Version 0.8.1 is now available!

This update comes with several bug fixes and overall QOL improvements, as well as several new features and additional content!

For the bug fixes, most of them are minor, but there were some issues with the "Cover" command that were... quite broken. They've been fixed now. Hopefully. There were also some significant issues with the Job system at the end of the demo, but those issues have been rectified with one of the new systems.

So, what does this update include? Let's get into the meat of it!

First of all, v0.8.1. includes a BRAND NEW DUNGEON! The Shrouded Peaks are now available to explore!

The previous demo included all the story content up to the Shrouded Peaks, but not including. This update adds one more story mission, one more dungeon, one more side quest, and one more recruitable member to your keep! The demo version bartender is now replaced with the full release version, and the full mission to recruit them!

I hadn't intended to release any more story content until the full release, but I reconsidered due to the fact that the bartender does offer critical systems that encourage replayability, and I didn't just want a placeholder character. The demo now includes all story content up to the recruitment of all keep members, but nothing more, and it will likely stay that way. I don't want this to be an episodic game, so this is all you'll get for story in the demo.

But that's not all that's changed. I've also completely revamped the Job system! The job board offered by the bartender allows you to take repeatable missions in any previously visited location, with a random objective and reward. There were some significant bugs in the previous version that prevented certain job types from being completed. Well, with this update, those bugs are long gone, and the system itself is much cleaner on the back end. In addition, the Menu screen has been revised to allow for more missions to be displayed at a time. Now, instead of just being able to accept 4 missions at a time (including the story mission), you can now accept up to 7! One will always be the story mission, but you can now have 6 additional side missions or repeatable jobs active at any given time!

Is that all? Nope! I've also updated the colorblind mode settings! Accessibility is important, and my old lazy cop-out method of colorblind compatibility simply wasn't good enough. I've now added a full menu for colorblind accessibility settings for Protanopia, Deuteranopia, and Tritanopia, as well as optional accessibility symbols just in case! I designed different system color palettes for each specific type of common colorblindness, so hopefully it'll  be much more accessible. No guarantees it'll be perfect, but I certainly hope it's an improvement.

And finally, one last change. The fast travel system!

Previously, you would simply interact with the horse at the keep, which would open a menu of discovered locations, displaying which ones had certain types of jobs at each. Now, it's been much improved. The new travel system is initiated by leaving the keep via the horse, but will now open a world map! This map will be colored in with new locations as they become discovered, and selecting any location will not only reveal if a mission is available there, but also how many missions, what kind of missions, and the objectives of each! Is it radically different? Not really, not functionally anyway. Is it more immersive? 100%. There is also a bit of an easter egg  in the world map that foreshadows some upcoming story beats, but I kind of doubt anyone will notice. Maybe you will. Prove me wrong. Comment below if you can figure it out.

Okay, one more thing. Controller support! ...is still in the works. Yeah, I'm sorry. I tried to implement controller support for this game, but I ended up breaking a bunch of systems in the process and had to revert all that work. I thought I was on the right track, until eventually my controller stopped getting recognized by the program entirely. In an engine that... already has built in controller support. And suddenly wouldn't recognize controllers even in blank vanilla projects... yeah, I broke something BADLY when I was messing with this. I tried updating my drivers, performing a USB cleanup, testing different controllers, reaching out on discord, complaining on discord, everything. No dice. So ultimately, I decided it isn't worth the trouble YET. I do plan to find some way to implement controller support by the final release, but it'll have to wait for now. Sorry folks! Keyboard only for now.

At any rate, that's all for the updates with this version! Hope you enjoy!

As one final  note, I should mention that save files from previous versions are NOT compatible with this version. Due to some of the more drastic changes to things like the job system, I had to make that sacrifice. Attempting to implement backwards compatibility would have been a lot more work than it was worth for a game that's still in development. Hopefully this will be the last time I say that. At any rate, for those of you who've been around since previous versions, thank you so much for your support! I genuinely appreciate it. And to you newcomers, welcome! I hope you enjoy slaying some vampires.