If for some reason, you’re reading this instead of my RMN page, a new beta is being tested as we speak! Here’s the changelog:

CHANGELOG:

v1.1b:
-NEW SIDEQUEST ADDED: “Ortia Tower,” unlockable by talking to Floo after getting the airship and finishing his first request
-BATTLE: Party members now have Physical attack skills
-BATTLE: Instead of Static/Bolt1/Bolt2 spell naming scheme, spells now have individual names (Static/Bolt/Discharge)
-BATTLE: Crystal Bombs are now called “Energems.” Phillip can only equip one ring at a time (as an Accessory), thus giving him one spell at a time. This was done for balance/strategy purposes
-BATTLE: Val has been given a different HP curve, MP Absorb skill, & a 20% Insta-death skill
-BATTLE: Sueto has been given the “Scan” battle command in addition to Athesis. This was done for plot/design reasons
-BATTLE: New battle animations, Stat Up/Down animations & graphics
-Numerous item changes. Removed “Cure-All” item and added individual status healing items (Antidote/Mirror/Bilberry/Reefer/Normalizer/Order/Caffeine)
-Item & Spell descriptions are now consistent
-BATTLE: Scan values have been updated to description consistencies (“/” characters, etc.) & it’s now possible to scan every enemy
-BATTLE: Attributes provide better damage value control (discussed in one of my blog entries)
-Scene after exiting Underground Caverns has been adjusted
-Numerous other dialog changes. Mainly flow issues
-Changed some graphics in the last chapter. Reworked the ending slightly
-New airship music, added jukebox “system” now supporting 34+ songs
-Migrated blackjack mini game from my Alex III map, along with Roulette (not yet playable) & slot machines (not yet playable). Talk to the man in Borland & Orxler to trigger Blackjack. Winnings are limited for balance reasons
-Changed opening credits text & made it consistent with “Controls” & “Extras” text

Overall, it looks awesome, plays awesome. The style is right & the feel is right, so I’m really psyched for the next public release. There’s no official release date yet since I’d like to add 1 or 2 more sidequests over the next couple months (in addition to some NPC fixes), so maybe by spring?

Also, some screenshots of the new sidequest: