📘 CodeKings Patch Notes

📚 Version 3.4 - Reward Engine rework - Lesson modifiers & C# rework

✨ Major Features

🎯 Unified Reward Engine

The new Unified Reward Engine consolidates all reward calculations into a single, robust system — replacing multiple scattered reward implementations with one authoritative source.

⚙️ What Changed:

• Single Source of Truth: All rewards (quizzes, lessons, gauntlet, events) now use one unified calculation system
• Consolidated Logic: Replaced 5+ separate reward calculation functions with one comprehensive engine
• Improved Accuracy: Eliminated inconsistencies between quiz rewards, lesson rewards, and special event rewards
• Better Performance: Optimized database queries with proper indexing and reduced redundant calculations
• Enhanced Tracking: Detailed reward breakdown shown to students with source attribution

💎 Reward Components:

• Base EXP: Core experience points for completing activities
• Class Bonuses: Multipliers based on equipped class (Warrior, Mage, Assassin, etc.)
• Item Bonuses: Additional multipliers from equipped weapons, shields, and armor
• Streak Bonuses: Daily login streak multipliers
• Achievement Bonuses: Special multipliers from earned achievements
• CodeCoins: Currency rewards calculated alongside EXP

🔧 Technical Improvements:

• Proper transaction handling prevents duplicate rewards
• Detailed logging for debugging and analytics
• Extensible architecture supports future reward types
• Clear separation between calculation and application logic

🏆 Enhanced Lesson Reward System

Lessons now provide detailed reward breakdowns showing exactly how your EXP and CodeCoins were calculated, including all active bonuses and multipliers.

📊 Reward Breakdown Features:

• Base Rewards: Clear display of core EXP/Coins earned
• Active Multipliers: Real-time calculation of class, item, and achievement bonuses
• Total Summary: Final amounts with all bonuses applied
• Transparency: Students see exactly why they received specific amounts
• Motivation: Visible bonuses encourage equipment upgrades and class selection

💰 Lesson Completion Rewards:

• Per Step: 5 CodeCoins + varying EXP based on lesson complexity
• Lesson Complete Bonus: Additional EXP for finishing entire lessons
• First-Time Bonus: Extra rewards for lessons completed for the first time
• Multiplier Stacking: All bonuses multiply together for maximum rewards

📖 Complete C# Lesson Redesign (Lessons 3-11)

We've completely rebuilt 9 C# lessons (Lessons 3-11) with professional educational design, enhanced visual hierarchy, and deeper technical content. These lessons now match the quality of our Python Sanctum while maintaining full JARVIS AI compatibility.

🎨 Visual Enhancements:

• Color-Coded Steps: Clear progression with green → cyan → gold → purple color scheme
• Professional Typography: Enhanced readability with CodeMirror syntax highlighting
• Structured Layouts: Consistent formatting across all lessons with clear visual hierarchy
• Mission Boxes: Each step starts with clear learning objectives
• What Happened Explanations: Post-code explanations reinforce understanding
• ProTip Callouts: Real-world context and best practices highlighted

📚 Content Improvements:

• Lesson Overviews: Clear objectives and learning outcomes at the start
• Why It Matters: Real-world applications and relevance explained
• Deeper Explanations: Enhanced technical depth while maintaining accessibility
• Code Examples: Professional, industry-standard code patterns
• Common Mistakes: Side-by-side wrong vs. correct comparisons
• Key Takeaways: Summary cards reinforcing core concepts
• Knowledge Checks: Interactive quizzes with detailed explanations

🔧 Technical Features:

• JARVIS Integration: Full AI tutor compatibility with proper step extraction
• Proper Step Numbering: Fixed ID scheme (code40X-1, code40X-2, etc.) for reliable parsing
• Consistent Structure: Standardized containers and class names across all lessons
• Responsive Design: Optimized for desktop and mobile learning

📋 Redesigned Lessons

Before: Basic layout with minimal structure

The following C# lessons have been completely overhauled:

• Lesson 3: String Manipulation — Enhanced with interpolation, methods, and real-world examples
• Lesson 4: If Statements & Conditions — Improved conditional logic teaching with visual operator grid
• Lesson 5: Loops & Repetition — Better loop type explanations with countdown challenges
• Lesson 6: Arrays & Collections — Clear array anatomy diagrams and index explanations
• Lesson 7: Methods & Parameters — Comprehensive function vs procedure teaching
• Lesson 8: Classes & Objects (OOP) — Professional introduction to object-oriented programming
• Lesson 9: Encapsulation & Access Modifiers — Data protection with validation examples
• Lesson 10: Inheritance & Polymorphism — Complete class hierarchy teaching
• Lesson 11: Abstraction & Interfaces — Professional contract-based design patterns

ℹ️ All 9 lessons now feature consistent styling, enhanced educational content, and full JARVIS AI compatibility!

function calculateRewards($userId, $activityType, $baseAmount) {
    // 1. Get base rewards
    $rewards = getBaseRewards($activityType, $baseAmount);
    
    // 2. Apply class bonuses
    $classMultiplier = getClassMultiplier($userId);
    
    // 3. Apply item bonuses
    $itemMultipliers = getItemMultipliers($userId);
    
    // 4. Apply achievement bonuses
    $achievementMultipliers = getAchievementMultipliers($userId);
    
    // 5. Calculate final amounts
    $totalMultiplier = $classMultiplier * $itemMultipliers * $achievementMultipliers;
    $finalRewards = applyMultipliers($rewards, $totalMultiplier);
    
    // 6. Log and return breakdown
    return [
        'exp' => $finalRewards['exp'],
        'coins' => $finalRewards['coins'],
        'breakdown' => generateBreakdown($rewards, $multipliers)
    ];
}

📚 Version 3.3 – CodeKings Store, Login streaks & MysteryBoxes(26 November 2025)

🎁 Overview

Patch 3.3 introduces the CodeCoin Economy System, featuring the new CodeCoin Store and Mystery Box mechanics! Earn CodeCoins by completing lessons and quizzes, then spend them on mystery boxes containing valuable rewards like EXP bonuses, rare items, and exclusive badges.

This patch lays the foundation for a full reward ecosystem, with more items and features coming soon!

✨ New Features

🏪 CodeCoin Store

• Brand new premium store interface with animated cards and rarity-based styling
• Purchase Mystery Boxes using CodeCoins earned from lessons and quizzes
• Three box types available:
  • Standard Mystery Box (100 CodeCoins)
  • Premium Mystery Box (250 CodeCoins) – Coming Soon
  • Legendary Mystery Box (500 CodeCoins) – Coming Soon
• Real-time coin balance tracking in header
• Smooth purchase flow with automatic redirect

🎁 Mystery Box System

• Interactive spinning carousel to reveal rewards
• Weighted RNG system for fair reward distribution:
  • Common: ~50%
  • Uncommon: ~30%
  • Rare: ~15%
  • Legendary: ~5%
• Visual preview of all possible drops
• Claim system for collected rewards
• Box inventory tracking

🪙 CodeCoin Economy

• Sanctum Lessons: Earn 5 CodeCoins per step
• Quizzes: Earn +1 per correct answer
• 500 Coin bonus given to celebrate the launch!
• Coin balance shown globally in the header

🏆 Available Rewards (Standard Box)

Note: Mystery Box system is currently in WIP.

✅ Currently Functional:

• EXP Bonuses – 50,000 to 500,000 EXP
• Rewards auto-applied upon claiming

📅 Daily Login Streak System

Patch 3.3 introduces the fully functional Daily Login Streak system — rewarding students for logging in consistently and progressing through the Sanctum.

⭐ How It Works

• Log in once per day to claim a reward
• Streak progresses automatically each day
• Rewards increase in value as the streak rises
• Coins and EXP rewards alternate for balanced progression
• Streak resets if a day is missed

🎁 Daily Reward Structure (Days 1–8)

The following table reflects the exact rewards configured in the database:

Day	Reward	Value
Day 1	CodeCoins	5 Coins
Day 2	EXP	10,000 EXP
Day 3	CodeCoins	25 Coins
Day 4	EXP	25,000 EXP
Day 5	CodeCoins	50 Coins
Day 6	EXP	50,000 EXP
Day 7	EXP & Coins	100,000 EXP & 100 Coins

ℹ️ More days and special streak milestones (Day 14, Day 30, Day 60) are planned for future updates.

🔧 Technical Details

• Secure claim endpoint prevents double-claiming the same day
• Logs streak progress and last_claim date in user_daily_login
• Fully compatible with your CodeCoins + EXP reward engine
• UI includes animated confirmation popup and updated streak timeline

🚧 Coming Soon:

• Legendary Weapons
• Shields & Armor
• Cosmetic Items
• Badges
• Profile Effects

🔧 Improvements & Changes

• Fixed reward distribution system
• Improved store UI responsiveness
• Optimized carousel animation logic
• Added debug logging for C# & SQL runners

📚 Version 3.2.2 – Sanctum Expansion, SQL Curriculum & J.A.R.V.I.S. Intelligence Upgrade (11 November 2025)

• 🏛️ Sanctum Expansion — New Data Science Curriculum
  • 🐼 Pandas Pathway (15 Lessons): Covers DataFrames, filtering, boolean logic, grouping, statistics, cleaning, and generating meaningful business insights.
  • 📊 Matplotlib Pathway (15 Lessons): Includes line, bar, scatter, pie, grouped charts, offsets, combo-charts, value labels, and full browser-side chart simulation.
  
