Atmosphere
Sections:
The atmosphere of Somnium is crafted from the very best textures and mods we could find among the community, plus many new assets and textures made by the wonderful artists from the team at Scenic Route Games. And everything works in tandem to paint Enderal into a vivid new Age of Sail setting.
From the lazy, leaden waves of the Sun Coast, to the ravaged and ruined sprawl of Thalgard; all throughout the continent players will find scenic vistas as they wander and explore. Then when they delve into the depths and halls beneath the soil they will find oppressive shadows and haunted stones.
In version 1.2, we have taken the above to the next level. We have implemented numerous improvements to the world, including improved landscape and rock textures, advanced parallax mapping, improved lighting and colors and many other advances. We are excited for players to immerse themselves into an even more beautiful world.
Equipment and Attire
The denizens of Enderal now sport a whole new array of clothing that fits the time period we've placed upon the world. You will see lengthy coats, top hats, and glorious gowns decorating the citizens of Ark.
Beyond the clothing of everyday citizens, those of a rougher persuasion will find their tools have changed too. Plate armor has faded into obscurity and the weapons designed to combat it followed soon after. Now is an age of the duelist. The people of the world will sport a variety of new blades and armored vestments.
Now, in version 1.2, the tailors and armorers of Enderal have devised a way for the fashion-forward adventurer to maintain the functionality and defense of their favorite armor and simultaneously show their fanciest outfit over the top. Players that care about fashion can satisfy their souls by going into the MCM menu and creating outfits out of their favorite armor sets. This can only be done on the armor taht the player is currently wearing but multiple can be stored and switched to at will.
Also new in 1.2, the numerous sets of armor that can be found, or crafted, throughout Enderal have seen a significant revamp. Each set piece has had its power increased significantly and the set bonuses have seen some drastic changes and upgrades. Some sets have been changed completely to complement a specific playstyle, and some playstyles that were never covered by any of the set enchantments are now represented. One example is the Venturer set, which originally was designed as an armor set with generic bonuses to rogue/thief gameplay. Now, the venturer set is strongly geared toward players that want to utilize phasmalism and ranged weapons to defeat their enemies. Explore and experiment to discover all the new sets for yourself!
Economy
User Interface
The HUD and UI have been updated as well. Somnium's user interface was chosen for its cleanliness and minimalist design. With the game designed now to be played in third person the HUD was manipulated to fit this choice by ensuring it is tucked out of the way, but that all the necessary information is available as needed.
However, Somnium's HUD marks a drastic shift from the Skyrim standard. Instead of the three seperated bars constantly appearing and disapearing across your screen, now all have been merged together. If you are having an initial difficulty with the HUD, below is a representation of where each bar now resides and the direction it drains. When a certain bar is empy it will also flash its dedicated color (red for helath, green for stamina, and blue for mana) when you are attempting to use an ability that requires the missing resource.
In version 1.2, there is now an additional, smaller bar placed above the triple bar. This bar displays the player's poise health and these mechanics are described in detail in the Gameplay section.
The World
The continent of Enderal has never looked so good. Colors pop everywhere you travel. Sunlight crisps into golden rays as it droops behind the ocean. Mushrooms glaze the depths into an alien, emerald green. And the clear waters of the Sun Coast beg travelers to take the moment and soak in the refreshing chill.
And as you forge your way into the more dangerous climates and locations, the mood changes to match these locals with new and expanded weathers and lighting. During the night, players may want to gaze up at the sky for a brief respite, to marvel at the cosmos.
In the great city of Ark, the Holy Order has been forced to rely on evermore extreme methods of keeping the peace as the world unravels around them. Print has allowed a new form of propoganda to flourish in the city, and you will find an array of posters placed all over the city.
Anomalies
And so we come to the heart. Anomalies are a feature completely unique to Somnium, and they will change your game completely as you play. These events are tied to your Arcane Fever. As the fever builds inside you, your grip on this reality begins to slip and the many other eventualities of the Sea bleed into this world.
Alien sounds ring without a source, phantoms and nightmares haunt your steps, and even the things you believe to be real will prove you a liar.
If you let the fever grow to even higher levels, to the dangerous peaks of what your brain can handle, your sight will fully change; color might fade, and you might suddenly feel very dizzy as the shadows of the trees surrounding you lengthen at an unnatural rate.
Anomalies cause the gameplay of Somnium to be in a constantly fluctuating state. As your fever builds and wanes you will experience the world in completely different ways. Anomalies will increase your fever if you attack them or let them attack you, and even the darkness itself is anomalous, causing a steady increase in fever when the player is enveloped by it. The Sea of Eventualities is extremely powerful, and in Somnium, is ever-present. Players should not expect to play through the game and remain entirely sane. Arcane Fever is built into many of the powerful tools at the character's fingers and these anomalies both cause, and come with the fever.
Day into Night ---------
With the Somnium 1.2 update, we have completely overhauled one of the key aspects of player interaction with the world; How time flows and how the world progresses from day into night. Previously, the more the player was tainted by the fever the more they would be stuck in eternal night, constantly harrowed and haunted by anomalies while the people they needed to speak to for quest progression were perpetually asleep.
In 1.2, sunrise marks the beginning of the day, and sunset marks the oppressive and haunting start of night. Without the taint of Arcane Fever, day will progress as it does for everyone else in Enderal, and players can go about their tasks and the business of adventuring while anomalies wait patiently for the comforting dark of night. However, as the fever increases the reach and power of the Sea also increases, causing a safe day to have a chance to quickly turn dark. If you revel in the madness of Arcane Fever, always be prepared for the night.
The Lantern ---------
Also brand new to version 1.2, the Sea of Eventualities has expanded to, and touched, the lantern that the player wears at their waist. This has manifested a number of changes in how the lantern works.
- the lantern is now significantly brighter and with a much larger radius than in 1.1. It will be much more helpful in keeping the darkness at bay and seeing your surroundings. However, the lantern now uses fuel while its on and its light will steadily dim as the fuel levels reduce.
- The only way to replenish the lantern's fuel is to have it off during the day and let the sun's energy charge it. Players can expect it to charge to full during the day without issue. There is no way to charge the lantern at night.
- When night comes, the lantern now actually prevents the ever present accumulation of Arcane Fever inherent to the darkness. Keeping it on will maintain the player's sanity. This also comes with a risk though, as the light attracts a new threat from the Sea of Eventualities. Nixads.
- Nixads are small, impish demons that have a singular desire and focus, their need to feed. And what they feed on is the tainted light from the lantern. The longer the player has the light on, the more nixads will converge around it. These creatures are not anomalies but are of the sea, are fast and nimble and they will dart in, suck some fuel out of the lantern, and dip back out of range again. The player has two choices, they can either attempt to kill the nixads as they are physically very weak or they can turn the lantern off and the imps will eventually lose interest and disappear. Just be warned that with every second the lantern is off the fever is creeping higher.
- The lantern will shut off at intervals as it loses fuel throughout the night, requiring the player to toggle it back on again. Once it goes out for good the player is plunged into darkness and oppressive fog until the sweet relief of morning. Preserve the precious light for as long as you can, but do not expect it to last through the night.