Changelog

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This page lists any significant updates made to the game from Version 5 onwards. Smaller changes and fixes which aren't enough to constitute an update, particularly if they are meant to fix or modify errors, typos or inconsistencies with event lines, will usually be listed in the Tsuchinoko updates instead.

February 20th 2019

Version 5.2 - Extra game modes update

This update introduces two new methods of playing MazeWorld: Survival and Freeform, and retroactively renames the 'main' mode into Contestant Story or just Story. These new game modes, so to speak, aim at providing more flavors for players and future GMs to enjoy.

General changes

Survival

In this new mode, players adopt the role of a Survivor, whose only objective is to kill anyone that looks at them wrong, and survive as long as possible. Survival is mainly inspired from old-school MazeWorld, it is essentially an endless Uncivilized Area run, just as it once was.

When playing Survival, players have the option to choose between two modes: Tier X (The game ends after completing X Challenges) or Endless (The game only ends with the Survivor's death, or at player request).

The main differences introduced by Survival are as follows:

  • No towns or intersections as players know them - Survival is an endless Uncivilized Area streak, equivalent to a Deep route. Explorable areas can even still be found and completed for their rewards!
  • Nutrition and Hydration Reset occur every time the Survivor reaches a Trading Post (TP reset). In turn, the reset is much lower than normal. The base values are 350 ntri and 115 wtr.
  • No Faction Reputation and no Renown to worry about.
  • All skills are unlocked: Survivors start with Unskilled in all non-combat skills (unless skill levels were purchased at Startgame)
  • The Survivor starts with a MAIM account, with all generic and regular named mercenaries available (Special mercs are not available as they're tied to the story).
  • Every 50 rooms, the Survivor will find a Trading Post, which is nothing more than an intersection with a fixed amount of shops and services (see below for details)
  • On the room following every second Trading Post (101, 201, 301...), the Survivor will find a Challenge. Completing the Challenge is necessary to progress forwards!
  • If playing on Tier X, X corresponds to the amount of Challenges the player must complete in order to reach the end.
    • There is no upper limit on the Tier number (and subsequent amount of Challenges), though in order to keep games from being unreasonably long, the author's recommendation is to keep it between 1 and 10, and any longer games should be Endless instead.
    • The author personally recommends first-time players and GMs to try Survival Tier 4, for a 401-room adventure.
  • Mercenaries function differently:
    • The time-based hiring rates do not apply, and are instead replaced by a 50-room hiring rate (corresponds to the distance between Trading Posts). That special rate is equivalent to 2x the 24-hour rate.
    • Upon being hired, a mercenary will immediately join the Contestant with no waiting time.
    • Merc deaths do not need to be reported.
    • All mercenaries show up with their gear. There are no gear costs - their equipment is essentially free.
    • All special parameters are ignored.

The only objective in Survival is to survive. Each Survivor will be entered into a leaderboard for creatures killed and KV score obtained at the end of their run, as well as rooms visited in Survival Endless.

Freeform play

This is essentially the normal game, but without main story quests or sidequests and with certain shops, services and other conveniences immediately available. This mode aims at a more relaxed experience, without the pressure of the pre-made main story, as well as offering an opportunity to design your own stories and plots.

The main differences introduced by Freeform are as follows:

  • All skills are unlocked. Freeform characters start with Unskilled in all non-combat skills, as well as a MAIM account.
  • The Freeform character starts with a MAIM account, with all generic and regular named mercenaries available (Special mercs are not available as they're tied to the story).
    • Reputation and Renown requirements from certain mercenaries are disabled.
  • Roazon is collapsed, exactly as it would after the Contestant completes Sidequest S3-2.
  • All repeatable activities are available: Trading Missions, Mercenary Contracts, Mining, and Bounty Hunter
  • Several shops and services that are normally only obtained as sidequest rewards are available from the start:
    • The Power Armor Shop (Ferland Sector) is available and fully upgraded.
    • The Advanced Handloading Services are available at the Ellen Sector factory.
    • The Powder & Primer Shop is available at the Littleton factory.
  • Renown and Reputation are disabled, to allow GMs more flexibility.
    • It is recommended to replace any rewards in Renown/Rep with money, where applicable and where it would make sense. (e.g. Vigilante work)

January 17th 2019

Version 5.1 - KISS Update (Keep It Simple, Stupid!)

