Modding Possibilities of Umbra news

Final days of our Kickstarter !

Before we get started with our talk about mods and the Pets and Mercenaries you'll be able to interact with in Umbra, we want to take a moment to mention something that is very important… we have reached the first multiplayer mode for Umbra! Thanks to more than 9300 backers, Umbra just gained a whole new dimension and potential. We are so grateful for your help in reaching this goal, because multiplayer is really something we wanted to develop but we didn’t have the funds to do so! And on top of that, you've all helped to unlock the Kickstarter exclusive Green Crystal Armor that will be provided to all backers at Warrior or higher!

We’re now 145% funded and working towards the Female Hero stretch goal which will allow us ti include a proper female hero into Umbra (we’ll talk more about this particular stretch goal over the weekend, so be ready for that update!). And now, into today’s update!

Modding Possibilities

We took some time to record some footatge to show you some really easy tweak example of what our game system can do. It is a glimpse of what modders will be able to do, since all our game system are based on XML files.

As stated before in other updates, please remember that the CryEngine Sandbox Editor modders will need for important modification is not our product, so we cannot redistribute it. We try to keep some compatibility with the CryEngine FreeSDK, but the optimal way to mod the game will be to get your hands on the CryEngine EAAS.

Mercenaries and Pets

Many of you have asked several questions about what the Mercenaries and the Animal Companions (Pets) will do in the word of Umbra. Are you ready to learn more about how they will help you on this adventure?

How many mercenaries or pets can you have at any given time?

At first? Per the default set up, players will only be able to have one of each as they take on all the dungeons, missions and side-quests we’re creating for Umbra… but there’s a twist! Depending on how you build your hero, you will gain access to a set of passive skills that will improve your relationship with your pets and with the mercenaries you can hire, and this will allow you to have up to THREE dog companions and THREE mercenaries with you at once!

Like we’ve said over and over, we want players to play Umbra the way they want, and the game is very permissive for character building. Therefore, high-level passive skills allow for a lot of “super-effects” such as this one! Can you imagine running around a dungeon with the Umbra WarDog, the Zombie WarDog and the Frost Wolf by your side? Or how about a fierce group of experienced mercenaries to cover your back.

And since, again, players can enjoy playing Umbra anyway they want, they can even select to go at it solo with NO PETS and NO MERCENARIES at their side for an even greater challenge! How will YOU take on this grand journey?

What can the Mercenaries do?

The first thing you need to know about Mercenaries is that they fight for gold! You first need to hire a mercenary by paying their initial fee. After that, for each mercenary fighting by your side, a percentage of all looted gold will be given to them! Their name says it all, and they won’t fight with you if there is nothing in it for them!

As for what they CAN do in the game, we want to let you know that Mercenaries have several “classes” for you to choose from in order to get the ideal companion to fight with you. A Mercenary can be of one of these classes:

• Warrior / Tank
• Spell Caster / Elementalist
• Long Range Fighter
• Priest

Per default, all these class will have several attacks (such as, say, stun enemies, force enemies to attack them, cast various offensive spells, etc.). However, you will be able to give each of your mercenary one Spell Book – from the same ones that you loot and read to gain new active skills – for them to use, and this will be a great way to complete your strategy and personalize them a bit more!

On top of ALL OF THIS, Mercenaries will be able to equip any armor, helmet, weapon, ring and amulet that you loot or craft in the world of Umbra! This means that if you’re ready to pay the price, you could have a balanced party full of mercenaries to support your playstyle or to take care of filling a gap in your skill set. How cool is that?

What can animal companions/pets do?

Per default, unless you have a special pet skin for your animal companion (like the one for the WarDog, the Wolf or the Fire Wolf!), you will have a good old-fashioned dog. This dog (or the pet you use from all the available Kickstarter-exclusive pet skins!) will have several functions:

• It can attack enemies and snare them, which means it will reduce the attack and movement speed of your enemies.
• Since Pets are good treasure hunters when your dog/pet kills an enemy killed you will a small Magic Find bonus to what can be found/looted from the defeated enemy.
• Pets can carry some of the equipment you find in the game in an inventory they have (your dog/pet has a finite inventory space, so don’t think it will be able to carry EVERYTHING you find!). They can also automatically passively pick normal, magic, rare or legendary weapons if you ask them to do so, with the downside of them not fighting enemies while they’re scavenging the area.
• During your quest, your dog/pets can be sent back to town to sell the equipment they are carrying, thus freeing up the space in their inventory while you gain some extra gold! This will take a specific period depending on the number of items they need to carry back, so do take this into consideration since your dog/pet won’t be able to help you while it’s running an errand!
• If you feed your dog/pet with food here and there, they will maybe be happy and support you even more, and they will also start digging for treasure, and who knows, they might just perhaps loot you some great items you wouldn’t have been able to find on your own!

So, there you have it. This is what we have in mind for the Pets and Mercenaries in Umbra! And don’t forget that depending on what tier you’re pledging at, you will gain access to one or more cool-looking and Kickstarter exclusive pet skins for your animal companion!