Final Stardust: Cosmic Nexus update for 13 February 2024

Annnnnnnnd the last mechanic is added! The battle system is finally feature complete. I added some extra polish and QOL features here and there so the experience should be a lot better now. This is also the final version of the battle system, no more big changes, only enhancements (card effects, fusion, etc...).

Now we have everything we need for a GOOD tutorial. Sorry for the delay. I kept changing mechanics over and over that it wasn't worth it to make a tutorial.

The new plano sacrifice mechanic allows you to sacrifice a Plano and transfer his effect to the selected Plano. It works exactly like an evolution.
If the game detects that the selected Plano isn't the right one for an evolution it'll default to sacrifice. The easiest way to get it is to give it a try.

This is huge in terms of gameplay since it means that you can play any card at any point (as long as you have enough space counters).

1. You can summon any Plano from your hand no matter the level.
2. You can evolve Planos.
3. If you evolve you get benefits (no timeout + overdrive if in Eclispe slot).
4. You can sacrifice a Plano in your hand to use him as a spell by selecting an existing Plano.

The only problem with the Plano sacrifice mechanic is making the AI use it properly (will be done later).

Battle system is in a decent state now, booster packs have all the necessary cards and crafting is available.
Therefore, we will be working on the final piece (progression) in month 3 of early access (I will make a post about that once the tutorial is ready).

All of this also moves us to the next version of the game "0.7.x".

PS: If you have creative ideas for Plano descriptions feel free to contribute on Discord. It's one thing that can make the Planos even more appealing and that I haven't done yet.

Changes

• FIX: Fixed an issue where Mazai effects would pick the wrong situation in a draw situation. Now nothing happens if there is a draw.
• FIX: Fixed an issue where Dark Plano names weren't displayed properly in card info.
• GAMEPLAY: AI doesn't use Spells & Eishougis anymore.
• GAMEPLAY: AI doesn't prioritize middle slot anymore for overdrive (since the overdrive slot is random now).
• GAMEPLAY: Added the Plano sacrifice mechanic (player only, AI uses it randomly if field is full).
• QOL: Added cancel button when selecting a slot in battle.
• LOGIC: Removed all Spell / Eishougi objects.
• LOGIC: Removed "NEO Vanguard" cards list.
• LOGIC: Changed card object unloading logic.
• LOGIC: Changed card generation logic.
• LOGIC: Removed enemy field selection in battles.
• LOGIC: Combined all selection types (summon, evolution, attack) into one method/phase.
• UI: Removed element effectiveness UI from battle.
• UI: Removed card selection UI from battle.
• UI: Removed battle log UI from battle.
• UI: Removed deck UI from battle.
• VISUAL: Reworked card layout for Planos.
• VISUAL: Removed Spell / Eishougi filter buttons in deckbuilding.
• VISUAL: Changed battle layout.
• VISUAL: Changed battle particles and colors.
• VISUAL: Updated Ids on cards based on the category (Plano and Mazai separate).
• VISUAL: Brought back EP and HP texts on cards.
• VISUAL: Changed evolution text on cards to show the IDs of the possible evolutions instead of the name.
• VISUAL: Improved Mazai camera angle display in battle.
• VISUAL: Changed the slot letters in battle.
• VISUAL: Card states in battle now update right after spending space counters instead of waiting for all cards effects to wait.
• VISUAL: Evolution states in battle now are always updated even when the player isn't selecting a slot, using all the cards in hand.
• VISUAL: Card info for Dark Planos now show that they aren't craftable.
• VISUAL: Improved first player UI at the start of battle.
• CONTENT: Removed all Spell / Eishougi cards from Planodex.
• CONTENT: Added new Overdrive effects (x3).
• CONTENT: Added new Mazai effect (x1).
• CONTENT: Removed Spell / Eishougi cards from all Elementalists.
• CONTENT: Removed Spell / Eishougi cards from all Starter decks.
• CONTENT: All non-Plano cards are removed from the deck on loading and replacing with Gold and Blue stardusts.
• BALANCING: Each extra card now gives 50 blue stardust instead of 10.
• BALANCING: Changed Kisu line effect/overdrive.
• BALANCING: Changed Ihebi line overdrive effect.
• BALANCING: Changed Maikuji line stats.
• BALANCING: Changed Tsunkame line stats.
• BALANCING: Kitsusei now only costs 2 space counters.
• BALANCING: The Ihebi line effect now doesn't work with Celestial Planos.
• BALANCING: The Capukyu line effect now doesn't work with Celestial Planos.
• BALANCING: Changed Tanno Mazai effect to select the losing player and grant 500 MG instead of 1000.
• SETTINGS: Card preview after play is now enabled again by default in battles.
• SFX: Changed the Heal SFX.
• SFX: Added an overdrive SFX.