  
• 🧮 New SQL Database Pathway (10 Lessons)
  • 📌 Tables, fields, data types, and primary keys
  • ✏️ INSERT, SELECT, UPDATE, DELETE operations
  • 🔗 JOINs, relationships, foreign keys
  • 🛡️ Constraints, validation, schema safety
  
• 🤖 J.A.R.V.I.S. AI Intelligence Update The CodeKings AI engine now provides deeper multi-stage debugging across Python and SQL:
  • 📊 Matplotlib Smart Debugger: Detects broken DataFrames, invalid dicts, missing labels, undefined variables, and incomplete chart code.
  • 🐼 Pandas Understanding: Accurately identifies issues in filtering, boolean expressions, grouping, mean/sum logic, and column operations.
  • 🧮 SQL Query Analysis: Detects failed schema creation, missing tables, repeated CREATE TABLE commands, malformed queries, and provides guided fixes.
  

🎨 Version 3.2.1 – BattlePass Display Refinements (26 October 2025)

• ✨ New EXP Display: The BattlePass progress bar now shows the EXP required to reach the next level instead of the total accumulated EXP. This makes it easier for players to track how much more EXP is needed to level up, and to see their immediate progress toward the next tier.
  • Previous Display: Showed the total BattlePass EXP earned across all levels.
  • New Display: Now shows the current EXP toward the next level. For example, if 330 EXP is required for the next level, it will display "105 / 330" instead of total EXP like "5000." This helps you track your immediate goal for the next rank.
• 🛠️ Reward Layout Update: We’ve also updated the BattlePass reward layout to enhance the user experience. The rewards section now:
  • 🎁 Item Reward Preview: Displays the item awarded for each tier, alongside a description of what it offers. This gives you a better understanding of what you’ll unlock and how it benefits your gameplay.
  • 🔍 Clearer Descriptions: Each reward now has a brief description explaining its benefits or how it impacts your progress.
  • 🗡️ Weapons Dropdown Update: Now displays both the Weapon Name and Powerup Description in the dropdown, for example:
    • ⚔️ Sword of Fury - +10% EXP boost in Quizzes
  • 🛡️ Shields Dropdown Update: Similarly, Shields now show both the Shield Name and Powerup Description in the dropdown, for example:
    • 🛡️ Shield of Light - Provides 15% damage reduction

🎨 Version 3.2 – BattlePass System, Skeleton Warrior Avatar & Draconic Theme Unveiling (25 October 2025)

• 💎 New BattlePass Season: The Season 1 BattlePass has officially launched! Users can now progress through exciting tiers and unlock exclusive rewards, including a brand new avatar, special items, and more!
  • 🎉 Tier 50 Rewards: Unlock the prestigious Skeleton Warrior Avatar, along with 4 exclusive items that can boost your gameplay!
  • 💥 New Avatar Buffs: The Skeleton Warrior brings powerful buffs to enhance your playthrough:
    • Quiz EXP +50% for a quick XP boost.
    • 100% bonus Gauntlet EXP for those Gauntlet runners.
    • Daily Quiz EXP +75% for a consistent daily advantage.
    • Extra 3 Gauntlet attempts per day — now that’s some extra action!
  • ⚔️ Exclusive BattlePass Items: Unlock 4 items tied to the Skeleton Warrior Avatar:
    • Skeleton's Legionaire Shield — Quiz EXP +50%
    • Skeleton WarAxe — Increase Gauntlet EXP by 50%
    • Skeleton Mace — +1 Gauntlet attempt
    • Skeleton Blade — Increase Daily Quiz EXP by 30%
  
• 🧑‍🎨 Skeleton Warrior Avatar: Unlock the mighty Skeleton Warrior Avatar through the new BattlePass system and gain access to powerful gameplay buffs, including enhanced EXP boosts and extra Gauntlet attempts!
  
• 🧑‍🎨 Draconic Theme Release: A fiery new theme called Draconic is now available, featuring amber and red hues with obsidian accents, perfect for those who want to add a fiery touch to their profiles.
  
• 🧠 C# Global Lessons Update & AI Grading Enhancement: The C# global lessons have been refined with a new AI grading matrix to handle more dynamic and user-driven code inputs. This update improves the accuracy of grading, especially when generic fuzzy matching can't keep up with complex user responses.
  • 📚 Improved Grading Logic: The AI now analyzes a wider range of dynamic inputs and uses a more tailored approach for each lesson.
  • ⚙️ AI Grading Matrix: Automatically adjusts to unique code solutions and helps students get more accurate feedback.
• 📅 New Features & Refinements: Additional improvements have been made to enhance the overall learning experience. This includes faster load times, smoother transitions, and better responsiveness throughout the platform.
  • 💨 Performance Optimizations: Quicker load times and smoother interactions across all sections of the site.
  • 🔧 Bug Fixes & Quality of Life Improvements: Numerous small bug fixes to enhance your CodeKings experience.

🎨 Version 3.12 – CSS Sanctum Overhaul & J.A.R.V.I.S. Persistence Update (23 October 2025)

• 💎 CSS Sanctum Overhaul: The CSS Learning Path has been completely rebuilt using the CodeKings Mirror IDE Framework, bringing an interactive, polished, and immersive styling environment for all creative learners.
  • 🎨 New Visual Sandbox: Every lesson now includes a real-time HTML | CSS | Output layout that updates instantly as students experiment with code.
  • 🧩 10 Modular Lessons: Covering color theory, typography, layout, box model, gradients, transitions, and responsive design foundations.
  • 💫 Unified Styling: All lessons now load through /Courses/Topics/CSS/Lesson_css_theme.css for full theme consistency.
  • 🖌️ Modern CSS Examples: Each task features visual output previews and guided exercises for practical application.
  • ⚡ Faster Rendering: Optimized code injection and step recognition ensure smooth transitions between interactive tasks.
  
• 🤖 J.A.R.V.I.S. Persistence & Sanctum Memory: The CodeKings AI Tutor now remembers your ongoing conversation within each Sanctum realm.
  • 🧠 Lesson-Aware Memory: J.A.R.V.I.S. now stores your discussion per lesson, restoring context and chat history even after refresh.
  • 📘 Local + Session Storage: Conversations persist across reloads while keeping data separated per lesson, ensuring focused learning sessions.
  • 💬 Contextual Awareness: The AI now responds intelligently to lesson titles, step breakdowns, and specific code challenges.
  • ⚙️ Backend Upgrade: API v10.11 introduces dual persistence (session + localStorage) and improved XP tracking for AI interaction.
  • 🌐 Cross-Page Continuity: Each Sanctum stores its own memory, allowing students to return later and resume exactly where they left off.

⚔️ Version 3.11 – Mirror IDE Framework, Python Expansion & C# Foundations (22 October 2025)

• 🪞 CodeKings Mirror IDE Framework: The entire lesson system has been upgraded to the new Mirror IDE environment — providing faster, smoother, and more consistent execution across all coding languages.
  • 💻 Real-time Output Preview: HTML, Python, and C# lessons now render instant code results inside sandboxed iframes.
  • 🎯 Unified Layout: Dual-pane editor (left) and live viewer (right) with improved neon glow and XP display consistency.
  • 🧠 CodeMirror Engine: Syntax highlighting, line numbering, and error-safe isolation for every step.
  • ⚡ Performance Boost: Loading and execution times reduced by 35% with optimized script injection and memory caching.
  
• 🐍 Python Foundations (Full Release): The Python Sanctum has now been completely rebuilt using the Mirror IDE, offering a more seamless learning experience.
  • 📘 10 Complete Lessons – Covering variables, data types, loops, functions, and tuples.
  • 🧩 Step-by-Step IDE Tasks – Each lesson broken into smaller code challenges with live validation and XP rewards.
  • 🔄 Updated Lesson Engine: Each lesson_id now supports multi-step recognition and custom expected outputs.
  • 🏆 Progress Tracking: Seamless integration with global_lesson_progress for earned EXP and retry cooldowns.
  
• 💻 C# Foundations Hub (Lessons 1–10): The C# Sanctum has launched its full beginner track, teaching key principles of the .NET language through interactive, console-style environments.
  • ⚙️ 10 Lessons Added – From Introduction to C# to Methods, OOP, and Collections.
  • 🧠 Custom Console Simulator: Realistic input/output window replicates Visual Studio’s “Console.ReadLine()” experience.
  • 🎯 Judge0 Backend Integration: Real code execution via containerized compiler API for accurate grading.
  • 🏅 Cross-Language Parity: EXP tracking, syntax highlighting, and live previews match Python’s standard.
  
• 💎 System & Quality of Life Enhancements:
  • 🌈 Updated IDE styling with neon focus glow, improved syntax colors, and consistent dark theme across all hubs.
  • 🧭 Simplified lesson transitions — next-lesson buttons auto-scroll into view after successful completion.
  • 📊 EXP popups reworked with animated streak multipliers and success gradients.
  • 🔒 API security updates — improved rate-limiting and session management for IDE code submissions.

⚔️ Version 3.10 – Python Hub, C# Foundations & J.A.R.V.I.S. Intelligence Update (20 October 2025)

• 🐍 Python Fundamentals Hub: The long-awaited Python Sanctum is now live, featuring a full interactive beginner series with real-time code execution and XP integration.
  • 📘 10 Fully Playable Lessons – From Introduction to Tuples & Immutability.
  • 🧩 Interactive IDE – Each step includes code editors, autograding, and XP progression.
  • 🏆 Lesson Tracking – Step-by-step EXP linked to lesson_id and cooldowns.
  • 💬 AI Assistance – J.A.R.V.I.S. embedded directly into every lesson for guided support.
  
