Although I've been quiet, I've been hard at work at totally reformatting the game to better align with the original gameplay philosophy. The "player completes the dungeon" style gameplay moved away completely from the original inspiration for Dungeoneer and added a negative repetitiveness to the game.
So, as was originally prototyped - the dungeons have moved back to a randomly generated system. Dungeons will no longer be "completed" but will feel more like an open area the player goes to in which to complete quests and progress through the game. This means that multiple dungeons have been squished down into one larger randomly generated dungeon.
The new dungeons now consist of multiple zones, each randomly generated from a set of room tiles. Each zone typically has a boss located somewhere within with awesome loot. Dungeon layouts can vary wildly, creating a unique feel each time you explore.
Distended Caverns
Wetland Labyrinth
This change does mean that the previously existing dungeons no longer exist in the game. At least for the time being. I am not sure if they will return in some form.
Since there are now "zones" over multiple dungeons, Waypoints can be found throughout dungeons unlocking a quick way to navigate to specific locations in that dungeon from town. Just run over the Waypoint to unlock it permanently.
Waypoint
With this massive game design change comes a change in quest and dungeon progression. I struggled with how I would handle migrating old character files since I don't have a great system in place, but due to some technical concerns I believe I will just leave those characters as they are.
(This means old characters may or may not still have previous quest and dungeon progress and may be able to complete quests again. This has not been tested and may not work as intended. This may also allow characters to have more Echoes than intended if they are able to complete certain quests again.)
I've always been forward about things not being perfect as I continue updating this project but I will always do what I can to not interfere with the players as much as possible. But with this change, I highly recommend starting a new character to play the game as is now intended.
As a side note, I will have a few major improvements made and bugs fixed with this patch. I.e. instant abilities will no longer interrupt your auto attacks, better loading screen transitions, and some very important multiplayer fixes!
I plan to release this hopefully sometime next week.
Thanks for all of your support, Alex
Patch - July 1st, 2022
After the last Hero Mode update to incentivize multiplayer and add end game, I realized there were still quite a few issues with basic multiplayer functionality. This patch aims to fix most of these issues.
Fixes
Fixed an issue where unlearning an ability as a connected player would not remove the ability and would still spend the Empty Spell Scroll
Fixed an issue where learning an ability as a connected player would not give the player the ability but would still cost all resources and use the spell book
Fixed an issue where connected players could not see other revived players
Fixed an issue that would prevent you from moving after eating/drinking as a connected player
Fixed an issue where increasing your stats from leveling up would not work as a connected player
Fixed an issue where the party list on the left side of the HUD would link to the incorrect hero
Fixed an issue where you could cast abilities after death as a connected player
Fixed an issue where reviving as a connected player would not cost XP
Fixed an issue where the attack cooldown bar would not show as a connected player
Fixed an issue where connected players could not see placed traps from trap spells
Fixed an issue where connected players would not see the same attack animations as on the server
Fixed an issue where connected players would not see the same ability animations as on the server
Fixed an issue where dead enemies would exist on newly connected player games
Fixed an issue where the dungeon menu did not pop up for connected players on death
Fixed the level up animations for connected players
Fixed various spell sounds that did not replicate to all players
Fixed an issue where selecting a connected player's hero would not show the player's hero name
Fixed an issue that would break the health bar delay when using an ability on the same target
In addition to all of the fixes, a new map for level selection has been added!
All zones and all dungeons are displayed at all times, making it easier to see and select the dungeon you want.
I'm pretty happy to get a lot of these things fixed. I'm sure there are more bugs with multiplayer but this should hopefully make the gameplay experience feel much more stable.
Enjoy and thank you so much for playing! Alex
Hotfix - June 23rd, 2022
Fixes
Fixed an issue where item meshes would not change when unequipped
Patch - June 23rd, 2022
Quick fix for the equipment slot issues caused from last patch.
