The Darkness Below

[Acrux]

Some of you may remember The Darkness Below being released as a demo last year, and the dev has been promising a "real" release for a while. The 1.2 "Prelude" is now available, right now only on itch.io as far as I can tell. (I'll update with Steam and other links when they are ready.)

The game is a tribute to older DRPGs like Might and Magic and Lands of Lore. I'm not sure what's different/new in this version yet, although vlzvl says he's been completely reworking several of the systems. (Personally, I think he could benefit from some project management help. I think he has a perfectionist streak and has been making small graphics updates that might not be the best use of time right now.)

Video with game updates


https://vlzvl.itch.io/the-darkness-below


PATCH v1.2

added: characters now get 2 skills from Weapon,Armor or Magic skills and 1 skill from Misc skills when they start randomly (balance).
added: dungeon items which are placed on same quad are now sorted by depth in intuitive way i.e. armor above sword, boots above cloth (better look).
added: when an item is bound to mouse and the inventory screen is shown, the eligible slot(s) for the bound item are highlighted on character's equipping slots.
added: increased maximum spell number to 280, 40 spells per element, 8 spells per expertise per element. Hopefully, the majority of them implemented in the final game.
added: 18 initial spells, equally shared between initial casting professions, clerics & wizards.
added: new type of spell: directional ray-like, useful for laser-like spells that extends from caster to target for a small duration of time, like D&Ds ray of frost.
added: ability to cause damage against all targets, instead of only a single target (previously), for some spells (party) and actions (monsters).
added: new town textures and multifloor capability, allowing a bigger variety on town levels.
added: new NPCs and portraits, more to be added as the content keeps built.
added: different foot walking sound effects per terrain type (hard, grass, snow), increasing the immersion.
added: showing different color filters on character portraits having a condition i.e. a poisoned character will show a greenish portrait, along with poison symbol.
added: variant sound effects for weapon when they hit/miss, increasing the immersion.
added: improved editing in custom tile editor, as the only editing was done directly in XML files. Much required for content production.
added: shows a full body, animated NPC in center of an event, if there's a portrait associated with the event, improving the immersion and interaction overall, together with event background (inspired from ROA - Star Trail).
added: in events, buttons like 'back' or 'exit' to be differently colored (red), effectively making them distinct to other available options.
added: implemented all shop types, fully tiered (4 levels), with a matching soundtrack per shop, as well their associated owner(s). Buy and sell is implemented, as well as shops dealing with specific item types i.e. weapons only.
added: three (3) new spells for higher expertise (adept, master & grandmaster) to further develop the shop/vendor feature.
added: weapon slash effect to all weapons, similar to spell effects, increasing the immersion.
added: magic effect on staff when a spell is prepared
added: a lit candle in the 'character generation' page, increasing the immersion.
added: removed the old, featureless planes of existence and added 8 inspired ones, with enough lore and purpose in the game. More to come. Check the Rulebook for more details.
added: character generation step by step, adding to previous 'prebuilt characters' mode.
added: minor improvements in all gui buttons
added: all initial shops / vendors, 10 in number, have been fully implemented.
added: implemented 'special' and usually more powerful actions to monsters that can be used sparringly by chance. Think of those 'recharge' actions on D&D, which allows the bosses to kick butts more efficiently.
added: completed the game's introduction sequence, which shows when the player clicks the 'Start the Game' button from title screen.
added: rumor tables have been implemented, on per-area basis. Those rumors are shown as available options on regular buildings, providing information, directions and hooks, in the same way used on pen & paper RPGs.
added: fully implemented skill masters, from teaching the skill to advancing to 'Grandmaster' level. Skill masters can be found about anywhere but mostly in civilized regions and their number varies to population.
added: fully implemented NPCs to hire. They are usually wander around civilized areas (villages, towns etc.) and provide their services (weapons, spells or skills) for one-time payment and daily wage. They can be dismissed anytime.
added: monsters and NPCs are now shown appropriately on map. Monsters are only shown on minimap, based on visibility. This will help when battling numerous monsters. Showing all NPCs will also help when you're in need of one.
fixed: bow arrow animation was not shown up, either in battle or not, by both characters and monsters. Now all spell-like animations triggered by item use are shown properly.
fixed: spell sound hit effect not working on all spells and when the caster is a monster.
fixed: allowing ranged items such as bow/crossbow to throw arrows graphically, even when there are uses left
fixed: allowing cure spell to be used on a dead character
fixed: revamped floor textures and reduced repetitiveness
fixed: crash when the party tried to move beyond normal boundaries of a map. Usually borders on map are covered by obstacles i.e. trees, but this was still a bug.
fixed: the system was heavily refactored once again to reduce technical debt and making it more flexible & performant
fixed: cursor changes incorrectly when there's a doortown in game window. Now it changes when the cursor hovers the doortown rect.
fixed: potions are now fully targetable items i.e. the user may select a character target, other than him. For example, a character can use a 'Potion of Cure Paralysis' on another paralysed character.
fixed: implemented a better fps mechanism, which guarantees a stable ~60 fps across all supported systems by game's engine (Jolt3D!).
fixed: multiple orientation levers couldn't be placed on same square on tile editor i.e. not possible to place a northern and a southern lever on same wall square.
fixed: removed music volume toggling between map and buildings/shops, given compatibility and overall quality degradation over multiple sounds heard. Now a single 'background' audio plays always on full volume, set on options.
fixed: greatly improvement of performance, in-game and engine.
fixed: clerics are not able to use bows anymore
fixed: a nasty crushing bug in combat system
fixed: massive improvement to spell system. Now all spell attack types are fully pseudo-3D and not 2D, giving space for bigger sprites and increased immersion.
fixed: reach mechanics is now working for all items, weapons, spells and monster actions. A short-reach weapon (i.e. dagger) won't be able to reach a back-row monster; however, a long-reach halberd, a bow or a spell will.
fixed: entrances and exits to dungeons are now more immersive. Specifically, exits are now showing a part of the "outside" i.e. some forest or similar, in the likes of Lands of Lore.
fixed: added active skill checks, along with the passive ones. On active checks, a roll is made and skill expertise bonuses are applied against the challenge expertise difficulty, making the final outputs a lot more random than passive checks.

