This update fixes a few bugs in the main menu and changes the Skeleton Knight enemy a little bit. I've also condensed the code for a few enemies so it's easier for me to manage.
Bugfixes
Fixed the main menu still showing the pre-game settings if you started a new run and quit to the main menu
Fixed quick/beginner start settings not applying the seed properly
Fixed a description error on the Arcane Mage's Divine Blast active that showed an old description
Changes
Reduced the chances of higher numbers of enemies spawning on the easy and normal difficulties
Changed the Skeleton Knight's Bone Army infinite since it is effectively the same spell as the Thrall's Swarm passive. It now grants +1 Bonus Damage per Skeleton Knight per level instead of granting +1% Damage Dealt per Skeleton Knight per level
Changed the Skeleton Knight's Bone Mend passive's first upgrade from granting 25% Damage Reduction. It now grants +10 Constitution instead
Changed the Skeleton Knight's Soul Bound passive. The entire spell was changed so here's a rundown of the new ability:
Soul Bound - The Skeleton Knight Heals the Necromancer by 20% Damage DealtIf the Necromancer is Killed while the Skeleton Knight is Alive, Critically Kills this Skeleton Knight and Revives the Necromancer equal to 30% of the Health lost (1 activation)
Upgrade: +15% Heal Multiplier+20% Health Multiplier
Upgrade: On Death the Skeleton Knight Heals the Necromancer by 15% Maximum Health+1 Activation
Additions
You can now see the difficulty and run length in the settings during gameplay
Development hiatus and the future of the game
Hey guys, I wanted to put an announcement as to why there's been a lull in development for a short while and give you some news about the future of The Labyrinth.
Part of the reason is because I worked by butt off in January to get the game out of Early Access. I worked pretty much the entire month updating the game, fixing problems, and adding content to prepare it for its release. I also spent the time after release fixing release bugs, doing light marketing, creating videos, and putting together a website. Keep in mind I'm a solo developer so I was doing all this by myself with no additional help, and after a full month of working extremely hard I was burnt out.
Another reason is that I went on a 2 week vacation at the start of February. I didn't work on the game during that time and took my mind off things to relax and recuperate.
The last reason is that I was affected by the winter storm that hit Texas last week. My house is currently unlivable and I'm having to resolve my living situation. The stress from this has made it hard for me to get the desire to program. Once my living situation is resolved I feel I'll be ready to work on the game again.
Now I want to talk about the future of the game. I've had a lot of time to think about it and I came to the conclusion that it's probably best that I stop working on additional content for the game. I love the game and love that there's so much possibility to expand, but I've been working on this for 4 years by myself and I really want to work on other projects. The game is also made in Flash which of course is not the programming language of choice nowadays, so I really want to start working in a different language for future projects.
I love the universe I've made here and I don't want to abandon it. I'm really happy with the world and ideas I've made and I can definitely see myself coming back to this world in future projects. Maybe not a direct sequel, but something with similar ideas. We'll just have to see what the future has in store, but I'm optimistic (:
I'm not halting development entirely, but I'm only going to focus on fixing bugs with the game. I'm so happy with the progress it's made over these past few years and I hope you understand my decision. Thank you all for sticking with me, I hope you enjoy my game as much as I've enjoyed making it <3
Follow my twitter for announcements on future projects!
Update 1.1.0
Notes
This is the first big update since release! This update adds additional features for newer players that aims to make the beginning experience easier for them!
Bugfixes
Fixed the Combat Sound Delay option not loading properly
Changes
Updated the tutorials with color coding on the words to make it more visually interesting
Additions
Added three new options before you start a new game: Custom, Quick Start, and Beginner Start! Custom start brings you to character creation as normal. Quick and Beginner Start automatically assigns you characters to get you through character creation even faster. You choose your names, difficulty, seed, and run length and you're immediately put in the game!
Quick Start randomly assigns you a party from the entire pool of 16 classes. You get one class from each of the main class types and are guaranteed to get a healer (either a Mage or Archer healer)
Beginner Start randomly assigns you a party from a pool of 8 classes. The classes in the pool are the simpler types that are easier to grasp as a new player. Beginner Start also automatically unlocks a recommended ability at the start of the game so you don't have to. Similar to Quick Start you get one class from each main class type and are guaranteed to get a healer
Added new Gameplay Options: Auto Stat Points and Auto Spell Points! These automatically allocate your Stat Points/Spell Points when you receive them based on your unique class's priority list. Auto Spell Points waits until you have enough points to allocate to the next-highest priority unlock/upgrade
Added a highlight in the Spell List to show you what the game recommends you unlock/upgrade next!
The attack text in combat now says when you have no valid targets, such as in the case all enemies are untargetable
1.0.4 Update - Item highlight coloring!
Notes
This update brings the new text highlighting system to items! Last update was a test to see how efficient highlighting text was and it proved to be very much so, so I extended its use to items.
