[Release] Scattered Evil for Hexen 2.0 (Nov 15, 2020)

[AvzinElkein]

So it's not meant to be played in GZDoom 4.0.0?

[Frozenwolf150]

Questions to your questions/feedback:

* Timon's Axe has a base damage of 40-62, Axe of the Depths has a base damage of 105-140. What is your feeling, how much should the Axe of the Depths base damage be increased to feel like a worthwile weapon? Its design is by purpose that it's very slow, but it should be so strong you want to use it all the same.

After playing around with Axe of the Depths more, I think the issue is more aesthetic rather than functional. The attack animation makes it look like the Fighter is just lightly waving the axe in front of himself like a feather duster, and it's not a satisfying swing like Timon's Axe. This does affect gameplay, as it's hard to tell when the strikes are going to connect, and timing is crucial with the Fighter because he needs to dart in and out of range quickly.

* Regarding the player cough in poison clouds: was it always the same monster type? Also, were you poisoned yourself at the time?

I had the icon of defender active at the time, so the poison shouldn't have affected my Cleric. I'm not entirely sure what specific monster types caused this, though I was able to reproduce it fairly consistently through regular use of the spell.

* Exterior of Hedyntin Citadel: The invisible blocks should stop monster movement the same as missiles (they are transparent 3D cubes in the air). Can you tell about where you experienced this?

It seems to happen every single time I go through Hedyntin Citadel, and always with the dark bishops and dark cardinals. It looks as though they're spawning outside the blocks. I did not see any of the afrits or dark clergy start on the inside and then move through the barrier.

[Beezle]

So it's not meant to be played in GZDoom 4.0.0?

No, it comes bundled with Vavoom. Still plays great though

[Frozenwolf150]

Forgot to mention this anomaly in the player's inventory.

A crate of icons of the defender can be purchased at Neusus for 625 gold. However, the total you get depends on the current amount in your inventory. If the amount is nonzero, you end up with 12 total. If the amount is zero, you end up with 25.

[rambo]

This is a minor bugfix/tuning release that is 100% compatible with existing 1.6 savegames. Get it from SourceForge or ModDB.

This patch includes all changes from the 1.6.1 patch as well (entries marked with asterisk). This patch can be installed on any Scattered Evil 1.6 full installation, regardless of whether it has been patched to 1.6.1 previously or not.

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New features:

• Brand new Torch using a colored dynamic light
• New menu option to set hotkeys for all common artifacts
• Setup utility for Windows to set game resolution and specify IWAD location*

Bugs fixed:

• Exotic Dancer in the F.L.C. getting stuck in a conversation loop when Moral Alignment is set to Good
• Purchasing a crate of Icons of the Defender in Neusus adding incorrect amount to inventory
• Krater of Might not giving red mana*
• Travel by boat missing sky texture*
• Size of Librarian Stryker in Thystes*
• Arsenal and Spellbook displaying the same information more than once*
• Conversation with Sir Billiam in Nolcormu crashing the game*
• Mana cubes dropped by monsters giving 1 mana instead of 15*

Tuning:

• Magic/Faith/Battle Rage regeneration now based on the pool size and using a new formula that should allow for a smoother ramp up when adding Charisma points
• Swing timing for Axe of the Depths tweaked
• Axe of the Depths base damage doubled
• Monsters damaged by Axe of the Depths can now be thrown back a significant distance
• Chilling Touch base damage tripled
• Torch duration increased to 30 seconds
• Player inventory now holds up to 50 Torches at a time
• Reorganizing the Main and Options menus

[rambo]

The next version will be released most probably sometime this month. Below a few screenshots of new and updated areas.

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[rambo]

A few things we're currently working on improving / planning to improve for the next release:

* Reworking the starting map: lowering the number of enemies and adding more rooms to the cave to disperse the remaining ones even further
* Looking for a better kind of torch artifact effect that will only light a small area (the reason I put the classic torch on such a short cooldown is because otherwise there is no point in having anything other than fully lit areas anyway)
* Adding more gold to dungeons
* Replacing the dormant serpents with spawns in Thryas Reservoir
* Replacing Dark Cardinals in Donas Monument with something else (I already took out the Dark Advisors during 1.4 beta testing as they crashed the map fairly quickly)
* Removing unreachable items in Heresiarch's Seminary
* Looking into a fix for player effects cast on dead player
* Adding more keybind options to the controls menu (for artifacts and the like)
* Reworking the main fights in the Dark Conclave and The Reckoning (the mechanics were set up years ago and they use zero scripting)
* Increasing Magic/Faith regeneration (you should never feel like you need to go away for a few minutes to let a resource top off, this was one of the biggest design issues in ShadowCaster)
* Adding portable food

As I am about to release SE 1.7, reposting this todo list to say that except for the entry "Looking into a fix for player effects cast on dead player", everything in this list is checked off with the new release.

