Severed Chains – New Recommended Build!

After nearly 108 years, we’re finally back with a new recommended build of Severed Chains. Truly, there are too many fixes and improvements to list, but I have done my best to summarize the most important ones below. We also have a comparison video to show off some of the biggest improvements!

This build took much, much longer than expected to finalize due to a hard-hitting and elusive bug, but we’ve come out the other side in the best shape we’ve ever been in. This is the biggest and most impactful update the project has ever seen, and we’re excited to finally get to show it off. Below we have a comparison video as well as full patch notes. Click here to download (scroll to bottom).

Highlights

• Game is 100% playable
• Mod loader and first draft of modding API
  • First-party mods available
  • Third-party devkit coming soon
• Additions are fully implemented and no longer auto-complete
• Unpacker is now 75% faster
• Almost all models and animations now render correctly
• Major progress on special effects, particle effects, etc.
• Support for 1800+ controllers

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Full Changelog

New Features

• Automatic addition toggle
• Automatic d-attack toggle
• Fast text speed toggle
• Auto-advance text toggle
• Save anywhere toggle
• Disable status effects toggle
• Disable encounters toggle
• Change battle UI colour
• Choose what combat stage to fight on
• Slightly improved sound
• Pause (P key)
• Menus now support mouse/keyboard/gamepad
• Report unpacker status and crashes in UI

Modding API

• Change enemy drops
  • Supports multiple drops per enemy
• Change enemy XP
• Change enemy stats
• Change character stats
• Change character additions
• Change character XP requirements to level up
• Change equipment stats
  • Supports combinations not possible in retail
• Change repeat items
  • Add more or remove some repeat items
• Prevent items from being consumed
• Change when additions are unlocked
• Change spell stats
• Change what items are in shops

Technical

• Rewrote entire script engine
  • Scripts are hundreds of times more efficient and infinitely easier to debug
• Rewrote model loading and animation code
  • We now fully understand all mode and animation types (there are 6 different types of animation files! Why??)
• Convert CTMD files to regular TMD
  • LoD used a nonstandard semi-compressed model format and over 10 different model renderers. These files have been converted to standard models and all renderers have been unified.
• Deduplicate and restructure lots of character files
• Rewrote some linear algebra code to use JOML
• Added Linux launch script

Bug Fixes

• Fixed more special effects than I can even list
• Fixed model rendering (models still missing in combat cutscenes)
• Fixed all animations
• Fixed submap overlay textures
• Fixed most issues with models being offset in combat
• Fixed addition timings being wrong
• Fixed dragoon SFX
• Fixed crash when using the last item in the list
• Fixed crashes in Shirley fight
• Fixed crash on world map
• Fixed Coolon screen instantly teleporting player to forest
• Fixed Mt Mortal Dragon being unenterable
• Fixed memory leaks
• Fixed Home of Giganto cutscene
• Fixed potential crash with > 32 items
• Fixed Kongol’s Grand Stream spell
• Fixed Kongol’s d-attack
• Fixed Rose’s Demon’s Gate spell
• Fixed Haschel’s Thunder Kid crash
• Fixed Haschel’s Violet Dragon spell
• Fixed Dart’s Divine Dragoon d-attack
• Fixed Meru’s d-attack
• Fixed Selebus attack crash
• Fixed Zackwell post-fight cutscene crash
• Fixed Faust crash
• Fixed speed up/power down
• Fixed HP in menus possibly getting out of sync
• Fixed obstacle course (again)
• Fixed crash in Lavitz oof scene
• Fixed collision bug occasionally causing warps into the abyss
• Fixed starting on world map from chapter title saves
• Fixed dragoon space lighting
• Fixed violet dragon corrupting battle stage textures
• Fixed extreme flashing lights during some dragoon effects
• Fixed animated submap overlays
• Fixed post-virage cutscene crash
• Fixed overflow when using dragon block staff
• Fixed goods screen scrolling with fewer items
• Fixed crash if save file had more items than max inventory size
• Fixed crash in final Lloyd fight cutscene
• Fixed being unable to submit laws in Zenebatos
• Fixed arrow above Dart’s head being too low
• Fixed Kubila demon frog attack
• Fixed Dark Elf detonate arrow crash
• Fixed post-signet Coolon cutscene
• Fixed distorted faces in cutscenes
• Fixed distorted skyboxes in combat
• Fixed status effects not working
• Fixed physical ring/dragon helm/etc.
• Fixed healing items being able to miss
• Fixed “Perfect!” scrolling too slowly
• Fixed crash when going left away from Zackwell room
• Fixed collision issue allowing you to walk into the abyss
• Fixed wrong order when sorting items
• Fixed crash in Hoax if Dart is indecisive
• Fixed elemental armour and accessories not applying damage reduction
• Fixed spinninghead room crash
• Fixed Divine Dragoon Dart being unable to gain SP
• Fixed no controller support on too many items menu

Bug Fixes (Retail)

• Fixed script memcopy out of bounds
• So many divide-by-zero errors
• Patch Meru broken animation in post-Divine-Dragon cutscene
• Fixed violet dragon colour overflow

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Known Issues

General

• No music yet
• Sound effects can get stuck, press del/delete to stop them
• Some effects do not render correctly
  • Certain magic, spells, etc.

Crashes

• There is a rare crash when fighting Melbu that can occur if the fight lasts for a long time