Version 0.40 released

This version is code complete, which means everything that was planned was coded into the game and what’s left is storyline/content/assets. This is a very nice & happy milestone for me since code is always the most tricky part. So, in this version there were two major things added and several small ones. Added subraces which allows more variation to the race choices. Redesigned combat abilities, especially Ranger and Knight which were getting on my nerves for a while. There is also an important fix.

– [feature] Subraces added. Now upon creation you can select a variant of each race, for example after selecting an elf you choose if it’s a Wood Elf, High Elf, etc. If you use older saves you will have a generic base race without additional perks.
– [feature] Redesigned knight’s combat ability. Now knights have Charge combat ability which is a special attack which targets all monsters (like Whirling weapon with 100% chance of triggering).
– [feature] Redesigned ranger’s combat ability. Ranger’s Detoxicate was both not too useful and non thematic after introducing racial classes like battlesmith which inherit from ranger. So, now rangers have Stun combat ability which is a special attack which makes the target skip the next attack.

– [misc] Added one mechanic/feature but it not listed to avoid spoilers.

– [balance] Massively increased HPs of all dragons.

– [interface] Tooltips for achievements/titles (on Titles & Awards screen).
– [interface] Upon getting an achievement/title it’s always mentioned on the NPC dialogue screen.

– [fix] Newly generated custom party (non quick start) had wrong stats.
– [fix] The Letter from the Royal Wizard was only showing up if you selected quick start option.

Version 0.30 released

This is a post Digital Dragons version. I collected feedback observing how people play it for the first time. It was quite interesting. To my surprise there were very few things that were confusing to first time players and there was not much. So, this version introduces fleeing from combat. I was considering it for a while but after observing how people play I decided it’s a necessary feature. Also I removed cast spell button and just left spellbook button, that one was confusing and not really useful in practice. One more thing I noticed was people being confused what to do first, so i added more tips to push the player in the direction of the Royal Castle. There is also some rebalancing and traditional improvements and fixes.

– [feature] Fleeing from combat.
– [feature] Keyhole mechanic (keys to open doors). Note that since there are not many gated areas there won’t be many like those in the game.
– [feature] At the game start there is a popup message “Letter from the Royal Wizard” which tells you the initial story and directs you to the Royal Castle.

– [engine] Mute on window focus lost (a small thing that will make some people happy).

– [design] Finished several smaller NPCs.
– [design] Tip on the hut near the starting area how to reach the Royal Castle.
– [design] Northern Keep storyline done.

– [misc] Changed the date to a fictional, lore based one instead of the date since the start of the adventure. I know, that’s a bit confusing to some players, but it’s better immersion wise since it gives you a point of time where the story takes place and connects it better with the rest of the information you find.

– [balance] Added Magic Arrow, a very cheap but weak spell for wizards & sages (so wizards can basically always use soem sort of magic and don’t need to rely on melee combat).
– [balance] Slightly higher starting MP, so some low magic classes (like Battlesmith) can at least use one spell from the very beginning.

– [interface] Left/right arrow keys are rotate instead of move be default.
– [interface] Added rest button on inn page.
– [interface] Small improvements on the main menu screen (size of the title, added buttons with links to Discord, etc).
– [interface] Additional art assets.
– [interface] Removed cast spell button, there is just spellbook button.

– [fix] Escape now properly ends dialogue with an NPC the npc (in some extremely rare cases the NPCs after dialogue action would not trigger properly).
– [fix] Getting sometimes double letters from the Royal Wizard.

Version 0.26 released

This version focuses on finishing & polishing end game elements also it dealt with some things that were confusing to new players. In addition, there is now a “Compatibility” beta branch on Steam which you can use in case of problems with running the game.

By the way, I will be showcasing Legends of Amberland: The Forgotten Crown in a few days during Digital Dragons in Cracow. If by any chance to attend this event, drop by!

– [design] Added proper final dialogue and end game conclusion.
– [design] Mirrors finished.
– [design] Added alternative […] (SPOILER PROTECTION: all I can say is it’s something related to mirrors).
– [design] New side quest for Royal Cook.

– [misc] Added “Compatibility” branch to Steam, which can be used is some very rare cases where the game won’t start. To activate: right click on ‘Legends of Amberland’ and open Properties, the select ‘Betas’ tab and choose “compatibility” branch from the dropdown list. Steam will start downloading it. You can revert this by opting out. Note that this version won’t be updated as often as the main branch so it’s to be used as the last resort.

