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Aarik D

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Blog Entries posted by Aarik D

  1. Aarik D
    Hail and well met!
     
    A few months ago we set up a few options for additional content for Pathfinder Adventures that would leverage more of the Rise of the Runelords campaign.
     
    We had a few choices available. It could have been another "Tale" to follow up what we were doing with Valeros (I believe the unofficial poll had Ezren in the lead to be the next adventure), a side quest hub (really popular idea internally especially since I suggested it), and a follow up Goblin Deck to Burn Everythings!
     
    The team actually put in the infrastructure for the side quests which would have supported 25-30 one-shot missions that would have been a great retention feature BUT that opened up a new can of worms. Some examples of things that needed to be properly fleshed out were about leveling up, randomly assigning rewards, skill ups, creating those rewards, etc. The list got long but it was filled with a bunch of cool ideas.
     
    Having just released A Fighter's Tale: Valeros we were hyped about how many more of the backgrounds we could flesh out for the Iconics with more Tales and at the same time add additional characters to be used in Rise of the Runelords. Before we started production, we looked back and saw this entire other campaign from a few months before that we put a lot of work into making its own thing. Doing two newer things didn't make sense when we could add content to a framework that was due for more.
     
    Goblin Deck 2 was decided upon and we figured that future production would be something like Gob Deck 2 > Hub > Tale 2 > Gob Deck 3 > More Hub > Tale 3... and so forth until the Goblin campaign got wrapped up and we ran out of Iconic characters.
     
    You'll also be able to find the update notes here
     
    Here are some screenshots from Rise of the Goblins Deck 2!



     
    You may have noticed I didn't mention another box set like Skull & Shackles, Wrath of the Righteous, or Mummy's Mask. Rise of the Runelords pretty much handles only content created for it and if we tried to implement Ships, higher power levels, or even curses, it would very likely bring the whole thing down. Not to mention RotR is getting to be a pretty large game that is taking up more and more memory. Adding 20-30 cards per deck is a small increment compared to adding a thousand more cards from a new boxed set. It would have had to be a sequel with all the different ways that we currently present things and going through our wish list while making a solid foundation would have taken a better part of a year.
     
    Other features we wanted to expand on was a better use for gold which included more gold exclusive boons as well as a Stash size increases but we also had a metric ton of bugs that we had to fix. I definitely owe the awesome fan-base and folks familiar with Pathfinder Adventures for helping to explain how things work and how to deal with known issues.
     
    So, a big "Thank you!" from the team.
     
    However, I don't want to just talk about all the things we were working on. I think it is only fair to share what we are working on next and the answer is a very vague, "We don't know." There were plans in place to potentially even work on a Switch version that would be standalone and not require any interaction with PlayFab. It would have basically been a straight port of all of Rise of the Runelords without any of the special content we created, then we could have done DLC packs (or whatever) with the additional treasure cards and scenarios. Imagine seeing Seelah in a Princess Peach skin. (/faints) *Note: This wasn't approved to be done by anyone, this is just me typing some crazy possibilities -F*
     
    Alas, we couldn't get the timing to work out so as not to clash with other Obsidian releases, and most of the Pathfinder team was farmed out to help with other projects while that was being determined. The danger of that is that often teams that get split up don't often reform back on their previous project because they have become essential to their current project.
     
    Luckily for Pathfinder, we kind of broke that tradition and got the band back together for Goblin Deck 2, but we still don't know what the future holds. There are still talks going on with the publisher as to what they want us to work on but nothing concrete at this time.
     
    Finally, if you guys had awesome customer support (besides just Aarik) it was because the actual Pathfinder team members were working to help you guys directly. We are still going to be working on some of the more serious issues directly but overall that will be transitioning to Asmodee. Take it easy on them, they know not what they asked for and aren't as familiar with PlayFab yet.
     
    Thanks again! We aren't gone yet.
     
    -Flounder (aka OES), MrBishop, and Rrodriguez
     
    By proxy: Andre, Hannah, and KSmith (and of course Nathan!)
  2. Aarik D
    Rise of the Goblins
     
    We are proud to announce that we have new content coming to Pathfinder Adventures in the form of a new campaign, Rise of the Goblins.
     

     
    In our push to bring some quality of life features to Pathfinder Adventures AND release this for desktop it has been a severe content drought. When you have comments like, "Is this game even supported anymore?" and, "I wish the wait for new content was only as long as the wait from deck 3 to 4..." you know it has been too long.
     
    This campaign has some of the same events as Rise of the Runelords except that it is coming from the point of view of the dastardly goblins. It's right there in the name and longtime fans of the physical Pathfinder games will hopefully have the same passion for this version.
     
    We took a lot of inspiration from We Be Goblins for the first few scenarios. After that, we just wanted to mess with the Iconics!
     
    When playing through Rise of the Runelords players got familiar with the Iconic characters and the stories that would unfold as they went from the coastal town of Sandpoint all the way to the ruined city of Xin-Shalast.
     
