Howdy everyone! Hope you're all doing well as always. The last 6 months have been some of the busiest to date, for everyone here at Titan Roc. Much like all of you, we're itching to get Vahrin's Call over the finish line and into your hands, and we've been hard at work this year, pushing towards that goal. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33742756/2b52a62bf3d3499f3ad65cbcf3b75223d1e0a8ea.png[/img] While we don't have a release date that we're ready to share [i]just[/i] yet (soon, we promise!), we do want to update you all on the current state of Vahrin's Call, as well as what still lies ahead for the remainder of the game's development. Without further ado, let's dive in! [u][h3]A Story-driven RPG[/h3][/u] As I'm sure all of you know, Vahrin's Call is a story-driven, action RPG. A big part of the game revolves around interacting with the various quirky characters you'll encounter on your journey, as you delve deeper and deeper into Vahrin's depths. With this in mind, we're putting a lot of effort into ensuring your interactions with these individuals are as meaningful and memorable as they can possibly be. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33742756/4b230b5476afd32d3476e338f57088089367bc04.gif[/img] The introduction of voice acting in Vahrin's Call is one way we're looking to achieve this. Implementing fully voiced characters over the last year, has been a monumental task, to say the least. With such a tiny team, we're all wearing multiple hats to ensure the game reaches its maximum potential and delivers on the best experience possible. That being said, we couldn't be happier with how the voice acting has come together! Each person that you'll stumble across in the world now has their own unique voice, adding to their character and creating a greater sense of immersion as you traverse the land. [previewyoutube=EfGEW89SgHs;full][/previewyoutube] NPCs in the game have also seen additional updates and improvements since the end of 2023, that are helping to bring them to life. This includes, but is not limited to countless new animations and expressions to sell their most emotional moments. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33742756/b879ba4195f9d68c4272fcf5134ae245f2d00e72.gif[/img] Above all else, we want you to have fun and look forward to what compelling characters you'll meet around the next corner; whether you're braving the depths, seeking to liberate the citizens of Vahrin, or helping out the locals with their personal problems. We can't wait for you all to discover exactly who still inhabits this largely abandoned city! [h3][u]Creature Feature[/u][/h3] While you're out exploring open fields, deep caves, abandoned city streets and more, you'll stumble across all manner of beasts and creatures, threatening to end your adventure prematurely. They are a big part of the game, helping the world to feel alive, while also providing fresh and exciting combat and a new challenge around every corner. AI, art, visual effects, sound effects and animations have all been updated on a variety of these enemies over the last year. As a result, they are now finally feeling like the ferocious, spine tingling, or in some cases, adorable entities that we had always envisioned them to be. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33742756/69f502016ace2777b5822afe24ee307200b57e80.gif[/img] Tying into this are the world's bosses, the more challenging foes you'll typically discover at the end of a new area/story chapter. We've been a little hesitant about showing off these enemies, as we don't want to spoil the game for you all, but we're hoping to give you more of a sneak peek soon. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33742756/ab853d48492b9b8cee8586c6eb50c71cb5c1eaab.gif[/img] We're really happy with the improvements that have been made to all of these fearsome foes so far, and they'll only continue to develop more and more over the coming months. [h3][u]Tying Together Combat Mechanics[/u][/h3] We just talked about how there are countless threats in the world, waiting for the opportunity to pounce on the next lone mercenary that stumbles across their path. So, how will you deal with them? Well that's entirely up to you! As many of you likely know, Vahrin's Call has a classless system. At no point will you be locked into playing a certain way, based on a decision you made at the start of the game. After customising your character's appearance, you'll be free to develop and upgrade them as you wish, based on the skills, spells and items you find throughout the world and the activities you perform. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33742756/dc067eb9be0198c771215ab9271286a2db9cdc51.png[/img] With this in mind, we've been working to tie together and polish many of the systems that make up the combat in Vahrin's Call. Weapon abilities are unique skills that you can discover, unlock and purchase on your journey. While coming with a higher stamina cost, they have certain advantages over standard weapon attacks. The shield slam, for example, deals damage and also knocks down enemies. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33742756/1c009d37e3a850d174deaf5b2302434e7724e4cf.gif[/img] There are a range of abilities for each type of weapon in the game, whether you have a preference for big, bulky warhammers or a more defensive playstyle that makes use of a shield. Magic is another big part of the combat in Vahrin's Call. While traversing the world, you'll come across a range of different spells, each providing a unique passive or aggressive effect, that can be utilized to ensure you make it out of the city in one piece. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33742756/7f8704c386309b9d2eab234d9aae9b68c6258c5b.gif[/img] The Spell Mastery system in our game will allow you to upgrade your spells through continued use. This adds an extra layer to customisation and allows you to further personalise your chosen playstyle. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33742756/ee4a8394e82143a2f1ef9fb4eb6a3d0495cdc4a8.png[/img] As an example, you might discover a new, area of effect fire spell. If you prefer a more fast-paced playstyle, then you may initially prioritise upgrading the spell's casting speed and cost, ensuring you can use it quickly and more often. On the other hand, if you're a fan of pulverising your enemies with big, heavy damage, then upgrading the area of affect and damage first, may be better suited to you. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33742756/9456d3825c47d5420914b693eef6582bf6d2b539.gif[/img] We've been hard at work on this system throughout 2024 and we'll be sure to show it off in more detail, closer to the game's release. We can't wait to see all of you mages experiment with it! [h3][u]A New User Interface[/u][/h3] We'll keep this section short, but sweet. UI is likely not the first thing that springs to mind when you think of a game. However, it's an integral piece of the puzzle that, when done right, will ensure you're able to navigate the game's menus with ease, and have all the necessary information presented to you in an easy to understand and intuitive way. It's something we've spent a lot of time on this year, and so I think it's worth mentioning. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33742756/3df23e5df3a3d3a07e4f7eafb99c747b5df735fe.png[/img] We are now going for a more simplified style for the user interface in Vahrin's Call, that prioritises ease of access and is instinctively easy to navigate. The art and functionality for many new menus, has now made its way into the game. It's super exciting being able to fully interact with all the vendors in the world. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33742756/24bbbd484332d2a4673c794fe487a55dab5227bf.png[/img] As always, these screenshots are very much a work in progress, as we continue to refine and improve everything to the best of our ability; but we wanted to provide you all with an update on it nonetheless. [h3][u]Preparing for the Final Push[/u][/h3] There are many other areas of Vahrin's Call that have been polished over the course of 2024, that we haven't covered in this post, but we wanted to take today to just cover most of the key changes that have been made. We've spent much time this year ensuring that all of the game's elements have a solid foundation, allowing us to now enter our final polish phase and start bringing everything up to a gold standard, ready for release. It's an incredibly exciting period in development for us, as we start to bring in playtesters to help us finalise the game. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33742756/65ebce47c44b837c97bd0d586769cc28b400f240.png[/img] We're looking forward to sharing more info with you all over the coming months, as Vahrin's Call nears closer and closer to the finish line. And that will conclude today's update! As always, we want to thank each and every one of you for your continued support and patience. We know how frustrating it can be to have to wait so long for a game to release, especially for our long-term supporters who have been waiting years to finally dive into this hand crafted, high fantasy world. Just know, not a day goes by where we aren't working our butts off to get Vahrin's Call into your hands. The wait is almost over! Thank you all once more and we'll catch you again soon. - The Titan Roc Team [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33742756/466724a53fd221c19e41169b959d18f5a6f498d2.png[/img]