– [interface] Added “Next Character” button on the party creation screen (it was confusing to some players how to select another character, the old method on clicking the portrait works of course).
– [interface] Attempting to enter locked grate gives a notice “This grate is locked” (it was slightly confusing to new players).
– [interface] Clicking by mouse on lever popups a notice “Enter to interact (move forward) with objects” (operating levers was sometimes confusing to new players).

Version 0.25 released

If I was naming the updates, which I don’t, I would call that one something like “The Great Configurator Update”. It introduces difficulty settings and keybindings. Now you can choose from 4 difficulty levels: Easy, Normal, Hard and Insane. Normal difficulty is the one you were playing so far, it’s the most balanced level, it provides an adequate challenge and allow you to enjoy the journey. Easy is for people who are somewhat stressed and want to make it, well, easier, still it’s not very easy, just easier. Hard is meant for hardcore RPG players, with lots of experience and so on (that’s the recommended difficulty if you came from RPG Codex or similar community), still the difficulty on Hard is reasonable. Insane is meant for those who constantly complain the games nowadays are too easy, it’s unreasonably difficult, with penalties to everything and probably unbeatable for most people. One thing to note, I tried to keep the pacing similar in all difficulties, so I abstained from heavy bumping monsters HP and other mechanics that would make the game longer than harder. It’s more like that harder difficulty levels introduce more deadly environment than more resistant one. As for keybindings, not much to say I suppose, you can bind up to 3 keys per action and rebind almost all keys (except very special like Escape).

– [feature] Difficulty levels upon new game start (Easy, Normal, Hard, Insane).
– [feature] Rebindable keys (Options/Controls).

– [design] Additional shop items (including Arcane buffing items).
– [design] Tower of Despair unofficial name was dropped in favour of the official Ivory Tower (it was confusing using both names, now the Tower of Despair appears only in the lore/rumours sections and it’s always accompanied by the official Ivory Tower name).

– [balance] Reduced regular shop prices for items tier 4 & 5.
– [balance] Decreased Arcane requirements and Magic Points cost for high level offensive spells.

– [interface] Disabled hot keys when in Quick Menu mode.

– [fix] Keyboard bug from v0.24.
– [fix] Inconsistent portraits highlights bug (now I understand why so many players were asking “what it means if the portrait has a yellow outline” :D).
– [fix] Other small fixes (extremely rare and harmless which probably no one noticed).

Version 0.24 released

This version introduces racial classes. Each race, except half elves which share it with humans and elves, have 2 unique classes available to this race only. Humans have Champion and Troubadour, elves Mage Knight and Sage, dwarves Troll Slayer and Battlesmith. So, effectively now you have 6 basic classes and 6 racial classes to choose from, 12 total.

– [feature] Added 6 racial classes (Champion, Troubadour, Mage Knight, Sage, Troll Slayer, Battlesmith).
– [feature] New spells (for Battlesmith).

– [balance] Spells slightly rebalanced.

– [misc] Removed Ranger’s antidote spell, overall I plan to remove from Ranger all healing and cure poison abilities, so Detoxicate ability will be replaced in future versions as well.
– [misc] Dwarves can be wizards and healers from now on. I think the new racial classes are sufficient to convey the different nature of dwarves magic (especially the Battlesmith) and some basic classes disable would look weird with the new classes screen setup.
– [misc] Renamed Bard’s inspiration/Heroic Ballad.
– [misc] Quick start option makes all party members start with redistributed attribute points.

– [interface] Sighly improved equipment display.
– [interface] Clicking again on right menu button closes it (useful since some players tend to click multiple times on buttons during combat with weak enemies, so now to correct the misclick they need to click it once more).

– [fix] Removed invisible enemies in Frost Labyrinth (leftovers from the old map editor format).
– [fix] Changing spell during combat after selecting a spell that require targeting party member was not clearing the previously selected spell.
– [fix] Fixed rare “attack immediately after closing character screen if previously attack was clicked”.

Version 0.23 released

In this version I focused on selling items, experimented with new racial classes and made a bunch of fixes and small improvements. Now you can sell items you don’t need and what’s more important, you can buy them back if you decide you actually need them. In addition you have an option to deposit unneeded items in any inn which basically let’s you deal with unneeded items in two ways. I was also implementing new racial classes, the idea is each race would have two special classes available for them only (except half elves who share those with humans and elves). The racial classes are at the moment disabled since only some of them work, still you can check those. The last thing is a quick linguistic QA pass, so probably around 90% of spelling and grammar errors were fixed in this version. Therefore, from now on I’m starting to accept spelling error reports.

