A new version of Dungeonmans is live, with some minor but important improvements:

* Better data collection for magic attacks and special power use.

* Bandit Pyromancer and Brigand Foominologist made slightly less deadly.

* Starlight Golem, Elemental Hydra and Teacup Cultist made stronger.

* Yesterday's Knife and Leafy Ranger Stick have been buffed oh-so-slightly, so you don't end up doing -2 damage to Puppy Molds and feeling terrible about yourself.

* Added a no-installer version of the game to the downloads page.

* SIX NEW HERO SPRITES TO CHOOSE FROM (Seven total if you count the proper and true sprite: Dungeonmans)

This version will break your previous save games, so if you're hanging on to that save of your Rangermans on the 9th floor surrounded by Hellhoofs and hoping for a miracle, just load it up and get it over with. Die like a champion, load up version 4.1 and make your new hero twice as strong.

Grab a copy of 4.1 here!

So it's been a week of crushed monsters, dirty traps, and dashed hopes at the business end of Scrobold Berserkers. What has come of all this? Who has descended to the very bottom and brought the boot to the OP 11th Floor Boss Wizard?

Here are two images: The top 20 Dungeonmens, and the top 20 Most Deadly Monsters: Click these tiny ones for big readable size. And a mighty congratulations to the two heroes who could go the distance!

Well, folks, here it is! Alpha 4 is available to the public at last!

Get the new release from the downloads page! If you've played Dungeonmans before, don't forget to uninstall the old version via the control panel before installing this one.

Here are the quick new feature bullet points:
- Tons of new gear, including magical items
- Complete Mastery Path overhaul
- Brand new class: the Wizardmans
- Traps and hazards
- Lots of new potions
- Enemy rebalance - game is a little more challenging
- New, detailed in-game help
- You can now win the game!

Thank you all for playing Dungeonmans and for providing us your feedback. We're looking forward to hearing your thoughts about alpha 4 - make sure you send us your suggestions and bug reports, and don't forget to opt-in to send us game data from your characters! Remember, Dungeonmans IS still in alpha, so we'd really appreciate you taking the time to send feedback.

Enjoy!

The road to Alpha 4 has been long, but we hope the wait has been softened by our steady reveal of new features! The wait is almost over. Tomorrow, you'll finally be able to play the new Dungeonmans release! But, before that, we have one final feature reveal: a win condition!

Dungeonmens in Alpha 4 will finally have a true purpose in life; that purpose is to venture to the 11th floor of the dungeon and defeat the OP 11th Level Boss Wizard. His power is great, and many Dungeonmens are likely to fall to his hand, but the bravest of you might manage to succeed! Alpha 4 is significantly more challenging than Alpha 3, and you'll need your wits, great gear, and a bit of luck to make it all the way to the bottom.

Thanks to everyone who has been playing Alpha 3 and sending us feedback - you are instrumental in the development of Dungeonmans, and we hope you'll enjoy the fruits of Team Dungeonmans' efforts in Alpha 4. We're looking forward to tons more feedback and can't wait until we see our very first win! Good luck, and thank you again for playing Dungeonmans!

Alpha 4 release day is nearly here! This week we've revealed many of the new features you'll enjoy in the release, from gear to potions to dungeon trappings. Today, we'll detail one of the most exciting Alpha 4 features - Wizardmans is now playable!

Sure, there's a charm to bashing things with huge hammers or filling them full of arrows, but Wizardmens feel that the other professions lack a certain refined taste for Foom, a certain appreciation of Science. Whether you're a Cryoscientist, a Foominologist, or a master of Tricksonometry, the Wizardmans class offers masteries for the magically-minded sure to send monsters squealing in horror. Here's a look at these Wizardmans masteries!

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Foominology is all about the science of burning your enemies to death in horribly painful ways (like the Foomsplosion above). Though all Wizardmans know the basics of Foominology, those who choose to master the art gain access to spells like Cinderfist and Off The Chain Lightning. Foominologists specialize in damaging AoE spells that are sure to reduce even the strongest dungeon beast to a neat pile of ash.

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Cryoscience harnesses the furor of the freezing cold to protect a Dungeonmans and hamper his enemies. Wizardmens powerful enough to control the deadly chill gain the use of Frost Armor, as well as the ability to conjure an Ice Block to keep foes at bay. There are rumors that Cryoscience even holds the power to create a mighty Coldnado (seen above) to freeze groups of enemies to death!

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Tricksonometry is the study of magical chicanery and legerdemain. Need to get out of a tight spot? Just blink away! Tired of getting pounded to a pulp through your fine robes? Decoymans (above) will attract the attention of your foes as you escape with Invisibility or unleash other spells while they're distracted! The mighty Hero Cloud creates confusion in your enemies, with whirling Dungeomans phantoms - which one is real?

