This is a big one, especially because this game's GameMaker build was updated, causing some... happy accidents along the way. Good news is, the build is now 64-bit which should mean minor performance boosts for everyone (except for that one guy still relying on 32-bit builds, you can't play anymore. Sorry, it's out of my hands). Bad news is hopefully none, but I'll be watching for new bug reports.
Also, we now have a wiki!
COMBAT BALANCING:
- Agility Rework:
- Much less effect on turns at low Agility.
- Less effective on turns when two units have a large Agility disparity.
- Less effect on Move Range, and base Move Range has been increased at low Agility levels.
- Haste now gives +10% more turns in addition to its Time effects.
- Move Range Skills only give +15% Move Range.
- Mistwalker deals less damage and has less defense.
- Damage Rework:
- New damage formula that should also make damage descriptions easier to understand.
- With this in mind, almost all of the skill ratios have changed, so I won't note any that have basically the same final numbers. The ones that have changed:
- Steadfast costs +1 MP and scales damage reduction based on your Willpower.
- Ignite costs +1 MP and scales entirely off Intelligence.
- Surge does not scale with Awareness anymore (less damage), but has a higher range.
- Damage descriptions now ignore your Attack and just add up your base stat total. This should be more understandable anyway, since Defense had to be ignored and the predicted numbers were always wildly higher than the actual damage dealt.
- Axe now gives -1 Agility and more Attack.
- Spear now gives +1 Defense.
- Ruby Ring now gives +1 Defense.
- Blast Potion deals 20% less damage.
- Siren Fight Rebalance:
- The pace should be much faster already due to the Agility changes, but Siren also dies about ~15% faster, Guardians die about ~35% faster and give less XP.
- Siren's AI has been reworked. Most notably she will use secondary Hailstorms a bit later in the fight.
- Enchain now has a chance to lower CON/HP.
- Siren will use Freeze a bit more earlier on, but will completely stop after the second Hailstorm.
- Guardian's base damage is MUCH higher, but damage to Siren remains relatively unchanged. The goal was to keep the Guardian strategy effective, but requiring a build that can survive the damage.
- Guardian's attack is slightly longer and wider.
- When picking up equipment, a prompt will ask if you'd like to instantly equip it this turn.
- Status Effect Rework:
- Status effects have been heavily simplified. Now, when your turn ends, all of them tick down by 1 (Originally, debuffs would tick down on every unit's turn, which was just confusing in practice). With this in mind:
- Devour now only lasts for 3 turns.
- Blast Potion only stuns for 1 turn.
- Ice Shard only Chills for 2 turns.
- Freeze only stuns for 1 turn.
- Ignite only lasts for 1 turn.
- Status Effects still have no visual indicator, sorry. Just have a good memory I guess.
- Status effects have been heavily simplified. Now, when your turn ends, all of them tick down by 1 (Originally, debuffs would tick down on every unit's turn, which was just confusing in practice). With this in mind:
New:
- New Event + Combat in Cold Gates
- This new encounter will test your Willpower and Sanity unlike any other enemy. And I don't just mean in-game: for anyone who felt the horror elements of this game were lacking, you might enjoy this (or maybe you won't? That is the point of horror after all).
- A new, very powerful Scythe drop tied to the above.
- Descriptions have been added to all Clickable Items and Combat Items. Combat Items require you to click them for their description (clicking again removes it), but you change this in options to just hovering.
- Weapons now display their stats and passives in their description.
- Both the WIP Item Slot Skills have been replaced by the Manic and Serenity Skills (Item Slots will be permanent improvements via Gold instead, should fit much better anyway).
- Recursion effect slightly changed, and now works.
Bugfixes:
- Fixed a bug that has been preventing Choices from highlighting when hovering their corresponding Node.
- Fixed a bug that could allow the Autosave to skip fights.
- Fixed a bug that could allow the Autosave to softlock fights (ouch).
- Fixed a bug that kept SkillNodes clickable when a popup was on screen.
- Fixed a bug with the opening transitioning music into combat (pitch lines up with normal music and should match the tempo properly).
- Fixed a bug where the Back button would sometimes stay on screen when it shouldn't.
- Fixed a bug with Elements reacting to the mouse while the map was being dragged around.
Misc:
- HP/SP/EP all keep their original percentage when adjusting (e.g. 6/10 -> 12/20)
- Pickup / Retreat options, when available, now appear at the top of the command list.
- Noted that Counter doesn't work, because it hasn't and I forgot to say it.
- Alleyways / Black Knight now show up on the map instead of being hidden. Previous saves might behave a little wonky the first time you see them if you go back. The Alleyways have been renamed to Lowtown to avoid confusion.
- Fixed typos.