Patch Notes: Merry Christmas Edition! 🐉✨

Hey adventurers, first of all:

[h2]Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all![/h2]

I have taken some extra time before the next content update and the upcoming roadmap (more on that soon) to squash some more bugs, and rework some of the systems that were causing frustrating experiences.

It's important to get the critical issues out of the way before the new spells, enemies, and characters are added to the game. Exciting stuff is coming!

[h2]🎄⚔️ Black Dragon Mage Xmas Bugfix Update ⚔️🎄[/h2]

Version Highlights:

Completely replaced input system to resolve gamepad-related freezes or scenarios where the controller stopped responding.
Reworked boss AI for more reliable and fair boss fights.
Reworked upgrade picker algorithm so you get more relevant and fun options. Reduced some of the upgrade restrictions so you see more upgrades regardless of choices.
Adjusted XP gain curve for faster level-ups, so you can build a more powerful mage during your run.
Brought back some later stage mob enemies with bigger XP gem loot, so it doesn't get too easy with the new changes.
Made various upgrades more powerful and less punishing.

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[h3]🛠️ Improvements 🛠️[/h3]

Greater upgrade variety and more relevance through algorithm adjustments. You'll see a bigger variety of upgrades now, with a better synergy fit. Additionally, speedups to parts of the Level-Up-Curve for better pacing.
Adjusted boss encounters to match more powerful player builds.
Luminor, the Pyramid Boss, replaced his rotating attack with a more dodgeable, less frustrating alternative.
Reaper now has two difficult stages (one per encounter), announces attacks visually and has a death roar. His charges are more predictable. If you previously had a hard time with him, give him another try - he should give you a little more breathing room and won't torment you quite as much, at least on the early encounter.

[h3]🐛 Bug Fixes 🐛[/h3]

Fixed Tharnok zoning out mid-battle. He's dreamy but focused now!
Player pickup range upgrades increased in effect.
Fixed issues with getting stuck after the credits.
Smoothed out pause menu state management (no more lingering menus!).

[h3]🧙‍♂️ Player Quality of Life 🧙‍♂️[/h3]

Autofire now displays its target location and your mouse cursor when you switch it on, while playing with mouse input. Bonus tip: Hold down the fire button to override the target temporarily (gamepad users can just use their right stick) while auto-aiming.
Improved quest board - completed quests are now clearly ticked off. A more automated reward flow, based on player feedback, is coming in the future.

[h3]✨ Magic and Visual Tweaks ✨[/h3]

Shield of Frost now adjusts its collision layer dynamically, allowing you to escape mosh pits even with the shield on.
Prismatic Staff visuals adjusted for more clarity and resolved some visual glitches.
Boss area attacks now have visual accents to draw more attention.

[h3]📜 Gameplay Adjustments 📜[/h3]

Gem Attraction Scroll drop rate increased and now attracts gems more reliably.
Improved spawning balance across multiple levels.

[h3]🎮 Controls and Menus 🎮[/h3]

Improved menu navigation for smoother browsing.
Fixed cursor visibility logic—no more weird flickering!
Controller type detection restored for proper glyph mapping.

[h3]🎶 Audio Updates 🎶[/h3]

Boss music now streams to avoid annoying hiccup when the boss spawns in.

[h3]💡 Miscellaneous 💡[/h3]

Experience bar updates immediately during level-ups or gem attract scroll pickups.
Smoothed out transitions when exiting the Hall of Relics.
Debug tools sped up for faster playtesting (devs are happy!).

🎁 Thanks for playing, Mages! May your magic burn bright, your dragons soar high, and your holidays be magical! 🐉✨ ~ datablob, solo dev of Black Dragon Mage

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Next:

A short holiday break for datablob
Initial Roadmap
Content Update