KickStarter Knights of the Chalice 2 Thread - Augury of Chaos

[Infinitron]

https://www.kickstarter.com/project...-revolutionise-old-school-crpgs/posts/3669090

Update #65: KotC 2 Version 1.52 Adds New Spells & Features + New Dungeon Images!​

Hello everyone! I hope you're doing well. The latest version of KotC 2 is version 1.52. It can be downloaded here for both Windows and macOS. It can also be downloaded on Steam and GOG.

In the past month, I've been focusing on the implementation of new spells, features and options. There are 19 new spells, including eight Druid spells, seven Wizard spells, two Rogue spells, one Cleric spell and one Psychic Warrior psionic power. There is also a new feat for the Druid and Storm Warrior: Wild Shape Mastery. See below for the description of all the new spells, as well as the new feat. Thank you so much Juhani for the awesome spell suggestions and design help!!

The new options and features include Custom Spell Sound Effects, Display of the Monster Injury Status, Expanded Information Tooltip for the Feint combat action, Increased or Decreased Combat Experience Point Awards, Stop Condition for the Auto Recasting of Healing Spells, New Search Functions for both the Inventory Screen and Spellbook Interface, and Deactivated Focus on Party Members when moving out of combat.

New isometric dungeon map for the upcoming KotC 2 modules.

Version 1.51 also implemented 16 new sound effects that are played when you cast spells such as Hideous Laughter, Mass Hideous Laughter, Lesser Malison, Circle of Pain, Wail of the Banshee, Fly, Fly Psionic, Psionic Pounce, and Blindsight, or when you activate certain Spirit Animals of the Barbarian such as the Elephant Spirit Animal, Bear Spirit Animal, Jaguar Spirit Animal, Porpoise Spirit Animal, Eagle Spirit Animal, Rhinoceros Spirit Animal, and Cobra Spirit Animal. Finally, there's a new sound effect that is played when a Mirror Image is destroyed, and another for Centaur skill uses.

I really like the new sound effects. They really help make the new spells and Spirit Animals come alive. A Big Thank You to Robbie for the awesome Hideous Laughter, Wail of the Banshee and Death Metal sound effects!! I've got many more sounds from Robbie but I expect to implement them along with the upcoming adventure module.

A few days ago, I purchased the new Symbol Set 6 Isometric Cities for Campaign Cartographer 3+ from ProFantasy Software. It's a great tool for creating cool city maps with isometric castles, houses, etc. Some images can be found here and you can watch a video here. Be sure to email ProFantasy quickly if you'd like a pre-release offer before it expires on 24 November. I've sent suggestions to Ralf from ProFantasy for additional isometric city elements covering exotic settings such as Ancient Rome, Ancient Egypt, Arabian Nights, the Aztec Empire, etc.

List of the New Spells and Feat in KotC 2​

Nymph Beauty: Druid spell of level 9. Enchantment. 15' radius circle centred on the caster. The caster turns into a lovely Nymph and radiates unearthly beauty so aching that it strikes mortal creatures dead. Living enemies within the area of effect must succeed on a Willpower saving throw or die. Sightless creatures, such as oozes, and blinded targets are not affected. Creatures with the lowest Hit Dice are affected first. The spell automatically ends after slaying three creatures. For every two caster levels after level 17, the spell may kill one more creature. Gold cost 500.

New Inventory Screen Search Function in KotC 2.

Creeping Doom: Druid spell of level 9. Conjuration. Long Range. 1 round per two levels. 50' radius. No Saving Throw. Using this spell, you summon thousands of insects that readily devour the flesh of those unlucky enough to stay in their path. All creatures in the area of effect receive the Creeping Doom condition, giving a -4 penalty to Ranged Attack Rolls, -2 penalty to Armour Class, -2 penalty to Reflex saving throws, each round 6d6 + 1 per level points of piercing damage (subject to Damage Reduction, a Reflex saving throw reduces this damage by 50%), and spell casting or power manifesting requires a Concentration Check of difficulty class 10 + half of the Creeping Doom damage dealt on this round + spell level. Creatures within the affected area move at half speed and cannot charge. The damage is inflicted upon casting and then every round right before the caster's turn. Entering the area also deals damage.

Fungal Parasite: Druid spell of level 8. Conjuration. 40' cone effect. Duration 4 rounds + 1 per two levels. The caster launches a mass of parasitical fungal strands from his or her mouth. It envelops the targets and drains their blood, transferring it to the caster. The spell works like the Wizard spell Resilient Web. In addition to the terrain effect, targets in the area of effect immediately take 3d6 points of damage, unless they're immune to Disease. A Fortitude saving throw negates the damage. The caster gains temporary Hit Points equal to the damage dealt. From each target, you may not gain more than the target's current Hit Points. No Spell Resistance. The damage increases to 4d6 at level 17 and 5d6 at level 19.

Constrictor Arms: Druid spell of level 4. Alteration. Personal spell. Duration 1 round per level. The caster transforms his or her arms into powerful Constrictor Snakes. You gain a +4 bonus to Grapple checks and your Grapple attacks deal 2d6 points of bludgeoning damage. At level 11, the Grapple bonus increases to +6 and the Grapple damage increases to 3d6. At level 15, the Grapple bonus increases to +8 and the Grapple damage increases to 4d6. If you have a racial Constrict ability, instead of dealing 2d6, 3d6 or 4d6 points of damage, the damage from your Constrict ability increases by one die at level 7, two dice at level 11 and three dice at level 15.

Setting a Stop Condition for the Auto Recasting of Healing Spells in KotC 2.

Greater Scorpion Stinger: Druid spell of level 6. Move Action casting time. Alteration. Personal spell. Duration Until End Of Combat. The caster transforms his or her tailbone into the powerful stinger of a Giant Scorpion. You gain an additional Sting natural weapon attack that deals 2d6 points of piercing damage and 2d2 points of Strength ability damage. In addition, creatures that fail on a Fortitude saving throw are Slowed for one round. At level 15, the damage increases to 3d6 points. You must use the Full Attack action to benefit from this extra attack. Casting the spell on someone who is under the effect of Crocodile Bite, Greater Crocodile Bite, Scorpion Stinger or Greater Scorpion Stinger will first remove the existing effect.

Scorpion Stinger: Druid spell of level 3. Alteration. Personal spell. Duration Until End Of Combat. The caster transforms his or her tailbone into the powerful stinger of a Giant Scorpion. You gain an additional Sting natural weapon attack that deals 1d6 points of piercing damage and 1d2 points of Strength ability damage. At level 9, the damage increases to 1d8 points. You must use the Full Attack action to benefit from this extra attack. Casting the spell on someone who is under the effect of Crocodile Bite, Greater Crocodile Bite, Scorpion Stinger or Greater Scorpion Stinger will first remove the existing effect.

