Update on August 29, 2026
Institute of Card Game Studies
Aug 28
I. New Custom Card Shader Feature
Users can now add dynamic visual effects to cards using the custom card shader feature.
How to Use
- Open the Data panel (Window → Data), select the Card Table, and drag the desired card to the desktop.
- Right-click the card and select Edit Card Front.
- Adjust the dynamic effects in the Shader panel.
- Save.
Textures
- Main Texture refers to the card's front artwork. You can import your own custom illustration.
- Mask is an image used to separate the different layers of the main texture.
The mask is painted across four layers, corresponding to the RGBA channels:
- R – Foreground layer
- G – Background layer
- B – Distortion layer
- A – Midground layer
You can use third-party tools that support per-channel painting (e.g., Photoshop) to process the main texture and create the mask.
Workflow in Photoshop (overview):
- Import the main texture into Photoshop.
- Select the corresponding channel (e.g., R channel). Paint areas belonging to the foreground layer white, and areas not belonging to it black. (Varying shades of gray can be used for semi-transparent regions.)
- Paint the RGBA channels one by one, then save when done.
Layer Guidelines
- Foreground layer – Usually has no objects in front, so it can be painted fully white. If there is something in front of it, paint that part black so that effects on the foreground layer are properly occluded.
- Other layers – Follow the same logic: paint parts that do not belong to the layer black, parts that belong to it white, and use gray tones for semi-transparent areas.
- Distortion layer – This layer behaves differently. Paint areas that should be distorted white, areas that should not be distorted black, and transitional areas gray to define the distortion intensity clearly.
Examples of what can be achieved with the distortion layer: animal fur, clothing, water ripples, fire, flashes, distorted space portals, and more.
Per-Layer Effect Settings
Each layer can be customized individually:
- Texture – Can be set to a single image or tiled.
- Color – Custom color.
- Display Intensity – Controls the layer's visibility. 1 = fully visible, 0 = invisible, with intermediate values for semi-transparency. You can enable layers one at a time during design to eliminate interference from other layers.
- Blend Mode – Options include normal, additive, or subtractive.
- Move Speed – Horizontal and vertical movement speed of the texture.
- Rotation Speed – Rotation speed of the texture.
- Fixed Rotation Angle – Starting angle of the texture.
- Rotation Center – Pivot point for rotation.
- Spiral Intensity – Controls polar coordinate transformation. Set to 0 unless needed (e.g., converting parallel or grid patterns into radial effects for sunbursts, spatial distortion, etc.).
- Pulse Speed – Controls periodic visibility/hiding of the pattern, useful for flashes, blinking, and similar effects.
- Pulse Min/Max – Sets the visibility range during pulsing.
You can adjust these settings per layer, and combining them can produce highly complex effects. In most cases, you may not need to use all layers.
Distortion Effect Settings
The Distortion layer is the most complex. You need to paint a noise map:
- The R and G channels of the noise map represent horizontal (U) and vertical (V) offsets, respectively.
- Different distortion types use different noise maps—e.g., noise, moiré, water ripples, shockwaves, spatial distortion, wind-blown grass, fire, etc.
- The texture for the distortion layer is typically tiled, and the noise map should be continuous to avoid a fragmented look (unless intentionally desired).
- Distortion Intensity – Higher values produce stronger distortion.
- Move Speed (U, V) – Controls horizontal and vertical movement of the noise map.
- Rotation Speed – Controls rotation of the noise map.
- Spiral Intensity – Controls polar coordinate transformation of the noise map.
- Pulse Speed – Controls periodic visibility/hiding of the noise map.
- Pulse Min/Max – Controls the visibility range during pulsing.
While adjusting each layer, you can preview the changes in real time on the card face. Click Save when finished, and your card will now have dynamic visual effects.
II. UI Adjustments & Bug Fixes
- Adjusted the lobby interface to a single-column layout.
- Click the More button (three dots) in the upper-right corner to toggle the visibility of room info and chat notifications. When hidden, the interface becomes cleaner, making it easier for players to view room status and chat with members during gameplay.
- Fixed an issue where buttons in the card editor would not display when the interface was too narrow.
- Fixed an issue where user-customized cards could occasionally disappear from the card collection.
- Fixed other known issues.
This announcement was originally published by Institute of Card Game Studies on Steam on Aug 28, 2026.
Open the original on Steam