Content Update release notes

[Carolyn_Hacker]

Since the release of Sacred 2: Fallen Angel we have implemented a number of new features and solved numerous problems to further improve gameplay.

The most important changes are:

2.34.1 --> 2.34.2 (Online Server Update) Correct problems related to exploit of Dryad CA Viperish Disease.

2.34 --> 2.34.1 (Lobby Server Update) Prevent certain game file modifications from being used on the Online MP servers.

2.31 --> 2.34 Content Update Patch

New Content:

• New area with 24 aboveground sectors and about 6 additional underground
  sectors
• New textures and objects to create a snowy landscape
• Additional sounds for the snowy landscape
• 20 new creatures
• New NPCs
• New full quest chain
• Additional armor set for each character
• New armor items and weapons

Fixes:

• It was not possible to load an old save after patching, if the
  character in the old save had an item in their hand (held by the mouse
  pointer) at the time the save occurred.
• Characters over lvl 61 were unable to create game channels (only able
  to join them).
• Sometimes after rebirth at a resurrection monolith, the character
  started at an incorrect position on the map leading to a dead end.
• The fourth Guardian of the Big Machine could sometimes be killed while
  it still idled. This skipped the end boss fight.
• Crystal Monster: The lightbeam adjustment didn’t rotate which led to
  confusion about why the hero was stunned.
• When tabbing out of the game then going back, the position of the
  mounted hero had changed.
• Temple Guardian’s “Amplifying Discharge” with Mods 1b & 2b "
  Ricochet": Rebounding projectiles did not cause further damage after
  the first rebound.
• Temple Guardian’s “Combat Alert” with Mod 1a "Assault": The
  increase in attack value was not shown on the tooltip.
• Temple Guardian’s “Dedicated Blow”: The damage conversion for
  'prone to ice' for fire elementals converted damage into poison.
• High Elf’s “Blazing Tempest” dealt too much damage.
• High Elf’s “Fire Demon” with just achieved mod "Enliven": The
  increased damage was only visible after changing the CA slots. New
  damage is now instantly shown.
• High Elf’s “Glacial Thorns” dealt too much damage and caused
  massive frame rate fall off when used on bosses.
• The “Fire Demon” and “Moribund Animus” buffs restarted
  automatically. Now you need to reactivate them again manually.
• Inquisitor‘s “Ruthless Mutilation” didn’t work properly with
  ranged weapons.
• Shadow Warrior’s “Rallied Souls” with Mod 1a "Armament"
  resistance values were too high.
• Seraphim’s “Archangel's Wrath” with Mod 1b "Salve": Additional
  fireball was added but damage didn’t decrease.
• At the end of a combat-art move the Dryad erroneously shot another
  round of shuriken/knifes.
• Dryad’s Hireling “Moribund Animus” no longer lies down every few
  seconds.
• It was possible to forge high-level items into low-level weapons and
  armor. This could lead to overpowered items. Now the highest level of
  the forged items will be the new level of the item.
• Slot boni on forged items didn’t work properly. Now silver slots give
  7 % bonus and gold slots give 15 % bonus.
• Item bonus "+x to all CA’s" didn’t work correctly.
• Monster attacks had a motionblur-effect that lasted too long.
• The audio option “Character Effects on Center” had no effect on
  playback in 5.1 surround sound.
• Several sound issues fixed for boss music, deathsplatter-effect and
  unique items.
• Missing sound profiles added for T-mutant Human and High Elves as well
  as for new mini-bosses.
• All sounds were initiated with a short snapping sound.
• Singleplayer CoOp: When you started an SP game and opened the game as
  MP, the server started without a name. Now the name is
  CharacternameXXXX where XXXX stands for a random 4 digit number.
• Rivers had dust clouds instead of water splashes.
• Inventory picture for “Celdrahil's Gloves” was missing.

