Of Ash And Steel – Updates & Web Addition

A new game Of Ash and Steel has been added to the Other Games section. I’ve already dedicated 4 livestreams to it on my YouTube channel, so if you’re interested, you can check them out here:🔗 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCY-WP-e9Prv1NHoCerHZks6RYYjKWKol

Just a quick intro for those who might not be familiar:Of Ash and Steel is a game inspired by Gothic, The Witcher 3, and Dark Souls. A few days ago, a playtest version was released — and it absolutely surprised and impressed me. Since this game shares so much DNA with Gothic and has enormous potential, I decided it deserves a place here and on Discord.

The playtest launched 6 days ago, and several updates have already been released for it. Below is a summary of the changes so far. On the website, the game currently has only a basic description and gallery, but I’ll be expanding that gradually. I’m currently working on a video summary that will quickly deliver lots of useful info about the game, followed by a review. Both of these videos — along with a review by Viktor Břenek — will soon be added to the game’s section on the website.

I’ll be doing weekly changelog summaries to avoid spam. All important news about the full release and future mods will also be posted here. On Discord, I’ll eventually add special roles for this and other non-Gothic games so I don’t spam people who aren’t interested — but that will come later.

The game already has its own section here (still quite basic for now):🔗

https://www.myrtana.net/of-ash-and-steel

🔧 Updates after Day 1:

• Added screen mode selection (windowed, borderless, fullscreen)

• Fixed several screens that couldn’t be exited

• Fixed a controller bug that allowed jumping during dialogue fade

• Fixed incorrect behavior when crouching near the shore

• Added backup toggle in settings in case of graphics issues

• Knockback now leaves the hero at 1 HP instead of 0

• Added mouse sensitivity slider (in-game only for now)

• Fixed incorrect control scaling for mouse/gamepad (in-game menu behaved differently)

• Fixed issue where cutscenes triggered while holding a weapon made it impossible to sheathe it afterward

• Partially fixed coliseums where the hero could get stuck (still in progress)

• Corrected leg IK in some scenarios (ongoing)

• Fixed issue where you could enter a house before giving the sacks to Fox

• Removed the NOTCRAFTED sword from Spawn’s bag

• Fixed loot pickup through walls

• Fixed bug when clicking "load" on an empty slot caused a softlock

• Added extra boundaries in the grotto

• Fixed UI overlap when reading a book and leveling up

• Fixed ranged weapon damage being blocked by bad collision

• Fixed bug where items and the hero weren’t shown in inventory/menus after loading

🔧 Day 2 Fixes:

• World subtitles are no longer shown during dialogue

• NPCs no longer poke the hero when they can’t reach their target

• Fixed bug where Lis could disappear if saving/loading while walking with him

• Fixed camping menu allowing you to draw a weapon

• Hero no longer updates the weapon in the main menu if it’s the Dagger of Nerest

• Fixed IK when using ladders

• Needs no longer activate right after loading a game

• LT/RT buttons no longer appear if a gamepad isn't selected

• Fixed fall damage for monsters (no more abuse!)

• One-legged character no longer walks (ha!)

• Character no longer jumps while falling

• Added XY axis inversion in settings

• The hunter now gives the correct recipe

• Fixed a loop issue with the grotto exit guardian

• Corrected backlighting in dialogue scenes

• Fixed crouch IK

• Fixed being stuck in a beach tent

• Added brightness slider

• Added subtitle shadows in dialogue

• Fixed bow/crossbow combat issues in coliseums

• Fixed bug where NPCs wouldn’t drop their weapons

🔧 Latest Updates:

• Global subtitles no longer appear during dialogue

• Fixed NPC navigation when seeking interaction

• Fixed Lis disappearing prematurely

• Fixed camp menu exploit (drawing weapons)

• Main menu logic fixed (Dagger of Nerest now appears properly)

• Fixed ladder IK

• Needs logic now persists through saves

• Inventory LT/RT buttons hidden when no gamepad is used

• Monster fall damage fixed

• One-legged character now stays still

• Fixed jump-after-fall bug

• Fixed input loss after falling into water from a height

• Krestets now gives the correct recipe

• Fixed NPC reactions to unconscious or dead characters

• Alchemy table in the hermit's house moved to correct layer

• Fixed Ranta's combat UI (no longer moves mid-fight)

• Shallow water no longer negates fall damage

• Fixed possible dialogue loop when exiting the grotto

• Mouse cursor now only appears near menu windows

• Improved lighting in dialogues

• Fixed "Level-Up" localization

• Fixed centipede sounds

• Fixed IK when crouching

• Fixed quest tracking in the journal

• Fixed some collision bugs (in progress)

• Fixed peaceful interaction issues with controllers

• Inventory slots corrected

• Fixed bow/crossbow projectile collisions

• Bandits now properly drop weapons

• Fixed ore mining

• Fixed playtest debug widget

• Fixed focus loss on death in main menu

• Hotfix added to restore Lis even if the save was made after his disappearance (before giving the packages)

• Fixed Hobster’s cave collision

• NPCs can no longer open locked doors

• Minor UI fixes when reading notes and books

🦍 Added one evil hairy monster🛍️ Added new items to Akim🖋️ Added subtitle shadows🌞 Added brightness slider🔄 Added X/Y axis inversion🌊 Updated underwater post-processing

As part of hotfix testing, I added a non-standard fix that allows you to bring Lis back even if your save was made after he vanished (as long as you didn’t hand him the packages yet). Please test and see if it works for you. I’ve also added a bit of new content.

Today I’m gathering all remaining bug reports into a live table. Once done, I’ll post a separate announcement so you can check if anything was missed. I’ll also clean up the bug report section to make tracking easier.