Our first post-Steam update! Below you'll find a fairly hefty changelog considering it's only a minor version increment, but there's no new content--instead I wanted to get a lot of little feature requests and tweaks out of the way as soon as possible before moving on to bigger things. Beta 3.1 brings us Steam Cloud support, ALERT messages you can't miss, and
all maps accessible from
any difficulty level...
Cogmind Beta 3.1 "In the Cloud" (0.10.171111) changelog:* NEW: [Steam] Steam Cloud support* NEW: ALERT log messages also appear over the map at the top left (adjustable via advanced.cfg: mapAlertDuration)* NEW: Most ALERT log messages/announcements accompanied by a sound effect for emphasis
* NEW: Triggering High Security is accompanied by a special sound effect
* NEW: Message/combat logs prefix lines with turn numbers in Tactical HUD mode (toggle via advanced.cfg: disableMessageLogTurnNumbers)* NEW: noFluffLogMessages option to never show purely atmospheric log messages related to some robot actions (toggle via advanced.cfg)
* NEW: Ctrl-RMB on walls/doors for their stats (if a info window already open, simple RMB works too)* NEW: Custom cursor support (see manual under Advanced UI)
* NEW: Descriptions for all 49 advanced.cfg-only options added to manual under Advanced UI* NEW: WORKMAN keyboard layout file
* NEW: Partial keyboard layout files for QWERTZ, ABNT2, UK
* NEW: Numpad Enter also closes context help, advances transmission text, and works on game over screen to restart
* NEW: Tutorial message explicitly indicates purpose of matter on first acquiring it (same as item description)
* NEW: Several situational tutorial messages regarding energy management
* NEW: Weapon penetration stat context help explicitly mentions that Huge robots count as a single object
* NEW: "Inventory Autosorting" in options menu toggles automatic type-sorting of inventory items (equivalent to 't')* NEW: Attached part relative coverage visualization also shows specific values in Tactical HUD mode
* NEW: All Alpha supporter names registered since Beta 3 added to in-game list (see Credits menu)
* NEW: All Alpha item-attribution names registered since Beta 3 added to the item collection gallery
* MOD: All maps accessible in all difficulty levels (most challenging areas no longer blocked off in easier modes)* MOD: Structural Scanner no longer required to get explosion data in machine info (but still required to know if such a machine has been destabilized)* MOD: Structural Scanner effect description explicitly states that it <stacks>
* MOD: All keyboard map-shifting commands now jump the map by default (single-space shifting no longer possible)* MOD: Shift modifier no longer required for keyboard mode to shift map view (Alt-only), except for vi-keys* MOD: vi-keys no longer need Shift or Alt modifier in dedicated mapshift mode (`), simply hjklyubn will do :)* MOD: /user/cogmind.cfg split into three files: system.cfg, options.cfg, advanced.cfg* MOD: "Show Part Range" and "Invert Map Pan" removed from options menu (now in advanced.cfg)
* MOD: advanced.cfg autoSortInventory renamed to matchSortInventory
* MOD: Lowered integrity of all Coolant Injectors* MOD: Slightly nerfed Mak. Salvage Targeting Computer
* MOD: Tread crushing effect description includes explicit notice of max core integrity to be crushable (50)
* MOD: Removed critical hit stat context help mention of effect on machines, large doors, and barriers (no longer applicable)
* MOD: Walls/doors destroyed by launchers cause alert increase as with other weapons* MOD: Experimental/pre-release builds no longer warn about version number not matching server records
* MOD: Scan window uses a much quicker, quieter sound to prevent overlap when hovering cursor across groups of items* MOD: Text printing/scrolling sfx replaced by a more subtle version with lower pitch and volume* MOD: Doubled matter extraction rate of all Field Recycling Units* MOD: Save file naming scheme changed to reflect internal save version, and extension changed to .sav* MOD: Tunneling hack more useful* MOD: Resource containers no longer have a LOAD setting (since the desired behavior is now automatic anyway)* MOD: Integrity-wise sorting of inventory now orders by absolute integrity rather than percent remaining
* FIX: Attaching Core Expander from inventory via any means of direct swapping would crash game on subsequent key press [russomatroso]
* FIX: 0b10 Decoder Chip [G/L] crashed on attempting to reveal an item outside FOV dropped on a chip-discovered trap [Darg]
* FIX: Manual referenced older damage modifier for critical strikes against armor (is 20%, not 25%) [zxc]
* FIX: Clicking 'X' button to close robot manual hacking window with code list open didn't also close the latter, and would later crash the UI [Valguris]
* FIX: Potential to crash in the combat log if a certain sequence of messages quickly appeared under rare conditions [LordKee]
* FIX: Using a Reconstructor while affected by a Stasis Beam to move outside the beam range would maintain the hold as long as no new obstructions [DDarkRay]
* FIX: Unidentified prototypes in inventory indirectly revealed coverage and integrity values through respective visualization modes [DDarkRay]
* FIX: Saving files would silently fail if player manually deleted the target directories [The Renderer]
* FIX: Ctrl-CMB to toggle volley range visualization not working under some conditions [Uninstall Wizard]
* FIX: On some Linux/Wine setups online News update feature might occasionally have a trailing 0 causing repeat news content to flash as if new [Joshua]
* FIX: Typo in lore [zill]
* FIX: Unidentified prototype resource containers held in inventory could still indirectly collect and store energy/matter
* FIX: With non-green console border colors, the first item comparison in the gallery would still have two inside corners appear green
* FIX: Removed critical strike stat context help mention of props being destroyable by crits
Cloud SavesBeta 3.1's main attraction is compatibility with Steam Cloud, allowing anyone playing through Steam to preserve their settings, save file, and metadata across multiple machines, automagically.
