• With the addition of some of the changes below I had to modify the character file format. When you load a character that's of the old format, Realmz will convert them to the new format. i.e. It will do its best at changing some of the old statistics into the new ones. Of course there is always a chance for something to be off a bit but it should not be too bad.
• Had to make some major changes to one specific type of item, namely scrolls (NOT Scroll Cases). If you have not noticed already you will shortly. When you load a saved game it eliminates any scrolls your characters had. If you find any new scrolls in the future they should be OK. For reasons too complicated to go into here I could not make a fix for scrolls so your old scrolls must go to the great eternal void. (Thats on top of a pile of socks that dissapear in your dryer.)
• A THIEF is now called a Rogue. Along with this change, some of the old abilities have been eliminated. Stuff like HIDE IN SHADOWS and MOVE SILENTLY etc... have been trashed. (Never used them anyway) Also, those abilities that do remain are now common to ALL castes. However, even though all castes can now Pick a Lock etc... etc... the Rogue is still the only caste that stands a chance of performing these tasks with any real zeal.
• Added a preference that will show detailed item info below the name of the item in the items/shop/trade screens. For more info on this see the chapter named "Preferences • General Info" This is pretty nice.
• Big time change in the way characters select spells. Instead of having them get to pick from X number of spells as they gain levels, you can now choose any spells you want until you run out of spell selection points. For more info on this change see the chapter named "Spells • Scrolls" Its all explained in more detail there.
• Changed the names/workings of some spells. You may want to breeze over the chapter "Spell List" to see if there is anything there that interests you.
• Added two new statistics. Attack Bonus and Defense Bonus. These are really just composit values that give you a general idea of how easy/hard it is for your character to hit/be hit in melee combat. Higher is better. They take into account your characters attributes, magical abilities, items worn, conditions etc... etc...
• Changed the way armor works. The statistic that shows how hard it is to hit a characters/monster is now called "Armor Rating" Armor Rating or AR for short is a value that ranges from 0 to 100. 0 (Zero) being the worst while 100 being the best. It is possible to fall below 0 or go above 100 in extreme cases, but for the most part it will be a value from 0 to 100.
Do to the change in AR most items that provided armor protection have been modified. i.e. A suit of plate armor now provides +27 to your AR vs. what it did for your old Armor Catagory (AC). As a general rule, items now add 3 times the value to your AR as they subtracted to your old AC. (Confused?)
What's new in 3.3
• During treasure collection, the cursor will change to a STOP sign if the current character is not capable of using the item under the cursor due to either a caste or race restriction.
• Recoded a lot of the locations with battles. In almost all cases, if your party ran away from battle, Realmz would treat that as a victory. In version 3.3 of the scenarios many of these battles will remain in place and you will have to complete the battle as a victory in order to clear that area. If you use a version of the scenario that is older than 3.3 or used a saved game that was started prior to version 3.3 it will be treated like it was in the past.
• Made it even more difficult to turn creatures. It still seems way too easy to turn creatures so in addition to their normal resistance to turning, creatures with a high magic resistance will be harder to turn.
• Added a preference that will show detailed item info below the name of the item in the items/shop/trade screens. For more info on this see the chapter named "Preferences • General Info" This is pretty nice.
• A plethora of small fixes only noticed by the most stalwart of players.
What's new in 3.2.2
• Fixed a bug with the character generation menu.
What's new in 3.2.1
• Added support for "Alternate Realmz Interface" files. This lets you customise the look of Realmz. If you want more information on this sort of thing it can be found at our web site. http://www.outreach.com/fantasoft
What's new in 3.2 (Sort of rhymes huh?)
• We have a new phone number. (608) 222-8468 Our mailing and e-mail address has not changed.
• We have a new web site: http://www.outreach.com/fantasoft
• All new interface graphics.
• Enhanced treasure collection screen. The new improvements allow you to see at a glance some of the important stuff about items you may want to pick up.
