> Before I get into the details, a quick heads up that a **new version of the demo** will be available for the Steam Party-Based RPG fest starting September 14th! Check it out! ## Encounters The encounter system has had a refresh to improve balancing, the pace of introducing new mechanics and make it easier to form strategies for learning all of an opponent's behaviours. Here are some of the changes: ### New Enemy Designs Enemies have been redesigned with new movesets and a more predictable way of behaving which should make it easier (and more rewarding!) to form strategies against them. For example, all enemies now have one or two preferred states and behaviours that they use in set patterns, which means you can start to anticipate what behaviour they might use next or use a behaviour to interrupt their flow. Doing so can force them into a different moveset which might both disadvantage your opponent and reveal some hidden behaviours to learn! A new enemy joins the fray - Arctic Fox! ### Revised Behaviours Behaviours have been tweaked so there is less overlap between them, and to balance their costs better. The most notable changes are that early state switching moves no longer deplete the opponent's resolve and can only be used to switch from one specific state to another. In exchange, they don't require as much energy to perform. ### Stat Balancing Enemy and player stats have been rebalanced to make encounters a little more challenging - no more winning encounters by spamming the same move repeatedly 🙃 ## Party Characters The companion party system has had an overhaul! Now, when you unlock new companions, you'll have the choice to assign them as either an Active or Support party member. **Active party members** have a special 'Jump In' behaviour you can charge up in an encounter to use on top of your own behaviours. Use it to swing the encounter in your favour! **Support party members** have a passive ability that's active throughout an encounter, such as boosting one of your stats or recovering your vitals during an encounter. You can only have one of each party member at any time, so choose the companions you want carefully! ## Bug Fixes Lastly, some more miscellaneous fixes: * No more dialogue loops! There's a time delay before you can restart dialogue, to prevent accidentally restarting a conversation you just finished * Environment parallax layering fixes - no more sliding characters and overlapping sprites * Companions stick together! No more issues with companions getting left behind * Music system rebuild - track looping should be more stable, and music will resume rather than restart when leaving an encounter so you'll get to hear more of the track 🎶 'Feature' of the month - really become at one with your party This month has mostly been about updating core systems and fixing demo bugs, so look forward to some later game updates next month! ## Sign up for the newsletter! Get updates on the development of Resolute Bay 🐎 Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

## UI Updates After watching some more playthroughs of the game, I've been making some changes to the encounter menus so they're hopefully both clearer and easier to navigate. First, I've redesigned the character HUD to make the characters' states and how certain behaviours will change them more prominent. The behaviour menu is redesigned, so it's (hopefully!) easier to see what's a cost/requirement for the behaviour to be used and which moves are strong/weak against the opponent. I've also taken some inspiration from other JRPGs and ditched the scrolling list for a tabbed view which should be faster to use. Lastly, by popular request, I've put in a reference table for how type strengths and weaknesses relate to the opponent's state. This should make it easier to plan out strategies against different opponents. ## Transition Effects A small but fun change! Rather than simply fading to/from black, the following transitions will play on changing areas or starting an encounter. ## New Character A crafty fox is coming to the full game! He's been causing trouble in the upper areas of the forest, and it's up to the Resolute Bay to track him down and restore order. Crafty Fox - What is he up to??? See you next month for another round of updates!

## New Areas Picking up from where the demo ends, you'll enter the wetlands - home to moose, swans and a surprise visitor or two! Unfortunately something's blocking your way out, so you'll need to find another way around... ...into the valley! This is a peaceful area where rabbits and deer come to hide from their predators. There's a secret area here that has some interesting characters, one of whom can become a new companion if you're up for a challenge! ## New Characters I've also been creating new characters for the game, including this mysterious creature. Are they friend or foe...? That's all for now! If you haven't already, head over to Steam to try out the demo and be sure to wishlist and leave a review! Play the Demo!

