I've just finished uploading new test beta 0.988b, which now supports loading multiple mods. It also has many new sound effects, new t-shirts from the design contest, a new Game Over screen, and more!

The build is available to anyone who owns the beta at bluebottlegames.com, or on Desura and Steam. Desura (and therefore, Groupees) users can use Desura Connect to gain access here, or even get their Steam keys and try it on Steam.

To access the test build on the official site, simply visit the beta page, and click any of the download links below the usual Windows, Mac, and Linux buttons.

Steam users can access the test build by opting into the beta for it.

Rest in peace...

Updates Included in the Test Beta

Test beta 0.988b includes the following changes:

Added ability to load mods from different folders (see included readme.txt).

Added ability to specify mod loading order.

Added ability to refer to local mod data vs. base game data using ModName: prefix. (0: is base game).

Added ability to override base game data and images via folder 0.

Added t-shirt design contest items to game.

Added sound effects for several items.

Added new duffle bag item.

Added code to prevent stacking of identified and unidentified items.

Changed Game Over screen to show more stats and info.

Changed loading screen to show more loading debug info for modders (added text scrolling and loading row number).

Changed backpack slot to be 1 grid right and 2 down in all layouts, for better shoulder slot grid fit.

Changed mouse wheel to scroll message window instead of attack modes.

Changed forbidden hexes to be defined by xml instead of hard-coded.

Changed forbidden hexes to be allowed again if all encounter triggers for that hex expired.

Changed Allegan Fairgrounds to have manual entrance trigger after first visit.

Changed faction standings to be defined in xml factions table, not inside creatures.

Changed Strange Forest to have manual entrance trigger after first visit.

Changed Isotope Mine to have manual entrance trigger after first visit.

Changed Zom Zom's to have manual entrance trigger after first visit.

Changed Hatter location to have manual entrance trigger after first visit.

Changed Hidden Lake location to have manual entrance trigger after first visit.

Changed creaturesources to be defined by XML data. No longer hard-coded.

Changed factions to be defined by XML data. No longer hard-coded.

Changed frequency of hardware items in loot tables to be greater.

Changed sled frequency in loot tables to be lower.

Fixed loading progress bar to reflect all mods and overrides.

Fixed a bug that caused weather icon tooltip in screens where icon is not visible.

Fixed a bug in the deer pack spawn.

Fixed a bug that allowed items to be dragged from the crafting screen to real life and vice versa.

Fixed a treasure nesting bug in family/weapon/food encounter.

Fixed a bug that caused items to be auto-placed inside nested containers before top-level containers. (E.g. pills empty out into another pill bottle).

Fixed a bug that caused cryo facility to regain scavenge locations after saving/loading.

Fixed a bug that caused map hex visibility to get messed up after saving/loading.

Fixed a bug that caused lakes to have storage space.

Fixed a bug that caused duplicate items when crafting with tools that degraded in the process.

Fixed a bug that allowed skills to be dropped into unslotted traits.

Fixed a bug that caused traits to remain ghosted if their opposing skill was inside another trait that was unslotted.

Removed empty-out button when in a store that doesn't buy player's items.

The big change is the way the downloaded version of the game loads data. Rather than a single xml file, it can now load xml files from multiple folders, and merge them on-the-fly. This means modders/players no longer need to text-merge everything into a single xml file and verify all the IDs match up. See the included readme.txt and sample mods to see how it's done.

I've also added the first major batch of Paul's sound effects for items. You'll notice quite a few items no longer use that old harp chord noise. Less repetition!

The Game Over screen has been overhauled to show a lot more info, too. In addition to the old cause of death and survival time, you now get a sprite of your character when it died, the last contents of the log window, and a list of all conditions on the character when it died (including some hidden game variables). The text is all scrollable, and can be copied to the clipboard via a button.

Plus, plenty of bug fixes and changes to make the game run smoother. As always, let me know what you think of the changes, and if you notice any issues with the new build!