Cyclopean News

[h3]More Feedback[/h3][p]Since the full release the feedback has been non-stop. I am trying to keep up with all your great ideas, but I can't do everything all at once, so please bear with me.[/p][p][/p][h3]Spiderwebs and Torches[/h3][p]Torches can now be used on the surface, in addition to dungeons. This provides a little extra light, but the main reason is to allow players to burn through spiderwebs. Now, instead of getting stuck and taking damage, if you have an active torch, you can burn away webs by using up a little bit extra torch charge. This new feature will use up more torches, even if you don't walk in to webs, but I think they are pretty easy to come by, so I don't see any really drawback here. It also seems more consistent overall.
[/p][p][/p][h3]Torch Animation[/h3][p]In addition to using the torch in the overworld, I added a simple, animated torch icon for fun. The tent also has a little animated fire. I may start adding some other animated features in the game, but don't expect anything too dramatic. It's going to remain mostly the same.[/p][p][/p][h3]The Compass[/h3][p]The Compass has been made more important in the game. You will now need a compass if you want to see your character's latitude and longitude, and this means you will need it in order to use treasure maps and charts. Also, some creatures will give hints about the compass, so new players will be more aware of its existence. [/p][p][/p][h3]Mouse Issues (ongoing)[/h3][p]Some players have complained of "floatyness" with the mouse. I agree it was a little off, but what I heard is that with a high DPI gaming mouse, the problem is really more serious. So this is my first attempt to fix it. I think it's a bit more responsive, but let me know what you think.[/p][p][/p][h3]Default Settings[/h3][p]The "Restore Default Settings" checkmark was not working as advertised. Now it should actually restore all your settings to the default values. [/p][p][/p][h3]Tent Troubles[/h3][p]One player complained (very fairly) that the Tent was a bit of a scam, and i agree. I have not actually changed the way tents work, but the game will warn you and let you know that you are limited to one tent at a time. I am still thinking about tweaking the way tents work, perhaps giving them a limited number of uses, like maybe around 10, so the are still really helpful, but you would have to buy more as the game progresses.

I know some people will hate this idea, but I also don't like the idea of a player sitting on a pile of gold without anything to spend it on. Maybe a balance can be struck this way. Let me know what you think.[/p][p][/p][h3]Trade Issues[/h3][p]When you enter trade with a creature, previously it would exit the encounter, so if you wanted to do something else, like align or inquire, you would have to start a new encounter with that same creature. This was all fine and good, until I added the wits mechanic. So I have adjusted it in that leaving the trade window will no longer leave the encounter, and you will not have to lose those extra wits in the process. [/p][p][/p][h3]Bug Fixes[/h3]

• [p]Dead cats no longer restore wits[/p]
• [p]Some important variable were failing to reset on starting a new game[/p]
• [p]Some encounter calculations were showing the wrong symbol ">" or "

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[h3]High Contrast Update[/h3][p]The High Contrast option introduced in the previous build was really not great. I have worked on it a bit, and I think it looks a lot better. At least the game window will be more or less the same color as the menus. Only the game window is effected, and the menus remain the same as before, so there is now more distinction between the two. This goes against my vision of a monochromatic game, but I understand why players might want it. [/p][p] High Contrast mode makes the darks a little darker in the game window...[/p][p][/p][p]The previous update 1.0.1 shows how to enable this mode, along with other stuff.
[dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][h3]Roguelike Mode[/h3][p]I just added the words "Perma-Death" to the dialogue that asks if you want to activate roguelike mode. I assumed players would understand the meaning of roguelike, but that was unfortunate. I hope everyone appreciates the meaning of perma-death![/p][p][/p][h3]Inquiries Update[/h3][p]Inquiries will now have a little "*" before them, to let you know if you've asked about that topic already. This should help identify when new topics pop up. Since this is such an important part of the game, it is really where you will learn how the game works and what to do in it. So make sure you read those inquiries! [/p][p] Notice the little * next to topics you have not asked about...[/p][p][/p][h3]Hints[/h3][p]I have begun adding little hints in the action log. Just some basic stuff for new players. Noting that could be considered spoilers. For instance, if you run into a spike trap, the action log will say "Use SEARCH/WAIT to identify traps before you walk into them" so players will know that they can disable traps. A lot of players were assuming they just had to take the damage...

