- "Smooth Operator" Update (1.3.0) November '24 - 1 November 2024
*** General *** - Reworked the collision system to avoid being stuck - Slightly increased Familiar collision size *** Quality of Life *** - Added an option to hide already known info signs - Increased item pickup radius *** UI *** - Added a custom cursor image - Added a warning text on new game screen when name already used *** Input *** - Gamepad: Right analogue stick is now mapped to the same actions as the left one Read more: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1447700/view/4481737694941020351
- Full Version Release - 14 June 2024
Hey there, fellow Catz. So, you played the Pumpkin Prologue and want more? Good news: The full version has been released here on Steam! There's a launch discount running until June 19, so get your copy of the game today. More info on the release: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1447700/view/4174353702597299382 A recent update for the full version and the prologue: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1447700/view/6212233261432662213 Play the full version of ZpellCatz now! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1447700/ZpellCatz/
- Patch Update (0.101.10) May '24 - 20 May 2024
*** General *** - Fixed lots of text wording issues and typos *** Quality of Life *** - Familiar breeder menu now closes after Familiar selection - Merchant menu now highlights the interaction hint when clicking an offer entry *** Demo / Prologue *** - Fixed a bug that hid the input hints for new players - Quests 1 now correctly shows "Talk to Hildeguard"
- Release Date Announcement - 17 April 2024
Hey there, fellow Catz! Exciting news today. ZpellCatz now has a release date and we're transitioning from closed beta to open beta. Release Date Announcement ZpellCatz will be released on June 5, 2024 here on Steam. Join the Open Beta The closed beta of ZpellCatz ends today, but we are smoothly transitioning into open beta. A big thank you to everyone who participated in the closed beta and provided feedback. You have helped ZpellCatz become a lot better. The open beta starts today and will end a few days before release. Everyone is invited to take part in the beta test via Steam Playtest, so check it out and please give feedback. Want to join the open beta? Visit ZpellCatz' Steam page and click "Request Access". Check out this screenshot: Stay up to Date Never miss an update? Follow & wishlist ZpellCatz here on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1447700/ZpellCatz/
- ZpellCatz "The Look" Update (0.101.3) - 14 April 2024
Hey there, fellow Catz! A new version of the ZpellCatz closed beta is available now. This version features a UI overhaul, a new tailor NPC and lots of balance changes. As with any new beta version, more players are invited. So, check your e-mails / Steam client if you've registered for access. Also, there'll be an exciting announcement regarding ZpellCatz next week. Stay tuned! New Features The UI and especially the menus needed some polish. Nearly every UI screen has been updated in the version and I really like the new style. Have a look at the updated skill and inventory screens: A new NPC joined the Greencat Village: Halge, the tailor. Halge offers a service to change the appearance of cat heroes. And the best part? The service is free of charge! So change your look as often as you want to. This version also feature a ton of balance changes. As I've added more and more late game con…
- ZpellCatz "Sharing is Caring" Update (0.100.0) - 5 January 2024
Happy new year, fellow Catz! 2024 starts with a lot of new features for ZpellCatz: Highscore, (shared) stash, new game modes and lots of minor changes. In addition, the demo / prologue has been updated so that Familiars and local multiplayer are now available there. As with any new beta version, more players are invited. So, check your e-mails / Steam client if you've registered for access. New Features A stash has been added to the Market Hall. It has 6 pages, 2 personal ones (per cat hero) and 4 shared ones. The shared pages are, well, shared amongst all heroes, allowing you to give items from one cat to another. Each page has 30 item slots, so you now have enough space to store every tier 1 and tier 2 epic item (if you want to do that for whatever reason :-D ). One of the features that I always enjoyed while playing Legends of Pixelia is now also available in ZpellCatz: Highscores! T…
- ZpellCatz "Very Familiar" Update (0.99.0) - 19 November 2023
Hey there, fellow Catz! Familiars got some love in this new version of the ZpellCatz closed beta and local multiplayer is finally here. As with any new beta version, more players are invited. So, check your e-mails / Steam client if you've registered for access. New Features Local multiplayer is here! Connect a gamepad / joystick and enjoy playing together with your friends and family. Familiars have been rebalanced, slightly shifting power from the cat hero to the Familiar with this update. They are no longer pure sources of passive stats through their talents. Also, the talents now provide a higher bonus to the Familiar and a smaller one to the cat hero. Lets see if talent choice will be more interesting now. Requesting Beta Access Want to join the closed beta? Visit ZpellCatz' Steam page and click "Request Access". Check out this screenshot: "Very Familiar" Update (0.99.0) November '…
- ZpellCatz "Your Voice" Update (0.98.0) - 24 September 2023
