Update #70: KotC 2 Version 1.60 Fixes Bugs + New Display System + New Inn & Arena Maps!
Hello everyone! The latest version of KotC 2 is version 1.60. It can be
downloaded here for both Windows and macOS. It can also be downloaded on
Steam and
GOG.
In the past month, I worked on three new maps: two isometric maps for the inn of Crossroad Castle, called The Riddle of Fire, and one isometric arena map, the Skull Arena. Please scroll down to see these images.
The new arena map will come in addition to the earlier arena map which was presented in a
Kickstarter update. Another
Kickstarter update presented the Gladiator Pens map, among other adventure maps. Another
Kickstarter update featured a poison gas animation inside the arena.
Level one of The Riddle of Fire. Any resemblance to a Burning Corpse Bar is purely coincidental. ^_^
Together with Juhani, we've done some brainstorming about the NPCs, maps and quests to be found in the upcoming module The Dark Arena. It's still very much a work in progress. I'll try to follow my own design advice about
non-linear adventures and
choice and consequences. A big Thank You to Juhani!!
Also, I completed work on the alternative display system for large maps presented in the
previous update and I acquired the awesome epic music collection that was made available by composer
Joel Steudler through
Humble Bundle.
Within the music collection, I selected about 35 soundtracks that may be used in the upcoming KotC 2 modules. I'll have to convert them into ogg files. I'm also planning to edit some of these soundtracks.
Another thing I'm planning to do soon is to become a member of the
PVGames Patreon again, as I'm missing the more recent assets, including a Gelatinous Cube sprite and a lot of other graphic assets.
Finally, the
RPG Tools software from Martin Mais includes many sound effects created by Joel Steudler. I might add some of these sound effects to the game at some point.
AI image generation using Stable Horde
I've had a chance to participate in the
Stable Horde project, a network of volunteers who combine their computing power to generate AI images. There's an online interface at
https://aqualxx.github.io/stable-ui. I was able to create some nice images, as well as a Stable Horde worker.
The interesting thing is that I could produce some images of size 1,920 x 1,920 pixels, which is really big for current AI image generation. It does cost some Kudos to do so. Kudos is the virtual currency you earn by running a Stable Horde worker on your computer, or by rating a bunch of AI-generated images through the online interface. Smaller images (e.g. 704 x 704 pixels) can be made for free.
Kudos can be transferred to other users
from here or through the
Discord channel. If you'd like to contribute some Kudos for me to use in adventure map creation, feel free to send them to my user ID: StableDragon#18923. Thank you!! Also a big Thank You to the members of the
Discord channel who replied to questions or sent me Kudos, and in particular to Jug!!
Level two of The Riddle of Fire.
How to use the new system for large adventure maps
KotC 2 version 1.60 features the
alternative system for displaying huge adventure maps. Here is how the new system works. Say you have a background image of size 13,000 x 10,000 pixels. First, you need to create a small-size preview version of that image for use in the minimap and local-map screen. The preview image may be of size 2,000 x 1,538 pixels.
It should be named like this: MapName_13000_10000_Preview.jpg. That means you have to append the width and height of the original map and the word 'Preview'. Place the preview image in the MapBackdrops folder of your module.
Next, within that same folder create a new folder called MapName_13000_10000. Inside that folder place the 512 x 512 images that constitute the original image. These images should be named like this: Base_y_x.jpg, x and y being the coordinates of each chunk inside the original image, starting from zero.
You can also have an overlay image. Simply place in the same folder the 512 x 512 images that constitute the overlay image. These images should be named like this: Overlay_y_x.png.
Finally, in the Map Data screen of the Module Editor, you can set the preview image as the map's background. The game will then see that it's an image made up of a number of tiles.
To create the tiles, you can use
Image Magick. I've used the following Image Magick commands:
- For the base image: magick convert base.png -crop 512x512 -set filename:tile "%[fx:page.y/512]_%[fx:page.x/512]" +repage +adjoin -quality 90 "Base_%[filename:tile].jpg"
- For the overlay image: magick convert overlay.png -crop 512x512 -set filename:tile "%[fx:page.y/512]_%[fx:page.x/512]" +repage +adjoin "Overlay_%[filename:tile].png"
The Skull Arena.
List of changes in KotC 2 Version 1.60
- In the macOS version only, fixed a source of crashes when selecting psionic powers. My sincere apologies for that bug!
- Fixed several display problems in the Local-Map Screen.
- Fixed a problem with special effects like Rain and Snow getting reset after talking with NPCs (at the end of a script's execution, actually).
- Fixed an issue with double clicking during character creation. When double-clicking on a spell icon to select it, the double click for the last spell could result in the unwanted opening of help files.
- Added a note in the help entries for Weapon Group Proficiency Reach Weapons and Natural Reach to clarify that the benefit of Reach does not apply to Touch Attacks. The Flux domain power and the specialisation feats of attuned Wizards and Sorcerers can transform certain touch spells into close-range spells. It may be a problem if you could get a better range for touch spells just by wielding a reach weapon. It would also be a problem for the AI.
- In the Module Editor, pressing the Left-Alt key will now hide the backdrop image so that it's easier to see if there are any special tiles, or overlay graphics, at any particular place on the map.
- In the Module Editor, fixed an issue with the display of long file paths in selection boxes.
- In the Module Editor, fixed an issue with memory management when closing a map.
- Added some code to clear previous images when loading a map image fails due to low memory.
- Implemented the alternative system for displaying huge adventure maps.
Next Steps for Knights of the Chalice 2
Unchanged from the
previous update, the next development steps are the following:
- Work on the three upcoming adventure modules. Create new adventure maps & regional 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, website Forums, and by email.
- Implement new features such as new monster abilities, subraces, familiars, items and the fog effect.
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 Awesome Support, Dear Knights and Fearsome Sorcerers! Take care