Solstice (now at v0.0.44b Alpha)

[getter77]

http://solsticeroguelike.weebly.com/

"Previously titled Rogue Project 2, I have given my roguelike the name
Solstice, and released an early version (Solstice because the Sun
plays a part in the game mechanics, as well as the moon).

Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks!"

Solstice is a turn based game in the tradition of Rogue, NetHack, and Dungeon Crawl. However, Solstice attempts to move the game beyond the cramped confines of the dungeon into an open world, procedurally generated each time you play. Solstice is a world where the Romanesque  empire of Imar is at constant odds with the Throne of the Jade Dragon. On the eve of the last summer solstice, the previously impenetrable Barrier in the Eastern Sea has dropped, allowing ships to travel to SunRise Islands, which have been cut off from all contact for hundreds of years.

Solstice has several planned features including:
A completely player designed homebase which will be subject to attack by rival forces.
Large, procedurally generated, persistant overworld.
Autonomous, customizable allies

Version Notes 0.0.22 - Alpha

New features:

Screen now scales properly even if user has DPI set to alternative value. Can manually scale screen in cases where auto settings don't set correctly.

Rewrote display routine to be considerably more efficient - screen recenters less often, and only redraws the affected area, rather than the entire screen as before.
 
4 Item hotkeys added

 25 new monsters.

Large parts of the monster AI rewritten.

2 new biomes (desert, volcanic peaks) with associated hazards (eg,
lava)

5 new procedurably generated map types (BSP type dungeons, cellular automata generated caverns, etc). Some of these are many levels deep.

Changed endurance mechanic to require player to periodically rest (camp) as well as eat and drink. Neglecting eating, drinking, and resting is not currently lethal, but your stats suffer greatly as time carries on.

Allies (temporary in the form of charm monster, permanent, commandable allies are coming, with inventory)

Rudimentary home base editor (can place walls and some buildings; this is leading to the ability to create your own complete town/castle/whatever, in anticipation of sieges - note that you must establish your home base first, and then you can edit it from the overworld) Right now, it simply builds whatever you want in stone/housing material - in the future your resources are limited, but for now you can build what you want.

Containers (chest, bags, etc)

Also note that the few skills I have in the games are just examples to test the interface and skill screen. They are fully functional, but not represetative of what kind of skill I am planning on having.


Brigand

Sounds great and his last project had quite a bit to it if memory serves, here's hoping for a day when it has a spiffy Roguebasin entry and even moreso hopefully brisk dev pace now that it has a proper name 

[Ancient]

As usual nice job on flagging this one. The Rogue Project 2 page is still up and there is nothing about Solstice mentioned. The version number does match though.

[getter77]

I found it on the Google Group Announce thing section, which is still a way some folks post release blurbs and all instead of anywhere else.  The more places a given release is visible, the better!   

[getter77]

v0.0.23

Lots of undocumented changes and refinements, including a relatively
big hurdle of the merchant interface (which allows trading in addition
to simply buying with gold).

Spring semester is finally over, and I only have 1 class over the
summer, so hopefully I will make some headway the next few months.

