Knights of the Chalice 2 News

Hi everyone! I hope you're well. Version 1.60 of Knights of the Chalice 2 has landed. It's a small update.

Please don't hesitate to email me at [email protected] if you find any bugs and annoyances, so that I can fix the game quickly. A saved game may be very helpful, too. Thank you!!

Recently, I purchased the epic music collection Humble Bundle from composer Joel Steudler. It's still available at https://www.humblebundle.com/software/epic-royaltyfree-music-collection-software . I'm planning to use some of that music in the upcoming adventure modules.

Also, I've had a chance to make use of and participate in the Stable Horde project. It's a network of volunteers who combine their computing power to generate AI images. There's a web user interface at https://aqualxx.github.io/stable-ui . I was able to create some nice images as well as create a Stable Horde worker.

The interesting thing is that I could produce some images of size 1,920 x 1,920 pixels, which is really big for current AI image generation. It does cost a lot of Kudos to do so. Kudos is the virtual currency you earn by running a Stable Horde worker on your computer, or by rating a bunch of AI-generated images through the web user interface.

Smaller images (e.g. 704 x 704 pixels) can be made for free.

Kudos can be transferred to other users from here: https://stablehorde.net/transfer or through the Discord channel: https://discord.gg/3DxrhksKzn . If you'd like to contribute some Kudos for me to use in dungeon map creation, feel free to send them to my user ID: StableDragon#18923 . Thank you!!

KotC 2 version 1.60 includes the alternative system for displaying huge adventure maps. That new system was presented in the latest Kickstarter Update: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1848628223/knights-of-the-chalice-2-revolutionise-old-school-crpgs/posts/3770416


Here is how the new system works. Say you have a JPG or PNG background image of size 13,000 x 10,000 pixels. First, you need to create a small-size preview version of that image. The preview image could be of size 2,000 x 1,538. It should be named like this: MapName_13000_10000_Preview.jpg. That means you have to append the width and height of the original map and the word 'Preview'. Place the preview image in the MapBackdrops folder of your module.

Next, within that same folder create a new folder called MapName_13000_10000. Inside that folder place the 512 x 512 images that constitute the original image. These images should be named like this: Base_y_x.jpg, x and y being the coordinates of each chunk inside the original image, starting from zero. You can also have an overlay image. Simply place in the same folder the 512 x 512 images that constitute the overlay image. These images should be named like this: Overlay_y_x.png.

Finally, in the Map Data screen of the Module Editor, you can set the preview image as the map's background. The game will then see that it's an image made up of a number of tiles.

To create the tiles, you can use Image Magick: https://imagemagick.org/index.php . I've used the following Image Magick commands.

For the base image: magick convert base.png -crop 512x512 -set filename:tile "%[fx:page.y/512]_%[fx:page.x/512]" +repage +adjoin -quality 90 "Base_%[filename:tile].jpg"
For the overlay image: magick convert overlay.png -crop 512x512 -set filename:tile "%[fx:page.y/512]_%[fx:page.x/512]" +repage +adjoin "Overlay_%[filename:tile].png"

Thank You So Much, Fearless Warriors and Wise Mages of the Realm! Rejoice! :-)

List of changes in Knights of the Chalice 2 Version 1.60

• In the macOS version only, fixed a source of crashes when selecting psionic powers. My sincere apologies for that bug!
  
• Fixed several display problems in the Local Map screen.
  
• Fixed a problem with special effects like Rain and Snow getting reset after talking with NPCs (at the end of a script's execution, actually).
  
• Fixed an issue with double clicking during character creation. When double-clicking on a spell icon to select it, the double click for the last spell could result in the unwanted opening of the help entry for spells.
  
• Added a note in the help entries for Weapon Group Proficiency Reach Weapons and Natural Reach to clarify that the benefit of Reach does not apply to Touch Attacks. The Flux domain power and the specialisation feats of attuned Wizards and Sorcerers can transform certain touch spells into close-range spells. It may be a problem if you could get a better range for touch-range spells just by wielding a reach weapon. It would also be a problem for the AI.
  