This required the somewhat altered config system I
talked about a couple weeks ago. As such, there are two important steps to follow if you're going to take advantage of the cloud support:
- Your settings will only be migrated properly if you update to this version, Beta 3.1, so do that first.
- Also if you've played Cogmind before, be sure to start playing on the machine with the settings and data that you want to keep! Just running it once should be enough, and then you can use either/any machine.
Note that
3.0 saves are compatible with 3.1, so you can update immediately, even in the middle of an ongoing run, and just keep going.
Know that this won't always be the case in the future--major versions and any updates that add new content do break save compatibility. That said, beginning with this release Cogmind stores saves under a new filename that reflects its internal save version, and what I plan to do is leave prior versions of Cogmind available as separate branches on Steam, so even if you do update (perhaps by accident), you'll still be able to rollback your install and play an unfinished run on a previous version if you like.
DifficultyDifficulty hasn't been significantly altered with this update, though do be careful with those explosives. They're lifesavers in a lot of situations, but now they also piss off the Complex more than they used to. Each wall and door destroyed by non-AOE weapons has always raised alert by a small amount, but explosives were exempt from that rule until now. Obviously collateral damage with AOE weapons is much more likely, so the consequences are now more in line with their power.
A few items were nerfed, the only really notable category being Coolant Injectors, which have always been pretty OP since they were introduced--now they might not last you forever :P
I buffed the secret hack that everyone loves to hate. Now you'll probably want to use it a lot more often if you're planning a specific route through the world.
The biggest change to difficulty comes outside the default Roguelike mode, since there are no longer any limits on where Easier and Easiest mode players can visit. This is the way it was early on when I first implemented these modes, but the active community was much smaller then and almost no one was really playing the easier modes anyway, so there was a stronger cry to gate the most secret lore behind the regular difficulty. Now it's all open again :)
Beware though, the other half of the reason I thought it was a good idea to close off some maps was that they are disproportionately challenging even on the easiest mode! Cogmind's world was balanced for the default difficulty, so on the easier modes it's possible to wander into what are still very deadly areas. But hey, at least it's definitely easier than what you'd face on the regular mode, and it gives you access to all the lore.
(Currently fewer than 10% of players are using either of the easier modes.)
AccessibilityAs described
last weekend, Cogmind now supports custom cursors. The manual shows how to do it--it's super easy. While I fixed most of the odd behaviors caused by enabling optional software-rendered cursors that Cogmind didn't originally account for in its architectural decisions accumulated over the past
four years (:P), there could be some undiscovered issues if I missed any UI combinations during testing. Let me know if you end up using a custom cursor and find anything fishy.
3.1 also includes more keyboard layouts, which I tried to support to the best of the ability of the system. The thread for how to use those is
here.
Feature ImagesA collection of demos from this release...
Optional automated inventory sorting:
On-map popups for important ALERT log messages:
Numbered log lines:
Example 2:
Explosive machine details are now freely available (without Structural Scanner):
Ctrl-RMB on a wall or door to inspect it for armor and resistance info (or just RMB if window already open):
Coverage visualization includes precise numbers:
[Non-serious] custom cursor in action!
Further differentiated config files:
Ctrl-CMB also toggles volley range visualization:
