Hi, everyone welcome to another week's developer's diary.
We started by including Harold in our gift/relationship system this week. When he is in the Safehouse, you can send him gifts to improve your relationship with him. Meanwhile, he is now a skill trainer that can teach you some melee combat skills. After all, he is the Kung Fu master of your organization. By improving the relationship more skills will appear and training will become cheaper. Unfortunately, in the latest main story, he is currently in Egypt. Thus, it's possible our main character may have missed those new interactives with him. But don't worry. After the story in Egypt is completed, I will put him back in the Safehouse.
The second major update is the gun modification system. As many other types of equipment may get prefixes to let them be a bit unique, the current lack of diversity on guns makes them feel a bit boring even though they are still quite powerful in the game. Maybe they will have prefixes as well in the future. But, for now, I think it is nice to have another solution that lets players have more control over their guns. So, here comes the gun modification system. Basically, I added different component data on guns. They work like slots that you can insert different modules on them that modify the attributions of your original guns. Technically, a gun module may be able to change the firepower, the ammo capacity, the recoil, the speed, the physical defense, the magical defense, and even the ammo type of gun. They will likely be able to affect more in the future. Each gun may also have different types of module slots such as the muzzle, barrel, sight, grips, mags, and stock, They work similarly to equipment slots on your character. Currently, you need to find a gunsmith to help you install or remove a module on a gun. They may charge a service fee. But, otherwise, you can modify your guns freely as long as you find the right modules that can fit that slot. Removing a module will not make it disappear.
Here is an example:
This is a Ukrainian Zbroyar Z-15 assault rifle (also known as UAR-15. It's a Ukrainian version of the AR-15 rifle with some improvements.) On the image, I have installed an extended rifle mag to make it have increased ammo capacity. That can allow us to deal with about 10% more damage when fighting against any orcs or Z-ombies which can be common in our supernatural world. :P
We also have some bonus features that come along with this new system. You can now rename your guns during modification. Meanwhile, there are no more restrictions on who can use guns. Now all your teammates can use guns. It's just some may be able to use guns more efficiently than others. But, the point is, all good people shall have the right to arm themselves when facing evil. There shall be no taboo here. If there are any lessons from recent events in the world that teach me anything, that is, weapons in the right hands can save lives. You know I am talking about Ukraine again. :)
Please note, this entirely new system just finished the programming of its core functions this week. There may be bugs, there will need more content. Please let me know if you see a bug or have suggestions. All feedbacks are welcome.
Please check the wiki page for more details: https://neolithia.fandom.com/wiki/Gun_Modification
Now, here comes the surprise part as I mentioned last week.
No, the gun modification is not a surprise. The surprise is the giveaway of a copy of the Age of Wonder 4 standard version!
I know it's a great game. Thus, I pre-ordered it. But, under some secret contracts with Paradox sealed behind NDAs, I also received another copy of it. That is the one I plan to give away.
Here is a short version of how to get it:
1, I added 4 passwords in the game. They are spread over 4 different nations in the game.
2, Here is the 5th password in this developer's diary "The tyrant will fall, and the justice will be restored."
3, By combining those 5 passwords you will get a short story that may or may not be related to real-world events.
4, The first person who posts those 5 passwords and where to get them in a Steam review of this game will receive a free copy of the Age of Wonder 4. (Please contact me after you post that.)
The review's visibility must be "public" during this event.
5, If there are multiple posts, the winner will be decided by the posting time or the editing time whichever is later in the review according to Steam. The earliest poster wins.
6, If you have already made a review of this game, you can edit the existing review to add information about the passwords and where you got them from. (Please do not edit it again as it will update the editing time to a later date.)
7, You are free to upvote or downvote the game. It does not matter. But, please keep your review existing for at least 6 months in case of any disputes.
8, The passwords are not localized as I didn't put them in localization files to counter any potential data-mining attempts. When posting them, please keep them as is.
More details on why use the Steam review system:
1, Players in China are unable to access many online platforms such as Discord and Steam Community.
2, Players outside China have security concerns to use QQ or WeChat.
3, Steam Review system provides a common ground that both sides can have access to. It also can let us know the timestamp when the review is posted and the identity of the poster on Steam.
Thus, I consider it can make the entire event fair and transparent.
A higher review amount does help make more impression of this game on Steam.
However, that's not something I care much about. :)
Thus, you can always delete your review later when this event is over.
Some clues about the passwords:
1, They are spread over 4 different nations in the game.
2, One may be quite easy to find.
3, One may require you to go back in time.
4, Those who have progressed deep in the main story shall have some advantages in this competition.
5, Leave no rocks unchecked.
This is the first time that I am doing this. Let's see how it works out. Maybe there will be more later. Have fun. :)
Today's changelog:
############Content################
[Age of Wonder 4]Added 4 secret passwords in the game that can be used to exchange a free copy of Age of Wonder 4. (More details in today's developer's diary.)
[Firearm]Guns now display what kind of ammo they use in their item detail windows.
[Gun Modification]New Gun Module: M4 LMG Drum Mag. (+Ammo Capacity, +Recoil, -Speed, and change the ammo type to machine gun ammo.)
[Outside the Black Pyramid]Illuminati Quartermaster now sells "M4 LMG Drum Mag."
############System#################
[Gun Modification]Gun modules can now change a gun's ammo type. (They display this information in their item detail windows.)