Swords and Sandals 2 Redux news & patch notes

"Son, let me tell you something. Either you can move the wooden block, or you get fired." - John the Butcher, Arena Champion I True story, the real life John the Butcher was my first boss as a teenager and he said this to me. I got fired, so I've dedicated this patch to him. Here's a long overdue update with tons of game balances, bugfixes and finally, achievements! Obviously not everything can be fixed in one hit but I've done my best to fix a bunch of the long standing issues many were having with the game. Let me know what you think of this patch in the discussions - if more things need tweaking, I shall keep at it as obviously I can only test it so far. I've made some interesting tweaks to skills and stats that hopefully keep the game fresh and interesting. Please note, this patches only the Windows build of the game. I need to source a new Mac machine to recompile the game for Mac - hopefully early January! Balancing / Game Changes

• All battle skill essence costs have been HALVED
• Increased the base hit chance of all arcane offensive skills by 15%
• Reduced the difficulty of enemies on hard/ironman and sprint modes ( they have less total stat points etc)
• Halved the distance gladiators can be knocked back / pushed in a single hit
• Halved the rate at which strength affects knockback power ( to mitigate unfair 'straight into spikes' attacks )
• TAUNT attack and defend hit chances now properly scales with Charisma instead of Magicka stat
• Increased the chances of successful TAUNTS doing physical damage (instead of enraging/stunning etc)
• Increased the damage of successful TAUNT attacks to 8-16 HP per Charisma point put into taunt
• Reduced the stats for the Maximus Armour so its slightly above the second tier armour set ( was too powerful and took a bit of the fun out of the early game )
• When offered Maximus armour, you no longer have the option of receiving 5,000 free starting gold ( made the early game a bit too easy and boring - was essentially an enticement for users on the mobile version of the game )
• Reduced hit chance of any one single attack to 90% (down from 99%) unless stunned/resting etc
• Resistance values now max out at 80% (down from 99%) unless a gladiator has 100% resistance ( which means they are IMMUNE)
• Changed elastic tween animations in game to more subtle tween ins.
• Enemy gladiators can now no longer be of equal to / higher level than the reigning Arena Champion's level
• Increased the chance of gladiators falling into spiked pit to 10% per turn spent (while standing near spikes).
• Ghost Tournament Champions now have unlimited Essence as an added challenge
• Damage to enemies now is cumulative. If an enemy has 25 armour and you do 100 damage, not only does the armour go down to 0, you also take an extra 75 points of damage. Previously if your armour reached zero in one attack, it absorbed the rest, so you couldn't one-shot enemies even if you were way more powerful. (This new way is how it works in classic and medieval)
• Added a shake screen if you one-shot your enemy.
• Gold rewards for rolling a 20 when resurrecting have been reduced to 50 gold + 25 gold per level
• Made damage splat image popups smaller
• Removed knockback effect from Molten Death spell
• Reduced damage of enemies in all difficulties except normal
• Reduced max health of enemies in all difficulties except normal
• Magic Missile cooldown improves with each point spent on skill
• Removed error logging for most users as it throws up too many 'false flag' errors that do not affect the game but still show up in error reports
• Removed 'More S&S' button from Town
• Removed elemental resistances. These were stats introduced in S&S V that ended up affecting gladiators in S&S 2 ( because they use the same engine/codebase ), so gladiators would be immune to some of your spells and you had no way to combat it. (You only have 'magic' resistance in S&S 2.
• Changed how magic resistance works. Spells that fail to hit now show a "MISS" icon (instead of RESIST). Successful spells damage is *reduced* by whatever your magic resistance is. (A fireball spell that hits for 200 damage against a character with 50% magic resist will only do 100 damage, for example)

Bugfixes

• Fixed a bug where Falcon Eyes skill used melee damage instead of ranged damage values
• Increased damage power of Winters Core per point spent on skill
• Fixed a bug where the game forced you to start up in Fullscreen mode even after you had chosen Windowed mode.
• Fixed a bug where gladiators did not play their special 'spiked' death animation when falling onto spikes
• Potential fix for enemies sometimes receiving 2 turns in a row
• Fixed a bug where enemies appeared to half leap/half fumble (then get cut off) randomly during the battle
• Fixed a bug where choosing the helmet of a defeated Ghost Champion would give you the next champion's helmet
• Fixed a bug where Arena Champion Gaiax appeared to have two eyes instead of one
• Fixed a bug where duels were reported as being deathmatches and yield animations were not playing
• Fixed a bug where arenas sometimes scrolled past where they should and sky was visible behind
• Fixed some jittery camera bugs while in the arena
• Fixed a bug where the first fight after a loss to a Ghost Champion would be against a ghost regular gladiator
• You can now choose Redux backgrounds or classic backgrounds *seperately* from redux / classic shopkeepers to customize just how you want your game to look. Just toggle these from the Settings screen ( you may need to set this manually the first time you load the game again.)
• Fixed a bug where the game would tell you it was nighttime but the town background showed daylight
• Removed black bar border images and made game backgrounds wider on fullscreen

Version 2.0 just went up with a few big updates! Hey gladiators, been a while since the last update. I've listened to all of your feedback and while I can't change everything (I'm just a solo developer), I understand many of you miss the old Flash art from the original. Well this update has you covered! Not only is the old Flash art back in the game, but so are the animated shopkeepers. There's also a new tournament which serves as a prelude to the events of Emperor's Reign. It's actually the tournament from Swords and Sandals 1, from way back in the day. You can toggle between classic edition and redux edition in the settings, or when starting a new character. Here are the full patch notes below.

