Tales of Kathay News

[h2]Important update about the Open Alpha[/h2][p]I’ll be ending the Open Alpha for Tales of Kathay shortly, transitioning to a Closed Alpha exclusive for Patreon supporters.[/p][p]You’ll still be able to play a demo version of the game for free on Itch, with limited options for world size and playthrough duration.[/p][p]The game will still be updated regularly, but the access will be restricted to Patreon supporters of any paid tier.[/p][p]To continue playing the updated versions of Tales of Kathay, consider becoming a member on Patreon. I still have a few updates planned for the Open Alpha, so you can wait a bit before becoming a member.[/p][p]If you have donated through Itch, I’ll figure out a way for you to still have access to the updated Alpha versions.[/p][hr][/hr][p]Hey everyone![/p][p]The Open Alpha 0.12.0 is now available for download on Itch.io![/p][p]In this update I’m adding a new system to the game, called Traits. All characters spawn with randomized traits that gives them bonuses or penalties, making each character more unique. In total, 12 traits were added.[/p][p]I’ve also polished the player experience around the actual game, like creating a new Crate World screen, character selection and death screen.[/p][p]Finally, there’s now an in-game contextual hint system to help new players better grasp the concepts of the game.[/p][p]Every character in the world will now have randomized traits, that modify their attributes, stats, and how likely they are to perform certain actions.[/p][p]In total, there are 12 traits added, with 6 of them being positive, and 6 being negative. From some simple attribute changing traits, such as the Strong trait, that gives you to +2 Strength, to the Slow Learner trait, that reduces XP gain by 20%.[/p][p][/p][p]I’ve added new screens for creating worlds, character selection, and after your character has died. These new screens not only are there to give clarity and context to what the game is doing, but also gives the player new options on how to play the game.[/p][p]The “New World” screen allows you to select the world size and history length, as well as the world’s seed, if you want to replay a particularly interesting world.[/p][p][/p][p]The “Character Selection” screen gives you a roster of characters from the world to choose from, instead of the game randomly assigning one to you. You can carefully select the best character for you, viewing their traits, attributes and starting skills. Or you can select someone with a particulary interesting backstory, based on their life’s events.[/p][p][/p][p]Finally, I have revamped the Death screen to be more impactfull, and recount the Tale of the played character.[/p][p][/p][p]There’s now a few hints that might pop up during play, with the intent to help new players get a grasp of the game mechanics. These hints also replace the content of the Help Screen, and will only show once per playthrough.[/p][p][/p][h2]Gameplay[/h2]

• [p]New help screen;[/p]
• [p]New death screen, that shows events in the character’s life;[/p]
• [p]New trait system, that gives slight advantages and disadvantages to differenct characters;[/p]
• [p]New Trait: Though;[/p]
• [p]New Trait: Puny;[/p]
• [p]New Trait: Strong;[/p]
• [p]New Trait: Weak;[/p]
• [p]New Trait: Nimble;[/p]
• [p]New Trait: Sluggish;[/p]
• [p]New Trait: Street Smart;[/p]
• [p]New Trait: Naive;[/p]
• [p]New Trait: Fast Healer;[/p]
• [p]New Trait: Slow Healer;[/p]
• [p]New Trait: Fast Learner;[/p]
• [p]New Trait: Slow Learner;[/p]
• [p]New Stat: Experience Multiplier;[/p]
• [p]New (optional) tracking of in-game events;[/p]
• [p]New “Create World” screen;[/p]
• [p]New “Character Selection” screen;[/p]
• [p]Improved people name generation to be less random;[/p]
• [p]Increased the likelihood of blacksmiths and other traders in towns;[/p]
• [p]Interacting with a crafting station in the world now opens the crafting menu;[/p]

[h2]UI[/h2]

