- Updated Demo for Party Based RPG Fest - 14 September 2026
Party Based RPG FestI have been working on the game non-stop, but there is a lot left to do before I can think about releasing it. With that said, I have updated the free demo. The demo is still limited to the Isle of Oriab, without access to any other areas of the Dreamlands for now. However I have made sure the light-houses appear correctly. Also, importantly, I have limited player allies to CATS, as these are the only creatures one can actually encounter in the demo. Since this is for Party Based RPG Fest, I thought it important to allow players to actually form a party. Whereas, in the full game, you will be able to start with an alliance to different types of creatures. There are also human groups you can form an alliance with in the demo, but you will have to figure out how to do that through gameplay.
- New Progress Report - 15 August 2026
I am making slow but steady progress on the game. Almost all the game's areas are there, but still rough and unfinished. I am also having this conflict where I want to show all the new stuff, but I don't want to give spoilers, hoping players will enjoy discovering these places and creatures in-game. Please check out the video and comment there if you want to help boost the game's visibility!
- Progress Report - 9 May 2026
Lot's Going OnThere is a lot of work being done on Cyclopean II every day. But it is almost entirely art production related, and not actually being incorporated into the game yet. I have been designing all the cities of the Dreamlands. It is a time consuming process, since Lovecraft decided to write about each one in such detail, and I've realized that this particular city is all wrong! Still, I might keep it after making some modifications... Originally I was going to just make up a few city designs and re-use them like any sane game developer would do. But I've read the story a few too many times and have become attached to a lot of the descriptions for each location. A recent re-read of the Dreamquest of Unknown Kadath has convinced me that each region needs to have its own, unique architectural style based as closely as possible on the story's descriptions. Otherwise ... what am I e…
- Demo Updated to 0.1.39947 - 3 May 2026
Mousey MouseI just updated the demo to attempt a different mouse control scheme. The Windows Mouse option is unchanged, but the standard mouse controls were altered slightly, and I set the base framerate to 120, since that seems to help. I will also look at Windows Mouse next. It is supposed to reset to your default settings when exiting the game, but if you use alt-tab or something that might not register properly, and your windows mouse might get slowed down as a result. Leaving the game properly should prevent this. But I will try to see if I can prevent these edge cases from having a loophole.
- Demo Updated to 0.1.39946 - 19 March 2026
Rename CrashI think I have fixed the crash that happens when attempting to rename a save file. There is some issue with the file saving and directory creation that keeps cropping up. I have had to adjust it a few times and whenever I do, it seems to break some other part of the game. The two areas which seem to effect the game's stability (so far) are when renaming a save file, and when going to full-screen mode (specifically when you have a non 16:9 screen ratio).Both these situations seem to be working currently so hopefully it remains stable. I will try to remember to test all of these things whenever I update the game. But if it happens again, please don't hesitate to reach out and let me know.
- Demo Re-Activated - 9 March 2026
I re-activated the demo! Smooth MoveI have also made a pretty big change to the way the game handles camera movement. A lot of people did not like the "lerping" effect of the movement. I personally liked it, but I am willing to listen to folks. Now the camera will move at a steady speed, and stop immediately when it reaches its goal. It also uses this new effect on the surface. Depending on any feedback, I may re-introduce the old camera movement as an optional setting. I think this new method is better overall, and it feels less ... spongy? Let me know what you think.Next StepsNow I am planning to begin adding content to the game. There is a pretty big map with many cities, dungeons and outdoor regions. There are lots of different inquiries to add, as each area will have its own unique topics of discussion. I also have a lot of different npcs, monsters and other unique beings to add to…
- Fullscreen Bug has been Squished! - 1 March 2026
It was a tough one to find. I was finally able to figure out the cause of the full-screen problem. Now there is no need to create a custom path for accessing full screen mode on non 16:9 monitors.I was able to test it and confirm using both ultra-wide setting (21:9) and standard (4:3) aspect ratios, you can switch from full screen and back, and it no longer requires a re-start.
- Some New Bug Fixes - 27 February 2026
Full Screen Fix - RevisedOkay, the full screen bug has been worked around more completely. The underlying issue is still there, and I am working on figuring out why it's happening, as it did not cause the same crash in the previous game. For now, if you have a non 16:9 monitor, it will only allow full-screen if players set up a "Custom Path" as described here: What's new, is that I also added a script that prevents the game from attempting to go full screen unless this is properly set up. So hopefully no more crashing. The game will inform players that they cannot use full screen mode without first setting up a custom path. Not the best thing, but better than a crash to desktop.Missing NPCs Indeed I had somehow allowed certain unique characters to go missing. This should be resolved in new games. But if you started the game already and are missing some NPCs, they will not come back. If…
- I Fixed the Fullscreen Fix - 26 February 2026
Full-screen Fix FixedSo in my haste to provide a work-around for the problem with different monitors not able to work in full-screen mode, I accidentally broke the game yesterday. The accident was simple. In order to get the full-screen thing working, you need to use the "Custom Path" option (I am working on why this is happening). Well, I was testing out the solution and I changed the "Custom Path" to point at a folder on my hard drive, then I accidentally uploaded the game with that custom path included! So the game was looking for a folder on my hard drive, on your computer, and it would crash. My bad! So this has been resolved in the latest default build. It should work for players using the default path as well as those who need to use the custom path, as long as they follow the instructions carefully: So now I am working on figuring out why this is all happening to begin with. As…
- Rolling Back the "Fix" - 26 February 2026
Off to a great start :) So my fix for the fullscreen error seemed to cause other users to crash even more. I rolled back the default branch to the previous version. If you were using the fullscreen fix, you can still access it under "Cyclopean II: The Dreamlands Demo > Properties > Game Versions & Betas > fullscreen_fix"The "old_branch" is just the same as the default right now, ignore that. I will have another go at these issues tomorrow.
