Hey everyone!
It's finally time to pay off the biggest chunk of technical debt we've built up over the whole development. Some of you probably know that the game used to eat a huge amount of memory, which could lead to crashes, long loading times and other unpleasant stuff.
To fix this, we had to optimize most of our assets, clear a lot of junk out of the project and completely rework some of the memory-related tech under the hood. It's a very long and, honestly, incredibly exhausting process — but it was absolutely worth it.
Just look at the results:
We managed to cut almost half of the RAM usage and significantly reduce video memory usage (and the most important thing — solve the problem with crashes due to memory, like when entering the city). On top of that, the game now takes up 10 GB less space. Even though these changes are mostly about resource usage, in some cases we got a performance boost too. Naturally, all this memory work sped up loading the game from the menu quite a bit — roughly twice as fast. On top of that, we finally fixed one of those long-standing inventory issues we just couldn't track down for ages. Under very specific conditions, the last picked-up item could end up in an inventory slot that didn't actually exist, which meant it was lost. The same thing could happen to reusable items like Roony's whistle on the quick bar. We found the problem and fixed it.
If you happen to have lost an item, use the command: Shift + F12 > AddItemID (ID). You can find the full list of item IDs at this link — we've added a handy database there to look items up in every supported language.
Important note! We've also added a small fix for an issue that caused crashes when trying to load some older saves (usually from versions 1.03 and 1.04). Unfortunately we didn't have a large sample of such saves, but every one we had on hand loaded successfully.
Alongside that, we added a small fix for the latest nVidia drivers that could cause an infinite load on the start screen (and, of course, a few fixes for the story quests we somehow managed to break in the previous patch). Now let's talk about the cool new stuff!
Immersive Mode
One of the most frequent player requests was a first-person mode for even deeper immersion in the world of the Kingdom of Seven. At first we wanted to go with a compromise — moving around the world in first person and everything else in third — but the more we tested the game like that, the more we realized just how much potential was hiding there. Meet immersive mode (hold the show-tasks key, Tab by default) and see the world through Tristan's eyes. Every one of the hero's actions, from crafting an item to dialogues and battles, can now be felt closer than ever.
Active Map Markers
For convenience, map markers can now be made active. Active markers will show up on your compass.
Alternative Aiming
By popular request, we've added a new combat aiming system. By default, the hero carries an attack through to the current active target (unless target lock is on), or strikes in front of them if there's no target. In alternative mode, the hero always strikes in the direction of the camera (target lock being the exception). It gives you a bit more freedom in combat and feels a little different.
You can pick this mode in the control settings.
Crypt's Blessing
For those who find battles a bit too easy, we've added a small Crypt altar with 6 candles — each candle increases enemy strength and fully restores enemy health when the game loads, but in return grants extra experience in combat. The candles' effect is reversible. You can put them out to return everything to its original values.
The altar is located near the ruined village, not far from the "King's Brother".
Gamepad & Steam Deck Support
Technically, gamepad support has been there since launch, but it worked very unreliably — some elements didn't respond to input, some places lacked contextual prompts, and a few things conflicted with each other. We managed to close every control bug that was in the bug reports and make the controls more responsive across various UI elements — at least with the default control layout on Xbox One gamepads. Some rough edges may still turn up — please send us a message through the in-game form, and we'll do our best to close every issue in the very first hotfix.
P.S.: We recently set up a default gamepad input profile, but sometimes an old preset may stick around — click the gamepad icon in the Steam panel and pick the correct mode.
For PlayStation gamepads, disable Steam Input in the Steam settings. This may also be relevant for any non-Xbox gamepads.
P.S.S.: We'll also be adding cloud save support very soon.
Plans for Upcoming Updates
We often see questions about our plans for upcoming updates, and after patch 1.08 the plan has become quite concrete. Right now we have three main directions: enemy combat AI, bug fixing, and a big balance update. And now that the memory issue is sorted, we're finally able to ship more prompt hotfixes and updates.
Enemy Combat AI
Right now it's fairly easy to find a cheesy tactic for almost any enemy: narrow passages, high ground, or just the sluggishness of some especially dangerous foes. We plan to adjust the AI logic and give enemies more room for aggressive actions, so that fights are fair and proper leveling and gear actually give you the edge you need in combat. And to counter various terrain-based cheese, we'll give enemies a way to "reach" the hero when he's out of range.
Bug Fixing
Of course, fixing all sorts of annoying bugs stays a priority: from game logic to quests and gameplay mechanics. Right now our quest task pool from the bug reports is almost cleared (well, at least until we broke a couple of story triggers in 1.07 and fixed them in 1.08), but there's still plenty of work ahead on things big and small. At the very least, we plan to fully clear the current list of reports in 1.09 and add another batch of free content with TRULY unique artifacts, dangerous bosses and new gameplay mechanics.
A Big Balance Discussion with the Community
This is probably the most exciting part of the planned patch 1.09 — we want to reshape the balance so that, at the very least, gold feels valuable all the way to the end of the game, enemies don't become too weak starting from Chapter 3, and some foes that are far too weak for their status get a boost. Changes like these usually involve several layers at once: how fast the hero gets rich, cheesy ways to farm experience/gold, item costs, enemy strength and enemy AI. To gather that much information, we'll split the discussion into several parts tied to different aspects of gameplay. Every player will get access to their own topics in Discord where they can weigh in on the set themes. Once we've collected the feedback, we'll put a list of potential changes up for open discussion and stress-test our theories. If a theory holds up — we close that block and move on to the next. Naturally, we understand that the same change can get completely opposite reactions, so the final verdict is ours either way — based on our vision of how Of Ash and Steel should feel. But this approach will let us quickly weed out clearly bad ideas and give us some food for thought. The discussion starts very soon — come hang out with us on Discord.
