It's new GHC release day! Probably the most exciting change this time around is the addition of bonus actions- I've had a lot of players ask when they'll be able to use more than two actions per turn. I guess giving the action clock four quarters was a bit of a giveaway? Anyhow, I have added the bonus action system: you can spend stamina to get extra actions. The more bonus actions you take in one turn, the higher the price gets. Stamina is also needed for defense; once you run out you are extremely vulnerable. I think this is an interesting trade-off and I hope you enjoy it. To go along with bonus actions, there are new mecha systems to make them easier to get. Dynamic Mecha Control and Reflex Control cockpits both reduce the cost of bonus actions. High output engines and high performance engines from GearHead 2 have been added. Finally, you can give your mecha an advanced gyroscope, which provides multiple bonuses but is a more fragile system than the default gyro. Missions which do not receive a proper description will now randomly generate their own description based on the enemy faction, allied faction, and mission objectives. This should cut down on the number of rivals who say things like "I am here to defeat you, and in order to defeat you I will defeat you!", though I will admit that I do love bad procedurally generated text. There are also some new missions, factions, and bugfixes. As usual try it out and let me know what you think. Here's the complete list of changes:

• Updated the Allied Armor bookshelf
• Enchantments do not continue to update on dead/destroyed combatants
• Biotech mecha get a +2 action bonus
• Characters and mecha can spend stamina to get extra actions
• Added different cockpit control types
• Added High Output Engine, High Performance Engine
• Added Advanced Gyroscope; Gyroscopes are no longer Integral by default
• Fixed sound effect repeat bug
• Fixed dungeon branch naming bug
• A biotech torso can only install a biotech engine; non-biotech mecha may not use biotech engines
• Added Ravagers faction
• Biotech mecha can only mount biotech modules; non-biotech mecha may not mount biotech modules
• Reduced Stamina loss from cyberware
• Rebalanced monster dodge skill
• Corporate factions now have allies and enemies
• FieldHQ name buttons now use labels and can resize text if name is too long
• New MissionText generated if no MissionGrammar provided to BuildAMissionSeed
• Random MissionText added

Watch me play GearHead Caramel and probably die doing it.

Hello fellow kids? I am going to stream GearHead Caramel for your amusement. Come see Gowan and his lance of ne'er do wells possibly die in an ancient biotechnological dungeon.

I have just released GearHead Caramel v0.974. There's a new quest in DeadZone Drifter- the Road of No Return. Whole convoys have been disappearing along the highway. There have been no distress calls, no wreckage found, and no survivors. It's up to you to search the area, find the cause of these disappearances, and put a stop to them once and for all. You'll need to start a new campaign of DZD for the quest to appear. There are also some bugfixes and the FieldHQ has been sorted. Try it out and let me know what you think.

• Added "Road of No Return" quest to DeadZone Drifter
• Fixed unloadable save file if PC killed during combat bug
• Incapacitated PCs may need lifesaving cybersurgery
• FieldHQ contents are sorted now
• Scenes without a defined parent scene should get added as root scenes
• Most missions names now include faction being fought

I have fixed the crash on Windows computers, and also fixed the problem with the cyberware interface. Thank you for your patience and bug reports.

Quick fix for a label widget bug

It's time for a new GearHead Caramel update! This time, the shopping interface has been completely overhauled. You can switch to different lancemates and access your inventory without leaving the shop. Also, there are a bunch of new personal scale items for sale and you can load up on spare ammo clips before heading to the dungeon. In addition several bugs have been fixed and the dialogue generator has been improved. As usual, try it out and let me know what you think.