Greater Crocodile Bite: Druid spell of level 4. Move Action casting time. Alteration. Personal spell. Duration Until End Of Combat. The caster transforms his or her mouth into the powerful maw of a crocodile. You gain an additional Bite natural weapon attack that deals 3d6 points of piercing damage and makes the target bleed for 1d6 rounds. At level 12, the damage increases to 4d6 points. You must use the Full Attack action to benefit from this extra attack. Casting the spell on someone who is under the effect of Crocodile Bite, Greater Crocodile Bite, Scorpion Stinger or Greater Scorpion Stinger will first remove the existing effect.

Crocodile Bite: Druid spell of level 1. Alteration. Personal spell. Duration Until End Of Combat. The caster transforms his or her mouth into the powerful maw of a crocodile. You gain an additional Bite natural weapon attack that deals 1d8 points of piercing damage. At level 5, the damage increases to 2d6 points. You must use the Full Attack action to benefit from this extra attack. Casting the spell on someone who is under the effect of Crocodile Bite, Greater Crocodile Bite, Scorpion Stinger or Greater Scorpion Stinger will first remove the existing effect.

[Druid / Storm Warrior] Wild Shape Mastery: With this feat, your spells Crocodile Bite, Scorpion Stinger and Constrictor Arms are improved from Standard Action Casting Time to Move Action Casting Time. Your spells Greater Crocodile Bite and Greater Scorpion Stinger are improved from Move Action Casting Time to Free Action Casting Time.

New Spellbook Interface Search Function in KotC 2.

Wail of the Banshee: Wizard spell of level 9. Necromancy. Verbal component only. Close Range. 25' radius circle. You produce a terrible scream powerful enough to kill creatures that hear it. All living enemies in the area of effect instantly take 8 points of damage per level. A Fortitude saving throw negates the effect. If you have the feat Black Wizard Advanced Specialisation, the damage increases from 8 points per level to 10 points per level. Wail of the Banshee has no effect on creatures standing within a Silence area.

Mass Fly: Wizard spell of level 8. Alteration. Close Range. All allies in a 10' radius gain the ability to fly for one round per level. You can fly to areas of different altitude as well as ignore ground-based terrain effects. If you have the feat Green Wizard Advanced Specialisation, you cast Mass Fly as a level-7 spell.

Circle of Pain: Wizard spell of level 7. Necromancy. 10' circle spell. Medium range. All living creatures in the area of effect take 1d6 per level points of Negative Energy damage. A Willpower saving throw reduces the damage by half. Creatures that failed on their saving throw receive the Agony condition for 1d4 rounds, unless they’re immune to Mind Affecting effects. The Agony condition inflicts a penalty of -4 on Attack Rolls, Concentration Checks and Strength Checks.

Blink: Wizard spell of level 7. Alteration. Personal range. One round per level. You ‘blink’ back and forth in and out of existence randomly and very quickly. A 50% miss chance applies to all physical attacks made against you, unless they are Grapple attacks or attacks performed using weapons that have the Ghost Touch enchantment. True Seeing and Blindsight do not negate the 50% miss chance. Blink cannot be cast on creatures that have the Incorporeal subtype. Gold cost 350.

Mass Hideous Laughter: Wizard spell of level 5. Enchantment. Mind affecting. This spell works like Hideous Laughter, but all enemy targets in a 10' radius are affected. Medium Range. Targets must succeed on a Willpower saving throw or gain the Hideous Laughter condition. The Difficulty Class is reduced by four points if the target's type is different from the caster's type. Affected creatures fall Prone, laughing uncontrollably. For 1 round per level (up to 10 rounds), they can take no other action.

Mass Hideous Laughter (Rogue): Rogue spell of level 4. Enchantment. Mind affecting. This spell works like Hideous Laughter (Rogue), but all enemy targets in a 10' radius are affected. Medium Range. Targets must succeed on a Willpower saving throw or gain the Hideous Laughter condition. The Difficulty Class is reduced by four points if the target's type is different from the caster's type. Affected creatures fall Prone, laughing uncontrollably. For 1 round per level (up to 10 rounds), they can take no other action.

Lesser Malison (Wizard): Wizard spell of level 5. Necromancy. Melee Touch spell. Living creatures only. For 10 rounds, the subject receives a penalty of four points on Attack Rolls, Saving Throws, Spell Resistance and Ability Checks. A Willpower saving throw reduces the penalty to two points.

Lesser Malison (Cleric): Cleric spell of level 4. Necromancy. Melee Touch spell. Living creatures only. For 10 rounds, the subject receives a penalty of four points on Attack Rolls, Saving Throws, Spell Resistance and Ability Checks. A Willpower saving throw reduces the penalty to two points.

Fly: Wizard spell of level 4. Alteration. Touch spell. The recipient gains the ability to fly for one round per level. You can fly to areas of different altitude as well as ignore ground-based terrain effects.

Fly Psionic: Psychic Warrior power of level 4. Alteration. Personal. The character gains the ability to fly for one round per level. You can fly to areas of different altitude as well as ignore ground-based terrain effects. If you have the Psychic Warrior feat Superior Psychometabolism, this power is also affected, making it a move-action power.

Resilient Grease (Rogue): Rogue spell of level 3. Conjuration. The spell Resilient Grease (Rogue) functions like the spell Grease (Rogue), but the effect covers a 15' square and it cannot be removed with an area-of-effect spell that deals fire damage.

New option allowing you to adjust Combat Experience Point Awards in KotC 2.

