Hello everyone!
Welcome to our new development diary! Today we are going to tell you about two new changes - visual customization and intoxication mechanics.
Hundred to one that you’ve already played other graphical roguelikes. Even if their interface looks much more friendly than the one of ASCII oldschool roguelikes, many elements are still rather symbolic and schematic. It’s quite understandable, taking into account traditionally abundant amount of possibilities in the games of this kind. Sometimes it’s a totally back-breaking task to reflect all elements graphically in details.
Nonetheless since the beginning we clearly understand, that it’s essential for a player to see the progress of the character, and along with that an ability to see all the changes of character’s equipage is quite important. So the last week was dedicated to implementing of visual customization. From now on any equipage you put on your character is shown on the character’s sprite.
Weapons, shields, armour, helmets, boots are available for admiration not only in inventory but directly on the character. We don’t have enough pixels to show full-featured rings and amulets, so they became an only exception. As for the rest with this new system you have an ability to make your character both efficient and aesthetic. Who knows, you may be the one who will leave the mark in a history as the most stylish dungeon conqueror.
Now let’s get down to the gameplay moments to tell you more details about intoxication mechanics we have implemented a bit earlier. Along with hunger, thirst and pain, intoxication is one of the health indexes of your character. Potions, alcohol and drugs are happened to play one of the key roles in our game.
Imagine yourself lying in the dark dungeon with broken legs, on the verge of a swoon because of the pain shock. Well, the only relief you may get from in this situation is a bottle or a pinch of Elven dust. So there is a logical question, how do we show that drugs are bad and you should not overuse it? Intoxication is right here to help: it is getting higher when your character is under affection of diverse toxic factors.
Increase of intoxication varies depending on the intensiveness of impact. Heavy drugs and potent alcohol give the strongest thrust to the one-time rise. Long-term effects such as protracted drug trips or inebriation may also contribute to the rise of intoxication. Potion overuse doesn't come without price as well, intoxication will raise differently according to the strength and type of the effect.
It will be much harder to control the character if his organism has accumulated too much toxins. He may stop obeying player’s commands, faint, suffer from nausea and even slip into a coma for a while. Thus just in case keep a few bottles of antidotes in the inventory, they may save your life once. There is also a passive way to lower an intoxication: toxins are excreted from the organism by themselves on conditions of good health and enough amount of water.
That's all, stay tuned!