This release introduces several major gameplay features including enemy combat AI, leveling up, and NPC conversations.
Thieving mode has been added which allows the player to pickpocket citizens and open locks. Failure may trigger a guard encounter.
Shopkeepers now provide a number of services like buying and selling items, renting a tavern room, and curing diseases. (Bartering, repairing, and spellmaking will be added later)
The engine now defaults to your Steam install of Arena if available. On Windows, it will also check for your GOG install of Arena.
Release video is here.
New features and changes:
- Added enemy combat AI
- Added experience gain and leveling up
- Added inventory item equipping and dropping
- Added thieving mode ("P" hotkey)
- Added random enemy encounters based on player level (@Allofich)
- Added guard encounters upon killing a citizen or failing thieving (@Allofich)
- Added several shopkeeper services (buy/sell items, rent room, heal, cure disease)
- Added citizen conversations
- Implemented NPC's ability to write directions on player's automap
- Added camping for a manual duration or until healed
- Implemented original loot generation and gold amounts (@Allofich)
- Implemented original combat hit chance calculation based on level (@Allofich)
- Added chance for disease and paralysis when fighting certain creatures (@Allofich)
- Added chance of dying during fast travel if diseased
- Added drunkenness effect after buying too many drinks at a tavern
- Implemented firing arrows from bow weapons
- Added "Test Spell" button ("C" hotkey) costing 10 spell points each
- Implemented sorcerors being incapable of restoring spell points by resting
- Added player hurt screen effect upon taking damage
- Implemented status gradient color changes when diseased, drunk, or low health
- Implemented player move speed based on speed attribute and encumbrance (@Allofich)
- Implemented player climbing and swimming speed based on race and class (@Allofich)
- Improved door bashing calculation and added self-damage when using fists (@Allofich)
- Improved citizen navigation when obstacles are in the way
- Improved detection of Steam version on all platforms and GOG version on Windows (@fetohiaras)
- Improved UI modding potential (see data/ui/ folder)
- Improved newline distribution in text (@Allofich)
- Improved error dialog on engine crash
- Changed default renderer to Vulkan
- Improved handling of original tab-color text ('\t' followed by palette color)
- Improved lifetime management of sounds
- Initial support for .wav files, capability to be expanded in the future
- Updated Jolt Physics to 5.5.0
- Updated WildMIDI to 0.5.0
- Upgraded Raspberry Pi release from Pi 4 to 5
- Renamed data/text/ folder to data/exe/
- Removed Windows dependency on dirent.h
Fixes:
- Fixed key not being consumed after use on locked door (@Allofich)
- Fixed wilderness den entrances (@fetohiaras)
- Fixed assertion with duplicate locks in PALACE5.MIF
- Fixed player status bar spacing by combining into one texture
- Fixed wilderness tavern names not showing in conversations
- Fixed texture on bottom of walls in dungeons, visible when standing in chasms
Known issues:
- Armor and enhancement properties on equipped items are not applied yet
- Human enemies don't display equipped weapons
- Shopkeeper inventories don't match original game
- Rented tavern room applies to all taverns globally
- Holiday conversation variables (%nh, %nhd, %hod) are not implemented
- Outside textures and sky don't update to match weather after entering and exiting an interior
- Building names for wilderness temples and in Imperial City don't match original game
For details on how to get OpenTESArena running, follow these instructions. To see what's next, check out the roadmap.