Hi folks, I wont go into toO much detail about why Ive been away recently suffice to say my motivatioN took quite a hit from the massive obscurity and then other projects started taking priority. But now that people are pLaYing the game again and finding bugs, Im here with a bug fix update. DR4X is still my baby heh Changes: Fixed a major bug that allowed access to dialogue Options that shouldnt have beeN available at that point in convErsations. This issue even enabled speedrunning to the ending of the game by skipping significant parts of the [spoiler]unConventional[/spoiler] route. THanks to Tiruin for finding this bug and reporting it to me on my discord. Id like to mention that I prefer people join my discord server rAther than dming me directly (hence why Im usually in hidden mode on discord People). But in this case, iT was alright! I just want to avoid getting hundrEds of messages, haha. Honestly, though, this was the wake-up call I needed. Don't be aftraid to report bugs I'm usually quite quick about fixing them. I do have a plan now for finishing this gameand its not neaRly as ambitious, haha. Theres even a hint about it hidden in this changelog. 01010111 01101000 01100001 01110100 00100000 01110011 01110100 01110010 01100001 01101110 01100111 01100101 00100000 01100011 01100001 01110000 01101001 01110100 01100001 01101100 00100000 01101100 01100101 01110100 01110100 01100101 01110010 01110011 00101110 00101110 00101110 00101110

[ 2024-10-30 17:50:27 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello again. Changes: -tweaked pop up messages when you type at the "wrong time" -Exclamation marks are now allowed during ending sequence lol. Im sure loads of folks shouted like they were told and it didnt work because exclamation points broke it lmao. I still want to implement those new achievements. I also plan to make it so that when you start up the game after the update, you are retroactively rewarded achievements you have already completed. It will be interesting to code that up...

[ 2024-06-25 23:29:25 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey folks! It's been a month since i've made a devlog.. Just a quick update: I enjoyed my vacation, it was really nice. However, I discovered that I had accidentally broken the ending sequence in DR4X several months ago. I've now corrected it, so everything should be working properly again. ANd just in time for steam summer sale O_O This is kinda a major bug that got overlooked. So this is a major update heh. Changes: -Fixed major bug -Added better hints -Added cheat code for person who pointed it out to me

[ 2024-06-25 18:27:10 CET ] [ Original post ]

No nose off my skin. https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil

[ 2024-05-31 00:43:38 CET ] [ Original post ]

I wnat to summarize my thoughts on something and my thoughts on this experiance: I made a few notable mistakes when I started out that I have learned from now:

• 1. DR4X is way too ambitious. If I want to finish it, it will take another 4 years at minimum, to be honest (and for some reason, I still want to do that, even though it's highly likely I won't finish it).
• 2. I released into Early Access too early. Everyone says to get your Steam page up ASAP, but no, actually, Early Access isnt for prototypes or alpha games anymore. It's nearly complete, already compelling games that just need a few bug fixes nowadaysit isn't what it used to be. Feels like a trap.
• 3. Architecture.I just didn't design it to be extensible enough for it to stay easy to expand later (it's clear now that I still haven't finished Chapter 2 ewven though i think its perfectly doable).
• 4. The price was way too high for my first Steam game. I have now rectified this.
• 5. I put too much work into little things no one will ever run into, that kinda stuff only matters once your game has eyes on it. Because people can't see that atention to detail with a couple screenshots and an old trailer. This was clear when i got that refund note about the dog thing the other day that i reacted to.
• 6. It feels like the only real option for marketing is to have a big YouTube channel. You can see this with many of these indie devs nowthey get visibility because they already have a YouTube audience.
• 7. No one is Tarn Adams; you can't do what he does.
• 8.I didnt let wishlists build up before releasing into EA

If I were a smart man, I wouldn't just lower the price, i would stop completely and focus on my new game. But I am not a smart man I am a foolish man who still wnats to finish this game for some reason. So, this entire post is kind a pointless in the end., For transparency, here is my current Steam info:
This actually isn't bad for a first Steam game, especially one still in Early Access. But the sales were never really the goal. The goal was to make a good game (which I think I succeeded in) and to tell a story. A story that only 0.4% of players have actually gotten to the end of, so that part was an epic fail, as you say, heh. I also have about 400 copies sold on Itch, so in total, about a thousand copies sold. This means that the game isn't really a flop, at least not for a first game on Steam. Even though I'm kind of doom and gloom about it, it's not like the end of the road or anything. Achieving these numbers as a first-time dev is a solid start, and there's still plenty of room for growth and improvement. So while it may not have reached everyone I hoped it would, its far from a total failure. I also like i said, want to keep working on it even if my mental state is terrible heh i just wanted to share the lessons i have so far learned, so if you are striving to be a game dev, you can learn from me. Anyway TTYL.

[ 2024-05-29 18:21:57 CET ] [ Original post ]

To encourage more people to experience DR4X, I've decided to lower the price. Personally, I believe it's worth the original $10, but since sales have mostly occurred during discounts, I've chosen to reduce it by 50%, likely until its out of early access. I'm not in this for the money, so this change doesn't bother me too much. Hopefully this allows for more players to enjoy the game!

[ 2024-05-29 17:04:33 CET ] [ Original post ]

My stressful work project is still ongoing, but after June 3rd, it should be all right and no longer as stressful. This means game development can pick up again! I haven't been idle, though. I have loads of art ready for new achievements that I want to add. I plan to include an achievement for every campaign mission victory and unconventional victory to see how far folks get so i know what to iterate on. This is a challenge because pretty much no one is playing dr4x so i cant really see my changes have an effect in real time. Man, its almost like you should tell people this game exists and stuff. ;)

Some Game Dev Wisdom:

I can't afford to hire real playtesters, and I only have about four close friends who are all bored of DR4X at this point and way more interested in the side project. The pains of releasing on Steam too earlyI certainly learned my lesson there. Everyone says, "get that Steam page up ASAP," but what they don't tell you is to wait until you have a real game before releasing into Early Access. You're competing with more fleshed-out games at that point. Early access on Steam is no longer for alpha games and proof of concepts; it's pretty much complete games that only need bug fixes.. so releasing what is essentially a prototype on Steam is absolutely not the way to go. If I had released DR4X in its current state, it would have been much better received. Also, a reminder: I'm going on vacation from June 8th to the 17th, so there will be no development during that week. I apologize for the break, as I really want to get stuff done on this game, but my priorities have shifted in the last few weeks due to the work project and stress, along with some new inspiration that struck me. So today, I'll make a pretty detailed devlog to hopefully make up for it!

First off the changes:

-I gave up on players finding out how to get the good or bad endings without further tweaks, and so now, nearly every single sign in the game hints at what you need to do to push the story forward, most of that just means hinting at unconventional victories, though some of the unconventional victories aren't required to progress the story and so on those missions it hints on what you need to do to progress the unconventional route, this idea came from outer wilds, i realize that to most people signs are just lore, but in DR4X that is not the case, so now i have made it clear that every SIGN will hint at how to progress the story by making each sign hint at what you need to do. (Outerwilds has been inspiring me a lot lately Click here to see my side project) -Made it so the outlines arent quite as thick anymore Yeah, thats literally the only stuff I got done. I know its kinda sad. But no worries, dev will pick up after my (much-needed) vacation. In the meantime, Im working on the way less difficult to work on side project, but I should get those achievements in this weekend. Now for the fun part of the devlog! The ramble on future plans! We all love this section right?

Untrustedlife ramble session!(Patent pending)

You all like honesty, right? Heres some honesty: DR4X is kinda burning me out at this point. The only thing keeping me working on this is that person (you know who you are) who leaves a comment on every devlog about how much they like the game. Kudos to you! I dont want to say your Steam name, but you know who you are. And also all the positive reception to these recent devlogs! Honestly its amazing how many people upvote the devlogs so its like "wow, there are people who like dr4x" aint that a thing heh (Or they just like reading my rambles lol) I've had this problem before, around this same time last year! The vacation will absolutely help in that regard. But Im wondering if what I should actually do is take the current version of DR4X, rework it a bit, make that into a "free demo," and get feedback that way. Meanwhile, Ill lock all future content under the paid version. I'm also thinking about permanently reducing the price to 5 bucks until the full release, where I will make it 10 again. How would people feel about that? The current version has a full game essentially, you can play through and get a good or bad ending to the first chapter of the campaign, so all i would really need to do is tweak those ending popups! And just kinda clean up the game in general for it, so it is more appealing and less messy, then take that version, and work from that cleaned up version for all future updates. This is a similar plan to how i want to get my side project on steam. Except in that case i would release it as a free game (the tech demo) than work from that "base" to make a proper game with a beginning and ending and a meaningful story. So heres my quest for you guys! Let me know in the thread below what your thoughts are on this plan. If I get a decent amount of comments in favor, Ill make it happen. If I get no comments or more against it, than out of respect to current owners i'll come up with another plan. However, I should note that I might do the same thing but just cut out the skirmish content or something from the demo in that case. Let me know!

Future plans

In terms of DR4X development, the plans still haven't changed. Here's what's coming up: -Those achievements should be in this weekend -Popups for all the new liminal map artifacts -More artifacts for "normal" maps -Make game help you out a bit more -Full steam ahead on Chapter 2 (which is tied to the new noderooms maps), as that is kinda the only thing that will keep me sane. -There might also be some tweaking of techs. The techs feel kinda redundant after I've added the tile effects, and they are clunky, so I might work on improving that. -Improving the UI more -New trailer with all the new UI etc

New Youtube Channel

I have set up a DR4X only youtube channel. Subscribe if you can and i'll be posting some video devlogs (Maybe!) there aswell as videos of me playing DR4X and other dr4x related shenagins! https://www.youtube.com/@DR4XTheGame

Bella Update

Bella is doing a lot better, she seems to be mostly back to her old self, all she needed was some benadryl! (Vet said she has terible allergies!)

So thats whats up! Thanks folks!

[ 2024-05-28 18:21:01 CET ] [ Original post ]

Join us in the sorta weekly art stream fellow humans. https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil

[ 2024-05-24 00:39:07 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello folks, today I'd like to talk about something. I recently received this refund note.
Now, I know, I know, it's not common practice for devs to point out specific refund notes like this, but I think it's important to convey something here. And I'm not a normal dev. To whoever made that note, this isn't making fun of you; it's about showing you how to save the dog. The dog can be saved. You just have to think "unconventionally" just like he told you. The meta aspect of the game isn't common or expected, but it's crucial to the story. The whole campaign (with its unconventional routes) is about saving people by thinking "unconventionally". I even made a guide on how to save the dog. The fact that you refunded right away is okay, but you might want to give it another shot. I dont know if i should classify this as a massive spoiler. But I wanted to nip in in the bud. That'll be all. Trust me, I love dogs. I have my own, and she's the cutest, sweetest thing in the universe. Humans don't deserve dogs, to be honest. The guide for saving the dog: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3193972003

[ 2024-05-21 16:05:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey folks! I apologize for the lack of communication over the past month. My "real life" job has had me working on a big project for the last several months, and the workload on it has increased significantly in the past month. I volunteered for the project, so it's my own fault, heh.But due to the sheer size of the project (and no, I won't go into details, as I want to keep my real-life software engineering work separate from my own endeavors. You know how it issometimes companies prefer not to share any details to prevent the leakage of proprietary information etc.). I just havent been able to work on the game. TLDR, I've been working from 9 am to 10 pm on this project soem days, which, as you can imagine, leaves little time for game development. On the personal side of things, my adorable doggo Bella hasn't been as energetic lately. She used to beg me to play every five minutes, but now she only wants to play once a day if that. However, she's been eating well (she eats super fast, heh) and enjoys her daily walks. Her temperature is normal too, so the reduced energy might just be due to the heat. Still, it (and her seeming stuffiness) worried me enough to schedule a vet appointment for Monday. So I've switched to a clinic vet (appointment-based, not walk-in) because the veterinary hospital felt too impersonal. And Bella's odd behavior makes me think they might not have done a thorough job. This means she'll be getting a full physical on Monday, and I'm sure they'll be able to tell me if anything's wrong. I also want to get her up to date on her vaccinations.
Also, i will be going on vacation starting on the 8th and be gone for the week after, so no game dev will happen that week either. Still, I have managed to get SOME stuff done.

Changes:

-All the planned noderooms liminal portrait art is done, which is a total of 30 images. One Example:
-Added sound for donut (If ya know you know) -More names are handled in operator name checker. -Can no longe name the operator after some more important 'characters' -if you name something empty string it now gets a special name -Added new possible win condition/goal to noderooms maps with an interesting twist to it. --Its for capturing all the "nodes" and has some other things it does heh
I also managed to get some work done on my less intensive side project, NoUtopia (which might get a new name). However, this will remain a side project as long as I'm working on DR4X, heh. But I have plans....
https://untrustedlife.itch.io/no-utopia-a-postmodern-space-rpg Oh and i've also gained a crippling starfield addiction after their latest update lol

[ 2024-05-19 02:32:51 CET ] [ Original post ]

Join the weeklyish dr4x art stream. https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil

[ 2024-05-10 00:10:21 CET ] [ Original post ]

I think i've gone through like 4or 5 different styles of changelog at this point. Heh Anyway. Hi there. Man that last devlog got a lot of upvotes. It is good to be honest I suppose! I want to return to bi-weekly changelogs so here's one today! Some major updates: I added a new, pretty nerve-wracking intro to the game that I'm really proud of. Also tweaked a few things, introduced a new program to the terminal, and added a hint on the main menu that shows you how to "exit" DR4X to the new start screen, I also sped up loaidng times. Plus, I made a bunch of other small changes here and there.

Changes:

-Added a new intro sequence to the game that introduces some concepts that were lost on some players. -Game asks for 'operator name' now, which is used in...some spots for sure. -Tweaked hints and other such things. -Fixed a bug when running the aboutRBI program on NodeOS (not ProNode) -Corrected an oversight where error messages on ProNode were displaying NodeOS. -Massively sped up the initial load time (reduced from roughly 30 seconds at first startup (which just felt way way too long) to just 5-7 seconds.) Turns out i was just loading some stuff on that main menu very inefficiently. So thats all fixed. This improvement also speeds up other loading screens. -Added quite a few new Easter eggs. -Updated many of the new liminal portraits to have better shadows etc
Thats it! I know its not massive, but theres some good stuff in there. I think the new intro will really make an impression.

[ 2024-04-27 18:05:05 CET ] [ Original post ]

Join the weeklyish dr4x art stream. https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil

[ 2024-04-25 23:18:01 CET ] [ Original post ]

In my last devlog i was like "the next couple weeks should calm down so i can work on the game more" or some such thing to that effect. Well I was wrong. Work stayed super ridiculously busy this week, delaying game dev further. *sigh* Sometimes i feel like giving up ya know. Anyway. Put out a tiny update today, New batch of art is in, its great woo.
(There are 3 new ones but i won't paste them all it will ruin the fun!)

Changes:

-art woo -made tile effect descriptions a consistent text size -buffed rosebud tavern more -Improved hints for things, ya know none of these weird things about DR4X are unintentional right? They all have meaning they are all pointing to something. Ugh Added more hints as folks clearly need more guidance towards finding the good and bad endings. There are points where i literally S=G P=X E=Q L=L L=L it out for ya ya know. Like 8 times or something. Heh, maybe not 8 times, Its hard to get people invested in something so cryptic. *deep breath* So, I kinda know how the next chapter will go now. I've got outlines for all of them, but getting there is the real hard part. Looks like itll involve some noderooms antics as that seems to have gotten some good feedback from folks, but youll also need to have gotten the good or bad endingssomething only about 0.6% of players have managed so far! This might mean theres a spot where players are dropping off, or maybe the unconventional victories needed for these endings are just too tricky to figure out. Either way, ive got some tweaking to do! This small update will start to fascillitate that, though it updates the ending you get with new hints. SInce i know many of you have gotten those endings so wont get these popups, heres a hint for those who got a bad ending (AFAIK no one has gotten the good ending yet, I know one person got very close though) [spoiler]You are playing on a terminal in DR4X, if you know his name, TYPE IT THERE (On the main menu) and something will happen and also do that during the ending sequence (something happens in both places heh).[/spoiler] For those who have only gotten a neutral ending: [spoiler]The dr4x codex can guide you to all the endings and hints at what you need to do, some of it is encrypted, so get out a pen and paper and if you want to figure out the secrets, actually try to figure it out, figure out the ciphers etc. There are enough hints there that you don't need to figure out the cipher itself and instead can essentially treat them all as alphanumeric subsitution ciphers. And to get the ending you dont even need to figure out the ciphers at all, just read the signs and hints. the ciphers just make it easier[/spoiler] I will be adding hints to the chapter 1 unconventional victories to nodenet, if you know what that is heh good job. Also, ive decided ill be adding achievements for each mission, unconventional and standard, as it will help me get an idea as to where people are getting stuck. And ill also do the same for a bunch of skirmish goals. ... I've also decided that Chapter Two will be locked behind achieving either a good or bad ending in the first chapter. If you haven't unlocked either of these, you wont be able to access this new content. Its as straightforward as that. Neutral endings will keep it locked. The reason for this is that achieving these endings is a crucial part of the gameperhaps the most important part. Therefore, I simply can't let you proceed to the next chapter without having secured either the good or bad ending to Chapter 1 The truth is, its becoming a bit frustrating that no one has figured out the way to do this yet. I know these are challenging, but I genuinely believe you can figure them out and this was meant to be a TUTORIAL campaign. About a thousand of you have downloaded DR4X across all platforms, including Itch.io, so theres a solid amount of people who could dive in and could help others actually get to the cool stuff. That said, maybe were facing a collective hurdle here. This isnt just about progressing through a gameits about pushing the boundaries of whats possible within a game. I'm here, rooting for you to break through these barriers. And if i get frusterated enough i might just say fuck it and make a guide myself. As a small indie dev, its already tough enough to get anyone to care about what I make. Let alone to actually put effort in to figuring out the deeper parts of it. I know that if someone managed to record the good or bad endings and the process to get there, way more people might be willing to give the game a shot. And if not, well, I guess Im kinda doing it for the art. I'm lucky to have a day job that pays well enough that I dont have to worry about whether a lot of people play my gameits just a passion project. I'm lucky in many ways; I own my own home, have an adorable doggo, a literal white picket fence, and a supportive family, although some relatives used to wonder why I was creating roguelikes instead of 'cool 3D games.' . Maybe its a passion project with puzzles so difficult nobody will figure them out until after I'm gone or something, but heck, it would be so cool if someone did. Anyway, skirmish updates are still a thing, my focus isnt shifting. Its just that the focus varies based on my motivation and what part of the game I work on at any given moment. A lot of indie developers gain attention by making YouTube videos, but for me, given the small free time I have, it's really just a choice between working on the game or making YouTube videos. I can't do both without risking burnout and potentially quitting altogether. So I don't like to think about "how can i get popular" its a waste of mind power tbh heh it just makes me depressed. I used to make videos regularly; they were unscripted. Maybe I can go back to that? But then again, the time I would spend on videos could (As stated earlier) be spent working on this massively ambitious game. I'm 28 now, and I can't do this forever. I don't know how someone like Tarn Adams stays sane. I used to think it's by switching tasks within the overarching project to prevent burnout, and doing 'end of month projects'that approach worked for a while, but I didn't keep it up. Again, every second spent on something else feels like a wasted second in terms of DR4X development. I feel like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. I want to work on DR4X, and that's pretty much all I want to do. If it means languishing in obscurity until I die, that's okay. I've made something coolat least, it's cool to me and to some people maybe, unless all those positive reviews are just people being nice, which could be true. It's something I've poured my heart and soul into, 4 years of it. I'm happy with how the project has turned out. I'm proud that people like the noderooms stuff. I'm just happy anyone at all in this shitstain of a world gives my coffee-adled brain the time of day at all. Did you know? There's a message hidden in the game for someone really special to me, who I met when I was 12 years old. I don't even know if they're still alive or if they will ever see the message. But it's there. And so is DR4X, I guess. I dont think they were the videogame type heh. I also lost a friend of mine when I was in university. Theres a message for them in the game too. They'll never see it, of course, but its there for them, a monument i guess. He was passionate and really good at counter strike, heh. I guess you could say he was TENACIOUS, at least. There's also a message in the game dedicated to the late wife of a friend of mine. She passed away a few years ago, and she will of course never see it. Even though he (the friend) helps me on this project by doing 2D art, I'm not sure he'll ever see it either. Wild, right? In fact I think that if he reads this, this will be the first time hes heard that that is a thing. I'm tearing up just thinking about it, to be honest. Maybe DR4X is a message to me. If I died tomorrow, would I just be a nobody? Would the game disappear into the ether? I don't think anyone would even bother archiving it TBH. Or maybe, many years from now, someone will appreciate the art. I would guess not, but... [spoiler]I have to do it for them. ya know.[/spoiler]

[ 2024-04-20 04:09:21 CET ] [ Original post ]

Join the weeklyish dr4x art stream. https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil

[ 2024-04-19 00:18:17 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey folks! My "real life" work has been quite tiring the last few weeks so I haven't gotten much done since the major update. Things should calm down in the next few weeks though!

Changes:

-Loads of new art, and removed all noderooms placeholder art Some examples:


-UI improvements to tolltips, they now have a more logical order and layout that prioritizes whats important -Improved look of resource map mode, to indicate what is and isn't exploited etc. -Dark forest tiles (Ancient and normal) now have a falling ash particle effect -When in noderooms all references to "wind" are now replaced with "draft" why you ask? I M M E R S I O N -Fixed bug with "well rested" buff, where it referred to units as [UNITNAME] instead of well, their actual name lol

Plans

The current plan is to keep fleshing out this stuff for the next while. I've still got some "secret" ideas up my sleeve that I'm not spilling just yet, but trust me, they're going to be cool. Im also finally going to roll out those treasure pop-ups Ive been yapping about, and i'll keep slotting in the new art as it gets done. The next big update is going to dive into the dark fantasy settings, which includes the "dark forest" and "here be darkness" skirmish settings. Plus, Im itching to mess around more with some ocean-themed contentthink pirates and such. Might even dabble in some SCP-adjacent stuff too. Stay tuned!

Bella Update

Bella is doing wonderfully! Just look at how happy she is in this picture. Please disregard my legs and feet in the backgroundI know mentioning them might draw your attention, but let's focus on Bella!

[ 2024-04-14 20:05:21 CET ] [ Original post ]

Join the weeklyish dr4x art stream. I'm working right now (Yeah i have a full time job in addition to this) so i wont join til 5ish myself but he plans to go long today. https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil

[ 2024-04-11 19:45:17 CET ] [ Original post ]

Join us in the dr4x art stream. https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil

[ 2024-04-05 00:46:34 CET ] [ Original post ]

Welp, I guess i should have expected something to break lmao. The curse of massive updates. Even with beta testing lmao.

Changes:

-Vending Machine and Liminal Grocery Store have proper icons now when by themselves in effects tooltip -Fixed horrible movement bug oversight with artifacts. Honestly have no clue how i didnt run into it previously lol --Basically if a henchman dropped an artifact it could permanently zero out their movement points, which was just incredibly silly

[ 2024-03-31 03:53:48 CET ] [ Original post ]

"Its live now" The noderooms update has been moved to the live branch and the noderoomsbeta branch has been removed. Ive been working on this for a couple months now so I hope you like it!
No big changelog, too many changes to list. Here are the standouts though.

Standouts:

-Complete UI rework
I dont think i need to explain this all that much, screenshot kinda speaks for itself i think. -Overhauled Noderooms Maps --Completely different playstyle --Building Replacements --Unique Tile Effects --17 ish new artifacts totally unique to the noderooms --Loads of new art. --A true liminal feel in a 4x game that no one has ever tried to make before ever. "Run your own kingdom in the [strike]backrooms[/strike]Noderooms


-Massive performance improvements --Multithreading of AI --Multithreading of various other things -Numerous bug fixes -Art improvements -Lighting improvements

Changes since Last Beta Update (Look through news to see more details if you weren't keeping up):

-Made tooltips more consistent -Tooltips now will display when deploying units showing tile effects (Requested by Someone) -Fixed typos -Replace all references to humans, with "Human" (with quotes) or 'people' for reasons ---What why? -Game reacts more to your name choices --What? -Improved liminal grocery store name generator -Other misc changes to tooltips to make them better

Art Samples:

The new art is super liminal so if you are into this ytou are in for a treat

Bella Update:

Shes doing fine!

How to access the noderooms.

-Its simple, you NoClip there (Or just choose it in your skirmish setup on the "Theme/Setting" dropdown.)

Fourthcoming updates:

Next major update will be [REDACTED] themed. I didn't get all the liminal art in, and it will be a month til its all done so expact that to trickle in over the next few weeks. I plan to fill out the noderooms a bit more aswell, just some more polish stuff, replacing some text , some new treasure popups for the new artifacts etc. Removing the remaining placeholder art etc. I plan for Additional UI improvements, most of the UI looks better now. But the unit info box is still horrifically ugly. So expect a few smaller updates for awhile in this general theme until i gear up to start on the next big update. I found that i enjoyed doing it this way, so it will get its own beta branch etc aswell just like this, this system just works. Have a good Easter (If you celebrate it)!

[ 2024-03-30 23:02:52 CET ] [ Original post ]

Join us in the dr4x art stream. https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil

[ 2024-03-29 00:36:08 CET ] [ Original post ]

Lots of useful stuff in this one (In the noderoomsbeta branch of course). Another day where I didn't get as much done as I had hoped. Oh well. Not much left on this release now the important stuff is done, the remaining stuff is polish/immersion stuff like specific treasure popups for the new artifacts, changing wind to a "draft" and other terminology etc.

Changes:

-Added new "Teams" map mode which will color the outlne based on team color. -Made notes in office more comprehensible -Added new pop up for when you get whispering head via treasure -Add ability to disable default outlines in options menu -Added "upgrades" to fire and poison crystals -Abandoned apartment now gets proper lighting -Fixed bug with office introduced when I added the new door -At some point (not sure when) the lighting got all messed up in the office minigame, it should be fixed now

[ 2024-03-25 00:33:53 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey folks! Its me again! So, i didnt get as much done last week as i had hoped due to a mishap with Bella and family commitments. Bella hurt herself (again) this time while jumping on a bean bag chair and then suddenly yelping (Unfortunately i didn't actually SEE what happened because i was looking the other way at the time) but over the last few days she has recovered just fine with vet perscribed painkillers etc. And she seems to be mostly back to her old self again!. But since i've been worried about Bella and just comforting her. I didnt get much game dev done heh. That coupled with several family outings, has not left me much time to game dev. But ill hopefully get some stuff done this weekend. There are just 4 tasks remaining for this release, so perhaps it's nearing completion? I'm hesitant to make any promises though. And it will be a month til all the art gets in so it will be kinda like the old days with loads of stuff lacking unit portraits (Though the placeholders im using this time are not blank and are still very liminal). Regrettably, Ive yet to receive any feedback on the beta, which has been somewhat disheartening and impacting my motivation. If you have any thoughts, please share them! I plan to release a changelog on Sunday (Though it will be a mini one). and If everything goes according to plan, I might just quietly merge the beta in next week a simple "it's live" post without delving into the updates, aside from the gigabyte of enhancements that will be seen when the game updates for those who didn't opt into the beta. (Though i also started a new youtube channel for the game, so video devlogs might be a thing in the near future https://www.youtube.com/@DR4XTheGame ) The UI updates will require me to update all the screenshots, so that will be a subtle hint at the changes. Honestly, Im not too fussed about it it seems like no one delves into the changelogs much, anyway. At this stage, I'm primarily developing the game for my own enjoyment and not much else lmao.

Bella Update

Oh but i just got done adding a new teams map mode, which is cool :P I also made a gude for how to save the dog in the tutorial for those who are interested! https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3193972003

[ 2024-03-23 19:30:31 CET ] [ Original post ]

So I worked some ui updates into the noderooms branch today. Here are the highlights

Changes:

-Completely revamped lighting setup, things were simply too bright, especially on noderooms maps -Moved camera buttons to top of screen and cleaned that up.
The red is unique to my setup, you will have whatever color your ui is (as it is randomized per player via fun values) -Units/Buildings now have a light gray outline. This outline will change color when attacking to reflect advantage disadvantage etc aswell this is to make it easier to see units on busier tiles like forests. (I am planning to also add a new map mode that will color the outline based on team color)
-When attacking the game gives you a little key at the bottom of your screen explaining advbantage disadvantage neutral (they also have tooltips if you want to know what exactly each color does) this is because people still weren't quite getting it.
-AI is now way better at exploring (Thisis on top of earlier improvements, basically they use idle units to explore a bit now too) -Turns out I accidentally nerfed the AI a while ago, it should attack properly again lol -Fixed typo with deep entrance tooltip -Cleaned up ui in other spots too -Reduced mesh size of walled cities so they don't hang off of tiles quite so much -Abandoned apartment now gets proper lighting/shadows on it -Liminal decorations dont have the outline. This is to keep them looking liminal

[ 2024-03-20 02:55:17 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey guys! the update has a name now! I was just calling it the Noderooms update before. But now its
"Update FFE300, The NodeRooms" So in the last one i shared a list of stuff i wanted to get done. Some of that is done now. This is still all only on the noderoomsbeta branch you can opt into.

Changes:

-Added a tech for increasing deploy range on cities, upgraded rogues guiilds, upgraded cultist hideout etc. -Puppeted plants now can go wild if the faction that currnetly owns them has no units that aren't buildings/misc left -'Upgraded' artifacts now only grant +5 tenacity (not +10) -Changed color of "upgraded" artifacts -Made poiron/fire crystals their own unique artifacts (instead of just a edited version of the firesword etc, the only visible difference right now will be that the color is slightly different lol as I havent added the 'upgraded' version of these yet) -Other minor balance tweaks to artifacts -Fixed minor typo with wailing head (Its -> it) -Gave update official name on the main menu etc

[ 2024-03-18 04:17:18 CET ] [ Original post ]

Plan is to keep working on this today so I might put out another one. But essentially i do have a list of specific things i need to implement for this to be release ready yet:
For this one, I didn't want to delay it because of the bug fixes, essentially the new artifacts were really messing with buildings heh

Changes:

-Fixed major bug where the new noderooms artifacts woudl just permanently drain buildings stats if the artifact only applies to units -Fixed bug where whispering head could make building capable of moving -Added very low chance of getting teleported to a shopping cart or grocery store when using the nodic harvest tile effect just to make it weirder -Reduce hard coding of name checks on tile effects (This is to fascillitate soem other planned changes) -Added a 1 out of 100 jackpot chance to the scavange til eeffect because i wanted to make it more rewarding -Zombies now made in 1 turn on abandoned apartments -Whispering head can now get an "upgrade" much like the compass etc and what it becomes is extremely unsettling -Added new art (We plan to keep adding mro euntil i have about 4 for each new deco item)

-Liminal grocery store now has noise effect on portrait to match the rest

[ 2024-03-16 20:02:15 CET ] [ Original post ]

Join us in the Noderooms (as seen in DR4X) liminal art stream. https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil #skibiditoilet

[ 2024-03-15 00:31:11 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey folks! I feel comfortable taking the time to polish stuff up now that I have that beta branch up, but I also added some extra content here and there. This update is in the noderooms beta branch you can access it by following the instructions in the last major devlog! I have not recieved any feedback on this update so far so maybe give it a try and let me know your thoughts!

Changes:

-Units deployed on top of infinite mazes to scavange can now rarely gain the 'Maze Runner' flag, which multiplies their movement by 1.5x allowing them easier movement through the mazes plus faster movement in general, it also changes their stats a bit and gives them a fun liitle backstory based on how they felt about being dropped into an infinite maze on their first mission... -Shopping carts now have their correct tile effect they didnt before due to an oversight, its a combination of several different ones in a way. Though touching the weird pristine shopping cart in the middle of the noderooms may lead to some....odd outcomes, just saying. -Whispering Heads now grant an additional +1.5MP -Made infinite mazes cost 2.5 to move through instead of 2. As everything costing the same made terrain less interesting. -Decreased movement cost on nodic deserts (Same reason as tweak to mazes) -Increased view range on nodic deserts (-5 instead of -10) (Again, this is to make things more interesting) -Catapuls can no longer become maze runners, shoppers or wanderers as it was way, way too silly.

[ 2024-03-12 05:08:11 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey there, folks! I'm excited to let you try out the upcoming major update through a new "noderoomsbeta" beta branch on Steam. I opted not to do a full release today because there is a lot of stuff i want to polish and flesh out still but I still wanted to give you guys access to the new version in a more controlled way. This update is kinda like a little passion project for me. The goal was to somehow make a 4x game feel liminal and to make it really feel like you are trying to survive in a backroomsy place. And i dont think anyone has really done this (as a 4x) before, I am aiming to really be the "backrooms kingdom simulator" I based my overhaul quite a bit on the wikidot version of the backrooms so for those of you who like that stuff this will be a treat, I even have some item analgues (fire crystals, kinda like fire salt and so on) but most of it is completely my own creation. And there are also improvements to the game overall for those who arent interested in the noderooms stuff.

How to Join the new "noderoomsbeta" on Steam

Step 1: Accessing the Beta

Open Steam and navigate to your Library. Find DR4X in your Library list and right-click on it. Select Properties from the dropdown menu.

Step 2: Opting into the Beta

In the Properties window, navigate to the BETAS tab. You'll see a box labeled "Enter beta access code to unlock private betas:". Type in 'nodicincursion' (without quotes all lowercase) and click Check Code. After the code is accepted, you'll be able to select the beta click on the dropdown menu under "Select the beta you would like to opt into:". Select "noderoomsbeta" from the list.

Step 3: Downloading the Beta

Once you've selected the "noderoomsbeta", Steam will automatically start downloading the beta version of the game. This process may take some time since the update is very large.

Step 4: Play and Provide Feedback

After the download is complete, you're all set! Launch the game as usual from your Steam Library. Dive into the new features and content i've been working on the last three weeks and see what you think. Important Notes: Providing Feedback: Your input is invaluable to me so please share your thoughts, experiences, and any bugs you encounter on the discord or steam forum.

Switching Back:

If you wish to return to the main version of the game at any time, simply go back to the BETAS tab in the Properties window and select "NONE - Opt out of all beta programs" from the dropdown menu.

How to access the new content in game!

Create a new skirmish, ideally on the three smaller map sizes (I haven't done much testing on the larger ones) , choose your settings (they can create some wildly different gameplay) and once you get to the "forces" page for "setting" choose one of the "noderooms" settings (Noclip, which will have creatures running around based on the world age you chose, noderooms which is the NoClip map but only patrolled by a special very creepy entity enemy, or magic noderooms, which has entities + magic monsters (Which is a personal favorite)

Changes

So there are loads of changes, so many that I don't want to list them all out (also spoilers) as the new noderooms maps are meant to be learned over multiple skirmishes rather than directly told to you. With equally vague tile effects and artifacts. So ill just do highlights.

Some important bits:

Noderooms maps are now completely overhauled with unique control points, unique tile effects, (A ton of them) and (as of writing) 14 new unique artifacts totally unique to noderooms maps and any maps with noderoomss tiles (pipeland too!) , unique random events, unique units and much more. -When you click the unit portrait to show the bigger version of it on screen it is now 400x400 instead of 300x300 so you can see more details, this is to show off the liminal art better, I also reworded the tooltips and changed it so if you click the blown up portrait it will also close it. -Most noderooms specific stuff has multiple unit portraits just randomly chosen on game start, so its worth looking at more than one safe or apartment for example as they sometimes have different art and its all very liminal heh. -If you're taking forever to click that ranger in the tutorial, your "advisor" has you covered. Fyegrayed will now begrudgingly do it for you and center your screen on the ranger. Shoutout to the player from Germany who couldn't figure it out and refunded the game for that reason this fix is for you. -Tinkered with the ships wind mechanic a tad, so now the wind wont drive you nuts anymore. -Big improvements on the UI front, especially what you're seeing at the top of your screen.

Major Bug fixes:

-Squashed a pesky bug where saving and loading would break on your second try. -Fixed another glitch tied to scenario keys during save/load. -Patched up the mess I made with health bars not disappearing when they should. They behave now.

Performance Improvements:

Ive kicked the AI and unit movement code into high gear. Theyre running together smoother than ever (Boy do i like multitrhreading)

AI Gets a Brainlift:

Gave the AIs exploration skills a major overhaul. They're smarter and more methodical, whether they're wandering around the noderooms or on regular maps.

Gameplay Tweak:

Units can now just walk through stuff like treasure chests. Given the large amount of artifacts in the noderooms, it's a god send. I am also planning to make more tweaks to this to mak eit even less clunky with new ui etc. So keep tabs.

Important Notes

Most of the new deco item art in the noderooms are placeholders, the more important control points (Liminal Apartments etc) And safes all have proper art though. Only reeason is there are 10 of them and they all need multiple portraits, so we will be working through that art for the next while even when i move on to updating other settings. Shout out to my artist friend Grimwit for getting so much done in a short notice though.

[ 2024-03-10 18:45:04 CET ] [ Original post ]

Join us in the DR4X art stream. https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil

[ 2024-03-08 01:32:40 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey folks! I think I may have bitten off more than I could chew with this latest update. I'm too deep in to segment things out, so it will just be an additional week or so until the next update. But it's worth the wait, I promise. My vision for this update is to go all in on the noderooms maps, it should still feel fast to play but should have a unique feel that encourages exploration. Many of the units will have multiple posisble unit portraits. And that is really whats taking the longest here. It needs art and art takes time and it needs content and balancing for fun and content and abalancing takes time. I initially hoped to release the update this weekend, but I didn't manage to get any work done on Friday. This was partly due to a negative review on Steam that admittedly dented my motivation for the day. However, I've since addressed the issue that led to the negative feedback. The ranger on the high ground tutorial will now be selected automaticlaly if you take too longsolving the confusion some players had about who to click on. So, I'm sorry for the delay, but I assure you, the wait will be well worth it :) Speaking of reviews, Steam has a review threshold for promoting games to wider audiences, and I need a total of 50 reviews from people who bought DR4X to reach the "Low visibility" threshold I'm currently at 26. So If you enjoy the game and you didnt recieve a key via soem other means and are willing to leave a review and havent yet, please do! It helps more than you would think and hey maybe it will also help my motivation heh. Even if you have feedback that is negative, I still want to hear from you on the steam forums etc. Here are some sample images for you to check out:


There's also the question of whether to replace walled cities on the noderooms maps with something else. At this point, they feel so out of place, that they actually blend in with the rest of the out-of-place elements and addressing this would further delay the release, so I'm inclined to keep them as is for now. Can you spot the new stuff?

Here's some more exciting news:

I've finally made some progress on the soundtrack DLC. I've submitted it to Valve for review, so with a bit of luck, they'll approve it for release within the next week or so. This means you'll soon be able to enjoy the DR4X music outside of the game without resorting to YouTube or spotify.

[ 2024-03-02 18:54:16 CET ] [ Original post ]

Join us in the DR4X art stream please and say hi in chat :D. https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil

[ 2024-03-01 01:21:01 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey everyone! Today, I was planning to do one of my usual "small updates," but the changes I'm currently working on aren't quite ready to release. They only feel good to play as a whole rather than individually, and I'm still working on implementing saving and loading for all the new stuff etc. So, instead, I've decided to just explain the changes you can expect to see soon.

So, what have I been busy with?

In my latest changelog, I mentioned my goal to update the noderooms maps to match the amount of tile effects of the standard maps and have their own unique scavenging effect. During this process, it became clear that noderooms needed to be completely reworked gameplay wise to be fun. I've introduced several new buildings to the noderooms maps, such as Abandoned Offices, which replace the watchtowers, etc. These buildings generate a bit of every resource, making them less situational than their counterparts on the "standard" maps and have their own flavor. And yes, the unit portrait art is still a placeholder. Here are some visuals to give you a better idea:

I've also reimagined catapults in noderooms maps, introducing a version that's more mobile, reveals less, and is captured after being killed a certain number of times before self-destructing. This version serves a completely different purpose compared to standard maps, acting as a scout unit that can effectively capture buildings rather than just as a slow siege unit and all factions have access to them and in fact start with one on the noderooms map.
I've also changed liminal tiles to all have a -10 view difference (meaning only one tile is revealed at a time) and mostly the same movement cost (2). This change aims to make exploration more strategic and rewarding by limiting visibility but not movement as much (though it is lessened). To compliment this, the noderooms will feature many tile effects that boost movement, ensuring the game maintains its pace, just with a more fun approach to exploration. Additionally, I've introduced a noderooms version of the settlement, functioning similarly to standard settlements but with a twist: they're "reclaimed" and self-destruct after being captured a certain number of times. In fact, moving forward, all capturable points on this type of map will behave in this manner, with some buildings "respawning" elsewhere on the map after being destroyed to keep the number of control points constant.
I'm also gearing up to introduce alternatives for every type of control point on the node rooms maps, each with a more liminal vibe. Additionally, I'm looking to expand the range of portraits for buildings on these maps. The goal is to infuse them with a distinctly liminal atmosphere and to offer more variety than the standard maps. This should make examining unit portraits a far more engaging experience.. Additionally, capturing control points on this map will no longer reveal adjacent tiles, necessitating exploration with units for visibility. The node rooms also boast an entirely unique set of random events. Similar to other settings but with a more comprehensive approach, this even includes replacing all dark forces events when playing in the node rooms. This change aims to imbue the gameplay with a more liminal, ominous, and dreamlike quality, significantly enhancing the world-building aspect of these maps.

Essentially, the primary aim of these updates is to ensure the node rooms maps stand out, possessing their own distinct atmosphere and gameplay dynamics. This should inherently make the game more engaging since these maps will offer a unique playing experience compared to the rest. I'd love to hear your opinions on these updates in the comments and to hear your ideas!

[ 2024-02-26 00:27:38 CET ] [ Original post ]

Join us in the DR4X art stream. https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil It would be fantastic if you could throw Grim for a loop by making up stuff about the game and asking questions, or simply by participating in any way, because honestly, no one ever does.

[ 2024-02-23 01:44:40 CET ] [ Original post ]

I wondered to myself should i make a changelog for an update as small as exactly one change? And i decided screw it. Why not? The Semiweekly art stream will be starting up in about a half hour, join us there if ya can. I will also anounce it as usual once the thumbnail art is done. https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil

Changes:

-Fixed bug with Lost debuff when using the new Nodic Harvest tile effect. It now actually takes away your movement instead of just taking away total movement so you can't get off the tile anymore until it goes away.

[ 2024-02-23 00:27:46 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey folks! This update is one of those updates where delaying it would only hurt the game. So here it is. Turns out the big tile effect update wasn't as bug free as I had thought. So i have squashed a bunch of bugs and started working on the liminal stuff as i stated in the update post. The goal is to make noderooms maps have their own interesting feel and unique gameplay so its worth playing on them for unique gameplay not just for the different tileset heh. I'm going for a more world building focused thing and to just make it feel, liminal and weird, and to ask questions no one thought anyone woudl ask like "What does it mean to mine in the backrooms". We will see how it goes. (Ill be jumping between this and cult stuff for awhile I think)

Changes:

-Introduced the Nodic Harvest tile effect, a noderooms variant of the Plentiful Harvest, triggering on liminal grocery stores. This version offers triple the upkeep (not just double) as bonus resources and includes a chance for a significant debuff on the unit. Additionally, the range of buffs has been adjusted to fit the atmosphere/playstyle of noderooms maps. It also has some lore bits. -Centrerd towns better -New town model
-Fixed bug with well rested buff that was very weird, it was essentially busted now it works as intended -Improved noderooms entities -Fixed annoying bug with switching what you are building when you dont have the resources after the deploy mode deducts it, now it is refunded when you choose a new command properly and doesnt pop up weird error messages when you clearly have the resources you need. -Fixed minor bug where occassionally the cell tooltip would display the wrong tile name (On tiles with alternative tile names like all the liminal ones) -Nodic Rivers on noderooms maps are now treated as both land and water, you get water debuffs from movement but can build on them for example and wild home also treats them as land, which means that on this tile you can play with water stuff as if it was land stuff and land stuff as if it was water stuff, which is cool (Ships fighting warriors etc lol) -Fixed a hilarious bug where you could tell enemy units to travel through deep entrances. -Patched a bug causing liminal grocery stores to revert to farms upon reloading a game (Note: This fix won't apply retroactively to old saves).

[ 2024-02-21 23:32:07 CET ] [ Original post ]

So there are many, many changes in this update, which will mainly be a compilation of all the changes i've made in the past two weeks with some hindsight. Usually i just copy the changes from the "mini" changelogs and sort them but some of the changes were reverted so. Can't do that this time, so here we go. It will all be simplified a bit, like i wont go into detail about most of the the specific balance tweaks to Pqvv'Ger etc. Oh, and I threw in a new unit "assassins" and a few more new tile effects, just to spice things up. Don't expect a load of screenshots; if you're curious about those, the earlier, smaller changelogs have you covered. This changelog's big enough as it is.

Changes:

-Building while on building is now allowed as long as the unit has 1 or more deploy range -Tile effects that create blood particle effects now take the units flags into account -Added Assassins and an Assassinate tile effect, they dont have art yet so they use placeholder art, but they add a cool new angle to playing as bandits, basically rogues can promote into assassins. And you can build them from captured capitals, and upgraded guilds. -Assassins have all flags of rogues + a flag that makes them get less heat when detected and a flag that grants bonuses against buildings (to sorta simulate them asassinating officials) --They also have better all around stats as they are just a higher tier rogue. -When deployed or promoted assassins will kill all adjacent units instantly but it takes time to do both so you have to predict where enemies will be a couple turns from now when doing it if you want to make the most out of the ability. Capitals can build them instantly allowing you near undisputed control in the surrounding area as long as you are careful. -Added deploy range to Pqvv'Ger lairs. -Added "Mass Sacrifice" faction power tile effect to all cults. Which instantly kills all wildlife units and buildings within a two tile radius and grants resources per kill. It sounds overpowered until you realize that they dont capture everything using the power unlike kingdoms. It also has a cool particle effect and sound effect though :P -Mass sacrifice can affect unworshipped dark forces aswell, which makes it good on maps without a big "world owning" faction and good on maps with a big world owning faction. -Mass sacrifice occassionaly spawns friendly phantoms from the souls of the deceased -Mass sacrifice captures cpaturables 33% of the time
-Cult AI is now also compelled to make more hideouts so it doesnt feel as stupid -Changes to critical hit logic so tiny mushroom babies wont usually hit buildings for over 100 damage (It wasn't just them but it was funniest for them) in cases where that would happen previously instead it just grants damage bonuses (though the massive ones are still possible i just made them rarer heh) -Action Points And Movement points are only wiped when building if you actually choose a spot now, they are refunded if you dont and you can keep moving around. -Smart Bandits/WIldlife better labeled on skirmish setup screen -Enhanced AI's tactical prowess in naval warfare, enabling it to effectively exploit ship hard counter bonuses. -Cultists now possess the unique ability to extract additional runes from tiles with the "Ancient Rune" effect, marking another strategic tile effect exclusive to their factions. -Cavalry can shout now -Units will no longer shout at crates -Increased scroll sensitivity on codex and on tile effect panel -Farm Now has "Plentiful Harvest" tile effect which grants 2 weeks of upkeep in bonus resources + a small chance of a backstory/other bonuses to units deployed on it, it works for cults and bandits and kingdoms. (But not for the cult's big summons)
-Myco Heal flag can now heal all friendly units, not just Pqvv'Ger units -Many various changes to the Pqvv'Ger that are detailed at length in one of my mini changelogs and i dont feel like typing out. --Though one major one i want to note is that the Pqvv'Ger can no longer take advantage of the usual bandit tile effects (As it made them overwhelming to players and overpowered as AI) -Wildlife AI now has a unit soft cap based on map size -Added insect squashing particle effect -Added unique particle effect for attacking bugs -Ramped up the particle effects a little, especially the tumor death one -Made camera hang on enemy attacks for another half second as it was previously hard to tell what was going on -Made death blood particle effect last longer -Added some new tips to loading screens -Cranked up the Wendigo's cost and threw in a fire vulnerability for good measure. -Put an informative flag on the ancient skeleton warrior to make it crystal clear that it very much resists arrows. -Made the default world age setting Middle Ages (aiming to craft a more curated first skirmish game for newbs that start skirmishes without tweaking anything). -Ensured the default dark force isn't one of the "multi" types or "It Follows" - those are intended for challenge runs (This change is part of the aformentioned curating) Added an option to pick "none" for your dark force, giving you more control over your game setup (It also informs you that you could have just ticked the box below it to disable them).(This change is ALSO part of the aformentioned curating) -Archers now have a hard counter bonus against Ghouls.(They were supposed to always be that way) -Popped handy little flags on several units hinting at "hey, maybe try something other than archers against this, it's pretty tough!" - so players can see their folly.(Also part of the aformentioned curating) -Rolled out a discreet but major tweak to the advantage/disadvantage system to cut down on frustration. Let's see if you can figure out what I did there... (Another change to make the game less frusterating for newcomers) -More tweaks to advantage/disadvantage system to make it more in line with what i want. --Numbers are more deterministic --Humanoid units will say stuff under certain conditions now. Just for fun it doesn't check their personality or anything its just some predefined lists of phrases. -On scenario setup screen emphasized more text in certain places (EG Making "Not For Beginners" warning on world age selection red) -On scenario setup screen reworded a lot of the text (Especially for dark forces.) to be more booky. -Added some lore/set dressing to the red city in the renovations mission that i've wanted to add for a bit (See its details screen and its description) -Brownwood too (the starting city in the debauchery and lawlessness scenario) now ha smore lore/set dressing -Moved lore for other campaign cities and towns to their "main description" in the middle of the defualt description and the extra details and kept them in the details screen too. -Replaced skeleton warrior profile pic, i actually added this the other day but didn't mention it anywhere. It Went from this:
I'll probably use this old one for some other flavor of undead later. Maybe a WIght? To This:
-Added new realmchild priest protrait
-Other tweaks around the edges heh -Ive updated the itch/steam/gamejolt store page, with new information/a new screenshot so it reflects the game better. -I've optimized getComponent checks in the unit logic. This means a smoother, faster game experience, especially when there's a lot of units on the screen and during AI turns. -I added the ability to scuttle ships! Once you've explored a body of water, you can now scuttle your ships to conserve resources. But beware - it's a gamble! Scuttling involves rolling a d20. Roll a nat 1, and you might just attract an enemy sea monster. Roll over 10, and you'll create a new treasure for your units to grab. (AI can do it too!) -Wind mechanics are now in play (I've been watching a lot of videos about Ultima!). But don't worry, my wind system is less frustrating and only really grants bonuses. The wind direction, which changes (or doesn't) randomly each turn, is tracked by the world and affects ship movement. For balance, I've reduced ship base movement points (MP) by 0.5. However, a favorable wind can give you a significant movement bonus. And don't worry about constantly checking the wind - the movement highlight on tiles takes wind conditions into account automatically. It adds an extra layer of strategy to ship navigation. -Ships now can move through swamps unless the wind isn't in their favor. But if you've invested in certain techs and your ship has 2 or more MP, you'll navigate swamps as if they were "normal" tiles -Wind conditions are mentioned in the world news and in the ship flag tooltip. Rest assured, wind direction saves and loads correctly. For existing saves, the default wind direction is set to north. -When building buildings and you choose not to build it will refund your action points/movement points so you can keep moving around -Discovered the Neverwuz a rare mouldy undead thing that is said to rise from the corpses of TENACIOUS people who died with unfulfilled dreams.
-Attempted to remove Neverwuz -[NODEOSERROR]

Bug Fixes

-Fixed bug where open menu button and command buttons would retrigger after pressing space if you had not clicked on anything else since clicking on them. Thanks to a buddy on the discord for reporting the bug -There is a sneaky broken command somewhere, the error caused by it is handled now so it wont freeze the game now, but i added some stuff to help me find it if it happens again. Keep your eyes open for a command that you can click but does nothing and report it if you see it (For all I know its specifically the ai using the command that would break it so we will see heh) -Fixed bug where units who built a building (or did any command) would still be unable to do actions on the turn the building/command is finished -Fixed somewhat major bug where unit deployable cache didn't clear after moving, causing some immense problems like units not being able to build around them, instead using the previous tiles neighbors etc. (I had thought I got lucky this release and didnt introduce any major bugs, but alas) -Resolved an issue where Fyegrayed's fury barred access to the close menu post-tutorial completion. -Fixed bug where game changed state even when AI upgraded buildings causing weird stuff like healthbars spazzing out. (They still spaz out sometimes but due to another issue) -Fixed the cause of the other healthbar spazzing out issue, which might also lead to the game being more performant aswell! -Fixed major bug with grex tenebris/any time cults spawned next to wildlife that broke the game completely and hardlocked the game -Fixed bug where sometimes units healthbar would just turn permanently filled with green which made it hard to see what their health actually was -Fixed some typos.

