Banquet for Fools News

[h2] Additions [/h2]

~ Added: Headbands for guards
~ Added: When killing an enemy in combat there’s a random chance a spirit container will fly out of them that equals one spirit bar (replaced system where every death gives small amount of spirit)
~ Added: When damaging an enemy in combat there’s a random chance a health container will fly out of them that can be walked over to regain a small amount of health

[h2] Fixes [/h2]

~ Fixed bug where combat would continue if other NPCs off camera were fighting each other
~ Fixed bug in game feed where it was incorrectly saying main characters attack was absorbed even though they did damage
~ Improved issue where player slows does while moving up hills
~ Fixed bug where Mushroom darts leave target in confusion state that they don’t return from and keeps combat running

[h2] << -|/- >> [/h2]

Spikey crimscale circlets for our friendly neighborhood Lazure guardsman:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3357525678

The tiny imp rat family, just in time for Halloween!

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3357492725

Flying imps and imp rats are creatures created from the entity know as the trickster god in Serpent in the Staglands.

Part of the balance tuning happening is additional enemy behaviors for new maneuvers during encounters, and we wanted to address one of our smallest inhabitants with some themed behavior.

Imp rats now have a chance of stealing a belt-item from a player when they attack, which can be collected upon their death. However destroying an imp rat has a chance of unleashing its gross babies from its pouch, creating many tiny and fast targets that bite as fast as they run.

We hope this adds some player movement and unexpected tactics during these skirmishes with the trickster god's smallest creations.

We'll be getting them into the builds this weekend along with some other enemy special moves we'll share in the coming days.

[h2] Additions [/h2]

~ Added: Multi-attacks for range weapons with multi-hit
~ Added: Power attacks are single attacks, now heaviest damage dealer
~ Added: Mark (replacing Critical) and Mark UI above target heads
~ Added: Directional damage bonus +2 for back, +1 for right and +1 for left if target does not have a weapon or shield in that hand
~ Added: Projectiles are now collision-independent and can be interrupted mid-air with another target, so line-of-sight matters for arrows and darts (elyxirs typically avoid this by being lobbed)

~ Behavior: Companions will not prioritize Marked attacks to enemies that are already marked and instead do a heavy damage dealing attack to utilize the evasion reduction
~ Behavior: Companions will only do a multi-target attack if there is more than one target near their intended target at the start of their attack

~ Close the gap targeting code finds points closer to attackers (but still farthest distance away) so they don’t unnecessarily sometimes circle enemies to get the farthest distance away

[h2] UI [/h2]

~ Escape to close menus now works in main menu
~ Fixed visual issue with damage text where the beautiful trail of numbers sometimes went in a different direction.

[h2] Fixes [/h2]

Pathfinding

~ Fixed bug where characters stopped animating while re-pathing
~ Fixed error where backline tactics fighters would attack when they should kite out of danger

Other

~ Bound creature halo visual layer glitch corrected
~ Fixed a bug with darts and arrows where speed was inconsistent for targets far away
~ Fixed bug where sometimes action bar was full at the beginning of combat
~ Fixed bug with Rally meter where sound played after every attack once meter was full
~ Fixed error where flying NPCs pressed down puzzle tiles


//////////// Notes on the Mark attack ////////////

Mark reduces target's Evasion
Companions already prioritize pivot to attack Marked targets, and will also get the Harmony Effect, which boosts their Action Bar speed. if they hit them
The Mark Ailment also has a new indicator above the target's head that roughly shows how long it will last for.
Mark decreases in effectiveness over time

Multi-hit targeting info for damage can be spotty sometimes and will be addressed in tomorrow's update. Thanks everyone!

Hey everyone! We've chatted with some of you on expanding activity to be done between dome-attack actions and we wanted to address this. Updates later this week will feature other ideas that are getting in regardless, but we wanted to put up a basic gameplay test for charge-up attacks.

This is now live on the beta branch, password:
BfFTestingBranch

To Note:

• There is a new hotkey, defaulting to Shift, where you can attack in place, otherwise you just left-click on the target.
  
• You cannot target non-hostile characters in this beta build.
  
• This is not integrated with controllers.
  
