Discovered a potentially major bug with Saturdays release, this is now fixed. Also gave cults a faction power called Mass sacrifice! (Its the first of many and its generic to all cults)
It still feels too weak sometimes but its actually quite powerful read more below!
Changes: -Fixed somewhat major bug where unit deployable cache didn't clear after moving, causing some immense problems like units not being able to build around them, instead using the previous tiles neighbors etc. (I had thought I got lucky this release and didnt introduce any major bugs, but alas)
-Added "Mass Sacrifice" faction power tile effect to all cults. Which instantly kills all wildlife units and buildings within a two tile radius and grants resources per kill. It sounds overpowered until you realize that they dont capture using the power unlike kingdoms. Which is actually quite a major difference (and it only activates when building first level hideouts). It also has a cool particle effect and sound effect though :P
-Building while on a building is now allowed as long as the unit has 1 or more deploy range.
"The Tile Effect Update" DR4X Changelog #85 2/3/2024
Hey folks! Brace yourselves for a massive update changelog. I've been grinding away on this for about 3 weeks, and I'll admit, I'm feeling a bit lazy tpday. So, you might not see too many screenshots this time around, but I believe the extensive list of changes will speak for itself, haha!
I'm hoping these new changes will be captivating enough to re-engage people who stopped playing and also keep new players hooked for longer. 😊
Hey, listen! Just a heads up before I proceed. This update, unfortunately, breaks compatibility with old saves. It's a one-time issue, and such breaks shouldn't occur in future updates as i have now put code in place to prevent this. However, to avoid any glitches or gameplay interruptions, it's wise to delete all your old savefiles, as their functionality can't be guaranteed moving forward.
If on windows your saves should be at: C:\Users\(your user)\AppData\LocalLow\Untrustedlife\DR4X/PersistentDataPath/SavedGames
On linux its weirder $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/unity3d or $HOME/.config/unity3d. (Its probably in there /PersistentDataPath/SavedGames) (I really need to change this to be more DR4X specific lol)
Moving on...
Changes:
Introducing a groundbreaking new feature: tile effects! I've added 30 different new tile effects. Tile effects are unique "effects" that occur when units/buildings are deployed on tiles meeting specific criteria. Some are semi-randomized, while others depend on adjacent tiles or the terrain type.
Some serve as significant new faction powers, like the kingdom's new ability to annex all adjacent capturables when constructing guard houses.
Others are simpler, like the Bandits' (who now possess major faction powers as well, but I won't spoil those) ability to boost their units' damage when deployed on certain buildings.
Some even provide units with little backstories and bonuses, adding a role-playing element. Others are more simulation-driven, influencing where it's best to construct mines, markets, and businesses.
All tile effects come with an icon, a color, and are color-coded on the map when deploying, similar to the red/green/white advantage/disadvantage colors. Essentially, it's an expansion of the advantage/disadvantage mechanic, making the placement of units/buildings even more strategic!
Curious about what else this update includes?
-All campaign missions have been slightly modified to drip feed you the new tile effects!
-Implemented multithreading in AI and various other game components.
-Added boats, complete with their own hard counter triangle!
-Introduced Galleons, which counter Fire Galleys!
-Unveiled Rammers, the bane of Galleons!
-Deployed Fire Galleys, the nemesis of Rammers and an excellent scout vessel!
-Enhanced the AI's naval tactics and its ability to deploy units/buildings on strategic tiles (a significant improvement from its former habit of building solely on its "main" tile).
-Added 3 new AI personalities and upgraded AI logic, enabling it to save resources for significant investments like ships.
-Certain terrains, like mountains, deserts, and proximity to towns, now yield more resources for mines, markets, and bandit buildings.
-Refined AI tactics to avoid deploying water-based units on land and to effectively leverage the new tile effects.
-Cached Building Build Ranges for each building and range, optimizing AI efficiency.
-Enhanced the door boss fight (for those in the know).
(ACE stands for About/Credits and Extras)
-Updated the ACE screen buttons with newer artwork for a polished look.
-Upgraded all saving and loading screens.
-Improved title visibility on the ACE screen for certain dimno values.
-Ensured the title on the ACE screen fits properly on screens with 1024x768 and 800x600 resolutions.
-Implemented Deploy Location Bonuses.
-Added informative and sometimes weird messages to the deploy popup when placing units/buildings.
-To enhance performance, the deployable cell list is now cached.
