Dawnsbury Days News

Damage subsystem redesign
The damage subsystem has been rewritten. Now, in general, a single "damage event" will show up as a single line in the combat log and trigger reactions as a whole. Multiple Strikes within the same action (such as Flurry of Blows or Double Slice) now count as separate damage events, and their damage is combined only for the purposes of weakness, resistance and hardness.

This redesign fixes several bugs:

• Classes (Monk): The Stunning Fist procs even if you miss on both Flurry of Blows attacks.
  
• Classes (Monk): The Flurry of Blows does not combine damage for the purposes of weaknesses and resistances properly.
  
• Feats (Ferocity): If an enemy orc is dealt an attack that does multiple damage types, they'll use ferocity after the first damage type but before taking the second type. For example, a raging Dragon barbarian will trigger ferocity with its slashing damage, then knock out the orc with the elemental damage.
  
• Feats (Dangerous Sorcery): "BonusToDamage" QEffect (such as of Dangerous Sorcery) applies after critical/halving save changes for impulses and spells.
  
• Spells (Acid Splash): Acid Splash incorrectly dealt 2d6 damage on a crit, instead should have just dealt 1d6.
  
• Classes (Barbarian): Draconic Rage didn't always trigger if the target wasn't weak to that damage type
  

Modding

• Added CalculatedCharacterSheetValues.AdditionalClassTraits and TrueFeat.WithAllowsForAdditionalClassTrait to allow modders to more easily create archetype feats.
  

Bugfixes

• Classes (Psychic): Fade into Daydreams and Calculate Threats should be unusable if you've already used them this turn
  

Balancing

• Encounters (S2E4): Anna or Scarlet should explain how to disable the elemental gate.

Audio

• Encounters (S1E1): Scarlet is missing a voice line in this encounter.
  
• Encounters (S2E6): Anna is missing a voice line in this encounter.
  
• Volume (S4E5): The monster's voice lines are too quiet.
  
• Loudness normalization: Loudness adjusted for the tutorial and chapter 1. Chapters 2, 3 and 4 still need some work.
  

Modding

• Added QEffect.WhenCombatEnds.
  
• Added the option to double-click a mod in the approve dialog to open its folder.
  
• You can now mod in creatures. Instructions are in the file CustomMods/Dawnsbury.Mods.Creatures.Scarecrow/ABOUT CREATURE MODS.txt. An example mod, "Scarecrow's Field", is now distributed with the game as well as on the Steam Workshop.
  

Bugfixes

• Modding: Fixed that ModdedIllustrations from the Workshop would fail to load.
  
• Modding: Fixed that modded sound effects from the Workshop would fail to load.
  
• Modding: Missing art or sound effects will now result in empty art or a placeholder soundeffect instead of crashing the game.
  
• Classes (Ranger): Fixed that United Assault didn't have flourish.
  
• User interface: Removed simple tile compositions display option.
  
• Modding: When you add a modded spell or item to your character, then remove the mod from your game, the game will destroy your character library instead of stripping out that single spell.
  
• Modding: Modded spell icons do not seem to render when picked for spells known.
  
• Story mode: The victory narration happens only after the credits roll.
  
• Classes (Kineticist): Using a Burning Jet to travel across water should fail
  
• Classes (Kineticist): Burning Jet should allow you to stop early
  
• Classes (Kineticist): Using a Burning Jet when the target square is water or lava and you aren't flying will cause the game to crash
  
• User inteface: Sneak missing a description.
  
• Feats (Swipe): Swipe description doesn't match what it does in terms of attack rolls/damage rolls.
  
• Feats (United Assault): United Assault lacks the Flourish trait.
  
• Encounters (S3E4): Reactions can interrupt cutscenes.
  
• Shop: Armor should be sorted by minimum strength, then by AC bonus; shields should be sorted by gold cost.
  
• Modding: Downloading Acidic Burst off of Workshop crashes the game because the assets already exist
  
• Spells: Six-action spells should not make attack rolls or saving throws.
  
