Eschalon: Book II version 1.04 BETA

[Slammer64]

No Linux update yet either.................wahhhhhhh!

[Randomizer]

Whimper still no Mac update and its Monday!



Sigh, guess I'll complain about the heat here instead of newest version..

GAH! Gonna be 105 or more today!

You are so lucky it's only 105. We hit 110 in Phoenix with the highs not dropping below until Sunday.

I guess no Mac version until 1.04 release. *grumble*

[BasiliskWrangler]

Whimper still no Mac update and its Monday!



Sigh, guess I'll complain about the heat here instead of newest version..

GAH! Gonna be 105 or more today!

You are so lucky it's only 105. We hit 110 in Phoenix with the highs not dropping below until Sunday.

I guess no Mac version until 1.04 release. *grumble*

No, I'll get a Mac version of 1.04b BETA posted on Tuesday.

[Farwalker]

Ok, another round of testing the effects of noise, HiS, etc in combat. Significant improvements!

Starting Hidden and Silent (maintaining Hidden Status):

1) Noisy Spell Attack - Target Pursues and Attacks, Non-Target Enemies that hear noise Pursue and Attack (Non-enemies that hear noise do not turn hostile), enemies continue attack even if you switch to silent attacks/actions. There is a serious loophole/bug with change of equipment (see note below), but otherwise this is working great! Moving or hitting space shortly afterward causes loss of Hidden status, although if you wait long enough you should be able to continue on without losing your hidden status (presumably they forget about you or lose track of you). You can pass the time via equipment shuffling and shooting at objects for example. (It would be a great improvement to allow waiting via space bar as well!)
2) Noisy Bow Attack - similar to 1, including loophole/bug
3) Noisy Melee Attack - similar to 1, including loophole/bug

4) Quiet Spell Attack - Target Wanders, Non-Targets no reaction. Can even walk/rest afterward with no loss of Hidden status.
5) Quiet Range Attack - Target closes on character then wanders, Non-Targets no reaction. Moving or hitting space to wait shortly afterward causes loss of Hidden status, but if you while the time away in other ways you can eventually sneak off without losing the hidden status.
6) Quiet Melee Attack - Target Wanders, Non-Targets no reaction. Moving or hitting space to wait shortly afterward causes loss of Hidden status, but if you while the time away in other ways you can eventually sneak off without losing the hidden status.


For comparison, starting Invisible and Silent:

1) Spell Attack (noise doesn't matter) - Target wanders, Non-Targets no response.
2) Range Attack (noise doesn't matter) - Target pursues and attacks, Non-Targets no response.
3) Melee Attack (noise doesn't matter) - Target pursues and attacks, Non-Targets no response.


The Loophole/bug:

There's a serious exploit connected with HiS... if you make any equipment change all enemies who are at that point pursuing or attacking you will quit and start randomly wandering. This means for example that I can shoot away with my bow as noisy as I please, and then when the enemy gets close enough to attack just switch off a ring or whatever, and continue to switch equipment (ring on finger, ring off finger, ...) to pass the time until the enemy wanders off and gives me some range again, then open fire once more.... Repeat until all enemies dead. Or if I'm not careful enough and enemies hear me and attack... oh well ring on ring off, they ignore me again and I'm safe.

Please fix?
(And allowing the space bar for waiting in your hidey hole until your enemies forget about you would be great too!)

[IJBall]

Ok, another round of testing the effects of noise, HiS, etc in combat. Significant improvements!

Starting Hidden and Silent (maintaining Hidden Status):

[Bolding added for emphasis - IJB]

1) Noisy Spell Attack - Target Pursues and Attacks, Non-Target Enemies that hear noise Pursue and Attack (Non-enemies that hear noise do not turn hostile), enemies continue attack even if you switch to silent attacks/actions... Moving or hitting space shortly afterward causes loss of Hidden status, although if you wait long enough you should be able to continue on without losing your hidden status (presumably they forget about you or lose track of you). You can pass the time via equipment shuffling and shooting at objects for example. (It would be a great improvement to allow waiting via space bar as well!)

5) Quiet Range Attack - Target closes on character then wanders, Non-Targets no reaction. Moving or hitting space to wait shortly afterward causes loss of Hidden status, but if you while the time away in other ways you can eventually sneak off without losing the hidden status.

6) Quiet Melee Attack - Target Wanders, Non-Targets no reaction. Moving or hitting space to wait shortly afterward causes loss of Hidden status, but if you while the time away in other ways you can eventually sneak off without losing the hidden status.

...Please fix?
(And allowing the space bar for waiting in your hidey hole until your enemies forget about you would be great too!)

Huh.
I wonder if what you're reporting here is related to the issue with casting Cat's Eyes and losing Hidden In Shadows status after hitting the space bar to pass turns.

It sounds like this issues are related! - You may have stumbled upon the answer to the lingering bug issue, Farwalker!!

(P.S. It's "wile away the time"! Sorry! I couldn't resist!! )

[BasiliskWrangler]

Huh.
I wonder if what you're reporting here is related to the issue with casting Cat's Eyes and losing Hidden In Shadows status after hitting the space bar to pass turns.

It sounds like this issues are related! - You may have stumbled upon the answer to the lingering bug issue, Farwalker!! )

Can someone post me a saved game with this bug all ready to show itself? I am having trouble getting a character to reproduce this "Cat's Eye" bug and I wonder if it may be a certain build, location, environment factor that is causing it.

[IJBall]

Can someone post me a saved game with this bug all ready to show itself? I am having trouble getting a character to reproduce this "Cat's Eye" bug and I wonder if it may be a certain build, location, environment factor that is causing it.

OK, I've E-mailed a Save Game file to your info@ E-mail (unfortunately, it was too big to attach to this forum message... ).

BTW, I've tested this, using two characters - one with Level 1 in Hide in Shadows, and one with 2 Levels of Hide in Shadow exclusively from a Cloak of the Shadow - and the bug was reproducible in either case.

So it doesn't look like the Cloak of the Shadow is the problem...

Let me know if you need anything else!

[Farwalker]

(P.S. It's "wile away the time"! Sorry! I couldn't resist!! )

Grin... wile vs while is perhaps more complex than you think... both have seen use for quite a while but "while away the time" is generally considered to be the earlier usage.

See for example: http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=466

[BasiliskWrangler]

No, I'll get a Mac version of 1.04b BETA posted on Tuesday.

How often do you get to quote yourself?

Sorry, couldn't get Mac version posted today. Will try to get it up early on Wednesday.

[Slammer64]

Guess we Linux users will have to wait till after the Mac update..........................oh, well could be worse, no update at all.

[BasiliskWrangler]

Can someone post me a saved game with this bug all ready to show itself? I am having trouble getting a character to reproduce this "Cat's Eye" bug and I wonder if it may be a certain build, location, environment factor that is causing it.

OK, I've E-mailed a Save Game file to your info@ E-mail (unfortunately, it was too big to attach to this forum message... ).

BTW, I've tested this, using two characters - one with Level 1 in Hide in Shadows, and one with 2 Levels of Hide in Shadow exclusively from a Cloak of the Shadow - and the bug was reproducible in either case.

So it doesn't look like the Cloak of the Shadow is the problem...

Let me know if you need anything else!

Fixed it. Thanks for the saved game.

[CrazyBernie]

Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try.

Did someone say Trigun? 0_o

[BasiliskWrangler]

1.04c BETA for Windows posted. Changelog updated. See top post.

[KillingMoon]

Thanks a lot for all your continued support, BasiliskWrangler!

[IJBall]

As per the front page of this thread, it looks like v1.04c for Linux is now available.