Hello veterans and rookies! Today Javelin 1.6 is being released! It’s a big one so let’s get to it!

For those new to the game you can find out all about it here!

You can download your copy of Javelin 1.6 right here! If you have any sort of problem running the game check the link above for further instructions.

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This release brings some changes to the early and late game, while also creating a new well-defined end-goal for each game. Besides a lot of new monsters for low level characters to duel against there are also new starting locations that will help you get the party started: the Adventurers Guild lets you apply starting kits to your units while the Training Hall provides an early challenge that also promises great rewards in a low-danger environment.

You will now find 7 temples scattered throughout the world map: each of them is a persistent, multi-level dungeon and holds a Relic on their deepest levels – each a powerful item on its own and now essential to winning the game, as you need to collect every relic to do so! Hopefully this will make each game feel more like a story while also providing interesting strategic decisions – should you rush towards each temple to reap the benefits from its Relic as soon as possible or level up enough to be able to face them with ease later on? Will your priority be vanquishing the forgotten temples or conquer the entire world map first?

There are new special locations too! The Summoning Circle lets your characters learn powerful summoning spells to bring forth allies during battle and the Pillar of Skulls, a macabre but powerful ally will accept several sorts of sacrifices and grant you fair boons for your trouble!

This release brings the full set of terrains predicted in the d20 rules – and with that also a system of seasons and natural hazards which you’ll discover while exploring the game world. Sail uncharted waters and try to find your way through massive sandstorms! This new system also makes world movement more dynamic and even lets you shape the world with your town workers – Civilization style!

The interface has been improved as well: you can now put your units under the control of the computer, activate quick combat (combat results are calculated automatically), edit your preferences and key settings via in-game screens and take notes with the new journal feature! The save system is faster, more robust and creates backups of your progress every time the game is started. A few bugs have been fixed too so if you had trouble losing progress on earlier versions please give this one a try! The AI now constantly monitors its own performance and suggests fixes if your configuration is less than optimal for the game. If and when an error occurs a lot more information is shown so you can submit it as a bug report.

And these are just a few of the new features! Check out the other highlights here:

New locations: 7 temples, 11 mage guilds, troves and mines!

New starting locations: Training Hall and Adventurers Guild!

New unique locations: Summoning Circle and Pillar of Skulls!

Around 50 new monsters!

New end-game goal: bring the 7 Relics to Haxor!

All game images can now be easily modified! (mod/skin support)

New damage effects: poison, paralysis, fear

Burrow movement

New item type: wands

New skills: use magic device and heal

New transport: sailing ship

More realistic, dynamic land movement

Seasons, new terrains and terrain features

Town workers let you build roads, settlements and more

Player units can now be set to automatic (controlled by AI)

New party option: strategic combat (skips random encounters)

Preferences and command keys can now be edited in-game

In-game journal for taking notes

More information on errors, for easier bug reporting

Improved save system, also creates automatic backups

AI system now monitors thinking speed and corrects itself if slow

183 monsters

47 items, 12 artifacts

63 upgrades, 49 spells, 13 skills

22 battle maps

I’d like to thank MustAwd for contributing art assets using the new mod/skin system (more info here). There’s still a lot of work to be done so keep your eyes open for great new pixel art on the next release! Our friend 11132113 also helped a bunch with a serious amount of beta testing and quality bug reporting – without his help this release wouldn’t be anywhere as stable as it came out to be! A big thanks too to everyone else who gave feedback in the earlier releases – some of the changes on 1.6 were a direct result of the points made back then!

What about the future? There are probably going to be a few extra releases before lunging on towards the 2.0 cycle and it’s goals. Planned features are Martial Disciplines (as suggested by Greg), basic mouse support and other interface improvements, new locations (like the Arena and Dragon Spire) and, as always new spells, monsters and items along the way!

Let us know what you think of the changes so far and have fun! Feel free to post comments here, discuss the game on our subreddit or contact me directly through javelinrl@gmail.com. We’re always looking for new talent to help the game grow! So if you’d like to join the effort let us know and we’ll try to put your skills and time to good use!