I've just finished uploading new test beta 0.9960, which includes new content, a disease overhaul, UI enhancements, and fixes.

New DMC Sprawl campsites, and mouse mode toggle.

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.

New footwear and recipes, and feral dogs.

Updates Included in the Test Beta

Test beta 0.9960b includes the following changes:

Added feral dogs to game.

Added flip flops to game.

Added Gators shoe-sandals to game.

Added running shoe item to game.

Added makeshift rag shoe to game.

Added shoe sole item to game.

Added recipe for makeshift rag shoe.

Added new sprawl campsite to replace grassy plains.

Added new trash barrel fire.

Added conversational rumors to NPCs if player has right history.

Added new battle moves if player has right history.

Added losepine and L-thyroxine pills and bottles to game.

Added pill organizer item to game.

Added recipe to break large branch into smaller branches.

Added tooltip info to hexes on mouseover.

Added categories to quick recipe names, for better sorting.

Added gradual blood loss penalty when creatures have sepsis.

Added lockbox warning to Stoat conversation endings.

Added code to toggle cursor mode via mouse when clicking on cursor mode button (below stat bars).

Added extra text to DMC skyline first encounter to warn player of scarce scavenge loot near city.

Added intro encounter text to first Sprawl visit.

Added extra sleeping bag tutorial info to encounter where players receive first sleeping bag.

Changed random encounters to be more common.

Changed Blue Rot, Smallpox, and Hepatitis diseases to gradually decrease immune system strength instead of chance of killing based on time.

Changed cholera to kill indirectly via dehydration and sepsis, instead of instantly via timer.

Changed gastroenteritis to reduce immune system health slowly over time instead of all at once.

Changed poison to kill slowly through sepsis rather than suddenly through timing.

Changed death by infection to be called "Septicemia" for more clinical name.

Changed burning pain condition at Saginaw to have a duration, so effects disappear after 1 hour.

Changed crafting warning text to be more visible.

Changed health bar to say "Sick" when infection is lowest stat, instead of "Infection," since it's more of a layman's term.

Changed readme to include Linux help.

Changed hex camp icon to be higher so it doesn't get blocked by tall hexes.

Fixed bug that caused crafting next/prev buttons to show when confirm button invisible.

Fixed a bug that did not degrade tools used to enter locked storage sheds.

Fixed a bug that caused St. James expiration to be ignored if away from the hex when it happened.

Fixed a bug that sometimes caused game to crash/behave strangely if stat bar was near 0.

Fixed a bug that caused Forest Shack hexes to generate forest scavenge sites too quickly.

Fixed a bug that caused Item screen UI issues when manually changing game window size with AUTO UI set.

Fixed a bug that caused health bar to say "In Pain" when problem was something else like infection or blood loss.

Fixed a bug that caused the last defined headline to be missing from game.

Fixed bug that caused crafting yield items not to stack, resulting in sometimes lost items.

Fixed a massive number of typos/grammar errors. (Thanks, Tactless!)

Fixed a bug that caused Trapping quick recipes to be missing on new characters.

Fixed a bug that caused tile tracks to reset on save/load.

Fixed a bug that sometimes caused item to be lost if attached to cursor when switching to/from crafting screen.

Removed old cheat mode shortcut Shift Z.

Removed redundant map definition from game data.

UI enhancements, and more "shoes."

One of the big changes this build is the addition of new content that only shows up if the player does certain things. It's not easy to achieve, but it hints at some of the game lore, and may give players an edge against the wraith...

Another big change is a raft of new content. Previously difficult-to-reach random encounters are now more common, there are several new shoes, feral dogs, some new recipes, DMC Sprawl camps, and new pill types.

Diseases and poison have also been redesigned to be less of a surprise death. They are still deadly, but now they gradually whittle down creatures' immune systems (and sometimes thirst, pain, etc.). The diseases now only kill if those stats reach lethal levels (i.e. sepsis, dehydration), so it should be easier to see when things are going downhill. Basically, no more otherwise-healthy players dying if the disease timer reaches 0 with an unlucky chance roll.

And quite a few changes have made it into the UI, too. Mouse and touchscreen users can now toggle the cursor mode using the little UI widget, crafting recipes have better sorting, hexes have tooltips, and the "not enough moves left" crafting message should be more obvious. Overall, I'm hoping these tweaks make quality of life better for players.

The likelihood that this version of NEO Scavenger will work with previous saves is: likely.

You'll miss some new content if you try, but it should work. As usual, the older the save game version, the less likely it is to work.

As always, let me know what you think of the changes, and if you notice any issues with the new build!