[rambo]

Scattered Evil 1.7 is now available on SourceForge and ModDB.

The latest version includes a revamped travel system, treasure chests, two new dungeon maps and an improved starting experience.

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Improved starting experience

• The second weapon isn't handed out for free any more, instead the player will have to fight a few monsters to obtain it
• The first Legion quest given by Commander Orteg to obtain the third weapon now points to a new dungeon nearby, with the number and difficulty of the monsters tuned for a player just starting out
• Observant players can gather several hundred crowns in the updated starting map and the new low level dungeon, allowing an early purchase of important items

Travel system rework

• Larger towns now have a stagecoach station, with rides available from any station to any station (on higher RPG difficulties, you need to first explore a location on foot before you can book a ride there), with prices depending on travel distance and RPG complexity
• Similar to stagecoach rides, boat travel now has a price that depends on the distance and the RPG complexity setting
• Common to both types of rides: varying scenery while traveling, possibility of being chased by bands of roving monsters, slight reduction to hunger and fatigue
• Traveling on foot now incurs a hunger and fatigue cost unless RPG Complexity is set to Off
• The portals between the three mage towers in the wilds of Charybdea have been removed (the portals in Daedalon's tower have been repurposed)

New and updated dungeon maps

• Vermin Hovels is an all-new forest location for the early game, containing several secret caches of gold and goodies
• The Canyon has been rebuilt from scratch and is accessible once again from The Chasm
• The outside area of Pyramid of Krylu has been reworked to offer a somewhat different look and massively improved load times
• Dark Conclave and The Reckoning are now difficulty aware, including the end boss; the end boss fight now uses a number of smart scripts instead of the previous infinite spawns
• Forest Clearing (starting map) has been extended and now includes a significant amount of gold and an introduction to the new lock and key system
• Is'hine Oasis has been updated with a new look and massively improved load times
• A hidden arcade has been opened, allowing access to a hitherto inaccessible part of the town of Kreo

New and updated items

• Torches now illuminate a small area around the player (instead of increasing the light volume of all sectors to full, like the original Hexen torch does)
• Crystal Vials now restore 10% of the player's maximum health or 10 hit points, whichever is greater
• Quartz Flasks now restore 25% of the player's maximum health or 25 hit points, whichever is greater
• Mystic Urns now restore 100% of the player's health
• Treasure chests and keys: look for treasure chest keys hidden in plain sight to be able to open treasure chests you stumble upon
• Portable food: you can now buy apples, which reduce hunger somewhat and perk you up slightly, and loaves of bread, which reduce hunger greatly but also make you a bit sleepy
• Wings of Wrath is now a powerup that activates on pickup and has a short duration

New artwork

• New high resolution NPC sprites for sailors and coach drivers
• New animated models (horses, treasure chests, spinning coins, levers), including a high resolution horse skin explicitly created for SE
• New models including stagecoaches and palm trees
• New sand and rock textures

Journal improvements

• Quests are now organized by status, with finished quests listed on top, followed by active quests, followed by hints (depending on RPG complexity settings) for quests not yet picked up
• On the Arsenal/Spellbook/class ability pages, weapons/spells the player already possesses are listed first, followed by hints (depending on RPG complexity settings) on how to get the missing ones
• Improved readability for map annotations

Interface improvements

Reorganized the main menu and some of its submenus, most notably adding a submenu for key bindings for many inventory items

• The help screens can now be navigated with the arrow keys both forwards and backwards
• The starting screen now displays the game version in the lower right corner, making it easier to identify the version installed

