Infinite Dungeon Crawler
Update to Version 1.0 (build 69)
I also fixed the issue with the new place-markers giving away the positions of invisible creatures. So they should now disappear along with the hidden monster. If your characters are invisible, you'll still see them, however.
One last note: Steam is good about automatically updating game content, but if you ever see an update notice and your build # (down in the lower-left corner of most screens) doesn't match, check your settings for the game in Steam and make sure updates are turned on. One trick I've found to force it to update is to go to the game listing, then MANAGE, then GAME PROPERTIES. Under LOCAL FILES click on the button for VERIFY INTEGRITY OF GAME FILES... I've found that that will force the update to the latest.
Update to Version 1.0 (build 68)
https://www.infinitedungeoncrawler.com/release-notes/.
The first thing you'll immediately notice when you enter combat is I've added red and green place-markers that help to highlight exactly what square someone is in. This can be very handy especially if the creatures are flying (or swimming in the new world) or are in the middle of an obscuring effect like FOG CLOUD or something. They're on by default but you can toggle them on or off anytime during combat by tapping on the button that is up near the top between the time of day and the ZOOM button. So if you don't like it, you can easily turn it off.
Its a little thing, but characters now blink. I had turned this off at one point (not sure if on purpose or accident), but put it back in. Also, characters and monsters that are STUNNED or CONFUSED will blink rapidly, and SLEEPING or BLIND will have their eyes closed. Honestly, I added this as a visual cue as to their status when swimming because its hard to animate the distinct statuses when all you can see is the character from about the armpits up. So the eyes help to signal status effects.
You can now zoom in on inventory items by tapping on the thumbnail that is displayed on INVENTORY or at the Merchant's.
I darkened the text color for SHOCK damage to make it more visible in the COMBAT LOG.
Some PALADIN abilities now require you to have prayed within the last 4 months to use them. Not all of them, but a good number. You'll see these as requiring the "Devout" status. You wouldn't want to anger the Old Gods now, would you? Just pray at the Abbey and you'll receive it (you'll see it listed in your SKILLS). Also, the guards at the Gate will nag you if you forget or it has expired.
I went through and tweaked my routines that center creatures in their squares. This had been problematic and I finally went through and re-wrote the code to apply it more consistently, so most creatures should now line up pretty much in the middle of their square left to right. If you find any that seem off, let me know in the discussion forum or use the CONTACT ME form on the web site.
I further refined torch handling and how they automatically use torches in non-combat and drop them (to be a light source) when combat starts. There were some issues on this for dual-wielders. I also tweaked both their idle and walk animations when holding torches to look more realistic.
Previously, if there were two monster dens fairly close to each other and you got both groups in the same battle, the monsters would consider both you and the opposing group as enemies. It does make for some entertainment to stand back and watch monster groups fight each other. But I tweaked it to be more realistic. Now, creatures of the same MONSTER TYPE won't fight each other but will ally against you. So, for example, GOBLINOIDS are ok with each other, INSECT/ARACHNIDS are ok with each other, BEASTS, UNDEAD, etc.. But spiders will still fight wolves, skeletons will fight ants, etc.. There are some specific exceptions (mostly in the new world like where sahuagins and sharks are allies).
A small tweak. In all honesty, I didn't intend to do this but something I coded did it and I kind of liked it so left it in. When you initially start combat, only creatures that actually see you are in the list and get their turns. However, once the first round ends, every creature in that monster group is cued up for combat. I left it in because I feel like it gives a little advantage against outlying creatures if you stumble on them away from the main group and can get at least one attack in before the whole group joins in.
Some monsters' AI have a larger probability to attack the weakest player. This used to be based solely on HP percentage, but I tweaked this to now include status effects. So, for example, if someone is at 75% HP and is BLIND they would be a preferred target over someone with 65% HP. Roughly any negative status effect that affects someone's defensive capabilities (e.g., BLIND, IMMOBILE, DOWN, SLEEPING, STUNNED, etc.) counts the same as a 25% HP reduction.
One last note: Steam is good about automatically updating game content, but if you ever see an update notice and your build # (down in the lower-left corner of most screens) doesn't match, check your settings for the game in Steam and make sure updates are turned on. One trick I've found to force it to update is to go to the game listing, then MANAGE, then GAME PROPERTIES. Under LOCAL FILES click on the button for VERIFY INTEGRITY OF GAME FILES... I've found that that will force the update to the latest.
Update to Version 1.0 (build 67)
Update to Version 1.0 (build 66)
https://www.infinitedungeoncrawler.com/release-notes/, but I'll detail the most significant below.
I added ORCS, including the ORC WARLORD, to the game. You'll see them now in every world except The Abysmal Furnaces (they don't like heat). I remember back in my D&D playing days orcs were the cannon fodder of battles, and I've tried to keep to that spirit. You're more likely to dull your weapons on them than get killed by them. But they are fun to fight and with an Orc Warlord at higher levels can present a challenge. They love to scream and run into battle --- whether that decision is wise or not.
