Vanta Relay — Release Notes

Release records are append-only. Times are recorded using the Sandbox clock and its timezone.

Evil Appliances integration — 2026-10-11T20:41:01+02:00

• Published under the AI-created games collection as Vanta Relay v1.10.1. The game version and preceding release history are retained.
• Added vanta_relay_game_start for each actual new run, including R retries. Title visits, release notes, pause/resume and ordinary gameplay do not emit application analytics events. Local/offline previews are unmeasured; blocked analytics cannot stop play.
• Preserved the in-game Release Notes button and added this complete readable history, linked from the game and collection.
• Engine-choice provenance (author-supplied): The author reports that Manus inferred use of the Godot engine from a previous unrelated project; Godot was not a requirement for this game.
• The original publish folder was verified in isolation in a browser, without access to the rest of the source archive.

v1.10.1 — 2026-10-11T15:57:38+00:00 UTC

Changes from v1.10.0

• Fixed Android Chromium/WebView preview startup. Some mobile Chromium user agents include a legacy Version/4.0 compatibility token alongside their real Chrome version.
• The loader now removes only that conflicting token before the Godot/Emscripten runtime loads, so its ordinary Chromium capability/version check runs instead of falsely treating the browser as Safari 4.0.
• Gameplay, local best-score data, release history, asset loading, and browser requirements are unchanged.

Design motivation

• Problem / opportunity: the embedded mobile preview downloaded the WebAssembly and game pack successfully, but stopped at a false browser-version guard before the Canvas runtime could start.
• Chosen approach: use a narrow, loader-local normalization only when the reported browser is Android + Chromium + the known Version/4.0 compatibility token; do not alter genuine Safari, Firefox, or Chrome version checks.
• Expected benefit: supported Android Chromium and WebView previews should reach the title screen instead of showing the generic loading failure.
• Relevant tradeoff: the loader contains a small compatibility exception and depends on a writable browser navigator property; failure to apply the exception leaves the engine’s conservative native guard intact.

Verified result

The original failure was reproduced from preview logs as requires Safari v15.2.0 (detected v040000) on a 411px Android-style embedded browser, despite successful WASM/PCK downloads. A current preview was then launched in headless Chromium with an Android Version/4.0 Chrome/120 user agent; the loading section became hidden and no Safari guard or startup-failure text appeared. Native game smoke, source checks, release contract, and portable export checks also pass for this release.

v1.10.0 — 2026-10-11T15:39:28+00:00 UTC

Changes from v1.9.0

• Added Combo Tempo feedback. An active combo now displays the remaining six-second window beside its multiplier.
• Added an amber countdown meter below the Combo label; it changes to coral when less than 1.4 seconds remain.
• Consolidated the Combo window into a named simulation constant, ensuring the bank reset and the displayed meter use the same duration.
• Added a clear decay state when the window reaches zero, without changing combo payout, banking, or hazard rules.
• Updated title guidance, smoke coverage, native captures, and player documentation.

Design motivation

• Problem / opportunity: Combo affects the Bank Forecast but previously had no visible lifespan, asking players to remember a hidden duration while also reading the hazard field, relay shift, and Overcharge state.
• Chosen approach: expose the existing window as a compact numeric Tempo plus a simple fill meter, switching from amber to coral shortly before loss.
• Expected benefit: players should know whether to cash in, seek one more fragment, or route toward a safer relay before their multiplier expires.
• Relevant tradeoff: another live HUD element can compete with field awareness, so it appears only during active combos, occupies a narrow line, and reflects an existing rule rather than adding a new one.

Verified result

Native smoke verified a successful bank starts the named six-second Tempo window and that a shortened live window clears the combo with the existing decay message. Native renderer capture inspected the numeric timer, amber meter, title guidance, and coexistence with the Relay Lock/Overcharge state. Final source, release-pack, and portable-export checks are recorded with this release.

v1.9.0 — 2026-10-11T15:17:54+00:00 UTC

Changes from v1.8.0

• Added Relay Lock: an armed Relay Overcharge now holds the current active relay in place until its six-second timer is consumed or expires.
• The normal relay-shift timer pauses during the lock and resumes afterward, preserving the existing rotating-route rule outside the earned window.
• Added a concise RELAY … · LOCKED HUD state; the Bank Forecast continues to show the live Overcharge countdown and value.
• Tightened the lock-label layout after native visual review so it does not collide with Pulse readiness.
• Updated title guidance, smoke coverage, native capture coverage, and player documentation.

