PosChengband (now at beta v7.0.2)

[getter77]

v3.2.0

This release adds a new dimension to the Dragon monster race: Dragon Realms! There are 8 realms to choose from and each has a specific focus. For example, Lore dragons seek knowledge and have great powers of detection and identification. Attack dragons are the best at melee while Breath dragons give up melee power in order to augment their breath attacks. Each realm alters player stats, skills and experience requirements while tweaking the power of dragon melee and breaths. In addition, many realms give innate bonuses (e.g. Lore dragons gain telepathy) so the realm choice is much richer than a normal spell realm. Some information is available in a new helpfile (DragonRealms.txt) which is accessible during the birth process (press '?') or from the normal MonsterRaces.txt file (Press '?' then 'c', then 'h' and finally 'b' ... I'll clean up the help system a bit at some point).

I also made a few minor possessor changes (Monk forms gain stunning, Tiamat now has an appropriate 5 headed body) but for the most part, this release is all about dragons!

[getter77]

v3.3.0

It's super duper beta this time. This release adds the new Mimic player monster race, which serves as a complement to the Possessor. But while the Possessor relies on controlling corpses, the Mimic is able to imitate living foes in front of them. As usual, documentation is lacking and I also apologize for not keeping up with recent posts concerning last release.

To learn a form in 3 easy steps:
[1] Mimic a nearby visible monster.
[2] Kill that monster.
[3] Get a lucky die roll.

There is no counter for mimicry. If the form is learned, it lasts forever (or until somebody dispels magic). But if the form is unlearned then the source monster needs to be visible or you will quickly forget how to copy it.

[getter77]

v3.3.1

Since nobody has found any show stopping bugs, here is another release (3.3.1). The main changes this release are UI related changes including:

* Mimic shapeshifting now intelligently reequips previously worn items. For the most part, you may remove all your @mimic manual inscriptions and let the system manage things for you. The only time you might have an issue is if you need certain pieces of gear to go into a specific slot. For example, dual wielding and you need one weapon in your right hand and another in your left. This *can* be handled, but let's see if it actually comes up

* I added an option to Identify All when using a scroll of identify or a staff of perception. Simply press '*' to identify all unknown items in your pack, in your currently worn equipment and under-foot in a single action (up to the allowed number of charges, of course). This convenience does not take extra energy.

* I added a new pickup preference action to automatically identify an object. For example, a line like "?unaware items" is a very nice thing to have. The source of the identification is either a scroll of identify, a charge from a staff of perception or a charge from a rod of perception if available. Sorry, no support for spells.

* I redid the default pickup preference file. I really like the changes but I'm not sure others will. The defaults are in lib/pref/pickpref.txt so any who grok the autopicker should feel free to critique or to offer suggestions.

* I fixed a longstanding auto-destroy bug. You all know what it is: Register a mace for autodestruction and suddenly maces of disruption are also destroyed! (Text now supports $ as an end of string marker).

I did also do some gameplay changes, mostly with regard to mimics:

* Spell stats can now be specified in r_info. To celebrate, zephyr hounds now use Dex as their spell stat even though they emulate rogues (Hounds aren't particularly bright, after all).

* I tweaked the speed calculation algorithm. Basically, forms that must use innate attacks get the full bonus and everybody else gets 35% of the monster's speed value (But see the next bullet item).

* Speed values can now be specified in r_info. If so specified, this overrides the normal algorithm for deducing player speed from the monster's speed. Why have this? Well, rogues and monks should be faster than you might expect. Also, some critters might have been too fast otherwise.

* I adjusted down many XP requirements for player monster races. The in game helpfile is now up to date again.

* Liches and Beholders gain Eat Magic. Any possessor/mimic form that emulates a mage also gets Eat Magic.

* The Summon Mold exploit has been removed.

* Sparing early uniques will no longer help you when facing The Serpent of Chaos (I almost didn't spoil this change 

[getter77]

v3.3.2

* Removed infinite experience exploit with player resting.
* Hounds now spawn in the wilderness.
* Spiders get a better paralysis attack: Paralysis is no longer sleep.
* Fixed (nothing) object bug in wilderness.
* Rebalanced the Blood-Mage. They can no longer choose the Life realm and other healing spells are either illegible (Herbal Healing) or don't work to restore hp. There may be one or two weak exceptions, though. Also, they now have to deal with armor and glove encumbrance issues just like all other mages, but the effects manifest thru higher fail rates rather than decreased spell points.
* The Town weapon shop is kinder about stocking archery supplies.
* Town stocking of certain essentials (Food, Light, Diggers, Recall) is also kinder, but not 100% guaranteed.
* Finding food and recall in the dungeon is also easier. In fact, the ironman_shops option should now be playable as it enables the player home.
* More Possessor/Mimic forms can benefit from Economical Mana (e.g. wizardstaves).

[getter77]

v3.3.3

This release adds new object statistics tracking. You can view stats in game with the ~2 and ~i options (for objects and egos, respectively) and information is also added to your character dumps. This information should help me get a better handle on how many resources are being found, used, destroyed, etc and should assist in future game design.

