We have another build this week, this one focusing on various AI improvements and a host of small updates and bug fixes. Here are the highlights:

• AI: Multiple improvements and fixes to the AI, covering a wide range (more details in the change log).
• Crafting: Adding Crafting.xml file. It contains Ingredients, Badges, Recipes and Gadgets. Each of those can be changed or new entries can be added, using the same system as for weapons, armors, etc.
• Gamepad: Modifying the gamepad system to maximize compatibility with Xbox controllers in general. Removing the previous "Gamepad Fix" option as it is now unnecessary.
• Difficulty Settings: We added new stats scaling options last patch and forgot to mention them. They are aimed at increasing the difficulty. We do have another system in the works on that front that should be more interesting than simply higher stats, but it's not quite ready yet.

Progress:

Change log:

New Content and features:

• Sounds: Adding a lot of new sounds for abilities and cutscenes.
• Visuals: Updating/adding visuals for many abilities, including: Bite, Bulldrake Breaths, Primal Cry and Shadow Hunt.

Balance:

• Difficulty Settings: We added new stats scaling options last patch and forgot to mention them. They are aimed at increasing the difficulty. We do have another system in the works on that front that should be more interesting than simply higher stats, but it's not quite ready yet.
• Yates Cabin: Reducing the difficulty of the 2nd encounter on the map by removing an enemy unless the "more enemies" difficulty setting is used.
• AI: The AI should be more aggressive with moving towards the player units and should be less prone to moving before buffing itself.
• AI: Making the AI smarter when choosing a path towards a target they can't reach yet.
• AI: AI with Charm status should be more effective (they were prone to wasting some turns moving towards their new allies without taking action).
• AI: Various small tweaks to AI behavior to make it smarter.
• AI: Updating the pathfinding for flying creatures to be much better.
• AI: Reducing chances of "offensive units" to go buffing their allies rather than charge at the player.
• AI: Increasing the minimum range a player unit must be to an enemy trapper for them to decide to place a trap.
• Buffs/Debuffs: Making it so Stats Up/Down buffs and debuffs remove their opposite when applied, the same way haste/slow currently works. (So, applied Atk Up will remove Atk Down from the target).
• Barrier: Counter: Barrier will no longer activate if the target already had barrier at the start of the attack (so, casting a debuff on a target with Barrier and Counter: Barrier will use up the current Barrier and not recast it on the same attack).
• Knee Shot: Reducing damage to 0.85x from 0.9x. Also renaming to Rooting Shot.
• Thespeiros Encounter: The guest helping on this map will start using recovery items once no other actions can be taken.
• Abilities: Small tweaks to some monsters abilities (spell to skill, etc). Adding a MP cost of 12 to Rest Up.
• Charm: Charm ability MP cost increased from 6 to 16 and chance up to 100%. Increasing chance of Allure to 75% base (from 62%).
• Charm Debuf: Charm debuff duration lowered to 2 turns (from 3).
• Focused Rage: Increasing the damage per MP converted from 2% to 2.5%. Also including the damage conversion ratio in the description.

UI and Visuals:

• Gamepad: Modifying the gamepad system to maximize compatibility with Xbox controllers in general. Removing the previous "Gamepad Fix" option as it is now unnecessary.
• Gamepad: Adding an option to use specific icons for the gamepad. Current selection is: Auto, Xbox360, Xbox One, Ps4, Steam Controller.
• Projectiles: Speeding up projectiles (arrows, bolts, etc) travel speeds by quite a bit.
• Graveyard Story Battle: Making a certain character immune to Sleep so they aren't slept during the quick dialogue cutscene during battle.
• Critical Hits: Adding a screenshake to critical hits to make them more impactful.
• Charm, Sleep, Berserk: Updating help tooltips to show that only one of these debuffs can be on at once. Updating visuals during damage phase to correctly show if a previous debuff was removed by a new one.

Bug Fixes:

• Rebirth: Rebirth will now correctly trigger if a character dies by being countered to death.
• Rebirth: Fixing an issue where Rebirth might not trigger on the target when killed by a Dual Wielding regular attack.
• One for All: Fixing a bug where One for All would trigger from Counterattack and Counter: Magic.
• One for All: One for all will now correctly trigger Counters on the person attacked and also won't bypass Rebirth anymore.
• Spiked Glove: The description box now correctly shows "None" as the stat that will defend against it.
• AI: Fixing an issue where Gadgeteers AI sometimes didn't get access to the correct gadgets.
• Evasion: Fixing a bug where the base evasion of units was listed as 0 but was internally 1.
• Events: Fixing incorrect text being shown on the worldmap after finishing the 3rd Temple.
• Counter Steal: Fixing an issue where Counter: Steal would sometimes fail to trigger when it should.
• Height Advantage: Fixing an issue where the bonus from Height Advantage would be incorrect under many circumstances.

Modding:

• Crafting: Adding Crafting.xml file. It contains Ingredients, Badges, Recipes and Gadgets. Each of those can be changed or new entries can be added, using the same system as for weapons, armors, etc. Each item can only have 1 recipe for it though, so keep that in mind.