What's new in 4.2.2

• Updated the order form in chapter 3 to show the new Grilochs Revenge scenario as well as the new Fantasoft CD-ROM 

 The CD has all the current versions of all our games, Realmz, Exile I, Exile II, Monkey Shines as well as all the tip files for Realmz and anything else we could scrape together such as the Realmz book of Items, Book of Beasts and Book of Characters.

• Added small icons to the right of your characters names to show any bad effects they may be suffering from.  See the chapter titled "Conditions" for more information about this new feature.

What's new in 4.2.1

• Added new graphics for the buildings.  I like them a lot better than the old ones.  Note: If you play any old saved games they graphics for some spots may be screwed up.  The game will still play fine, but some buildings may not look correct.  If you begin a new adventure then everything should look fine.

• Special characters that can cast spells will no longer forget that they have spells and will continue to cast spells as long as they have the spell points to do so.

• Added a new preference, "Faster Spell Resolution".  With this option ON, spells that affect large numbers of creatures will resolve a lot faster.  It will probably not give you enough time to see how much damage each individual creature takes, but in battle swith 50+ creatures, it will take a lot less time if you cast an "Affect all enemies" type of spell.  In addition, you can toggle this preference on/off via the keyboard using Command-H.

• Enemies will now be a little more selective about WHO they attack when they can't see thier original target.  i.e.  If your priest is being chased by a pack of ghouls and he moves around a corner and is no longer in site of the ghouls, they will turn around and attack sombody they CAN see.

• New characters with a very low strength will no longer get a huge attack bonus.

• The game will no longer crash if a trap kills your charcter while attempting to pick a lock.

• Command-K will now refresh the entire screen.  This is the same as selecting this option from the Preferences menu but it lacked a keyboard equivilent until now.

• Bunch of other minor bug fixes.

• Added a new LEVEL UP button in the Realmz Character Editor.  This lets you boost a character one level each time you click the button.

What's new in 4.2

• A pile of small things only noticed by the most hardcore players.

• Fixed the DETECT button problem in the treasure screen.

• Retreating characters will no longer move through large creatures.

• Made adjustments so characters over level 127 will be treated correctly.

What's new in 4.1.2

• No more negative victory points awarded for extremely large battles.

• Fixed the problem with scroll cases and parchment and other supply items getting deleted if you begin a new adventure immediatly after starting up Realmz.

• Characters will now swap positions when they are in AUTO mode in an effort to get to thier target.  Before you could only SWAP POSITIONS when in manual mode.  This really helps the AUTO/ANIMATED characters stay in the battle.

• If your character goes above level 127 or gets an Armor Rating above 127 it will now be displayed correctly.  They were always treated correctly as far as the numbers are concerned in battle, but it will now be displayed correctly as well.

What's new in 4.1.1

• Fixed a major bug that would cause characters and monsters to hill an opponent in battle a lot less often than they should have.

What's new in 4.1

• Fixed a lot of little things that went wrong during the update to 4.0.  Of course there may still be some so if you see anything that still looks wrong, please let me know so I can get it fixed.  Don't assume somebody else has told me.

• Changed the spell selection costs a bit.  The upper level spells now require less spell selection points than before.

• You can now swap positions during combat with any other character/friend who you are adjacent to.  If you attempt to move into an adjacent character or friend who is one square in size, you will be asked if you want to attack that character/friend or if you want to swap positions with them.  If you do not want to do either, you can hit the Esc (Escape)  key to back out.  This makes it easier for those in back to push to the front where all the grunt work is.  If your friend is a two square creature or larger, you can't swap positions with them.

• Eliminated the preference "Never attack friends"  This option is now obsolete with the change above.  If you are asked if you want to "Attack your friend" or "Swap Positions" you can hit the Esc (Escape)  key to back out altogether.

