Category: News

General game developing news and updates.

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Now Available on Steam – Pit People®

Save 60% on The Surge during this week’s Midweek Madness*!

A catastrophic event has knocked you out during the first day on the job you wake up equipped with a heavy-grade exoskeleton, in a destroyed section of the complex. Robots gone haywire, insane augmented co-workers and rogue AI – everything wants you dead.

Defy deadly enemies and huge bosses in tight, visceral melee combat. Target and slice specific limbs off your foes, with a next-gen loot system where you loot what you dismember. Equip, upgrade and craft new weapons and armors sliced from enemies, and make yourself stronger through a fresh take on leveling-up.

*Offer ends Friday at 10AM Pacific Time

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Ubisoft acquires Brawlhalla dev Blue Mammoth Games

Ubisoft has acquired Brawlhalla developer Blue Mammoth Games for an undisclosed fee. 

The vibrant free-to-play online brawler is currently the most played fighting game on Steam, and has also been making waves on the esports circuit. 

Ubisoft believes Brawlhalla — which is also available on PS4 — can become an important part of its portfolio, and is impressed with how Blue Mammoth has scaled up the title since it launched in October last year. 

“The team at Blue Mammoth Games is expert at developing and running scalable, competitive, multiplayer online games, and they’ll be a great addition to Ubisoft’s network of studios,” said Ubisoft NCSA president, Laurent Detoc.

“With Brawlhalla, we’re getting a hugely popular and highly-profitable title that aligns with our strategy of expanding our audience and providing players with long-lasting, entertaining gaming experiences.”

The deal was completed on March 1, and is expected to be immediately accretive to Ubisoft’s earnings.

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Designing Florence to convey the ineffable feeling of being in love

“Florence is like a map of a whole relationship,” says dev Ken Wong, creative director at Mountains. “Being able to find yourself on that map, or remembering that you once walked the same path and made it through, is reassuring.”

Released earlier this month on iOS and Android to critical acclaim, Florence is Mountains’ debut game: a striking interactive narrative that aims to capture the heady experience of first love through minimalist moments captured with no dialogue.

The story of Florence and Krish, moving through their first meetings to dating to moving in together to the erosion of their feelings for one another. are all conveyed with very specific beats and times, using the mundane to show things that many will remember from their first relationship.

Can you recall the first time you spent the night together? Held each other’s hands? Brushed your teeth side-by-side? Started putting your things together on your shared shelves? Florence is designed to use these moments to connect with the player, perhaps reminding them of things they’ve felt before, or that they hope to feel, or reassuring them that others have also gone through it.

Capturing these beats was a challenge for Wong, but for Florence to resonate as powerfully with other first loves, he would have to work capture those feelings with just the right moments and interactions.

Putting the pieces together

Wong struggled, for a time, to figure out what to do for his first project with his new studio. The inspiration, which may not seem all that surprising to anyone who’s spent a winter’s night completing a puzzle with a loved one, would come from connecting jigsaw puzzles and relationships, telling a story through that connection.

“There’s intentionally not much animation in the game. The color palette is very simple. Perhaps this simplicity allows players to imagine more, and fill in the gaps with their own experiences.”

“Finding our studio’s first project was a long journey!” Wong says. “We had been experimenting with jigsaw puzzles and we knew we could do something exciting with them. Amongst the ideas we discussed was telling the story of a relationship between two people, with the variations on the puzzles serving as metaphors for the different emotional beats. The team gravitated towards this idea.”

Admittedly, doing a puzzle with a loved one doesn’t quite convey the passion and excitement of a first relationship, but there is something quieter – more subdued – yet just as powerful, about such a moment. It’s the comfortable part of the relationship, conveying a warmth that comes in time, and is an important piece of showing a whole relationship. In this way, the developer saw the strength of the quiet moment and the small interaction. 

Through conveying these kinds of moments, Wong sought to create a connection with the player through shared feelings over similar moments in their own relationships. “We realized small interactions could have a lot of emotional impact, as players would draw from their own experiences. As we wanted to make this story as relatable as possible, we started talking about this being the protagonist’s first love, and all the highs and lows that come along with that.”

What tiny moments should one capture to convey that feeling of first love, though? The obvious ones all carry large feelings with them, but lack the subtlety of the quieter moment. This meant a lot of iteration for Wong and his team as they sought to capture just the right feelings and interactions.

“We tried so many different levels, and more than half of them didn’t work,” says Wong. “For a level to work, it needs to have an interesting interaction that evokes a feeling or tells a story. The feeling or story has to come from the interactions, not from the images — and there’s no dialogue in Florence.”

“Eventually, we had a string of major beats – meeting Florence as a single adult, Florence meeting Krish, their first dates, moving in together. We then had to fill in the gaps to strengthen their story,” he adds. “One of the major revelations was realizing that we hadn’t shown why these characters are good for each other – we had to go back and create scenes that showed that.”

These connections, and many other important parts of their lives, would show them together through quieter times together. Something as simple as shared breakfast or sitting together on the couch could convey their comfort with one another, helping draw the player in to their time together.

Breathing life into characters via art, music, and mechanics

Another important aspect beyond choice of beats was in choosing how these beats would be conveyed. Player interaction, music, and art would all work together to strengthen that sense of familiarity within the player, and of making them a part of Florence and Krish’s relationship.

“One way is we look for metaphors – how can a touch screen interaction (dragging pieces, tapping on objects to get rid of them) suggest an event in a relationship, or a feeling?” Wong says. “We depict an event in their relationship quite literally, like choosing what objects to put on a shelf, or shaking Polaroids. These are simple, mundane activities, but they carry powerful associations for players.”

According to Wong, these interactions — like moving and placing objects on a shared shelf (or, in a sad turn, taking them off) — help tie the player in to the moment. It makes the player take on a role in the game, rather than just tapping dialogue to advance or playing a minigame with thin ties to the narrative. For Wong, it was important for the player to act out and participate in what was happening on-screen, to both drum up memories as well as carry them through the emotions of a scene.

