- Development News | Overhaul Progress Update - 19 October 2022
It's coming together! We're getting closer and closer to the release of the Hammerheart Overhaul. I've grinning from ear-to-ear playtesting it, and I'm very excited to get it into your hands. It's going to be far more rich in features than the Hammerheart you know, but the nail-biting stress, party building aspect, and blend of fighting and tactics is all still there. It feels like Hammerheart. The overhaul will release for free to all players once its stage of competion matches Hammerheart's current state. The game will then remain in early access, and it'll be continually updated until full release.
- Development News | Overhaul Progress Update - 13 June 2022
Some major milestones have been hit in the development of the Hammerheart Overhaul, and it's almost ready to be put into the hands of players for testing. Those of you that are following the Trello board will know that the fighting and command mode have been completed, each with an expanded and more refined featureset than they have in the current version of Hammerheart. The weapon types have all been made and animated, and thanks to the physics-based hit detection the different weapon types feel very distinct to one another and there are different skills to using them. In the future there are going to be different weapons within each type with cosmetic and statistical differences (ie Gilded Type S Sword, Inlaid Type G Winged Spear), but the main weapon types are as follows: Spears (Stabbing) Long Spears (Stabbing, two-handed only, penetrates mail) Javelins (Projectile, knocks shields,…
- Early Access Build 22.04.25.1 - 25 April 2022
An important fix has been implemented that solves a game-breaking bug which has been occuring on some people's systems as of the last update. Changes in build 21.12.17.1: Fixed game-breaking bug which caused the game to freeze when trying to open certain UI menus. If you encounter any bugs big or small during your time playing Hammerheart, please report them via the feedback channel in the official discord here. Work also continues on the Hammerheart total overhaul, the most ambitious update yet. Coming soon for free to all players, read more about it in this post.
- Development News | Major Overhaul Coming Soon - 23 April 2022
It's been quiet lately, what's been going on behind the scenes? Over the past several months, I've been rebuilding Hammerheart from the ground up for a more dynamic, immersive and replayable experience. Since its inception in 2019, Hammerheart's primary objective has been to immerse players in an authentic depiction of Viking age Britain. My programming skills and game design knowledge have improved massively since then, and earlier this year I decided that the best way to deliver Hammerheart's main objective would be with a complete overhaul. This has required a lot of planning and a total redesign of even the most fundamental mechanics, with special care taken to preserve the features and themes core to the current Hammerheart experience. Meanwhile, new music made specifically for Hammerheart by Tyler Cline has been implemented in the latest Hammerheart build 22.04.21.2. I will contin…
- Early Access Build 21.12.17.1 - 17 December 2021
The latest Hammerheart build is here, and contains the first features of some upcoming overhauls that will fundamentally change the game loop and offer players more freedom in every run. Changes in build 21.12.17.1: Fixed bug which caused Hakon and Wiglaf to kill the enemy in the tutorial. Reduced default freedom of movement for troops upon starting an encounter to reduce UI clutter for new players. Added red indicators that show when enemies are approaching from offscreen. These compliment the directional horn sounds to give players a better idea of how to assemble their troops. Reworked weapon dropping: Instead of being automatically requipped in the next encounter, dropped weapons are now added to the inventory for a clearer and more intuitive inventory experience. This does not apply to thrown weapons. Added UI notification for dropped weapons. Added perk: Crampons - Allows the enti…
- Development News | Plans for Winter - 6 December 2021
Yesterday was the biggest day in Hammerheart's history with even more players getting on board than launch day. This was of course because of SplatterCatGaming's review which I'm very thankful for, and to all the new players I would like to say welcome! I'm honoured to have you here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6jBBQYT7_I The video and its comment section both contain a lot of great ideas which strengthen the feedback Hammerheart has received across various other channels. The community feedback as a whole has made me think more about the mid-term and long-term goals for Hammerheart which had remained unchanged since the Early Access release... Until now. As you can see on the Trello roadmap, there are now plans for major changes to the game loop, which include a grid-based overworld map which players can navigate to choose encounters. Terrain, enemy and reward types will all be vi…
- Development News | Early Access Build 21.10.26.1 - 26 October 2021
