Aetherstrata Changelog

1.37

Long-form progression rebalance

Made each next construct significantly harder to purchase.
Raised costs and scaling across Time, Space, Stars, Solar Systems, and Galaxies.
Reduced production values across the entire resource chain.
First Collapse Universe prestige now requires 100 Galaxies.
Parallel Universe gain is capped at 3 per collapse and usually awards only 1.
Parallel Universe bonus was reduced to very small diminishing returns.
Offline gains were reduced further.
Uses a fresh balance save slot so prior faster saves do not distort the new pacing.

1.36

Buy Max for Cosmic Constructs

Added a Buy Max button to every Cosmic Construct.
Buy Max purchases as many levels as possible for spendable resources.
For Universe Age requirements, Buy Max buys every currently age-unlocked level without spending Time.
Buy Max shows the number of levels it can currently purchase.

1.35

Major balance slowdown

Slowed progression dramatically to stop runaway exponential growth.
Changed mid-chain production from direct linear multiplication to square-root scaling.
Changed Parallel Universe gain from square-root scaling to logarithmic tier scaling.
Changed Parallel Universe bonus to diminishing returns using logarithmic scaling.
Raised upgrade costs and reduced several production values.
First universe collapse now requires 10 Galaxies instead of 1.
Version 1.35 uses a fresh balance save slot so old runaway Parallel Universe saves do not auto-load.

1.34

Author footer

Added author information to the bottom footer.
Footer now reads: Aetherstrata · Created by Rob “Galvy” · Version 1.37 · Changelog.
Kept the Changelog link accessible from the footer.

1.33

Reliable purchase handling

Removed browser-disabled Cosmic Construct buttons so clicks are no longer swallowed when affordability changes.
Changed purchases to resolve on pointer-down for a more immediate response.
Kept unavailable/locked states visually styled without blocking the event handler.
Improved purchase reliability for age-gated upgrades that become available while Time is moving.

1.32

Hover effects removed

Removed hover animations and hover visual changes entirely from cards and buttons.
Disabled hover shimmer, glow, movement, transition, and filter effects.
Kept click feedback and gameplay animations separate from hover behavior.
Preserved Version 1.31 stability changes.

1.31

Calmer hover behavior

Removed the looping hover shimmer/slide animation from buttons and construct cards.
Removed hover translate movement that could rapidly re-trigger animations.
Kept a subtle brightness and glow response so the UI still feels interactive.
Preserved the Version 1.30 Current Phase status label update.

1.30

Current phase status label

Changed the phase indicator from a button-like pill into a clear status label.
Added a Current Phase label above the phase value.
Kept the phase text dynamic: Time Emerging, Space Expanding, Stars Igniting, and later stages.
Preserved the Version 1.x naming format.

1.29

Version naming update

Changed public-facing version naming from Dist v# to Version 1.#.
The intro page now shows Version 1.29 instead of Dist v29 / Singularity wording.
Updated the changelog range to use the Version 1.x format.
Established the path toward a future Version 2.0 overhaul.

1.28

In-game version label removal

Removed the Dist v# • Universe Active label from the in-game header after Big Boom starts.
Kept the intro version label at the bottom of the start page.
Cleaned up the main header so the Aetherstrata branding is the focus.

1.27

Intro version label placement

Moved the Dist v# • Singularity label from the top of the Start Big Boom card to the bottom of the intro page.
Kept the intro branding cleaner and more centered.
Preserved the Version 1.26 intro clipping fix.

1.26

Intro screen clipping fix

Fixed the beginning Start Big Boom screen clipping part of the logo/emblem treatment.
Added more breathing room around the intro brand area.
Improved responsive sizing for shorter screens and mobile widths.
Preserved the Version 1.25 changelog page and bottom link.

1.25

In-game changelog

Added a full Changelog page to the game package.
Added a persistent bottom Changelog link.
Documented the project evolution from v1 through the current build.
Kept the existing Version 1.24 gameplay, Universe Age logic, and construct rendering fixes intact.

1.24

Construct card cleanup

Removed the unintended blue decorative dot that appeared on Temporal Spark and other construct cards.
Preserved stable Cosmic Constructs rendering from v23.
Preserved Universe Age logic and save migration.

1.23

Stable Cosmic Constructs rendering

Fixed Cosmic Constructs flickering/refreshing when hovering.
Changed upgrade rendering so cards are built once, then updated in place.
Button text, disabled state, owned count, and locked/unlocked status now update without recreating cards.
Age-based Requires text updates as Universe Age moves forward.

1.22

Full reset behavior

Reset now clears all Aetherstrata save data, including current and legacy localStorage keys.
Reset immediately returns the player to the initial Start Big Boom screen.
Reset no longer relies on page reload behavior to visually return to the beginning.

1.21

Semantic universe logic overhaul

Rebuilt resources around their intended meaning.
Time became Universe Age and displays as seconds, minutes, hours, days, or years.
Starting Big Boom begins Time at +1 sec/sec.
Core button became Accelerate Time.
Time is no longer spent as currency; Time-based upgrades use age requirements.
Space became Cosmic Volume measured in CU.
Space expands from Time Flow.
Stars form from Space.
Solar Systems form from Stars.
Galaxies form from Solar Systems.
Prestige became Collapse Universe, creating permanent Parallel Universes.

