Sands of Salzaar News

Greetings everyone! As of December 8th, our limited-time discounts have officially kicked off across all platforms, lasting until December 22nd. Notably, the Steam platform offers an unparalleled 60% OFF on the Sands of Salzaar base game – an all-time low!

Today marks the highly anticipated release of our latest DLC, "Land of the Eclipse"! This comprehensive DLC unfolds into three distinct chapters: "Eclipse Hive" introduces an exhilarating Boss challenge system, "Exotic Wayfarer" brings forth captivating character customization, and "Siege and Conquest" elevates the intensity of siege gameplay.

To celebrate the release, the new DLC will be available at a 33% discount. Both "The Tournament" DLC and "The Ember Saga" DLC will also see a new all-time low price with a 50% OFF discount.


https://store.steampowered.com/app/2621910/


[h3]"Land of the Eclipse" DLC Highlights:[/h3]

Exotic Wayfarer:

• 48 new captivating character customization options (eyes, ears, nose, mouth, body, and hairstyles).
  Introduces 8 new protagonist models corresponding to the newly added body options.
  
  
• Activating this content rewards you with the "Mirror Bead," an enchanting item for unlimited facial transformations.
  

Eclipse Hive:

• Presents a thrilling Boss challenge mechanism. Discover "Clues" from dungeons in every region, trade them with the "Mastigure Adventurer" for intel, and challenge potent Bosses for legendary gear.
  

Siege and Conquest:

• Reinvents siege battles by replacing the final line of defense with city walls, intensifying the visual spectacle and giving defenders a strategic advantage.
  

If you’re more of a visual learner and find all this somewhat overwhelming, check out this hands-on video in which our friend Baby Boomer Gamer really hit the nail on the head with everything in Land of the Eclipse:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUUiHBz086Y&ab_channel=BabyBoomerGamer


[h3]DLC Launch Celebration: Join the Giveaway in our Discord[/h3]

As we celebrate the launch of our DLC and the festive season, we extend a warm invitation to all of you participate in our giveaway event for a chance to acquire one of the ten DLC keys. Dive into our Discord for comprehensive rules: https://discord.gg/xdindie

If you've got insightful tips, tricks, or helpful guides for the game that you think could make a difference for others, we’d love to have you sharing in the #tips-tricks-guides channel as well.

[h3]"Land of the Eclipse" DLC Detailed Overview:[/h3]

Exotic Wayfarer: Gifts from Beyond the Desert

As tribal wars reach a stalemate, exotic merchants seize the opportunity, bringing caravans laden with goods to the Golden Market. They exchange goods for precious resources and introduce unique clothes and jewelry, offering a touch of exotic flair.





Upon entering the game, receive the "Mirror Bead," allowing on-the-fly character reshaping.




Eclipse Hive: Formidable Enemies and Legendary Equipment

In the vast desert, a group of adventurers daily hunts monsters in the fearsome Land of Eclipse. These seasoned individuals challenge formidable enemies for the treasures they guard. With the new DLC, obtain “Eclipse Clues” from exploring dungeons to get a chance to challenge the bosses. High-difficulty dungeons will reward more clues.





After obtaining the clues, go search around the major cities to look for the "Mastigure Adventurer" to submit them. For example, you will find one at the southeast of Frost Valley, in the Zagros Mountains.




As the precious "Intel" surfaces with the traces hidden in concealed clues, accumulating ten clues allows us to obtain the location details of the Boss from the Mastigure Adventurer.



Subsequently, at the same location, delivering the "Intel" to the Mastigure Adventurer enables an immediate Boss challenge. Remember to exercise caution with these formidable creatures, significantly more powerful than past foes. Unlike before, in the Land of Eclipse, we can battle the Bosses with a certain number of troops.



After defeating the Boss, be sure not to forget to pick up your loot on the ground. Once you've collected the loot, you can return to the entrance of the Land of Eclipse, where a flag inserted into the ground will appear. Clicking on the flag allows you to exit the Land of Eclipse.

In the Eclipse Hive, there are a total of 36 legendary equipment pieces to acquire, with 24 regional Bosses available for challenges.


