Black Reliquary News

[p]This log is a continuation of a series of logs that reviews the development of new modding tools for Darkest Dungeon. We highly recommend that you check out Part 2.5 before reading this log.[/p][p]This log won't be reviewing 1.0 content; it's focused on addressing the future of the tools as presented in Part 2.5.[/p][h2]Mod Tools - Present and Future[/h2][p]We're excited to announce that gibbed, our primary developer for the mod tools, has been actively available and working on the mod tools over the past two months. Thanks to that, we’ve reached a point where we have a minimum viable build ready to launch alongside 1.0. This means our worst-case scenario, having to abandon the mod tools entirely, is officially off the table![/p][p]Moving forward, 1.0 development will be worked on in tandem with the mod tools, unlike last year where 1.0 development was frozen. [/p][p]Our top priorities are wrapping up the remaining work from Part 2 (Trinket Trigger buffs require more research) and exploring a Mac and Linux port for Black Reliquary.[/p][p]If we’re able to complete those in a timely manner, any remaining time before the 1.0 release will go toward expanding modding capabilities or introducing new features to Black Reliquary. Expanded effect parameters and an independent Black Reliquary Steam Workshop are high on that wish list.[/p][h2]New Buff Rules[/h2][p]We’ve also added a handful of new buff rule types tied to quest data. Some of these are fairly niche, but we wanted to ensure there are rules available for every piece of exposed quest data.[/p]

• [p] "rooms_explored"[/p][p]Checks the number of rooms explored over the entirety of a quest. The entrance counts as room 1.[/p]
• [p]"battles_completed"[/p][p]Checks the number of completed battles over the entirety of a quest. Includes all battles, including prop-related monster spawns and ambushes.[/p]
• [p]"hallway_steps"[/p][p]Checks the number of hallway tiles walked over the entirety of a quest. Counts backtracking.[/p]
• [p]"monsters_killed"[/p][p]Checks the number of monsters that die over the entirety of a quest. Size 0 monsters increase this value.[/p]
• [p]"monsters_encountered"[/p][p]Checks the number of monsters that appear over the entirety of a quest. Monsters spawned mid-battle and Size 0 monsters increase this value.[/p]
• [p]"ambushes_encountered"[/p][p]Checks the number of ambushes you've had over the entirety of a quest.[/p]
• [p]"curios_investigated"[/p][p]Checks the number of curios your party has interacted with over the entirety of a quest.[/p]
• [p]"traits_applied" [/p][p]Checks the number of resolve checks your party has had over the entirety of a quest. Entering the quest with an afflicted hero doesn't increase this.[/p]
• [p]"deaths_door_applied" [/p][p]Checks the number of times your party has been hit to 0 HP over the entirety of a quest. Despite the name of this, it's not actually tracking Mortality debuffs.[/p]

[p]Each of these will also have a "min" version, which checks to see if you're >= a specific value. Even if a few of them are niche, we’re excited to see how modders make use of these new options and what creative ideas come from them.[/p][p]Here's a quirk we've made using these new rules:[/p][p][/p][h2]Announcing Wundertrench[/h2][p]Two developers from Team Reliquary, Slightly_Seal and Zap, have recently unveiled a brand new tactics RPG with some familiar aesthetics. They plan to release a demo in a few months.[/p][p]Wundertrench is a gritty isometric RPG with roguelike elements that takes place shortly after the fall of Ostvengr. Lead squads of four into an ever-shifting trench to scavenge resources, recover lost technology, and fight back horrors of flesh and steel that stir below.[/p][h3]If that sounds like your cup of tea, you can wishlist here.[/h3][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][h2]Conclusion[/h2][p]Shameless self-promo aside, this log is pretty short, as it's mostly just to communicate that we've secured a viable build for 1.0 and that we are continuing to develop the mod tools.[/p][p]There will likely be another update log for the mod tools, but we will only move forward with a Part 4 if there are enough meaningful additions to justify a full write-up.[/p][p]Regarding the 1.0 release, we're still on track to complete it in late 2026. Unlike before, we're not freezing 1.0 development while working on the mod tools, so our estimate isn't changing. We're still not in a position to give a more specific timeframe than that, as there's still a good chunk of 1.0 content we need to finish, but it's nice to finally be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel.[/p][p]======================================================================== [/p][p]Thanks again for your support and patience,
-Team Reliquary[/p][p][/p]