A more challenging foe that has been added is the SKELETAL COMMANDER. You'll encounter this guy at level 5 and above in many places you would normally encounter skeletons. Skeletal Commanders were strong warriors in life and continue to be such in undeath. They carry two-handed swords and have many of the common two-handed battle skills such as SWEEP ATTACK, RIPOSTE, and PRECISION STRIKE. Plus they like to MARK targets to have minions attack. They also have a good amount of armor.
Another big change that you will see almost right away is that open worlds (The Hidden Realm and The Frozen Expanse) now have ruins that monsters will use as dens. Many of these ruins are crumbling and falling apart, but they have something that is new to the game: ROOFS. This now goes for the ruins in The Abysmal Furnaces as well. This means that ambient light won't go all the way into the buildings and they can be dark inside. This will change how you approach them as most players have darkness penalties and many monsters can see perfectly fine in the dark and thus do not have the penalties. Similar to The Caverns of Grimlock, lighting conditions become a tactical consideration. I had fun enhancing the lighting in the game to allow for some light to seep in through openings and windows. Some of the creatures that can't see in the dark are also likely to have a campfire or torches, which will provide some light.
I've made some significant improvements to monster AI. First, based on intelligence, creatures won't like standing in a negative static effect (e.g., fog, fire, etc.). This means that they may choose to move out of it, not just stand there because their target is in the next square. Or even better ... they may move out of it, behind you, then try to push you into it. Also, monsters are now much more opportunistic in their attacks. While they can still choose to target someone further away, if they pass by someone closer they may choose to attack them instead. Lastly, many monsters with ranged weapons will try to seek partial cover behind a low object, which lets them shoot over the object but blocks most incoming melee attacks. This also includes when they're using a melee weapon with extended range, like a spear or polearm.
Its not a big deal, but a visible one. Plate armors can now be ENAMELED in silver or gold. It doesn't change their functionality or properties (other than cost more). But it does change their looks.
Finally, to hit the most visible changes list, you'll now see some tiles are SWAMPY. These can be moved through, but they'll use more stamina to do it. You'll be able to tell when you're in one because the player's feet will appear to be in ankle-deep water, and the walking sound will change to a squishy sound. They're also fairly obvious because they look half grass and half water.
There are a bunch of other bug fixed here and there. Again, refer to the full list with the link above.
On another note, I have got a lot done on the new world ... The Swampy Isles. I have the world generation working and am about halfway through creating all the monsters. One of my favorites so far is the BULLWUG, which is a frog-like humanoid. They love to hide in ferns and sneak up on you. I also like the DROWNED MEN. They are near a shipwreck and they're undead that can heal when in shallow water. Quite challenging. I have also added quite a few new armors and weapons, plus over 40 new facial features to add variety (e.g., hair styles, noses, eyes, jaws, etc.). I've also added many new abilities, like WATER WALKING (very handy in this wet world). I'm hoping to release within a month or two here. Very excited about it.
The game has seemed fairly stable since the last update fixing some of the memory leaks. I can't say its perfect. I've verified that there are cases where my game releases memory but Java doesn't release it back to the system. That is out of my control. But my own experience (as well as reports from players) is that the crashes are few and far between. But if you are still getting frequent crashes, I recommend turning down the GRAPHICS QUALITY and the FRAME RATE. That can make a big difference.
One last note: Steam is good about automatically updating game content, but if you ever see an update notice and your build # (down in the lower-left corner of most screens) doesn't match, check your settings for the game in Steam and make sure updates are turned on. One trick I've found to force it to update is to go to the game listing, then MANAGE, then GAME PROPERTIES. Under LOCAL FILES click on the button for VERIFY INTEGRITY OF GAME FILES... I've found that that will force the update to the latest.
Update to Version 1.0 (build 64)
https://www.infinitedungeoncrawler.com/release-notes/, but I'll detail the most significant below.
I eliminated several memory leaks that could have led to crashes. I also tweaked some Java settings to give increased stability. I can't say that I have found and fixed all of them (its an ongoing battle), but according to many reports the game does appear to be more stable now. I still recommend just plain restarting the game every now and then. Java's memory management isn't fully within a programmer's realm of control and the Java heap size does appear to grow sometimes even though I have verified my game is releasing the memory.
There are several monsters that I added to the game before I discovered my go-to artist for monsters (Rick Hershey from Fat Goblin Games, see his Patreon here). Giants are some of those, and I have never been happy with the images that I licensed. They didn't look consistent with the rest of the monsters I've licensed from Rick. But I updated the looks of both the Hill Giant and the Frost Giant (both male and female versions) in the latest update. The changes are strictly aesthetic --- nothing else has changed with them. But they look way better IMO.