Thanks to anyone who took a few minutes to check it out

Brigand

~~~

New features:

Merchants and merchant interface are complete (villages may contain blacksmiths, different types of vendors, healers, etc). Note that the vendors are sometimes picky about what they will buy - blacksmiths will happily buy metal items from you (to resell or meltdown), but they won't buy your trash, or items that have no relevance to their career (why would a blacksmith buy alchemical herbs, for example). Merchants inventory will change intelligently over time (it's not just a random swap, items get bought and sold as time passes)

Revamped skill screen to maximum of 102 skills (press SPACE to page through) in anticipation of number of skills planned. Should also be more obivous what skills are usable where (and also what skills can be assigned to the overworld hotkey set and what can be assigned to the submap hotkey set.)

Items now have a repair level. (Weapons can become dull or damaged, boots may protect your feet from acidic slime, but eventually will become corroded, etc)

You may now camp in the overworld to rest and regain your endurance (beware of being ambushed). Being tired has a major detrimental effect on your combat abilities. If you have food and water (or are near a source of fresh water) when you camp, you regain much more endurance. You still can't die from starvation, and I am not sure how I want to handle lack or food (I don't simply want to cut and paste the food clock mechanic from other roguelikes).

Added a visual representation of the weather conditions, sun, and moon (moon phases are not complete yet, some decisions yet to be made about the timing and effects.) Hopefully makes the reason for the changing field of view more obvious.

Ranged weapons can be enchanted.  Ammo does not get anchanted - the shot is charged by the launcher.

New monsters and monster abilities (for example, a spider can squirt you with web fluid)

Changed poison mechanic. I don't simply want different colors of the same effects, and setting someone on fire and poisoning originally did the same thing - they reduced your hp over time. The only difference was jumping in water put out fire. Now poison reduces your physical stats for a period of time. At this point, all status effects now do something different.

Refinements to map generation (long way to go on villages, but gradually filling them in - village houses, for example, have some furnishings, or a smiths workspace will have an anvil and forge).

If you see 2 villages next to each other, its not a random quirk - they will likely be connected the same way you would see them on the overworld when you walk around at the submap layer.

Changes to targetting and bump to attack. You can attack anything you want via CTRL+move, but the default behavior is to displace non-hostile creatures. Now, you can't target a friendly by mistake - it must be hostile to you first. Maybe I should add CTRL+TAB to target friendlies?

If you dont like all the goofy colors in the message log (which are color coded to effect and action) you can cut them off with CTRL+K.

These are the most visible changes - probably 90% of the changes are with the engine.

Quite a nice update, here's hoping to a lively summer indeed for this one and it just may shoot up the ranks as a dark horse.   

[getter77]

It lives...though mysteriously as it was undated!   

v0.0.24 Alpha

Corrected a bug in the display weather routine that caused the display to not work when entering certain terrain types.

[getter77]

v0.0.27   Now with only explicitly implied mysterious progress!   

Honestly, there are tons and tons of non-visible changes. Things like a full revamp of creature AI where pathfinding is concerned ("intelligent" creatures will attempt to track the last location they saw or heard you using a fast, (more) accurate algorithm rather than a simple "if monster.x > player.x then monster.x--" type, whereas dumb ones are more of the "out of sight - out of mind" nature).

Many UI Improvements - 
    Shift + hotkey allows you to quickly assign a skill to a hotkey, although the old method of assigning them in the skill screen still works the same.
    Some skills will now allow you to see their current range and confirm the attack with ENTER, rather than wasting the skill on an out of range creature.
    Allies can be given rudimentary commands (return/recall, aggressive stance, passive stance, stop and wait here)
    etc...

Bug fixes -
    Creatures levels are now more appropriate to their habitat. (Also fixes the bug where certain levels had no creatures in them.)
    Can no longer place large items in small containers
    Performance changes to display algorithm
    etc...
   
New skills -
    Stealth
    Weapon skills
    Static charge
    Gust of Wind
    Flash powder
    etc...

New monsters
New biomes (not so many of these this time - villages populated by hostile humanoids comes to mind, but 1 or 2, and lots of tweaks to existing ones)

Sorry I didn't list everything out. Its been a while since I last updated, and I spend at least some time on this every day tracking down bugs, polishing things, and generally testing everything I can, since this is entirely 100% my own code and there is no one else testing...and while I keep a log of changes and fixes to be done, usually if I find a bug, I immediately fix it, and never record it, so it's hard for me to recall everything.

Once I get past summer finals this week I will devote some time to the quest system and actually give you a reason to do things, rather than just wander around pointlessly killing and looking for loot. Haven't started yet because its a major undertaking I need to think about, and I have been very busy lately (took an AI class over the summer and I am regretting it!)