[rusty_shackleford]

The game is a tribute to older DRPGs like Might and Magic and Lands of Lore.

He means the later Might and Magics, it's real time.

[Acrux]

Huh? No, combat and movement are turn based.

[Dorateen]

Been following development of the darkness below in the workshop thread. This rpg has exponentially more class and charm than the quest that became a legend. And I believe it will have better gameplay as well.

[rusty_shackleford]

Huh? No, combat and movement are turn based.

Oh, I watched the combat and it looked like Dungeon Master.

[Acrux]

I've been pestering him for a while to get his Steam page up, and it finally is today. The current build will apparently be available in the next few days.

(He really needs someone to project manage for him...)

[rusty_shackleford]

I've been pestering him for a while to get his Steam page up, and it finally is today. The current build will apparently be available in the next few days.

How come you haven't pestered him to post on the hq?

[Acrux]

Who says I haven't?

[Dorateen]

The Darkness Below entered Early Access earlier this month:

[vlzvl]

Hey people,
well, this is my first post on my game here , better late than later I guess

uploaded yet another gigantic update 1.4_20241012

This one was focused on improving on races and professions and handling as much feedback as possible, while providing a new map or three in the process, full changelog is more than 50+ lines, more details on "News", here:

https://steamcommunity.com/app/2814790/discussions

Keep checking the main steam discussion forum as I am going to add a few relevant numbers and updating them, as the game develops till its ETA, set to 2024-12-31.

A few random screenshots:















Thanks for the support and lovely comments,
I see a few great guys already, hiya people (@Dorateen, @Acrux )

wishlist or buy EA please

[Dorateen]

Looking forward to this one. That release ETA sounds like a good way to ring in the new year.

