Oct 1, 2021

Erannorth Chronicles - [ER] Raven

Hi folks,

Aside from the various bugfixes, QoL additions and community requests, this patch also adds new challenges, places to claim as homes, and teleportation stones to travel quickly between them.

Unfortunately a bunch of graphic resources had to repack as they got optimized, and so the large update size, otherwise the size gain from the new resources is minor.

02/10 # 1.021.9

Bugfixes

Fixed several typos and definition errors.
Demon & Cambion were missing their 'Wicked' tag. (Fix will apply to new characters)
Picking a custom portrait through "My Portraits" button, wasn't updating the PC gender.
Fixed an error in the mimic encounter.
Ethereal Blade Expertise req. changed to Illusions.
Hexproof vest & Cultist background weren't giving their expertise bonus.

Misc Changes & QoL Additions

Afterimage & Weave actions will stop processing if their optimal target is an 'Enemy' but their only legal target is the PC.
Enforcer Bracers are now Activable.
Optimized Events/Worldmap covers (which means their archive has to be rebuild from scratch and is why this update is so large in size)
Triggering an 'Event' through a Card directly from the Collection, will now auto-hide the Collection window once the card triggers. ie. Lantern of Enlightenment.
Blocked right-click casting of cards that must be used 'Out of Combat' while enemies are present and of cards that must be used 'Out of Challenge' while in a Challenge. This won't prevent you from using them in a different way other than right-click or to right-click them when their conditions are met.
Blocked using 'Out of Challenge' cards from the collection while inside a Challenge. The popup dialog will show up a reminder you are in a challenge and have the confirm button disabled.
Codex Entries (Alt+Click), will now include a section with special tags associated with a card ie. if it's excluded from the loot tables or if its exclusive to certain archetypes etc.
New Game Mode setting: XPGainMultiplierUncapped:x (float), will multiply the XP gain by x after all the caps have been enforced.

New Content

Forest Lodge: 1x challenge and a new player home to claim.
Vanburg: 2x challenges chain for low-mid level characters and village.
Vanburg Keep: 2x challenge chain for mid-high level characters
Ravensburg Manor: a new purchasable player home for aspiring nobles. Can evolve to settlement.
Teleportation system:
- Teleportation Stones are single use commodities, that can be used outside of combat to instantly teleport the player in one of the properties they own. Exiting from the 'Teleportation Stone' event without using the stone, will let you to loot it back.
- Note to Modders: You can use this functionality using the Event reward "TeleportTo:Location" ie. # Grant:Rewards # TeleportTo:Oggurnvald Keep

Oct 1, 2021

ANNOUNCEMENT - The Divine Deception!

The Zodiac Trial - zodiacthemis

Announcing: The Divine Deception!

So, hey, it's Themis. It's been a minute. But I've been busy! I've been hard at work, creating a new game. 'The Divine Deception.' And now, after a long period of development, completion is slowly approaching. Slowly. So, I'm going to answer some questions that you might have on your mind.

What's The Game About?

'The Divine Deception' takes place in Panthea, a city on the brink of cracking open. An upcoming election has the public on edge. At the same time, however, there's been a rise in gang violence, a large company is going through a massive period of growth, and there's been a mysterious recent string of killings. It seems like all these events are connected, that there's something behind it all, but the what and how and why are all unclear.

Through the game, you follow 7(!) different perspectives, each with their own opinions, motivations, and abilities. Be it a private investigator, a conman, a gang member, or just someone looking to kill time online, you'll be sure to get a broad range of information. Perhaps it'll be enough to put the pieces together?

But while you may follow these perspectives, they're not... you. You're something else, talking with someone else. From above, you will gamble on the story itself as it plays out, looking to win as many chips as possible. Gain chips through cunning bets, or claim them directly through gameplay sections scattered throughout the stories. Logic, deductions, fighting, hacking - it's all on the table.

Is It Connected To The Zodiac Trial?

Is this game a direct sequel to 'The Zodiac Trial?' No, no it is not. No major characters in 'The Zodiac Trial' appear in 'The Divine Deception,' and vice versa. 'The Divine Deception' will not spoil anything major about 'The Zodiac Trial.' They are separate games.

But I'd also say it's not much of a spiritual sequel either. Now, granted, it's still a mystery/thriller VN made by the same person, it's certainly in the same ballpark. But 'The Divine Deception' isn't a death game. It's more serious, (not that 'The Zodiac Trial' was particularly light), more heavy. There's still a fair share of humor and the like, but I think you'll find it has a somewhat different vibe. Additionally, the gameplay is notably different.

I suspect there will be some people who really liked 'The Zodiac Trial' who won't like this style as much. That's okay. At the same time, I think (I hope) that there are many who appreciate this a lot more. 'The Divine Deception' is a lot more original, it leans on less tropes, it can deal with topics in more depth. It's not all that different, and what is different, I think is better. Also, the game's just more polished overall, so that's got to be a plus.

When Is It Releasing?

I am loathe to say anything definitive at this point, since there's still quite a bit I want to do, and I know more than anyone how easy it is to underestimate a work load. That said, the game is more or less complete. The writing is done, the coding is implemented, most of the assets have been created. If you put a gun to my head and told me to finish in a week, odds are I could do it.

But I want to learn at least one lesson from last time, and spend a bit more time editing and polishing and playtesting the game. Especially since there's noteably more gameplay in 'The Divine Deception,' hence a lot more opportunities for bugs. So, please bear with me, but I imagine it'll still be a bit of time before I'm ready to put the game out into the world.