​

List of changes in KotC 2 Version 1.52​

• Fixed a bug that would occur when you fight the Giant Spiders in the Mysterious Cave and at least one of the kids takes enough damage to go below -10 Hit Points. In the following dialogue, there would be a glow effect, and the game would freeze after selecting a dialogue option.
• Fixed a bug with the spell Mass Hideous Laughter not applying the -4 penalty on Difficulty Class when the target's type is different from the caster's type.
• Given the feat Wild Shape Mastery to enemy Druids and Storm Warriors in Augury of Chaos and the Tutorial Adventure. Also given the feat Improved Bull Rush to Giant Spider Queen Shiwang in Augury of Chaos. Also removed the Reach special ability of the smaller Giant Spider in the group of Giant Spider Queen Shiwang.
• Improved the tooltip information when selecting a target for a Feint combat manoeuvre. The game will now indicate the target's Dexterity bonus to Armour Class, or if the target has already lost its Dex bonus to AC, the game will let you know about that, as well as the cause. If you have the Sneak Attack ability, the game will also let you know if the target is already vulnerable to your Sneak Attack damage (due to Flanking or some other condition) and it will tell you if the creature is immune to Critical Hits. That way, you'll have all the information you need to select a target for Feint properly.
• The AI will no longer attempt a Feint if the target does not have a Dexterity bonus to Armour Class, or if they're already vulnerable to a Sneak Attack. Also fixed some other AI issues with the Feint combat manoeuvre.
• Removed a redundant line in the Combat Log when someone uses the Feint combat action. Also, in the Effects & Conditions tab of the Character Sheet, right clicking on 'Condition: Feint' will now open the help entry for Feint.
• Improved the AI when the enemy uses the Ready Versus Spell combat action and it has magic scrolls or spell-like abilities.
• You can now have custom spells that make use of custom sound effects. Any wav files contained within the Sounds folder of a module will be available to select in the Spell Editor when editing a spell. The Spell Previewer will use the custom sounds and you can also listen to them by clicking on the buttons of the Spell Editor.
• Added a new option in the Game Options screen, under 'Difficulty', allowing you to display the injury status of enemies instead of their Hit Points. I find it more interesting to play with this option. Seeing a creature drop to the 'Almost Dead' status seems to be more rewarding, somehow.
• Added a new option in the Game Options screen, under 'Difficulty', allowing you to adjust Combat Experience Point Awards. You can reduce the awards by up to 30%, or increase them by up to 30%. However, you shouldn't increase the awards if you're trying to unlock Archmage Mode achievements.
• Added a new option in the Game Options screen, under 'Gameplay', allowing you to set a Stop Condition for the Auto Recasting of Healing Spells. You can let the game stop recasting after the target character has recovered 95%, 90%, 85% or 80% of his or her Hit Points, or once the target could not be healed for the expected healing amount of a single spell use, or once the target could not be healed for the maximum healing amount of a single spell use. You can use any of these options to avoid wasting a spell slot / wand charge / magic scroll / potion on a character that's nearly back to full health. Credit goes to Fred for suggesting this cool option to me! Thank you so much Fred!!

New option allowing you to display the injury status of enemies instead of their Hit Points in KotC 2.

• Added a new option in the Game Options screen, under 'Display', allowing you to specify whether items inside containers should be included in the Party Items box, in the Inventory Screen. Previously, you could set this option through the Inventory Screen by clicking on the round button in the top-right corner of the Party Items box. You can still do that, but now the setting will be saved so that you don't have to click on the button every time you restart the game.
• Added a new option in the Game Options screen, under 'Display', allowing you to deactivate the focus of the game view on the party when moving out of combat. Please note: this only applies to movement resulting from a single click to go somewhere. Movement by pressing a mouse button and keeping it pushed, or by pressing a numpad key and keeping it pushed, will still focus the view on the party.
• Added a duplicate 'Full Screen Mode' option in the Game Options screen under 'Display'. The same option is already available under 'Gameplay' but people might look for it under Display, so it's best to have it under both Display and Gameplay.
• Added the Inventory Screen Search Function. Simply type in the name of an item and the game will look for it within the Party Items box. If it's not there, the game will also look within the backpack items of the current character. You can also press the up and down arrow keys to find the previous match or next match within the Party Items box.
• Added the Spellbook Interface Search Function in the Character Sheet when displaying the character's arcane, divine or psionic spellbook. Simply type in the name of a spell or psionic power and the game will look for it. If there is a match, the spellbook will switch to the correct spell level. Please note: searching for a spell in the arcane spellbook will only go through arcane spells (not divine spells or psionic powers). Likewise for the divine and psionic spellbooks. Also, you can press the up and down arrow keys to look for the previous match or next match. Finally, you can press Return to cast the spell or manifest the psionic power.
• Fixed some issues in the Inventory Screen when displaying the inventory of NPCs. Also fixed some issues with using items while trading or while a script is being executed.
• Fixed auto-recasting for the Bard spell 'Healing Song'. It wasn't working because earlier I called that spell 'Sonnet of Solace'.
• Fixed a text display issue in the tabs of the Character Sheet and Game Options screen, as well as the tabs of the Creature Properties screen in the Module Editor.
• Fixed some issues with out-of-combat movement by pressing the left mouse button and keeping it pushed, or by clicking to go somewhere.
• Corrected the position of the Spell Quickbar when the option to display the Combat Log in combat is turned off, or when playing in full-screen mode.
• Updated the in-game help entry about Controls Outside Combat with information on the Local Map Screen and the auto recasting of healing spells. Also clarified the description of the Conviction ability of the Death Knight in the in-game help entry for the Death Knight. The saving throw bonus does not depend on having an Intelligence ability score above 10.
• The game will now save the current tab of the Game Options screen when you close the screen.
• Added some code to accelerate gameplay in combat.

Expanded Information Tooltip for the Feint Combat Manoeuvre in KotC 2.

​

List of changes in KotC 2 Version 1.51​

• Improved the AI for opponents that should rush to the enemy immediately.
• Tweaked the Mysterious Cave encounter that occurs immediately after resting inside the cave.
• Added some code to accelerate gameplay in combat.
• Added the 19 new spells described above. Also added the new Druid and Storm Warrior feat Wild Shape Mastery, described above.
• Given the new spells to all the enemies that should have them in Augury of Chaos and the Tutorial Adventure.
• The feat Black Wizard Advanced Specialisation will now improve the spell Wail of the Banshee, in addition to its existing benefits. The feat Green Wizard Advanced Specialisation will reduce the spell level of Mass Fly, in addition to its existing benefits.
• Improved the spell Greater Stoneskin. The Damage Reduction is now 20 + one point for every level of the caster beyond 13.
• Improved the spells Heroism, Mass Heroism, Greater Heroism, and Mass Greater Heroism by making the Heroism and Greater Heroism conditions a lot more similar to the 3.5 OGL. Previously, in KotC 2 these conditions would grant a bonus to Attack Rolls and Willpower Saving Throws. Now, they will grant a bonus to Attack Rolls, all Saving Throws, and all Ability Checks. Also changed the spell descriptions and the in-game help entries to reflect this.
• Improved the spell Mass Heroism from Standard Action Casting Time to Move Action Casting Time.
• Fixed a source of crashes in the macOS version.
• Fixed some issues with pressing A while mousing over the name of a party member in the top-right corner.
• Fixed a bug with secondary natural weapons affecting sound effects and the Critical Hit range for secondary natural weapons only.
• Fixed a bug in the recording of the remaining points of Stoneskin Personal and Greater Stoneskin.
• Fixed a bug with the feat Fast Touch Domain Powers being available to Clerics from level 1 in the Windows version only.
• Fixed a problem with Ray of Enfeeblement dealing 1d6 + 1 per level points of Strength damage instead of 1d6 + 1 per two levels (rounded up) points of Strength damage.
• Fixed a bug in the Sun Bolt Domain Power of the Cleric, as well as the Sun Bolt spell-like ability of the companion Monk Xantrix. They were not requiring a Ranged Touch Attack.
• Fixed a bug with the effects of the psionic power Psychic Turmoil, due to a spell-entry error.
• Fixed a bug with the spell Vampiric Blast not getting improved at levels 15 and 17, due to a spell-entry error. Also fixed a bug with the damage of the spell Discharge not receiving the +1 point per level, due to a spell-entry error.
• Fixed a spell-entry error affecting the Bard spell Pipes of Pain.
• Fixed spell-entry errors affecting the AI for the spells Circle of Death, Undeath to Death, and Undeath to Death (Cleric).
• Fixed several issues with the Druid spell Insect Plague.

