FreeHolder
FreeHolder Alpha 6 Hotfix 3
5.11.2018
Under The Hood Tune-Ups
Hello everyone. Sorry for the delays. Fatherhood has proven itself to be a rather energetic commitment. But I can't tell you what a wonderful relief and gift it has been to work on FreeHolder again. FreeHolder really is full of potential and I am grateful to all of you for your support and belief in it. We are bringing this thing to 1.0 this year, by hook or by crook. Isn't a crook a type of hook? Seems redundant.
In the interest of freeing us all from some of the more rudimentary and poorly written code from my earlier days, I have been spending quite a bit of time tuning up old systems, or smashing them to bits and starting over in order to prevent glitches and lack of forward compatibility with the new classes, features, and enemies that are coming up. In this vein, there are not a lot of visible changes in this hotfix, but there is a shinier and more efficient engine under the hood that will propel the upcoming equipment system changes smoothly and with far less grief.
These changes are in service of completely separating combat equipment (what I now call "battle gear") from domestic equipment, which is still just called "equipment." Combat gear is of no use outside of combat, nor regular equipment within it (except for some accessories), so I don't see why you should have to manage both from a common screen. Switching all your characters to combat gear to fight, and then back for regular activities is the type of needless micromanagement we'd all like to avoid. We want detailed control, but not tedium.
So once I get the new system in, you will only ever deal with equipping characters with combat equipment before combat takes place on the combat screen. Your character's domestic equipment configuration will remain untouched. But of course, in order to avoid reequipping all your characters for every combat, a depressing affair, we will have equipment profiles for each character which will quick load your last equipment configuration or allow you to pick a previously saved profile.
These changes will also solve and clarify, once and for all, the whole arrow/throwing weapon ammo/quiver issues which have plagued the game from the beginning due to murky ideas and slavish adherence to previously poorly written code. No more.
Also for you Steam Achievement-oriented folks out there, there are murmurs on the wind that my brother Matt, a person so oriented, is scheming up some achievements for y'all so you have something to do while we keep improving the game.
Bugfixes are still very much on my mind. I do not plan to add any more major systems, classes, or other large items until we almost totally fix up what we have. But this equipment revamp is so vital both towards enhancing the battle system and playability generally that I regard it as a "fix" of a game design issue.
Thanks, everyone.
Bugfixes
-Architecture skill now displays building discounts correctly
-Blast processing now allows two uses as intended, was not resetting properly
-Fixed several small memory leaks related to saving and loading
-Fixed enemy icon display issue on battle screen
Development
-Tuning up and creating new code for revamping of equipment and battle equipment systems.
Upcoming Features
(! = Major feature)
*Finish action/tool system (character switch, tool list/ledger)
Muse's Song skill for Guildmaster (requires addition of art objects)
!Inventory overhaul (use items, battle only equipment, ranged fixes)
Dark Gadgetry for Agent (requires addition/reworking of Use Items)
Journeyman Smith for Warrior (requires additional items and iron)
-----alpha 7 (tentative)--------
(!)Steam Achievements(!)
More advanced classes and class skills
Remove studio action
Second factorium size upgrade
Slight Delay
(RT1.0) Week 1: Let's Crush Some Bugs
As a feature, I will be running a section in the forums where people can get a hold of me called Dev Chat - I will be checking it at least once a day and hopefully more. Your best chance of getting a question directly answered will be to put it there - OR you can add a comment below and I will also check here throughout the week of the announcement. I will also attempt to outline what things I am working on and plan to work on, and will attempt to update this status as often as possible to keep you in the loop and invite commentary thereon.
I'm going to get the rust off of my coding fingers and get some momentum by collecting bugs and squashing them this week. I have particular interest in three types in service of making the game stable to move onto new features.
1. Game-breaking bugs
These must be eradicated with extreme prejudice wherever they are found. They are often found disguised as or hidden within the next two specific types of bugs.
2. Combat-system related bugs
These tend to cause the most game-breaking bugs because this whole system was a bit sloppily implemented when I was not quite as good of a coder, and involve loading new screens, extreme amounts of data, blah, blah. People have shied away from combat because of this, and it has also made about half of the game not as fun or playable as it should be. Getting combat fun, smooth, and glitch free will both stabilize and round out "survival mode" and provide a much firmer basis for getting the mid-game "campaign mode" really implemented.