Brigand

Looks like things are due to get extra lively here these next few weeks with it----excellent!

[getter77]

Fortune smiles upon my random bookmark browsing of the horde:

v0.0.29

Just an incremental update to let people know I am still working on it, though there is actually a ton of new stuff (some incomplete). Last semester of grad school starts Monday, and I'll continue to work on it, but I want to at least to get to Beta this summer, and v1.0 by years end if at all possible. It doesn't help I am waffling now between abandoning this project and starting over using C++ and libtcod, and completing it....If I do finish it, it will be my last VB project ever.


Improvements

-    New game mode - Infinite Dungeon - Basically, you descend forever, trying to stay alive as long as possible. Added it to test balance, but I will probably leave it in permanently, though it will of course need a lot of improvement - but for now, it is functional if you would rather just hack and slash. Vendors will randomly appears every level or so.
-    Massive (like roughly 200%+) improvement in performance (that honestly should have happened long ago).
-    Redesigned the skill screen - while it looks the same, you can now use the arrow keys (or continue to use direct hotkeys), and I have dropped some of the superfluous "modes" - there was no need for an "examine skill" mode, for example. Now highlighting a skill automatically describes it, ENTER activates it, and pressing a number hotkeys the skill to that number...much less fuss than before. The only remaining "mode" is purchase mode (accessed with BACKSPACE), in which pressing ENTER buys a skill.
-    Some ease of use UI improvements - you can press e from the map screen to equip items quickly, rather than going into the inventory - added this for hotkeying skills as well. Will add the ability to drop items without going into the inventory screen as well (probably before the end of today).
-    Added monk combo system framework, though the effect part needs to be implemented (need to think about it - i don't want a simple repetition of other skills).
-    Added the quest system framework. Currently you can pick up simple "kill X" quests from specific villagers (village elders), and return to them for more quests when done. This is by no means the extent of the quests you can do - just a basic random quest generator to test the quest framework, that will probably stay in as a minor feature for those so inclined.
-    Some new items, and required skills - for example, higher levels of shield proficiency allow the use of more cumbersome shields, as a basic example.
- Reduced starting stats a bit, and gave certain classes inherent resistances, though the addition of races and more classes will affect this later. Changed the starting items a bit as well.

Bug Fixes
-    Fixed a bug where items were not being randomly enhanced/enchanted.
-    Stealth breaks on certain actions now, and remains on others (for example, blink or heal do not break stealth, but any direct attack does).
-    Fixed a bug where the screen would go blank for the next turn after drinking or eating.
-    Healers now remove all status effects for a price, rather than just disease (unlikely that you will be on fire or poisoned in a friendly village in normal game mode, but helpful in Infinite Dungeon Mode.)
-    Fixed a bug where traps that were uncovered were permanently hidden again if you left the game and continued later.
-    Fixed a bug where continuing an Infinite Dungeon game could crash (because it tried to load the non-existant overworld).

Sorry for all the half finished features. If a bug is game-breaking, or (speculatively) easy to fix, I sometimes get sidetracked chasing them down, and like clicking link after link on Wikipedia, I end up working on something other than I intended. But, I do maintain a log of everything thats going on and will get back to finishing them - priorities are just constantly in flux.

And if you feel I should scrap this and just move on to another attempt in a better language, or simply find the current effort too derivative, please let me know. I am always open to suggestion.
 
Brigand

Personally I hope the project continues in whatever manner will get it fully realized in as timely a fashion as possible considering the description at the top of the page is still quite a fantastic goal.  Let 2013 be a grand year for the few Mega-Projects toiling in the shadows!  

[getter77]

v0.0.33

Bug fixes

Cleaned up some of the message timing in the logs (eg, effect message reported before hit message).
Trainers no longer offer unuasable skills in the Infinite Dungeon (Overworld only skills, eg, Alter Weather)

New features

High score list color coded to game mode (old high scores file won't be loaded properly)
New monk combo attacks.
Alchemist can now create a magical flare which repels evil enemies.

Balance changes

Stat points per level now static at 10
Skill points per level now static at 3

Bug fixes

Dual wield hit chance was not being correctly calculated.
Blindness from Gust was being calculated for every square pushed.
Skill listing now correctly colored based on what hot-key set you are assigning to.

New features

Static charges will now trigger off of off-hand metal weapons, or shield bash attacks with metal shields.
Gust of wind can now blind targets with dust and dirt.
Flash powder can further confuse blinded targets.
High score list.
Some lights extinguished during the day.

Balance changes

Ice armor
