Update 3 – Performance Improvements

Hi everyone, we’re happy to release Update 3 for Underworld Ascendant. We’ve been listening to your feedback and focused this Update on improving performance, fixing bugs and polishing various aspects of the game. We also added a bunch of fun new things as noted below.

Performance Improvements and New or Updated Features

● Major improvements to frame rate and load times.
● Lighting pass across the game to help players see deeper into the darkest corners of the Abyss.
● Added Saurian Mage allies that have been captured by Typhon’s minions. Once you free these allies, they will aid you in battle against nearby undead.
● Added the Outcast character Fane, an ally who, once freed, becomes a vendor selling adventuring provisions wherever Hapurkala sets up camp.
● Added Talking Skulls (Bart and Bertha) to the Midnight Forum in Marcaul.
● Increased the equipment that drops in the earliest part of the game and added several new types of gear.
● Loot from chests is now placed more intelligently in the chest’s interior, to reduce unintended collisions.
● Added a new, more appropriately-sized model representing smaller equipment items like helmets and boots.
● Added confirmation text when Quick-Saving, including a notification if the player is in a situation where saving is not permitted.
● You can now start climbing ropes and chains from swimming contact, not just jumping. Also, contact with water won’t break you out a rope climb.
● Blast arrows no longer detonate without being fired (like, for example, when they’re sitting in a chest).
● Rune formulas branded on wands with the Focus Mastery skill are now preserved around player respawn.
● Added Goggles of Night-vision as a new item of headgear.
● Added variation of scale colors to Saurians (rather than all defaulting to green).
● Updated Aelita’s vendor tables to offer a greater selection of gear usable with the Ceremonial Garb skill.
● Updated the sfx that plays upon completing a quest.
● Improved performance when things are on fire.

Polish and Bug Fixes

● The confirmation screen when quick-loading (pressing F9) a saved game is no longer blank.
● Fixed an issue where players would be unable to complete a quest if they save after completing the objective but before turning it in.
● The frame rate no longer hitches when the Tab button is pressed.
● Fixed a number of crash bugs.
● Fixed issues related to using a controller to play the game.
● Fixed issue where a dying NPC could send the playing flying upon its death.
● Fixed issue where the player was unable to complete the “Typhon Summons a Lich!” quest if they left Titan’s Reach and came back.
● Fixed various Inventory issues related to stacks and arrows.
● Fixed issue where the player’s quest could break if they saved after completing the quest objective but before turning it in.
● The Sword of Regret now restores the intended amount of health to the player.
● The Blade of Bewilderment now gives a small bonus to Adroit damage in addition to its main Confusion ability.
● Fixed an error that prevented unlocking the Vitality II skill. Note: It unlocks after the character performs a quest with the Quick Recovery skill.
● Magically-bound creatures are no longer frictionless when trying to move.
● Improved the consistency damaged received from a fall, depending on the height of the fall.
● The player is no longer immune to falling damage during their melee attacks.
● Eidolons will now raise skeletons as their original type, rather than always as Spectral Knights.
● Fixed a few bugs with combat animations that were moving a player involuntarily.
● Fixed not being able to skip the intro if you hit the ‘no’ button.
● Fixed the Deep Slug not being baited by dropped Ripper Pomes.
● Deleted the obsolete warning that the player needs a bow when scrolling over arrows.
● Fixed a minor exploit where players could load an arrow, drop their arrows, fire the equipped arrow, and pick the bundle of arrows back up with no decrease in quantity held.
● Fixed an issue where lights reflected on water were disappearing at certain camera angles.
● Fixed an issue where a player could hold a dead NPC’s body close and use it to climb up into the sky.
● Fixed some localization issues.
● Fixed an issue where some Tutorial and Quest Popups have no text.
● Fixed clarity of Side Bounty Completion / Failure on Mission Complete Screen that gave the impression that the quest had failed versus the side bounty not being completed
● Fixed issue where player was able to access Inventory and Pause menu during ending credits.
● Fixed issue where Tempus Modus/Doom Counter was located off the Map in Marcaul.
● Fixed a few memora logs that did not have titles.
● Removed mentions of Influence from all quest rewards.
● Fixed issue where the item spawned by the Create Wood wand would not stay in the Player’s grasp.
● Fixed issues where player receives a significant amount of damage by swinging corpse of an enemy around.
● Fixed several visual holes found throughout the game.
● Fixed several issues that caused corpses of enemies to spin

Known Issues

● Rune formulas branded on wands with Focus Mastery will not be saved.
● Some crystal lamps in Marcaul move from their position depending on where the user stands.
● When jumping next to an object, like a crate, a player will sometimes move forward involuntarily.
● Fire bottles make an excessive amount of light when they explode.
● There is no text notification upon freeing Fane.
● Highlight outline for Fane is slightly displaced.
● Wood chunk from Create Plant spell does not have fire VFX when lit.
● Very rarely, a skeleton’s body can stretch after death.
● With the Interaction prompt, some captions and the sneaking UI can overlap over certain menus.
● Pendulum trap can show erratic behavior.
● Hunger continues even when the game is paused.
● UI does not clearly indicate that some skills are locked because insufficient time has passed to unlock them.
● End game subtitles appear as large blocks of text.
● Damage can be unintentionally taken in unusual circumstances (i.e running into doors, opening doors).
● When exiting options menu, screen resolution can be reset to smaller default with no warning.
● Player automatically swings melee weapons when switched to in hotbar.
● Some floating geodes and stones can be found in certain areas.