Lack of updates but not dead

I'm sorry for my absence and lack of updates to the game, the forum and the site. Dweller is not dead, it's just that I have very little time to work on the game. I've had a super busy spring and summer work-wise (yes, I have a full-time job that puts food on the table) and very little spare time to work on Dweller.

As you may know there's been discussions on the forum on how to improve the UI of Dweller. During the few hours I've had to spend on Dweller each week I've worked on a new UI. It is not yet complete, but it's starting to shape up. If you're curious you can check out the desktop version alpha here.


Source and comments: http://www.dwellergame.com/2013/08/lack-of-updates-but-not-dead.html

Dweller 1.24.18

This version features a reworked forest level with a fixed map. It also fies the issue with not being able to pass a turn by standing still.


#680 Fix issue with not being able to pass a turn
#679 Change the starting zone to a fixed map
#678 Monsters should not teleport if they enter a portal
Source and comments: http://www.dwellergame.com/2013/05/dweller-12418.html

Dweller 1.24.17

I haven't had much time to work on Dweller lately. The death of a close relative has taken it's toll on me  and my family. If you're in a generous mood I suggest that you *don't* donate to Dweller and instead give some money to the fight against cancer. Did you know that there's a one in three risk that a newborn child will be diagnosed with cancer sometime during it's lifetime? You will do yourself or someone close to you a service by supporting cancer research.

Anyways, here's the change log:


#677 Scroll of Recall should transport to the deepest level visited, not the most recent
#676 Adjust price for items that grant immunities
#675 Increase number of keys sold by the merchant
#674 Improve kill tracker to show monster graphics
#673 Improve character dump
#619 Dragon Scale Shield should give fire immunity
#672 Make the NPCs in the forest immobile so that they aren't affected by knockback effects
Source and comments: http://www.dwellergame.com/2013/05/dweller-12417.html

Dweller 1.24.16

Quick release to fix music playback issues and the dreaded crossbow on edge of map bug (again!)

#670 Fix Halberd attack

#669 Fix crossbow issue again

#668 Make sure to pause the music when application is put in the background

#667 Fix spell backfire chance of some items 

Source and comments: http://www.dwellergame.com/2013/04/dweller-12416.html

Dweller 1.24.15

More bugfixes and a first version of sound effects. Note that the sound effects are a work in progress and will require tweaking before they are good enough. You can turn off sound (and music) from the settings menu.


#660 Add sound effects
#666 Adjust spell damage
#665 Fix Bracers of Samson so they don't prevent Orcs from attacking at all
#664 Fix menu scrolling issues
#663 Fix issue with no healing gained when moving to a new level
#662 Fix problem with destroyable terrain
#661 Do not generate chests in open doors
Source and comments: http://www.dwellergame.com/2013/04/dweller-12415.html

Dweller OST

I have received some very positive feedback regarding the music in Dweller. The man behind the absolutely brilliant music is James Michael St. Clair. All of the music is available on Soundcloud in case you need a musical fix when you don't play Dweller. Check it out!


Source and comments: http://www.dwellergame.com/2013/04/dweller-ost.html

Dweller 1.24.14

More fixes:


#659 Fix incorrect push message
#658 Don't auto-center the map when panning around using touch controls
#657 Don't reload Android app when device is rotated

Source and comments: http://www.dwellergame.com/2013/04/dweller-12414.html

Dweller 1.24.12

Minor release that adjusts intro, story, death and win picture size so that it fits on the screen. The new version should also fix the occasional freeze bug that started showing up in 1.24.9. Please let me know if the game still hangs after you update!


#654 Fix story, win and death pictures that are too large on some devices
#653 Fix occasional crash bug

Source and comments: http://www.dwellergame.com/2013/04/dweller-12412.html

Dweller 1.24.11

More bugfixes...

#652 Fix scrambled intro texts
#651 Don't show music toggle setting in J2ME version
#650 Make sure that music doesn't start again if it's turned off when switching level
#649 Make sure Android version is installable to SD-card
Source and comments: http://www.dwellergame.com/2013/04/dweller-12411.html

Dweller 1.24.10

Quick release to fix some font issues.


#648 Add option to turn off music
#647 Loop music
#646 Fix font problem when rotating screen

Source and comments: http://www.dwellergame.com/2013/04/dweller-12410.html

Dweller 1.24.9 - finally!

It's finally here, the next release of Dweller. It's not a perfect release, there's still a few minor issues, but I just had to release something. Please report any issues you find, especially graphics glitches. There's quite a few interesting changes to the impact of Speed and Defense. The following is now true for the stats in Dweller:

One point of speed...
...equals 1% dodge chance
...equals 5% faster actions

One point of Defense...
...equals 1% less damage taken
...equals 1% block chance when using a shield (and each point of defense on the shield increase the block chance by 3%)

One point of Attack...
...equals 1% more damage done

One point of Magic...
...equals 1% more spell damage done

I've also added a few new donor-created artifacts. One is a very interesting polymorph item which I'll probably have to nerf a bit before it's balanced. Don't forget that you can create your own item if you donate €5 or above.

