Hey guys!

It's been so long since the last NetherQuest update. But fear not. It has arrived. Version 0.84 is what we like to call the 'Rebuild'. That's because the version includes some overhauls and our attempt to make things faster for those who aren't into the marathon-pace and deep adventuring that is the basis of the game. The two most time-consuming parts of NetherQuest has always been the battlefield and the NPC/Journal system. Thus, those are the parts that we've concentrated on the most.

Here's the overview:
-Battle Sim -- New Secondary Battle System which quickly simulates random encounters
-Auto Mindsort -- Removes topics when questioning an NPC, when they have no information regarding the topic (automatically)
-Questbook -- Tracks and displays information about Quests
-Vault Scene Actor Change -- ability to switch actors without backing out of the scene (< and >)
-Color-coded FastText PopUp -- different types of information appears in the fasttext popup afront colors for the given type
-NPC Scene Actor Change -- ability to switch actors without backing out of the scene (A and D)
-Journal Topic Muting -- from journal scene, topics can now be muted to remove them from consideration when questioning NPCs
-Minion Flee -- overpowered minions have a chance at fleeing from the party before encounter
-Voice -- voice notifications during certain moments of the game (successful skill use, critical hits, etc.)
-Completion of Ft. Dunn -- The entire map, NPCs, objects, and scenes of the Gray Regime's Northwestern fort is complete!
-Party Political Alignment System -- Party now has a rating with each of the three Gray World Races (shown on menu) that effects aspects of the game
-Flashing Active Combatant in Battlefield -- the battlers that are moving now flash in battlefield (still some bugs)
-New Options from Quick Menu -- (BattleSim, Mapmarks (in progress), Quickheal)
-Hidden, Randomly-Generated Playable Characters from each nation!
-New Nation notifications when passing between territories!

FOR A MORE IN DEPTH LOOK AT THE IMPROVEMENTS, VIEW EACH BELOW AND WATCH THE VIDEO AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BLOG!

BATTLE SIM


We created a way to bypass random encounters. That is, we've created a simulation system that turns the 3-10 minute battlefield encounters into a less-than-a-minute occurrence.

When you approach the enemy and would normally be taken to a battlefield, you are now brought to a simulation scene which creates a 'SimPower' value for the party and the foes. The values are rolled against each other, and the difference between the two is taken from the loser's vitality pool (combined HP of party or foes). The result most often takes 1 or 2 rolls. In fact, in testing, the most it has taken is 5.

Not only does the Battle Sim take way less time, but it also distributes EXP, GOLD, and ITEM drops to all members.

To access the BattleSim, you'll need to open the QuickTools window with 'S' from the map, use the arrow keys to go to the options page, and select the battle system option. It will toggle with each press of space bar between Simulation and Battlefield.

IMPORTANT NOTES ON THE SIM:

-Be aware that the BattleSim system is brand new, and though we've simulated hundreds of battles, we can't rule out the possibility of a glitch.
-On the BattleSim Option of the QuickTools Window, you will notice a set of values, (x/x). This value is called the Ration Rating. In order to run a simulation, you must have the first number over the 2nd. The first number is increased by buying and obtaining potions and rations that heal HP. This keeps the player from being able to wander around without having to use potions and such. So, if you have it set to SIM, and you're still getting brought to the battlefield scene, you may be short of the required ration values. Also, keep in mind that the rating is based on the effect of each ration. A heal potion, therefore, is worth more to this value than a 'breadfood' item. The required amount of rations will go down as your party increases their levels.
-Lastly, there are some battles, (mainly boss battles), that MUST be fought on the battlefield. So even if it's set to SIM in the options, you will still have to fight bosses on the Battlefield.



FOE FLEE

In addition to the Battle Sim, we've also created a system which, (based on the strength of the foes encountered) can cause the enemies to flee straight from the map scene, making travel somewhat easier and faster.


NPC AUTO MINDSORT

In NQ version 0.83b, (the previous version), we introduced 'Mindsort'. This was a spell/skill/scroll that allowed the player to narrow down the topics of NPCS to only those they had information about while speaking to them. In 0.84, we've taken it a step further and now allow the player to choose from the QUICK TOOLS WINDOW Options page, 'Auto Mindsort'. This will make it so that every NPC the player speaks to will already have their topics narrowed.


JOURNAL TO NPC TOPIC MUTING

Now you can mute topics from the Journal so that NPCs won't even speak of the Topic and it doesn't become an option. To do this, go to the journal scene and
go to Topics. Then, select a topic and press SHIFT. Press SHIFT again to unmute it.


SCENE CHANGEABLE ACTORS

Two scenes specifically were a bit rough when it came to the restriction of having to back out to change the active party member. Now, in both the NPC scene and the VAULT scene, the player can now cycle through living party members.


NQ VOICE

Voiced moments have been added to the game. Now, in instances like critical hits, or skill uses, a voice comments on the action!


POLITICAL ALIGNMENT

Your political alignment with the three races, Gray/Fole/Vanian, will now be effected by your decisions and actions in NetherQuest. You can see the alignments for each on the menu.


QUESTBOOK

As part of the Journal scene, we've now added a functional, more-customary 'Questbook' option. This system tracks current and completed quests and gives overviews and quest points, notifying the player when a quest or point is added or completed.


RANDOM PLAYABLE CHARACTERS

You will now be able to find random playable characters in each of the nations. As of NetherQuest 0.84, there are 3. These are characters who are strategically hidden, and when encountered, they will have a small quest to complete. Once completed, they will join the party. They are completely randomly-generated, and thus, there is no guarantee of character class, name, gender, or race. We feel as if this increases the replayability and also makes it so that the player can start with a smaller party, knowing that there are random characters out there who will join along the way.


As always, I appreciate your interest, your feedback, and your time.