[vlzvl]

hey,
new version 1.5_20250125 is out

A lot of about everything on this one, but the main highlight is the introduction of Feats which will be used to further enhance a character every X levels, just like D&D does (although not being "optional" but also not being as restricting).

This allows the building of unique characters while allowing character advancing choices, increasing the RPG element. RULEBOOK.pdf holds all current details about that new feature and will keep getting updated.

Other than that, a few new maps were developed, mostly for main quest, while the current content was also updated with a few side quests as well; changelog.txt has all the details.

Regarding the ETA, I once again failed on that so decided to not use an ETA again, for various reasons.

Instead, I'll post a sticky comment on game's discussion forum that will show the current status of game, as a percentage, that I will update from time to time:

https://steamcommunity.com/app/2814790/discussions

A few random screenshots:













That's all for now!

wishlist or buy EA please

[Acrux]

@vlzvl

Cool! I like the new races and that you are adding things like dwarven, giant, gnomish language. Neat!

A few questions:

1. It look like the subraces all have an additional bonus from the standard base race. Is there some drawback? Otherwise, I'm not seeing why I wouldn't always pick a subrace.

2. Are the feats somewhat placeholder for now? Right now everyone shows the same feats (I checked on both a new game and a previous save), but for example, if you need to be a Thief to get Silent Strike, it seems like some classes don't have any feats yet. Or do they open up later?

3. How are feats gained? I see the "Progress" window with some active and inactive, but I'm not sure if there's something the player is supposed to do to make progress on the feats.

4. How are feats used? Last Stand says it is one time - does that mean it's used automatically and then lost? Is there a way to regain it? Or Rage says it last for 5 turns. Is there a cooldown before it can be used again? How do you activate it?

[1998]

Looks cool, just bought it. Now, finish it @vlzvl

[Tweed]

I was mentioned in this thread, but then I wasn't. ******* prank callers.

[vlzvl]

@vlzvl

Cool! I like the new races and that you are adding things like dwarven, giant, gnomish language. Neat!

A few questions:

1. It look like the subraces all have an additional bonus from the standard base race. Is there some drawback? Otherwise, I'm not seeing why I wouldn't always pick a subrace.

2. Are the feats somewhat placeholder for now? Right now everyone shows the same feats (I checked on both a new game and a previous save), but for example, if you need to be a Thief to get Silent Strike, it seems like some classes don't have any feats yet. Or do they open up later?

3. How are feats gained? I see the "Progress" window with some active and inactive, but I'm not sure if there's something the player is supposed to do to make progress on the feats.

4. How are feats used? Last Stand says it is one time - does that mean it's used automatically and then lost? Is there a way to regain it? Or Rage says it last for 5 turns. Is there a cooldown before it can be used again? How do you activate it?

thanks @Acrux

work on races / subraces are yet to be finished

1. yes, there should be a drawback but can't quite recall that. It should be something that main race (i.e. not subrace) which has one bonus only, to end up with way more points on it against a subrace that has 2 bonuses, including the one. Plus. However, I should have it somewhere in my /todo notes to work with, can't recall if its already implemented or noted in RULEBOOK.pdf. In addition, I just didn't wanted to restrict the main race as D&D does, forcing you to select a subrace. I want everybody to be able to create a race without a subrace and just raw using the one bonus only in a unique way. I've noted that down to check it more thoroughly

2. No, these feats are not placeholders. The current ones are basically working like a "base class feature" (like the D&D's rage feature for barbarian) but other optionalf feats will be added. So, although they're shown to all characters, they can only be gained by specific profession (shown in description). And yes, I need to develop three (3) more feats to cover the starting base profession feat for remaining professions (ranger, wizard and paladin). My goal was to provide 7 initial base profession feats but ended with 4 in the end. So yes, Silent Strike is for Thief only, wont be open for Knight for example, like never. That's the main goal. However, more feats will be developed later to be usable by all professions; the current ones are acting like the base class features of D&D. Makes sense?

