Hey Survivors! We're happy to share that the [b]number of sign-ups[/b] for our playtest has[b] exceeded our expectations[/b]. Your constructive feedback is incredibly valuable as we develop Jotunnslayer together, and we’re thrilled with the response rate so far. To show our appreciation, we’ve decided [b]to extend the playtest and grant more of you access to this closed beta [/b] before we release the public demo. We'll be granting[b] 200 access slots per day[/b] to ensure that everyone interested gets a chance to play. Access will be given in waves to manage the feedback analysis workload effectively. While we refine the game experience based on your feedback, we're working hard to deliver a public demo in the upcoming weeks that you’re going to love! [b]WHAT'S NEW IN THE PLAYTEST BUILD? [/b] And since the team has already started fine-tuning and implementing your feedback at full steam, a new build is now available for playtesting with the following fixes: [b] Gameplay[/b] - Lowered the amount of XP needed for level-up (Max Level changed from 20 to 25) - Reduced damage from Skeleton arrows and Suiciders - Increased explosion delay for Suiciders - Decreased Bone Jotunn contact damage - Decreased movement speed of Loot Bat - Removed collision on treasure chests - Added XP drops from Objectives - Reworked XP rewards from Objectives & Items, which now increase with hero progress - New skill for later versions of Skeleton Spellcaster - Removed Trinkets from chest rewards - Reduced prices of Temple Passives [b]UI[/b] - Added missing icons for Skills and Difficulties - Reworked Character Statistics on the Pause Screen - Simplified HUD - Tweaked Minimap zoom [b]Technical[/b] - Added optional data collection for gameplay improvement purposes - Minor performance optimizations [b]SFX[/b] - Added Objective Completed and New Objective sounds - Added new Bone Jotunn ability sounds - Added Brazier sounds - Added Suicider spawn, death, and explosion sounds - Added Loot Goblin hit and death sounds - Added Freya and Thor passives trigger sounds [b]Bugs Fixed[/b] - Enemies spawning outside of the map - Mouse cursor disappearing when switching to gamepad - Circular spawn waves not working correctly —---- Finally, let's wrap up today’s Dev Blog with some words from our Lead Game Designer, Marek Hlavaty: [i]Recently, we conducted a closed test to see if our game is ready for a public demo. After addressing major issues found in our internal test last month, feedback indicates the game is fun to play. Based on this feedback we continue to improve the experience, and we are on track to deliver a public demo we know you will enjoy. Thanks to everyone who provided feedback—it was truly invaluable! I’d like to add that we’re particularly curious about our quest system. Currently, each run has fixed quests, allowing players to prepare but making the gameplay somewhat repetitive. To mix things up, we’re considering randomizing quests based on your suggestions. Random quests might be unbalanced—some runs could be very tough, others too easy. But we're willing to give it a try. For this, we need a diverse pool of quests. We have some ideas, but we want to hear yours too! [b][url=https://discord.com/invite/Zst6agwu8v]Share your quest ideas on our Discord.[/url][/b] Your suggestion might just make it into the game! We look forward to your contributions as always! Keep up the amazing job![/i] —------ Thanks for being here and helping us shape Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel into a hell of an adventure! Stay tuned for more updates, and keep slaying! Cheers, The Jotunnslayer Team