Chapter 1 of Heavenly Peaks is shaping up quite nicely, if I do say so myself! I've been quietly working behind the scenes for the past few months in preparation of what's to come. Life doesn't always go as you want, in fact, you can only count on chaos! I learned this first hand when my plans for full funding were dashed earlier this year. There were even people who reported my crowdfunding pages to get them shut down - crazy, right? Luckily we can't be stopped that easily!

 I've made steady progress during that time and gotten a better feel for the world I want to build. As a result there are a few changes to discuss!

Let's begin with minor changes first, there's a lot - so get comfy!

A new main stat will be added to the game, Intent. This stat, along with Health and Qi will power your skills in battle. Health will govern Martial Arts, Qi will govern Spirit Arts and Intent will govern Weapon Arts. Speaking of weapons, I also  decided on how Gear (weapons and accessories) work for the player. Weapons have the characteristic of secondary effects attached to them by default. These effects could be as simple as wounding an opponent, causing poison or damaging their cultivation!

Secondary effects only trigger when you have the intent to power them, otherwise your attacks are just normal. Naturally, Intent is also used to power Weapon Arts.

Accessories, on the other hand, offer a wide variety of benefits - useful to  cover  weaknesses or improve  strengths. The # of accessories you can equip are only limited by the strength of your soul sea / realm.

In regards to reaching new heights, the specifics of  Realm Shifting have been defined.  As you train, the methods used will be recorded in two ways, a Testament which is a temporary record of your actions, and a Chronicle which is a permanent record of the methods you use to improve cultivation.

When its time to realm shift, the actions you've taken and the dao you've chosen (that is  , your path of cultivation) will determine how easy or difficult it is for you to do so. So, for example, if you chose the dao "Way of The Fist (Martial)" , you'd want to focus on doing strength training and martial skill building exercises more than other methods. When the time comes to break through, then your Testament would - in theory, make your realm shift go smoothly. Conversely, if you chose the same dao but trained with methods that boost your Spirit or Weapon Arts mostly, then you'd have a harder time.

Even in the second scenario, there are methods you can use to improve your chances of success - which brings us to the new foundation system. Players can craft or acquire materials or items which can be absorbed and then refined over time through meditation. Once these items are completely refined you gain often permanent benefits, such as the ability to gather larger amounts of qi as well as to  gather it more quickly. One of the benefits is, of course, to help you break through a difficult realm shift should you encounter the problem.

Once you manage a realm shift, your Testament will reset in preparation for the next realm shift.  Meanwhile, Chronicles are a sum of those actions and always stay with you. Chronicles are responsible for which skills you can acquire as you progress. Using another example, "Flaming Fist" might require a realm of 1 or higher and 150 Martial Chronicle. If you meet those requirements then you can learn the "Flaming Fist" skill and use it as you please. Chronicles also affect other abilities that benefit you, such as breathing techniques (which can change the way your basic meditation functions) or other esoteric abilities and techniques.

Earlier I mentioned your "dao" of which there are 6 paths to choose from. Early on you'll be able to make this choice and up to Realm 3, you'll be able to change your path freely. Each path is essentially a guide that determines how you plan to cultivate your strength. If you choose "Way of The Fist (Martial)" , for example,  you will be required to focus on building your body and martial skill more - as the path you choose directly determines the requirement of each realm shift. Should you stick diligently to your dao, you will unlock the most powerful techniques that way has to offer.

Despite this, you can still dabble in learning skills or abilities that don't fit into your intended path if you choose. The consequence may be losing ground towards peak skills later down the line. Training has also been improved in many aspects, though it's mostly under the hood.  As it relates to players, I've plans to implement at least 10-20 new types of training in game.  Starting with chapter 1, training will also have Realm requirements, and they can also be mastered. 

Once you enter the next realm Guobei will also see fit to share her knowledge with you, allowing you to acquire skills and abilities that are rare in nature. This is due to her status as a deity and is closely related to the secrets of Bai Huan's soul sea as well.

I've also taken a good, long look at Heavenly Peak's current battle system. It wasn't originally what I intended, but after all this time I'm ready to push it closer to the original version. I've also listened to feed back : I've also decided to add a secondary type of battle system that you can switch between freely - traditional RPG style combat.

In terms of the original combat system's improvements - players will gain the ability to use weapons starting in the prologue (a dagger), and skills as soon as you begin to do battle (basic skills like "Hard Punch", "Hard Kick" etc). In chapter 1, players will be introduced to several instructors that make combat much more interesting. One of which is a flying swords instructor. Flying swords unlock several features for the player and are very powerful - however they can only be used once every rest period. They allow you to escape battle (this one is always available though it may not always be usable depending on the circumstance), defense counter (deal damage to enemies who strike you for the remainder of the battle), sword accompaniment (deal flying sword damage with your normal strikes), sword offense (deal % based damage to your foe, up to 35%) and a few other options.  The power and utility of flying swords increase as you gain the ability to control more of them.

In addition to those changes, I've also revamped a few other aspects of combat to make it more easy to manage (and enjoyable). I'm also considering a revamp of the stance switching mechanics currently included in the game as well. Last but not least -

A special thanks to all the followers, supporters and fans of Heavenly Peaks. Without you, this next feature wouldn't be possible.

As you can see above, 2  of 12 new outfits have been completed, with several more  underway as we speak.  There are many things I may have forgotten to mention (a few actually come to mind now)- but this is one of the most important, as it would be impossible without fellow daoists like you.

Thanks again for lending your power to the sect.

- My Big Little Brother

Patreon (Play 2 games, video game giveaways, nitro giveaways, polls and more)

Discord - Join The Community.