Other minor changes include:
* The player Knock Out code has been totally reworked. In general, getting KO'd will mean the player loses 1 or perhaps 2 turns, but will wake up heavily stunned still.

* Dual wielding weapon weight sensitivity has been decreased for certain classes (Warrior, Samurai, Blood-Knight, etc). This means they can dual wield heavier weapons more easily, but also means the benefits from dual wielding light weapons are also lessened.

* Wilderness monsters are now generated awake when the player is ambushed. It seemed weird to get ambushed by sleeping monsters

* The player is no longer automatically "aware" of ego items. This means the first time you find a Pattern weapon, you won't know anything about what it does. Once you *identify* it, however, the ego type in question gets marked as "aware" so the next time you find one, you will know about the common ego attributes (but not the extra powers, of course).

[kefcorp]

Hi, quick question.  Couldn't find an answer anywhere else I looked:

Is there some sort of dungeon-level persistence in PosCheng? I haven't gotten very far into it or anything, but I noticed that going up and down the same set of stairs doesn't regenerate either dungeon level.

[getter77]

I think it depends and there are special cases---I know exiting to the world map and re-entering dungeons can cause a re-rolling.

[getter77]

v3.3.5

It is a very minor update on the 3.3 branch with mostly minor tweaks and a few bug fixes:

* Standard Artifact shooters were not getting the multiplier set on creation. Upgrading an old savefile should repair any unfairly nerfed objects.
* Archer classes get a ring of archery from the Wargs quest.
* Some possessor forms were using hp for casting purposes, resulting in infinite free healing scenarios.
* Added a new race: Wood Elves. These are about as strong as the original Hengband elves (removed in Chengband) and have a couple of nifty abilities.
* Fixed random artifact naming bug.
* Pets that breathe storm should no longer hit the player when they breathe.
* A few rods were made more powerful: Mana bolts/balls and havoc.
* Some new activations were added for a few ego types.
* Samurais now automatically concentrate when resting.
* Samurais now track and display spell stats.
* Digger weaponmaster's Industrious Mortician nerfed.
* Olympian drops are now more rare.
* Fairy egos now mask aggravation.

[getter77]

v3.3.6

Upon reflection, I decided to release a quick update as 3.3.6 here. This is a minor release with a few bug fixes:

* Fixed bug with Ring of Archery quest reward. This was a show stopper game crash bug, so is the reason for this release!
* Nazgul egos are now only available from Nazguls. They are more powerful as well.
* Nazgul monsters are scary.
* Berserkers no longer auto-identify objects since they cannot read or use magical devices.
* 0d0 possessor attacks now do no damage at all. Display code updated to reflect this.
* Possessors get a new "Corpses" category in the monster knowledge menu (~4). This enumerates all corpses currently in pack, home or underfoot for easy comparison. Knowledge of a body's attributes can now be gained by *identifying* the corpse (in addition to probing or monster lore in the town).
* Monster knowledge now sorts descending on level.
* Possessors and Mimic's now track history of forms used and display these in the character dump.

[getter77]

v3.4.0

I've begun to burn out a bit on the edit file stuff, so here is 3.4.0. What's changed?

* I've begun adding new wilderness encounters and incorporated a couple new ones generously contributed by Nivim. I've added copious (for me) documentation to the top of v_info.txt, and this should serve as the goto place to look for how to do stuff. I have quite a few more encounter ideas that are commented out and many of the new ones I added could use improvement. Feel free to offer changes and new encounters if you are feeling creative!

* Possessors have been rebalanced a bit. A few body types are more flavorful (e.g. archer forms get extra shots; mage forms get extra mana, faster mana regen and the eat magic power; sorcerer forms get the huge sorcerer mana boost with concomitant extreme encumbrance penalties).

* Monster AI has been tweaked. All unique monsters now employ variable AI strategies. Also, anti-summoning corridors are less effective.

As usual, source and a full diff are available, though github declines to actually diff v_info.txt, which is where the bulk of this release's changes occurred.

[getter77]

v3.4.1

* Faster Stat Gain
* A more challenging Water Elemental (Corrosion now eats anything unless it has resist acid ... even artifacts!)
* A new player monster race: The Centipede.
* Revamps to many egos (Sunlight, Death and Daemon weapons) and some new ones too (Dwarvish rings of power, slightly corrupted by Sauron, of course).

Many minor changes as well:
* Hydras get amulets for quest rewards instead of rings. Hydras can now dig a bit.
* Maulers no longer can get Nyoi-bou
* Arena and Corpse rewards are now "mass produced".
* Monster players receive a "special" feeling when their racial boss is around.
* Gloves of the Giant help when wielding heavy weapons.
* Cursed items are now considerably more rare.
* Attack dragons can browse ('b') certain powers to see their damage effect.
* Monsters that drop items and treasure now drop more items and less treasure (was 50/50).

Some bugs were fixed as well:
* Rings with extra attacks now work for innate attacks
* Standard artifact shooters now get the correct multiplier from a_info.txt (e.g. Ballista, Robin Hood).
* Fixed infinite loop bug with Rings of the Nazgul deep in the dungeon.
* Fixed memory out of bounds for warriors, samurai and paladin.