That said, I feel like I have to give at least a rough estimation of when the game'll be out. So fine. If I had to put money on it, I'd say the end of November seems like a reasonable guess at a possible release date. But don't go whining to me if it takes longer than that, okay? I warned you.

I hope you'll check the game out when it is released. It's not The Zodiac Trial 2, but I'm really proud of the something else that it is. And for those reading this who purchased 'The Zodiac Trial,' sincerely, thank you. I can earnestly say were it not for your support, I would not have gone through the trouble of making another game.

If you want to stay up-to-date with the game's development, here's a link to the discord!
https://discord.gg/VdCKvbDXzK

Or, follow me on twitter!
https://twitter.com/ZodiacThemis

Oct 1, 2021

1.7 For Everyone!

Approaching Infinity - IBOL17

Greetings space explorer!

It's time for everyone to experience the last 6 weeks of development. Version 1.7a3 is now in the main branch, and here's what you get:

New Starting Ships

Not only has every ship been given new powers and equipment (giving each one a unique play-style), but the amount of information you get has gone from 10 lines of tiny text to an entire panel full of details.

In the past, the majority of your ship's equipment was randomly generated, and most of it was limited in functionality. Now you'll know exactly what you're getting. Some ships start with really powerful weapons or shields, but even things like warp drive and sensors are tied to ship class. It's awesome!

Showdowns

The days of being friends with all the alien races at once are coming to an end. Now when one of them feels like they can trust you, they'll ask you to fight on their side against a common enemy. Hopefully that "enemy" isn't one of your other friends. Time to take sides...

Lower Decks

The next big part of 1.7 development is all about shipwrecks. Similar to the complete re-design that planets got a year ago for version 1.6, shipwrecks are being re-designed from the bottom up.

The first step of this is the addition of upper and lower decks on shipwrecks, accessible by "transit tubes". The *next* step will involve the routines that populate the ships with loot, monsters, set dressing, and other items. It's going to be a long road, but the payoff will be HUGE.

So. Much. More.

If you're part of the Beta crew, you're probably aware of all this, but for the majority of captains, it's news. This isn't everything that's changed, but it's a pretty good list:

You can now click the minimap to auto-move to that location.
Introduced several new devices inspired by the ship redesign (savior beacon, extortionist weaponry, motion tracker, etc.)!
Each officer class now starts the game with a specific cybernetic cooldown skill and 5 gel to power it.
If you continuously try to dock at a space station where they don't want you, they'll eventually spawn a ship to persuade you otherwise.
Your crafting level now appears on the crafting screen (?!)
The internal working of the shipyard (where you can buy different ships on stations) has also been redesigned. It should be more satisfying.
The away team now makes different "walking" sounds, depending on the terrain.
When loading a game, the list is now sorted by the most recently played save.
Alien space ships that have always been described as "large" are now actually bigger on the map!
Gave slots machines a "ding ding ding" sound effect.
Officers who die on away missions now generate "obituatries" as texts you can find in the future.
Added "rare part boxes" that contain one of the 5 crafting parts you can't buy.
Reduced the supply cost of all ship weapons.
Improved the quality of the TRADIO by giving real-time information about prices everywhere.
Reduced the number of crafting parts required to 6 (not 7) as a base.
When experimenting in the crafting lab, wrong parts are automatically removed after each test.
Away team device "Bio Filter" now allows breathing forever on any planet with Oxygen as a major atmospheric component.
Radiation resistance now gives half damage on irradiated planets, but it only exists as a suit or artifact power (not a device or skill). (it's more in keeping with the theme of the power, than anything actually currently useful.)
"Pushy" monsters now hurt you before they push you away (except Greeters).

Explore the ever-expanding universe of Approaching Infinity today!

Oct 1, 2021

Quick HotFix for 4.1

Game Dev Masters - Doobachoo

This hotfix is coming out pretty quick due to an error in the new milestone score calculations. I would also like to shout out CyberGun our current champ from September season. Like a boss he got right in after the update and found a few small things that were missed. The game is massive and complex, it is very hard for me a lone to find everything when making changes. So, this kind of support means a lot to me. Thank you to him as well as everyone helping out.

Fixes

-Fixed milestone scoring
-Removed long term difficulty setting from difficulty menu
-Added a tracker for the new make 5 games milestone
-Reduced the engine revenue milestone from 100m to 25m to better align with new balance
-Added game scores to main / custom conventions for the list of viable games to help players pick there best ones
-Reduced final contract milestone from 100 - 75 to better align with progression
-Reduced final topic research from 50 to 40 topics to better align with progression.

This should tidy up this new patch pretty well. I will be doing a new run through tonight to test / set score on procedural side. Provided everything is good to go I will begin the next huge update for Nov 1, but will hotfix if necessary. Let me know if any issues are found thank you for your support.

Oct 1, 2021

Community Crunch 286: EVO Event, Community Corner, and More!

ARK: Survival Evolved - complexminded

Welcome to another edition of the Community Crunch!

We're getting the weekend started with an EVO event and taking a look at some amazing community art!

An ARK Evolution Event is active until Monday the 4th with the following EVO perks on all Official Servers!

2X Taming
2X Harvesting
2X XP

Creator: The Johtunn Bandit
What is an super-omni-trap? Check out this video which boasts to hold over 65 creatures!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bReFrh_WEnY

Creator: Cantex
Do all ARK creatures stand a chance against the Ice Titan and Forest Titan? Let's find out!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsvfUue7Lr0