Zombie + Slime = Vile Slime

Two of the new items coming in the next build allow you to sacrifice one demon to apply a modifier to another. Modifiers have existed prior to this, but were only generated randomly. Now you’ll be able to (when you find the appropriate item) exercise some control over them directly. :)

Once you find one of the items (either a Silver Matrix, or, if you want to modify a unique demon, you’ll need a Gold Matrix) and use it, you first select a demon to sacrifice. The modifiers each potential sacrifice provides are shown:

SelectSacrifice
Then, choose a demon to gain the modifier:

SelectTargetForSacrifice

Next, you’ll be shown a preview of the result. It’s easy to back up a step or two to change the sacrifice and the target, so you can quickly review the various combinations and their previews:

VileGandayahPreview

Once you find a combination you like, press Enter on the preview screen to confirm and ta-da, you have a newly modified demon, complete with new abilities!:

VileSlimeIsBorn

This feature has taken longer to work on than I’d have liked, but I think the next build including these and the other 20 or so new items will be pretty exciting. :) I’ll keep everyone posted on progress. :D Happy holidays!

Comments Off Posted in Demon

Item Progress and Scrolling Support for Lists

First, an updated build link: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B-sx_4eW-B5hWnhNZlRPclZLeUU&usp=drive_web

There’s no new build as of 11/9, but Dropbox finally ticked me off enough to ditch it after they started bugging people downloading things to sign up. Compared with the false positives web browsers rarely gave about any download from Dropbox being malware, I reluctantly went back to Google Drive and its somewhat terrible interface for actually downloading things. Boo.

Persona Q has proven quite the lengthy distraction (70 hours played so far and still not done), but given Demon is in part based on Shin Megami Tensei, I suppose it’s fair to call this research. :) Despite that, I have still been working on the items and their related interfaces, just taking a bit longer than expected.

One of the major parts of that that I just completed is scrolling support for list interfaces, which is required now that Demon will be supporting over 30 item types (way more than could fit in a non-scrolling list.) Here’s a screenshot of the new list support in action (if a screenshot can ever be said to be in action :P ):

ListInterface

Persona Q Detour

Hey. :) No official update this week due to the release of Persona Q. Shin Megami Tensei is one of Demon’s major influences, so I always take time to play new entries in the series when they pop up. :) Progress on the consumables is still going well though. :D Happy Thanksgiving!

Up next: Improved consumables

I’m currently working on a fairly major revamp of the consumables in Demon: I’ll be going from 11 items to over 30 in the process, including some rather interesting goodies I don’t want to spoil.

The major goals of the revamp are:

* Standardize items into ‘types’ a bit to help with understanding what items do and how they are used (i.e.: Runes are things you use on enemies, Stones are things you use on single allies, Essences are things you use only on the main character, etc.)
* Add some consumables that, rather than just being ‘save me from bad things’, are exciting treasures that do awesome things, such as permanent stat boosts, extra training points for your favorite allies, etc.

I’m still working on implementing the items, but the art is already complete, so I can share that with you. :)

ItemAtlas

Comments Off Posted in Demon

11/12: Welcome laptops and Retina displays!

Link to builds: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/akfvy4z8fmsavdm/AACrg9QrE7tcXDtLQOsYb_7Ga?dl=0

This post is actually a bit late, with apologies, the build’s been up for a few days. :) Finally got laptops and Retina displays working by adding support for a smaller resolution (1080 x 720 in addition to the previous 1152 x 864) and tweaking my sprite code a bit. (“Sprite code?” you ask? Yeah, Demon started before Unity 2D was around, so I still use my own stuff. :) )

If you tried playing before on a laptop or Retina display and had trouble, give the new build a go and things should be much better. :D

One note: The resolution Demon runs at is chosen by Demon itself when you run it: it will pick the best of the two your system can support. :) No need to select it manually.

Here’s a couple of screenshots of the two resolutions (1152 x 864 followed by 1080 x 720):

DemonNormalSize

DemonSmallerSize

11/1: Download Hosting Switch and another Sharing Saturday

NEW Build Link (older links no longer valid!): https://www.dropbox.com/sh/akfvy4z8fmsavdm/AACrg9QrE7tcXDtLQOsYb_7Ga?dl=0

Switched to Dropbox for build hosting because even I was tired of Google Drive’s “how do I download the thing” interface issues. Dropbox can occasionally cause Chrome to throw ridiculously overblown warnings about downloading .exes, but I’m hoping that won’t happen much. :P And now, to the update notes!

