Release Notes

Huge infodump ahead ! In the future I'll post these as I make new versions.

0.0.5     added experience gain to encounter, exp worth to monsters and base exp value
             to .msr files.
0.0.6    -encounters now reset when player enters haven
            -sets cp and ap to max after fights now
            -prevents player from walking into the void
            -added neck, arms and feet body slots
            -encounter now checks the size of the room and makes the battlefield the
             appropriet size
0.0.7    -added merchants in .mrt files
            -made merchant stock persistant between visits
0.0.8    -monsters now drop loot
            -added support for non-rectagular battlefields
            -displays monster level when selecting single target now
0.0.9    -intelligence modifies the effectiveness of spells now
0.0.10  -added menu for inv, item use and char sheet while in dungeon
            -items in the shop cost money now
            -monsters drop a little money
0.0.11  -added item selling
            -checks line of sight for ranged abilities now
            -started ranged weapons, no damage calculation, ammo or ranged combat yet.
0.0.12  -implemented the rest of ranged weapons for PCs, no ranged for NPCs yet
            -player can drop items in dungeon now
0.0.13  -added weight and encumberance
            -eliminated duplicate logic in create_inflict_special and
             create_spell_inflict_special
0.0.14  -started special_attacks, apply functionality is missing for now
            -added weapon_bonus_damage special
            -finished special_attack_special
0.0.15  -added gender and character class for PCs
            -displays AP and CP cost for abilities and item specials during combat
            -added cheats for gold, experience and items
0.0.16  -unified multi-page support for dungeon menu
            -added multi-page support for and unified targeting during encounters
            -added multi-page support for special selection in encounters
0.0.17  -added skillwheels
            -added skills on level-up
0.0.18  -added flag for specials that should vanish at combat end
            -changed file names for content files, so they all have .txt file extention
            except .map and .eve
            -added configuration file for drop_rate, start_money and merchant_factor
            -added loot list
0.1.1    -started GUI, all features removed
            -created text_printer
            -added font: lucida sans 14pt
            -transfered string_factory
            -transfered special_factory and specials; all functionality that requires
            the actor class    is missing for all specials
            -transfered item_factory and items
            -transfered actor, player and skillwheel, reactivated specials functionality
            that requires the actor class
0.1.2    -added boxes to the GUI
            -added converter from SDL_keysyms to ASCII for german keyboard layout and
            upper ASCII values
            -added first version of graphical character generation
            -framerate cap 50FPS implemented
0.1.3    -transfered config and dungeon
0.1.4    -started graphical dungeon exploration, including revealing and screen
            switching to shops and fights
            -transfered merchant_factory
            -started graphical shopping, currently lacking feedback, prices and item
            descriptions
0.1.5    -transfered monster_factory, monster and AIs
            -transfered battlefield
            -transfered encounter_factory
            -started graphical encounters; player movement and AI acting without
            graphical feedback implemented
0.1.6    -combat and dungeon inventories, no gear switching in battle yet
            -added fixed character portrait for first PC
            -added colored text support to text_printer
0.1.7    -created scrolling textbox, no scrolling controls yet
            -added mouse moving and message box scrolling for encounters
            -started making circle menu
0.1.8    -added symbols to circle menus
            -can attack monsters via circle menus
            -simple splash effect on doing damage to monsters
0.1.9    -added item usage via circle menus during encounters
            -can use specials on monsters via circle menus
            -added feedback to monster attacks
            -added hp, cp and ap bars to encounter sidebar
            -put numbers on hp, cp and ap bars
            -names and symbols for circle menu options are now set by the encounter
            -added font: lucida sans 10pt
0.1.10  -implemented encounter ends
            -added death screen
            -added loot screen mock-up
            -player can lose and win fights now
            -monsters die
            -player can return to the dungeon after an encounter
0.1.11  -organized graphics in folders
            -added symbols for items
            -added symbols for specials
            -fixed attack special
            -added loot screen functionality
            -added character view mock-up during encounters via circle menu
0.1.12  -fleshed out character view for PCs
            -set string_factory for PC
            -new dungeon map test3
            -added scrolling to dungeon map
            -added scrolling to encounter battlefields
0.1.13  -fleshed out character view for monsters
            -fixed inflict special targeting
            -fixed item usage
            -made battlefield tiles 32px by 32px
            -added symbols for actors
            -fixed mouse movement during encounters
            -fixed mouse movement in dungeon
            -can switch from combat inventory to character screen now
            -added SDL_Surface copying with one color seen as transparent
            -added transparency to actors and damage effects during encounters
            -can control the character in encounters and the dungeon with numlock off or
            with the arrow keys; can end the round in encounters with either return
0.1.14  -finally fixed all the ranged targeting problems by fixing the
            check_line_of_sight function itself
            -added skillwheel screen, gets automaticly called after loot screen if PC
            makes a new level
            -skillwheel screen now draws skills, connections and symbols
            -can select and deselect skills on the wheel now, corresponding specials are
            given to the PC
            -skillwheel now shows a description of the skill on mouseover
            -added access to skillwheel and character screen outside combat
            -lists scroll now on merchant screen
0.1.15  -remaining skill points are now displayed on the skillwheel
            -added bitmap background to skillwheel
            -added simple bouncy thing
0.1.16  -improved interaction between mouse and bouncy thing
            -implemented scrolling for dungeon inventory
            -implemented scrolling for combat inventory
            -added tooltips for items while shopping at the merchant
            -added tooltips for items in dungeon inventory and combat inventory
            -added tooltips for items on loot screen
            -added reveal map event
0.1.17  -can equip and unequip items during combat now, AP cost depending on body
            slot
            -player can flee again through the tile he entered
            -implemented leveling strategies for monsters
            -deleted a ton of commented out code
0.1.18  -added rotation for bouncy thing and graphics loaded from file
            -encounters can randomly chose between different groups of monsters now
            -changed standard_encounters.txt file format
0.2.1    -all basic mechanics except multiple character parties and save games are
            in the game in some form, that makes this the first alpha
            -added resolutions 800x600, 1024x768 and 1280x960 to config
            -started final graphics code for dungeon inventory (no functionality atm)
            -can equip items on dungeon inventory again
            -added tooltip for inventory items (not equipped) to dungeon inventory
0.2.2    -can unequip items in dungeon inventory again
            -added tooltip for equiped items in dungeon inventory
            -added screen buffer to dungeon inventory so the screen is only redrawn as
            needed
0.2.3    -bouncy thing caps time between ticks at 35ms
            -implemented all three resolutions for the dungeon inventory
            -added scrolling to dungeon inventory
            -moved bouncy thing to the middle of the screen width
            -added screen buffer to character view
            -added screen buffer to merchant
            -added screen buffer to encounter
            -can't hold a one hand weapon and a two hand weapon in your main hand at the
            same time any more
            -started final graphics code for merchant screen
            -functionality of merchant screen 1280x960 restored
0.2.4    -fixed memory leaks of graphics on dungeon inventory and merchant screens
            -fixed position changes for graphics as items are equiped/unequiped on the
            dungeon inventory
            -fixed missing screen refresh on using specials during a fight
            -added damage_special
0.2.5    -switched dungeon map to use lines instead of tiles for the graphics
            -added anti-aliasing for map_lines
            -merchant screen functionality for remaining resolutions restored
0.2.6    -skillwheel scales to different resolutions
            -dungeon map scales to different resolutions
            -character portraits are different size at different resolutions
            -started adding resolutions to encounters (maps and map scrolling missing)
0.2.7    -fixed mouse movement in dungeon
            -added stacking item class, ammo now derives from stacking item
            -stacking item usage via circle menu works now
            -corrected error message for unknown ammo_type when creating ammo in the item
            factory
0.2.8    -item symbols are now part of the item class, but can be unloaded
            -added ammount_selection class
            -can now select ammount when buying stacking items from a merchant
            -can now select ammount when selling stacking items to a merchant
            -shows AP and CP cost for attacks, items and specials again

