Breach: Awakening

As of 5:56 AM, the demo for Breach:Awakening is being processed. This was a long night full of bug testing and general hair pulling, with a bit of wall headbutting for good measure.

As of my last test play, the game is relatively bug free. There is a slight hitching/hesitation when some of the special encounters load that appears to be lag or parallel hell, but isn't. They are borrowing the delay for object interactions (to keep from double or triple triggering). I (probably) know how to fix it, but I'm running up against the NaGaDeMo deadline in a hurry and won't have much time to work on my project over the next couple of days.

I had to nix the eventing that prevented the encounter generator from duplicating the same battle three times in a row. During a couple of test plays, I had very bad luck with the random number generator, and it ended up producing noticeable logic loops as it filtered out redundant encounters. I ended up excising all the event code for it, as just turning it off caused other problems.

Am important note. The demo doesn't actually "end". Once the player has access to the elevator to leave the current floor, they are done with the plot progression of the demo, but are still free to explore and attempt the optional hidden boss.

Most all of the info you'll need can be found in-game. After the brief introduction (the newscaster scene), the player gets the option to read demo notes or skip to the game. First timers should find the mini-manual helpful.

One thing NOT mentioned is how the Contain/Capture system works. For Lucas to capture a demon, the target must be weakened (about 1/5th its HP value), Lucas must have ROOM to store the demon (his demon storage is derived from his current INT/WILL. Without power leveling, it should peak around 7 during the course of the demo), he must have a higher level than the creature he is trapping, and he must have enough energy.

The reward for defeating an enemy without allowing it a single strike is not explained either. By crushing your enemies before they can act, you get the choice to restore some health, some mana, or to earn extra exp. There is a glitch (in the player's favor) that causes this to trigger upon the defeat of a certain enemy group. (My fault, did it on purpose so the regen bonuses would make it less annoying to test that group when at low levels.)