This update aims at simplifying several game mechanics deemed too granular or generally not fun enough.

Simplified nutrition and hydration

  • Nutrition and hydration no longer decay at a rate of 1 per turn. Instead, these stats are slashed by a set amount at a fixed rate and frequency, to symbolize meeting daily recommended needs; these are called the Nutrition Reset and Hydration Reset, respectively.
    • Nutrition is reset every day at midnight. The reset will reduce the current Nutrition by an amount equivalent to (meat worth x 30). For a human, that amount is 2100 ntri.
    • Hydration is reset every day at midnight. The reset will reduce the current Hydration by an amount equivalent to (meat worth x 10). For a human, that amount is 700 wtr.
  • Nutrition and hydration each have new value ranges and corresponding effects; they are generally simpler and more clear-cut effects.
    • Nutrition going too high will increase minimum Fatigue, and eventually reduce Agility.
    • Nutrition going too low will decrease Strength, and eventually disable the ability to heal Pain, Blood or Limb Damage (due to the body not having the "fuel" to do so).
    • Hydration going too low will decrease Strength, then Accuracy, then cause Hallucinations, until eventually causing death.

Simplified fatigue

  • Fatigue no longer gradually increases every turn (what was called "natural fatigue"). Effects that can increase Fatigue bit by bit every turn still do exist.
  • The "Energized" tier is deleted.
  • Reaching an amount of Fatigue equal to 2x Endurance will result in death.
  • All effects of high fatigue now decrease Agility, and eventually decrease accuracy and cause Hallucinations.

Simplified clothing and armor

  • Clothing and armor can no longer sustain damage, period. The only exceptions are:
    • Trauma plates - which still continue to work as they normally do
    • Powered armor - which require a condition meter to determine protection level. When wearing power armor, damage calculation is greatly simplified - 1 limb damage sustained = 1 armor condition lost.
  • Cutting clothes into rags (as long as they have the RagOK tag) now always succeeds and results in obtaining 1d4 Rags (at least 1 is now guaranteed). Multipliers (0.5x or 2x) affect the result of that 1d4, and it is always rounded up.

Simplified weapon maintenance

  • The Reliability/Max Cleanliness stat is scrapped.
  • Durability is renamed Max Condition, and all firearms' Max Condition values have been rewritten.
  • Critical failures have been completely revamped and simplified. Condition is now meant to be lost on a critical failure, and for each 2 rolled, the new command @critfail must be used.
    • @critfail contains 80 possible effects, half of which are simple condition loss effects (ranging from 100 to 2000). The other half are condition loss effects (ranging from 50 to 1000) with a weapon failure (failure to fire, eject, etc.) effect on top. If the relevant weapon is a melee weapon or does not have a corresponding weapon failure type, the condition loss effect is doubled instead.

Changes to handloading:

  • Load level (hotness) of ammunition affects the severity of the Condition loss on a critical failure. -P/Cold: Condition loss x0.5. +P/Hot: Condition loss x2. +P+/Super: Condition loss x4.
  • Powder quality of ammunition also affects the severity of the Condition loss on a critical failure. Surplus: Condition loss x3. Premium: Condition loss x0.5.
  • These effects may stack. Round up any results.
  • If shooting ammunition of mixed hotness or powder quality in the same turn (not recommended!), the hottest and dirtiest ammunition fired that turn is used as a reference for all rounds fired that turn.

Changes to weapon accessories:

  • Since Cleanliness no longer exists, silencers no longer apply a malus on the equipped firearm.

Changes to crafting:

  • Gun Cleaning Kits: They are now used to restore a firearm's Condition, as long as it's 60% or higher. Gun Repair Kits can still be used at any Condition percentage.

