Legend of Grimrock (Upcoming Dungeon Crawler game)

[Lucas]

Meanwhile, patch list has grown bigger   (and looks like it's coming soon!)

http://www.grimrock.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=754

Done:
- vsync is enabled by default
- borderless windows are no longer topmost
- pressing ESC closes character sheet
- fixed unlimited frost arrow exploit
- improved display resolution auto-detection at first launch
- fixed a couple of typos and broken english
- removed check that disables high texture resolution setting when running low on video memory (some graphics drivers seem to report available video memory incorrectly)
- quick save/load
- volume sliders
- to avoid confusion autosave & quicksave slots can't be renamed anymore
- adjusted gui layout and camera fov so that user interface elements do not overlap with important screen areas on non-widescreen displays
- invert horizontal mouse option
- camera bobbing option (only available by editing the config file manually)
- configurable tooltip delay (only available by editing the config file manually)
- frame rate limiter (set to 120fps but can be changed by editing the config file)
- custom character portraits
- bug fix: very long map marker notes without spaces in them causes the automap to crash
- bug fix: editing a map marker that is on the same exact spot as a marker on the other map page edits them both at the same time
- bug fix: map labels are sometimes drawn partially underneath map symbols
- bug fix: topmost menu item doesn't work reliably in high resolutions such as 2560x1440
- bug fix: wall text translations are not dismissed when right-clicking
- bug fix: inanimate objects can be backstabbed
- bug fix: projectiles go through doors in some very rare cases
- bug fix: saving the game crashes if all save game slots are full and the autosave slot is deleted or unused
- bug fix: Fighter's Challenge doesn't open if there's an item in front of the door (only applies to new games, existing save games still have this bug)
- bug fix: saving the game just after the end fight creates a corrupted save that can lead to crashes and the end sequence not getting triggered correctly
- bug fix: auto pickup doesn't pick up the correct amount of ammo in some rare circumstances
- bug fix: standing on stairs and turning with the mouse, followed by a turn using q/e keys is buggy
- bug fix: when a monster is damaged, experience point text sometimes (very rarely) flash in a square where a monster has been killed
- bug fix: trying to load a save game that has just been deleted manually from the file system (e.g. in Windows explorer) crashes the game

Work in progress:
- Building the patch

Nice to see the first, small steps toward modding with the inclusion of custom character portraits :)

[Lucas]

...Aaand the patch has been submitted to GOG, Steam and their own store for implementation; should be available within 24 hrs :)

http://www.grimrock.net/2012/04/20/patch-1-1-4-released/#more-1733

[Xilren's Twin]

And in case anyone missed this new bit on their blog from April 5th...

Also, a bit of development related news: we have started working on the level editing capabilities. There’s not much to report yet since the whole thing is still pretty much undergoing some planning and early prototyping but we should be on the right track. Anyways the current plan is to release the editor in stages: initially the editor will be rather simple but more advanced features and scripting capabilities will be added in incrementally in later releases. That way you can get your hands on the editor more quickly and we can get useful feedback from you already in the early stages.

Should prove very interesting once the mod community gets it's hands on this.

[Lucas]

And in case anyone missed this new bit on their blog from April 5th...

Also, a bit of development related news: we have started working on the level editing capabilities. There’s not much to report yet since the whole thing is still pretty much undergoing some planning and early prototyping but we should be on the right track. Anyways the current plan is to release the editor in stages: initially the editor will be rather simple but more advanced features and scripting capabilities will be added in incrementally in later releases. That way you can get your hands on the editor more quickly and we can get useful feedback from you already in the early stages.

Should prove very interesting once the mod community gets it's hands on this.

Yep: beside the creation of entire new maps, you could implement NPCs without necessarily create 3D models for them, by using custom portraits and attach them to a pop-up window that initiate a description/dialogue (the old school way, in other words). In the same vein, you could create a solo adventure with the implemetation of journal notes, for example.

[Lakov_Sanite]

Kinda pissed. I'm on level 9 where some doors are supposed to automatically open up when I pick something up.  Except they didn't and I spent two hours searching every inch of the floor for the way out until finally relenting and checking online to see that it is indeed a bug that some people are getting.  I was loving the game up until that point, now I'm just mad I wasted so much time, I may have to restart my whole game and even then I'm not sure if the bug will repeat.