[p]This log is a continuation of a series of logs that reviews the development of new modding tools for Darkest Dungeon. We highly recommend that you check out Part 2 before reading this log.[/p][p]This log is an overdue transparency report, covering the status of the mod tools and the development of the 1.0 release.[/p][h2]Mod Tools Progress (or Lack Thereof)[/h2][p]This isn't easy to admit, but there's been little to no progress on the development of the new mod tools. The reason why largely boils down to gibbed, the main developer of the new mod tools, having incredibly sparse availability throughout the year due to personal circumstances.[/p][p]We’ve tried to find someone to take over for gibbed, but the mod tools' technical complexity and our limited resources as a community project have made that extremely difficult. and we haven’t been able to secure a replacement. [/p][p]We apologize for delaying this Captain's Log until the end of the year. It could have been made sooner, but we were holding out in hopes of things changing.[/p][p]Normally, there'd be some sort of positive spin that we'd try to put at the end here, but there's not a silver lining to this. We really wish there was more to show. Being forced to tread water indefinitely just sucks.[/p][h2]Future of the Mod Tools[/h2][p]Due to the stagnation of the mod tool development, we're not in a position to promise more features. Additionally, several features from the Part 2 Captain's Log have serious issues, as we were in active development when the log was posted. [/p][p]In the event that gibbed's availability opens up, or we find someone else to help progress the mod tools in the near future, our goal will simply be to complete what was outlined in the Part 1 and 2 Captain's Logs and complete the 1.0 Release.[/p][p]In the event that gibbed's availability doesn't open up, and we can't find anyone else, we'll be forced to cancel the mod tools entirely. We'll likely just post what we have publicly on GitHub, and if anyone else feels like finishing the project down the line, they can. This would be the worse case scenario, and we wouldn't be happy about this, but we can't just be in development forever.[/p][p]We'll be making a Part 3 log for this sometime early next year that expands on this.[/p][h2]1.0 Progress[/h2][p]While mod tool development has stagnated, we've continued to work on content for the 1.0 release. Most of this is content related to the Black Reliquary, which we won't be showing much of publicly until the final update, but there is some new content unrelated to the Reliquary that we want to share.[/p][p][/p][p]A boss of the Reliquary...[/p][h3]Thorn[/h3][p]We've previously stated that we weren't planning to include another hero addon. But one of the artists we work with, Soggy Pizza, stepped up and offered to take care of most of the art for one more addon. [/p][p]To be clear, since Thorn's implementation didn't require the mod tools, and since the artwork for her was essentially donated to us, the development of Thorn did not delay the 1.0 Release. [/p][p]So... surprise! The Thorn has officially joined BR’s lineup as the fifth and final hero addon.[/p][p]Thorn in Black Reliquary works in a similar way to the original mod but features entirely new artwork, animations, and sounds. Much like all the other addons, her gameplay has been adjusted to better fit Black Reliquary's combat systems. Her gameplay still revolves around picking between offensive and defensive stances. However, all of her skills are now usable in both stances, with most skills having a different effect in each stance. [/p][p][/p][p]For example, defensive stance Hearken is still a Guard + Marking Riposte.[/p][p][/p][p]While offensive stance Hearken provides offensive buffs to the Thorn and her target.[/p][p][/p][p]Party Riposte???[/p][h3]Cactonid Mandrake[/h3][p]The Mandrake is a new Veteran+ Cactonid enemy. Some of his features are still being worked out, but right now the plan is for the Mandrake to emulate a more classic swords and sorcery mage. [/p][p]In his human form he'll be casting spells and buffing allies. [/p][p]If the circumstances are right, he'll shapeshift into a size 2 beast, being much more aggressive towards your party.[/p][h3]Reworks, System changes, etc.[/h3][p]While each of these features are pretty minor by themselves, we've been adjusting the balance and reworking things such as:[/p]

• [p]Trinkets[/p]
• [p]Camp Skills[/p]
• [p]Caverns (length)[/p]
• [p]Treasury (rewards)[/p]
• [p]Lesser Sandwurm (will flee the battle if focused early)[/p]
• [p]Expanding Hero Prep Options [/p]
• [p]End-game progression (making it faster to get to Lv. 6)[/p]
• [p]Symptom/Disease Progression[/p]
• [p]Quest Generation (quests generate based on roster levels)[/p]
• [p]Much more[/p]