Update Notes, 11/1/2014

Interface
- Continuing to adjust ‘new player help’ features, such as hint banners for summoning and
recruiting on the party display, and glowing buttons in the hotkey bar when there context
is relevant.
- Recruit, Item, and Train now display glowing hotkey buttons when appropriate.

Bug Fixes
- Fixed a bug causing Distract, along among debuffs, to not target through enemies.
- Fixed a bug with the grammar engine that caused improper pronoun usage in some cases for uniques.
- Fixed a bug with Poison Needle’s icon.
- Fixed a bug with how enemy summoners reacted to player portal usage.

A screenshot of what some of the new player help features look like in action:

NewPlayerHelp

10/25: Sharing Saturday Build

Build link as always: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B-sx_4eW-B5hWnhNZlRPclZLeUU&usp=drive_web

Added some very minor “new player help” functionality to address issues players have had picking up on the summoning mechanics, as well as fixed a number of minor to moderate bugs. :)

Update Notes, 10/25/2014

Interface
- Added purple “hint” glows to Summon, Dismiss, and Rest when you should consider using them
to help new players get a bit of a nudge in the direction of Demon’s summoning mechanics.
- Will probably add more of these and/or make adjusts to how they work in future builds.

Bug Fixes
- Bloodlust no longer falsely claims to restore SP on missed attacks.
- Improved Adria’s AI further, maybe this time it will stick :P
- Fixed several interface/AI bugs related to “protect the target” capture mechanics.
- Sleep no longer sometimes gives a double turn to the victim once they wake up.
- Spin Slash now uses the correct messaging ‘verb’.

10/21: A Few Quick Fixes

Link to PC and Mac builds: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B-sx_4eW-B5hWnhNZlRPclZLeUU&usp=drive_web

Adjusting the manual and the very early game a little bit to be slightly more welcoming to new folks. :) Demon does have some fairly unique and interesting mechanics to learn after all, even for roguelike veterans. :D

Update Notes, 10/21/2014

Interface
- Did a moderate revamp of the manual, adding a tips section and consolidating party
management (recruiting, summoning, etc.) into its own section.

Balance
- Adjusted the encounters on Tower:1 slightly.
- Adjusted Cunning, making it more important to have it if you want status effects to land.

Bug Fixes
- Fixed an incorrect icon bug on Terrifying.

10/18: Grand Opening

Hi there! :) Welcome! Sit down and have a build of Demon, a new monster collection roguelike for PC and Mac!

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B-sx_4eW-B5hWnhNZlRPclZLeUU&usp=drive_web

Demon is a game born from a rather odd pair of parents: roguelike dungeon crawlers such as Rogue, Tales of Maj’Eyal, and Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup; and monster collection/breeding games such as Pokemon and Shin Megami Tensei.

Players take up the mantle of a Summoner, a human who by finding one of many strange Relics has gained the ability to use monstrous powers as well as the capacity to recruit and summon monsters as allies. The Relic eventually learns to mimic the specific powers of these companions and can also be used to pass powers from one monster to another. But with these gifts comes a curse: Relics invariably draw their owners to a mysterious tower from which none ever seem to return…

Demon is currently late pre-Alpha (which means not quite all game systems are implemented yet, to say nothing of content!), but there is more than enough put together where you can have some fun… and many, many deaths. :)

Here are some screenshots of the game in action, but really, I gave you the build link almost two hundred words ago. :D Go see for yourself!

TwoGoblins
Barely a half-dozen steps in, a new summoner encounters two goblins lurking around a corner…

GoblinLink1
A straight fight is certainly an option, but in Demon it is not the only one…

GoblinLink3
Well that went well. :)

IlombaLink
It isn’t all about talk when it comes to recruiting. Different demons require you to do different things to convince them to join you.

LearnAbility
Learn new abilities from your chosen allies…

CustomAllies
…and customize theirs in turn.

Survive
Will you survive to reach the tower’s top floor?