This release started off as something very, very boring (library updates, which I hadn't done in an embarrassingly long time), but got interesting: the biggest change is probably that hiding has been reworked so that rather than a skill you have to actively set, the game is checking it every turn if you're not hidden to see if you can hide. This very strongly changes how thieves, and hopefully makes stealth a viable, non-wristbreaking playstyle now.
There's also new music, a lot of smaller mechanical changes, and a couple of bug fixes, including a pretty critical one around followers and summoning.
Shadow of the Wyrm v1.8.4 "Fampas"
- Version declared March 8, 2025. Version finalized June 28, 2025.
- Updated the guidebook's section on Skills and created a new section on
how to apply terrain features (Lustcrecia).
- Improved the "can't sacrifice" message.
- Applying an altar now triggers sacrifice (same as "O"ffer) if you're
standing on it.
- Shopkeepers' default message now references restocks (Lustrecia).
- Updates to use Google Test 1.16, Boost 1.87, xerces-c 3.3, zlib 1.3.1,
SDL 2.32.0, SDL_image 2.8.8, SDL_mixer 2.8.1.
- Made different versions of the level up effect, so that it plays using the
instrument you're currently holding (if you're not holding one, it plays the
default).
- More names.
- Talking to fairy spirits now plays a little tune when they disappear.
- "Death" flag for tiles, where unprotected movement on to the tile
insta-kills. The water tiles in the Caldera have been flagged as death.
- Added an item property, nexus, that provides a link between worlds and
allows the creature to savely move without death.
- For musical instruments, added info on which races they charm most
effectively to the codex.
- Singing now breaks the Silent conduct.
- Pacification is now impossible (Music) and/or very difficult (Beastmastery)
when a creature is enraged.
- Failed attempts at musical pacification are now much more likely to trigger
rage (though still not guaranteed, like beastmastery).
- The status colour for hiding is now bold magenta (was white) to be more
easily seen.
- Hiding is now all but impossible unless you are unburdened.
- Hiding is now for Thieves only.
- Humans and Wood Elves now start with Stealth.
- Adventurers now start with Swimming (Paul Raymond-Robichaud).
- Stealth is now more effective at allowing you to move and remain hidden.
- Backstabbed creatures make it nearly impossible to hide again in their
presence, and e'x'amining a creature now reveals if it has been
backstabbed.
- Reworked how Hiding works. Rather than requiring manual application, it's
now checked on a turn-by-turn basis, if you have skill in it. Only Thieves
start with the skill. The status messages on application/wear-off have been
removed now that it potentially triggers every turn, and instead, the "Hi"
status identifier is now bold magenta, to be easily visible at a glance.
This should allow a distinct playstyle for thieves, similar to how combat
is for warriors and others, and magic for the spellcasting classes. (Josh
Engdahl, Paul Raymond-Robichaud)
- Hiding is now automatic only when no creatures can see the hiding creature.
- One of the thieves in the guild house in Carcassia now has some useful tips
for thieves.
- The game will now check to see if the asset directory exists before
continuing, if the config requires it (SDL does, curses doesn't).
- Moved all the assets out of source control and into an archive on the game's
website to get around GitHub's very low git-lfs bandwidth limits.
- Dungeon stairs now sometimes have an extra description.
- Tweaked a few sprites.
- Changed "Hair Colour" and "Eye Colour" to "Hair" and "Eyes", respectively,
and added a new Hair option, Bald (RelicWraith).
- Stanzas for "Tel and Floridel".
- Bug fixes:
- Fixed a bug with summoner following that wasn't respecting a tile's
existing creature (Ewig Kaiwelo).
- The Crafting skill wasn't showing its message when used (RelicWraith).
