The Ruins of
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Changelog

Bug fix fixed bug when crafting "Release" onto a magic weapon

Bug fix fixed bug when crafting "Release" onto an alien weapon

Bug fix the ethnicities Atlantean, Irish, Native American, Scottish are now correctly recorded in past lives

UI change you can now view your profile (by clicking on your name) even when you are in the middle of rebirth

this allows you to take a look at your previous lives while you are creating a new character.

Bug fix if you are killed while in the "magician's choice" state, you leave that state

this can happen if you excavate an item while sneaking past a monster, and trigger Magician's Choice. prior to this fix, dying in the fight with that monster would return you to home base, itemless, but with the game insisting you identify something before continuing. now if you die, the game will not try to force you to identify. this does have the effect of causing you to lose out on an item identification, but I guess that's the price you pay for trying to sneak around monsters and getting caught :P

Bug fix Alien History no longer works on non-weapon items!

using it on non-weapon equipment caused the equipment to become unusable. if you have such an equipment, please contact me with the names of the items, and I'll repair them.

Bug fix Horticulture was causing you to gain 0 exp when harvesting plants, intead of 50% more!

this has been fixed!

UI change the world map now includes a text list of countries you can visit

you may find that easier to use than the weird graphical thing :P

New feature Country events implemented!

currently only three events, but the system is there, just waiting for expansion :P

Graphics update new monster graphic! Kitsune!

Mechanics change pumpkins can now show up October through November

Graphics update added three new Alien Weapon graphics and one new Crystal Skull graphic

Graphics update the Knowledge "Horticulture" now has a graphic

Graphics update the "Botany" Knowledge graphic now uses alpha transparency

Mechanics change implemented the Amateur Knowledge "Horticulture"

UI change you now "Harvest" plants instead of "Excavate" them

Bug fix crafting jewelry works!

if you tried before, it would have pulled up an error message without performing the improvement.

Bug fix rope bottoms are now correctly placed!

(another bug related to the recent change to pits)

Bug fix fixed a bug in dungeon generation that sometimes occurred due to the recent change to pits

Bug fix fixed a couple pit issues:

1. two pits will never lead to the same tile.
2. pits in secret/extra excavation floors should no longer lead to the same floor that the pet was on

a change was made to how pits are stored in the map data... all of these changes only affect new excavations - any excavations already discovered may still exhibit any of the above buggy behaviors

Bug fix when you reincarnate, your "unresearched curses" count is reset to 0!

it would have let you research a way to lift a curse for curses you had in your last life! (there are no transcendental curses. ... yet >_>)

Mechanics change handguns and pistols can no longer be "sawed-off"

Bug fix your backpack's contents are properly displayed!

it was showing you items from other people's backpacks, most likely... but it was only show: your real things were always there. it should be fixed now.

UI change the "level up!" text in level-up messages is bold and has a CSS shadow, so YOU CANNOT MISS IT :P

Graphics update Blessing: Providence now has a graphic

Mechanics change unidentified items in your storage are always sorted by level, from highest to lowest

even if you can't see their levels

Mechanics change Blessing: Second Sight has been completely reworked!

instead of its previous bonuses, it now lets you see the levels of unidentified artifacts.

Bug fix fixed a bug during excavation generation related to the creation of alien tools

the site would have thrown a PHP warning if it came up, however it would not prevent the excavation from being created, only that specific item from being created.

Mechanics change the cost to build tracks has been reduced from 50 rho per tile to 40

Graphics update tracks look AWESOME now :P

Mechanics change the bonuses from Motivations have been increased to be on-par with other knowledges

this is part 1 of a 2-step plan. part 2 will require you to also take a character flaw.

Mechanics change added new region-specific vocabulary for store-bought swords and daggers

"with Italian Grip", "with Spanish Grip" and "with French Grip"

Mechanics change Swiss Bank Account has been changed

you no longer get the money from your previous life automatically: it is stored in your Swiss Bank Account. you can withdraw this money in your next life for free, however doing so disqualifies the life for lifetime ranking. the swiss bank account will keep building up from life to life.

Bug fix when you reincarnate, your Gadgetry bonus is properly cleared

Mechanics change a new type of spring has been implemented!

you'll have to discover what it is for yourself :P

Graphics update extra "white space" around the spring graphics has been removed

Graphics update Surveying and Gadgetry now have graphics

Graphics update added a couple new bone and tooth graphics

Graphics update Energy matricies, the Crystal Skull, and several other graphics now use alpha transparency

Graphics update Unscrupulous Methods and Battle-hardened now have graphics

specifically, Unscrupulous Methods has the BEST graphic :P

Bug fix fixed markup error in the HTML titles of most help pages

Bug fix you can no longer accidentally waste AP by pressing "R" to rest at home base when completely healthy

Mechanics change added equipment vocabulary which contains negative bonuses!

these bonuses reduce the level of the equipment, making room for more positive bonuses.
this change was actually made ~12 hours ago, but I forgot to post to the changelog at that time!