Of course, the dev team also used visual cues to convey the emotional tenor of scenes. The character’s speech bubbles, for example, shift to emphasize how the characters’ way of speaking with each other changes over time. “Using speech bubble shapes as metaphors for dialogue was a powerful discovery,” says Wong. “When we had to depict the characters arguing we revisited this metaphor, showing that the characters now talk to each other differently.” 

And while the light, comic strip look of the game is a key part of its design, it didn’t come easy — Wong says he had to iterate on it multiple times before landing on an aesthetic that resonated with the game’s themes.

“The art style wasn’t really an intentional decision! I was trying different art styles, but all of them were trying to say too much,” Wong says. This comes from my background as an illustrator rather than a comics artist. Tired and frustrated, I just started sketching in a more relaxed way, and I found the style. It’s designed to be quite ‘naive’ and unassuming, and not demanding too much of my poor drawing skills!”

“Perhaps the interactions are so simple and naked and not about ‘winning’, that the player has to give them meaning in their own mind.”

According to Wong, it was important for Florence‘s art style to give players room to be a part of the story. Too much detail would have drowned the player’s need to use their imagination, giving them a game about a relationship rather than one where they were expected to put a bit of themselves in the story. The simple, yet evocative art style allows the player a little room to think of themselves within it, or to interpret a scene through the lens of their own experiences.

“The music on the other hand, I had strong feelings on,” Wong continues. “I listen to film music and game music all the time. The initial feeling I wanted to evoke was intimacy – to portray the deepest feelings between two people.”

To heighten that sense of growing familiar with someone over time, the Mountain team scored the game in such a way that each of the main characters is represented by a signature instrument.

“We knew early on that Krish was a musician, and I decided on the cello because it felt like an instrument that could make you instantly fall in love with someone,” says Wong. “The cello became a voice for Krish, and the piano a voice for Florence.”

The music gives players a sense of the emotion of the scene, and it also gave the dev team room to give the characters a voice — without having to rely on actual text that might get in the way of the player’s own feelings. Looking back, Wong notes there was no way to write words in a scene that would resonate every person who would ever play it. Through this musical mechanic, though, the team felt they could more effectively convey the emotional tone that players could get from a scene.

“Simplicity allows players to imagine more, and fill in the gaps”

Intriguingly, despite putting in all this work to try and make players feel connected to the story of Florence, Wong isn’t entirely sure why it works so well.

“Even after making the game, I still think I need some time to fully understand why the interactions work as they do,” he admits. “Perhaps the interactions are so simple and naked and not about ‘winning’, that the player has to give them meaning in their own mind.”

Looking back, Wong chalks up a lot of the game’s critical success to its light touch and emphasis on evocation, rather than direct communication.

“When people read books without pictures, they have to imagine sound and imagery for themselves. The author is harnessing the reader’s imagination,” says Wong. “There’s intentionally not much animation in the game. The color palette is very simple. Perhaps this simplicity allows players to imagine more, and fill in the gaps with their own experiences.”

By portraying quieter moments of love alongside all the grand times, Florence tells a full story of first love, through good times and bad. It’s the entire experience, conveyed in particular moments chosen by the dev team to make the player part of a story that would evoke their own experiences.

In doing so, Wong hopes it helps the player feel a bit of what they had before, or what they hope to feel some day. It convinces the player to unlock that part of their heart and look in on the feelings there. Through brushing teeth and eating breakfast and sharing quiet times, it calls up that warmth of having someone to care about; it convinces the player to feel that warmth, sharing in what once was or what is to come.

“I learned a lot about storytelling during this game. So much of it is about making the characters relatable, getting the audience to feel like they’ve been in this moment before, or they’d like to be,” concludes Wong. “Romance and relationships and almost universal experiences. We feel connected when we feel like we have shared experiences. Maybe that’s one of the reasons we seek out stories: because we want to not feel alone in what we’re feeling.”

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It’s time to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Nintendo Switch!

It’s time to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Nintendo Switch!

On March 3, 2017, Nintendo Switch hit store shelves all around the world. Since then, fans have embraced the system’s unique ability to alternate between handheld and TV mode and its ever-growing library of great first- and third-party games.

Let’s take a moment to review some of the highlights from Nintendo Switch’s first year:

  • March 2017 – The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild launched alongside Nintendo Switch on March 3, with the adventure continuing later in the year with the release of two DLC packs, Trial of the Sword and the Champions Ballad. The game went on to receive a score of 97 on Metacritic , as well as numerous Game of the Year awards.
  • April 2017 – Mario Kart 8 Deluxe gave fans the ability to bring the game with them everywhere to play with friends and family for the ultimate kart-racing bragging rights.
  • June 2017 – To kick off the summer, Nintendo released ARMS , a unique fighting game starring an eclectic roster of characters overflowing with personality. With fast-paced single- and multiplayer modes, fans could face each other in battles anytime, anywhere.
  • July 2017 – Splatoon 2 inked its way onto the system with new modes, characters, weapons and ways to splat their friends in local and online multiplayer modes. Since launch, a continuous rollout of free new content has released for the game, making it more fun than ever to splat friends and family on the go or at home.
  • August 2017 – One of the biggest third-party games of the year was Ubisoft’s Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle . The strategic adventure-RPG combined the wacky world of the Rabbids with the iconic Super Mario franchise, resulting in an epic quest for all ages.
  • October 2017 – Super Mario Odyssey launched in October, earning a score of 97 on Metacritic . In this massive sandbox-style game, Mario uses fun new hat-based abilities like cap throw, cap jump and capture with his new partner Cappy. These new abilities define his new adventure and provide a fresh take on the classic Super Mario formula. A fun new online competitive mode called Luigi’s Balloon World was recently added through a free update.
  • December 2017 – As a thrilling close to 2017, Nintendo launched a sequel to the original Xenoblade Chronicles RPG series, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 . This sprawling game offers players a deep battle system to master, giant worlds to explore and an endearing cast of characters to meet.

In addition to the above games, a wide variety of other first- and third-party games launched for Nintendo Switch in its first year. This includes games from publishers like EA, Capcom, Psyonix, Take-Two Interactive, Ubisoft and Bethesda, to popular “Nindies” content, indie games on Nintendo Switch made by independent publishers, including Stardew Valley from Chucklefish LTD, Overcooked: Special Edition from Team 17 and Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove from Yacht Club Games. And best of all: Every single game released on Nintendo Switch can be played at home or on the go!

Looking ahead to the second year, many fun new things are in store. From hot new games with classic characters like Kirby Star Allies, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and Mario Tennis Aces to third-party games like Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus and DARK SOULS: REMASTERED and Nintendo Labo, a series of DIY kits crafted to work with the Nintendo Switch, fans are sure to have new experiences that will put smiles on their faces that they can take with them anywhere to play with anyone!

We’re thrilled to have taken a look back over the first year of Nintendo Switch and celebrate its adventures in the upcoming year with you.

Happy Nintendo Switch anniversary!

Games Shown:

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Dota 2 Update – March 1st, 2018

7.10:
====

* Enabled Dark Willow in Captain’s Mode

* Bounty Rune base gold bounty increased from 50 to 60 (affects runes after the first one)
* Bounty Rune no longer gives XP. Previously gave 0 at the start and increased by 7 per minute.
* Tome of Knowledge XP bonus increased from 500 to 700

* Melee Creeps gold bounty reduced by 1 (reduced from 41 to 40)

* Randoming now gives a Faerie Fire instead of a branch
* Bonus hero count increased from 10 to 12

* Aeon Disk: Cooldown reduced from 100 to 90

* Boots of Speed: Cost increased from 400 to 500
* Boots of Speed: Movement bonus increased from 40 to 50
* Phase Boots: Movement bonus increased from 45 to 50
* Power Treads: Movement bonus increased from 45 to 50

* Animal Courier: Flying Courier movement speed increased from 450 to 460

* Monkey King Bar: Added a sound effect for successful procs

* Soul Ring: Health cost increased from 150 to 170

* Abaddon: Level 15 Talent increased from +50 Mist Coil Heal/Damage to +60
* Abaddon: Level 20 Talent increased from +15% Cooldown Reduction to +20%
* Abaddon: Level 25 Talent reduced from +250 Aphotic Shield Health to +225

* Alchemist: Level 20 Talent increased from +25% Cleave to +30%

* Ancient Apparition: Level 15 Talent increased from -1.5s Ice Vortex Cooldown to -2.5s
* Ancient Apparition: Level 25 Talent changed from 4 Charges of Cold Feet to 900 AoE Cold Feet

* Anti-Mage: Level 10 Talent changed from +175 Health to +10 Strength
* Anti-Mage: Level 15 Talent changed from -2s Blink Cooldown to +400 Blink Cast Range
* Anti-Mage: Level 20 Talent increased from +300 Blink Cast Range to -2.5s Blink Cooldown

* Arc Warden: Level 10 Talent changed from +5 Armor to 8% Cooldown Reduction
* Arc Warden: Level 15 Talent increased from +2s Flux Duration to +3s
* Arc Warden: Level 20 Talent increased from +100 Attack Range to +125
* Arc Warden: Level 20 Talent changed from +10% Cooldown Reduction to -1.5s Spark Wraith Cooldown

* Axe: Level 15 Talent increased from +30 Movement Speed to +40

* Bloodseeker: Bloodrage now heals you for 50% of its value if you do not get the last hit but are within 300 AoE of a dying hero.

* Centaur Warrunner: Level 20 Talent increased from +250 Double Edge Damage to +300

* Clinkz: Strafe projectile dodge count increased from 3 to 4
* Clinkz: Level 15 Talent increased from +15% Evasion to +20%

* Crystal Maiden: Level 10 Talent increased from +200 Health to +250
* Crystal Maiden: Level 15 Talent increased from +90 Gold/Min to +120

* Dark Seer: Level 20 Talent increased from +300 AoE Surge to +400

* Dazzle: Base movement speed increased from 305 to 310
* Dazzle: Level 20 Talent increased from +30 Poison Touch DPS to +45

* Doom: Base Intelligence increased by 2
* Doom: Level 10 Talent changed from +25 Movement Speed to +16% Scorched Earth Movement Speed

* Dragon Knight: Agility gain reduced from 2.2 to 2.0
* Dragon Knight: Level 10 Talent changed from +30 Attack Speed to -20% Breathe Fire Damage Reduction

* Drow Ranger: Level 15 Talent increased from +400 Gust Distance/Knockback to +550
* Drow Ranger: Level 20 Talent increased from +2s Gust Duration to +3s

* Ember Spirit: Sleight of Fist bonus hero damage increased from 25/50/75/100 to 30/60/90/120

* Enchantress: Nature’s Attendants manacost increased from 125 to 140

* Gyrocopter: Improved visual effect for Flak Cannon projectiles
* Gyrocopter: Homing Missile bounty increased from 25 to 50
* Gyrocopter: Homing Missile cooldown increased from 20/17/14/11 to 26/21/16/11

* Invoker: Level 10 Talent from +0.3s Tornado Lift Time to +0.5s
* Invoker: Level 15 Talent from +1.5s Cold Snap Duration to +2.5s
* Invoker: Cataclysm Sunstrikes spawn distance is now slightly closer to each target (from 175-250 distance away to 160-220)

* Io: Tether duration increased from 12 to 14

* Jakiro: Level 10 Talent increased from +25% XP to +30%
* Jakiro: Level 15 Talent increased from +250 Attack Range to +300

* Kunkka: Tidebringer damage increased from 25/45/65/85 to 25/50/75/100

* Leshrac: Lightning Storm manacost rescaled from 90/100/110/120 to 75/90/105/120

* Lich: Level 25 Talent from Attacks Apply 30% MS and AS Slow to 40%

* Lina: Level 10 Talent increased from +100 Cast Range to +125
* Lina: Level 10 Talent increased from +25 Damage to +30
* Lina: Level 15 Talent increased from +300 Health to +350
* Lina: Level 20 Talent increased from +10% Spell Amplification to +12%

* Lion: Mana Drain slow increased from 14/16/18/20 to 16/19/22/25%
* Lion: Level 10 Talent increased from +75 Damage to +90
* Lion: Level 15 Talent increased from +90 Gold/Min to +120

