Chao Garden: Evolved 1.2.0

Elemental chao

• A chao reborn after a life of complete dedication becomes elemental. Eight elements: fire, ice, lightning, wind, water, earth, shadow, light.
• An element is earned at reincarnation, is permanent, and cannot be changed or removed.
• Two ways to qualify. One influence track at 100% with no other track above 10% — or no track raised at all, with Stamina maxed and alignment at ±90 or beyond.
• The chao panel names what is standing between a chao and the rite while there is still time to act on it.
• An elemental chao carries a mark above its head in place of its emotion ball, halo or spike: a flame, a faceted gem, a crackling core, an open swirl, a contained orb, a clod of soil under grass and flowers, a hole, or rising motes.
• Each element also has its own ambient behaviour. Fire rises and curls; ice drifts down; water falls faster; lightning crackles in short irregular bursts; wind gives off nothing at all while a chao stands still; earth kicks up dust when moving and is quiet at rest; shadow draws inward; light is thrown outward.
• Shadow and light are strongest while a chao is standing still. Every other element is strongest while it moves.
• An elemental adult’s mark is 20% larger than the child’s. Fire’s flame grows further still, to the size a Devil Chaos Chao carries.
• A Chaos Chao keeps an element earned before it ascended: the body stays Chaos, the mark stays the element.

Catalysts

• Elemental catalysts choose which element a chao becomes, including elements no amount of training reaches.
• Fire Catalyst: beat every Chao Clash boss. Ice Catalyst: win a race on every Chao Board course.
• Once earned, either can be bought again for 50,000 rings.
• A catalyst is committed to a chao in advance and is spent at that chao’s next rebirth. It can be taken back off and given to another chao at any time before then.
• A catalyst cannot be spent on a child, on a chao that already has an element, or on a Chaos Chao.

Crystal

• New ◆ Crystal finish: a real transmissive surface. On the egg shelf at 4× the shiny price.

The garden

• A fire chao chars the grass it walks over. It grows back over about 26 seconds.
• A fire chao standing in the pond raises steam off the water.
• An earth chao raises flowers in its wake. They open, stand, and wither over about 24 seconds. This happens in every season, including winter.
• A light chao lights the ground and the grass around it after dusk.
• Elemental chao roam with their own kind. Chao sharing an element drift together as they wander.
• Opposite elements are rivals: fire and water, light and shadow, earth and wind, ice and lightning.
• Two rivals that meet will square up and trade a few moves. Nothing is won or lost — no damage, no winner, no effect on either chao.
• A skirmish uses the chao’s equipped battle moves, the same ones it fights with in the Arena and in Chao Clash.

Fixes

• Pond authoring: the water level control now reports when the surrounding banks are capping it, and the water height inside the basin is adjustable.