• In the Module Editor, pressing the Left Alt key will now hide the backdrop image so that it's easier to see if there are any special tiles, or overlay graphics, at any particular place on the map.
  
• In the Module Editor, fixed an issue with the display of long file paths in selection boxes.
  
• In the Module Editor, fixed an issue with memory management when closing a map.
  
• Added some code to clear previous images when loading a map image fails due to low memory.
  
• Implemented the alternative system for displaying huge adventure maps.
  

Hello everyone! I hope you're well. Version 1.59 of Knights of the Chalice 2 is here. It's a small bug-fixing update.

Please don't hesitate to email me at [email protected] if you find any bugs and annoyances, so that I can fix the game quickly. A saved game may be very helpful, too. Thank you!!

I'll post a new Kickstarter update soon.

Thank You So Much, Honoured Knights of the Realm! Enjoy!! :-)

List of changes in Knights of the Chalice 2 Version 1.59

• Fixed a problem with the animation of tiny crawling bugs. They would stop moving after a very short while. That bug was introduced in the February update, my apologies.
  
• Fixed a bug with the Reach Domain of the Cleric and Bishop not granting the +2 bonus on the attack roll for the spell Magic Stone. Thank you very much Quincy for letting me know about this!
  
• Fixed a bug with the Rogue's version of the spells Shocking Grasp and Greater Shocking Grasp not granting the +4 attack roll bonus when the target wears metal armour.
  
• Fixed a bug with the Druid's version of the spell Ice Lance not granting its +4 attack roll bonus.
  
• Fixed a slowdown when opening and closing the Script Editor from the Intelligence tab of the Creature Properties screen. When closing the Script Editor, processing will now take place only if you've actually saved a script.
  

Hi everyone! Here is version 1.58 of Knights of the Chalice 2. It's a small update.

Please see below if you're interested in the new Wounded Script and Turn Script for module design.

Thank you so much Dorateen for updating the Hearkenwold adventure and for uploading a new video of Hearkenwold showcasing the new special effects! Here is the video's link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmV57Ulsd-8
Please don't hesitate to email me at [email protected] if you find any bugs and annoyances, so that I can fix the game quickly. A saved game may be very helpful, too. Thank you!!

I'll post a new Kickstarter update soon.

Thank You So Much For Your Support, Valiant Heroes of the Realm! Best Regards :-)

List of changes in Knights of the Chalice 2 Version 1.58

• Added the following options in the Game Options screen, under Display: limit weather effects to map boundaries, allow map colour changes due to rain, allow rain special effects, allow snow special effects, allow falling-leaves special effects, allow will-of-the-wisp (glows) special effects, allow fog special effects. Also updated the in-game help entry for game options.
  
• Fixed a source of crashes when moving the party with the numpad keys and the destination square exceeds the map's boundaries.
  
• Fixed a bug with the recording of game time. This would result in the display of an incorrect game time when loading a saved game.
  
• Fixed bugs with the weather effects when the frequency is set as 'always' for any of them.
  
• The combat-action tooltip for the Elephant Spirit Animal Sonic Breath Weapon will now indicate that it is indeed the Elephant Spirit Animal, and not another type of breath weapon.
  
• Added the code required for the execution of scripts that are triggered in combat when a creature is wounded or damaged. You can set a creature's Wounded Script in the intelligence tab of the Creature Properties screen, within the Creature Editor. Examples of use of the Wounded Script:
  1) The Wizard Zarx is essentially invulnerable until the player has done a specific thing such as destroy a mirror or a jar. After each hit, he recovers lost Hit Points and a Vrock is summoned (up to five).
  2) The Necromancer Eldark has linked his body with that of a bunch of slaves using a sinister ritual. Each non-fatal hit on the Necromancer kills one of the slaves and heals the Necromancer (as with a casting of the spell Heal).
  3) Garock the Barbarian will taunt the player the first time he receives a hit, shouting 'That's the best you can do?' or 'Oooh, a mosquito bite!'.
  
