You can download the latest version of the game, (or the latest patch, if you already own the game), here:
https://virtua-sinner.itch.io/caverns-of-xaskazien-iiIt's been around 8 months since the last update, guys, and there's a reason for that: this update is huge! Along with all the usual improvements - more content, quality of life improvements, bug fixes - there's one major change that should become apparent shortly after you dive back into the game: 99% of the graphics have been redone from scratch! For the most part I think this has resulted in a better looking game (though there are still some graphics I intend to revisit for the next release), though that wasn't the purpose. The purpose was to make sure that I could finally legitimately claim that everything in the game was 100% legally within my rights to use. Prior to this, the graphics leaned heavily on borrowed imagery. Sure, those graphics had been massively modified, shrunk down and animated to the point where they might have entered the realm of fair usage, but I was never comfortable with it. The graphics rework here represents many hundreds of hours of work, and I couldn't be more psyched to share it with you!
This has also enabled me to do something many of you have asked about before: allow donations to the project. Those hundreds of hours are just the tip of the iceberg, of course, since I've been working on this game a few hours a day for close to 30 years now. If you are enjoying it, and want to support the cause of another 30 years of development, please consider donating with your next download
If you are new to the game and want to see if it's for you, I've got a brand new 9 episode playthrough that explains everything clearly, releasing the same day as this update. You can check that out here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTnwft743i3_R8_YA0U_iMZci26hSCEx6Alright, enough of all that - let's get to the mighty, mighty patch notes! (Actually, the patch notes are too long to include in a single post. I'll be moving the Minor Improvements to the first comment, and the Bug Fixes to the second comment!)
Major Improvements:- MASSIVE GRAPHICS OVERHAUL! 99% of the game's graphics have been redone from scratch.
- New Map Generation Technique: Free Rooms (creates maps akin to the inside of a keep. Be aware, this technique sometimes takes a little extra time to generate the map, so if you think your game froze during map generation, give it another 30 to 60 seconds - in extreme cases it can take that long).
- Re-instated Classes: Adventurer, Duellist, Soldier, Tribesman.
- New Perks: A Penny Saved, Always Learning, Keep the Lights On, Thorough, Build a Better Backpack, Listen to the Legends, Fated, Track the Wanted, Feint, Duck and Weave, Bounty Hunter, Freedom of Movement, Worthy Opponent, Twice as Deadly, Professional Standard, Overseas Campaigns, Comrades at Arms, Defensive Posture, Always Training, Extra Care, Spit Shine, Hearty, Guardian Ancestors, Strong Bones, Iron Gut, Everything’s a Bludgeon, Knock Out Blow, Bundled Up.
- New Skill: Unarmed Fighting.
- New Game Concept: Cantrips (Cantrips are Low Power Spells that do not require Spell Use skill and do not count toward your Known Spells count. Cantrip Scrolls can be automatically identified without any Runic Lore skill and Cantrip Wands can be used with a +25% chance of success).
- New Spells: Create Pit (Cantrip), Collapse Earth, Mind Games (monsters can cast too), Message From the Ether, Air Summons, Alter Fate, Armour Mastery, Brain Burn (monsters can cast too), Shatter Mind (monsters can cast too), Prescience, Weapon Mastery, Disguise Self, Demonic Assistants, Silver to Gold, Demonic Congress, Detect Evil (Cantrip), Summon Insects (monsters can cast, too), Deathbane, Dismiss Spirit, Conjure Spell Book, Water Breath, Blue Glow (Cantrip), Run (Cantrip), Intuition (Cantrip), Hose Down (Cantrip) (Monsters can cast, too), Instant Weapon (Cantrip), Speak With Dead (Cantrip), Protection From Evil, Teleport.
- New Map Tiles: Note, Lightning Field, Platinum, Platinum Veined Wall, Wandering Stairs.
- New Mundane Items: Kindling, Writ of Bounty, Heat Resistant Boots, Chemical Resistant Gloves.
- New Magic Items: Arcane Crystal, Mighty Belt, Lithe Armband, Energizing Headpiece.
- New Events: Tiny Spider, Ikiryo, Angel Sightings, Call to Arms, Concentrated Research, Graceful Save, Hessian Parade, False Rumours of Treasure, Heist of the Century, Whisperings of a Nameless Fear, Pyroclastic Flow, Flash Flood, Mud Slide, Cascading Sludge, Fault Line, Wasp Nest, Dragon Wisdom, Vorduvian Espionage, Raelian Spy Network, Structural Collapse, Reality Breakdown.
- New Weapon Enchantments: of Aura Disruption/of Spell Draining/of Spell Obliteration, Anti-Elemental/Primordial/Fundamental, Wicked/Vile/Unholy, of the Eagle/of the Pegasus/of the Griffon.
- New Jewellery Enchantments: Relaxing/Languid/Leisurely, of Development/of Betterment/of Advancement, Dwarven/Tunnel Runner’s/Deep Traveller’s.
- New Room Theme: Platinum Mine.
- New Mine Type: Platinum Mine.
- New Monster Variant: Revered Troll.
- Updated the game manual.
*CONTINUED IN FIRST COMMENT*