There were some wonky things going on with some of the racial modifiers when you created a new character, like applying the -1 INT and -1 CHR penalties on Half-Goblins twice, resulting in -2 or sometimes -3. I've fixed this issue and existing characters should be fixed whenever they return from an expedition. This also resulted in mis-applying positive modifiers as well, like the +1 STR for Dwarfs. Sorry.
I tweaked the monster AI to handle longer distance calculations (moving, targeting) more efficiently.
I made a tweak that mostly affects elementals. They now cannot use their stamina-replenishing RECHARGE ability if they are standing in another static effect (like PRISMATIC LIGHTS, FOG CLOUD, etc.). They can move out of it and then use RECHARGE, but not while standing in it.
There are various other small bugs fixed here and there.
I am starting to work on building out the monsters for my next DLC world, which will be an island/swamp type of world. Hopefully I'll be able to release that in maybe four months or so.
One last note: Steam is good about automatically updating game content, but if you ever see an update notice and your build # (down in the lower-left corner of most screens) doesn't match, check your settings for the game in Steam and make sure updates are turned on. One trick I've found to force it to update is to go to the game listing, then MANAGE, then GAME PROPERTIES. Under LOCAL FILES click on the button for VERIFY INTEGRITY OF GAME FILES... I've found that that will force the update to the latest.
Summer Sale!
Update to Version 1.0 (build 59)
https://www.infinitedungeoncrawler.com/release-notes/, but I'll detail the most significant below.
The DELAY combat action has been added. You'll see a new button for it that looks like an hourglass. DELAY allows a character to postpone their turn to the end of any allies' turns, as long as the allies immediately follow the character's turn with no monsters in-between. It is useful in several scenarios where you'd prefer other characters act first. Some good examples are to delay using an area-of-effect ability so that others can get within range (or out of range if it is offensive). Often you can use it to have weaker or less accurate characters first attack a creature using DEFEND, thereby giving stronger or more damaging characters a better chance at hitting.
Postponing your turn via DELAY will cost 2 Movement Points and you may not use DEFEND when your turn comes back around. Nor may you use DELAY again. You can move prior to using DELAY, but it won't be enabled if you have less than 2 MP left or if you take an action (e.g., attack, use an ability, etc.). Again, DELAY moves your turn to the end of any allies that immediately follow your turn. For example, if the turn order looks like this:
Mage, Ranger, Fighter, Monster, Cleric, Monster
having the Mage use DELAY will move their turn to after the Fighter, making the new order
Ranger, Fighter, Mage, Monster, Cleric, Monster
and the Ranger's turn will immediately start. After the Fighter goes, it is again the Mage's turn. The Ranger could also choose to use DELAY during their turn, in which case they would then move to after the Mage. The Cleric cannot use DELAY as there is a monster immediately following their turn.
The looks of GOBLINS have been completely overhauled. I was never happy with the original goblins. They were one of the first creatures I added to the game, before I had access to the wonderful creatures created by my favorite creature artist, Rick Hershey of Fat Goblin Games. I always thought they looked too "cartoony". Now, they fit better with the rest of the beasties roaming the worlds beyond the Gate. Also, I added the GOBLIN CHIEF. This guy can be found at level 7 and above, and can get in multiple attacks each turn with his 2-handed mace. And look out for his attack where he pounds the ground with a static charge! The BLUE GOBLINS found in The Frozen Expanse DLC are also updated (including adding the GOBLIN CHIEF).
I did find a significant memory leak and eliminated it. I wish I could say that I have found them all, but I continue to look for those pesky things and improve performance.
I added several options under SETTINGS and GAME to control various graphics features. One forces the graphics rendering to THICKEN LINES when drawing characters and monsters. If you're typically zoomed out a lot, this may improve the definition on them. Another can switch the mode used for TEXTURE FILTERING. You can play around with either and use whatever you like.
I re-worked how many of the buttons used to move items in and out of containers work. Gone is the word "Drop" and it is now referred to as "Put". And everything is much more friendly for moving multiple grouped items of the same type, like mushrooms or crystals.
Speaking of mushrooms, there is a new option available at the LABORATORY ... the FACELIFT. For only 25 mushrooms, you can customize the appearance of your main character or any hireling. Of course, mushrooms aren't sold in town so you'll need to collect them out in the field.
I fixed a bug where I inadvertently turned off character vocalizations when they hit or miss (e.g., they go "Awwwww" on a miss or "Yes!" on a hit). By default, these happen about a third of the time. It's just a good audio cue. But if you want to turn it off (or increase the frequency), that is controlled under SETTINGS and SOUND. Also related to vocalizations, each character's pitch is now somewhat randomized to add variety, and when creating a new character you can set the pitch.