    For Rise of the Goblins we are introducing two new characters to choose from, Ranzak (from Skull & Shackles) and Poog (from Goblin Burn! Deck). Both have new roles with unique powers that differentiate themselves from the Iconic Pathfinder characters.
     

     
    Since Rise of the Goblins is for goblins only and some players wish to have parties larger than two, we've included all (11) of the Iconic characters in goblin form and they all come with a new power.
     


     
    It should be noted that while Rise of the Goblins is only for those with the goblin trait (it wouldn't be right for the good guys to be doing these bad things anyway) the users can use the goblins in the existing Rise of the Runelords campaign.
     
    The first adventure deck for Rise of the Goblins contains five scenarios that starts in Sandpoint and because of the actions of the goblins it sets off the events that lead into the RotR's Attack on Sandpoint. The setting works out quite well in interweaving the stories between Iconics and the goblins because they are each other's antagonist.
     
    To help hit home the different side of the story we've made some additional changes to some of the cards that will be available in the goblin deck. Boons for the Iconics would be banes for the Goblins and allies would be enemies.
     

     
    Unlike the goblins themselves, these changed cards are not going to be fed back into the Rise of the Runelords box because it wouldn't make sense to have Ripnugget the Ally card be used again Ripnuggest the villain. Plus, we aren't playing around in the Mirror Mirror universe.
     
    Finally, we are also including a new set of goblin themed dice. These dice are our first asymmetrical dice created for Pathfinder Adventures and we hope they help pave the way for new unique shapes of dice in the future. Personally, I think we need more skulls but I could see some of other forms appear. We would have to have new code to deal with a d30 or a d100 that if you roll it too hard it just rolls off the virtual table.
     

     
    The Future
     
    The next content after our goblin deck is still being designed (and possibly named something else) but it is currently being called a Side Quest and is going to be character specific. Meaning you can do them with different sized parties but it requires the character of focus to be in the party.
    While this is subject to change, we plan on opening up with a series of five scenarios that explore some events that befall Valeros (he does have an interesting backstory) and culminate in unique rewards and a new character added to the roster.
     
    Who that character is has been currently narrowed down to one of two choices but they will be coming from the Fighter Class Deck and it isn't another version of Valeros, so that's your hint.
     
    Hmmm, maybe we'll open it up to a popularity vote or something in the future. No promises though!
     
    --
     
    We did get some players interested in Pathfinder recently and when you do a key-word search on reviews one word comes up more than any other. "Complicated" probably followed by, "as F*&K" and you know, that is pretty accurate.
     
    To help ease some folks into our CasF game, Aarik went and generated a series of very well done videos narrated by DanDizz (Twitch streamer extraordinaire) that will help explain some of the basics of the game and then into more of the nuanced parts. We'll have links for them in-game soon but the first two of the series are available now.
     
     
     
    --
     
    Things we really, really want, still. Some day. Maybe.
     
    Magic dice. What's that? Dunno, but I think it would be pretty cool if you had some dice that if they rolled a 1 you could burn a charge and reroll. Kind of like Pathfinder Mexicali.
     
    Larger Stash. We got a lot guff for even adding the stash, now we are getting "requests" to have a larger stash. We're looking into doing just that!
     
    "See how that works?" -Ash Williams, Housewares
     
    Cheers,
    -F
  3. Aarik D
    Well met, Adventurers!
     
    As we mentioned in an earlier post, pricing changes are coming to our store. Why did we decide to make these changes? Several reasons: first, and most importantly, we got feedback from our players (both directly through comments and through watching what is and is not actually being bought), about what items they wanted to see at what pricing. We listened to these comments and made changes we think make sense, while still making business sense for the product.
     
    Second, as you know, we recently added new content to the game and will be adding more in the future, and this new pricing system works better with the new content. It doesn’t make any sense to charge more for a bundle, for example, than it costs to purchase the items in that bundle individually.
     
    Hopefully, you will agree that the new pricing system is much more logical and equitable. Chests are now a bit easier to get with in-game gold, and just about everything else that had been purchasable with real-world money has been made cheaper, bundled together in a single-priced package, or both.
     
    For those of you who already own some or all of the content that has undergone a price change you will not lose your content. Nothing will change, you can keep right on smashing goblins and seeking treasure cards as you did. This change only affects future purchases.
     
    The full list of price changes is below. If you have any questions or feedback for us, please talk to us on our official forums.
     
    And now to take down the Runelords!
     

  4. Aarik D
    Greetings, Ambassadors! Obsidian is pleased to announce that the Pathfinder Ambassador Program is up and running, and that qualified players of Pathfinder Adventures are eligible to join as of this moment!

    What is the Ambassador Program?
    For an in-depth discussion of the details of the Pathfinder Ambassador Program, you can visit this post.

    However, if you'd prefer to stay here, the short version is this: if you have spent $25 USD or more on the mobile version of Pathfinder Adventures, or you own the Rise of the Runelords bundle on either or both of those platforms, you will receive a free Obsidian Edition upgrade for Pathfinder Adventures on Steam!

    The Obsidian Edition is the ultimate version of Pathfinder Adventures, and contains all the treasure cards, character alts, and upcoming goblin alts, as well as a whole bunch of other rewards like legendary dice, a bunch of in-game gold, and the exclusive Obsidian cards: Eder and Pallegina from our upcoming RPG Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire that you can't get anywhere else!

    What if I didn't spend that much/don't own Rise of the Runelords?
    Even if you don’t qualify for the Pathfinder Ambassador Program, we still want to thank you for being a fan of Pathfinder Adventures. If you register on Obsidian.net, we'll give you a coupon for 10% off the game (and yes, it stacks with any ongoing sales!), as well as the exclusive Obsidian cards, and 1000 gold. That coupon is only good for a very limited time, so don't wait!

    Is GOG available for the Pathfinder Ambassador Program?
    Unfortunately, no. The GOG version of the game is still in development and will not be able to participate in the program at this time.

    How do I redeem my rewards?
    Now to the fun part! Follow the instructions below to create an Obsidian.net account (or sign in if you already have one), to redeem your rewards.
     

     
     
     
    1. The first step is logging in to your Obsidian.net account , or creating a new account , if you don't have one.  
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

     
     
     
    2. Once you have signed into your Obsidian.net account, visit the Pathfinder Adventures Steam Promotion page . The Pathfinder Adventures Steam Promotion page will explain a little more about the Steam promotions and Pathfinder Ambassador Program. Please read the information carefully.  
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

     
     
     
    3. Press the “Continue to Account Verification” button to start the process of redeeming your rewards.  


     
     
     
     
     

     
     
     
    4. On the next page you will be prompted to verify your Steam account.  


     
     
     
     
     

     
     
     
    5. To verify your Steam account, press the “ SIGN IN THROUGH STEAM ” button. This will take you to Steam’s website so you can log in securely.  
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

     
     
     
    6. Enter in your Steam account’s credentials to link the Steam account to your Obsidian.net account. Linking this account allows Obsidian to unlock additional future content in Steam for Obsidian games. For example, there may be special content for Pathfinder Adventures owners in Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire , you never know!  


     
     
     
     
     

     
     
     
    7. After you link your Steam account you will be prompted to enter in your Pathfinder ID (PFID). You can find this ID by pressing "Options" then "Settings" in Pathfinder Adventures on your mobile device. Once you have found your PFID, you will need to enter it in the textbox at the top of the page and press the “Submit” button.  
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

     
     
     
    NOTE: You may skip this step, but if your PFID is not verified, you will not qualify for the Obsidian Edition upgrade DLC. To get the upgrade DLC you MUST enter in the PFID of the account that has spent $25 dollars or owns the Rise of the Runelords bundle.  


     
     
     
     
     

     
     
     
    8. After your account has been verified you will be given keys for your rewards. These rewards are redeemable through the Steam application. If you would like more information about redeeming your DLC and coupons, click on the “How do I activate a product on Steam?” link.  


     
     
     
     
     

     
     
     
    9. At this point, the process is complete and you can start redeeming your rewards on Steam. If you ever need to reference your keys again, you can visit (the "My Products" page on your Obsidian.net account). Just click on the Upgrade or Coupon entries to expand those sections and find your keys.  



    Once again, Obsidian would like to thank you for supporting Pathfinder over the past year.

    Now to take down the Runelords!
     
     
  5. Aarik D
    It's been quite some time since I've given an update on Pathfinder Adventures and for that, I am deeply sorry.
     
    In that time, the team has had some changes in both priorities and members. In the end, though, we have continued to work on making Pathfinder Adventures more accessible to existing users and to hopefully expose a new group of gamers to the world of Golarion and the iconic characters that travel within.
     
    Some of you might be saying, "Hey, why did we have to wait so long for a patch?" and, "Why didn't you update us more often?"
     
    We wanted to give the players the best PC experience with Pathfinder Adventures. To keep this from being considered just a mobile port was an enormous amount of work and required us to focus a majority of energy and attention for it to become a reality.
     
    It's not a super awesome answer but it is the truth. I think when I have burned my last bridge and finished writing my book (I was thinking of calling it Production: How The Sausage Is Made And Other Stuff And Things With Lots Of Capital Letters But No Commas) I will be able to explain the twists and turns the last few months have had.
     
    The one constant that remains is the dedication the team has for the project and making awesomeness.
     
    "Flounder, enough! We only want to know two things: What's in patch 1.2.6 and how did you get your cool name?"
     
    Let's get started!
     
    1.2.6 - Features
    PC & Mac  
    The interface has been PC-ified. This was no small feat. If we had released a straight port of the mobile version we would have been flambéed. The team added hotkeys, scrollbars, and scroll wheel support that folks will be able to pick up on GoG, Steam, and the Mac Store.  
     
     
    The pricing for the PC/Mac versions will initially differ from the mobile versions because we don't use in-game purchases, rather there is the availability of DLC for some elements, but when you buy the base version of the game you get the entire Rise of the Runelords content.  
     
