Happy Halloween! Not a particularly spooky update this time, should have planned that better. But it does introduce the fourth and final of the classical elements, Earth spells!

Highlights

• Added Earth magic as a new magic type. In addition to new spells, also features new Earth-related mutations, and new creatures to populate Earth towers.
• Recipes can now be learned like spells, and there are new books that are studied like Tomes of Knowledge, that grant the crafting knowledge used to purchase recipes.
• Adding a new recipe type: Mechanical.
• You can now build nonliving beings such as automatons and golems.

Crafting

• Added Mechanical recipes, which can be crafted in the new Mechanical Workshop room.
• Recipes can now be learned like spells. New books have been added that can be found in libraries: "Alchemical Treatise" and "Mechanical Workbooks." These provide knowledge items when studied that can used to learn recipes.
  • The "Alchemical Research" recipe available in your alchemy lab now grants this new Alchemical Research knowledge item, instead of it granting a random recipe.
• Previously, some recipes were "auto learn," which means they weren't known at the beginning of the game but were learned when you had the required ingredients. This has been removed, and all auto learn recipes either now require specific learning, or are just known from the start.

Constructs

• In the Mechanical Workshop, in addition to recipes, you can build artificial beings.
• There are a variety of constructs that can be built out of different materials that have their own abilities and strengths.
• Constructs don't eat, sleep, take breaks, have morale, or need payment. However, they do take damage over time, and will need to be repaired using certain items.

New Rooms

• Mechanical workshop: As detailed above, lets you craft mechanical recipes and constructs.
• Mine: Workers will dig up stone and other underground materials.
• Earth Meditation Chamber: Works like other meditation chambers.

Gameplay

• Creatures that collide with something now receive the new "knocked down" condition.
• If a creature collides with another creature with movement still to travel, the second creature is guaranteed to be knocked back now.
• Nobles' blood is now more valuable than regular blood.
• "Gather materials" job removed, "Woodcutting" added that gives wood instead of Construction Materials.
• Defensive map features that turn into creatures generally won't become animated if you're authorized to be there.
• Hazmat suits should no longer spawn in wizard towers or stores.

UI

• Inventory Screen:
  • Switching filters resets the scroll to top.
  • Categories on inventory screen are now left-aligned for easier readability.
  • Items are sorted by name within their category.
• Hovering over an item on the inventory screen, pickup screen, store screen, or map (if there's only one item in a tile) shows additional information including the highest sales price.
• Reorganized the examine item screen.

Bug Fixes

• Armor applies from temporary creature types.
• The arcana-boost upgrades to the level 4 "Form" spells now actually have an effect.
• Deathly healing now heals you when allies deal damage.
• Some creatures that were supposed to have a chance to inflict a condition on hit were never inflicting the condition.
• Succeeding at assisting with the ritual at the top of the tower doesn't cause the effects of disrupting the ritual to happen.

What's next?

Every monthly or bimonthly update so far has been more or less focused on a specific theme or idea. This has, I think, been a helpful way for me to do things, because it gives me a deadline and a specific set of things to focus on, ensuring I've been getting out timely updates on a pretty regular basis.

But the pace has been pretty breakneck, and hasn't given me as much time for playtesting, and has left a large list of things to fill back in and get to "eventually." I think the next month (and possibly December as well) I'm going to take a bit more of a loose approach and work on a grab bag of things as I want to or feel the need to.

So the next update or two may not come with any new features or locations (though there's a new feature I was hoping to get to for this release but decided to shelve due to time constraints, so maybe), but I'll be adding more content in already-existing areas, filling in some of the gaps, and doing some rebalancing.

I'll also definitely be spending some time on the UI/UX. Some of the screens have definitely outgrown their current design and lots of places that are kind of clunky and hard to navigate. There's been some good feedback already on the Discord, so if you have any to offer yourself now's a great time for it! https://discord.gg/2cjZ4kuFJU