3. Save and load related bugs
One of the worst things about these kinds of bugs is that they may not immediately appear or be recorded as a save or load error but rather cause some kind of preposterous and unrelated error because the compiler couldn't find a file. A lot of very strange "one-off" errors are actually the results of a save or load error, and hence are not replicable. I call these "false bugs." But they are the result of a real bug.
Tuesday (Today): Combing forums for bugs, sorting, prioritizing and squashing some bugs. Adding Dev Chat section to forum.
Wednesday: Focus on battle-system related bugs (if time, misc)
Thursday: Focus on save-load related bugs (if time, misc)
Friday: Hotfix release in mid-afternoon Friday will be general aim for weekly hotfixes. I may try to put them out more frequently, and of course I will issue quickfixes for nasty bugs immediately.
If bug-crushing this week is sufficiently far-reaching, than I intend to redo the inventory system next week, including the status screen, and also how equipment works for combat, making it easier and far less micromanage-y with the ability to save equipment loadouts.
Thanks everyone!
Behold! I return. And I bring the will to 1.0.
Let me assure you that I am alive, I am well, and I am the happy father of an beautiful and healthy baby girl. To be frank, fatherhood has been full of difficult and unexpected challenges that had previously sapped my wherewithal to apply myself fruitfully to the game. I have had to take some significant personal time to adapt to the fantastic new reality of having a child.
However, I am pleased to announce that this phase is ending. Starting tomorrow, the first of May, I will be able to set aside a regular work period for FreeHolder on a daily basis, with an eye to first fixing up extant bugs and cleaning up glitchy or poorly explained systems, and then moving on to polishing up the mid-game and then finally the endgame, which though a bit nebulous is now considerably more defined than before.
You have been quite patient and this is due in no small part to your belief that FreeHolder really is a unique and fun game, and you will see as rapid progress as I can manage. There is still some ways to go to 1.0 here, but you can look forward to feeling like the train is starting to pick up steam again.
You are all what makes FreeHolder possible. Without you, we are not a games company, but just a couple of fellows with a dream. You help us make our dream real. This is not trivial. I owe you all a great deal. Much love. See you tomorrow.
Chris
FreeHolder Alpha 6 Hotfix 2
2.14.2018
Happy Valentine's Day!
Greetings, all! I have here a small hotfix for FreeHolder. I want to do more bug squishing on the next fix but I will also start parsing in a few new features. Tomorrow, I am hoping.
Thank you all for the love and support you've shown this fledging project adrift in the mighty and unforgiving digital ocean of Steam. This force has taken us this far, and will take us all the way to 1.0 and the game we all have wanted to play. Me, for about 6 years. For y'all, er, somewhat less. Unless we count those of you who prophetically dreamed of playing it. :D
Best wishes to you all.
Bugfixes
-Strike Forces now persist when saving and loading games
-Villa Bandits now persist when saving and loading games
-Fixed glitch where Gauls would attack the villa essentially every turn
-Gardener mulch skill now causes missing "Apply Mulch" option to appear as before
Upcoming Features
(! = Major feature)
*Finish action/tool system (character switch, tool list/ledger)
Muse's Song skill for Guildmaster (requires addition of art objects)
!Inventory overhaul (use items, battle only equipment, ranged fixes)
Dark Gadgetry for Agent (requires addition/reworking of Use Items)
Journeyman Smith for Warrior (requires additional items and iron)
-----alpha 7 (tentative)--------
More advanced classes and class skills
Remove studio action
Second factorium size upgrade
FreeHolder Alpha 6 Hotfix 1
2.11.2018
Bugfixes, and Yet More Bugfixes
I want to try to square away as many major issues as I can before taking a crack at adding some new features for obvious reasons. Thank you everyone for your reports. I want to release another round of these tomorrow, and hopefully also on Tuesday. Then, we'll get back to the upcoming feature list again. Thanks for your patience.
Bugfixes
-Fixed glitch where campaign mode would still not activate from new game under certain circumstances.
-Fixed glitch where tools would not load properly when resuming a game.
-Fixed weirdnesses relating to animal birth including mules becoming pregnant, pregancies never reaching term, etc.
-Fixed bug where foals would not properly mature into mules.
-Fixed bug where tiles vacated by enemies after a raid on your storehouse would remain "occupied" and unusable.
