Chains on Sand

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• Patch Notes·3 Sept 2026Official

  Chains on Sand — Final Content Update in Development

  Hi everyone!It’s been a while since the last update, but I wanted to share a quick note about Chains on Sand.I’m currently preparing one final content update for the game, including some of the content I had originally planned to add after release. I don’t want to announce a date until I’ve finished testing it, but development has started and I’ll share more once it’s ready.Chains on Sand will be on sale tomorrow, on its lowest price ever, so if you had it sitting on your wishlist, this is a good time to give the arena a try.In parallel, I’ve been working on my next game, Submundus — a survival dungeon crawler where your deck is your character sheet. It’s a very different game, but it carries forward my interest in turn-based combat, character building and systems-heavy gameplay.The Submundus demo is currently in development and the game will be participating in the October Steam Next Fest.SubmundusThanks to everyone who played Chains on Sand, left feedback, or simply kept an eye on the project.The arena isn’t quite finished yet.— ThVaz / Tabula Forge
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• Patch Notes·21 Nov 2025Official

  ⚔️ 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 CharactersYou 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 ClarityThe 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 CompatibilityMultiple 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 ImprovementsChains on Sand now includes a dedicated Steam Input layout designed for:Left stick → movementRight stick → pointer controlTriggers → confirm/useFace buttons → key combat actionsD-Pad → stance, maneuvers, spellsThis layout should make the full game playable with a controller — no mouse required.If you prefer keyboard/mouse, nothing changes for you.🔧 Small Fixes & ImprovementsTooltip fixesMore consistent trap visualsVarious UI elements now scale correctlyMinor 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 helpin...
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• Announcements·18 Nov 2025Official

  New Character Overview Panel + What’s Next

  Hey,I’ve been watching feedback and refunds and one thing is clear: a lot of people don’t fully understand what their stats actually do before they step into the arena. That’s on me.So I’ve started improving the character creation screen and overall readability:New: Character Overview PanelShows your base hit chance based on DEX + your best melee skill Shows critical hit / critical failure chancesShows Heavy Damage and Light Damage ranges for your current StrengthShows your base Dodge / Parry / Block chancesThe idea is: before committing to a build, you can quickly see “if I add 1 DEX or 1 point in Sword, how does that affect my actual chances?”This doesn’t make the game easier – it just makes it clearer why you hit, miss, or get smashed.What I’m working on nextShort-term goals for the next update:A better onboarding flow (premade starting character + clearer character creation)A small tutorial / first fight that explains movement, defenses and opportunity attacksImproved UI scaling for unusual resolutions (and preparing proper Steam Deck support)More QoL and bug fixesI’m still a solo dev, but I want the game to communicate itself better, especially in the first 1–2 hours.Reviews help a lotIf you’ve played Chains on Sand and enjoy this kind of brutal, tactical arena game, a short Steam review helps visibility more than you might think.As always, you can post feedback in the discussions – I read everything.Thanks for sticking with the project, – ThVaz
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• Patch Notes·11 Nov 2025Official

  Hey everyone — a small update just went live! ⚔️

  🔧 Fixes🩸 Fixed HP sometimes resetting to zero when going negative 🛡️ Fixed shields appearing comically large in the arena 💎 Fixed item quality prefixes not showing in tooltips💰 Price adjustmentWe’ve slightly lowered the price of Chains on Sand. After the first wave of feedback and data, we felt the previous price didn’t quite match what the game currently offers — and we want it to reach the right players sooner. If you already supported the game, thank you — your early support truly helps me keep improving and adding content. ❤️💬 What would you like to see in a tutorial?Combat basics? Character building? Defenses? Crowd system? I’d love to hear what you think is most needed.🎥 I’ll also be streaming the game for one hour soon — come chat about builds, tactics, and the next updates!
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• Patch Notes·7 Nov 2025Official

  Free Post-Launch Update — The Arena Burns Again!

  Hi everyone — this is a free thank-you update for all who supported Chains on Sand after release.FixesBroken opponent weapons are now properly removed.Enemies who throw their weapons will no longer lose their main one.Automatic healing between battles now works as intended.Off-hand weapons and shields now keep their correct size after dismemberments.New ContentSzaar, the Lizardman champion, enters the arena.PyreCleaver, his fiery halberd that burns through armor, can now be faced — and claimed.New achievement: Defeat Szaar.For the next week we’ll focus on polishing any issues that arise and then review a new scoring formula for leaderboards. The current one will stay saved forever as the First Arena Leaderboard — our initial era of champions.If you enjoy the update, please consider leaving a Steam review — even a short one helps a lot. Thank you for every duel, every message, and every bit of support. — ThVaz
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