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I would appreciate the ability to always have a consistent way to checking the distance to a target cell, even with only active melee weapons.  The volley window seems like an okay place of doing it, or the scan window if it would fit.  Seem worthy of a toggle-able setting.

Hey, old topic, but was just thinking about the potential music and noticed it was an upcoming feature too.

Seems like you're probably going with the local ambient drone-ish approach?  I think that would be a good way to go; it would round out the sound atmosphere, but not get stale with many or long play-throughs, and contribute to and keep one engaged with the game's sound based info, rather than covering it up.

Also, in that vein, had to mention these albums, which are almost eerily on point for cogmind's ambient atmosphere:
https://karlrecords.bandcamp.com/album/organism
https://karlrecords.bandcamp.com/album/organism-evolution

Artists:
https://noise.poryahatami.com/
https://arovane.bandcamp.com/

Cheers

I believe the first sentence of this section

* itemLabelRelativeRatingCutoff: When mass labeling map items, skip those with an effective rating of at least the current map level minus this value. "Effective Rating" equals rating, +1 for prototypes. "Map level" assumes -10/Materials is level 1, and increases with each change in depth. For example, a value of 2 will only label items with a rating that at least matches two floors down, or better (e.g. at -5/Factory it will not label items with ratings from below -7/Factory). This setting does not affect non-attachable items, which are always labeled. And note that item labels ignore all filters if mass labeling within 5 seconds of the previous mass labeling.

Should read either
"When mass labeling map items, skip those without an effective rating of at least the current map level minus this value."
or
"When mass labeling map items, skip those with an effective rating of less than the current map level minus this value."

Yeah, I knew about exporting... it's just clunky, not fun to do, and completely breaks the immersion of the game.  A robot can't search through its own archives?  And then you literally have to leave the game, find a file on your disk, and open it in another program to look anything up in your lore?

It seems odd to me you'd want to leave it that way given that the lore is hugely important to how the game is played, you regularly recommend users re-read it more carefully, and the in game lore system is basically unusable currently.
It seems immersion is also a high priority with the rest of the game, with even the manual and achievements being fully browseable and sortable in game.

Yeah I've considered it, but only for a split second because one thing leads to another--there would be more related requests

I would guess there would likely be fewer requests for clarifications around the lore and lore system if it were usable in game.

Spent a lot of time trying to find specific pieces of lore in my collection and realized it is really time consuming and difficult to do.

A simple search box at the top of the lore collection or something would make it immeasurably more useful and immersive, imho.

Ok, cool. To clarify, enemies transfer heat to cogmind the same as cogmind does to them when wielding the same weapon?

I've noticed and seen discussed on discord that the heat transfer to cogmind from weapons when enemies are wielding them is far less than the listed heat transfer stat.  Trying to figure out what the actual data is, to evaluate carrying improved heat shield.  I've gone through the manual, all the weapon and status menu tool tips, and asked around on discord at the moment, but can't find an answer.  Thx, and apologies if I'm missing anything obvious.

Ha, good to know it's random , I just assumed it was the top item because that that's what dropped.  Not important to what I was trying to communicate.

And sorry, yeah, it is confusing.  I'll try to explain my thoughts more clearly using a simpler case:

One is holding a single medium storage unity, full utility slots, and 5 non-storage items in Inventory.  If one were to un-attach the storage unit, inventory would be full, so the unit is dropped, and one more item would also be dropped (at random) to bring inventory down to 4.

However, if one attempts to swap out the storage unit for an item from inventory, even though inventory is full and the storage unit should not fit, it is added bringing inventory over capacity, and then one item is dropped at random to bring inventory down to 4.  This is inconsistent with how item management rules are applied any other time an action would try to place an item in a full inventory.

When stationary and movement energy values are the same, the tactical hub only displays one number and loses addition info on battery reserves.  It seems like it switches to non tactical info and drops all the extra stuff.  Images attached showing some states.  Display not fixed by moving.

I'm not sure if heat acts the same way.

Situation: I had a storage unit equipped and my current inventory was one over what I would be able to hold once I un-equipped it.  Based on the auto-replace rules, I figured if I swapped a different utility in for the storage unit, my inventory would be unable to hold the storage unit and it would be compared to inventory/dropped, as detaching with a full inventory normally does.

However, the storage unit was kept and the top unit of inventory was dropped (a Power source, as that's what goes to the top of an auto-sorted inventory).

For this to happen, I think the inventory is at some point accepting a storage unit that it does not have room for: instead of rejecting the unit (or replacing a lesser storage unit), it accepts it and goes over capacity, then, seeing that it is now over capacity, it ejects the top item.

Yep, on the same page.  The data strips are great once I've gotten used to switching them around for all the info 

Thanks, I appreciate the more detailed explanation.

