* COMPATIBILITY: If you are equipped with a shield above level 40, you might notice it jump up 10 levels on you.

* BUGFIX: Miscellaneous Blackjack Fixes

* BUGFIX: Miscellaneous fixes for problems discovered while bringing LG's great new world on line. (Import world.zip, Import http:/world, Handles HTTP redirection (usually), Spell 1 no longer freaks out if #include used for spell table), Shield table renumbered correctly.

* BUGFIX: Various embarassing BlackJack bugs

* TUNING: YOU MIGHT BE WEAKER. Level 99 sword users were a bit too strong versus level 99 magic users, so I made the following tweaks: 1.) Increasing your wisdom does not increase your magic attack AS MUCH. (it still increases it, but it was working at a much higher rate than STR was boosting sword use). 2.) All human players (sword and magic) are somewhat more sensitive to magical attacks than they were (monsters are the same as before). Both of these changes were most obvious in the case where you had consumed a lot of seeds. Overall, the monsters should now be slightly harder to kill, and magical monsters should be a little more dangerous to you. PK battles should be a little more balanced. We'll see what the next set of complaints are. Thanks to Coeus for the most recent set of numbers.

* CHARACTER CLASS AND LEVEL SHOWN ON HEALTH BAR. Much as monsters show their element and level above their health bar when you point at them, now 'players' show a little info as well ("Necromancer 99" for example - techinically it is your LEVEL name, not your CLASS name which I show)

* NEW "IF CONDITIONALS". Quest authors can now have a couple more tests, as in:

IF C3, @characterClassIsThree
IF V4, @characterLevelIsFourOrHigher

And, of course, you can combine them, as in, perhaps:

IF C3+V4-V10, @label

Which would go to label if the player who is the scene HOST is of character class 3, and has a level of 4 or higher, but less than 10. (4-9).

* NEW BOOK: OF OPTIONS. I finally made an options dialog where all those things in the FILE menu really belong. I'm not in a big hurry to move them, but that would be the logical thing to do.

* CUSTOM UI THEMES. You might think of this as the 'lurch feature.' It allows very basic customization of the user interface. Basically there is a new folder, called THEMES, and within that folder is a folder for each custom theme, say 'diablo' Inside the diablo folder would then be replacement bitmap files for many of the UI elements of the game (mainly the buttons and framing elements). Unlike other implementations I have done of this functionality, there are no sub-folders in a theme. Likewise, there is no micro-positioning of bitmaps, resizing, etc. It's REALLY BASIC, and please don't ask for fancier treatments as I probably will never enhance it beyond this (well, other than adding WAV support). Heck, most of the bitmaps even require you to re-run the game after changing themes before they will take effect - it's just that basic!

* FUNPAK IS BACK. Type "/funpak" to open the funky diagnostic window. This will log situations of interest to world designers (broken syntax in the quest file, duplicate map entries, etc).

* FIRST CUT POKEGATCHI PEN. This isn't much to look at yet. Type "/pet" to open it. Watch the Homer Simpson O' Meter showing your pet's internal mental and digestive state.

* USING AN ITEM NO LONGER RESORTS ITEM LIST. Only the info about that item is updated. Which is not to say it will NEVER re-sort when you didn't want it too, just that it now does it less.

* TELEPORTATION COMMANDS IN QUEST SCRIPT. I'm calling these 'teleportation' since so many people asked for that and this way maybe they think I did it. But REALLY this is a feature which lets you have token-locked links. So some link points won't work until you have the right stuff. BUT, rather than make a special token-lock in the link editor (ack), I am making it a script command, so the actual test can be as complicated as you like.

For example, you have a link on the main map called "Dragon's Lair" It is actually linked to a SCENE. That scene checks your current tokens and if you don't have the right stuff, it just appears as a regular scene (with maybe some guards telling you to shove off or whatever). But if you DO have what it takes, answer the right question, or whatever, then it used the new GOTO LINK command to take you to a different link point (on the same or a different map). You have the option of just moving to the link point, or actually dropping into it. (Even I have a bit of trouble wrapping my mind around that at times, so I hope it's not overly confusing to the world designer.)

While I was at it, I added a GOTO SCENE x command which lets you jump from the current scene to a different one (but doesn't actually change your map position). It's not clear this is all that much different from just using the existing commands to change backgrounds and such, but it was easy to add and looks purty.

