed various warnings that were being falsely reported behind the scenes

Source http://www.shadowheroes.com/patch-0-2-14/

29

Onslaught Mode Is Here

http://i0.wp.com/www.shadowheroes.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/OnslaughtMode-e1466566008923.png?resize=776%2C310

Greetings Captains!

Deep from the caverns that run beneath Hendrika, the **Shadow Heroes **team has conjured up our first major content release since our launch on early access! Check out the new TRAILER and continue reading for all the details!

Onslaught Mode

  - **Defend Faircrown From Free Spell**: The forces of Free Spell have taken it upon themselves to assault Faircrown. You must hold out for as long as possible while more and more troops continue to bombard the city you call home./*] 	*]**Unit Placement**: Units can be spawned at various locations in front of the city walls. This will allow you to place your melee units up front and keep your ranged units tucked away in the back./*] 	*]**Endless Rewards**: Receive a new item rewards every 5 waves completed. The stronger your forces, the further you can make it. Onslaught promises to be one of the most challenging and rewarding modes in the game!/*] 	*]**Explosions!**: You have the home field advantage. Use the city cannons to blast large portions of the enemy forces to smithereens! Be careful though, they take a full five minutes to reload./*] 	*]**New Leadership Mechanic:** In Onslaught, you gain additional leadership based on the number of friendly units surviving after every wave. Each one will supply 25% of their recruitment cost in leadership for the next wave./*] 	*]**Progressive Challenge: **As you continue to defend, the enemy army grows and becomes better equipped. They will have stronger equipment every wave, eventually reaching some of the strongest items in the game. Can you match their strength?/*]

Let us know what you think! If you like what we’re doing, please leave a review. There are more updates coming every week so keep your eyes on the Shadow Heroes: Vengeance In Flames Steam Page. Thanks again for your ongoing support, we hope you enjoy the changes!

30

This is all very impressive. Good to see that you are all barreling toward release! Keep it up! :slight_smile:

31

Thanks! We try our best. When you say “you are all” it sounds like we have a nice big team when in fact it’s just 2 dudes working our butts off :stuck_out_tongue:

32

Aha that sounds familiar! Pretty similar to how our project is going, too.

That makes it all the more impressive!

33

Patch 0.3.2

http://i0.wp.com/www.shadowheroes.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Patch_0.3.2.jpg?resize=776%2C310

This week we focused on quality of life improvements based on the feedback we gathered from you guys.

New Features

  • You can now rotate the camera with Q and E
  • Zooming in all the way will now tilt the camera up a bit more to give you a better view of the battle
  • Trying to hire a unit when you don’t have enough leadership will now show you an error
  • Game settings now default to fullscreen with medium settings
  • Improved pathing in Onslaught mode
  • Roshan has a chance of being selected by the AI in Commanders mode now
  • Enemy Wave will also display which wave number you are on

Fixes

  • Fixed minimap issue on the Faircrown Bridge map
  • Next wave portraits will no longer get cut off on the bottom row
  • Corrected a glitch that allowed you to progress in the Onslaught tutorial without performing the required action
  • Fixed an issue that would erroneously display windowed mode in options if you were in fullscreen

Feedback
Thank you guys for all your feedback thus far, we always appreciate it. Whether positive or negative, as long as it is constructive we can use it to make the game that much better! Always speak up to let us know what you like or dislike so that we know what to focus on.

34

http://i1.wp.com/www.shadowheroes.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Patch_0.3.3.jpg?resize=776%2C310

Greetings Captains!

This week we’ve started a makeover for our game modes. We’re going to alter the way units are spawned. We will go away from the current random placement within an area and allow you guys to place them anywhere inside an area.

It is still too early to include that feature in 0.3.3, because we have not had the chance to test it thoroughly. Still, I’m confident you will all get to play with it next week!

