Exanima [In Dev]

Patch 0.7.3d (17 July 2019)

We're still working hard on the upcoming major update which includes mind thaumaturgy and two new areas, but we wanted to do an intermediate update and make many improvements to the core gameplay experience. We do also have some small but noteworthy content additions.

FLAILS!

We've heard again and again how much you want flails, so we've added... Surprise mechanics! Just keep opening those Happy Player Boxes and maybe, eventually, you'll get a flail!
What..? Don't you people have credit cards?
Jokes aside, flails didn't exactly come cheap to us, with a surprising amount of issues to overcome with physics, animation, inventory functions, world interaction, blood decals, sound mechanics, damage, parrying, combat AI... Oof! But they're a lot of fun so we think it paid off, and along the way, touching on all these systems, we've paved the road for other upcoming features and mechanics.
In arena, set that merchant to look for adept weapons and you should have one in no time. They can also be found in the main game mode.

DIVINATION

You can now find Diviner's Decks. The cards expose various elements of the lore through the beautiful art of Burgzaza, but can they also expose what the future may hold? Keep an eye out for cryptic messages in future release notes...

Changes in Exanima version 0.7.3:

Flail weapon
Diviner's Decks
New encounter type in newest area
The proctor has a fancy new sword (yes, changing grips is on the way)
Improved hair physics
Characters can no longer initiate attacks while in a weakened or staggered state
Improved weapon sticking and penetration mechanics
Improved character striking motions on successful hits
Improved character balance on uneven ground
Removed a cause of frequent tripping during locomotion
Improved dynamic and rapid recovery from tripping during locomotion
Greatly improved stagger and impact response during locomotion
Smoother transitions into and from locomotive states
Smoother recovery from staggers
Fixed some AI being overly passive / peaceful
Fixed AI almost never fleeing
Characters are less reluctant to position themselves in tight spaces in combat
Improved mechanics for staggering from shield blocking
Shield blocking speeds are now correctly dependent on weight and stamina
Improved various shield combat motions
Various small animation and combat tweaks
Improved keyboard running controls
Improved arsenal and shop window loading times
Fixed characters sometimes becoming stuck in a crouched position
Fixed keys not working after being carried to another area
Fixed equipped unique weapons sometimes transforming into other items
Fixed occasional discoloured and black icons
Many content fixes and tweaks

Patch 0.7.2 (06 May 2019)

UNDER AND BELOW

The crossroads has received some changes, and while you're there look out for dark tunnels...
A large new area features an all new environment, new creature types, new items and takes advantage of various new level building and engine features. We won't spoil anything, but we hope you enjoy the atmosphere and different pace of gameplay we've introduced here. This also reveals important aspects of the game world.
This level represents the final core set of assets required to complete the game, built using new tools and overcoming various development challenges. This is the first of multiple of its kind, which will begin to play an important role. In coming updates we'll be adding more features, mechanics and creatures to the body of content we're introducing here.

DIALOGUE PART TWO

In the last update we introduced a very basic version of our dialogue system. Since then we've been expanding its functionality to support future content. We want to create a dialogue system that integrates seamlessly with the rest of the game and feels dynamic, rather than being a separate mode. The idea is that you can talk while doing anything else, discuss what is happening as it happens, point to things and say something about them, or ask someone to interact with them, converse with multiple people at once, join or leave conversations that are already under way, use contextually appropriate dialogue, even in combat, and generally treat dialogue as a functional and natural part of interaction, just like in real life.
Some of this doesn't have a role in Exanima yet, but the core functionality is now all there. We will soon be introducing more NPCs, and new mechanics that will take full advantage of the system. In this update we have added new dialogue with Derrin, using new scripting, role functionality and AI system interactions. There's a lot of moving parts to making the dialogue feel spontaneous and dynamic, so we'll be keeping an eye on this and refining the mechanics for more dialogue to come. Note that you may not experience all dialogue on every playthrough, as the conditions can be complex.
Our dialogue authoring tools have also received big upgrades, allowing us to more easily create and modify large complex dialogue structures and automate common scripting tasks, which can all be quite difficult and daunting!