2.12.0 --> 2.31 Content Update Patch

• Implemented a new ingame options menu.
• Added ten new bosses to reward exploration.
• Added eight new portals for more convenient travelling around Ancaria.
• New “level of detail system” for better general performance.
• Better pathing.
• End bosses use more/improved special abilities.
• Opponents in dungeons are more challenging now.
• Buffs can no longer be activated when the selected combat art slot is empty.
• Improved targeting with combos.
• Improved drop reward for the completion of side quests.
• “Mastery” of the skill "Enhanced Perception" will now yield significantly better chest drops.
• Failed quests no longer count as resolved quests in the game statistics.
• PvP: It is no longer possible to attack another player during his fade-in by joining a server at the start island.
• PvP: Target circle now shows under mounted players.
• Fixed that Inquisitor’s armor and clothes were detached from body with certain graphic settings.
• Fixed that PvP was possible in some cities.
• Fixed clipping issue during praying animation.
• Fixed sound issues for the mainquest dialogs.
• Fixed several possible causes for crashes.
• Fixed one cause for random decrease of fps.
• Several minor fixes for combat arts.
• Multi-hit combat arts performed with ranged weapons now have a limit of three projectiles.
• Fixed that the Temple Guardian did not move to attack when mounted on a horse.
• Mainquest related holograms in the jungle area are now working correctly.
• Quest log no longer needs to be activated after exit/load.
• New mini-sets are now dropping
• Set-items now drop much more often and earlier
• MP-Servers can now be opened and joined at any difficulty
• In MP the difficulty of the enemies is not global for the whole server anymore. If two or more players with different levels play in different parts of the world, each player has its own enemies with their own spawn level
• MP - mode "free game" and PvP now has open ship ports between the isles
• The teleporters in cities will be activated as soon as the city is discovered
• Boni on items are now displayed in red if they don’t affect the character. This can happen for example if they apply to the wrong character-class or if they augment a skill that the player has not yet learned
• Facetteleon now has less graphical effect issues with different detail levels
• Quest items that need to be collected now stack in the log
• In the sidequest "Kobold chief" it was possible that the sound was muted, this has been fixed
• Sidequest "A strange machine" had missing texts, this is now fixed
• Traps now work correctly.
• Only five side quests involving hirelings can be accepted at the same time.
• Fixed an issue where quest hirelings were resurrected with the hero if they died before the quest had been solved.
• Fixed an issue where dead enemies sometimes stood upright after they died.
• Fixed an issue where the “Swirling Mist of Miasma” sometimes stopped spawning undead creatures and could not be killed.
• NPC and PC forging have been rebalanced. Values now depend on the difficulty level. PC forging is now less powerful.
• When the Inquisitor had throwing stars or throwing daggers equipped the animation for the combat art “Mortifying Pillory” was broken. This has been fixed.
• Several levitating objects and minor terrain issues have been fixed.
• A refresh button for the server list is now available in the MP-Lobby.
• Fixed an issue where it was not possible to trade with a mounted hero.
• It is no longer possible to equip halberds in the left hand.
• Fixed an issue where players would receive only one item back in their inventory after placing stacks of potions or trophies into the player trade window and then canceling the deal by pressing [ESC].
• Fixed an issue where the player was not properly teleported during the side quest “Ghosttown”.
• Dismounting now takes less time.

2.11.2 --> 2.12.0 hotfix

• Some players suffered lags while clicking on NPC’s and objects since hotfix 2. This has been fixed.
• Under specific circumstances it could happen that a savegame overwrote another character. This has been fixed.
• Sometimes players were not able to join servers, and getting the message that there was a version conflict incorrectly. This has been fixed.
• It is now possible to use the character slots [8] and above in closedNet Lobby.
• Some cases, in which quests that require a certain amount of collected items didn’t grant enough items have been improved.
• The function of [f12] has been improved. [f12] now teleports the character to the resurrection point. This works for both singleplayer and multiplayer.
• Quests, in which a certain amount of items must be collected, sometimes didn’t grant enough items to be collected. This has been fixed.
• The sidequest arrow does not point to completed sidequests anymore.
• The removal of the fog of war has been improved.
• In multiplayer campaign servers it was possible that the progress of the server was interfered with by clients who accomplished sidequests. This has been fixed.
• Corpses no longer block projectiles.
• Mounts sometimes lost XP after exit/load. This has been fixed.
• An occasional problem with sounds on the 5.1-subwoofer-channel has been fixed.
• An exploit with hero statues has been closed.
• An exploit with which the smith could be used to duplicate items has been closed.
• An exploit with which the buddy list could be used to duplicate items has been closed.
• A redundant window concerning the connection to the chat server has been removed.
• Hotfix 3 introduces an auto-updater that will facilitate future updates.

