Greetings, Adventurers!

ACSG version 1.1.1 is now available! This update required a Herculean development effort, but I am very happy with the result. The central focus is the new Party System, which significantly expands what you can create with the engine.

I made sure to maintain compatibility with the classic style: 

if your project is configured for only one solo hero, the system works exactly as before, but with much more refined internal logic and interface.

⚙️ CONFIG Section: Where the magic happens 

The main change is here. Now you have total control over the team formation and the aesthetics of the new selection system:

Party Size: In CREATION MODE, you now define the hero limit (from 1 to 4). The player will create the members (Name, Gender, and Class) sequentially, according to the limit you set.

New Selector and Colors: I implemented a Character Selector (unprecedented in this version) and added the option to change its color so that it perfectly matches your game's visual theme.

Interface Intelligence: If you set the party to only 1 member, the system automatically hides the selector and the swap arrows, ensuring the solo mode remains clean and intuitive.

🎭 Game Start Modes 

CREATION MODE: The player creates the characters one by one. As they progress, the heroes appear in a list with a photo and summarized data. There is an option to restart the party if the player wants to remake the team before confirming and starting the match.

PS: This obviously does not happen if the Party is set to only 1 member. In this case, upon completing the hero creation, the system skips directly to the start of the game.

SINGLE CHARACTER MODE: The creation process is disabled, and the developer pre-defines class, gender, and attributes. Ideal for stories with a fixed protagonist, Visual Novels, or Gamebooks.

🖥️ Interfaces and Previews Section 

The Interfaces section has also been reworked to accompany the new features:

Accurate Previews: The system has been adjusted to correctly present in the previews the editing and viewing options corresponding to the new mechanics.

Sync with CONFIG: The preview uses the definitions saved in the CONFIG section (such as default font, M.D. borders, selector colors, and number of members) to ensure that what you see in the editor is as faithful as possible to what the player will see in the game. Additionally, it is possible to edit the formatting of the new fields as well.

Smart Visibility: Access buttons for Missions and Additional Attributes now only appear in the interface if there is data registered in your project.

🛡️ Interface and Group Rules 

The interface has been adapted to accommodate multiple members with clarity:

Side Bar: Gold and global buttons are at the top; party members appear right below in sequence.

Selection and Swap: Outside of combat, the player can click on any character's face to select them. The hero is also selected by clicking on any interface button of their specific panel. The party order can be changed using the swap arrows.

Attribute Visualization: When a character is selected, clicking their face again will display their basic attributes and XP. To close this view, simply click the button with the arrow icon.

Enemy Details: These are now presented below their HP bar when hovering the mouse over them.

New Inventory Panel: 

The inventory now has its own interface, moving from the sidebar to a separate panel and is shared by the entire Party. However, items are handled and applied to the character who is selected at the moment the inventory is opened.

Evolution Screen: 

The screen now displays the name of the character who leveled up. (Tip: you can slightly modify the background image of this screen to create a display outlining the name, increasing prominence).

"Fallen" State and Restrictions: You must now define a specific face image for when the class has 0 HP.

I have also prepared the default classes for new projects with different expressions to make your work easier and, hopefully, inspire your own creations.

Important Rules:

• Outside of combat, fallen characters can only use healing items. Any other item or Skill is disabled for them.

• Fallen characters do not receive XP from any source.

• Characters fallen in combat are ignored by enemies and can only be rehabilitated by allies' healing skills. Game Over occurs only when all members are defeated.

• Additional Attributes (Social Type - Gold): SOCIAL type bonuses that directly affect gold (sales, rewards, discounts, etc.) are now cumulative, summing the values of all party members. This allows the group to exceed the individual cap of a single character. For reductions (such as shop discounts or gold loss protection), bonuses are added freely, but the system ensures the final value never drops below 1 to maintain a minimum economic balance.

⚔️ AoE Support Skills and New Skill Type: Negate P.R

I have introduced Area-of-Effect (AoE) abilities for the party. For single-target skills, the system enters a targeting mode, where the player simply clicks on the specific ally's photo to apply the effect.

Additionally, I have introduced a new Skill type: Negate P.R. This category allows a character to clear one or more allies from PARALYZE ROUND effects. Previously, this type of skill was not viable since we only had a single character; if they were paralyzed, they couldn't cast spells, leaving automatic inventory items as the only cure. However, with the new party system, members can now aid one another, making this skill type a strategic necessity to keep the group operational.

🏃ESCAPE SYSTEM

The escape system allows the party to attempt to abandon an ongoing combat. The success of the action is not guaranteed and depends on the dexterity of the hero performing the attempt.

INTERFACE MECHANICS 

The escape command changes its visual state to indicate the conditions of the current encounter:

• Escape Available: Activated in random battles. The developer can define a specific icon to signal that the escape attempt is permitted.

• Escape Blocked: Activated in fixed (mandatory) battles. The button remains visible to maintain interface integrity, but it is disabled for clicking, using a distinct icon defined by the developer to indicate the prohibition.

SUCCESS CALCULATION 

The chance of success is calculated using the Dexterity of the current hero against a fixed engine difficulty. The formula used is:

Roll = Random(Dexterity + 50)

The escape will be successful only if the "Roll" value is greater than 50.

FAILURE PENALTY 

If the attempt fails, the hero consumes their turn and combat proceeds normally.

BALANCE 

This logic ensures that heroes with 50 points of Dexterity have exactly a 50% chance of success. Characters with lower Dexterity will face greater difficulty, while more agile characters will have progressive advantages. The risk is never zero, maintaining strategic tension during encounters.