New Features

  • New lighting for both Faircrown and Cave Entrance
  • Units that are not visible (due to trees, rocks or other things in the way of the camera) will now show you a silhouette of them at that location

Fixes

  • Fixed surrender option during Onslaught to work with the updated Door
  • Commander names should once more show up
  • Units will once again be able to properly move on the bridge to Faircrown and should not get stuck on it
  • Fixed targetting on the bridge, you will no longer be able to target invisible walls

Feedback
We’d love to hear your thoughts on the core gameplay of both Onslaught and Commanders. Is there anything you guys dislike or want to see improved?

35

Patch 0.3.4

http://i2.wp.com/www.shadowheroes.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Patch0.3.4.jpg?resize=776%2C310

Greetings Captains!

As promised last week, we have completed the new spawning system for all of you to try! Currently it is only available in the Commanders game mode, we’re working on converting Onslaught to use the same system next.

With this new system, you will no longer need to select a unit and then purchase it. The process now only needs you to select a unit, you will automatically purchase it as soon as you place it in a valid location.

We look forward to seeing screenshots of all your new formations!

New Features

  • New Spawn System for 1v1 Commanders
  • When spawning a unit you will be asked to give it a position to spawn at within your spawn area, this will allow you to create formations more effectively
  • Selecting a unit’s spawn location will now give you the option to move it or sell it
  • Commanders tutorial has been updated to reflect the new spawn system
  • Multiplayer Commanders has also been updated to work with the new spawning system

Fixes

  • Fixed a problem with an invisible wall in Onslaught Tutorial that would block proper use of the cannons
  • Fixed an issue where if the AI had enough income it would build units faster than they could spawn resulting in it never spawning units again.
  • Commanders got some extra error checking

Feedback
Let us know if there are any improvements you would like to see with the new spawning system, or any changes you are interested in seeing. We’re happy to listen and to talk about Shadow Heroes with you guys!

36

Patch 0.3.5

http://i0.wp.com/www.shadowheroes.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Patch-0.3.5.jpg?resize=776%2C310

Greetings Captains!

This week we’ve been hard at work trying to get some proper audio cue’s in the game.

Our menu also received a new makeover, streamlining the process between the Unit Inventory and the Main Menu. Going back and forth between them will feel a lot more seamless.

With these quality of life improvements to the game, we’re now at a point where we can focus on getting the first chapter of the story implemented.

New Features

  • Audio feedback added to buttons, dropowns and checkboxes
  • Options screen now provides feedback when modifying sliders for volume
  • Hiring units will provide an audio queue to let you know the operation was a success
  • Trying to place a unit when you can’t hire one now gives you warning sounds along with the error message
  • Menu music now implemented
  • Transition between menu and unit inventory has been streamlined, load times when travelling back and forth should be greatly improved

Fixes

  • Minor bugs and spelling mistakes taken care of

Feedback
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the sound effects and menu music!

37

Patch 0.3.6

http://i0.wp.com/www.shadowheroes.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Patch-0.3.6.jpg?resize=776%2C310

Greetings Captains!

Continuing on the progress from last week, we’ve now managed to implement more audio cues throughout the game.

Next week we’ll start working on implementing items through the steam inventory. This will allow player trades and marketplace transactions for them. A full blog post will be available next week which explains the process.

We will also be starting work on implementing the first chapter of the story, we’re very excited about sharing the story of Hendrika with everyone!

New Features

  • Equipping items, slotting them or sorting them now have audio feedback
  • Decomposing items now plays a sound effect to go with the animation
  • Audio will now play when an item is ready for crafting
  • Success and failure when combining items now provide audio feedback
  • Shine, Ice Rain, Wild Growth and Fire Pit now have audio cues
  • Demigod visual size increased to make them more menacing on the battlefield

Fixes

  • Fixed a dupe glitch in the item inventory
  • AI Commanders have their detection range increased, this will prevent them from cowering in the corner if they have troops

Feedback
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the sound effects and our future plans!

38

Patch 0.3.7

http://i1.wp.com/www.shadowheroes.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Patch-0.3.7.jpg?resize=776%2C310

Greetings Captains!