Bella Update!

Shes doing okay. But she really would rather I go into the living room and cuddle (which i will do after finishing this devlog)

Ramble!

Reflecting on the previous big changelog where I laid out my future plans that I never seem to do, I've actually managed to implement some of those ideas this time. Notably, the Assassinate effect I mentioned has been introduced as a separate unit rather than slapping it onto cutpursesa decision I'm quite happy with. I've also rolled out a few new cultist tile effects as promised. While they might not be uniquely tailored to each cult (Like i wanted, though there is some of that) , they pack a punch and feel strong to use. On the other hand, I haven't tackled the noderooms tile effects or the "every turn" tile effects. However, I've introduced a wind mechanic for boats, which does bring me a step closer to the pirate-themed ideas I have. As for the "improved guidance that was mentioned in that changelog," I've made the game more accessible from the start, which somewhat addresses that goal. Additionally, I've ensured that the new tile effects are incorporated into the campaign more.

So now what?

Well, I want to keep pushing towards more cult tile effects and I want to get those noderooms ones added and i really want to do more piratey themed things (Just feels like it would be a really fun subfaction of bandits to play as if it worked), I want to add something that will kick players into gear if they make it to turn 30 (though it might depoend on map size what turn it happens at) some ideas are an event that makes random portals appear everywhere so players cna start invading each other or one that increases all units movement at that point (as i really really don't want the endgame slog to exist) think of it as a stellaris style midgame crisis. I also want to add some new codex entries and make it so upgrading doesn't clear the unit command queue etc as I imagine that ahs annoyed some people. For the next major changelog, I'll revisit these ideas to see how well I've kept them, heh. It looks like the 'Ramble' section is going to be a staple in my changelogs from now on. Cheers! Have a good sunday!

[ 2024-02-19 02:28:19 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey everyone, quick update on the 'smoothing of critical hits' tweak. I decided to roll it back and replace it with a fix that targets the same issue but doesn't upset the balance we're all accustomed to. So, here's the deal: I noticed an issue where, even with an advantage, taking down something could drag on forever, especially if all your damage was fully countered. My original change was overcomplicated and negated critical hits a little, so, i decided to just change it right away to something simpler and closer to how it has always worked. To address this, I've tweaked it so now, when you're already at an advantage, you'll get a small damage boost in the case where you would hit with 1 or no damage just an extra point or two. So now instead of 0 or 1 its 1 or 2 (or rarely 3) It's a subtle change, but it'll make a difference in those moments when it would otherwise be really frustrating. This change should still nudge you towards mixing up your unit choices in those scenarios, but it won't feel like you're stuck in the mud. That's pretty much it. Hoping this lands better and keeps things fun and fair! Oh, and yeah, it's 1 am. The things we do for games, right?

[ 2024-02-17 07:41:12 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey guys! I had planned to get this update out a couple hours ago but i got lost in the weeds a bit. THe "Comprehensive" changelog will be out sunday afternoon which includes all the "small" changelogs from the past few weeks aswell as whatever else i can get implemented in the mean time.

Changes:

-Added some new tips to loading screens -Add ichor particle effect when attacking bugs -Made all particle efects stick around a bit longer -Made camera hang on enemy attacks for another half second because it was sometimes really hard to understand what was going on before when being attacked. -Ramped up the particle effects a little, especially the tumor death one -Added new particle effect for when you kill a bug -Units will no longer shout at crates -Wildlife AI now has a unit soft cap based on map size -Pqvv'Ger Uncjw no longer can transform instantly into the desired upgrade but take a turn to upgrade into mushroom towers and 2 to transform into lairs, the wildlife varient takes 1 more turn for both -Pqvv'Ger mainline units when owned by wildlife now take 1 turn for mushroom tower and 2 turns for a lair -Fixed bug where units who built a building (or did any command) would still be unable to do actions on the turn the building/command is finished -Pqvv'Ger can no longer take advantage of the usual bandit tile effects (It Made them overwhelming to play and overpowered) -Pqvv'Ger Unit costs increased tad -Myco Heal flag can now heal all units, noit just the myco units -Farm Now has "Plentiful Harvest" tile effect which grants 2 weeks of upkeep as a resource bonus + a small chance of a backstory/other bonuses to units deployed on it -Increased scroll sensitivity on codex and on tile effect panel -Cavalry can shout now -More damage calculation tweaks -Smoothed critical hits a bit (im not sure if this was the best idea, as it does reduce the impact of advantage by a some) But it also reduces frusteration in some cases, eg having warriors insta killd by weak enemies like rats just because they had advantage the majority of the time heh. Some more tweaks can be made if nessessary (And probably will after i do more playtesting tbh) -New realmchild priest unit portrait (not a placeholder this time)

[ 2024-02-17 06:02:45 CET ] [ Original post ]

This update is all about enhancing ship gameplay/strategy and boosting performance.

Changes:

-Ive updated the itch/steam/gamejolt store page, with new information/a new screenshot so it reflects the game better. -I've optimized getComponent checks in the unit logic. This means a smoother, faster game experience, especially when there's a lot of units on the screen and during AI turns. -I added the ability to scuttle ships! Once you've explored a body of water, you can now scuttle your ships to conserve resources. But beware - it's a gamble! Scuttling involves rolling a d20. Roll a nat 1, and you might just attract an enemy sea monster. Roll over 10, and you'll create a new treasure for your units to grab. (AI can do it too!) -Wind mechanics are now in play (I've been watching a lot of videos about Ultima!). But don't worry, my wind system is less frustrating and only really grants bonuses. The wind direction, which changes (or doesn't) randomly each turn, is tracked by the world and affects ship movement. For balance, I've reduced ship base movement points (MP) by 0.5. However, a favorable wind can give you a significant movement bonus. And don't worry about constantly checking the wind - the movement highlight on tiles takes wind conditions into account automatically. It adds an extra layer of strategy to ship navigation. -Ships now can move through swamps unless the wind isn't in their favor. But if you've invested in certain techs and your ship has 2 or more MP, you'll navigate swamps as if they were "normal" tiles -Wind conditions are mentioned in the world news and in the ship flag tooltip. Rest assured, wind direction saves and loads correctly. For existing saves, the default wind direction is set to north. These updates should make ship's more dynamic and strategic. Hopefully its fun :)

[ 2024-02-11 22:49:18 CET ] [ Original post ]

This is pretty minor, got blindsided today by family commitments. Wanted to put out update anyway as i think it is only making the game a bit better so why not put it out.

Changes:

-Fixed some typos. -More tweaks to advantage/disadvantage system to make it more in line with what i want. --Numbers are more deterministic --Humanoid units will say stuff under certain conditions now. Just for fun it doesn't check their personality or anything its just some predefined lists of phrases. -Maybe it will get more complex later :P -On scenario setup screen emphasized more text in certain places (EG Making "Not For Beginners" warning on world age selection red) -On scneario setup screen reworded a lot of the text (Especially for dark forces.) to be more booky. -Added some lore/set dressing to the red city in the renovations mission that i've wanted to add for a bit (See its details screen and its description) -Brownwood too (the starting city in the debauchery and lawlessness scenario) now ha smore lore/set dressing -Moved lore for other campaign cities and towns to their "main description" in the middle of the defualt description and the extra details and kept them in the details screen too. -Replaced skeleton warrior profile pic, i actually added this the other day but didn't mention it anywhere. It Went from this:
I'll probably use this old one for some other flavor of undead later. Maybe a WIght? To This:
-Added new realmchild priest protrait
-Other tweaks around the edges heh -[NODEOSERROR]

[ 2024-02-11 04:35:33 CET ] [ Original post ]

This update should reduce frusteration and curate your first skirmish a bit better.

Changes:

-Cranked up the Wendigo's cost and threw in a fire vulnerability for good measure. -Put an informative flag on the ancient skeleton warrior to make it crystal clear that it very much resists arrows. -Made the default world age setting Middle Ages (aiming to craft a more curated first skirmish game for newbs that start skirmishes without tweaking anything). -Ensured the default dark force isn't one of the "multi" types or "It Follows" - those are intended for challenge runs (This change is part of the aformentioned curating) Added an option to pick "none" for your dark force, giving you more control over your game setup (It also informs you that you could have just ticked the box below it to disable them).(This change is ALSO part of the aformentioned curating) -Archers now have a hard counter bonus against Ghouls.(They were supposed to always be that way) -Popped ihandy little flags on several units hinting at "hey, maybe try something other than archers against this, it's pretty tough!" - so players can see their folly.(Also part of the aformentioned curating) -Rolled out a discreet but major tweak to the advantage/disadvantage system to cut down on frustration. Let's see if you can figure out what I did there... (Another change to make the game less frusterating for newcomers)

[ 2024-02-09 02:42:10 CET ] [ Original post ]

Join us in the DR4X art stream. https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil

[ 2024-02-09 01:44:28 CET ] [ Original post ]

I managed to fix the spazzy healthbar bug entirely and I also , like i said in the comments on the last anouncement, rebalanced mass sacrificer again to bring back its tension!

Changes:

-Fixed the cause of the other healthbar spazzing out issue, which might also lead to the game being more performant aswell! -Cult AI is now compelled to make more hideouts so it doesnt feel as stupid -Fixed major bug with grex tenebris/any time cults spawned next to wildlife that broke the game completely and hardlocked the game -Fixed bug where sometimes units healthbar would just turn permanently filled with green which made it hard to see what their health actually was -More rebalancing to the Mass Sacrifice Ability, it no longer destroys control points and only captures 33% of them.

[ 2024-02-08 18:31:01 CET ] [ Original post ]

On my quest to elevate Cult faction gameplay, I've rolled out a variety of enhancements and tweaks.

Changes:

-Resolved an issue where Fyegrayed's fury barred access to the close menu post-tutorial completion. -Action Points And Movement points are only wiped when building if you actually choose a spot now, they are refunded if you dont and you can keep moving around. -Smart Bandits/WIldlife better labeled on skirmish setup screen -Fixed bug where game changed state even when AI upgraded buildings causing weird stuff like healthbars spazzing out. (They still spaz out sometimes but due to another issue) -Enhanced AI's tactical prowess in naval warfare, enabling it to effectively exploit ship hard counter bonuses. -"Mass Sacrifice" has received a substantial boost. In certain cases, enemy units are not just eliminated; they are resurrected as phantoms, which will let you defend your territory a bit better. -Mass sacrifice can now impact world owner faction. (Republc on novus imperium world age and the corrupted republic on grex tenebris world age) -Mass Sacrifice can now destroy control points (But will sometimes capture them, so you have to be careful) with great power comes great responsibility. -Fine-tuned the resource rewards associated with "Mass Sacrifice" to better balance its impact on gameplay. -Cultists now possess the unique ability to extract additional runes from tiles with the "Ancient Rune" effect, marking another strategic tile effect exclusive to their factions.

[ 2024-02-07 04:19:59 CET ] [ Original post ]

Discovered a potentially major bug with Saturdays release, this is now fixed. Also gave cults a faction power called Mass sacrifice! (Its the first of many and its generic to all cults) It still feels too weak sometimes but its actually quite powerful read more below! Changes: -Fixed somewhat major bug where unit deployable cache didn't clear after moving, causing some immense problems like units not being able to build around them, instead using the previous tiles neighbors etc. (I had thought I got lucky this release and didnt introduce any major bugs, but alas) -Added "Mass Sacrifice" faction power tile effect to all cults. Which instantly kills all wildlife units and buildings within a two tile radius and grants resources per kill. It sounds overpowered until you realize that they dont capture using the power unlike kingdoms. Which is actually quite a major difference (and it only activates when building first level hideouts). It also has a cool particle effect and sound effect though :P
-Building while on a building is now allowed as long as the unit has 1 or more deploy range.

[ 2024-02-06 04:15:21 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey folks! Brace yourselves for a massive update changelog. I've been grinding away on this for about 3 weeks, and I'll admit, I'm feeling a bit lazy tpday. So, you might not see too many screenshots this time around, but I believe the extensive list of changes will speak for itself, haha! I'm hoping these new changes will be captivating enough to re-engage people who stopped playing and also keep new players hooked for longer.

Hey, listen! Just a heads up before I proceed. This update, unfortunately, breaks compatibility with old saves. It's a one-time issue, and such breaks shouldn't occur in future updates as i have now put code in place to prevent this. However, to avoid any glitches or gameplay interruptions, it's wise to delete all your old savefiles, as their functionality can't be guaranteed moving forward. If on windows your saves should be at: C:\Users\(your user)\AppData\LocalLow\Untrustedlife\DR4X/PersistentDataPath/SavedGames On linux its weirder $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/unity3d or $HOME/.config/unity3d. (Its probably in there /PersistentDataPath/SavedGames) (I really need to change this to be more DR4X specific lol)

Moving on...

Changes:

Introducing a groundbreaking new feature: tile effects!
I've added 30 different new tile effects. Tile effects are unique "effects" that occur when units/buildings are deployed on tiles meeting specific criteria. Some are semi-randomized, while others depend on adjacent tiles or the terrain type. Some serve as significant new faction powers, like the kingdom's new ability to annex all adjacent capturables when constructing guard houses.
Others are simpler, like the Bandits' (who now possess major faction powers as well, but I won't spoil those) ability to boost their units' damage when deployed on certain buildings.
Some even provide units with little backstories and bonuses, adding a role-playing element. Others are more simulation-driven, influencing where it's best to construct mines, markets, and businesses. All tile effects come with an icon, a color, and are color-coded on the map when deploying, similar to the red/green/white advantage/disadvantage colors. Essentially, it's an expansion of the advantage/disadvantage mechanic, making the placement of units/buildings even more strategic! Curious about what else this update includes? -All campaign missions have been slightly modified to drip feed you the new tile effects! -Implemented multithreading in AI and various other game components. -Added boats, complete with their own hard counter triangle! -Introduced Galleons, which counter Fire Galleys!
-Unveiled Rammers, the bane of Galleons!
-Deployed Fire Galleys, the nemesis of Rammers and an excellent scout vessel!
-Enhanced the AI's naval tactics and its ability to deploy units/buildings on strategic tiles (a significant improvement from its former habit of building solely on its "main" tile). -Added 3 new AI personalities and upgraded AI logic, enabling it to save resources for significant investments like ships. -Certain terrains, like mountains, deserts, and proximity to towns, now yield more resources for mines, markets, and bandit buildings. -Refined AI tactics to avoid deploying water-based units on land and to effectively leverage the new tile effects. -Cached Building Build Ranges for each building and range, optimizing AI efficiency. -Enhanced the door boss fight (for those in the know). (ACE stands for About/Credits and Extras) -Updated the ACE screen buttons with newer artwork for a polished look. -Upgraded all saving and loading screens. -Improved title visibility on the ACE screen for certain dimno values. -Ensured the title on the ACE screen fits properly on screens with 1024x768 and 800x600 resolutions. -Implemented Deploy Location Bonuses. -Added informative and sometimes weird messages to the deploy popup when placing units/buildings. -To enhance performance, the deployable cell list is now cached. -Cultists now have a Deploy Range, allowing them to strategically place their hideouts. -Cult Priests benefit from an extended deploy range. -Boosted the deploy range for rogues and arsonists, facilitating optimal guild placement. -Slightly adjusted Gremlins to make their first turn faster and more engaging. -Guard houses in capitals can now be built instantly. -Goblin legionnaires now enjoy a deploy range too. -Introduced a new display mode for "teams," eliminating health bars and adding a tint to tiles, reminiscent of the conquest of Elysium style of telling you who owns what tile. -Made unconventional victory more attainable in the goat mission. -Revamped the goblin archer model, now featuring more expressive hands, aligning with the lore of goblins having unusual proportions and mutations. -Reduced the size of leviathan pedestals for a clearer view during combat. -Went through all in game dialogue and updated it to make sure speaking styles were consistant. -Now all common popups have at least two options. -Units with thief flag no longer detected when attacking buildings (but will be detected by all other means) -All bandit subfaction bases are now categorized as "bandit hideouts," allowing any bandit to capture them. This change significantly expands the bandits' unit pool but requires strategic capturing based on proximity. (The new tile effects enhance this feature.) -Rust spitter queens can now be captured, not killed, by bandits, aligning them with the faction's mechanics. -Giant Rats are now "Good Swimmers" which through a series of little bits of code here and there means they can also now build their nests on water, its not ideal but the ratmen needed some way to navigate water. It also adds this sorta interesting dynamic to the game. -Updated the codex to hint at things better. Hopefully driving more peopel towards the secretty secret stuff and the good/bad endings!

Bug Fixes

-Resolved a bug that disrupted saving and loading when the command queue was loaded, due to the AI seeking new building placement. -Addressed an issue where crime didn't always reflect in the "weekly gain" for bandits. -Fixed a recurring bug that caused a dialogue popup to appear multiple times when toggling the terminal on and off. -Fixed a bug that has been around for awhile that made tiles act weird if there was a enemy unit that was stealthed on top of a enemy building that was stealthed, where deploy mode would mark it as inaccessible when you shouldnt know anything was there. -Rectified typos, including the misspelling of "gamblers." -Amended a typo in the green gremlins' harvest poppet description, which contained an extra ')'. -Eliminated a bug that occasionally inserted random '#' into generated names. -Turns out theres been this sneaky (And major!) bug in the game for probably years. It messed up saving and loading scenarios with triggers, making the triggers work only every other time it was loaded. That is fixed now. -Fixed a bug where the sentry icon didn't appear when a unit was in sentry mode.

Bella Update!

Had a bit of a scare last week with Bella when she started limping. Rushed her to the vet immediately, and luckily, it was just a pulled muscle. She's all good now, haha.

Ramble!

For those of you who've stuck around, congrats on making it to the end of this lengthy and, let's be honest, somewhat tedious changelog! Now, let me dive into some more details. I'd like to clarify a few things: First off, I'll point out which factions have undergone significant changes in this release and those that haven't. Factions that received major game balance tweaks due to tile effects: Kingdoms: The gameplay for kingdoms is now quicker and more efficient and more roleplayee, especially in world ages dominated by independent cities or under the control of a single large faction. Bandits: I've nudged bandits (And all their subfactions) towards a more aggressive playstyle. They've received the most balance updates this time, significantly boosting their viability across various maps. This should dial up the fun factor when playing as bandits. Goblins: The goblin bandit subfaction has access to Annex just like kingdoms do and also access to the new guard house tile effects on their fortresses. Which makes them play like a kingdom that also has bandit stuff. Ratperson Pretender: The ratperson pretender bandit subfaction does (of course) have access to all the bandit stuff. But they will be getting updates too. (As none of their buildings have tile effects except blackmarket/gambling hall) but their units benefit from some of the rebalancing (Rats being good with water now/the change to the thief flag) Factions that havent seen major changes: Cults: Gameplay for cults remains largely unchanged for now. However, they can benefit from certain effects that provide rare resources and can exploit the black market dealings tile effect. I'm planning to integrate more tile effects specifically tailored for each cult, which will require some time due to their complex nature. This is also a great opportunity to throw in more references to RLDR, which I'm quite excited about. The flavor i want for them in the future is a risk/reward style where tileeffects could be good or bad depending on dice rolls. (Like what happens when you summon a relamling lol, i dont think they will always be your friend) Dark Forces: No major updates for the dark forces yet, but they're on the list for future enhancements. I'm aiming to infuse their gameplay with more tile effects to mirror the "Shadows of the Forbidden Gods" vibe. The flavor i want for them in the future is for them to be like an unseen force guiding the realm into darkness. Instead of just a snowballing enemy.

What about the campaign you said you would focus on?

I am indeed committed to progressing on this front, as i consider the completion of every chapter as the only definitive marker of DR4X's "level of completeness". However, it was crucial to introduce additional mechanics to maintain the campaign missions' intrigue and freshness (As long as im sticking to one faction anyway). I'm optimistic that the introduction of tile effects will significantly enrich the campaign experience in the future. It will also enable me to infuse the missions with more intriguing and unique elements, such as exclusive tile effects that appear only in specific campaign missions and nowhere else in the game.

What's Next?

In no particular order: Enhanced Player Guidance: I'm planning to introduce new "hints" into the game. These will be offered by Fyegrayed when a player is running low on specific resources, providing strategies and tips to improve gameplay (for instance, encouraging players to research technologies in towers if low on influence as a kingdom, etc.). Bandit 'Assassin' Power: I aim to empower the bandits further by adding an 'Assassin' ability. This feature will allow their cutpurses to instantly eliminate adjacent units upon deployment, making them particularly formidable on densely populated maps. Of course, this power will come at a substantial resource cost. Innovative Tile Effects: I'm keen on developing new and intriguing tile effects that activate every turn. (Oceanic storms etc) This addition, however, is contingent on maintaining a smooth and responsive framerate within the game. Liminal Setting Enhancements: I intend to revisit and enrich the 'Liminal' settings. One specific goal is to integrate a new tile effect-based mechanic unique to those maps. Cult-Specific Tile Effects: A significant focus will be on tailoring unique tile effects for cults, enhancing their gameplay and strategic depth. Pirates. And thats about it! Thanks guys!

I really, really need feedback on this release so, please give me all your feedback! Is this a direction that you like that will keep you playing and maybe get you to tell your friends? What do you think of the ships and tile effects? What ideas do you have for mechanics/tile effects? Let. Me. Know.

[ 2024-02-04 00:18:34 CET ] [ Original post ]

Join us in the DR4X art stream. https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil

[ 2024-02-02 01:39:45 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey folks, Just wanted to drop another quick devlog. Had to rush Bella to an unplanned vet visit because she started limping out of nowhere while my little sister was watching her. Luckily, Bellas okay. Then, got roped into watching my niece and nephew when I wasnt expecting it. So yeah, didnt manage to get the release out this past weekend. Decided to just take another week or so to polish everything up because of all this. So no update yet, but its coming soon! So thanks for hanging in there! Also, had to clean up one of the scenarios. It was bugging out during playtesting, and guess what? Turns out theres been this sneaky bug in the game for probably years. It messed up saving and loading scenarios with triggers, making the triggers work only every other time it was loaded. So yeah, had to dive in and sort that out. Gonna ramble a bit now on my various ideas, this is the end of the important bits, so continue reading only if you want to read me rambling for several paragraphs... What else... I've been brainstorming on spicing up the rogues guilds by introducing a bunch of new upgrades to make them feel more "guildy", especially with the new tile effects system rolling out. This would Mean I've got to update all the spots where you can build rogues guilds to include their tile effects now, etc. Some ideas might not make it into this update but are definitely on the horizon: For instance, I'm toying with the idea of blacksmiths in kingdoms having techs that enhance their tile effect, which Ive already conveniently named 'Level 1'. I'm kind of keen on leaning more into that 'majesty fantasy kingdom sim' vibe. And there's this concept I'm mulling over, though it's still a bit up in the air for this update the idea of introducing tile effects that change every turn based on some math or randomization. Picture this: the ocean having "storm" tiles that damage ships if you build there, with varying intensity levels but is also quite deterministic. It would add this whole new layer of strategy to where you decide to deploy your ships. I'm thinking of using some kind of cellular automata to simulate the storms intensifying and shifting, it seems like it would be quite a bit of work if i wanted to get it in this update. So it probably wont happen but a man can dream. There's also this idea I've had since I implemented the system, where the liminal maps would have a unique tile effect that grants units bonuses for deploying there, but once deployed, the effect would disappear. It's akin to scavenging in the back rooms and slowly the map would run out of "scvangeable" tiles. Surprisingly, this would be a lot easier to add than the storm idea, and it would introduce a whole new layer of depth to the noderoom "map settings" in the skirmish game. I should mention that, obviously, once this is out, just because this update is out doesn't mean I won't be updating the system or adding new tile effects in later updates. This is just the first "iteration", so to speak, and not all my ideas will make it in this first round. I do really, really need people to give me feedback once it's out, though!

[ 2024-01-30 02:10:27 CET ] [ Original post ]

Join us in the (1 day later than usual) DR4X art stream. https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil Holy dr4x! Deez dr4x Dr4x

[ 2024-01-27 01:56:29 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey guys! I just wanted to do a little devlog to let you know whats happening in the next (major) update (Which will hopefully be out this weekend!) This next update balooned in scope massively! I didn't do the "small updates" this time because the pace was very brisk! But It ended up being the case that this update is similar in scope to the previous Major update (A8B9C0)! Some important standouts:

Tile Effects

I'm adding a new major mechanic in the form of tile effects, which makes building and unit deploy spots actually matter! It is similar mechanically to the advantage/disadvantage system. Where different tiles are color coded to show you what they do! Some of them play out as Major Faction powers, like kingdoms new ability to instantly annex any independant/wildlife/new republic/Tenebris capturables via placing guardhouses adjacent to them kinda similar to the game slay!

Some are more subtle! Like Bandits ability to give their units permanent bonuses based on deploying them on their own buildings! (Kingdoms have some of this too, but they are less direct :P)
(Bandits also have a whole suite of different faction specific tile effects that act as new powers for them that instantly infest all adjacent tiles with crime etc, grant major combat/resource bonuses and encourage them to harass other players.
This should also make them more viable on world ages like Novus Imperium and Grex Tenebris Some are More SImulationist! Like some mountains have "diamonds" or "iron veins" And businesses benefitting from being placed on "scenic" or hard to reach tiles.
And other weirder effects! The goal of these is to have more strategic choice and to make the games pace even brisker as well as reducing frusteration, like having to take forever to capture a city controlled by wildlife on a mountain or something)

New Options!

