Good day, traveler!
Finally I can present the news that many have been waiting for some time now. The much desired 'Quest Journal' is finally arriving to Chronicles of Vaeltaja with the new update, but it is just a one part of the 'Ghosts 'n Qualities' update that changes the game's version number to 0.7. There's been some other features that have been requested from time to time and I wanted this update to be the one that finally brings them. But let's start with the 'Quest Journal', which brings couple of features of it's own.
[h3]New Features: Quest Journal and Codex[/h3]
- 'Quest Journal' can be accessed from the menu or you can use Journal (formerly known as 'Guide's Handbook') from the inventory's 'Books & Scrolls' section and place it into the 'quick bar' to access it. This way you don't have to navigate the menu every time you want to open it.
- There are own categories for available and completed quests and also sub-categories for the main and side quests. Each quest has a name.
- 'Quest Journal' has a 'Quest Tracker' that can be activated by choosing a quest from the Journal. 'Quest Tracker' will appear as a small info box on the right side of the screen and it tells you the current objective(s) of the activated quest. You can turn off the 'Quest Tracker' by deactivating the quest.
- 'Quest Journal' will keep track of every received quests and updates their description and objectives automatically. It also tells who gave the quest and the location where the quest was accepted.
- 'Quest Journal' has a 'Codex' which contains information about key bindings, character classes, stats and skills, but this is just the beginning. With the coming updates I will start to add some lore books that can be found around the kingdom. Those lore books will add 'Codex' entries which will tell more about the kingdom of Twin Falls and it's history. Each found 'Codex' entry will also give some experience points.
[h3]Re-Textured Twin Falls and Lake Road[/h3]
Twin Falls' areas and Lake Road both get enhanced textures, but there's more to it than just a simple overhaul. After this update you won't be finding spruces from the Twin Falls Beach (except one) or Twin Falls Forest South. Spruces can still be found from the other areas in Twin Falls. Also the more exotic palm resembling tree can be only found in the Twin Falls Beach and Forest South. This change gives the Twin Falls' areas more distinct look and feel.
Because of the new spruce textures in Twin Falls, Lake Road's textures had to be improved too. There's also some colour changes to the trees, so Lake Road looks better than before. The update will also bring better tree sprites to both, Twin Falls and Lake Road.
These new textures and sprites will affect the battle backgrounds, which have been remade for Twin Falls' areas and Lake Road.
Additional graphical improvements contain the new Temple Guard sprites and new icons for 'Quest Journal' and crafting materials.
[h3]Re-Designed Crafting/Forging[/h3]
Crafting/forging at the Blacksmith's shop, which opens after the player deals with the situation in Pramea, has gone through changes. Instead of just delivering some ore to Blacksmith and choosing an item, crafting now has it's own scene. In it you can see the list of items that can be forged and also the materials needed. This change will allow to improve crafting/forging and add new craftable items more easily in the future. But it doesn't end there: Blacksmith can also repair broken items you may come across while exploring, if you've got the right materials.
[h3]New Optional Dungeon[/h3]
A one floor dungeon will be added to somewhere in one of the Twin Falls' areas, that will give some proper use for the 'Eye of an Oracle'. You will actually need the 'Eye of the Oracle' to get into the dungeon in the first place.
[h3]New Enemy: Ghost[/h3]
With the new dungeon comes a new enemy: Ghost. The scariest thing about ghosts is that you can't normally see them when exploring dungeons, until you encounter one and the battle starts. But fortunately there is a way to make them visible: the 'Eye of an Oracle'. When you turn on the 'Eye of an Oracle', it will make all the ghosts near the player visible, but only for as long as it is turned on. Ghosts can also appear in other places than dungeons, so it might not be a good idea to take a stroll in the cemetery at night.
[h3]New Tool: Spirit Lantern[/h3]
There's a way to protect yourself from ghosts and it is called 'Spirit Lantern'. Though it can't reveal ghosts like the 'Eye of an Oracle', it can protect the player from their attacks when turned on. If a ghost is encountered while the 'Spirit Lantern' is turned on, the ghost will vanish and a small amount of experience is granted to the party. But 'Spirit Lanterns' are not easy to come by.
[h3]Minimap Improvements[/h3]
The square player icon in the minimap will be replaced with an arrow that will show the direction the party is facing. It's a small change but has a big impact and makes it easier to read the map and to navigate.
[h3]Other Changes, Improvements and Fixes[/h3]
- Most NPCs will get names.
- Some of the dialog has been improved.
- Certain side quests have been tweaked to work better, for example the 'Hermit Quest', which can be found in the Marsh of the Condemned, is re-designed and is called 'A Grudge For Resurrection'.
- 'Missing Scout' quest has now a proper ending, or at least the simplest solution has. There are couple of quests like this that will be extended in the future updates, but most of the side quests that can be found are already finished.
- 'Instant Movement' has been re-designed and it finally works properly in the settings menu.
- Day/night cycle has more variety in the lighting, for example there's now evening period before the day turns into night.
- Optimization.