3. Feats are gained every 5 levels (currently) i.e. they always gained through a level gain at all times i.e. one feat at 5, two feats at 10 etc. Yes, feats in TDB are basically work like shuffling class features and optional feats all together, in a large pool, shown in all characters and just putting a restriction for players to see. There are only 4 feats developed for now, each one restricted for a profession (class) and this is why you only see 4 feats for each character. If 50 feats were developed already, you would be able to see 50 feats for each character, nothing is filtered out but many will have a permanent "X" next to them because, for example, they're restricted for a profession. I might restrict that by profession though and remove the "star" symbol, that might make the list easier to read, I'll play with it In the next update you should be able to see more feats, non-restricted by a profession; these should be defacto shown in all characters. You can read more about feats (not much detail though yet) in RULEBOOK.pdf, on "8. Feats" chapter.

4. they're mostly used in combat; however, opposite to D&D, they're not reset by either short/long rest; they're reset per combat. That is, if you fight 2 goblins and you've used "Last Stand" once, you wont be able to use "Last Stand" in ther same combat. However, if you kill these goblins and on the next corner another 2 goblins come, you'll be able to use "Last Stand" once again. In short, each new combat reset these feats, either the timed ones (rage) or per use ones (last stand). This will detach characters by having to rest often to regain their feats and give them a better and way more streamlined sense (than D&D) of their increased power.
In RULEBOOK.pdf, on "8. Feats" chapter you'll see a line below all feats that says this (making things clearer):
this is applicable to combat; feat duration is reset per combat
Feats do not need activation, like D&D. They're always used in the most streamlined way, and sometimes you get a message (like the "Last Stand") when they're used. But "Rage" will just increase the damage output, not showing a particular message or requiring activation. They're kinda act like "passive" bonuses that reset every new combat. The main goal is to get increasingly stronger characters at once, without having to perform additional actions that would make the game slow in the end. Make sense?

Looks cool, just bought it. Now, finish it @vlzvl

thanks @1998 , so appreciate the support.
fear not, as I am doing my absolute best and then some more to release that and will

[rusty_shackleford]

Bought a copy and sent it to our Top Guy on DRPGs.
@vlzvl any chance you could provide us with a zip of the game's avatars to use in our forum avatar gallery?

[Acrux]

Bought a copy and sent it to our Top Guy on DRPGs.

But I already own it.




Seriously, though, I hope @Dorateen will write a review for us.

[rusty_shackleford]

Bought a copy and sent it to our Top Guy on DRPGs.

But I already own it.




Seriously, though, I hope @Dorateen will write a review for us.

I sent it to the top lizard.

[Acrux]

Bought a copy and sent it to our Top Guy on DRPGs.

But I already own it.




Seriously, though, I hope @Dorateen will write a review for us.

I sent it to the top lizard.

He's about 6 down on the list.

[Dorateen]

Seriously, though, I hope @Dorateen will write a review for us.

It's looking good. I will wait until it's complete before playing, of course. Then I will present a review.

[vlzvl]

Bought a copy and sent it to our Top Guy on DRPGs.
@vlzvl any chance you could provide us with a zip of the game's avatars to use in our forum avatar gallery?

just PM you a link with the avatars

thanks

[Tweed]

5.7 hours in and I can't say I'm a fan so far of what I can only describe as a bizarre amalgam of Might and Magic 6, Eye of the Beholder, and Dungeon Master. The out of date manual didn't help me much in getting a party set up and my first one was a flop because nobody could hit anything except the wizard and no one had any weapons because I didn't take any weapon skills. Party number two only succeeded because my paladin could actually hit things with his club so while everyone else whiffed and wooshed he slowly killed every single plant and snail in the forest, what fun!

