It's been a year since the last update, huh.

Anyway, there are some stuff to be told about this project.

First of all, Project Dungeon has come so far to the point it becomes more of an arcade-like turn-based game and less of a narrative RPG. I admit it, it's not only because I'm not good at writing; it's too taxing for me to write an elaborate, cohesive story that can stick around in the project I'm working on.
Also, I'm more excited about working on game mechanics than writing down a story. Yes, I can write some bits of lore around, but not on an epic scale.

That said, I preferred it this way, and it's already proven since 2018 when v1.6 came out. And this is the exact reason why I wrote this devlog: to tell you about its current state, despite the lack of updates and/or information outside Crescent Sun discord server.

Yes, v1.8 is in the making, and it has a lot of new stuff. Like, a lot of it.

In the latest version of Chessmaster's Challenge, the game starts with a simple premise: you are given four characters, then you enter three avenues, each comprises five rooms where you meet your opponent to take on, and once you cleared all of the three avenues, you're free to challenge the Chessmaster in the finale.
Oh, you're given more options along your journey with up to 60 unlockable characters.

In the next version, however, it's gonna have a little change of course. You'll be pitted in the Hall of Pawnsmoor like in the previous version, and you'll make your way out of it with characters you get and/or unlock as you make progress. However, it has a twist now:

Introducing, Dark Alley.

Instead of ramming through five rooms within three avenues, now you can find access to the "inner side" of the Library called "Dark Alley". Basically, it's a series of nodes and lines representing rooms where you can navigate through, like a dungeon.

Stuff within the rooms are your reason to explore those murky places: parchments and gemstones, aside from collecting EXP points for your party members. Those items are essential for your characters--we'll come to that later. In the Dark Alley, hazards are lurking around and might greet you in one of the nodes, either normally or by surprise. This is where Curio Level comes into play, as it determines the number of loots you can find in the alley as well as the level of enemies you may encounter.

And of course, it won't be just regular mobs you'll find in the alleys.

Some new bosses make their appearances in the Dark Alley (like that castle above) as well as some recurring ones. Replacing the usual Book Creatures, they're usually stationed in boss nodes in higher-level Alleys, packing heat and challenges for whoever stumbled upon their domains. They hold valuable drops necessary for your upcoming progress as well as for your party members' benefits, but in order to get those, you need to take them down fast and efficiently.

Once you take down either Book Creatures or one of the bosses, expect an increase of the Alley's Curio Level.

Curio Level is basically the level, depth, or floor of the Alley. Nothing too special about it besides a couple of things that get affected by on what level you're currently in.

Starting at level 1, it determines the difficulty level of the alley you're in, as well as the quality of items you can find in treasure nodes and enemies, may drop when they're defeated. It can go up (by winning the battle in one of the boss nodes) or down (by losing in any encounters). In higher levels, high-quality parchments and gemstones drop more often but enemies are tougher.

And of course, the exploration is limited by Exploration Point (a.k.a. EP), so if you somehow run out of EP, you will be forced back to the Hall. Your progress will be saved, so don't worry if you somehow managed to reach a certain corner of the alley.

Now you might wonder: What the parchments and gemstones are used for? Well, it's for two things you may need to take on the challenges in high-level alleys as well as the main show: crafting, and promotion.

Now, instead of getting rare equipment from either Well of Fortune or random chests, you need to craft them. By talking to Ruby, you can craft equipment for your party members, which are generally having distinct effects compared to those found in random chests or on sale in the shop. The requirements to make one is available in the Dark Alley, which may or may not be your reason to get into there.

This feature was introduced back in v1.5 but shelved due to how the game handles loots at the beginning of v1.6. And today, crafting makes its appearance back as both a material sink and a proper way to improve your party members' stats and perks.

Unlike the latest version, now the companions start at their lowest and need to be promoted in order to unlock their fullest potentials--including their ultimate abilities. In this case, you'll need the gemstones and other materials for promotional purposes. This is the reason or one of the reasons to delve into the Dark Alley.
It's yet another service Ruby will offer alongside crafting equipment. Can't miss it.

While most companions are alright at their base value, promotion is necessary to crank up their capabilities to eleven, making them still relevant--if not better--in higher Alley levels and the later rounds of Chessmaster matches. So make sure to give them the upgrade gift whenever possible.

We've talked a lot about the Dark Alley and some other good stuff related to it. Now, how about the Chessmaster's Challenge itself?
Well, of course, it's changed as well. Instead of just winning one finale match, now it's rearranged into a series of match you can take on.

In a short description, now you're really playing against him in a 10-rounds match set. Even now it's possible to take the first round from get-away with the first characters you've got at the beginning of the game, too.
This change of direction is based on the aspects I've mentioned before, and besides, in this game, he's the real deal, so it's appropriate to make his match matters.

Everytime you win a match, you will be rewarded with stuff that cannot be found either in Dark Alley or in the shops, including new crafting recipes. Some equipment is really powerful, costs a bit more of materials, and generally useful depending on your lineups or playstyle.

For now, the endgame is still in the making--the possibilities for what determines the end of the game are still open, but I'll leave it that way till the end of the year.

Actually, there are some more things to show here but apparently most of those are clips that too big to be included in this devlog and too small to be uploaded in YouTube, so... yeah. You can check it out more in the discord server; in fact, most devlog stuff are posted there almost weekly, so if you want to keep in touch with this project's development, you can join into the server.

If you want to give it a try, you can DM me for an access to the build, or you can join Crescent Sun discord server for more info about the upcoming version of Chessmaster's Challenge.

That's all from me for now. Cheers!