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Messages - biomatter

Pages: [1] 2 3 ... 7
1
General Discussion / Re: Thoughts from a new player
« on: June 02, 2016, 08:08:11 AM »
I'm sure you guys already have, but I also strongly recommend reading the manual. It's a spoiler-free gold mine of intel because it mostly deals with game mechanics rather than the world.

2
I mean, like, I was 99% certain... but it wasn't in the manual. I dunno. I had a brain fart when I came back and just wanted to make you aware it wasn't in the manual.

3
Major question: Yeah, you basically have it figured out. You only evolve when you both go up a level AND hit the main complex (Materials, Factory, Research, Access).

Minor 1: You can't use the God Mode code yet. You'll be able to use it when Warlord's branch is implemented though, sometime in the next version or two. The Recycling code is permanent, unlike most other codes you come by, so you can use it in future runs.

Minor 2: Good question.

While we're here, I have a question of my own. It's really dumb, but... Corruption refreshes back to 0% every time you level up, yes? I am 99% sure this is how it works, but it's not in the manual lol. I dunno, maybe it deserves a line in there somewhere.

4
General Discussion / Re: Alpha 8 Discussions [SPOILER VERSION]
« on: May 30, 2016, 05:11:09 PM »
Just chiming in that I am also ok with how the weight system works currently. I've been running mostly with legs and treads lately, and it's very easy to tell when I'm underweight, overweight x1, x2, etc, and what the penalty for each level is.

5
General Discussion / Re: What do you find fun about Cogmind?
« on: May 29, 2016, 06:05:23 AM »
I struggle for the lore. I will agree that the game can seem terrifying at times, but once you get decent (and it takes a really long time to get there) you start to develop nerves of steel. When you begin to know what you need to happen, it will happen. I do this all to learn more about the game - that is my end-goal.

6
General Discussion / Re: Alpha 8 Discussions [SPOILER VERSION]
« on: May 29, 2016, 05:57:24 AM »
Speaking of animations, the Data Miner level is beautiful. It's so awesome seeing that subtle pulse. Fluff-wise, you could have used that a million other places - power conduits, other data links, etc - but you didn't, and that makes it all the more memorable when you first see it. Less is more! It's so good :D

7
General Discussion / Re: Alpha 8 Discussions [SPOILER VERSION]
« on: May 28, 2016, 10:22:21 AM »
Yay, I made it to the Data Miner myself! I'm happy, 'cause this was my first try back at stealth running in like, a year. I've been showing this game to a friend, and although they have slowly been gaining competence at combat running, I wanted to show them that there are other options out there. If only all my runs could divine so much knowledge, haha.

I've already transcripted everything from Data Miner to the wiki. A few things are unclear to me though, and will require me to try a few times... or just ask you guys lol. Are the schematics terminals randomized? I mean, if they are, they probably have some reasonable bounds, but I'm not sure if they are static. Also, what happens when you fail to kill the Data Miner? I had read a little about him in this thread and so I had a go at him, and my Ripper downed him in one hit. After escaping past those damnable Enhanced Grunts, I took a breather. My mind will be blown if I really just got the location of every staircase henceforth.

You mentioned that Lower Caves connect to both the lower Factory floors. Does this mean I can hit, say, Zion from Factory -7, and then Data Miner from -6? And that in a future run, it might be reversed?

Also, there are two Research branches, right? I think Testing and Quarantine, though in retrospect I can't find hard data on Quarantine. Do they exist / can be accessed?

I need data on Zhirov, Perun, and Svarog, too... I mean, I need someone to try hitting them and telling me what happens, haha. Adv. Scans of them would be neat, too. I want to know what Zhirov is holding... Oh, also, Zhirov's logs point to a Hidden Lab off of Armory - do we know what this is?

I only play a little every day, so it might be another few days or so before I come across noteworthy information, but I'll do a write-up on how I interpret everything so far like you did, Sherlockkat. I guess my next stop should be Archives. Sounds like an interesting place :D What's in Hub_04(d)?

8
General Discussion / Re: Alpha 8 Discussion/Feedback (spoiler-free)
« on: May 28, 2016, 03:10:03 AM »
Thanks for the tip about Archives, Sherlockkat! Last time I played the game there were, like, no branches, haha... I have no idea how to get around anymore. I have seen Extension once, though. I will endeavor to make it back there.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

And yeah, Kyzrati is right, I have been putting in major work on the Lore section of the wiki. Just a few minutes ago I finished uploading everything from
Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Edit: Oops, just noticed this is specifically a 'spoiler-free' thread, and there is a more interesting spoilery one right next door. If I need to axe any of this post please let me know!