* Lone Druid: Spirit Bear health regeneration increased from 4/5/6/7 to 5/6/7/8
* Lone Druid: Level 15 Talent increased from -8s Savage Roar Cooldown to -12s

* Luna: Level 15 Talent from -3s Lucent Beam Cooldown to -4s

* Lycan: Base damage reduced by 3

* Magnus: Base strength increased by 1
* Magnus: Level 25 Talent increased from +0.75s Reverse Polarity to +1s

* Mirana: Starfall manacost from 100/120/140/160 to 80/105/130/155
* Mirana: Level 25 Talent increased from -70 Moonlight Shadow Cooldown to -80

* Monkey King: Base damage increased by 2
* Monkey King: Fixed Mischief not showing the right particles for the first bounty rune
* Monkey King: Level 10 Talent increased from +150 Tree Dance Vision AoE to +300
* Monkey King: Level 15 Talent increased from +300 Tree Dance Cast Range to +600
* Monkey King: Level 20 Talent increased from +300 Primal Spring Damage to +400

* Morphling: Morph can now be toggled to go back and forth from the original target until the duration runs out. Has a 1 second toggle cooldown.

* Naga Siren: Sleep buff linger time reduced from 0.5 to 0.4
* Naga Siren: Song of the Siren manacost increased from 100 to 100/150/200

* Nature’s Prophet: Wraith of Nature cooldown reduced from 70/65/60 to 60
* Nature’s Prophet: Level 10 Talent increased from +30 Movement Speed to +40
* Nature’s Prophet: Level 15 Talent increased from +8 Armor to +10

* Necrophos: Level 15 Talent changed from +30 Movement Speed to +16% Ghost Shroud Slow
* Necrophos: Level 15 Talent changed from +300 Health to +40 Death Pulse Heal

* Ogre Magi: Level 20 Talent increased from +30 Strength to +40

* Omniknight: Purification cooldown increased from 11/10/9/8 to 11

* Oracle: Turn rate improved from 0.5 to 0.7
* Oracle: Intelligence growth increased from 2.9 to 3.2

* Outworld Devourer: Astral Imprisonment manacost increased from 120/140/160/180 to 140/160/180/200
* Outworld Devourer: Level 10 Talent increased from +200 Health to +250

* Phantom Assassin: Stifiling Dagger Talent now has a 300 cast range buffer for the secondary target

* Phantom Lancer: Level 25 Talent increased from -5s Doppelganger Cooldown to -7s

* Phoenix: Level 15 Talent changed from +40% XP Gain to +500 Health
* Phoenix: Level 20 Talent increased from +1s Supernova Stun Duration to +1.25s

* Pudge: Rot slow reduced from 20/24/28/32% to 17/22/27/32%

* Razor: Static Link manacost increased from 50 to 65

* Riki: Level 15 Talent increased from -5s Smokescreen Cooldown to -7s

* Rubick: Level 15 Talent increased from -35 Fade Bolt Hero Attack to -45

* Shadow Demon: Level 10 Talent increased from +25% XP Gain to 30%
* Shadow Demon: Level 25 Talent changed from +5s Disruption Banish Duration to 2 Charges of Disruption

* Shadow Fiend: Shadow Raze damage increase per stack reduced from 80 to 50/60/70/80

* Skywrath Mage: Level 15 Talent increased from -6s Ancient Seal Cooldown to -8s

* Slardar: Level 10 Talent increased from +20 to +25 Damage

* Slark: Level 10 Talent increased from +8 Strength to +10

* Spectre: Level 25 Talent increased from +20% Haunt Illusion Damage to +40%

* Sven: Level 15 Talent changed from +30 Damage to Storm Hammer Dispels Enemies
* Sven: Level 20 Talent changed from Storm Hammer Dispels Enemies to -5s Storm Hammer Cooldown
* Sven: Level 25 Talent changed from -9s Storm Hammer Cooldown to +0.75s Storm Hammer Stun Duration

* Terrorblade: Base HP regen reduced from 3.25 to 3.0
* Terrorblade: Reflection no longer reduces attack speed

* Tinker: Laser Scepter bounce radius reduced from 650 to 400
* Tinker: Laser manacost increased from 95/120/145/170 to 110/130/150/170
* Tinker: Level 20 Talent from +100 Damage to +10 Armor

* Tiny: Tree Grab cooldown increased from 18/16/14/12 to 24/20/16/12

* Treant Protector: Level 10 Talent changed from +35% XP Gain to +2 Living Armor Block Instances
* Treant Protector: Level 15 Talent improved from 3s Tree Respawn Time to 2s
* Treant Protector: Level 25 Talent changed from +6 Living Armor Block Instances to 700 AoE Living Armor (heroes and buildings)

* Troll Warlord: Level 10 Talent increased from +200 Health to +250
* Troll Warlord: Level 15 Talent increased from +50 Whirling Axes Damage to +75

* Undying: Level 10 Talent increased from +100 Cast Range to +150
* Undying: Level 15 Talent increased from +20 Decay Duration to +30
* Undying: Level 20 Talent increased from +3 Tombstone Attacks to +4

* Ursa: Fury Swipes Roshan duration increased from 6 to 10

* Venomancer: Level 15 Talent increased from +150 Cast Range to +200
* Venomancer: Level 20 Talent increased from +6s Poison Nova Duration to +7s
* Venomancer: Level 25 Talent increased from +600 Poison Nova AoE to +800

* Visage: Soul Assumption Talent now has a 300 cast range buffer for the secondary targets
* Visage: Added secondary ability on Visage to make the nearest Familiar land each time it is clicked.

