Dev Blog #5 (January 2024)
February 2nd 2024
Happy New Year, Tacticians!
2024 sure started with a bang! Between all the changes we made to Skygard Arena, and our upcoming February Playtest, we have many news to share with you today, so why don't we just get started?
Hero Spotlight: Raine
First and foremost, let’s take a closer look at Raine, the Scarlet Witch of the Crimson Empire faction!
Raine’s ambition is matched only by the power of her magic. On the battlefield, she uses her spells to reinforce her allies, and trap her enemies in her sinister garden of brambles and crimson roses.
In Skygard Arena, Raine serves as a battlemage, dealing damage and providing support in the middle of the fray. As she casts spells every turn, she generates Bloodrage (the Crimson Empire’s unique mechanic), which makes her even stronger. The longer she can stay in the fight, the more unstoppable Raine will become!
Visually, it was important to convey that Raine isn’t afraid to get in the middle of fights, and powerful enough to turn the tides with her devastating spells.
Let us know how much you’re looking forward to dominating the battlefield with Raine!
UI Improvements
In the GIF above, you might also have noticed some user interface elements that weren't there before. Our objective with these changes was to improve readability in battle, both for the Heroes you'll be controlling, and for enemies you will encounter in the PvE solo campaign and in PvP matches.
Among other changes, you'll new have an indicator of which spell you're casting as you're selecting your target. We’ve also improved controls for casting spells overall, especially spells that hit in a zone. Casting spells has never been easier!
And due to popular demand among our Playtesters, we’ve also included a tactical Ruler Mode to allow players to better plan their moves.
Aerica is not be able to target Jorn from her current position…
… but she could get a clear shot after moving in position!
The Ruler mode will allow players to clearly see whether or not they have a line of sight to their target, from their current position and others as well!
Long story short, we've worked hard to make Skygard Arena more accessible. Some visual elements are still WIP (that orange is soooo 2023), but we hope you enjoy your time in the Arena when you get your hands on the game in our upcoming playtest! Speaking of which...
Upcoming Community Playtest!
That's right, we'll be holding a Community Playtest from February 8th to February 18th! Unlike our previous Playtest, this one will be rather PvP-centric: we've made a lot of design and balancing changes lately, and we're eager for player feedback.
Among other things, we’ve reworked a couple of Heroes, and made a lot of visual changes - both to Heroes and to our UI, as showcased aboved. Full patchnotes will be available on our Discord server once the Playtest starts.
If you’re interested in participating in this Playtest, make sure to let me know on Discord! My DMs are always open and we’re always looking for playtesters to share their feedback with us. I hope to hear from you soon, and to face you all in the Arena!
And that’ll be all for this month! Thank you once again for your time and interest, and see you very soon in the Arena!
Arnaud
Gemelli Games - Community Manager