9
General Discussion / Re: Alpha 8 Discussion/Feedback (spoiler-free)
« on: May 28, 2016, 12:12:31 AM »
Oh man. I am so envious Sherlockkat. Congrats on an awesome run!

Very clever use of drones! I'll have to keep that in mind. Do you manually move them around, or do you just set them to explore? I've tried using 'explore', but they really don't seem to make intelligent choices... They double back into firefights all the time. I'd like to be more controlling of them, but it's a real pain ordering them around every step.

Where do you get all your hackware? Do you just spend time picking apart Operators on Materials, or what? I need to learn from you!

Oh, and this piques my curiosity - you referred to your cogmind as a 'LRC-V3'. This touches on my specialty, the lore. Why do you call it this? Very curious. I need to know if you know something I do not :D

10
Competitions / Re: Alpha Challenge 2015 (September 8-22)
« on: September 30, 2015, 12:42:55 PM »
What about those stealth/speed wins you did? I imagine you didn't lose many parts with that approach. Watchers are an endless supply of good utilities for that sort of build, and the only other critical items are flight units.
You're right, I didn't lose as many parts that way, but as a cruel twist the parts I did have became more valuable. I think I mentioned this in some of my older posts, but I got to the point where literally the only parts I cared about were prototype flight units and vision enhancements. 'Shedding' other parts just became a hollow-feeling 'well at least I didn't lose my eyes'. Maybe the game has changed enough to where I would need to be more well-rounded, but IMO that's all you need - scanners and ECM are just icing, but not the substance to my playstyle. I guess you could say my strategy was born around giving myself as little to stress over as possible.

There is a hardcore shard in me that also doesn't quite respect the speed/stealth victory. As Kyzrati has said, it's kind of the game's easy-mode. Winning in combat became my holy grail, but unlike you I did not make it through the brick wall :P

Maybe you could reconsider once we hit 1.0 and the game will offer a greater variety of experiences with the vast expansion of the world and completion of the lore, though I wouldn't want you to, for example, feel obligated to then tackle the high-difficulty endings (you might not survive, let alone Cogmind :P)
I don't think I can part with Cogmind forever, don't you worry! At the very least, it has a unique aesthetic and setting that I absolutely adore. My higher-level thoughts tell me that this is supposed to be a more arcade-y roguelike and I shouldn't stress over an individual run so much, but I never really found a way to make that click, haha. I will be back for more when the game is (closer to) finished! Perhaps then I won't feel so pressured to achieve because I'm sure there will be at least several 'Ancients' who have mastered the game :)

GEEZ you guys are keeping me rambling! For reals though, thank you guys so much for understanding. I know this all seems silly... but it means a lot to me. Thank you all, and good luck zxc, and especially you Kyzrati.

PEACE

11
Competitions / Re: Alpha Challenge 2015 (September 8-22)
« on: September 28, 2015, 07:35:15 PM »
Heh. Thank you for the kind words. Frankly, I'm not sure if I'll ever be back - I think the game just stresses me out too much!

I know that sounds dumb and it absolutely is a character flaw, but I lost my mind getting those first two wins, haha. Uh, Kyzrati can attest to that fact... Part loss just kills me inside and makes me feel helpless. In no other roguelike is managing inventory so life-sustaining and important (and this is an interesting thing, not a bad thing). I just take it too personally for some dumb reason.

When I first started I really wanted to compete hard with everyone, but it ended up consuming my time and mental health trying to stay ahead. I am in college now and just can't afford to get back into that state. I am glad I did not pit myself against you, zxc, haha! Gosh. I would've been miserable. I read a few of your threads and you seem to have a much better grasp of the game. Kudos on that.

I just dipped into the forums to congratulate the winners. Cogmind is an absolutely amazing roguelike but I am not sure anymore if it is for me.

Hey now, I just thought of something - if you want to do me a favor... Keep working on the wiki! So little work has been done on it since our initial burst. For example, nobody has updated the Lore page since I put in a ton of work in June! This is absolutely criminal and must be rectified immediately. Since the tourney is over surely someone can afford to spend a run or two adding to this, eh? Heh.

