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Community Update #12 - October 2nd 2021


Majora

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Greetings Skylords!

It's been three weeks since our last community update so it's time to bring you up to speed with everything going on in Skylords Reborn!

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Adding new voice-lines into the game

In our last Community Update we made our new Sounds Converter open source in the hopes of improving the sound quality for adding new voice-lines and sounds into the game. 

We are happy to tell you we discovered a different, albeit non-optimal, conversion method. Using this new method, we are able to convert certain files in the mp3 format into the snr format required by the game. This allows us to improve the sound quality to a state where we start to feel confident in adding new voice-lines into the game, especially for our upcoming new cards.

There are still a few things to figure out, for example the fact that some sounds are hardcoded into unit models, or how some special voice-lines are triggered. For the former, we are still in need for volunteers for the "3D Tool Developer" role.

However, in the following weeks you can expect a post asking for volunteer voice actors. If you want to make your mark on the Skylords Reborn legacy, this is definitely one way to do so! We will be in need of both male and female voice actors, and will share more info on how to apply soon.  

 

Open Sourcing effect editor

After our success with open sourcing the Sound Converter, we will now also be open sourcing the Special Effect Editor. As mentioned in a previous Community Update, with this tool we are able to edit the special effects of BattleForge and create new ones from scratch. This is particularly useful for spells, since they are for the majority special effects. Many units also have special effects on their models though, like the flames of Batariel or the frosty cold effect emitted from Frost Mage.

If you want to give it a try or contribute, you can find detailed instructions how you can get started here. You can compile the tool yourself, or just download it here.

If you feel like you got some cool results, please reach out to us. We are looking for some volenteers to help us out with the effects for new cards. 

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An update on Defence RPvE

As we mentioned in a previous Community Update, multiple game modes are currently in development. One of them is Defence RPvE. Instead of the normal RPvE where you attack to clear the map of enemies within the time limit, here you have to defend waves of enemies. 

We are not ready to release this game mode, since there is still a lot of work to be done. However, since a lot of people are curious about how it will work, we figured to give you a glimpse of what the mode will look like. Keep in mind these features and mechanics might still change in the future. 

DRPvE will be playable by 1 to 4 players. It's a co-op scenario where you will all work towards the same goal. If you play alone or with 2 players, the other spots will not get enemy waves. 

You play against one of the 8 enemy factions, randomly chosen. Each of those factions has one custom final boss. For each phase, 3 out of 5 units are randomly chosen from the available options for that faction. This means that even if you play against the same faction twice, you might have a different experience on both runs.  

There are 4 phases of enemy attackers, with each phase being concluded by a mini-boss. At this point the current wall will be destroyed and you will unlock the next tech-tier. During the small break you can advance to the next wall and build up new defences. 

Each player will also have a switch that can be activated as soon as the mini-boss of the current phase has been spawned. If all players press it, the new phase starts immediately, allowing different timings of RPvE runs. 

Each position/lane (see the picture) gets a free unit or units at phase 2. 

Optional objectives
- There are 2 guarded shrines that cast spells to defend themselves. Destroying those will reward you with global buffs and energy.
- There are 4 bases, one for each of the dual color factions. Defeating those will reward you a free unit of the corresponding faction. 

Below you can see the map. You spawn at the bottom, and slowly make your way to higher placed defence positions. 

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As mentioned before, we are still hard at work on this game mode. We are currently working on the bosses for this mode and are in need of a Map Artist to work on the look and feel of the map. If you want to help, please reach out to us!

We are curious what you think so far, so please let us know in the comments. 
 

Tournaments & Events

• FINISHED: Skylords Open #11
Last week marked the return of the Skylords Open, with its 11th edition. This was the first 1vs1 tournament since the big balance patch, so if you are interested in PvP (or want to see tier 4 in a pvp tournament!) be sure to rewatch the stream. 

NEW: Upcoming tournament
Our event manager is currently planning the next tournament but details were not finished in time for this community update. Please keep an eye on our forums in the coming days for the announcement. 

• Host your own event / tournament
Want to host a tournament or event? Please reach out to our 
Event Organizer Hiko to have your event prizes sponsored by us. If you have a cool idea for a PvE event, or want to host a PvP tournament, please don't hesitate to reach out to us, we will gladly assist you. 

 

New Team Members / Open Positions

We are developing exciting new cards and game modes, but we would love to speed up the progress. If you want to help, we would love to have you on our team.  
Below are three roles highlighted, but you can find more information, desired traits and all our open positions 
here. If you are unsure if you qualify, please reach out and have a talk!
 

Open Position - Global Moderator
As a Global Moderator, you are at the highest level of moderation and responsible to moderate and help players on multiple platforms. In this position you are expected to have a good grasp of how moderation works and how to handle sensitive data that you will receive access to in order to perform required moderation tasks. You will be responsible to moderate the forums, process Discord tickets from our Discord bot, answer moderation questions that come to us via e-mail and handle in-game reports. To support you with this, you will work closely with several of our internal moderation tools. Next to this, you will have the chance to shape our moderation tool that is being developed by our web developers by discussing workflow and feature improvements with them.


Open Position - Map Developer
As a map developer you are responsible to script new official maps or alter scripts of existing maps as a cause of map balance updates. BattleForge maps are created using the BattleForge map editor and the scripts are written in LUA.