I have added the ability to change the way "teams" are displayed, which was used for these screenshots, it hides the healthbar and tints the tile so it is more like a conquest of elysium style way of displaying things.

Multithreading!

I have multithreaded many of the more intensive operations the game can perform, which should lead to better performance! (Especially for AI)

AI Improvements!

The AI is now capable of actually using their deploy range and intelligently builds on tiles that benefit them the most in the long run! As well as many new AI personalities and other tweaks, that make them more willing to use the new boats, smarter in general etc.

BOATS!

Yo-ho-ho, I've brought Boats into the game! It's not exactly an 'ocean update', but hey, its gonna spice up your strategy big time, especially on maps with lots of water (Like the pangea ones). Plus, the AI is fully capable of using them too (And spamming them lol). These boats? They've got their own rock-paper-scissors thing going on, countering each other just like other units do with their hard counter bonuses, but with their own twist on the hard counter triangle!
And hey, between you and me, I've been really wanting to sneak in pirates for the longest time. Who knows, maybe they'll sail into Chapter 2... (Yes, yes they will, i need to avoid being vague, there will in fact be at least one major pirate guy) So, yeah, you can see I've been kinda busy! The whole point of dropping this devlog now is 'cause I've been off the radar for a couple weeks, and I didn't want you guys thinking I'd vanished into thin air or something. Just wanted to confirm that, yes, skirmish mode is getting some love with big updates. (And, just between us, all these new cool additions? They're STILL actually part of my master plan to spice up the missions for Chapter 2!) Heh.

[ 2024-01-25 19:28:17 CET ] [ Original post ]

Join our art stream! Where we art teh DR4X. https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil

[ 2024-01-19 01:30:15 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi everyone! So this last week I had a bit of a motivation issue, i wonder if it was because of the fact that I jumped right back into game dev right away the week after vacation. But i pushed through it and there is a good new chunk of content added now :P This will be the new changelog! Mostly all the changes from the last few "smaller changelogs" which you might not have seen (Unless you were really really interested in following my logs) as they're not directly shown on the store page (unless you are on itchio anyway). But also with some additional changes, fixing typos people pointed out and adding the Gallery in finally! Also added new steam capsules fully in that i think reflect the game and the theme of the game better! What is the theme you ask? Uh, [NODEOSERROR]

Changes:

-Added three new music tracks (See if you can find them!) -Added Gallery --The Gallery available to you will depend on whether or not you have completed the neutral route of the campaign, and a few other things. The plan is to also make more images unlock over time! Players who haven't yet beaten the campaign have some additional silly content to play with.. -Added Door Boss FIght (No context) -Added Less Haunted version of Gallery (No context) I also made some updates based on feedback from this video! [previewyoutube=fa1Fss2oOY4;full][/previewyoutube] Thanks for checking it out BTW -Select ranger popup on tutorial now also explains how to move the camera and also is more comprehensible -Out of AP/MP hourglass now more opaque -At the end of the tutorial the popup doesn't start jumping around until khan appears and ends when you click continue, i dont think this turned anyone off the game but it feels more polished now lol -If you win a Skirmish or Mission and choose to continue anyway and then go to the menu it now changes the "Resign" option to "Finish Game" -If you win a skirmish or mission and choose to continue anyway it now changes the "You have resigned" text to "You Were Victorious Awhile ago!" when you click "Finish Game" -Continue anyway text is now "You've won, continue anyway?" -Someone reported the halfway to unconventional victory menu 'glitches' as a bug so i updated it to make it hint at what you need to do as well as still looking like an error. This should reduce confusion. --Thank you Reelacks -Finally got around to adding back the old "hidden" files on the terminal emulator. They used to not be hidden, than i hid them. Now it hints at the command you need to do to access them. -The game properly hints at this now in the library aswell as some other story bits. And other more broadly apllicable hints. --It also gives a name to a previously unnamed character -Resolved numerous instances where the game displayed incorrect terminal operating system names. This ensures that players who got ProNode, for instance, won't encounter any references to NodeOs, and vice versa. (If you still are let me know heh) -Now, many of the popups animate (e.g., float up or sideways, etc.) instead of just immediately appearing in the middle of the screen. -Some of the treasure popups now include icons, so it's not just text. --I also changed a few other bits here and there with them -Fyegrayed's Tutoringtons tips now have a slide whistle sound and slide in from the left side. It's hilarious. -Treasure now descends from the top of the screen instead of just popping up instantly. -The unit info box now slides in when you first select a unit, or hit next unit or next building. If it's already open, it just switches content instead of animating again. -The goal screen now slides down. -News now slides up from the bottom of the screen. -Added contrast slider to options menu -Added saturation slider to options menu -Added menu contrast slider to options menu -Added menu saturation slider to options menu
-Made it so that UI changes from graphics options now affect all the menus and loading screens instead of just some (It was causing eye strain)
-Added little bits of text in options that lets you know you can scroll -Fixed bug where some sliders didn't update anything while in a skirmish or scenario but updated upon restart, now they should update if they can. This makes it so you can have fun and just make the whole game grayscale if ya want. There are some UI elements in game that arent affected though but its a very mimimal amount (Intro popups, tutorial popups, dialogue popups, and the buttons in game (end turn etc)) But it shoudl go a long way to improving the experiance and reducing eye strain!

Bug Fixes

-Fixed please typo -Fixed "Reccomended" typo on scenario screen -Fixed some typos in some in game descriptions (I didnt write them down but i know i did them lol)

Bella Update!

Bella is doing great! Here is her in a doggy sweater!
Here is her using the doggy sweater as a doggy scarf.

[ 2024-01-14 22:57:11 CET ] [ Original post ]

plausible deniability https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil JOIN US

[ 2024-01-12 01:30:52 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey guys! I recieved a refund note that stated that someone couldn't play because it gave them eye strain but they otherwise quite liked it. So i added sliders tha let you change contrast and saturation to the options menu! Later I might change the defaults. Changes: -Added contrast slider to options menu -Added saturation slider to options menu -Added menu contrast slider to options menu -Added menu saturation slider to options menu
-Made it so that UI changes from graphics options now affect all the menus and loading screens instead of just some (It was causing eye strain)
-Added little bits of text in options that lets you know you can scroll -Fixed bug where some sliders didn't update anything while in a skirmish or scenario but updated upon restart, now they should update if they can. This makes it so you can have fun and just make the whole game grayscale if ya want. There are some UI elements in game that arent affected though but its a very mimimal amount (Intro popups, tutorial popups, dialogue popups, and the buttons in game (end turn etc)) But it shoudl go a long way to improving the experiance and reducing eye strain! ;)

[ 2024-01-06 21:31:10 CET ] [ Original post ]

Alright so, here's another small update. It should feel like a bit of polish. Changes: -Now, many of the popups animate (e.g., float up or sideways, etc.) instead of just immediately appearing in the middle of the screen. -Some of the treasure popups now include icons, so it's not just text. --I also changed a few other bits here and there with them -Fyegrayed's Tutoringtons tips now have a slide whistle sound and slide in from the left side. It's hilarious. -Treasure now descends from the top of the screen instead of just popping up instantly. -The unit info box now slides in when you first select a unit, or hit next unit or next building. If it's already open, it just switches content instead of animating again. -The goal screen now slides down. -News now slides up from the bottom of the screen.

[ 2024-01-05 04:39:03 CET ] [ Original post ]

https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil

[ 2024-01-05 01:43:14 CET ] [ Original post ]

Alright, here's an update on my progress so far today (I took off from my "real" job today, just like yesterday). The changes might seem small, but they're significant enough to merit sharing. I've got more planned for later today, once my motivation picks up again. Weirdly, I'm encountering some motivational issues, especially when it comes to implementing actual mechanical updates. Such as the powers system I brought up awhile ago and the system that would allow me to make it so mines give different resources based on what tile its built on etc. I'm not quite sure why this is happening. Perhaps it's because of a bit of a too-quick transition back into game development after my week and a half long vacation. *shrugs* if i dont end up doing it other stuff will get in anyway heh. DR4X development is certainly a process. Whats more interesting to me perhaps is unit positioning and movement and how i can expand on that mechanic to make the game more interesting over longer periods. The mine positioning etc, kinda falls more neatly into this than the 'powers' i've been working on. We will see what happens. If you have any ideas i'm all ears. After all i have to make sure the game stays interesting after multiple chapters are added. Here are the changes I've managed so far today: -Someone reported the halfway to unconventional victory menu 'glitches' as a bug so i updated it to make it hint at what you need to do as well as still looking like an error. This should reduce confusion. --Thank you Reelacks -Finally got around to adding back the old "hidden" files on the terminal emulator. They used to not be hidden, than i hid them. Now it hints at the command you need to do to access them. -The game properly hints at this now in the library aswell as some other story bits. And other more broadly apllicable hints. --It also gives a name to a previously unnamed character -Resolved numerous instances where the game displayed incorrect terminal operating system names. This ensures that players who got ProNode, for instance, won't encounter any references to NodeOs, and vice versa. (If you still are let me know heh) I'm hopeful to make more progress as the day goes on! *knock on wood* Since its only 4 and usually i don't even work on the game until like 7. But these updates are live as of this post.

[ 2024-01-03 22:39:14 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey folks i'm back from my vacation! Happy new years! I made some updates based on feedback from this video! [previewyoutube=fa1Fss2oOY4;full][/previewyoutube] Thanks for checking it out BTW Changes: -Select ranger popup on tutorial now also explains how to move the camera and also is more comprehensible -Out of AP/MP hourglass now more opaque -At the end of the tutorial the popup doesn't start jumping around until khan appears and ends when you click continue, i dont think this turned anyone off the game but it feels more polished now lol -If you win a Skirmish or Mission and choose to continue anyway and then go to the menu it now changes the "Resign" option to "Finish Game" -If you win a skirmish or mission and choose to continue anyway it now changes the "You have resigned" text to "You Were Victorious Awhile ago!" when you click "Finish Game" -Continue anyway text is now "You've won, continue anyway?"

[ 2024-01-02 20:13:46 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi everyone! Surprise! I chose to create a full changelog. It mostly just includes all the updates from the recent smaller changelogs, which you might not have seen (unless you were really really interested in following my logs) as they're not directly shown on the store page. So, here it is :P I'll see you all in a week and a half :P Hope it doesn't break anything! *two seconds later* SO im still writing this and I realized I made a typo in the new dialogue in game and I already hit publish. So fixing that now... ... ... Should be good now. Bye lol

Changes:

-Hard counter bonuses are now +5 damage and multiply damage by 1.6 (instead of 1.5) Which makes it 8 instead of 7.5 damage at the minimum. And makes hard counters slightly more useful. Meaning rangers with advantage will always kill the basic skeletons. -Updated codex to reflect new numbers -Updated pikes flag to reflect new numbers -Updated the ancient skeleton model to make it look more resistant to arrow attacks. Also, added a comically oversized shield to it (still waiting on the 2D art, lol) -The "dark tile" system I made for liminal tiles was WAY too janky to keep so I cut (most of) it (Might be added back in a more usable form later), to make up for this i made it harder to see 'through' the liminal tiles. -Made some of the liminal tiles darker as they sometimes hurt the eyes -Reduced fog and mist opacity on liminal tiles as it didnt look great -Added new type of treasure to the liminal settings in skirmish that fits better --Safes, in cyan and red -Made liminal tiles less harsh on the eyes -Remade hooligan model
He now has blood on its hands (literally) more details a beard and red eyes and more detailed hair. -Touched up arsonist model (He has a more visible smoking implement, cooler hair , sunglasses etc)
-Touched up warrior model, they now have a differnet shape and more detail and they hold their sword properly(Like an actual professional two handed sword user) (which is also more detailed) so they look way more distinct from above.

-Touched up ranger model so they look like archers from every angle and made their bow bigger so its easier to see from a distance and gave them a quiver which you cna see from most angles.
-Strigoi bro (in both his hatted and unhatted form) now has more detail and his own model (This is to distinguish him from non-boss strigois ) He also has a different color scheme than the normal stigoi
-Heavy cavalry now looks more like it's actual unit portait with full body armor (also its horse looks more like a horse)

-Light Cavalry now looks more like his unit portait with a larger sword and a better horse and better hat and eyes.
-Cavalry archer now looks more like her unit portait and her horse also looks more like her unit portrait also she looks like an archer from every angle (so no more confusing her with the light cav)

-Updated B-a-ll-a-a-l model to look more aged -Updated GSBTBTU model -(And other model updates I dont remember) -Also tweaked farm description -Also replaced the words for resources with the resource's icons in many places -Added liminal grocery store with accompanying name generator (it doesnt have unique art yet so just uses farm portrait)


That model will probably get more work , it was my first attempt at modeling something liminal.
But it fits the aesthetic of the noderooms tileset so.
-Robin Hood on the sherwood heroes skirmish setting now has a new look! (Portrait is till placeholder but model got an update to distiunguish him from normal rangers! He has different eyes, a different color palette, is larger and has amore ornate "stand"
-Friar Tuck on the sherwoood heroes skirmish setting now has a new look! (Portait for him is also still placeholder), but he got an entirely unique model with a beard that still has the vague "shape" of an inqusitor.
-Inqusitors got a whole new model which brings them closer to their 2d unit portrait. I'm pretty happy with this one. They have their mask, their symbology and more detailed armor etc. Blood on their hands etc.



-The tutorial when you did the direct unconventional route where you hit the end turn button etc has been made less verbose, the dramatic pauses are faster and it moves at a much brisker pace with less popups. (I changed this because it was bugging me when i do the unconventional route so imagine it was bugging others) -Revised additional tutorial dialogues, applying the same principle of conciseness. -Increased cooldown on sedlect ranger message on tutorial -Fygrayed introduction on tutorial is now sped up and simplified if you know him already -Fygrayed introduction on main menu is now sped up and simplified if you know him already [The following is a rant copied from the previous smaller changelog that I felt it important to reiterate :P] Also cleaned up the itchio page and also the game is now on sale for 5 dollars there and here for the Winter Sale!
https://untrustedlife.itch.io/dr4x

Spread the Word Far and Wide! Tell your friends, your foes, shout it out to your Mom, and let absolutely everyone you bump into know: that they should buy DR4X for the Steam/Itch Winter Sale!

Help me smash my goal!

Everyone! Yes, Literally Everyone! No Joke, Every Single Living Soul! Plus, why not gift it to your friends for Christmas or any other occasion? Merry Christmas, by the way! Aiming for that $100 goal with for the sale, DR4X sales. Let's make it happen! SALE SALE SALE BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY SALE

Bug Fixes

-Fixed minor bug where one of the tiles in renovations was randomly marked as taken and so inaccessible

Bella Update!

Shes doing fine! Had to figure out how to get her dog sitted while i was away on vacation so my little sister is watching her :D. First idea was to bring her.,. But that would have been a logistical pain. Here is my little sister laying with bella :D (She said I could share the pic :P)

[ 2023-12-23 07:08:55 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey guys! Only a couple days left until I leave for my week and a half long vacation. Been spending the last few days wrpping gifts getting Bella all set up with a dog sitter (My mom, and little sister). So hopefully there are no issues there. Sale starts tomorrow, DR4X will be 50% off. Considering making the discount higher but eh. Here is the latest mini change log! Changes: -Robin Hood on the sherwood heroes skirmish setting now has a new look! (Portrait is till placeholder but model got an update to distiunguish him from normal rangers! He has different eyes, a different color palette, is larger and has amore ornate "stand"
-Friar Tuck on the sherwoood heroes skirmish setting now has a new look! (Portait for him is also still placeholder), but he got an entirely unique model with a beard that still has the vague "shape" of an inqusitor.
-Inqusitors got a whole new model which brings them closer to their 2d unit portrait. I'm pretty happy with this one. They have their mask, their symbology and more detailed armor etc. Blood on their hands etc.



-The tutorial when you did the direct unconventional route where you hit the end turn button etc has been made less verbose, the dramatic pauses are faster and it moves at a much brisker pace with less popups. (I changed this because it was bugging me when i do the unconventional route so imagine it was bugging others) -Revised additional tutorial dialogues, applying the same principle of conciseness. DO you guys like these smaller more atomized changelogs? Let me know! Also cleaned up the itchio page and also the game is now on sale for 5 dollars there for their winter sale!
https://untrustedlife.itch.io/dr4x

Spread the Word Far and Wide! Tell your friends, your foes, shout it out to your Mom, and let absolutely everyone you bump into know: that they should buy DR4X for the Steam/Itch Winter Sale! Help me smash my goal! Everyone! Yes, Literally Everyone! No Joke, Every Single Living Soul!

Plus, why not gift it to your friends for Christmas or any other occasion? Merry Christmas, by the way! Aiming for that $100 goal with for the sale, DR4X sales. Let's make it happen! SALE SALE SALE BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY SALE

[ 2023-12-21 00:09:12 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey folks! So I went in and touched up a bunch of the 3d models. SInce i've gotten better at blender to distinguish them better from above and to make them more interesting to look at, also added a new building to liminal skirmish maps, the liminal grocery store, with its own model, description stats and name generator. That replaces farms on the liminal tileset when you choose noderooms etc in skirmish. Changes: -Remade hooligan model
He now has blood on its hands (literally) more details a beard and red eyes and more detailed hair. -Touched up arsonist model (He has a more visible smoking implement, cooler hair , sunglasses etc)
-Touched up warrior model, they now have a differnet shape and more detail and they hold their sword properly(Like an actual professional two handed sword user) (which is also more detailed) so they look way more distinct from above.

-Touched up ranger model so they look like archers from every angle and made their bow bigger so its easier to see from a distance and gave them a quiver which you cna see from most angles.
-Strigoi bro (in both his hatted and unhatted form) now has more detail and his own model (This is to distinguish him from non-boss strigois ) He also has a different color scheme than the normal stigoi
-Heavy cavalry now looks more like it's actual unit portait with full body armor (also its horse looks more like a horse)

-Light Cavalry now looks more like his unit portait with a larger sword and a better horse and better hat and eyes.
-Cavalry archer now looks more like her unit portait and her horse also looks more like her unit portrait also she looks like an archer from every angle (so no more confusing her with the light cav)

-Updated B-a-ll-a-a-l model to look more aged -Updated GSBTBTU model -(And other model updates I dont remember) -Also tweaked farm description -Also replaced the words for resources with the resource's icons in many places -Added liminal grocery store with accompanying name generator (it doesnt have unique art yet so just uses farm portrait)


That model will probably get more work , it was my first attempt at modeling something liminal.
But it fits the aesthetic of the noderooms tileset so.
Thats it for today! I've always been intrigued by the anachronistic idea of a medieval kingdom existing in the backrooms. It raises an interesting question: if the backrooms were eternal, how would they have appeared in the past? My guess is, not much different. However, I'm planning to update them more soon, replacing towns, cities, and settlements. This week, I couldn't accomplish what I initially intended, as I got quite absorbed in the modeling part. Ah, well! In the devlog I shared last week, I mentioned my eagerness to return to the secretty secret stuff in preparation for the upcoming chapter. The liminal elements will feature in future campaign chapters (not Chapter 2, but in one of the subsequent ones), just giving you a glimpse of what might be in store about a year down the line from now. What are folks thoughts on me adding screenshots of various tilesets to the store page? There are several unique ones, some of which you might have encountered while experimenting with the skirmish mode settings. Each tileset offers a different experience. Some alter many tiles, while others change just a few. For instance, there's a tileset inspired by Mario and cartoons. I even created special treasure chests for this one, resembling the '?' blocks (though they're not currently in use).
Then we have a tileset with a sorta horrory Bmovie theme, adding a spine-chilling twist.
And the noderooms, which embody the classic liminal space aesthetic.
And, naturally, the standard tileset is also available.
Displaying these on the store page could give a better insight into the game's visual variety. What do you guys think , should i show them? It's a feature that I've included for a while now, primarily to enhance the visual diversity in campaign missions and to surprise players when they select specific settings in skirmish mode. (Once i have a few more i might make it just directly choosable in skirmish, but right now its tied to different "setting" options. (This is actually important as it impacts gameplay; the different tiles have varied characteristics. On some, visibility is reduced, while in others, the movement cost is higher. And I have had to tweak balance on all the settings based on this. Additionally, with the game's advantage-disadvantage system, altering the tiles means players need to adapt to different combinations of advantages and disadvantages and teh liominal maps also include void tiles (I dont think i use them anywhere else...) which are only traversable by units with the flying or ethereal flag.,)

[ 2023-12-18 04:41:42 CET ] [ Original post ]

https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil

[ 2023-12-15 02:19:16 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey folks! So I spent the last few hours this morning tweaking the liminal tiles (That you get when you play with the noderooms setting, a little bit in new mission etc)
Changes: -The "dark tile" system I made for liminal tiles was WAY too janky to keep so I cut (most of) it (Might be added back in a more usable form later), to make up for this i made it harder to see 'through' the liminal tiles. -Made some of the liminal tiles darker as they sometimes hurt the eyes -Reduced fog and mist opacity on liminal tiles as it didnt look great -Added new type of treasure to the liminal settings in skirmish that fits better --Safes, in cyan and red -Made liminal tiles less harsh on the eyes

[ 2023-12-10 20:46:38 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey folks! After some feedback i got the other day on the new changelog from thursday I slightly tweaked the balance of things. Changes: -Hard counter bonuses are now +5 damage and multiply damage by 1.6 (instead of 1.5) Which makes it 8 instead of 7.5 damage at the minimum. And makes hard counters slightly more useful. Meaning rangers with advantage will always kill the basic skeletons. -Updated codex to reflect new numbers -Updated pikes flag to reflect new numbers -Updated the ancient skeleton model to make it look more resistant to arrow attacks. Also, added a comically oversized shield to it (still waiting on the 2D art, lol) -Fixed minor bug where one of the tiles in renovations was randomly marked as taken and so inaccessible

[ 2023-12-10 01:54:04 CET ] [ Original post ]

You Might Be Missing the Best Part of DR4X!

Hey there folks! Did you know there's a 99.6% chance you haven't seen either a good or bad ending of the DR4X campaign? That's crazy, right?
What's more, a whopping 89.9% of you haven't even won a campaign mission yet.
How Can This Be? You're probably wondering how this happened. Well. I lied by omission. These statistics are based only on players getting achievements since I implemented them a few months ago, not over the course of the last year or anything. And guess what? Only 18% of DR4X owners have even launched the game in that timeframe. So it can't be accurate right? Well...
While these figures might not paint the whole picture, they're likely not that far off the mark actually.

The Real Reason I Added Achievements

No, I didn't add achievements just for fun like I claimed when i added them. They were actually a tool to track everyones progress on mastering DR4X mechanics and how deeply you all delved into my story/unfiction subgame.

DR4X: More Than Just a 4X Game

DR4X isn't just your run-of-the-mill 4X game. It's also a terminal emulator, a digital cosmic horror story, and a narrative about redemption, and a giant box of lore and puzzles. Sadly most of you have only seen the non-narrative bits.

Why the Skirmish Mode Dominates

The skirmish mode, as a standalone early access thing, is quite engaging and was initially meant to be a quick, COE-style roguelikeish 4X experience (And it still is!). But as development progressed, the focus of the game itself shifted.

Changing Expectations

In the 4X genre, most games prioritize the skirmish mode (Well actually most of them call that the campaign) gameplay, sidelining any actual story and characters to allow the player to play as whatever empire they want and focus entirely on the mechnics and have that conquer the world power/strategy game fantasy where they have no real connection to the world aside from maybe some roleplay. That's the current market standard. But with DR4X, while you can play as whatever faction you want (Kingdoms, Bandits, Wildlife, Mushrooms etc) In whatever custom setting you want (based on dropdowns anyway). Iactually had aimed to explicitly not focus on that part of the game in isolation. And that is fine, as I don't do this for a living or anything, just mainly for the fun of adding weird off the wall stuff to a 4x game. (Like making my own version of the backrooms and adding that as a setting you can play in, in a skirmish (its called Noderooms btw and it even has ENTITIES).
Instead, DR4X has both a campaign (In the style of Majesty The Fantasy Kingdom Sim mixed with DDLC) and a roguelike-esque skirmish mode (Like COE), and while gameplay and UI improvements benefit both, story enhancements impact only the campaign and lately, my focus has shifted more and more towards developing the story, inspired by the blend of unfiction and critique of common 4X mechanics. The narrative of DR4X, drawing from the lore of my roguelike game RLDR and weaving in a DDLC-style meta-narrative, is currently my main focus. My enthusiasm for the story aspect is the reason for the recent slowdown in major mechanical updates. However, I'm actively working on introducing new elements like the powers I've mentioned before, along with enhancements to base building. I've even begun implementing the UI for these features, though they might remain in experimental mode (WHich i added a couple updates ago and can be toggled on in the options menu) for now. Grimwit (My artist buddy) once said that DR4X itself is akin to a devlog because whatever i'm thinking at the moment, I add it.

So, Why This Devlog? Haven't You Mentioned This Before?

The purpose of this devlog is to highlight an important aspect of the campaign missions in DR4X. Each mission offers both conventional and unconventional paths to victory. Players can uncover clues for these through the codex and by paying close attention to the signs and notes within the missions. These paths are the keys to unlocking the Good, Bad, and Good/Bad/Neutral Neutral endings, and they're integral to interacting with DR4X's story, much like the exploration in Outer Wilds. And it is worth it too, I think ive done a decent job (despite my inexperiance at making story based games) at actually making you care about some of these characters if you only put in the effort to see them. Encouraging players to take these elements seriously in a game like DR4X is challenging, but I'm committed to it. I'm happy to share that at least one player has achieved the unconventional bad ending, which is quite an accomplishment. (Before abandoning getting the good ending due to a now fixed bug) There is also some awesome music to accompany the more dramatic moments, composed by my friend Robert Matheson Aswell as awesome art by Grimwit for some of these sequences. Those ciphers you've seen? They're not just fluff. Rant below: [spoiler]We tried so hard to clarify this during the Mireifield mission, but it seems it might not have been sufficiently evident despite our best efforts. Honestly, we practically guide you through it, so it probably takes a conscious effort to overlook them. Short of just giving you the answer directly. *eye roll* its so so hard to break the conditioning of other games that try to make you ignore these things unless you are the lore hunter type. Its not your fault Im not angry im just dissapointed in society.[/spoiler]

What's Next?