12
Competitions / Re: Alpha Challenge 2015 (September 8-22)
« on: September 28, 2015, 04:39:22 AM »
Congratulations to everyone that participated, and especially to zxc and his absolutely insane 30k+ scoring run! You achieved my dream, man.

13
Competitions / Re: Weekly Seed #1 [Alpha 1b] [Seed: WeeklySeedRuns]
« on: July 14, 2015, 03:13:44 PM »
I made the same mistake Phuket - I also ended up in the Mines. There was no real indication it was a Mine entrance :( I was lucky enough to find the stairs, though... I died in Storage though >_<

15
Ideas / Re: Comparison View - a second data window
« on: July 10, 2015, 09:00:46 AM »
I was just sitting there giving my fingers a break and my mind wandered back here, and I realized that those were probably meaningless numbers pulled off the top of your head. I raced back, hoping I could edit my post in time, but alas-

You were right, I was confused about which item's stats were being displayed in the outset thingy. In response to your most recent post: I see the issue you are dealing with re: coloring. For example, the green highlights should indicate a better stat, but it's for the current viewing item, so when the comparison numbers are lower it turns green, which is not counter-intuitive but is certainly confusing. Yeesh... I don't know how to handle that.

16
Ideas / Re: Comparison View - a second data window
« on: July 10, 2015, 05:39:40 AM »
Wait a second - I'm doing a double-take here, I just woke up so maybe I'm a little loopy but that info box is weird all of a sudden.

First, I think I would prefer if the stats were listed in the outset, as opposed to simply showing the difference. Maybe I'm just being exceptionally dumb, but I would prefer not to have to do (even simple) math to figure out what the second item's stats are. Ex:, your second item has a rating of 9, so why not just show a 9 highlighted in green? Just use the highlighting to indicate more or less. I dunno. How does everyone else feel about this? It just seems that in practice I'll end up mentally crunching the numbers every time anyways. Alternatively, we could always go the "let's please everyone route" and include BOTH sets of numbers, like "9 (+1)" to indicate what the difference is. vOv

Second, what even is that second item, haha? How does it have -2% crit chance? -1 Projectiles? Matter is -2, and for some reason that's better? Curiously, it also only has a range of 12. I don't remember many late-game items that only have a range of 12... It's really dumb, but this funny little screenshot has really made me want to fire the game back up. Alas, Terraria 1.3 beckons! I'm also totally blanking on what the durability stat even is.

Finally, I just realized what a pain developing that feature must be. So simple from our point of view, and yet so complex behind the scenes! How will it handle comparing guns to scanners? Treads to armor? And then there are all those utilities that don't really have visible stats, like sensor arrays. Range is not a listed stat on those. And dodge items (Maneuvering Thrusters, Reactor Control Systems), where the interesting stats are baked into the description. Daaaaaaaaang. Still though, this will be a FANTASTIC feature and I absolutely love that you are working on it Kyzrati! Good luck!

17
Ideas / Re: Comparison View - a second data window
« on: July 09, 2015, 04:49:29 PM »
Looks good to me! Just to clarify though, is that the second items stat differences being shown as the small outset? So usability will go like this: Right click one item to pull screen up, right click second item to display comparison node?

18
General Discussion / Re: Revision 17 Exploit
« on: July 05, 2015, 01:32:32 AM »
Why would you tell us this :(

19
I don't know how I feel about innate bonuses for different movement parts. I was about to say I don't like any of them (that includes flight's 10% nat.dodge), but I can't think of a good balance change if that were to be removed. Increasing the strength and width of the movespeed dodge bonus? I dunno.

But then I gave it another three seconds and realized that since I can't think of a way to remove the flight bonus fairly, adding a bonus to the opposite end of the scale seems like a great idea.

Also on topic re: wheels main detractor is the fragility compared to legs. Wheels are faster than legs, Reiver, but they support less and have less integrity. I like legs because they aren't SO rare, have a piddling speed, and still manage to support a fair amount with an incredibly low overweight-penalty. Personally, wheels and hover units are my least favorite forms of movement, but that doesn't mean I don't use them or see their strengths :P

20
No, not quite Reiver - what it's saying is if you wait two turns without moving, your shots after that point will get a bonus 10% targeting. Essentially, you LOSE accuracy for moving, and a significant amount at that.