This week we did a pass on optimization and pathing, there should no longer be units stuck on the bridge or that attempt to walk through solid matter!

As a new quality of life improvement units during Onslaught mode no longer drop collectibles, instead, leadership will automatically be collected when a unit dies. This will stop you from worrying about coins that could have fallen off the bridge and focused on building an impressive defense force

We’ve also begun work on implementing the first chapter of the story and continuing work new item system. Expect to see elements from both in the upcoming weeks.

New Features

  • Updated the navigation radius of units on Faircrown Bridge to be smaller
  • Pathfinding has been switched over to navigation mesh for performance increase
  • Onslaught no longer drops collectibles, the loot is automatically collected by you on an enemy death
  • Overall performance increase with lots of units on screen

Fixes

  • Fixed a new dupe bug that was created as a result of menu streamlining
  • Fixed a problem with Onslaught not updating the unit portrait if you tried to cycle through units while the purchase menu was up

Feedback
With the story and item storage being reworked, which of the two are you guys most excited for?

39

http://i0.wp.com/www.shadowheroes.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Patch-0.3.8.jpg?resize=776%2C310

Greetings Captains!

With the work we’re putting towards the new item system and campaign story implementation, this week gets to see the Codex come to life! The Codex will contain information about Units, People of interest, Locations and History. As soon as we’ve implemented the first campaign mission, a new Codex type will become available: Journal.

More entries will become unlocked in the Codex as you progress through campaign, so look forward to more of them as we release missions!

New Features

  • Demigod area of effect for damage was slightly increased
  • Codex implemented in game
  • Codex now available in main menu as well as in-game

Fixes

  • Couple back-end fixes for menus

Feedback
With the story and item storage being reworked, which of the two are you guys most excited for?

40

Patch 0.3.9

http://i2.wp.com/www.shadowheroes.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Patch-0.3.9.jpg?resize=776%2C310

Greetings Captains!

This week has been pretty busy, we’ve completely revamped the item system along with the Commanders game mode.

The biggest change you will be noticing is the equipment system. We’ve done away with the Unit Loadouts, no longer will you need to worry about your setup before a match. Placing a unit on the field now allows you to individually equip them by clicking the green +. You will then be prompted with a small inventory window which will show you: every Meta 1 item at your disposal, their cost, passive items being blue and active items being red. Clicking on any of those items will automatically purchase it using your leadership and assigning it to the first available slot. If you click on the slot that contains that item, you will be refunded the full amount you have spent on it. This will quickly allow you to try out various strategies during a game!

At the end of every game, you will no longer be awarded items, instead you will receive components. You may use components in the Armory in order to unlock higher tier meta items to be available for purchase during a match. Your progress with item unlocks will no longer be stored locally, so you will have access to all your meta levels so long as you use your steam account.

New Features

  • Commanders game mode now has a general wave timer, all units will spawn every 30 seconds
  • Unit Loadouts are phased out as of this patch, they have been replaced with an equipment upgrade system
  • All your item unlocks and component gains are now stored through steam and are linked to your steam account
  • Finishing a game no longer rewards you items, you will now receive components
  • You can use components in order to unlock higher Meta levels to be available during game
  • Every unit placement now has access to an upgrade menu, click the + in order to bring it up
  • You can only upgrade an item up to the highest Meta level that you’ve unlocked
  • Filtering items both in-game and main menu will now show you all items which match any of your selected criteria rather than having to match all selected options
  • Item tooltips will now show you the max Meta level you have unlocked of that specific item type
  • Leadership cost for items is now also displayed on item tooltips
  • Slot restrictions have been lifted from all items, you may now equip multiples of the same kind for stacking bonuses
  • Selling any item from a slot will refund you all the leadership you have spent on it to that point, including upgrades

Fixes

  • Fixed a positioning issue with text in the Codex which made it too close to the edge in some cases
  • Floating damage text now goes away quicker

Feedback
How do you guys feel about the update to Commanders? What about the new equipment system?