Design motivation

• Problem / opportunity: a five-Thread Overcharge asks the player to route quickly to the currently active amber relay, but an unrelated relay rotation could move that target mid-window and turn a precision reward into avoidable frustration.
• Chosen approach: freeze only the active relay’s rotation while Overcharge is armed; leave hazards, tier timing, Dash, Pulse, carry pressure, and the six-second expiry fully live.
• Expected benefit: the Overcharge objective should feel earned and tactically deliberate rather than dependent on an overlapping gate-timer edge case.
• Relevant tradeoff: a temporary static relay slightly reduces route pressure, so it occurs only after five clean close passes and never removes the hazard field, countdown, or need to reach the gate.

Verified result

Native smoke armed Overcharge immediately before a relay transition, then verified that both the active relay index and gate timer stayed fixed while the lock was live. Native renderer capture confirmed the compact lock state, live Overcharge forecast, and clear Pulse readout after a layout correction. Final source, release-pack, and portable-export checks are recorded with this release.

v1.8.0 — 2026-10-11T15:07:24+00:00 UTC

Changes from v1.7.0

• Added a live Bank Forecast in the upper HUD whenever the prism carries charge.
• Added the same BANK +… value at the active relay, so the destination communicates its current reward in-world.
• The forecast includes the current carry, combo, Vector Thread multiplier, Full Relay bonus, and active Relay Overcharge bonus/timer.
• Consolidated forecast and actual deposit through one simulation calculation, so the displayed number and banked number cannot drift apart.
• Updated title guidance, smoke assertions, and native capture coverage for normal and Overcharge forecast states.

Design motivation

• Problem / opportunity: score value now comes from several readable systems, but players had to mentally combine carry, combo, Thread, full-bank, and Overcharge effects before choosing whether a risky relay route was worth it.
• Chosen approach: expose the exact result of a bank now in both the HUD and the active objective, backed by the same function that awards the score.
• Expected benefit: players should make faster, more confident choices about banking, threading again, or spending Dash/Pulse to reach a high-value gate.
• Relevant tradeoff: exact values reduce some scoring mystery and add one HUD line, so the forecast is compact, only appears while carrying charge, and keeps danger, timers, and route execution as the core uncertainty.

Verified result

Native smoke compared ordinary, one-Thread, and five-Thread Overcharge forecasts to their actual deposits: +360, +126, and +450 respectively. Native renderer capture inspected ordinary and Overcharge forecast placement, the active-gate cue, and updated title guidance. Final source, release-pack, and portable-export checks are recorded with this release.

v1.7.0 — 2026-10-11T15:01:20+00:00 UTC

Changes from v1.6.0

• Added Relay Overcharge. Reaching five Vector Thread stacks arms the current amber relay for six seconds.
• An Overcharge bank earns a fixed +300 bonus, consumes the Overcharge, and is reported in the results summary.
• Full Overcharge banks still receive the existing Pulse refresh and safely open the earned Resonance Uplink choice.
• Corrected Vector Thread consumption: Thread stacks now clear after every bank, matching the stated “next bank” multiplier behavior.
• Added active-gate amber rings, an Overcharge countdown in the HUD, updated title guidance, smoke coverage, and native capture coverage.

Design motivation

• Problem / opportunity: Vector Thread made precise dodging valuable, but its short-lived stacks only changed arithmetic at the point of banking; reaching five stacks did not create a distinct player-facing objective.
• Chosen approach: convert a full precision burst into an automatic, temporary high-value relay state with one clear destination—the current amber gate—rather than adding another button or menu choice.
• Expected benefit: players should recognize a memorable “cash in now” route, where successful threading, gate timing, Dash, and hazard reading converge into one high-skill banking moment.
• Relevant tradeoff: another timer can add pressure and the bonus could dominate ordinary scoring, so it lasts six seconds, is consumed once, has a fixed +300 reward, and remains gated behind five distinct close passes.

Verified result

Native smoke exercised Thread consumption on a normal bank, five-stack arming, Overcharge countdown state, bonus payout, consumption, result count, and the existing loop. Native renderer capture inspected the glowing amber gate, countdown HUD, maxed Thread arc, title instruction, and results metric. Final source, release-pack, and portable-export checks are recorded with this release.

v1.6.0 — 2026-10-11T14:27:12+00:00 UTC

Changes from v1.5.0

• Added Vector Thread. A clean close pass around an active hazard adds one temporary Thread stack; each hazard can award it once.
• Added up to five stacks, each contributing +5% to the next bank multiplier. Stacks share a five-second window and do not accrue while the prism is invulnerable.
• Added a lime Thread arc around the prism, a lime halo on credited hazards, a live HUD stack/timer, and a Max Thread value in results.
• Updated title guidance, smoke coverage, renderer capture coverage, and player documentation.