2.10.1 --> 2.11.2 hotfix

• Progress in "Silver" campaign games is now stored on Closed Net servers
• When saving in multiplayer mode, the message "Game Saved" will display
• Crashes will not occur on death of Shadow Warrior/High Elf characters
• Singleplayer coop is not treated as a single player game
• Chat functionality is no longer faulty or non-existent
• Scorpion King (desert boss enemy) no longer kills players instantly
• The game no longer has to be executed as administrator under Vista
• Items can not stolen by using the ALT key
• F12 now correctly teleports MP characters to the MP start location, not the singleplayer start location or a resurrection monolith
• Keyboard configuration updates are now correctly stored
• Nether Allegiance is no longer inactive after teleport
• Divine Gift of "Testa" now works correctly
• The severed tentacles of the giant octopus can no longer be picked up as items, however the player can still pick up their normal loot drops.
• SP character playing MP: When you see the message saying that "Your quest progress will be preserved" your progress is now saved
• Books are now being displayed in quest log
• OpenAL exception no longer occurs
• There is no longer a sound loop when encountering opponents using trap spells
• Sounds no longer disappear after playing the Kobold Chieftain quest
• There are no longer sound problems when videos play (i.e. no spoken text during the intro etc.)
• Voice overs are played less frequently
• Fight music is played less frequently; regional music is played more frequently
• When clicking on a player in the lobby, it now tracks that player instead of the person in that position on the lobby player list

2.10 --> 2.10.1 hotfix

• Adjustment to address game creation process for Open.Net

2.02 --> 2.10

• Implemented hardware cursor (better playability on older computers)
• [ALT ]–key displays names of items on the ground
• [F9]-key saves your current position in the game (reset on death)
• [F12]-key allows to respawn at the latest activated resurrection monolith
• Improved game balance and enemy AI
• Massive quest overhaul (quest book more clrearly arranged, new/improved texts, alternate endings)
• Better armor, weapons and drop
• Integrated automated update functionality
• New button in lobby to recover passwords via a web site.
• Several performance improvements, mainly in the main menu
• More Sound effects
• Hovering with mouse over an NPC displays not only his hit points, but also quest affiliation
• Side quest compass remains on active quest, even after a new quest was accepted
• Maximum 5 hirelings per player: you can only accept a quest with hirelings if you have less than five already (text message informs the player on failure)
• End boss and Boss fight difficulty reduced
• adjusted Hero combat arts
• more set and unique items
• adjusted prices for horses
• reduced forging costs
• town peace (no fights) now also for player versus player
• Graphics settings at the very first start of the game now medium instead of high (for better performance on older computers)
• improved memory usage for footprints
• several small text changes

[Anca Adelina Finta]

Content Update 2.40

The current version of Sacred 2 - Fallen Angel contains several bugfixes as well as these newly implemented features:

nVidia®-PhysX TM Technology Implemented:

The display of two combats arts for each respective hero has been
enhanced with physical effects. Executing a combat art will now have
direct impact on the immediate environment (small stones, leaves, twigs).

The enhanced combat arts are:

• High Elf: Glacial Thorns and Incandescent Skin
  
• Temple Guardian: T-Energy Shroud and Untouchable Force
  
• Seraphim: Flaring Nova and Radiant Pillar
  
• Shadow Warrior: Nether Allegiance and Augmenting Guidon
  
• Inquisitor: Mortifying Pillory and Frenetic Fervor
  
• Dryad: Dust Devil and Edaphic Lances
  

Certain particle effects as well as different wind speeds are also vailable now. Leaves and stones may be moved by wind or by walking across them.


