Native Combat

I've got an early version of Native combat in place. I actually did a battle with the Elf + Woodfolk versus all six bats, and it worked fairly well. A few friends sure make that battle a bit more reasonable! Still, I've got a lot to do. Deployment is turning out to be a tricky endeavour, and handling repositioning/tactics rolls is a nightmare when there are so many combatants and possibilities! Still, I'm confident it will come together fairly soon, and certainly by the next release.

What else to expect in version 0.10? Despite my earlier comments on this blog, I'm not going to do any more spells for this release: native combat is occupying all of my limited time, and when that's done, I'm releasing it before starting on anything new. There were a few bugs in harm calculations, which will be fixed, and I corrected an error in my data file that rendered the T Serpent as an unarmored monster! (If you've ever killed this beast when you thought you shouldn't have, then you know what I mean!)

Oh, with the implementation of Native combat, the "Sucker Punch" will probably fall into place too. If you aren't familiar with it, its when you hide during random assignment, and then attack an unassigned denizen during target assignment. Gives you one round where the denizen can't fight back, and can be critical to surviving some battles, especially against Natives.

When to expect the next release? I don't imagine it will be ready for a couple of weeks. With summer here, the weekends are turning into busy days, and I'm not getting nearly the same amount of time on the computer at home as before. Of course, news will always be posted here, and on the mailing list.

Thanks for all your support!

Harm Issue with v0.9

I just discovered an unpleasant bug with v0.9. Actually, this bug has always been present, just never been obvious before... When Harm is calculated, and the result (missile or fumble) is a reduction in levels, the sharpness is being ignored, and the strength alone is being reduced. This means a spell like Fiery Blast is relatively immune to the missile table: Light is reduced to neglible, and the three sharpness stars maintain the overall harm at Heavy! This has lead to some kills in my games where I shouldn't have succeeded.

In any case, I'll get this fixed in v0.10, along with a minor problem with the new Serious Wounds code (the die rolls accumulate during combat - annoying but not damaging).

Version 0.9 Released

Here's what's new:

• Lightning, Fiery Blast, Roof Collapses, and Stones Fly work
  
• Spells with a clearing requirement are checked properly (Mountain: Lightning Bolt, Hurricane Winds, Cave: Roof Collapses, Blazing Light)
  
• Doesn't include MAGIC chits anymore when calculating fatigue at the end of a combat round
  
• Show damage on attack spell cards
  
• Automatically fatigue MAGIC chits at the end of a combat round
  
• Battle Chit Viewer shows available color magic
  
• Fixed bug where combat would end after two rounds with a red-side up T monster
  
• Goblin's with SPEAR on their LIGHT side should have NO attack at all: fumble should not occur!
  
• If a monster weapon kills you, the slower monster body shouldn't be able to destroy your armor too! (Death is instantaneous)
  
• Fixed combat so that simultaneous (speed/length) hits do damage simultaneously.
  
• After death, spells should NOT be added to clearing pile
  
• Can now view a tally of kills for any given day, by double-clicking that row in your action table.
  
• Elusive Cloak also checks monster weapon speeds now
  
• Fixed bug where negligible weight treasures weren't appearing in the clearing loot pile
  
• Added an option in the search dialog to Open the Vault (when appropriate) - too many people were confused by the Open button in the frame itself.
  
• Enchanting the tile doesn't fatigue the MAGIC chit (only the color chit, if one was used)
  
• Monster weapons flip back to light side at the end of combat
  
• Artifacts/Books show how many spells are awakened and total
  
• Examine awakened spells on any artifact/book, by double-clicking in inventory panel
  
• Advanced rule - Serious Wounds
  
• Advanced rule - Dragon Heads

Yes, you read that correctly. Attack spells work! Playing the Sorceror is a real possibility now, and something I recommend trying. Note that awakening and using spells on artifacts/books works too, so finding the Book of Lore will have a bit more meaning now.

This release also includes the new AppleScript files Don L wrote for me. Mac users need only unpack the provided SIT file, and use one of the two AppleScripts to launch the program:

• MacRealmSpeak - Runs RealmSpeak
  
• MacRealmSpeakBattle - Runs RealmBattle (for testing out combat scenarios)

Next on my list? Of course, more spells, and possibly getting the first step towards native combat underway: the Sucker Punch!

RealmSpeak Coding Continues

It's been about a week since I've touched the code, but I finally had a few hours tonight to dig into it a bit. Being sick for over a week certainly hasn't helped!

Anyway, I changed my mind a bit regarding how the spell logic works, and thus have dismantled a bit of my Fiery Blast success. The primary reason for doing this, is that I was quickly painting myself into a corner, and decided it was better to fix the logic now, than have to mess with it down the road. I know that doesn't mean anything to any readers of this blog, but trust me, it was necessary.

I don't know if I'll have it all together for a release this weekend, but I'm thinking probably not. I really want the spell stuff in there solid, and that's going to take some work. If things fall in place quickly, you can bet I'll get a release out, and announce it on the RealmSpeak mailing list!

Thanks for being patient!

New MacRealmSpeak

Thanks to a good friend of mine, there is now an AppleScript over at the download page for Mac-users to run RealmSpeak. I've had a couple people (besides the script author) tell me that the script worked for them, and they are up and running. If you are still having trouble, ditch those stupid command files, and try the AppleScript instead!