[p]There’s way too much to cram into one log, but after eight months of nonstop changes, the 1.0 release is going to feel vastly different from the live version.[/p][p][/p][h2]Captain Q & A[/h2][p]We have another Captain Q&A![/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]Just like other times, we posted a form asking for community questions on our Discord and our Twitter, and the Captain answered a selection of them.[/p][h2]Future of BR[/h2][p]We mention this often, but it feels important to state it plainly here: Black Reliquary is a community-driven project. Everyone that contributes donates their time or money to some extent. Our Patreon provides some crucial support, but we still operate at a significant loss. We do our best to keep developing and improving the mod, but there are moments when circumstances simply fall outside our control. The situation with the mod tools has been a tough reminder that even the most reliable looking plans can unravel and that we shouldn’t rely too heavily on any single point of failure.[/p][p][/p][p]As for the future of the 1.0 Release, we're looking to complete it late next year (2026). We're not confident enough to give a timeframe more specific than that, but since we've managed to make some significant 1.0 progress, the timeline is starting to fall into place.[/p][p]======================================================================== [/p][p]Thanks again for your support and patience,
-Team Reliquary

[/p]

This log is a continuation of a series of logs that reviews the development of new modding tools for Darkest Dungeon. We highly recommend that you check out Part 1 before reading this log.

This log focuses solely on new buff stat types and buff rule types that we're developing.

Keep in mind that the mod tools are still in active development, so everything we mention here may change down the line. gibbed, the main developer of the new mod tools, was unexpectedly unavailable due to personal reasons during the turn of the month. This means that some of the changes we lay out today are more tentative than usual.

[h2]Disclaimer[/h2]
We've seen some confusion regarding the mod tools and our relationship with Red Hook. To be clear, the new mod tools we're developing are entirely unofficial. Black Reliquary will have the tools patched in by default, but base DD players will likely need to patch their game in a way similar to SKSE (Skyrim) or Repentagon (Binding of Isaac).

[h2]Buff Source Checking[/h2]
We're very pleased to announce that we've added "has_bsrc" and "target_has_bsrc" rules types. For Black Reliquary, this means that we'll finally be able to use proper conditional buffs for Amerblighted, Expiated, Frantic, Leeching, and Enraged. Previously, checking for ActorDoTs with a skill involved ADoTs applying various buffs and chains of effects on skills. Now, not only will this be simplified, but modders will also have more options. For example, the closest we could get "+ACC vs Expiated" in the previous iteration was multiple "-Dodge if attacked by skill" debuffs applied by the skill that applied the Expiate itself.
Combined with the custom buff sources that we mentioned in the last log, modders will be able to use new buff sources to create new pseudo statuses.

Here's a basic example of how a hypothetical "Armored" status could be implemented

[h2]Tag Manipulation via Buffs[/h2]
In Vanilla, Heroes and Monsters can both have "tags" defined internally. This determines a handful of minor things, such as if a hero is Religious, if a district should apply buffs to a hero, and what sound effects a hero's footsteps use.

We will be including new "has_tag" and "target_has_tag" rule types, which will allow modders to create highly specific, unit-specific conditional buffs.

For example, a trinket could give a bonus based on if the target has a helmet
We'll also be including a new "enable_tag" buff stat type that will allow modders to add tags to Heroes and Monsters via a buff. The tag is only applied as long as the buff is active. This, along with the new tag rules, will let modders use tags in plethora of useful ways.

In Vanilla Darkest Dungeon, you could make a trinket that makes its holder Religious. This could also be used to find out if a hero has a specific trinket or quirk You could even make use of tags to create soft status conditions
There's really quite a lot that modders can do with this, especially with some of the other changes we have in this log. We've only really scratched the surface with the examples given here.

[h2]Trinket Trigger Buffs[/h2]
We think this one will be pretty exciting. We're planning to convert all trinket triggers to buffs. These buffs will work in a similar way to the "riposte" stat type, where they'll take in an effect id as a sub type. This opens the door for quirks, skills, curios, etc. to apply buffs that apply effects on attacks/kills/etc. This would ideally replace standard trinket triggers entirely. All that being said though, we're still researching this, so we want to stress that this is just a possibility at the moment.

