[b]Hello there, Companions![/b] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/34139799/0e70416747b1481a4947d8d6ccf7182512e125b6.png[/img] It's been quite some time without any news on the development of Glorious Companions, which doesn't mean that there wasn't any progress being made. Anyhow, now when we're getting close to releasing the new update, we're back with a fresh development log. Without any further ado, let's go over the biggest changes and new additions that this update will introduce into the game. Of course as usual there'll be some balance changes, bug fixes and QoL tweaks along with a few new abilities, but for now let's talk about the big stuff. [h2]NPC Group Generator Rework[/h2] This is a change that finally allows us to configure more interesting NPC groups. Thanks to this rework we can now easily adjust unit types, levels, equipment, skills, number of units, etc. With this backend change we've also tweaked the already existing groups of enemies, such as Bandits, Shadows, NPC Lords and the likes. Bandits will from now on yield weak and cheap equipment, while Shadows and NPC Lords will begin the game with higher levels and more expensive equipment. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/34139799/419584e0529a6b4bbe82fda1c9fa38b4f8f01e20.png[/img] Then there'll be three new neutral group types running across the world map: Sword Sisters, Iron Hammers and Swamplings. The first two groups are higher tier enemies that should make for some interesting encounters in the later stages of the game, while the Swamplings are Bandit-level units based on the Scarres race to spice up the early game. Tavern units also received some tweaks. Now aside form the regular level 1 newbies, sometimes you'll come across more experienced and better equipped mercenaries, which of course will cost a lot more gold to recruit. [h2]Item Rework[/h2] You can read more about the upcoming Item Rework in our previous devlog: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1001040/view/2932368153396806250 In short there'll be new item types, new weapons, new offhands, item quality tiers, special item effects and some balance tweaking to top it off. Oh, and completely new (and consistent) models for all the items! One of the changes that wasn't mentioned before is the addition of unit stash. It'll take the place of the second item set and it'll come with 4 equipment slots. You'll be able to freely swap items from the stash and you'll no longer have to equip two shields in each set, just swapping the weapons will do the trick from now on. [h2]Scarres Visual Overhaul[/h2] Just like with Valrenay we've improved the textures on our vengeful lizardmen folk. We wanted to make them look more serious and to enhance their lizard-like features, such as scales, eyes and teeth. Though in this case it's best to just show you the difference. Let us know what do you think of the improvements: [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/34139799/5a71c877830bd8fbe88ea3661c76e76db6b44ba4.png[/img] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/34139799/c3a043e27c677cdd6cfa5af9c131c01f0ab061cb.png[/img] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/34139799/8cc3a1b7e2050044e57b5c2de5253d3e26671167.png[/img] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/34139799/93d965ed9f537d325047bb2c32736ff20e265b67.png[/img] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/34139799/ebe4820e9b17e5033e759e5de9ecccc82c240777.png[/img] [i](the RTX thing is just a joke, the enhanced textures will come at no performance cost)[/i] While we were at it, we took some time to overhaul the Bandits' and Shadows' textures too, but we'll leave that for you to see in-game when the update goes live. [h2]Procedurally Generated Companion Portraits[/h2] Finally, a feature that many of you asked for and it's something that we also wanted to implement for quite a long time, though as we had no 2D artist on our team it always got postponed for a later time. Now, with the awesome Marcin Kulesza who joined our studio a few months ago, we were finally able to add some character to all the companions you'll be meeting on your journeys. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/34139799/8d80019f6a01b5d4325b5a9f7d7f2b042034f4bc.png[/img] We've prepared a set of various head/face elements for each unit type, which will then be mixed and matched to create unique portraits, differentiating units of the same archetype. [h2]When[/h2] We plan to release this update in 1-2 weeks, we're finishing up with some final bug fixes and balance tweaks, as the changes in the item system were quite substantial and spread out to all the aspects of the game. Also we've made some great progress when it comes to the World Map 2.0 Update, though we'll talk about that more after this update is released. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/34139799/e767b11e9925e233230378f21710023c96c3ec2e.png[/img] [b]Let us know your thoughts in the comments and remember to follow the game for more updates![/b]