Early Access Build 21.10.26.1 is here! This build includes the foundations of an important AI overhaul which will, in the future, allow for much more varied enemy types as well as give enemies the potential to make more effective use of upcoming unique weapon types. A simple new enemy type has arrived which targets the player specifically, while maintaining awareness of other threats. Changes in build 21.10.26.1: New aggressive enemy type added that targets the player specifically. This enemy wears mail, a helmet and a cloak for easy identification. Changed Snorri's behaviour to aggressive. Added at least one aggressive enemy to each wave of the boss room. Added new perk: Holy Water - Instantly heals all injuries in your party. Enemy armour now deflects attacks in the same way as friendly armour does, instead of providing a stat bonus. Added an additional perk selection opportunity afte…
- Demo Release | Early Access Build 21.09.28.1 - 28 September 2021
Want to try the game for free? Hammerheart now has a Demo! You can download it and play 20 minutes for free by pressing the "Download Demo" button on the store page. Preparations for the upcoming Norway expansion are well underway. To compliment the new area coming soon, some important additions have been made in today's update. Changes in build 21.09.28.1: Completely remade perk selection UI at the start of the game. Added "Eyvind" encounters that allow the player to choose an additional perk midway through a run Approximately doubled the length of a run, and adjusted the difficulty curve with the later half of encounters now being harder than before. Added new perk: Heightened Senses - Companions using short arms have 360 degree awareness. Added new perk: Grindstone - Bonus mellee backstab damage for all friendlies. Added new perk: Bodkin Arrows - Bonus ranged backstab damage for all…
- Minor Content Update 21.09.22.1 - 22 September 2021
Some new features have arrived to Hammerheart, and many more are underway! Early Access build 21.09.22.1 aims to bring more strategic thinking into Hammerheart, both on an individual level and across the battlefield. Changes in build 21.09.22.1: Dropped enemy weapons now have a chance of being lootable. This applies both to dropped long weapons, and the weapon the enemy was wielding upon their death. Lootable weapons are highlighted in the colour of their tier (white, green, purple or gold) but will disappear after 10 seconds. If you're trying to bulk out your companions with basic weapons without rolling the weapon reward dice, this new feature will help you. Movement speed now depends upon the environment; paths make you faster and mud makes you slower. Expansions upon this feature are planned to be added in future locations and with future mechanics. Added passive blocking against ar…
- Early Access Build 21.09.14.1 - 14 September 2021
The latest Hammerheart patch aims to give more information to players and provide a smoother experience, especially to newer players. This is one of many updates that will come, improving upon parts of the UI. Changes in build 21.09.14.1: Remade the system for proceeding upon clearing an encounter. After you have recieved your rewards and managed your inventory, press TAB to view your reward options for the next encounter, with artwork and text descriptions. Improved early game flow by giving the player medical items as the reward for the first encounter after the tutorial, and increased randomness of the second. Increased impact of the Ironside and Leechbook perks. Lowered difficulty of the two enemies in the tutorial to improve first impressions; for more challenging practice, try the training mode. Added a release buffer to the mouse buttons, helping to prevent some annoying isssues…
- Early Access Build 21.09.09.2 - 9 September 2021
Important: This update will clear all saved dialogue and tutorials. Hammerheart is a challenging game; this has been a point in the majority of feedback we've recieved in one way or another. This has been something we've been working on for a while, but results from internal testing with developers and experienced testers were inevitably skewed compared to those from the diverse range of players that have encountered Hammerheart upon its release. The latest build contains some new mechanics, changes and fixes aimed at helping new players learn the game, and widening the range of players that will be able to pick up and enjoy Hammerheart. Changes in 21.09.09.2: Added an infinite 1v1 training mode in which you can fight alone against infinite waves of singular enemies. This is useful for practicing blocking in an isolated environment. Added perks. When you start a run, you can choose a pe…
- Early Access Build 21.09.07.3 - 7 September 2021
Thanks everybody for a very successful first day! Releasing to a large audience of players has brought up several factors that were not apparent in playtesting, and after reading feedback and having conversations with players, some short-term plans have been drawn to improve the pace and sense of progression throughout a run. This is on our roadmap which can be viewed here. Today's build includes several changes working towards this plan. Changes in 21.09.07.3: Removed levy troop system and given the player 7 companions by default. Wiglaf is now a permanent companion and his helmet is an inventory item. Reduced chance of companions sustaining injuries. Reduced amount by which a companion's block success is determined by the player's, and increased their base block success rate. Increased amount of companions, weapons and meds awarded per encounter. Reduced total amount of encounters and…