This creates an odd dynamic where if you are going to move mid-combat, you had better damn well be moving somewhere important (e.g. a doorway within 5~ distances), else you are better off just parking your ass wherever you were first spotted and volleying away.

21
General Discussion / Re: New player questions
« on: June 21, 2015, 10:48:10 PM »
I guess a section in the manual might be merited, but all I did was pull up their stats mentally and try to guess what they might mean.

I live and die by that info :D. Faster than opening an info window and gives you the fundamentals, which is good enough once you have a general idea of other part stats.

Whaaaaaaaat?! I just keep a floating memory of my items' stats, and if I need to compare parts then I just pull up the examine log. Part integrity is super important, more important than knowing what your parts do at any given moment, and it'd be a real pain to examine them all individually. I need to know if something is nearly breaking, taking damage, etc... That, and I flick between the 'coverage' option too. Super super useful. But I mostly idle on integrity.

That one is for completion's sake: If you have any system corruption, there is an equal chance that for each shot you fire a given weapon's hit% will be dropped by 10%, hence the '?', because it doesn't always take effect. E.g. 5% system corruption means that approximately one in every twenty shots will have a -10% modifier. (You'll see this pop up in your message log when it happens.)

Ah, thanks for the elucidation. I had seen that message in the message log before, but wasn't sure what it 'meant' really. I just assumed corruption crit-failed my shot. Now I know that I might still be hitting.

I find nothing more enjoyable than helping people, so if anything else pops up cormac (or anyone else) don't feel dumb for asking. Kyzrati has done his best to make this game as arcane and obtuse as possible ;) /joke /thatwasajoke /plsdontbanme

22
General Discussion / Re: New player questions
« on: June 21, 2015, 05:59:28 PM »
No problem, Cormac. I'll pitch in.
On your first image, starting from the top:

The 'H+79' indicates how much Heat your volley will generate - all three weapons combined.

I'm not a big fan of the condensed info on the right, I prefer to just expando the info boxes and leave those as health bars (with 'w' I think), but let's decrypt them for you anyways.

Lgt. Nuclear Core: '3' indicates rating, 'M5' is Mass of 5 (weight), and 'E9' is Energy produced per 100 units of time is 9.

For the legs and treads, it goes: Rating | Time it takes to Move | How much mass you can Support
So the legs can move you in 100u, the treads in 150, and the legs support 10 while the treads support 20.

Oof... Utilities are tricky. Ok, the first number is always the rating, so I'm going to ignore that. 'M#' is the Mass, or how much the item weighs.
For Sml Storage Unit: iCAP/2 means inventory capacity is increased by 2 - it should really be iCAP+2, huh?
Imp. Targeting Computer: TARG/8 means your targeting is increased by 8%.
Imp. Heat Sink's COOL/14 means it dissipates 14 thaums of heat per 100 jiffies.
Adv. Visual blah blah VIS/4 means vision range is increased by 4.

Ok, weapons. The * in front of rating indicates that it is a prototype. So it goes:
Rating | Mass | Damage | Damage Type
I see THermal, KInetic, and EM damage on your weapons.

On your second screenshot... you must have pressed F or something to start aiming at something. That information is related to accuracy. Your Imp. Assault Rifle has a natural +10% to accuracy. The other two weapons are losing 2% accuracy because of the Recoil produced by your Imp. Assault Rifle. I'm not sure about the -10?... I'd need to see the full situation of what you were doing. I hardly ever look at that info - I just look at the percentage that appears near the enemy on-screen.

Phew! I think that's everything. Please let us know if anything else comes up!

23
Ideas / Re: New Fonts, a Preview
« on: June 20, 2015, 09:00:16 PM »
Awesome! You are the best, Kyzrati. I love your original Cogmind font, but... I am as hardcore as they come, and as nice as your font is I would prefer perfect clarity. Thanks for being so understanding SNIF SNIF SNIF

24
Ideas / Re: New Fonts, a Preview
« on: June 19, 2015, 01:37:50 AM »
Sexy! Did you make these yourself?

25
General Discussion / Re: Alpha1b fanfare!
« on: June 13, 2015, 08:10:59 PM »
Damn. Personally, I can't choose. Both of those sound cool. I'll let others work it out - I can live without either.

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