• Spells (Boneshaker): When Boneshaker save is crit failed and kills the target, it still asks if you would like to slide them which is completely harmless to have as the slide is interrupted by death but the prompt to pick a slide tile is still given
  
• Items: Versatile piercing weapons are still affected by underwater combat.
• Classes (Psychic): When amped, imaginary weapon does not use an animation.
  
• Free encounter mode: Encounters without difficulty settings give out the "Hard" and "Insane" trophy based on your selected difficulty.
  

Dawnsbury Days will release on Steam on Friday, March 8th.

The game is feature-complete, reasonably balanced, and contains enough character content and encounter content. I am proud of it and I am happy to release it, though final polishing is still in progress.

What happens post-launch?

I'll pay close attention to the game in the first few weeks post-launch.

In the first week post-launch, until the initial spike of interest subsides, I plan to only release critical fixes (crash bug fixes and progression-breaking bugs) so that I don't accidentally introduce new bugs while there are a lot of active players.

It is possible that players will report new noncritical bugs or feature requests: I would work on those in an experimental branch and deploy them after the initial interest subsides a little. In the same branch, I would continue working on any features requested by modders to help them with modding Dawnsbury Days.

After that, I'll continue to provide some technical support, and look into bugs, but I expect to take a little break from hobby game development afterwards. I consider the game a standalone complete singleplayer game, not a continuously updated live service game, and with this, the development will be over.

There is of course, always the thinking of "could there be a sequel". Never say never, but I really would prefer to take a break from development for a while after this is done.

[h2]Features[/h2]

• Code mods on Steam Workshop. You can now upload code mods to the Steam Workshop and subscribe to them. The first time you load a new code mod from the Steam Workshop, there will be a warning and you must approve the mod.
  
• Variable-action and variant spell improvements. Spells with a variable number of actions and spells with variants now display more specific rules blocks when you hover over each option, such as the stat block of the summoned creature or the specific range and effect of a spell with multiple action costs. It is now also possible to create spells that use 1-2 actions, 2-3 actions, or 2-3-or-6 actions, in addition ot the basic 1-2-or-3 variable cost.
  

[h2]New character content[/h2]

• Items: fluid movement elixir
• Spells: divine wrath, circle of protection, march of the tsunami, enervation, soothe, heroism, searing light, boneshaker

[h2]Balancing[/h2]

• Encounters (S3E3): Reduced difficulty on Insane.
  
• Encounters (S3E5): Reduced difficulty on Hard and Insane.
  
• Encounters (S4E1): Reduced difficulty overall, replaced Tail Lash with Attack of Opportunity, added helpful items for S4E2 and S4E3.
  
• Encounters (S4E2, S4E3): Reduced the monster's statistics and saving throws.
  
• Encounters (S4E4): Increased difficulty on Insane.
  

[h2]Bugfixes[/h2]

• Classes (Kineticist): Fire Elemental Blasts can be used underwater.
  
• Classes (Kineticist): The Timber Sentinel provides flanking.
  
• Classes (Magus): After using a Spellstrike, you can't enter Arcane Cascade.
  
• Classes (Monk): Dragon stance has wrong statblock text, it does not give +1 to AC. This is true for all monk stances.
  
• Classes (Monk): Fixed multiple issues with Stunning Fist (remaining issue: Stunning Fist triggers even if you didn't deal damage).
  
• Classes (Monk): Stunning Fist should state the DC.
  
• Classes (Monk): The fonts in the extra encounter Elemental Crucible can't be targeted by a monk's unarmed attacks.
  
• Classes (Monk): You can't use Dragon Stance kick while having your hands occupied.
  
• Classes (Ranger): Hunt Prey causes you to lose undetected, even if you retain invisibility.
  
• Classes (Rogue): Brutal Beating applies even if the target is already dead
  
• Classes (Rogue): Critically succeeding on a feint as a scoundrel doesn't display that the target is flat-footed to everyone.
  
• Classes (Sorcerer): The Infernal bloodline blood magic triggers also when you sustain flaming sphere.
  
• Classes (Strategist): Declare person of Interest and Devise Stratagem make you lose invisibility, hidden and undetected.
  
• Documentation: Added additional keyboard shortcuts and options to the manual.
  