I've recently introduced a new campaign mission, marking the beginning of chapter 2's mission additions. However, before proceeding with more missions, I need to implement significant updates to the codex and terminal emulators. Additionally, I'm integrating some intricate subgames that are crucial for laying the groundwork for the upcoming chapter. I imagine most of you didn't even know the terminal emulator existed. This oversight is my fault; the hint for how to access the terminal is at the good and bad endings for chapter 1, in one of the Nordic incursion messages from the campaign, and in a ciphered form in the codex. However, the codex wasn't sufficiently clear, and the actual command for accessing the list of applications in the terminal either relies on you having previous retro computer knowledge or being able to get to the FNAF-style subgame on the main menu. Clearly, I haven't hinted at this well enough (and I'm honestly not sure how to hint at it without 'giving away the game,' so to speak, but i'll try to figure it out, heh). To guide you towards these game aspects, I've been making subtle additions here and there. You might have noticed recent updates to the DR4X codex. These additions are preliminary attempts to offer clues and nudge you in certain directions. They'll undergo some revisions in the upcoming update. While this update will be substantial, I might not release a detailed changelog to maintain development momentum. Expect these elements to evolve as I fine-tune what works and what doesn't. Also, i am going to visit my parents in Arkansas for christmas starting on the 22nd and wont be back til January and i don't do computers on my vacations. So there will be a two week hiatus there. PS: I just now I updated the DR4X store/library art to be better. Let me know what you think! I already have some feedback and its looking like we might have to make a whole new batch of art but im leaving the new art up for now. Also, I fixed a hardlock if you got the neutral ending after getting fyegrayed killed. That has been in for awhile apparently and that is currently deployed as of this post. Now that that is out of my system here is a paired down simplified changelog (This will serve as this weeks changelog)

Changelog

-Fyegrayed got so angry that he hardlocked the game if you upset him off enough under certain specific circumstances (Bad neutral end), I have now forced him to not hardlock the game. -Made it easier to access restricted section in Nelrissa Library -Made it more clear what you need to do to unlock things via a reworded codex puzzle -Made tycoon ui slightly more readable -Reworked mirefield intro -Tweaks to chances in pop up code -Reworked many more of the ciphers on the codex -Made it so that you have to click okay before losing the mission on mirefield -Reworked repeated bad end dialogue. To fit the character better and reveal less. -Fixed the doggo in the tutorial so that the hourglass dissappears when you gain control of him -As stated in the last changelog i added UI to make traveliong through deep entrances better
-Fixed key command for sentry to not match swap -Actually fix lore signs in dungeon level -Fixed typos in dungeon level -Fleshed out tutorington dilogue on dungeon better.

[ 2023-12-08 05:10:29 CET ] [ Original post ]

https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil

[ 2023-12-08 01:41:35 CET ] [ Original post ]

DR4X Rebranding Stream https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil

[ 2023-12-01 01:43:54 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey guys, got another small update!

Changes:

-Fixed some typos on dungeon level -Completely changed Fygrayed's dialogue on dungeon level (It didnt feel like him) -Added some additional dramatic pauses around some other Fygrayed dialogue in game.

Bug Fixes:

-Fixed bug on dungeon level where final backstory sign wasnt displaying all text -Fixed oversight where swap keybind matched sentry keybind -Fixed bug where doggo on tutorial wouldnt have hourglass removed upon gaining control of it

[ 2023-11-30 04:14:00 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey guys! So some players were having trouble figuring out how to use the deep entrances in the new mission. So I added a simple fast travel UI that players can use if they wish. Pro Tip: When you have a bunch of deep entrances in a skirmish, give them unique names so its easier for you to keep track!

I also reworded the pop ups! Enoy!

[ 2023-11-26 22:06:59 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey guys. This update is pretty big from a gameplay and future perspective. So hang right. Final bit is stuff that was in the minor changelog a few weeks ago, I also updated the store page! Let me know your thoughts!

Changes:

-Added a new experimental campaign mission to the game. Which obviously has a conventional and unconventional victory. It also has two VN segments (akin to the vn segments in renovations)
-Gave The GSTBTU a model that matches their 2d art better

-Gave Bailen Blindeye a unique model that matches his 2d art better.

-Added new Hero Unit (Alano Jenriss)
-Added new boss enemy for new scenario (His name is B-a-ll-a-a-l)
-Added new profile pic for Hell Goat Lair
-Improved DR4X codex to be involved more in the puzzle solving aspect of the game kinda like Tunic.
-Touched up and improved hell goat model to match its art better -Fixed typo with all "Deep Entrance's" -Added new trigger type to my mission editor that summons monsters/groups of monsters. This will allow for more variety in the future. -Add trigger to editor for achiveing unconventional victory (So i can add more variety in the future) -Added new type of dialogue option that can win the mission (for use in new scenario) -Fix Bailens 8th dialogue to intended story -Fixed typo in farm description. -Fixed and reworded typo in and reworded scorpion lair description. -Fixed and reworded giant scorpion description -Realmchild tumor is now randomly rotated -Fixed Bailen Blindeyes dialogue to not have a repeat and fix various typos and include the story about his wife I had originally intended to add to it. Sorry for those who have now missed their opportunity to see this. -Fixed a large amount of typos in dialogue/descriptions in various places in the game -Added squash and stretch idle animations to many buildings and units (eg realmchild tumors, amorphous cuboid things) it looks sufficiently fleshy now. -Vargr's, SIlver Vargrs, and Vargr Lairs now all have unit portaits (And Vargr Descriptions have been improved)


-Reworded all skeleton enemy descriptions

Bug Fixes

-Fix minor typos in tutoringtons renovations tip. -Fixed extra dark tile bug where it becomes undark after deselecting, properly -Fixed bug where mysterois pink dialogue pops up before neutral vecitory popup closed. -Fixed bug where the city of nod was not considered deep water, i'm a dummy -Fixed very annoying bug where healthbar would sometims break -Had to remove some optimizations as it was brekaing the healthbars due to weird grarbage collection issues -Fixed bug where call to action after neutral end started before gray sequence ended

Bella Update!

Shes great, as usual!

[ 2023-11-25 01:28:39 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey guys! Time to dive into another one of my trademark game rambles for a good few paragraphs! I had a comprehensive update planned for tonight, but, I made the decision to delay it until i have all the required art etc to not ruin the first impressions of a new very self contained story mission i'm adding. It wasn't for lack of trying, that's for sure. Just a few minutes ago, I managed to get it to a 'good enough' state after what was a 13-hour programming marathon today. But then, after a moment to catch my breath and gather my thoughts, I made the last-minute decision to hold off on the release. That new mision format should lead to me adding more similar missions to the game/the beginnings of chapter 2. After I get some feedback. Oh, and guess what? I caught a cold. Yep, it's cold season, and I'm not immune (thanks to my adorable niece and nephew, probably). But hey, a bit of sniffles won't stop me from making progress, considering i was programming up until 11:40 pm on a sunday night and am now writing a changelog, again, at midnight. A hint, The New mission involves these new characters and has TWO visual novel segments.

Because of this, this means the next update will be a bit heftier than usual heh. (It already kinda is) and i can also add some fun extra bits ive wanted to get to for awhile. The plan is to get it out the weekend after thanksgiving. You might be wondering, what's packed into this update so far? Well, let me tell you, it's a treasure trove of things! I've got a whole bunch of new unit portraits. Then there's the brand-new mission I mentioned, complete with an experimental story that's both fleshed out and somehwat emotionally charged. It also offers both a conventional victory and a unique unconventional one (Which all missions have), just to keep things consistent. I've also added several new triggers to my mission editor that's the tool I use to craft these pre-made missions. There are loads of typo fixes (because, let's face it, typos are sneaky little buggers). On the visual side, you'll see some new idle animations with some nifty squash and stretch effects for all the meaty things in the game (like those Realmchild tumors) and the other "weird" things like the other dark force monsters. On top of that, I've squashed some really annoying bugs (And i stress, REALLY ANNOYING FOR ME ESPECILALY TODAY WHILE I WAS WORKING ON THIS MISSION) and revamped a bunch of text for clarity. And, for the cherry on top, there's some new UI quality-of-life stuff that I think you'll really appreciate. It's quite the update! And who knows, maybe ill get even more stuff in. Bella's doing great, by the way. However, I didn't realize you're not supposed to feed pets on the day they're scheduled to be spayed. I accidentally fed her on the day she was meant to have her procedure, and the vet advised against that and rescheduled it. Then, she started her estrus cycle, so now the spaying had to be postponed again until January. :(

[ 2023-11-20 06:04:03 CET ] [ Original post ]

DR4X Aaaart Stream https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil

[ 2023-11-17 01:39:11 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey guys! So i just deployed a couple small updates to the game, i'll do the more comprehensive changelog this weekend but some important bits I thought needed to get in right away were... Changes: -Fixed Bailen Blindeyes dialogue to not have a repeat and fix various typos and include the story about his wife I had originally intended to add to it. Sorry for those who have now missed their opportunity to see this. -Fixed a large amount of typos in dialogue/descriptions in various places in the game -Added squash and stretch idle animations to many buildings and units (eg realmchild tumors, amorphous cuboid things) it looks sufficiently fleshy now. -Vargr's, SIlver Vargrs, and Vargr Lairs now all have unit portaits (And Vargr Descriptions have been improved)


-Reworded all skeleton enemy descriptions These will also also be in the comprehensive changelog

[ 2023-11-13 21:18:36 CET ] [ Original post ]

DR4X Art Stream New DR4X stream! Its Grim's birthday! You should say happy bday in the chat! https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil

[ 2023-11-10 02:30:46 CET ] [ Original post ]

Oh, hello again. For the second time today. So I was testing out the new achievement, etc., and started a fully new game. I started going through the unconventional route and spotted a couple of minor issues that I felt the need to fix right now, even though it's nearly 11 pm. Changes: -On the unconventional route, for renovations, fixed a typo within the VN sequence. -Fixed a typo in Tutorington's renovations tip. -Fixed a bug where Mountain Inn in the Debauchery and Lawlessness scenario wasn't properly flagged as a business.

[ 2023-11-06 05:05:38 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey folks! Guess what just happened in the world of DR4X? Someone actually went and got the bad ending! That's a first AFAIK, and it's pretty awesome, So, I chatted with the player that pulled this off and got some good feedback, and tweaked the game. But hey, that's not all I've been up to! (Yep, new faction powers were on the to-do list, but this time around, I had to hit the brakes and focus on smoothing out the gameplay. You know how it is.) And hey, because I'm feeling a bit cheeky, I slipped in a shiny new achievement for ya.

Changes:

-You can no longer get amorphous cuboid things attacking you from treasure on the mirefield level --Players were learning the wrong lesson here -You can now input more combinations of the final answer during the ending sequence and it is more leniant. -Full first name now works for the sequence too. -Strigoibro now sends you friendly letters. --Hee hee hee -On Debauchery and Lawlessness the game now hints at the unconventional victory better. -Added new decorative item, unmarked graveyards for use in campaign missions --It is used to hint at the unconventional victory there. -Added procedurally generated epitath descriptions to graveyards. They are filled with fun puns.

-Majorly Buffed The Rosebud Tavern on The Hunt level so it can withstand attacks from the bears. -Added Gryndylow unit portrait
-Added Gryndylow Lair unit Portrait
-Added Elite Guardhouse unit portrait
-Added Unmarked Graveyard unit portrait
-Added Dancer unit portrait
-There's something creepy about the [NODEOSERROR] Crypt placing an unmarked graveyard beside it now... in a good way. -Blocked rare minigame til after tutorial completed -Added new achivement
-I think that is everything, not sure tho /:

Bug Fixes

-Fixed bug with tutoringtons tunes popup where he asks you if you noticed but it doesnt progress the choice if you choose the 4th choice. -Fixed a couple other bugs here and there with dialogue

Bella Update!

Oh, and Bella? my four-legged fur baby? She's all good and says 'woof' (that's doggo for 'thanks for the well wishes').
She also asks, pelase spread DR4X around so daddy can get me more tasty treats.

Other stuff

The DR4X Soundtrack is now out on spotify and youtube. The spotify playlist had a few thousand streams in the first few days. So i'd say its going well! https://open.spotify.com/album/3NZbIKGoEelzTcXRDuvH0J?referral=labelaffiliate&utm_source=1100lxVv6ISz&utm_medium=Indie_Distrokid&utm_campaign=labelaffiliate [previewyoutube=-lOgLqpOVnk;full][/previewyoutube] [Random Compile Time Thoughts] Damn that new mario game is good. Keep the feedback coming, and I'll keep polishing DR4X. We're in this together!

[ 2023-11-06 00:15:34 CET ] [ Original post ]

DR4X Art Stream Hey folks! Join the strem. https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil

[ 2023-11-03 00:39:05 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey folks! I've got a quick update to share with you all! I'm thrilled to announce that "DR4X: The Original Soundtrack, Volume 1" is now available for streaming on both Spotify and YouTube! https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/robertmatheson/dr4x-the-original-soundtrack-volume-1 https://open.spotify.com/album/3NZbIKGoEelzTcXRDuvH0J?si=Sf66GBrYS4mbvIyYLWRVfA [previewyoutube=-v1ddJP_woI;full][/previewyoutube] Wishing you all a spooktastic Halloween! (Additionally, I chose not to release the Steam version of the original soundtrack today in order to avoid any conflicts with the Spotify and YouTube releases. The collection of songs on Steam is a mix of different tracks (including some from me), and I really wanted to ensure that I didnt interfere with Robbies releasehes an incredible composer and a great friend.(He is the composer for DR4X) On top of that, both my personal and professional life have been extremely hectic lately.)

[ 2023-10-31 16:27:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

DR4X Art Stream Join us! Nao! https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil

[ 2023-10-27 00:29:25 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey folks! Its been a couple weeks. And I have something! So, I will be adding a new mechanic "powers" for different factions, the first part of that will be giving bandits some unique powers that lean into their themes more and add some depth to the stealth system. But that stuff isn't in yet. Halloween is coming up and DR4X's soundtrack will be coming out on spotify on that day. And DR4X will be on sale for the Halloween sale starting on the 26th. https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/robertmatheson/dr4x-the-original-soundtrack-volume-1 If you are interested you can follow the soundtrack here. I'll see if i can get the soundtrack onto steam around the same time, but I have some commitments for Halloween eg going trick or treating with the niece and nephew so we will see if I can pull it off. This update is mostly backend updates, I was trying to optimize things a bit which nesessitated rewriting the healthbar code etc. But I did add some fun bits, like a bunch of new techs for wildlife to sink resources into with fun descriptions.

Changes:

-If you use alt+enter to full screen or window the game, it now notices and 'remembers' that when you switch scenes instead of swapping to whatever you have set in the options menu. -Updated bog troll model. -Optimized Textures So now even if all tiles are revealed on a extremely large skirmish mapo you should still be getting 50-60 fps (when nothing else is going on). -Changed lighting settings a tad, it looks just a bit better now, at least to me. -Added new toggle to options menu 'Enable Experimental Gameplay" this will alllow me to work on new content while pushing out new updates without forcing people to play with incomplete game systems -Did optmizations to healthbar code so im not running a ton of getcomponents every frame -Healthbars no longer removed and re-added over and over again and the 'update healthbar' function can only be called once per (random frame between 1 and 10) per unit. -Added new tech to saber toothed bear dens that lets wildlife give their saber toothed bears even sharper teeth. -Added new tech to hell goat dens that lets wildlife give their hell goats even sharper horns -Added new tech to hell bear lairs that boosts their attacks. -Trolls that use clubs can now learn how to make slightly better clubs. -Trolls that use claws can now learn how to stab things better. -Trollfish can now research Seaweed Camo, which grants them stealth and gives them bonus defense

Bug Fixes

-Fixed bug where object that handles steam stuff was duplicated upon going to main menu for the rest of your play session (and would duplicate again every time you went back to the main menu, you can see how this ends badly). -Fixed bug where object that handled saving and loading would also duplicate again and again. -Fixed some description typos .

Bella Update!

Bella is doing okay, she hurt her paw and i had to get her to the vet for that, and then she was on antibiotics for a couple weeks. But she is doing fine.

[ 2023-10-23 02:04:25 CET ] [ Original post ]

DR4X Art Stream Join us here! https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil

[ 2023-10-20 00:47:36 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey guys! UL here, you will notice i didn't do my usual changelog this last weekend. Here is why and here is why i also wont have another DR4X changelog for the next two weeks. First, I decided to actually start doing my month end projects again to prevent burnout. I made this little thing. https://untrustedlife.itch.io/no-utopia-a-postmodern-space-rpg I will be resuming dr4x work next week, but this new game will stay as my side project. Secondly, I have an operation on thursday to follow up with my ER visit a couple months back if you recall me mentioning that. Nothing for you guys to worry about they are just making sure everything is good. But I will be out of commision for a couple days starting thursday afternoon. And i'll def be out of commision friday. Unless they actually find something bad, in which case, crap. Sorry /: For the stuff I have been working on, I want to add a new mechanic to the game to keep the next chapter of the camapign interesting as well as finally getting around to adding tycoon upgrasdes to the gambling hall. See you in a coupel weeks. I hope this doesn't discourage people from supporting development. But my health comes first, as if it didn't i wouldnt be around to work on the game in the first place heh.

[ 2023-10-03 15:09:51 CET ] [ Original post ]

Tis the weekly dr4x art stream. Album art, Demon stuff etc https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil

[ 2023-09-22 00:37:53 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey guys whats up! So some big stuff happened in the last week or so eh? I received 2 additional positive reviews that offered actual constructive criticism and feedback (I appreciate it, folks! Hoping for more). I've also fixed one of the bugs you reported, hoping to get to the rest) And... Just in case you didn' t know, DR4X is made with unity. Now that this is cleared up...

Unity Pricing Changes

Unity updated their pricing so that after 200k installs they start charging the developers 20 cents an install. Problem is, they haven't figured it out yet and are just "trust me bro" on this not applying when someone pirates the game and they confirmed the dev would in fact be charged if a player say, uninstalls than reinstalls, not only this but they have just detroyed the entire concept of their platform being a stable foundation because they also updated their licensing so they can change this any time and they went and hid the repo that used to track license changes. https://www.reddit.com/r/gamedev/comments/16hnibp/unity_silently_removed_their_github_repo_to_track/ Not only that but they are removing unity plus (which was affordable, and granted devs the ability to, for exmaple, not display the unity splash screen and had really handy debugging tools among other things). And instead now, the "cheapest" option to remove the unity splash screen that has become synonymous with shovelware is to buy unity pro, which costs 2 grande a year. And I cannot afford that. (Luckily, i can 'upgrade' to unity pro for the 'same price' for one year in october, but after that i'll be forced to downgrade to unity personal or switch engines. I cannot switch engines because dr4x has had more than 3 years of dev time put into it and it would be near impossible for me to port it over to another engine without another several months or years of dev time at this point.) So, today i rolled out an update with a new splash screen in protest that calls out unity. This whole week has been surreal. I haven't gotten as much done for this changelog because alongside all this crap, I also have had family stuff going on and I also got addicted to starfield. I had hoped to get FAR, FAR, FAR more done. So lets go, simpler change list than usual.

Changes:

-Fixed typos in dialogue -improved vigil description -improved sentry description -new unit portrait for demon portals -new splash screen -Fixed bug where if you quick loaded after losing (without resigning) that the end turn, next unit, and next building ui would disappear and make it unplyable (Thanks to a review that pointed that out so i could fix it) Back to starfield *sighs* Oh yea...

BELLA UPDATE

Shes doing fine, tried to eat a qtip though, that was distressing, (she coughed it up, thankfully) Heres a cute picture.

[ 2023-09-17 19:22:01 CET ] [ Original post ]

We just spent 40 minutes discussing how the unity changes will impact dr4x's development. I'm going to be forced to switch to unity personal due to them removing the plus plan and I can't afford to pay another 2 grande a year at the moment for pro. https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil

[ 2023-09-15 00:49:11 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey guys pop into the dr4x art stream! Usually we do thi son thursday but it was moved to friday this week. https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil

[ 2023-09-09 00:37:19 CET ] [ Original post ]

Get a drink, because this is gonna be a long one. Hey guys! Its Me (The dev of DR4X, Michael Hamm, AKA Untrustedlife) I have been developing DR4X since mid 2020, and it has been a passion project since a couple months after I started working on it. Since than DR4X has gotten increasingly complex and has slowly cohered into something that is (I think) I really cool game that I am very proud of.
My vision for the game's narrative wasn't concrete until March of this year when I rolled out the first Major update, known as the 4B1E1E update. Another major update followed that, just before the Steam Strategy Fest, and the game has undergone transformative changes since then. The game features improved mechanics, enhanced visuals, and even includes a comprehensive tutorial. I had optimistically hoped to see a substantial difference in the game's success at this juncture, but things have remained relatively constant. I then also incorporated Steam achievements to gauge which story elements players have experienced so far (yeah thats the reason I added them... to see how far people got). Surprisingly, I am the only one who has reached either the good or bad ending so far. (We will get back to this later) During the Steam Strategy Fest, I worked with several other developers for a cross-promotion, but the outcome was somewhat disappointing: zero wishlists and just one purchase, which took a toll on my motivation.
However, looking at the bigger picture, DR4X has now surpassed 500 Steam units in total. So, there's a bit of a silver lining, and a huge thank you to those who have supported me thus far. (Heres an image of the actual success of dr4x during this latest sale)
I know, I KNOW, success is relative. 20 buys isn't actually that much, but it is a lot to me, and that is what matters. Many developers, myself included, shout over the rooftops that we develop games for the love of the art and the fun of the process. But, deep down, what we all likely REALLY want is for people to engage with our creations and genuinely think about them. At least for those of us who see game development more as an art form than a job. I fall quite hard into the 'art for fun' category of things even if sometimes my motivation does get a hit when i don't see the success I thought the game needed at whatever point. If it isn't obvious from the fact that i have made nearly 80 seperate changelogs over the course of 3 years while there has hardly been a peep made about dr4x in any media. Rambling aside, Now, let's REALLY talk about DR4X up to this point.

What is DR4X?

Not What DR4X is on the store page, where I intentionally keep the actual meaning of the game vague. What is DR4X REALLY. DR4X is a contradiction.
DR4X has evolved over time, transitioning from a light-hearted simple 4X game (Where the wildlife can overtake the map, unlike in other games like civ where the barbarians are static, in dr4x they actually spread and evolve and you actually have to keep them down, that was the original concept for DR4X) to a narrative engine for my RLDR multiverse told via easter eggs, and then further changing to become a game that explores themes of redemption and challenges players by questioning the conventional choices they often make in 4X games. That is DR4X's final form, "a game that explores themes of redemption and challenges players by questioning the conventional choices they often make in 4X games" I realized this after I had people playtest the new version, and the reaction i got from them was some of the most positive reactions i've ever gotten, That is what DR4X needs to be from now on.


For me, the underlying narrative of DR4X serves as a critique of how gamers seldom consider the real-world implications of their actions within a turn based strategy game. For instance, what would be the real-life ramifications of leveling an entire city to get a few more resources out of it? Or letting a character who has a family, die? Actions have consequences, and at this point one of my main objectives is to highlight the ethical quandaries that can arise in 4X games in a somewhat Meta way. At the same time, I believe even the most flawed people (Murderers etc) can find redemption. DR4X incorporates this theme as well. The game serves as a platform for exploring both the ethical dimensions of player choices and the possibility of redemption. But at the same time, it shouldn't be preachy about it (or at least, only should be preachy sometimes) hence why it currently really only comes up during certain parts of the campaign. The new tutorial, and sometimes during skirmishes. I FINALLY feel like I've carved out a unique niche by focusing on these dual themes. But I have really only tip towed aorund this subject until the last major update, but now, the game tells you how terrible you are, and it needs to do that more.

So what does that mean?

Well, forget all promises of specific factions i've ever made about DR4X, i still want to do 5 chapters (because redemption and loose ends etc) but that will take years, AND more complicated mechanics to keep the campaign interesting, forget about some things ive talked about in the past like "adding a liche faction" etc all that, is thrown in the dust bin now unless it fits the theme (and perhaps an undead army can very much fit this theme). [spoiler]
[/spoiler]

The weirdness

I know a lot of people play DR4X for the weirdness of it. And it will stay weird I assure you. Hell it will get weirder, because the theme of player choice in video games is broad, example, what does a world ran entirley through dog fighting, like how the Pokemon (Nintendo pls don't sue me) universe works, actually work. I dunno, to me dog fighting seems like a bad thing. And i touch on that a little with the new Dog I added recnetly.

The Future

I'm gonna tell you this here, the next maJor update will fOcus on broadening your choices in the game's impAct, giving you a foil to those choices and also, the second chapter. Which focuses on everyones favorite protagoNist The Red Heir

The Endings

Which, coming back from the endings mentioned earlier, will have its own set of good and bad endings. RIght now chapter one has in total 5 endings, a good ending, a bad ending and 3 differnt neutral endings. I've kinda given up on the idea that some people will be able to find this out organically, and its partially my fault as i'm new to story telling to this degree, but spoilered below are some hints. [spoiler] For those of you aiming for a good or bad ending (And i seriously hope some of you are), please pay close attention to the signs in Mirefield. If you've already made contact with the entity in High Ground (which mirefield literally tells you what to do about) , perhaps delve deeper into understanding that child. The most challenging unconventional victories can be found in the "Debacuhery and Lawlessness", and "The Hunt" scenarios. In The Hunt, you'll encounter a nice lady, the same entity you should have met during the Mirefield mission by exploring that place too , as the sign said "EM DINF," or "FIND ME". If you haven't seen her there yet that is nessessary to get the good ending so go to mireifeld and find the tavern (but to secure all unconventional victories (Which you mostly need to do to get the good ending), you'll need to revisit missions you've previously won.) if you have already gotten the neutral ending once you dont need to talk to her in mirefield to get the good or bad ending. If you didnt fire Fygrayed he will help you out. If you did fire him and especially if you got him killed afterwards, look forward to that choice biting you back HARD once you win all the missions and in future chapters. ALso, On high ground when you first contact the entity it stops you from leaving the mission, thats intentional, just keep ending your turn Those are my hints for you. [/spoiler] And now, I need to relax and play some Undertale. It is labor day after all. HEE HEE HEE...

