Islands of the Caliph News

The Demo has been updated to version 0.4.2

[h3]Blocking Issue[/h3]
I have found a terrible mistake with regard to blocking. It seems that blocking only prevented the player from getting poisoned if they had a shield equipped. This contradicted what was written about blocking in the game and the manual, and I have corrected the issue in this update.

You still have to time your blocks and attacks carefully. Blocking with just a weapon is not as effective as when you have a shield, and even with a shield you may still take some damage, depending on who you are fighting and the quality of your shield. But if you successfully block an attack with any weapon or shield, it should prevent getting poisoned.

[h3]Torches[/h3]
There was a bug which caused torches to burn much faster depending on the frame rate of the game. So some players may not have experienced this, but others did if they had slower computers. To resolve this I have locked the frame rate at 60fps, and have modified the torch/lantern script to burn slower.

[h3]Switches[/h3]
Switches will now only work if the player is facing them. This should prevent players from accidentally flipping a switch without knowing about it.

Also, I have temporarily taken the demo off the Steam page. If you have it installed, you can still play it. I am planning to make the final push and release the game later this summer. Thanks again for all the feedback!

The Demo has been updated to version 0.4.1

[h3]Manual Update[/h3]
I have updated the manual and it is now a PDF file with table of contents and helpful images. I hope it is more useful to players. There are still some important gameplay features that have not been added yet, but I will get around to these things soon.

[h3]Other Stuff[/h3]
To prevent new players from sailing directly to the dangerous Isle of Tarbiyyah right after the first quest, I have increased the cost of sailing there to 12 silver. I hope this encourages players to fully explore and exploit the good stuff on Salam Island before heading out there...

Beginning stat points should now add up to a total of 60. They are still randomized, but it should balance out better now. I still plan to update the way stats are gained and upgraded.

Scan Lines are now optional. If you open the Options file you can set the opacity of the scan lines between 100 and 0. 0 will make them totally invisible.

Torch Issue - it was previously possible to sell burnt torches back for the full price of 3 or 4 silver. Now torches will slowly decrease in value as you use them, down to 1 silver for a depleted torch.

Escape will now close any open menus and take you back to the Main Screen (3D View). If you press it while no menus are open, it will take you back to the Main Menu.

[h3]Thanks For All the Feedback![/h3]
I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who tried the game during Next Fest, and for providing such valuable feedback.

The demo version 0.4.0 has received a major update! There is a whole new area to explore on the first island, and early game economy has been improved upon.

Due to a lot of player feedback, I finally succumbed to the pressure and have made it a bit easier to get started. A new area I call "The Dark Forest" has been added to Salam Island.



Now new players can experience one of the main early gameplay loops of fighting monsters, gathering their parts, and selling them in town for silver coins. Previously this was only possible on the Isle of Tarbiyyah (in the Demo) where scorpions dwell. Scorpions, known for their venomous stingers, are rather more dangerous than the large brown spiders on Salam Island, and the complications of arachnid venom made this whole process rather more difficult than intended.

I hope this change helps new players get a handle on things in the early part of the game. The challenges to come are still there, but this should help to ease players into them, rather than dropping them on the player so suddenly.

I hope you will join me playing Islands of the Caliph during Steam Next Fest!

I will try to answer any questions about the game during this event, and give an overview of the gameplay mechanics.



One of the big questions I want to answer during Next Fest is whether this game should go to Early Access or not.

The Demo has been updated to version 0.3.9

[h3]Manual[/h3]
A text file with instructions has been uploaded to the game's installation folder. When in-game you may now press F2 to call up the manual. The manual presents a lot of detailed information about how to play Islands of the Caliph, including some hints that may help players who feel like they are stuck.

[h3]Other Stuff[/h3]
A couple small changes have been made to the Isle of Tarbiyyah. The woman who talks about her sister is more direct in describing her sister as a monster-part merchant, since this is an important aspect of the game's early economic opportunities. Also, I included a trainer on the Island so the player may upgrade some of their stats, instead of having to go all the way back to Slam Island to do so.