And that's been the theme of combat for the entire game so far, there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason for why anyone can hit anything. For the first half of the game my paladin and thief were hitting stuff with the priest doing a few swipes here. The wizard can't do any melee damage at all, ever. The way it calculates damage in this game means you should never ever bother giving non tank types weapon skills and even then for anyone who isn't gaining power it might be a waste anyway, I'm not even sure. Once I killed the devil in the monastery and got whooshed away in one of the most awkward transitions ever everything got flipped on it's ear with my priest being the only person in the party who could hit anything for meager damage aside from my wizard's spells making combat take even longer. I was only finally able to speed it up by teaching my paladin unarmed combat and tossing out my useless morning star altogether to punch the **** out of all those mummies.

Maybe I've missed the skill trainers, but so far I keep finding loads of armor I can't wear, weapons I can't equip. Finding spells in stores I can't learn, etc, etc. There's no advanced teachers anywhere and some combats are only won by pure luck and since only one or two people in the party aside from the wizard can ever hit anything, combat is a serious drag. My inventory is also getting crowded with loads of cure condition potions because I never know what's coming and if I don't have the right thing I'll be screwed since I can't find or learn any cure conditional spells. Five hours in and I'm still using almost the exact same spells I've used from the start.

The vancian spell system is an odd choice, especially since I can rest anywhere and I've got the spell to make my own food. I'd never rest in an inn, it's too expensive. I'd never hire a companion, they cost too much to hire and charge 100 gold a day, that's ridiculous for the meager service they provide. Imagine these dead weights siphoning off hundreds of gold while you're forced to recharge your precious spells just so you can kill things because no one in your party actually hit anything. Near as I can figure party members never gain stats in anything but their primary attributes so they will never ever be able to gain the minimum required stats to learn things like...use swords, or wear armor if they were already there except by the slow and painful method of buying loads of stat books in libraries. I'm going to need that cash for all those books, plus for wands that cast damage spells just so people who can't hit anything (which seems to be rng at this point) might just be able to do some damage.

No, I'm not really having a good time right now.

[Tweed]

Right, so that's it for now.

dankness.jpg

I guess the trainers to upgrade various skills aren't in yet or very well hidden so all that extra crap I found in chests could be sold off because all it does is take up space since you can never use it. Spending seven hours using almost the exact same gear sucks so I hope that's going to be balanced later. It's great seeing all this cool equipment I can't use, especially enchanted versions of armor I can already wear. I guess you need a master's degree to wear magical leather versus mundane leather. There's some real head scratchers in here for handling balance like with bow weapons. Bows and crossbows come loaded with 60 shots and once they're out you have to go to a weapon shop to pay to have them reloaded. I guess the kingdom put a lockdown on citizens fletching their own ammo and they want only licensed professionals handling these things.

I have no idea what the hell is going on with combat, but I hate it. From where I sit it makes no sense at all. At the start my paladin could hit things with his club which was our only way forward, then as we finally got some better weapons other people could hit things once in awhile, but then that all changed. My thief stopped being able to stab things with his short sword and bows became the only useful weapon for him and unarmed combat became the most effective thing for my dwarf paladin. Once the fists came out no other weapon was ever useful, ever again. I tried maces, morning stars, and hammers, but I never landed a single blow. The wizard never hit anything, ever. I ended up selling his dagger, along with all the other cool enchanted weapons we could never use. Most of the spells I picked up that I could actually cast wound up being worthless too. Why would I cast magical splash for 2-4 damage when Ice Spear does 5-10? Why would I waste time trying to cast Ice Spikes on a single target to debuff his quickness with no readily apparent effect when I could be killing him faster?

In the end I had enough gold to hire companions, but why bother with a few more measly points of damage or apprentice gnomish? Maybe in the full game, but not right now. I pinched my pennies on the assumption I'd be spending gold on training and gear, oops. I went into it thinking in terms of MM6, but it's not MM6, I got no idea what it is, I'm not sure it does either.

Dwarf Paladin of the Holy Fist:

fistpaladin.png

[maidenhaver]

The archer never missed, I should have brought two.

[DagothGeas5]

Right, so that's it for now.