-Cultists now have a Deploy Range, allowing them to strategically place their hideouts.
-Cult Priests benefit from an extended deploy range.
-Boosted the deploy range for rogues and arsonists, facilitating optimal guild placement.
-Slightly adjusted Gremlins to make their first turn faster and more engaging.
-Guard houses in capitals can now be built instantly.
-Goblin legionnaires now enjoy a deploy range too.
-Introduced a new display mode for "teams," eliminating health bars and adding a tint to tiles, reminiscent of the conquest of Elysium style of telling you who owns what tile.
-Made unconventional victory more attainable in the goat mission.
-Revamped the goblin archer model, now featuring more expressive hands, aligning with the lore of goblins having unusual proportions and mutations.
-Reduced the size of leviathan pedestals for a clearer view during combat.
-Went through all in game dialogue and updated it to make sure speaking styles were consistant.
-Now all common popups have at least two options.
-Units with thief flag no longer detected when attacking buildings (but will be detected by all other means)
-All bandit subfaction bases are now categorized as "bandit hideouts," allowing any bandit to capture them. This change significantly expands the bandits' unit pool but requires strategic capturing based on proximity. (The new tile effects enhance this feature.)
-Rust spitter queens can now be captured, not killed, by bandits, aligning them with the faction's mechanics.
-Giant Rats are now "Good Swimmers" which through a series of little bits of code here and there means they can also now build their nests on water, its not ideal but the ratmen needed some way to navigate water. It also adds this sorta interesting dynamic to the game.
-Updated the codex to hint at things better. Hopefully driving more peopel towards the secretty secret stuff and the good/bad endings!
Bug Fixes
-Resolved a bug that disrupted saving and loading when the command queue was loaded, due to the AI seeking new building placement.
-Addressed an issue where crime didn't always reflect in the "weekly gain" for bandits.
-Fixed a recurring bug that caused a dialogue popup to appear multiple times when toggling the terminal on and off.
-Fixed a bug that has been around for awhile that made tiles act weird if there was a enemy unit that was stealthed on top of a enemy building that was stealthed, where deploy mode would mark it as inaccessible when you shouldnt know anything was there.
-Rectified typos, including the misspelling of "gamblers."
-Amended a typo in the green gremlins' harvest poppet description, which contained an extra ')'.
-Eliminated a bug that occasionally inserted random '#' into generated names.
-Turns out there’s been this sneaky (And major!) bug in the game for probably years. It messed up saving and loading scenarios with triggers, making the triggers work only every other time it was loaded. That is fixed now.
-Fixed a bug where the sentry icon didn't appear when a unit was in sentry mode.
Bella Update!
Had a bit of a scare last week with Bella when she started limping. Rushed her to the vet immediately, and luckily, it was just a pulled muscle. She's all good now, haha.
Ramble!
For those of you who've stuck around, congrats on making it to the end of this lengthy and, let's be honest, somewhat tedious changelog! Now, let me dive into some more details.
I'd like to clarify a few things:
First off, I'll point out which factions have undergone significant changes in this release and those that haven't.
Factions that received major game balance tweaks due to tile effects:
Kingdoms: The gameplay for kingdoms is now quicker and more efficient and more roleplayee, especially in world ages dominated by independent cities or under the control of a single large faction.
Bandits: I've nudged bandits (And all their subfactions) towards a more aggressive playstyle. They've received the most balance updates this time, significantly boosting their viability across various maps. This should dial up the fun factor when playing as bandits.
Goblins: The goblin bandit subfaction has access to Annex just like kingdoms do and also access to the new guard house tile effects on their fortresses. Which makes them play like a kingdom that also has bandit stuff.
Ratperson Pretender: The ratperson pretender bandit subfaction does (of course) have access to all the bandit stuff. But they will be getting updates too. (As none of their buildings have tile effects except blackmarket/gambling hall) but their units benefit from some of the rebalancing (Rats being good with water now/the change to the thief flag)
Factions that haven’t seen major changes:
Cults: Gameplay for cults remains largely unchanged for now. However, they can benefit from certain effects that provide rare resources and can exploit the black market dealings tile effect. I'm planning to integrate more tile effects specifically tailored for each cult, which will require some time due to their complex nature. This is also a great opportunity to throw in more references to RLDR, which I'm quite excited about. 😜
The flavor i want for them in the future is a risk/reward style where tileeffects could be good or bad depending on dice rolls. (Like what happens when you summon a relamling lol, i dont think they will always be your friend)
Dark Forces: No major updates for the dark forces yet, but they're on the list for future enhancements. I'm aiming to infuse their gameplay with more tile effects to mirror the "Shadows of the Forbidden Gods" vibe.