* Warlock: Level 10 Talent increased from +125 Cast Range to +150
* Warlock: Level 15 Talent increased from +40% XP Gain to +60%
* Warlock: Level 20 Talent increased from +250 Shadow Word AoE to +300

* Weaver: Level 10 Talent increased from +25% XP Gain to +35%

* Windranger: Shackleshot Manacost reduced from 90/100/110/120 to 70/85/100/115
* Windranger: Level 20 Talent increased from +0.5s Shackleshot Duration to +1s

* Winter Wyvern: Arctic Burn manacost reduced from 120/110/100/90 to 90
* Winter Wyvern: Level 10 Talent increased from +50 Damage to +60

* Wraith King: Level 15 Talent changed from +5 Max Skeletons to +25 Skeletons Attack Damage
* Wraith King: Level 20 Talent changed from +30 Skeletons Attack Damage to 2x Skeletons Spawned

* Zeus: Level 25 Talent increased from +200 Cast Range to +275

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Weekend Deal – DC Franchise, Up to 75% Off

7.10:
====

* Enabled Dark Willow in Captain’s Mode

* Bounty Rune base gold bounty increased from 50 to 60 (affects runes after the first one)
* Bounty Rune no longer gives XP. Previously gave 0 at the start and increased by 7 per minute.
* Tome of Knowledge XP bonus increased from 500 to 700

* Melee Creeps gold bounty reduced by 1 (reduced from 41 to 40)

* Randoming now gives a Faerie Fire instead of a branch
* Bonus hero count increased from 10 to 12

* Aeon Disk: Cooldown reduced from 100 to 90

* Boots of Speed: Cost increased from 400 to 500
* Boots of Speed: Movement bonus increased from 40 to 50
* Phase Boots: Movement bonus increased from 45 to 50
* Power Treads: Movement bonus increased from 45 to 50

* Animal Courier: Flying Courier movement speed increased from 450 to 460

* Monkey King Bar: Added a sound effect for successful procs

* Soul Ring: Health cost increased from 150 to 170

* Abaddon: Level 15 Talent increased from +50 Mist Coil Heal/Damage to +60
* Abaddon: Level 20 Talent increased from +15% Cooldown Reduction to +20%
* Abaddon: Level 25 Talent reduced from +250 Aphotic Shield Health to +225

* Alchemist: Level 20 Talent increased from +25% Cleave to +30%

* Ancient Apparition: Level 15 Talent increased from -1.5s Ice Vortex Cooldown to -2.5s
* Ancient Apparition: Level 25 Talent changed from 4 Charges of Cold Feet to 900 AoE Cold Feet

* Anti-Mage: Level 10 Talent changed from +175 Health to +10 Strength
* Anti-Mage: Level 15 Talent changed from -2s Blink Cooldown to +400 Blink Cast Range
* Anti-Mage: Level 20 Talent increased from +300 Blink Cast Range to -2.5s Blink Cooldown

* Arc Warden: Level 10 Talent changed from +5 Armor to 8% Cooldown Reduction
* Arc Warden: Level 15 Talent increased from +2s Flux Duration to +3s
* Arc Warden: Level 20 Talent increased from +100 Attack Range to +125
* Arc Warden: Level 20 Talent changed from +10% Cooldown Reduction to -1.5s Spark Wraith Cooldown

* Axe: Level 15 Talent increased from +30 Movement Speed to +40

* Bloodseeker: Bloodrage now heals you for 50% of its value if you do not get the last hit but are within 300 AoE of a dying hero.

* Centaur Warrunner: Level 20 Talent increased from +250 Double Edge Damage to +300

* Clinkz: Strafe projectile dodge count increased from 3 to 4
* Clinkz: Level 15 Talent increased from +15% Evasion to +20%

* Crystal Maiden: Level 10 Talent increased from +200 Health to +250
* Crystal Maiden: Level 15 Talent increased from +90 Gold/Min to +120

* Dark Seer: Level 20 Talent increased from +300 AoE Surge to +400

* Dazzle: Base movement speed increased from 305 to 310
* Dazzle: Level 20 Talent increased from +30 Poison Touch DPS to +45

* Doom: Base Intelligence increased by 2
* Doom: Level 10 Talent changed from +25 Movement Speed to +16% Scorched Earth Movement Speed

* Dragon Knight: Agility gain reduced from 2.2 to 2.0
* Dragon Knight: Level 10 Talent changed from +30 Attack Speed to -20% Breathe Fire Damage Reduction

* Drow Ranger: Level 15 Talent increased from +400 Gust Distance/Knockback to +550
* Drow Ranger: Level 20 Talent increased from +2s Gust Duration to +3s

* Ember Spirit: Sleight of Fist bonus hero damage increased from 25/50/75/100 to 30/60/90/120

* Enchantress: Nature’s Attendants manacost increased from 125 to 140

* Gyrocopter: Improved visual effect for Flak Cannon projectiles
* Gyrocopter: Homing Missile bounty increased from 25 to 50
* Gyrocopter: Homing Missile cooldown increased from 20/17/14/11 to 26/21/16/11

* Invoker: Level 10 Talent from +0.3s Tornado Lift Time to +0.5s
* Invoker: Level 15 Talent from +1.5s Cold Snap Duration to +2.5s
* Invoker: Cataclysm Sunstrikes spawn distance is now slightly closer to each target (from 175-250 distance away to 160-220)

* Io: Tether duration increased from 12 to 14

* Jakiro: Level 10 Talent increased from +25% XP to +30%
* Jakiro: Level 15 Talent increased from +250 Attack Range to +300

* Kunkka: Tidebringer damage increased from 25/45/65/85 to 25/50/75/100

* Leshrac: Lightning Storm manacost rescaled from 90/100/110/120 to 75/90/105/120

* Lich: Level 25 Talent from Attacks Apply 30% MS and AS Slow to 40%

* Lina: Level 10 Talent increased from +100 Cast Range to +125
* Lina: Level 10 Talent increased from +25 Damage to +30
* Lina: Level 15 Talent increased from +300 Health to +350
* Lina: Level 20 Talent increased from +10% Spell Amplification to +12%

* Lion: Mana Drain slow increased from 14/16/18/20 to 16/19/22/25%
* Lion: Level 10 Talent increased from +75 Damage to +90
* Lion: Level 15 Talent increased from +90 Gold/Min to +120

* Lone Druid: Spirit Bear health regeneration increased from 4/5/6/7 to 5/6/7/8
* Lone Druid: Level 15 Talent increased from -8s Savage Roar Cooldown to -12s

