Today, I'm proud to introduce the newest version of NetherQuest. I must apologize for the lengthy delay, as it's the first update since November 2019. Still, I think anyone that has followed the progress of NQ all these years will be pleasantly surprised by some of the changes and additions we've made. Here's the summary:

SCENE AND WINDOW CHANGES
-expanded the battle system option from quicktools, allowing for complete (non-regulated) battle sim
-Item/Skill/Spell details window has been greatly enhanced, providing much more information than the previous one-page.
-Sortable windows for using spells/skills, and in the Leveling scene for quicker access
-New pop-up option in the shop scene now allows players to manage equipment when it's purchased
-The Quicktools menu now allows map access to the Atlas scene, the Questbook scene, and the new MINI-MAPS scene
-Control Button from map now brings up the controls layout for the scene, giving players a reference to what button does what
-The new overlay HUD gives greater insight than the former left-side HUD window
-Quicksave option from Quicktools to save without going into the menu
-'Rollette' minigame introduced
-Camping with the addition of tent items
-Fasttext popup window is less intrusive, smaller, and appears near player
-Intro scene greatly improved and a bit more dark
-File Manager scene now shows Genesis Stars/Realm Treasures as well as progress, instead of the long line of party members, much more graphically appealing

BATTLE SYSTEM CHANGES
-fine tuned the targeting and movement mechanics, especially for large characters
-added battle destructible objects, like boxes, crates, and pots
-overhauled the rewards popup--way less intrusive and appears near character who has scored the battle kill
-added 'battlecries' to certain enemies who will now speak to the party when in battle
-added 'teamwork' popup face window when a teamwork attack is taking place
-added a sliding popup for certain moments in battle
-fixed the 'full life attack' display when an FLA is being performed
-added a notice popup when party is standing on element-star spaces
-revamped the way states are handled, making the notice of state effects faster
-new target character flashing
-introduced ability to target multiple enemies with single-target weaponry when the two character overlap and with smart targeting
-added the option to bypass the 'bonus popup' display when attacking, speeding up the battlefield process significantly if chosen
-increased size and speed of battle damage popups
-added quick popup of chosen party member's name when chosen to move

DATABASE CHANGES
-added elemental spells through spell level 10 (spell/skill count is now 429)
-added enemies as needed (bringing count to 104)
-added new items, including new alchemy recipes (item count 343)
-finished the creation and implementation of findable RAPMs (randomly generated party members, complete with their locations and quests

GRAPHICAL CHANGES
-complete overhaul of NPC graphics, using the custom parts and edited parts to make our own facemaker and the Character Hub to create matching sprites (this part took many months to complete, but is part of our game-overhaul, as we prepare the game to be free of 3rd party credits and look at marketing in the future).
-overhaul and improvement to enemy graphics. Now 100 percent custom

MAP, CHARACTER, AND STORY CHANGES
-added door markers for 'hidden' backdoors
-created the nation of Sarx
-created the town of Lockmore, in Sarx, and the storyline that plays out there
-main storyline now progresses through Mount Orion and the town of Lockmore
-added about 20 new quests
-added many new 'voice' instances, including the introduction cut scene

BUG FIXES
-really too many to name or remember...

I'm super proud of this update and have worked tirelessly on it. I've begun to think I may never have enough years to finish NetherQuest, but it is so much fun to create and I learn so much each time I code. I hope you enjoy it a tenth of what I have when and if you give it a try.

Go get those Stars!