After last week's update containing the new mini-modes we received an extensive amount of (constructive) criticism from you — and we get it: Not only was it unclear how much the new modes were meant to be part of the main progression and whether it was mandatory to play them, but some were also balanced quite harshly. First and foremost we want to apologize for this suboptimal experience. Thank you for providing us with so much thoughtful feedback! We understand your concerns and here is how we tried to address your points in this update:
Re-Structuring Overworld and Achievements
The modes are meant as totally optional late game content, for players that already have seen most of Thronefall and are eager for a fun twist on the original mechanics. We can see how the original layout made them seem much more important or even mandatory to beat before moving on to the next main level. We now moved the bonus modes to separate “islands” next to each main level’s region and bundled them under one flag for each level. They unlock once you beat the main level of the next region.
The modes also no longer reward crowns for completing their quests. That means they are not needed to achieve any of the game’s achievements. We adjusted the existing achievements accordingly. The mini-modes grant stars for completing their quests, so you can still track your progress there if you want to.
Balancing Improvements
Some of the modes turned out to be just too difficult to be fun. We toned it down a notch for the Bow and Arrow, Lightning Storm and One-Person-Army modes.
Additionally we reduced the “No-Restarts” bonus from 10% to 1% in the mini-modes and lowered the score requirements for the quests to reflect this. This allows you to use the restart option while still being able to achieve all quests, making the more puzzle-like modes more forgiving. The “No-Restarts” bonus stays unaffected for the main campaign levels (for now).
Please keep providing feedback on the mini-modes, both what you like and dislike, as it will continue to inform further balancing decisions during Early Access.
What about the new map?
We’re on it! It’s coming along quite nicely and we’ll be able to share some sneak peeks into what we're working on next week.
Thank you again for all your valuable feedback! It matters a lot to us and you’re an integral part of making Thronefall the best game it can be.
All the best,
Jonas & Paul
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FULL PATCH NOTES:
CHANGES:
• New Level Select Layout for mini-modes. The mini-modes are now less prominent on the map to avoid confusion. They looked a bit too important for what they were and are now located on their own “island” next to the main regions. All modes of a region are bundled under a single flag.
• Crown Count now only counts crowns from main campaign levels and achievements have been adjusted accordingly. This makes it easier for completionists to ignore the bonus modes as they are not necessary for any achievements. Instead the mini-modes now grant stars.
• The "No-Restarts" bonus is reduced from +10% to +1% for all mini-modes. Score requirements for each mini-mode have been adjusted accordingly. This allows you to use level restarts to optimize your 3 quests strategy without having to restart from scratch every time. The "No-Restarts" score bonus will remain unchanged for main campaign levels for now.
BALANCING:
• One-Person-Army mini-mode weapon changed to Bow and Dagger and enemies rebalanced to be a bit easier. More different builds should be possible now, though this is more of a quick fix as the royal forge might need some extra balancing work in the future.
• Lightning Storm mini-mode has been rebalanced to be easier and you now have the Castle Fortifications perk (once you start a new match in this update).
• Bow and Arrow mini-mode has been rebalanced to be easier.