• [p]Updated game’s logo on the Main Menu;[/p]
• [p]Stacking items is now prefered when adding an item to your inventory;[/p]
• [p]New Filters on the Crafting screen for the required crafting station;[/p]
• [p]Pressing a screen hotkey again with the screen open closes it;[/p]
• [p]Codex no longer shows unnamed creatures (e.g.: “a wolf”, “a bear”…);[/p]
• [p]Trade dialog now shows if an item is equipped or not;[/p]
• [p]Tooltip’s delay has been reduced;[/p]
• [p]Improved the text of several world events;[/p]
• [p]Quest markers are now animated;[/p]
• [p]Small UI changes in the History Simulation screen;[/p]
• [p]Added small indicator of when you run out of Action Points;[/p]
• [p]Quest reward value is now shown on the Notice Board;[/p]
• [p]New contextual hints during gameplay;[/p]

[h2]Performance[/h2]

• [p]Saving the game is now done in the background, drastically reducing the load time between areas;[/p]

[h2]Balance[/h2]

• [p]“Cleave”, “Bleeding Cut” and “Concussing Strike” cooldown changed from 2 to 3;[/p]
• [p]Increased XP gain slightly;[/p]
• [p]Made traps less obvious, not changing the underlying ground;[/p]
• [p]HP recovery was greatly increased;[/p]
• [p]Increased the Club’s damage slightly;[/p]
• [p]Rebalanced most action’s Action Points cost. Most importantly, movement now costs 25 AP (4 tiles / turn), and most attacks cost 50 AP;[/p]
• [p]Constitution affects the “Healing Speed” stat;[/p]
• [p]Weapon’s 2nd level skills have been moved to level 1;[/p]

[h2]Bugfixes[/h2]

• [p]Fixed the Sling tooltip’s damage;[/p]
• [p]Fixed several typos;[/p]
• [p]Fixed issue where NPCs would change hair style upon reloading an area;[/p]
• [p]Fixed issue where the chat dialog no longer had any options;[/p]
• [p]You can no longer track completed quests;[/p]
• [p]Fixed issue where the Alt key (“Look”) got stuck;[/p]
• [p]Grokkers no longer spawn in the Taiga biome, as originally intended;[/p]
• [p]Fixed issue where encounters were overriding each other, causing some impossible to complete quests (Thanks @Gilbert!);[/p]
• [p]Fixed issue where the sliders in the “Options” screen had no background;[/p]
• [p]Fixed some Tonic crafting recipes that were misconfigured;[/p]
• [p]Fixed crash when spawning enemies via the /spawn command;[/p]
• [p]Fixed teleport having no cooldown;[/p]

[p]Wishlist Tales of Kathay on Steam[/p]

[p]Hey everyone![/p][p]The Open Alpha 0.11.0 is now available for download on Itch.io![/p][p]In this update I’ve reworked the biomes of the game, making them more distinct, and adding a third biome: The Taiga.[/p][p]Previously, the biomes only had a tiny impact on the game, changing the sprite in the map screen, and choosing what creatures to spawn.[/p][p]Now, they’re truly different from one another. Each biome can generate different trees, plants and animals, with different densities. The 3 current biomes are:[/p][p]Temperate Prairie[/p][p]Previously called grasslands, this biome is rich in healing herbs and coyotes, but you won’t find many trees around. Grokker really like to live here.[/p][p][/p][p]Temperate Deciduous Forest[/p][p]Previously called forest, this biome is composed of dense oak and birch woodlands populated by wolves and bears.[/p][p][/p][p]Taiga[/p][p]The new biome, a cold forest composed mostly of pines. Grokker avoid the colder regions, leaving it for the wildlife and the terrifying Varningr.[/p][p][/p][p]Quest difficulty has been reworked to revolve around a concept or Challenge Rating, or CR. The CR is a score computed for every quest, and also for the player, and it’s an estimate of how hard a fight will be. A high CR creature has a higher chance of winning against a low CR creature. The quest difficulty is based on the difference between your own CR and the quests CR.[/p][h2]Gameplay[/h2]