• Padded enemy HP definitely warrants the Mark action (previously Critical) to have the party be able to do more damage to them
  
• You can load any existing save file or start a new one
  

More info here:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/3172700/discussions/0/4699036262719311672/

Keep in mind this is just a gameplay functionality test, numbers are padded to allow for the added attacks but were not focused on. We think there are pros and cons to this idea, it simultaneously adds more player input chaos but focuses the party onto single targets. It doesn't change the overall feel but it is more visual stimulus, maybe making it feel less controlled.

Please let us know what you think on this post or the one linked above! Even if we don't use it we thought it was an interesting test that could fuel additional discussion and ideas. Regardless of if we finish integrating this we're in the middle of doing these updates to the main game system:

• Companions can revive other companions during combat
  
• Companions can heal other companions
  
• Enemies with unique attack behavior and AOE tile effects to get characters to move around
  
• Health orb pickups that lob from enemies killed/hit
  
• Spirit pickups that lob from enemies killed
  
• Potentially Directional hits for sides/backs of targets doing more damage to get characters to more strategically move around
  

[h2]Additions[/h2]

~ Added: Party can be selected with hotkeys, adjustable in the Settings menu
~ Added: When companions are grouped together in the tactics menu, they will prioritize attacking the target that the group leader (noted by the heart icon) is attacking
~ Game feed shows your given spell name and not standard effect name

[h2]Art Additions/Updates[/h2]

~ Updated Crop Goblin art
~ Possessed child rings now have custom models/inventory items renders
~ Circlet of enameled flowers now has a custom model/inventory item renders
~ Updated spellbook inventory item renders and grid-size

[h2]Fixes[/h2]

~ Fixed graphics issue with shadows casting as long rays in some perspective camera scene areas
~ Fixed bug where ghosts could quip
~ Fixed issue where NPCs who move to engage dialogue with you can talk to you while sleeping
~ Fixed bug where chests could be lock picked after broken after saving and loading the game
~ Fixed bug where sometimes NPCs eyes stay shut in dialogue or vignette
~ Fixed bug where you couldn’t leave the combat dome after selecting a spell and right clicking to cancel it

[h3]UI[/h3]

~ Fixed visual bug on NPC detail card where text could overlap if name was too long
~ Fixed bug where you couldn’t drag hotkey onto A
~ Fixed issue where companion AI was switching weapons but companion docks were not updating highlighted weapon to match
~ Fixed bug with spellbook where spells could be indented left outside of book

[h3]Ruleset[/h3]

~ Fixed bug introduced in 1.27 where multi-hand was not leveling up with second attack
~ Decreased torch lit time
~ Updated defending to not utilize any RNG to determine outcome. This is now determined only by the timing of pressing it with the incoming attack

[h2]Updates[/h2]

~ Updated HUD so [Tactics] button and [Show All Items] buttons are easier to see
~ Added a day timer to bone piles so they don’t stack up infinitely with respawning enemies and slow down scene loads
~ Clock button hover shows prompt to rest and updated time formatting

[h2]Art Updates[/h2]

~ Updated art for Shroomer Flyers, Red Bakkas, Stick Bakkas, Sand Foxes, Long Legs
~ Update Long Legs animation and pivots to be tighter to their tile-radius and less wonky
~ Update pivot animations for Greva
~ Updated character models so sash collides correctly with legs

[h2]Fixes[/h2]

~ Fixed bug where bone piles weren’t showing until reloading game
~ Fixed spelling error in Act 1 Viorica’s dialogue
~ Fixed error where time was not resetting between Act 1 and Act 2
~ Fixed some issues with extra party positions staying behind as green dots on map
~ Fixed problem with local map where map pins can leave border
~ Fixed bug where you can click on a pin while typing box is still up and you can’t drag pin correctly after that and it causes errors with the note text label
~ Fixed issue for new games where lighthouse is cutting through Fog of War before entering it
~ Fixed graphics issue where parts of Abandoned Farm map could have diagonal shadow lines clipping through it - only happened on Windows
~ Fixed bug where hearts in formation menu remain when moving from act 2 to act 1 via saves

[h2]Controllers[/h2]

~ Fixed an issue with the tips menu not working with controllers