Driftmoon From a New Angle

08.02.2013

We've just released Driftmoon beta version 0.996! This is the first version featuring our new, tilted viewing angle that we mentioned earlier. It's available right here. If you haven't had a chance to try Driftmoon yet, or have patiently been waiting for us to add the angled camera feature, then now is the best time to start playing! And before you ask, yes, the full adventure is all there now, from start to finish.

I have to say that we've both been surprised by how noticeably our recent work has upgraded the graphics of Driftmoon. More importantly, it has brought the characters of the world more alive, so it has clearly been working toward our goals as developers.

Someone save Granny Newmoon!

An important notice to all who wish to continue from their existing saved games, and try the new angled camera. We have had to considerably upgrade some of the areas in the game to make them work better in the angled view, but those upgrades don't reach any areas that have already been opened in your saved game. That is, if you've been to an area already, you will see some small graphical errors, but they should not affect gameplay. As usual, we recommend starting from the beginning, but the game should be playable if you continue with your save.

As always, we'd be very happy to hear what you think of the new version! You can comment here, or at our forum - but the easiest way is probably still through our in-game feedback-function (press the letter "F" while playing). We're especially interested in any graphical bugs and glitches that our new visuals may have produced, but all other feedback is welcome as well.

As mentioned in an earlier post, it is possible to adjust the viewing angle while playing, by using Page Up and Page Down, so anyone wishing to stick to the traditional top-down perspective, will be able to do so very easily.

That Gargoyle still hasn't gotten through his defragmentation process.

A closer look at Sarah.

The Heart of the Fortress

Ps. Our never-expiring Driftmoon discount codes will be available through the demo up until the end of February 2013. Be sure to grab yours before that.

Game Changelog

• The camera is now slightly tilted by default. You can control the tilt with the PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN keys.
• The Moon Rocket skill now works with the Mystic Staff.
• Fixed a bug with some feathers being permanently stuck to objects like chairs and bookshelves.
• It is now easier to target objects (especially doors) with the mouse.
• Fixed game hanging when a Rollo manages to stop somehow (which was unlikely, I admit, but possible if it got in a tight corner).
• The staves now work against Oozes and Spider Webs.

Modding Changelog

• The mod camera tilt settings are controlled by the mod settings.ini, see the main game for reference.
• The editor can be tilted with the PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN keys.
• Some bot models have been updated to function better in the tilted environment. If your mod contains humans that use the model from the main mod, your bots may require additional sprites to look better in the tilted view.
• The races.ini variable useInheritedGraphicsIfNotFound controls how the bot's graphics behave if there is no race-specific graphic available. We use it to inherit graphics from the default player.
• It is now possible to use .obj 3D model files for all objects.
• Wielded items can use .obj models by setting the wieldModel property.
• New script action: turnBotToStatue is used to create the statues in the main game. This also means that Pete can update his mod to include tails for the statues!
• Due to the new layers in the characters, some character sprites have been changed. This may break existing statues in mods - if it does, it might be a good idea to use the turnBotToStatue script.
• Topped wall edges can now have a repeating texture, fixing the stretched look of some walls.
• Animations now support cubic interpolation. Selectable via a checkbox in the animation editor.
• It's now possible to use exported objects as props, such as the new trees and rocks.
• The game will no longer crash if there are more than 32768 objects on the map.
• The game will reuse object id numbers from deleted objects, but only if there are no longer any references to the deleted object from scripts or dialogues.
• Hidden objects will no longer have physics. If you need to make an invisible object that has physics, change its alpha to 0.
• It's now possible to define a damageType in items.ini, and a corresponding immunity in races.ini.