Siege and Conquest: The Final Barrier to Defend Territories

Advancements in engineering lead to the construction of city walls, providing towns with a significant advantage against incoming foes. Now, archers can unabashedly hide behind these walls, unleashing arrows upon adversaries. Towns everywhere will boast city walls to defend against incoming threats!



City walls provide stationed units with additional attack range and damage resistance. Moreover, once the first and second defense lines are breached, the gates will close, preventing enemies from directly entering the stronghold.





As previously announced, we've crafted wall models for the six major factions and the Fire Demon faction. Engage in siege battles in the game to fully experience this aspect.

Known Issues

From previous tests, most issues have been resolved, with two exceptions to be fixed in the update soon after the DLC release:

• The Redstone Valley dungeon, "Giant Lava Cave" does not drop Eclipse Clues.
  
• In some cases, effects that increase attack speed become negative.
  

Feel free to join our official Discord for discussions and assistance. Experienced players share insights, and the "Feedback" channel provides one-on-one communication for issue resolution.

Thank you for your continued support, and we hope you thoroughly enjoy the new content in the “Land of the Eclipse” DLC!

Travelers of the desert:

We've fixed some of the bugs we told you about last week with the [Tournament] and [Child Rearing] in this update we just launched. We've also made some tentative improvements that'll hopefully reduce lag in the mid and late-game, and we've upgraded the mod editor.
This update hits PC and mobile at the same time, so be sure to update your client.

[h2][Combat Improvements][/h2]

We continuously receive frequent feedback regarding lag in the mid and late-game, and it's something we've always needed to improve. We've seen that the most frequent lag occurs just as both sides' forces clash, and part of this is due to the combat text.

We've therefore made some changes to the underlying logic regarding this, which should alleviate some lag during late-game battles. Naturally, fully fixing this lag isn't something we can do with just one or two changes, and we'll be going at it from other directions too (such as AI pathfinding, etc.) once we've solved the issue with the combat text, to attempt to resolve this issue from multiple directions.



And apart from this, we've taken the chance to make a few other changes too:
We've changed how critical hits are shown to make the visual prompts more intuitive, and we've differentiated magical and physical crits by giving them different colors.

We've also made changes to the attack speed and damage radius of all weapons. Attack speed now not only affects the cooldown of basic attacks, but also the animation speed along with both the fore and backswings. We've also changed the hitbox from its previous prismatic shape into a more intuitive conical shape.

[h2][Tournament Bug Fixes][/h2]

Following the last round of changes, a few stubborn bugs still remained, which we've fixed this time around:

1. Fixed an issue where you couldn't participate in the Tournament again in the same town.

2. Fixed an issue where you would receive tournament rewards even if your team participated without you.

3. The game would suddenly freeze and the file become corrupt after a certain number of days had passed. We've now added protective measures to prevent this, which will automatically reset the Tournament DLC when this error occurs.

We've also fixed an issue a localization issue with the [Child Rearing] DLC that led to a code error. The bug would lead to a key quest progressing into the wrong quest branch, meaning that the quest couldn't be completed.

Furthermore, we've redrawn all icons for special [Ember Workshop] gear and quest items.

Previous Version



New Version



We've also made the following fixes and changes in the new update:

1. Improved the underlying logic behind damage calculations.

2. Fixed a bug where the Might, Agility, Essence and Wisdom of skills weren't included in the final calculation.

3. Fixed a bug that would invalidate strategy order configurations.

4. Divided up the difficulty further, allowing for individual dynamic changes to level caps.

5. Added an attribute affix that increases Might, Agility, Essence and Wisdom by a certain percentage.

6. Adjusted the Block attribute affix, added Block and Counter Block, Empower Block and Weaken Block.

7.Added objects/areas which are only traversable from one side in battle.

1.0.40 Temporary fixes

Through immediate feedback from our community of players we've discovered some issues in version 1.0.40 that we've made temporary fixes for

1. Auto-battle can not be carried out
2. Unlimited duration of invincibility buffs
3. Cannot learn NPC skills

[h2][Editor Update][/h2]

We've updated the mod editor to make it easier for mod creators to use it. This includes improving the UI and adding a few commands, along with three viewers: Icon Viewer, Portrait Viewer, and Model Viewer. Hopefully these changes will be of some help to you all!