* Luna: Level 15 Talent from -3s Lucent Beam Cooldown to -4s

* Lycan: Base damage reduced by 3

* Magnus: Base strength increased by 1
* Magnus: Level 25 Talent increased from +0.75s Reverse Polarity to +1s

* Mirana: Starfall manacost from 100/120/140/160 to 80/105/130/155
* Mirana: Level 25 Talent increased from -70 Moonlight Shadow Cooldown to -80

* Monkey King: Base damage increased by 2
* Monkey King: Fixed Mischief not showing the right particles for the first bounty rune
* Monkey King: Level 10 Talent increased from +150 Tree Dance Vision AoE to +300
* Monkey King: Level 15 Talent increased from +300 Tree Dance Cast Range to +600
* Monkey King: Level 20 Talent increased from +300 Primal Spring Damage to +400

* Morphling: Morph can now be toggled to go back and forth from the original target until the duration runs out. Has a 1 second toggle cooldown.

* Naga Siren: Sleep buff linger time reduced from 0.5 to 0.4
* Naga Siren: Song of the Siren manacost increased from 100 to 100/150/200

* Nature’s Prophet: Wraith of Nature cooldown reduced from 70/65/60 to 60
* Nature’s Prophet: Level 10 Talent increased from +30 Movement Speed to +40
* Nature’s Prophet: Level 15 Talent increased from +8 Armor to +10

* Necrophos: Level 15 Talent changed from +30 Movement Speed to +16% Ghost Shroud Slow
* Necrophos: Level 15 Talent changed from +300 Health to +40 Death Pulse Heal

* Ogre Magi: Level 20 Talent increased from +30 Strength to +40

* Omniknight: Purification cooldown increased from 11/10/9/8 to 11

* Oracle: Turn rate improved from 0.5 to 0.7
* Oracle: Intelligence growth increased from 2.9 to 3.2

* Outworld Devourer: Astral Imprisonment manacost increased from 120/140/160/180 to 140/160/180/200
* Outworld Devourer: Level 10 Talent increased from +200 Health to +250

* Phantom Assassin: Stifiling Dagger Talent now has a 300 cast range buffer for the secondary target

* Phantom Lancer: Level 25 Talent increased from -5s Doppelganger Cooldown to -7s

* Phoenix: Level 15 Talent changed from +40% XP Gain to +500 Health
* Phoenix: Level 20 Talent increased from +1s Supernova Stun Duration to +1.25s

* Pudge: Rot slow reduced from 20/24/28/32% to 17/22/27/32%

* Razor: Static Link manacost increased from 50 to 65

* Riki: Level 15 Talent increased from -5s Smokescreen Cooldown to -7s

* Rubick: Level 15 Talent increased from -35 Fade Bolt Hero Attack to -45

* Shadow Demon: Level 10 Talent increased from +25% XP Gain to 30%
* Shadow Demon: Level 25 Talent changed from +5s Disruption Banish Duration to 2 Charges of Disruption

* Shadow Fiend: Shadow Raze damage increase per stack reduced from 80 to 50/60/70/80

* Skywrath Mage: Level 15 Talent increased from -6s Ancient Seal Cooldown to -8s

* Slardar: Level 10 Talent increased from +20 to +25 Damage

* Slark: Level 10 Talent increased from +8 Strength to +10

* Spectre: Level 25 Talent increased from +20% Haunt Illusion Damage to +40%

* Sven: Level 15 Talent changed from +30 Damage to Storm Hammer Dispels Enemies
* Sven: Level 20 Talent changed from Storm Hammer Dispels Enemies to -5s Storm Hammer Cooldown
* Sven: Level 25 Talent changed from -9s Storm Hammer Cooldown to +0.75s Storm Hammer Stun Duration

* Terrorblade: Base HP regen reduced from 3.25 to 3.0
* Terrorblade: Reflection no longer reduces attack speed

* Tinker: Laser Scepter bounce radius reduced from 650 to 400
* Tinker: Laser manacost increased from 95/120/145/170 to 110/130/150/170
* Tinker: Level 20 Talent from +100 Damage to +10 Armor

* Tiny: Tree Grab cooldown increased from 18/16/14/12 to 24/20/16/12

* Treant Protector: Level 10 Talent changed from +35% XP Gain to +2 Living Armor Block Instances
* Treant Protector: Level 15 Talent improved from 3s Tree Respawn Time to 2s
* Treant Protector: Level 25 Talent changed from +6 Living Armor Block Instances to 700 AoE Living Armor (heroes and buildings)

* Troll Warlord: Level 10 Talent increased from +200 Health to +250
* Troll Warlord: Level 15 Talent increased from +50 Whirling Axes Damage to +75

* Undying: Level 10 Talent increased from +100 Cast Range to +150
* Undying: Level 15 Talent increased from +20 Decay Duration to +30
* Undying: Level 20 Talent increased from +3 Tombstone Attacks to +4

* Ursa: Fury Swipes Roshan duration increased from 6 to 10

* Venomancer: Level 15 Talent increased from +150 Cast Range to +200
* Venomancer: Level 20 Talent increased from +6s Poison Nova Duration to +7s
* Venomancer: Level 25 Talent increased from +600 Poison Nova AoE to +800

* Visage: Soul Assumption Talent now has a 300 cast range buffer for the secondary targets
* Visage: Added secondary ability on Visage to make the nearest Familiar land each time it is clicked.

