⚔️ Update Released — Premade Characters, Tutorial Pass, Better UI, Controller Im

Hi everyone!

Today’s update brings several improvements focused on accessibility, onboarding, and playability across different resolutions and input methods. Here’s what’s new:

🆕 Premade Characters

You can now jump straight into the arena with one premade character. Perfect for new players or anyone who wants to skip early stat point decisions.

📘 Improved Tutorial & Combat Clarity

The tutorial gives a fast pass on the UI elements and provides combat tips. A warning overlay for enemy opportunity attacks was also added for every difficulty level.

The goal is to make early fights easier to understand while keeping the game’s hardcore depth intact.

🖥️ Better Resolution & UI Compatibility

Multiple internal improvements were made to support uncommon aspect ratios, including 1280×800 (Steam Deck) and ultra-wide setups. If anything still looks off on your screen, please let me know!

🎮 Controller + Steam Input Improvements

Chains on Sand now includes a dedicated Steam Input layout designed for:

• Left stick → movement

• Right stick → pointer control

• Triggers → confirm/use

• Face buttons → key combat actions

• D-Pad → stance, maneuvers, spells

This layout should make the full game playable with a controller — no mouse required.

If you prefer keyboard/mouse, nothing changes for you.

🔧 Small Fixes & Improvements

• Tooltip fixes

• More consistent trap visuals

• Various UI elements now scale correctly

• Minor performance and quality-of-life adjustments

🧪 Steam Deck Feedback Needed!

I don’t own a Deck yet, so I’ve relied on internal testing and community reports.

With this update, Chains on Sand should be fully playable on Steam Deck (resolution tweaks + controller support), but I need real-world feedback to confirm:

• Is the text readable enough?

• Does the controller layout feel good?

• Any UI elements clipped or too small?

• Performance stable?

If you test it on your Deck, please let me know what works and what needs attention — it helps a lot and directly affects Deck rating evaluation.

Thank you all for the support and for helping the game grow. The arena is always hungry. ⚔️🔥

— ThVaz