• [p]“Cleave” action now doesn’t require targeting a creature;[/p]
• [p]Biomes now vary vastly between eachother;[/p]
• [p]Changed how temperature and rainfall are generated in World gen;[/p]
• [p]Quest difficulty is now measured in “CR” (Challenge Rating), compared to the player’s own CR;[/p]
• [p]New oak tree sprite;[/p]
• [p]New tree: Birch;[/p]
• [p]New tree: Pine;[/p]
• [p]New harvestable plant: Witch Hazel;[/p]
• [p]New harvestable plant: Goldenseal;[/p]
• [p]New harvestable plant: Yarrow;[/p]
• [p]New harvestable plant: Devil’s Bush;[/p]
• [p]New grass color for prairie;[/p]
• [p]New biome: Taiga;[/p]
• [p]Trees now drop their own materials (cosmetic only);[/p]
• [p]New craftable potion: Tonic of Vigour (Increases strength);[/p]
• [p]New craftable potion: Tonic of Invigoration (Increases agility);[/p]
• [p]New craftable potion: Tonic of Attentiveness (Increases intuition);[/p]
• [p]New craftable potion: Tonic of Sturdiness (Increases constitution);[/p]

[h2]Visuals[/h2]

• [p]Improved some visual effects of the teleport spell;[/p]
• [p]Added shadows to tall objects like trees;[/p]
• [p]Large objects are now hidden when over the player or the cursor;[/p]

[h2]UI[/h2]

• [p]Biome is now shown when hovering over a Point of Interest on the map;[/p]

[h2]Bugfixes[/h2]

• [p]Fixed issue where the quest marker was shown behind the hotbar;[/p]
• [p]Fixed issue where the map didn’t start centered on the player;[/p]
• [p]Fixed issue where the date could be zero (“0th of Jan”);[/p]
• [p]Fixed crash on trade dialog (Thank you Heliostics!);[/p]
• [p]Fixed rare crash while on combat (Thank you Gilbert!);[/p]
• [p]Fixed issue where status effects could take the HP lower than 0;[/p]
• [p]Fixed lingering tooltips from the map screen;[/p]
• [p]Fixed issue where completing a fetch quest didn’t refresh the Chat options;[/p]
• [p]Fixed issue where completing a quest completed several other quests;[/p]
• [p]Changed how definitions are loaded, shouldn’t conflict between versions anymore;[/p]

[p]Hey everyone![/p][p]The Open Alpha 0.10.0 is now available on Itch.io![/p][p]In this update we focus on adding a new full-fledged tribal species to the game, the Grokker! We also add lootable containers, traps, and AI improvements.[/p][h3]Grokkra[/h3][p]The grokkra are small humanoid creatures, hostile towards humans, but not very technologically advanced. They live in small tribes, and rely on makeshift weapons, slings, and crude traps.[/p][p]However, they have a skill that no human can replicate, they can create “Grokker Amber”: A dried and polished resin that they make from their bodies. It’s better not to think much about it, but it has some unique properties when imbued into weapons![/p][p][/p][p]Grokkra will often attack human settlements, and you can likely find village leaders with open contracts for the grokker leader![/p][p]To support the grokkra, they have access to a new weapon: the sling. It is not very powerful, but allows you to attack from a distance - useful good in group tactics. They also have access to two new traps, hidden dangers that can take anyone sneaking around the camp by surprise![/p][h3]AI Changes[/h3][p]The AI has undergone some changes to make the combat vs the semi-intelligent grokkra more interesting. Aggroed NPCs will now get the attention of nearby NPCs, that will investigate what’s going on. Children and other weak NPCs will also now prefer fleeing over fighting the player.[/p][p][/p][h3]New lootable containers[/h3][p]Barrels are now lootable, opening a small screen that allows you to pickup what you want. You can’t place items into the container yet, though. Barrels will have loot in Grokker camps at the moment.[/p][p][/p][h3]New Intuition attribute & Perception stat[/h3][p]To support the new trap mechanics, a new Intuition attribute has been created, and the “Perception bonus” that is derived from it. The perception bonus will allow you to spot traps more easily.[/p][h3]Patch notes[/h3][h3]Gameplay[/h3]