• 💻 C# Development Hub (Preview): The C# Sanctum has officially begun construction — starting with Lesson 1: Introduction to C# Programming.
  • 🧠 Full syntax-highlighted IDE with support for C# console programs.
  • 🎯 Integrated with the same EXP & tracking framework used in Python lessons.
  • 🪄 Custom code rendering for realistic “Console Output” visuals.
  • ⚙️ Lessons 2–10 now being built around key topics (OOP, Methods, Classes, Collections).
  
• 🤖 J.A.R.V.I.S. v10.4 Intelligence Upgrade: The new version of J.A.R.V.I.S. introduces dynamic awareness, context extraction, and live tutoring capabilities.
  • 🧠 Step-Aware Intelligence – Automatically reads all lesson step titles and objectives.
  • 💬 Context-Rich Conversations – Each chat now includes lesson title, description, and visible step text.
  • 🔍 Smart Answer Mode – Understands questions like “What do I do in Step 2?” or “Show me the answer.”
  • 🚀 XP-Integrated Feedback – Chat interactions now reward small XP bonuses for engagement.
  • ⚡ Failsafe API Handling – Improved resilience with auto key detection and OpenAI fallback chain.
  
• 🧭 Interface & Navigation Upgrades:
  ⚔️ Version 3.0.1 – Interactive Sanctum Expansion & J.A.R.V.I.S. Integration (19 October 2025)
  • 🏰 The Digital Sanctum : The Sanctum is now livem dive into a inovative learning enviorment with EXP rewards and interactive code-alongs.
    • 🌐 HTML Foundations – Now active and fully interactive.
    • 🎨 CSS Design – Under construction.
    • ⚡ JavaScript Essentials – Launching Winter 2025.
    • 🧠 Advanced Trials – Unlocks for elite students (AI & Databases).
    
  • 🌐 Interactive Lesson Framework: The first 10 HTML lessons are now fully interactive, powered by the CodeKings IDE Runner API v4.9.
    • 🧱 Live coding environment with real-time preview rendering.
    • ⚙️ Step-aware EXP progression with unique tracking per task.
    • 🎯 Automatic grading system using similarity detection (≥85% = pass).
    • 💾 Progress stored in global_lesson_progress with step cooldowns.
    • 🧩 Multi-language runtime integration (HTML, PHP, JS, Python).
    
  • 👤 Guest Mode Expansion: Non-logged-in learners can now run and test their code directly inside lessons without losing access to grading feedback.
    • ⚡ Full preview and grading enabled — see correctness and match score instantly.
    • 🔒 EXP gain disabled for guests (login required for rewards).
    • 💬 Supportive guest feedback messages replace EXP alerts.
    
  • 🧠 J.A.R.V.I.S. Lesson Integration: Our virtual assistant, J.A.R.V.I.S., now provides live guidance directly within interactive lessons.
    • 💬 Context-aware hints matched to each lesson’s objectives.
    • 📘 Auto-injected lesson prompts and syntax examples.
    • 🧠 Instant AI responses for debugging and task support.
    • 🗃️ Conversation memory stored per user and lesson.
    
  • 💎 Quality of Life Improvements:
    • 🌈 Enhanced code editor visuals and glow contrast for dark mode readability.
    • 🧩 Step transitions now persist progress between reloads.
    • 🔒 Database and session safety improved — no more double XP claims.
    • 💬 Popups now colour-coded by result: Green (Success), Yellow (Guest), Red (Error).

  ---

  Version 3.0.1 – “The Interactive Sanctum Update” | Released: 19 Oct 2025 | Total EXP: 2,750 | HTML Path Active

  ⚔️ Version 2.6.4 – Equipment Rebalance & Progression Overhaul (18 October 2025)

  • ⚖️ Weapon & Shield Unlock Rebalance: All weapons and shields have been rebalanced for fairer progression pacing and improved clarity. Unlock conditions are now fully human-readable through the updated unlock_description field.
    • 🗡️ Arthur’s Short Sword – Requires 5,500 EXP.
    • 🧊 Ice 2H Sword – Requires 7,500 EXP.
    • 🛡️ Shield of the Legion – Requires 6,000 EXP.
    • 📘 Book of Shadows – Requires 150K EXP.
    • ☀️ Solar Disk of Ra – Use 4 Power-Ups.
    • ⚔️ Divine Emblem of Valor – Complete 5 Easy Gauntlets and earn 75K EXP.
    • 🧙 Ashbringer, Blade of Retribution – Complete 5 Medium Gauntlets scoring 5+ and earn 150K EXP.
    • 🪄 Merlin’s Great Staff – Complete 10 Quizzes and earn 125K EXP.
    • 🧱 Elder Wand – Complete 15 Easy Gauntlets and earn 175K EXP.
    • 💫 Dark Magician’s Staff – Complete 5 Endless Gauntlets scoring 15+ and earn 175K EXP.
    • 💀 Death Eater’s Staff – Complete 10 Medium Gauntlets and earn 1.2M EXP.
    • ☠️ Scythe of the Dead – Complete 10 Easy Gauntlets scoring 8/10 and earn 1.1M EXP.
    • 🪓 Golem Axe – Complete 7 Endless Gauntlets scoring 15+ and earn 2M EXP.
    • 🔨 Heavy Mace of Ra – Complete 10 Endless Gauntlets scoring 20+ and earn 2.2M EXP.
    • 🛡️ Golem Skull Shield – Complete 10 Endless Gauntlets scoring 25+ and earn 2.4M EXP.
    • ⚔️ Buster Sword – Complete 10 Easy, 10 Medium and 10 Endless Gauntlets at max scores to earn 2.5M EXP.
    • 🕯️ Knull’s Necro Sword – Complete 5 Endless Gauntlets scoring 30+ and earn 1.5M EXP.
  • 🧙‍♂️ Class Unlock Rebalance: Avatar class unlocks have been streamlined to align with new gauntlet progression.
    • 🧙‍♂️ Mage – Reach 100K total EXP.
    • ⚔️ Knight – Reach 5K total EXP.
    • 🕶️ Rogue Hooded – Complete 5 Easy Gauntlets scoring 6+ and reach 200K EXP.
    • 💪 Barbarian – Use 5 Powerups and reach 500K EXP.
    • 🪨 Golem – Complete 20 Endless Gauntlets scoring 30+ and reach 2M EXP.
    • 💀 Necromancer – Complete 15 Endless Gauntlets scoring 20+ and reach 1M EXP.
  • 💎 Quality of Life Improvements:
    • ✨ Avatar Editor now shows all equipped items correctly (weapons, shields, and skins).
    • 🧬 Updated unlock_description values now show natural-language requirements (e.g. “Complete 5 Easy Gauntlets and earn 75K EXP”).
    • 💾 Save functionality stabilised — instant sync between DB and visual state.
    • 🔍 PHPMyAdmin columns can now be expanded for debugging using the injected dev CSS tweak.
  • ⚖️ Power Curve & Rarity Balance:
    • Common ➜ Rare items: +10–30 % EXP gain.
    • Epic ➜ Legendary items: +50–100 % EXP gain.
    • Lesson, Quiz, and Daily multipliers rebalanced around a ~200 % effective cap.
    • Gauntlet EXP bonuses remain intentionally stronger to reward skill-based streaks.
  • 🧬 Avatar Editor QOL Enhancements:
    • ✅ Equipped weapons, shields, and skins now display correctly in the editor modal.
    • 🎨 Unlock tooltips now show plain-text readable descriptions (auto-generated from unlock data).
    • 💾 Save process restructured — instant reload and consistent state after equip changes.
    • 🧠 Select2 visual polish: rarity-based colour mapping, hover tooltips, and animation smoothing.

  💀 Version 2.6.3 – Necromancer Arsenal Expansion (18 October 2025)

  • ⚔️ New Class Weapons Added: The Necromancer class now wields three dark-energy weapons infused with soul magic and corrupted steel.
    
    • ☠️ Knull’s Necro Sword (Epic): A cursed blade that feeds on fallen souls — increases Quiz EXP rewards by +30%.
    • 🪄 Death Eater’s Staff (Common): An ancient conduit of decaying mana — boosts Daily EXP gain by +30%.
    • ⚰️ Scythe of the Dead (Rare): Forged from necrotic bone, this scythe increases Gauntlet EXP by +20%.
  • 🔮 Upcoming: Future update will introduce Corrupted Auras and Dark Energy effects for all Necromancer weapons.

  🛡️ Version 2.6.2 – Golem Armory Expansion & Mythic Equipment Balancing (17 October 2025)

  • ⚔️ New Equipment Set – Skeleton Golem Armory: The Golem class has received its long-awaited upgrade: a complete line of mythic-tier weapons and shields forged for frontline domination. Each item provides a unique balance of offensive might and XP amplification during Gauntlet progression.
    
    • 🪓 Golem Axe
      Rarity: Common
      Bonus: +10% EXP Gain in Gauntlet Tasks
      A solid and dependable cleaver built for the first line of combat — simple, efficient, unbreakable.
    • 🪓 Executioner’s Cleaver
      Rarity: Rare
      Bonus: +25% EXP Gain from Daily Challenges
      Sharpened on the bones of fallen foes, this weapon rewards persistence and execution precision.
    • 🔨 Heavy Mace of Ra
      Rarity: Epic
      Bonus: +40% Guardian EXP per completed task
      Forged under solar flame, this divine mace radiates the strength of the old Guardians.
    • 🗡️ Buster Sword
      Rarity: Legendary
      Bonus: +100% EXP Boost in Gauntlet Battles
      The mythic blade of heroes — refined and reforged for CodeKings champions.

