Patch Notes: Demo Update 0.5.1570

[p]Hello everyone![/p][p]We are just over a month away from Aether & Iron's full release on March 31st and wanted to release an update to make sure the demo best represents the experience you'll have in the game's full release. [/p][p]This update focuses on early-game stability, combat balance, UI clarity, and presentation polish. [/p][p]Thank you to everyone who has been playing the demo and sharing your feedback! [/p][h3]New[/h3]

• [p]More voiced dialogue in the demo (plus fixes for VO that fired at the wrong time or didn’t match subtitles).[/p]
• [p]Combat feels fairer and clearer with early-encounter balance tweaks, and improved tooltips.[/p]
• [p]UI/UX improvements for vehicle setup, inventory, tutorials, and controller play.[/p]
• [p]New accessibility warning before combat for players sensitive to motion sickness / flashing lights.[/p]
• [p]More robust save support (including behind-the-scenes improvements so saves behave more reliably between updates).[/p]

[h3]Improved[/h3]

• [p]Combat & Balance[/p]
  • [p]Early combats rebalanced for pacing and readability (including HP/AP tuning and encounter flow tweaks).[/p]
  • [p]Aura and hazard tooltips now communicate effects more clearly, including who they affect and hazard type.[/p]
  • [p]Better enemy/vehicle consistency so bystanders and enemies are easier to identify.[/p]
  • [p]Improved combat performance in several encounters (especially around turn transitions and heavier VFX moments).[/p]
• [p]UI/UX[/p]
  • [p]Vehicle customization defaults to a clearer “part map” view to help you understand what fits where.[/p]
  • [p]Storage upgrades are easier to compare, with clearer slot counts and “net gain/loss” info.[/p]
  • [p]Improved presentation for tooltips, popups, and UI text (including non-English layouts).[/p]
  • [p]More readable POI outlines across key early locations, making it easier to spot what’s interactable.[/p]
  • [p]Better handling of widescreen monitors.[/p]
• [p]Miscellaneous[/p]
  • [p]Campaign sorting order now matches your save file sorting order, so your most recently updated campaign appears at the top.[/p]
  • [p]Repairing vehicles at The Hole is now free.[/p]
  • [p]Improved translations in several key early-game areas.[/p]

[h3]Fixed[/h3]

• [p]Combat[/p]
  • [p]Fixed cases where visual effects or auras persisted after enemies were eliminated.[/p]
  • [p]Fixed several encounter-specific issues that could cause odd deaths, broken flow, or incorrect outcomes.[/p]
• [p]Narrative & Scenes[/p]
  • [p]Fixed a large set of issues where the demo could block progress, including:[/p]
    • [p]Getting stuck in certain conversations or mission states.[/p]
    • [p]Edge cases around leaving/returning to hubs and key locations.[/p]
    • [p]Several cases where interactions or POIs didn’t appear when they should.[/p]
• [p]UI/UX[/p]
  • [p]Fixed multiple issues with controller navigation (including history screens and incorrect prompts).[/p]
  • [p]Fixed issues in the control remapping UI (mouse wheel scrolling and keybinding behavior).[/p]
  • [p]Fixed UI bugs like double victory text, fuzzy icons, and misaligned roads in some areas.[/p]
• [p]Misc[/p]
  • [p]Fixed audio continuing to loop after pausing/unpausing in some cases.[/p]
  • [p]Fixed some localization edge cases (including missing characters and incorrect fonts).[/p]

[h3]Known Issues[/h3]

• [p]There are still instances of missing and/or mismatched VO.[/p][p][/p]

[p]Thank you for playing, reporting issues, and helping us make Aether & Iron better.[/p][p]March 31st is just around the corner, and we're excited to release our first game![/p][p]If you enjoyed the demo, be sure wishlist the game: [dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p]And if you haven't joined our Discord yet, come hang out. We're active daily and always happy to chat:
https://www.discord.gg/SeismicSquirrel [/p][p]See you at launch![/p][p]- Seismic Squirrel & Chaos Theory Games[/p]