[h2]Other Buffs/Rules[/h2]
This section goes over a handful of new buff stat types and rule types. Some of these will only be used for basic backend QoL, while others have more of an impact on gameplay:

• "extra_battle_loot" and "extra_curio_loot"
  New buff stat type that takes a loot table in a sub type. On battle end or upon gaining loot from a curio interaction, the loot table is rolled. These are meant to mirror certain hero parameters and means that you don't need to use a size 0 enemy summon to have a trinket drop an item.
  
• "in_combat"
  New buff rule type that checks to see if the unit is in combat.
  
• "difficulty" and "difficulty_min"
  New buff rule type that checks what the current difficulty is. Greatly simplifies making trinkets with effects that scale with difficulty.
  
• "target_has_quirk"
  New buff rule type that checks to see if the target of an ability has a specific quirk. Useful for checking to see if a hero is Religious/Faithless/Pagan.
  
• "skill_type"
  New buff rule type that can take in a string. Checks to see if a used skill's type matches the string input. Meant to replace "meleeonly" and "rangedonly" rules.
  
• "ignore_riposte"
  This new buff stat type causes the user to ignore riposte. Meant to replace the ".can_be_riposted" skill parameter.
  
• "ignore_stealth"
  This stat type isn't new, but we're fixing a longstanding issue where it ignores rules.
  
• "is_round" and "is_round_before"
  New rules that can be used to give buffs on/before/after specific rounds.
  
• "target_rank"
  New rule that checks the target's rank.
  
• "target_stress_above" and "target_stress_below"
  New rules that check the target's stress.
  
• "combat_stat_multiply" and "combat_stat_add"
  These aren't new, but we're looking at expanding them to take in a new "crit_dmg" sub type. We may move Crit Dmg to a separate buff stat type, but this is what we're trying now.
  

[h2]The Future / Transparency[/h2]
Unlike last time, we don't have a solid idea as to when "Part 3" of this series will be ready. But, we do know what we want to work on next. We originally planned to look at effects next, but after realizing that trinket triggers could possibly be condensed into buffs, we're switching gears and looking at trinkets next.

We mentioned this last time, but we want to reiterate that 1.0 content development has come to a halt while the modding tools are in active development. A lot of what we're planning depends on these tools in one form or another. We're confident that taking this extra time will improve the final product greatly, but working on the mod tools is expensive, tedious, and ever-fluctuating. All that meaning we still can't give a proper timeline/deadline for the 1.0 release/mod tools.
========================================================================

Thanks again for your support and patience,
-Team Reliquary

There's a lot to talk about, so jumping straight to the point, this log is mostly going to be talking about a handful of features that'll be in our expanded modding tools, which we mentioned in our last log.

This is going to be a bit more technical than usual, and we'll be focusing on explaining new functionality that the tools provide over reviewing everything that these new features allow us to fix. In other words, this log is going to be directed towards experienced mod developers as opposed to players.
We also won't be going over everything; there's a bunch of smaller tweaks and fixes that the new modding tools will implement that simply don't warrant being included in this.

Keep in mind that the mod tools are still in active development, so everything we mention here may change down the line.

[h2]Darkest Dungeon 64-bit build[/h2]
As you may have recently seen, Red Hook has recently released a new Darkest Dungeon build for public testing, and several Black Reliquary developers helped out with testing/validating it. This new build fixes a handful of long-standing issues and even upgrades the Windows version of DD to 64-bit! We're really happy to see these improvements after such a long time, and we're grateful to Red Hook for giving us a seat at the table and working with us to ensure that our development plans weren't hindered. Moving forward, we'll be incorporating all major changes made to DD, including all bug fixes, crash fixes, exploit fixes, and of course the 64-bit upgrade.

[h2]Custom Buff Sources[/h2]
Probably the biggest thing we've accomplished with our modding tools is that we can now create new buff sources and manipulate existing buff sources with extremely basic lua. These sources were previously hardcoded and were probably the most obnoxious modding limitation we had to deal with.

