COLT Interactive posted a new udpate on Chapter 3 and shows 33' of commented preview by SplatterCat.

Early Access Dev Log 14

The story mode for Chapter 3 is now in production

It's been a week since the January update has been released. Here's what happened:

HOTFIX TO V204 IS OUT [...]

STORY MODE FOR CHAPTER 3 [...]

FACTS ABOUT CHAPTER 3

We currently plan on the following:

• three possible boss encounters
• a main story and a side story, both with multiple choices
• a chance to get one new character to join the party
• compared with Chapters 1 and 2: 7 new opponents, and 1 unique boss

Plus new hex effects and new environment effects, as well as new biome visuals.

As to new features, let's talk about them in the next development update.

SPLATTERCAT PLAYS SPIRE OF SORCERY!

We are so happy (and so humbled!) to report that SplatterCat posted a playthrough of Spire of Sorcery this week –>

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Spire of Sorcery has received its monthly update.

THE JANUARY UPDATE IS HERE!

The Weaver Maze: Story Mode for Chapter 2

Welcome back, friends!

This is the third monthly update since the game entered Early Access.

Despite the much tougher schedule (we only had 2 weeks to work on this update because of the holidays!), we decided to stick to the monthly update schedule. We feel that it’s important to deliver new content to you on a regular basis. This has been our promise when we launched the game, and we’re going to stick with it!

WHAT’S IN THIS UPDATE?

There are 3 main points:

• Chapter 2 received the story mode.
• The Spire received Master’s chamber.
• A few mechanics got streamlined.

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A BIT OF OTHER NEWS

We’re currently talking to a few publishers about the sequel to our other game, Gremlins, Inc. 2 (which takes the existing design of Gremlins, Inc. further towards peer-to-peer multiplayer and fully moddable cards and boards), and several of them also became interested in seeing if we can cooperate on Spire of Sorcery as well.

We don’t know yet, if something happens on this front or not, but at least we wanted to share with you the fact that there’s quite a good interest in this. What we’re after is a bit of extra budget so that we can immediately start on the animations (which are currently on the backburner since the whole core team is busy with the story updates), and a chance to pick a brain of another experienced producer about all the possible extra features (including crafting and use of equipment in encounters).

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Charlie Oscar posted a dev update to give some feedback on the demo. They also give an interesting insight into the problems of sharing a demo on Steam.

Early Access Dev Log 11

Feedback from the demo

While most of team is on holidays, we don't have much to report in terms of the actual development. We've been writing the stories for Broodmother's Treasure, and looking into whether we really need a Slumber Chamber at the Spire (we think, not) – but that sort of progress is not very visual. So let's use today's opportunity to talk about something else entirely, that is: the feedback that we receive from those who played the demo of the game.

DEMO STATS [...]

PROLOGUE

As much as we love Steam as a platform, it has some limitations (don't we all?).

In particular, a demo version of the game has its own app ID, but it's invisible. So players cannot publicly post screenshots from the demo, and they have no dedicated forums to comment on. We also have no way of notifying the owners that the demo has been updated.

Additionally, games in Early Access enjoy a somewhat limited visibility on Steam.

All of that contributed to the informal traditions, among independent developers and publishers, of re-releasing their demo versions as "prologues".

When we write it now, it sounds pretty awkward indeed: the same demo exists on Steam in two ways, one on the game's store page and another on its own page, where it's a "play for free" app with a description that says it is a demo. Quite complicated, right? But it's happening because re-releasing your demo as a prologue gives you the opportunity to reach additional audience, who may otherwise not discover the game.

As of now (during two weeks that it's been released):

• 3.333 players have added the prologue to their Steam Library
• 200 players have actually launched the prologue

You can see the difference between the audiences immediately: people who added the demo, did so specifically, and most of them tried it out. While people who added the prologue, mostly did so out of curiosity, and most of them haven't had the time to try it yet (and probably never will).

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Charlie Oscar talks about the content of the next update, due end of January.

Early Access Dev Log 10

Let’s talk about the January update!

With the December update out, most of our team is taking a holiday break and some will take an additional week off in January to recharge after an intense end of the year. We hope that you, too, will have a chance to get some “lazy days” at the start of the year.

JANUARY UPDATE

We plan to release the next update to the game at the end of January, which leaves 2 weeks to production, and then a few days for testing.

We decided to focus on adding Story Mode to Chapter 2 (Broodmother’s Treasure).

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WISHING YOU A SAFE 2022!

With this update, we wrap the year of 2021. Most of this year we spent running weekly sprints, releasing over 30 updates as the game took shape. We thank everyone who trusted us to make it happen, and especially those in the community who took part in the discussions that helped us define what “a game about a party of runaway mages” should play like!

