We've been monitoring the bug reports coming in from the Beta for Events.

Today's hotfix addresses these issues:

1. Problem creating a new game from a previous world file

2. Problem with old save files, saved in a dungeon

3. Problem entering mage tower from the Mabren mage tower quest

You should be good to play now!

Thanks for trying and reporting!

Travel the world and encounter dynamic narrative Events. These are unexpected situations that offer choices, skill tests, opportunities to roleplay, rewards, and consequences.

We’ll run the beta for 2 weeks, seeing what issues come up. If everything looks good we will release to everyone July 11.

Mods

Please note, the purpose of the beta is to see if what we made works well and what needs improvement. First we'll make sure it works, then after public release we'll tell you how to modify it to make your own events.

• We’re starting with 30 events, more will be added as we develop other features

• Added a new icon system for map events - patrols, resources, etc. They appear directly on the map.

• Replaces the old Tracks system - you now spot tracks from afar and choose to engage with them or not

• Replaces the old Resources system - you now collect resources by walking over it and the terrain type determines the resource. If it’s a mundane event you get the resources. If there is a special one, you play it out.

• Removed "hex view" - where clicking a hex showed a background and menu of options. This has been streamlined to just walk into the thing and the right thing happens - collect a resource, enter a town, enter mage tower, enter a lair. A pop-up will ask you to confirm entering a lair.

• Added a new Item type - a “giftable”. These can be sold, but they are special unique items that can be gifted to NPCs to provide big relationship bonuses.

• Some events are repeatable, some are once per lifetime. Some of the rewards can be quite significant.

• Campsite items are now useable at any time on the map

• Ambushing/following monsters back to a lair is only available through tracks-events. Hiding from a patrol is just a different skill check for running away

• Removed the old forced 'events'. Events are now 'opt in' by walking into them.

• Resource events can be spawned by inquiring with the locals, just like before

• Night time no longer drops the temperature so much it causes the world to be coated in snow every 15 seconds - that drove me nuts!

• Frozen lakes and oases no longer spawn out in the middle of the ocean

• We significantly changed how resources are spawned and collected. Let us know if you think the balance is off for amount of resources you get and how many you need for quests.

You can access the beta branch by right-clicking Archmage Rises in your library, selecting Properties, then Betas, then select Events Beta from the dropdown list of branches.

I’m pleased to announce the Events feature is ready enough to set a ship date!

We’re performing an internal QA next week, and as long as we didn’t break anything serious, we’re going to put out the new Events system for you to play on the Beta branch Jun 27.

We’ll run it in beta for about 2 weeks before launching it to everyone.

Example of the events on the map

While traveling the world, you’ll now encounter dynamic narrative Events. These are unexpected situations that offer choices, skill tests, opportunities to roleplay, rewards, and consequences.

• You’ll see events appear directly on the world map as you explore

• We’re starting with 30 events, more will be added as we develop other features

• Replaces the old Tracks system - you now spot tracks from afar and choose to engage with them or not

• Replaces the old Resources system - you now collect resources by walking over it and the terrain type determines the resource. If it’s a mundane event you get the resources. If there is a special one, you play it out.

• Added a new Item type - a “giftable”. These can be sold, but they are special unique items that can be gifted to NPCs to provide big relationship bonuses.

• Some events are repeatable, some are once per lifetime. Some of the rewards can be quite significant.

• For the first time, you can add custom content to the game. Write events in JSON and the game will use them. Instructions will come after we do the public release, for now you can see what it is like in this video https://youtu.be/foSNharBHxc

The events system is quite robust and dynamic. It’s one reason it took so long to make. It will be used by the next two features we will work on: Regions and Dynamic Quests.

• I exited a town and saw an event to the west. I went towards it.
  
• Just as I reached it, another event spawned to the east, right beside the town
  
• Just as I reached it, another event spawned to the west, close to where the first one was

“There is a difficult balance of when to conform content to the game, or the game to content.”

• GOTO support (either jump to a stage or use the options at that stage)
  
• Blackboard Values / Flags (keeping track of how many goblins died)
  
• conditionals support (not true conditionals, but a similar effect can be achieved with random-stages + prerequisites)
  
• dynamic text and text variation
  
• AnyLairsNearby()
  
• CheckBlackboardValue()
  
• CustomPrereq()
  
• FledBattle()
  
• HasFood()
  
• HasItem()
  
• HasNotSeen()
  
• HasSeen()
  
• HasSeenAny()
  
• HasSpell()
  
• HasTool()
  
• HasVariable()
  
• LacksItem()
  
• NeedsTool()
  
• WonBattle()
  
• AddOutcome()
  
• GainStamina()
  
• GenerateBattlePlan()
  
• GenerateRandomWeapon()
  
• Harvest()
  
• IncreaseReputation()
  
• IncreaseWellbeing()
  
• IncrementBlackboardValue()
  
• LeaveHexEvent()
  