New option allowing you to turn off the focus on the party when moving out of combat in KotC 2.

• Added a Horse Canter sound effect when you use the Centaur skill dialogue option in Augury of Chaos.
• Fixed a problem with the display of magic effects (such as Hideous Laughter) on Babaus and Orcs when they're Prone.
• Fixed some centring issues with the high-resolution sprites of the Orcs when Prone.
• Fixed an error in the description of the psionic power Energy Shield (Psionicist).
• Fixed a broken link and other errors in the in-game help entry for Concentration Checks.
• Fixed a broken link in the in-game description of the spell Silence (Rogue).
• Added the radius in the in-game descriptions for Mass Freedom of Movement (Cleric) and Mass Freedom of Movement (Druid).
• Corrected the information about Reach Weapons in the in-game help entry about Weapon Groups.
• Fixed errors in the help entries that list the feats associated with Wizards attuned to a specific moon.
• Added 16 new sound effects: Magic hideous laughter.wav, Magic hideous laughter short.wav, Magic wail of the banshee 1.wav, Magic wail of the banshee 2.wav, Magic wail of the banshee 3.wav, Death metal thunder guitar clip.wav, Death metal thunder guitar clip short.wav, Mirror image destroyed.wav, Jaguar roar.wav, Eagle screaming.wav, Elephant snorting.wav, Elephant trumpeting.wav, Dolphin underwater.wav, Bear roar.wav, Horse canter.wav, and Snake snarling.wav. A Big Thank You to Robbie for the awesome Hideous Laughter, Wail of the Banshee and Death Metal sound effects!!
• Fixed an issue in the sound effect Snoring giant.wav.
• Most of the Spirit Animal powers, as well as Psionic Pounce, Blindsight, Fly, and Fly Psionic, will now make use of the new animal sound effects I've just added to the game.
• Upgraded the sound effects for all the versions of the spells Hideous Laughter and Malison.
• Added a new sound effect that plays when a Mirror Image gets destroyed by a physical attack or by the spell Magic Missile with the feat Dispelling Magic Missile.
• Added 17 new spell icons: Crocodile-Bite.png, Crocodile-Bite-Alt.png, Scorpion-Stinger.png, Scorpion-Stinger-Alt.png, Scorpion-Stinger-Extra.png, Insect-Plague-Creeping-Doom.png, Spirit-Animal-Eagle-Fly.png, Spirit-Animal-Eagle-Mass-Fly.png, Wail-Of-The-Banshee.png, Wail-Of-The-Banshee-Shout.png, Hideous-Laughter-Mass.png, Web-Fungal-Parasite-Vampiric-Spores.png, Long-Reach-Long-Arm.png, Long-Reach-Long-Arm-Mass.png, Greater-Mirror-Image.png, Greater-Mirror-Image-Mass.png, and Enhance-Ability-Strength-Constrictor-Arms.png.

New isometric dungeon map for the upcoming KotC 2 modules.

​

Next Steps for Knights of the Chalice 2​

We're getting much closer now to the point where I'll be able to really focus on the new modules. I'm looking forward to that. I'll be working with Juhani to improve the module scenario and design. I will also look into adding the remaining adventure elements submitted by high-tier Kickstarter backers. For the time being, the next development steps are the following:

• Upgrade the enemies of Dorateen's Hearkenwold adventure module with the new spells and feat.
• Work on planned features, including the Iconised Combat Actions Menu and a few other features I'd like to implement. New subraces, familiars & items are also planned but these may come a bit later on.
• Work on the three upcoming adventure modules. Create the new world map & new dungeon maps.
• Hire a graphic designer to create new sprites, new maps and other types of artwork.
• Reply to posts on the Steam Forum, GOG Forum and the website Forums, and fix any remaining bugs and issues in the game mentioned by players on the forums or by email.

As always, if you find bugs or if you have any feedback, thoughts and suggestions, please feel free to let me know here, or in the Forums, or by email at enquiries@heroicfantasygames.com.

Thank You For Your Stalwart Support, Dear Champions of the Realm! Best regards

 

[Late Bloomer]

It's on sale for anyone that hasn't picked it up yet.

 

[Dorateen]

Nominated KotC2 for "Best Game You Suck At" award. Per the description:

This is the game that rewards persistence, and is not for the faint of heart. It's the toughest game we've ever loved.

If that don't describe Augury of Chaos, nothing does.

 

[mediocrepoet]

Nominated KotC2 for "Best Game You Suck At" award. Per the description:

This is the game that rewards persistence, and is not for the faint of heart. It's the toughest game we've ever loved.

If that don't describe Augury of Chaos, nothing does.

That's funny, I did the same thing for the same reason.

 

[Dorateen]

I have updated the Hearkenwold Adventure Module for Knights of the Chalice 2 to version 1.52. Pierre helped me to update all the creatures with the latest additions to the spell list. This mostly affects enemies with access to higher level spell casting.

https://www.nexusmods.com/knightsofthechalice2/mods/5

I also uploaded a new, seasonal video where the party gets pulled into battle with a couple of Vampires. The combat map in this encounter uses the Fog terrain feature, which limits visibility and movement, specifically 5-foot steps are not possible.

 

[Darth Canoli]

You're the man, Dorateen!

And Pierre as well, how many devs help you with your mod?
I'll play Hearkenwold again whenever I get enough free time, probably in january.

 

[Covenant]

It's on sale again on GOG, but only 10%.

If it ever dips below £25 I'll buy it.