-Removed bug where grown willow trees could still be watered to no effect.
-Removed bug where you would be allowed to continue to fire arrows past zero into negatives in combat.
-Fixed bug where willow saplings would be appear to be watered on loading a game.
Last Round: Unreplicated Bugs
?Could not replicate disappearing uninjured mercenary after combat
?Could not replicate workers not appearing immediately when hired
Upcoming Features
(! = Major feature)
Finish action/tool system (character switch, tool list/ledger)
Muse's Song skill for Guildmaster (requires addition of art objects)
!Inventory overhaul (use items, battle only equipment, ranged fixes)
Dark Gadgetry for Agent (requires addition/reworking of Use Items)
Journeyman Smith for Warrior (requires additional items and iron)
More advanced classes and class skills
Remove studio action
Second factorium size upgrade
FreeHolder Alpha 6 Quick Fix
2.9.2018
Campaign Fix
Just a quick addressing of the fact that campaign mode was loading but not starting new games properly. This has been addressed. As always, purging your existing save files may remove bugs between game versions, but in general all old saves should be fully compatible with new versions as time goes on.
Bugfixes?
Going to have a slew of fixes for you either tonight or tomorrow. Thank you for your patience.
Upcoming Features
(! = Major feature)
Finish action/tool system (character switch, tool list/ledger)
Muse's Song skill for Guildmaster (requires addition of art objects)
!Inventory overhaul (use items, battle only equipment, ranged fixes)
Dark Gadgetry for Agent (requires addition/reworking of Use Items)
Journeyman Smith for Warrior (requires additional items and iron)
More advanced classes and class skills
Remove studio action
Second factorium size upgrade
Bugfixes
-Starting a new campaign game now works correctly
FreeHolder Alpha 6
2.7.2018
Survival Mode
Alpha 6 brings with it Survival Mode. This is an endless version of the early game that was essentially our original concept for FreeHolder. Hone your skills or aim to last preposterously long. This sequesters off the experimental mid-game stuff for a more seamless and bug-free experience. You can choose between Survival or Campaign on the title screen, and Survival saves and loads just like regular games although they are marked off as SURVIVAL on the load screen. Feedback is appreciated. There may be certain features and other additions to this mode later on, including specific achievements, speaking of which, we should be getting Steam achievements in by the next alpha.
Bugfixes
I am starting a burst of bugfixes tomorrow. I know there are many that need to be addressed. Thank you as always for your patience. Getting ready for the baby has been like, well, getting ready for a baby.
Upcoming Features
(! = Major feature)
Finish action/tool system (character switch, tool list/ledger)
Muse's Song skill for Guildmaster (requires addition of art objects)
!Inventory overhaul (use items, battle only equipment, ranged fixes)
Dark Gadgetry for Agent (requires addition/reworking of Use Items)
Journeyman Smith for Warrior (requires additional items and iron)
More advanced classes and class skills
Remove studio action
Second factorium size upgrade
Added Features
-Survival mode now available. Endless mode without story and increasing difficulty.
Happy New Year!
My time, in conjunction with preparations the approaching baby, has just now been extremely limited, but I will return to frenetic activity this coming week, with some kind of update on Monday to kick off the new year.
Thank you as always for your support and patience, everyone. 2018 will be the Year of the FreeHolder.
Chris
FreeHolder Alpha 5 Hotfix 8
12.27.2017
Bugfixes
More fixes coming ASAP. These are just a handful including the game-freezing post-combat bug that I wanted to get to you today. Complete madness around the moving process. Thank you for your patience.
Last Round: Unreplicated Bugs
?Country cookhouse not upgrading properly
?Greatmaul appearing as placeholder
?Equipment sells can't be undone in market
Upcoming Features
(! = Major feature)
Finish action/tool system (character switch, tool list/ledger)
Muse's Song skill for Guildmaster (requires addition of art objects)
!Inventory overhaul (use items, battle only equipment, ranged fixes)
Dark Gadgetry for Agent (requires addition/reworking of Use Items)
Journeyman Smith for Warrior (requires additional items and iron)
More advanced classes and class skills
Remove studio action
Second factorium size upgrade
Bugfixes
-Game no longer hangs on battle screen after completing combat
-Fishing rod and comb and brush now appear properly when crafted
-Espionage xp now award for smuggling and influence removing agent class up glitch