MUNDANE ITEMS

Those that have followed us more closely may know that our priority is to create a believable and immersive game world. Everything we do, from physics to itemisation is with that goal in mind.
In this update we introduce a huge number of "mundane" items. These are items that do not often have a practical use for the player, but help create the setting and tell a story. We design our environments to have practical purpose and reason, accurately recreating real world locations, devices and processes. Now we've built a system for randomly introducing a vast number of items in appropriate contexts, whatever those might be in a detailed game world.
We've now reached over a thousand items in the game. The new items make the many containers in the game much more interesting to rummage in, rather than being simply empty or holding a single item you've seen many times before. There are many new improvised weapons among these (including some that may not seem to be weapons until you try to use them as such). In future we will also be introducing new practical applications for more items.

IN GAME MAPS

We've always been opposed to an overlay navigation system that would cause you to focus your attention on a UI rather than the game world itself, but what's an RPG without maps? In this update we introduce maps as objects that you can find in the environment, and consult as you would in the real world.
Using our constantly improving texture tools, we've developed a system to procedurally create appealing maps with a hand drawn style. This allows us to easily produce and update maps for locations in the game, and make each one of them look unique in every detail.

ANIMATION IMPROVEMENTS

We are trying to avoid investing even more time into it, but Exanima's character physics system is a huge beast in need of constant upgrades and maintenance. In this update we introduce new creatures whose proportions and movements proved very problematic. We've had to make extensive changes to some core aspects of character motion, resulting in some great general improvements to how characters move. We didn't quite stop there either.
Characters are much better at controlling their virtual muscles, resulting in smoother, faster and more precise movement. This corrects a lot of wobbly and floppy looking motion. We've also made legs move more precisely and perform less jittery corrective movements. Characters pause less between steps and turns, resulting in more fluid and responsive movement in combat. Head movement was also improved, becoming much more stable and tracking more accurately. The dynamic balancer and various other things have also been improved.

GRAPHICAL IMPROVEMENTS

Exanima has a unique aesthetic that is built on our own graphics engine and produced using our own content creation tools. We are constantly improving our engine and tools, and updating the game's graphics to reflect the current state of them, as well as increasing standards of quality. In this update we have various new rendering features and improvements, and we've built new graphics and updated assets using some new tools and upgraded versions of existing tools.

List of changes in 0.7.2:

Large new level featuring all new environment
Two completely new encounter types
Many new items, including some with special properties
Huge amount of mundane items and objects
Various new dialogues, from quick comments to lore discussions
In game lootable maps
Item randomisation system for large quantities of items and contexts
Significant additions and improvements to crossroads area
Two new arena music tracks (and one in story)
Improved character muscle control
More fluid combat movement
More precise and decisive leg movement
Better head motion and tracking
Dynamic balancer improvements
NPC initiated dialogue with reply mechanic
Emotion and context driven dialogue interactions
Ability to change topics during conversation
Dialogue can be progressed faster with rapid response
Ability to resume interrupted dialogue
Combat AI adjustments based on community feedback
Adjusted thrusts to have similar timings to other attacks
Improved slash damage mechanics
New environment features and structure
Better interactivity with many objects
Improved quality of many assets
Improved shading quality and many materials
Improved physics performance
Improved AI path-finding and moving object avoidance
Improved post-processing and effects
User interface improvements
Improved behaviour and stability of articulated bodies
A certain gentleman has refined his combat skills
Tweaked energy mechanics of a certain unique armour
Fixed incorrect role configurations on certain characters
Fixed relations with AI characters not evolving as intended
Fixed NPCs having incorrect dispositions towards new encounters
Improved the effects of certain items that help you see
Fixed health values not saving correctly
Fixed ongoing healing effects not saving correctly
Fixed missing procedural item textures when loading many items
Fixed some systems experiencing freezes after inventory interactions
Fixed potential black icons from window and task changes
Fixed a crash occurring when opening an already open container in the inventory
Fixed corrupted 3D grass on Intel graphics

WHAT'S NEXT?