I guess the trainers to upgrade various skills aren't in yet or very well hidden so all that extra crap I found in chests could be sold off because all it does is take up space since you can never use it. Spending seven hours using almost the exact same gear sucks so I hope that's going to be balanced later. It's great seeing all this cool equipment I can't use, especially enchanted versions of armor I can already wear. I guess you need a master's degree to wear magical leather versus mundane leather. There's some real head scratchers in here for handling balance like with bow weapons. Bows and crossbows come loaded with 60 shots and once they're out you have to go to a weapon shop to pay to have them reloaded. I guess the kingdom put a lockdown on citizens fletching their own ammo and they want only licensed professionals handling these things.

I have no idea what the hell is going on with combat, but I hate it. From where I sit it makes no sense at all. At the start my paladin could hit things with his club which was our only way forward, then as we finally got some better weapons other people could hit things once in awhile, but then that all changed. My thief stopped being able to stab things with his short sword and bows became the only useful weapon for him and unarmed combat became the most effective thing for my dwarf paladin. Once the fists came out no other weapon was ever useful, ever again. I tried maces, morning stars, and hammers, but I never landed a single blow. The wizard never hit anything, ever. I ended up selling his dagger, along with all the other cool enchanted weapons we could never use. Most of the spells I picked up that I could actually cast wound up being worthless too. Why would I cast magical splash for 2-4 damage when Ice Spear does 5-10? Why would I waste time trying to cast Ice Spikes on a single target to debuff his quickness with no readily apparent effect when I could be killing him faster?

In the end I had enough gold to hire companions, but why bother with a few more measly points of damage or apprentice gnomish? Maybe in the full game, but not right now. I pinched my pennies on the assumption I'd be spending gold on training and gear, oops. I went into it thinking in terms of MM6, but it's not MM6, I got no idea what it is, I'm not sure it does either.

Dwarf Paladin of the Holy Fist:

Could it be you couldn't hit them due to the enemy AC being too high in some way and the weapons you were using were lacking proficiency as they were untrained? Sounds strange as it should come with the class (for example with the Paladin, martial weapons and all that) but him dealing damage only with unarmed, requiring Strength, makes me think this way, but I am not sure, it's been quite a while since I played D&D and it is the only tabletop I have knowledge of some of the mechanics of.

[Tweed]

Could it be you couldn't hit them due to the enemy AC being too high in some way and the weapons you were using were lacking proficiency as they were untrained? Sounds strange as it should come with the class (for example with the Paladin, martial weapons and all that) but him dealing damage only with unarmed, requiring Strength, makes me think this way, but I am not sure, it's been quite a while since I played D&D and it is the only tabletop I have knowledge of some of the mechanics of.

Weapon skills are something else that don't make any sense. Despite going up, nobody seemed to improve much in hit rate or damage. The paladin's bludgeon was 5 and his unarmed was only 3 so by rights he should have been able to hit and do damage with a morning star that does 5-10 damage or so I figure, especially since the cleric was doing at least some damage most of the time with far less power and the same level of skill.

[DagothGeas5]

Could it be you couldn't hit them due to the enemy AC being too high in some way and the weapons you were using were lacking proficiency as they were untrained? Sounds strange as it should come with the class (for example with the Paladin, martial weapons and all that) but him dealing damage only with unarmed, requiring Strength, makes me think this way, but I am not sure, it's been quite a while since I played D&D and it is the only tabletop I have knowledge of some of the mechanics of.

Weapon skills are something else that don't make any sense. Despite going up, nobody seemed to improve much in hit rate or damage. The paladin's bludgeon was 5 and his unarmed was only 3 so by rights he should have been able to hit and do damage with a morning star that does 5-10 damage or so I figure, especially since the cleric was doing at least some damage most of the time with far less power and the same level of skill.

I am surprised it has not already been adressed then, this is beyond what would I would call a bug. Thank you for reporting on this Tweed

[Tweed]

@rusty_shackleford did you want a write up on this?

[rusty_shackleford]

@rusty_shackleford did you want a write up on this?

Seems there's still a good ways to go, waiting until release would probably be a better idea