New Beta Build: Balancing, Bug Fixes, and Terrain Resources

I just finished uploading beta build v0.944b. It turns out my recent combat and wound changes introduced some weird bugs, so I'm sorting those out. I also saw an interesting comment in the forums regarding the new combat system.

Is there too much combat now?

I sort of lost track of how much time is spent in combat, now that the new system is in place. Does the game feel too combat heavy these days? I think I like the mechanics of the system, but maybe it pops up too much?

I started a fresh game this afternoon to try it for myself, deliberately choosing a character with no combat skills. I chose Hiding, Tracking, Eagle Eye, and Athletics, and made it a rule to avoid fights when I could. It seemed to work ok, and in the first two days, I only got into 2 fights, both of which I ran from.

However, if folks feel they're stuck in combat too much, definitely let me know in the forums!

Beta Build v0.944b

There's a new feature today, which sort of deals with a long-standing complaint in the game: how to find water. In the past, players had to get lucky in scavenge results to find a few drops of water. While characters with Botany had better chances of finding water, it seemed a bit silly to be struggling for water on a temperate peninsula with frequent rain.

To make things a bit more realistic (albeit easier), you'll start seeing some new items in some hexes:

So that's where all the rain was going!

From left to right, they are trees, river, marsh, and lake. When you find a hex with one or more of these terrain resources, you can use it to get the corresponding resource. Trees give branches and twigs, and the watering holes give water. Just drop them into the crafting area, and you get a constant, endless supply of their resource.

This should somewhat reflect reality a bit better, as one shouldn't have to look hard to find branches in a forest, or water from a lake. And it won't run out over time, either. Other things, like berries, mushrooms, and squirrels, still take time and skill, and are scavenged the usual way.

Also, the water sources are a bit rare. So finding a campsite near one is still a lucky reward.

Oh, and this might also help with another problem that plagues long-term players: branch/twig litter. Since scavenge results no longer create a bunch of branches and twigs, we should see less cases of hexes overflowing with branches. Let me know how it works for you guys!

Other changes include:

• Changed scavenge encounter so that it doesn't identify the creature attracted (if any). Player must start battle to see creature, visibility permitting.
• Fixed bug which was causing NPCs to destroy their .308 rifles in battle (was deleting instead of reloading the rifle).
• Reduced tripping chances for non-running moves a lot, running moves are reduced a little too. Battles should play less like a Keystone Kops flick now.
• Fixed tough/frail skills so they don't cause a drop in pain stat bar when taken.
• Added bonus to scare AI if player has strong/tough/athletic/melee, reverse if frail/feeble.
• Fixed text in stat bar rollovers.

There are still a couple tricky bugs I need to fix. Some players have noticed battles still affecting them when nowhere near a creature. Other players are noticing conditions (like "Starved") getting stuck on the conditions screen, even if they are "Well-fed" according to the stat bars.

If anyone finds a reliable way to cause either of those bugs, let me know!

OOO Monday

Lastly, this weekend is a holiday weekend here in Canada. We celebrate civics on Monday (I think). So I won't be back at work until Tuesday.

I'll still check email, and maybe hover around the forums, though, in case anything catches fire. If there is an urgent issue, feel free to email me as always.

Have an awesome weekend, and hope the new version keeps you entertained!