[shiznitz]

Save your game often, people.  See above.

[bhodi]

Yeah, I got to the thing at the start of level 6 and now I'm fucked. I have to restart because my previous save is almost two hours old.

Oh well, I kind of wanted to try unarmed anyway.

[Lucas]

Want a real "blast from the past" ?  

http://angrymeteor.com/2012/04/19/hello-again/

From the official Grimrock forums:

http://www.grimrock.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=1653

It's a thread dedicated to custom portraits: in it, among others you can find the link to the .zip file that converts the above mentioned Dungeon Master pics to the tga format required for the portraits. Plus, links to BG, IWD and more portraits!



Finally, looks like the lead developer is starting to work on the dungeon editor:

http://www.grimrock.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=2118

[shiznitz]

Yeah, I got to the thing at the start of level 6 and now I'm fucked. I have to restart because my previous save is almost two hours old.

Oh well, I kind of wanted to try unarmed anyway.

I have started with 2 fighters (sword and unarmed) and two mages (fire/air and ice/air).

[bhodi]

I read that 4 unarmed (2 ftr, 2 rogue) is hilariously broken, that you just chain stun everything. As it stands, dex is by far the best stat for front-line.

[Ironwood]

Gothmog.  Good Ole Gothmog.

[Phred]

Want a real "blast from the past" ?  

http://angrymeteor.com/2012/04/19/hello-again/

Unfortunately this just makes me dislike the new skill system even more. My final playthrough of Dungeon Master I took four totally unsuitable characters and built them into multiskilled insanely overpowered supercharacters and I totally miss the ability to do that now.

[Ironwood]

I did the same and it meant that they were totally generic and boring.

I like the system myself.  I hate the spells tho.

[Lakov_Sanite]

Having just beat the game I found the ending quirky and fun.

[Tebonas]

Finished it as well, liked the ending, after a short WTF period. Though I was lucky I was fully stocked on lightning bombs. Otherwise my melee/Ice magic party would have been screwed sideways :)

Restarted in Toorum mode, but I can't figure out a way to survive the room where skeletons come at you from four sides. I think I'll be shelving this one until the mods arrive. And then it will be splendid again!

[Lakov_Sanite]

I wouldn't call it steampunk at the end, more high fantasy.

On the ending specifically.

[koro]

Restarted in Toorum mode, but I can't figure out a way to survive the room where skeletons come at you from four sides.

Easy!

[Job601]

I wouldn't call it steampunk at the end, more high fantasy.

On the ending specifically.

I'm willing to buy that.  But what is the explanation for why they make it possible for adventurers to get through the dungeon, as implied in Toorum's notes?  What's their best-case scenario?

[Tebonas]

Food for the inhabitants of the dungeon? A way to foolproof your defenses?

[Lakov_Sanite]

That or when they themselves need to travel to the bottom they use the dungeon, it's just really complex.  Remember that for the most part the outside world has no idea why that dungeon is there because it's been unused for so long.

[Xilren's Twin]

That or when they themselves need to travel to the bottom they use the dungeon, it's just really complex.  Remember that for the most part the outside world has no idea why that dungeon is there because it's been unused for so long.

Appreciate the effort, but it still makes zero sense.  You don't build a high security prison, leave the keys and controls scattered randomly about and let troops of unknown strangers and aggresive wildlife  just wander around until they accidently cause mayhem.  It's ok though, I only need the thinest of plot veneers so long as the game is good.

[Merusk]

You know you're getting old when you start deconstructing fantasy tropes.

[Lucas]

Work on the Dungeon Editor progresses...

http://www.grimrock.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=2118

Hi!

The progress thread for patch 1.1.4 was pretty popular so I thought why not create a similar thread for the upcoming dungeon editor! The work started today so there's plenty of work remaining. I don't want to give an ETA yet because the scale of the project is a bit unclear at this point.

I decided to start with the hardest part, the script editor. The plan is to integrate the script editor directly into the dungeon editor so implementing advanced puzzles should be a breeze (at least for those who know a little bit of Lua coding  ).