Wizardmens, as you can see, have access to some extremely powerful spells and abilities, which consume mana when used. Relying mostly on Science and Foom and having spent years studying the ways of foominology, Wizardmans do not start out with the ability to wear much more than robes or wield more than their staff. Foominology basics allow them to use magical staves (which can be used in ranged or melee combat) and provide a basic spell, Bolt of Foom.

The Wizardmans class offers lots of flexibility in customization and provides some great ways for the player to get out of dangerous situations. It can be tough starting out as a Wizardmans, but extremely rewarding to use the powerful spells! With three classes and lots of mastery options (you can, of course, spend your points as you like!), Alpha 4 offers more customization and replayability than ever!

Big changes are a-comin' in Alpha 4! Not only has the dungeon undergone a total rebalance, but Fightermans and Rangermans skills have been reworked based on player feedback! Here's a look at some of the new mastery paths and class features!

New "Basics" paths have been added that grant bonuses and provide pre-requisites for more powerful and specialized masteries. Any class can learn any mastery path, so long as the player invests in the proper pre-requisites, but classes start out with immediate access to particular mastery paths:

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Fightermans
Legendary Armsman - Love cleaving a scrobold in half with a two-handed axe? The Legendary Armsman mastery path contains a suite of five devastating attacks for two-handers, like Windup Chop and Head Collector. This path focuses on AoE and damage output and is usable with any two-handed weapon!

Sword and Board - For the discerning Dungeonmans who prefers tactics and defense, the Sword and Board style offers five abilities focused on tactical movement and buffs/debuffs. Grab a shield, a one-handed weapon, and start wrecking their armor!

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Rangermans
Iron Marksman - This bow mastery path focuses on high single-target damage and inflicting status effects on your foe, felling them one by one with deadly accuracy. Skills like Bleeding Arrow and Shellbreaker Shot can be found in this path.

Skirmish Archer - These slippery bowmen fire volleys of arrows at the enemy, wriggling out of a tight spot at just the last second. Focusing on AoE damage and mobility, the skirmish archer can use abilities like Stick and Move and Volley of Arrows to strike fast and get the hell out!

You look a little worried. Afraid we've done away with your favorite ability? Nope! You'll still be swirling with blades and getting blood in the eyes of your foes! You will have to keep an eye on your stamina, though - abilities now have an associated cost, like we mentioned yesterday! We haven't removed special benefits for particular weapon types, either. Now weapons factor in different stats - swords get better bonuses from a higher SKILL, hammers from STREMF, and axes have a higher critical rate. The choice is yours!

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The skills UI (hotkeyed "a") has received some corresponding changes that make it easier to read. You can now easily see which paths you have completely mastered, which are available to you, and which ones you have not met the pre-requisites for yet. Any character can spend points in cross-class skills for no penalty (the Fightermans can learn the new Rangermans bow styles, for instance), but only after spending points in the appropriate pre-requisites. You can also hotkey your abilities to number keys by bring up the abilities menu with "s" and holding SHIFT-# to assign a key. Less menus, faster crushing!

It is always a primary goal of Dungeonmans to provide all types of characters with interesting combat options and abilities, and these new changes make it easier for players to suit their own playstyle and customize their Dungeonmens!

The Road to Alpha 4 continues with what might be one of the most important new steps: monster balance. Unfortunately for the loot whores and power gamers among you, this update is low on pretty pictures and videos and high on math and design crapola. So if your favorite four letters are "tldr", here's the meat of it.

* The monsters are harder.
* You get less XP.
* You gonna die.

No doubt most of you are scurrying to the nearest nursery, pants well steeped in your own amber cowardice. Those who remain, stout of heart and dry of loin, may follow. Hit the jump to read the gory details!

Yesterday's update about traps and hazards likely had every Dungeonmans running to the nearest bed and hiding under it all night. I know, they were really scary. It's ok now, you can come out. We even have a present for you today, something that (probably) won't hurt you.

A few updates ago, we shared some cool potion art that Jeramy created. In Alpha 4, potions are fully implemented - there are many new quaffables available! When you first encounter a particular type of potion, the only information available to you will be a descriptive little line about the brew. You might find a Lambent Golden Potion or a Warm Ruby Philter, but you'll have no clue what's inside. Currently, the only way to identify a potion is to give it a try, and once you do, you'll always know what that potion is when you see it. Potion sprites and descriptors are randomized every game, so last game's helaing potion won't look the same as the next's.

In Alpha 3, the only potion Dungeonmans can find is the healing potion, which does exactly what you think it does. Alpha 4 contains a much broader range of consumables with a variety of effects. Temporary stat boosts, increased stamina or health regeneration, armor buffs, speed boosts, and more will help Dungeonmans face the terrors of the dungeon. Be careful when you pop that stopper, though; not all potions are purely beneficial. Some, like stoneskin, have drawbacks: your armor is increased, but you move more slowly. Others can just be downright nasty, spawning monsters or even inflicting debuffs or status effects.