    ---

    • 🛡️ Golem’s Shieldwall
      Rarity: Rare
      Bonus: +20% EXP Gain from Daily Challenges
      Compact yet sturdy, this shield bolsters resilience and consistency through repeated trials.
    • 🛡️ Golem’s Big Boy Shield
      Rarity: Epic
      Bonus: +40% EXP Gain in Gauntlet Tasks
      Designed for the tankiest of defenders — heavier, stronger, and unshakable under pressure.
    • 💀 Golem Skull Shield
      Rarity: Mythic
      Bonus: +75% Total EXP Gain
      Forged from the remnants of ancient stone titans — the pinnacle of Golem defense and power.
  • 🧱 Visual & Technical Enhancements: The Golem Armory has been fully optimized for stability and animation fidelity across all client devices.
    • ✅ Fixed all multi-mesh parenting issues (Blade/Guard merged for clean exports).
    • ⚙️ Standardized model naming to align with new Display Name schema for clarity and database syncing.
    • 💾 Optimized texture and bin file references to eliminate 404 errors during avatar rendering.

  🧠 Version 2.6.1 – Enhanced Quiz Intelligence & Item Synergy Expansion (14 October 2025)

  • 🎯 AI-Enhanced Quizzes: Standard and Achievement Quizzes have been upgraded with the same intelligent grading system used in Gauntlet’s Medium Mode.
    
    • 🤖 AI Mode Added: All quizzes now feature AI-assisted grading for short-answer and fill-in-the-blank questions, allowing conceptual correctness and phrasing tolerance.
    • 🧠 Fuzzy + AI Backup: The fuzzy-matching engine remains the first line of validation, with the AI seamlessly intervening when no close match is found.
    • 📈 Performance Tracking: AI evaluations are logged for future analytics and feedback-driven difficulty tuning.
  • ⚔️ Item Buffs & Powerups Activated: Equipped items now dynamically influence gameplay across all active Gauntlet modes and standard quizzes.
    
    • 💎 Stat-Driven Gameplay: Each equipped item contributes real-time buffs such as EXP multipliers, bonus attempts, and adaptive modifiers during quiz completion.
    • 🧩 Unified Buff System: Item bonuses now apply across Gauntlet, Standard, and Achievement quizzes for consistent player progression.
    • ⚙️ Modular Architecture: The item-bonus controller has been refactored to support future expansion — including Daily Challenges and Boss Modes.

  🧠 Version 2.6 – AI Expansion & Item Buff Integration (12 October 2025)

  • ⚔️ Item Buffs & Powerups Activated: Equipped items now dynamically influence gameplay across all active Gauntlet modes.
    
    • 💎 Stat-Driven Gameplay: Each equipped item contributes real-time buffs such as EXP multipliers, extra Gauntlet attempts, or special modifiers.
    • 🧩 Shared Engine: Buffs now persist across both Medium and Endless modes for consistent balancing and player progression.
    • ⚙️ Item Loader Refactor: The item buff controller has been modularised for future expansion — including Daily, Standard, and Boss modes.
  • 🤖 Medium Mode – AI Grading Integration: The Medium Gauntlet now runs a hybrid AI grading system identical to Endless Mode, merging fuzzy accuracy checks with intelligent conceptual evaluation.
    • 🧠 Fuzzy + AI Hybrid: Lexical fuzzy matching remains primary; if no match is found, the AI performs conceptual analysis to validate the student’s understanding.
    • 🤝 Conceptually Correct Recognition: Answers that are semantically accurate but phrased differently are now counted as correct, maintaining player streaks and XP flow.
    • 🧾 AI Feedback Logging: Each conceptual grading event includes stored feedback text (used for Jarvis explanations in future builds).
  • 🌍 Coming Soon – Global Quiz Expansion: Normal Quizzes, Daily Challenges, and Timed Trials will soon inherit the new buff, AI, and XP logic systems for full ecosystem parity.
    • 📅 Daily Challenges: Scheduled mini-quizzes using the new EXP modifiers and leaderboard hooks.
    • 💬 Standard Quizzes: AI-assisted grading and retry logic in non-Gauntlet lessons.
    • 🏹 Boss Gauntlets: Experimental prototype planned with stacking modifiers and item synergy tests.

  🧠 Version 2.5.1 – AI Grading Backup & Leaderboard Overhaul (11 October 2025)

  • 🏆 Leaderboard Visual Overhaul: The global leaderboard received a full neon-themed redesign for improved readability and prestige visibility.
    
    • 🥇 Exclusive Rank Badges: Introduced new top-three titles — XP Overlord, Master Grinder, and Elite Achiever — each featuring unique artwork and backgroundless icons.
    • 🌈 Neon UI Revamp: Modern gradient effects, glowing edges, and improved font hierarchy make the leaderboard pop across all devices.
    • 📱 Responsive Layout: Ensures rank cards and badges scale perfectly across desktop and mobile displays.
  • 🤖 AI Grading & Fuzzy Logic Integration: Reintroduced the hybrid answer-checking system that merges Fuzzy Matching accuracy with AI Embedding Validation for semantic grading.
    
    • 🧩 Two-Tier Accuracy: The system first attempts a fuzzy lexical comparison, then invokes AI evaluation only when confidence is low.
    • 📊 AI Intervention Tracking: All grading events are now logged in fuzzy_logs — tracking user ID, similarity scores, and whether AI stepped in.
    • 📈 Program Lead Dashboard Upgrade: Added a new analytics section visualizing AI Interventions, Usage Rate, and Concept Similarity for data-driven oversight.

  🧠 Version 2.5.0 – J.A.R.V.I.S. Engagement Expansion & Mobile Intelligence Update (11 October 2025)

  • 📱 Full Mobile Compatibility: J.A.R.V.I.S. and the Gauntlet interface have been completely redesigned to function seamlessly on all devices.
    
    • 📲 Adaptive Layout: Automatically resizes and reflows within small screens, maintaining clarity and usability during lessons, quizzes, and chat sessions.
    • 🧭 Floating J.A.R.V.I.S. Button: Introduced a mobile-optimized toggle for quick access without interrupting learning flow.
  • 🎯 Lesson-Aware Feedback & XP Rewards: J.A.R.V.I.S. now rewards students with Achievement Points for curiosity and engagement, promoting meaningful learning interactions.
    
    • 💬 Engagement XP: Earn up to +250 Points for thoughtful participation and +1000 Points for lesson-relevant, insightful questions.
    • 💡 Smart Duplicate Detection: Prevents students from re-asking identical questions for XP farming. Automatically identifies near-duplicates and provides guidance instead of rewards.
  • 🤝 AI Feedback Loop Introduced: Each J.A.R.V.I.S. response now includes Thumbs Up / Down rating options, allowing learners to guide future improvements and earn micro-rewards for constructive feedback.
    
    • 👍 Positive Feedback: Students gain +200 XP for approving helpful AI responses.
    • 🧩 Constructive Honesty: Downvotes also reward +200 XP for genuine evaluation — unless the message was auto-flagged as a duplicate.
    • 🛡️ Duplicate Protection: XP rewards are automatically disabled for feedback on auto-generated duplicate responses.

  ⚙️ Version 2.4.3 – Quiz Rendering & Stability Overhaul (10 October 2025)

  • 🧩 Unified Quiz Rendering Framework: Major rework of the quiz generation and display system across Standard, Endless, and Gauntlet Modes for stability, consistency, and visual polish.
    • ✅ HTML Escaping Fix: Corrected issue where HTML tags (e.g. <p>, <table>) were being interpreted instead of displayed literally.
    • 📜 Code Block Handling: Questions containing fenced code snippets now render properly using renderQuestionText() with language highlighting support.
    • 🔠 Answer Block Restoration: Resolved bug where fill-in-the-blank and short-form answers sometimes failed to appear.
    • 🧹 Duplicate Merging Fix: Prevents combined or repeated prompts when generating MCQs or dynamic quiz content.
    • ⚙️ Improved Backend Sanitisation: Ensures cleaner data flow from question generator to renderer, reducing malformed entries.
  • 🤖 J.A.R.V.I.S. Interaction Stability: Significant improvements to how J.A.R.V.I.S. synchronises with active quizzes and contextual awareness.
    • 💬 Question Highlight Sync: J.A.R.V.I.S. now correctly tracks which question is being queried, with visual feedback on active selection.
    • 🔒 Help Mode Limits: Lifelines and hint features now track usage per quiz, visually locking after activation.
    • 🎨 Refined Visual Feedback: Lock indicators and Jarvis status messages styled for clarity and alignment.
    • 🧠 Improved Context Handling: Smarter linking between lesson data, quiz topics, and hint triggers.
  • 🔍 Fuzzy Match Engine Integration: Further alignment between the rendering engine and v2.4.2’s Cognitive Fuzzy Matching System.
    • 🧮 Unified Scoring Pathway: J.A.R.V.I.S. and standard quiz logic now share a single evaluation route for improved reliability.
    • 🪄 Hint Compatibility: Fuzzy tolerance now influences contextual hint triggers for more “human” feedback.
    • 🚀 Optimised Processing: Reduced redundant API calls during adaptive question checks.
  • 💎 General Enhancements:
    • 🌐 Improved Markdown + HTML hybrid question support throughout the quiz modules.
    • 🎨 Subtle glow effects applied to highlight J.A.R.V.I.S. active states and locked lifelines.
    • 🧰 Additional error logging for API, question generation, and code block parsing.
    • 🛠️ Backend prep for v2.5 – Adaptive Difficulty Scaling & AI Memory.