You will also notice that the new version (Android and Desktop) features some brilliant music created by forum user JimmyMike.

#610 Make sure that charmed creatures are valid targets for monsters
#643 Add polymorph item
#641 Add Bracers of Samson or similar item
#580 Targeting mode not displayed correctly - quickslot use then spellbook use
#640 Add Trapper's tools that allow the player to set traps
#645 Change so that stone blocks and other terrain features can be pushed onto almost any kind of terrain
#516 Add missing data to items.html and monsters.html
#644 Add possibility to disarm pressureplates
#636 Adjust speed stat's impact on action (1 Speed = 5% faster)
#638 Remove field of view from minimap to make it easier to use
#637 Add option to hide the message log
#635 Adjust block chance (1 point of own defense = 1% block, 1 point of shield defense = 3% block)
#634 Adjust dogde chance (1 point of Speed = 1% dodge)
#632 Add new splash, death and win screens
#631 Fix weapon damage distribution
#630 Nerf (again) Calvin's Imagination
#629 Fix bug with crossbow hitting three instead of the intended two targets
#628 Fix crash when using crossbow against target at the edge of the map Source and comments: http://www.dwellergame.com/2013/04/dweller-1249-finally.html

Dweller 1.24.0 beta

Now that the user interface work seems to have sorted itself out I can finally focus on new stuff. I'll do a release this weekend unless anything critical is found. I have released a new beta tonight with a change to stone blocks, tables and other pieces of pushable terrain. You should now be able to push them onto any kind of passable terrain without weird results (no skipping terrain and that sort of nonsense). This does mean that the save format for maps have changes slightly and I had to increase minor version from 1.23.x to 1.24.0 to reflect this change. If you do try this beta please take extra care to test pushable terrain and also keep an eye out for terrain interaction that has stopped working (open, close, disarm etc).

Betas are as always available at: files.dwellergame.com/beta

Enjoy!
Source and comments: http://www.dwellergame.com/2013/03/dweller-1240-beta.html

Soon. I promise.

Oh man, it's interesting to see how software projects can go completely off course. What was initially thought to be a few small changes to the way the framework dealt with graphical components (buttons, lists etc) turned into a big and fairly complex rewrite. I think of myself as an experienced developer with two decades worth of experience, both from professional and private projects, and it's not often things like this happen, but sometimes they do, and every time it happens I'm taken by surprise... You would have thought that I would learn to identify situations like this...

Anyway, the rewrite is done and after a few rounds of beta testing I think I might be ready to make a new release soon. The new version will not contain a lot of changes that anyone would notice, but underneath the surface the code is nice and polished :-) Source and comments: http://www.dwellergame.com/2013/03/soon-i-promise.html

A delay and new graphics for dweller

I had initially hoped to release a new version of Dweller last week, but I've been completely swamped at work with little time to work on Dweller. Yes, I know, there's a bug with the crossbow when used at the edges of the map, but you'll just have to be patient and refrain from using the crossbow on monsters at the edges of the map!

The next version will include some really nice intro, death and win screens made by Shroomarts. Until the next released I welcome you to have a look at the post by Shroomarts at his blog: http://shroomarts.blogspot.com/2013/01/dweller-roguelike.html Source and comments: http://www.dwellergame.com/2013/02/a-delay-and-new-graphics-for-dweller.html

Dweller 1.23.2

I've had this version available for beta testing for quite some time and I've given the dedicated people on the forum a chance to test and give feedback. After making some adjustments based on the test feedback I think the version is good enough to release for everyone. Enjoy!

#627 Change from stun effect to piercing effect on crossbows
#626 Monsters should use mana as well when spellcasting
#625 Fix Book of Flames
#624 Show Damage stat on item details screen for melee, missiles and ammo
#623 Change damage resolution algorithm to start at a base value and scale with stats and stat roll
#622 Add Damage stat to weapons (melee and missile)
#621 Monster details view should show if the monster is on fire
#620 Blood should not be drawn on top of bookshelves and cupboards

Source and comments: http://www.dwellergame.com/2013/01/dweller-1232.html

Dweller 1.23.0 - Beta 3, getting closer!

Thanks to all of your feedback I'm getting closer and closer to a reasonable and predictable combat system. In the new 3rd beta I've decreased the defense on several armor pieces and increased base damage on most monsters (especially high level ones).

Give the latest beta a try and let me know what you think here, via e-mail or on the forum. Thanks!

Source and comments: http://www.dwellergame.com/2013/01/dweller-1230-beta-3-getting-closer.html

Dweller 1.23.0 - Beta 2

As many of you pointed out the first beta resulted in too many missed attacks and too wide damage distribution in relation to weapon base damage. I've uploaded a new beta with some changes that will make things more reasonable again.

