Patch notes — Smoother roads

Release status

This is the current development patch. It has not been activated on the public server. Character progress is preserved; there is no reset. ASCEND remains pre-launch, and this patch does not enable token rewards, transfers or purchases.

Smoother movement

• Click-walking can keep up to three movement requests in flight, instead of waiting for every tile reply. Keyboard and click controls share the same pacing and pending-request limit.
• Repeated position updates no longer restart walking animations. New destinations replace the previous position animation, and player steps use the normal walking interval.
• The connection indicator shows recent movement round-trip time in milliseconds. This measures network delay plus server handling; it is not a frame-rate counter.
• Walking into a wall no longer plays repeated footsteps. The server remains responsible for positions, collision, travel holds and walking speed.

Fair-play safeguards

• Replayed or out-of-order movement commands are rejected before they change position or interrupt other actions.
• The server still blocks excessive steps immediately. Cheat scoring now distinguishes a short burst of delayed packets from sustained excessive input.
• Movement receipts also return for blocked steps, paused controls and pending trade settlement, so those replies cannot leave the client movement queue stuck.
• These changes strengthen the existing server checks; they do not make the game cheat-proof. Human multiplayer tests and ongoing moderation remain part of release readiness.

New: a gate-light companion

• Begin A light without a home with Luma in Firstlight Square. Reach level 3 and record five Glitch Slime defeats to adopt Cinderseed for free.
• Three original pixel forms: Cinderseed, Lanternling and Waylight. Your visible companion floats beside your character and is visible to nearby players.
• Earn bond through credited, level-appropriate combat. Tending with one Dew Herb adds up to five bond once per UTC day. No hunger, offline decay or required daily login.
• Awaken Lanternling with 20 bond, three visited places, three Wisp Dust and 10 game gold. Awaken Waylight with 80 bond, five places, a Broken Gate clear, five Memory Fragments, one Gate Relic and 35 gold. Both awakenings happen beside Luma.
• Use Luma's Companion tab or More → Companion to read the journey, see materials, tend or hide your companion. Hiding it does not stop bond growth.
• Companions are cosmetic. They do not attack, collect loot, alter drops or increase ASCEND eligibility.

New: the field journal

• Original field notes for all 38 creatures, searchable by name and filterable by recorded creatures or current area.
• Encountered, Studied and Chronicled tiers at 1, 10 and 50 credited defeats; four collection honors use existing saved discoveries.
• Habitat routes respect locked Gates. Expedition entries show their entrance area, minimum level and stage. Loot entries show catalogue quantities and chances.

Fixes and safeguards

• Daily Hunting Contract offers lock on first acceptance, preventing level-ups from generating another paid board before UTC midnight.
• Duplicate awakening confirmations cannot advance another form or charge its different cost. Care records and companion progress survive save/restore.
• Companion actions respect active trade settlement, cancel unconfirmed trades, are unavailable during arena practice and use command pacing.
• Reduced motion disables companion bobbing. Hiding or evolving removes the previous sprite and its animation.
• The handbook directory now exposes training, smithing, field research, companions and these patch notes; those new chapters were previously missing from its groups.

Still under development

Human balance sessions, desktop/mobile visual playtesting, fuller animation coverage and multiplayer soak testing remain necessary. These features expand the game; they do not certify the full release or the funded P2E launch.