– [feature] Can sell items to the shop and buy them back (for a small fee).
– [feature] Deposit items in the inn (in a magic chest, accessible from any inn).

– [misc] Healer’s restoration spell makes the target weakened (just like the ability), which is more consistent and logical.
– [misc] Time runs slower when exploring indoors and during combat (it’s more realistic now).
– [misc] Improved magic door’s description.
– [misc] The first pass of linguistic QA finished, from now on I’m accepting spelling mistakes reports.
– [misc] You can now see unfinished racial classes on new game screen, all of them are disabled in this version.

– [design] Ogre Fort: Ghar – inaccessible grates fixed.

– [interface] Shops display the number of master craftsmen rescued (which affect the availability of items).

– [fix] Incorrect end game statistics (monsters killed, gold looted, etc).
– [fix] Yet another Girdle of Carrying bug.
– [fix] One potentially serious memory bug fixed.
– [fix] Paralyzed characters able to train.
– [fix] Elven healer cleanse removes weakened status but actual attributes were not restored.

Version 0.22 released

This version introduces first customization options, things that would allow to adjust the game to your personal playstyle. For example you can enable fog on the minimap, start with fewer characters than 7 (which is not recommended) or adjust combat/animation speed. Griffin rules were adjusted to prevent abuse. The last big change was balance, it was changed a lot, based on the feedback I collected from early access players, which was basically that the game is too easy. If after the changes it turns out to be too hard, we can revert some of those in future versions. Of course eventually there will be Hard difficulty option so players with different skill levels can enjoy the game.

– [feature] After Griffin landing monsters get a turn.
– [feature] Can’t call a Griffin if monster within 3 tiles.
– [feature] Option “Unrestricted Party Creation” (no restriction during party creation, can start with any number of party members).
– [feature] Option / Controls (Combat speed) to adjust the combat speed.
– [feature] Option / Controls (Animation speed) to adjust the animation speed.

– [balance] Gold income from monsters and chests halved, increased shop prices.
– [balance] Increased MP costs for magic.
– [balance] Offensive spells made weaker (at higher mastery levels).
– [balance] Characters have lower HP/MP numbers now.
– [balance] Monsters base initiative +1 (they act earlier during the combat now).
– [balance] Monsters deal bigger damage (especially high level ones).
– [balance] Monsters have higher HP (especially high level ones).
– [balance] All kinds of trolls now have an additional attack type which targets all characters (but that attack deals lower damage).

– [interface] Option to enable fog on overworld minimap.
– [interface] Minimap displays unvisited locations as “???” instead of location names (like on the main map).
– [interface] Dungeon map fully fogged when outside of boundaries (to avoid confusion of existence of some hidden passage).

– [fix] After Griffin landing the tile is executed now (prevent Griffin teleport abuse, properly deal lava damage).
– [fix] Bug in the main storyline.
– [fix] Removed 0/0 invisible monsters from the overworld map (leftovers from the older map format used during alpha).
– [fix] Combat initiative not reset upon reload/new game.
– [fix] Starting characters sometimes had not fully restored HP/MP (attributes bonuses were not applied immediately).

Version 0.21 released

This Early Access update focuses on adjusting things that were found confusing or unclear and introduces several balance tweaks.

– [feature] Rest renamed to Quick Rest and Comfortable Rest to Full Rest, also adjusted the time passed while resting (more logical and intuitive now).
– [feature] Added notice to magic doors to avoid confusion.

– [balance] Rebalanced spells, overall those have more power but require more MP.
– [balance] High arcane spells got less steep arcane requirements increase for mastery levels.
– [balance] Damage from magic barriers, traps and lava tiles increased considerably.
– [balance] Significantly reduced experience gain from level 10+ monsters (players were leveling the party way too fast).

– [design] Added 2 new locations (eastern area).
– [design] Adjusted magic dust availability and magic dust quest requirements.
– [design] Adjusted ogre forts (grates placement less confusing).
– [design] Added a new spell for Wizard, one for Ranger, two for Healer and one for Bard. Those are mostly high arcane spells available at higher levels.
– [design] Added NPCs (in early inns) explaining how shops work (missing master craftsmen and the Guild).

– [interface] Adjusted screen height per pixel values so it looks better (bigger pixels allowed) in windowed mode. Especially useful for people who play on windowed maximized mode (which BTW is not recommended since borderless is a way better mode).
– [interface] More visible hotkeys (font color).
– [interface] Shops made less confusing (added counter of master craftsmen available and a sell button which is disabled for now).

– [fix] Magic Dust availability.