This update is only a part of what we've been working on. There are multiple levels already in the works, thaumaturgy is nearly ready to be added, more creatures are coming and various other features are at various stages of completion. We've done a lot of "housekeeping" over the past months, still upgrading engine systems and tools, but we hope to focus on more gameplay relevant features and content from now on.
The next major update will feature thaumaturgy and more story content. This will likely be followed by a smaller arena focused update that also introduces procedural weapons. The remaining updates will focus adding the last story content, more in depth NPC interaction and various less critical gameplay features.

Patch 0.7.0.2 (13 July 2018)

Fixed error caused by incompatible saves not being correctly removed
Fixed Derrin's deep hatred of stationary golems
Fixed more "benevolent" NPCs becoming too easily angered
Fixed friendly NPCs getting too upset about invading their personal space
Fixed issues with characters refusing to move in certain locations
Fixed some issues with new Intel Graphics render paths
Fixed AI making incorrect tactical combat decisions
Fixed AI sometimes using incorrect attacks
Exiting and continuing will now move you if you're stuck in objects
Various other small fixes

Patch 0.7.0.1 (12 July 2018)

NEW AND IMPROVED CONTENT

Two new levels have been added to the game, featuring all new content, and also music. With these maps we've pushed for a new level of quality, detail and variety, taking advantage of new engine features and development tools. The first 3 levels of the game have also undergone extensive changes and improvements, an updated tileset and a lot of all new exclusive items.
Over 130 new items have been added across the game, including new item types like bevors and hats. We've also remastered or replaced many assets to better fit the game's current level of quality and aesthetics.

COMPANIONS

In this update you can meet your first potential long term ally. This provides a whole new dynamic and a fresh way to experience the game.
This was an important first step for the NPC interactions to come. With Exanima's inherent complexity, creating a competent companion was not simple. He is an asset to any player, and we will continue to make companions smarter and more self-sufficient until they feel almost like equals. We will expand on possible interactions, and importantly dialogue, which we can also use to better expose the story and lore.
Your companion will gain experience and learn new skills, much as you do. They will also learn to fight better, become more confident and undergo some other changes in their character.

DIALOGUE SYSTEM

Dialogue makes a first appearance in this update. We are still only using dialogue in a basic capacity, but it will soon become a much more prominent and important feature in the game.
Our goal with dialogue is something fully real-time and interactive. It is not a separate mode of interaction, but a part of it. You can talk while performing any action. Dialogue can have practical applications, you can point at something or someone, even while walking, and say something relevant. Tactical applications during combat can also be part of the same dialogue system. People can randomly witness the conversations of others, and perhaps join in, or simply learn something. There are countless applications, it is an implicit part of the world and how you interact with it.

NEW DYNAMIC BALANCER

You may have noticed that Exanima's world has been suspiciously flat. Our characters have not been good at moving or keeping their balance otherwise, and when characters lost balance they'd flop like a sack of potatoes.
This is no longer the case. The "balancer" is what has allowed characters make dynamic movements in combat and stay upright. This was overhauled to deal with more difficult ground, such as stairs or rocky slopes, and it is now active all the time, not just in combat. This new balancer does more than just upright movement, it functions even when tumbling or cartwheeling through the air, allowing characters to control more motions and regain their footing dynamically. Characters can now trip, slip, jump off ledges and generally deal with loss of balance withou just falling over and resetting. Character can also recover quicker depending on the severity of the fall.
With this come various improvements to movement both in and out combat. In combat movement is now faster and also more responsive, allowing characters to quickly move in new directions without having to shuffle their feet as much.

ALL THINGS AI

Since we began our journey to make a game, our most ambitious goals have been with AI. What we're trying to do, as much as possible, is that if you imagine an approach to a situation, or a way you can modify or prevent an outctome, you probably can. For example, say you were promised a reward, but rather than complete the task, you decide to find out where the reward is stored and steal it. Something like this would not normally be possible, and so called "AI" is notoriously bad if you veer off the scripted path.
There is much more we want in terms of dynamic interactions with AI, but we've been focused on core gameplay features, and have neglected huge aspects of the game, for too long. In order to complete Exanima's story and content, we had to introduce major new features, like intelligent friendly NPCs, dialogue and mind thaumaturgy. If we tried to build these features without the proper foundations we'd ultimately get nowhere. We've now taken the time (perhaps too long!) to completely rebuild every aspect of our AI.