 

[Ryzer]

Is it worth it to join the evil cult considering it instantly teleport my party to a dungeon and strip out all equipment, what's in it for me?
Nevermind, it seems to be a fake choice, it doesn't matter.

 

[Dorateen]

Pierre has a toothache, and he still pushed out a new update today. Throwing enemies sounds pretty neat.

Hi everyone! I hope you're well. Here's another big update for KotC 2! Yay!

The main additions are the new Combat Actions menu with icons, custom hotkeys for spells and abilities in the Quickbar, the automatic Flurry of Blowsfor Monks (so that you don't have to click as many times as before), and the new Throw Creature combat action - use it to throw enemy creatures into pits and other environmental hazards, or you can throw them at other creatures. A creature that occupies 2x2 squares may be thrown at up to four creatures, potentially.

There is a new feat: Improved Throw Creature. The feat Greater Grapple was improved and some rules regarding grappling were improved. Holding a shield now grants a bonus to Bull Rush, which increases when you have the feats Shield Expertise or Shield Master. Finally, the AI was improved and various bugs were fixed.

I'll post a new Kickstarter update soon.

If you find any bugs in KotC 2 version 1.53, please drop me a line at enquiries@heroicfantasygames.com so that I can fix the game quickly. A
saved game would be very useful, too. Thank you!!

If something doesn't work, remember that you can also revert to the previous version of KotC 2 using the Steam/GOG interface.

My apologies for not replying on the forums these days. I'm having a nasty toothache and it's been ruining my productivity.

 

[kinzadza]

The man does not stop delivering. No regrets about the money i donated.

 

[jungl]

AI art is something else. Obama here looks like he fit in as a evil sorcerer you face in KoC2

 

[Covenant]

Ended up getting it, and it's very good (still overpriced though), but I've noticed what I think are a couple of bugs:

The intelligence enhancement from Malefika (the robe from the djinni wish) stacks with the circlet of intelligence - this shouldn't be the case, right?

Secondly, after the goblin fight, if I side with the greens and then talk to the green king post-battle and choose to attack him, the snakemen, trolls and goblins from the 'main room' are on my side. Only the king and the guys in the side rooms from the west are hostile. The snakemen/surviving goblins were even helping me in the lizardman fight.

And last of all a question - if I want to move my character to a square 'underneath' a giant creature, how can I do so? If I try to path past it there's a green arrow showing it's a viable square to move, but I can't select it because it just defaults to selecting the creature on the tile.

Anyway, think I might end up restarting because my first party has a few weak spots, but having fun so far.

 

[Dorateen]

The intelligence enhancement from Malefika (the robe from the djinni wish) stacks with the circlet of intelligence - this shouldn't be the case, right?

There are different types of enchantment bonuses for magic items. For example there is Enhancement, but also a simple Generic bonus. Or it might be possible not to assign the type at all. I don't have the module open right now, but that might be what happened here. If the circlet has a different bonus type than what the robe gives, they will stack.

 

[Butter]

Hello everyone! Here is the latest version of KotC 2.

It's mainly a bug-fixing update. However, there are a few new features.

You can now buy back the items that you've sold to merchants. You can use a new White Robe sprite for your characters. The animation for the spell Turn Pebble to Boulder was improved.

In coming weeks and months, I expect to be focusing a lot more on the upcoming adventure modules.

I'll keep on improving the base game, of course, but probably not with the same update frequency as before (unless we find more bugs).

I'll post a new Kickstarter update soon.

If you find any bugs or annoyances in KotC 2 version 1.54, please drop me a line at enquiries@heroicfantasygames.com so that I can fix the game quickly. A
saved game would be very useful, too. Thank you!!

If something doesn't work, please remember that you can also revert to the previous version of KotC 2 using the Steam or GOG interface.

List of changes in Knights of the Chalice 2 Version 1.54

• When you sell something, the item will now appear in the trader's inventory in case you'd like to buy it back later.
• The script command 'Give item to character' can now be used to give trader NPCs more than 16 items. So, you can now have a shop with many items, but you'll have to use a script in order to add any items above the initial 16 which can be placed directly in the editor through the NPC's Inventory tab in the Creature Properties screen. Note: a single script command can be used to give multiple items to a character.
• Fixed some issues when trying to sell a bag or coffer containing items, or a stack of gold coins, to a trader NPC.
• Fixed a bug that would happen after buying an item from an NPC if the NPC's dialogue was supposed to continue after opening the Trading Screen.
• Fixed bugs when using Shift + B (or shift + click on item) to buy five items in one go from a trader NPC, when fewer than five units of the moused-over item are available, or when mousing over a non-stackable item such as a weapon.
• The shortcut keys to buy five items in one go (Shift + B or Shift + click on item) will now work with both the Left Shift key and the Right Shift key. Also, when buying five items in one go, the item's sound effect will be played only once (not five times).
• Improved the script command 'Set quest text' which you can use to set quest descriptions in the player's Quest Journal. I've added a new option: 'Append text only if the description does not already contain this text'. If you want to use the journal to record clues obtained from various sources, this option will be useful as the Quest Journal will only be updated when something new needs to be added to the Quest Journal. I'll surely make use of it for the upcoming modules.
• Added the White Robe sprite for your characters, and for module creators who want to create new robes, perhaps with healing powers. To let your character wear the White Robe, open his or her Character Sheet, then left click on the character's token image in the top-left corner of the screen in order to open the 'Please Select Token / Sprite' screen for your character. Then, in the first dropdown box from the top, select 'Silver Robe'. Make sure that the option to 'Create Sprite Automatically' is ticked. Then click Okay. The Silver Robe matches the white wings quite nicely. It's good for Angel NPCs, too.
• In the Combat Log, when displaying the Armour Class list of modifiers, clicking on the line 'Negated Dexterity Bonus to Armour Class' was opening the help entry for Armour Class. Now it will open the help entry for 'No Dexterity bonus to AC'.
• Improved the help entries for the Grapple combat action and the Grappling condition.
• Given the size category 'Small' to all of the Giant Rats and Dire Rats in Augury of Chaos and the Tutorial Adventure. Previously, they were Medium-size creatures.
• Improved the projectile animation of the spell 'Turn Pebble to Boulder' and added four boulder images to the list of item images that can be presented during scripted dialogues. They can also be selected when creating a new spell.
• In the Tutorial Adventure, added some text to the dialogue displayed just before the final battle. The text lets the player know that he or she can now use the party's resources with abandon.
• Characters will now lose the True Strike condition after launching a combat manoeuvre or grapple action.
• When a creature attempts a grapple against a character with the True Strike condition, the character will no longer benefit from the +20 bonus on the opposed grapple check. Likewise, when a creature attempts a Sunder, Disarm or Feint action against a character with the True Strike condition, the character will not receive +20 on the opposed attack roll.
• Fixed problems with large creatures being able to target out-of-reach characters when squeezing near walls (or characters being able to target out-of-reach squeezing monsters). For that, I had to create a new condition, 'Squeezing'. A really tough thing to fix - I had to do a tonne of tweaks. Hopefully, I didn't introduce new bugs because of that. Time will tell. The Giant Spider Queen in the High Sewers is one example of a creature that may often be squeezing near walls, because she's so big.
• Fixed a bug with the field of view of creatures occupying more than one square.
• When mousing over a creature to attack it, if the creature has Mirror Images, the number of Mirror Images will be displayed in the tooltip.
• Fixed a bug with the reach of large creatures wielding a Reach Weapon. Reach weapons were doubling the reach distance instead of just adding a single square.
• Fixed a bug with the reach of very large creatures when their line-of-sight maximum distance wasn't enough to grant them the full extent of their reach in combat.
• Added some tooltip information when mousing over the small Psionic Power Point expense buttons, for people who may have difficulty reading the content of the tiny circles.
• Improved the information tooltip when mousing over a trader's available items. It will display the quantity available in store, or the item's number of charges.
• Fixed display bugs in the Local Map Screen when there are some text notes on the map. Some text notes could have a fractional position, reducing the quality of the text display.
• Fixed a damage-display problem when the energy damage on a creature is reduced to zero points.
• Added some code to accelerate gameplay in combat.

