[b]Hey Cultists,[/b] This month follows our venture to [b]AVCon[/b], where we got to show [b]Blood Reaver[/b] off to more people and even got to meet some of our active community members. Additionally, our director got the amazing opportunity for an interview (link below). Outside of that, it was wonderful to meet a host of new people, some in costume and others not. we even earnt our first payment there - one copper coin. [previewyoutube=1oR54CmnkJA;full][/previewyoutube] [i]Special thanks to Johnniemadeit, who came around to the booth and put together this amazing interview![/i] [h2][b]Redefining Blood Magic[/b][/h2] Now to why you're reading this, [b]Blood Reaver[/b]. This month hasn't been the most visual - lots of gameplay systems coming to fruition, greyboxing is wrapping up on one of our new maps and we've been striving for an in-built localization system that will allow us to bring Blood Reaver to even more people around the world. Something that's been on our mind since players first saw and used the blood abilities, is that they weren't fulfilling the position we needed or wanted them to. With this system, we want to stop it from being something the player only occasionally remembers to use and make it integral to playing the game optimally and casually. To achieve this, we wanted to place more gravity on using an ability, make them feel like the player really is tapping into forbidden blood magic and causing catastrophe upon their enemies. The designers working on crafting these new abilities have been putting a lot of work into making them feel more inventive and distinct, leaning away from the ambiguous magic sorcery that's present in the pre-alpha demo. Now, majority of our abilities will be done through bespoke items that become modified and enhanced by blood. Additionally, developing these new systems has become significantly easier to iterate on, allowing us to take and implement feedback much faster. For some of those that got to talk with us at [b]AVCon[/b], you might know more than I elaborate on here, but blood abilities will be broken down into two categories: [b]Trinkets[/b] and [b]Artifacts[/b]. [h3]Trinkets[/h3] [list] [*] These will have a typically lower power in terms of damage but offer unique effects that give the player insurance or set-up value. [*] They can be unlocked and equipped outside of gameplay, letting you have agency over how you want to play the game - whether that means leaning into a more evasive playstyle, selecting abilities that allow you to escape dangerous situations, or maybe a playstyle geared towards kiting enemies by having them purposely target you. [*] Trinkets are also much more readily available, allowing the player to use them without hesitation. [/list] [h3]Artifacts[/h3] [list] [*] With Artifacts we want to create the feeling of using terrifying and forbidden power with each activation, every one of these will be either a sustained state of power or give the player a fundamentally unique way of dealing with threats. [*] These are only available through gameplay, which means that players need to earn them through engaging with each maps environmental elements. [*] Unlike the alternative, Artifacts should be treated as grand moments of power, and power must be earnt, you'll have to reave blood from demons constantly to use these effectively. [/list] [h2][b]Building a Competitive Community[/b][/h2] With our community discord having reached over [b]100 official members[/b], we've developed a small but competitive community (which you can join directly from the steam page btw) and we're thrilled to see it growing, already we've had some upsets with records being swapped only hours after they've been earned. Additionally, holding one of our curated records grants a [u]unique role[/u] so that everyone knows who their challenging when going for one of the current titles. Quickly, a brief thank you to all the current and previous [b]Revenants[/b] in the community, we're so incredibly thankful for the time you've given us so far and we hope to see your names throughout the full development of Blood Reaver. Once more thank you to Scotty, CloudRyze, ᚠᛖᚾᚱᛁᚱ, and Zappa. For competing with each other, consistently breaking the game, and for your loyal dedication. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44980815/59f0ba106844420f30c5465837ad68b071edfe70.jpg[/img] [i]This is one of our resident Revenants [b]Scotty[/b], a title held by only the most dedicated and devoted Reavers in the community. If you think you can dethrone him or any of the other revenants, join the community discord and participate in our growing competitive scene.[/i] [h2][b]Pre-Alpha Soundtrack COMING SOON[/b][/h2] Over the last couple weeks, we've had numerous requests about if the soundtrack we made for the game will be available at some point. To satisfy that, we've been working behind the scenes to get that music up on our YouTube channel for free! The announcement for that will be live on all our socials so stay tuned for any and all info on that. [h2][b]See You Next Time[/b][/h2] That about wraps up everything that's been going on this month... Remember that we'll be at [b]PAXAUS[/b] and [b]SXSW Sydney[/b] later this year if you want to come check out the progress and chat with the devs. See you next month where we'll be showing off something a little more... [b]Monstrous[/b].