[ 2023-09-04 20:01:07 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey guys, I have an unexpected extra changelog for you this week! You might notice that I didn't label it as "#78" even though I did a major update last weekend. That's because major updates are somewhat distinct from my regular weekly changelogs so i am excluding them from the numbered update even if it would make the number larger if I counted those too I recently tuned into this stream by Dubbleawesome (A friend and a favorite streamer of mine) playing DR4X: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1911517983 . He had some valuable feedback, so I've implemented changes to address some issues he noticed/called out and also added some extra features. This changelog will be less formal than usual. If you prefer this style, feel free to let me know. Here are all the chnages made in the last week.

Changes:

-Introduced a darker neutral ending for situations where Fygrayed is both fired and killed. -Sprinkled in some extra spookiness. -Achievements added for bad ending, saving the dog, and 'sort of' saving the dog. -Added an achievement for the neutral ending. -Expanded the neutral ending to include 3 additional versions (yes, that makes 5 in total!) -Disabled random events in Mirefield city for easier gameplay. -Removed jumpy text in Mirefield. -Enhanced Hero Unit Bailen Blindeye with a fantastic new portrait.
-Buffed Bailen Blindeye (he has the highest visible tenacity of any unit in the game) -Gave Bailen some more interesting passive abilities. -Bailen is so Tenacious he can break the game. Literally. -...bailen reacts. -Bailen Reacts. -BAILEN REACTS. -BAILEN R-HEE HEE HEE! [spoiler]
[/spoiler]

-Added MAJOR updates to neutral ending

--Game now distinguishes more clearly between the 5 seperate possible endings (including neutral ones) --New Neutral Ending Popup, with voice acting --The 3 new alternate neutral endings have different dialogue and interventions from multiple important characters.

Bug Fixes

-Fixed bug where if you used command to restart or restart multiple times, [NODEOSERROR] wouldnt react properly -Fixed bug where unlocking ahcivements would sometimes halt game progression if player was playing when not connected to steam -Fixed bug where neutral ending dialogues would sometimes overlap each other -Fixed bug where there was chance game wouldn't progress if you had failed to get the neutral conditioninside the the neutral ending script... (those with that issue should progress now, it wa sonly an issue for like an hour before i fixed it lol)

Bella Update!

Bella is doing fine, but I think this next week she will get her first vet visit with me. She needs to be vaccinated (And eventuially, spayed) and I just want to make sure shes all good.
In this one she looks slightly annoyed that I took her picture lol

[ 2023-09-03 02:23:28 CET ] [ Original post ]

Join us at the weekly DR4X art stream! https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil

[ 2023-09-01 00:24:02 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hee hee hee! So, I caught a glimpse of a screenshot where the loading a saved game went all wonky. And with the Steam Strategy Fest knocking on our door... Oopsie-daisy! - Fixed the saving and loading for missions when Fluffy or

yours truly, Tutorington

, are hanging around. Honestly, given all the chaos, it's a wonder this was our only little stumble. We're on a roll, aren't we? ;) [spoiler]...isnt it fun when new characters take over changelogs...[/spoiler] Unfortunately this will not fix "already saved" games. So uh. Welp. Just abrogate them I guess!

[ 2023-08-28 03:36:35 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hee. Hee. Hee, Surprise! We unexpectedly postponed our "going to family reunion" thing to tomorrow, so I managed to complete this update tonight! This update brings a plethora of new features. It's immense both in terms of story and gameplay. Let's dive in! Many of these are spoilers so i will likely be quite vague with much of it.

Gameplay and UI

-Added a comprehensive guided movement and attacking tutorial --...that is way more than it seems at first glace -Reworded dialogue in VN segment -Added two new music tracks to the game, for the VN segment -Tweaked the Renovations unconventional victory. It's easier to stumble upon now. - The Hunt's duo heroes? They've got flashy portraits now! Check out Shadow Strider and Velox below. Shadow Strider
Velox
- Polished the tooltips for misery and tenacity. -Introduced a... peculiar new character. He's quite the presence. Hee Hee Hee!
-Crafted a proper neutral ending sequence. -When you first start up the game it now gives you the option to choose right click to move and attack or left click to move and attack -Added new music to the Sequence... -The Fyred Saga begins. Curious? Well, no spoilers here. -A special way to get mission hints has been added. Some might even lead you off the beaten path. -Added a dog! But there's a catch to get him. Plus, you can pet him!
-Your choices? Oh, they matter now. Big time. -He's watching. Every choice, every route. -Referance Inn in bear level -Dabauchery and lawlessness hints at something -Renovations now informs you about the missing adventurers at the start (if you make the right choices...) -On High Ground it now informs the player they absolutely need to hit with advantage (if you make the right choices...) -Tutorial messes with your UI a tad...HEE HEE HEE -If you play the tutorial or see the intro to the tutorial before meeting HIM, he reacts -Players who have already played several missions, will get pushed to the new content -The dog joins you on several missions (if you make the right choices) -Someone joins you on a mission (if you make the right choice) -[NODEOSERROR] if player is okay with new [NODEOSERROR] -Tutorialized MP and AP. -Added unit flags to codex --I want to add character bios there too -Bunch of other [NODEOSERROR] changes ;)

Bug Fixes

-Fixed bug with two sequences where they could overlap themselves -Found and fixed another bug with the dialog system -Fixed several ADDITIONAL bugs with the dialog system -Fixed annoying bug with my text animation system and unit descriptions so that text animations now work properly in unit descriptions. -Fixed bug where panel on main menu and other "glitchable" things would be glitched out if you turned on and off the terminal. -While addng new tutorial I fixed some trigger bugs. -Fixed bug with vn where scrollbar didnt go back to start before starting a wholly new sentance. -Fixed a fascinating bug whrre if a unit died while another ,unit was targetting them that was controlled by a player it would cause a bunch of errors and break stuff (found this while making the tutorial :P) -Fixed bug where player could break things during [NODEOSERROR] Hee Hee. -Fixed bug where unit shake was too shaky -Fixed healthbar bug -Fixed bug where units destroiyed by triggers would leave tilke in "tyaken" state

Balancing

-Various tweaks to unit stats

Bella Update

Bella is doing great. I just hope she won't freak out when i'm gone for a day. She is much betetr at taking walks! (She wasn'tevery properly leash trained) but now shes so good at walks that my neighbors even compliemented me on how well behaved she is now (copmapred to a month ago). :)


[spoiler]
[/spoiler] [spoiler]
[/spoiler]

[ 2023-08-26 02:27:12 CET ] [ Original post ]

Join grim in the DR4X art stream. I'm in chat! https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil

[ 2023-08-25 00:39:32 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey guys! I created a page on indieDB recently where i've been posting smaller, more common, less formal updates!
From now on, you'll find all the changelogs there as well. Feel free to follow or watch the game on IndieDB, and don't forget to check out my latest post!

[ 2023-08-22 19:06:05 CET ] [ Original post ]

Working on some FUN new stuff. https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil

[ 2023-08-18 00:31:55 CET ] [ Original post ]

Working on some fun new stuff. https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil

[ 2023-08-11 00:37:02 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey guys! Things have somewhat calmed down. But Bella still has some separation anxiety from being rehomed, so she doesn't really let me program sometimes. That, and I'm still trying to get used to my new exercise routine. But I got the VN thing done! I'll briefly mention the changes in the devlog I posted last week alongside the new stuff. And i'm limiting screenshots because its nearly 11 pm and I still need to take a shower and screenshots will take too much time. It's late, and I'm tired, and I've been programming almost nonstop all weekend.

Gameplay and UI

-You know, achievements, they exist now (mentioned in last devlog) -Optimized Achivement Code -Tweaked various unconventional victory dialogues -Added functionality for preventing continuing until dialogue finishes -Added the one missing unconventional victory --It's neat --Shout out to Grimwit (My artist friend who doe sthe 2d art) for getting so much art done on such short notice! Heres some art.

-Added Visual novel system for certain sequences and put it 'through the ringer' functionality-wise with some new content --This also supports image effects and animations! -Gained approximately 20 points of misery reworking and fixing various strange bugs with my dialogue system -Reworded numerous bits of text and dialogue all over the game because my ability to write has improved, and the old dialogue was bugging me and super stilted sometimes -DR4X basically has a mini visual novel in it now --It's also pretty reactive -Updated Minigames DIalogue --I guess I also technically added a new one.

Bug Fixes

-Fixed that weird Hex unhighlight bug (mentioned in last devlog) -Fixed issue where social media links showed up during climax of chapter 1. -Put in a fix for a bug with my typing system -Fixed numerous bugs with the dialogue system specifically -Fixed bug with a secret dialogue chain

Balancing

Nothing really balance-wise (I have some stuff I do want to add this week though)

YouTube Spotlight!

None This Time

Bella Update

I'm adding a new section to my changelogs occasionally, the "Bella Update," after my wonderful new doggo. Because everyone likes doggo pics :D So, what's the update on Bella? She's doing well :) She has a favorite toy now!

Try to see if you can find the thing! Night!

[ 2023-08-07 04:06:55 CET ] [ Original post ]

Art strem https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil

[ 2023-08-04 00:41:15 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey folks! There won't be a standard changelog this week. The features I had planned for this cycle weren't finished due to a lack of art assets and a reduction in my usual working hours. Firstly, I had a medical emergency over the last weekend. It turned out that I had a few different health issues, but nothing too serious - all are manageable with enough time, and I will be fine. However, since I usually spend more time on my weekends developing the game than on weekdays (given my full-time job during weekdays), I was unable to put in the necessary work because of the medications I was on, the ER visit and so on. And I effectively I lost a week of game development time. Secondly, I have a new member of the family, an adorable American Staffordshire Terrier named Bella. She was rehomed to me after being rescued from a bad situation by one of my sister's friends who herself than had to move to a place where dogs aren't allowed. Here is an image of Bella:
You can find out more about this breed here: https://www.britannica.com/animal/American-Staffordshire-terrier In light of the medical emergency, I've started to focus more on maintaining my health. This includes incorporating a daily exercise routine of at least an hour. While this commitment has marginally cut into my game development time, I'm a firm believer in the significance of personal health. After all. I need to be around to finish developing DR4X! Given that we aren't technologically advanced enough (yet) to upload my consciousness into the game! Despite these elatively significant events, I did manage to accomplish a few things: In the week before the ER visit I fully integrated steam achivements into the game, which is the most significant change that has happened lately. And that is all live, I also fixed a bug that unmarked hexes when players attacked and moved their mouse off them which caused some incredible jankiness. This bug surfaced during optimizations, and I hope my fixes haven't negatively affected performance. Furthermore, I've been working on adding an unconventional victory to the one mission that currently lacks one, which I believe will help to hook plkayers into my narrative a bit more. Here is a preview of that: [previewyoutube=1s6GWphZ6wQ;full][/previewyoutube] It resembles a mini visual novel and I think it is quite neat. Please feel free to share your thoughts and feedback. (If folks like it i might add more of these heh or even make a full on visual novel at some point) Thank you for your understanding and continued support!

[ 2023-07-31 00:25:42 CET ] [ Original post ]

Visual Novel Art Stream https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil

[ 2023-07-28 00:36:50 CET ] [ Original post ]

Achievement Art https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil

[ 2023-07-21 00:35:04 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone! My birthday was on the 11th - it was a great day! Not only did I manage to celebrate well, but I also accomplished a lot in the past few weeks on the game. I'm not sure how or why my motivation came roaring back, but I'm happy it did! This changelog is a bit intense,with a large amount of changes and it's not even everything I hoped to include this week. DR4X was available at a 50% discount during the Steam Summer Sale for a few weeks. Unfortunately, it didn't help a smuch with visibility as I had anticipated from previous sales. Nevertheless, the journey continues. On a related note, if you could spare a moment to leave a review for DR4X on the store page, it would be immensely helpful in boosting the game's visibility. Your support means a lot! Anyway, lets get to the changes...

Gameplay and UI

-Added new Wendigo Unit Portrait
-Added new Wendigo Lair Unit Portrait.
-Added new Hooligan Unit Portrait
-Added new Gambling Hall Unit Portrait
-You can now access the codex in-game, and i've added several new entries.
-Added new Codex entry about Campaign Missions -Added new Codex entry about AP/MP -Added a few other Codex Entries. -A new codex entry has been added that focuses on movement and attacking. This was prompted by a recent let's play video I saw, in which the player struggled to move their units. This feedback led to significant improvements in the tutorialization of movement and attacking. I'll link to a reupload of the video in my YouTube section later. (The player deleted the video and remade it after I told em how tor move heh) -The command info display code has been simplified. It used to be slow, particularly with recent additions, but has now been restructured to be event-driven. While this change may result in some weirdness, such as the "commands" button being displayed without any associated commands, the overall impact should be minimal and the process will generally be more efficient. -The command menu now features a sleek fade-in animation for a smoother user experience. This is part of my ongoing efforts to streamline the user interface and make the game more intuitive. -The Hooligan model has been improved. -Updated miserable poppet plant description -Updated the descriptions of several flags to have the proper combat icons (there are probably still quite a few without the proper icons i'm sure) -SouthSea now has its own lore. -Made popups emphasize that you have to right click to move by default (and they adapt if you have that setting to make left click the default enabled) -Made it so the first time you deselect a unit it pops up a clarifying popup about moving and attacking. -Finally, I've added achievement art for [NODEOSERROR]. --The ahcievements still cannot be unlocked but i'll hopefully get that in the next week or so.

The Tycoon Arc

I'm still in the process of developing new mechanics for businesses like Inns, with the goal of making an entire campaign mission about owning an Inn. I have big plans for chapter 2 of the campaign! -I've added a new mechanic for techs/upgrades that increases the price each time they are researched. --They're color-coded for easy identification. --They go from Green 1.2x , to Yellow 1.3x , To Orange 1.4x, to Red 1.5x to Purple 2x
-I've introduced four new upgrades for Inns, which are integrated into the Tycoon system. While my ultimate goal is to add actual buildings as part of this system (for example, building a bathhouse adjacent to your Inn), currently these enhancements function as upgrades. I've tested this approach and it contributes positively to the gameplay. -Initially, I had hoped to incorporate similar upgrades for other structures like gambling halls this week. However, given my birthday and so on, the schedule has been a bit hectic. Rest assured, i'm planning to maintain this momentum and introduce these features soon -I also cleaned up the business management UI a tad.

Bug Fixes

-I've fixed a bug where the business detail screen wasn't displaying the correct gain or loss in satisfaction. -Improved error messages for "limited" techs. -The Codex buttons no longer overlap the logo. -Fixed a bug with the command filtering dropdown.

Balancing

-Random fluctuations in customer satisfaction are now up to 10% (or 0.5 stars) per week. -Made some ...INTERESTING changes to the Hunt Mission. To not only make it a tad easier but to make it far more INTERESTING. -Added command that helps you maintain customer satisfaction at your inn once all your upgrades are in. -Some tweaks to business customer gaining logic so that it is less "feast or famine" for higher rated businesses -Rosebud Tavern can now defend itself on The Hunt rmission -Added two hero units to "The Hunt" mission

YouTube Spotlight!

DR4X has been played by a person and they even found some spookies! [previewyoutube=qbrPnUY6bAw;full][/previewyoutube] Thank you all for your continued support

[ 2023-07-17 00:36:35 CET ] [ Original post ]

Sapworm SAPWORM SAPworm sapWORM flopcat https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil

[ 2023-07-14 00:39:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

Art ARt ART https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil

[ 2023-07-07 01:14:27 CET ] [ Original post ]

Greetings, folks! I have several exciting updates to share today. Firstly, i'm excited AF to announce that the original soundtrack for DR4X is set to release in a few weeks. You can wishlist it now at the following link:
I've also begun work on implementing achievements into the game as well. While you might spot two hidden achievements, please note that they're still a work in progress and not yet attainable. I'm diligently working on getting captivating artwork for them. Finally, take advantage of the ongoing Steam Summer Sale and get your copy of DR4X at a 50% discount! But if you bought during a nonsale time! Thanks for that too! Please help spread the word and if you can please drop a review! Those actually do help a lot with the steam algorithm.

Gameplay and UI

-I've added "The Dark Realms Codex", which is currently accessible only through the main menu. Once we have an icon ready, it will also be available in-game for quick references about game mechanics such as advantage and disadvantage. -I'm committed to enhancing your experience by continually adding new articles to the Codex that explain various game mechanics, and lore hints, hopefully reducing potential frustrations.
-Units identified as "Infantry" for hard counter bonuses now have a health bar icon similar to those for archers, cavalry, etc. -The "crime" particle effect has been optimized for better performance. -In an ongoing effort to improve game performance, i've made several new optimizations. Notably, i've reduced the frequency of getcomponent calls, leading to a significant FPS increase, from 40-50 to 50-60 on medium maps. Bear in mind, DR4X is a work in progress; further optimizations are coming. --Optimization is a challenging task, and I still have a long way to go before DR4X can be labeled as a "optimized" game. -I've added links to my socials in the main menu. -You can now also find my Discord server link in the main menu for easy access. -I've also added a direct link to my Steam developer page in the main menu.

Bug Fixes

-The game no longer attempts to animate/shake deceased units. -Resolved an issue where wildlife was mistakenly able to train mushroom tanks from Uncjw instead of upgrading from them. -Addressed a kinda major oversight involving the Debauchery and Lawlessness scenario, where the crypt was erroneously required for a conventional victory.

Balancing

-?

YouTube Spotlight!

Play it and i'll probably post the video here next changelog!

[ 2023-07-01 22:05:39 CET ] [ Original post ]

The DR4X soundtrack is now available to wishlist! Please do that if ya can! Click the image above or this link! DR4X Official Soundtrack

[ 2023-06-26 19:05:04 CET ] [ Original post ]

Art ARt ART https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil

[ 2023-06-23 00:34:33 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey there, folks! Got a bit of an unusual timing for a changelog, you ask? Well, the thing is, I'm all set to visit my folks in Arkansas for the next week or so, and believe it or not, I'm the kind who likes to vacation without my computer. So, here I am, making sure I give you an update before I hit the road and unplug for a week! Now, you might have picked up on something a tad different with the game lately. Feels a smidgen less clunky, right? Or in some rare cases, a tiny bit more clunky. The root of this? I rolled up my sleeves and completely rewrote the unit movement/attack/selection/cell state code to make it a whole lot more optimized - we're talking high-speed, turbocharged level here. Sure, this revamp has brought a few minor new hiccups along for the ride - like tiles occasionally playing hard to get when they're supposed to be movable to. But on the bright side, it's ironed out several pesky bugs and made the game way faster and smoother to play now. So, I'd say it's a win overall! None of these chnages are really "screenshottable" so nothing new in the header image of this changelog. I'm still on my tycoon ark lmao

Gameplay and UI

-Optimized all the cell grid states (when building units, when moving units,when attacking, etc) -You can now press enter to confirm when you rename units instead of having to click "okay" with your mouse. -Optimized enemy unit advantage/disadvantage highlight code (Without breaking things!) -New icon for tycoon buildings -Added a pleasing little shake animation when something is attacked that scales based on damage done -The material i use to render units and buildings is now gpu instanced which saves like 5-6 fps in some cases -Packed all tiles into one sprite packer (was an attempt at optimization but I may actually need to make it one giant texture and rewrite my hex cell terrain shader) -Tweaked my asynchronous scene loading code, those should all be a tad faster now -Added icons in more spots (places I missed last update) Things im not sure if were in last update. -Added gambling halls to debauchery mission -Updated gambling hall description

Bug Fixes

-Fixed continue anyway breaking when game ends on an enemies turn. -Fixed continue anyway "goal" text, not being set. -Fixed bug where swapping units via the button wasn't working -Fix bug where game weirdly slow when units selected regardles of anything -Fixed bug where you weren't able to attack tiles that had your unit on it, but also an enemy building (only really happened with the pqv grr)

Balancing

-Nothing to report here (I did want to add some more tycoon functionality stuff but ran out of time)

YouTube Spotlight!

Play it and i'll probably post the video here next changelog!

[ 2023-06-10 01:22:08 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey guys, I have a new release here with a bunch of new updates and improvements to the game. Thank you all for your continued support, and I hope you enjoy playing this new version. The plumbing saga continues btw, not sure if you saw my blog post down at my website. But heres a link. The plumbing saga. Well I have an update on that. Things actually went sorta well for once! Insurance hasn't given me any issues, and I had the sewage cleaned by a company called servpro. They took care of everything and now im just waiting on being given the go ahead to pay the insurance company. Than servpro will send a guy down to give me an estimate for repairing all the stuff they had to take apart during cleaning (after they put the sink and toilet back in) (they had to completely strip my downstairs bathroom, pulled the toilet, sink, counter etc, because of water damage and the laminated flooring so now its like I only have one bathroom lol but they will be able to put it back together and insurance will be sending me a check for estimated repair costs. than I can choose to have it repaired or to just leave that bathroom unfinished until i renovate it sometime this year.. Though there were some things I had to take care of, for example putting the dryer vent back up in the laundry room was literally painful. Also, i had to pull the carpet in the closets adjacnet to the laundry troom and i just dowsed the floor in those (the carpet there was just inserted in it wasnt attached and the bottom is just tile) in lysol and wiped those down and dried the carpets (as they were still wet from the cleaning and i wanted to prevent mold growth in those little alcoves) and put them back in, so now after all that is done the cleaning etc, I can actually sleep downstairs again! Of course this has been hell to deal with. But I did also manage to get some game dev done! I worked on adding some layers of complexity to the economy management of the game (the first of many mechanical additions I want to add to make turns a bit more engaging, but I didn't get a chance to allow you to have a real impact on that underlying simulation side. I guess its nice to see numbers go up though!) as well as several bug fixes and QOL changes. I also worked on the tech system a bit to add a new kind of tech that is now dinguished from global research items and "normal" research items. This changelog will include the stuff from the last "devlog" post I made on the 9th since i didnt bother clearing those out of my trello.

Gameplay and UI

-I've introduced new classification for technologies: Global, Local, and Basic. They are also color coded in game in their tooltip. --'Global' techs alreeady existed and function universally, meaning once researched, their effects apply to your entire faction irrespective of where the tech was researched. The 'Inquisition' tech serves as an example. These are now purple in their tooltip. --'Basic' techs are those that, once researched in a specific building, have their effects propagate to the parent city and all buildings linked to that city. An example of this is the 'Fire Arrows' tech, which, when researched at the blacksmith, grants fire damage to all rangers originating from the city where the blacksmith is located. The newly added 'Barracks' tech, which enhances all units constructed in the associated city, also falls under this category. (This used to be the "default") (This is also why you can only research bastian boost x amount of times per city) These are cyan, as they always have been --The new one is I've introduced 'Local' techs, which are akin to 'Basic' techs but with a more focused scope. Their effects only apply to the specific building where the tech was researched, without propagating to the parent city or any other linked buildings. And you can research them the given number of times without worrying about how many times its been researched in that city. This is all explained in the tooltip. These are orange. -Subtle UI tweaks with the unit info screen's flag list -Added particle effect when a cell is revealed that is like low poly clouds coming apart --Makes exploration a tad more satisfying -Added black market unit portrait
-Gave spiderrs new Unit portrait
-Cleaned up the code in general (went from like 25 compiler warnings to 3) -Converted shared code between my unity projects into a dll, for speed and cleanliness reasons -Made it more clear how tech works by rewording the tech tooltiop info, distinguishing them by color, and allowing you to "show more" using ctrl

-Added ability to put uints into sentry mode as described on the 9th and assigned it a hotkey -Updated most of the techs in the game to use icons for represneting resources and combat stats instead of text, which makes things less long winded
-[NODEOSERROR] -[NODEOSERROR] --[NODEOSERROR] --Leads --[NODEOSERROR] --Talk to - Introduced the new "Business" flag, enhancing gameplay mechanics for Inns, Gambling Halls, and similar establishments by unlocking a dedicated UI panel, this is the earlier mentioned Tycoon system. -- Implemented the concept of clientele in businesses for enhanced gold generation opportunities. -- Businesses now operate within a framework of minimum and maximum customer counts, resource profit multipliers, and customer satisfaction levels. Weekly profit is determined by the customer count and their satisfaction level; the more customers you have, and the happier they are and the greater the multiplier, the greater the additional income generated for that turn. There are natural fluctuations in customer satisfaction, with plans to add connected buildings and upgrades to manipulate these simulation parameters. For instance, increasing max customers at your inn by adding more rooms. --With the new UI, you can now actively monitor your business performance in real time as you progress to the next turn. (Just hit next turn with the UI up, and you will see the changes in real time) --Performances from performance troupes at your Inn or Gambling Hall give your customer satisfaction a boost --Customer satisfaction will gradually drift towards an 'average' level if you do not work to increase it. In upcoming updates, it will be your task to strategize ways to enhance satisfaction levels, such as launching limited-time sales or investing in improvements like additional rooms at your Inn or building connected liquor aging cave buildings for your inn for increased profit. To cater to diverse gameplay preferences, an AI management option may also be introduced for those who prefer a less micro-intensive approach. So the AI can manage the business for you!
----Important note, I will be adding a campaign mission all about managing an inn as a way to encourage myself to add more mechanics to this system, i felt kinda weird advertising "Manage your own gambling hall" when you didnt have such minute control over it , but now there is a whole system for that. -Global Tech descriptions are now in royal purple -Made it so holding control will display more info on techs and hid their long descriptions until you hit control -Did some other changes to reduce the longwidnedness of various flags, text pop ups and so on --The UI shoudl just feel a lot cleaner now in general!

