Following up on the update pushed out roughly 2 weeks ago, this patch looks to smooth out some rough spots and overall bring some sets closer to expectation. These updates should make Wind and Earth Signature pieces significantly more valuable and thus worth guarding.
Before diving into the notes for this patch, I'd like to outline a few of the changes coming in the next patch and then more detail into what is coming for the larger August update.
First, the next immediate patch:
Changes to the client connection structure which will allow the server to be placed into maintenance mode, a more segmented login process, and a number of other changes to accommodate smoother updates in the future.
Changes to match disconnect logic, giving PvP matches a grace period before auto-forfeiting, automatically storing PvE match data for optional recover or forfeiture, among other Quality of Life enhancements.
Player and match statistics and metrics.
Second, some of the changes being worked on for August:
Introduction of item drops and match rewards.
Computer opponent enhancements and optimizations.
Basic piece animations.
The Elestone System
Introducing a way to add variation to each match and provide a means of customizing the difficulty of play.
Lastly, the notes for today.
General Gameplay
Made a change in move validity calculations such that pieces which are dormant do not gain the effects of the untargetable status.
Pieces
Water
Tidesage Oseptes
Aura
Friendly pieces in range 2 of this piece have a 33% chance to resist dormant or exhausted status.
Wind
Kumogolem
Fortify
For each friendly piece in range 2, if possible, consume 3 counters and a 'Slipstream' effect in range 2 to activate that piece's 'Capture' effect.
Samal, the Sky's Rage:
Advance
New Effect Consume all friendly slipstream effects in range 2 to claim that many tiles on the board randomly.
Fixed several issues causing this effect to not work as intended. Namely:
The duration of the effect counter status has been fixed to ensure status removal on turn end.
Fixed an issue affecting the targeting of status adjustment.
Razor Winds
Hold
Fixed an issue where the Slipstream effect generating by this effect was not lasting an additional turn while Samal is on the board.
Earth
What Lies Below
Formation
Destroy a nearby enemy piece and if you do claim 3 tiles nearby randomly If there is a nearby enemy piece, destroy that piece and the next piece in formation; then claim 4 tiles in range 4 and set this piece dormant for 2 turns.
Eye of Abjar
Breaker
Removed Effect If there are no other pieces in range 2 excluding the destroying piece, destroy that piece and claim 4 nearby tiles randomly.
New Effect Grant all of your pieces in range 2 that have at least 1 effect counter 1 additional counter.
Fixed an issue where adjusting of target piece statuses was failing.
Hold
Effect now correctly searching in range 2 instead of nearby / range 1.
Kir of the Red Sand:
Aura
Removed Effect All other friendly pieces in formation of 4 or larger are untargetable.
On-Start
New Effect If this piece is in a formation of 4 or larger, claim 5 tiles on the board randomly.
On-End
New Effect If this piece is not in a formation with any other pieces, claim 2 tiles on the board randomly.
Now correctly triggering when piece is in formation size 0 instead of 1.
Added support for overriding spawn duration of tile effects.
Now correctly claiming 2 tiles instead of 3.
Tech Notes
Added support for "has_counters" effect target filter.
Now clearing targetPiece when used.
Removing pieces from formation list in effect parameters when destroyed.
Fixed bad function referencing.
Debugging issue with has_nearby_claimable filter.
Several safety nets for bad data.
Cleaned up dead code in effectTakeAction.
Added support for effect Action unmark_in_range.
Standardized playerID resolution in effectValue.
Added support for effect value search tile_effects.
Removed vestigial test file.
Removed support for formation_untargetable status.
Added support for "nextFormation" target.
Fixed an issue where filters for capture and slipstream effects were not correctly being checked.
Fixed an issue where piece effect unmark_in_range was not correctly passing the playerID.
Fixed an issue where some keywords were not displaying in hover tooltips.
More changes are still underway. The set records and ELO calculations have been delayed as the entire stat / metric system is reworked. This may still arrive ahead of the August release but is still tentative.