• [p]New species: Grokker;[/p]
• [p]New site type: Grokker tribe;[/p]
• [p]New quest: Slay Grokker Leader;[/p]
• [p]New traps: Wooden Spike and Bone Chimes;[/p]
• [p]New item: Sling;[/p]
• [p]New item: Bone Crown;[/p]
• [p]New item & Material: Grokker Amber;[/p]
• [p]New action: Slingshot (Ranged attack when Sling is equipped);[/p]
• [p]New Attribute: Intuition;[/p]
• [p]New Stat: Bonus perception. Depends on Intuition, helps to perceive traps;[/p]
• [p]New tile: Palisade wall;[/p]
• [p]New tile: Stake blockade;[/p]
• [p]New tile: Crude bedroll;[/p]
• [p]New tile: Sitting log;[/p]
• [p]New tile: Sitting stump;[/p]
• [p]New tile: Skullspike;[/p]
• [p]Barrels are now lootable, although they’ll only have loot in Grokker camps;[/p]
• [p]NPC turns are now slightly slower;[/p]
• [p]You can no longer fast-travel while in combat;[/p]
• [p]Tribes randomly attack villages;[/p]
• [p]New /loadout command for testing;[/p]
• [p]Aggroed NPCs will now call the attention of nearby NPCs;[/p]
• [p]Children will now prefer fleeing instead of fighting to the death;[/p]

[h3]Visuals[/h3]

• [p]New visuals for the patchy grass sprite;[/p]

[h3]UI[/h3]

• [p]World map shows some information about a site on hover;[/p]
• [p]Trade screen no longer resets scroll upon trading;[/p]

[h3]Balance[/h3]

• [p]You are guaranteed to have an easy quest on the starting village;[/p]
• [p]Reduced wolf HP and damage very slightly;[/p]
• [p]Increased price of boots and some hides;[/p]
• [p]Improved the site spawn positions for a more diverse world;[/p]
• [p]Reduced “crit damage bonus” stat base value from 200% to 150%;[/p]
• [p]Reduced Strength effect in “Melee Damage Bonus” stat;[/p]

[h3]Performance[/h3]

• [p]Improved the performance of the Quests tab in the Codex;[/p]

[h3]Other[/h3]

• [p]Crashes now record the error on the log;[/p]
• [p]Options are now saved and restored;[/p]

[h3]Bugfixes[/h3]

• [p]Fixed fireball firing several projectiles;[/p]
• [p]Fixed scroll rendering in some cases;[/p]
• [p]Fixed “Pickup” action being prioritized over “Strike” action (You no longer pick up an item from beneath an enemy’s foot instead of attacking it);[/p]
• [p]Fixed issue where NPC would try to do an action before the previous one was done, cancelling it;[/p]
• [p]Fixed some typos (Thanks @Heliostics);[/p]
• [p]Fixed text clipping issues in some computers (Thanks @BadlyChosenName and @Gradir);[/p]
• [p]Fixed the text of some hunting quests;[/p]
• [p]Fixed tooltips covering context menus;[/p]
• [p]Fixed duplicate quests being created;[/p]
• [p]Fixed enemies attacking your corpse after you died;[/p]
• [p]Fixed the Recovery stat bonus from items;[/p]
• [p]Fixed destroying objects that emit light not removing the light source;[/p]
• [p]Fixed some materials not showing all effects on tooltip;[/p]

[h3]Modding[/h3]

• [p]Cultures are now loaded from TOML files;[/p]
• [p]New TOML file for tribe site definition;[/p]

