Announcing the Dance of Death v0.5.102 release, playable in your browser at www.nolithius.com/dod!

This development cycle was focused towards introducing an animation system and tidying up some loose ends with ranged combat and other recently added features.

The following to-do items from the goals were completed:

1. Added animation system for ranged combat.
2. When targeting, the color of the targeting trajectory now shows whether a shot is clear (green), unknown (yellow), or blocked (red).
3. When entering targeting mode, the last target, or the closest monster in your FOV is selected.
4. Saving now occurs at a slower rate (once every 10 seconds), as well as upon starting a new game, or changing levels. You may also explicitly [s]ave.
5. Corrected language when stepping over a stack of items: “are lying here” instead of “is lying here”.
6. Picking up a new stack of an item already in the inventory now merges stacks.
7. When keybinding, the system checks if the newly entered key is already bound. If so, it displays a message by the existing binding.
8. If an item with a long name is equipped, the equipment slot descriptors are shortened to allow for longer item names.
9. If a missile hits an obstacle or does not hit a target, it is automatically dropped on the ground. If it hits/misses an opponent, there is a chance it will be consumed.
10. Graveyard menu added, where old dead characters are listed.
11. Hall of Fame menu added, where characters that beat the game are listed.
12. The Continue screen now shows more character information (race/class/location).
13. Quick Character Creation has been further streamlined to only require the selection of gender, archetype, and name. Archetypes include race, optimal stats, and skillset.
14. Help panel now reflects the proper keys that have been bound in the options panel.
15. Output messages are now saved.
16. Bug fix: Looked into reported crashes or character misplacements after creating a character after a game has been won or lost. Was unable to replicate, will continue to monitor.

I also threw in the following in response to feedback, as bug fixes, and to add a bit more to this fairly light release:

1. Ranged animation polished to execute the ranged attack on the last frame.
2. The arrow animation uses the appropriate | – \ / characters, depending on the slope of the trajectory.
3. The input system now checks if there are animations running, if so, and the animations are “cancelable”, it forces them to complete and proceeds with the input. Otherwise, it blocks the input. All animations are currently cancelable.
4. Equipping a stackable item over an already equipped stack will automatically merge the stacks.
5. Starting equipment added, based on selected Skills and Techniques.
6. Maces added.
7. Male characters now receive stat bonuses, and female characters no longer receive stat penalties.
8. New monsters added.
9. Monster generator now generates more monsters per level.
10. Visible dungeon tiles have a bit more color now.
11. Saves from old versions are automatically removed to avoid conflicts.
12. Bug fix: The Continue menu is now properly disabled after a playthrough where the last active character dies or wins the game.
13. Bug fix: Arrows are now used up properly (1 per shot), they were being used 1 per tile for every shot.
14. Bug fix: Output buffer from the previous game is now cleared after a death/win.

I have got my work cut out for me in the next version, but nevertheless, please continue to send in your invaluable feedback!