Shandalar August Update

Tags: s30 programming

Since decompiling Shandalar earlier I've been able to use it to help implement some features in the Anniversary edition, specifically terrain generation and placement. It's still a work in progress, but looks much better than before.

Game saves have been added to the Web and Android versions, you should now be able to load previous games. Games save automatically.

This release also includes a new set - The Dark! 71/87 cards have been implemented with more to come. Other requested features include: a concede button, graveyard targeting, and more general bug fixes. I also spent some time improving the card power ranking model, which is used for rewards and prices in the game.

And, last but not least, thanks to our contributors! Thanks to Jennifer M. for fixing a bug that allowed you to bribe enemies even when you didn't have enough gold to pay them and for implementing the food system. And to Flo F. for fixing a bug when showing dual lands.

Thanks for helping make the game a little better!

v1.1.0 is available on the Releases Page and you can play the Web Version now!

Full list of changes:

New content and world

• Rebuilt world generation to resemble original Shandalar more closely, with connected landmasses, water borders, natural terrain bands and transitions, biome-matched castles, and more consistent placement.
• Added persistent saves to WebAssembly and Android builds.
• Added a food system for overland travel, with consumption slowed to one-third of its initial rate.

Progression and economy

• Reworked starting decks and collections to better match original Shandalar, including 50 total starting cards, revised color distributions, and a guaranteed useful rare without top-tier power cards.
• Duel rewards now scale more strongly with enemy difficulty and can include better cards, lands, gold, and amulets.
• Added tier-based card prices with market-value adjustments and a 25-gold shop refresh.
• Replaced the old ten-level card ranking with updated S–F rankings trained from Old School deck lists. This changes shop prices, rewards, starting cards, and enemy card selection.

Duels and rules

• Added all 87 cards from The Dark to S30’s card catalog. The rules engine fully implements 71; 12 spells and four lands remain nonfunctional stubs.
• Added a Concede button and confirmation dialog.
• Added graveyard browsing and targeting across either player’s graveyard.
• Mana and cost payments are now atomic: a failed cast or activation no longer leaves mana or other costs partially spent.
• Fixed restricted and bonus mana, including Mishra’s Workshop, and corrected Manabarbs mana-tap triggers.
• Fixed excess combat-damage assignment, Ankh of Mishra, Reverse Damage, and power-based blocking restrictions.
• Basic lands can use terrain-aware artwork, while dual lands no longer incorrectly display basic-land art.
• Leaving a duel now cancels its game loop cleanly.

AI

• Improved attacking, blocking, targeting, and combat-trick timing.
• The AI now holds temporary pump spells for useful combat windows, can use them defensively against removal, and recognizes lethal pump plays.
• X-damage spells choose useful or lethal values and avoid being wasted on creatures they cannot kill.

Reliability and presentation

• Older saves containing removed cards or sets now load safely.
• Added automatic crash recovery and in-app bug reporting.
• Fixed duplicate and stale random encounters and hid bribery controls for enemies that cannot be bribed.
• Reduced startup time and memory use by loading cards and sounds on demand.
• Improved web scaling, Android packaging, audio handling, movement at 60 TPS, and ambient-sound behavior.