Update 0.2.8 – "Sound of the Desert"
Survivors,
The desert is shifting, and it is becoming louder, more realistic, and more dangerous than ever before. In this update, we have focused heavily on transforming the auditory experience of Scorching Desert, while also overhauling animal behaviors, refining combat mechanics, and squashing some of the most stubborn bugs you have reported.
Listen closely to the dunes—the desert has a voice now.
🔊 Major Sound & Atmosphere Overhaul
We want you to feel the isolation, the wind, and the sudden terror of a predator strike. This update brings a massive pass on environmental and creature audio:
Weather & Night: Experience the true power of nature with new sandstorm ambience, howling wind audio, and a completely reworked nighttime acoustic environment.
The Wildlife: Antelopes, camels, coyotes, scorpions, and snakes all received unique, reworked sound effects for actions like roaring, taking damage, and dying.
The Sandworm: You will now hear this titan emerging from the depths before it strikes, featuring brand-new roar and hit sounds.
Combat Audio: Added high-tension bow-pulling sounds and completely reworked arrow impact sound effects.
Ambient Music: Refreshed soundtrack and general ambient music to deepen immersion.
🏹 Enhanced Combat & Realism
Fighting for survival should feel weighty and responsive. We have made key adjustments to weapon handling and physics:
Satisfying Archery: Arrow speed has been increased by 5x, making shots feel incredibly fast and lethal.
Ragdoll Physics: Defeated animals now drop with full ragdoll physics instead of rigid animations, making successful hunts feel much more realistic.
Intense Sandstorms: Sandstorms now last longer, forcing you to plan your shelter and survival strategies more carefully.
📝 Full Changelog (Update 0.2.8)
Features & Gameplay Improvements
Antelope Overhaul: Improved NPC logic, added two new natural idle animations, and a reactive jump animation when first hit.
Mining Audio: Reworked sound effects when harvesting rock formations with a metal pickaxe.
Scarab Creature: Added brand-new sound effects.
Credits: Added audio to the credits screen.
Bug Fixes
Combat & Hitboxes: Fixed arrow collision/hit registration for animals, corrected the Sandworm's arrow hitbox, and fixed a bug where unlimited arrows could be fired.
Weapon Durability: Fixed melee hits not depleting weapon durability on certain NPCs.
Audio Fixes: Fixed the wooden spear pickup sound and stopped the overlapping "chase music" glitch.
World & Respawns: Blocked trees from instantly respawning upon loading a save game, fixed coconut trees respawning too quickly, and enabled the metal axe to properly chop down date palms.
Animal Fixes: Prevented dead camels from despawning instantly, fixed antelopes playing idle animations while fleeing, and fixed bees being unable to move.
Player & Navigation: Fixed awkward player movement when pressing A/D after swimming, fixed a glitch locking players in the bed-walking animation, and improved general NPC pathfinding.
Thank you all for your incredible support and feedback as we continue to shape the dunes together. Pack your water skins, listen to the wind, and stay alive out there!
— The Scorching Desert Team