• You can now access your inventory from the shop interface
• You can now switch characters in shop interface
• Added named boss monsters
• Room deploy method should not delete contents due to lack of space
• Can now reload guns and chemthrowers from the backpack interface
• Added SelectGearDataGatherer interface
• Guns and ChemThrowers have a reload option in combat if player has appropriate ammo in inventory
• Caption AnimObs may now have sound effects
• Invocations may now request additional data
• Can now purchase spare ammo clips and chem tanks in shops
• Refactored the shopping UI to use WidgetMenu
• Added WidgetMenu widget type
• Meat cannot be eaten in the middle of combat
• Added on_enter, on_leave properties for all widgets
• Fixed some errors in the [CHALLENGE] grammar tag
• Fixed blocking counter bug
• Fixed overlapping rooms bug
• Fixed some issues with Python 3.12
• Dialogue replies should more closely match context

I have updated GearHead Caramel with some balance improvements, bug fixes, and scenery for many of the indoor locations that were previously just empty rooms. In combat, NPCs now weigh their options differently when selecting a target. The hit modifier for being overwhelmed has been changed from 3 to 4. The bug that happens when you press the alt key during combat has been fixed, the field HQ display updates after training, and the altitude property works as intended. Counters have been added to shops so that it should be easier to pick out the storekeeper when several NPCs are present. Also, many shops now have individual decorations. That's about all for now. Sorry for the long delay between updates, but such is the life of the solo gamedev. I'm hoping to get another release ready soon.

Fixed a crash when fighting Kerberos in v0.961.

This release of GearHead Caramel fixes some bugs and adds two new mission types to Raid on Pirate's Point... I probably should have added cases where the new missions come up in DeadZone Drifter too, but didn't think about it. Oh well. I am now attempting to finish RoPP as quickly as possible while I have the time and my health is in fairly good shape. Yay for solo developer games! Anyhow, enjoy. I am going to try to keep the updates coming at least monthly from now on.

Finally, a new release of GearHead Caramel! You would not believe how much work went into this release. I mean literally, you won't believe it, because most of the changes should be mostly invisible. If you follow me on social media you'll have heard me talking about the brand new quest system. Well, there's a brand new quest system, and it seems to work well... but it's not being used by any of the adventure modules yet because I need to write more content for it. Also, some longstanding bugs have been fixed, including a rare crash upon starting a campaign. Hopefully you won't notice this change because hopefully you never had the game crash on you when starting a scenario, and now you never will. But it was a lot of work! And this bug goes all the way back to GearHead 1! The next step for GearHead Caramel will be finishing up Raid on Pirate's Point. I needed the new quest system for this, and I also needed to fix the map generation bug because one of the maps in that scenario crashed the game at a much higher rate than normal. After that, I want to add a few more short-ish scenarios. The new quest generator should make that easier since I won't be reinventing the wheel with each one. Here's the complete list of changes. As usual, try it out and let me know what you think.

• Fixed bug in DeadZone Drifter stub
• Certain weapons and mecha have been rebalanced; existing instances will be unaffected
• Weapon thrill power now _actually_ based on rank, ha ha ha
• Plots can contain extensions
• Added lore browser to memo system
• Refactored quest system to be entirely QuestLore based
• Okapi puzzle memo now uses same font (medium) as other memos
• Fixed world map encounters bug
• Burst fire weapons have increased thrill power
• Intercept weapons have their thrill power lowered
• Fixed do_partial_restore in MultiMission
• Closing doors via right click will now work
• Mouseover info will list items in tile
• Destroyed items appear red in inventory display
• All hidden models get revealed at the end of combat
• Window close button should now properly close the game
• Scenes and rooms will expand if larger area is needed for contents
• Weapon is_operational bug fixed
• Items on floor should always appear behind characters and mecha
• Lost forager will not be selected for random plots while lost
• Gradient map prep can now place rooms in requested bands

Another minor release this week to correct some bugs that were discovered last week. Also: two new eyecatch cards by the amazing cartoonist Radou, and some sound + portrait improvements from Anton Risberg. Here's the complete list of changes:

• Added two new eyecatch cards by Radou
• Fixed AutoJoiner/AutoLeaver crash at world creation
• Plots may now modify cutscenes
• Added checkout sound fx to shop
• Some portrait bits tweaked by Anton Risberg
• Fixed crash if no boss monster generated for The Night Stalker plot
• Fixed numbers typo in DZD Wujung entry cutscene
• Fixed bug where campaign would remain in memory after quitting because of pbge.my_state.view