We've also added new functionality to buff sources where modders can define new tray icons for specific buff sources. This is a gamechanger for modding, as it gives modders a lot more control over UI for custom/unique mechanics. This change essentially allows basic custom "statuses" using Actor Dots or buff fx to exist in a more proper manner. For BR, this means a lot of previously obscured information is now more visible and/or digestible.

Look at all these lovely new icons! Janissary's gimmick should be even more obvious now

[h2]Improved Logging[/h2]
One of the more useful adjustments we've made is that debug/game logging is now written to .txt files. This allows us to see debug logs without having to rely on Darkest Dungeon's base debug output, and most importantly, it gives us information on crashes where previously we had nothing. While crash logging won't really be readable to most mod developers, it will enable the BR Team to diagnose and fix crashes that weren't feasible to fix before.

Debug info written down for later reference

This crash is related to hero activities

This is pretty similar to the new logging in the most recent DD 64-bit build, but our implementation will differ a little in how certain errors are logged and also (hopefully) provide more information on crashes.

[h2]Improved Tooltips[/h2]
Another improvement that we've made is related to tooltip length. Darkest Dungeon has a lot of character limits that are pretty restrictive. We've used a lot of workarounds to get tooltips looking as nice as they do, but the way we've been forced to handle it is both extremely time-consuming and practically illegible.
Seriously, take a look at the tooltips for Crusader or Veiled in the files and try to tell us what's going on. Zero-width character tooltip manipulation is a scourge upon our world.

Anyways, we've drastically increased the size of a bunch of tooltips. Basically anything related to character skills and buffs got their tooltips anywhere from doubled to quadrupled.

Here's a side-by-side using the same stress test tooltips

Perhaps more importantly, we also included some new mode parameters that can be used to hide or partially hide mode information. This is useful if you want a unit to have multiple modes for mechanical reasons, but those other modes don't have relevant tooltip info.

Here's what Musk's Standard Shot looks like without any tooltip workarounds You can hide the info/effects for all the extraneous modes And here's what Musk's Standard Shot looks like with those changes
These params only affect the character sheet and training hall upgrade tooltips. When in combat, the tooltips will still be shown dynamically based on the hero's current mode.
This noticeably still has quite a few edge-case issues, so we'll be working on addressing those in the near future, but overall this will give modders way more flexibility in designing complex heroes by saving them a ton of time and effort by using zero-width characters.

[h2]More Status Checks[/h2]
The last thing we'll be going over is that there are several new status checks for the "is_actor_status" and "actorStatus" buff rule types.
Mainly, you can check if a hero/target has:

• Horror
  
• Restoration
  
• Aegis
  
• Stumble
  
• A Symptom/Disease (just Disease for vanilla)
  
• Riposte

Despite the implications of this list, we're only planning to apply these to a handful of trinket and quirks at the moment.
Here are some examples of some minor trinket changes that use these new status checks

What's perhaps more exciting is that we're planning to look at expanding the status checks to automatically include all buff sources, meaning you can check to see if a hero/target has a custom buff source applied to them. This could be a big deal for modders, as it'd grant finer control on buff conditions and could even be used to create conditional buffs vs custom "statuses".

[h2]The Future / Transparency[/h2]
You may have noticed that this log is labeled as a "Part 1". That's right, we're planning on doing 2-3 (depending on how fast things move) more Captain's Logs that focus on our modding tools.
This set of changes was mostly focused on fixing a longstanding set of issues, making UI improvements, and making some QoL changes for advanced DD modding. Moving forward, we'll be focusing more on changes that translate to actual content and aim to have the "Part 2" log completed towards the end of March.

For clarity, 1.0 content development has come to a halt while we continue to chip away at completing our modding tools. A lot of what we're planning depends on these tools in one form or another. We're confident that taking this extra time will improve the final product greatly, but working on the mod tools is expensive, tedious, and ever-fluctuating. We're constantly re-evaluating our priorities based on our testing and the research gibbed does into the engine. All this to say, we still can't give a proper timeline/deadline for the 1.0 release/mod tools in good faith.
========================================================================

Thanks again for your support and patience,
-Team Reliquary

We're looking for closed testers to help provide feedback on the Black Reliquary Dungeon and new mod tool implementations!
Testers must have a Discord account, own Black Reliquary on Steam, be highly active and open about feedback, and able to communicate in English.

Application Form: https://forms.gle/4TuccyZBsZRt1T3L6