The new combat system will offer detailed info of your abilities. Just hovering your mouse over an ability icon will show you all the details you need. The range and the reach will also be displayed on the map. Ranged abilities can be now blocked by the terrain, so you can use this to your advantage, like hiding behind obstacles, if needed.

But the main difference is, how easy it will be to add new abilities and spells to a game. In the previous system, abilities were basically hard coded, but now, they can be easily added through scripts. This means, you can get new abilities from items, talents, skills or as a reward from quests, for example. Unfortunately, Warlock of Lust is already too far progressed to make such fundamental changes in a game core, but Warlock of Lust 2 could be a full fledged RPG, with a lot of items and talents to capitalize on this system.

After playing Rogue Trader, I have realized that a turn based combat will be much more suitable for my games. The initial idea - "Diablo" like real time combat is more suitable for large, open maps with a lot of enemies and action. A turn based combat (as in Baldur's gate, Rogue Trader or X-Com games) is a better fit for smaller maps with fewer enemies. It also offers more opportunities, like better tactical control, more control over your abilities and is better in story-telling settings, as it will allow to initiate scenes. This will also allow me to use the combat system in other games for various different purposes (not only combat, per say). Thus, I have decided for a large endeavor - to completely rework the combat system.

The rework will not be a complete mirror image. Several principal ideas will change. For example, the "mind break" ability will be replaced with a new corruption system, where you will gradually corrupt the enemy, unlocking more scenes in subsequent turns. Making all this work will be a significant challenge and will require a lot of coding and testing. It will take a large portion of November, but if all goes well, I will be able to squeeze in also another small update for another game too.

A new version of the game has been uploaded to my webpage and is now available:

This one is all about expanding your office content. As you gain ranks, you will get more possible types of supplicants, who will seek your attention. There are 15 types of cases altogether, 3 per each office rank. Higher ranks will still have access to all previous cases, so if you have the highest rank, one of fifteen cases will be randomly selected each day for you to solve.

Many cases have consequences on the in-game world, depending on how to solve them. Some unlock random encounters, some new options in existing locations (like baths, the pit or slums). Some cases provide investment opportunities for you, that can improve your economy. So it is worthwhile to visit your office occasionally and solve them. This is a fairly large update with around 30 new scenes, so check it out. Cheers.

In the next Ludus Master update, your decisions at the office will directly influence the city and its inhabitants. For example, if you decide to support a charity field kitchen for the slums, there will be a new kitchen at the slums. If you solve issued for baths owner or a pit master, you will be recognized at the baths or at the pit and new options will open for you. This will better simulate a public office impact in an ancient Rome era - you will became more important part of a society as your office rank grows and make it even more worthwhile to make effort for those ranks.

The update will be out next week, so in a few days. Cheers.

October I would like to also publish an update to Ludus Master. This one will be about more office jobs. As you progress in ranks, you will get more types of supplicants, who will seek your help as a city official. The goal is to have at least 3 type of supplicants per each rank (15 altogether).

While you will solve supplicants' issues, you will not only view scenes with them at the office, but your decision will have impact on the city life and your management possibilities. Right decision will unlock special random events or additional interactions at various places around the city. The goal is to feel the impact of your office work on the game world, as it would happen in a real world.

The update is planned to be out by the end of October. Cheers.