The flavor i want for them in the future is for them to be like an unseen force guiding the realm into darkness. Instead of just a snowballing enemy.
What about the campaign you said you would focus on?
I am indeed committed to progressing on this front, as i consider the completion of every chapter as the only definitive marker of DR4X's "level of completeness". However, it was crucial to introduce additional mechanics to maintain the campaign missions' intrigue and freshness (As long as im sticking to one faction anyway). I'm optimistic that the introduction of tile effects will significantly enrich the campaign experience in the future.
It will also enable me to infuse the missions with more intriguing and unique elements, such as exclusive tile effects that appear only in specific campaign missions and nowhere else in the game.
What's Next?
In no particular order:
Enhanced Player Guidance: I'm planning to introduce new "hints" into the game. These will be offered by Fyegrayed when a player is running low on specific resources, providing strategies and tips to improve gameplay (for instance, encouraging players to research technologies in towers if low on influence as a kingdom, etc.).
Bandit 'Assassin' Power: I aim to empower the bandits further by adding an 'Assassin' ability. This feature will allow their cutpurses to instantly eliminate adjacent units upon deployment, making them particularly formidable on densely populated maps. Of course, this power will come at a substantial resource cost.
Innovative Tile Effects: I'm keen on developing new and intriguing tile effects that activate every turn. (Oceanic storms etc) This addition, however, is contingent on maintaining a smooth and responsive framerate within the game.
Liminal Setting Enhancements: I intend to revisit and enrich the 'Liminal' settings. One specific goal is to integrate a new tile effect-based mechanic unique to those maps.
Cult-Specific Tile Effects: A significant focus will be on tailoring unique tile effects for cults, enhancing their gameplay and strategic depth.
Pirates.
And thats about it! Thanks guys!
I really, really need feedback on this release so, please give me all your feedback! Is this a direction that you like that will keep you playing and maybe get you to tell your friends? What do you think of the ships and tile effects? What ideas do you have for mechanics/tile effects? Let. Me. Know.
DR4X Art Stream
Join us in the DR4X art stream. https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil
WHats going on?
Hey folks,
Just wanted to drop another quick devlog. Had to rush Bella to an unplanned vet visit because she started limping out of nowhere while my little sister was watching her. Luckily, Bella’s okay. Then, got roped into watching my niece and nephew when I wasn’t expecting it. So yeah, didn’t manage to get the release out this past weekend.
Decided to just take another week or so to polish everything up because of all this. So no update yet, but it’s coming soon!
So thanks for hanging in there!
Also, had to clean up one of the scenarios. It was bugging out during playtesting, and guess what? Turns out there’s been this sneaky bug in the game for probably years. It messed up saving and loading scenarios with triggers, making the triggers work only every other time it was loaded. So yeah, had to dive in and sort that out.
Gonna ramble a bit now on my various ideas, this is the end of the important bits, so continue reading only if you want to read me rambling for several paragraphs...
What else...
I've been brainstorming on spicing up the rogues guilds by introducing a bunch of new upgrades to make them feel more "guildy", especially with the new tile effects system rolling out. This would Mean I've got to update all the spots where you can build rogues guilds to include their tile effects now, etc.
Some ideas might not make it into this update but are definitely on the horizon:
For instance, I'm toying with the idea of blacksmiths in kingdoms having techs that enhance their tile effect, which I’ve already conveniently named 'Level 1'. I'm kind of keen on leaning more into that 'majesty fantasy kingdom sim' vibe.
And there's this concept I'm mulling over, though it's still a bit up in the air for this update – the idea of introducing tile effects that change every turn based on some math or randomization. Picture this: the ocean having "storm" tiles that damage ships if you build there, with varying intensity levels but is also quite deterministic. It would add this whole new layer of strategy to where you decide to deploy your ships. I'm thinking of using some kind of cellular automata to simulate the storms intensifying and shifting, it seems like it would be quite a bit of work if i wanted to get it in this update. So it probably wont happen but a man can dream.