📜 New Message Display (M.D.) 

Keywords Display commands now require the INDEX (1 to 4) of the character.
E.g. $$$NAM1, $$$LVL3, $$$HP4 etc...

Check the full list:

📦 New Assets Buttons and Screens: 

btnup.bmp, btndown.bmp, btnstartpt.bmp, btnrestartpt.bmp, BtnEscBattle000, BtnEscBattle001 and the inv.bmp interface. (Can be modified via the INTERFACES SESSION).

Support Skill Cursor: Added healclean.ani. (Tip: Use RealWorld Cursor Editor to edit your .ani files).

💡 Visual Consistency (Equipment) 

EQUIPMENT type items have different images by gender. If your game is configured for only 1 member, this works perfectly. In parties of 2 or more members, it is recommended to use identical images for both genders to avoid visual "jumping" when switching the selector between heroes of different genders.

🛠️ Improvements and Bug Fixes 

• Editor Fixes: 
  • Several improvements have been made, particularly within the Interfaces Section. A bug was fixed where, in specific cases, the system could save files in the wrong format, leading to read errors when attempting to reopen this section.

• Several Fixes:
• Code refinements for greater speed and stability.

• Fixed the mission reset error in SINGLE CHARACTER MODE.

• Fixed enemy kill count logic for "Defeat a group of enemies" quests. Resolved an issue where leftover data from previous battles could incorrectly affect mission progress. Additionally, enemies defeated in battles that end in flight (Escape) will no longer be counted; victory is now required to validate quest progress.

• Improvements in the combat message display system and alert windows (pop-ups).

• Saving a game is much faster.

• Compilation is smoother without interface freezes.

• UI Flow Optimization and Input Control: I’ve refined the interface locking system (once again) to prevent unintended interactions. Menus and buttons are now strictly disabled during critical processes, such as saving, to eliminate double-click risks or conflicts. I also fixed rare timer issues and reinforced key-locking during combat, ensuring a more stable and secure experience for the player.

• Minor particle bugs fixed.

• Fixed a rare but critical bug involving teleport items when activated via the shortcut bar.

• Dexterity did not take into account some equipment additions. Fixed!

• Fixed a behavior where ADD+ bonuses and SUB penalties were applied twice on positions with combat (fixed or random). Now, they occur only at the start of the battle. If the player moves and returns to the same spot, the effect will be processed again, as expected.

The level restriction message for equipment in the strings section has been updated. Since ACSG now automatically inserts the character's name at the beginning of most notifications, the default message was changed to avoid grammatical redundancy. (You have total freedom to change it if you wish)

• How it was: You need to level up [X] or above to use this equipment

• (Worked well in previous versions)

• How it is (Recommended for this version): needs level [X] or above to use this equipment

• Practical example in-game: > ODRAK needs level 10 or above to use this equipment.

• [!TIP] Migration Note: If you are porting a project from previous versions, update this string so that the hero's name display is grammatically correct with the new notification system.

⚖️ Evolution System and XP Balance

IMPROVEMENT: New calculation formula for the next experience level (NextLevel XP).

HOW IT WAS: Progression was based only on a fixed percentage increase. In battles with many enemies or with the ally system (Party), point accumulation was too high, causing the player to climb several levels at once, which broke the game's pace.

HOW IT IS: Now, in addition to the percentage, the system adds a value that grows according to the character's current level.

WHY IS IT BETTER? This change makes evolution much more natural and professional. It prevents the player from "steamrolling" the game content by gaining too many levels in a single area. The early levels remain fast to hold the player's attention, but the evolution difficulty now correctly follows the power increase of your team, ensuring a perfect balance from the beginning to the end of the adventure.

PS: If you are working on a project prior to this version, please note to modify the enemies' XP values to fit this new formula. We decided to fix this solid base now to ensure the future stability of the engine.

REFERENCE TABLE - PLAYER PROGRESSION (Approximate):

IMPROVEMENT: The enemy XP field has been increased to 5 digits (Max: 99,999).

ENEMY BASE XP by default in new projects: PS: This is just a suggestion and I put it here to give a clear view of why the formula was changed. You have total freedom to redefine these values, create new enemies or remove existing ones according to your project's needs.

📥 Documentation and Update

Compatibility is guaranteed with a project version made with the version immediately preceding the one being released.

Updated Manual: The manual has been completely revised and updated to reflect all the changes and new features of version 1.1.1.

Refined Update Workflow:

The project migration system has been reorganized to be more modular and user-aware. Previously, the updater performed a full synchronization of all files automatically. Now, the process has been split: while core engine updates remain mandatory for compatibility, the migration of visual assets is now optional. The system will prompt you before importing new images or interface files, allowing you to preserve any custom edits you've made to your project's resources.

How to Update Your Project: 

To migrate your old project to the new version, uninstall the old ACSG and install ACSG 1.1.1; then, open your old project in it. The program will take care of the entire migration process automatically, including copying the new interface images so that you can change them at will in your project. However, for your project's classes, there is no way for me to copy the new face image when the character is fallen. But this is not a problem at first: when opening the class editor, no error occurs and a temporary image is shown (the same in the game). But it is obvious that I recommend you edit and create new images for your classes' faces and save them via the class editor. :)

Recommendation: It is highly recommended that you accept the option to update the Manual when prompted by the program.

I hope you like the news and I count on everyone's support! 👍