Please see the previous play-testing posts.

Bugs fixed

1. Kikubaaqudgha is no longer described as “appreciating the sacrifice of corpses”.
2. Map masks now check for collisions properly.
3. Ilsuiw no longer has superfluous resistances which other merfolk recently lost.
4. Clarity no longer affects intentional berserk.
5. Ghosts should no longer show up in large clumps on early levels.
6. Levels should no longer be broken up by some vaults.
7. Demonspawn will not gain multiple breath weapons.
8. Monster-cast Airstrike no longer has a massive damage variance.
9. Neutral monsters no longer give you experience for kills.
10. Door-blocked messages for invisible monsters will no longer generate random phrases under some circumstances.
11. MP+X unrands (Hat of Pondering) now work as intended.
12. Monsters will now use non-returning throwing weapons properly.
13. Prompts in tiles will no longer cause the screen to go black.

New and changed features

1. Shoals have been dramatically improved. They now include tidal water, new classes of merfolk (javelineers, aquamancers and impalers), and other awesome things.
2. Tiles: Maurice’s tile has been improved.
3. Books have a new symbol in Unicode and IBM character sets.
4. The Shining One’s Wrath effects (specifically, cleansing flame) have had their power reduced.
5. New spell: Iskenderun’s Orb of Destruction (name subject to change). It creates a fast-moving “monster” projectile (such as ball lightning), which homes in on a target, penetrates them, and then explodes (using disintegration). Found in the Book of Annihilations.
6. Iskenderun’s Mystic Blast is now found in the Book of Power.
7. New portal vault: Wizard Laboratory. Consists of a large variety of different maps, each themed around a “named Wizard”. Currently incomplete and still in the testing stages, so comments are welcome.
8. Fulsome Distillation now works in a manner that seems more sane.
9. Transformations and other forms will no longer reduce the weight cap.
10. New tiles: ballistomycetes now have tiles for active and inactive states, placeholder tiles for trees, bases for animated statues: light and dark vine-covered.
11. One-handed polearms (spears and tridents) now gain the same stabbing bonus as do long blades.
12. Ilsuiw now has the ability to control the Shoal’s tides, and is guaranteed on or before Shoals:5.
13. Ettin and sheep no longer spawn in Shoals.
14. Scorpions are now coloured yellow.
15. Deep water and lava no longer automatically destroy items; items can be dropped in deep water and are visible and retrievable if merfolk, but not in other ways. Apportation will not work from deep water.
16. Shoals tides either wash some items away, or wash over items.
17. Aquatic monsters now come with corpses (fish, kraken, etc), and therefore zombies.
18. Ice beasts are now amphibious.
19. Shoals tides will not drown the player or monsters.
20. Tiles: shallow water in shoals now has waves, causing a smoother look.
21. New monster spell: Primal Wave, also causes the player to be pushed back and water to be generated. Found on merfolk aquamancers.
22. Hand crossbows have been removed from the game.
23. Only certain egos can be applied to certain ammunition types. Full list.
24. Deep elf crossbow aptitude has been increased to 130.
25. The Darts skill has been removed and uses of it merged into the Throwing skill.
26. Speed no longer appears on ranged launchers randomly, except on unrands and randarts.
27. Non-player merfolk no longer submerge.
28. Ammunition branding spells have been removed, and are replaced by the currently existent weapon branding spells. These apply to launchers, rather than to ammunition; the effects can be made permanent to launchers by using the vorpalise weapon scroll. Currently usable on launchers is: Fire Brand, Freezing Aura, Poison Weapon.
29. Arcane Marksmen no longer get a choice of two books; instead, they get the Book of Brands, and a launcher (sling, crossbow or bow) and ammunition.
30. Corruption is now usable in the Hells and Pandemonium.
31. Gold acquirement now uses a new formula (Min=220, Max=5520, Mean=1218, Std=911).
32. Recharging of rods is no longer linked to the player’s MP, nor to them being wielded; they will recharge in your inventory, or even on the floor.
33. Shield leakage for rods has been removed.
34. Ugly things now have a fixed speed.
35. Rods can be used as a weapon, using the Maces and Flails skill, and can be magically enchanted (and disenchanted).
36. New needle brands: sleep, slow, paralysis, confusion, rage and sickness.
37. Ego but unidentified ammunition will be described as “glowing”.
38. Protection brands on launchers has been replaced with the evasion brand, providing +5 to EV.
39. Sling bullets are now as common as bolts in generation.
40. Hunters based on slings (kobolds and halflings) now generate with bucklers; halflings’ shields aptitude has been change to 90 to emphasise and take advantage of this face.
41. New tiles: slime creatures, varying in size.

Other

1. Clouds are now customizable in colour, description and tile.
2. Further Wizard mode code cleanup has been made.
3. Trap disarm requests have been untied from the auto-travel code.
4. Wizard-mode teleports no longer show controlled teleport messages.
5. mpr and mprf no longer have message length limits.
6. mspec monsters marked as summoned will have their equipment also marked as such.
7. For testing purposes, Swamp does not appear in DGL builds; this is most noticeable on the CDO server.

That’s up-to-date at commit 0c8fe019dd!

As always, we welcome your comments, suggestions and bug reports. Details on how to submit these can be found in the first play testing post. I hope everyone enjoys the holiday season and their relevant festivities!