“(unintelligible language that seems familiar, but you just. can’t. place it.)” - the Bard in Embermark



You’ve seen him before, but now he’s alive! And we have big plans for bardery in Exiles– plans unlike those you’ve experienced elsewhere. Welcome back to the Exiles Dev Update!

Last update, we focused on the “Explore” feature in PVE, a swashbuckling boss baddie, Embermark populations and the reveal of the Houses redux. This time, it’s the latest evolution of our Combat system, more VFX, the dungeon system coming online and big changes for the World Map. Read on…



COMBAT EVOLUTION



The evolution of the combat system in Exiles has been the source of much sharing and discussion since we’ve been chronicling the game’s development. We’ve been designing and honing and throwing out and changing things all along the way as we develop something players enjoy doing ‘til the cows come home. And we have more to share, but first a quick history:

The Exiles of Embermark Combat System: A Chronological History of Systems and Why They Were Shelved

Thems Pokeemans - The first combat system, super straightforward and simple, much like combat from a certain favored “RPG” about collecting and training little creatures. Why No: too simple. While easy to grok, this system was far too dependent on the setup of the character (loadout, abilities, talents). If you had the wrong one, tough– you were dead regardless of your choices. The Deck - Similar to a CCG, we took Abilities and had the player “draw” them in a shuffled order. Why No: in a quick battle, you didn’t have time to wait for the “right” move to come along and combination-planning was difficult. The Stance Dance - the player had 8 abilities in a battle, and each had a “Stance”– Martial, Magic or Mystic. The Stance employed a typical Rock-Paper-Scissors superiority circle to give players some guessing and gamesmanship, but they were also incentivized to stick in Stances for a while, because there was an Initiative bonus for doing so. Why No: Too much going on– you needed to be a real student of the game, every Ability and which ones were what Stance to be successful. The brain load was too much for the quick Battle.

And now, what we’re calling Combat 3.0 (even though it’s really 4). Please note that we are currently testing this thinking, and it’s not an official “thing” yet, but as you know, we like to discuss all things with you along the way. It’s a “Mid-Mort,” if you will.

The Basics:

It’s “I Go, You go.”



You: “Whaaaat? I thought this was a We-Go game?”



Me: “It was, but clear communication of combat events and the player’s ability to make smart counter-choices in a We-Go mechanic never got there for us.”

It uses “ Charges ” of resources that build up.

” of resources that build up. Types: Martial, Magic and Mystic (no surprise there).

Players “ Consume ” those charges to unleash certain attacks.

” those charges to unleash certain attacks. This gives the game some systematic interplay between Abilities that we didn’t have before (e.g., one Ability Charges, another Consumes, they both do damage and other effects).



It creates choices that are “better” in certain situations where you have the resources to make them.



Most importantly, this opens up design space for things like Breaks, Steals, Cleanses, and more– you get the picture.

In a nutshell, we created a distillation of many of the concepts that you’ve been hearing about all along. Without losing anything other than We-Go, we’ve entered into a combat system that still fulfills on the original Exiles promise of quick-but-strategic battles.

Is this our final format? Maybe, maybe not– but it’s a really exciting step for us toward something we can put into peoples’ hands.

BATTLE BACKGROUNDS GET ANIMS AND FX

The way we’re churning out battle environments has been shared much in the past, so this month I’m highlighting some of the Little Things– specifically, how we’re animating environmentd to give them more life and character. From leaves to popping bubbles to embers or snow or water, each will have (mostly subtle) animations to give you that little extra immersion while you fight for your life.

Here’s a close-up of that little bog-bubble in the environment above, cuz if I don’t share it, it may not get its due:

Leaves and water and embers will start to dot the various “places” players spend the majority of their time in.

And, where appropriate, a little dust/smoke/etc…

DUNGEONS

The system is coming along quickly, from the concepts I’ve shared before, to the backend system that we’re implementing as we speak. In fact, I clicked through my first dungeon experience on Friday (was just a few wolf encounters and alas–no traysure– but I was still excited). In the coming weeks, we’re adding story choices, treasure, exploration (for RNG content) and bosses.

Below, you can see the entrance, where encounters are, random exploration (the ? mark), treasure for the taking, blank rooms that could hold anything and a big boss ending.

AN ONSLAUGHT OF VFX



They’re coming fast. Player abilities and NPC moves will involve some additional animations and VFX that clue players in to what effects they bring.

Here, summon the Arcane Wall FX, wrap your character in a protective shell and thwart all manner of negative effects.

Manifest a sword of ice with which to smite your foe? Check.

And the most powerful looking Magick Missile evar:

I mean, we all grew up with a MM that can’t miss, but this is way beyond what I first saw in my head when casting it…

THE NEW MAP



As the systems change, the lore changes and now the map is changing! The development of Exiles history, geography and flora/fauna has been going nonstop for the last several months (you’ve heard about story changes and House changes in particular), and here’s a first look at how geography has morphed to accommodate:

(compare this with the original map)

MEET ADDRIGHAR, THE CENTRAL HILLS AND BORDER TO THE SCAR

Another Zone takes shape. This one is both key and exciting for the Gunslinger team here, as it bridges the gap between the Zones that we’ve already produced art for (namely, the Western mountainous Zone, Siege, the Eastern starting Zone of Wildewoods and the Southeastern coast of Askala).

It’s bordering on the Breach-ravaged Scar, has more land than any other Zone and is home to all manner of House (Majesty), creature (Bogans and Draccai) and landmarks (Tallwind Lake and the Zandri Wastes). We’re just getting started, but you can see where some of the main locations and landforms will be.

THE SERPENT

The Serpent will get a better name than “Serpent,” but until then, we’re working on bringing her to life, featuring a hypnotic, menacing ready pose…

…and a lightning-fast strike to your dumb face:

NEW GEAR SAMPLES

A Warrior isn’t a Warrior isn’t a Warrior in Exiles, and the gear will reflect that. Besides horned helms and plate mail, we’ll also have more menacing garb like a hood/mask that promises to hide the combatant’s intentions from their opponent…

…and the Mage gets some new shoulders that shouldn’t restrict their spellslinging movement too much:

THE BARD LIVES



He’s wily, this one. As shown in the Update’s intro, the Embermark-ian bard isn’t your classic lute-player in a floppy hat with questionable martial skills. This one is a mystery– is he from the continent or beyond the Breaches? Is that a mask or his face?

And what does he want?

These, and other questions will be answered as players progress through the game, but one thing is certain– this is not your father’s bard.

Despite his otherworldly appearance, he’s still got some familiar jestery moves that will both delight and enrage the player.

I mean– no one likes a jig danced at their expense. This guy is cruisin’:

DON’T FORGET TO REMEMBER…



We’ll keep sharing details as we head toward testing (go here to sign up for testing and be among The First), and you can count on early impressions from the testers throughout our various channels.

If you haven’t already, follow along with Exiles development on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. And if you haven’t, I’ll find you. And SMITE you.

CONNECT WITH OTHER EXILES

If you want to hear about the game, ask questions or connect with others who are helping the development team think about features, design and narrative, hop into the Discord Channel for live chat and say hi– it’s a friendly crew with plenty of daily/weekly/sometimes-planned shenanigans.

BONUS: BUGGED SKELETON GIFS

Bugs are never pretty, but sometimes they’re amusing. When skeletons go awry, we get a mix of visuals. And no, my good Discord community, these will not be in the game…

On we go!