CORE AI FUNCTIONS

We want all our AI encounters to appear like living, thinking beings, not mindless drones that blindly perform a specific task. They are driven by emotions and other states of mind, they have varying personalities, they remember interactions with others and form relationships, they have social and non selfish behaviours.
You might startle someone unexpectedly and cause them to become scared or agitated, but they may calm and reassess the situation. They might defend themselves, but not wish to harm their attacker and behave accordingly. They can understand a stranger fighting in their defence, and may be grateful. They might act to defend someone they care about. They can even, potentially, form social groups among themselves. These are some simple examples of things that are not predefined game mechanics, but that occur organically as part of the simulation. Players and NPCs are treated in the same exact way, based on observable behaviour alone. There is no cheating, no making decisions based on things they shouldn't know.
This is basically our artificial brain, emotions, memory, decision making, impulsive behaviour. But what of more structured and complex tasks? If we were to now simply override it with strictly scripted behaviours, it would become irrelevant.

THE ROLE SYSTEM

As soon as you tell NPCs to behave in a certain way and also give the player freedom to act as they please, things can start to go very wrong. It is a very difficult problem, and the less restrictions you place on the player, and the mechanics of the game world, the more difficult it becomes. Player and mechanical freedom are at the core of our design philosophy, we have spent years devising a solution to these problems, a solution we call the "role system".
"Roles" are basically collections of traits and behaviours. They can be specific and character defining, such as "King of Ardent" or very situational such as "person crossing bridge", they can also be relational, such as "friend" or "customer". They can be real or assumed, they can influence personalities, spread information, reputations and conflicts, and model various real world behavioural effects. Single characters have many roles assigned at once, they come and go, change and evolve.
There is a lot of complexity behind how roles function and interact, but the core concept is that we can keep building our library of roles, to expand on how characters can behave, adapt to situations, perceive and relate to eachother, and use the same tools and systems to also define more specific behaviours, without locking characters into situationally inappropriate ones.
This will be a long journey, but is essentially now a matter of content. Already now the role system is modelling all our behaviour, and we have the means and tools to keep building more.

AND MORE AI

Still falling under the AI umbrella, we felt it was time to address other things too. Combat AI as been completely rebuilt, it is more varied and much more tactical, allowing the most skilled AI to keep experienced players on their toes and not just fall into simple but effective patterns. It can be proficient with different fighting styles and weapons, and it is much more careful about accidentally hitting allies. Pathfinding has also been updated to negotiate more complex environments, avoid moving objects and more.
These are all complex systems, and all fresh from the production line. It will no doubt take us some time to iron out the kinks and especially to actually take advantage of new features. But we now have a true solid foundation, and an array of tools at our disposal to create better and more interesting AI.

List of changes:

Large new late game area, the Crossroads
New optional area, the Catacombs
Over 130 new items
Reworked and improved first 3 levels of the game
First companion NPC introduced
Dialogue system
Completely rebuilt AI systems*
All new combat AI
More intelligent and tactical behaviour
Improved timing and footwork
Better proficiency with different weapons
More fluid and human-like AI inputs
More pronounced difference between AI skill levels
AI can smartly avoid friendly fire
New dynamic balancer
Greatly improved movement on uneven ground
Increased speed and fluidity of combat movement
More accurate and responsive cursor control
Improved general animation fluidity
Improved thrust mechanics and animation
Improved feint mechanics
Improved armour damage mitigation mechanics
Added a stagger effects for blocking with a shield on low stamina
It is no longer possible to defend with depleted stamina
Improved walking and running control and animations
Improved hit reactions and death animations
Many specific animation improvements for all character types
Extensive additions to environment features and variety
More detailed and varied ground surfaces
Improved rendering quality, effects and post-processing
Improved texture asset production quality
Improved shading and global illumination
Better wear effects on armour featuring dents and more
Visual improvements to item icons
Full UI support for 1440p (4k is on the way)
Cursors that scale with resolution (customisations coming)
Improved combat experience gain mechanics
Improved lore related experience gains
Perfomance improvements
Improved loading times
Fixed weapons sometimes not sliding free colliding with environment
Fixed characters simply giving up when suspended over a high drop
Fixed issues caused by alt-tabbing during loading screens
Fixed vsync not working correctly on some systems
Fixed not being able to switch weapons while under attack
Fixed Sprint to Dash input option not working correctly
When an arena fighter ranks up, the previously highest loadout is copied
Increased weapon variety of arena master level fighters
Introduced RNG balancing for arena opponent generation
Improved random NPC generation and fashion sense
Short spears can now be used one handed
Various changes to the practice arena opponents
Many more fixes and small improvements