If you are interested in keeping notified of new RealmSpeak uploads, be sure to join the RealmSpeak mailing list. This may also prove to be a good forum for reporting bugs, as everyone who joins will get to be involved in new bug reports.

Being that I've been pretty sick all weekend, there's not much else new to report.

Mac Issues

Seems the reason I haven't heard from many Mac users, is that RealmSpeak isn't working at all for them. The reason is that the .command file I'm providing isn't being recognized as an executable, and it fails before it ever gets off the ground!

I apologize for my lack of Mac knowledge! Not owning a Mac makes it tough for me to troubleshoot the problem. I'll do some research and see if I can come up with a solution so that everyone can enjoy this program. If you have any suggestions, I'm all ears!

Attack Spells Done

All four attack spells are finished. The Lightning Bolt only works in the Mountains for a single target. The Roof Collapses spell targets everyone in a cave clearing along the SMASH box. The Fiery Blast... well, you know the rest.

With those out of the way, I'm thinking about moving onto the spells that grant actions, but not totally sure yet. I wont get to work on it at all tonight (my middle child is graduating from preschool), but I'll be sure to post any news here, as usual.

Call for Spells

I'm planning on knocking off the four attack spells first (Lightning bolt, Fiery Blast, Roof Collapses, Stones Fly), but after that, I'm open for suggestion. If you have a favorite spell or two (or three or four), please add them in the comments to this post (you can post anonymously). I can't promise I'll do them (some require more coding than others), but it will definitely help me prioritize them!

Thanks!

First Fiery Blast

Did my first Fiery Blast tonight, blowing way 6 goblins at once! It's not totally right yet, but I believe I'll have the first combat spells ready to go in version 0.9. Once those are done, I'll starting knocking off the other spells in some random order only I would understand! :-)

Version 0.8 Released

Lots of little fixes, and even a first draft of spellcasting. Here's what's new:

• Option to allow host to extend the game by one month, anytime the game ends
  
• In game option to change icon size or show text
  
• New start option to access the standalone RealmBattle utility for testing out combat situations (use battle.bat or battle_osx.command)
  
• Fixed problem where running caused all evening combats to cease (Thanks for your help with this one, Scott!)
  
• Made it so you can close the rest dialog even if you haven't used all your rests (but not if you use too many!)
  
• Fixed the fatigue dialog to recognize the situation where you can't make change, and must simply lose the extra asterisk (Rule 11.2/1)
  
• Option to Suicide a character: can only suicide your own character, unless you are hosting the game.
  
• Clone Spells as characters take them, so they can appear in more than one place!
  
• Can Learn a new spell, even if you already have the same one as a starting spell (Rule 40.4/2)
  
• Dropping inventory updates all clients live during daylight
  
• Characters can give items/gold to other characters in the clearing (Rule 14.3)
  
• Characters can share discoveries (14.3/1)
  
• Toadstool Circle allows extra SPELL phase (missed this one somehow!)
  
• Update the map during each phase of the player turn for all connected clients (used to have to wait until the end of the current players turn to see what transpired!)
  
• Only allow "looting" clearing inventory (dropped things) (Rule 9.3/1)
  
• Deft Gloves shouldn't be usable to alert a Heavy Weapon
  
• Blocked monsters stop prowling
  
• Fixed problem with spell attacks repeating on every connected client!
  
• Allow enchant when calendar or tile color is available
  
• When transported to a cave, horse is properly deactivated now
  
• Followers can't follow someone who is flying
  
• Spell Casting alpha version (Can cast spells in combat, but they don't do anything yet!)
  
• Button to view character card
  
• Center on next character after pressing Send

Taking a Stab at Spells

Can't promise that this will be in the next release, but as much as I'm getting done today, I'm thinking that there may be a spell or two that work very soon.

Lots of things in version 0.8. If all goes well, I'll have this up later today.

Mac Users

I haven't yet heard from any Mac users regarding RealmSpeak. I'd like to know how its working for you, (ie., whether or not you had to tweak the command file I provided, played online with other Mac or PC users, etc.). If you are running RealmSpeak on a Mac, I'd love to hear from you!

Run Bugs

There are a number of bugs related to running from combat that are being reported about RealmSpeak version 0.7:

• When there are combats in multiple clearings, running from one clearing causes combat to end in all the others (this is fixed in version 0.8)
  
• In rare instances (I haven't been able to recreate these bugs):
  
  • Running from a clearing sends you down the wrong path if you just moved there
    
  • The turn immediately following a run from combat only gives you the option to move back into the same clearing, instead of giving you the opportunity to move further away.

If anybody runs into the "rare" situation, can you send me a screenshot, and/or tell me what you did leading up to the problem? I'm having a dickens of a time figuring out this problem, because it never seems to happen to me! (of course!) I've looked at the code, and it all seems very logical, so I just don't see what is wrong here. The more information I have on this bug, the more likely I'll be able to recreate it, and fix it.

The most useful things to capture in the screenshot is the player record sheet (for the player caught between clearings), and a decent picture of the map with surrounding tiles.

In the meantime, I'll keep trying different things to see if I can ferret it out.

Thanks!