One important change is that I've increased base attack for all player classes (I forgot to take into account that attack was dropped from melee weapons). Another big change is that I've tweaked damage distribution and to hit resolution a little bit more. This is how things work now:

• All weapons have a base Damage stat
• Damage is increased by 1% for each point of Attack
• Damage is decreased by 1% for each point of Defense on the target
• Damage is modified by attack roll - defence roll % (this is a representation of how well placed the attack was and how well the target managed to twist and turn to mitigate incoming damage)
• Dodge and Block still happen before damage resolution 

Please give the new version a try and let me know your thoughts!

Source and comments: http://www.dwellergame.com/2013/01/dweller-1230-beta-2.html

Dweller 1.23.0 - Beta testing needed!

I've made some drastic changes to weapons and damage calculations. The system I've used so far has been based on some pretty weird calculations and offensive vs defensive stat rolls. It has been hard to really explain the formula used and make things more predictable. Randomness is good in a game such as Dweller, but the randomness can also become a problem if the player can't really anticipate the outcome of his next move.

From now on all melee and ranged weapons will have a new stat called Damage. This is the base damage that a weapon will do when used. Every point of Attack your character has will increase the damage by 1%. To get some randomness going I still have an attack vs defense roll to determine if it's a hit or miss. If it's a hit the damage will be increased by attackroll-defenseroll % to reflect effectiveness of attack and how well armor absorbs the damage. Dodge and block are still there and they work as before.

I've also made similar changes to spell casting where each spell has been given a base damage (not shown anywhere in-game yet). Amount of damage is scaled by 1% for every point of Magic, and also by the offensive-defensive roll (often a Magic vs Magic roll).

All of these changes will inevitably mean bugs and I'd like to get some help finding them. There are beta versions for all platforms available here:

http://files.dwellergame.com/beta/

Thanks!

Source and comments: http://www.dwellergame.com/2013/01/dweller-1230-beta-testing-needed.html

Dweller 1.22.16 - Smoking hot!

Mainly a bugfix release, but also a blazingly hot change: Fire now adds a damage over time effect. This  makes the Wizard more deadly but you should also pay more attention to Goblin Shaman (or stand in water when fighting them).

#618 Standing in water should remove Burning effect
#617 Fire spells should add a Burning effect that does damage over time
#616 Fix problem with Heal and Recharge not working properly in 1.22.15
#615 Fix crash when handing in a quest that doesn't give a reward
#614 Change Slow from -5 Speed stat to 100% increase in time it takes to make a turn
#613 Poison and Slow should wear off after a while
#611 Monsters trading places when trying to reach the player should be based on attack stat, not weight
Source and comments: http://www.dwellergame.com/2013/01/dweller-12216-smoking-hot.html

Dweller 1.22.15

I've come to realize that I need to play around with effects such as poison and slow and make them wear off after a while. The current code is not optimal for this and I might have to refactor some stuff to get it right. With that in mind I thought it better to release the rest of the new features and get player feedback on those while I work on these other changes.

One change in 1.22.15 that I need player feedback on is the changes made to spell damage. In previous versions all fire spells did the same amount of damage regardless if it was an area of effect spell or a single target spell and regardless if it was Dragons Breath or the normal Fireball. In this new version spell damage varies depending on spell type and each spell should have a more stable and reliable damage and not show numbers all over the place. If you fancy playing a Wizard I'd love to hear your thoughts on this!

Another change is that quests can now offer a choice of rewards instead of only a single one. This is especially interesting for quests where rewards were very class specific before (not that there are many quests in Dweller yet). So if you're on the Spider quest you'll be happy to see nice rewards for all three classes now.


#609 Fix problem with poisons not ticking properly on monsters
#608 Add Ranger and Wizard rewards for Spider quest
#578 Add support for choosing between multiple quest rewards
#607 Fire spell damage should be a bit more predictable depending on spell, character level and target
#606 Increase chance of Charm breaking
#605 When a Charm spell break or is resisted it should severely aggravate the target
#604 Reduce number of potions sold by the Healer
#603 It should be possible to push and destroy tables
#602 Add Pulpit, Wooden Debris, Cauldron and Cupboard
#601 Add +Mana to Moonstone Pendant
#600 Mana/energy should be shown on character summary screen
Source and comments: http://www.dwellergame.com/2013/01/dweller-12215.html

Dweller 1.22.14

I managed to screw up the last release by not having the new dev machine properly configured. It's resolved now and a new version with several game play tweaks and a few new items has been released. Here's the full list of changes:

#599 Adjust distance penalty for missiles
#594 Nerf starting stats of the Ranger's dog
#593 It should not be possible to use missile weapons at point blank range
#592 Show Mana on item info screen
#591 Add Moonstone Circlet
#590 Add Mana increase to several items
#589 Add Rod of Subduing
#588 Increase drop chance of Wizard's Staff
#587 Mark Animated Armor as undead/lifeless
#586 Make sure creatures wake up if they are pushed aside by larger creatures
#585 Make sure creatures wake up if they are knocked back Source and comments: http://www.dwellergame.com/2013/01/dweller-12214.html