Hello everyone, we're returning to our regular update schedule with Changelog #69. Can you believe I've already shared 69 bi-weekly updates? Time flies! Nice.
Exciting news! The Steam Spring Sale has arrived, and you can now purchase DR4X at a 25% discount. Don't hesitate – if you don't own it yet, now's the perfect time to buy.
Alternatively, if you already have a copy, consider gifting it to friends and acquaintances and enemies and your mother , your racist uncle and everyone else to get more eyes on the game!
On another note, has anyone successfully managed to "SAVE HIM" yet? It's a considerable challenge, and I'd expect to see a post about it if someone has indeed pulled it off. It involves actual interactive cutscenes and multiple endings. If you've accomplished this, please let me know!
Honestly, I'm concerned that it might be too hard to figure out, even though I've tried my best to guide attentive players in the right direction.
Additionally, feel free to share your Unconventional victories. Has anyone completed the Unconventional route yet? I'm genuinely eager to hear from you.
Help me out, and let's discuss the game. It's all just a bit...strange, isn't it? Anyway, moving on!
My talented artist friend Grimwit, responsible for all of DR4X's 2D art, has had quite an unfortunate last two weeks or so and ended up in the hospital. Thankfully, he is now nearly fully recovered from the incident that happened to him. And as a result, there are no art updates this week. After all, one's health takes precedence over ones friend's quirky meta-horror strategy game that no one gives a shit about.
If you can, please wish him a healthy recovery on his twitter, and follow him there. And let him know how awesome he is and how much of a trooper he is.
https://twitter.com/Sir_Grimwit
I love you dude!
Onwards!
I dont feel like posting screenshots this time and most of the changes are hard to show in a screenshot so...
Gameplay and UI
-When on high ground, if HE speaks to you, HE will now prevent you from resigning or leaving the game in any manner until you've completed the necessary tasks.
-I've updated the unit info screen by adding new tooltips for all previously missing things. Now, if you want to understand the effects of attributes like Tenacity, simply hover over "tenacity" in the unit information screen with your mousy friend. As a quick example, Tenacity essentially boosts a unit's base damage and critical hit chance. Fascinating, right? sigh
-I've made certain that conversing with the LADY on 'The Hunt' once will eliminate any glitches and return the 'basic' text teh second time. This means you'll need to restart the mission if you fail or upset her.
-I've rephrased and enhanced many of the existing tooltips for better clarity and understanding.
-Unit base magic stats are now influenced by the inquiry attribute.
-I've begun exploring the possibility of implementing Steam Cloud save support for the game!
Bug Fixes
-I've fixed an annoying problem where the camera wouldn't return to its original position after an enemy attack. Instead, it would jump to the center of the screen or some other location. Although I'm not sure when this issue first emerged, I'm happy to report that it's now resolved.
-I've corrected a bug where "The Hunt" didn't grant an unconventional victory when it should have.
Balancing
-To unlock Lawlessness, players must now complete Renovations. This change means that when pursuing the unconventional route, you only need to visit "The Hunt" once.
-Cube cultists and cube priests and various othe rmagic weling units have been adjusted to possess increased inquiry levels, resulting in more interesting gameplay
YouTube Spotlight!
A couple this time...
The DR4X trailer has reached nearly 30k views!
Also, i reuploaded the "Making of" video about the trailer on my youtube channel.
And now for an AI generated, human edited, and not entirely canon DR4X creepy pasta for no reason at all.
Thread Title: Mysterious 4X Game on NodeOS - Anyone Heard of DR4X?
Post #1 - by RetroGamer92
Date: 2023-03-01 18 : 32 : 51
Hey everyone, I recently stumbled upon a weird 4X game called DR4X while browsing through some NodeOS archives. The game looks like it was made for something similar to the Apple II. Has anyone else ever heard of or played this game? It seems to have a pretty eerie atmosphere, and I can't find much info on it. Would love to hear your thoughts!
Post #2 - by NodeNerd
Date: 2023-03-01 19 : 45 : 12
I've heard of NodeOS, but I haven't come across DR4X before. I'm curious now! If you don't mind sharing the archive, I'd like to check it out. You never know, it could be a hidden gem or just another obscure piece of gaming history!
Post #3 - by VintageGamer
Date: 2023-03-01 21 : 05 : 48
Never heard of DR4X, but I'm interested. I love digging up old games, especially if they're creepy or weird. Please share the archive if you can, RetroGamer92!
Post #4 - by RetroGamer92
Date: 2023-03-02 10 : 27 : 06
Alright, I uploaded the archive to a file-sharing site. Here's the link: [LINK REMOVED]. Let me know what you guys think! I played it for a few hours yesterday, and I couldn't shake the feeling that there's something off about it.
Post #5 - by NodeNerd
Date: 2023-03-02 15 : 20 : 19
I just started playing DR4X, and I have to agree with you, RetroGamer92. There's something unsettling about the game. The graphics are crude, but the atmosphere is strangely chilling. And the sound design...it feels like there are whispers hidden in the background noise. I can't quite make out what they're saying, but it's giving me the creeps.
Post #6 - by VintageGamer
Date: 2023-03-02 18 : 15 : 35
I've been playing DR4X for a couple of hours now, and I noticed something weird. I came across a hidden menu option, and when I selected it, a picture of a woman in a red dress appeared, with the text "The Lady in Red." Anyone else found this? It's kinda freaking me out.
