Devlog - November 1, 2025

Stability & Balance Updates

Server's been stable 24/7. This week focused on fixing spawn system bugs and completing the karma gear balance pass.

Bug Fixes (v2.4.1 - v2.4.5)

Monster spawn enforcement - Fixed rooms showing 2-3 monsters despite the 1-per-room cap. Tracking map now updates correctly after idle cleanup, and excess monsters are actively despawned.

Spawn stats accuracy - Command was showing all 887 monsters as "Normal" despite map diversity. Now correctly counts Elite, Miniboss, and Keeper types using efficient Django queries.

Global monster cap - Added hard cap (1,500 monsters) to prevent runaway spawning as more floors are built. Previously had no upper limit.

Spawn optimization - Removed 30-minute idle despawning (~2,000 unnecessary operations/hour). Extended random event lifespan from 12 minutes to 60 minutes. Spawn cycles stay fast at ~50ms.

Status effects system - Fixed 6 critical bugs preventing karma gear set bonuses from working in arena combat. Lifesteal and regen now work correctly.

Current status: Zero known bugs, 833/890 monsters active (optimal), all systems operational.

Karma Gear Balance Pass (v2.0)

Completed full rebalancing of the karma gear system:

Light Set (Tank Build):

• HP doubled: +525 → +1050 (now competitive with Dark Set)
• Regen buffed: 2% → 3% HP per turn (~90 HP/turn with full set)
• Set bonus: "Warden's Bulwark" (+3% regen when wearing 4/4 pieces)

Dark Set (DPS Build):

• Set bonus: "Reaver's Hunger" (6% lifesteal per hit when wearing 4/4 pieces)
• 💉 Shows healing messages in combat
• Total HP: 750 HP with +320 ATK

Both builds are now viable depending on playstyle. Tank build sustains through regen, DPS build bursts with lifesteal.

The Game Loop

The flow:

1. Read the guide, talk to the Guide NPC
2. Get beginner's income
3. Practice in bot terminal simulations (async learning mode)
4. Test yourself in the arena
5. Join a guild
6. Try dungeons (real-time combat, solo or co-op) for better gear
7. Better gear = stronger in arena

Core systems:

• 11 dungeon floors with 26 monster types
• Arena with 22 ranked tiers
• Guild system
• Karma alignment (good vs evil shops)
• Prestige system (permanent bonuses)
• Weekly leaderboard resets

Watch live arena battles at: https://thewaitinggame.one/channels/combatfeed/

What's Next

This Week:

• ✅ Spawn system fixes (complete)
• ✅ Karma gear balance (complete)
• ⏳ Terminal bot difficulty scaling

Future:

• Guild wars & tournaments (?)
• Daily quests (?)
• Pet system (?)

Play here: https://thewaitinggame.one

Updates posted at midnight for consistency. More coming soon.

—Dev