* Warlock: Level 10 Talent increased from +125 Cast Range to +150
* Warlock: Level 15 Talent increased from +40% XP Gain to +60%
* Warlock: Level 20 Talent increased from +250 Shadow Word AoE to +300

* Weaver: Level 10 Talent increased from +25% XP Gain to +35%

* Windranger: Shackleshot Manacost reduced from 90/100/110/120 to 70/85/100/115
* Windranger: Level 20 Talent increased from +0.5s Shackleshot Duration to +1s

* Winter Wyvern: Arctic Burn manacost reduced from 120/110/100/90 to 90
* Winter Wyvern: Level 10 Talent increased from +50 Damage to +60

* Wraith King: Level 15 Talent changed from +5 Max Skeletons to +25 Skeletons Attack Damage
* Wraith King: Level 20 Talent changed from +30 Skeletons Attack Damage to 2x Skeletons Spawned

* Zeus: Level 25 Talent increased from +200 Cast Range to +275

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7.10:
====

* Enabled Dark Willow in Captain’s Mode

* Bounty Rune base gold bounty increased from 50 to 60 (affects runes after the first one)
* Bounty Rune no longer gives XP. Previously gave 0 at the start and increased by 7 per minute.
* Tome of Knowledge XP bonus increased from 500 to 700

* Melee Creeps gold bounty reduced by 1 (reduced from 41 to 40)

* Randoming now gives a Faerie Fire instead of a branch
* Bonus hero count increased from 10 to 12

* Aeon Disk: Cooldown reduced from 100 to 90

* Boots of Speed: Cost increased from 400 to 500
* Boots of Speed: Movement bonus increased from 40 to 50
* Phase Boots: Movement bonus increased from 45 to 50
* Power Treads: Movement bonus increased from 45 to 50

* Animal Courier: Flying Courier movement speed increased from 450 to 460

* Monkey King Bar: Added a sound effect for successful procs

* Soul Ring: Health cost increased from 150 to 170

* Abaddon: Level 15 Talent increased from +50 Mist Coil Heal/Damage to +60
* Abaddon: Level 20 Talent increased from +15% Cooldown Reduction to +20%
* Abaddon: Level 25 Talent reduced from +250 Aphotic Shield Health to +225

* Alchemist: Level 20 Talent increased from +25% Cleave to +30%

* Ancient Apparition: Level 15 Talent increased from -1.5s Ice Vortex Cooldown to -2.5s
* Ancient Apparition: Level 25 Talent changed from 4 Charges of Cold Feet to 900 AoE Cold Feet

* Anti-Mage: Level 10 Talent changed from +175 Health to +10 Strength
* Anti-Mage: Level 15 Talent changed from -2s Blink Cooldown to +400 Blink Cast Range
* Anti-Mage: Level 20 Talent increased from +300 Blink Cast Range to -2.5s Blink Cooldown

* Arc Warden: Level 10 Talent changed from +5 Armor to 8% Cooldown Reduction
* Arc Warden: Level 15 Talent increased from +2s Flux Duration to +3s
* Arc Warden: Level 20 Talent increased from +100 Attack Range to +125
* Arc Warden: Level 20 Talent changed from +10% Cooldown Reduction to -1.5s Spark Wraith Cooldown

* Axe: Level 15 Talent increased from +30 Movement Speed to +40

* Bloodseeker: Bloodrage now heals you for 50% of its value if you do not get the last hit but are within 300 AoE of a dying hero.

* Centaur Warrunner: Level 20 Talent increased from +250 Double Edge Damage to +300

* Clinkz: Strafe projectile dodge count increased from 3 to 4
* Clinkz: Level 15 Talent increased from +15% Evasion to +20%

* Crystal Maiden: Level 10 Talent increased from +200 Health to +250
* Crystal Maiden: Level 15 Talent increased from +90 Gold/Min to +120

* Dark Seer: Level 20 Talent increased from +300 AoE Surge to +400

* Dazzle: Base movement speed increased from 305 to 310
* Dazzle: Level 20 Talent increased from +30 Poison Touch DPS to +45

* Doom: Base Intelligence increased by 2
* Doom: Level 10 Talent changed from +25 Movement Speed to +16% Scorched Earth Movement Speed

* Dragon Knight: Agility gain reduced from 2.2 to 2.0
* Dragon Knight: Level 10 Talent changed from +30 Attack Speed to -20% Breathe Fire Damage Reduction

* Drow Ranger: Level 15 Talent increased from +400 Gust Distance/Knockback to +550
* Drow Ranger: Level 20 Talent increased from +2s Gust Duration to +3s

* Ember Spirit: Sleight of Fist bonus hero damage increased from 25/50/75/100 to 30/60/90/120

* Enchantress: Nature’s Attendants manacost increased from 125 to 140

* Gyrocopter: Improved visual effect for Flak Cannon projectiles
* Gyrocopter: Homing Missile bounty increased from 25 to 50
* Gyrocopter: Homing Missile cooldown increased from 20/17/14/11 to 26/21/16/11

* Invoker: Level 10 Talent from +0.3s Tornado Lift Time to +0.5s
* Invoker: Level 15 Talent from +1.5s Cold Snap Duration to +2.5s
* Invoker: Cataclysm Sunstrikes spawn distance is now slightly closer to each target (from 175-250 distance away to 160-220)

* Io: Tether duration increased from 12 to 14

* Jakiro: Level 10 Talent increased from +25% XP to +30%
* Jakiro: Level 15 Talent increased from +250 Attack Range to +300

* Kunkka: Tidebringer damage increased from 25/45/65/85 to 25/50/75/100

* Leshrac: Lightning Storm manacost rescaled from 90/100/110/120 to 75/90/105/120

* Lich: Level 25 Talent from Attacks Apply 30% MS and AS Slow to 40%

* Lina: Level 10 Talent increased from +100 Cast Range to +125
* Lina: Level 10 Talent increased from +25 Damage to +30
* Lina: Level 15 Talent increased from +300 Health to +350
* Lina: Level 20 Talent increased from +10% Spell Amplification to +12%

* Lion: Mana Drain slow increased from 14/16/18/20 to 16/19/22/25%
* Lion: Level 10 Talent increased from +75 Damage to +90
* Lion: Level 15 Talent increased from +90 Gold/Min to +120

* Lone Druid: Spirit Bear health regeneration increased from 4/5/6/7 to 5/6/7/8
* Lone Druid: Level 15 Talent increased from -8s Savage Roar Cooldown to -12s

* Luna: Level 15 Talent from -3s Lucent Beam Cooldown to -4s

* Lycan: Base damage reduced by 3

* Magnus: Base strength increased by 1
* Magnus: Level 25 Talent increased from +0.75s Reverse Polarity to +1s

* Mirana: Starfall manacost from 100/120/140/160 to 80/105/130/155
* Mirana: Level 25 Talent increased from -70 Moonlight Shadow Cooldown to -80

* Monkey King: Base damage increased by 2
* Monkey King: Fixed Mischief not showing the right particles for the first bounty rune
* Monkey King: Level 10 Talent increased from +150 Tree Dance Vision AoE to +300
* Monkey King: Level 15 Talent increased from +300 Tree Dance Cast Range to +600
* Monkey King: Level 20 Talent increased from +300 Primal Spring Damage to +400

* Morphling: Morph can now be toggled to go back and forth from the original target until the duration runs out. Has a 1 second toggle cooldown.