Bug Fixes

-Fixed music not playing after "continue anyway" clciked -Fixed bug where upgrading loses city link -Fixed several bugs related to techs

Balancing

-Gave Bandits on Debauchery and Lawlessness gambling halls

YouTube Spotlight!

None this time. Im sorry about the inconsistantness of my updates lately, I hope you udnerstand this is due to the aforementioend plumbing issues.

[ 2023-05-30 02:38:27 CET ] [ Original post ]

Join us or perish https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil

[ 2023-05-19 00:55:26 CET ] [ Original post ]

It seems that I accidentally introduced a bug affecting non-Pangea maps when I implemented the new Pangea maps feature that made them entirely snowy mountains. This issue has now been resolved. Additionally, I've introduced a Sentry Mode Toggle for units, allowing you to exclude them permanently from the next unit rotation until you unsentry them, reducing micromanagement. (Esp useful for Pqv grr players) I've also improved the clarity of tech functionality during research by making it clarify that all the techs can only be researched x amount of times in the settlement rather than per building, I have also enhanced the readability of tech research by replacing resource names with their respective icons. Sorry about that lmao. This week has been a rough one. The basement floor of my huse flooded due to a mainline backup in my laundry room. This only just got fixed yesterday. it was messed up for a whole week.

[ 2023-05-10 02:46:00 CET ] [ Original post ]

We be streamin art. https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil

[ 2023-05-05 00:32:51 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey guys, I have a new release here with a bunch of new updates and improvements to the game. Thank you all for your continued support, and I hope you enjoy playing this new version. One of the neatest things I've added is Tower Improvements, which use the Technology system to allow you to add specialized "rooms" to towers that do various things, making towers into Swiss Army knives that can generate resources, create extra powerful guards, and so on.

Gameplay and UI

-Added the ability to toggle a "Pangea" option in the skirmish menu, which makes the generator create a single continent surrounded by water COE style
-Added a new world setting option: Pipeland which is styled more like a cartoon than a standard fantasy setting with some unique enemies that only used to very rarely spawn before and with a unique variant of the hill tile.
-Added a Barracks improvement to all towers -Added Hidden Passage improvement to Bandit towers -Added Smugglers Den improvement to all Bandit towers -Added Prospector's Quarters improvement to all Kingdom towers -Added Heralds Quarters improvement to all Kingdom towers -Added Bastion Boost improvement to all towers -Added Lookout Perch improvement to all towers -Added Cultist's Conclave improvement to all Cultist towers -Added Cultist's Sanctum improvement to all Cultist towers --Added more improvements i forgot the names of too. -Added a "Continue Playing" button when you win that allows you to continue playing (Based on a steam forum suggestion) Some options menu updates based on a suggestion from the discord. -Added an option to disable the phosphor (film grain) effect in the options menu -Added an option to disable the TV effect in the options menu
-Added new alcohols to alcohol generator. -Added New Ruined Ship Unit Portrait

Bug Fixes

-The Z coordinates of tiles are now slightly randomized in skirmishes to prevent z-fighting, this has been a bug that has existed from the start, and now its finally fixed. -Fixed an issue with buildible vairnts of towers in certain situations -Fixed an issue with tower upgrading -Fixed an issue with AI pathing (they still do some weird things sometimes but hey)

Balancing

-Hell Apes are now slightly weaker

YouTube Spotlight!

None this time. Lastly, be prepared to see some... interesting references in Pipeland. I recently watched the new Mario movie and it was great, and let's just say it left an impression on me. But, jokes aside, I hope you enjoy the tower improvements and would love to hear your feedback!

[ 2023-04-30 22:20:18 CET ] [ Original post ]

We be streamin art. https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil

[ 2023-04-28 00:33:17 CET ] [ Original post ]

Join us here or some thing. https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil

[ 2023-04-21 01:07:58 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey guys, I don't have a substantial update for you this week because easter and taxes and family visiting and nephews birthday and other adult life things really threw a wrench in the works the last couple weeks. I did get 5 new unit portaits in this week though. And they shoudl be live as this is posted. See you in two more weeks. Merc
???
Fire Tower
Magic Tower
Poison Tower
Youtube, Grim made a new dr4x episode! [previewyoutube=iVcNtd96ATs;full][/previewyoutube] Plans, I want to add a "continue playing" button as suggested on the forum. I want to add the ability to perma pull units out of the unit rotation for next unit. I want to add more gameplay elements like, making building positions more important and so on.

[ 2023-04-15 18:38:22 CET ] [ Original post ]

Join us here or some thing. https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil Try my minecraft modpack in the mean time. https://www.curseforge.com/minecraft/modpacks/uls-zsurvival-craft

[ 2023-04-14 00:43:35 CET ] [ Original post ]

Join us here or some shite. https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil

[ 2023-04-07 01:04:08 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey guys. Whats up. Thanks for all the buys in the last week or so. Thats awesome. This week Is mostly polish stuff. Grim is back on his feet and did some art this week!

Gameplay and UI

-Added a thank you message if you beat the curent chapter (of the story) -More changes to high ground -Added "E' to talk message, to minigame -Add a case for not having yet talked to the lady twice to the progression hints, as that is actually nessessary to get the convo in bear land -Fleshed out silas and his body guard in renovations. -More tweaks to overall story progression to improve it (I still am pretty sure no one has beaten it, if you have, seriously mention it! You will know when youve beaten it lol) -Add new hero unit to high ground -Aded unit picture for inn
-Added unit picture for inqusitors

Bug Fixes

-Fixed some typos grim found -Fixed additional typos

Balancing

-Just some minor tweaks around teh edges especially on towers

YouTube Spotlight!

A few this time, first some revisiting. If you recall from last log i reuploaded the "Making of" video about the trailer on my youtube channel. [previewyoutube=YNbZ9507rqg;full][/previewyoutube] Grim has started a lets play! [previewyoutube=9mMuj8cq0Kc;full][/previewyoutube] [previewyoutube=rZPcFQfLevI;full][/previewyoutube] Thimato has posted a dr4x video! [previewyoutube=wong1TIynIo;full][/previewyoutube]

[ 2023-04-02 18:03:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

Join us here or some shite. https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil

[ 2023-03-31 00:30:15 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone, I realize it may seem odd for me to be posting a second changelog within the same weekend. However, I have been working on adjusting the difficulty of "Chapter 1" in the unconventional route and have made some changes to make it easier and less abstract. -Firstly, I have removed the "To Be Implemented" button from the nodenet office section of the unconventional route (which was just an extra). Instead, it now provides you with important final information before ending, as i do not plan to add more to that section. Additionally, I have made the consequences for completing it properly more severe. -Secondly, I have made the Mirefield puzzle much easier to solve without cheapening it (hopefully). -Thirdly, I have improved the Kill minigame by adding color coding, more control information at the top left, and additional dialogue. Also, you won't be able to leave until you have successfully beaten it in the intended way. -Fourthly, HE now gives you a proper call to action. -Fifthly, if the worst two nodic incursions happen on the Skirmish mode, it will now reset the game properly. -Lastly, on The Hunt level, the game will now properly remove any 'glitching' on the tavern when necessary.

[ 2023-03-20 04:48:05 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone, we're returning to our regular update schedule with Changelog #69. Can you believe I've already shared 69 bi-weekly updates? Time flies! Nice. Exciting news! The Steam Spring Sale has arrived, and you can now purchase DR4X at a 25% discount. Don't hesitate if you don't own it yet, now's the perfect time to buy. Alternatively, if you already have a copy, consider gifting it to friends and acquaintances and enemies and your mother , your racist uncle and everyone else to get more eyes on the game! On another note, has anyone successfully managed to "SAVE HIM" yet? It's a considerable challenge, and I'd expect to see a post about it if someone has indeed pulled it off. It involves actual interactive cutscenes and multiple endings. If you've accomplished this, please let me know! Honestly, I'm concerned that it might be too hard to figure out, even though I've tried my best to guide attentive players in the right direction. Additionally, feel free to share your Unconventional victories. Has anyone completed the Unconventional route yet? I'm genuinely eager to hear from you. Help me out, and let's discuss the game. It's all just a bit...strange, isn't it? Anyway, moving on! My talented artist friend Grimwit, responsible for all of DR4X's 2D art, has had quite an unfortunate last two weeks or so and ended up in the hospital. Thankfully, he is now nearly fully recovered from the incident that happened to him. And as a result, there are no art updates this week. After all, one's health takes precedence over ones friend's quirky meta-horror strategy game that no one gives a shit about. If you can, please wish him a healthy recovery on his twitter, and follow him there. And let him know how awesome he is and how much of a trooper he is. https://twitter.com/Sir_Grimwit I love you dude! Onwards! I dont feel like posting screenshots this time and most of the changes are hard to show in a screenshot so...

Gameplay and UI

-When on high ground, if HE speaks to you, HE will now prevent you from resigning or leaving the game in any manner until you've completed the necessary tasks. -I've updated the unit info screen by adding new tooltips for all previously missing things. Now, if you want to understand the effects of attributes like Tenacity, simply hover over "tenacity" in the unit information screen with your mousy friend. As a quick example, Tenacity essentially boosts a unit's base damage and critical hit chance. Fascinating, right? sigh -I've made certain that conversing with the LADY on 'The Hunt' once will eliminate any glitches and return the 'basic' text teh second time. This means you'll need to restart the mission if you fail or upset her. -I've rephrased and enhanced many of the existing tooltips for better clarity and understanding. -Unit base magic stats are now influenced by the inquiry attribute. -I've begun exploring the possibility of implementing Steam Cloud save support for the game!

Bug Fixes

-I've fixed an annoying problem where the camera wouldn't return to its original position after an enemy attack. Instead, it would jump to the center of the screen or some other location. Although I'm not sure when this issue first emerged, I'm happy to report that it's now resolved. -I've corrected a bug where "The Hunt" didn't grant an unconventional victory when it should have.

Balancing

-To unlock Lawlessness, players must now complete Renovations. This change means that when pursuing the unconventional route, you only need to visit "The Hunt" once. -Cube cultists and cube priests and various othe rmagic weling units have been adjusted to possess increased inquiry levels, resulting in more interesting gameplay

YouTube Spotlight!

A couple this time... The DR4X trailer has reached nearly 30k views! [previewyoutube=w10zb9JnaBo;full][/previewyoutube] Also, i reuploaded the "Making of" video about the trailer on my youtube channel. [previewyoutube=YNbZ9507rqg;full][/previewyoutube] And now for an AI generated, human edited, and not entirely canon DR4X creepy pasta for no reason at all.

Thread Title: Mysterious 4X Game on NodeOS - Anyone Heard of DR4X?

Post #1 - by RetroGamer92

Date: 2023-03-01 18 : 32 : 51 Hey everyone, I recently stumbled upon a weird 4X game called DR4X while browsing through some NodeOS archives. The game looks like it was made for something similar to the Apple II. Has anyone else ever heard of or played this game? It seems to have a pretty eerie atmosphere, and I can't find much info on it. Would love to hear your thoughts!

Post #2 - by NodeNerd

Date: 2023-03-01 19 : 45 : 12 I've heard of NodeOS, but I haven't come across DR4X before. I'm curious now! If you don't mind sharing the archive, I'd like to check it out. You never know, it could be a hidden gem or just another obscure piece of gaming history!

Post #3 - by VintageGamer

Date: 2023-03-01 21 : 05 : 48 Never heard of DR4X, but I'm interested. I love digging up old games, especially if they're creepy or weird. Please share the archive if you can, RetroGamer92!

Post #4 - by RetroGamer92

Date: 2023-03-02 10 : 27 : 06 Alright, I uploaded the archive to a file-sharing site. Here's the link: [LINK REMOVED]. Let me know what you guys think! I played it for a few hours yesterday, and I couldn't shake the feeling that there's something off about it.

Post #5 - by NodeNerd

Date: 2023-03-02 15 : 20 : 19 I just started playing DR4X, and I have to agree with you, RetroGamer92. There's something unsettling about the game. The graphics are crude, but the atmosphere is strangely chilling. And the sound design...it feels like there are whispers hidden in the background noise. I can't quite make out what they're saying, but it's giving me the creeps.

Post #6 - by VintageGamer

Date: 2023-03-02 18 : 15 : 35 I've been playing DR4X for a couple of hours now, and I noticed something weird. I came across a hidden menu option, and when I selected it, a picture of a woman in a red dress appeared, with the text "The Lady in Red." Anyone else found this? It's kinda freaking me out.

Post #7 - by RetroGamer92

Date: 2023-03-02 22 : 13 : 02 Whoa, I haven't seen that, VintageGamer! I did some searching, and I found a couple of mentions of a mysterious figure called "The Lady in Red" connected to the development of NodeOS. I couldn't find any solid info, but it seems like she's a sort of urban legend. The more I play DR4X, the more I feel like there's something hidden beneath the surface. I'll keep looking into it and update you all if I find anything.

Post #8 - by NodeNerd

Date: 2023-03-03 10 : 05 : 47 Guys, I played DR4X late into the night, and I swear I saw something that looked like a child's face in the static when I restarted the game. It happened so fast, I couldn't get a screenshot, but it's really freaked me out. Has anyone else experienced anything like this?

Post #9 - by VintageGamer

Date: 2023-03-03 13 : 23 : 11 NodeNerd, I think I saw something similar! It was late, and I thought I was just seeing things, but now that you mention it, I'm not so sure. I'll keep an eye out and try to get a screenshot if I see it again. This is getting weirder by the minute.

Post #10 - by LostInCode

Date: 2023-03-03 16 : 45 : 55 I've been lurking in this thread and decided to give DR4X a try. I'm a programmer, and I thought I'd take a look at the game's code. I found something very strange in there. There are lines of code that don't seem to have any purpose, but they're written in a way that looks like some kind of... incantation or ritual? I'm not sure if this is just a bizarre easter egg, but it definitely adds to the creepy atmosphere of the game.

Post #11 - by RetroGamer92

Date: 2023-03-03 19 : 30 : 12 Thanks for the input, LostInCode. That's really odd. I managed to find an old forum post from someone who claimed to work on NodeOS, and they mentioned that the operating system's development was shrouded in secrecy. The post hints that the so-called "Node" might be made of writhing energy and souls, and that we can somehow get data from it. It sounds far-fetched, but given the strange things we've seen in DR4X, I can't help but wonder if there's some truth to it.

Post #12 - by NodeNerd

Date: 2023-03-04 01 : 25 : 27 I played DR4X again tonight, and I caught a glimpse of another face in the static. This time I managed to take a screenshot! Here it is: [IMAGE REMOVED]. It looks like another child's face, and there's something haunting about it. I'm starting to get really unnerved by this game, and I'm not sure if I want to keep playing.

Post #13 - by VintageGamer

Date: 2023-03-04 09 : 17 : 43 That's seriously creepy, NodeNerd. I don't know what's going on with this game, but it feels like we're uncovering something we shouldn't. I'm going to do some more research on the Lady in Red and see if I can find any connections between her and DR4X.

Post #14 - by LostInCode

Date: 2023-03-04 14 : 52 : 11 I've been digging deeper into the game's code, and I found references to five different children, each with their own unique ID. It's like the game is keeping track of these children, but I can't figure out why. I also found more of those bizarre incantation-like lines, and they seem to be connected to the children's IDs. This is getting stranger by the minute.

Post #15 - by RetroGamer92

Date: 2023-03-04 21 : 10 : 30 Guys, I just found an article from an old newspaper about a CEO who was suspected of abducting five children but was never charged due to lack of evidence. The article had a picture of her, and she was wearing a red dress. It has to be the Lady in Red. The article mentioned that the children were never found. I can't shake the feeling that this has something to do with DR4X and the strange things we've been experiencing.

Post #16 - by VintageGamer

Date: 2023-03-05 11 : 23 : 19 I can't believe it, RetroGamer92. This is getting darker than I ever imagined. I found another article about the Lady in Red, and it mentioned that she was also a programmer who worked on an "experimental project." It didn't go into details, but it seems very likely that she could be connected to NodeOS and DR4X. We need to be careful with this game. It feels like we're playing with something dangerous.

Post #17 - by NodeNerd

Date: 2023-03-05 16 : 49 : 27 I can't do this anymore, guys. I played DR4X again last night, and I had a nightmare about the faces in the static. I'm convinced that there's something sinister going on here. I'm deleting the game and stepping away from this. I suggest you all do the same.

Post #18 - by LostInCode

Date: 2023-03-05 20 : 08 : 32 I think NodeNerd is right. I've uncovered more unnerving code related to the children and the strange incantations. It's like the game is haunted by their souls, and the Lady in Red somehow trapped them in it. I'm out, too. This is beyond anything I've ever encountered, and I don't want any part of it.

Post #19 - by RetroGamer92

Date: 2023-03-06 10 : 35 : 15 It's been a wild ride, but I'm with NodeNerd and LostInCode on this one. There's something deeply wrong with DR4X, and I don't want to risk whatever it is getting worse. I've deleted the game, and I suggest everyone else does the same. Let's just let this mystery remain unsolved. Stay safe, everyone.

Thread Closed by Moderator - 2023-03-06 12 : 15 : 43

This thread has been closed due to the disturbing nature of its content. We ask that all members of the community refrain from discussing or sharing the game mentioned in this thread. We will remove any future threads or posts related to DR4X. Please remember to stay safe and prioritize your well-being. Notes: That certainly was interesting! I created it by providing GPT-4 with some DR4X lore and asking it to write a creepy pasta-style story formatted as a forum thread. While it's not canon, it might, much like the FNAF books, offer some hints at a deeper underlying narrative. Or maybe it doesn't and you just wasted like 10 minutes reading it WHO KNOWS! I'm seriously considering having Shy do a dramatic reading of it for a YouTube video it would be quite entertaining and I havent given shy any voice acting gigs in awhile! Or I might do a dramatic reading of it. Who knows :D

[ 2023-03-19 01:07:02 CET ] [ Original post ]

I took this week off after the RELEASE and the hotfixes to relax a bit and I still havent had a chance to play omari. But this next week i'll hopefully be able to get some new stuff in and maybe play omari. And now, something else. Hey guys, UL here. I shall impart a subtle clue that breaches the fourth wall. To rescue HIM or fail to rescue HIM, you have to actually read and act upon the things you read. The text is not mere "lore," but a vital key to unlock the puzzles. Keep your eyes peeled for the signs along the way.

[ 2023-03-12 20:43:06 CET ] [ Original post ]

This isn't really a hot fix as much as it is a clarification. Changes: -RoseBud tavern now hints a tad more bluntly what you need to do on the missions it is in. -If you go to the RoseBud Tavern after exauhsting previous conversation options, it gives you some...additional context.

[ 2023-03-05 15:46:46 CET ] [ Original post ]

This new release was pretty great! But I did a dumb and broke a mission or two right at the end without noticing it lol Changes: -Fixed story soft lock -Fix bug where renovations and other missions would hang on first turn due to weird errors because i made all the "misc" "units" on the map belong to the wildlife team. -Fixed weird slowness on some missions

[ 2023-03-05 11:25:06 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey folks! It's been over a month since my last "proper" changelog, but fear not, i'm back with a bang! Introducing the "4B1E1E" update, which, for extremely totally completely entirely obvious reasons ;), is massive in scale. However, due to the sheer number of spoilers this update contains, I can't provide you with many screenshots or details. I don't want to spoil the surprise for you! So, this will be a bit of a peculiar changelog, and I won't be divulging too many details. I couldn't have achieved this monumental update without the help of my talented friends. A huge shoutout to Robbie, who composed the music, and Grimwit, who contributed more of his stunning art. They are champs and helped me massively! I especially want to thank Grim for keeping me sane through this, this would have taken way longer and destroyed my motiovation if i didnt have him to unload on.

Gameplay and UI

-A new proper story with a beginning, middle and end and brimming with meta-storytelling elements that draw inspiration from Undertale and DDLC among other things. --This update marks the first 'chapter' in a series of six for the story, so prepare for at least five more significant, named updates like this one after a few of usual changelogs to clean stuff up and add other misc gameplay elements. ---This is the bulk of this update ----No i wont spoil it -----To me, this is massive as i've always been striving for this sort of thing but i just couldnt get it to click, but now it clicks, really well. -Three new OST tracks. -Several new unit portraits (As usual) some completely new, some modified for lore reasons. Feast your eyes on SOME of them here.


-Several new 3d models for a few things (Including the new crypts, the corpses etc) -The game can get much, much, more meta. --This will get improvements later -Removed "Next Scenario" button as it allowed for sequence breaks. -All corpses are now his. -Added several new terminal commands for players to use -Massive updates to main menu
-Added interactable that changes es3 codes for my use -I've ramped up the game's reactivity in many, many weird ways that you'll have to experience for yourself. -The high ground tutorial now is much better at hammering down the literal main mechanic of this game. -Added unconventional victory system (In a previous devlog this was referred to as pacifist victories) they have been renamed for repectfulness and gameplay reasons and all except one mission has them.
-The game now can mess with you in ALL the scenarios --I am leaning into the stuff folks liked from previuous versions. -All missions have recieved major updates -Added some randomization on scenarios, majesty style -Added new typespeed modifier to dialogue -Added mission unlocks and "New Missions Available" notification -Added some secret easter egg commands to main menu -Changed highlighted tiles to be grayscale and team colored -Losing Text Changes Sometimes -The internals of the game have been nearly entirely reworked. But you wont really "see" this so, meh. -Started adding modding support

Bug Fixes

-When you highlight marsh or swamp with mouse the fog is hidden -Fixed numerous typos -Fixed oversight where taking treasure on novus imperium makes you detected -Fixed final remaining spot where I wasn't taking into account personalization for the name of the os -Fix oversight with vigil -Added loads of hints to help players with the new camapign -Changed "Team Color" deploy mode option to be similar to highlighted -Make it so cities and towns have more "connection" to the world -Fixed bug with [writhe] text tag -Recentered panel on main menu

Balancing

-On renovations you can now recover units lost to the swamp -Added more treasure and other cool stuff to high ground and various other missions to encourage exploration -If a bunch of units die there is a chance foree something scary to happen -I created an algorithm for determing the "distance" between two different colors, so that if for example, you choose red or a color like red no enemy team will be assigned a "close" color. It doenst care as much about their color in relation to other ai player colors though. Because checking every player every time would be painfully slow. But if you play as a bandit and use the color gray now, no other bandits/players will be a similar shade of gray anymore, for example. -Some pathfinding optimizations

NEWS

As you may have noticed, this changelog is a bit shorter than usual. However, don't be fooled by its terseness. Today's update is a whopping gigabyte in size, which is significantly more than my usual 50 or so megabyte updates. This is because this update is colossal and includes a multitude of unmentioned changes. However, I won't be revealing any spoilers, so be sure to update your game and try it out. Also, if the puzzles are too difficult etc, utilize the steam forum to help each other out and report any bugs or whatever you find on the steam forum aswell. You may also consider joining my discord (linked on the store page) After this there will be 5 other "major" updates like this one, but i will be resuming the normal changelogs in the mean time until ive planned out the next part.

[ 2023-03-04 22:46:46 CET ] [ Original post ]

Join us here. https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil Only 1 thing left in the trello :D

[ 2023-03-03 01:49:32 CET ] [ Original post ]

Join us here. https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil Dev is smooth, i just had more dialogue to write than i expected. edit: forgot to mention that stream is now over

[ 2023-02-24 01:46:10 CET ] [ Original post ]

I'm excited to share another devlog with you. I'm making great progress with the update, and I only have three items left on my Trello board for it so it wont be released today but it will probably be released soon. I'd like to take a moment to discuss some of the coolest new features that are on the horizon. Firstly, the main menu has been completely reworked and I also now give the big updates proper names, even if they might look meaningless to you guys, example, this upcoming update is the 4B1E1E update. Why? Well.
Anyway moving on! For an insane amount of time, I've been eager to implement a mission unlock system, and I'm thrilled to announce that it will be included in this upcoming update. The primary goal of this system is to regulate the pace of the game by preventing players from immediately tackling the most challenging missions. In addition, this new feature will offer intriguing decision-making opportunities and will help to structure the campaign in a more cohesive manner.
In addition to the mission unlock system, I've also incorporated a "pacifist" route into the game, which you'll need to discover on your own. This route is available for all missions except one, and it provides players with alternative methods to complete a mission that aren't explicitly disclosed and counts for mission unlocks aswell. It also adds a new layer of strategy and intrigue to the game. (Art is subject to change)
There are obviously new bits in the missions aswell. With some missions being completely overhauled. There is also the story. Which is kinda insane TBH.