• Added the code required for the execution of scripts that are triggered in combat at the start of the turn of a creature. You can set a creature's Turn Script in the intelligence tab of the Creature Properties screen, within the Creature Editor. Example of use of the Turn Script: at the start of her turn, the Cleric Llagotha will call upon Chaotic Evil deity Hexdra for assistance if her Hit Points have dropped below 55% of the maximum, or if half of her allies have been defeated. She won't be able to do it if she's sleeping, fascinated, stunned, dazed, affected by hideous laugher, etc. With the Turn Script, you don't need to check for these conditions within the script itself, as the Turn Script for a character will only be executed when that character can act normally. You do need to track whether the script was executed before if you don't want the script to be executed multiple times.
  

Hello everyone! I hope you're well. Here is the latest version of KotC 2.

It fixes a bunch of bugs and adds the following: an option to reduce the walk speed, an option to display the mouse cursor while moving items in the Inventory Screen, new moving-water special effects (you'll have to activate that option under 'Display' in the Game Options screen), and four types of weather special effects.

Please don't hesitate to email me at [email protected] if you find any bugs and annoyances, so that I can fix the game quickly. A saved game may be very helpful, too. Thank you!!

I'm very glad to report that Knights of the Chalice 2: Augury of Chaos has obtained the Second Place in the RPG Codex Game Of The Year 2022 poll: https://rpgcodex.net/content.php?id=12147

Both Elden Ring, the winner of the poll, and KotC 2 received 75% of positive votes. Elden Ring obtained a score of 3.81 while KotC 2 obtained a score of 3.74.

I think that's an awesome result! Thank you so much to everyone who voted in the RPG Codex poll!!

Also thank you very much Dorateen for letting me know about the result!

I'll post a new Kickstarter update soon.

Thank You So Much For Your Support, Mighty Warriors And Wise Wizards! Best Regards :-)

List of changes in Knights of the Chalice 2 Version 1.57

• Added a new moving water animation effect, which is applied in the Module Editor using a new menu option under 'Other Tools'.
  
• Added a new option in the Game Options screen, under Display, allowing you to activate or deactivate the display of moving-water animations. Please note: New players should have the option turned on by default, but existing players will have to click on this option in order to display the effect.
  
• Implemented the weather special effects Rain, Falling Snow, Falling Leaves, and Glows (Will-of-the-wisps). A map can have both rain and snow happening from time to time (one after the other, randomly and according to the duration settings specified in the Map Data screen). Actually, a map can have all of the four effects. All four effects can be turned off by the player by switching off the game option 'Display Environmental Particles' under 'Display' in the Game Options screen.
  
• Updated most of the maps of Augury of Chaos to add weather effects and moving-water effects. The updated maps are: Green Cave, Red Cave, Finchbury, Ruined Village, Gleegold Keep, Mysterious Cave, Moon Crypt Special Level (Furnace), Water Shrine, Low Sewers, High Sewers, Oubliette. Also updated the Tutorial Adventure. Also added a few Slope squares with altitude 5 on the map of Finchbury. You might use them when fighting.
  
• In the Module Editor, added to the Map Data screen a bunch of input boxes dedicated to the new weather effects. You can use the Tab key to switch from one box to the next.
  
• Added a new game option 'Display Cursor When Moving Items', available under 'Display' in the Game Options screen. If you find moving items in the Inventory Screen somewhat difficult, this new option will help you. Thank you very much Steve for this great suggestion!!
  
• Added a new game option 'Adjust Walk Speed Out Of Combat' under 'Gameplay' in the Game Options screen. You can use it to reduce or increase the out-of-combat walking speed of your characters. Thank you for the suggestion, Steve!
  
• In the Game Options screen, dragging one of the volume sliders will no longer affect the other sliders if you mouse over them.
  
• Fixed a bug in the display of the Local Map for some map sizes or screen sizes, due to fractional position values.
  
• Fixed some issues with creature orientation after a Bull Rush or Pull combat manoeuvre.
  
• Fixed some issues with screen scrolling when performing a Throw Creature combat action.
  
• Fixed an issue with combat shortcuts using the Shift key not working when pressed while mousing over the Combat Actions menu or other controls.
  
• In the help entry about Combat Shortcuts, added a mention of the hotkey N, used to activate the Turn Undead ability of Clerics and Bishops.
  
