FreeHolder Alpha 6 Hotfix 3
5.11.2018
Under The Hood Tune-Ups
Hello everyone. Sorry for the delays. Fatherhood has proven itself to be a rather energetic commitment. But I can't tell you what a wonderful relief and gift it has been to work on FreeHolder again. FreeHolder really is full of potential and I am grateful to all of you for your support and belief in it. We are bringing this thing to 1.0 this year, by hook or by crook. Isn't a crook a type of hook? Seems redundant.
In the interest of freeing us all from some of the more rudimentary and poorly written code from my earlier days, I have been spending quite a bit of time tuning up old systems, or smashing them to bits and starting over in order to prevent glitches and lack of forward compatibility with the new classes, features, and enemies that are coming up. In this vein, there are not a lot of visible changes in this hotfix, but there is a shinier and more efficient engine under the hood that will propel the upcoming equipment system changes smoothly and with far less grief.
These changes are in service of completely separating combat equipment (what I now call "battle gear") from domestic equipment, which is still just called "equipment." Combat gear is of no use outside of combat, nor regular equipment within it (except for some accessories), so I don't see why you should have to manage both from a common screen. Switching all your characters to combat gear to fight, and then back for regular activities is the type of needless micromanagement we'd all like to avoid. We want detailed control, but not tedium.
So once I get the new system in, you will only ever deal with equipping characters with combat equipment before combat takes place on the combat screen. Your character's domestic equipment configuration will remain untouched. But of course, in order to avoid reequipping all your characters for every combat, a depressing affair, we will have equipment profiles for each character which will quick load your last equipment configuration or allow you to pick a previously saved profile.
These changes will also solve and clarify, once and for all, the whole arrow/throwing weapon ammo/quiver issues which have plagued the game from the beginning due to murky ideas and slavish adherence to previously poorly written code. No more.
Also for you Steam Achievement-oriented folks out there, there are murmurs on the wind that my brother Matt, a person so oriented, is scheming up some achievements for y'all so you have something to do while we keep improving the game.
Bugfixes are still very much on my mind. I do not plan to add any more major systems, classes, or other large items until we almost totally fix up what we have. But this equipment revamp is so vital both towards enhancing the battle system and playability generally that I regard it as a "fix" of a game design issue.
Thanks, everyone.
Bugfixes
-Architecture skill now displays building discounts correctly
-Blast processing now allows two uses as intended, was not resetting properly
-Fixed several small memory leaks related to saving and loading
-Fixed enemy icon display issue on battle screen
Development
-Tuning up and creating new code for revamping of equipment and battle equipment systems.
Upcoming Features
(! = Major feature)
*Finish action/tool system (character switch, tool list/ledger)
Muse's Song skill for Guildmaster (requires addition of art objects)
!Inventory overhaul (use items, battle only equipment, ranged fixes)
Dark Gadgetry for Agent (requires addition/reworking of Use Items)
Journeyman Smith for Warrior (requires additional items and iron)
-----alpha 7 (tentative)--------
(!)Steam Achievements(!)
More advanced classes and class skills
Remove studio action
Second factorium size upgrade