Miscellaneous changes

• Multi-platform distribution: starting with 1.7, the download includes Vavoom binaries, setup scripts and startup shortcuts for both Windows and GNU/Linux
• On Old school RPG complexity, discovering new locations and talking to certain NPCs awards additional experience points
• Church acolytes and monks now offer their healing services only on Old school RPG complexity and it costs a few crowns, but can be used any number of times; they are not available to clerics, who start the game with a healing prayer
• Mages now offer their mana fillup services only on Old school RPG complexity and it costs a few crowns, but can be used any number of times; they are not available to mages, who can now learn their Create Mana cantrip the first time they talk to Spellmaster Sallazar in Thystes Academy (prerequisite removed)
• The Legion's gravy train has been stopped. No more free armor handouts!
• When playing on RPG Complexity Old school and picking one of the extreme alignments (Lawful Good, Chaotic Evil), you can't pick up certain quests, just like before. However, the dungeons linked to those quests are now accessible
• After picking up Daedalon's second quest, he now activates one of the downstairs portals so the player can revisit the ruins of the Heresiarch's Seminary an unlimited number of times

[rambo]

Warning: the following playthrough contains quite a few spoilers if you haven't played the new maps yet.

[rambo]

When enemies are hit with poison damage, whether from the player's attacks or other enemies, they'll often make the player's coughing sound effect. This happens with the Cleric's Serpent Staff and Poisonous Cloud, and the brown chaos serpent's attack.

I found the reason for this happening. KRPG uses a new way to track effects on actors (players, monsters, NPCs etc.) called Actor Conditions. I looked into the Actor Condition "Poisoned" and it has as standard sound "*poisoned" which is the player coughing. I'll try to modify it so that monsters make a different sound than the player when they get poisoned.

[Manhs]

Warning: the following playthrough contains quite a few spoilers if you haven't played the new maps yet.

Thank you for the update, i will play it, this time with the Fighter!
Shared in the fb and discord group of Heretic & Hexen :3

[rambo]

The next version of Scattered Evil is currently targeted for a late August/early September release. These screenshots should tide you over until then.

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[rambo]

Scattered Evil 1.8 is now available on SourceForge and ModDB.

New features include an upgradeable mansion, a map scroll for quick reference and new dungeons.

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New feature: The Mansion

• Purchase a luxurious mansion in a prime urban location that comes with a staff of servants
• Unless playing with RPG complexity turned Off, you receive a property sorely in need of improvements, allowing you to unleash your inner decorator
• Travel the breadth of the province to buy, steal or otherwise acquire various pieces of furniture and artwork

New feature: Map Scrolls

• Press a key and up pops the map of the region or city you are currently in (provided you have that region or city map in your possession), automatically showing your current position on the map
• If you don’t have a map of the current region or city, the newly added province map is displayed instead, showing your current position in the world (there is also a switch in Gameplay Options to always show the province map)
• Configurable option whether map scrolls should show annotations
• The collection of maps in the Journal is newly called the Atlas and it now always contains at least one map at game start (the province map)
• Configurable option whether maps in the Atlas should show the current player location
• Most Coach Stations now sell maps of the region or city they are located in
• Added souvenir stalls at city entrances, selling city maps

New dungeons and monsters

• Three new dungeon maps: Gonos Fortress, Isle of Ancient Kings, Tomb of Ancient Kings
• Updated questlines for class leaders in Thystes Fortress and Thystes Cathedral, now once again requiring the player to travel to a dungeon
• New monster type: Afrit Dominator (see the Bestiary for details)
• AI and attribute tweaks for several existing monsters

Interface improvements

• New unified look for the Main, Game and Option menus and their submenus
• Pressing J while the Journal is open will now close the Journal, no matter what subpage is open

Miscellanous additions

• New and updated 3D models including climbable rope, animated rotisserie chicken and the Crown of Ancient Kings
• Status Marks are now available (you can turn them on in the Gameplay Options menu). They show up both in the player HUD and over monster’s heads for things like Berserking, Poisoned, Terror, Mana Burn etc.
• Berserker now has a new non-fighter-specific icon, since both the player and some monsters use the same ability
• Added a new artifact status icon for torches
• New system for tracking hidden mini quests, allowing a rapid expansion of small tasks that reward EXP (targeted at Old School RPG complexity)

Bugfixes

• Monsters now use the correct sound when poisoned
• Artifact status icons are now positioned and animated correctly
• Fixed the issue of pressing J while the Journal was open spawning a second Journal instance in the background
• Fixed the issue of some of the sailboat routes transporting the player to the wrong destination

[Manhs]

I finished 1.7, i will try later this new version.

In 1.7, i got the mana regen but it looks like it was a bit too good even without boosting it with stats, should it be nerfed? Didnt need to get mana items at all with it...

[rambo]

Do you mean the mage's Mana Creation spell?