v1.1
This release adds a new dungeon branch, the Gnomish Mines. It's significantly larger and more complex than the Fort Ludios branch, and found at around 500 feet on the left side of the dungeon. I won't say more to spoil anything.
There are new dungeon features for you to discover - some people have said that the dungeon walls get a bit monotonous and while I completely agree, I didn't want to add purely decorative stuff to improve that. The new stuff is not purely decorative, so watch out!
There are quite a few more items, and a few new monsters, mainly specific to the new branch. Some monsters' strengths and weaknesses have been tweaked a little, but hopefully they will still be familiar for current players. Many items and spells have been tweaked too, so try new things (eg. apples now keep the doctor away).
There are a few more talents, but now each class has a specific subset of 8 available... no more Dweomery for Knights, sorry, have some Courage instead. This is partly to avoid feeling like you play every character the same way. There is also a pseudo-talent called "Nightmare Mode", in case you get bored.
People who would like to play "Big Picture" can enjoy the new controller support - you should be able to play the entire game pretty smoothly with an XBox360 controller or similar. This support will also be available on Android.
There are a lot of bug fixes too, and minor UI changes like faster healing (still uses as much food though, and now your stomach is smaller) and better keyboard navigation.
This version will also be officially supported on MacOSX, so feel free to send bug reports of problems with the Web version on that platform. At release, iOS will be added, and the Android version will be updated too.
This version is also the first to use the new Unity 4 engine, which will mean some pros and cons, but ultimately allow me to keep moving the game forward.
After 6 months of development and an intense beta, WazHack 1.1 is now available. The new content is a free update to the 1.0 version.
Time freezes while you don't move - enemies move when you move... or perhaps you will use time to quaff a potion, zap a wand, or cast a spell. This time freezing mechanics is reminiscent of Dragon Age or even Braid, but in fact it derives from the original Rogue turn based mechanic. WazHack is a roguelike in the same tradition as NetHack or DCSS, but with a whole new 3D visual presentation like none other. You still get "turn based" action, but now a "turn" is a fraction of a second. By removing player reaction time as a concern, you're free to contemplate the vast array of possible items you have in your inventory when faced with a difficult situation, while still being free to hack and slash through a band of weakling kobolds and watch their ragdoll-physics reptilian corpses crumple to the ground.
There are now over 300 different items in the game, and the new items go quite well with some of the new dungeon features. For example, you may find a small room with a closed door... before you knock on the door it might be a good idea to drop some of your gems and see if they are actually gas bombs, so you can weaken the horde of monsters as they come out of the room.
The new dungeon branch plays homage to NetHack's "Gnomish Mines". In WazHack, the mine has gnomes, but it also has a mine shaft with an elevator, and some other more deadly industrial advances await you. A pick-axe may come in handy too.
That's enough spoilers! Get playing and discover it for yourself!
Oops, had definitely lost the thread on this one!
Also now available on iPhone and iPad.
