A fresh new release of Caverns. In addition to a little more content and some generic bug fixes, I put my focus on the experience from the perspective of a new player. I've been advocating people turn their Text Prompts to Basic, but it occurred to me that I, myself, hadn't played in that mode for a very long time. In playtesting that mode, I discovered a lot of bugs and inconsistencies. There's more work to be done, standardizing the output in this mode, but that can be done piecemeal through later releases. In this release, the game defaults to Basic Text Prompts, which should make things much clearer for new players, but if you prefer the Expert mode it defaulted to before, just head on into the Options menu and change it back!
Link to version 0.66.12:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/f51nmigmccnw4m4/Caverns%20of%20Xaskazien%202%20Ver.%200.66.12.zip?dl=0Game details, a few screenshots, and details of this specific update below.
Game Features:- A rich, graphical game, with loads of animation and dynamic, coloured per pixel lighting.
- An exclusive orchestral soundtrack created for the game by professional film scorer, Dave Coleman.
- A full sound environment with close to 1000 unique sound effects, volume keyed to the source’s distance from your character.
- An intuitive keyboard and mouse interface.
- An easy to understand UI that ensures all information any player could want on any topic is only a mouse hover away.
- 300 visually distinct monsters, each with a dozen+ variants (including named boss types), and robust AI that differs by monster intelligence level. Summoning and Charm methods allow you to raise your own monstrous army to fight for you, too.
- Merchants and NPCs to deal with, as well, each of which can run afoul of the monsters, just like you.
- More than a hundred unique booby traps for the unwary, most of which may be set by players to ensnare monsters, too.
- 125 base weapons and 75 base armour pieces, each with thousands of possible enchantment combinations and legendary variants.
- Hundreds of unique magic items, mundane items, potions, scrolls, staves, wands, rods, food items, etc.
- Nearly a hundred unique spells.
- Play as either sex in any combination of 38 Classes and 13 Races, and customize your character as you see fit through the upgrading of both Attributes and Skills.
- Procedurally generated dungeons utilizing multiple methods of generation to create caves, structured areas, labyrinths and even forests, supplemented by occasional pre-generated dungeons called Legendary Lands.
- Hundreds of unique environmental features to interact with and use to your tactical advantage (or detriment).
- Both random and scheduled special Events to mix up gameplay.
- A comprehensive user's manual in the docs folder.
- All for the low, low price of free
A few screenshots from my most recent playthrough:Creating my Character
Winning the fight in Basic Text Prompts mode
An Event in progress
Freezing a Brute with the click of a button
Upgrades to Ver. 0.66.12 since last release (Ver. 0.64.94):
Major Improvements:- New Spell: Counterspell (and made it possible for monsters to cast it, too).
- New Events: Summer Wind, Ventilation.
Minor Improvements:- Made it so if you find an item but your inventory is too full to carry it, forcing you to drop it, the game doesn’t immediately ask if you want to pick up what’s in your square.
- Added sound effect to accompany the “Check Situation Panel” scrolling phrase, to make sure newer players recognize what’s happening.
- Modified player pathfinding so that it takes into account special circumstances like flying, poison resistance or water walking (as examples) when determining what squares it should avoid entering.
- In the Stats tab, when displaying monster attitudes, beside the icon indicating attitude, there is now textual information revealing right there what effects that attitude has.
- With Text Prompts set to Basic, it now also provides this information in the Situation Panel, as soon as a monster attitude shifts (instead of just telling you that the shift has occurred).
- Added appropriate graphics to every single Situation Panel output, including Combat Results.
- Changed Raging Fires event to only generate 1 Raging Fire, instead of 1 to 3, to make it less deadly.
- Improved several UI graphics and added larger versions where the large versions were lacking.
- With Text Prompts set to Basic, you’re now informed in the Situation Panel how much Treasure you’ve donated and how much Experience you’ve earned when you donate Treasure at a Temple.
- Made Evaporation spell only affect adjacent squares, instead of a 2 square radius, because it was overpowered.
- With Text Prompts set to Basic, when eating Beef, Pheasant or Boar the game now textually identifies the level of meal preparedness (calling it “Charred Boar”, for example, instead of simply “Boar”), which all other meat types have always done.