Post #7 - by RetroGamer92
Date: 2023-03-02 22 : 13 : 02
Whoa, I haven't seen that, VintageGamer! I did some searching, and I found a couple of mentions of a mysterious figure called "The Lady in Red" connected to the development of NodeOS. I couldn't find any solid info, but it seems like she's a sort of urban legend. The more I play DR4X, the more I feel like there's something hidden beneath the surface. I'll keep looking into it and update you all if I find anything.
Post #8 - by NodeNerd
Date: 2023-03-03 10 : 05 : 47
Guys, I played DR4X late into the night, and I swear I saw something that looked like a child's face in the static when I restarted the game. It happened so fast, I couldn't get a screenshot, but it's really freaked me out. Has anyone else experienced anything like this?
Post #9 - by VintageGamer
Date: 2023-03-03 13 : 23 : 11
NodeNerd, I think I saw something similar! It was late, and I thought I was just seeing things, but now that you mention it, I'm not so sure. I'll keep an eye out and try to get a screenshot if I see it again. This is getting weirder by the minute.
Post #10 - by LostInCode
Date: 2023-03-03 16 : 45 : 55
I've been lurking in this thread and decided to give DR4X a try. I'm a programmer, and I thought I'd take a look at the game's code. I found something very strange in there. There are lines of code that don't seem to have any purpose, but they're written in a way that looks like some kind of... incantation or ritual? I'm not sure if this is just a bizarre easter egg, but it definitely adds to the creepy atmosphere of the game.
Post #11 - by RetroGamer92
Date: 2023-03-03 19 : 30 : 12
Thanks for the input, LostInCode. That's really odd. I managed to find an old forum post from someone who claimed to work on NodeOS, and they mentioned that the operating system's development was shrouded in secrecy. The post hints that the so-called "Node" might be made of writhing energy and souls, and that we can somehow get data from it. It sounds far-fetched, but given the strange things we've seen in DR4X, I can't help but wonder if there's some truth to it.
Post #12 - by NodeNerd
Date: 2023-03-04 01 : 25 : 27
I played DR4X again tonight, and I caught a glimpse of another face in the static. This time I managed to take a screenshot! Here it is: [IMAGE REMOVED]. It looks like another child's face, and there's something haunting about it. I'm starting to get really unnerved by this game, and I'm not sure if I want to keep playing.
Post #13 - by VintageGamer
Date: 2023-03-04 09 : 17 : 43
That's seriously creepy, NodeNerd. I don't know what's going on with this game, but it feels like we're uncovering something we shouldn't. I'm going to do some more research on the Lady in Red and see if I can find any connections between her and DR4X.
Post #14 - by LostInCode
Date: 2023-03-04 14 : 52 : 11
I've been digging deeper into the game's code, and I found references to five different children, each with their own unique ID. It's like the game is keeping track of these children, but I can't figure out why. I also found more of those bizarre incantation-like lines, and they seem to be connected to the children's IDs. This is getting stranger by the minute.
Post #15 - by RetroGamer92
Date: 2023-03-04 21 : 10 : 30
Guys, I just found an article from an old newspaper about a CEO who was suspected of abducting five children but was never charged due to lack of evidence. The article had a picture of her, and she was wearing a red dress. It has to be the Lady in Red. The article mentioned that the children were never found. I can't shake the feeling that this has something to
do with DR4X and the strange things we've been experiencing.
Post #16 - by VintageGamer
Date: 2023-03-05 11 : 23 : 19
I can't believe it, RetroGamer92. This is getting darker than I ever imagined. I found another article about the Lady in Red, and it mentioned that she was also a programmer who worked on an "experimental project." It didn't go into details, but it seems very likely that she could be connected to NodeOS and DR4X. We need to be careful with this game. It feels like we're playing with something dangerous.
Post #17 - by NodeNerd
Date: 2023-03-05 16 : 49 : 27
I can't do this anymore, guys. I played DR4X again last night, and I had a nightmare about the faces in the static. I'm convinced that there's something sinister going on here. I'm deleting the game and stepping away from this. I suggest you all do the same.
Post #18 - by LostInCode
Date: 2023-03-05 20 : 08 : 32
I think NodeNerd is right. I've uncovered more unnerving code related to the children and the strange incantations. It's like the game is haunted by their souls, and the Lady in Red somehow trapped them in it. I'm out, too. This is beyond anything I've ever encountered, and I don't want any part of it.
Post #19 - by RetroGamer92
Date: 2023-03-06 10 : 35 : 15
It's been a wild ride, but I'm with NodeNerd and LostInCode on this one. There's something deeply wrong with DR4X, and I don't want to risk whatever it is getting worse. I've deleted the game, and I suggest everyone else does the same. Let's just let this mystery remain unsolved. Stay safe, everyone.
Thread Closed by Moderator - 2023-03-06 12 : 15 : 43
This thread has been closed due to the disturbing nature of its content. We ask that all members of the community refrain from discussing or sharing the game mentioned in this thread. We will remove any future threads or posts related to DR4X. Please remember to stay safe and prioritize your well-being.
Notes:
That certainly was interesting! I created it by providing GPT-4 with some DR4X lore and asking it to write a creepy pasta-style story formatted as a forum thread. While it's not canon, it might, much like the FNAF books, offer some hints at a deeper underlying narrative. Or maybe it doesn't and you just wasted like 10 minutes reading it WHO KNOWS!
I'm seriously considering having Shy do a dramatic reading of it for a YouTube video – it would be quite entertaining and I havent given shy any voice acting gigs in awhile! Or I might do a dramatic reading of it. Who knows :D