Archaelund News

[h3]Content[/h3]

-Quest The Academy is now completable. The initial dialogue has been altered, so the quest has been reset. To initiate it, walk the road just out of Port Galeb and meet Issam.
-Quest Justice from Above is now completable. The initial dialogue has been altered, so the quest has been reset. To initiate it, talk to the innkeeper in Port Galeb.


[h3]Features & Improvements[/h3]

-Items can now be equipped directly from the Party Inventory, not just from the backpack.
-Backpack items can now be assigned to combat hotkeys.
-Party inventory slots doubled (from 32 to 64).
-Added an option to accelerate enemy animation speed during combat (in Settings>Gameplay).
-Character Window now displays information about the character's race when hovered.


[h3]Gameplay & Balance[/h3]

-Party encumbrance: when Party Inventory exceeds the combined carry capacity of the party, exploration movement will be slowed down or even halted. Party encumbrance only has effect on exploration movement, and grants no character penalties.
-The weight from some items has been revised.


[h3]Bugfixes[/h3]

-You can no longer talk to dead companions.
-The combat panel(and hotbuttons) was sometimes not correctly refreshed when AP were spent or gained. Fixed.
-Dragging to equip items during combat now costs the required AP.
-Fixed several terrain and geometry issues in the Peninsula.
-Fixed an issue related to the paralysis effects of Blizzard Shards spell.
-The first character acting in battle was ignoring status effects during the first round. Fixed.
-Fixed a glitch that could display an erroneous character level and not allow the player to level up.
-In some cases, taking quest items from a container would not advance the journal as intended. Solved.
-Systems in turkish language were still showing some visual glitches, like when displaying items with a skill bonus. Fixed.
-Minor UI fixes.

[h3]Changes & Improvements[/h3]

• Party Stash chest added to the inn in Port Galeb, where you can safely store items. There will be a similar chest available at towns added in the future, with the same shared storage.
• Shops and Party Stash windows have been placed in a more practical way.
• Encumbrance partially implemented. Carrying too much weight can reduce your adventurers' Dexterity. Party inventory encumbrance still not implemented.
• The level of Armor Training required by armor pieces is renamed from "Penalty" to "Bulk".

[h3]Balance[/h3]

• Armor mitigation has been revised and is now more relevant and less "random" when high armor characters receive hard blows or critical hits. More details have been published in the forums.
• Penalty to Dodge is now reduced by high Armor Training: If a character's Armor Training goes above an armor's Bulk stat, the dodge penalty will be lowered by 5% per extra point up to a maximum of 20%. This means, for instance, that light armor (normally -20% to Dodge) can eventually be worn with no dodge penalties when the character has 4 points of Training above the armor's Bulk.
• Static burst WP cost increased from 3 to 4.
• Adjusted the accuracy bonus of some weapons.
• Mechaedron base damage reduced, and increased cold damage by the same amount.

[h3]Content changes & additions[/h3]

• New NPC/companion added near Icanos house in Port Galeb (but might not be there in your first visits to town).
• New choice given to end Tools of the Trade quest if you found the tools and prefer not to denounce Palderan.
• Longbows added to merchants and as uncommon drop from bandits.
• The camp location in Nessera no longer has camping props visible shile not camping.
• Characters no longer start the game naked.
• Improved the overall drops of bandits, and added a separate loot table for bandits beyond the outpost.

[h3]Bugfixes[/h3]

• Spells with a 2x2 tiles effect were in some instances displaced and not being cast exactly where the UI-target indicated. Fixed.
• Solved an issue that would not allow talking to your companions, saying you need more room even when in open spaces.
• Settings from the Gameplay tab were not properly being saved. Solved.
• Systems in Turkish language were encountering a multitude of issues caused by incorrect file decoding. Fixed.
• The "Goodfellows" had the wrong type of NPC sounds, fixed.

[h3]Other[/h3]

• New setting added in Video>Quality section to enable video hardware acceleration (only recommended in low-spec systems if you have trouble to see the intro video).
• New setting added in Video>Display section to limit framerate, good to lower the GPU workload.

[h3]Balance[/h3]

• Using potions in combat now costs 4 AP instead of 2.
• Nivaria's Word had recently increased its cost to 8WP. After further analysis, it's set to 7WP now.

[h3]Changes & Improvements[/h3]

• You can now sell stacks of items, not just one by one.
• New setting in Gameplay section, to keep open the character window after using an item.

[h3]Content Fixes & Adjustments[/h3]

• "Goodfellows" will no longer respawn.
• Certain grate in the inner Galeb Crypt will no longer be open by default.
• Fixed an issue that made the switches in the upper Devil's Horn hard to target.
• Added a camping spot in Nessera Caves, and another at the bandit's canyon in the Peninsula(only usable after one of the resolutions of Wielder of the Red Axe quest is reached).
• Solved a number of minor geometry issues in the Peninsula.

[h3]Bugfixes[/h3]

• Combat movement between tiles at different heights could sometimes cost more AP/MP than displayed, which could lead to AI/pathing locks and bugs. Solved.
• Total AP/MP movement cost of long paths was sometimes erroneous due to a rounding error. This could lead to "running frozen in place" bugs. Solved.
• Solved an issue with stone guardian when it fell prone. This creature still needs animations adjusted, but it shouldn't affect gameplay anymore.
• Unseal scrolls can now be used correctly from the open lock ui.
• Arrow projectiles were not correctly rotated. Fixed.
• Corrected the description of Nivaria's Word spell. It actually heals 6+3d6 HP, not 4d6.
• Minor UI fixes.

I've received many messages asking about a possible release of the game's OST. After talking to Laura, the composer & producer, we decided to publish it on youtube for everyone to enjoy.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
If you're interested in Laura's work, check her youtube channel and website. Soundtrack composition is just one of her many interests, so you might be surprised!

[h3]Optimization[/h3]

• The list of saved games will now load quickly, even if you have many files.

[h3]Balance[/h3]

• Explorer difficulty now reduces enemy critical chance by 50%, and New School reduces it by 25%.
• New Karma optional setting added in Gameplay section (only has effect in Explorer and New School difficulties). Karma will ensure less "bad streaks" in attack rolls, while not having major impact on average rolled values.
• Bomig Burrower and Bomig Hatchling stats revised (mostly, corrected their extremely high critical chance).
• Nivaria's Word WP cost increased to 8 (actually, previous cost was an obvious error. Costed only 1 more WP than Nivaria's Hand).
• Some armored enemies, like bandits, were not receiving the appropiate penalty to dodge.

[h3]Bugfixes[/h3]

• Combat: walls, columns and other obstacles will no longer block the mouse when selecting enemies or grid squares.
• Fixed a memory leak related to the spell Ensnaring Tendrils, that would eventually slow down the game and maybe crash it.
• Psalm of Renewal spell now works correctly when cast in exploration.
• Fixed a bug introduced in build 375; enemies out of boundaries were normally added to the combat area correctly, but sometimes they could appear in unreachable spots or out in the ocean.
• Solved many issues with distant enemies becoming locked out of battle, especially in Nessera Caves.
• Fixed a crash that happened when your last party member died to a reaction attack.
• On rare ocassions at the turn's end, "guard" reaction attacks would instead take place against the first character in the turn (even if it was a party member!). Solved.
• Fixed many wrong grid colliders and small geometry/visual at the Devil's Horn and Nessera Caves.
• Fixed a possible "loop" in the conversation with Aszabar.