- With Text Prompts set to Basic, the Situation Panel now reports how many Spell Points using a Pentagram has restored, rather than just that some have been restored.
- With Text Prompts set to Basic Mage Broth and Mage Potions drunk now inform you that your Spell Points have been restored to full, rather than that the item “recharges you”, to be less confusing to new players.
- With Text Prompts set to Basic, you’re now informed how many Spell Points a given monster drains from you, rather than just that they’ve been drained.
- With Text Prompts set to Basic, the effects of certain potions are now more fully explained, to help new players.
- With Text Prompts set to Basic, more information is now provided the player surrounding Geography and Cartography skills when the player receives a map effect from any source.
- With Text Prompts set to Basic, barehanded digging of Graves or Buried Objects now informs you how much damage you’ve done to yourself.
- With Text Prompts set to Basic, Cup of Tsen Tsun Vie now informs you how much you’ve been healed, rather than just that you have been.
- With Text Prompts set to Basic, Wheels of Fortune now tell you how much you’ve won in the Situation Panel, rather than just that you have won.
- With Text Prompts set to Basic, game now notifies you if a Generate Gold spell conjures more gold than you can carry.
- Game will now interrupt auto-movement if it has a message it needs you to see.
Bug Fixes- Fixed text spacing error in query of Murkerian Pipeweed.
- ACTUALLY made Dwarven Mithril Forges visually distinct from standard Forges, because the previous attempt didn't work.
- Fixed error confusing a monster’s Physical and Magic resistance when the monster encounters a Friendly Astral Trap.
- Fixed typo in query of Brownie Unique Ability during Character Creation.
- Fixed erroneous info in query of Gnomish Automated Armourer telling you it could only be used once (when it can be used multiple times).
- Fixed error still allowing player to be blocked by Rubble, even if the player is flying.
- Fixed error incorrectly outputting the names of Legendary Weapons and Legendary Armour both when the player is trying to drop them and when repairing them via a Gnomish Automated Armourer.
- Fixed error not properly taking into account monster Dizziness during combat.
- Fixed error preventing Recuperation spell and Brevalia Day event from removing Blindness.
- Fixed error not outputting full text for results of triggering a Freeze Trap.
- Fixed error not emptying Melgrim’s Teleporting Trunk between games unless you exit the program first.
- Fixed serious error that could freeze the game if you or any monster cast Cause Disease.
- Fixed error where, if you found a map while looting a corpse, the corpse would disappear.
- Fixed text overwrite in query of Clutter Ghoul.
- Fixed error putting up erroneous graphic if you search Clay Urns and find nothing when your Text Prompts are set to Basic.
- Fixed error outputting gibberish if you step on a Temple with no Treasure while your Text Prompts are set to Basic.
- Fixed errors not properly recognizing the type of Chasm you’re trying to exit when you try to exit one.
- Fixed error not outputting correct odds of being unable to swing, when querying a monster while wearing jewellery of Ponderous Mass/Overwhelming Heft/Ridiculous Weight.
- Fixed text overwrite error that occurred during query of a monster if the player was both wearing jewellery of Ponderous Mass/Overwhelming Heft/Ridiculous Weight and the monster had Distance Strike ability.
- Fixed errors putting up erroneous graphics if either a Smuggler or Taskmaster returns to the surface when your Text Prompts are set to Basic.
- Fixed error not providing any text output in the Situation Panel, regardless of Text Prompt settings, when you take damage from Smoke Inhalation.
- Fixed serious error that could sometimes crash the game following a Mating Season event.
- Fixed a different error that could mess up the Paralyzation effect that Mating Season should have on monsters.
- Fixed error that would mess up the wares sold by Mundane Item Merchants, Magic Item Merchants, Jewellery Merchants and Wand Merchants, if those merchants were summoned by the ringing of a Bell.
- Fixed error that could cause the Situation Panel to pulse between two different pieces of information if you were, for instance, shopping, and tried to buy an item you couldn’t afford, while your Text Prompts were set to Basic.
- Fixed error not informing you if a monster attitude had shifted in your favour such that it was now below Dislike or Annoyance.
- Fixed errors that, if your Text Prompts were set to Intermediate or Basic, would output text results twice if a monster tried to drain your Strength, Dexterity or Intelligence, but was prevented from doing so by Self Awareness skill.
