🏜️ Sands - Version 0.1.30 Release Notes

🛠️ Major New Feature: Crafting & Item Upgrade System

Salvage and improve your gear with the new crafting system!

Item Upgrading

• Upgrade weapons, armor, and utility items with salvaged Broken Parts
• Multi-tier improvements based on item rarity (Common: 1 tier, Epic/Legendary: up to 5 tiers)
• Weapon upgrades: Damage tuning, accuracy calibration, range extension, reload efficiency, and crit polishing
• Armor upgrades: Reinforced protection and desert adaptations
• Special effects: Add bleeding, burning, wounding, or staggering effects to weapons
• Bonus stats: Enhance Close Combat, Marksmanship, Evasion, and Sand Resistance

Item Breakdown System

• Deconstruct unwanted items into Broken Parts for crafting materials
• Smart salvage system: Higher rarity items yield more and better parts
• Randomized parts rarity: Each salvaged component has its own quality level

New Crafting Interface

• Dedicated crafting UI with detailed upgrade descriptions and requirements
• Real-time cost calculation and material availability checking
• Progress tracking for each upgrade tier

🧪 Expanded Item Variety

New Healing Items

• Small Desert Gauze - Basic 1 HP healing (Common)
• Large Desert Gauze - Premium 5 HP healing (Rare)

New Water Sources

• Small Literjon - Modest 1 water restoration (Common)
• Large Literjon - Substantial 3 water restoration (Rare)

New Materials

• Remains - Wildlife drops for trading
• Enhanced Broken Parts - Now drop with randomized rarities

⚔️ Combat & Ability Improvements

Stealth System Overhaul

• Sandshroud ability reworked: Now provides stealth + enhanced evasion instead of simple invisibility
• Improved Shadow Step: Uses new stealth effects for smoother gameplay
• Better stealth mechanics: More tactical and balanced stealth gameplay

Enhanced Spice Charges

• Proximity mine behavior: Arms after 30 turns, then detonates when hostiles approach
• Improved tactical description: Better explains the area denial and ambush potential
• Safer placement: Won’t harm friendly NPCs

AI & Combat Balance

• Smarter charge behavior: NPCs handle armed/unarmed states more intelligently
• Better harvester loot: More reliable drops from mechanical enemies
• Improved turn balance: Day/night cycle extended to 4000 turns for better pacing

🎮 Quality of Life Improvements

Enhanced User Interface

• Better Escape key handling: More consistent menu navigation and game exit
• Improved inventory hotkeys:
  • U = Upgrade items (new)
  • L = Unload weapon ammo (moved)
  • D = Deconstruct items (new)
• Active quest preservation: Your current quest tracking persists through save/load

Window Management

• Proper close window handling: Game exits cleanly when window is closed
• Better fullscreen behavior: Improved window state management

🏃‍♂️ Character Progression Updates

Starting Equipment Rebalance

• Desert Scout: Now starts with Dust Goggles instead of extra Literjons
• Sietch Protector: Receives Small Desert Gauze for better resource management
• Saboteur: Updated ability loadout with improved Spice Charges

Loot Distribution

• Wildlife drops: Now includes Remains for additional trading opportunities
• Faction-specific rarities: Fremen get access to large healing/water items reflecting their desert mastery
• Balanced item pools: Better distribution of small/medium/large consumables across different sources

This update significantly expands the depth of item management and character customization, giving players more control over their equipment and survival strategy in the harsh desert of Arrakis.