Curse of Dominion

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Latest news

• Patch Notes·27 Sept 2026Official

  Curse of Dominion - September 2026 Development Update

  Curse of Dominion - September 2026 Development UpdateThank you to everyone who participated in the closed playtest during the Steam Party-Based RPG Fest, as well as those who have downloaded the public demo!Public Demo StatusThe official Curse of Dominion Demo is currently available for everyone to download and play directly from the Steam store page. The demo will remain live for the time being, though it is currently undecided when it will be removed or how frequently it will receive updates.Alongside managing the playtest and demo launch, development continued on core gameplay mechanics and systems. Below is an overview of the changes and improvements made this month. Note: The public demo has note been updated with these changes yet.Combat & Tactical MechanicsDirect Select Combat: A new direct-select combat feature was implemented. Players can now select an active unit and immediately select a target character; the game will automatically determine if an attack or support action is appropriate and bypass intermediate battle menus to directly display the action forecast.Enemy Ambush Behavior: New enemy ambush mechanics were introduced to add surprise encounters and further tactical depth to battles.Unique Character Skills: Implementation of character-unique starting skills has begun. For example, Torik's unique "Protector" skill is now fully functional, granting adjacent allies a +2 bonus to both Defense and Resistance. Visuals & AnimationsBow and Arrow Overhaul: Bow mechanics received a comprehensive update, ensuring proper arrow sockets and bowstring alignments are functioning across the character roster.Combat Animations: Combat animations were polished, including the addition of a new spear attack sequence and corrected visual weapon trails for special skills.UI & InputInput Improvements: Extensive work was done to harmonize and improve both Keyboard/Mouse and Controller inputs. This ensures a much smoother and more responsive experience regardless of the pre...
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• Announcements·18 Sept 2026Official

  Curse of Dominion - Playtest Concluded & Public Demo Now Live

  Thank you to everyone who participated in the closed playtest during the Steam Party-Based RPG Fest. The feedback gathered over the past few days has been incredibly valuable for refining the tactical combat.Playtest Closed, Demo Open While the playtest was originally scheduled to run until September 21st, it is closing early today on September 18th. Instead of a restricted playtest, the official Curse of Dominion Demo is now publicly available for everyone to download and play directly from the Steam store page. The demo includes all the content featured in the playtest, alongside a few fresh bug fixes.
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• Patch Notes·27 Aug 2026Official

  Curse of Dominion - August 2026 Development Update

  Development on Curse of Dominion progressed significantly throughout August, focusing on core gameplay refinement, character roster updates, and preparation for the first major public testing phase.Upcoming Closed Playtest – Registration OpenCurse of Dominion will participate in the Steam Party-Based RPG Fest from September 14th to September 21st. A closed playtest will be hosted during this event, featuring one complete grid battle set in a newly developed snow level. This playtest will also debut a never-before-heard music track composed by ieleielei Music. Player feedback from this event will be used to further refine and balance the tactical combat. Registration is currently open on the game's Steam page.Class OutfitsThe initial release will feature a polished selection of core outfit styles: Novice, Duelist, Archer, Sorcerer, and the unique King outfit for the protagonist. While the total number of playable classes and their mechanical depth remains unchanged, classes without a bespoke outfit will visually share the attire most closely aligned with their combat style. Additional outfits may be introduced during the Early Access period. Camera Adjustments The tactical camera has been updated to support diagonal rotation. The camera angle can now be moved left and right in 45-degree increments, offering more visual flexibility compared to the previous strict 90-degree rotations.Grid Cursor Rework The appearance of the grid cursor received a complete visual rework. The new design fits cleanly inside the grid lines for a more polished look. It also now renders properly over other on-screen elements like character portraits.Title Menu Banner Work was completed on new cloth banners. A new banner asset is now prominently displayed above the throne in the throne room, which serves as the backdrop for the game's title menu.Thank you for the continued support, and please look forward to the upcoming September playtest.
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• Patch Notes·26 Jul 2026Official

  Curse of Dominion - July 2026 Development Update

  July has been a productive month for Curse of Dominion. I tackled a variety of updates, from overhauling the protagonist's unique progression and updating his 3D model to implementing quality-of-life features for combat and adding the first of several planned side activities in the player hub. Here is a look at what was accomplished in July.The Dominion System & Protagonist ProgressionThe biggest mechanical shift this month involves how the main character levels up. While the rest of your army will continue to progress through standard class tiers (like Tier I, Tier II, etc.) into specific roles like Novice, Sage, or Marksman, the protagonist is entirely unique. After the introductory chapter, he transitions permanently into the "King" class.Instead of swapping classes, the protagonist grows in power by investing directly into the new Dominion system. I spent time building out the UI, which allows the player to unlock bonuses specific to the King class. A variety of skills are available, including ones shared with other classes and unique abilities that harness the power of Dominion. Additionally, Power can be spent to improve the growth rates of weapon proficiencies and stats for the player. I also created a new symbol for Dominion to replace the placeholder tree image that was used previously. Protagonist Visual OverhaulI rebuilt the main character's model this month, and I am very happy with the current look.Tactical Indicators & New PortraitsCharacter indicators received a new visual style this month. The setup looks much better and gives me finer control over adjusting exactly how each character's face fits within the frame.Erindos Lighting, Doors, & A New MinigameThe player hub, Erindos, received another round of polish this month. I am still working on getting the lighting just right, and now indoors are clearly lit by firelight. There is still some visual noise present with the current lighting, so I will continue to adjust it in the coming months. I also bu...
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• Patch Notes·24 Jun 2026Official

  Curse of Dominion – June 2026 Development Update

  June brought a lot of exciting technical milestones and environmental polish to Curse of Dominion. While last month was focused on class design, this month I tackled a wide variety of tasks, ranging from engine upgrades to some major tactical gameplay improvements. Here is a look at what I’ve been up to.Tactical Grid & EnvironmentsProbably my biggest personal victory this month was expanding the capabilities of the core combat grid.Multi-Elevation Grid System: I successfully got my custom grid system working across different elevations! The grid tiles now seamlessly adapt to uneven terrain, snapping perfectly to things like hills and stairs. This is a massive milestone, as it enables much better verticality and tactical variation during combat. Additional Battle Maps: Armed with the new elevation system, I've been hard at work designing and building out several new battle maps to take full advantage of these new tactical possibilities.Rain in Erindos: The player hub, Erindos, continues to evolve. I’ve implemented a new rain weather state to add even more atmospheric depth while you are managing your forces between battles. Story IntegrationIn-Battle Dialogue Events: Story progression took a big step forward this month. I’ve successfully implemented mid-battle dialogue events. This allows for much more dynamic storytelling right in the middle of a fight, giving narrative weight to specific encounters and character moments on the map.Under the Hood & PolishI also spent a good portion of the month focusing on the technical health and visual presentation of the game.Engine & Lighting Upgrades: I took some time to update the project to a newer version of Unreal Engine 5. Alongside this, I adjusted the game's lighting and reflection options. High-quality global illumination is now the standard default, but I’ve added new options in the settings menu that allow you to scale this down to screen space or turn it off entirely to best suit your hardware.Optimization: As always...
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