Open Position - Map Designer
As a map designer you are responsible to design the gameplay experience of a map from start to finish. This includes make a rough proposal for the layout and feeling of a map, design the story and goals of the map etc.

 

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In Conclusion

We hope you liked this Community Update, thanks for reading! 

Here is a scratch code you can redeem in-game for a
mini booster: COMM-UNIT-YNEW-S012
The code is valid till October 23rd. 

We will update you again on October 23rd.
As always, we are open to feedback so please let us know! 

Archive
Community Update #9
Community Update #10
Community Update #11

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awesome, Great, i like special effects (i also like how buildings Die, It is a Classic Touch on Modern Gaming), and fits Mainly all around, even touching up Old Spells

 

will there be a New Map ((???)), or ways to gain access to new cards? I'm still on The First Map, and would love to continue My Adventure, even gaining "Upgrade" Cards, for defeating New Bosses

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So defense rpve.... 
1. Firstly i have question how wise it is to make it using 8 enemy factions. I understand that due to the static nature of the map it might be beneficial ot have more enemy factions to prevent it from being stale but i cant help but think this will lead to problems of viability considering how much work has gone into (and still has to go into) making factions viable in rpve against only 3-4 enemy factions.

2. This immediately raises the issue of void return from buildings that must be destroyed every wave. I really hope part of the first option buff is a passive like 80% immediate return from building destruction. 

2.5 Building charges as well may need some review after testing is done as there isnt really anywhere else that would require this kind of build destroy rebuild scenario.

2.6 Building size and map spacing will obvi have to be reviewed during testing as well since they wont likely be popular as the primary strat until at least t2 and by then youre wall sharing with an ally. It is hard to see how big the space will actually be from the image but it will definitely be a concern. 

2.7 Long ranged enemies are still of significant concern due to the lack of buildings that can fight them i see a lot of the provided cards have longer range which helps but hopefully this is also provided for in every faction during the building rework in the future.

2.8 also there needs to be an effect of benevolence for structures if lost dragons or similar enemies are going to be encountered.

3. The cards offered at t2 are questionable. Obviously spot one is best for root networks but rl is solid in general. Skyelfs are best suited to buildings so frost or shadow would be the best option. Spot 3 would probably be best suited for nature bc of heals or maybe shadow due to ease of summoning feeder units or later combos via fallen elf and single target damage boosts. Spot 4 is mild range buff and mild damage boost, maybe good for idk bandits or twilight to combo with long ranged buildings or a non-root unit based defense.

3.1 I suppose depending on how ownership works these units could be distributed to other players but depending on how much their bonuses are built into the difficulty of the map their limited quantities could cause issues with multiple players wanting to use similar strategies which depend on them. Hopefully this is prevented with appropriate difficulty levels.

4. Similarly the outside camp cards dont all seem very useful. The vigil seems like the best via a solid addition to building based defenses likely from spot 2, especially for long ranged since few buildings have long ranges. The gemeye is probably second best since it is solid but not exceptional. The tortugun is very questionable imo because her upkeep still needs to be addressed. Tortuguns are often only used in deck built specifically around them and still require far too much input for their output so i dont forsee a normal tortugun being of sustained use in most decks. Twilight hag seems like a highly useless card. Sure she has aoe cc but it is male units only and shes not especially durable and brings nothing else special to the table, i can mostly see her being used as a sacrifical distraction to split enemy forces at best, hopefully she receives a significant buff. 

4.1 similarly to #2.1 I hope these could be distributed to other players. Especially the vigils like the left side might not need 3 considering they already have razorleaf.

4.2 have you guys considered maybe dumping 3 kobold engineers somewhere?

5. It's a little disappointing that theres no defense without a wall. Like dont get me wrong walls are great but im thinking maybe later in the match there could be some option switch or something to spawn enemies from behind that then advance on you from an unwalled area so you have to defend without a wall for maybe more gold or maybe to weaken the boss or provide a different reward.

5.1 Another issue that happens is that amii ritual becomes quite strong/borderline op. Especially if multiple players run it and or glaciation it can trivialize defense with walls.

5.1.1 Similarly northern keep can be relatively op due to chainable damage immunity. Both of these effects may need nerfing if tests prove theyre unhealthy for the meta. 

6. Dont make the bosses too op, similar to #1 the game isnt even well balanced for 3-4 enemy factions and if bosses require very niche strategies it will further make a lot of stuff useless (exacerbated by the complete disarray of current building strats).

7. have you guys considiered randomizing the provided cards aside from the shrines? Like the outside cards and the cards at t2 if randomized would prevent certain strategies from being best in slot and help to prevent the mode from being stale. 

 

I'm sure ill have more once wave compositions and bosses are released but these are all i can think of off the top of my head for now. 

 

Edited by JarodDempsey
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Hey guys,

I just wanted to let you know how much I love and appreciate the fact that you brought back this game and continue to develop and improve it in so many ways. I had such a good time with the original battleforge back in the days and really enjoyed coming back to it in the beta phase of the current game.

I haven't really touched it since due to lack of time and my friends mostly not being interested in this game (I spend most of my gaming hours with League of Legends ans dark Souls right now 😄 ). I do continue reading all the community updates though!

I am really looking forward to coming back to this game one day and appreciate all of your Work 🙂

TL;DR : I am not playing right now but appreciate and love your work. Keep it Up!

Deadman, Majora and Metagross31 like this
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  • Majora unpinned and unfeatured this topic

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