     
    For reference, the base version of the game will have all the decks and cards that are in the original Rise of the Runelords bundle, plus all the Uncommon and Rare Treasure cards. Two DLC packages will be available; one with all the iconic Alts and some legendary dice and the other with the rare epic and legendary Treasure Cards and some legendary dice.  
     
     
    The Obsidian Edition comes with the base version, the two DLC packages, three promo cards (two of which are Edér and Pallegina from Pillars of Eternity, yeah!), three legendary items, a bunch of runes/charms/gold, and a DLC pack that will be available in the near future.  
     
     
    We plan on keeping future content parity between all platforms so that if there is something that is available on the PC, the Mac, and mobile users will have it at the same time.  
    Account Merging  
    All platforms can use a single PlayFab account which means that all content and progression can be shared between them.  
     

     
     
    It used to be kind rough if a user spent a lot of time on one platform and when they got another they would have to start from scratch or contact support. It was doubly rough if they actually had a lot of content unlocked on each platform.  
     
     
    We say, no more! One account, all platforms!  
    Updated UI in Character Creation Menu  
    We also tackled some of the interfaces that we thought were problems including the Party Creation and Character Selection screen.  
     

     
     
    These changes will be reflected in all platforms and be a more streamlined process that, while functional, wasn't making a very good impression on newer users and tolerated by current players.  
    Stash  
    In our faithfulness to the original card game we had the exact same valid deck check in the digital version. To expand the content in the digital version we added Treasure Cards (these can be ignored in Story Mode for those that want the exact same card game experience) but unlike most card games, when you open a Treasure Chest you don't actually get a copy of that Treasure Card for immediate use instead you just get the chance to find it in your adventures.  
     
     
    It's kind of a hard concept to grasp unless you are familiar with the system and we have gotten a ton of feedback from the player who weren't. This addition will hopefully make it more gratifying when opening treasure chests and allow some players to hold on to some of those more specialized cards.  
     
     
    Aside from copies of the Treasures Cards going into the ether to be found a copy is sent to the Stash for immediate use.  
    This also helps alleviate the need for Mule characters that are solely created to store some of the less desirable cards for their current game progression. Plus, it is a bit more intuitive for the digital-verse.  
     
     
     
    The Stash is set at 10 slots right now and includes an Unclaimed tab. All cards in Unclaimed cannot be used by any characters until they are officially moved to the Stash. You can open up a hundred chests and all the new cards will be waiting to be moved into the Stash.  
     
     
    If you happen to go over your Stash limit you will then meet a happy vendor who will readily give you gold for your unwanted cards.  
     

    Charms and Runes  
    Ever have that roll you really, really needed to win or your permadeath character bites it or you are a turn or two away from kicking Ghlorofaex to the curb? We might just have the charm you are looking for.  
     
     
    Charms are one-time use consumables that have an immediate effect on your current action. They vary from adding a bonus to a check to adding turns to the Blessings deck. They have a gold cost associated with their power so a bonus d4 to a roll might only cost 50 gold but adding to the Blessings would run you 500 gold.  
     
     
    Runes differ from Charms in that they have a time limit associated with them and they almost act like a pseudo scenario power. The Rune of Wealth would double your gold acquisition while the Rune of Shielding would reduce damage by one for four hours.  
     
     
    These will all be available in the Store and during game play for in-game gold only but Runes have to be set up prior to entering the scenario.  
     

    Tutorial Updated  
    You might not think this is a feature as much as just another iteration but the tutorial was a requirement to play the game and a good three-quarters of the people who were forced to play it were never seen playing our game again. No kidding.  
     
     
    This super-RAD version of the tutorial is cut up into five bite-sized scenarios that teach very specific elements of the game in a clear and concise way. You even get special rewards for completing all of them. We don't consider just being able to play the beginning scenario a reward.  
     
     
    Also, now with 100% more skipping. Yes, that's right, if you don't want to play the tutorial or are already familiar with the game, we have a skip button that is just right for you.  
     

    Other Stuff
     
    Community requested feature!
     

     
    Yeah, you see that? Your chance of winning the check. I've confidently failed some 97% chance of success rolls but now I don't confidently go into the roll with a 20% chance glaring at me.
    It's a minor feature but it honestly makes your decisions a little more clear and that one additional d4 that Lini can throw in there is actually a huge improvement.
     
    1.1.6.5 - Sorry, that just didn't happen like we planned. It was supposed to do two things for us: Remove quest mode and grant people their rewards for checking it out as well as offer some additional Goblin alts to use all that ph4t cash on.
    The Goblins are coming but we will include their availability when we do some content specifically for them. That announcement will be coming soon, I am sure.
     
    Bugs
     
    Lots and lots of them have been fixed. Like a multi-page post that isn't part of this blog type of amount.
    We seriously want to make the experience better for the players and invested a lot time to fix issues that were brought up.
    I want to thank everyone that was involved with the actual creation of the content I just wrote about as well as you, the reader, for taking the time to read about our upcoming release.
     