- Fixed text spacing errors in the output of the above, as well.
- Fixed errors not letting Self Awareness or other like abilities/items have a chance of preventing Max Health drain if that drain was inflicted during combat.
- Fixed errors not outputting any textual information/scrolling info/sound effect when Self Awareness DOES prevent Max Health drain during combat.
- Fixed error incorrectly assessing inventory slot adjustment for Amulets of Packing/of the Packrat/of the Packmule.
- Fixed errors not using the player's turn if a player equips or unequips any Weapon, Breastplate, Shield or Helmet.
- Fixed error not fading the appearance of Open Large Chests on the map screen.
- Fixed error preventing Extinguish spell from clearing heat sources to the East or South of you.
- Fixed error incorrectly identifying Andillian’s Shard as Hedgethorn when it causes bonus damage to a monster and your Text Prompts are set to Basic.
- Fixed error not unequipping your second weapon if you somehow lose the ability to Dual Wield.
- Fixed error that stopped Recharge Stations from functioning properly.
- Fixed error not outputting any explanation if you tried to use a Recharge Station and failed because what you were trying to recharge wasn’t a Wand, Staff or Rod.
- Fixed errors which, in certain rare circumstances, would not result in the destruction of the Gnomish Bore, even when it was in Water, Lava, Acid or a Pit.
- Fixed errors not explicitly stating what spell had been cast, when a monster cast Sleep or Confusion at you, if that spell failed to take effect while your Text Prompts were set to Basic.
- Fixed error that, if your Spell Points were maxed and your Text Prompts set to Basic, would correctly inform you that a Mage Potion had no effect when you drank it, but then immediately tell you that it had restored all your Spell Points.
- Fixed error that would, with Text Prompts set to Basic, output the phrase “Tsen Tsun Vie mends you!” 4 times whenever you pleased Tsen Tsun Vie, rather than just once.
- Fixed typo in text output for a failed use of a Xramic Shrine when there are no monsters on the level and your Text Prompts are set to Basic.
- Fixed typo in text output for a successful use of an Albonian Shrine with the aid of Prayer Beads, if your Text Prompts were set to Basic.
- Fixed error that would put up the wrong graphic if Fehrat was angered when you prayed at his Shrine, but you resisted his wrath.
- Fixed error that would output the text for a failure at a Langkleyan Shrine after you’d been dropped down 1 or 2 levels, screwing up the accompanying graphic.
- Fixed errors not playing sound effect or providing textual explanation if you anger Oblar One-Eye at his shrine.
- Fixed errors that would display the wrong graphic if a god or goddess appeared as the result of an Event.
- Fixed error that would, if you manipulated your inventory while shopping, ask a second time if you wanted to buy anything from the merchant you were already dealing with.
- Fixed errors that would sometimes confuse things by asking if you wanted to interact with an NPC when you were already in the middle of a different interaction.
- Fixed error that could allow Acid Splash Trap Kits to stay in your inventory (and be used), even when they had 0 uses left, if the final use of the Trap Kit resulted in the melting of one of your Items.
- Fixed errors that could let you manipulate your inventory or cast spells while shopping (which could have weird repercussions, like the merchant wandering away, getting killed, but still continuing to sell you things).
- Fixed error causing looted corpses to disappear if you find a Potion while searching it.
- Fixed error outputting wrong graphic with the text output from an Unpredictable Machine.
- Fixed typo in text output when you fail to remove a Weapon that's embedded in stone.
- Fixed typo in offer to use Brazier, and wrong graphic output if you use it and nothing happens.
- Fixed errors with text output when a monster drains your Attributes.
- Fixed error causing Tribesman players to start with a Tinderbox that had 100 uses (instead of 3 uses, like it should).
- Fixed error not leaving ectoplasmic corpse behind when a Dracones dies.
- Fixed errors playing wrong sound effects if you buy a weapon from a Weapon Merchant.
Phew! The next update should be in a couple weeks. I'd like to keep them weekly but I've fallen behind schedule with some other work I'm supposed to be doing, so... as soon as possible, I promise. Also hope to have some tutorial videos up in that time frame, work life permitting.
