Greetings Bierzerkers!

Long time no chat. When we set out to develop Bierzerkers our goal was to build a light-hearted and fun multi-player game to enjoy with friends. But making video games is hard, and we’re still struggling to find the right business model to help us continue development and give you guys a great experience. With that in mind, here’s some information about upcoming changes:

As of now, we have removed the in-game DLC locks on all the characters, making the game content free, temporarily.

On 11/21 the new business will take effect, $4.99 box price for the entire game, no more locked characters!

Anyone who has paid for DLC or has the game currently downloaded and installed on 11/21 will receive a free license. So tell your friends to get on and play between now and 11/21.

Aside from business model, our next biggest issue is crashes and performance problems. These will take some time but we are working to address these as well.

In closing, I want to thank all the players who have contributed to the community on the forums, submitted reviews (positive and negative) and logged in to play. It's been an amazing experience of both joy and heartache, and I still love doing it. Please continue to stop by, and kill each other in Brewhalla.

-Jundicator

Drunkard will be available for free in this patch
'Wrecked' map added
'Coldsnap' map added
'Team Battle Royale' mode added
'Domination' mode added
Fixed issue with Scoundrel knives sometimes disappearing
Improved server disconnect messaging

Character Rotation

- Valkyrie is now available for free!

Gameplay

- Auto pickup is now enabled by default, pressing F will not disable it if it is on

Raider

- Shield Blocking volume increased slightly to help with defense
- Stun duration on shield throw increased slightly

Drunkard

- Knockdown from beerwave reduced to 1.5s

Valkyrie

- Heavy attack recovery increased slightly

Art

- End of match Victory / Defeat art has been updated

Modes

- Should be more obvious now that XP is not gained in Solo mode

Bug Fixes

- Gamepads should no longer vibrate when mouse is being used
- Fixed issue with Scoundrel knives not going away when he has the sheep
- Fixed issue with sheep color scheme

Raider:

- Block volume has been increased
- Shield Throw stun duration has been increased from 0.5s to 1s
- Super Stab height distance has been reduced slightly

Bierball:

- The sheep spawns after 10 seconds
- Time after a score has been reduced
- Sheep now spawns a little lower
- Throw distance has been reduced for all classes
- Better art for Extra Time
- Auto grab has been enabled by default
- Fix for disappearing sheep bug
- Spawn areas now block sheep and players from entering

Gamepad:

- Sensitivity Slider
- Force feedback improvements
- Tutorial now shows gamepad buttons

Hello Zerkers!

We are making some big changes for our 1.0 release, which is coming out this Thorsday, 2/25.

See the devlog here for more details:

http://bierzerkers.com/2016/02/22/devblog-5/

We released a minor patch over the Thanksgiving week, here's what changed:

• Fixed a crash that would occur when clicking Quick Match on some machines
  
• Fixed an issue where teams could sometimes score in their own goal
  
• Fixed a bug with team scramble not working nicely with parties
  
• Lowered the volume of the catapult slightly
  
• Fixed an issue where the Scoundrel would sometimes not score after stealing the sheep
  
• Lowered the volume of the startup movies
  
• Added text to tell player when he or she has fumbled the sheep
  
• Adjusted some physics values for the sheep while it is in the air
  
• Cleaned up some UI button graphics and sounds
  
• Music should play properly when you first join a match now
  
• Icons in the armory should load properly now (no more green boxes)
  
• Weapons should now have proper materials set to them in game
  
• Color rewards should no longer have X icons in after action report
  
• Fixed issue where characters would sometimes get stuck in spawn and not be able to get out
  
• Fixed a server crash issue that would occur when they were marked for shutdown
  
• Fixed an issue where the ball would sometimes disappear if it was passed between two players rapidly

New Mode - Bierball

Bierball mode (working title) has arrived, see below for more information
Added a new map called Odin’s Arena (also working title)

New Class - The Highlander

In addition to the new map and mode a new class, the Highlander, lover of sheep, has been added. He is a very offensively focused character wielding a large two-handed sword. His defense mechanic is to block, similar to the Raider, but he can’t take as many blocks as the Raider can before his guard breaks.

His abilities are:

• Sheep Bomb - by playing his bagpipes the Highlander sends a sheep minion out with a bomb on his back. When the bomb explodes it does damage to all nearby and will knock the Sheep out of anyone’s hands who may be carrying it in the area.
  
  
• Sheep Joust - the Highlander rides a sheep and charges forward, using his weapon as a lance to push enemies back.
  