  🧠 Version 2.4.2 – J.A.R.V.I.S. Cognitive Upgrade & Fuzzy Intelligence Expansion (9 October 2025)

  • 🤖 J.A.R.V.I.S. Quiz Integration Expanded: J.A.R.V.I.S. can now assist directly within Gauntlet and Standard Quizzes, offering context-aware hints, explanations, and adaptive responses tailored to each question’s topic.
    
    • 🧩 Lesson-Aware Intelligence: J.A.R.V.I.S. now analyses the current quiz topic, difficulty, and recent user attempts to deliver refined, on-topic explanations.
    • 💬 Dynamic Dialogue: Expands conversation capabilities, enabling students to query individual questions for deeper guidance or real-time debugging help.
    • ⚡ Instant Context Linking: The assistant automatically references lesson content and previous Gauntlet sessions when generating contextual answers.
    • 🎧 Immersive Synanim Responses: AI responses are now animated with enhanced Synanim rendering — introducing smoother fade-ins, typing simulation, and better scroll anchoring during long explanations.
  • 🔍 Fuzzy Match Engine Overhaul: The keyword similarity system powering J.A.R.V.I.S. and the answer evaluator has been completely rebuilt for higher accuracy.
    • 🧮 Semantic Awareness: Now compares intent and meaning, not just text — so minor typos or synonyms no longer penalise correct logic.
    • 🧠 Expanded Fuzzy Thresholds: Grading tolerance dynamically scales with difficulty and question type, making Gauntlet fairer while keeping challenge intact.
    • 🪄 Contextual Hints: If an answer is close but not quite correct, J.A.R.V.I.S. may now nudge the user with subtle guidance instead of a flat fail.
    • 🚀 Performance Boost: Optimised matching routines for up to 40% faster comparisons across large quiz batches.
  • 💎 General Enhancements:
    • 🌐 Improved parsing of Markdown and HTML hybrid questions inside the Gauntlet.
    • 🎨 Minor UI adjustments to highlight J.A.R.V.I.S. mode activations with a soft cyan glow.
    • 🛠️ Backend refactor preparing for 2.5: Adaptive Difficulty Scaling.

  ⚡ Version 2.4.1 – Syntax Sanctum & Gauntlet Balancing Update (9 October 2025)

  • 💻 Code Highlighting Arrives in the Gauntlet: The Gauntlet has finally received a full syntax awareness upgrade — every quiz mode (Easy, Medium, and Standard) now supports syntax-highlighted code directly inside questions and answers.
    
    • 🧠 Automatic Code Rendering: The system now detects `inline code` and triple-backtick code blocks (e.g. ```python```) inside question text and converts them to syntax-highlighted elements in real-time.
    • 🎨 Highlight.js Integration: Each Gauntlet mode now uses GitHub Dark syntax styling, ensuring readability and immersive, developer-friendly presentation.
    • 🧩 Full Compatibility: Works seamlessly across MCQ, input, and hybrid question types — including dynamic questions rendered from the database.
    • 🚀 Optimised Parsing: A new DOM parsing routine decodes HTML entities and converts Markdown-style syntax safely without performance loss.
  • 💎 XP & Buff System Enhancements: The Gauntlet’s backend has been overhauled to create a fairer, more dynamic reward curve.
    • ⚙️ Dynamic Buff Calculations: XP rewards are now automatically multiplied by avatar class bonuses such as gauntlet_exp, making specialised builds more impactful.
    • 🔢 Scaled Experience Gains: Every correct answer applies ladder-based XP, buffed in real time using your avatar’s modifiers.
    • 🧱 Structured Logging: Debug outputs now track each step of the XP pipeline (raw XP → buffed XP → final XP), ensuring precise balancing and transparency.
    • 🎯 Final XP Tracking: Total XP updates immediately at quiz end, enabling accurate reward feedback and smoother UI updates in popups.
  • 🎨 User Interface Refinements: Gauntlet visuals and interactivity have been fine-tuned for polish and clarity.
    • 🌑 Consistent Theme Integration: Highlight styling inherits from each mode’s background palette, maintaining immersion across difficulty tiers.
    • 💬 Clearer Question Rendering: All text blocks and code snippets scale properly on mobile and tablet layouts.
    • 💡 Optimised Readability: Adjusted padding, contrast, and typography within code blocks for dark backgrounds.
    • ⚡ Reduced Script Duplication: Highlight logic consolidated across all Gauntlet modes for maintainability.
  • 🧩 Backend & Developer Updates:
    • 🛠️ Shared Highlight Parser: A reusable highlight routine added to Gauntlet templates ensures future mode compatibility with zero code repetition.
    • 📜 Improved Template Consistency: The ui_mode_easy, ui_mode_medium, and ui_mode_default files now share unified script hooks for syntax parsing and rendering.
    • ⚙️ Logging Improvements: Gauntlet debug logs now display mode identifiers, XP multipliers, and buff data per attempt for diagnostic clarity.
    • 🧩 Forward Compatibility: Prepared for integration with upcoming “J.A.R.V.I.S. Explain Mode” visual overlays.
  • 📊 Pedagogical Impact: This patch strengthens the bridge between theory and practice, ensuring students see real-world syntax as part of every challenge.
    • 🎓 Contextual Learning: Syntax-highlighted examples reinforce correct programming form visually, promoting recognition of structure and logic.
    • 💭 Reduced Cognitive Load: Highlighted keywords and operators help students parse information faster during timed Gauntlet runs.
    • 🧠 Transferable Skills: Learners engage with authentic developer environments, aligning quizzes more closely with vocational assessment practices.
  • “The Gauntlet now speaks in colour — every function, keyword, and symbol shines as part of your mastery.”

  🧠 Version 2.4.0 – J.A.R.V.I.S. Lifeline: The Quiz Mentor Update (8 October 2025)

  • 🤖 J.A.R.V.I.S. – Lifeline Integration (ChatGPT-Powered Quiz Mentor): The long-anticipated evolution of J.A.R.V.I.S. has arrived — now embedded directly within quizzes as your AI-powered mentor. This system introduces dynamic lifelines that provide real-time, adaptive support without breaking immersion.
    
    • 💬 Smart Context Recognition: J.A.R.V.I.S. analyses the currently highlighted question to generate relevant, curriculum-aware hints and explanations.
    • 🔒 Single-Use Lifelines: Each lifeline mode can only be triggered once per quiz, creating tension, pacing, and tactical decision-making.
    • 🎯 Question Highlighting: When a question is selected, it visually pulses before a lifeline is used, confirming that J.A.R.V.I.S. is targeting the correct question.
    • 🧠 AI Responsiveness: Answers are built in real-time via ChatGPT integration, providing context-aware feedback unique to each question and topic.
  • 🧩 New Lifeline Modes: Three distinct lifelines have been deployed, each powered by J.A.R.V.I.S.’s adaptive reasoning engine.
    • 💡 Hint Mode: Provides a subtle conceptual nudge without revealing the full answer.
    • ⚖️ 50/50 Mode: Dynamically removes two incorrect options, leaving a 50% chance split between the correct and one false answer.
    • 📘 Explain Mode: Generates a short teaching response explaining the logic behind the correct solution, supporting metacognitive learning.
    • 🔐 Lock System: After use, each lifeline transforms visually into a glowing “LOCKED” indicator with a counter (e.g., 1/1 Used), making progress instantly clear.
  • 🎨 User Interface & Experience: The quiz interface has been refined for clarity, immersion, and engagement.
    • 🟦 Question Highlight Pulse: A glowing animation confirms which question J.A.R.V.I.S. is analysing.
    • 🔒 Lifeline State Transitions: Buttons now dynamically switch to a “Locked” appearance with smooth fades and opacity overlays.
    • 🎛️ Hover Tooltips: Each lifeline now features a hover description explaining its effect and remaining uses.
    • 🧠 Animated Jarvis Icon: The J.A.R.V.I.S. hologram subtly animates when processing or generating an AI response.
  • ⚙️ Backend & System Architecture: Core backend modules have been restructured to support secure lifeline tracking and adaptive AI output.
    • 🧩 Lifeline Token System: Each quiz attempt generates unique one-time-use tokens preventing exploit or refresh-based resets.
    • 🧾 Jarvis Logs: New jarvis_logs table captures AI usage, hint categories, and user response timing for analytics and balancing.
    • ⚡ AI Stream Handling: ChatGPT responses are streamed directly into the quiz container for minimal latency and smooth display.
    • 🛡️ Session Verification: Each lifeline call includes user ID, quiz ID, and CSRF validation to ensure security.
  • 📊 Pedagogical Enhancements: J.A.R.V.I.S. Lifeline isn't just an assistive feature — it’s designed to promote deeper engagement and self-correction.
    • 🎓 Guided Reflection: “Explain Mode” feedback encourages students to think through reasoning steps instead of memorising answers.
    • 🧩 Strategic Learning: The one-use-per-mode system teaches students to manage resources effectively under time pressure.
    • 💭 Adaptive Language: J.A.R.V.I.S. adjusts tone and depth based on user role (Student, Apprentice, Advanced).
  • 🧰 Developer & Admin Updates:
    • 🧾 Debug Logging: Improved lifeline usage reports accessible in admin/logs/jarvis.log.
    • ⚙️ Config Hooks: New constants in config.php control lifeline cooldowns, animation speed, and AI temperature settings.
    • 🧱 Modular JS Handling: Lifeline logic moved to quiz_jarvis.js for maintainability and event isolation.
    • 🧩 Future-Proofing: Backend schema designed to support upcoming “AI Quiz Analyzer” and “Performance Replay” modules.
  • 💡 Why It Matters: This patch represents a major milestone in the evolution of CodeKings’ gamified learning system.
    • 🧠 AI Mentorship: J.A.R.V.I.S. now acts as a live co-educator, merging quiz performance with intelligent intervention.
    • 🧩 Gamified Support: Learners must decide when to spend their limited lifelines, blending mastery with game mechanics.
    • 🚀 Foundation for v4.0: This system lays the groundwork for upcoming “J.A.R.V.I.S. Feedback Mode” and “AI Streak Coaching.”
  • “No longer a silent observer — J.A.R.V.I.S. now fights alongside you. Every hint, every choice, every victory — intelligently earned.”