Thank You For Your Awesome Support, Brave Heroes! Best Wishes ^_^

 

[Covenant]

The intelligence enhancement from Malefika (the robe from the djinni wish) stacks with the circlet of intelligence - this shouldn't be the case, right?

There are different types of enchantment bonuses for magic items. For example there is Enhancement, but also a simple Generic bonus. Or it might be possible not to assign the type at all. I don't have the module open right now, but that might be what happened here. If the circlet has a different bonus type than what the robe gives, they will stack.

Yes, the robe gives a generic bonus whereas the circlet is enhancement, though the fact that the help files imply that ability bonuses in general don't stack still makes me suspect it's an oversight.

Found another funny bug with that goblin fight - dominated one of the scarlet frogs and the other one grappled and attacked it. I've lost track of which is my frog at this point, but one of them is now an infinite attack frog.

Spoiler

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.kickstarter.com/project...-revolutionise-old-school-crpgs/posts/3671321

Update #66: KotC 2 Version 1.54 Adds New Features + New Dungeon Images!​

Hello everyone! I hope you're having a nice holiday season and I wish you an excellent year 2023. The latest version of KotC 2 is version 1.54. It can be downloaded here for both Windows and macOS. It can also be downloaded on Steam and GOG.

New isometric dungeon map for the upcoming KotC 2 modules.
The main additions to the game include the new Combat Actions Menu with icons, Custom Hotkeys for Quickbar spells and abilities, the ability to Buy Back items previously sold by your party to merchants, the automatic Flurry of Blows combat action for Monks so that you don't have to click for each Flurry attack, and the brand new Throw Creature combat action which is available while grappling.

You can use Throw Creature to send enemy creatures flying into pits and other environmental hazards, or you can throw them at other creatures. A creature that occupies 2x2 squares may be thrown at up to four creatures, potentially. Be sure to let your warriors take the new feat Improved Throw Creature.

Separately, I've been working on the starting hub map of the first upcoming adventure module, The Dark Arena. It will be a large isometric castle map.

I've also spent some time testing a new natural language chat and text-completion AI developed by OpenAI. I think it's quite useful as an assistant for creative writing. I've just posted a short review of this AI on HeroicFantasyGames.com. Be sure to read the review if you're interested in this subject.

List of changes in KotC 2 Version 1.53​

• Added the Iconised Combat Actions Menu, and a new game option allowing you to switch it on and off. It is under 'Display', near the top, in third position. I prefer the new menu to the text-based one.
• Added to the Combat-Actions menu the actions Breath Weapon, Gaze Attack, Turn Undead, Rage, Life Drain, Bard Songs, and Cleric/Bishop Domain Powers. Please note: the Rage and Bard Song combat actions will only be displayed when your character doesn't already have the associated Rage or Bard Song condition. That way, it will be much easier to know when is a good time to re-activate those abilities during a long battle.

The new Combat Actions Menu for KotC 2 with a test character.

• Added the new 'Auto Flurry' Combat Action for Monks. This new combat action lets the computer perform all of your Flurry attacks automatically on the target you specify.
• Added to the Spell Quickbar selection menu a list of choices allowing you to set a Function key or a combination Shift + Function key as the hotkey for the selected spell or ability. Just scroll down the list after right clicking on a Spell Quickbar slot in order to display the keys from F2 to F12 and the combinations from Shift + F2 to Shift + F12. Pressing one of these hotkeys will then let you cast or activate the corresponding spell or ability. Added some text about this in the in-game help entry about shortcuts during combat. Also fixed some display issues when right clicking on a Spell Quickbar slot.
• Fixed a bug with Quickbar spells that have a metamagic setting, such as Empower.
• Added the brand new 'Throw Creature' Combat Action, available while grappling. Also added the new feat 'Improved Throw Creature'. Note: You can throw a creature at another creature (or at several creatures, if the thrown creature occupies more than one square). Simply select a square that contains a creature as your target position. The end position of the thrown creature will be a square adjacent to the recipient creature, but both will take damage, the thrown creature will be prone, and the recipient creature may also fall down.

Help Entry for the new Throw Creature combat action in KotC 2.

