Sands - Version 0.1.31 Changelog

New Features and Changes

🌪️ NEW ABILITIES

The winds of Arrakis bring devastating new powers to master!

Coriolis Storm (Desert Scout Tier 2)

• Summon the desert’s wrath! Channel a localized sandstorm that damages all enemies in the area
• Cost: 5 spice measures
• Creates a persistent damaging storm that grows more powerful with your mastery
• Perfect for clearing out enemy camps or creating area denial
• “The desert provides its own justice.” - Fremen saying

Dance of Death (Sietch Protector Tier 2)

• Chain devastation across the battlefield! You dance from enemy to enemy in a lethal chain
• Requires 5 Mastery stacks to unleash
• Each chained enemy takes increasing damage (+50% per chain)
• Turns a single strike into a room-clearing massacre
• The more enemies nearby, the more devastating the effect!

Master’s Culmination (Sietch Protector Tier 3)

• The ultimate Fremen blade technique! Channel ALL your accumulated mastery into one perfect strike
• Consumes ALL current Mastery stacks for massive damage multiplication
• Cannot miss and always critically hits
• If it kills the target, creates a shockwave that damages all nearby enemies
• The pinnacle of melee combat mastery

Flowing Strike (Sietch Protector Tier 2)

• Fluid combat mastery - Your attacks flow like water across the desert
• Multi-attack sequence that increases damage with each hit
• Consumes mastery stacks with each hit
• Perfect for sustained combat scenarios

⚔️ COMBAT & ABILITIES OVERHAUL

Enhanced Ability System

• New Dynamic Ability Bar: Abilities now display with proper pagination - no more cramped UI!
• Smart Cooldown Management: Abilities only go on cooldown if they successfully activate
• Visual Status Effects: Enemy status effects are now clearly visible during combat
• Improved Turn Logic: Failed ability attempts no longer waste your turn

Desert Scout Enhancements

• Spice Shot Transformed: Now creates toxic poison clouds on impact, affecting multiple enemies!
  • Deals weapon damage + bonus to primary target
  • Creates expanding poison cloud that affects nearby enemies
  • Visual explosion effects show the impact zone
  • Scales with ability level for larger clouds and longer poison duration
  • Perfect for dealing with grouped enemies or controlling chokepoints

Saboteur Class Improvements

• Sabotage Network Redesigned: Complete rework from instant explosions to strategic spice charge deployment

  • Deploys 5-11 hidden spice charges across a 500-pixel area
  • Charges arm after 15 turns and explode when enemies approach
  • Creates a persistent minefield for battlefield control
  • Perfect for area denial and ambush tactics

• Spice Charge Improvements: Removed water cost, making it more accessible

  • Now costs only spice instead of spice + water

Sietch Protector Starting Changes

• New Starting Ability: Sietch Protectors now begin with Crysknife Mastery instead of Blood Clot
• Better alignment with the new Mastery stack system
• More engaging early-game progression for melee-focused gameplay

Weapon & Equipment Improvements

• Auto-Unload Feature: Weapons automatically unload their ammo before being broken down for parts
• No more losing precious ammunition when deconstructing equipment!
• Better inventory management for ranged weapon users

Shadow Step Rebalanced

• Removed water cost - now purely cooldown-based
• Massive damage bonus scaling with ability level
• Smarter positioning - ensures you land within level boundaries
• Enhanced lethality for successful assassinations

🎨 USER INTERFACE ENHANCEMENTS

Redesigned Ability Bar

• Dune-themed styling with authentic desert colors
• Dynamic sizing based on ability names
• Page indicators for easy navigation through your arsenal
• Better visual feedback for cooldowns and active abilities

Status Effect Visualization

• Enemy status effects now display clearly above their health bars
• Easier to track poisons, bleeding, and other conditions
• Better tactical awareness during complex battles

🏜️ SIETCH PROTECTOR CLASS REDESIGN

The guardians of Fremen communities have been completely reimagined!

New Mastery System

• Build Mastery stacks through successful melee combat
• Each stack empowers your devastating special abilities
• Strategic resource management - spend stacks wisely!

Removed Abilities (Replaced with better alternatives)

• Blood Clot → Replaced with more tactical healing options
• Desert Endurance → Integrated into base character progression
• Fortify → Replaced with Mastery-based defensive options
• Guardian’s Resolve → Evolved into the new Mastery system

🐛 BALANCE & BUG FIXES

Ability Balance

• Fixed multiple ability descriptions and mechanics
• Improved Scout class abilities across the board
• Better damage scaling for high-level characters
• More consistent cooldown reductions

Combat Improvements

• Fixed bonus damage calculations
• Improved enemy hunting behavior and AI decisions
• Better cover system interactions
• More reliable hit/miss calculations

Technical Improvements

• Enhanced animation system for explosions and effects
• Improved particle systems for visual feedback
• Better memory management and performance
• Code cleanup and optimization throughout

🎯 What This Means for Players

For Combat Enthusiasts: The new Sietch Protector abilities create exciting risk/reward gameplay around building and spending Mastery stacks. Master’s Culmination can one-shot even tough enemies if you’ve built up enough stacks! Starting with Crysknife Mastery means you can begin building stacks right away.

For Desert Scouts: This is a HUGE update for you! Spice Shot now affects multiple enemies with poison clouds, making it devastating against grouped foes. Combined with Coriolis Storm, you now have excellent crowd control and area denial abilities that perfectly match the desert theme.

For Saboteurs: The new Sabotage Network lets you control entire areas with hidden explosive traps - perfect for ambushes and area denial. No more water costs on basic abilities means you can sabotage more freely!

For Everyone: The improved UI makes managing your abilities much more pleasant, especially as you unlock more powers. No more squinting at tiny ability boxes!

Quality of Life: The auto-unload feature and improved turn logic mean less frustration and more focus on the strategic elements of combat.

This update significantly expands the tactical depth of combat while maintaining the authentic Dune atmosphere. The desert is more dangerous than ever, but you now have the tools to match its fury!

May your blade chip and shatter - but never in vain.