  
• Super Uppercut - the Highlander executes a mighty swing, launching himself and anyone in his path straight up into the air.

Progression and Customization

Alpha versions of progression and customization have been implemented. As you play with each class you will level them up and unlock rewards for them, which can be equipped in the armory. These systems and rewards are still in a very early state and we are very interested in feedback on them. Players must stay until the end of a match to earn XP.

• Each rank gained unlocks a new reward
  
• Levelling each class grants class specific items
  
• Current offerings include helms, weapons, color themes, and mugs

UI Redesign
The UI in nearly all parts of the game has been redesigned and had new artwork implemented. This is also in an Alpha state and any feedback from the community is appreciated. Changes include:

• New art and flow for all main menu screens
  
• Redesigned options
  
• Armory section for equipping characters
  
• Early leaderboard for displaying stats

Parties
We have created a party system to allow friends to play together on the same team. Parties can be created in the main menu and match make together. When team scrambling occurs between matches parties will be kept together. Parties also will not be split up for auto-balancing.

Known Issues

• Icons in the armory sometimes don’t load correctly and appear as green boxes
  
• Characters sometimes get stuck in the transparent wall in spawn, if a team scores or if the player reconnects to the server this will cause a respawn and fix the issue
  
• Rare client crash on clicking ‘Quick Match’ after lingering in the main menu for a while

About Bierball

In Brewhalla, the gods Odin and Freya each field a team of elite Bierzerkers to compete in the ancient game of Bierball. Crowds gather in the arenas to watch Odin and Freya’s finest clash and score points against each other in this ancient game of strength, battle prowess, and teamwork. Each team must carry a resource (the bewildered sheep in the case of Odin’s Arena) into the enemy’s territory to score.

Carrying the Sheep

Competitors can pick up the sheep when it is nearby by pressing Left Control or F (this can also be toggled to always be on by pressing C). The reticle will change to indicate your status. While carrying him you cannot attack and move a bit slower than usual. The carrier’s team must work together to clear a path and defend the carrier so that he or she can carry the sheep into the opposite team’s goal to score 7 points, or throw it into the goal for 3 points.

Pressing the defense button (RMB by default) will charge up a throw, when released the sheep will be thrown on the indicated trajectory. Getting hit while throwing or hitting the sheep itself may alter the trajectory. Skilled teams will use their attacks to lift or boost the carrier to get some extra ‘umph’ on the throw.

If the carrier is stunned or knocked down while carrying the sheep he or she will fumble it and need to pick it back up to regain possession.

Thor’s Blessing

A Bierzerker who shows great combat prowess by killing three opponents without dying will be granted Thor’s Blessing. His or her weapon will be struck by lightning and crackle with energy. While in possession of this blessing the Bierzerkers will do increased damage and benefit from increased health. The blessing is lost when your team scores or you are slain.

Sudden Death Overtime

If the scores are tied when time runs out then the mode shifts to sudden death overtime. Each team respawns at their bases and the sheep spawns in the middle of the match. Play continues until a team scores, who will then be declared the winner. However - there is no respawning in sudden death so make sure you get a Drunkard on your team for healing! If a team is completely wiped out they will automatically lose.

About Development

Our goal with Bierball is to introduce a game mode that we feel is simple in concept yet deep in interactivity and competition. This new mode takes the combat and ability system we’ve
created and layers in a more strategic, competitive element. With the design of the mode in place, some changes were required to rebalance the classes around it. Here are some of the changes that our early players will see when playing this version:

• Friendly fire damage has been removed
  
• Knockback still works on teammates. This can be useful for pushing someone faster across the map or giving the sheep carrier some height for a good throw
  
• You will still see FX and hear audio cues play when you hit teammates, but no damage is done
  
• Attack speeds for all classes have increased
  
• Damage for all classes have increased
  
• Movement speeds for all classes have increased
  
• For now we are only putting the new mode into the playlist
  
• Timing and speeds for all abilities have been rebalanced, generally to come out faster and move faster if they have some movable component
  
• Teams always respawn behind their own goal
  
• Spawn waves have been removed
  

- Cancel button and functionality added to keybindings
- Defaults button and functionality added to keybindings
- Adjusted a particle system setting to improve performance
- Resolution change dialog added to prevent players from getting stuck in a bad resolution
- Second key now available in keybindings (so you can have 2 keys bound to one action)
- Fixed a known server stability issue

Do you like sheep?

Bagpipes?

Dressing up your Bierzerker like a doll?

Check out the latest here:

http://bierzerkers.com/2015/07/30/devblog-2-0-5-2-release-notes/