Patch Notes Page 79

v0.0.740

Improved Volatile death explosion readability and layering.
Increased Explosion1.png playback speed to 100ms per frame so the full sequence is readable at runtime.
Adjusted volatile death explosion draw sorting so the effect renders over the dying enemy sprite.
Updated build/version alignment.
Updated player-visible build string to Pre-Alpha | Build v0.0.740.
Updated Discord join-service test build-tag fixtures to v0.0.740 (mismatch assertion moved to v0.0.741).

Reworked the Spiteful wave mutator into Combustion.
Mutator display name/HUD label now reads Combustion.
Enemies now leave burning ground on death that deals fire damage and ignites players.
Added combustion burn tuning knobs in data/waves/wave_mutators.json (burnDurationSec, burnDpsMul).
Added death FX polish for mutator hazards.
Combustion ground fire now plays as a looping single-source flame from Large_Fire_Anti-Alias_glow_28x28.png.
Frames play left-to-right then top-to-bottom.
Volatile mutator deaths now play assets/Sprites/Spells/Explosion1.png as an enemy-scaled overlay explosion.
Updated build/version alignment.
Updated player-visible build string to Pre-Alpha | Build v0.0.739.
Updated Discord join-service test build-tag fixtures to v0.0.739 (mismatch assertion moved to v0.0.740).

Fixed Spire Hunt event objectives rendering as fallback pink squares.
Spire Hunt now loads assets/Sprites/Misc/Hellmouth.png for event spawner objectives (with legacy fallback path support).
Updated spawner objective render sizing to match the new 48x48 Hellmouth sprite.
Updated Spire Hunt spawner gameplay behavior.
Assassin adds spawned by event spawners now originate from the spawner entity center.
Spire Hunt objectives now register as solid world colliders so players cannot walk through them.
Added solid-grid dirty hook updates for spawner spawn/despawn paths to keep collision state in sync.
Updated build/version alignment.
Updated player-visible build string to Pre-Alpha | Build v0.0.738.
Updated Discord join-service test build-tag fixtures to v0.0.738 (mismatch assertion moved to v0.0.739).

Fixed pub mercenary hiring so contracts now hand off correctly to the outdoor map.
Hiring a merc in Pub.tmx now shows a confirmation line and queues that merc to meet the player outside.
The hired merc now spawns beside the player after leaving the Pub through Exit back to Main.tmx.
Enforced one active mercenary contract at a time.
Players can no longer hire additional mercs while a hired ally is alive or while a pub hire is queued for outdoor spawn.
Merc interaction/hire UI now reports active-contract lock state instead of silently consuming copper.
Updated build/version alignment.
Updated player-visible build string to Pre-Alpha | Build v0.0.737.
Updated Discord join-service test build-tag fixtures to v0.0.737 (mismatch assertion moved to v0.0.738).

Added roguelike shrine encounters that spawn from map SpawnAreas.
Shrines spawn at wave start with weighted random effects and a one-wave lifetime (unless activated).
Players get an on-spawn alert plus near-range Press E to activate prompts in HUD and world space.
Shrine effects now include: Armor, Combat, Dash, Resist, EXP, Skill, Gem upgrade, Monster pack, Lightning nova, and Chest burst.
Added data-driven shrine tuning in data/gameplay.json.
Exposed spawn chance/limits, interaction ranges, effect duration, per-effect values, and effect weights under shrines.
Integrated shrine buff timers into gameplay systems.
Dash shrine now enforces no-cooldown dashing during its active window.
EXP shrine now contributes to XP gain calculations while active.
Skill shrine temporary levels now decay on timer expiry and revert correctly.
Updated build/version alignment.
Updated player-visible build string to Pre-Alpha | Build v0.0.736.
Updated Discord join-service test build-tag fixtures to v0.0.736 (mismatch assertion moved to v0.0.737).

Added right-stick cursor aiming for controller gameplay.
Gameplay now supports a controller-driven virtual cursor using right stick input.
Cursor-targeted abilities now aim from that virtual cursor position instead of requiring physical mouse movement.
The OS cursor is synced while controller aiming is active so hover/aim feedback remains consistent.
Updated build/version alignment.
Updated player-visible build string to Pre-Alpha | Build v0.0.735.
Updated Discord join-service test build-tag fixtures to v0.0.735 (mismatch assertion moved to v0.0.736).

Added tabbed controller remapping in Options > Controls Remapping.
Added Keyboard/Mouse and Controller tabs so bindings are edited per input family.
Rebind capture/status prompts are now tab-aware (key/mouse vs controller button).
Bind labels now show only the active tab’s tokens, keeping controller and keyboard maps tidy.
Switched native controller fallback to remappable pad:* token routing.
SDL controller buttons/triggers now feed raw pad:* state instead of fixed hardcoded actions.
ActionMapper now resolves pad:* tokens directly, enabling true in-game controller rebinding.
Added default pad:* bindings (and migration for old user binding files with no controller tokens).
Updated build/version alignment.
Updated player-visible build string to Pre-Alpha | Build v0.0.734.
Updated Discord join-service test build-tag fixtures to v0.0.734 (mismatch assertion moved to v0.0.735).

Added native controller fallback support for both XInput and DirectInput-backed devices.
SDL now initializes joystick/gamecontroller subsystems with Windows controller backends enabled (XInput, RawInput, HIDAPI).
Added runtime gamecontroller hotplug support (connect/disconnect) with safe state reset on detach.
Added native analog stick feed into ActionMapper for movement/camera when a gamepad is connected.
Added non-Steam gamepad action mapping.
Mapped common controller buttons/triggers to gameplay/menu actions (confirm/back, abilities, pause, shop, follow/swap).
D-pad movement and left/right stick axes now drive gameplay/menu navigation without relying on Steam Input.
Updated build/version alignment.
Updated player-visible build string to Pre-Alpha | Build v0.0.733.
Updated Discord join-service test build-tag fixtures to v0.0.733 (mismatch assertion moved to v0.0.734).