I've just uploaded GearHead Caramel v0.954. This version makes dungeons slightly more dangerous- personal scale damage has been increased, and certain monsters are more likely to hit your characters. Some new equipment has been added to shops to help you deal with these new threats. Another change is the addition of a config option to indicate your party members on the map. No more will you enter a building and wondering who's on your team and who isn't. If you don't like it, you can turn off the indicators from the config menu. Plus, there are a bunch of smaller changes. Multiple bugs have been fixed. Carrying capacity is now shown in the backpack display (for characters- you can load your mecha with gear until it can't even move). There are some new portrait bits. Here's the complete list of changes:

• Carrying capacity now shown for characters in backpack display
• Athletics skill now increases carrying capacity
• Right and left keys can be used to scroll through lancemates in inventory interface
• Increased damage of personal scale attacks
• Rebalanced some monsters to make them more dangerous
• Added config option to indicate lance members on map
• Fixed music volume bug
• Added some new portrait bits
• Fixed crash if PC name has space or special character in it

I've just uploaded a new update for GearHead Caramel. The biggest change this time around is the help system- while using the combat/skills interface, pressing F1 will now bring up a helpful panel explaining what the invocation you're looking at actually does. The same text appears in the mouseover tooltip so whether you use keyboard or mouse you will get more information than before. The Wildcraft "Take Cover" ability has been changed to "Stalk Prey". While in effect, your character gets a bonus to their cover modifier and enemy units you target get a penalty to theirs. The Computers skill now has Hacking abilities. These abilities can be used whether or not the mecha you're in has an EW system. Your Computers skill must be at least rank 3 before these skills will appear. I've fixed a lot of bugs. Thank you to everyone who reported problems. Here's the complete list of changes:

• Added hacking invocations for Computers skill
• Fixed gender customization from character creator
• Added skill icon for "Listen to my Song"
• Changed the Scouting, Wildcraft abilities somewhat
• Added a help key for invocations interface, which defaults to F1
• Speaking to mecha should no longer cause a crash
• Objects in temporary scenes will never be chosen by seek_element
• Locked objects will never be chosen by seek_element
• All NPCs used in combat should now be locked

It was more of less inevitable that the first release after eight months of brain fog would have some bugs in it. Oops. Anyhow, two of those bugs have been located and squashed. If you tried to load a save game and got an error about "call_win_loss_funs_after_card", that should now be fixed. Also, if the fog of war turned completely blue and opaque on your computer? Also fixed. Thank you for your patience. If you find any more bugs, be sure to let me know.

I'm back! After many months of illness, I have returned with a new release of GearHead Caramel. Bear Bastard's Mecha Camp, Winter Mocha, and DeadZone Drifter have all been updated with new content and opportunities. Raid on Pirate's Point... is pretty much the same. But, I have added new systems that are going to be used in that scenario in the hopefully near future! Lots of bugs have been fixed. In fact, as far as I know, every bug that has been reported to me has been repaired. Game balance has been adjusted and certain abilities from previous GearHead games have been added. The Scylla mecha from GH1 has been added. Enemy models now get indicated by a different info box style and targeting cursor. The accursed combat clock troll bug has been fixed.
Here's the complete list of changes:

• Added the Scylla mecha from GH1
• TagBasedPartyReply will not display a major character's mnpcid
• Added ending scenes to DeadZone Drifter
• Can now use waypoints from the combat popup menu
• Added Onawa's quest to DeadZone Drifter
• Fixed duplicate grammar bug
• Updated Bear Bastard's Mecha Camp, Winter Mocha scenarios
• Added check_party_activation method to combat
• NPCs will give useful rumors first, then random chat
• Added pre-fx to conversation offers
• Single firing weapons can now cause critical hits, as in previous GearHead games
• Renown is now displayed for characters in the FieldHQ
• Added Quest procedural narrative generator
• Text formatter will now capitalize after "!" and "?"
• Team contents now stored as a ContainerList
• The get_scene method should return the correct scene even if called during adventure construction
• Okapi puzzle clue menus are now sorted
• There is a config option to turn off display of skill+stat in conversations
• Skill and tag based dialogue options will now show what skill+stat they're based on [*[ You can dock the tile info panel in the upper left corner via the config menu
• Combat clock troll bug fixed. Real ones will know.
• Enemy units get a different info panel border
• Mission objectives can now be reviewed from the memo browser
• The end-of-mission gate menu options have clearer wording
• Savegame validation should be much faster
• The map cursor changes to indicate enemy units + appropriate targets for abilities
• Label widgets can take a list of alternate smaller fonts to make text fit in specified area
• Added copy method to BuildAMissionSeed
• Challenges now deactivate on win by default
• Fixed error in list_nouns when two nouns provided [*[ Fixed text formatting error in WOTHCBM_HomeDespot plot
• Finished adding all of the mecha forms from previous games
• Renamed campaign property "day" to "time"