Within the Icon Viewer you'll be able to find all icons currently available in the game. Considering that some icons are readily used, we've also added a batch of new ones.



Within the Portrait Viewer you'll be able to find all portraits and avatars currently available in the came. These are marked with a corresponding portrait ID, so that you can more easily change out default portraits.



Within the Model Viewer you'll be able to find all character models currently available in the game. You can also directly drag weapons in the object category to the right to see their animations and special effects.

[h2][New DLC Info][/h2]

We revealed a preview of the new DLCs we're working on last week, and we've naturally received feedback regarding this. We'll just say it: the DLC is coming on Dec 8, just as there are discounts running on the various platforms.

[h3]Exotic Wayfarer[/h3]



The Exotic Wayfarer DLC will include outfits inspired by a variety of cultures, along with uniquely colored hairstyles. This DLC will also come with an item granting one free character customization (cannot be used to change gender), enabling you to change your appearance without first talking to the dresser.

[h3]Siege and Conquest[/h3]

Following our DLC reveal, plenty of you were worried that soldiers getting stuck in walls would become an even greater problem than before. And that's indeed one of the issues we encountered during development. We tried to fix this in a variety of ways, including changing the display size of models for broader paths, and modifying collision body sizes and map boundaries.



We ended up using the aforementioned in part, and put most of our focus on modifying AI pathfinding. The pathfinding guideline we've added for siege battles should prevent this issue to some extent. Plus, this change will improve the issues of soldiers getting stuck in walls for the base game too.



We have created a set of city walls and gates with unique designs that differ for all regions (Ifrit Domain, Redstone Valley, Crying Rock, Twinluna Valley, Zagros Mountains, Umbra Cliffs, West Docana Desert). Have a look at our early design drafts!

As for which designs will prevail and how they'll look in the game when released, well, you'll just have to find that out later!

[h3]The Eclipse Hive[/h3]

We mentioned in the preview that you could gather Eclipse [Clues] from the various regions and exchange these with the Mastigure Adventurer (usually found near the main city of the region's main faction) for [Boss Intel] in order to directly challenge that boss.



We've created 24 bosses for The Eclipse Hive, with each region apart from the Ifrit Domain containing 3 powerful entities and 1 super entity. Each of these has different mechanics from ordinary bosses.

As an example, the Twinluna Valley's super boss will in phase two pit you against a clone of yourself (with your skills, gear and attributes, but naturally with more skills due to being an AI).



Or when faced with the Dune Band trio, you must defeat all of them within quick succession of one another or they'll simply resurrect to no end.



Upon defeating a boss in the Land of the Eclipse, their loot will drop as a chest upon the ground. Be sure to leave the area only AFTER you pick up your loot. There's a confirmation box for leaving, though, so there's that.



For the 24 bosses in the 6 regions, we've created 36 pieces of legendary gear all featuring gear skills. Each boss has a 100% chance of dropping a unique piece of gear of a set gear slot, while each super boss has a 100% chance of dropping 1 out of 3 pieces (accessory, armor or weapon).



These new pieces of gear aren't just powerful stat sticks, rather, they all have their own quirky effects and mechanics that may be either good or bad. But when used properly, a seemingly bad effect may well be a great one.

[h2]New DLC Release Date & Discounts[/h2]

The new DLCs are estimated to hit the stores on Dec 7, 10:00 PST. The Sands of Salzaar base game will be available at a discount for 2 weeks (Dec 7 to 21).
The PC discount will be our biggest ever at 60% off for the base game, and 50% off for both The Ember Saga and Tournament DLCs.

That's all for this update! Feel free to join our Discord to get in touch! Our managers will try their best to help you solve any issues you encounter in the game!

Greetings!