New feature equipment can now be improved through the use of the "Work" page

with the appropriate knowledges, you can now improve equipment from the "Work" page

Mechanics change forested excavation levels now contain more more plants

these plant treasures are in addition to whatever regular treasures would be present, not instead of. % bonuses to treasures found in excavations also apply to these extra plant treasures.

Bug fix Purple Drinks now correctly report how much Fatigue was restored

previously, they were always reporting "0%"

Mechanics change increased the extra levels received by uncommon/rare equipment

uncommon equipment gets 2 extra levels of boosts, instead of 1, and rare gets 4 extra levels, instead of 3

UI change lists of excavations you've discovered can now be sorted

sort orders available are:
by country, by culture, by difficulty, by discovery date (default)

UI change the game now records, and displays, when you discovered an excavation

Mechanics change weapon stores now have a chance to sell uncommon and rare items

at the same rate as excavated treasures: 90% common, 9% uncommon, 1% rare

Bug fix rarity colors now display properly (/at all) in hover-over equipment info boxes

Bug fix mining gold in peru caused an error, due to a typo

the game was trying to generate "gold" instead of "gold ore", which other code, expecting "gold ore", would freak out over

UI change when your donations earn you a new museum favor, you are notified!

the notification includes a link to take you to the museum, much like the link reminding you to pick a knowledge, when a new one is available

Text update the con level help page now reveals the exact level differences that yield a given con level

Text update added a help page about Rarity levels

Mechanics change the stats of Hydras has been updated: they now deal less damage, but have greater resistance

to account for their regeneration properties. (it would be fun to someday implement a "regeneration" ability for monsters.)

Text update "Goblins" have been renamed to "Kobolds"

existing Goblins are unaffected.

UI change added more monsters to the Encyclopedia

Mechanics change uncommon items are worth 25 more rho than usual; rare, 125

these values will probably be tweaked in the future... some kind of multiplier would probably be more appropriate than an addition

Mechanics change uncommon items donate for 5 more reputation; rare for 10 more

Mechanics change uncommon items now make up 9% of treasures; rare make up 1%

the last treasure in normal excavations are always at least uncommon; rare 10% of the time
these rates may be tweaked in the future

UI change item names are colored based on rarity

common items are black
uncommon items are green
rare items are gold
unique items are purple

UI change after choosing a speciality, you are returned to the Knowledges page instead of the Status page

Bug fix equipment sold from the weapon store now have durability

Graphics update axe and helmet graphics now use alpha transparency; one new axe graphic was added

New feature Blessing: Guardian Spirit has been improved...

I'm not saying how, though :P

Graphics update spear and crown graphics have been updated to use alpha transparency

Mechanics change changed the formula for determining how much durability you repair using a single metal

the formula used to be:
10 * (your level / item level)
it is now:
10 + your level - item level, minimum of 2

UI change reworked the "Repair" page to be a general item "Work" page

it is now accessible on an item even when that item is not damaged (to allow upgrading equipment, when implemented)

Graphics update the knowledge "Hard Seller" has a graphic; other knowledge graphics were improved

... by adding background colors and textures, taking advantage of alpha transparency, etc

Graphics update added a new category of fruit: Citrus

their addition is decorative: citruses are mechanically identical to berries.

Mechanics change the bonuses received from being in a Stance now scale with level

see the Stances help page for details

Mechanics change there is no longer a defense penalty while "Disoriented"

UI change after character creation, you are taken to your list of excavations, with a link to the Introduction

(you used to be taken the world map after character creation)

Text update updated the "Introduction" help page

New feature you can now view other players' museum donations

a link is available from each player's profile to that player's museum donations

Mechanics change dirt areas now have slightly less ore (rock has more, however)

Graphics update added two new tilesets: Rock, and Sand

Mechanics change Blessing: Guardian Spirit has been implemented

Graphics update the "Cosmopolitan" achievement now has a graphic

Bug fix refining ore was costing 2 AP instead of 1! this has been fixed.

Graphics update updated the "marble" tileset - passages have details, including cracks and debris

UI change when you train a pet, there is now a "success!" message

to assure you that it has gone through, especially in the face of the red-texted "you cannot do stuff with pets!" message that also appears on that page when you are in an excavation

Mechanics change you can no longer train pets when you are in an excavation, except for pets you're equipped with

New feature shrines, curses, and blessings implemented!