    Patch notes will be coming shortly. Those will likely be boring and not nearly as cool as this post or my name.
     
    Dev Q&A on Twitch!
     
    We also have a Dev Q&A tomorrow at 4PM PST on twitch.tv with yours truly! So don't miss it and post your questions here on the forums so we can can answer them on stream!
     

     
    Oh fiddly-dee, look at the time. Gotta go!
     
    -Flounder
  6. Aarik D
    Hail and well met,
     
    It's been a little while since I have written an update and I wanted to make sure that everyone is aware of some upcoming global changes that are coming to Pathfinder Adventures.
     
    Valentine's Day:
     
    In time for Valentine's Day we have a few themed bundles coming up featuring Valeros and Harsk. Both characters have a new look, slightly alternate stats, come with a promo weapon, and chests. Are you #TeamValeros or #TeamHarsk?
     

    Team Valeros
     

    Team Harsk
     
    Originally we were going to have a system in where you could vote on which team was wearing it better. After a couple of weeks, the votes would be tallied and a special upgrade for the weapon would be available for the winning team.
    While it was a fun idea, we didn't like the thought of some people feeling left out. We might come back to that in the future but we just needed more time to properly implement and test.
     
    --
     
    Quest Mode:
     
    Quite a few months ago we had to make a choice that would help create our content in more timely fashion. The time between Deck 3 and 4 was, believe it or not, over four months. Sure, we released the phone version in there but for our existing users it was an unacceptably long delay.
     
    Some of our most vocal fans felt betrayed and some even refused to play until we had something new. It was in these dark times that we put a stop on trying to maintain content for the Story Campaign and Quest mode simultaneously.
    It's now five months later and we still haven't thrown any new content at the feature and only fix issues where it would break the game or the story campaign.
     
    Until we can do the feature justice we are going to remove it from the game.
     
    Will it stay gone? Possibly.
     
    For all the folks that play Quest Mode for the next couple of weeks here is a list of the rewards that you will receive if you play prior to patch 1.1.6.5:
    125 Gold per level of the highest Quest Mode character. That's 5000 Gold for a level 40. 1000 Gold Bonus for a level 40. A new set of dice, " Pearlescent Dice of Service" The legendary card "Elemental Body"
    Chests, depending on what level your highest Quest Mode character is:
    Level 1 - 10 2 Chest [*]Level 11 - 20
    4 Chests [*]Level 21 - 30
    6 Chests [*]Level 31 - 39
    8 Chests [*]Level 40
    10 Chests  

    We are in the works on leveraging as much content from Quest Mode as possible and potentially creating side stories that allows the player to use their campaign characters.
     

    To get your reward make sure to play Quest Mode at least once (even if you have a level 40) prior to the release of patch 1.1.6.5 which is coming out late February/early March.
     
    --
     
    Patch 1.1.6.5
     
    Goblins.

     
    And more goblins...
     

     
    Check them out. We'll have one for each iconic character out there and some "We Be Goblins!" content will be coming soon.
     
    Oh yeah... Had an iPhone and just picked up a new Android(or vice versa)? Through some sorcery we will allow the players to sync up their accounts, cross platform, on their own and without having to contact support@obsidian.net.
     
    This should also work with the upcoming release of the PC version of Pathfinder Adventures.
  7. Aarik D
    I want to thank you all for taking the time to read this. I usually prefer that other team members make posts because they can go into details on long awaited features. Instead, you get me who gets to share a bit of how timing affects what releases and when. I am even sometimes right!
     
    On to it!
     
    We have Deck 6 coming out very soon. We are trying to make sure that it comes out prior to any holiday breaks and we have some additional cards and features we are trying to come out with it as well.
     
    For example, there will be some Store upgrades so that people can check out...
     

    Valeros! This WIP has a very armored alternate Valeros. One of eleven new Alts.
     
    We are working on assigning dice on that screen too because the current implementation isn't as intuitive as we would like.
     
    Some weekly and monthly challenges are incoming. The monthly's will have increasingly valuable staged rewards so that after you finish five you get a reward, then ten, fifteen, etc. Up until you hit the max, which we have at 25 right now. If you wanted to blaze through them all in a day or two, you can.
     
    You might ask, "Flounder, we don't care about that stuff. What about Thessalonion Sins and my missing roles?!" and I would say, "Thessalonion Sins can eat a bag of... chips." We are diligently working on the issues people are experiencing in 5-4. It has been a chain reaction of events internally that have been holding off a fix. We fix one problem and another appears because of the fix. We fix that then a completely different issue arises.
     
    As you know, there are a bunch of special cases in the card game that are a programmatic nightmare on our end but this is a high priority for us.
     
    We have the Roles thing fixed internally so that if there is no reward to select it skips that whole sequence. That will be out on the next release we put out publicly. In the future, we will be doing audits of characters for missing rewards so that this issue will not be able to happen.
     