In Resolute Bay, characters will always be in a Fight, Flight or Freeze response state during an encounter. These states change how a character behaves during the encounter. In particular: 1. by changing the character's **underlying stats**(Bravery, Resilience and Agility) 2. by changing the character's **weaknesses and resistances** to different types of behaviours 3. by changing the **behaviours** the character is able to use Fight, Flight and Freeze responses affect how a character behaves during an encounter In general, the **Fight** state pushes a character towards **going on the offensive** while **Freeze** can be useful when you want to take a more **defensive approach**. **Flight** sits somewhere in between, giving characters a **turn order advantage** and access to **more technical behaviours**. Bears tend to adopt a Fight response, but what happens when you put them into a Flight state...? Like in real life, animals in Resolute Bay have a natural tendency towards one of the three response states. For example, bears default to a Fight response. However, an animal's state can change as an encounter plays out, such as in response to how much Resolve they have compared to their opponent. As you progress in the game, you'll learn behaviours that can change states - you might even find yourself using all three within the same encounter! > **So, are you team Fight, Flight or Freeze? Play the Resolute Bay demo to try all the states!** Play the Demo

## Encounters ### Behaviour Types Behaviours now have their own types separate from the Fight/Flight/Freeze state you’re in. The new types are: * **Neutral** - a standard behaviour that has no state affinities * **Fearful** - works well against opponents in Flight * **Aloof** - works well against opponents in Fight * **Dominant** - works well against opponents in Fight or Flight * **Confident** - the only type that has an advantage against opponents in Freeze! ### Learning Behaviours After each encounter you’ll now learn all of the abilities your opponent used, not just a random one. ### Character Designs I’ve redesigned all of the characters to have their own logic for what moves they’ll use in an encounter. This makes each encounter more like a mini puzzle to work out how to get opponents to use certain behaviours (so you can in turn learn them!). ### Player Attributes After levelling up you can now assign points to the attributes you want to upgrade (Bravery, Resilience and Agility). ## Menu redesign The menus have had a bit of an overhaul along the way, so it’s easier to see which characters you’ve encountered and how many of their behaviours you’ve learned. It should also be easier to find the behaviours you want in an encounter. Mouse and keyboard support is also massively improved, with all menus now supporting keyboard navigation! ## Bug fixes * Fixed issues where you could load out of bounds into a level * Fixed crashing issues * Fixed bug in applying user settings * * * If you want to try out the new updates, head over to the demo on Steam: Play the Demo

I'm thrilled to share that Resolute Bay is taking part in the Women's Day Sale event on Steam this week. For those new to the game: Resolute Bay is a hand-drawn RPG where you play as a horse searching for your lost herd. You'll explore mountains, forests and plains, learn over 80 behaviours to use in turn-based encounters built around Fight, Flight and Freeze responses, make new friends, and hopefully find time to roll in the mud along the way! The demo covers the first 30-60 minutes of the game and is completely free to download on Steam. Play the Demo I'm so glad to be part of this event and have the opportunity to introduce Resolute Bay to players who might not have come across it yet, and to celebrate other women-led game development studios. Even if Resolute Bay isn't your thing, please go take a look at all the other games taking part in the event! If you try the demo and enjoy it, the single most helpful thing you can do is add the game to your Steam wishlist. It's free, it takes seconds, and for an independent developer it has a real, tangible impact on how Steam treats the game at launch. Thanks! Wishlist Resolute Bay

Start your journey as the Resolute Bay with a free demo of the game, out now on Steam! Play the Demo The demo lasts around 30 minutes, and covers the beginning of the full game. Start searching for your herd, find new companions, learn new moves and maybe make some enemies along the way! If you've finished the demo and want more Resolute Bay content before the game releases, sign up to the newsletter to access exclusive behind-the-scenes posts about the game's development. ## Behind the Scenes Sign up for Resolute Bay development updates Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

A Resolute Bay travels to Resolute Bay in Resolute Bay.

Announcing the first game from Studio Umai! Play as a horse searching for their missing herd while a wild beast is on the loose. Coming soon on Steam for PC and Mac.