There's also this idea I've had since I implemented the system, where the liminal maps would have a unique tile effect that grants units bonuses for deploying there, but once deployed, the effect would disappear. It's akin to scavenging in the back rooms and slowly the map would run out of "scvangeable" tiles. Surprisingly, this would be a lot easier to add than the storm idea, and it would introduce a whole new layer of depth to the noderoom "map settings" in the skirmish game.
I should mention that, obviously, once this is out, just because this update is out doesn't mean I won't be updating the system or adding new tile effects in later updates. This is just the first "iteration", so to speak, and not all my ideas will make it in this first round. I do really, really need people to give me feedback once it's out, though!
DR4X Art Stream
Join us in the (1 day later than usual) DR4X art stream. https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil
Holy dr4x! Deez dr4x Dr4x
New Mechanics?!?! Devlog!
Hey guys! I just wanted to do a little devlog to let you know whats happening in the next (major) update (Which will hopefully be out this weekend!)
This next update balooned in scope massively! I didn't do the "small updates" this time because the pace was very brisk!
But It ended up being the case that this update is similar in scope to the previous Major update (A8B9C0)!
Some important standouts:
Tile Effects
I'm adding a new major mechanic in the form of tile effects, which makes building and unit deploy spots actually matter! It is similar mechanically to the advantage/disadvantage system. Where different tiles are color coded to show you what they do!
Some of them play out as Major Faction powers, like kingdoms new ability to instantly annex any independant/wildlife/new republic/Tenebris capturables via placing guardhouses adjacent to them kinda similar to the game slay!
Some are more subtle! Like Bandits ability to give their units permanent bonuses based on deploying them on their own buildings! (Kingdoms have some of this too, but they are less direct :P) (Bandits also have a whole suite of different faction specific tile effects that act as new powers for them that instantly infest all adjacent tiles with crime etc, grant major combat/resource bonuses and encourage them to harass other players. This should also make them more viable on world ages like Novus Imperium and Grex Tenebris
Some are More SImulationist! Like some mountains have "diamonds" or "iron veins" And businesses benefitting from being placed on "scenic" or hard to reach tiles.
And other weirder effects! The goal of these is to have more strategic choice and to make the games pace even brisker as well as reducing frusteration, like having to take forever to capture a city controlled by wildlife on a mountain or something)
New Options!
I have added the ability to change the way "teams" are displayed, which was used for these screenshots, it hides the healthbar and tints the tile so it is more like a conquest of elysium style way of displaying things.
Multithreading!
I have multithreaded many of the more intensive operations the game can perform, which should lead to better performance! (Especially for AI)
AI Improvements!
The AI is now capable of actually using their deploy range and intelligently builds on tiles that benefit them the most in the long run! As well as many new AI personalities and other tweaks, that make them more willing to use the new boats, smarter in general etc.
BOATS!
Yo-ho-ho, I've brought Boats into the game! It's not exactly an 'ocean update', but hey, it’s gonna spice up your strategy big time, especially on maps with lots of water (Like the pangea ones). Plus, the AI is fully capable of using them too (And spamming them lol). These boats? They've got their own rock-paper-scissors thing going on, countering each other just like other units do with their hard counter bonuses, but with their own twist on the hard counter triangle!
And hey, between you and me, I've been really wanting to sneak in pirates for the longest time. Who knows, maybe they'll sail into Chapter 2... (Yes, yes they will, i need to avoid being vague, there will in fact be at least one major pirate guy)
So, yeah, you can see I've been kinda busy! The whole point of dropping this devlog now is 'cause I've been off the radar for a couple weeks, and I didn't want you guys thinking I'd vanished into thin air or something. Just wanted to confirm that, yes, skirmish mode is getting some love with big updates. (And, just between us, all these new cool additions? They're STILL actually part of my master plan to spice up the missions for Chapter 2!) Heh.
Art Stream
Join our art stream! Where we art teh DR4X. https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil
Gallery and QOL. DR4X Changelog #84 1/14/2024
Hi everyone!
So this last week I had a bit of a motivation issue, i wonder if it was because of the fact that I jumped right back into game dev right away the week after vacation. But i pushed through it and there is a good new chunk of content added now :P
This will be the new changelog! Mostly all the changes from the last few "smaller changelogs" which you might not have seen (Unless you were really really interested in following my logs) as they're not directly shown on the store page (unless you are on itchio anyway). But also with some additional changes, fixing typos people pointed out and adding the Gallery in finally!
