[h1][b]Greetings Wielders,[/b][/h1] In less than a week, the long-awaited release of Songs of Conquest will be upon us, and we couldn't be more thrilled. It's hard to believe that nearly two years have passed since we first embarked on this journey together, releasing our project into Early Access. And oh, what a journey it has been! We consider ourselves incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to spend this time in Early Access with you all. Together, we've forged an amazing Community, achieved a "very positive" rating on Steam, and delivered an average of [b]one update per month[/b] – ranging from small tweaks to major updates. But let's delve into the details a bit. What are some of the things we have accomplished during these past two years? [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40723472/2cb2a863af498ae9aff7536d0d1c54eda1e6a117.png[/img][i]We missed the two-year anniversary by 10 days, shame on us! [/i] Last year, we un-earthed our [b]third Campaign[/b], letting players experience the necromancers of the Barony of Loth. And now, within just a week's time, we're set to unveil our [b]fourth Song[/b] – a campaign that transports you to the sun-scorched dunes of Barya. Prepare to follow the journey of the indebted Bighli as he confronts loss, engages in crucial battles, and faces seemingly insurmountable odds. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40723472/34cfedf2800b8fad979343598ee6836d24c3ad0f.png[/img][i]It’s finally a complete set! [/i] And when it comes to defying the odds, we've introduced an entirely new gameplay mode called [b]Challenge Maps[/b]. These specially crafted maps are designed to do just what they are called – challenge you. They're tailor-made to test your skills and help you improve, making them perfect for players eager to learn new strategies and tackle fresh challenges. Currently, we offer eleven unique challenge maps, each as deadly as the next. Why not try your hand at "A Hot Deal"? Where you must choose your path carefully to reach the Beacon. But beware – Each road is different but definitely dangerous. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40723472/253e8b3874e35aec698ba997a3d8c67f4c53be26.png[/img][i]It seemed like a hot deal taking the job, but it turned out to be all too true.[/i] In the realm of [b]Conquest maps[/b], we've been busy expanding our lists. Over the past years, in addition to the new Campaign and the already mentioned Challenge maps, we've introduced over fifteen Conquest maps. These are your "standard" maps, designed to pit you against AI or human opponents on more or less equal footing. Here, you'll have the opportunity to build your settlements, muster your armies, and engage in glorious combat against both enemy Wielders and neutral troops. But that's not all – our Conquest maps also serve as the perfect arena to test out the new Siege battles! They really change the battlefield as compared to when we started the Early Access. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40723472/1ccdda41f33ccf9a26c85971bb2f0e719944cc60.jpg[/img][i]Man the walls, or Faey the walls in this example! [/i] While some members of our team have been hard at work crafting new maps and game modes, others have dedicated themselves to [b]enhancing our AI[/b] – ensuring that the enemies you face give you a worthy challenge. Our AI has undergone significant improvements, learning to utilize all of our spells in combat and devising tactics both on the battlefield and on the adventure map. But that's not all – our AI has also gotten better at troop management, more efficiently utilizing resources to mule troops, investing in building plans and using portals and beacons to their advantage. Not to mention, it's now faster and more responsive than it was at the start of Early Access. To ensure that every player can face the AI experience they desire, we've reworked our [b]difficulty [/b]into seven new levels, ranging from Simple to Deadly. In short, our AI has evolved into a much more varied and formidable opponent compared to two years ago, though it's truly impossible to list all of its achievements since then. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40723472/6134bb620b765bf6aa2904c96db812a1510cd91a.gif[/img] [i]Seeing 1.0 so close on the horizon. To the team at Lavapotion it tastes like a sweet victory.[/i] Behind the scenes, there's been a flurry of activity as we've worked to craft improvements and optimizations. On the visual front, we unveiled a brand new [b]main menu[/b] that showcases our game in all its pixelated glory. Thanks to the demands from our community, we're proud to say that during Early Access Songs of Conquest got support for [b]gamepad[/b] and was [b]Steam Deck Verified[/b] by Valve. This means our game is a lot more portable and versatile. We've partnered with local Gothenburg studio Bitwave to make that happen, and they've done an incredible job with it. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40723472/9e1e3164a9f0b6660c72f06b5345d3eb9e36f4b8.jpg[/img][i]Tactical, portable, and turn-based! Perfect for the holidays![/i] These years have also allowed us to release [b]Random Map generation[/b]. Our Random maps have gotten more than one work-over and it now boasts three different win conditions, four sizes, and one special mode called “balanced”. It’s still random, it just makes sure you and your opponent really start on equal footing. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40723472/d0686da0731033c080b3f8cfb945e9a0902a148d.png[/img][i]There is a structure and order even in random chaos! [/i] Beyond our own work, there's a large community of skilled map makers. We've spent these last years refining our [b]map editor[/b] tools, making it more user-friendly. With these tools, players can craft their own maps and campaigns. On [url=https://mod.io/g/soc]Mod.io[/url] there are over 400 community-created maps and several grand Campaigns! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40723472/7c6a5eb2e79ac0d47da15a122c848c2d0c6b1797.gif[/img] [i]Change the theme with the stroke of a brush![/i] This has been far from a conclusive list of our work since those early days. We didn’t even mention our [b]Steam Achievements![/b] But it is safe to say that we have loved every update we’ve made and that we have no intention to stop after 1.0. Our launch is very close now but we’ll spend our time playing the game and squashing some pesky bugs. The reason we found those bugs is because of you, the community that gave Songs of Conquest a chance during Early Acces and made our game so much better because of it. But the time after 1.0 is when it gets exciting, we have so much planned and we hope that you will be here for the ride, it’s going to be a good one! Turn to Conquest Wielders, the time draws near! /Everyone at Lavapotion [url=https://twitter.com/songsofconquest]Twitter[/url] [url=https://discord.com/invite/soc]Discord[/url] [url=https://www.youtube.com/@SongsofConquest]Youtube[/url] [url=https://www.instagram.com/songsofconquest/]Instagram[/url] [url=https://www.facebook.com/songsofconquest/]Facebook[/url] [url=https://www.threads.net/@songsofconquest/]Threads[/url]