There are also updates to the non-campaign portion of the game, though most of the updates this time arent there. I fixed some issues that made skirmishes less fun than they could be, i added a system so that no ai player gets a color similar enough to yours to be confusing, and more deploy mode options in the options menu (You can customize the "theme" of your deploy mode there) and various other tweaks around the edges. About the story, its weird, but in a good way. Some of th epuzzles might require you to use a pen and paper to solve. There is also some fleshing out of the background details around things, adding more weight to the buttons you click in popups and so on. Anyway, it should be cool. Unfortunately I will also be clearing all your victory history with this update. Sorry, with all these changes I couldnt maintain cross compatibility. When the update drops I will also be dropping a changelog with the full list of all the changes. Thanks for playing DR4X! And i hope you enjoy the next update :)

[ 2023-02-19 19:51:34 CET ] [ Original post ]

Weekly DR4X art stream! Join here! https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil edit: Stream over

[ 2023-02-17 02:06:18 CET ] [ Original post ]

Weekly DR4X art stream! Join here! https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil edit: Stream over

[ 2023-02-10 01:50:19 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey everyone, I have a devlog for you this week in lieu of the usual changelog. I've decided to delay the changelog for a few more weeks, and in its place, I'll be sharing the progress I've made with DR4X in a more chill way and just my thoughts. So its no surprise that i've been hinting at something real big for the game for the past few weeks. This is because I've realized that this game has a huge problem (And thats a given, given this is my first ever Steam game), that problem is that it has a lot of coherent background lore, gameplay ideas, and secrets, but I never really had a solid plan for an interconnected story that seamlessly integrated the 4x style campaign missions and skirmishes (Which are inspired by my favorite game, Majesty) with the overarching story which is more inspired by ..errm...other weirder games.
Serious question for observant players, did you see this message and not think it was really weird. So the main point of the game never really materialized for many. [Spoilers Ahead, Skip If You Don't Want Spoilers] [spoiler] The original plan was to keep the subgame, which is ACTUALLY a psychological horror, puzzle game based around using a haunted game in a haunted terminal to uncover and resolve your "predicament", separate from the 4x game but in the same package (which i tried to design to be as approachable as possible for new 4x players), hinting occasionally at a deeper storyline without majorly interfering with the gameplay. [/spoiler] However, this plan kinda backfired, and the game became disconnected and confusing to some, with the highlights of the game actually being when the real story interrupted the usual gameplay or people being actually satisified by the 4x gameplay by itself or undersatisified and just walking away and not looking deeper and therefore missing a lot of really cool things. However after recieveing loads of feedback from more people then you would expect telling me how much they loved how much the game "messed" with you. I realized that to create something memorable I needed to lean into this dichotomy far more. For those who just enjoy the 4x game part for what it is (depsite how incomplete it is) in the future you may find yourself running into weirder elements more often, but you will be able to play as normal (though the game might actually TRY TO mess with you because of this, leading to hilarity), and btw for those who have played while avoiding the horror, and posted videos on youtube I absolutrely love some of your reactions to weirder stuff heh. It would have been great to keep this stuff completely seperate and pretend that its just a normal 4x forever. But then more than half the players would stay completely unaware of the thing they were actually playing and they wouldn't be able to experiance the deeper story i'm trying to tell with this portion of the game without digging deep on their own volition. Now the game may give you a proper reason to dig deep beyond your insatiable lust for knowledge.
Did you wonder who this was? I was HOPING that word of mouth would reveal the "truth" but it seems like either peopel saw the weirdness and assumed these were distractions or easter eggs while remaining blissfully unaware. Or they figured it out and kept quiet about it (Noble). Or I had just failed to communicate this well due to my inexperiance and due to the game's incompleteness and it just hadn't really materialized the way I wanted, which ya know, fair given this is my first "story based' game. So, because of this I've spent the last couple of weeks fleshing out the real story and implementing all the necessary things to allow players to experience it as they play through the game to hopefully make the gameplay more interconnected. Though its mainly focused on the campaign and less on the skirmishes (which is a whole other can of worms to deal with, one step at a time). Some players certainly wont figure it out, but i've now left more threads for people to pick up on around. The main reason for the changelog delay is that i have decided to split the story into 6 sections. And I have not yet completed the "1st" section (Which requires, art and music and so on) and i feel like it just wouldn't do it justice to release those changes to you guys in a half finished state. This obviously hasn't stopped me in the past. But i'm actually really happy with all the progress i've made. And after I deploy these changes it will all stay subject to change, art and code can be done fast, but music and story and puzzles take awhile so you may see me swapping music and so on. Thanks for reading my excessively long ramble. Also yes, still also working on new factions heh.

[ 2023-02-06 02:28:27 CET ] [ Original post ]

Strigoibro once said yo bros, it's time for the weekly shred session on dr4rt stream. Rad, bro! Let's shred the gnar together and join up here https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil Edit: stream over and we didnt end up doing art anyway

[ 2023-02-03 01:45:05 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey guys, weekly dr4rt stream . Join here, https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil edit: strm ovr

[ 2023-01-27 01:42:06 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey guys! Loads of useful changes this time around! This is one of those rare dev cycles where I actually managed to get most of what i wanted done done! Mostly in the area of UI, Balance, and removing/reworking things that confused new players. Its late,nearly midnight, so I'm not adding screenshots. Stick around to the end for some plugs for my collaborators, this time my friend who composes the DR4X music Robert Matheson!!

Gameplay and UI

-Added more content to existing missions, may be worth replaying some of them specifically high ground, renovations, and mirefield there are also changes to the other missions though. -Game now lets you scroll sign text -Added load and cd commands to terminal -Added expr and calc commands to terminal emulator (depending on your terminal) both also handle common mathamatical constants eg pi, phi, e etc. It can also handle basic trig ( eg sin(1)*2 ) but not nested trig eg (sin(1+1) or sin(sin1))) -Added help and ? commands to terminal emulator -Reworded most scenario pop ups in a more charming manner. -Made all scenario pop ups have the proper note graphic -Fixed minor typos in mirefield -Made it a lot easier to navigate the noderooms -Changed default zoom senstitivity to 20 -Changed default scroll sensitivity to 80 -Changed default attack to right click -Changed default movement to right click -Increased text size on unit info for readability -Cleaned up unit info menu quite a bit -Reworded right click to move and attack toggle in options menu to be more comprehensible -Gave most units larger "bases" (Especially for units of most commonly used factions) -Made a large portion of the units in the game a bit larger on tiles (Especially for units of most commonly used factions) -Reworked 3d models for many units adding plinths, making them more chess like, larger, and other misc improvements, (many still need some work) -Add hands to guard models -Add proper grayscale to shader for terrain. --This is now what is used when moving units (The places you can move wil be normal and the places you cannot will be grayed out) -Fixed Infest With Crime newb Trap, You are no longer allowed to infest a village that you already infested with crime with crime, some players were wasting resources. -Got the new icons for power,defense etc, into the game along with tooltips for each -Updated unit flag art -Added some new entertaining dialogue to a couple of the missions

Bug Fixes

-Fixed balance issue/bug where bonus damages were just lying. Most of them are +5 not +3 and they were doing +3 in the code -Fixed oversight where stealth flag text was too stealthy -Fix bug with resource generating popup, when game was previously loaded -Fix bug with unit info panel having multiple panels open at same time -Fixed bug where treasure chests, anything that can "spread" and any other free spawned units would sometimes be placed on void tiles. -Fix hill tile "sucking in" buildings and units -Fix snowy mountain tile "sucking in" buildings and units -Fix spacing on resource map mode button -Fix bug with unity window actuing weird in windowed mode

Balancing

-Made infest with crime also make locations generate 1.5X more resources in total, so its useful even when you dont think you will lose the building -You can now infest farms with crime. -Renovations now does way more interesting things with terrain -Renovations Mission Starting base now more defensible. Added a couple additional starting rangers, and snowy mountains and marshes and ancient forests to appropriate parts of the map to create interesting combat,. -Hellbears are now considered beasts because they were in a beginning mission and confused people and due to their new stat buffs, they still have their special demon flags though. I plan to add an actual "Demonic" bear in the futre. (Rangers now do their +5 to them) (Twas a lame newb trap) -To make up for stat updates added additional ranger to high ground -Added some secret stat updaters that should make some individual units more interesting for detail oriented players. --Also has lore implications -Made grindylow fish for children command cost 5 (which is about the average you get back) -Doubled cost of grindylow lairs

IMPORTANT NEWS:

First, hey there! I am Michael Hamm, the developer of DR4X. Thank you for reading my changelog. You can follow me on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/Untrustedlife Mastadon Here: https://peoplemaking.games/@Untrustedlife I have like no followers even though the game has actually a weirdly decent amount of players now. Follow me on social media! I hope you like the game. And if you have any suggestions or whatever, please for the love of all that is holy, LET ME KNOW YOUR IDEAS IN THE SUGGESTIONS FORUM! I try to get most of the ones I agree with implemented and even stuff i don't agree with sometimes that people ask for just to improve the game for them specifically. DR4X has always been..rather ambitious to put it lightly. So you will note I recently updated the store page to reflect that i have no clue when i'll be out of Early Access. This is actually a good thing. I can just focus on making my game the overly ambitious horror/4x/puzzle/creepypasta/weird game it was always meant to be. I wouldn't have been able to do this without so many people buying the game. You are all awsome!

Onto the actual news

So, there are a couple things here and there I want to force myself to finish before I continue working on the new faction I hinted at on wednesday. Its important stuff i've been putting off adding for awhile now and some of it got in in this release. The game has a story if you would believe that and its been somewhat neglected. Even if the new faction will also help flesh things out in that area too. Theres also some important gameplay improvements i really want to add that will make the whole base building part of the game better. I don't think i'll work on that til i add the new faction though. It won't be the next undertale or whatever but its something. Anyway! Cheers! Scroll down for some extra ramblings and some good music...

I recnetly finished playing through Deltarune. I am now playing undertale., And the soundtrack is amazing. In fact i was listening to this awesome hopes and dreams remix by Nick Nitro as I wrote this changelog! Its good. [previewyoutube=XWSRJcqcTsE;full][/previewyoutube] Though I think Robbie's music is better...

Subscribe to Robert Matheson, the DR4X composer on youtube!

Robbie is a good friend of mine and makes amazing music! Here is one of the DR4X themes I quite love, Its what plays when you are winning a scenario! [previewyoutube=IcjOEiaeahw;full][/previewyoutube] And heres one of his amazing Non-DR4X songs! [previewyoutube=4wQgd9tbVS0;full][/previewyoutube] And Another, that features his beautiful singing voice! [previewyoutube=GU5G4LhyO6g;full][/previewyoutube] Subscribe to him and let him know i sent you!

[ 2023-01-23 06:06:10 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hark and heed, my lord! 'Tis I, Khan Shonsurrey, your loyal advisor here to invite thee to an event of artistic expression. Every Thursday, my esteemed colleague Grimwit, a master of the 2D arts, conducts a live stream on the platform of Twitch, under the handle of natch_evil. We call it "DR4X art stream" and it is a spectacle not to be missed. The link to the stream can be found here: https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil We are currently live and the stream doth run for several hours. I implore thee, my lord, to join us and witness the beauty and creativity of Grimwit's art. I hope to see thee there, my lord.

[ 2023-01-20 02:24:01 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey guys! I wanted to anounce this quick so that those who haven't messed with the options menu don't get confused when moving their units doesn't work the way it used to next time they play the game. In the update I deployed today, which changed quite a few things. I made it so that the default way you move and attack with units is now right click instead of left click. Left click to select, right click to move and attack. You can disable right click to move in the options menu if you don't like these new controls, but i reccomend you play with it, as I think you will prefer it. I also changed the way moving units works and so on, and that will be quite clear when you play. But now it grays out places where you can't move while leaving places where you can move the normal look. Which makes moving units around feel more battle of wesnoth, less whatever the heck it was before. Various other QOL changes aswell. One important thing to note. I'll be starting on a new faction this week. And im not sure it will be done by the day i usually do change logs, so I may extend the time for this changelog a week or so, we will see. Either way, think of this post as kind of a mid point anouncement heh. I also fixed some resolution issues with windowed mode. I also reworded some stuff to be more clear. I changed the default zoom and scroll speeds. I changed the look of deploy mode. I updated the UI a bit more. Balance changes to Grindylows Various other things too, but since this isn't a proper changelog you will have to wait on the details for the rest until I do a changelog.

[ 2023-01-17 00:29:24 CET ] [ Original post ]

Greetings! join us at our weekly DR4X art stream on Twitch. My main 2D artist friend Grimwit streams every Thursday. You can find us at this link: https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil We are currently live and the stream typically runs for a few hours. I hope to see you there! edit: stream over

[ 2023-01-13 02:10:24 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey guys! Loads of useful changes this time around! Most notably! Map modes! And other UI updates like i've been doing.

Gameplay and UI

-There are now two map modes "normal" and "resource". Resources replaces the stuff below healthbars with the resources used or generated by the thing on the tile. Normal is well, the way it normally looks.

-Made repeatabletrigger run on turn started rather than turn ended. -Made current unit info tab stay open between switching units and buildings (If it can!) this should speed things up a bit for people who just want to do a bunch of commands. -Added angle to camera -Added ability to rotate camera with shift and right click (up down and around) -Added black outline to win/lose text. -Added black outline to floating text. -Allow to rotate game board with mouse -Added black 'shadow' around units. -Added more meats to food generator. -Improved mushroom models -Added button for recentering camera. -Added button for setting camera back to starting angle. -Added 300 millisecond delay on tooltips (not sure if i want to keep this) -Made tooltips centered instead of "extending" the mouse. -Updated command buttons -Updated exit unit info graphic

Bug Fixes

-Fixed scenario popup (the King sends you a message) blocks the view while the enemy is attacking. -Make it so switching units or selecting a building closes unit portrait maximization. -Fixed bug where vigil mode button would still be active even after building and therefore losing your action points. -Fixed unit cavity effect. -Fixed camera snap to unit and building and start bug. -Fixed trigger bug where it would sneakily error out on start sometimes. -Fix office graphics.

Balancing

-Made it so crits also always do at least 1 damage. -Made it so when you have advantage you always do at least 1 damage even if your damage types are too weak to do anything normally or doubled.

Suggestion for testers

-See how the addition of map modes improves things. ALso let me know if I should keep the tooltip changes.

YouTube Spotlight!

A couple videos this time! One by philososhy and one by "MrThimato" playing as the mushrooms. [previewyoutube=9lpTwik2bz4;full][/previewyoutube] [previewyoutube=eEbPS3JA4ss;full][/previewyoutube]

[ 2023-01-09 03:29:13 CET ] [ Original post ]

Greetings! I'd like to extend an invitation for you to join us at our weekly DR4X art stream on Twitch. My main 2D artist, a dear friend of mine streams every Thursday. You can find us at this link: https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil We are currently live and the stream typically runs for a few hours. I hope to see you there! I totally did not use an AI to write this text and you can't prove i did or didnt.

[ 2023-01-06 01:30:35 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey guys! Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas! I'll be in Arkansas for the next week or so and wont be bringing a computer with so I won't be updating for the next week. Grim (My Artist Friend) and I have been working hard to bring you guys something substantial this week for a DR4X update. We ended up overhauling the tiles and UI based on player and nonplayer feedback. There are also a few balance changes, other extra bits here and there and so on.

Gameplay and UI

-New Rogue Model -New Ranger Model
-New Zombie Model -New Plague Bearer Model -New Ghoul Model -New Arsonist Model which matches their profile pic more -New Warrior model -New Cutpurse model -Reworked Camapign Screen UI
-New Button Art -Updated Resource icon/Buttons at the top of the screen to look way nicer -Updated deploy mode header to something nicer -Updated scenario mode header to something nicer -Improved goals popup
-New sounds when news and menu pop up -Decluttered top of screen in game -Completely reworked tile art
-Updated gambling hall and inn descriptions -Added cute cartoon hands to some of the models to make it easier to tell which direction theyt are facing and to make it prettier -Make turn progression be in bottom right and hide end turn next building and next unit -When game ends it also hides the next turn, button and the next unit and next building buttons -Snowy moutain is now higher up then normal mountain -Updated next turn button -Updated next building button -Updated next unit button
-Made ProNode NodeOS dichotomy more consistant. -Made outline on units thicker -Added new program to terminal -You may notice some extra particle effects here and there, fore example you can see the acid dripping from rust spitters mouths nopw. The fire on the arsonists cigar and so on. -Updated some text to be more evocative of the world. -More spooky string changes

Bug Fixes

-When i changed the material shader forever ago, I apparently forgot to update the particles to show up over them so for the longest time particle effects havent worked great. I have now fixed them all. -Fixed bug where units would show up over tiles even if they were techniclaly behind the tile. -Fixed issue with The Hunt scenario where tiles werent up to date in it and only it for some reason -Fixed bug where end turn tooltip would hang on screen while turn was progressing

Balancing

-Im pretty sure I did make some balance changes, but i didnt write them down so i guess its a mystery lol

Suggestion for testers

-Try out the game now!

YouTube Spotlight!

-Nothing this time

ADDITIONAL NEWS!

I'll try to get the map modes in for next changelog in two weeks. That and some rogue rebalances. I really really want to update the bandit faction. I also have some ideas to make the tile placement of buildings matter more.

[ 2022-12-23 23:24:28 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello, there i'd like to invite you to the weekly D4RX art twitch stream! We do a D4RX art stream almost every week on thursday! My friendo. who arts for D4RX is streaming! https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil As of this post, the stream is live. It generally goes for a few hours. I'm always there hanging out with him! Edit: it is now done

[ 2022-12-16 01:48:08 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey guys! So ive been sick for about the last two and a half weeks, only recovering by yesterday really. So I havent been able to get much game dev done this cycle. I still dont feel 100% more like 95% but thats a lot better than I was feeling before. Also, dwarf fortress just came out on steam and as you can imagine i've been playing the heck out of it. That coupled with the fact that I was sick for nearly two and a half weeks (only recovering by yesterday). Means i didnt get much dr4x done this last two weeks. Sorry Guys. Game dev is important but my health is more important. This one wont be formatted like my usual changelogs since there just isn't as much. Changes: -Fixed bug where scenario loading screens werent displaying all possible loading images -Added 3 new loading screens -Misc spookiness -Updates to save and load menus -Exitting the save and load menu on main menu runs nodeOs starting sequence. -Doubled chance of rare loading screens popping up DR4X is on sale til the 13th for #TurnBasedFest so i'd like to thank those that have bought it so far during this sale. You are awesome and your support matters a lot! Remember to leave reviews too! !

[ 2022-12-11 04:16:12 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello, there i'd like to invite you to the weekly dr4x art twitch stream! We do a dr4x art stream almost every week on thursday! My friend, who is also the main DR4X 2d artist is the one that is streaming. https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil As of this post, the stream is live. It generally goes for a few hours. I'm always there hanging out with him! Edit: Stream over!

[ 2022-12-09 01:50:18 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello, there i'd like to invite you to the weekly dr4x art twitch stream! We do a dr4x art stream almost every week on thursday! My friend, who is also the main DR4X 2d artist is the one that is streaming. https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil As of this post, the stream is live. It generally goes for a few hours. I'm always there hanging out with him! This time however i'm mostly just in chat, i'm still sick so. Edit: Stream over!

[ 2022-12-02 01:45:41 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey guys! Sorry for the late devlog this time! I accidentally got a cold. So yesterday I was resting. Still not feeling great, stuffy and a sore throat. But things must go on. Not so weekly Changelog number 63 So as usual this is just kinda a summary of all the changes from the past couple weeks ignoring some simple changes. Most have been live for awhile now. And a new build should be available as this post comes out. Anyway letsa go...

Gameplay and UI

-Added new hourglass loading animation for "week progressing" replacing the old ugly black bar
-In more places the game now places a translucent black rectangle under the hint text for readability (Though I dont think i did this for scenarios yet) -Improved A.E.S.T.H.E.T.I.C of [NODEOSERROR] -Fixed minor typos in [NODEOSERROR] -Slowed down default text speed in dialogue -Fixed loads of minor dialogue issues in [NODEOSERROR] -Dialogue now supports rich text and text animations -Made minigame visual effects better -Added new hidden flag -Unit info can now utilize text animations and rich text -Add more dialogue to [NODEOSERROR] -Updates to some unit descriptions -Optimized dialogue code -Various other misc improvements to things -Renaming units now utilizes [NODEOSERROR] -New Hints -More [NODEOSERROR] dialogue

Bug Fixes

--Minor audio fixes on [NODEOSERROR] --Fixed bug with map gen screen glitch effect

Balancing

-Red King's Heir now has higher TENACITY by default -Some kingdom balancing (Misc changes to unit stats etc) -Misc scenario updates

Suggestion for testers

-[NODEOSERROR]

YouTube Spotlight!

-Nothing this time Thanks guys!

ADDITIONAL NEWS!

Sorry for the smallish changelog this time. But I actually had to overhaul quite a bit of the internals to add text animations so more actual balance/faction updates should happen in the next couple weeks.

[ 2022-11-27 21:37:28 CET ] [ Original post ]

It is 8pm on a saturday and i'm drinking a glass of super alcoholic punch. So that means, new dr4x changelog! Not so weekly Changelog number 62 So as usual this is just kinda a summary of all the changes from the past couple weeks ignoring some simple changes. A new build should be available as this post comes out. Anyway letsa go...

Gameplay and UI

-There is now a news item when a kingdom finishes researching each individual level of inqusition. --Past untrustedlife would like to tell you that "it has some deep lore meaning or something", not sure what past untrusted meant. But hey. -Added spaceballs reference, also finally improved the lord of bandits win con popup
-All treasure popups now use different flavors of the new pop up art. I plan to update some of the other popups but meh, they might need their own art
-Optimized AI explore algorithm, they now will not bother with map edges since they reveal the edge by exploring a cell adjacent to it anyway, and making them ignore edges allowed me to do significnat optimizations because I didnt have to worry about edges -Optimized AI algorithm a bit, worst case scenario turn time reduced by half on first turn after loading game, and on ongoing turns reduced by a third!
-Optimized the code related to when you select and move and attack with units signiciantly you should see no more stutters when doing that. -Made some major optimizations when moving units around and attacking on large maps. It should be completely smooth now aside from a small hickup at the start of the turn sometimes if you have a large part of the map explored, -Other minor miniscule optimizations -AI no longer recreates enemy list/unit list twice per turn -Made some further small optimizations to right click to move and attack -Gave [NODEOSERROR] his own "voice" -Added goblin archer portrait
-Added goblin priest portrait
-Added more hints -Added more to responses --I'm not even sure what this means but it was in my change list

Bug Fixes

-Fixed bug with one of the new toggles on map gen screen

Balancing

-Increased deploy range on rogues guild and upgraded rogues guild

Suggestion for testers

-I dunno

YouTube Spotlight!

I can finally plug the video my friend Gwen made about her work on the new DR4X trailer! Give her some love! [previewyoutube=N7HBy5fu2iQ;full][/previewyoutube] Thanks guys!

ADDITIONAL NEWS!

So a while ago i changed the way stealth works so you are revealed when you attack. This significantly hobbled the Rogues Guild bandit subfaction, So i'll be doing some improvements to them. There are also several player suggestions I want to get in. I'm not sure if after that it will be necromancer time, or if i'lll instead choose to keep working on filling in the secretty story bits. Then eventually i'll get to the necromancer/lich faction. Which will require some changes to the map gen screen, since they are by definition not a kingdom or cult. I guess they are kinda like a death cult. But they will play so different from cults that they might just get their own counter. Or a toggle that adds them to the cult rotation. (So i dont have to worry about the balance implications of there being 13 additional necromancer factions running around at the same time as kingdoms and cults if you were to choose to the max number of all of them. They will of course also get their own bunch of Goals/WIn conditions to choose from. Anyhow! Thanks!

[ 2022-11-13 02:49:41 CET ] [ Original post ]

Wow I just cant stop breaking things can I. Okay so turns out the misc optimizations that were deployed the other day ALSO broke unit selecting in cases where, for example, treasure was dropped by the unit. This actually resulted in at least one refund. This is fixed now. May the cubes have mercy on my soul. I also buffed the deploy distance on rogues guilds. I also workied on the exploration algorithm the AI uses to optimize it more Resulting in double the speed on all but the first turn in the worst case i could test with and a first turn that runs 33% faster in this same worst case. Normal big changelog will be up on saturday. steamsalty

[ 2022-11-11 19:50:13 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello, there i'd like to invite you to the weekly dr4x art twitch stream! We do a dr4x art stream every week on thursday! My friend, who is also the main DR4X 2d artist is the one that is streaming. https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil As of this post, the stream is live. It generally goes for a few hours. I'm always there hanging out with him! Edit: Stream over!

[ 2022-11-11 02:13:53 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey guys! Turns out in my insatiable attempt to optimize the game I broke unit highlighting like 2 days ago. It is fixed now along with other more minor optimizations added. Sorry lol

[ 2022-11-08 03:03:45 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello, there i'd like to invite you to the weekly dr4x art twitch stream! We do a dr4x art stream every week on thursday! My friend, who is also the main DR4X 2d artist is the one that is streaming. https://www.twitch.tv/natch_evil As of this post, the stream is live. It generally goes for a few hours. I'm always there hanging out with him! Edit: Tis over

[ 2022-11-04 00:11:24 CET ] [ Original post ]

Happy (early) Halloween! [previewyoutube=W-F2NimAwnw;full][/previewyoutube] Not so weekly Changelog number 61 So this week I worked on fleshing out some of the more esoteric parts of the game. I also added some useful new features. I decided to focus on the spooky fun things because with an influx of downloads I don't want there being too many holes in the [REDACTED] (But understand that the game is still in development so its not at all fleshed out. And some things may be added or removed in time.) So as usual this is just kinda a summary of all the changes from the past couple weeks ignoring some simple changes. A new build should be available as this post comes out. Anyway letsa go...

Gameplay and UI

-Your faction name can now handle rich text tags, so if you want to, say, add color to your empire name using or whatever, that will now work. You can see all the possible basic tags here: for bold for italics to color it red or whatever color you want You can also change teh size There are a few bonus secretty ones too and also bonus things you can get with brackets , eg, try [FRUIT] -Game is more reactive to your choices -Added more secretty secret hints -There are new ways to search for secrets -Added more [REDACTED] -Try not to anger [REDACTED]. -Added more spooky load text -Its [REDACTED] -[REDACTED] has more [REDACTED] now. -Lore is now more accurate -Add more "direct" references to [REDACTED] and [REDACTED [REDACTED] -Added ability to disable world age wildlife on skirmish screen if you want an easier game
-Added ability to disable dark forces on skirmish screen if you want an easier game
-New unit profile pic for Goblin Pikemen is now used in game
-New unit Profile Pic For Goblin Legionaire is now used in game
-Though the screenshots above don't reflect this, I have removed the "WIP" warning from all noderooms settings. -Added new desert tile to noderooms

Bug Fixes

-Fixed bug where some of the popups had the incorrect colors.

Balancing

-Some minor unit stat changes for [REDACTED] reasons

Suggestion for testers

-Just have fun!

YouTube Spotlight!

None of that yet. Thanks guys!

BONUS NEWS!

DR4X has had nearly 100 sales on steam in the past 3 days. This is insane! Thank you for all the support! If you havent yet! Leave a review! Also participate in the discord and on the steam forums! Lets see if we can get even more downloads!

[ 2022-10-29 23:24:27 CET ] [ Original post ]