Graphics update "psychotropic veg" finally has graphics >_>

Mechanics change "write a dissertation" and "found a corporation" links appear when they are half-way fulfilled

ex: "write a dissertation" appears when you have studied 15 out of the 30 monster needed. this introduces these goals to new players, who may not be aware of them, and helps remind those of us who are forgetful :P

UI change "write a dissertation" and "found a corporation" links are now also shown on your Knowledges page

since the "Summary" page is visited much less often

Graphics update shield-bearing catface graphic fixed! the image was too large, causing it to appear shrunken

Bug fix a logic bug was preventing you from becoming a Ninja, even if it should have been available to you

it wanted you to be both an adventurer and a mystic (impossible!), instead of one or the other!

UI change pop-up equipment info boxes were made wider

to avoid unnecessary/messy-looking text wrapping

Graphics update new stair graphics :P

also, a couple new knowledge graphics, and various knowledge graphics have been updated to use alpha transparency... (my eternal quest >_>)

UI change each floor map is displayed centered within its floor; unexplored spaces are not shown

this prevents you from knowing where you are within the 5x5 space

Text update removed the "refining is not implemented" notice when you use an ore

since, you know, it totally is implemented now >_>

Text update new middle name: "Indiana", available with the "It Belongs In a Museum" badge

Graphics update added new bowl, tablet, and spear graphics; updated more graphics to use alpha transparency

UI change ads now loaded in an IFRAME

this prevents The Ruins of pages from loading slowly in the event of a poor connection with Project Wonderful (which can happen for tons of reasons: project wonderful's site running slowly fault, problems with your ISP, or any other connection-type problem)

Graphics update added new ring, necklace, vase, and bone graphic; updated more graphics to use alpha transparency

various rings, vases, and amulets, mostly, but also some bones, and a few miscellaneous others.

New feature equipment can now be repaired, through the application of various knowledges

Bug fix the "another! another!" link on the character generator now works more than once in IE

IE was caching stuff unnecessarily. it was told to cut it out.

New feature character generator goodie

Graphics update added two new bone graphics; updated various item graphics to use alpha transparency

Bug fix when you buy "Swiss Bank Account", the option to buy it immediately disappears from the bank

the option was lingering around on the page immediately after you bought it.

New feature you can have your account name changed for 200 Meta at the Meta Store

Bug fix "Motivation: In Love" was not working at all; it's been fixed

the code was looking for the knowledge "Motivation: Love", however it's called "Motivation: In Love"

Graphics update "Unseen Strike" now has a graphic, and tons of knowledge graphics now use alpha transparency

Speak With Spirits, Trance, Homeopathy, Magic Weapons, Pottery, Marksman, Entrepreneur, Infopreneur, Unarmed Combat

Mechanics change equipment items have durability. they become worn when you "die".

when items run out of durability, they are not deleted, but are unequipped, and cannot be equipped until repaired. (repair is not currently implemented.)

UI change Magician's Choice tells you the name of the artifact you chose to identify

hurrah

Graphics update "lashknife_1.png" now uses alpha transparency

Graphics update added graphics for the knowledges "Parting Shot" and "Automata"

Mechanics change implemented Motivation: In Love

New feature new equipment effect: % Fatigue recovered when you encounter a monster

can be found on weapons, hats, rings, and amulets

Graphics update the leaf graphics all now use alpha transparency

Bug fix fixed yet another bug with the new "Svartálfar" monster type

I also made the error message give more information, to help fixing this problem in the future easier, as well as some additional comment in the code to hopefully save me making this mistake the next time I make a new monster!

New feature stats now record how many pit traps catch you

(and there's a badge based on that stat now, too >_>)

Graphics update added two new berry graphics

Bug fix fixed another bug in monster generation

I forgot to supply the code with all the information it needs to generate "Svartálfar" monsters

Text update replaced "Orc" with "Svartálfar"

orcs are an invention of Tolkien, so don't really fit in with any mythologies.

Graphics update added some hieroglyphs to the uneven sandy "bricks" tileset

I'd like to add more, but it's time to sleep :P

Mechanics change implemented Motivation: Tourist

Bug fix fixed a bug that sometimes caused discovering new excavations to fail with a nasty error message

the code would sometimes give up trying to find monsters of a suitable level before trying them all, causing the code to freak out and die because it couldn't generate a monster.

Mechanics change implemented Motivation: Power

Graphics update made the "castle" tileset super pretty with crack and vine decorations

Graphics update the home base graphic no longer has a pinkish glow on the left side of the roof

Graphics update "rib_1.png" has been updated to use alpha transparency

Graphics update "ring_3.png" has been updated to use alpha transparency

Mechanics change gave stances to many monsters who used the "neutral" stance

I had marked many monsters in my code as needing to be given a stance (depending on their mythological description). I'd forgotten about it until I happened to look at that code again :P

Mechanics change implemented the Amateur Knowledge "Refining"

Mechanics change mining now yields experience (a small amount)

Graphics update the soul gem fragment graphics have been updated to use alpha transparency

phew!