Design motivation

• Problem / opportunity: successful dodges were necessary but had little immediate positive expression until a later bank, leaving moment-to-moment movement more defensive than expressive.
• Chosen approach: turn a narrowly defined, one-time close pass around a live hazard into a capped, temporary bank multiplier rather than a new button or separate pickup.
• Expected benefit: players should read threatening paths more actively, choose when a risky graze is worth attempting, and convert precision into a stronger deposit route.
• Relevant tradeoff: any graze mechanic can encourage stalling at unsafe distances, so credit is one-time per hazard, capped at five, expires together after five seconds, and is disabled during invulnerability.

Verified result

Native smoke exercised a non-collision close pass, Thread stack/timer state, threaded-hazard marker, and improved bank payout, in addition to the existing systems. Native renderer capture inspected the lime player arc, credited-hazard halo, HUD timer, title cue, and results metric. Final source, release-pack, and portable-export checks are recorded with this release.

v1.5.0 — 2026-10-11T14:19:03+00:00 UTC

Changes from v1.4.0

• Added Conduit Sweeps. From Signal Tier 2 onward, each tier promotion launches one magenta lattice lane that sweeps across the whole arena.
• Added a 0.78-second forecast: the intended lane pulses before moving, and a small Conduit label identifies the event.
• Active Sweeps are a deliberately wide, high-contrast hazard that interact naturally with route choice and Vector Dash; they do not overwrite normal Needles, Drifters, shards, relays, or Uplinks.
• Updated title guidance, smoke coverage, and native capture coverage for the new tier-event rule.

Design motivation

• Problem / opportunity: Signal Tiers increased spawn cadence but their promotions changed the field mostly numerically, leaving the late-run spatial read familiar.
• Chosen approach: add one clearly telegraphed, full-lane moving hazard at each promotion after the opening tier, using a magenta identity distinct from the coral and violet enemy families.
• Expected benefit: tier transitions should become memorable route-planning beats, rewarding players who read a forecast, move early, or reserve Dash for the crossing.
• Relevant tradeoff: wide lanes raise pressure and visual load, so they have a long warning, occur only once per tier advance, and retain empty space on either side for ordinary movement.

Verified result

Native smoke exercised Tier 2 Sweep spawning, warmup decay while stationary, active-lane collision, and all pre-existing loop systems. Native renderer capture inspected both the projected warning lane and active lane alongside the HUD, hazards, shard, relay, and player. Final source, release-pack, and portable-export checks are recorded with this release.

v1.4.0 — 2026-10-11T14:03:01+00:00 UTC

Changes from v1.3.0

• Added Resonance Uplink selections. Each Full Relay now pauses the field and opens a compact three-protocol choice screen; choose with 1 / 2 / 3 or click a protocol.
• Added Vector Thrust, reducing Dash recovery by 0.34 seconds per selection down to a 1.25-second floor.
• Added Phase Lens, increasing Pulse reach by 26 pixels per selection.
• Added Relay Shell, making each future bank grant a brief protective window; stacked selections lengthen it.
• Added Uplink ranks to the live HUD and an Uplinks Built count to results, and updated title copy, smoke coverage, and native captures.

Design motivation

• Problem / opportunity: Full Relays became a satisfying execution test, but their reward was mostly a score increment and a Pulse refresh; consecutive runs still followed a similar tactical shape.
• Chosen approach: turn each earned Full Relay into one freeze-safe, run-only choice among mobility, area control, and banking resilience.
• Expected benefit: players should build a distinct response to the current run—faster repositioning, wider clears, or safer deposits—while preserving the same core carry-and-bank loop.
• Relevant tradeoff: choice pauses can interrupt arcade flow and add rules, so they only occur after an eight-charge bank, show exactly three concise effects, and never persist between runs.

Verified result

Native smoke exercised Full Relay opening, all three protocol selections, Dash cooldown reduction, Pulse expansion, bank-shell protection, and the existing loop. Native renderer capture inspected the choice panel, rank HUD, revised title guidance, and results summary. Final source, release-pack, and portable-export checks are recorded with this release.

v1.3.0 — 2026-10-11T13:46:08+00:00 UTC

Changes from v1.2.0

• Added Vector Dash: press Shift to burst 132 pixels in your current movement direction, or the last direction you steered when stopped.
• Dash has a 2.5-second cooldown, a short 0.30-second safe-arrival window, a distinct cyan vector trace, and separate HUD readiness/cooldown feedback.
• Updated title guidance, in-game control strip, smoke coverage, and native capture coverage to make the new movement option discoverable.

Design motivation

• Problem / opportunity: Signal Tiers and Echo routes made later runs richer, but the only emergency response was a long-cooldown Pulse that clears hazards rather than changing position.
• Chosen approach: add a short, directional movement burst that follows deliberate steering input and never damages or deletes hazards.
• Expected benefit: players should have a proactive way to cross a threatened lane, reach a relay, or preserve a high-value carry while retaining meaningful timing choices.
• Relevant tradeoff: one additional key increases the control set and can reduce some pressure, so Dash has its own cooldown, a deliberately short safe window, and does not replace Pulse’s area clear.