    I am pretty sure that everyone noticed that the wait time from releasing decks 4 to 5 was much quicker than decks 3 to 4. We were trying to do too much at a time with what resources we had. The price we had to pay was strictly working on the deck/story content and hold off on Quest Mode content and Multiplayer.
     
    The Pathfinder Adventures team is ten people strong (we were at eleven but George decided Canada was where he wanted to be instead of sunny California. Best wishes to him!) and three of them are dedicated to Quality Assurance. Trying to split up the resources by even one or two persons causes a huge loss of traction on the features we are working on.
     
    Quest Mode is basically a whole new version of Pathfinder and it was killing QA because of all the new deck cards that were coming in. Any early adopters knows that Quest Mode had some really dark times and that was because we were trying to keep parity with Story Mode. Throw in a phone version of the game and it was a one way ticket to Bad Place Poopy Town.
     
    So, Quest Mode will be revisited after Deck 6 and potentially before PC release. It might be changed into more campaigns that are considered in-between decks and even some post Deck 6 stories leading up to a possible expansion, or we might invest some serious amount of time to make it as good as we want it to be, OR it could just go bye-bye (the option we dread the most). Its TBD but we wanted to at least address the issue.
     
    Multiplayer is in the same boat but is even more difficult than Quest Mode. We have that button poking us in the ribs every time we launch the game. "Coming Soon" is not really soon enough and we are going to remove that button until we decide if we can do the feature real justice. There was a short-lived (and not very funny) joke that we should fade out the button by 25% for every deck we released that didn't have multiplayer. I'm glad we didn't.
     
    "Gee Flounder, you suck and are full of bad news!"
     

    "Back off or the banana gets it!"
     
    Am not!
     
    I am on a team full of very talented people and am continually impressed at the amount of work that has been done on the game. We are going to deliver more content and platforms and hopefully make you all pleased to have played another Obsidian game.
     
    We've had some rough patches (literally) but please know that the Pathfinder Adventures team is focused on making the best game possible for you, our fans, our friends.
     
    Thanks,
     
    -F
     
    P.S This was a placement setup picture for a Deck 4 pre-release post with hidden messages and everything.

     
    P.P.S. Would an Alt Goblin character named "Banana" or something satisfy your bundle needs?
  8. Aarik D
    Many of you discovered that a Treasure card got into our phone release, the Vermilion Rhomboid. And about eight of you figured out how to get it without opening a Treasure Chest. The secret lies within this blog...
     

     
    It is the first in a small series of Treasure Cards based on Azlaniti Stones. The concept of each these cards is based on Pathfinder's answer to "Ioun" Stones found in the pages of Pathfinder Chronicles: Seeker Of Secrets (which is also the source of the Wayfinder Treasure card). These cards use the pen and paper item's stats to inspire it's functionality in the card game. They mimic the low impact to equipment slots that these stones have in the RPG, and thus can be cycled back into your deck when not needed. In most cases they are some version of their corresponding pen and paper counterpart where the Cabachon gives you the Endurance feat and the Sphere adds to Intelligence overall, the cards give bonuses to related skills.
     

     
    In addition, as we are working to finishing implementing Deck 5 (yeah, I said it!), we've included a cool new Rare spell for you Undead Hunters out there. This is the definitive upgrade to Deck B's awesome Holy Light spell. So many d12s for Kyra to roll!
     

     
    Stay tuned for word about some super cool Halloween themed goodies coming to the game in the next few weeks! Also check out this super awesome commercial for Pathfinder Adventures!
     
     
    Nathan Davis
    Game Director
  9. Aarik D
    Hello friends,
     
    I am hoping that the immediate reaction to seeing my name to a post isn't, "Oh crap, the Destroyer of Dreams is going to share some bad news." Far from it, actually! I bring great and wonderful news, along with happy tidings, and such.
     
    This blog means that I wasn't completely full of malarkey and that there is a Deck 6 release. I also kept my word that it would be before the holidays. Albeit, barely, but still before. For more infor on Deck 6, check out the patch notes here.
     
    While you might be enjoy the new Deck 6 content it isn't the only feature that version 1.1.6 will contain. I am here to share a cool feature that we refer to as "Alts."
     
    Alts are the alternate versions of the characters you have come to be familiar with. They aren't just a reskinning of the character; they have different stats, different powers, and different skills. They are basically a differently themed character.

    ValerooOOooooos!
     

    Lini so crazy!
     
    If you decide to purchase the Alt version of the character and don't own the original version you will be given the original as well.
     
    Also, if you have an original version of a character already in a party you will be able to swap them with the Alt version. This may change in the future to have the Alt to be considered a different character entirely (no you can't have a party with the original and alt version) but for release they are interchangeable.
     
     
    Here is some WIP art that Hannah whipped up (Ha!) for us.

     

     

     
     
     
    On that note, we are working on approvals to do more with Goblins and additional content beyond Deck 6. When we know more and can officially comment, we will let you know.
     
     
     
     
     
    Oh my!
     
    Enjoy the holidays!
    -F
  10. Aarik D
    Hey, guess what!
     