From the enchanting dunes to the mystic ruins, our journey together in Sands of Salzaar has been nothing short of magical - thanks largely to your incredible support! It's the stories you've lived, the battles you've fought, and the communities you've built within the vast desert landscape that have transformed this game into a living, breathing world.

As Steam Awards 2023 nominations are now underway, we'd be so grateful if you would consider nominating Sands of Salzaar for the Labor of Love category. It means so much more than just recognition, but also a celebration of the journey we've shared! Our regular updates, introducing new quests, characters, and gameplay systems, alongside the thriving modding community, stand as a testament to our dedication and your unwavering support.

There’s an added perk too! By completing all the Steam Awards tasks during nominations, you can earn a special Steam Awards Nomination Committee Badge. It's a cool symbol of your engagement and love for the gaming community.

If Sands of Salzaar has been a part of your gaming highlights, we’d be thrilled to read your reviews on Steam. Your insights are windows into your experiences and a guiding star for our future updates and expansions.

Again, thank you all for being the heart of Sands of Salzaar. Let's continue to spin tales of adventure, mystery, and camaraderie in the sands of our beloved world!




[h2]What comes NEXT[/h2]

In our recent update, we rectified a multitude of issues that had been hurting "The Tournament" experience, we hope the fixes would have improved your enjoyment in Sands of Salzaar. For lingering challenges that require a more nuanced approach, we've been actively experimenting and will address them in our next update.

Today, we're going to take this chance to talk more about our plans, thoughts on the game, and introduce the upcoming DLC, "Winter of the Hazy Realm."

Updates

Refining "The Tournament":
Expect adjustments to "The Tournament" as we tackle existing issues, fine-tune problems with specific rewards, and iron out bugs that prevent players from repeatedly participating in The Tournament. We're also contemplating the addition of more diverse and enticing reward types.

Optimizing Late-Game Team Battles:
As the large-scale late-game team battles unfold, we've noted instances of frame drops and stutters. After meticulous performance analyses, we've identified that the bottleneck lies in the batching of damage/recovery text. The next version will have optimizations implemented in this regard, along with enhancements to the visibility of critical hits for a clearer gaming experience.

Revamped Mod Editor:
Our mod authors, the stalwart pillars of the "Sands of Salzaar" community, have been a driving force. We will bring a fresh new look to the editor in the upcoming update, anticipate a revamped UI for the editor, complemented by additional built-in features such as a character portrait viewer and an icon viewer.


December DLC "Winter of the Hazy Realm" Preview

This exciting new DLC scheduled for this December unfolds in three distinct parts: "Mysteries of the Hazy Realm," "Foreign Travelers," and "Siege and Conquest."

[h3]Confronting Challenging Bosses and Gaining Abundant New Equipment - "Mysteries of the Hazy Realm"[/h3]

The term "Hazy Realm," coined by Sand Lizard scholars, refers to the nests of monsters. These elusive nests, akin to mirages, house coveted ancient texts, magical creatures, and deadly monsters. Enterprising adventurers, often audacious members of the Sand Lizard Explorer's Guild, risk their lives scouring the desert for treasures and texts sought after by scholars.



Traces of these daring adventurers are scattered across the desert. By providing clues obtained from local mysteries, players can procure intelligence from these adventurers. Submitting this intelligence triggers a guided journey led by the adventurer directly to the boss of the Hazy Realm. A successful defeat results in powerful weapons and equipment as rewards.


[h3]Experiencing Exotic Clothing and Accessories - "Foreign Travelers"[/h3]

Caravans of merchants from distant lands converge at the Golden Market, offering a plethora of exotic clothing and accessories. During character creation, players can adopt character models that seamlessly align with the aesthetics of these outfits. Furthermore, at the commencement of the game, players can choose an unlimited-use disguise tool during the inheritance phase, allowing them to reshape their appearance at their whim.



[h3]Enhanced City Defense in "Siege and Conquest"[/h3]

Despite being on the defensive, facing what seems like an insurmountable situation, players are forced into direct conflict with the enemy. While arrow towers provide some support, their output proves inadequate against the relentless tide of oncoming enemies.



