Update 0.6 — New Paths

Hey everyone!

This update opens up new paths to buying or earning more messages: two new subscription plans with a full plans page redesign, one-time message packs, and referral codes that reward you and a friend. There's also a solid batch of gameplay improvements mixed in, from short and long rests to inventory cleanup.

Two New Plans

Alongside Pioneer and Hero, there are now two new tiers:

• Adventurer — a lower-cost entry point for regular players who don't need everything Pioneer and Hero offer
• Champion — a new top tier for the most dedicated players, with the highest limits, priority support, and a way to support development of the game directly

You can see the full breakdown of what each tier includes on the plans page, which also got a full visual refresh with clearer per-tier colors and badges.

Founders Sale Ends August 22

Pioneer and Hero are still on the Founders Sale, discounted while I build out Farlands Odyssey, but that ends the morning of August 22. After that, new subscribers pay full price. If you subscribe before then, your rate is locked in for good, for as long as your subscription stays active. There's a live countdown on the plans page so you can see exactly how much time is left.

Your Plan Never Changes On You

This isn't new, but I want to say it clearly: if you're already subscribed to a plan, you keep that plan and that price for as long as you stay subscribed, even if I change pricing or the plan itself down the line. Nobody gets moved onto a new plan or a new rate without choosing to switch themselves.

Switching Plans

Changing your subscription plan is a lot smoother now. Instead of cancelling and resubscribing, you can switch directly to a new plan:

• Upgrading applies immediately. You'll see exactly what you're charged today (prorated for the rest of your billing period) and what unlocks with the new plan before you confirm.
• Downgrading doesn't charge you anything right away. You keep your current plan and features until your next billing date, when the switch takes effect.
• Changed your mind about a scheduled downgrade? You can cancel it and stay on your current plan at any point before it takes effect.

Pioneer and Hero pricing shown is the Founders Sale rate, ending August 22.

Referral Codes

Every account now has its own referral code, ready to share with friends. When someone redeems your code, you both get a free pack of messages, no purchase required on either side. You can find your code and see how many friends you've referred from your account page. Accounts must be younger than 5 days to put in a referral code, so remind your friends after they start playing!

Message Packs

You can now buy a one-time pack of extra messages without needing a subscription at all. They don't expire or reset, so they're there whenever you need a bit more room.

Redesigned Account Page

The account page also got a cleanup so it's clearer where your messages are actually coming from: your balance is now broken into Free messages that refill on a timer, Subscription messages from your plan, and Permanent messages from packs or referrals, shown separately instead of one combined number.

Smaller Gameplay Improvements

A handful of gameplay changes came along for the ride too:

• Discard Inventory Items — you can now discard unwanted items straight from your inventory, loose or equipped, with a confirmation step and a quantity option for stacks
• Short & Long Rests — your party can now take short and long rests during an adventure, shown as their own event in the story feed. I've decided not to implement hit dice, so I went the BG3 route and short rests heal 50% of max HP automatically
• Surrender in Combat — NPCs can now surrender instead of only being able to flee when outmatched.
• NPC Party Limit — companion NPCs are now capped at 5 per party so the AI can keep track of everyone properly; existing parties already over that keep their companions, the cap only applies going forward
• Chat Export — subscribers on any plan can now export the full message history of an adventure to keep as a file
• Easier World Sharing — sharing a world was already possible by copying its URL, but there's now a "Share" option right in the world menu for a copyable link

Combat & Story Improvements

• Critical hits now land harder and feel more dramatic
• Fixed a bug where characters could briefly show as dead right as combat started, plus other combat-ending fixes
• Tuned near-miss feedback on failed rolls to trigger a bit less often
• The AI now follows requests to speak in another language more reliably
• NPCs can now be renamed during the story through the AI
• Fixed gold sometimes getting incorrectly added to your inventory as an item

Reliability Fixes

A handful of fixes for situations where starting or loading an adventure could get stuck:

• If a new adventure fails to finish creating, you'll now actually see the error and a way back to your adventures list instead of a loading screen that never resolves
• A "this is taking longer than usual" notice now appears if world creation is taking too long, with a quick way back out

Bug Fixes & UI Improvements

• Fixed narration audio continuing to play in the background after leaving a chat
• Redesigned the password reset page to match the new login / registration pages

Various other bug fixes and UI improvements throughout, mostly shaken loose from playtesting over the past couple weeks. Thanks for all the reports!

What's Next

• Spell Slots — proper spell slot tracking for spellcasters instead of freeform magic
• Action Economy — clearer, more structured action economy in combat
• Credit System — a way to unlock more advanced models, image generation, TTS, and other premium features beyond what's covered by your plan
• Also looking at other story feel improvements, like critical successes on skill checks

From here the near-term focus is mostly player-driven: fixing what you report. A new survey will be released shortly after the next update to see how players are feeling about the game and it's recent updates.

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As always, thank you for playing! I especially appreciate everyone that has gotten the subscription plans and helped the development of the game. Of course if anything feels off or broken, please let me know, and I'll continue working hard to making Farlands Odyssey a great experience.

Thanks everyone!