Sneak Peek: Meranthe 1.5
02-20-2023, 02:02 AM
Now that patch 1.4 is (mostly) bug free and polished, work has been ongoing towards our 1.5 release. This isn't as massive of an update as the last expansion, so you can expect to see it sooner rather than the lengthy development period that occured prior (hopefully sometime next month!). It's also just adding content rather than any new factions or changes of a narrative nature.
With that said, the update will cover the following (in addition to smaller various changes):
Bookshelves
A past feature that's long overdue for an import into Meranthe. It'll be an option in the prop menu going forward, and for those unfamiliar, lets you place and remove books for others viewing onto it.
Notice Boards
Another import job! Notice boards, once crafted, let characters transfer letters/paper to the board for public viewing. Owners can do stuff like sticky, remove notes, etc.
Improvements to Block/Guarding
In the block rework, the feature is being improved to be more of a central aspect of the combat rather than a somewhat rough side mechanic. The default key is changed from Z to - (can be rebinded), and a 'guard gauge' appears above when you block, which decreases as you take damage. The fuller the gauge is the more effective (reducing damage by 50% at 100%), but it declines as it lessens, and if it reaches 0 while guarding you're hit by a 'guard break' that stuns you for 3s! Here is an overview of how that works in a little more detail (the numbers are subject to change, as with all new content).
Description Markers
Highly requested, these are temporary points of interest that any character can place to write a description that appears when others interact with it. You get to choose the sprite (blood, a crater, scrambled notes, etc) and the duration (from 3 hours to 24), then write out the content.
Preview Spell
Now you'll never have to worry about misunderstanding a tooltip or potential inaccuracies ever again, as this feature lets players freely try out an ability regardless of its requirements for a brief period of 15 minutes. You can switch to a new preview spell without limitations but have a limit of one at a time, and your opponent is alerted if you're previewing an ability. This makes the game a lot more newbie friendly if they want to take the time to study the combat.
Absorption Magic
This is going to become a public tree rather than signature abilities, consisting of Null Ray, Absorption Aura, Flux, and Aperture.
Illusion Magic - Expansion and Rework
Moving away from its current focus around homings, Illusion is getting three new abilities that are themed around distortion of senses but more engaging and fun to both land and avoid. This includes new sprites, as well, one of which you can see previewed below! See a rough write up here.
Fortuna Magic
We've had the sprites ready for some time, and now development has freed up enough to work these into the game. Each 'card' (death, hope, and life) is its own individual spell, and the tree also comes with an aura that presents bonuses when you cast a card!
![[Image: black-vortex-test-new2-export.gif]](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/966557269246488576/1076648050723926057/black-vortex-test-new2-export.gif)
![[Image: Ankh4export3.gif]](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/966557269246488576/1076648051164336178/Ankh4export3.gif)
![[Image: black_box_cast.gif]](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1035652806490738740/1076534541558231212/black_box_cast.gif)
![[Image: black_box.gif]](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1035652806490738740/1076928173532512407/black_box.gif)
With that said, the update will cover the following (in addition to smaller various changes):
Bookshelves
A past feature that's long overdue for an import into Meranthe. It'll be an option in the prop menu going forward, and for those unfamiliar, lets you place and remove books for others viewing onto it.
Notice Boards
Another import job! Notice boards, once crafted, let characters transfer letters/paper to the board for public viewing. Owners can do stuff like sticky, remove notes, etc.
Improvements to Block/Guarding
In the block rework, the feature is being improved to be more of a central aspect of the combat rather than a somewhat rough side mechanic. The default key is changed from Z to - (can be rebinded), and a 'guard gauge' appears above when you block, which decreases as you take damage. The fuller the gauge is the more effective (reducing damage by 50% at 100%), but it declines as it lessens, and if it reaches 0 while guarding you're hit by a 'guard break' that stuns you for 3s! Here is an overview of how that works in a little more detail (the numbers are subject to change, as with all new content).
Description Markers
Highly requested, these are temporary points of interest that any character can place to write a description that appears when others interact with it. You get to choose the sprite (blood, a crater, scrambled notes, etc) and the duration (from 3 hours to 24), then write out the content.
Preview Spell
Now you'll never have to worry about misunderstanding a tooltip or potential inaccuracies ever again, as this feature lets players freely try out an ability regardless of its requirements for a brief period of 15 minutes. You can switch to a new preview spell without limitations but have a limit of one at a time, and your opponent is alerted if you're previewing an ability. This makes the game a lot more newbie friendly if they want to take the time to study the combat.
Absorption Magic
This is going to become a public tree rather than signature abilities, consisting of Null Ray, Absorption Aura, Flux, and Aperture.
Illusion Magic - Expansion and Rework
Moving away from its current focus around homings, Illusion is getting three new abilities that are themed around distortion of senses but more engaging and fun to both land and avoid. This includes new sprites, as well, one of which you can see previewed below! See a rough write up here.
Fortuna Magic
We've had the sprites ready for some time, and now development has freed up enough to work these into the game. Each 'card' (death, hope, and life) is its own individual spell, and the tree also comes with an aura that presents bonuses when you cast a card!