Finally, the panel that appears when you select the ABILITIES button now displays the Stamina Point (SP) cost and Cooldown (CD) below each icon.
One last note: Steam is good about automatically updating game content, but if you ever see an update notice and your build # (down in the lower-left corner of most screens) doesn't match, check your settings for the game in Steam and make sure updates are turned on. One trick I've found to force it to update is to go to the game listing, then MANAGE, then GAME PROPERTIES. Under LOCAL FILES click on the button for VERIFY INTEGRITY OF GAME FILES... I've found that that will force the update to the latest.
Update to Version 1.0 (build 55)
One thing you should notice right away is that various pop-up windows, like INVENTORY and container contents, are now scaled similarly between in-town and in-world. Also, I modified the scaling of the view of the town such that if you choose different aspect ratios for the game window, the town will adjust so that all buildings are still visible to be clicked on. Previously, really wide windows didn't display the town properly.
I made a big change under the hood for moving while exploring. Previously, there was a limit to how far away from your characters you could click on the screen to make them move. This limit was there because calculating the best path from one spot to another is very taxing and with the prior methods I had to limit it to prevent lag. I have improved the underlying logic for figuring out how to get from one spot to another, so could remove the cap. So, essentially, you can click anywhere on the screen no matter how far away and your characters will look for the best path. I would still recommend not trying to cover too great a distance with a single click. They can still get stuck due to obstacles, and if you have a big obstacle like a lake, you may still want to focus them on a given path. Also, while your characters are moving you can click on the screen and they will stop where they are (previously they would insist on completing their movement to where you had indicated).
Also related to moving around in the world, there is now an option under SETTINGS and GAME to enable movement (in non-combat only) with a single click instead of a double-click. The game still defaults to a double-click, but you can change it if you want to.
I made a significant change to how characters handle torches. This was primarily driven by making it easier in the new DLC The Caverns of Grimlock, but the changes affect any world. If you equip a torch in the character's weapon hand, when combat starts they will automatically drop the torch on the ground when they equip their primary weapon. This will provide a light source. So, for example, if your character has a bow on their back and is exploring with a torch in hand, they will drop it when they draw their bow. But if your character has a one-handed weapon in their weapon hand and a torch in their off-hand, they will continue to hold the torch when they draw their weapon. So, basically, anyone holding a torch that uses a two-handed weapon will drop it. After the battle, you can pick it up again (it will also be automatically equipped as it previously was). While exploring, if you view your INVENTORY the torch will be displayed as the equipped weapon. If you need to see your stored weapon (on your back or hip), just toggle the pose for the character and you'll see their normal weapon equipped. I am still fine-tuning some stuff related to this, but it is functional. One thing to note on torches: if combat starts and you're standing in a pool of water, the torch will drop as an inventory bag and won't provide light.
Another significant change is that some game settings are now stored for each saved game, whereas previously changing them changed their values for all games. These settings are DIFFICULTY, OLD-SCHOOL MODE, NON-COMBAT STAMINA and FINAL HIT TO KILL. If you have a game loaded and go to SETTINGS from either in-town or from the world screen, adjusting these values adjusts them for the currently loaded game. If you go into SETTINGS from the MAIN MENU, adjusting these settings won't affect saved games but will change the default value for any new game you may create.
There is a whole list of other changes and bug fixes. I keep a running list here:
https://www.infinitedungeoncrawler.com/release-notes/
One last note: Steam is good about automatically updating game content, but if you ever see an update notice and your build # (down in the lower-left corner of most screens) doesn't match, check your settings for the game in Steam and make sure updates are turned on. One trick I've found to force it to update is to go to the game listing, then MANAGE, then GAME PROPERTIES. Under LOCAL FILES click on the button for VERIFY INTEGRITY OF GAME FILES... I've found that that will force the update to the latest.
The Caverns of Grimlock DLC Now Available!
This soon to be released DLC is an expansion pack that adds an additional world that your adventurers can travel to when going through The Gate.
Includes:
- A challenging, dark subterranean type of environment
- 44 new fearsome monsters lurking in the shadows
- Several new weapons and armor pieces
- 16 new abilities and spells
- Over 160 new and exotic loot items to discover
- An additional background song added
You must have purchased the base game for Infinite Dungeon Crawler to use any expansion packs.
View the Steam Store page for The Caverns of Grimlock.
The Caverns of Grimlock DLC Coming Soon!
This soon to be released DLC is an expansion pack that adds an additional world that your adventurers can travel to when going through The Gate.
Includes:
- A challenging, dark subterranean type of environment
- 44 new fearsome monsters lurking in the shadows
- Several new weapons and armor pieces
- 16 new abilities and spells
- Over 160 new and exotic loot items to discover
- An additional background song added
You must have purchased the base game for Infinite Dungeon Crawler to use any expansion packs.
View the Steam Store page for The Caverns of Grimlock.