cooldown, duration, and bonus defense/evade adjusted.
Frost ray cooldown
reduced.
Base mana pool calculation increased.

Bug fixes

- Npcs can no longer leave the map when you revisit after a long time.
- Reenabled streams and ponds in village maps, with house placement corrected (no more overlapping walls, or doors blocked by furniture).
- Diseases were being incorrectly cured when leaving/reentering a submap (they were flagged as temporary status effects instead of  permanent).
- Refactored AI code; improvements in performance.
- Creatures with Web ability could not use it if they had no ranged ability.
- Opening a container now drops item at feet instead of randomly.
- Changed how potion identification worked (as well as whether a flask of water is tainted/salty)

New features

- Can now drink from wells to regain endurance
- Potions of Curing
- Swimming can now be detrimental to unprotected inventory
- Added lighting (eg, from torches, lantern, fire, lava, etc)

New Features
-    Added mouse controls (left click to move in the direction of the mouse, right click to autotravel with pathfinding, and right click a creature to target it)
-    Some vendors (eg, blacksmiths) will now allow you to pay for training; training the first level of a skill this way (unlocking it) does not costs a skill point, but the vendor only provides a basic level (level 1) of training.
-    Added trainers throughout the world who will unlock skills for you for a price (though you still need to spend skill points to use them). You can even train skills from a different class if you find the appropriate trainer.
-    Quest log now gives coordinates of the location where you received the quest.
-    Added a "rest until healed/mana restored feature" (Numpad period).
-    Added scent tracking as a behavior for aggressive animals/blind creatures. Intelligent creatures will remember where they last saw the player and attempt to move to that spot.
-    Added temporary buff expiry messages.
-    Mage skill - Ice Armor
-    Monk skill - Combo system - new combos added (with new effects, such as knock-back or stun)
-    Monk skill - Endure Elements
-    Alchemist skill - Scavenge Shot ("shot" being ammo)
-    Rumors and hints from villagers
-    More new monsters
-    Shopkeepers of various types can be encountered in the Infinite Dungeon.

Bug fixes

-    Fixed a bug where the shopkeepers name was being incorrectly displayed on the Vendor screen.
-    Reduced shopkeepers initial inventory so they could actually buy items from the player
-    Fixed a bug where houses could overlap in villages
-    Fixed a bug where filling a flask with water duplicated the empty flasks.
-    Skill checks for negative values were being calculated as positive values (notably, a -100 resist actually provided +100 resist)
-    Skill selection now persists when you exit the skill screen and re-enter (used to move the cursor back to the first skill every time.)
-    Fixed bugs for the enchanter - not correctly deducting payment. Debating reducing the number of times you can enchant, or possibly making it progressively more expensive.
-    Fixed a bug with accessing containers from the submap
-    Very slightly decreased maximum inventory size to deal with items being manipulated on the inventory screen (if you take an item out of a container, but your inventory is full, etc...)

Now here's a fine surprise to kick off the morning---IT LIVES!      Seemingly still engaged in mortal combat with Visual Basic to boot!

[Samildanach]

Sounds really promising, although it's a bit discouraging that he seems to work on it once a year...

I'll definitely give it a play later on!

[Brigand]

Sounds really promising, although it's a bit discouraging that he seems to work on it once a year...

Sorry for slow updating  Grad school started and finished, new job started, my 2 children born, and moved to a new city since the project began. If people show interest I will update more frequently.

And yeah, I know VB6 sucks - unfortunately that's what I knew when I started coding this so long ago - learned a lot of new programming languages in the past few years, and I think my next project will be in something more portable and modern, but I hate to throw away the project and start over - thousands of lines of codes and lots of hours invested to start over.

[Samildanach]

Sounds really promising, although it's a bit discouraging that he seems to work on it once a year...

Sorry for slow updating  Grad school started and finished, new job started, my 2 children born, and moved to a new city since the project began. If people show interest I will update more frequently.

That wasn't meant to be recrimination, sorry if it sounded that way. I just meant that I've played so many roguelikes which had good ideas but were abandoned early on, it gets disappointing after a while, and annual updates give the impression that it's unlikely to ever be 'finished' so I'm wary of getting too hopeful.

As an aside, Chrome thinks it's malware. I hope it isn't. 

[Brigand]

As an aside, Chrome thinks it's malware. I hope it isn't. 

I certainly hope not, unless I have learned to code malware in my sleep Maybe it doesn't like all the custom disk access stuff (written in response to no one have the right ocx files installed to display file explorers....still haven't figured that one out.)

[Brigand]

A couple of users have reported "Run-time error '13' Type mismatch", but no information on when it happened, and I can't replicate it. Anyone seen this bug?

[Samildanach]

Not so far. I'll look out for it.

[Brigand]

Not so far. I'll look out for it.

Thanks for giving it a spin for me, Samildanach, I really appreciate it