Screenshots

I am slowly adding graphics to the game.
From most to least complete:

Inventory

 Merchant

 Battle

 Dungeon

 Skillwheel

 Character Sheet

Creation Myth

... as told by the moon herself to Erica the Mute.

"A long, long time ago, before there were elves and men, before there was even a sun or a moon, there lived a child out in the void. Of all living things it was the only one with a mind for building complex tools and a curiosity to try and understand, what makes the universe tick.

 But, being unique, the child was always lonely and so, one day, it wanted to create two companions, one of silver and one of gold. It readied it's tools and smelted the metals and formed them in the shape of woman and man as we know them till this day. For a moment the intricate shapes and the glint of the molten metal delighted it so, that it laughed and lost it's care.
The companions fell to the workroom floor and spilled out into the void a two spheres of liquid metal and thousands of thousands little droplets.
The ball of silver is me, the ball of gold is my brother, the sun, and one of the drops of silver ... is you.

The child, the sun and I spent a long time collecting lost drops, gathering them in a place called earth and teaching them curiosity. Until, many thousand years later, the child became tired and withdrew to its workshop for a nap. We have not seen it since then, but the gathering is still an important task for the sun and me; for when you look up at the night sky or into a new-born babys eyes you see, that our work is far from done.

But for many years now we have been idle in everything else, ignoring the pleas of our children; the sun bound by grief and I bound by the chains of promise. At last, that promise is fulfilled and I am free again.
So come, let's save the world."

What's a LoMaS and why should I care ?

LoMaS stands for "Land of Moon and Sun : the Great Sun Temple" and is a game I am currently writing. It plays like a mixture of the dungeon exploration of Mordor, the depths of Dejenol and the combat of the old "The Dark Eye" games (Blade_of_Destiny, Star_Trail and Shadows_over_Riva), in an original fantasy setting all about the moon and the sun.

Why you should care:

• Fight the evil monsters in tactical turn-based combat! Create a hero and forge a party of four into a unit, that can defeat the terror that lurks in the Great Sun Temple.
• Explore the world! Learn all about the world of LoMaS, where the Sun and the Moon are living gods, here on the blog and in the game.
• Create your own content! Most of the games content is defined in simple text files, creating the Sword of No Challenge that kills every enemy in one hit is about a minute of work. The game will also include any editors I used to create its contents.
• Create yout own game! The game, its source and all assets will be released under CC-BY license, so take anything you like and build on it.

This is the first life-sign LoMaS is sending out into the net, I hope you'll have as much fun with LoMaS and it's development as I do.