    Deck 5 will be out very soon! That's right, Sins of the Saviors will be here!

     
    It's got a few crazy scenarios with new mechanics like Rimeskull with the Sihedron Circle Location. This is what the location text from the physical card game says:
     
    Build 7 “Stone Head” location decks using the deck list from this card plus 1 henchman. Characters may not move to the Sihedron Circle or encounter cards from its location deck until all Stone Head locations are closed. When you defeat a henchman, automatically close the location it came from, then each character at that location moves to an open Stone Head location. When all Stone Head locations are closed, all characters move to the Sihedron Circle.
     
    Unlike anything we've done so far! The good news is that you don't have to do any of that setup. I'm always trying to find the best thematic spots for locations on our scenario maps. This had a fairly direct representation in the pen and paper game. Check it!

     
    In the end you gotta face Arkrhyst in the middle with all hands on deck in an epic battle. No easy feat as the dragon hits everyone with a breath weapon before the combat even starts!

    This location background is one of my favorite Pathfinder art pieces.
     
    Another of my favorite scenarios features not one, not two, but THREE villains. Each one more vile than the last.

     
    If you plan to tackle these guys in Heroic or Legendary Difficulty, plan your attack carefully. Each time a villain is defeated, the others become wiser to your ways as the difficulty to defeat a villain is increased by 5 for each villain that has been defeated. And if you didn't corner a villain the first time, he'll be back and stronger than before!
     
    Speaking of the higher difficulties, some new wild cards have appeared across all adventures. Here's a taste...
    Fortified Position: An additional barrier is shuffled into each location.
    Close Quarters: Your hand size is decreased by 1.
     
    If you make it through Deck 5's Legendary difficulties, a fantastic new blessing gets added to your collection. The Blessing of Thassilonian Virtues asks you to forsake other gods, banishing another blessing in order to acquire it. Once you've bought into the seven "virtues" that ancient wizards used to grow in power, all spells become easy to find, you own any place you find yourself, and you can mock the gods of Galarion at your leisure.

     
    And for those of you with the bundle, life isn't complete without some armor made with the skill, precision, and love that only a goblin can give.

     
    This update also includes some brand new Treasure Cards! This includes two new flavors of blessing card.
    First, "Unity" blessings. These are similar to blessings you have seen before, but have the ability amplify their power if you played on the right check on another character at your location. Clever characters in a party with Unity cards will hold blessings for each other to use, rather than keeping only blessings that fit themselves.

     
    For characters that always want to be alone, they can find solice in "Prayer" blessings. These are blessings for characters that need to be self-sufficient, and value the power of blessing the they can cycle through their deck.

     
    And as a bonus, we figured that it's about time you had the chance to ally with an orc. A show of force will bring him to your side, and he'll bring a savage beating upon your enemies. You'll be happy he has your back when you are facing your third villain in a row.

     
    Many of you are champing at the bit to go beyond Tier 3 in Quest Mode, we are working on a number of improvements, and unfortunately don't have the Tier 4 scenarios ready yet. We were able to get a big revision to our leveling system. You'll no longer get Basic cards for gaining levels anymore and each class has a customized advancement track. Here's a look at Seoni's!

    Note that she is no longer getting Weapons, Armor or Divine Spells. Instead she's getting some custom things like an Attack Item, an Arcane Spell, and a Blessing of Pharasma!
     
    And last but not least, here's a sneak peek at something coming with the release of Deck 6. Leaving this here with no comment...

     
    Nathan Davis
    Game Director
  11. Aarik D
    The Stone Giants are Coming!
     
    I have some exciting news! The Fortress of the Stone Giants is just weeks away. When we last left our heroes, having saved the sleepy coastal town of Sandpoint multiple times (from bandits, a dragon, goblins, zombies and ghouls), they briefly turned their attention to rescuing Turtleback Ferry and Fort Rannick from ogres and flooding. Now they've returned to the coast to find "Sandpoint Under Siege."
     

     
    The town is in the middle of an onslaught of Stone Giants along with the dragon, Longtooth, flying overhead (thanks to the animation prowess of Andre Nguyen). The card mechanics also simulate the destruction of Sandpoint. All of the locations in this scenario are unstable. Each turn a card is revealed from the top of a random open location. If it's a boon, it's destroyed by looting and burning. If it's a bane, it shuffles back into its deck to continue sowing chaos.
     
    For those of you that are Heroic and Legendary players, we've twisted some of the scenario powers to make them even harder. In the second scenario, "Jorgenfist," you may find that you will be fighting some of the same resilient giants again with this scenario power: "If you would defeat a monster that has the Giant trait, roll 1d6. On a 1, the monster is undefeated." In Heroic and Legendary difficulties, having a few giants in the mix wasn't enough! This is one of the largest collection of big bad guys Varisia has seen in eons! Therefore, everything in this scenario is a giant: "If you would defeat a monster that has the Giant trait, roll 1d6. On a 1, the monster is undefeated. All monsters gain the Giant trait. The difficulty to defeat banes with the Giant trait is increased by 4." From here on, you'll see more and more unique scenario setups in all levels of difficulty. Programmers George Wang and Kevin Smith are making them a reality and building them in such a way that I get to use them in Quest Mode for my own devilish plans in the future.
     