1.20

Left panel visibility fix

Fixed missing left-side panels after layout restructuring.
Forced Temporal Core, Parallel Genesis, Cosmic Ladder, and Cosmic Log into a visible vertical stack.
Kept tighter spacing and preserved the right-side Cosmic Constructs panel.

1.19

Lower layout restructure

Rebuilt the lower game layout so left-side cards live in their own stacked column.
Removed the huge gap under Temporal Core caused by the previous grid-row behavior.
Kept Cosmic Constructs as the separate right column.

1.18

Left column spacing pass

Tightened spacing between Temporal Core, Parallel Genesis, Cosmic Ladder, and Cosmic Log.
Reworked the game grid with explicit panel placement.

1.17

Branding integration fix

Removed the cut-off title image treatment.
Replaced the cropped header wordmark image with a styled in-app Aetherstrata title.
Created a transparent emblem treatment to blend with the UI background.
Integrated the logo/emblem more naturally into the interface.

1.16

Progression and content expansion

Improved early-game pacing from Time to Space to Stars to Solar Systems to Galaxies.
Added more upgrades across the progression ladder.
Click upgrades began stacking correctly across multiple click-power upgrades.
Added particle burst feedback when gathering Time.
Added stage milestone log entries.

1.15

Premium game feel pass

Improved the overall UI to feel more premium and game-like.
Enhanced upgrade cards and buttons with stronger hover/focus styling.
Added floating +X Time feedback when clicking Gather Time.
Added button pulse feedback.
Added upgrade purchase flash feedback.

1.14

Animated cosmic polish

Added subtle emblem animation in the hero section.
Enhanced the background with drifting starfield and space-time pulse effects.
Improved hero panel layering with orbital visuals.
Restyled resource panels with stronger sci-fi glow accents and per-resource color identity.

1.13

Logo integration cleanup

Fixed the header/logo presentation so the full logo was no longer shown twice.
Header used a single wordmark plus emblem treatment.
Added cropped emblem and wordmark assets.
Made the emblem act more like a blended background element.

1.12

New Aetherstrata logo aesthetic

Incorporated the new Aetherstrata logo into the intro screen and main game header.
Reworked UI styling to match the logo aesthetic with darker glass panels and cyan/blue/violet glow.
Replaced the old delta/omega hero symbol with the new Aetherstrata logo treatment.

1.11

Purchase wording update

Changed purchase buttons from Buy X Time to Cost: X time.
Applied cost wording across Time, Space, Stars, Solar Systems, and Galaxies.
Kept prior purchase stability fixes.

1.10

Purchase click stability fix

Fixed buy buttons failing because upgrade cards were being redrawn constantly.
Changed upgrade redraw behavior so buttons stayed stable during clicks.
Kept the Start Big Boom to Gather Time flow.

1.9

Minimal opening screen

Launch screen showed only Aetherstrata and Start Big Boom.
Stats, upgrades, logs, and prestige UI stayed hidden until Big Boom started.
Starting Big Boom revealed the full game.
Starting Big Boom no longer granted free Time.

1.8

Correct Big Boom start flow

Trigger Big Boom became the starting action instead of the repeat click action.
After Big Boom, the main button changed to Gather Time.
Restored progression path: Time > Space > Stars > Solar Systems > Galaxies.
Prestige created Parallel Universes.
After prestige, the next universe required starting Big Boom again.

1.7

Time/space/parallel universe theme shift

Reframed the game around Big Boom, a single universe, prestige, and parallel universes.
Renamed resources to Chronons, Spacetime, and Parallel Universes during the experimental pass.
Added post-prestige constructs like Mirrorverse Scaffold and Brane Bridge.
Moved the project away from the earlier Aether/Threads/Strata naming direction.

1.6

Aetherstrata packaged build baseline

Recreated the Netlify-ready dist package with clean no-space file naming.
Established the tracked packaged build line used for the later v7+ iterations.
Used the Aetherstrata idle-game foundation already in place at that point.

1.5

Name and theme direction exploration

Moved toward the Aetherstrata identity after exploring names like Loom, Loom Idle, Continuum, Velora, Axiora, Aetherlace, and Aetherstrand.
Settled on a cosmic/futuristic direction that could support large-scale universe progression.
Early prototype milestone reconstructed from project discussion before preserved dist packages.

1.4

Progression concept refinement

Explored moving away from loom/fabric language into broader cosmic creation language.
Shifted the progression fantasy toward building larger and larger constructs.
Early prototype milestone reconstructed from project discussion before preserved dist packages.

1.3

Construct ladder foundation

Established the idea that the game should progress through escalating constructed resources.
Early versions used more abstract creation language before the later Time > Space > Stars > Solar Systems > Galaxies structure returned.
Early prototype milestone reconstructed from project discussion before preserved dist packages.

1.2

Idle structure prototype

Built toward a clicker/idle loop with manual action, purchasable constructs, and passive generation.
Introduced the basic idea of upgrades increasing production over time.
Early prototype milestone reconstructed from project discussion before preserved dist packages.

1.0

Initial prototype

First working concept for the idle game direction.
Focused on proving the basic loop: start, click, gain resources, buy upgrades, and grow.
Early prototype milestone reconstructed from project discussion before preserved dist packages.