The Pantheon team has just dropped its November producer’s letter; the team says it’s been “heads down” this month, hard at work on asset conversion and combat.
“With the recent conversion to HDRP we are enjoying the immense improvement in graphical fidelity and the performance gains from our sleek new asset streaming technology,” Visionary Realms’ Chris Perkins and Adam Mostel write. “This transition has also defined our immediate development priorities. At the top of the list is the process of asset conversion.”
As for combat, the studio says it’s working on implementing a number of improvements to the combat system – specifically, an overhaul of the attribute and stat system to make stats more desirable and clear; an overhaul of base power from leveling and target difficulty; a sweeping overhaul of abilities to de-emphasize rotations; and of course, a refocus on class identity.
“Having distinct classes with their own strengths and weaknesses is a core tenet of Pantheon’s development, and our combat improvements will allow us to explore the depth of those differences more than ever. Feeding off the changes to our attributes and skills, we are able to better specify where our classes excel over others. For example, Wizards – though undisputed masters of direct damage – may find that not only are their debuffing spells fewer, but that they don’t land quite as reliably as an Enchanter’s. These differences have been extrapolated across the entire spectrum of core combat skills – both offensive and defensive – and are intended to synergize with our goals for deliberate ability choices and expanded itemization options to encourage players to weigh between enhancing their strengths or shoring up their weaknesses based on their personal goals and their role in a team, and to embark on further adventures to build up their arsenal.”