Patch 0.6.5.4 (12 July 2018)

Increased parrying speed
Increased impact mitigation for many armour types
Item quality now affects trade values
Exceptional items now come in all colours and variants
Reintroduced superior soft leather goods
Correct lacquered materials for all quality levels
Match prizes substantially increased
Added dynamic brightness adjustment for darker arenas and weather
Reduced output lag and improved visual accuracy of simulation results. This was already good, but now it's even better!
Improved cursor tracking accuracy during rapid player movement
Fixed weapon masses being calculated incorrectly and inconsistently
Improved two handed sword overhead attacks
Added many new items to early story content
Redesigned many early story encounters
New undead voices
Fixed torch easily getting caught in the environment
Fixed cloth collisions not working
Added a warning when entering manager in a match
Added colour coding to fighter names in match view
Many fixes, tweaks and performance improvements

Patch 0.6.5.3 (3rd February 2017)

Terrain based outdoor arenas (2)
Time of day and weather system
Complete in game manual
Improved combat, animation and physics
Local reflections
Lighting improvements
First functional cloth physics
Wind effects
New arena music
Improved interactivity for many common objects
Increased the strength characters put into attacks
Improvements to pugilism impact mechanics
Alternative characters require unlocking (one unlockable now)
Introduced inventory and container space mechanics
New portable containers
Smart randomisation of match locations and music
Added shopkeeper to arena
Added encumbrance gauge to management screen
Added restart prompt to practice arena after death
Improved in game menus
Many sound improvements
Various updated graphical assets
Functional and visual tweaks to equipment
Numerous other improvements, tweaks and fixes

Many new items, including:
Brigandines
New shields, including kite shields
Sandals added, four different pairs
Many new footwear items

Patch 0.6.4.3e (12 September 2016)

Ogre matches in arena mode (more tiers coming)
New Close Combat skill technique: Dual Wield
New Shield skill technique: Synchrony
New Shield skill technique: Ward
New Shield skill technique: Persist
New Shield skill technique: Endure
New Shield skill technique: Mobility
Added shield block stamina mechanic
Added shield item statistics
Added merchant hireling NPC in arena mode
Hireling NPCs now come with various ranks and equipment
Many new items (more on the way)
Improved footwork and balance
Improved combat stances
Reworked all combat and most other animations
Improved parrying and blocking
Improved thrust accuracy and power
Improved action transitions and dynamic posing
Sped up recovery from falling
Various improvements and fixes to combat mechanics
Improved AI combat tactics
Improved NPC equipment choices
More variety in master level opponents
Gave AI more human-like use of controls
LtR swings are now easier to execute
Various graphical improvements
Analogue stick movement via XInput
Numerous bug fixes and improvements

Patch 0.6.3.7 (31 May 2016)

All areas of the new map are now accessible
Various additions and improvements to newest content
Solved some performance issues
Solved an issue that could cause save game corruption
Inventory system optimisations
Numerous important bug fixes

When you enter the continue screen with a character who entered the new map in previous versions you will be asked if you wish to reset all progress after the portal. If you want to play the completed version of this map you will have to say yes.

Patch 0.6.3.6 (30th May 2016)

All areas of the new map are now accessible
Various additions and improvements to newest content
Solved some performance issues
Solved an issue that could cause save game corruption
Inventory system optimisations
Numerous important bug fixes