In the new city siege mode, the final defense line of the base transforms into a fortified structure with a gate. Archers can take their positions on the wall, gaining strategic advantages. After breaching the gate, enemies must engage in combat at the entrance before having an opportunity to capture the city.

Moving forward, we're committed to advancing the development of the upcoming DLC and will soon share more concrete details with all of you. Before the official debut of the new DLC in December, we're planning a round of small-scale testing very soon. If you're eager to get involved, feel free to sign up within our official group. Your participation and feedback are invaluable as we shape this exciting new chapter!

That's all for this update! Feel free to join our Discord to get in touch! Our managers will try their best to help you solve any issues you encounter in the game!

Greetings!

There have been several issues with [DLC: Tournament]: missing rewards; the player is unable to start the tournament; the game freezes if a mirror player team joins the tournament, etc. Therefore, we have spent some time restructuring the code of DLC: Tournament and optimizing the text logic to simplify the interactive dialogues with the tournament host.

After testing, this update supports loading save files from v1.0.32 and may not be compatible with some mods. We will be porting this update to other platforms soon.

[h2]Tournament Launch Logic Adjustments[/h2]


Prior to this update, tournaments are launched in certain towns in random orders after the player meets a series of complicated conditions, which lowers the possibility of joining a tournament. In the new version, tournaments are launched separately in specific regions and towns, meaning that tournaments will be held more frequently.


Therefore, there will be no more pop-up notifications on the right side of the screen that are easy to miss. In the new version, the player can talk to the Tournament Registrar in any town to learn about available tournaments and which towns they are held in.


[h2]Tournament Rules Adjustments[/h2]


In the new version, we have adjusted the logics of tournament participation: participants are no longer required to be present now. Meanwhile, the player may pay a small amount to expedite a tournament, where stand-ins will substitute for missing participants.


In the early stage of the game, the player may request to join a participant's team, but the request will be rejected if there isn't enough Favor.

[h2]Spectating and Betting Optimizations[/h2]


There are some issues with the tournament spectating feature in the old version, so we have adjusted the code, changing the previous null model angle into an actual camera angle.

In addition, we have reworked the betting feature so that the player may bet in a tournament that they haven't joined for Gold.

That's all for this update! Feel free to join our Discord to get in touch! Our managers will try their best to help you solve any issues you encounter in the game!

Greetings!

We've further expanded upon [Child Rearing] with this update, and you can now raise a child as a mother! We've also fixed some [Champion of Chaos] skills that weren't working, and tuned down a few of the more imbalanced skills for an overall better experience.

This update mostly targets the DLC, meaning that we're not changing the version number for this. We'll push it onto other platforms soon too.

[h2]Child Rearing - Expanded Story[/h2]

Having gathered feedback from you all, we've decided to expand upon the [Child Rearing] content. With this update, those playing as a female character will be able to take on the role of a 'Mother' and all the joy it brings.





The story parts of child rearing are unique for female and male characters. A female character will be able to interact with their child to a greater extent, and even more story dialogue will be triggered if the child's father is also in the party.

[h2]Champion of Chaos - Sub-class Fixes + Skill Changes[/h2]

Sub-Classes

[White Rose Medic]

1. White Rose Potion, Healing Remedy & Emergency Healing - Corrected the descriptions.
2. Heal & Revive - The skill now takes effect. Removed its erroneous trigger conditions and corrected its description.
3. Private Healer - The skill now takes effect.
4.Health Regen Potion - This skill can only trigger while the character is in your party. Adjusted the description.

[Merchant]

1. Selling On the Go, Jadeware Comprador & Hauling Bag - Corrected the descriptions.
2. Glib Tongue - The skill now takes effect. Corrected its description and altered its power.
3. Good Business Opportunity & Goods Peddling - This skill can only trigger while the character is in your party. Adjusted the descriptions.
4. Establishing Contacts - This skill can only trigger while the character is in your party, or triggering an event after a dialogue will have them join your party. Adjusted the description and return time (7 days → 2 days).