• Given the feat Improved Throw Creature to a number of creatures in both Augury of Chaos and the Tutorial Adventure. Also updated the creature AI settings for the AI to use the new Throw Creature action from time to time.
• The feat Greater Grapple will now improve the grapple actions Break Free from Grapple or Pin, Pin, Swallow Whole and Throw Creature from Standard Action to Move Action. Note: To improve the 'Break Free from Grapple or Pin' action, there is also a feat called 'Improved Escape From Snares'. If you have both feats, you can now Break Free from a Grapple or Pin using a Free Action.
• A creature grappling a creature three size categories smaller (or more) will no longer lose its Dexterity bonus to AC. For example, a Gargantuan creature grappling a Medium-size creature.
• When targeting a grappling opponent with a ranged attack, the 50% chance to hit the other grappling combatant will not apply if you are adjacent to the target or if the target is pinned. It also doesn't apply if you have the feat Improved Precise Shot. Also added a mention of this in the help entries.
• You will now receive a bonus of +2 on Bull Rush checks when holding a shield. This bonus increases to +3 with the feat Shield Expertise and +4 with the feat Shield Mastery. Updated the help entries for Bull Rush, Armour Types, Shield Expertise and Shield Mastery to reflect this.
• Fixed a bug with the Character Creation interface not recording the selected animated sprite when you untick 'Auto-Create Character Sprite'.
• Added shortcut keys for those combat actions that didn't have any: Pull (Shift+P), Slide (Q), Stand Up (U), Sunder (Shift+U), Trip (Shift+J), Disarm (Shift+G), Feint (Shift+N), Rearm (Shift+K), Throw Creature (Shift+O), Swallow Whole (Shift+W), Charge Attack (Shift+Z), Wake Someone Up (Shift+X). Also updated the in-game help entry about Keyboard Shortcuts During Combat with a mention of all the new shortcut keys.
• Tweaked the melee attack AI when a target have been affected by a Feint combat manoeuvre. Also tweaked the AI for Feint attempts when the acting creature has the feat Greater Feint.
• When a Feint attempt fails due to a Mirror Image, the game will indicate the number of mirror images remaining. Also fixed some bugs due to confusion between the conditions Feint and Improved Feint.
• The Curing domain power used in conjunction with the Flux domain will no longer require a ranged touch attack.
• Fixed the Difficulty Class of the Cleric/Bishop domain powers Life Drain, Weakness, Wilting, Confusion Touch, Paralysing Touch, Sickness Touch, Pandemonium, Blindness, Time, Fire, Storm, Sun. It was based on Charisma. Now it's based on Wisdom (as mentioned in the help).
• Pressing 'O' in the Game Options screen will now close the screen.
• Improved the AI so that it will avoid using spells or spell-like abilities like Life Drain on targets with extremely high Spell Resistance.
• The feat Rapid Strike will no longer apply to the Monk's unarmed attacks.
• Fixed a bug that could occur when pushing a number key to open the character sheet of a party member.

Help Entry for the new feat Improved Throw Creature in KotC 2.

• Fixed a source of crashes in combat when a creature has disarmed someone who has an ongoing condition such as Bleeding. Upon applying the effect of bleeding to the character, there could be a crash because of the Disarmed condition giving one more condition to the character (the condition No Shield Bonus to AC), thereby invalidating the pointer to the data of the Bleeding effect. It's a memory-related bug so it would not happen every time. The bug could also happen when a Death Knight moves close to another creature, applying the effect of the Death Knight's aura.
• Fixed a number of bugs and issues concerning the Bleeding condition, in particular when several characters have the Bleeding condition, and when monsters have natural attacks that cause bleeding. Also improved the Combat-Log reporting for Bleeding and Bleeding increases. Also improved the help entries for the Monster Ability Bleeding, the Death Knight feat Vicious Strike, and the weapon enchantment Vicious.
• Fixed a bug with summon spells that could be targeted very far from the caster.
• The game will play a sound effect when Pin attempts are unsuccessful.
• Fixed a bunch of Combat-Log errors when the player uses a potion, scroll, wand or other item.
• You'll be able to Counterspell a spell cast from a scroll or wand.
• Corrected the item descriptions of all the magic acorns and the Lesser Fireball Necklace to specify that their activation is a supernatural ability (not a spell-like ability).
• Fixed a bug in the module editor that could cause crashes.
• Fixed position problems with the Prone sprites of various Trolls.
• When targeting a spell with a metamagic effect, the game will display it at the top, e.g. Empowered Fireball.
• Fixed issues with the Formation Screen when setting as leader (or removing as leader) a creature that occupies more than one square.
• Fixed issues in the Token / Sprite selection screen when the character occupies more than one square.
• Improved the help entry about Attacks of Opportunity with a link to the help entry for Combat Actions and links to the help entries for all the feats that remove AOOs.
• Added some text and links in the help entries for Improved Grapple, Greater Grapple, and Break Free. Also fixed an error in the help entry for Grapple (there is no penalty for Grapple Attacks even if you don't have the feat Improved Grapple).
• Improved the combat interface so that all of the shortcut keys are displayed when mousing over an option. Also fixed some Combat Action display issues during combat, and a display issue in the Party Creation screen.
• Fixed some issues with the menus when you want to use the keyboard to select an option rather than the mouse.
• Fixed a broken link at the bottom of the help entry for Critical Hits. Also fixed the help link when right clicking on the Combat Actions Rearm and Activate Special.
• In the Creature Editor, normally, when you change the unique name of a creature, the game will update the name of the creature in all of the scripts of the module. This will no longer happen if you have loaded a creature file (such as the creature file from a saved game) since the loaded file is not the module's creature file. Also fixed some interface issues in the Creature Editor in the Feats and Abilities screen.
• Added some code to accelerate gameplay in combat.

The KotC 2 Spell Quickbar with Custom Hotkeys.

List of changes in KotC 2 Version 1.54​

• When you sell something, the item will now appear in the trader's inventory in case you'd like to buy it back later.
• The script command 'Give item to character' can now be used to give trader NPCs more than 16 items. So, you can now have a shop with many items, but you'll have to use a script in order to add any items above the initial 16 which can be placed directly in the editor through the NPC's Inventory tab in the Creature Properties screen. Note: a single script command can be used to give multiple items to a character.
• Fixed some issues when trying to sell a bag or coffer containing items, or a stack of gold coins, to a trader NPC. Also fixed a bug that would happen after buying an item from an NPC if the NPC's dialogue was supposed to continue after opening the Trading Screen.
• Fixed bugs when using Shift + B (or shift + click on item) to buy five items in one go from a trader NPC, when fewer than five units of the moused-over item are available, or when mousing over a non-stackable item such as a weapon.
• The shortcut keys to buy five items in one go (Shift + B or Shift + click on item) will now work with both the Left Shift key and the Right Shift key. Also, when buying five items in one go, the item's sound effect will be played only once (not five times).
• Improved the script command 'Set quest text' which you can use to set quest descriptions in the player's Quest Journal. I've added a new option: 'Append text only if the description does not already contain this text'. If you want to use the journal to record clues obtained from various sources, this option will be useful as the Quest Journal will only be updated when something new needs to be added to the Quest Journal. I'll surely make use of it for the upcoming modules.
• Added the White Robe sprite for your characters, and for module creators who want to create new robes, perhaps with healing powers. To let your character wear the White Robe, open his or her Character Sheet, then left click on the character's token image in the top-left corner of the screen in order to open the 'Please Select Token / Sprite' screen for your character. Then, in the first dropdown box from the top, select 'Silver Robe'. Make sure that the option to 'Create Sprite Automatically' is ticked. Then click Okay. The Silver Robe matches the white wings quite nicely. It's good for Angel NPCs, too.
• In the Combat Log, when displaying the Armour Class list of modifiers, clicking on the line 'Negated Dexterity Bonus to Armour Class' was opening the help entry for Armour Class. Now it will open the help entry for 'No Dexterity bonus to AC'.
• Improved the help entries for the Grapple combat action and the Grappling condition.
• Given the size category 'Small' to all of the Giant Rats and Dire Rats in Augury of Chaos and the Tutorial Adventure. Previously, they were Medium-size creatures.
• Improved the projectile animation of the spell 'Turn Pebble to Boulder' and added four boulder images to the list of item images that can be presented during scripted dialogues. They can also be selected when creating a new spell.
• In the Tutorial Adventure, added some text to the dialogue displayed just before the final battle. The text lets the player know that he or she can now use the party's resources with abandon.

