New desert creatures and a crystal talent tree
What happened today
Today the world got a lot more alive. The desert of Veyl is getting inhabitants that truly move: they walk in all eight directions, wind up before an attack, flinch when you hit them and have their own exit when a fight is over. Among them are the shaggy Rock Howler, the Metal beetle with its shimmering shell, the flat Sand Tongue, the Stilt eye on its spindly legs, the Oasis chalice and the Bell screamer.
The biggest newcomer is the Great desert bird. It towers over your hero, spreads its wings before it strikes and gives you a brief moment to dodge. Without a sword, you'd better keep your distance.
And because a fight should sound like one, most creatures that fight now have their own attack sound. A Metal beetle sounds different from a Rock Howler, and with a little practice you'll hear who's about to strike before you see it.
What we got done
A crystal talent tree. Your backpack has a new tab: Talents. Your hero stands in the middle, wearing whatever gear they have on right now, inside a cave full of glowing crystals. Branches grow out toward Combat, Survival, Crafting and Exploring. Pick a node, learn it with your points, and if something isn't available yet, a small box tells you why. One branch is still sealed, another has a lock on it. We're not saying yet what's behind them.
Your progress is safer. The game now saves on its own whenever you finish a quest and right before you walk into a room with a boss. If things go wrong in there, you won't have to start far back.
Polishing the starting area. At the top of the first area there was an invisible wall you could get stuck on for no reason. It's gone. A chest is now waiting for you at the crash site. In the backpack, your selection stays where you're working instead of jumping back every time you equip something. In the settings you can cap the frame rate at 30, 40 or 60, which saves battery on the Steam Deck. And jumping and stairs now work in the Steam Deck version too.
Our world-building tool got handier. In the Terra Engine, one button now shows in magenta everywhere your hero can't reach. That way we find forgotten barriers before you do. Areas can be renamed right in place, everything we place can be selected and deleted, and the lava now glows red instead of brownish.
What's next
Next up, we'll fight the new creatures ourselves and see which battles feel good and which don't yet. We'll also keep working on the starting area so your first minutes in Veyl feel just right.
See you soon,