Fixes
Fixed an issue where you could no longer equip items
Fixed equipment slot item names
Fixed equipment slot item quality color
Fixed equipment slot item level
Hero Mode Update - June 22nd, 2022
I'm pretty happy to be introducing Hero Mode - the end game content for Dungeoneer. In this mode, enemies will drop much better items and reward much more experience but will also be significantly stronger. Bosses will also drop "upped" Hero variants of their unique items. But be warned! Hero Mode will not be easy and death is likely! Cooperative play encouraged...
All dungeons will be available for play in Hero Mode immediately. You only need to click the toggle button from the dungeon selection window. All dungeons are scaled up to have level 20 mobs and item level drops, but difficulty may vary regardless of the order of zone or dungeon.
With the unique item Hero variants, I've also done quite a bit of rebalancing to the normal versions of many unique items.
This is the first iteration of Hero Mode so please expect some balancing issues with items, enemies, and experience gains. Also note that this mode is designed for characters that are around level 18+, which is rather difficult to get to with the normal mode content. Farming in Hero Mode with a party is likely your best way to get enough XP to use the Hero variant items. (If you can manage to get them!)
Lastly, in addition to Hero Mode - the town of Ingrim has received a small makeover, adding lots of little details and a new story location. You will have to play to see all the changes!
As always, enjoy! Alex
Update - June 21st, 2022
Hello everyone,
After some heavy requests for it, the Shared Stash feature has been added! As well as some other updates/fixes.
Changes
Shared Stash - you can now hoard your items and easily trade them between your characters. The stash can be found near the Ingrim Bazaar.
Updated style for selected unit UI
Updated Health and Mana Bars - the style for these bars has changed and now show a damage amount with a decaying bar on the health bar
Updated Health and Mana Regen - health and mana regen now work on an Mp5 system, regenerating health and mana every 5 seconds instead of every game tick. Regen stats have been slightly adjusted as well but will likely receive further tweaking
Fixes
Fixed an issue where crafting abilities would now show correctly in the spell book when filtered with a skill tree selected
Fixed the Unreal Engine icon on window toolbar
Fixed some odd behavior when manipulating quickslot items
I tested locally and on multiplayer some with the shared stash but note that multiplayer has not been extensively tested. If you do play multiplayer, please check with the stash behavior some if you are cautious about item save data.
Please enjoy and thank you for the continued support!
Patch - June 15th, 2022
Just a couple quick (but important) fixes.
Fixes
Fixed an issue where dodging could break character input. The dodge animation will no longer play if your character is mid animation
Fixed the placement of the dummies in the Cavern Barracks. They should no longer spawn near the beginning of the level
Patch - June 12th, 2022
Fixes
Fixed an issue where magic equipment could not be disenchanted
Fixed an issue where you could duplicate items with vendors using the buy/sell popup
Fixed an issue where you could duplicate consumable quick slot items
Fixed an issue that would prevent you from moving after typing in chat, specifically using the "R" key...
Fixed an issue where you could use an Empty Spell Scroll, which had no effect
Changes slightly some of the jump locations in wetlands
Enjoy!
Level Design Update - June 10th, 2022
Hello everyone,
I'm happy to release today's patch which does a complete overhaul of the lighting in almost every dungeon. This should hopefully improve performance in some places and help the game feel like it is of much higher quality. Expect to continue to see improvements to dungeons over time.
In Editor Screenshots
Wetlands Upper Falls Old vs. New
But Wait, There's More
In addition to the lighting and performance improvements, there have been some significant changes to a few dungeons to give the player more options while exploring. This may mean you need to find an alternate route to progress based on your character!
Lastly, introducing... interactable objects! There are not very many yet... but now the player can interact with various objects found throughout dungeons to cleverly defeat unsuspecting enemies or unlock a new path.
As always, thank you for the continued support and I hope you enjoy.
Patch - June 8th, 2022
Another small patch to fix some annoying issues and reintroducing Dodge!
Fixes
Added the dodge mechanic back into the game and fixed the stat percentage in the character stats
Fixed an issue where you could sell or drop equipment items, causing them to duplicate
Fixed an issue where picking up items stuck in meshes would break the item, effectively losing the item
