Banished Stone News

Here are the following changes for v1.04.

• The Auto NPC option in Options now defaults to on, you can change it to off if you don`t like this behavior.
  
• Tweaked the outline effect when selecting an NPC or object, performance has improved because of it.
  
• Changed the baked on text system, to show the relevant and related key or button press above it. This is more intuitive.
  
• Added a ton more baked on text helper tips in the Inn, Frontiersville and the Elder Forest. These go away after level 1 and are solely designed to give new players a helping hand.
  

It's a small patch by recent standards, but important none the less.

FPS Counter Display
Press the / key to open the game command line and then type fps (/fps) and it enter to toggle a FPS counter on or off.

Changing Resolution
Previously I had assumed a one size fits all approach and the game scaled to fit your current resolution, I recognize this may have had pitfalls so now I have added a way to change your resolution via the new Resolutions button on the Options screen (once a character is loaded).

A list of resolutions will be provided, with recommended sizes fitting closer to the preferred 16:9 ratio indicated with a gold crown and not recommended with a red mask.

Changing to one of these resolutions will be almost instant, and it should revert back to your original resolution upon exit. Although from this point forth it is recommended you exit the game via the Menu and the Exit choices presented there and not Alt + F4 as it seems Alt + F4 may not always resize your window back forcing you to ferret around in Windows Settings.

There is a FIX.bat file in the Game folder that will forcibly set your resolution back if all else fails.

If you have been experiencing less than ideal FPS then lowering your screen resolution and/or playing windowed (F11) would be your best options at improving performance.

[p]I am super happy and proud to announce that patch 1.02 is now out, this is the final patch for launch and symbolizes the launch of Banished Stone as it moves from Early Access to full release.[/p][p]I appreciate your support and hope you enjoy the game![/p][p]Features and fixes added in v1.02:[/p]

• [p]Controller button changes, LT (hold) now executes run when using the DPAD. LB now performs the quick use action instead of LT.[/p]
• [p]Additional player audio sounds have been added when a boss fight starts, and when the boss is defeated.[/p]
• [p]During a boss fight the music track will switch to something a little more appropriate, before switching back to the regular music if the boss is defeated.",[/p]
• [p]Nurture and Energy Well cooldowns are now approximately 4 minutes. While the spell lasts 60 - 90 seconds, it was a little overpowered so changing the cooldown should make it more meaningful.[/p]
• [p]You can now bump into a loot drop to pick it up by default, previously this was only turned on for people playing on a controller, but it's now on for everyone.[/p]
• [p]Elder forest is the latest map to have some graphical tweaks.[/p]
• [p]Added a random variance to the size of most monsters, this is to make the world look a little different and not uniform each time you play.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug that allowed the auto NPC select function to select misc background characters such as mice and fish.[/p]
• [p]Text can now be overlaid straight onto parts of the map to show more information, tips etc....[/p]
• [p]Added a sound effect when gaining gold.[/p]
• [p]Added a level 7 spell called Specters, allowing you to summon ghosts to attack your foes.[/p]
• [p]Added a level 4 spell called Spikes, allowing you to shoot spikes.[/p]
• [p]Nurture, Energy Well and Spikes are now correctly entered as non-combat casting spells. So you don't have to have a monster highlighted to execute them.[/p]
• [p]Nurture animation size has been shrunk so it does not take up so much real estate when triggering.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an annoying bug that caused the reuse timers on items to reset when the Inventory screen loads, this was accidentally added as part of the Sorting feature in v0.93.[/p]
• [p]The Quick Use screen now takes reuse timers into consideration.[/p]
• [p]Allocated more channels for sound effects to play in.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug in the Disgust runestone that may have caused the game animations to lock up and require a restart.[/p]
• [p]The Area Name text at the top of the screen now auto-hides after a few seconds of entering the map.[/p]
• [p]The Poison Crafting plan now requires Pixiehat as an ingredient, instead of Poison ... yes no one said I was smart.[/p]
• [p]Shimmering Potion effects have been finalized, it now consumes your energy and converts it to health.[/p]
• [p]Bright Chests now drop Haste and Stamina potions, Haste increases your speed while Stamina increases your Flying Time.[/p]
• [p]Added a new sound effect when opening loot bags, rune bags, spellbooks and chests. [/p]
• [p]New sound effects for gaining gold and pilfering.[/p]
• [p]Spottula, Pixiecap and Bluehat fungus now have an effect when used.[/p]

Here's just part of the changes made to this version, ahead of the launch on June 26th.

• Tab key now toggles Story mode on and off. Much more than hiding the HUD, this feature also hides tool tips and a few other things so you can play with all the clutter off. You can also take great screenshots and videos this way.
  
• Fixed a bug with the loading screen that meant if you resized the window using F11 the position of the loading elements may have been incorrect.
  
• Improvements have been made to the Cursedlands Map.
  
• Fixed a bug with the Family Stone effect, causing active map filters to drop off.
  
• Added a short tip area to the load screen. Each time you load the game you'll cycle through the available tips, until it runs out and starts over.
  
• Tweaked some of the Crypts content.
  
• Footprints in the snow was added in this patch. You can turn this feature off in Options.
  
• R key now opens a Quick Use screen, allowing you to use any of your usable items in your inventory.
  
• New visual effect when gaining or losing bounty and when gaining or losing coins.
  
• Hiring an NPC now correctly closes the NPC window.
  
• Added a flying hint tip to Elder Forest.
  
• Some NPCs now have little blurbs of text to say as you walk past.
  
• Speech bubbles now activate with a lighting effect to make them easier to read in the dark.
  
• Monsters 2 levels lower than your own level will now reset to neutral status and not attack you. Your combat pet will not be able to start a fight with these by default, so you'd have to land the first blow.
  

Here are the latest changes:

• Fixed an issue with the new key/button icons not showing up over a power slot if nothing is readied at that slot.
  
• Fixed an issue with the newly changed Powers screen that may have led to an error when hovering the mouse over an unused power.
  
• Shortcut icons now show up on top of the CIRCLE buttons, indicating what controller button/key press triggers the button. The Trigger Key tooltip text has been removed.
  
• The final choice screen now works correctly with Controllers.
  
• Using the WASD keys to select items on sub-screens is no longer quite as twitchy.
  
• Modified button layout for the Inventory screen popups so that Use is always on the left side, Drop on the right etc...
  
• Circle button transparency added as an option to the Options screen, so you can tweak how solid or transparent they are.
  
• Loot drops from monster kills no longer slide away from you, it's more of a drop on the spot so you can gather them more easily.
  
• Added a new random loot drop ability called Nurture, which heals 20% of your health every 8 seconds for up to 60 seconds, depending on your level.
  
• Added a new boss Sigil, this is another raid boss that is available solely from the Courtyard at Sanctum.
  
• Added a Treasure Box to Sanctum that contains rewards for defeating the Raid Bosses.
  
• Added a new Outfit feature, with 3 additional outfit choices. These must be unlocked through acquiring the following items, Royal Crown (royal outfit), Top Hat (patriot outfit), Party Mask (party outfit).
  
• Added a new Backpack item that allows you to expand your inventory storage capacity.
  
• The Level Cap for the DEMO has been dropped from level 4 to level 3.