CastlevaniaRL 0.61 released

[Slash]

Hi all!

After more than 2 years, a new version of CastlevaniaRL is available!

Check out the gameplay videos at Slashie.net youtube channel ( http://www.youtube.com/user/santizap )

GFX Version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viNQLwMWjF0
Console Version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=424eE-FQoIE

Version schema has changed, previous versions (the 1.x branch) must be interpreted as pre 1.0 versions (Version 1.26, which was the latest version, must now be interpreted as 0.26)

Get CvRL 0.61 from http://slashie.net and give me your comments!

[getter77]

Woo hoo!  Fantastic to see things evolving with this game again.  I still hold to my theory that it is brimming with potential given the setting and wealth of details present in the franchise.  Cheers to all the hard work!   

[Vanguard]

Nice!  I always thought this was your best game.  I was thinking about starting a thread for it so we could finally find the answer to what those hidden cards do.  I'm guess that (spoilers)

since it's based on Castlevania, you use them on the mind-controlled Belmont.

Edit:

Do whip upgrades ever drop off of monsters, or is it only for non-respawning things like candles?  If so, that seems like a really big disadvantage for the vampire killer class, since they can be permanently stuck with the crummy leather whip.

Edit 2:

It seems that attacking using the 'f' key is a slower action than attacking using the 'a' key or moving into your target.  Is this intentional?  Also, my guess is that the backflip ability gives a 5% chance of a double evade check for each point in attack the player has.  Is this correct?

Edit 3:

As a suggestion, what do you think of showing the player's mystic weapon in the box in the upper left corner when they're playing the vampire killer class?  For other classes it shows their secondary weapon, but obviously that's not applicable for VKs.

[Slash]

Do whip upgrades ever drop off of monsters, or is it only for non-respawning things like candles?  If so, that seems like a really big disadvantage for the vampire killer class, since they can be permanently stuck with the crummy leather whip.

Let's check..

Yep, and it's unfair!

http://slashie.net/mantis/view.php?id=932

It seems that attacking using the 'f' key is a slower action than attacking using the 'a' key or moving into your target.  Is this intentional?

Thanks for spotting it out!
http://slashie.net/mantis/view.php?id=933

Also, my guess is that the backflip ability gives a 5% chance of a double evade check for each point in attack the player has.  Is this correct?

Close! it gives you a (20 + attack)% chance of a double evade check

As a suggestion, what do you think of showing the player's mystic weapon in the box in the upper left corner when they're playing the vampire killer class?  For other classes it shows their secondary weapon, but obviously that's not applicable for VKs.

That's a bug for the graphics version, the mystic weapon is supposed to be there

http://slashie.net/mantis/view.php?id=934

[Vanguard]

Do whip upgrades ever drop off of monsters, or is it only for non-respawning things like candles?  If so, that seems like a really big disadvantage for the vampire killer class, since they can be permanently stuck with the crummy leather whip.

After finding the item that lets you upgrade to the lightning whip, I find it to be much less of a problem.  I actually prefer the leather whip, since being hit doesn't downgrade it from the lightning whip.

Close! it gives you a (20 + attack)% chance of a double evade check

It said when I learned the skill that it would give me a 40% chance of a double evade check when my attack power was 8.  By that formula, shouldn't it have been a 28% chance?  Could it be displaying the number wrong?

That's a bug for the graphics version, the mystic weapon is supposed to be there

http://slashie.net/mantis/view.php?id=934

Ah, okay, that makes sense.

[Vanguard]

Alright, well my guy just got killed off in the area right after the Royal Chapel.  I don't know how the Vampire Killer class is supposed to deal with the Panther Skeletons - they seem to have some serious problems in the mid-game, despite being really easy to start out.

Here are the problems I see:

1.  Weak weapons.  Vampire Killer is really good at the start, but the lack of improvements later on means it will be surpassed by the other class' weapons in time.  The Thorn Whip and the Lightning Whip help, but they're not enough.  Maybe this gets resolved later on, but I've never been there.

2.  Crappy armor.  You're stuck with the vampire killer armor for the long haul, and it's pretty bad.  The class's high stats and the whip mean that it doesn't hold you back much at the start, but once those things' usefulness starts to fade away, it definitely shows.  Again, maybe you can upgrade the armor later in the game, but even if you can, you have to go an awfully long way with extremely basic armor, and no shield ever.

Of course, giving Vampire Killers better starting armor would just make the first few areas too easy.

3.  The lack of a ranged attack and a heal.  Mystic weapons give you long ranged attacks, and the holy water mystic weapon lets you heal yourself, but you really have to choose between one or the other, and once your whip and armor troubles start showing up, you're going to need both.  Maybe giving Vampire Killer's more special abilities earlier in the game, so they can access the Soul Ice ability sooner would help resolve this.

One thing I thought I'd bring up on the other end of the equation is an item that makes some parts of the game too easy - the orb of recall.  I think it would be much less of a 'get out of jail free' card if there was a delay of a few turns in between using it and showing up safely in town.