The new Combat Actions Menu for KotC 2 with a test character.

• Characters will now lose the True Strike condition after launching a combat manoeuvre or grapple action.
• When a creature attempts a grapple against a character with the True Strike condition, the character will no longer benefit from the +20 bonus on the opposed grapple check. Likewise, when a creature attempts a Sunder, Disarm or Feint action against a character with the True Strike condition, the character will not receive +20 on the opposed attack roll.
• Fixed problems with large creatures being able to target out-of-reach characters when squeezing near walls (or characters being able to target out-of-reach squeezing monsters). For that, I had to create a new condition, 'Squeezing'. A really tough thing to fix - I had to do a tonne of tweaks. Hopefully, I didn't introduce any new bugs because of that. Time will tell. The Giant Spider Queen in the High Sewers, Queen Sattram, is one example of a creature that may often be squeezing near walls, because she's so big.
• Fixed a bug with the field of view of creatures occupying more than one square.
• When mousing over a creature to attack it, if the creature has Mirror Images, the number of Mirror Images will be displayed in the tooltip information box.
• Fixed a bug with the reach of large creatures wielding a Reach Weapon. Reach weapons were doubling the reach distance instead of just adding a single square.
• Fixed a bug with the reach of very large creatures when their line-of-sight maximum distance wasn't enough to grant them the full extent of their reach in combat.
• Added some tooltip information when mousing over the small Psionic Power Point expense buttons, for people who may have difficulty reading the content of the tiny circles.
• Improved the information tooltip when mousing over a trader's available items. It will display the quantity available in store, or the item's number of charges.
• Fixed display bugs in the Local Map Screen when there are some text notes on the map. Some text notes could have a fractional position, reducing the quality of the text display.
• Fixed a damage-display problem when the energy damage on a creature is reduced to zero points.
• Added some code to accelerate gameplay in combat.

New isometric dungeon map for the upcoming KotC 2 modules.

Next Steps for Knights of the Chalice 2​

Essentially, aside from the planned addition of new high-resolution sprites, I've now finished upgrading the game engine with all the new features I wanted to add. I'll now be focusing a lot more on the new adventure modules. The next development steps are the following:

• Work on the three upcoming adventure modules. Create the new world map & new dungeon maps.
• Hire a graphic designer to create new sprites, new maps and other types of artwork.
• Fix any remaining issues mentioned on the Steam Forum, GOG Forum and the website Forums.
• Implement additional features such as new monster abilities, subraces, familiars & items.

As always, if you find bugs or if you have any feedback, thoughts and suggestions, please feel free to let me know here, or in the Forums, or by email at enquiries@heroicfantasygames.com.

Thank You So Much For Your Support, Legendary Heroes of the Realm! Best Wishes ^_^

 

[Abu Antar]

The last section of the update is the most interesting to me.

 

[Desiderius]

 

[InD_ImaginE]

considering that Piere is expanding assets etc for the next campaign I would assume KotC2 manage to be a financial success for him. Nice

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

considering that Piere is expanding assets etc for the next campaign I would assume KotC2 manage to be a financial success for him. Nice

On the other hand, Pierre has never struck me as fiscally conservative, Jeff Vogel type.

 

[mediocrepoet]

considering that Piere is expanding assets etc for the next campaign I would assume KotC2 manage to be a financial success for him. Nice

On the other hand, Pierre has never struck me as fiscally conservative, Jeff Vogel type.

Yeah, Pierre's always struck me as a: he wrote a book on economics? ... How?

I do hope this venture is a success for him though. He's made some good stuff.

 

[Njaevin]

God this game looks like a true labor of love title. Only recently heard of it. Seeing how the game started and what it has become is truly astounding. Digging the oldschool style. Good shit. Definitely on my wish list but cant let the backlog grow too much. Feels nice having such a title as my back up for now.

 

[Tse Tse Fly]

Man how come the second game manages to look worse than its predecessor. I greatly appreciated the intentionally stylised look (being a reference to Dark Sun I guess?) in the first game, whereas this one took the turn for a more garish and inconsistent appearance, ending up like a jumbled mess (though it does have its charm). Also, the game graphical assets don't seem to scale properly when desktop scaling is set to values other than the default 100% - in particular, the text and UI elements end up pixelated and even deformed sometimes.

 

[mediocrepoet]

Man how come the second game manages to look worse than its predecessor. I greatly appreciated the intentionally stylised look (being a reference to Dark Sun I guess?) in the first game, whereas this one took the turn for a more garish and inconsistent appearance, ending up like a jumbled mess (though it does have its charm). Also, the game graphical assets don't seem to scale properly when desktop scaling is set to values other than the default 100% - in particular, the text and UI elements end up pixelated and even deformed sometimes.

As far as I know, he's always just purchased either art packs or art services from freelancers as needed. He's not much of an artistic fellow (which I sympathize with) and can be stubborn so you can end up with stuff that looks more or less like dog shit. I don't think anyone goes to Pierre's games for art design though anyway, it's sort of a trade off for what you get. You can find pretty pictures in the latest Bioware release.

Maybe someone who's artistically inclined will make some sort of graphics replacement mod down the line, but I wouldn't hold my breath either way.

 

[Tse Tse Fly]

mediocrepoet I had zero objections to how the first game looked, but in KoTC 2 dev apparently decided to do his own thing, and it came out worse. Not that it's that big of a hurdle for me, of course, but it's just strange. Why couldn't he preserve the original style, it suited the game so well. Maybe it's somehow related to modability.