• Fixed a bug in the Module Editor when you move an Activable Zone by only a few pixels using Left Control + click and drag. Pushing Contrl + Z to undo would then have no effect.
  
• In the Map Data screen of the Module Editor, you can now use the Tab key to cycle between the input fields of the three colour components.
  
• In the 'Creature Properties' screen of the Creature Editor, you can now use the Tab key to cycle between the input fields for Max HP, Current HP, Speed, BAB, Fort, Ref, Will, Str, Dex, Con, Int, Wis, and Cha. You can also cycle between the Location X and Location Y input fields.
  
• In the Module Editor, when mousing over multiple Activable Zones, the editor will now highlight the smallest moused-over zone. Previously, it was difficult to select a small zone positioned within the area of a larger zone.
  
• Fixed a source of crashes when switching from Windowed mode to Full Screen mode (or the other way around).
  
• Fixed bugs in the graphics code that could cause display problems depending on the computer's graphics card. I had to go through that part of the code because I was having problems displaying a really huge map, the Crossroad Castle map designed for the upcoming adventure module The Dark Arena.
  
• Reduced the file size of the overlay image for Finchbury by almost 12 MB by deleting fully transparent pixels on the map. Actually, I had no idea that PNG files would keep colour information even for completely transparent pixels. They do, unless we clear them. I discovered this while working on the overlay image for the Crossroad Castle map. Likewise, reduced the size of the overlay image for the Tutorial Dungeon by 1 MB. Also did the same for four smaller overlay maps of Augury of Chaos. The lighter images should be faster to load when playing, as well as taking less space on your drive. Also reduced the file size of all the big sprites for Dragons.
  
• Fixed a problem with the display of Torch Lights and Activable Zones that have the 'Overlay' parameter, when there isn't any overlay image on a map. Now they will get displayed even in the absence of an overlay image.
  
• Fixed a display issue in Module Selection screens in the macOS version only.
  
• Fixed a problem with the display of Water Splashes in the macOS version only. They were printed two times.
  

Hello everyone! Here is the latest version of KotC 2. It's a small update.

Please don't hesitate to email me at [email protected] if you find any more bugs and annoyances. A saved game may be very helpful, too. Thank you!!

Feel free to check out the YouTube video I made about the planned changes of the Open Game License (OGL): https://youtu.be/uiYbzJ7X-LM The video also has a bunch of preview images from the upcoming adventure module KotC 2: The Dark Arena.

Feel free to sign the open letter at https://www.opendnd.games/ and the petition at https://www.change.org/p/hasbro-please-take-no-action-regarding-the-open-gaming-license-v1-0a

There's an interesting update from Ryan Dancey here: https://www.change.org/p/hasbro-please-take-no-action-regarding-the-open-gaming-license-v1-0a/u/31237145

I'll post a new Kickstarter update soon.

Thank You So Much For Your Support, Brave Heroes of the Realm! Take care :-)

List of changes in Knights of the Chalice 2 Version 1.56

• When mousing over the name of a party member in the top-right corner of the main view, the tooltip will now indicate the character's level and negative conditions, and it will tell you if the character is suffering from ability damage, ability drain or level drain. This new feature is intended to facilitate healing after combat.
  
• Fixed a bug with the Aura of Dread special ability of Death Knights, and the Paladin feat Blessed Aura of Courage. The game was giving a negative value to the radius of the Aura of Dread ability. Thank you so much Christopher for letting me know about this bug and for the suggestion to facilitate after-combat healing!
  
• Fixed a bug with the Decerebrated condition not being processed as Helpless and not reducing a character's Strength and Dexterity to zero.
  
• Fixed a bug with the modifier lists for Strength and Dexterity when a character is Helpless or Pinned. Also fixed the modifier lists for Intelligence and Charisma when a character is Feebleminded. Corrected the help entry for the condition Feebleminded to mention that it also affects Charisma. Also corrected the description of the spell Feeblemind.
  
• In Augury of Chaos, given the spell Boulder Strike to 20 Druids and Storm Warriors who are able to cast it. Also given the feat Aura of Terror to 13 Death Knights that have at least six class levels.
  
• Added some code to accelerate gameplay in combat.