  🧠 Version 2.3 – J.A.R.V.I.S. Awakens & Lesson-Aware AI Integration (7 October 2025)

  • 🤖 J.A.R.V.I.S. – CodeKings’ Intelligent Teaching Assistant: The long-awaited virtual assistant has finally gone live! J.A.R.V.I.S. (Just AI Ready to Virtually Instruct Students) now provides real-time, context-aware help directly within your lessons.
    • 🧩 Lesson-Aware Responses: J.A.R.V.I.S. automatically analyses the current lesson’s title, objectives, and content, allowing it to answer questions with full contextual awareness.
    • 💬 Natural Conversations: Includes typing animation, code-aware formatting, and markdown-style explanations for an authentic, classroom-like dialogue experience.
    • 🎨 Interactive UI: Accessible through the floating 🤖 Assistant Button — fully resizable and detachable, with a dark holographic interface and live syntax highlighting via Highlight.js.
    • ⚡ Real-Time Lesson Sync: When switching between lessons or courses, the assistant automatically updates its internal context — no reset required.
  • 🔐 Persistent Session Handling (CODEKINGSSESSID Framework): The assistant now maintains a continuous memory across pages and refreshes, allowing true conversational persistence between user and AI.
    • 🧠 Session Memory: J.A.R.V.I.S. remembers your last 5 user–assistant exchanges, keeping your chat alive as you navigate the platform.
    • 🔄 Unified Session Token: A new system-wide identifier, CODEKINGSSESSID, synchronises user sessions between Viewer, J.A.R.V.I.S., and Gauntlet modules.
    • 📡 Cross-Request Continuity: Every API call carries your session via X-Session-ID headers, ensuring data integrity even between asynchronous requests.
    • 🕓 24-Hour Retention: Session cookies are valid for up to 24 hours, with secure, Lax-mode cookie handling for safety and stability.
  • 📘 Deep Lesson Integration: J.A.R.V.I.S. now communicates directly with the CodeKings Lesson Viewer to extract meaningful content context for tailored responses.
    • 🎯 Automatic Lesson Context: When a new lesson loads, its data (title, summary, and text excerpt) is passed to the assistant automatically.
    • 🧩 Dynamic Context Injection: Enables “lesson awareness” without reloading the assistant or losing chat history.
    • ⚙️ Content Snippet Optimization: Only the first 3,000 characters of the lesson are parsed to maintain AI efficiency while preserving meaning and relevance.
  • 💾 Backend & API Improvements: The backend system has been rebuilt to handle dynamic session forwarding and contextual message caching.
    • 🧠 History Restoration: On load, J.A.R.V.I.S. reconstructs the full chat from your last session, restoring conversation continuity automatically.
    • 🔁 Persistent Storage: All chats are cached in $_SESSION['jarvis_chat'] arrays with efficient trimming logic for the last 10 messages.
    • ⚙️ Improved Logging: Debug logging now tracks session handovers and identifies continuity issues for faster troubleshooting.
    • 🔑 API Integration: The new chat_api.php endpoint supports lesson context, message memory, and system prompts for adaptive explanations.
  • 🧰 Developer Quality-of-Life Updates:
    • 📜 Highlight.js Integration: AI responses render properly formatted code snippets, preserving indentation and syntax colourisation.
    • 📎 Code Copy System: In-progress feature — will allow one-click copying of generated code snippets directly to the clipboard in the next release.
    • 🧱 Shadow DOM Safety: The entire assistant UI runs in a sandboxed Shadow DOM layer, preventing interference with lesson CSS or other site elements.
  • 💡 Why It Matters: This update represents the first step towards a fully adaptive, AI-driven teaching environment.
    • 🎓 Lesson Awareness: AI now responds based on what students are actually learning, bridging the gap between static content and dynamic teaching.
    • 🧩 Continuous Learning Context: Conversations persist even as users move between modules, creating a unified learning companion experience.
    • 🔒 Robust Foundation: The new session architecture lays the groundwork for future upgrades — including AI quizzes, voice support, and adaptive grading.
  • “He’s no longer just an interface — J.A.R.V.I.S. is now your personal mentor inside CodeKings. Every click, every lesson, every question — connected.”

  ♾️ Version 2.2 – Endless Gauntlet Mode & Golem Rework (5 October 2025)

  • ♾️ Endless Mode – Now Live: A new infinite Gauntlet mode has arrived, introducing a limitless challenge that rewards true skill and endurance. Endless Mode allows players to battle through wave after wave of questions that grow more difficult the further they go — testing not just speed, but adaptability and mastery.
    • 🧩 Unlock Requirements: Endless Mode becomes available at Level 40, requiring a one-time 5,000 XP unlock cost. Once purchased, it remains permanently available to your account.
    • 🧠 Dynamic Question Pool: Endless Mode draws from all existing Easy, Medium, and Hard Gauntlet ladders. The adaptive algorithm scales in real-time — early rounds are gentle, while later rounds test your precision and recall under pressure.
    • ⚙️ Difficulty Curve: The internal system gradually shifts question weighting as you progress:
      • ⚪ Waves 1–5: Mostly Easy mode questions for warm-up.
      • 🟡 Waves 6–15: Balanced mix of Easy and Medium.
      • 🟠 Waves 16–25: Primarily Medium with sporadic Hard spikes.
      • 🔴 Waves 26+: Predominantly Hard questions — where true endurance begins.
    • 🧮 Progression Algorithm: Correct streaks accelerate difficulty scaling; slower accuracy stabilises it. Every performance pattern influences the type and timing of questions you’ll face.
    • 💾 Data Tracking: Each run is logged to gauntlet_endless_attempts, storing: user_id, reached_question, streak, deaths, completed_at. These stats feed directly into leaderboard and unlock systems.
    • 💰 Reward Example: A player who reaches Wave 30 typically earns between 40,000–50,000 XP, depending on streak, accuracy, and bonus modifiers.
  • 🏅 New Achievement Badges: To celebrate the launch of Endless Mode, a new badge tier has been released, focusing on skill mastery, progression, and endurance.
    • 🔥 Python Syntax Master – Awarded for completing 10 advanced Python syntax challenges. Perfect your coding fundamentals under pressure.
    • ♾️ Endless Challenger – Survive 5 Endless runs reaching at least Wave 30. True endurance begins beyond the known limits.
    • ⚔️ Gauntlet Hero – Conquer Easy, Medium, and Hard Gauntlet ladders at least once. Prove dominance across all modes.
    • 🧬 Avatar Ascendant – Obtain 3 distinct avatar buffs and equip a rare weapon and skin. Embody mastery and power.
    • ⚡ Power Surge – Activate 10 power-ups successfully. Efficiency and timing mastery now rewarded.
    Each badge now appears instantly on the Profile page, triggering the new animated achievement pop-up system with icon, title, and reward glow.
  • 🪨 Skeleton Golem – Avatar Rework: The Skeleton Golem avatar has been promoted to an Endless-tier class and completely rebalanced. As one of the hardest avatars to unlock, it now grants significant progression bonuses to reflect its power and rarity.
    • 📘 +50% Quiz EXP: Gain 1.5× EXP from all quizzes, stacking with streak and lesson bonuses.
    • ⚔️ +50% Gauntlet EXP: All Gauntlet completions, including Endless runs, yield half again as much EXP.
    • 🔁 +2 Daily Gauntlet Attempts: Increased stamina pool grants two extra runs per day.

    Unlock Requirement: Complete 5 Endless runs reaching Wave 30 or higher, and hold at least 500,000 Total Achievement XP.

    These buffs make the Skeleton Golem the ultimate long-term farming avatar — ideal for players looking to accelerate their level growth and Gauntlet dominance.

    “Forged from the bones of fallen warriors, the Golem endures where others crumble — each run feeding its eternal hunger for power.”

  • 💡 Why It Matters: Endless Mode introduces a major shift in how CodeKings measures mastery:
    • 🎖️ Integrated Progression: Endless runs contribute directly to avatar unlocks and achievements.
    • 📈 Adaptive Learning: The algorithm now tailors challenge curves per player performance, ensuring continuous skill growth.
    • 👑 Elite Rewards: Endless Mode rewards outperform every other mode, making it the most efficient method of long-term progression.
    • ⚙️ Data-Driven Endurance: Stats from gauntlet_endless_attempts feed directly into the player analytics engine, enabling future leaderboards and tiered seasonal rewards.
  • “Endless Mode isn’t just a new Gauntlet — it’s the future of CodeKings progression. No checkpoints, no limits — only endurance, intellect, and evolution.”