Bugfixes
Fixed critical damage sometimes displaying decimal damage numbers
Fixed the level up reward from the Gambling Room not granting a level up if your experience multiplier is less than 100%
Fixed an Electric Aspect staff error caused by casting a spell and killing the last enemy with the same spell
Fixed an issue with the Chronokeeper boss Fast Forward active spell causing an error if it had the second upgrade but not the first
Additions
Added text coloring for items. Items now show green numbers on items that are better to the comparing/equipped item you're looking at, they show red numbers on items that are worse, and unique/special items have additional coloring to show off their uniqueness!
Nerfs
Boss: Elemental - Increased the minimum cost of each active spell to 75 from 50
1.0.3 Update - New Combat Log & Discord!
Notes
This update has a much needed overhaul to the combat log! I spent a long time working on it to getting it to where it is. The combat log is now scrollable and is color coded to be as informational as possible. This update also has a performance increase so the game should run smoother!
Bugfixes
I was able to improve performance in overall gameplay, but especially during combat. The game should be noticeably smoother
Fixed an issue with the sans serif text cutting off occasionally
Overhauls
Overhauled the turn order in combat. A revamp has been on my mind for a while and I was finally able to get around to completing it. Instead of individual pages it's now a list of text you can scroll through. The keybinds for switching pages before now scrolls between turns
Continuing from above: The combat log additionally color codes specific words, such as character names (green for allies and red for enemies), and damage types
Additions
Added a Discord link for my game! The main menu has a link as well as the credits! Come join: https://discord.gg/rjCF2bW8Q3 (:
Official Discord is live!
Hi all! I've been working on the next update for the game and thought now is the time for a Discord!
Come join: https://discord.gg/rjCF2bW8Q3
A new update is coming soon!
1.0.2 Hotfix
Notes
This small update fixes an issue I've been aware of for a bit and was finally able to tackle! It also brings a use to the Taunt effect I added last update. The Duelist's Riposte now takes advantage of this effect
Small updates like this are going to be less frequent as I work towards a larger update down the line, but if more issues crop up then of course I'll address them as quickly as I can!
Bugfixes
Fixed my custom text parser not displaying text properly in rare cases
Fixed combat not ending a character's turn if they cast a 0-cooldown spell and are killed immediately after casting
Changes
Changed the Duelist's Riposte active. With the addition of the Taunt status effect I was able to implement it within the spell. Here's a rundown of the changes
For 1 turn all Allies have 0 Attention, you gain 60% Damage Reduction, and you Riposte the Target, Reflecting the next Damage Taken from them by 250% before Negating it
For 1 turn you Riposte the Target, forcing them to target you with their next Spell or Basic Attack and Reflecting 250% of the Damage Taken before Negating it
Upgrade: Forces the Enemy to Basic Attack you on their turnAdditionally Restores you by 50% of the Damage Taken
The main point of this change was to streamline the Riposte ability. The spell originally gave the Duelist so many effects at once, now it applies a buff to the Duelist and a debuff on the enemy. This means Bosses are going to be harder to get affected by it, and since the Taunt effect is in the game that means enemies can now apply Taunt to you!
1.0.1 Hotfix
Notes
These are the first update notes post-release! This is a hotfix to address some immediate problems as well as going over the bugfixes I've done since release since the game has updated a few times but I didn't make any notes until now
The next update will have more substance as I have some ideas floating around as well as a known issue that needs more time to fix
Bugfixes
Fixed the game throwing an error if you spammed the attack keybind while an enemy was preparing an action in combat
Fixed empty enemy icons in combat showing white borders
Fixed the Duelist's Assault second upgrade not bypassing Debuff Resist like it said it does
Fixed the Necromancer's Skeleton Army passive spell throwing an error when it tried to activate upon entering combat
Fixed the Endless Wanderer's Anxiety passive spell throwing an error when it tried to upgrade the spell
Fixed the Tower Knight's Heavyweight passive spell not Silencing if the second upgrade was unlocked
Fixed the Hexer being unable to cast Life Hex
Fixed minor description issues with several enemy spells
Additions
Added a new Debuff, Taunt. This forces you to target the enemy taunting you with your attacks and spells. Attacking and casting spells on any other character is disabled, this includes self-targeting abilities. Enemies that taunt you and are untargetable prevent you from taking any action (unless you have abilities that can bypass shrouded targets). In the rare case you are taunted by multiple enemies, only the most recent applies
Taunt is not immediately used in the game, though the next update will see the Duelist's Riposte using it!
Known Issues
My custom built text parser sometimes breaks text lines incorrectly. I have to go through the parser and figure out where it's going wrong to fix this, it'll be done by the next update
The Labyrinth Version 1.0 is out now!
Notes
Early Access is finally behind us! After 3+ years of development the game is in a position that I can proudly say is worthy of version 1.0! I'm extremely excited to finally bring the finished product to everyone who has patiently waited for so long and I really hope the game doesn't disappoint.
This update adds a new room, 3 new achievements, and a Game Guide/Bestiary accessible from the main menu that explains the complexities of the game and allows you to view all playable, enemy, and boss classes to get a better understanding of their abilities!