[p]Hey everyone![/p][p]The Open Alpha 0.9.0 is now available for download on Itch.io![/p][p]In this update we expand the crafting system, adding blacksmithing and tailoring, as well as specific skills for different crafting types. There are several new materials with unique properties, new armor pieces, and multiple new crafting recipes.[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]The largest change in gameplay from this update is working and progressing throught different materials. You can now collect hides, bones, purchase linens and metal ingots, all with different properties and bonuses. Mix and match all of these materials into the equipment you craft, inching closer to thew perfect build.[/p][p][/p][p]Hides and bones can be aquired by butchering the corpse of different animals that you’ll encounter through your playthrough. Bones can be used in certain weapons as handles, hilts or pommels. The hides are the primary material for most leather armor. Ingots can be purchased from blacksmiths, and are the primary material for weapons and metal armor; Wool and linens can be purchased from the new Tailor craftsman, and are used for clothing and cosmetic items. And logs can be harvested from trees, as long as you have an axe.[/p][p]The crafting system has been expanded to support these new materials. Most equipment in the game are now craftable, and the recipes are unlocked as you progress through the respective skill: Blacksmithing, Tailoring and Survival. Your level will also affect the quality of the produced item.[/p][p][/p][p]The item tooltip has also got a lot of love, showing pretty much all underlying information, such as bonuses, damage, value, quality, materials used, etc.[/p][p][/p][p]You can now find tailors in towns and villages. They sell all sorts of clothing items, leather armor and cloth rolls for your own crafting. They might also request animal hides from time to time![/p][p][/p][h2]Gameplay[/h2]

• [p]Crafting recipes can new have a skill requirement;[/p]
• [p]The quality of created items depends on your level on that skill;[/p]
• [p]New skill - Survival;[/p]
• [p]New skill - Blacksmithing;[/p]
• [p]New skill - Tailoring;[/p]
• [p]Added hides, bones and gans as possible outputs from butchering creatures, each with unique bonuses;[/p]
• [p]Materials used on weapons and armor can now give boosts to attributes, damage and/or protection;[/p]
• [p]Improved item tooltips to show all effects and bonuses;[/p]
• [p]Some animals can now spawn randomly in the wilderness;[/p]
• [p]The quality of the items created by NPCs now depend on their level;[/p]
• [p]You can now chop trees while having an axe equipped, giving you a source of logs;[/p]
• [p]Pants, boots and skirts now have quality and material;[/p]
• [p]Blacksmiths now sell ingots and no longer sell leather armor;[/p]
• [p]Crafting dialog now supports material selection;[/p]
• [p]New item - “Cloth roll”, sold by the Tailor, which provides the colored linen and wool materials;[/p]
• [p]New item - “Hide”;[/p]
• [p]New item - “Fang”;[/p]
• [p]New item - “Bone”;[/p]
• [p]New item - “Log”;[/p]
• [p]New item - “Headwrap”;[/p]
• [p]New item - “Peasant Shoes” (lower level than Boots);[/p]
• [p]New item - “Padded Chausses” (higher level than Pants);[/p]
• [p]New Tailor profession;[/p]
• [p]New Tailor Shop building;[/p]
• [p]New fetch quests for hides;[/p]

[h2]Visuals[/h2]

• [p]Fixed the colors of some materials (linens);[/p]

[h2]UI[/h2]

• [p]Attributes are now shown in the character screen;[/p]
• [p]Improved the description of injuries when inspecting a corpse or creature;[/p]
• [p]The character stats screen now updates periodically and when changing equipment;[/p]

[h2]Balance[/h2]

• [p]XP gain is now slightly slower;[/p]
• [p]Rebalanced some variables of quest generation to reduce the number of empty encounters (quest with no enemies);[/p]
• [p]Reviewed the price of several items;[/p]
• [p]Fixed the healing of Echinacea, as it was too powerful;[/p]
• [p]“Missing while hunting” encounter can now spawn some hides and meat;[/p]
• [p]Critical Chance is now negatively affected by Manipulation;[/p]
• [p]Crafting Healing salve now requires Survival lvl 1;[/p]
• [p]Crafting Health potion now requires Survival lvl 4;[/p]

[h2]Bugfixes[/h2]

