Hero-U - Planned Improvements

A new update for Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption talks about planned improvements.

What we're working on July 2018

18 July - transolar

The initial game reception has been very positive, for which we are happy and grateful. Still, one of the nice things about the digital era is that we always have a chance to fix, tune, and refine the game.

The first released version has one major issue that only affects some players, but is our top priority currently. That has to do with Shawn not walking properly; he appears to walk in place or close to it. A suggested work-around is to set your monitor to 60 Hz. We're working on a more general solution that will not require players to change their settings. As soon as that's tested, we will release our first patch.

We've also increased walking and sneaking speed by 10%, and reduced the rate at which time passes while moving. These are small improvements to the game "quality of life" that several players have requested. Running speed will stay the same.

Several players have spotted that the game locks up when interacting with a plaque dedicated to the Paladin Pyoter. We fixed this before the game was released, but that small change would have delayed release by two weeks for testing and approval, so that will be in the first patch instead.

The Journal has been hard to read because of the "script" font we used for flavor. We are changing it to an easier-to-read font that still gives the impression of a handwritten journal.

There are some issues with Achievements. A few were impossible or extremely difficult to achieve. Some will still be very challenging, but we've fixed the broken ones.

We're adding Steam Trading Cards. You will get a random card (out of a set of eight) after about one hour of play. All of the students and one famous creature are included. Faculty and staff might make it into a future set.

We've also fixed a number of small issues reported by players or found by the team - typographical errors, repeatable actions that should be once-only, and so on. We'll continue to do that sort of tuning with every patch.

Thank you to everyone who is helping to improve the game by posting on the forums, and to all of you for playing and supporting the game.

More information.

Hero-U is a bit of an oddity.
I see some screenshots, and it looks like it has nice battles and some proper stats. Could be my thing!

And then I see those puzzles. Immediate cockblock, I loathe puzzles like that.

But then there also seems to be quite the adventure puzzles going on.

Seems like the game has some sort of identity crysis, appealing only to those who like RPG combat & skillchecks, arbitrary puzzles and classic adventure gaming.
Everyone else will probably find something they dislike enough to not give the game a go at all.

And then there is of course the terrible name of the game.

It is an unusual game. I find that it is actually very light on puzzles, and I haven't encountered a single traditional "combine X with Y and use on Z" adventure game style puzzle. The challenge is more about exploration and time management, with some combat. The combat is quite slow paced, although there is a nice bit of variety.

The thing is, while all the elements of the gameplay are competent, I think you can find each element done better in other games. What is unique is the combination of elements, as well as the atmosphere. There are bits of RPG, adventure, visual novel, time management and exploration. The game is quite different from anything else released in recent years.

It may not be everybody's cup of tea, but personally, I love it. The developers accomplished a lot on a very limited budget, and have produced a unique and enjoyable game, where the dedication and care they put into it shows. :-)

It's choice/time management game where you can save manually at any time and anywhere then load anything prior to "misclicked" choice.
Yes, I'm saying an indie developer with small budget slapped Obsidian/Sega and made a choice system superior to silly Alpha Protocol one checkpoint.

If someone doesn't have this game yet, I suggest waiting for improvement (10% nerf on timepass while moving around) then go for it.
Unlike @KayAU, my opinion is that this game is not suited for streaming addicts, everyone who plays games will love it.

Originally Posted by TheSHEEEP
Hero-U is a bit of an oddity.
I see some screenshots, and it looks like it has nice battles and some proper stats. Could be my thing!

And then I see those puzzles. Immediate cockblock, I loathe puzzles like that.

It actually has a lot less puzzles than I would like. In fact, I can only remember like 2. Most situations are just 'Move rock', 'Oof it's too heavy, if only you had a thing that makes a big boom to destroy it', and then in the store there is a BIG BOOM trap you can buy.

Sounds like a few more patches and they'll have it right where it should be. I was considering this one for my next game since I finished one yesterday, but I believe I'll wait a bit more and let the new updates take effect first.

I think Kay nailed it: it’s not that you won’t find the individual elements of this game done better elsewhere, but the way they combined these elements is truly unique and extremely enjoyable. When I first fired it up and played the tutorial mission, I felt a bit underwhelmed. But, when I continued on, the game really started to come to life. The character interaction is interesting and rewarding. There is enormous detail in nearly every room of the game. The mechanics of sneaking in Hero-U would be considered overpowered in most RPGs these days, but here it’s super fun and works well; it really makes you feel the roguiness of it all. Chest puzzles are clever. Even the daily grind never feels grindy; there’s always something to do. Sometimes you just look forward to talking to your friends at the end of the day. The atmosphere is awesome once you realize this is not a “turn on the automap and run from questgiver to quest to battle and ignore the fluff” type of game. You really gain an intimate connection with the school and its inhabitants; it’s the first game in a long time that’s encouraged me to stop and smell the roses.
All-in-all, a very satisfying title. Well worth the price.

Originally Posted by Michael Dean
I think Kay nailed it: it’s not that you won’t find the individual elements of this game done better elsewhere, but the way they combined these elements is truly unique and extremely enjoyable. When I first fired it up and played the tutorial mission, I felt a bit underwhelmed. But, when I continued on, the game really started to come to life. The character interaction is interesting and rewarding. There is enormous detail in nearly every room of the game. The mechanics of sneaking in Hero-U would be considered overpowered in most RPGs these days, but here it’s super fun and works well; it really makes you feel the roguiness of it all. Chest puzzles are clever. Even the daily grind never feels grindy; there’s always something to do. Sometimes you just look forward to talking to your friends at the end of the day. The atmosphere is awesome once you realize this is not a “turn on the automap and run from questgiver to quest to battle and ignore the fluff” type of game. You really gain an intimate connection with the school and its inhabitants; it’s the first game in a long time that’s encouraged me to stop and smell the roses.
All-in-all, a very satisfying title. Well worth the price.

This review convinced me to try the game. EDIT: Although I figure I should wait for the next big patch first.

I received Hero-U from RPGWatch on the giveaway -- thank you very much for that! -- and I look forward to playing it once I finish Kingdom Come (which I'm mostly enjoying), and after the big patch.

Many games nowadays have what some would consider "an identity crisis" in that they are not focusing on one type of gameplay. That can create a problem for someone who very much dislikes one of the gameplay types presented. For example, if someone doesn't like puzzles, then they might just skip Hero-U altogether even if puzzles only represent a small amount of the game.

Personally, I very much enjoy when games have multiple types of gameplay. Pretty much the more the better, as long as it's done fairly well. In fact, games which do not have multiple types of gameplay tend to get somewhat boring to me after a while, same ol' same ol'.

Amazing addictive game from aged developers! Music is surprisingly good! I best liked that important monsters can be befriended, fed and rescued. I love all kinds of animals and monsters! This is why I adored Dungeon Siege I-II.
The puzzles are not that hard, especially if you look for solutions in the forums. Waiting for the patches too!

I really really want to try it to get some QFG vibes but I want to make a rerun of QFG 1,2 and finally move on to 3 and the rest, after so many years I own them. You see the "to play" list is really really big as years go by A universal problem