Progress Update Vol.7: World Buff Rework & Combat Feedback Upgrade

Dear players,

Some of you may have noticed that last week's planned Progress Update Vol.7 never appeared.

Unfortunately, due to a network issue during the publishing process, that update was not successfully released.

As a result, this week's Progress Update Vol.7 combines the major improvements and fixes from both weeks into a single update.

During this period, our focus has remained on two parallel goals:

• Fixing edge cases and issues uncovered by recent system reworks

• Improving how clearly players can see, feel, and understand what is happening in the game

As our overall reconstruction plan moves into its second half, we are placing increasing emphasis on:

Player perception, feedback, readability, and immersion.

This update focuses primarily on:

• Combat feedback improvements

• World Buff system rework

• Sandbox Battle upgrades

• City exploration and immersion

• Stability and progression fixes

World Buff System Rework

The World Buff system has been completely redesigned.

Instead of functioning as simple stat bonuses, World Buffs now evolve alongside story progression.

Players will now regularly choose between:

• Exploration Enhancements

• Combat Enhancements

The system also serves as an introduction to gameplay systems and progression paths.

By reading and selecting buffs, players can naturally learn:

• What activities exist in the game

• What they can currently do

• Which progression paths suit their playstyle

Combat Feedback Upgrades

We continued improving combat readability and impact.

Combat Text & Damage Feedback

• Reworked damage number presentation

• Added more detailed combat indicators

• Improved buff and debuff visibility

• Enhanced floating combat text readability

Players should now have a much clearer understanding of:

• Damage sources

• Shield breaks

• Buff and debuff triggers

• Special combat effects

Shield Break Feedback

Added a complete shield-break feedback package:

• Shield-break animations

• Shield-break visual effects

• Camera shake feedback

Additional improvements include:

• New shield recovery icons

• New shield-break icons

• Updated duel HP panels

• Additional buff icons

Combat Tutorials & Accessibility

Added:

• Combat Explanation button

• Beginner Battle Mode

These features help new players understand core combat mechanics more quickly.

Combat Balance Adjustments

• Rebalanced Liu Bei's buff values

• Adjusted dungeon challenge enemy scaling

• Fixed issues causing incorrect enemy growth

• Reduced the strength of enemy shield recovery modifiers

• Reduced the strength of damage reflection modifiers

Hit Impact Improvements

Added:

• Block spark effects

• Expanded combat sound trigger system

Further improving combat feel and responsiveness.

Sandbox Battle Improvements

The Sandbox Battle system received a significant upgrade.

Visual Feedback Improvements

Added:

• Improved floating combat text

• Combat visual effects

• Enhanced unit impact feedback

Battlefield events should now be much easier to read.

UI Improvements

Updated:

• Sandbox Battle UI layout

• Information hierarchy

• Battlefield readability

Quality-of-Life Improvements

Added:

Consecutive deployment skips now automatically end the turn.

Reducing unnecessary clicks and repetitive actions.

AI Improvements

Enemy AI has become more aggressive.

If the player ends their turn early:

The AI will now commit much more aggressively and often launch a full offensive.

City Exploration & Immersion

Expanded Zhuo County Population

Added a large number of new citizens throughout Zhuo County.

Each citizen now has:

• Independent behaviors

• Independent schedules

• Unique daily activities

Citizen Conversations

Citizens can now talk to each other.

Even without interacting directly, players may occasionally:

Overhear conversations happening naturally throughout the city.

This makes Zhuo County feel much more alive and believable.

Scene & Story Improvements

Scene Improvements

• Fixed gaps in Zhuo County walls

• Improved navigation meshes

• Improved collision volumes

• Fixed invisible wall issues

• Improved NPC positioning

• Reduced overcrowding in post-battle scenes

Story & Quest Improvements

• Improved Chapter 1 Liu Bei city-entry timelines

• Hid Peach Garden objects that should not appear before the oath ceremony

• Improved Doctor Wu's dialogue presentation

• Expanded the millet-and-beggar interaction

• Added warnings when bounty targets permanently escape

Stability & Bug Fixes

This update also resolves numerous progression and stability issues, including:

• Fixed autosave loading causing UI lockups

• Fixed historical saves being upgraded automatically

• Fixed incorrect dialogue windows with Master Lu

• Fixed character-switch UI refresh issues

• Fixed bounty and story progression conflicts

• Fixed merchants becoming unavailable for dialogue

• Fixed inaccessible containers in Guan Yu's prologue

• Fixed NPC pathfinding deadlocks

• Fixed timing issues with Liu Bei's special victory condition

• Fixed various quest progression issues

• Fixed multiple terrain, collision, and presentation problems

Next Phase

At this point, the following major systems have completed reconstruction:

• Equipment System

• Power System

• Dual Playstyle Modes

• World Buff System

• Sandbox Battle System

Our next focus will be:

Full UI Iteration

Including:

• Core interface redesigns

• Clearer information presentation

• More consistent visual language

Feedback Layer Improvements

Including:

• More combat effects

• More progression feedback

• Stronger impact effects

• More satisfying character growth presentation

Our goal remains unchanged:

Players should not only know they have become stronger — they should clearly feel it.

Thank you for your continued support and feedback.