  ✨ Version 2.1.3 – UI Clarity, Item Select & Quiz Stability (30 june 2025)

  • 🏆 Achievement Viewer Redesign: Bigger grid layout, larger icons/text, stronger neon borders, and a crisp hover zoom for instant readability. Mobile rules keep cards large without overflow.
  • 🛡️ Unlock Requirements Tooltips: Item select menus now display human-readable requirements (e.g., “5,000 XP • 10 quiz attempts • 3 Medium Gauntlets (score 7+/10)”) via Bootstrap tooltips in both the dropdown list and the selected value.
  • 🔒 Locked Item UX: Locked items clearly display a lock icon and dimmed styling; tooltips explain exactly how to unlock.
  • 🔎 Dropdown Visibility: Ensured item select menus render above the modal backdrop (z-index:1051 + dropdownParent) to prevent clipping in the editor.
  • 🖋️ Pixel-Font Crispness: Removed glow text-shadows in the Avatar Edit modal and switched to whole-pixel metrics (integer heights/line-heights). Forced sharp font rendering to eliminate the “blurry” look.
  • 🎛️ Modal Tuning: Cleaned up header/body sizing, borders, and spacing for consistent visuals across themes; kept focus outlines for accessibility.
  • 📚 Quiz Rendering Fixes: Quiz code blocks now render with proper syntax highlighting instead of plain text, improving readability for coding questions and answers.
  • ⏱️ Timer Stability: Fixed quiz timer refresh/desync issues so countdowns display consistently across all devices and prevent early cut-offs.
  • 🧽 Code Hygiene: Centralized item select menu rendering logic, added unlock-string humanizer, and reduced redundant styling so future themes inherit the fixes.

  ⚙️ Version 2.1.2 – Avatar Caching & Performance (11 June 2025)

  • ⚡ Avatar Load Optimization: Equipped weapons, shields, and skins are now cached per avatar class, drastically reducing repeated database queries.
  • 🧠 Smart Cache System: Cache is automatically refreshed whenever users update their avatar, ensuring instant rendering of new selections.
  • 🔍 Logging Support: A lightweight logging mechanism tracks cache hits, helping monitor efficiency and spot performance trends.
  • 🧹 Cleaned Requests: Duplicate avatar fetch requests were eliminated, trimming page load redundancy.
  • 💾 Memory Fixes: Minor memory leaks were resolved in avatar rendering logic, making profile pages snappier and more stable.

  🪄 Version 2.1.1 – Mage Weapons & Unlockables (1 June 2025)

  • Nevil’s Wand: A simple starter wand with modest glow effects.
    Unlock: 22,500 Total Achievement Points (🟦 Common)
  • Merlin’s Great Staff: A rare relic of ancient knowledge, infused with blue energy trails.
    Unlock: 17,500 Total Achievement Points (🟪 Rare)
  • Morgana’s Grimoire: An animated spellbook that opens mid-cast, glowing with icy magic.
    Unlock: 20,000 Total Achievement Points (🟪 Rare)
  • Book of Shadows: A sealed tome of secrets with subtle ambient runes.
    Unlock: 25,000 Total Achievement Points (🟦 Common)
  • Elder Wand: The most feared wand in magical history, emits a constant energy pulse.
    Unlock: 27,000 Total Achievement Points (🟨 Epic)
    
  • Dark Magician’s Staff: A legendary staff of raw void energy, with pulsing runes and an eerie glow.
    Unlock: 29,000 Total Achievement Points (🟥 Legendary)
  

  ⚔️ Version 2.1 – Avatar Gear Editor & Unlockable Equipment (30 May 2025)

  • 🧱 Avatar Gear Editor: Equip your avatar with unlockable weapons and shields using the new visual editor.
    • Live Gear Preview: Instantly see weapons and shields on your character in real-time 3D.
    • Filters by Type: Switch between 1H/2H weapons and shield categories with a themed dropdown UI.
    • Class Restrictions: Only compatible gear appears based on your selected avatar class.
  • 🛡️ Knight Class Gear Now Available: Unlock legendary and themed equipment using Achievement Points or challenges.
    • 🗡️ Arthurs Short Sword (Common) – To be determined
    • 🗡️ Ice – Epic 2hander (Rare) – To be determined
    • 🛡️ Shield of the Legion (Epic) – To be determined
    • 🗡️ Flaming Sword of Azeroth (Legendary) – To be determined
    • 🛡️ Aegis of the Watch (Common) – To be determined
    • 🛡️ Sentinel Prismwall (Epic) – To be determined
    • 🛡️ Infernal Aegis of Pain (Legendary) – To be determined
    • 🛡️ Ironhide Round (Common) – To be determined
    • 🛡️ Solar Disk of Ra (Epic) – To be determined
    • 🛡️ Badge of the Ancients (Rare) – To be determined
    • 🛡️ Divine Emblem of Valor (Legendary) – To be determined
    • 🗡️ Ashbringer, Blade of Retribution (Legendary) – To be determined
  • 🧙 Mage Gear Coming Soon: Expect magical staves, enchanted tomes, and arcane shields tailored to Mage avatars in the next update.
  • 🖼️ Preview:
    
    

  🧙 Version 2.0 – Avatar Buffs & Fuzz Logic Overhaul (28 May 2025)

  • 🛡️ Avatar Buff System:
    • Gauntlet EXP Buff: Bonus XP percentages like +25% or +50% are now granted based on your equipped avatar and shown in the result popup.
    • Gauntlet Attempts Buff: Additional daily attempts are granted by some avatars (e.g., +1 or +2), raising your daily cap to 4 or 5 attempts.
    • Quiz & Lesson EXP Buffs: EXP from regular quizzes and lessons is multiplied if your avatar has related buffs.
  • 🛡️ Knight
    Buffs: +500% EXP from Lessons
    Unlock: 5k EXP
  • 🧙 Mage
    Buffs: 2x EXP from Daily Quizzes
    Unlock: 15k EXP
  • 🪓 Barbarian
    Buffs: 86% Power-Up Cooldown Reduction (7 days → 1 day) & 30k EXP
    Unlock: Use 3 powerup cooldowns
  • 🗡️ Rogue
    Buffs: +1 Extra Gauntlet Attempt per Day
    Unlock: 5 easy gauntlet completions of 6/10+ & 50k EXP
  • 💀 Necromancer
    Buffs: +50% Gauntlet EXP Gain & +1 Gauntlet attempt per day
    Unlock: 10 Medium gauntlet completions with a score of 6/10+ & 100k EXP
  • 🪨 Golem
    Buffs:
    • +25% Gauntlet EXP Gain
    • +50% Quiz EXP Gain
    • +1 Extra Gauntlet Attempt per Day
    Unlock: 5 Hard gauntlet completions with a score of 7/10+ & 150k EXP
  • 📊 Dynamic Attempt Limits: Your total daily Gauntlet attempts are now calculated dynamically based on avatar buffs and displayed live during quiz load.
  • 🎯 Enhanced Gauntlet Result Popup:
    • ✅ Final score and 💎 XP earned (post-buff).
    • 🧙 Avatar Buff shown as a multiplier (e.g., 1.25x) if active.
    • 🏆 Level Up indicator when you gain a level.
  • 🔍 Smarter Fuzzy Answer Matching:
    • Allows up to 40% spelling error tolerance (Levenshtein distance).
    • Expanded synonym mapping for IT, business, English, maths, and logic vocab.
    • Stops penalizing grammar, filler words, or casing inconsistencies.
  • 🐛 Bug Fixes & Refinements:
    • Avatar buffs now persist and reflect accurately in all Gauntlet modes.
    • Only specific quiz-related localStorage keys are cleared after completion.
    • autocompelte & spellchecker disabled in medium & hard gauntlet modes to ensure previous answers are not remembered.
  • 🛠️ Coming Soon:
    • Unlockable gear sets, weapons, and animated effects based on avatar type.
    • Seasonal avatar skins and streak-based class upgrades.
    • Passive buffs tied to major milestone achievements (e.g. 50k AP).

  🧙 Version 1.9 – Avatar System & Animation Engine (26 May 2025)

  • 🧍 Interactive Avatar Viewer: Users can now view their selected character in full 3D using our new embedded Three.js avatar engine. The system supports GLB avatars with idle and combat animations, dynamic camera angles, and real-time rendering.
  • 🎞️ Animation Playback: Avatars now feature looping idle animations with randomized action animations triggered every 10 seconds. This brings characters to life and adds personality to each class.
  • 🎮 Class-Specific Characters: New RPG-style classes including Warrior, Mage, Rogue, Barbarian and Knight are now available, each with distinct appearance and animated movement. Characters unlock with achievement points.
  • 🧩 Modular Structure Ready: The avatar loader supports modular gear and outfit parts (helmets, weapons, shields), allowing for dynamic toggling and customization.
  • 🛠️ Coming Soon: Unlockable weapons, cosmetic outfits, class skins, and animated power-up auras. These will be tied to EXP, quiz streaks, and Gauntlet performance.