In this particular case I think a better approach would be to simply remove weapon targeting info while in look mode, and only show that while in the actual dedicated targeting mode. Are you using the mouse?

Yeah, I like the idea of this kind of implementation, since the dedicated fire/targeting mode already exists.  It does still seems like having the targeting info when actually on a bot would be good, though.

And no, I've been going all keyboard since I've mostly gotten the hang of the controls.  Has happened frequently that I see a weapon, go into look-mode and move the 'cursor' straight there to pull up info on the weapon, then realize I moved over a bot on the way, and now can't compare the weapon to what I have equipped at a glance.  That behavior is what actually spurred me to bring this up.

Perhaps at the very least if one is getting info on a weapon/item, switch one's held-weapon display back to default info, for comparison, while the info window is open?

Yes, so because of that behavior, the per weapon accuracy section is often providing information about something other than what's in the scan window.  It seems like having the scan window and weapons section always reference the same thing would make a lot more sense.

Additionally, showing the per weapon target info in this case covers up useful game info, making it annoying to use Look mode to check weapons on the ground against equipped, since equipped weapon info becomes hidden and can't be shown again without exiting and re-entering Look-mode.

both the scan window and weapon accuracy values retain the last applicable values for whatever you've most recently pointed at

If they both had this same behavior they would never be showing info for different things, right?  Currently, scan window updates to whatever you've most recently pointed at, weapons stay showing hit % for last bot, even if one then goes and selects a terminal or something and that is in the scan window.

Another minor thing, more a polish issue than a bug.

When in Look mode, if one selects/passes over a bot, the scan-box and one's equipped weapons show hit info; if one then selects and gets info on a non-bot item, the scan-box updates, but one's weapons stay stuck with the hit info until leaving Look mode.

Just hides one's weapon info for comparing, and makes it seems like something is targeted to fire when nothing is.

When in Fire mode, the green/red target line appears; if one then selects a potential target and hits d for info, then up/down to select a piece of that info, the target line moves to point at the item in the info box, instead of remaining on the targeted bot. 

Not a big 'bug', but seems like a little polish issue, if you care about having that sort of thing noted.

Playing Cogmind, I've been getting little, pleasant flashbacks to an old favorite board game: RoboRally https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/18/roborally .

I just read Joshua's Hammerbot post:  https://www.gridsagegames.com/forums/index.php?topic=1080.0 , and I had to make the connection, because one of the original bot's in RoboRally is Hammerbot!

Super different game, but with lots of fun similarities: rogue bots attempting to escape or fight through their factory/complex, aiming for somewhat randomized level design and goals, modular part-based upgrades, damage/corruption randomizing moves.  Thought I'd see if anyone else had played RoboRally, or made the association

Yeah, the only reason I mentioned dropping (/detaching) an item is because it's the only action short enough to do without ending one's turn.  So if on ending one's turn a bot will do something you "can't" allow, waiting or swapping are both non-options, you have to take the shot, but potentially you could drop an item before taking the shot for increased accuracy if you'd just been moving.

Nice.  I would also humbly recommend removing the "surplus" wording, saying "current heat level" or "current stored heat" or something.

Cool, thanks.  It's description says it generates energy *from* surplus heat, so I assumed it converted too.

Small question (also, not sure if there is a better place to post little questions), but I can't figure out what the Thermal Generator does.  Does it only kick on at a certain heat level? is there a max amount of heat it will dissipate a turn? Does it work if energy is full?

Trying out a heat dissipation, thermal gun build atm, but the thermal generator is a wild card (and a heavy one), which I'm not sure how to factor in.

Thx

Question about the hit chance calculation, while there's a relevant thread:  do the "+10% if attacker didn't move for the last 2 actions" style adjustments mean literal actions (vs turns)?  And does a whole volley count as one action, or each shot in the volley?

Depending on the above, if one just moved and needs to hit something that turn (fleeing informer at the edge of range e.g.) and has the time left in the turn, it could be worth dropping an item for a 10% aim boost to a volley one is about to fire, I think.

Heh, just used this and yeah it works well! (My own go-to is still Deus Ex every time, it's essentially become my "Cogmind OST" at this point )

Noice

I'll have to check out some of the recommendations here when I have a bit to get into it.

Edit:  Just stopping by to report the Eve Soundtrack is a pretty good fit.  Long playlist with a mostly good aesthetic and pacing for the game

[ x ] survives way too long
[ x ] epic comebacks
[ x ] unabashed nudity
[ x ] kicking shit around
[ x ] imprinted while just trying to learn controls
[ x ] copious friendly fire
[ x ] run-ending bug report
[ x ] 23 achievements and no death
[ x ] supports reforming the time-action system

You sir have had a fine first run and have been invited into the Amphouse School of Mayhem and Wheelery.

Cheers!