There are others you will see. If you feel like any parts of the game are too obscure, let me know, I am happy to add more little notes.[/p][p]


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[h3]New Feedback[/h3][p]I've been getting a lot of really great feedback since releasing the game yesterday, and I wanted to get some of it into the game as quickly as possible. A few of these things may need some refinement over the next few days/weeks, and some of the new features can only be used if you edit the configuration file for now. More about that later...[/p][p][/p][h3]Classic Dungeons[/h3][p]You can activate this in the configuration file. It is only for normal mode, and will not effect roguelike mode. Activating Classic Dungeons will prevent the game from saving while you are in a dungeon. You will still be able to save the game outside of dungeons as usual. This was a feature I tried during Early Access, but everyone complained that it would be bad, so I backtracked from that decision. But for anyone who wants a more tense experience, you can try it.[/p][p][/p][h3]Retro Camera[/h3][p]Activate in the config file if you want. Some players complained that the 3D camera movement in dungeons was making them dizzy. So I added this option to allow the camera to "teleport" instantly instead of moving through the level, much like the old dungeon crawlers of the 1980s used to do. [/p][p][/p][h3]High Contrast Mode[/h3][p]Also relegated to the config file, I really don't like the look of this, but some folks asked for a higher contrast game window. Early versions of this game had a higher contrast, but it was very hard on the eyes. Still it may be helpful for some players.[/p][p][/p][h3]QuickSlots![/h3][p]Probably the biggest new feature of this update, you now have 3 "quickslots" that allow you to assign a different supply item to each. For now only supplies can be assigned, and the slots are controlled by the number keys 1-3. There is no menu access or controller buttons for quickslots, so it's only available to keyboard players.

To assign an item to a quickslot, open your inventory and read the instructions at the top.


Basically select an item and press 1, 2 or 3 on your keyboard to assign the item. When you are not in your inventory, pressing 1, 2 or 3 will "use" the item assigned to that key. By default 1 is set to Torch, 2 is set to Bandage and 3 is set to Cup of Tea. If you don't have any of the assigned items, it will inform you in the action log. [/p][p][/p][h3]Bug Fixes[/h3]

• [p]Treasure Charts were messed up and would crumble when you tried to use them, these should work now.[/p]
• [p]Dying by bashing yourself into a door will now provide the correct end of game message.[/p]
• [p]Saving a game during an encounter and reloading in order to escape that encounter no longer works :) Nice try people![/p]
• [p]Some menu hotkeys were working during combat which should not have been.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]How to Update Settings[/h3][p]If you want to try any of the options mentioned above, follow these instructions. Go to:[/p][p]"C:\\Users\\-your username-\\AppData\\Local\\Cyclopean" and open "Options_6.cfg".

Near the bottom you will see these entries:[/p][p]HIGH CONTRAST,0 [/p][p]RETRO CAM,0 [/p][p]CLASSIC DUNGEONS,0 [/p][p]QUICK-SLOTS,305 304 301
[/p][p]Change them (as needed) to:[/p][p]HIGH CONTRAST,1 [/p][p]RETRO CAM,-1 [/p][p]CLASSIC DUNGEONS,1 [/p][p]QUICK-SLOTS,305 304 301
Again, don't set high contrast mode unless you really need to, my advice. [/p][p]You can also set RETRO CAM to 1, and it will disable camera smoothing in the overworld, but I felt it looked too jarring. So setting it to -1 will allow the camera to move smoothly in the overworld, but not in dungeons.[/p][p]


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[h2]Full Release is Here![/h2][p]
I am super excited about Cyclopean: The Great Abyss, and thrilled that we've been able to bring it to this point with the help of the Early Access players.
[/p][p][/p][p]I updated the game very slightly since the previous version 0.9.942 from yesterday. I added a small sound effect for resetting traps, so you hopefully won't do it accidentally without noticing. I also prevent traps from being reset if there is a corpse on it. This was causing some weird issues where searching the dead creature would also reset or trigger the trap, and it felt very random.

Other than that the game feels ready for the world!

Let me know what you think! I am going to try to be available as much as possible in these next few days, in case any overlooked bugs snuck their way into the full release. [/p][p]
Thanks again to everyone who played, provided feedback and showed any kind of support for this project. Enjoy exploring and getting lost in the Great Abyss![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p]

[h3]Traps[/h3][p]This should prove interesting, and I hope I am not breaking the game here :) Spike traps will now effect enemies as well as the player.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]
Traps[/h3][p]Completely unrelated to the above, the player can also now reset spike traps by clicking "search" when facing them, just as when they search for traps to begin with.[/p][p][/p][h3]Bugs & Stuff[/h3][p]I fixed a few errors in the Roguelike Mode archive panel. Also when you reset the game to it's default settings, it will ask if you want to restart immediately. I also lowered the click volume when hovering over buttons. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p]