[getter77]

v3.4.2

* Possessors are a bit easier to start (Mercy!). For example, they have better stealth, better device skills and even telepathy! Alas, their stats and hp still suck!

* Possessors can experiment a bit with new forms in the beginning. Normally, leaving your current body destroys the corpse 2 times in 3. But until you reach CL10, your old body will always be preserved. This is a mercy to new players

* Maulers have been redesigned. I've playtested a little with this but not as much as I would like. If you have a mauler running now and are happy with it, I suggest you finish up before upgrading. The purpose of the redesign was to make the various mauler utility attacks attractive. But I've gone farther: They are almost mandatory! (But should be fun, I hope.)

* Minor tweaks were made for centipedes and beholders. For example, centipedes get a little extra melee accuracy with their (pathetic) attacks.

* Some beholder effects were completely rewritten (Confuse, Stun, Sleep). Since the effect code is shared globally, this impacts things like wands of sleep monster. Don't write these off as only being useful in the early game!

* Failing a quest or dying in The Arena no longer super trashes your fame. You won't lose more that 30 fame for any failure.

[getter77]

v3.4.3

* Numerous changes and bugfixes to psions. A few powers were buffed (Protection, Seeing, Clarity) and some new powers were added (Mind Wave, Disruption, Drain). Powers are now listed (with stat tracking) on the character dump.

* Monster breath amounts significantly adjusted. You should notice a difference!

* Monster summoning amounts nerfed.

* New Arena Rewards

* Androids reverted to a single innate weapon that upgrades with construction

Also, some bugs have been fixed:
* Fixed pickup pref bug (OR should be IOR). Everybody was hoarding rods of fire balls, etc. rather than only mage characters.

* Fixed warlock power bug. They really should be paying for racial and class powers! Only the eldritch blasts should be free.

* Fixed activation targeting bug with (e.g.) Laputa.

* Fixed major bug with tailored drops. Sometimes you wouldn't get a quest reward!

And the finalee:
* New monster talk! (Thanks debo )

[getter77]

v3.4.4

This is mainly a bug fix version that I wanted to push before beginning some bigger changes.

Bug Fixes
* Fixed Psion Energy Blast descriptions
* Fixed bug with extended attacks (Archaeologist, Samurai, etc). These techniques should not allow the player to attack with innate attacks as well (e.g. horn mutation).
* Fixed some incorrect spell descriptions
* Fixed bug with ninja bumping into hidden permanent walls
* Fixed infinite loop in TELE_TO with regard to levels generated with just a single room which also happens to be a vault (of course, this too is a bug, but I can't figure it out!)
* Mounts can no longer move when sleeping or paralyzed
* Magic-Eaters can no longer circumvent anti-magic with the various device keys
* Inspecting un-identified objects no longer displays artifact descriptions or activations
* Fixed attack dragon bug regarding number of blows being reduced too low.
* Fixed display for a bronze dragon's Deadly Bite

Enhancements
* Clear Mind now happens automatically while resting (If you have the power, of course!)
* Fixed escape delay in curses port.
* Object activations are now autoinscribed
* The Easy Destroyer is now turned off by default

Game Changes
* Monster saving throws now use a competing dice approach
* Duelist combat changed to make weapon choice more meaningful
* Duelists no longer gain a two-handed bonus on weapons
* Halfheart + Weaponmastery is no longer crazy-broken
* Artifact ammo no longer gains activations
* Improved monster AI versus distance attacks
* Chaos Warriors no longer receive level up reward on CL1
* Dungeon Guardians no longer receive special AI tactics
* Rogues no longer benefit from wizardstaves
* Monsters hurt by light should no longer show up in the wilderness during the day time

[getter77]

v3.5.0 

In case it isn't obvious, I no longer have Internet access at home. So, if something is really, really broken, your best option is to post an issue on the github site (I will miss remarks in character dumps and forum posts, though I'll do my best to keep up).

This doesn't mean I've stopped working on PosCheng. In fact, I just uploaded a new release. Alot has changed, and a full source diff is available, as usual. But some of the main highlights are:

* Draconians have been redesigned with subraces just like Demigods. They even get a special power at CL35. I added an in game helpfile to show the choices (available during the birth process).

* Tonberries have also been redesigned, and are absolutely crazy at the moment. But they have some big time drawbacks as well.

* I added spell damage. You'll see this on the various mage egos (rings, amulets, crowns).

* There is a new shop in Zul. You might want to check it out!

* The Craft Realm got some slight alterations. This is the absolute last time I'm changing it, I promise. Check out the Crafting spell. Also, it might not be obvious, but Elemental and Mana Branding both affect archery as well as melee.

* There is a new personality: Hasty

* Demigods have their skills adjusted depending on subrace. For example, Zeus is good at everything, Athena rocks with devices, etc.

* Character Dumps are improved with Monster Kill statistics and a count of random artifacts found.

There's more, and many minor game balance changes.

Enjoy, and please remember that releases will be much less frequent from now on.

* Vampire Light Vulnerability is much more important these days. (The same applies to Ents and Androids).