• Added in the new CLASSIC EDITION mode to the game! This is adds in the original town and arena artwork from the Flash era Swords and Sandals 2!
• Animated shopkeepers in the Classic Edition now get angry when you leave the store without buying anything
• New Classic Edition tournament, the Duel of Heroes features a new story and 7 new bosses to fight!
• Charisma now does more damage when attacking
• Stamina is now more effective at regaining health and essence
• A bunch of other small bugfixes and balance tweaks

Cheers, OIiver Joyce Whiskeybarrel Studios https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/29388380/7ceaf9cdf38a064d03b8521453aa520b727dbde0.png

With every purchase of a Steam Swords and Sandals game you earn a $5 coupon to the classic flash game Swords and Sandals VIP bundle available at eGames.com You receive all 5 Swords and Sandals flash games (Gladiator, Crusader, Emperor's Reign, Solo Ultratus and Taverns Quest) + 16 other great games from the archives. This package of 21 great games usually goes for $15. So after your $5 coupon you will only pay $10 for 21 great games. Play Gladiator! eGames.com

Hey gladiators, just a small patch to address a few issues I found recently. Version 1.8.2: * Fixed a bug where runes of strength, stamina, etc did not allocate a stat point correctly * Updated some quest descriptions to more accurately reflect quest goals * Added low res arenas for devices with low specs (will look more pixelly but you won't see the grey/black screen on arenas) * Fixed a bug where enemy gladiators sometimes timed-out while thinking of their next move May your sandals be sturdy!

Hey gladiators, just a small patch to address a few issues I found recently. Version 1.8.2: * Fixed a bug where runes of strength, stamina, etc did not allocate a stat point correctly * Updated some quest descriptions to more accurately reflect quest goals * Added low res arenas for devices with low specs (will look more pixelly but you won't see the grey/black screen on arenas) * Fixed a bug where enemy gladiators sometimes timed-out while thinking of their next move May your sandals be sturdy!

Hey gladiators! As some of you may know, the Swords and Sandals series spans over five games and two spinoffs ( Crusader + Medieval ) - with at least two more titles either planned or in development. This, of course, can make for some interesting and confusing timelines and lore! For those of you who are interested in a finding out a little more about the Swords and Sandals universe, I've started writing an official 'Tome of Lore' document. In this document, I've written more about each Arena Champion, what happened to them after the tournament, a little about the famous places and heroes of the world and so on. Swords and Sandals: Official Tome of Lore The Tome is a work in progress - currently I've only written of events up to and including S&S 2: Emperor's Reign. Let me know if you enjoy the Tome, or have any questions about the world and its characters in the comments below! Cheers, Oliver Joyce Whiskeybarrel Studios

Hey gladiators! As some of you may know, the Swords and Sandals series spans over five games and two spinoffs ( Crusader + Medieval ) - with at least two more titles either planned or in development. This, of course, can make for some interesting and confusing timelines and lore! For those of you who are interested in a finding out a little more about the Swords and Sandals universe, I've started writing an official 'Tome of Lore' document. In this document, I've written more about each Arena Champion, what happened to them after the tournament, a little about the famous places and heroes of the world and so on. Swords and Sandals: Official Tome of Lore The Tome is a work in progress - currently I've only written of events up to and including S&S 2: Emperor's Reign. Let me know if you enjoy the Tome, or have any questions about the world and its characters in the comments below! Cheers, Oliver Joyce Whiskeybarrel Studios

Hey gladiators! Patch 1.8.0 is now up - huge apologies for the delays. I've been building S&S V in tandem with maintaining this game, so something had to give. There's a ton of small things that have been fixed / improved and balanced. Most importantly * No longer a time limit between turns in the arena. Gladiators can take as long as they need to choose their next move! * Transitions between screens are sped up, levelling up gladiators should feel a lot faster * Some skills have been balanced ( this is a constant work in progress!) * Lots of other small UI changes and bugfixes. Also, a special announcement -Swords and Sandals V has just gone live! This latest game in the series continues the adventure as our gladiator travels to the frozen north of Suul's Gateway to search for the Grail of Antares. S&S V is by far the biggest game in the series, mixing roguelike dungeon crawling with arena combat and turn based battles. If you're a fan of the series, please check it out! http://cdn.edgecast.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/29388380/cbf87cfa2fc9f4b62308b6bccf853a9d54b84d4b.jpg