Also added new steam capsules fully in that i think reflect the game and the theme of the game better! What is the theme you ask? Uh, [NODEOSERROR]
Changes:
-Added three new music tracks (See if you can find them!)
-Added Gallery --The Gallery available to you will depend on whether or not you have completed the neutral route of the campaign, and a few other things. The plan is to also make more images unlock over time! Players who haven't yet beaten the campaign have some additional silly content to play with..
-Added Door Boss FIght (No context)
-Added Less Haunted version of Gallery (No context)
I also made some updates based on feedback from this video!
Thanks for checking it out BTW
-Select ranger popup on tutorial now also explains how to move the camera and also is more comprehensible
-Out of AP/MP hourglass now more opaque
-At the end of the tutorial the popup doesn't start jumping around until khan appears and ends when you click continue, i dont think this turned anyone off the game but it feels more polished now lol
-If you win a Skirmish or Mission and choose to continue anyway and then go to the menu it now changes the "Resign" option to "Finish Game"
-If you win a skirmish or mission and choose to continue anyway it now changes the "You have resigned" text to "You Were Victorious Awhile ago!" when you click "Finish Game"
-Continue anyway text is now "You've won, continue anyway?"
-Someone reported the halfway to unconventional victory menu 'glitches' as a bug so i updated it to make it hint at what you need to do as well as still looking like an error. This should reduce confusion. --Thank you Reelacks
-Finally got around to adding back the old "hidden" files on the terminal emulator. They used to not be hidden, than i hid them. Now it hints at the command you need to do to access them.
-The game properly hints at this now in the library aswell as some other story bits. And other more broadly apllicable hints. --It also gives a name to a previously unnamed character
-Resolved numerous instances where the game displayed incorrect terminal operating system names. This ensures that players who got ProNode, for instance, won't encounter any references to NodeOs, and vice versa. (If you still are let me know heh)
-Now, many of the popups animate (e.g., float up or sideways, etc.) instead of just immediately appearing in the middle of the screen.
-Some of the treasure popups now include icons, so it's not just text. --I also changed a few other bits here and there with them
-Fyegrayed's Tutoringtons tips now have a slide whistle sound and slide in from the left side. It's hilarious.
-Treasure now descends from the top of the screen instead of just popping up instantly.
-The unit info box now slides in when you first select a unit, or hit next unit or next building. If it's already open, it just switches content instead of animating again.
-The goal screen now slides down.
-News now slides up from the bottom of the screen.
-Added contrast slider to options menu
-Added saturation slider to options menu
-Added menu contrast slider to options menu
-Added menu saturation slider to options menu
-Made it so that UI changes from graphics options now affect all the menus and loading screens instead of just some (It was causing eye strain)
-Added little bits of text in options that lets you know you can scroll
-Fixed bug where some sliders didn't update anything while in a skirmish or scenario but updated upon restart, now they should update if they can.
This makes it so you can have fun and just make the whole game grayscale if ya want. There are some UI elements in game that arent affected though but its a very mimimal amount (Intro popups, tutorial popups, dialogue popups, and the buttons in game (end turn etc)) But it shoudl go a long way to improving the experiance and reducing eye strain!
Bug Fixes
-Fixed please typo
-Fixed "Reccomended" typo on scenario screen
-Fixed some typos in some in game descriptions (I didnt write them down but i know i did them lol)
Bella Update!
Bella is doing great! Here is her in a doggy sweater!
Here is her using the doggy sweater as a doggy scarf.
Art Stream
plausible deniability
https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil
JOIN US
Reducing Eye Strain: Small Update
Hey guys! I recieved a refund note that stated that someone couldn't play because it gave them eye strain but they otherwise quite liked it. So i added sliders tha let you change contrast and saturation to the options menu!
Later I might change the defaults.
Changes:
-Added contrast slider to options menu
-Added saturation slider to options menu
-Added menu contrast slider to options menu
-Added menu saturation slider to options menu
-Made it so that UI changes from graphics options now affect all the menus and loading screens instead of just some (It was causing eye strain)
-Added little bits of text in options that lets you know you can scroll
-Fixed bug where some sliders didn't update anything while in a skirmish or scenario but updated upon restart, now they should update if they can.
This makes it so you can have fun and just make the whole game grayscale if ya want. There are some UI elements in game that arent affected though but its a very mimimal amount (Intro popups, tutorial popups, dialogue popups, and the buttons in game (end turn etc)) But it shoudl go a long way to improving the experiance and reducing eye strain!