Hey there, fellow Catz! A new version of the ZpellCatz closed beta is ready to be played. As with any new beta version, more players are invited. So, check your e-mails / Steam client if you've registered for access. New Features Having trouble to adjust the audio volumes to match your system in ZpellCatz 0.97.0? Audio volumes can now be controlled via slider to allow finer adjustments. Cats shouldn't die with health potions left in their belt. A new "low on health" indicator helps players to notice that their cat hero is heavily injured. The indicator starts showing up at 50% HP and is getting more and more intense the lower the health percentage left. It's sometimes easy to miss that your cat hero has skill points left or that you've just found a new gem. This version introduces pause menu notifiers for all kinds of stuff. Please give feedback which notifiers are helpful and which are…
- ZpellCatz Beta has Started - 2 September 2023
Hey there, fellow Catz! The ZpellCatz closed beta has started, a new Familiar joins the game and epic item web documentation is ready to browse. Closed Beta Start The closed beta has started! So, check your e-mails / discord messages / Steam client if you've registered for access. Did you receive a key / access? Have fun playing and please give feedback! Ways to give feedback: - Join my Discord server: https://discord.gg/D6CkrUu - ZpellCatz playtest Steam discussions: https://steamcommunity.com/app/2423250/discussions/ - There's a "Feedback" button ingame (main menu & pause menu beneath "System") You didn't receive a key / access? Do net fret. Chances are good that you'll be able to join the beta with the next version. New Familiar: Bemoth Bemoth gladly leaves his dark and cold crypt to wreck cursed enemies with you. Bemoth will hatch after finishing (main quest) dungeon 2. His active s…
- ZpellCatz "Ready for Beta" Update (0.97.0) August '23 + Beta Starts Soon - 24 August 2023
Hey there, fellow Catz! A new version of the demo / prologue is ready to be played and the ZpellCatz closed beta starts soon. "Ready for Beta" Update (0.97.0) August '23 *** General *** - Fixed a "Load Game" menu selection issue - Adjusted class combination names - Minor dialogue adjustments - Added clouds to the main menu screen *** Gameplay Changes *** - Equipment can no longer be changed while there are enemies nearby *** Input *** - Mouse buttons (middle, right, mb4, mb5, scroll up, scroll down) can now be used to cast skills (and other input if you want to) - Gamepad button "B" now also closes ingame menus *** UI *** - Replaced the "requirements too high" graphic with a simple X - Quest menu texts now show important words in yellow color - Adjusted shop NPC UIs (merchant, blacksmith) - Notifications are now hidden when the desired action is taken *** Engine *** - Game engine update…
- ZpellCatz Closed Beta - 22 July 2023
Hey there, fellow Catz! Today I want to announce the start of ZpellCatz' closed beta. Want to know more about the beta or join the playtest yourself? Read on. Closed Beta Start The closed beta starts on September 1, 2023 at 16:00 CEST. Living in another time zone? This might help: http://www.worldtimebuddy.com/event?lid=12%2C8%2C4673353&h=12&sts=28225320&sln=16-17&a=show (I'm not affiliated with worldtimebuddy). How to Join? It's important to request beta access before September if you want to have a chance to play on Sept 1. Visit ZpellCatz' Steam page and click "Request Access". Feeling lost? Check out this screenshot: Note: About 50% of the requesters will get access right away, the rest has to wait for the next beta patch. Why? Because playtesters are a very, very valuable resource. The beta will grow over the next few months and I would be really glad to receive feedback from fresh…
- DevRecap Feb '23 + Version 0.96.0 - 15 February 2023
Hey there, fellow Catz! Today I want to talk about the progress of the last months and the changes of the new version (prologue / demo). AI Upgrade Last time, I talked about Familiars in ZpellCatz. Familiars can be controlled by a friend in local multiplayer or by an AI for moments when there are no friends sitting next to you. ^^ In order to be able to switch back and forth between those two control schemes, I had to upgrade the AI systems for better pathfinding. The cool bonus: The enemy controlling AI also benefited from it! Enemies get stuck in corners less often and multiple melee enemies that hunt your cat hero do a better job at cooperating as a group. Kudos to Cory Koseck (7ark) for their Unity-Passfinding repo. I used that one as a starting point and adjusted it to my needs. The red nodes on the image above show blocked paths, the blue nodes with green connections show possible…
- Familiars & 2 Player Mode - 14 October 2022
Hey there, fellow Catz! Today I want to talk about Familiars and local multiplayer in ZpellCatz. Since both features are early in development at the moment, there's a high chance that some things change over time. But lets take a look at the current implementation. Familiar Park There's a Familiar Breeder NPC called Drac who has a small park in Greencat Village. When you visit the Familiar park early in the game, you see eggs lying around. Familiar eggs hatch when you make progress with the main quests of the story. After finishing the first dungeon, the first two Familiars become available. But what exactly do Familiars do? They are companions that support your cat hero on its adventure. Besides their own set of combat spells, they also have passive auras that increase your cat's stats. The two early Familiars are Loki (the red one) and Bashu (yellow). Loki uses high damage ranged spel…