Changes to Maze Customs:

  • Improved barrels now have different effects.
    • 4150CS barrel: Max Condition x1.25.
    • 4150CS + Titanium Nitride (TiN) coating: Max Condition x1.5
    • 4150CS + Titanium Carbonitride (TiCN) coating: Max Condition x2
    • 4150CS + NP3 coating: Max Condition x1.25, Condition loss on critical failure x0.5
    • Rechambering a firearm with an improved barrel no longer causes the improved barrel to be replaced by a normal one (forcing the user to re-purchase the barrel improvements again). Making engineers slightly less evil!...
    • Maze Customs now also offers the possibility to return to a non-improved, stock barrel, for 100 P$.

Extras

  • New command: @asktsuchi. Ask a yes/no question and use that command. Results may vary.

November 27th 2018

Version 5 update - The Finished State update

Quests

  • Story Arc #3: The Human-Youkai War released! Features 33 quests, 1 sidequest, and 1 emergency quest.
  • Endgame content now available! The Contestant story may now come to an end as soon as all four Amulets are gathered

Content

Abilities:

  • Several special abilities were renamed to techniques, due to their similarity with martial arts techniques. Techniques are actions that can be performed instead of a regular combat action, and which, if the prerequisites are met, may allow their users to perform special moves that wouldn't otherwise be possible.
  • Introduction of several new combat techniques:
    • Techniques that are learned upon reaching Expert skill level with a corresponding combat skill:
      • Firearm techniques: Failure Drill (DA revolver, Semi-auto pistol/rifle/shotgun), Fanning (SA revolver), Mad Minute (Bolt-action), Recoil Control Stance (Automatic pistol/rifle/shotgun), Rifleman Trick (Lever-action), Zero's Trick (Pump-action)
      • Melee techniques: Any-Bash (One- and Two-handed clubs), Any-throw (Thrown weapons), Backlash (Whip/Lash weapons), Desperate Smash (Crude weapons), Double Cleave (Axes, One- and Two-handed swords), Stabbing Rush (Knives)
    • Techniques that can be purchased: Lightning Reload (available for 3000 P$ at any shooting range)

Maze Customs:

  • Customs:Minor - 1 new tactical conversion (Pecheneg Zenit), 4 new minor barrel configurations (SCAR-H STD, SCAR-L STD, SCAR-L LB, SG551-LB)

Startgame:

  • Tsuchinoko update: Rarity is finally weaved into the drop rates for the weapon commands (@wpn @wpnc1 @wpnc2 @wpnc3 @wpnc4 @wpnc5L @wpnc5S @wpncHG). The original commands (with equal chances for each weapon) have been given the -e suffix (@wpn-e, @wpnc1-e, etc...); e stands for "equivalent" (in the sense that each weapon has the same chance to be rolled as any other).
    • Four new Tsuchinoko commands, @wpn-firearm, @wpn-melee, @wpn-firearm-e and @wpn-melee-e. The first two respectively roll only firearms (Classes 1-4) and melee weapons (Classes 5L, 5S, HG), and the last two are the equivalent chances versions of the first two.
  • Kitsune and alligator halflings are now playable (discontinuation of the RePoints system)
  • Equipment points to allocate have been increased from 5 to 10.
  • Unspent equipment points are now worth 200 P$ each instead of 150 P$, and are now paid entirely in copper coins.
  • Starting weapons are no longer dependent on the combat skills selected at the start. All of the packages are now available, and extra packages now only cost 2 equipment points instead of 3.
  • Difficulty modes are no longer tied to RePoints. The starting amount of lives (Hard: 1, Easy: 3, Messiah: Infinite) is fixed.

Meta

  • GM side changes: Planned migration away from Excel and fully towards Google Docs - from now on GMs and players should be using the same files; any changes and updates should be done through direct edition of the player's GDocs sheet. Any information that is hidden from the player should be kept on a separate, GM-only file (preferably also on GDocs) which lists only the hidden information and nothing else.
  • Migration to the new wiki will begin shortly after the release of this update.
  • The RePoints system is discontinued (please check the corresponding Patreon post for more information).

Prior versions

You can find all of the previous updates up to version 5 on the old wiki's changelog.