Pause Functionality:

In single player mode you may now pause the game any time by pressing [P].
The camera can still be moved around freely when the game is paused -
which is ideal for taking screenshots from various angles.

Control Your Minions:

This new functionality enables you to use your minions strategically. Order them to attack enemies as a group or individually ([-]) and determine how close they will stay to you ([#]). You can also order them to attack directly ([Shift] + [Left Mouse Button] on an opponent). Pressing [.] will display your minions' current order status.

The Achievement System:

Open your logbook [L] and click on the trophy to display the achievements that you have accomplished in game. If you are playing in Closed Net these results will also be published in the community network on www.sacred2.net

Character Display:

You are now able to turn your characters around for 360° in the selection screen.

Individualized Character Inventory Screen:

Each hero now has a different and individualized layout for equipped items.

Additional Features:

• The Crystal Planes now feature a new quest series as well as new
  opponents
  
• New items may drop
  
• Three new mini bosses. All mini bosses now have their own quests.
  
• The logbook now features a new graphical appearance.
  
• New options under „Audio Settings“ to adjust the frequency of battle
  chat
  
• New death screams for all creatures even if battle chat has been set
  to „Never“ under „Audio Settings“
  
• Added a tool tip display for the duration of purple and blue potions
  
• Incoming messages will now open the chat window. After seven seconds
  the window will close automatically
  
• New option under „Audio Settings“ to switch acoustic notifications
  for chat messages on or off.

Bug Fixes:

• Several causes for crashes have been fixed.
  
• The Dryads' shrunken heads now work as intended, boosting the
  effectiveness of the combat arts Malicious Totem, Black Curse and
  Viperish Disease.
  
• The bonus Deadly Wounds does no longer stack. In extreme cases
  the overall hitpoints were reduced to 1 due to that issue.
  
• The bonus Deep Wound does no longer stack. In extreme cases
  the overall hitpoints were reduced to 1 due to that issue.
  
• Fixed an issue that dead horses could be mounted in certain
  situations.
  
• Fixed an issue that mounted heroes did not sustain damage when
  they touched a T-Energy pool.
  
• Heroes will now sustain the correct amount of damage when touching a
  T-Energy pool.
  
• Heroes will now sustain damage when they walk through the boss monster
  "Swirling Mist of Miasma" ("Fog Monster").
  
• The boss monster "Swirling Mist of Miasma" ("Fog Monster") now fires
  projectiles.
  
• The skill Alchemy now increases the amount of health replenished
  by healing potions.
  
• The modification Evade of the Inquisitor's combat art Reverse
  Polarity will now be displayed correctly in all parts of the interface.
  
• Damage over time did work properly for Elite Boar Riders. This has
  been fixed.
  
• The Divine Gift Kuan's Breath also effected opponents who were above
  the defined maximum opponent level. This has been fixed.
  
• Various fixes concerning Pierce.
  
• "Power leveling" using the the combat art Expulse Magic on the
  "Swirling Mist of Miasma" ("Fog Monster") is no longer possible.
  
• Fixed the faulty damage display of the boss monster "Facetteleon".
  
• When several boosts were active, the fist boost to terminate also
  ended all other boost graphics effects even if the remaining boosts
  were still active. This has been fixed.
  
• The faulty damage of the modification Self Repair of the Temple
  Guardian's combat art Jolting Touch has been fixed.
  
• The faulty damage of the Seraphim's combat art Pelting Strikes has
  been fixed.
  
• Corrected several translation errors in English and French.
  
• Fixed wrongly saved values of the explored map.
  
• Amulets and rings have become distinctly different now. This will apply
  to all amulets including already existing ones.
  
• Pressing [Del] when the cursor is positioned at the start of a
  text field in the menu does no longer cause crashes.
  
• Fixed an issue that Blacksmith Arts could not be removed from forge
  slots if they had been placed there temporarily.
  
• The Closed Net player chest accessible for all characters was deleted
  when players logged in to the Open Net lobby for the first time. This
  has been fixed.
  
• Sometimes, items that we rearranged in the inventory were lost due to
  server lag. This has been fixed.
  
• Fixed an issue that made it impossible to open a server for
  diffculty levels gold or higher even if the character met the
  requirements.
  