• LoseGold()
  
• LoseItem()
  
• LoseMagicXP()
  
• LoseStamina()
  
• MarkSeen()
  
• PickFoodItem()
  
• PickItems()
  
• PlaySFX()
  
• QueueHexEvent()
  
• ReceiveDrink()
  
• ReceiveGem()
  
• ReceiveGiftable()
  
• ReceiveGold()
  
• ReceiveItem()
  
• ReceiveMagicXP()
  
• ReceiveMonsterLore()
  
• ReceiveMount()
  
• ReceiveRandomWeapon()
  
• ReceiveSkillXP()
  
• ReduceToOneHP()
  
• ReduceToOneStamina()
  
• RestoreHP()
  
• RevealLair()
  
• SetBlackboardValue()
  
• SpawnBattle()
  
• SpawnFloatyText()
  
• SpawnHexEvent()
  
• SpawnPatrolHere()
  
• StunPatrol()
  
• SwitchToHexEvent()
  
• TakeDamage()

• We have the 30 events written and encoded into the JSON.
  
• We’ve playtested them together, as a whole, and A) It doesn’t suck and B) It feels pretty good.
  
• Our community manager Monster Tamer Bloba has playtested it
  
• We’ve made both PC and Mac builds - it’s been a while and we have to make sure our automated build system still works

1. Concept - Team decides to do X. Everyone is excited. X is gonna be great!
   
2. Formation - Team defines X. What it is, what it isn’t. Where it comes from (inspiration)
   
3. Core - Team starts building X. Some parts of X are really hard, so the team backs away from those. During implementation team learns more about X than they expected.
   
4. Expansion - X is coming along now. X adjacent ideas bubble up, low hanging fruit really, X would be so much better if we included those. That’s X+. Then after some use of X and some content has been filled in, there is a big meeting and realizations come to light. We’re going to have to add stuff we never considered at the start. Some of the initial X ideas have to be scrapped to make way for what’s truly important. Now the team is building X++.
   
5. Release - Release is a process not a date. Team is getting X++ ready to release but with all the changes - what even is X anymore?

The original definition is no longer sufficient light to guide the ship into port.

1. Something more on the map than cities, patrols, and quest locations.
   
2. A satisfactory interruption. A quick in and out taste of something different
   
3. A way to test and reward skills the player has been building
   
4. Small way to make world feel alive and fantastical
   
5. An opportunity for roleplay or morality checks
   
6. A way to share lore
   
7. System we can utilize later for when anything goes on the map
   
   1. The quest system
      
   2. Dynamic quests
8. System we can layer on top of - once there is a region, we can layer in region related events

• Minimum of 30 events
  
• It works

You see the crater ahead. Heat shimmers in the air, and the earth hums faintly beneath your boots. The rock in the center glitters with fractured shards of strange luminous metal.

[Investigate]

[Investigate]
[Back away]

The crater comes into view. Heat shimmers in the air. The ground hums beneath your boots, steady at first, then sharp and uneven. At its center, a rock glitters with fractured veins of luminous metal. But the glow within pulses erratically, eerily.

[Quickly investigate]
[Back away and observe]

You are low on health and the enemy is making an attack roll. If they hit, it’s time to roll up a new character.

And they miss! They miss the THAC0 (or whatever it’s called these days) by some number.

Nothing happens and it’s jubilant and wonderful!

Your opponent makes 3 hits against your character. He’s about to die.

You roll a 6+ armor save – and get three 6’s!

Nothing happens and it’s jubilant and wonderful!

The crater comes into view. Heat shimmers in the air. The ground hums beneath your boots, steady at first, then sharp and uneven. At its center, a rock glitters with fractured veins of luminous metal. But the glow within pulses erratically, eerily.

Quickly investigate - Success
You circle the sky rock and find it cracked, its shimmering veins bleeding pure gold into the dust. You gather what gold you can and make your escape. As you stride away, a sharp implosion echoes behind you.
Gain gold size 4

Quickly investigate - Fail
You linger too long. The pulsing light stops. After a few breaths of silence, an explosion rips through the air, scattering knives of glowing stone in every direction. You hit the ground hard. When the smoke clears, there is nothing left but silence, pain, and blood.
Down to 1 hp

Back away and observe – Always succeeds
Wisely, you withdraw and observe. The pulsing quickens, then stops. In the next instant, the rock explodes, hurling glass-like shards in every direction. When the dust settles, you find a small pool of gold gleaming where the stone once sat.
Gain gold size 2

1. Get a resource (money, xp, item, etc)
   
2. Enter combat
   
3. Get another event which gives you 1,2

• I could give it to a child I know.
  
• I could sell it to an animal trainer.
  
• I could stick it in my tower and forget about it.
  
  • (I’m not interested in simulating pets at this time. I am tempted to add an ‘aging’ mechanic to inventory items so the pup could become a full worg I could then have as a mount).