* Naga Siren: Sleep buff linger time reduced from 0.5 to 0.4
* Naga Siren: Song of the Siren manacost increased from 100 to 100/150/200

* Nature’s Prophet: Wraith of Nature cooldown reduced from 70/65/60 to 60
* Nature’s Prophet: Level 10 Talent increased from +30 Movement Speed to +40
* Nature’s Prophet: Level 15 Talent increased from +8 Armor to +10

* Necrophos: Level 15 Talent changed from +30 Movement Speed to +16% Ghost Shroud Slow
* Necrophos: Level 15 Talent changed from +300 Health to +40 Death Pulse Heal

* Ogre Magi: Level 20 Talent increased from +30 Strength to +40

* Omniknight: Purification cooldown increased from 11/10/9/8 to 11

* Oracle: Turn rate improved from 0.5 to 0.7
* Oracle: Intelligence growth increased from 2.9 to 3.2

* Outworld Devourer: Astral Imprisonment manacost increased from 120/140/160/180 to 140/160/180/200
* Outworld Devourer: Level 10 Talent increased from +200 Health to +250

* Phantom Assassin: Stifiling Dagger Talent now has a 300 cast range buffer for the secondary target

* Phantom Lancer: Level 25 Talent increased from -5s Doppelganger Cooldown to -7s

* Phoenix: Level 15 Talent changed from +40% XP Gain to +500 Health
* Phoenix: Level 20 Talent increased from +1s Supernova Stun Duration to +1.25s

* Pudge: Rot slow reduced from 20/24/28/32% to 17/22/27/32%

* Razor: Static Link manacost increased from 50 to 65

* Riki: Level 15 Talent increased from -5s Smokescreen Cooldown to -7s

* Rubick: Level 15 Talent increased from -35 Fade Bolt Hero Attack to -45

* Shadow Demon: Level 10 Talent increased from +25% XP Gain to 30%
* Shadow Demon: Level 25 Talent changed from +5s Disruption Banish Duration to 2 Charges of Disruption

* Shadow Fiend: Shadow Raze damage increase per stack reduced from 80 to 50/60/70/80

* Skywrath Mage: Level 15 Talent increased from -6s Ancient Seal Cooldown to -8s

* Slardar: Level 10 Talent increased from +20 to +25 Damage

* Slark: Level 10 Talent increased from +8 Strength to +10

* Spectre: Level 25 Talent increased from +20% Haunt Illusion Damage to +40%

* Sven: Level 15 Talent changed from +30 Damage to Storm Hammer Dispels Enemies
* Sven: Level 20 Talent changed from Storm Hammer Dispels Enemies to -5s Storm Hammer Cooldown
* Sven: Level 25 Talent changed from -9s Storm Hammer Cooldown to +0.75s Storm Hammer Stun Duration

* Terrorblade: Base HP regen reduced from 3.25 to 3.0
* Terrorblade: Reflection no longer reduces attack speed

* Tinker: Laser Scepter bounce radius reduced from 650 to 400
* Tinker: Laser manacost increased from 95/120/145/170 to 110/130/150/170
* Tinker: Level 20 Talent from +100 Damage to +10 Armor

* Tiny: Tree Grab cooldown increased from 18/16/14/12 to 24/20/16/12

* Treant Protector: Level 10 Talent changed from +35% XP Gain to +2 Living Armor Block Instances
* Treant Protector: Level 15 Talent improved from 3s Tree Respawn Time to 2s
* Treant Protector: Level 25 Talent changed from +6 Living Armor Block Instances to 700 AoE Living Armor (heroes and buildings)

* Troll Warlord: Level 10 Talent increased from +200 Health to +250
* Troll Warlord: Level 15 Talent increased from +50 Whirling Axes Damage to +75

* Undying: Level 10 Talent increased from +100 Cast Range to +150
* Undying: Level 15 Talent increased from +20 Decay Duration to +30
* Undying: Level 20 Talent increased from +3 Tombstone Attacks to +4

* Ursa: Fury Swipes Roshan duration increased from 6 to 10

* Venomancer: Level 15 Talent increased from +150 Cast Range to +200
* Venomancer: Level 20 Talent increased from +6s Poison Nova Duration to +7s
* Venomancer: Level 25 Talent increased from +600 Poison Nova AoE to +800

* Visage: Soul Assumption Talent now has a 300 cast range buffer for the secondary targets
* Visage: Added secondary ability on Visage to make the nearest Familiar land each time it is clicked.

* Warlock: Level 10 Talent increased from +125 Cast Range to +150
* Warlock: Level 15 Talent increased from +40% XP Gain to +60%
* Warlock: Level 20 Talent increased from +250 Shadow Word AoE to +300

* Weaver: Level 10 Talent increased from +25% XP Gain to +35%

* Windranger: Shackleshot Manacost reduced from 90/100/110/120 to 70/85/100/115
* Windranger: Level 20 Talent increased from +0.5s Shackleshot Duration to +1s

* Winter Wyvern: Arctic Burn manacost reduced from 120/110/100/90 to 90
* Winter Wyvern: Level 10 Talent increased from +50 Damage to +60

* Wraith King: Level 15 Talent changed from +5 Max Skeletons to +25 Skeletons Attack Damage
* Wraith King: Level 20 Talent changed from +30 Skeletons Attack Damage to 2x Skeletons Spawned

* Zeus: Level 25 Talent increased from +200 Cast Range to +275