This update also brings a huge overhaul to spell descriptions. I went through every spell in the game (over 400 of them) to condense and clarify their descriptions so information can be relayed to the player more cohesively.
The final note of this update is that, unfortunately, it is not compatible with previous versions of the game. I'm hoping this is one of the last times I have to do this, so if you're on an Early Access save file I greatly apologize that you won't be able to transfer your save files over.
Additions
Added the Game Guide. This is accessible from the main menu and contains information about many topics and mechanics of the game. It has information pertaining to stats, effects, spells, damage types, and other topics to help clarify the more complex portions of the game. It also contains a search bar so you can search for specific topics.
Added the Bestiary. This is accessible from the Game Guide and allows you to view every playable, enemy, and boss class in the game (except hidden classes). You can view detailed information about each class such as base stats, spawn values, and every spell that class has. This will allow you to familiarize yourself with classes so you can get a better idea of what you're up against when you encounter these classes during your run. For enemy and boss classes it also tells you how many of that class type you've killed (this can help with determining what enemies you have left for the Enemy and Boss Roulette achievements).
Added more features in combat to add more clarity to who the current character is and when damage/healing is dealt. The icon for the character currently taking their turn now has a white border around it. Additionally, when damage or healing is dealt, a number is displayed next to that character's icon with a corresponding color: orange for attack damage, blue for spell damage, bright blue for divine damage, bright red for an instant kill, dark red for a critical kill, white for critical strike damage, light green for healing, and dark green for reviving.
Added the Teleport Room. This semi-rare room allows you to teleport straight to the boss room! The upside being you get to potentially skip a whole floor, the downside being you also skip the healing room right before the boss.
Added three new achievements: Guided, Teleporter, and Double Stacked! You get these from going to the Game Guide, using the teleporter in the Teleport Room, and having both buffs from the Resting Room simultaneously.
Bugfixes
Fixed Achievements and Statistics not syncing and updating properly.
Fixed the Well Rested damage reduction buff from the Resting Room increasing your damage taken instead of reducing it as it was supposed to.
Fixed combat ending a character's turn properly if you press the skip hotkey. You could spam the skip key and the game would freak out and make enemies take multiple actions at once.
Fixed the visual bug with item slots not properly updating their icons when the compare target was changed.
Fixed self-targeting spells not allowing you to re-select the character casting the ability if you didn't have that character selected upon queuing the ability.
Fixed boss rooms not correctly generating bosses based on the run seed.
Fixed the Shield Wall's Overshield soft-locking the game if it had the spell upgraded while also not having Raise Shield unlocked.
Fixed rare occasions where the action text in combat describing what spell a character is about to cast is too long and gets overlapped by the character icons
Reduced the lag from swapping items even further. The previous update had a marginal increase in speed but I was able to get it to swap items near instantaneously.
Overhauls
Overhauled many spell descriptions. I went through every spell to condense and clarify descriptions. I also normalized descriptions so different spells across different class types that did similar effects used the same language and syntax.
Applied total spell effects to the main spell description. What this means is if you upgrade a spell to apply additional effects and hover over the main spell icon the spell description now shows the entire effect, including additional effects. Descriptions before wouldn't update if you upgraded to add more effects to the spells, only upgrades that changed the base values would update. Now you can get all information about a spell from its main description instead of having to check each upgrade to see more effects the spell does!
Changes
Moved the attack and skip buttons in combat to be closer to the center of the screen. This way they're more easily accessible since those buttons are used quite a bit, plus it moves them out of the "Spell List" which you would think wouldn't house such buttons!
The Gambling Room can no longer spawn on the first floor of the game since you're likely to have either no Gold or very little.
Tweaked the Duelist's Assault. It now costs a flat 20 Mana instead of 10 (25 initial - 15 upgrade). The upgrade that used to reduce the Mana cost by 15 now allows the Assault debuff to bypass Debuff Resistance.
Changed the second upgrade of the Arcane Mage's Divine Blast. Instead of resetting the cooldown if the spell killed its target, the spell now deals a bonus 15% Maximum Health Divine Damage to a random Enemy that's not the main target of the spell.
Nerfs
Increased the turns it takes for the Brewer's Burning Brew active to deal its total damage to 5 from 3.
I wanted to conclude these update notes with a sincere thank you to everyone who played the game during its Early Access phase. The feedback I've gotten has helped shape the game immensely into something that I hope is as accessible and enjoyable for as many people as possible. The game will receive updates in the future for bugfixing but the updates will slow down as I start to transition to other projects. This game has been 4 years in the making, it's my baby and I don't want to stop working on it until I know it's in a position in which it can be enjoyed long after I leave it behind.
The Labyrinth leaves Early Access January 8th
Early Access is leaving us behind! The update to Version 1.0 will not contain much since the game is in a rock solid state right now. I'm continuing to test the game so stay tuned for the full release update where I'll go more in depth as to all the tweaks I've done!
