Rod of Asclepius: An Educational RPG - Dev Log #4

News / 13 February 2026

Dev Log #4 — Latest Update

13-Feb-2026

Rendering pipeline moved to Vulkan (Godot Forward+)

I switched the project’s rendering pipeline to Vulkan / Forward+. This is a major technical step that improves the foundation for lighting, materials, and future visuals; and it also changes how the game interacts with different GPUs/drivers.

If anything looks “off” after this update (lighting, shadows, shimmering, strange dark surfaces), please tell me:

  • your GPU model (NVIDIA/AMD/Intel)
  • OS
  • and whether you’re on the latest drivers

Boot & stability improvements

  • Fixed a freeze at 96% loading and improved overall boot scene stability.
  • Hardened scene transition logic to prevent rare crashes, “previously valid object” errors, and repeated transition triggers.
  • Added safer checks around world-map teardown and general transition cleanup.

Medical system: expanded and strengthened

Hospital case dialogue coverage

  • Added hospital case dialogue data for all illnesses, aligned with the existing medical missions and mechanics.

Permanent treatment crafting + deck system

  • Added permanent medical card crafting and a persistent deck system.
  • New Card Deck Crafting menu (via Character Design Menu).
  • Treatments can unlock permanently and track in save data.
  • Treatment cards now show attribute bonuses (INT/DEX/CHA) and improved visual overlays.
  • Ingredient consumption + auto-unlocking for basic treatments are integrated into the loop.

Treatment flow polish

  • Added card cycling, better deck handling, and more reliable bonus display refresh.
  • Streamlined treatment bonus calculations and removed redundant ingredient/inventory checks where they weren’t needed.

Time & UI

  • Replaced the old Date and Time Panel with a cleaner Advance Time Panel.
  • Improved day advancement and time progression control.
  • Added a fog overlay + improved visibility logic (including a hint when advancement isn’t allowed).
  • Added a subtle sun-turning hint to make “time moving” feel more readable.

Also:

  • Improved inventory list interactions and overall UI layout consistency.

Controls & input (Steam Input + prompts)

Input (new)

  • UI prompts now reflect whether you’re using keyboard/mouse or a controller.

Steam Input + Xbox layout

  • Implemented Steam Input support for broader controller compatibility.
  • Added Xbox 360 mappings and action manifests.
  • Improved controller hot-plug handling (connect/disconnect messaging and action updates).

Unified input handling

  • Refactored controller handling so Steam controllers and standard Godot inputs behave consistently.
  • Improved JoyCursor and input-dependent UI scripts to use unified action checks.

Cursor & UI feedback polish

  • Dialogue panels now include a dynamic “Next / Exit” hint that matches your current input device.

Guards: new follower controls

  • Follow / Stay toggle
  • Heal action
  • Dismiss action

Also included:

  • A dedicated Stay state (idle + threat behavior)
  • Smoother transitions when teleporting to the player across scenes
  • Cleaner popup positioning logic

Player character visuals & animation

  • Added a young/old look for the player character (including hair changes that reflect the story).
  • Cleaned up player-related nodes/scripts and updated scene configurations for consistency.

World & environment art updates (Demo/Prologue scope)

  • Added a new Oak tree prefab (mesh + material).
  • Added an optimized Ash tree prefab (new mesh + texture).
  • Refined interior props and assets (benches, lectus, taberna elements, and various interior prefabs).
  • Improved torch button art + UI positioning in-scene.

Local map improvements (Prologue)

  • Implemented a dedicated Domus local map and refined interior transition logic so UI elements clean up properly when changing areas.
  • Improved map marker flexibility and cleaned up unused assets.
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