Bug fix the level of Picks is now the same as the level requirement for Mining (4)

Mechanics change approximately tripled the value of mineral ores

some berries had been worth more than them >_>

Mechanics change implemented mining

dirt/earth/stone excavation spaces have a chance to have a "vein" which can be mined. the mineral ore received depends on the geographical location of the excavation... ex: Bauxite can only be found in a few places, including China and France.

Picks are now sold at the Supply Shop. These are needed to mine.

the Amateur knowledge "Mining" has been implemented, which allows you to use Picks.

Mechanics change new Parapsychologist Knowledge: "Ufology"

increases the chances of finding excavations with hidden sub-levels

Mechanics change aded "alien"-type hidden excavation levels

Graphics update the obelisk graphic now uses alpha transparency

so it doesn't have white jaggies on darker backgrounds

Mechanics change obelisks no longer create pits, and when they give exp, they give a little more than they used to

Bug fix invisibility is correctly lost when falling down a pit trap even when a monster isn't on the bottom

Mechanics change a rare few excavations may contain hidden levels beyond the "normal" excavation

there is currently only one style for these hidden levels: Atlantean. the last room of the "normal" dungeon will still contain the final room treasure (so even if a quest dungeon has hidden floors, you won't have to do them to get the quest item).

Mechanics change new Inventor knowledge: "Gadgetry"

Mechanics change new Amateur knowledge: "Parting Shot"

Mechanics change the "Backpacker" knowledge now has a level requirement of 2

Graphics update added graphic for the knowledge "Cat-like Reflexes"

Text update the "Combat Reflexes" description now reveals the exact intiative bonus it grants

Text update (slightly) expanded the "battle timer and intiative" help page

Mechanics change the knowledge "Unseen Strike" for ninjas has been implemented!

Text update added encyclopedia entries for "Naga" and "Maal"

Mechanics change new Inventor knowledge: "Automata"

Text update the badge for ascending at level 25 has been given a name at last!

Text update added an encyclopedia entry for "Tiangou"

Graphics update fixed the "flail_1.png" graphic (the "rat flail") - it had a weird white halo around the mouse/rat

as with all graphics changes, you may need to perform a "hard refresh" to get the old copy of the graphic out of your browser's cache

New feature added a "to-do list" so that I can remember what I want to do!

and it's public, so you guys know what I want to do, before I do it :P (and/or can remind me to put things up that I promised I'd do!) you can find it under the "Help" menu.

UI change added more-defined changelog change "types", and updated old changelog entries to use these

"text update", "graphics update", and "removed feature" were added

Removed feature upon further thought, removed "money" lifetime ranking entirely

the best way to implement is would be "money on-hand at time of reincarnation", however the Swiss Bank knowledge ruins that...

Mechanics change disabled the money ranking table, as I don't actually have a good way to measure what I want!

New feature two new lifetime ranking tables: Reputation, and Money.

Graphics update added graphics for five knowledges:

* Quick Draw * Favored Customer * The Four Noble Truths * Wilderness Survival * Remote Viewing

Graphics update added graphics for the knowledges "Magician's Choice" and "Jack of All Trades"

Mechanics change the knowledge "Assassination" has been implemented

Mechanics change if you go first in a fight, the monster is "surprised" until it attacks you

this will allow the implementation of the "Assassination" knowledge, and provides a new mechanic that future knowledges may also be able to take advantage of.

UI change when you have 0AP, your AP total is shown in red

Graphics update added graphics for the knowledges "Animal Handling", "Running Away", and "Speleology"

Mechanics change new surveyor knowledge: "Speleology"

Text update the knowledge "expert topography" has been renamed to "cartography"

Text update added a bunch of vocabulary for treasure names

mostly culture-specific deity words (ex: "Odin's", "Amaterasu's", etc), but also a few common words (ex: "of Birds", "of Beasts", "First", "Last"...)

Graphics update annnnd: 1 new vase graphic

Graphics update added 2 new bowl graphics, 1 new cup graphic, and 2 new necklace graphics

UI change made the changelog look spiffier?

(you're super-impressed, right? :P)

UI change excavations can now have a different tile set on their top floor

ex: japanese ruins hidden under the forest floor, or a scandinavian castle built on top of caves.

Graphics update the "uneven bricks" and "dirt" tile sets now have non-white backgrounds

Graphics update updated map icon graphics to use alpha transparency

now they'll look good on a black background as well as a white (important for making non-white-floored excavation graphics)

Bug fix you can now click anywhere on a menu item

(you don't have to click RIGHT on the text)

New feature changelog implemented!