Sands v0.1.29 Release Notes

🎮 New Features & Content

New Items & Equipment

• Heavy Combat Armor - Enhanced protection for seasoned warriors
• Light Combat Armor - Balanced defense for agile fighters
• Patchwork Stillsuit - Improvised water conservation gear
• Broken Parts - Salvaged mechanical components for repairs and modifications (currently used for wind traps)
• Darts - Ammunition for maula weapons (renamed from Pellets)
• Power Cell - Energy cells for laser weapons (renamed from Battery)

Improved NPC AI System

• Complete AI State Machine: NPCs now have sophisticated behavioral states including Wandering, Hunting, Engaging, and Fleeing
• Patrol Routes: NPCs follow patrol patterns around their spawn areas when not engaged
• Alert System: Enemies can alert nearby allies when they spot threats, creating dynamic group encounters
• Out-of-Combat Healing: NPCs now regenerate health when not in combat and can consume items to heal themselves
• Enhanced Threat Assessment: More intelligent decision-making for combat priorities and target selection

Universal Fremen Abilities

• Worm Call - Summon sandworms from beneath the dunes (Tier 3, available to all backgrounds)
• Vicious Extraction - Extract water from fallen enemies (Tier 2, universal Fremen ability)
• Wind Trap - Enhanced environmental manipulation (universal Fremen ability)
• Trance - Enter a meditative combat state consuming water for extra attacks

⚖️ Balance & Gameplay Improvements

Combat Balancing

• Sand Glide ability nerfed for better game balance
• Bloody Crysknife damage reduced to prevent overpowered builds
• Increased cooldown periods for NPC abilities to improve combat flow
• Optimized item drop rates for better progression pacing

Character Progression

• Enhanced Stats Display: Bonus skills now show individual numbers for clearer character development
• Improved weapon and armor distribution across NPCs
• Better item pools for different NPC types

🚀 Performance & Technical Improvements

Major Performance Optimizations

• Text Rendering Cache: Significantly improved UI rendering performance
• Threat Calculation Cache: Optimized AI processing for smoother gameplay
• Memory Management: Removed dead code and unused systems

User Interface Enhancements

• Dynamic Menu System: More responsive and flexible menu interactions
• Centered Menu Alignment: Improved visual consistency
• HUD Improvements: Better ability cooldown display and clearer information layout
• Inventory Fixes: Resolved weapon selection and equipment dropping issues

🐛 Bug Fixes

• Fixed double turn consumption bug
• Resolved inventory weapon selection issues
• Fixed equipment dropping mechanics (items are now properly unequipped when dropped)
• Corrected text alignment issues throughout the UI
• Ensured NPCs have proper ammunition supplies

🏜️ World & Lore Updates

• Item renaming for better Dune universe consistency
• Enhanced NPC equipment loadouts for more authentic encounters
• Improved survival mechanics with new tent and equipment options