Hey gladiators! Patch 1.8.0 is now up - huge apologies for the delays. I've been building S&S V in tandem with maintaining this game, so something had to give. There's a ton of small things that have been fixed / improved and balanced. Most importantly * No longer a time limit between turns in the arena. Gladiators can take as long as they need to choose their next move! * Transitions between screens are sped up, levelling up gladiators should feel a lot faster * Some skills have been balanced ( this is a constant work in progress!) * Lots of other small UI changes and bugfixes. Also, a special announcement -Swords and Sandals V has just gone live! This latest game in the series continues the adventure as our gladiator travels to the frozen north of Suul's Gateway to search for the Grail of Antares. S&S V is by far the biggest game in the series, mixing roguelike dungeon crawling with arena combat and turn based battles. If you're a fan of the series, please check it out! http://cdn.edgecast.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/29388380/cbf87cfa2fc9f4b62308b6bccf853a9d54b84d4b.jpg

Hey gladiators, a little surprise for your Friday - S&S Medieval is now live on Steam for PC and Mac. If you enjoyed all the action of S&S 2 Redux, you will love Swords and Sandals Medieval. Take control of a medieval knight, competing in tournaments, jousting, fishing, going on adventures and challenging the greatest knights of legend from history. Check it out below and leave a review, would love to know what you think! Swords and Sandals Medieval Cheers, Oliver Joyce Whiskeybarrel Studios

Hey gladiators, a little surprise for your Friday - S&S Medieval is now live on Steam for PC and Mac. If you enjoyed all the action of S&S 2 Redux, you will love Swords and Sandals Medieval. Take control of a medieval knight, competing in tournaments, jousting, fishing, going on adventures and challenging the greatest knights of legend from history. Check it out below and leave a review, would love to know what you think! Swords and Sandals Medieval Cheers, Oliver Joyce Whiskeybarrel Studios

Hey everyone! Just a note to say a huge thank you to everyone who has tried the game so far and left feedback, I read every review and try to improve the game as often as I can. I've been away (on honeymoon!) the last month but am back now - about 75% of the way through Swords and Sandals V Redux ( a familiar game to S&S 2 but also features a dungeon crawl - it actually takes off right where S&S 2 finishes ) I'm also continuing to patch S&S 2 when I can. The latest v1.7.5 patch is a small one but includes a few nerfs to bosses who constantly spammed Colossus etc, they should no longer do that ( however, if they do, let me know!) - as well as a few other tiny fixes. Game is always a WIP so if you see things, let me know and I'll try and squash the bugs. Just for fun I also added some billboards in the game ( football stadium-style ) that appear in the Arena and the town, advertising the blacksmith, or famous gladiators etc. Funny enough , this actually happened in ancient Rome too - gladiators endorsed things and became celebrities! If the billboards in the arena are a bit much for you , you can turn them off in the SETTINGS screen ( as well as set the game Full-Screen etc ) Cheers and thanks again, much more S&S to come in 2018. Oliver Joyce Whiskeybarrel Studios

Hey everyone! Just a note to say a huge thank you to everyone who has tried the game so far and left feedback, I read every review and try to improve the game as often as I can. I've been away (on honeymoon!) the last month but am back now - about 75% of the way through Swords and Sandals V Redux ( a familiar game to S&S 2 but also features a dungeon crawl - it actually takes off right where S&S 2 finishes ) I'm also continuing to patch S&S 2 when I can. The latest v1.7.5 patch is a small one but includes a few nerfs to bosses who constantly spammed Colossus etc, they should no longer do that ( however, if they do, let me know!) - as well as a few other tiny fixes. Game is always a WIP so if you see things, let me know and I'll try and squash the bugs. Just for fun I also added some billboards in the game ( football stadium-style ) that appear in the Arena and the town, advertising the blacksmith, or famous gladiators etc. Funny enough , this actually happened in ancient Rome too - gladiators endorsed things and became celebrities! If the billboards in the arena are a bit much for you , you can turn them off in the SETTINGS screen ( as well as set the game Full-Screen etc ) Cheers and thanks again, much more S&S to come in 2018. Oliver Joyce Whiskeybarrel Studios

Greetings gladiators! Just wanted to let you know I've uploaded patch 1.6.0 to Steam - it addresses a bunch of bugfixes. PC patch just went up and Mac should be there soon. Most important to many users, the game can be played in a windowed mode. Just go to the Settings screen and click the Window / Fullscreen button to toggle between them. Other fixes include some game balancing, nerfing of the Phalanx skill and a fix for that annoying bug where you could sometimes level up without gaining any stats. As always, thanks for all your feedback and I'll continue to work on improving the game ( as well as develop Swords and Sandals V Redux, due out later this year ) Cheers Oliver Joyce, Whiskeybarrel Studios

Greetings gladiators! Just wanted to let you know I've uploaded patch 1.6.0 to Steam - it addresses a bunch of bugfixes. PC patch just went up and Mac should be there soon. Most important to many users, the game can be played in a windowed mode. Just go to the Settings screen and click the Window / Fullscreen button to toggle between them. Other fixes include some game balancing, nerfing of the Phalanx skill and a fix for that annoying bug where you could sometimes level up without gaining any stats. As always, thanks for all your feedback and I'll continue to work on improving the game ( as well as develop Swords and Sandals V Redux, due out later this year ) Cheers Oliver Joyce, Whiskeybarrel Studios