• [p]Fixed the name of the blue linen (was called green linen);[/p]
• [p]Fixed issue where quest was auto-completed when starting the game (if it was related to he player);[/p]
• [p]Fixed issue where quest was given by the player themselves;[/p]
• [p]Fixed issue where the butcher action could remove the wrong corpse;[/p]
• [p]Fixed issue where the screen wasn’t being cleared when out of the map;[/p]
• [p]Fixed issue where you couldn’t equip 2 trinkets;[/p]
• [p]Fixed “Wait 50 years” death option not waiting 50 years from now, but from the original simulation lenght;[/p]
• [p]Fixed some lingering context menus;[/p]
• [p]Fixed some duplicate spawning of items and corpses in encounters;[/p]
• [p]Fixed the render order of some objects (ground objects being drawn in front of the player);[/p]
• [p]Fixed wrong information on the help screen;[/p]

[h2]Modding[/h2]

• [p]Actions can now be defined via TOML file;[/p]

[p]Hey everyone![/p][p]The Open Alpha 0.8.0 is now available for early download for the Patreon Members![/p][p]In this update, the focus reworking a some of the basic systems of the game into systems that can withstand the future development of the game.[/p][h2]New Injuries & Health[/h2][p]There are now individual injuries for the body parts, instead of just an HP value per body part. Each attack causes an injury of a specific type to that body part, depleting the body part health and it’s efficacy.[/p][p]Each body part contributes to 3 health stats: Manipulation (Your ability to manipulate weapons and objects), Movement (your ability to move around), and Consciousness. These stats by themselves don’t change anything in the gameplay, but they affect the other stats. For example, your fumble chance will be affected by both the Manipulation and Consciousness health stats.[/p][p]The new health panel reflects all of these chances:[/p][p][/p][h2]Stats[/h2][p]The player & NPC stats also got an overhaul, reworking how most stats are computed and how they work, and also adding a few new stats. Each stat will now also show everything that affects it positively or negatively when you hover over the number, such as levels, status effects, and health stats.[/p][p][/p][h2]Item stacks and inventory[/h2][p]Items can now stack! This seems like a small change, but it required to rework other things such as trading, crafting, drop, pickup, consume, and pretty much everything that revolved around items.[/p][p]I have also changed a bit how the controls of the inventory work, using now a drag-and-drop control scheme instead of a click-and-move scheme.[/p][p][/p][h2]Patch notes[/h2][h3]Gameplay[/h3]

• [p]New injury system;[/p]
• [p]New health stats system;[/p]
• [p]NPCs and player can now get permanent scars from injuries;[/p]
• [p]Stats now show how they're calculated on hover;[/p]
• [p]New “healing speed” and injury “healing speed stats”;[/p]
• [p]Bonus melee damage is not a percentage instead of flat value;[/p]
• [p]Some items can now be stacked in inventory;[/p]
• [p]Inventory now uses drag controls instead of click-and-move controls;[/p]
• [p]Trade dialog now shows stacks instead of individual items, allowing you to buy and sell a whole stack at once;[/p]
• [p]Environmental and status damages are now logged in the game log;[/p]

[h3]Visuals[/h3]

• [p]New sprite for the boots;[/p]
• [p]Improved AoE preview;[/p]

[h3]UI[/h3]

• [p]Game log now has scroll and new colors;[/p]
• [p]You can now view NPCs and corpses injuries upon inspecting them;[/p]

[h3]Balance[/h3]

• [p]Rebalanced pretty much all status-effects, damages, and health for the new systems;[/p]

[h3]Bugfixes[/h3]

• [p]Fixed an issue where you could close the death dialog and continue playing;[/p]
• [p]Corpses can now overlap each other, instead of being replaced;[/p]
• [p]Fixed some issues with lingering tooltips;[/p]
• [p]Settlements will no longer have duplicate names;[/p]
• [p]Fixed the description for the broken bow;[/p]
• [p]Fixed issue where you couldn’t complete an in-progress quest if the NPC had another quest to give;[/p]

[h3]Modding[/h3]

• [p]Ground tiles are now loaded from TOML files;[/p]