     
    As always, when you complete every scenario in an adventure on Legendary difficulty, you get a new card in your vault! In this case, you will find a boon straight out of the Thassilonian Library where you end Adventure Deck 4. The way forward is dangerous, bizarre, and mysterious. As such, you'll need a good book!
     

     
    Outsiders are starting to show up in Deck 4, but really start to come into their own in the later decks. Incidentally, this book is an original piece by Hannah Kennedy, who joined our team a few months ago.
     
    If you bought the Rise of the Runelords, you also will receive the Birdcruncher Crown promo card.
     

     
    This card is a great fashion statement AND is a fantastic way to get the most out of Burnt Offerings scenarios.
     
    One additional, but important note: We are always listening to your feedback. Since the phone release, we've received a fair amount of it! Our goal is to always make playing the game fun on any platform. To that end, we are fixing bugs and improving the phone interface. We are also adding the option to switch back to a tablet-style interface if you find that our phone UI is just not for you.
     
    Alright, back to work!
    Nathan Davis
    Game Director
  12. Aarik D
    Hello Pathfinder Fans!
     
    There are a ton of improvements, bugfixes, and new content coming your way soon. I wanted to take a moment to talk about a small but important change coming to the store soon.
     

     
    We got a number of requests to be able to buy bulk chests more easily, so in the near future we're removing the intermediate step of buying gold first. Moving forward, Treasure Chests will be available at the following rates:
    1 Chest: 500 Gold
    6 Chests: $2.99
    12 Chests: $4.99
    50 Chests: $19.99
     
    So if you have been accumulating horde of gold to go on a chest spree, I'd suggest you not wait much longer before spending that gold!
     
    That all being said, the phone version is coming together amazingly! I've been playtesting the heck out of Deck 4, and I have to say that role powers are super critical against Heroic and Legendary difficulties!
     

    (So good!)
     
    Thanks for playing!
    Nathan Davis
    Game Director
  13. Aarik D
    Hi folks,
     
    I would like to open up by saying thanks for all the support you have been lending to Pathfinder Adventures. We are hard at work creating new content, new features, and polishing existing features.
     
    Since the launch of the game on tablets it is has been like working on three games at once. The Past, the Present, and the Future. It has been a quite the learning experience for a team of this size, that is for certain.
     
    It's All in the Dice
    We have a patch coming up right around the corner and when you read our patch notes (soon, I swear!) you might notice something cool.
     


     
    Every person that updates to 1.0.3.7 will get (6) sets of the Red Righteous dice. That's one for each character in the largest party available.
     
    We created some new interfaces so that you can assign a different die to each individual if you would like, which looks particularly cool if you have some folks in the party assisting your rolls. There are also rarities associated with the dice, much like the cards in treasure chests, so that an uber set of dice might have some lightning, fire, water, attached to it as well.
     
    If you happen to have the maximum number of sets for a particular dice skin, the game will automatically salvage that skin and give you 125 gold (25% of the cost of a single chest).
     
    How Rare is Rare, Really?
    While you are in the store you might notice that the card's rarity is better exposed so you know when you get that Legendary/Epic card... and you will hear the difference too. It's awesome. Additionally, the cards are weighted more towards where you are in the story. If you are only through Deck 1, you won't be getting a ton of cards you can't use in the immediate future.
     


     
    The support team noticed that on occasion a save game might have gotten corrupted and could cause a character in quest mode to disappear. That sucks, a lot. So one of the programmers (Keno) wanted to make sure that he focused on some tools that were unfinished and did two things that we have wanted to do for quite some time: 1) Save syncing both locally and on PlayFab. This has the side effect of being able to play a save on different devices as long as the login is identical. We still have to create an interface for it, but this is just one step away from playing the same game on both Android and iOS devices. 2) A Character Creation Editor. If you should not be able to recover your character for some reason we can rebuild it however you like. This will have the side effect of allowing for character respecs.
     
    But What About Deck 4?
    You might be saying, "Why oh, why are you talking about this stuff, Obsidian. We want more content!" Agreed. It's been too damn long since we have given you a new deck, so George and Ryan "Hot Rod" Rodriguez have been on that and getting it tested like crazy by QA. It is the next patch after 1.0.3.7 and just a few more weeks away. Decks 5 and 6 are currently in development and shouldn't have the same kind of delayed release that we had from 3 to 4.
     
    Meanwhile, At Obsidian Headquarters...
    What else have we been working on? Hmm, Character Alts (different archetypes and artwork) and goblins. Some party buffs. Daily Challenges with Daily and Weekly Quests coming very soon. We'll let you know more about them when they are in a more approved state.
     
    Oh yeah, I nearly forgot...
     


     
    Thanks for reading!
    -Flounder
     
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