Released: LoSt v.9 «Broken Windows»

spread the glorious news!

Version 9 is out. Links to the archives are the same as ever:
Windows (exe)
Linux (deb)
Sources (python)

This version mostly fixes some bugs and adds a few more things to do. Now you can blow up stuff with dynamite and shoot stray cats with elephant guns. Here's the changelog:

• Bug: Game would sometimes crash when unloading gun in hand
• Bug: Chainhook critical hits could cause a crash
• Bug: Chainhooks could drag victims over/onto obstacles
• Bug: Crash when actions executed without a proper target/tool
• Bug: Spirit stone displayed false tile when carried
• Bug: Items would sometimes be generated in water
• Bug: Windows version warned about duplicate files
• Bug: Holy site animals would sometimes get "prickly plant" AI
• Props and features: Dynamite, rubble, smithereens, sledge hammer, elephant gun, sniper rifle, gun slits, windows
• Place template: pillbox bunkers
• Game: Inventory items can grant flags/intrinsics
• Game: Stackable inventory items
• Game: Simplified day/night cycle
• Game: Carrying heavy items encumbers the player
• Game: Demolishing house walls
• Game: Beings can trigger actions upon destruction/death
• Game: Worked on corpses and rubble
• Kits: Each animal species gets a random disposition (ornery, shy, docile)
• Kits: (Some) animal families now have set special abilities (cats sprint, dogs charge, horns penetrate, bears deal more damage, etc.)
• UI: Placement of text log now configurable to center, top or bottom
• UI: Status line in menu displays timer for temporary flags
• UI: Menu displays current place and time
• UI: File structure for prop tiles now much more orderly
• UI: Testing out another style for prop tiles
• System: Game now keeps a log file
• System: Config and save files now track release version, tries to repair obsolete options 

Is it right to have left left for right?

I've also been taking the visual style in a more abstract direction. The changes do reflect my experimenting towards a vague plan I have for the visual design of the game. Frankly, it'll also be easier to add content once I don't have to hand draw/steal tiles for each new prop. I'm hoping to get some visual snazz whilst maintaining the flexibility and low maintenance of traditional Roguelike displays. Let's see where it may end. Here's a picture showing some simple examples: To the left, props as they were displayed in version 8. To the right, how I'm displaying the same objects now. Similar items use similar icons, only differently colored. So even encountering a new object, you'd be able to instantly classify it as a whip, bomb, medicine, etc.

Barring any glaring bugs, this'll probably be the last release of the year.

In any case, I'm sorry for spamming you with release notes. The next entry will surely be some piece of text pertaining to game design. I hope to turn my attention towards NPCs now, evolving the AI a bit and adding some more content and features.

As always,
Minotauros