• Fixed an issue that made it possible to switch from a hardcore
  game to a default game and vice versa via the Buddy list.
  
• The skill Toughness will no longer yield strange results in higher
  levels. Warning: Toughness did block high amounts of damage even while being broken. Since the fix, Toughness works more predictable, but might therefore be less effective in some situations.
  
• The mini boss Forest Guardian will now scale to the player's
  level who is close to him rather than that of the first player who
  entered the server.
  
• The unique spear Gronkor's Downfall does no longer carry a bonus
  for ranged weapons.
  
• All mounted opponents now fight and die as intended.
  
• The acoustic signal of the heartbeat sometimes did not end. Now, the
  heartbeat sound will play no longer than twelve seconds.
  
• The survival bonus will increase at a slower rate.
  
• The Dryad's combat art Malicious Totem will now have a stronger effect
  when the proper shrunken head is being used.
  
• The Temple Guardian's combat art Furious Emblazer is now more
  powerful.
  
• The Seraphim combat's art Divine Protection now has a slightly
  reduced duration per level.
  
• The amount of experience points per killed opponent will no longer
  be as drastically reduced on very high levels as before.
  
• The safe area (spawn protection) around resurrection monoliths has been
  extended; monsters will not attack players immediately anymore.
  
• Several side quests have been fixed
  
• Throwing daggers will now rely on dexterity rather than strength
  
• The skill Magic Staffs didn’t apply to two-handed mage staffs, this has been fixed
  
• Temple Guard combat art Battle Extension did not work correctly in combos, this has been fixed
  
• Seraphim combat art BeeEffGee is now capped at level 200; the tooltip has been fixed accordingly
  
• Shadow Warrior combat art Reflective Emanation reflected conditions such as blindness and stun and not just the damage, this has been fixed
  
• Several combos did not work correctly when combat arts with different targeting systems were combined, e.g. area spells first and direct damage such as flash second. This has been fixed
  
• Some descriptions for combat art modifications were misleading or wrong. They have been corrected.
  
• Bossmonster "Carnach" teleported one last time while dying, this has been removed.
  
• Unforging items at the blacksmith broke the forge slots in rare occasions, this has been fixed.
  
• Fixed an issue where OpenAL caused noisy sounds in the main menu after
  leaving a game session.
  
• Pressing [print] did not save screenshots when a dialog window was open. This window will only be seen in the screenshot when both [ctrl] and [print] are being pressed.
  
• Typing [% n] into the chat crashed the game, this has been fixed.
  
• The tooltip of special mounts had value discrepancies at a trader and in the inventory.
  
• Framerate drop caused by certain graphical effects has been lessened.
  
• Added more pictures for quest targets in the quest log.
  
• Fixed an issue in the MP server list that could cause players to join a different server than the one that had been selected
  
• The mastery of the skill Riding now unlocks the correct bonuses.
  
• Lore-skills increased the casting speed more efficiently than stated in the tool tip.
  
• Skill Spell resistance did not work in some cases, this has been fixed.
  

[Anca Adelina Finta]

Patch Version 2.43


New Features:

• It is now possible to disable the camera shaking via an entry in the optionscustom.txt. The entry is: camera.cameraShake = 0

Bugfixes:

• The heroes do not point out insufficient armor against the wrong damage types anymore.
  
• Reflection damage from NPCs has been reduced.
  
• The Sakkara demon on the "Start Island" no longer attacks the player unless he has been attacked first.
  
• Gold and XP amounts will now be displayed using periods as the thousands separator. (For example 123.456.789.000)
  
• When fight music is disabled, the region music will continue to play during combat.
  
• The bonus "Chance to dismount opponent" has been removed.
  
• Blowpipes are now able to hit mounted creatures.
  
• Achievements will only be shown ingame and commented by the hero the first they are accomplished.
  
• The achievement "Group Hug" is now possible to accomplish.
  
• Other heroes in multiplayer game sessions are now less chatty.

The patchnotes are not showing all the changes. One of the undocumented changes is the savegames compatibility preparation for the addon.