[Blacksmith]

1. Ore Mining & Logging - Corrected the descriptions.
2. Glib Tongue - The skill now takes effect. Corrected its description and altered its power.
3. Weapon Repair - This skill can only trigger while the character is in your party. Repair now has a 3-day cooldown.
4. Armor Maintenance - Now increases the Physical Damage Reduction of all heroes in the battle based on the skill's level (5%/level).
5. Weapon Sharpening - Now increases the Physical Attack of all heroes in the battle based on the skill's level (5%/level).
6. Gear Enhancement - Also takes effect for characters with the skill that are not in your team or faction. Fixed - This skill can only trigger while the character is in your party. Adjusted the cooldown (free once every 7 days → free once every 15 days).
7. Weapon Rumors - This skill can only trigger while the character is in your party. Changed the skill name (Weapon Rumors → Weapon Forging) and the description. Adjusted the cooldown (every 7 days → every 15 days), and added more possible gear types (4 types in total → 3 of every weapon type).
8. Weapon Refinement - This skill can only trigger while the character is in your party. No longer copies the item refined. Adjusted the dialogue and fixed a bug where canceling the refinement would still put the skill on cooldown. Adjusted the description and the cooldown (every 7 days → every 3 days).

[Alchemist]

1. Mass Regen Potion & Hemostatic Dressing - Corrected the descriptions.
2. Herb Gathering - Corrected the description and increased the number of herbs (3 → 15).
3. Potion Crafting - This skill can only trigger while the character is in your party. Replaced the Potion Crafting list and adjusted the description.
4. Medicine Concoction, Potion Brewing & Supreme Elixir - These skills can only trigger while the character is in your party. Adjusted the descriptions.

[Recruiter]

1. Rousing Speech - Adjusted the skill effect and description. The skill now grants EXP to one squad every 3 days.
2. Gathering of Heroes - Adjusted the skill effect and description. A low-cost squad now joins every 7 days.
3. Journey Recruitment - This skill can only trigger while the character is in your party. Adjusted the description.
4. March Efficiency & Veteran's Guidance - Corrected the descriptions.
5. Mercenary Snakehead & Worldly Wisdom - This skill can only trigger while the character is in your party. Adjusted the descriptions.
6. Arduous Journey - Adjusted the skill effect and description. There's a low chance that a high-level squad joins every 7 days.

Hero Skill Changes

1. [Spell Barrier] - Fixed a bug where this passive fully restores your mana when hit.
2. [Shoryuken·Zen] - Fixed an issue where the follow-up basic attack Shoryuken would override and nullify the first basic attack hit.
3. [Stratosphere] - Fixed an issue where switching with this skill had a chance to get stuck and prevent you from changing back again.
4. [Law of Life of Gold] - Fixed an issue where this passive didn't take effect.
5. [Fatal Slash] - Fixed a bug that prevented the skill from working.
7. [Treasure Thief] - Fixed a bug where there was only 1 gift.
8. [Shadow Dart] - Fixed a bug where this skill didn't increase in power with its skill level.
1. [Sword Oath] - Fixed a bug where this skill didn't increase in power with its skill level.
2. [Teasing of the Rich] - Fixed a bug where this skill didn't increase in power with its skill level.
3. [Gold Begets Gold] - Added a limit to how much Gold it can grant.
4. [Winter's March] - Fixed a bug regarding Ice Bolt hit counts.
5. [Time Shelter] - Fixed a bug where Najima would become impervious to damage right from the start.
6. [Future Foreshadowing] - Fixed a bug that prevented the passive from working.

Other Changes

1. Fixed a bug with Jamilla's weapon types.
2. Fixed a bug where Agura started with the wrong weapon type.
3. Fixed a bug where NPCs could get DLC Tournament gear out of thin air.
4. Fixed an issue where the 5 new characters from the DLC Tournament didn't have damage calculations in their damage skill descriptions on their skill pages.
5. Fixed a bug where the CARD_SELECTOR command couldn't be used as intended.
6. Adjusted some of Ember Ocher's skill effects, and fixed some skill descriptions to make them easier to understand.

That's all for this update! Feel free to join our Discord to get in touch! Our managers will try their best to help you solve any issues you encounter in the game!