These commands considerably increase the power of quests (which means lots of new bugs probably). Here is the documentation from the new quest.txt file:

;-----------
; GOTO SCENE <scene number>
;
; This command lets you jump the player from the current scene into a new scene (which then starts
; at its beginning.)
;
; However, when you exit the scene, you will be at your original location (the place where you
; dropped into the original scene). This command never changes your current map.
;
; Jumping to a non-existent scene number may not fail gracefully.
;
;-----------
; GOTO LINK <map number>, <link number>, <dropin code>
;
; This command actually moves the character to a position just above the specified link on the specified map.
; For example:
;
; GOTO LINK 0,0
;
; On evergreen, this would take you on top of the gateway link on the main map.
;
; The third argument (dropin code), if present and non-zero, causes the player to drop 'into' the link
; after arriving. What happens after that is a function of the link in question (might do nothing, might
; go into a scene, might link to a whole different map)
;
; So:
;
; GOTO LINK 0,0,1
;
; On evergreen, this would move the player to just above the gateway link on the main map, and then drop the
; player INTO the gateway (scene). When the player exited that scene, they would be on the main map just
; above the gateway.
;

By the way, in theory, the bridging scene (the one which will contain the GOTO LINK command in it) doesn't necessarily HAVE to appear... except that the engine WILL flash the background for a moment. But if you make a background which is all black, I think no one will notice.

Anyway, I hope everyone is excited about this, and thanks for all the cool suggestions which ultimately led to this particular implementation. I had wanted token-locked links forever, but had always thought in terms of adding a token entry to the link editor and I knew that was going to drive me crazy. Even so, this implementation requires that you know your map and link numbers, but that's life.

And I'm still thinking about how I want to implement my 'wing of the wyvern' equivalent (item or spell which lets you go back to towns you have visited in the past). This has been blocked so far by the 'remembering what towns I have visited' element. (I know, sounds simple, and it is, just a bit of a headache in a hero-dependent, upwards compatible, multiplayer sense. But the work I just did in GOTO LINK will simplify it.. so one step at a time) Anyway, I appreciate the recent suggestion of a item/spell to specifically record a place you would like to return to (like the Everquest bind, sort of, but with more entries.. say 10) So, it will probably work along those lines. Travel somewhere, 'bind it' later on open your "book of bindings" and spend some MP/PP to get back.

* NEW MINI-GAME: Big Ol' Space Rocks. See, Tleil, sometimes you get to name stuff after all! I couldn't resist the urge to splurge 10 hours of my life implementing a clone of a classic game, even though how it relates to WoS is dubious, at best. It's like, totally disconnected. You don't win GP, doesn't cost PP. Just a way to waste time while you're waiting for someone to join your party or something. Please forgive me.

* NEW MINI-GAME: STOCK MARKET. You asked for a bank, and I said "NO!" But that doesn't mean I don't love you any more. Here's something to rid you of those million dollar blues. It's kind of LIKE a bank, but you buy stock shares instead. You can only have a million GP in your POCKET, but you can have as much as you LIKE in the stock market. Of course, its value will fluctuate with market conditions. World designers can define up to 100 stock 'companies' to go with their world (or just use the game defaults).

* CHARM SPELLS NOW WORK. Okay, in evergreen, the charm spell is currently called "Enchant" and has been there forever (spirit element). Anyway, now it works. While a monster is charmed, it will fight for the 'human' team and select monster targets (even other charmed monsters, though). It will NOT fight itself however (the CONFUSE spells will let it do that).

* SKIN CENSOR. Borrowing an idea of Lurch's, I have added a skin censor which lets you tag individual skins as being inappropriate for your own eyes. (it doesn't affect what other players see). You can either right-click on a name in the MAP list, or use the Book Of Skins to toggle the censored status. A censored skin will appear as the standard adventurer (I didn't want to implement Lurch's full master plan for world skin domination).

* FIXED BUG IN PK CAP which allowed you to cast 'disease' spells against a higher level PKer without triggering the "you hit first" rule.

* NEW INSTALLER/PATCHER. Lurch found a nice (free) installer/patcher program, so I am taking the opportunity immediately of trying it out. In that spirit, I am releasing A34 prematurely (from the pokegatchi perspective - A34 has lots of other new features) with the idea of testing the installer. Then I will release soon a patch A35 which will be what I expected to release in A34. Confused? Me too.

==============

REMEMBER: I will edit and delete your entries as I update the development notes...

[ description censored ]

I called it the "Leniad Bug"

[Thanks for the report!]

No prob. What are the players for?

[Gossip Room]
[Hotel]
[Trade Wagon]
[HARD HIT CONTEST]
Item Sentences - When a person activates a filter, have the option to put a sentence with it, for example, I drink a beer, and it will say "JLee_Bly feels a bit <hic> happier" or something like that.

Tag, you're it! - At the Beginning of the server session, assign someone to be "it", and whenever "it" hit's someone, they are it, and if they get off, "it" is randomly assigned to someone else.

[Polls]

[Battle Sign-Up sheets (Online session only, nothing longterm). <example>
JLee_Bly is looking for a PK around level 40 to 50 for a friendly fight. Willing to put up to 10,000 GP wager on the battle.
OR
JLee_Bly is requesting a challenge with __, all out battle, anything goes but cheats, Double or nothing from our last fight.]

[Superlatives - Sort of Like 007 Goldeneye, Longest Innings, Wheres' the Armor?, Lemming Award, and such... just examples.]