• Any allies with the party can now be affected by spells while in camp under certain conditions.  If you cast an area spell, they will be affected.  If you cast a spell that affects all friends, they will be affected.  If you cast a spell that increases the number of targets as the power level goes up, they will ALL be affected if you cast it at a power level 1 greater than the number of party members you have.  i.e.  If you have 6 members in your party and you cast a power level 6 Invisible skin, only the 6 party members will be affected.  If you cast it at power level 7, ALL of the allies will also be affected no matter how many you have.

• Changed the way spells that have a duration work.  Now, instead of a creature/characters taking damage for each step they take inside the area of effect of such spells, they only take damage from those spells one time per turn.  They still take damage from the spell at the time it's cast and at the end of each round however.  i.e.  Each spell can cause damage up to 3 times the round it is cast and 2 times per round for each round thereafter.

If multiple spells overlap, you will take damage for each spell separately,  but only once for each spell as you move through the area and once again for each at the end of each round.

This should make the game a lot tougher as well as make special friends a lot less likely to kill themselves.

• Physical attacks are now considered both sharp AND blunt attacks for the purpose of determining if you can hit a specific creature.  Example:  A giant slug requires a sharp weapon in order to be hurt.  You can now hurt them with either sharp weapons OR any physical attack.

• Changed the way creatures will behave when they attempt to attack a creature that requires a blunt/sharp/special/magical weapon.  If the creature requires a blunt/sharp weapon to be hit and they have the wrong type, they will disarm themselves after the first attack and continue attacking using physical attacks.  i.e.  They will not sit there and attempt to kill something they will never be able to hit.

• Changed the way AUTO characters will behave when they attempt to attack a creature that requires a blunt/sharp/special/magical weapon.  If the creature requires a type of weapon or special weapon the character does not have in hand, they will loose AUTO status after the first attack.  That way you get control back before they try and pummel something 5 times in a row for no reason.

What's new in 4.0.1

• Added the ability to for the USER to redefine character races/caste names as well as rename all spell names.  i.e.  If you don't like any of the new names in version 4.0, you can now just type in the names you do like.  You can do this by selecting EDIT RACE/CASTE NAMES  or EDIT SPELL NAMES from the preference menu.

 In order to do this you MUST place the file "Custom Names" in your Realmz Data Files folder.  The "Custom Names" file should be included as part of the 4.0 to 4.0.1 updater.  If you don't have a copy, you can get one at our web site.   http://www.fantasoft.com

• Fixed a few errors with generating new characters.  A few bad statistics were weeded out.

• Do to the renaming/moving of the spells in version 4.0 a few encounters did not work right in version 4.0 of some of the scenarios.  I have fixed those I know about in version 4.0.1 of the scenarios.

• Version 4.0 of the White Dragon Scenario had a big flaw in the Armor Ratings of monsters.  Those have been fixed in version 4.0.1 of the scenario and you may want to get version 4.0.1 of White Dragon if you plan on playing that scenario.

• Added the Registration/Order Form for Monkey Shines (Our newest game) to this manual.

• Aborted spells now only return 2/3 of the spell points originally used to cast the spell.  You know why don't you Claus?
  
What's new in 4.0

• The term CLASS is now referred to as CASTE.

- The old Mage Class is now Sorcerer Caste
   - The old Ranger Class is now Archer Caste
   - The old Paladin Class is now Crusader Caste
   - The old Cleric Class is now Priest Caste
   - The old Thief Class is now Rogue Caste

NOTE: If you don't like these names, you can change them back by selecting "Edit Race/Caste Names" from the preferences menu.

• 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.  (That's on top of a pile of socks that disappear in your dryer.)

• Some 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 some of 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.

NOTE: If you don't like these names, you can change them back by selecting "Edit Race/Caste Names" from the preferences menu.

• Added two new statistics.  Attack Bonus and Defense Bonus.  These are really just composite 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 Category (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.

• Recorded 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 customize the look of Realmz.  If you want more information on this sort of thing it can be found at our web site.    http://www.fantasoft.com

What's new in 3.2

• 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.fantasoft.com

• 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 game play.  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 receive the equivalent 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

• Tweaked 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.

• Bunch of tweaks/bug fixes.