BattleMaster Community
Toms Other Games => Black Forest => Topic started by: Tom on April 17, 2016, 07:47:59 PM
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Here is where I will post when a new build is available or something else important happened.
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Build 7 has been uploaded. It contains a number of bugfixes, a short in-game tutorial and the family resource display works so that you finally know how much wood, stone and food you have.
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Build 12 has been uploaded, improve and repair should now work.
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Build 13 includes better feedback about last nights events, a few minor updates, and a (temporary) debug / performance window where you can play with various options.
Please use that last one and report the results (i.e. what affects frame rate?). I very much need some data from you guys to know where to optimize.
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I've made a short gameplay video. Probably not the best there is, but it should give a rough idea of how the game plays:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENsB4DJEAwY
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Build 14 has been uploaded, with performance improvements and some UI improvements.
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I'm adding a simple scoring system and completing some internal code. Waiting for one player who has login troubles to join the open games and then will start at least one of them.
In the near future, there will be a complete reset and then start of the beta phase.
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Currently working on: Animated display for the monsters.
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Build 15 has been uploaded. This contains an API update, which means you need the new client to access the game.
Download links:
Mac: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/9638874/Schwarzwald-Alpha-Build15-Mac.zip
Windows: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/9638874/Schwarzwald-Alpha-Build15-Windows.zip
Linux: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/9638874/Schwarzwald-Alpha-Build15-Linux.zip
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Build 16 has been uploaded, download links:
Current Version: Build 16, released May 17, 2016 - Mac OS X (https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/9638874/Schwarzwald-Alpha-Build16-Mac.zip)
- Windows (https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/9638874/Schwarzwald-Alpha-Build16-Windows.zip)
- Linux (https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/9638874/Schwarzwald-Alpha-Build16-Linux.zip)
This build contains a lot of improvements. You can now see the hunger status of your peasants, the resources stored in houses and some other details. It also contains the new gameplay with ruins and clearing them.
There is also a new background environment, which should improve performance dramatically. There are toggle switches in the lower-right corner, please play with them and report to the feedback topic what you see, performance wise.
This build contains an API update, so you have to update the client.
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From now on, turns will run automatically.
Every 2 hours, the game checks if everyone in a game made their move. If so, turn is run. If not, it waits. 24 hours after the last turn, a turn is run even if some people didn't give orders.
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Build 17 is compiling as I type this and will be uploaded in one hour or so. This is an incompatible update, so you have to download and use it, older client builds will no longer work.
most important changes:
- Lots of bugfixes
- Monsters trampling over fields now damage them. To compensate, fields now yield 6 food instead of 5.
- All builds are now 64 bit or universal
- Families that were taken already are no longer listed on the family selection screen - this was the reason for the red errors you sometimes got when trying to join a game.
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There was a bug in the latest client. I've pulled the downloads and am building new right now.
That means right now you can't play because the game requires the new client, which you can't download. Sorry. I hope to have this resolved within the hour.
Update: Done, go download and play.
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Beta client is making progress and will contain a massive visual update. Check out the preview on the Facebook page (and please like the page while you're there):
https://www.facebook.com/BlackForestSurvivalGame/
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For the beta-test, we will expand to itch.io to find additional testers:
https://balanuir.itch.io/schwarzwald
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As we are nearing the start of beta testing, with new server and client code, no new games are being opened at this time. If you are not in any of the current games, you will have to wait for a few days for beta testing to begin.
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Planning to shut down the alpha tests and launch beta tomorrow. I don't know if I will be able to update the running games or not. We might start with a clean slate.
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Beta testing has begun - the new client build is available for download here:
http://schwarzwald.lemuria.org/h/download
And there is even a beta launch trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om8JoYLWgRQ
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The first beta game is running. There is also an updated client out with a lot of bugfixes and small improvements, go to the dowload page to get it:
http://schwarzwald.lemuria.org/h/download
This client build is also much smaller (more than 100 MB) than the one before, due to first optimisations that I've made. It might also show better performance on some computers. And it has a couple cool new features.
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Some of what is coming in Beta 5:
Well
The well is a common project, it is in the center of the village and shared by all families. It provides water for the peasants and to water the fields. All peasants are assumed to get their own water from the well themselves, so this part is not simulated in the game. However, to water fields, a lot of water is required constantly. For this reason, the well needs to be manned every day by at least one peasant. It doesn't matter who.
If the well is not manned, all fields will suffer from drought. But since there is natural rain and wetness in the ground, lack of water by itself will not destroy a field. The damage depends on how well (pun not intended) the field is. If it has the full value of 6, there is a 50% chance it will lose one. If its value is 5, there is a 25% chance of a loss, and if the value is 4, a 10% chance. Fields that are already damaged beyond that, whether by animals or lack of water, will suffer no further ill effect.
As you can see, it is vital that someone mans the well every day. How to manage this is up to the players in the game to resolve. To allow time for communication, the well has no effect on the first day.
Watchtower
The watchtower is also a common project, like the well, with similar rules. Its purpose is to look out for signs of creatures in the forest during the day, and to check where good gathering locations are.
If the tower is not manned, peasants going into the forest to gather have to be on the lookout by themselves and can spend less time gathering with no directions to good spots. As a result, there is a 33% chance for every gathering action to return with one resource less. Yes, this means those gathering stone could return empty-handed.
Clearly, same as the well, it is vital that someone mans the watchtower. How to manage this is again up to the players to organize. Like the well, the watchtower has no effect on the first day.
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Here is a dev blog article going more in-depth on this subject:
https://medium.com/@Lemuria/game-design-decisions-35b52aea556b#.6r9zifunk
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Beta 5 is out, download it on the website as usual:
http://schwarzwald.lemuria.org/h/download
A lot of changes. Better graphics, pathfinding for villagers, bugfixes, working wells and towers, a LOT of new things.
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I'm surprised you don't have a patch system for this yet. Seems like it'd save you some bandwidth if the game was only replacing some files, not all of them.
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Yes, but patch systems aren't so trivial either, and can be the source of additional problems.
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Beta 8 has been released, including the long awaited diary viewer, a new graveyard in the center of the village that fills up as the body count rises, and a lot of bugfixes and small improvements.
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Beta Build 11 has been released. It is a huge update with many changes and improvements.
Get it from the download page - http://blackforest.lemuria.org/h/download (http://blackforest.lemuria.org/h/download)
Here is the list of changes:
* PvP Actions added
* Market place is becoming available (not complete, yet).
* ID/Key reminder button works now
* You can now repair other peoples buildings and fences.
* Pressing Enter in chat now sends the message
* Winter ground texture fixed
* Diary entry texts fixed
* Announcements texts fixed
* Dragon shadow fixed
* Pathfinding problems fixed (peasants will no longer be stuck)
* Plant field description fixed
* Fixed a bug where homeless families would find non-existing homes on empty plots (actually, they found houses in other villages...)
* Fixed a bug where resources where collected into destroyed buildings
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The new beta version is live. Here is a list of changes:
- AI: now clear ruins from their land
- Steam: first steam integration (achievements) is under way
- Tower manning fixed
- Games now start automatically when full
- Turns now run every hour instead of every 2 hours, so the "< 1 hour" display is actually correct
- New wall type: Reinforced Wall
- The amount and type of resource gained from clearing land now depends on the building that used to be there
- Diary Reader now contains the village chat as well
- Cinematic View added
- Market place is getting operational, slowly
- New wall type: Reinforced Wall
- better damage display (in % as well as absolute numbers)
- many small bugfixes and visual improvements