[MASS GAMBLING OR LOTTERY ]

- Set NUMPad keys to do commands
For example -
(Plus Sign) = (Attack) My Guy, if I have one yet.
(2x Plus Sign) = (Attack) Your own guy, if there are any. [Plus sign wasn't working on the thread, sorry, but it should be attack because it is the biggest... a great panic button]
/ = (Health Weave) Me
// = (Health Weave) You
* = (Matchburn) My Guy, if I have one yet.
** = (Matchburn) Your own guy
- = (Magic Potion) Me
-- = (Magic Potion) You
HOLD - = (Magic Potion) Who ever needs it most (Lowest Amount)

Stock Market Idea - Okay, prepare for my stupid ideas, but is there any way you could integrate real stock prices on it? Such as MSFT (Microsoft) is about 78 bucks a pop, and it updates daily on the server that MSFT went up to 80 bucks, and when a character sales a stock,
Number of Stocks : 100
Purchase Price : 78 GP; 7800 GP
Closing Price : 84 GP; 8400 GP
Payback : 8400 GP
Profit : 600 GP
Brokerage Fee of 10% : 60GP
Total Payment : 8340 GP

Hmm... What else could we do... My Pokegotchi ideas were *crosses fingers* noted and everyone got a chnace to "view them" and thanks Samsyn for cleaning my reply.

The NUMpad does need to get some use, 1-9 will let you move around the world, 0 could bring up the equipment screen (attack!), that big panic button agian, and . could do something. Hopefully, it isn't very hard to implement something.

--April, 4th--
Laptops with Programs - Laptop holds programs, programs can be the mini-games that you can carry around with you, and you can trade and make transactions with other players in the form of skins and "programs".

Probe Droids - Sort of like Star Wars. Have you a little "droid" that can travel around the map and scout out the area. It can't get into fights, but it can attach itself to a character, although if they have a high perception (or a probability thingy), they can see it and hit it and kill it, but it can move super fast.

Autopilot - It would be nice to have an autopilot, and to avoid collisions, you can set waypoints, also be nice if you were on an item run in a city, first to weapons, armor, baubles, seeds, and exit...

Enough for now, gotta jet.
Jerad

By dispatch, I mean:

1.) implement
2.) write down for later
3.) write down, but know I will never be able to do it
4.) write down, but know I will never want to do it

or

5.) throw away completely while emitting an evil (though slightly shrill and manic) laugh.

GOTO SCENE X

GOTO LINK <map#> <link#> <dropin>

These open a whole new world of quest authoring:

* teleportation chambers with multiple destinations

* links which are 'locked' until you have certain tokens, items, levels, etc

* multi-staged scenes (meet him, go to his house, return to pub)

It was an important missing piece, and I feel very happy to have it in place at last.

---

But I think I would draw the line at letting monster rez themselves...

To WoS, I have my usual suspects... err... complaints.

1. 1000k can be shortened to 1M, which can lead into my next suggestion.
   
2. Change "TNL" to "Next Level", since it confused a large number of people.
   
3. You beat me to a change scene command. Thanks... Now I can build an example trainer for WoS... muuhahahaaa...
   
4. Instead of the NPCs taking an item, how about having to physically GIVE the item to them? That way, you can just drop the elementia corpuscula on Prof J, instead of seeing *takes the book*. Conversely, you can see the NPC giving you stuff as well. Good for scene debugging, like why Mr. X won't give item y to character Z without having to check inventory.
   
5. itemClass.bmp which has all the icons for each of the item classes. This would be an essential part of allowing world creators freedom to make their own weapons and items in their own classes, and have appropriate icons.
   
6. Automatic logon (toggle option, default is off), for a server running a world concurrently, insted of having to click on the only choice, just let it go through. I can almost predict a bug with this on the world selection screen at an empty server.
   
7. Gender selection. This is just cosmetic, and would prevent female souls from getting stuck with a male skin, and vice-versa. Also, Adventurer is always the default skin for a missing file, which makes for an interesting gender change. I've already planned out the implementation for this. A gender.ini will have [Male], [Female], and [Neutral] headers, and the gender-specific skin files will be listed under each header. When a skin is transferred, the author or pertinent user will also send a byte before the skin, M, F or N for the skin to be placed under the appropriate header. This will fit perfectly with my replacementskins.ini, where someone can replace an offensive skin with another of the same gender. Such as,
   

   code:

   ---

   [Male]
       default=adventurer
       poogas=squirrel
       changer=killerdeathchicken

   ---

The creative train has run out of fuel for now, but it will be back. MUUHAHAHAHAAA

Just to remind you, A34 stopped being the Pokegatchi release (now that is A35) and became the "test the new installer/patcher" release instead.

A35 will come out as a patch, with more complete pokegatchi support, in a week or two.

Please see the topic "A34 pre-release" for how you can be an early adopter of the new installer technology. If it seems to universally work, it will become the new base version at the time I release patch A35.