Done:
- Initial planning
- Script editor
- Design for entity serialization in game readable format
- Integrated dungeon editor into game code base

Work in progress:
- Map view

Todo:
- Clean up global variables in code editor
- New revamped IMGUI
- Entity serialization
- Object inspector
- Load/Save dungeon
- Exporting and packaging all files of an user made dungeon into single file
- Add support for user made dungeons to New Game dialog

[Strazos]

So a few questions that I haven't been able to find an answer to:

1) Is there a point to having more than 1 melee weapon equipped on a character? There does not appear to be dual-wielding.
2) Best ways to execute backstabs? Maybe it's me, but I find I just barely cannot maneuver into position quickly enough to get a shot at something's back.

I started playing without looking at much of anything in the way of documentation, and picked earth for my mage, thinking it would provide defensive buffs for the party...Little did I know that you don't get a poison spell for awhile, and otherwise a mage has no real way to attack consistently from the back row.

Thinking of restarting, as I somehow missed the sling, and otherwise slightly botched my builds a bit. We'll see. 

[Tebonas]

1.) As far as I could See - no!
2.) Enemies can be frozen, then its Easy to get some backstabs in. So Ice Magic would be the Way to go there.

[Goumindong]

Thinking of restarting, as I somehow missed the sling, and otherwise slightly botched my builds a bit. We'll see. 

The sling is hard to find. It blends in with the ground.

There is no point to dual wielding [but you might get combat bonuses from both weapons, unsure] as you can only attack based on Cooldowns and Cooldowns are universal

The easiest way to get behind enemies is to stand so that you're diagonal from them. When they move to get besides you immediately strafe to their old position and whack away. This doesn't work with fast creatures, but if you have a maxed assassin it makes ogres really easy.

[Ironwood]

There's a sling ?

Also, learning the movement of the enemies and anticipating is the way to backstab.  There's an art to it and it doesn't work on spiders.

Also, bear in mind some creatures don't seem to have backs.

[Xilren's Twin]

And dont forget there is an invisibility spell too :)  19 points in Air magic iirc.

I completed my second run through to unlock Toorum and i still have not used a bow/crossbow/sling though i have found each.  Those wepaons and the skill just dont seem good compared to the assassination skill.

[koro]

There's a sling ?

Also, learning the movement of the enemies and anticipating is the way to backstab.  There's an art to it and it doesn't work on spiders.

Also, bear in mind some creatures don't seem to have backs.

Everything can be backstabbed. Even slimes have "backs" for the purposes of stabbing.

[ffc]

When I run around an enemy to land a backstab it often times turns into a sidestab which still counts.

Up until floor 3 I think I found all the secrets including opening the bronze doors. I haven't opened a door since. I did get a giant hammer after a fight which has -20 to accuracy, I wonder if it will hit my own party with that kind of penalty.

[bhodi]

And dont forget there is an invisibility spell too :)  19 points in Air magic iirc.

I completed my second run through to unlock Toorum and i still have not used a bow/crossbow/sling though i have found each.  Those wepaons and the skill just dont seem good compared to the assassination skill.

Funny, I'm running:

Liz Fighter (sword/armor to 16 for heavy) (dex)
Liz Rogue (dodge to 2, unarmed) (dex)
Min Rogue (bow) (str)
Ins Mage (fire to 32, 3 in ice for fire elems, magecraft) (int)

And it's probably the most overpowered group. You don't even need assassination; I sure don't miss it. There's really no substitute for a real ranged attack, and unarmed beats daggers every time. You don't have to fiddle around trying to get behind any guy; you just destroy them with massive, massive damage numbers. (FTR, I am playing hard mode). The 5 skulls plus all in bow plus huge str really makes my arrows/quarrels hurt. I generally don't even bother to enchant them.

I'm only on level 10, so maybe it gets harder from there, but I'm about to unlock my level 50 skills and I expect a large damage boost from those.

[Lucas]

Editor early preview 

http://www.grimrock.net/2012/05/11/dungeon-editor-early-preview/

[JWIV]

Picked this up on the Steam sale.   Good christ is it eating my brain.  Slogging through level 3 right now and a million fargin spiders.   

Party make up is:

Lizard Fighter - sword/armor (going to do light armor and high evasion)
Minotaur Fighter - axe/armor (heavy armor)
Human Rogue - Bow
Insect Mage - Fire

[koro]

Wow, the editor for this is still not out yet?

[Yegolev]

/sadf