• Documentation: Links in the rulebook are disconnected when spread across two lines.
  
• Encounters (S2E1, S2E3): Morning Dewdrop should flee the closest target at the moment of her turn instead of immediately.
• Encounters (S2E4): The indestructible object had a meaningless Armor Break.
  
• Encounters (S4E1): On a 1080p screen, the rain effect behaves and moves around weirdly.
• Encounters (S4E1): Some of the monsters ignore Grease.
  
• Encounters (S4E2): The game crashes when you kill the enemy and only then the enemy's summon.
  
• Encounters (The Web): In The Web, the Demon Webspinner gains Fire Resistance when it transforms, but it also keeps its fire weakness, which just leads them to cancel each other out.
  
• Encounters (multiple): Citizens have the subtitle "Mentor of the Dawnsbury Four"
  
• Free encounter mode: Fog of war doesn't show up in Free Encounter previews, spoiling the area & tokens underneath.
  
• Items (Versatile P): Versatile-P weapons don't prioritize piercing during underwater combat.
• Modding: Added the trait Trait.SpecificMagicWeapon which excludes items from being automatically generated with itemModifications.
  
• Rules: Sustaining some spells triggers an attack of opportunity, even though it doesn't have the manipulate trait.
  
• Spells (Grease): Flying doesn't make you immune to the Grease balance check
  
• Spells (Invisibility): You shouldn't be able to Hide if you're already invisible.
  
• Steam: Custom data, esp. portraits, aren't part of the Steam cloud saves.
  
• Steam: Custom portraits are saved with full filenames instead of relative to Steam origin.
  
• Steam: The game crashes if it tries to load a nonexistent custom portrait.
  
• Story mode: The load/save dialog window ignores corrupted saves or saves that use noninstalled mods.
  
• Story mode: You can access Dawnsbury before you completed your level up.
  
• Story mode: You can sometimes enter an encounter even if you don't have complete character sheets.
  
• User interface: If you have more than 14 characters, the character library overflows.
  
• User interface: The camera doesn't always focus on an acting character's token if they're only just outside the edges of the viewport.
  

Features

• Rules: Characters now refresh all focus points instead of just one point on a medium rest.
  

Character content

• New class: Monk. Added the final, twelfth class, the monk.
  

Balancing

• Balancing (S3E4): On Insane, this encounter is too hard.
  

Bugfixes

• Classes (Psychic): Tooltip for Telekinetic Rend says "In a nearby space" but doesn't say how big the area is (2x2 squares, or 5ft burst) or how far away you can target it.
  
• Classes (Rogue): Nimble Dodge reaction trigger dialogue when scaping from Grab (bonus AC not useful in this case)
  
• Classes (Whisper Elf): The flavor text contained debug text.
  
• Classes (Wizard, Sorcerer): You could activate Bespell Weapon multiple times a turn
  
• Encounters (S2E5): There is now an overhead text and a log entry when you Seek and find the secret door.
• Encounters (S2E5): You can now also Seek to unmask the mimics.
• Encounters (S3E4): Improved the tactics of the demon and rebalanced the encounter, though issues still remain.
  
• Feats (Quick Draw): Clarified wording.
  
• Items: Insight coffee should be red for everyone except strategist.
  
• Items: Shootist bandolier should be red for everyone that is not competent with repeating hand crossbow.
  
• Modding: Medium rest flavor text element is ignored
  
• Rules (Hide): You can still Hide even if there are no more enemies to hide from.
  
• Rules (thrown weapons): Dagger doesn't calculate distance increments when thrown
  
• Spells (Divine Lance): The spell can be cast in all 4 alignments even though the respective deity doesn't have the correct alignment
  
• Spells (Harm): Harm 3 actions shouldn't affect the caster.
  
• Spells (Mage Armor): Mage Armor can now be cast from a scroll as a free action at the start of an encounter.
  
• Story mode: After you import a character into story mode, the character description text along with the ability to rename the character or change the voices "sticks" to the custom character even when returning into Free Encounter mode.
  
• Story mode: Crash when importing an incomplete character into story mode.
  
• User interface: Using the mouse to control the combat log scroll bar does not work properly