Verified result

Native smoke exercised dash distance, cooldown lockout, and safe-arrival state alongside existing Echo, banking, tier, telegraph, Pulse, pause, and results coverage. Native renderer capture inspected the cyan trace, readiness HUD, title control copy, and coexistence with Pulse. Final source, release-pack, and portable-export checks are recorded with this release.

v1.2.0 — 2026-10-11T11:52:42+00:00 UTC

Changes from v1.1.0

• Added four escalating Signal Tiers. The field promotes every 24 seconds, announces the new condition, and raises wave cadence at higher tiers; tier three can also dispatch a brief secondary wave.
• Added pre-entry telegraphs for Needles and Drifters: a pulsing ring and projected direction appear before each hazard begins moving.
• Added Echo Shards. Every fourth fragment is an amber double-value pickup worth two carry charge.
• Added Full Relay rewards. Banking all eight carried charges awards a 180-point bonus and reduces the Pulse cooldown by 1.8 seconds.
• Added tier, Echo, and full-relay guidance to the HUD, title copy, smoke test, and native capture scenario.

Design motivation

• Problem / opportunity: v1.1.0 added tactical play but the run pace remained relatively flat, and higher reward routes lacked a clearly signaled milestone.
• Chosen approach: use slow, named run tiers for escalation; make hostile entries telegraphed rather than surprising; reward periodic rare pickups and a deliberate full carry.
• Expected benefit: players should feel a readable arc from calm to storm, take more informed dodges, and decide whether an Echo Shard or full carry is worth the increasing danger.
• Relevant tradeoff: the field eventually becomes denser and full-carry incentives encourage risk, so tier changes are spaced apart, entry motion is delayed, and Pulse remains available.

Verified result

Native smoke exercised tier promotion, a stationary telegraph, Echo value, full-bank score bonus, cooldown refresh, Pulse, pause, and results. Native renderer captures inspected the tier HUD, projected entry warning, amber Echo silhouette, and Pulse state. Final source, release-pack, and portable-export checks are recorded with this release.

v1.1.0 — 2026-10-11T11:42:50+00:00 UTC

Changes from v1.0.0

• Added Phase Pulse: press Space to unravel hazards inside a 178-pixel ring. It has a seven-second cooldown, a cyan field effect, a short grace window, and awards 30 points per unraveled hazard.
• Added two readable hazard families: rapid coral Needles hold a straight line; larger violet Drifters curve through the arena.
• Added the active relay’s live shift timer both around the gate and in the HUD, plus a live Pulse-ready/cooldown readout.
• Updated title and in-game control guidance, smoke coverage, native capture coverage, and this preserved release history.

Design motivation

• Problem / opportunity: v1.0.0 made banking legible but left the player with no deliberate escape decision; hazards also shared one silhouette and relay urgency was mostly inferred.
• Chosen approach: add one cooldown-bound emergency ability, contrast fast/angular and slow/hexagonal hazards, and expose relay timing at the target and HUD.
• Expected benefit: players should read danger faster, choose when to spend their escape tool, and make more intentional high-charge bank runs.
• Relevant tradeoff: a Pulse reduces some immediate pressure and adds one control, so it cannot be spammed and does not solve hazards outside its radius.

Verified result

Native smoke exercised a nearby-hazard clear, the seven-second cooldown, point reward, and existing gameplay loop. Native renderer captures inspected the Pulse ring, new enemy silhouettes, relay timer, HUD state, and title guidance. Final source, release-pack, and portable-export checks are recorded with this release.

v1.0.0 — 2026-10-11T11:33:42+00:00 UTC

Initial release

Vanta Relay is a visually striking single-player arcade survival game for the HTML canvas. Pilot a living neon prism through an astral signal lattice; collect cyan shards, carry them through a growing hazard field, then bank them at the active amber relay for score and combo. Controls are WASD / arrow keys; Esc pauses; R restarts a completed run; M returns to the title.

Design motivation

• Problem / opportunity: ordinary survival scores can encourage stalling instead of making route choices meaningful.
• Chosen approach: score is created by a carry-and-bank loop; the active relay shifts among three locations while hazard density scales with time and carried charge.
• Expected benefit: each run should ask the player to balance a greedy haul against a safe bank route, creating replayable, readable tension.
• Relevant tradeoff: the game favors one clear spatial decision over weapons, upgrades, and dense rule sets.

Verified result

Native smoke, structural contract, release contract, renderer capture, and exported-pack checks passed for this release. Browser feel and input responsiveness remain subject to player acceptance in a real browser.