I'm excited to announce that Glyphscape Version 1.2 is finally here! There are an absolute boatload of changes in this update, so I will get right into it.
Summary
Interface Overhaul
This update completely overhauls the ASCIIDECK interface into a much more visually pleasing state. The previous versions wasted quite a lot of screen real estate to display bare plastic, and the split of information between the dual side panels resulted in eye fatigue over longer sessions. This is the change that is most immediately apparent. The main view is comfortably wider, and nearly every menu has been redesigned as a consequence.
Highlights
Widescreen view of world (100% more!)
All menus have been combined into pairs
Merged side panels into one convenient panel
Spellcrafting Overhaul
I'm not sure what exactly constitutes an overhaul, but I have made many small changes to how strings of glyphs are parsed into spell effects, to the point that virtually none of the spells crafted in 1.1 would behave the same way as those in 1.2, so we'll call it an overhaul. The goal here was to make spell crafting require a bit more thought, while also making the underlying systems more intuitive to tinker with.
Highlights
Damage-Type glyphs now combine from left to right, merging to form a new element. Combining two Fire glyphs no longer delivers 2d6 Fire, but now deals 2d6 Blast, for example.
Glyphs that change the effect of the spell overwrite the effect-changing glyphs to the left, meaning each spell may have only one effect.
Added mana cost modifications (positive and negative), allowing for more flexibility in spells at a given mana level.
Glyph shapes have been reworked to have a more consistent visual language.
Enemy AI Overhaul
The behavior of enemies has been reworked from the ground up, to allow for more dynamic behavior in combat. Enemies in 1.1 and prior would fight the player to the death on sight, and sit idly when the player is no longer in view, and that was about the extent of their behavior. Many new behaviors have been given to enemies in 1.2 to make them more interesting to fight.
Highlights
Enemies will search for the player briefly when they lose sight.
Enemies may now join a nearby fight they can hear, or flee a fight that they seem to be losing.
Enemies may be charmed to fight alongside the player temporarily.
Enemies on fire will either panic or run to the nearest water.
World Improvements
Some areas have been adjusted to be more interesting and/or visually pleasing. None of these fundamentally change the flow or progression of the adventure, but they should add a degree of immersion while exploring the world of Lunamin.
Highlights
Added various alternate routes underground, particularly in the west.
Improvements to the desert village and surrounding landmarks
Overhauled the layout of Bessemer's Isle.
Overhauled the layout of Myrtlewood.
In addition to the above, this update contains a good amount of bug fixes, rebalances of weapons and monsters, and a few cosmetic changes. For a complete list of changes and bug fixes, see below:
Change Log
Changes
General
Sleeping in a tent no longer sets your spawn point.
Leveling up now only occurs when sleeping in a bed.
Improved appearance of many weapons and apparel items.
Expanded variety of available effects on weapons and armor.
Stealth
Line of Sight calculations now take into account things, like low walls, furniture, and vegetation
Improved effect of smoke clouds on line of sight
Some monsters now have darksight, and cannot see well in the light.
Enemies without darksight can no longer see as well in the dark.
Monsters will search after losing sight of their target.
World
Overhauled the appearance of the village at the edge of the desert.
Removed the permanent sandstorm in the desert village.
Improved variety of desert environments
Made the grounds around the haunted manor spookier
Improved layout of Myrtlewood
Overhauled layout of Bessemer's Isle
Expanded the mines significantly
Columns are now opaque.
Improved appearance of beds
Added an alternative route into Broadwater
Spellcrafting
Limited spell effects to one-per-spell
Limited spell damage types to one-per-spell.
Glyphs are read left-to-right, converting according to a (secret) alchemy
Updated Glyph shapes to group visually by glyph purpose
Improved accuracy of spell descriptions
Improved uniqueness and accuracy of spell names
Affect enemy behavior states with new status effects.
Added MP cost modifiers to some glyphs for balance
Interface Changes
Overhauled ASCIIDECK Layout
Doubled width of viewport
Moved Menu Buttons to above player info pane
Moved AP Hints to side of player info pane
Combined remaining side panel elements on one left panel
Moved WASD and EQ buttons to left side
Combined/Expanded Menus for new wide layout
Combined Equipment + Stash
Combined Prepared + Saved Spell Lists
Combined Journal + Quest Details
Combined Hero Selection + Character Sheet
Combined Character Sheet + Equipment
Combined Glyph Stash + New Spell Crafting menu
Expanded Player Handbook to two-page layout
Increased zoom levels from 3 to 4
Added hover/click feedback visuals REGION and COMBAT tabs
Added local Area & Weather tooltips when hovering the REGION tab
Improved shading of book-shaped menus
Reformatted monster resistances and statuses on initiative tracker hover
Improved splash screen art
Added boot up animation for ASCIIDECK
Improved AP hints box, moved to lower screen.
Expanded size of shop menu UI
Added Speedrun Statistics to Settings Menu
Improved how glyphs for sale are named
Improved display of equipment values
Resistances and Vulnerabilites now shown
Added missing equip sound for maces and wands
Added UI tic sounds for hovering and clicking feedback
Monsters
Added Fleeing, Panicked, Charmed states
Some enemies will flee when their HP crosses a hidden threshold value.
Some enemies will now panic when they witness an ally die nearby.
Some enemies will panic when they are set on fire.
Some enemies will seek water when they are set on fire.
Some enemies will periodically wander around their spawn point.
Some enemies will investigate when they lose sight of the player.
Enemies may sometimes drop their weapon when defeated.
Added Swarm of Flies Monster Type
Added Lizard Monster Type
Rebalanced monster vulnerabilities and resistances
Bug Fixes
General
Fixed some inputs being allowed during fade-to-black after death.
Fixed fire spread not applying to grinbriars as expected
Fixed swapped placement of two NPCs in the desert village
Removed tree leaf cover from burnt trees
Fixed explored areas not resetting on new game
Interface
Fixed keyring showing 'no keys here' when keys are owned
Fixed temporary status effects displaying poorly in character sheet
Fixed '+% Crit Chance' string overrun in character sheet
Fixed misaligned chest background line in Chest Search mode
Fixed issues with arrow key navigation of ring slots in Equipment menu
Fixed Undiscovered area names appearing in REGION view
Fixed quit-to-main-menu occurring when leaving settings menu mid-game
Robes and clothes now appear as the correct color on the player's body
Fixed modifiers from weather not displaying accurately.
Grimoire
Fixed spell glyph strings not updating when spells are edited
Fixed some cases where spells could not be crafted
Stash
Fixed unexpected behavior when using keyboard only.
Fixed a potential item duplication exploit.
Fixed a potential case for accidentally deleting an item.
Enemy Behavior
Fixed monsters being unable to travel through doors
Quests
Fixed a chance of Phillipa forgetting you've finished her quest already
Fixed the Artificer's Errand quest remaining in the journal after completion