Full List of Changes
Gameplay
Fixed cases where cooking food at a campfire could reduce or remove items from the quick slots.
Fixed a number of cases where NPCs could get stuck drawing their weapon when the target was unreachable.
Added more aggression to two large monsters.
Fixed a number of cases where received items weren't actually added to the inventory.
Fixed Bestiary rewards.
Adjusted several item IDs that wouldn't stack.
Bow proficiency skills now correctly grant damage bonuses.
Fixed the displayed damage type for arrows and crossbow bolts (a cosmetic change — the damage itself was and remains piercing).
The Wanderer can no longer block bow/crossbow attacks from behind.
Added experience for auto-lockpicking doors.
Fixed post-processing in the snowy location that could switch off too early.
You can now comfortably climb onto draggable barrels and crates.
Added more reliable state-loading logic for the final chapter and earlier chapters.
Added a physics fix that could, in rare cases, cause PhysX crashes.
Adjusted recovery of fatigue, hunger and thirst when resting at a tavern or a tent camp.
Adjusted stamina regen for human enemies in combat (it's now smooth during stamina-recovery moves and can be interrupted).
Added smoothing when turning with a bow or crossbow in combat mode.
Sleeping NPCs no longer notice theft or entering restricted areas.
Added a choice of voice-over / text language.
Added an immersive camera mode.
Added an active marker for the map.
Added Crypt candles that let you raise enemy difficulty in exchange for extra experience (only for winning fights).
Added a new melee aiming mode — based on camera direction (enabled in the control settings).
Fixed random flickering in the inventory that could occur under specific save/load conditions.
Added a fallback interaction cutoff when using a ladder while sprinting.
Reworked the bleed formula — bleed damage now scales off the final damage dealt to the target, with a constant modifier on every hit. FinalDamage * 0.01 or 0.05 + 1 = Bleed Damage / 1 sec * 1.25 for each additional hit while the bleed is active (0.01 or 0.05 depends on whether you have the skill). Works only with piercing weapons (rapiers or daggers).
Added more extras to the brothel.
Quests
Sawyer and his "Let's talk about…" dialogue branch are now unavailable after Chapter 3.
Adjusted the response timing for the dialogue with Denesh below the fort (it could previously lead to an empty dialogue).
After the mine is liberated, combat sounds now switch off on time.
Fixed duplicated journal text for the quest "Why Do They Need a Cartographer?".
Fixed a looping interaction with the townsperson by the house in Shade's quest "Dark Dealings".
A strength check in the dialogue with Mustard now grants experience.
When the hero stands in for Talorn in Alpha and Omega, the guard no longer appears out of thin air.
In the dialogue with Sawyer, the question about the banker no longer appears if he has already left.
In the quest "Thieves' Nuances", the merchant now has a beard, just as Shade says.
Fixed the objective in the task "The Restless Neighbor".
Fixed the notification for the quest "The Unquiet Husband".
Skipper's accomplices are no longer attacked by the guards as bandits.
Fixed the journal entry for the quest "A Troubled Night".
Fixed the dialogue with Eremey by the bridge.
The lighthouse in the outskirts now activates its beam right after interaction.
UI
Critical damage values are now rounded for cleaner visuals in the UI.
Fixed the display of debuff durations on high difficulty.
Fixed the Shift key sticking while working with the inventory.
In the Bestiary, monster rewards that are available to unlock now have a special marker.
Added 40 and 50 FPS frame limits.
Fixed situations where rapidly entering and exiting the "War" skills section could cause the character to flicker.
Performance
Reduced the game's size by 10 GB.
Significantly reduced memory usage.
Significantly sped up loading the game from the main menu.
Reworked streaming on transitions between locations (the first load is faster, subsequent ones are almost instant).
Significantly reduced GPU load in cutscenes.
Optimized particles and lighting on some enemies that were causing FPS drops.
Adjusted the monster tick rate on weaker hardware, which could cause animation stutter.
Fixed a case where opening merchant, hero and storage inventories caused excessive resource usage.
Gamepad
Scrolling up/down now works in the inventory, quest list, trading, crafting and all menus.
The right stick lets you switch the current target while locked on.
The left stick no longer moves the character in the campfire camp menu and while trading.
The sensitivity slider is now limited to correct values.
The cursor works fully in Ranta, all trade menus, skill training, crafting and trading.
Special abilities and active skills work correctly on the gamepad, with no mixed-up buttons (LB+Y, LB+X, LB+A, etc.) and without sheathing your weapon.
The "Until Midnight" and "Until Noon" sleep modes work correctly on the gamepad.
Centering on the map now works as it should.
Holding the "hook"/"reel" buttons while fishing no longer triggers multiple inputs that led to quick failures.
Coachmen now work correctly with the gamepad.
The quick-access in combat is now bound to the assigned sprint button instead of X.
Notice board: the correct gamepad icon is shown instead of Esc.
The recipe-switching arrows and the +/– quantity buttons now work correctly.
Improved detection of gamepad/mouse input in menus.
Language selection works correctly on the gamepad.
Combat interactions (throwing a spear, kicking a bottle, etc.) no longer sheathe your weapon.
Scrolling in large bags is now smooth, without abruptly jumping to the end/start.
Improved handling of Roony.
Fixed movement display with low stick values.
Fixed incorrect binding of the rest time buttons in the temporary camp.