- NPCs in ZpellCatz: The Blacksmith - 9 October 2022
Hey there, fellow Catz! Today I want to talk about one of the NPCs in ZpellCatz: The Blacksmith. Last time, I talked about the Merchant NPC. In contrast to the Merchant where you can acquire new items, the Blacksmith in ZpellCatz can't create new items. Instead, they are able to enhance or transform a given item. Lets have a look at the Blacksmith's services. Sell Item Get rid of items you no longer need and gain some Thalers (or other currencies). There's no difference whether you sell your items to the Merchant or to the Blacksmith. Upgrade Rarity There are normal, special, rare and epic items in ZpellCatz. The Blacksmith is able to upgrade a normal item to special rarity and also to upgrade a special item to a rare one. One of the design pillars of ZpellCatz is "Randomization vs. Reliability". That's why upgrading does not reroll stats. It keeps the old ones (reliability) and adds ne…
- ZpellCatz Late Game Builds: Lightning Totem - 29 September 2022
Hey there, fellow Catz! Today I want to talk about one of many possible late game builds in ZpellCatz: A Fury Shaman that is focused on "Lightning Totem". Since the playable demo / prologue features some early gameplay, I thought it might be a good idea to show how late game builds could look like in ZpellCatz. We'll start with a Fury Shaman because it's the class combination that's playable in the demo / prologue. Skills In this build, we want to focus on the skill "Lightning Totem". Lets make it super strong! :-D So, lets put some points in "Lightning Totem" (our main skill), "Frost Totem" (cold base damage), "Charged Soul" (storm damage%) and "Thunder Claw" (storm damage%, pierce storm). We choose "Master of Totems" as the ultimate skill because it's a perfect match for our build. Ultimate skills provide some really great bonuses, but you can only select one of three (two based on th…
- NPCs in ZpellCatz: The Merchant - 25 September 2022
Hey there, fellow Catz! Today I want to talk about one of the NPCs in ZpellCatz: The Merchant. You will find lots of items and Thalers when looting dungeons in ZpellCatz. Most of your equipment will be self found, but when RNG is working against you, there are NPCs to help out. I talked a lot about the itemization in ZpellCatz in April '21 (a long time ago, but the article still provides correct info). This time, lets focus on the Merchant. Offer Pages The Merchant starts with a small selection of items. Then, whenever you finish a main quest relevant task, a new offer page unlocks. Fixed Items Most of the equipment items sold are of special quality (fix stats + some bonus stats). The cool thing? The stats and their values are fixed, meaning they are always the same. One of the design pillars of ZpellCatz is "Randomization vs. Reliability". Since most of your looted items are completely…
- ZpellCatz "Kick and Start" Update (0.95.2) September '22 - 4 September 2022
Hey there. A new version of the Pumpkin Prologue is ready to be played. It's in a good shape now for the upcoming game festival season. Here are the patch notes for the current version: "Kick and Start" Update (0.95.2) September '22 *** UI *** - Quest finished dialogue looks nicer now - Replaced the discord box with a SimaGames info box - Small UI bug fixes *** System *** - Added resilience to corrupted save files *** Engine *** - Game engine update - Library updates Full Changelog
- "Dark Harvest" Update (0.94.0) June '22 + Updated Prologue Trailer - 24 June 2022
Hey there. Spell effects have greatly been improved and there is a new version of the Pumpkin Prologue available to give them a try. But first, let's check out the updated trailer: https://www.indiedb.com/games/zpellcatz/videos/pumpkin-prologue-trailer-june-2022 Here are the patch notes for the current version: "Dark Harvest" Update (0.94.0) June '22 *** General *** - Improved spell visuals effects - Mountains now have a slightly different color for each height level - Improved destructable death animation - Steam Cloud now correctly works for cross-platform (Windows / Linux) *** Shaman *** - Increased "Ice Missiles" shot speed by 50% - Updated "Ice Missiles" description *** Pumpkin Prologue *** - The epic item "Dark Harvest" is now a guaranteed drop (one time only) - Slightly adjusted the base resistances of Traulicht - Fixed a bug that occasionally caused a black screen when entering…
- New ZpellCatz Trailer - 9 June 2022
Hey there. I polished the spell effects and the environment over the last weeks. Check out the updated trailer and screenshots:
- "Great on Deck" Update (0.93.0) April '22 - 25 April 2022
*** General *** - Added more epic items - Friendly rooms are allowed to spawn closer to the dungeon entrance now - Advanced blacksmith services are now cheaper when the base item is of normal quality - This change makes normal items worth being picked up in midgame / lategame (e.g. to craft epic items) - Treasure rooms and boss rooms now drop at least one item of quality special or higher - Added an option to change cursor speed when playing with a gamepad - Reworked main menu scene - Small bug fixes *** World *** - Greatly improved water / ocean mesh and added a wave animation - Wall and doodad meshes have been improved - Crystal cave (pumpkin prologue) walls now have crystals in them *** UI *** - Dialogue box now supports colored text - Adjusted quest item info icon position - Added new logo graphic - Name box of the new game screen is now on top to better work with on screen keyboard…