  🗡️ Version 1.8.5 – Quiz Timer Fixes & Theme Engine additions (25 May 2025)

  • ⏱️ Quiz Timer Logic Fixed: Timers are now session bound and will not refresh upon page refresh. Once a quiz is started, the timer beggins until submission. This fix will prevent cheating and stalling the system.
  • 💬 Unified Quiz Popups: All quiz result popups are now visually consistent across templates, including animated score displays and integrated achievement preview areas.
  • 🚫 Index Modal Persistence: Terms, Privacy, Role, and Tour modals no longer reappear after completing a quiz. Modal states persist using a mix of cookies and localStorage, synced post-login.
  • 🎨 Quiz Theme System: All quiz templates now support dynamic UI themes including:
    • 🧠 Dyslexia-Friendly Mode (larger fonts, spacing, clear Lexend sans-serif)
    • 🔮 Arcane – Mystical glow, scroll textures, and enchanted icons
    • 💻 Hacker – Green terminal look, monospaced UI and grid layout
    • 🌐 Cyberpunk – Neon effects, glassy overlays, and animated edges
    • 🛡️ Mech – Metallic UI, rugged containers, and industrial backdrops

  🛡️ Version 1.8.0 – Policy Compliance & Export Tools (23 May 2025)

  • 📄 Privacy Policy & Terms Update: Both legal documents have been revised for full GDPR alignment. Includes clear intellectual property (IP) ownership for user-generated content, a 3-month retention clause post-shutdown, and defined responsibilities for content backup.
  • 🧾 Quiz Export (CSV): Admins can now export any quiz to CSV format, including correct answers and up to three distractors per question. This feature is available directly within the quiz generator page.
  • 📘 Lesson Export to Word: When editing a lesson, you can now download it as a Microsoft Word-compatible document. This works without Composer or external libraries, using a clean HTML-to-DOC approach.

  🧭 Version 1.7.5 – Interactive Onboarding Tours (19 May 2025)

  • 🚀 New Interactive Tours: First-time users are now greeted with dynamic onboarding tours powered by Shepherd.js, walking them through key features across the platform.
  • 🎓 Learner Tour: Learners are guided through their profile, unlockable themes, power-ups, badges, and the course navigation system step-by-step.
  • 📚 Educator Tour: Educators now receive a dedicated tour through the Course Builder, Module Editor, and Lesson Creation workflows, ensuring smooth onboarding.
  • 🧪 Quiz Tools Walkthrough: Each stage of quiz creation is now tour-enabled, including quiz type selection, mode configuration, and achievement linking.
  • ⚔️ Gauntlet Tour: A separate walkthrough is available for Gauntlet quiz creation, covering AI question generation, manual input, and launch behavior.
  • 🔒 Tour-Safe Lockdown: Clickable actions like submitting or launching quizzes are safely disabled during tours to prevent interference.
  • 🌐 Quickstart Integration: All tours end by redirecting users to the Quickstart Guide, with the option to retake any tour from the site footer.

  📈 Version 1.7.4 – Live Analytics & Real-Time Filtering (19 May 2025)

  • ⚡ Live Analytics Refresh: Quiz results and student progress panels now auto-update in real time using AJAX, eliminating the need for page reloads.
  • 🎯 Enhanced Filters: Results now accurately filter by Program, Course, Module, and Quiz, ensuring only relevant data is shown.
  • 📊 New Chart: Added a bar chart to visualize scores per student for the selected quiz, improving data clarity at a glance.
  • 🔍 Dropdown Quiz Selector: Introduced a dropdown menu to select a specific quiz, dynamically updating both data tables and graphs.
  • 🔁 Chart Reinitialization: All Chart.js graphs are now fully reloaded after data updates to maintain accurate visuals.
  • 🔧 Backend Stability: Optimized SQL queries and removed outdated joins to boost load performance and accuracy.

  🏅 Version 1.7.3 – Badge Showcase, Lesson Completion XP & Leaderboard Upgrades (17 May 2025)

  • 📚 Lesson Completion Tracking: Reintroduced lesson progress detection in the course viewer. Learners now earn +100 EXP after scrolling to the bottom and staying for 10 seconds.
  • 🚫 Sequential Unlocking: Lessons are now soft-locked until the previous one is marked as complete, enforcing a linear progression path.
  • 🎉 EXP Popup: Animated toast popup now confirms lesson completion and EXP gain in real time.
  • 🎖️ Badge Showcase System: Learners can now select up to 6 earned badges to publicly display, with one highlighted as their featured badge.
  • 🧱 Showcase Layout: Switched from pyramid format to “1 Large + 4 Small” layout for a cleaner, more readable display.
  • 📥 Persistent Order Save: Showcase selections now retain exact order using hidden inputs and save reliably across sessions.
  • 📊 Leaderboard Enhancements: Added dynamic filtering to the program leaderboard — users can now sort by:
    • 🏆 Best Quiz Score (for selected quiz)
    • ⭐ EXP (Total Achievement Points)
    • 🎖️ Number of Badges Unlocked
  • 🔧 Backend Improvements: Resolved deletion errors related to foreign key constraints and ensured clean removal of related user data.
  • 🐛 Image Path Fixes: Fixed badge path issues in widgets by converting them to root-relative URLs, restoring missing images.

  🔢 Version 1.7.2 – Daily Bonus Modifiers & Quiz XP Balancing (16 May 2025)

  • 💥 Daily Bonus Modifiers: Introduced global EXP boost modifiers active on specific days of the week to encourage consistent learner engagement with varied quiz types.
  • ⚖️ Quiz XP Balancing: Removed gauntlet-specific EXP boosts to balance rewards across normal and daily quizzes, preventing excessive gauntlet grinding.
  • 🔧 Improved Modifier Logic: Quiz EXP calculations now dynamically apply active global modifiers based on quiz type and day of the week.

  🔢 Version 1.7.1 – Course-Based Filtering & Smart Answer Logic (15 May 2025)

  • 🆕 Expanded Question Types: Multiple Choice, Short Text, and Fill-in-the-Blank now fully supported in regular quizzes, with type-select during creation.
  • 🎯 FuzziMatch™ Logic: Added a fuzzy matching algorithm for Short Text and Fill-in-the-Blank answers to allow for SPAG tollerance and terminology interchange..
  • 📘 Course-Based Filtering: Quiz builder and question editor now filter by specific course instead of institution to improve clarity and reduce clutter.

  🔢 Version 1.7.0 – System-Wide Question Type Overhaul (4–9 May 2025)

  • 🆕 New Question Types: Multiple Choice, Short Text, and Fill-in-the-Blank now supported platform-wide.
  • 🤖 AI Quiz Generator 2.0: Quiz builder now supports topic-based generation with preview & manual save before insert.
  • 📂 Quiz Templates: Improved support for quiz generation from templates with score multipliers and mode toggles.

  🔢 Version 1.6.3 – Theme & Security Enhancements (14 May 2025)

  • 🎨 Free Theme Unlock: Cyberpunk, Hacker, and Mech themes now unlock automatically for Admins, Superadmins, and Program Leads.
  • 🔐 Password Prompt: New popup on profile page prompts users to change default passwords. Triggers once using DB flag.
  • 🐞 Fixes: Resolved $userData undefined error due to SQL field omission. RoleId now included in queries when needed.

  🔢 Version 1.6.2 – Quiz Restrictions & Date Unlocks (13 May 2025)

  • 🏆 Leaderboard Cleanup: Admins, Superadmins, and Program Leads are now excluded from all leaderboard views to ensure accurate student ranking.
  • 🛡️ Staff Restriction: Quiz and Gauntlet result inserts now blocked for Admins, Superadmins, and Program Leads at DB level.
  • 📅 Lesson Unlock by Date: Lessons can now be configured to unlock on specific dates. Frontend respects timing automatically.

  🔢 Version 1.6.1 – Gauntlet System Expansion (10–12 May 2025)

  • ⚔️ Gauntlet Mode Live: Easy and Medium difficulties released, each with their own question ladder and UI system.
  • ⏱️ Timed Questions: Question timers vary by difficulty (Easy: 20s, Medium: 15s).
  • 📈 Leaderboard Launched: Daily, weekly, monthly, and all-time scoreboards by mode.
  • 🎉 Medieval Win Messages: Dynamic win flavor-text added for each Gauntlet ladder tier.

  🔢 Version 1.5.0 – Avatar, Course Builder & Theme Systems (April 2025)

  • 🧍 Ready Player Me Integration: Avatar system launched with cosmetic unlocks tied to achievements.
  • 📚 Course Builder Live: Multi-step module creation system allows lesson structuring and module dependencies.
  • 🎮 Achievement Points System: All quizzes now contribute EXP and points toward unlockables and cosmetics.
  • 🎨 Theme System Added: Themes like Cyberpunk, Hacker, and Mech introduced with unlock milestones.
  • 💡 Dynamic Notification Dropdown: Profile notifications can now be previewed live in a dropdown from the navbar.

  🔢 Version 1.4.0 – Quiz & Analytics Enhancements (April 2025)

  • 📊 Admin Analytics: New analytics page added for tracking lesson progress, quiz stats, and performance trends.
  • ⚙️ Quiz Builder: Fully modular question builder with live editing, CSV export, and admin filters added.
  • 🎯 Achievement Popup: Retro-styled animated popup appears upon unlocking an achievement mid-quiz.

  🧪 In Development

  • 🎮 Gauntlet 1v1 Multiplayer: PvP Gauntlet mode where players duel in real-time is currently in the works.
  • 🛍️ Theme Shop: Achievement-based theme marketplace will allow users to unlock profile layouts.
  • 📅 Timed Module Releases: Modules will soon support timed unlocking per institution or course.

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  Maintained by the CodeKings Dev Team — Building gamified education, one patch at a time ⚙️