It's been a while since I've let you all know how I'm doing. After getting Covid and opportunistic bacterial pneumonia, I caught influenza at the end of December. This is when my troubles started. After that I had a bad case of asthma exacerbation, Covid brain fog, one case of acute sinusitis, a second case of sinusitis with simultaneous laryngitis, and finally, days after my 50th birthday, swimmer's ear. I repeat, swimmer's ear. I haven't even gone swimming in months. Because of the brain fog I was unable to work on GearHead for January, February, and most of March. It's some scary stuff, let me tell you. Especially when it tag-teams with my other conditions. And being 50, I have a lot of other conditions. As of this month, I've spent over half my life in South Korea. It's a nice place. You should come for a vacation sometime. Recently, the fog has started to clear and I've gotten back to work on GearHead Caramel. You can expect a new release soon... as long as I don't catch any more weird diseases. I don't really know what tennis elbow is but if my doctor told me I had it I would just nod my head and sigh. The good news is, I think I look pretty good for a fifty year old gamedev. Plus, my hamster Peanut looks pretty good for a year and a half old hamster. Stay tuned for new GearHead stuff soon.

This update has been delayed by the fact that I've been seriously ill for the past month- first severe Covid 19, then an opportunistic lung infection, followed by my lungs just being stupid jerks because they are stupid jerks. If you want to hear all the gory details (and trust me, it gets gory) you can join the GearHead Discord. The big new feature this time around is procedural cutscenes. Basically, this means that the cutscenes will be tailored specifically for your character's history and lancemate relations. Right now there's only one- the intro you get when entering Wujung for the first time in DeadZone Drifter. In the future, I intend to replace more of the old-style hardcoded cutscenes with procedural ones. This release also improves pistols in personal scale combat. All pistols now have the Linked Fire attribute, so if you have two of the same pistol equipped you can fire with both of them at once. Plus, as usual there are a number of bug fixes. Thank you to everyone who has submitted bug reports and feature requests. Here's the complete list of changes:

• Fixed incorrect use of AutoOfferInvoker; added EffectCallPlusNPC
• Added procedural cutscene generator
• get_tags include_all now returns merit badge names and relationship info
• Fixed bug where lancemates removed to a safe place don't get removed
• Fixed a bug in the gear loader where everything is True, even False things are True
• Added Stream music mode
• Fixed bug when lancemate with pet quits party
• Fixed bug when reading black market sign with a pet in your party

This is another mostly-bugfix release. A very kind player submitted a whole lot of bug reports at once, and I've been working through them in order of severity. I think I've fixed all the crashing and game-breaking bugs. Also, you know how movement slows down in exploration mode when you're on a mecha mission? That's been fixed. Mecha movement is now just as fast as character movement. So that's good. One of the best things you can do to support small indie game devs is to send us bug reports and feedback. I often get emails that apologize for bringing up problems, but you know what? Don't worry about it. Getting feedback like this lets us know that someone is enjoying the game and cares enough to help out instead of just tossing the game aside and moving on to the next shiny thing. It makes all the effort of making games (and take it from me, game dev is not easy) worthwhile. So thank you to everyone who has ever submitted a bug report or a feature request. I'm doing the best I can as a solo dev but your support and feedback make things so much easier. steamthumbsup Here is the complete list of changes:

• Added a clamp to prevent a rare and frankly inexplicable MemoryError exception in aibrain
• Fixed bug when pressing Esc key from stash/mecha parts selector
• Fixed bug with mecha inventory menu
• Fixed crash if campaign save file can't be found when the time comes to delete it
• Added preload_all_music configuration option
• Encourage can no longer be used on monsters (which caused it to crash)
• After combat, lance members will regroup so no-one is left in an inaccessible tile
• Campaigns now save the waypoint the current scene was entered from
• Fixed crash when sound player called while disable_audio_entirely is True
• Disabling sounds in the configuration now actually disables sounds. Oops.
• Fixed lag in mecha exploration movement [

Happy Techno Thursday! Version 0.941 of GearHead Caramel has just been released. I have added a feature from previous GearHead games: enemy pilots will eject when their mecha becomes too damaged... or if they're intimidated by your lance. There are also a lot of bug fixes and stability improvements. Many thanks to everyone who reported the issues and helped me to track them down! Here is the complete list of changes:

• Added filename sanitizer for user generated files; may not be perfect yet
• Fixed bug where style tags would not be applied to portrait bits later in list
• NPCs may eject if they are severely damaged and/or if they are intimidated by the PC's lance
• Increased the penalty for firing long range weapons at too short a distance
• Newly created mecha get added to the design list without needing to restart the game
• Fixed dialogue bug in DZREPC_CallOutChampionFight
• Lancemate development conversations should no longer have irrelevant convo options
• When gaining skill XP, your skill level can improve by multiple steps
• Fixed bug in GearHeadCampaign dole_xp method
• Shop rank now calculated by item type
• Game will try to automatically switch to windowed mode if fullscreen causes it to crash
• The manual has been updated
• Moved the user folder on Windows computers from Home to the app folder/ghcaramel_user

Happy Mecha Wednesday! This week's update finally brings sound effects to the game. Different actions and attacks now have different sounds. Over the coming weeks, I'll be experimenting with adding more sound (such as for movement, which is still silent).
In addition, the configuration menu has been updated so you can change even more options in-game without manually editing the config file. There's now an option to change the status bars in the pilot info block to numbers. Here's the complete list of changes. As usual, try it out and let me know what you think.

• Added starting messages to Raid on Pirate's Point, and fixed bug in STARTING_PLOT component
• You can now set music volume, sound fx volume, and window size from config editor
• Changed configuration editor to a column widget rather than a menu
• Fixed bug where combat music won't start after resuming saved game
• Sound effect library preloaded at startup
• AnimObs now have support for sound effects
• Two audio channels are now reserved for music
• Added show_numbers_in_pilot_info config option

Version 0.931 adds a brand new adventure to GearHead Caramel: Raid on Pirate's Point. The Solar Navy has decided to remove the Aegis Consulate from Pirate's Point... and if they can get rid of the pirates at the same time, so much the better. You will join one of the factions involved in a battle for resources and territory. Strategic planning will be key to winning the war. Please note that although this adventure is fully completeable, it may have bugs and does not have all the content it's eventually going to have... hence the big red "Early Access" stamp on the adventure card. Still, I've had a lot of fun playing it myself, and player feedback can help me to make it even better. So if you encounter any problems or have ideas for things you'd like to see then please let me know.
Here's the complete list of changes for v0.931:

• Added "Raid on Pirate's Point" scenario, early access version
• Fixed missing portrait/name when lancemate speaks during mecha combat
• Fixed bug in missions not counting retreat as a loss
• Changed the scene "END" trigger to "EXIT" to avoid conflict with the plot "END" trigger
• Added memos to the main quest of DeadZone Drifter
• Added "battle damage" to module display to aid color blind players
• Fixed music skip when entering/leaving buildings
• Fixed bug in Town Hall plot

This release doesn't have a lot of highly visible changes, but that's because I've been working under the hood on the scenario editor and a new scenario. "Raid on Pirate's Point" is going to revisit some locations and characters from GH1. It is also going to introduce a new type of adventure to GearHead. It's also planned to be the first adventure that I create entirely using the scenario editor. But it's not finished. And I realized this morning that trying to finish it today would be, as we say in Newfoundland, about as stunned as me arse. Here are the changes since the last public release:

• Working on new scenario "Raid on Pirate's Point"
• Fixed bug with SHOPS_PLUS INTERIOR_TAGS element
• Regular terrain sets now clear the area around them, including border
• Fixed bug with new FieldHQ modifications
• A lot of work has been done on the scenario editor (still only available in dev mode)
• Merit badges get their own tab in character display; show description and effects
• You can view a character's biography, if it exists, from the FieldHQ
• Fixed smudge on Trailblazer portrait
• You can set the default mission music for an entire campaign
• Added search path for music; may be located in player folder
• Fixed bugs in world map editor