- Demo Version 0.1.39941 - 25 February 2026
I have made a work-around for the problem with switching to full screen. It seems like this worked okay if your monitor had a 16:9 aspect ratio, but with other monitors it would crash the game. However, I was not able to really figure out what was happening, so the work-around requires a little additional work on your part. The good news is that, if you have not encountered this crash, you don't have to do anything.Instructions:For those who are experiencing the crash, you will need to create a "Custom Path" file. "Cyclopean II: The Dreamlands Demo > Properties > Installed Files > Browse"Open the "Custom Path" folder and follow the instructions there. If you set it to a different folder on your computer that is in My Documents or something, it should work. Run the game to test it, and it will create the game directory."C:\\Users\\-Your Username-\\AppData\\Local\\Cyclopean II"
- Missing File - 24 February 2026
There was a missing file that caused an error when you encountered it. I just re-uploaded the game with the missing file, so it should be fine now.
- Demo Version 0.1.39939 - 22 February 2026
I have been experimenting with some of the monster behavior in the dungeons. They may do some things players are not quite used to.
- Demo Version 0.1.39938 - 20 February 2026
UPDATE: I also just added some lava gatherers to the overworld map. Mountain PathGoing up the mountain you would see the player fall below the path graphics. This should be fixed in the latest version.Invisible BlockIn the brick village, you might have encountered an invisible block that prevented you from leaving through the main entrance. I figured out the cause ... it's an interesting story, but I will spare you the details. If you already saved the game after visiting the brick village, you may encounter an invisible block. But for any new games it should not happen.
- Demo Version 0.1.39937 - 19 February 2026
EDIT:I just updated the trader's dialogue options and responses. It was still using the ones from the original game, and now it should reflect the new environment. Bribery UpdateWhen you bribe a creature, it behaves just like sneak, but does so by distracting the creature for a number of turns based on your MIND attribute. However, with today's update, bribe will also give you access to other dialogue options like Inquiry, Trade and Pass, even for hostile enemies.
- Demo Version 0.1.39936 - 18 February 2026
This update introduces a few new things. BriberyThe biggest new feature is under the "Dialogue" option during encounters. When you are interacting with a creature that you have no alliance with, instead of the "Align" option, the menu will show a "Bribe" button.Bribing creatures allows you to distract creatures for a short amount of time (depending on your MIND attribute), working similar to "Sneak" but with certain side effects. This is the first attempt to make a Dialogue focused gameplay loop. Ideally it will allow players to get through the game without having to resort to stealth or combat (although you are free to combine all three approaches).Different monster types will require different kinds of bribes, and some creatures will not accept any bribes.In the next update, successful bribery will also unlock the other dialogue options: Trade, Inquiry and Pass. DarknessDarkness bonus…
- Version 0.1.39935 - 17 February 2026
This update introduces a few new things. Lava StonesYou can now find "Lava Stones" randomly when searching, similar to finding bones and other debris. They are more valuable than bones though, so it is a good item to gather up and sell.Zebras, Voonith and Wamp InquiriesThese creatures do not communicate, but their inquiries have been updated to at least be responsive.Unique NPCsSome NPCs in the game are unique. This means if you kill them, they will no longer appear on the map. I will let you figure out which ones are unique. Unique NPCs are also higher level then most surface dwellers, so it will be pretty obvious when you are dealing with one.
- Two Critical Updates - 16 February 2026
The Demo had two game breaking bugs. Fleeing EnemiesI previously claimed that fleeing enemies was fixed, but it looks like I did not test very thoroughly. In the overworld, it would fail to load the terrain if you were too far away from your camp or the dock (if you had not yet found a camp). So I have updated the way flee works to compensate for this. Now, the game will keep track of your location and update the place you flee to every time you enter a new terrain tile. This way, when fleeing, you will return to the latest place where a new terrain tile was entered, instead of all the way to your camp. I think there may still be some issue with this, so I will be looking more carefully at it later today. Entering Cities at NightI found the game would get frozen if you tried to enter a city at night. It was a simple mistake, and it is fixed now.
- Demo Ending Issues - 14 February 2026
There were a few issues with the end of the demo. I believe they are all resolved. The game music and ambient sounds would end abruptly, which was not by design. Also, some monsters would not disappear after they were defeated. They would no longer interact with the player, but they still appeared to be active.
- Dungeon Permanence - 14 February 2026
While testing things out today, I found out that the dungeons were not always saved between play sessions. I believe it's working now. It would not always happen, but if you went into the dungeon, then exited, went to the city, and saved there and exited the game, it would not save the dungeon file. On your next play session, the dungeon would be re-set and whatever you mapped would be missing.