We wish you a happy 2022 – filled with friendship, good conversations, good books, and good games! For us, this will be the year when Spire of Sorcery enters full release, and we look forward to giving you more happy moments with the game’s monthly updates.

Happy New Year!

/ Team CO /

Charlie Oscar posted a major update for Spire of Sorcery, currently in Early Access.

THE DECEMBER UPDATE IS HERE!

Chapter 1 now has a story mode, and encounter interface is updated

It’s been a month since the last update. Most days were productive, but some were not – several people got sick or had to take care of their relatives who got sick (for here, it is the season of the first snow, that changes to rain, and then freezes into ice).

Such days normally fly under the radar if you have a larger team, or a longer period between updating the game. This time it had a direct impact on how many extra features we could add into the mix: we focused just on the two most impactful changes.

Well, such is the winter. And if we ever add winter season to Spire of Sorcery, then it will have an increased risk of receiving Infection tokens while traveling; a penalty of having one move point less; and a longer time to lose the tokens of Chaos after undertaking extra actions.

This is how our home city, Vilnius, looks these days.

Meanwhile, some good news: the sales of the game here on Steam are increasing, from one week to another, which we take as a sign that what we deliver with updates is exactly what players desire the most. Additionally, we started to talk to several publishers who expressed interest in working with our studio, and the vast majority compliment the monthly update schedule and the weekly development logs. This, they say, is the sign of the discipline. What they don’t know, however, is how much coffee we consume each week to make it happen! :-)

WHAT’S IN THIS UPDATE?

There are 2 main changes:

• Chapter 1 now has a story mode. It’s a huge change for us!
• The encounter interface is upgraded. Based on player feedback!

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Spire of Sorcery is available in Steam Early Access and is described as a turn-based party RPG where you use spellcasting, alchemy and a bit of equipment to explore a world full of dangerous encounters.

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Spire of Sorcery as a turn-based party RPG where you use spellcasting, alchemy and a bit of equipment to explore the world full of dangerous encounters. Engage with creatures from the realms of life, death and chaos to help the sentient citadel mend the broken world!

• Explore the original world of Rund to discover creatures, resources and recipes
• Cast spells, including combos, to affect opponents and trigger environmental effects
• Concoct substances that range from curative to explosive
• Prevail in encounters by combining the effects of spellscasting, alchemy & equipment
• Manage your party, considering mood and personal traits of its members
• Find new party members and increase their stats to reach their true potential
• Taste any resource that you find to modify the looks of your party members
• Collect resources to cook food that may taste great (or horrible)
• Expand the Spire with new rooms that offer new mechanics
• Break into ancient barrows, dispel cursed weepers & battle infection-ridden gigglers
• Resolve mini-stories that pose moral choices, affecting the mood of your party

The world is larger than just one play-through and every challenge has alternative solutions. Try and succeed – or adjust and replay!

THE WORLD

On the western cost of Rund stretches the Empire, the last known shard of human civilisation. The Emperor controls the lords, and the lords exploit the rest of the population that is already hardened by the unfriendly nature. To the east of the Empire, across the Great River, begin the Wild Lands. Once civilised, they are now home to predators, ghosts and demons. Further to the south-east lie the lands of the non-human tribes: Dismal Marshes, Elderwood, Blue Mountains, Deceiving Plains... all ripe with resources. And further yet are the Distorted Lands: the source of Chaos, and a cause of growing concern among the non-humans.

THE MAGES

Occasionally, a person with the magic talent is born on Rund. This invisible power is feared by the established order of the Empire, for little is known about the potential of a trained mage. The Inquisition, a force of its own that reports to no state official, roams the cities and villages, sniffing out the use of magic that they label as corruption. Packed into the Sanctuaries for the Corrupted, under the watchful eye the suspected mages are made to work for the good of the Empire. The general population supports the policy – for magic is an unknown, and on Rund, you avoid dealing with the unknown.

THE SPIRE

Deep in the Wild Lands, at the feet of the Blue Mountains, rests the Spire of Sorcery: a sentient citadel that spent centuries in slumber. Maybe it was a place of sacrifice, maybe it was a moving castle, maybe both. It's a dark legend from the past, just like the Rusted Forest and the Sea of Bones. Yet one day, the Spire awakens – threatened by the Distorted Lands that begin to encroach on their surroundings, as well as by the amassing of imperial legions intent on marching east to plunder the settlements of the non-humans. Fresh from its slumber, the Spire sends a Call that reverberates across Rund, reaching the mages that are confined by the Inquisition. Among the mages who answer the call and attempt to escape, three manage to cross the Big River, and here the story of the Spire of Sorcery really begins...