This version's release looks pretty minor... on the outside. There's a new intro scenario for DeadZone Drifter and some new enemy character development plots. On the inside, there are some bugfixes, music caching, and generalized world maps. I'm hoping to release some new scenarios in the near future and these changes lay the infrastructure for that. Here's the complete list of changes:

• Added world map editor to scenario editor (still only available in dev mode)
• Added automatic tester for enemy conversation plots
• Fixed bug with Haywire and Poison status effects
• Added a lot more enemy character development conversations
• Added a new intro to DeadZone Drifter for Pop Star characters
• Music files are now cached, which should help avoid scene change disruptions

Happy Mecha Monday! Today's update adds two big features: random plots and the beginnings of internationalization support. Random plots are events which are not directly connected to the core story of an adventure. They may be missions, odd jobs, or just actions taken by the people in town. I have even added the classic Cookies plot, with updated advice for GearHead Caramel.
The game can now use Japanese, Korean, and Chinese text. Nothing has been translated yet but the fact this works at all is a big thing. Probably some other languages that use non-Roman glyphs work as well. Currently the only use for this is in naming your character. The planned internationalization system will use csv databases to store text and will require a grammar and a language processor for each language to be added. I've been developing a random Korean name generator but the results so far have been mixed.
In case you can't read Korean, that first name is "Whiskey". Here is the complete list of changes:

• Fixed bug in Cookies random plot
• Added many RANDOM_PLOT plots
• Search range dropped to 6
• The Neko is now properly a Gerwalk mecha
• Added Korean Name Generator class; not highly effective yet
• Changed the font family from "DejaVu" to "Source Han Sans" to provide Korean, Japanese, and Chinese support
• Faction reaction class can store faction leader
• pbge gets initialized before other units are imported

It's Mecha Monday, which means a new release of GearHead Caramel! Version 0.925 adds some new stuff for dungeons. Every dungeon level now comes with at least one special feature- an encounter or room that is a little bit out of the ordinary. Some of these features will be good for your PC, while others will not be so good. In addition, many monsters now leave behind treasure- if you have the skill to take it. Characters who know the Wildcraft skill can harvest meat, pelts, and other valuable items from slain creatures. Scientists can disassemble robots and get a variety of useful items... or at least a pile of spare parts that might come in handy later. In addition, there are some cosmetic improvements. New signs have been added for a number of businesses and other buildings. Restaurants and taverns now have tables and chairs (Dick Valentine would approve). Some new effects and animations have been added- you should try some of this giant rat steak, it's delicious. But that's not all! The manual has been updated with a section on modding GearHead Caramel. I designed the game so that it'd be easy to add mods, but never bothered to document how to do it until now. Integration with the Steam Workshop is planned but this is my first game on Steam and I am still learning the API. Here is the complete list of changes. As usual, try it out and let me know what you think.

• Added image templates to the source code repository
• Added RestoreMP, RestoreSP effects
• Fixed bug when gear loader tries to load list inside a dict
• Added treasure types to monsters
• Monsters without legs don't get their movement rate downgraded
• Added tables and chairs to bars and coffee shops
• Campaign method get_relationship will return existing relationship if it exists
• Most dungeon encounters don't regenerate _every_ day
• Added dungeon extras to dungeon levels
• Added more signs for different businesses

The big change this time around is the addition of pets. Characters with a Wildcraft skill of 5 or greater can now call an animal companion. Each character can only have one companion active at a time, but there is currently no limit to how many you can have in the FieldHQ. You can also dismiss animal companions if you find that your FieldHQ is starting to look like a zoo. This addition paves the way for robots and other sorts of beasties, which will come in a future release. I've also overhauled the way map scrolling works. You can now use the WASD keys to scroll the map, and you can also turn off mouse scrolling in the config menu. In addition, all keys are now configurable by editing the config.cfg file. Someday I will add an in-game key customizer, but like robotics today is not that day. See the game manual for more information. Speaking of the game manual, it's been updated with info about the new combat interface (introduced over the last few releases) and now has a complete section on character creation. Do you wonder what each of the stats does? Want to know what the skills are used for? Wonder no more! All questions are answered in the manual. And if you have any more questions, please let me know so I can include the answers in the next release.
Two new mecha from previous GearHead games have been added: Aegis Overlord's elite commando unit the Luna II and the Solar Navy's basic trooper the Puma. Lots of bugs have been fixed. Thanks to everyone who reported problems. Here's the complete list of changes:

• Fixed error in Kerberos dungeon
• Fixed error in Challenge.deactivate method
• Added Puma and Luna II mecha
• Most keyboard actions now use is_key_for_action method, may be changed in config.cfg
• Added a bunch more monsters
• Characters with Wildcraft >= 5 can call animal companions
• Added mouse_scroll_at_map_edges config option
• Fixed a bug in the PartlyUrbanGenerator
• WASD may now be used to scroll the map
• Default combat hotkeys changed to 1,2,3,4,5
• Refactored the map viewer to deal with tile-based focus and wrapping maps
• Pets will attempt to follow their trainer during exploration
• Added pets_can_die, directly_control_pets config options
• Changed restore to restore_all in Bear Bastard's Mecha Camp and Winter Mocha
• Text input widget now uses TextInput event
• Lancemates bring their pets with them when they join/leave the party
• Characters can have one pet

The latest release of GearHead Caramel adds a new tutorial- Bear Bastard's Mecha Camp. Learn everything you need to know about the game (mostly) from one of Earth's most notorious bandits (reformed, mostly). It's a short, fun adventure that walks you through all of the controls for exploration and combat. Plus, you get to spend the night in a wooden cabin on the edge of the dead zone. A cabin that may be infested with rats. Or worse. A good time will be had by all. This release also adds jumping- mecha with jump jets can now use them to instantly leap over terrain. In addition, mecha designs that were jump-capable in previous GearHead games have been updated so they are jump-capable now. Note that this change is not retroactively applied to mecha you already own; you might want to hold onto those old versions, they may become collector's items. In addition to the above there are a couple of minor bug fixes and enhancements. Try it out and let me know what you think.

I've just released v0.910 of GearHead Caramel. This version brings two big changes: the addition of flying mecha, and a complete overhaul of the combat interface. The first two flying mecha to be included in Caramel are the Wraith and the Neko. If you've played previous GearHead games, both of these meks should be quite familiar to you. If you haven't, then congratulations! You're about to make a great new friend. Or enemy. Depends on who's sitting at the controls. And of course, you can make as many flying mecha as you want in the mecha editor.
I've gotten a lot of feedback about the combat interface in the week since GearHead Caramel was released on Steam. So, I've changed some things to make it more intuitive and less frustrating. There is now an action clock at the top of the screen which shows exactly how much of your precious time any given action is going to take. The movement UI has been changed to match the style of the other action interfaces. Also, a counter has been added for multi-target actions. Here is the complete list of changes: * Ceramic now has a mass factor of 0.7 * Legs and wings give thrust bonus to movement systems mounted in them * Added Wraith, Neko mecha * Added option to always start at top of library when scrolling through combat actions * Fixed bug with highway scene generator * Widgets can now capture events, preventing other widgets from responding to same event * Fixed bug with combat interface scrolling * Mission will check environment, and warn PC if any lancemates cannot take part * Added Androbot and Forgebot monsters * Immobilized lancemates get left behind if their mecha cannot be repaired * When placing gears on map, the environment is taken into account * gear_up method now chooses appropriate move mode for the terrain * Flying makes melee attacks more difficult for both parties * Flying mecha get reduced cover modifier * Multi-target invocations will now show a target counter beneath the invocation UI * Added combat action clock * Reworked the combat movement UI * Fixed Ammo Explosion display bug * Extreme speeds will now be slightly reduced * Added Flight Jets, ARC Jets * Added Aerofighter, Gerwalk mecha forms * Random maps check blocked tiles using movemode provided by architecture * Exploration movement uses movemode based on party's move modes * Removed redundant code between MoveTo and BumpTo actions * Config menu will delete config options that should not be in config.cfg Try it out and let me know what you think.