v0.1.37 - Worms! 🪱

“He who can destroy a thing, controls a thing.” - Paul Muad’Dib

The desert reveals its ultimate secret. The time has come to truly become Fremen - to call forth Shai-Hulud and ride the Makers across the burning sands!

🏜️ Major Features

Sandworm Riding System

The sacred art of worm riding is now yours to master! This multi-phase mini-game brings one of Dune’s most iconic experiences to life:

• Call the Maker: Plant a Thumper in the deep desert to summon a sandworm through rhythmic vibrations
• The Approach: Watch as the great Maker emerges from beneath the sands, with approach effects showing its underground movement
• Positioning Phase: You have 3 turns to get close enough to hook the worm - but not too close, or take massive damage!
• Hook Mini-Game: Time your Maker Hooks perfectly on a moving bar to successfully mount the beast
• Fast Travel: Once mounted, select any discovered location on the map and traverse vast distances instantly

New Items:

• 🪝 Maker Hooks (Epic) - Sacred Fremen tools for controlling sandworms during rides
• 📡 Thumper (Rare) - Rhythmic device that calls Shai-Hulud from the depths

New Quest Chain - “The Way of the Maker”:

• Whispers of Shai-Hulud - Learn the ancient art from the Naib and receive your Maker Hooks
• Call the Maker - Prove your worth by successfully riding a sandworm for the first time

Enhanced Visual Effects

The desert comes alive with stunning new particle systems:

• 🌊 Sand Cluster Effects - Dynamic sand sprays, whirls, arcs, and gentle trails
• 🪱 Worm Emergence Effects - Dramatic visual feedback when sandworms surface
• 💨 Trail Effects - Elegant particle wake following worm movement
• ⚡ Thumper Pulse Effects - Visible dust bursts radiating from active thumpers

New Character Creation Experience

Starting your journey is now smoother and more polished:

• Improved new user setup flow with better visual presentation
• Enhanced character creation screen with refined layout
• More intuitive first-time player experience

⚖️ Balance & Progression

Ability System Overhaul

The path to mastery has been refined:

• New Tier Unlocking System: Instead of requiring specific abilities at level 3+, tiers now unlock based on total investment
  • Tier 2: Requires 4 total purchases/upgrades in Tier 1 abilities
  • Tier 3: Requires 4 total purchases/upgrades in Tier 2 abilities
• This gives players more flexibility in how they specialize while still ensuring meaningful progression

Deep Desert Improvements

• Fixed water drain mechanics - your precious moisture now properly depletes in the harsh deep desert
• Restored turn events and environmental interactions

🎨 Visual & UI Polish

Color System Refinement

• Unified color scheme across all UI elements using thematic constants
• Improved readability with consistent color coding:
  • Green for owned/positive states
  • Amber/Yellow for warnings and attention
  • Red for dangers and negative states
  • Desert tan for accent colors
• Thumper countdown now uses color-coded warnings (red ≤3 turns, amber ≤6 turns)

Non-Blocking Popup System

• New popup manager for important messages that don’t interrupt gameplay flow
• Cleaner dialog presentation throughout the game

Tutorial Enhancements

• Expanded tutorial content explaining ecology income mechanics
• Better documentation of spice expedition water costs and returns
• Clearer guidance on balancing water generation vs. spending

🐛 Fixes & Improvements

• Fixed quest duplication issues
• Resolved melee proximity detection problems
• Fixed environmental damage XP attribution (no more XP for worm kills)
• Improved quest flow and availability logic
• Better spacing and visual hierarchy in skill displays
• Various stability improvements and code cleanup

🎮 Gameplay Tips

To Ride a Sandworm:

1. Complete the “Whispers of Shai-Hulud” quest to receive Maker Hooks from the Naib
2. Obtain a Thumper (available from the Barterer or other sources)
3. Journey to the deep desert or open dunes
4. Plant the Thumper and wait 10 turns for the worm to arrive
5. Position yourself within hooking range (80-150 pixels from the worm)
6. Time your hook perfectly in the mini-game (2 attempts allowed)
7. Select your destination and ride the Maker across the wastes!

Warning: Getting too close to an emerging worm deals 40% of your maximum HP in damage. Respect the Maker!

🔧 Technical Notes

• Worm riding uses a sophisticated phase-based state machine
• New particle field effects support multiple modes (spray, whirl, arc, trail)
• Enhanced effects manager with better performance and rendering
• Improved save/load support for worm riding state persistence

The desert teaches those who listen. Master the worms, and you master Arrakis itself.

Lisan al-Gaib! 🏜️