• Modified the Victory Points required in the advancement charts again. Made it a fair bit harder to advance early on in the game.
• Bunch of minor tweaks to the gameplay. Mostly minor stuff few will ever notice.
What's new in 3.1
Note: All your previous saved characters and saved games will work 100% with this new version and there is no need to begin any adventure over provided you have begun that adventure with version 3.0 or higher. The only exception is any journals stored with a saved game will be wiped out as I have changed the way the journal works. See below for more details on the journal.
• You can now predefine up to 10 spells for each character capable of casting spells. You cast them via keyboard commands. i.e. You can define Command-1 to cast a Power Level 7 Fireball, Command-2 to cast a Power Level 5 Shine spell etc... etc... For more information on how this new feature works, see the last 2 sections of the chapter titled "Spells • Scrolls"
• Fixed an error with the music code that caused some systems to freeze when activating the music. To find cool Mod files for use as music in Realmz access the web site at http://www.watson.org/mods/
Note: There are several formats of music files at this location, only the .MOD files are supported by Realmz.
• characters will now recieve the equivilent of +1 To Hit for each 8 levels of ability when using their bare hands. This +1 is only in the determination of the "Need Magic Weapon To Hit" determination. i.e. If a creature needs at least a +2 magic weapon to hit, a character of 16th level or higher will now be able to do so with their bare hands. NOTE: This ability only applies when using your bare hands. If your character is using a weapon, then you still need the magic + required to hit.
• Revamped the way the journal works. It's now a lot easier to deal with than before. To sum up how it works now, you can add the current text being displayed to the journal anytime the cursor is displayed as a small pencil with the letter "J" in the corner. To add the text, just hit the "J" key on the keyboard. Then, to view the text at any time just hit Command-J -OR- select Journal from the Maps/Notes/Journal Menu.
Because of the new way I handle the journal, your old journal will no longer work. If you play a saved game, all journal entries will be lost. NOTE: This does not pertain to the NOTE KEEPER. That has not changes and any notes you have laying around will work fine. Only the journal is affected.
• Added a preference to make the entry of all text into the journal automatic. Though this can be nice, it can also be a pain as you may find yourself swimming around looking for some specific text amid all the other stuff you don't really care about. Note: The first time you run Realmz it may turn this option on. You may want to turn it off right away.
• Perform the check to see if the fade will work on the current video setup. If not, it skips it. For those of you who had to hold the option key down while launching, this should solve the problem. (I hope)
What's new in 3.0.2
• Tweeked a few things and fixed a few bugs. You can now get OFF boats using either keys or the mouse.
• The alternate "Realmz Portraits" and "Realmz Sounds" files will now work again.
• Some powerbook users had trouble with the initial fade locking up the computer. You can now bypass this fade by holding the OPTION key when you launch Realmz.
What's new in 3.0.1
• Added the ability to change the icon you see on the screen to represent the party while indoors. You choose a new icon, select "Set Preferences" from the Preferences menu.
• Cleaned up a few minor things having to deal with the 3.0 changes.
What's new in 3.0
• Added a chapter just prior to this one named "Realmz Support Files" It lists some interesting web sites and documents.
• Added a top down view of many indoor areas. Now, only true dungeons will have the 3D view. Have also added some new areas to Bywater to explore in this new view.
• Added code that will allow the use of boats/ships. You will not see boats used in the current scenarios in release, but they should show in future scenarios.
• Added a small button next the your characters portrait. It looks like a small "A"
This acts as a toggle between AUTO mode and normal mode in combat. This way you can make some of your characters move in permanent AUTO mode during combat.
• Removed the effects of AGE on your characters. It caused more problems than it was worth.
• Completely revamped the music menu. You can now install music files by various names and have them play at specific times in the game. For more info on this, select "How to Alter Music" from the MUSIC menu.
• Made some changes to the Victory Point charts to account for massive amounts of Victory Points gained at upper levels.
