For this first update, and for the early part of Early Access, I am not planning to add a ton of content to the game. I will not say the game is content complete yet, but it's intended to be a small scale RPG.
Instead I am hoping to take what is already here, polishing it and making sure the gameplay is balanced and fun. I already received a lot of great feedback, as well as some time to further expand some of the systems already included in the game.
Fixes
Captured Names:
Captured enemies had weird names in the Captives menu. Tentacles, Bats, Spiders and other less mentionable things were not properly represented in the Captives menu, but this has been resolved. You should see the same name when you examine the captive, as you see when actually capturing them, so hopefully there is no more confusion here.
Updated Features
Tools:
Tools can no longer be equipped. Tools like the shovel, compass, net and others are meant to provide a kind of passive effect. It is assumed that when you need them, your character will know what to do, as long as the tools are in your inventory, The equip command is reserved for weapons.
Creature Hostility Reset
Creature hostility will now reset when you leave and re-enter a dungeon. Previously, a creature you fought would remain hostile for any future encounters. Also, enemies that were demotivated, would remain so, even if the player came back after a long time. Now these creatures will basically forget you if you leave a dungeon. This prevents a bug where a newly allied creature might retain hostility from a previous battle, and undo your alliance as a result.
If, however, you save and reload a game without leaving a dungeon, the enemy hostility and demotivation will not reset, but will remain persistent until you leave the dungeon.
Monster Damage
Monster and player damage have been adjusted considerably. I don't know if this is "done" yet, but the enemy critical hits were severely overpowered when compared to the player. Now enemies, players and allies all use the same calculations when attacking. The only difference is that enemies use their STRENGTH ability as their base armor, and the player get that stat from the currently equipped ARMOR. The armor you can wear is determined by your strength, so it works very similarly.
Skill Absorbes Damage
Also, your SKILL has been used to help reduce any damage coming in. Currently is is just included in the "absorbed by armor" category, but I might update the log to show more granularity here. I want the log to really help players understand what's happening in any given turn.
Treasure Adjustment
I have adjusted the way treasure is spawned. Creatures who have items in their inventory will be much more likely to carry supplies like bandages, torches and cups of tea. Contrasting this, treasure chests, whether in dungeons or those found with a treasure map, will be more likely to carry tools, weapons, armor, books and keys. I hope this makes dungeon delving more rewarding.
NOTE: If you have already entered a dungeon, and save the game, all the treasure in that particular dungeon will already exist in the save file. So you may not notice this for places you have already visited.
Betrayal
Former allies that you have betrayed (by killing one of them after forging an alliance) will no longer be removed from the allies list on the character panel. Instead, they will appear with a "-" in front of their name like this: -Zoogs
This should help you remember who your friends are and aren't.
Hello Darkness My Old Friend
I am saving this feature for last. I am kind of excited about it, but I am not sure how it will work with players yet. Also, it is not quite finished yet, so it's still an emerging gameplay mechanic. Here it is ... when you are in a dungeon, away from the entrance, and you do not have an active torch, your ability to perform stealth will greatly improve. It pretty much doubles your ability to sneak, pilfer, capture and even flee from monsters. Darkness also prevents enemies and allies from impacting your wits (up or down). Obviously, darkness is a disadvantage for you as a player trying to navigate a dungeon. But I think the benefits may outweigh the harms if you are going for a stealthy approach to the game.
The related things I am considering are to allow players to toggle their torch. This might make the whole thing too overpowered though. If you can just switch perfect stealth on and off, it would not feel very balanced. Maybe snuffing the torch would remove it from inventory, so you would have a limited number of toggles to use.
Secondly, I am considering some kind of night-vision skill or item. Maybe related to Cats? This would allow some limited visibility, while retaining the darkness bonus. I might even require the night-vision skill to gain full advantage of this darkness modifier. Anyway, try it out and see how you like it!