Potion implementation adds a dungeon-crawling standby to the game (with a Dungeonmans twist, of course) and further increases player options throughout the dungeon. The calculated use of potions can keep permadeath at bay, and every seasoned Dungeonmans knows the value of a well-stocked potion belt. There are tons of different potions to find and use as you battle your way to the bottom of the dungeon - and trust us, you're going to need them!

Everyone is probably pumped to run to the nearest dungeon to pick up the new gear we showed off yesterday, right? That's nice. Unfortunately for you, the cruel-hearted members of Team Dungeonmans (especially Pat, who hates players and spent a good deal of time with traps) are powered only by our thirst for player tears! After seeing today's new feature, traps and hazards, you'll realize that even if you manage to get your hands on any loot, you'll never make it back out with your prize! The dungeon has had some deadly new hardware installed that's sure to crush, slice, maim, pound, and melt Dungeonmens wearing even the shiniest steel and pointiest hats. Let's take a gander at some of these lovely new additions!

Traps!
Several varieties of traps are now found in the dungeon. If you're lucky, you'll notice them before you manage to stumble into one. If you don't, you'll set the mechanism off, resulting in nothing but pain and sadness for you. Spikes, pits, crushing blocks, fountains of acid, and dungeon maws are all lying in wait! These devices aren't just capable of dealing devastating damage; they can also inflict nasty status effects.

"That's not fair," the community cries! "Nerf traps!" Well, it's not all piss-shakes and poo sandwiches. Take heart! A new skill mastery will be available for all Dungeonmens that improves the ability to detect and disarm traps in the area. You can boost your normal perceptive abilities (determined by your stats) by spending points in this mastery as you level up. When you do detect a trap, you have the option of manning through it, attempting to use your skills to avoid it, or wimping out and not crossing its square. That's not all! Even the dungeon inhabitants can set traps off - a clever Dungeonmans can lead a dangerous foe into traps he avoided, laughing at his enemy's misfortune!

Hazards!
A dastardly variation on normal dungeon traps, hazards create moving areas of effect that can damage or otherwise hamper Dungeonmans and his foes. Generally activated by pressure plates hidden in the dungeon floor (which are spotted in the same fashion as traps), these gas clouds, whirling blades, and gouts of flame expand or move over several turns, requiring Dungeonmans to get mobile and adjust his tactics if he happens to set them off. Monsters can be caught in the effect, much like with regular traps, so crafty Dungeonmens can benefit from hazards if they exercise caution! You'll also encounter non-damaging hazards like smoke clouds, which block line of sight, allowing monsters to sneak up if you're not paying attention!

Here's some video of traps and hazards in action, with commentary!

The dungeon is a much more dangerous place now, so it will be of the utmost importance to exercise caution as you navigate its corridors. Don't throw the keyboard in frustration yet, though - there are even more features to show off this week (some of which aren't quite so deadly to the player), so check back tomorrow for more Road to Alpha 4 feature expositions!

The next big Dungeonmans release, Alpha 4, is rapidly approaching! We on Team Dungeonmans know that your thirst for this new version is nigh unquenchable, but we hope to help alleviate the pain by providing a behind-the-scenes peek at the multitude of features, changes, and additions in Alpha 4 over the next several days! Enjoy this first Road to Alpha 4 entry, and come back for a new update each day until release!

One of the most important features in Dungeonmans, as any true adventurer will agree, is loot! Well, thanks to Bobby, Wes, and Jeramy (and of course Madjack and I), Alpha 4 will feature tons of new equipment to give Dungeonmans a fighting chance against the hordes of beasts that lurk the depths! You'll enjoy finding several new suits of armor and shields to soften the monsters' endless blows. And what would gear be without hats? Gone are the days of Leather Helm being your sole choice for cranial protection! We've also noticed some quite fancy robes lying crumpled in dusty corners - a sign of things to come? This ancient scrap of a dungeon journal (which was clearly digitized and teleported back in time by some unknown force), shows just a sampling of what you might find in Alpha 4!

Dungeonmans' development is fueled by player feedback. Since the release of Alpha 3, we've been hard at work spreading the word about the game to get more plays and collect more game data and player feedback. The response has been excellent, and the data and feedback we've received have helped shape development for this release. The more plays and feedback we receive, the better we can understand player expectations and issues like game balance and feature visibility, so make sure you opt-in to send data when you first start the game, and don't forget to share it with your friends and write us any feedback about bugs or suggestions you have!

With more gear than ever to find, exploring the dungeon in Alpha 4 is much more rewarding. The new gear, coupled with updates to classes, brings even more customization and to the game, and more to look forward to as you progress through the dungeon! You'll need that new gear, though - but we'll talk about that in an upcoming Road to Alpha 4 update.