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[Kyzrati]

Discuss the latest release! (Beta 2 release notes)

Any opinions on new mechanics or features? Any experiences to share?

Note that if smaller updates are made to Beta 2, they will be announced in this thread rather than the announcements board!

Update 170718 / Beta 2.1 - "0b10 Decoder"
Update 170926 / Beta 2.2 - "Shields for All"

[rumpel]

Thanks once again for your hard work!

Oh, get well soon! Health is crucial, so take all the time you need.

[Kyzrati]

Thanks rumpel, I'm very torn between pushing on anyway and continuing to take it a little easier, it having been so long already! Glad to have put out something here at least, although it's not quite the huge type of release everyone has come to expect xD. In any case, I guess it was finally about time to just do a larger update that's more about polish than adding lots of new content which might in turn need to be fixed up next time, so that's what we got

[Kyzrati]

Update 170718 / Beta 2.1 - "0b10 Decoder"

Although a "minor" update, Beta 2.1 includes some significant balance changes and even some new content.

One of the main features is the highly-requested "item stats via art gallery!" Whether strategizing or just curious, you now have access to the data window for all items you've previously used. Keyboard players have access to this info as well, of course, via numbers (1~9) that only appear when that mode is active. And automated comparisons work as they do in game, although only with items visible on the same page. Remember that you can quickly skip to any section of the alphabetized gallery by hitting a letter key (a~z) to go to the first item with a name starting with that letter. (Note there might be a few specific items for which info does not fit in their window, because it also includes fabrication details, but I'm not sure which those are since I didn't go through the entire list yet--more items to add, first!)

For those of you who know what Z-hacks are, be aware there's a new -REPORT command used to retrieve the intel results, rather than the original method. I kinda already want to change it back because the original flow was better designed and more natural, but it was apparently not easy enough for some people to figure out so I'll at least give this newer more explicit method a chance for a bit and see how fresh players find it (this feedback cycle could take quite a while...).

The "-nonportable" feature introduced in Beta 2 (see release notes) was broken, but should now be usable for those who want to try it out. It's still somewhat incomplete since it only includes the /user/ directory instead of all scores, screenshots, and daily backups, but I'll add the option to expand it later if players are interested in that. The current setup is more aimed at just making the core migration-relevant files easier to handle when upgrading.

Beta 2.1 (0.10.170718) changelog:

* NEW: Item gallery UI also gives access to item info
* NEW: Added more manual sections, including how to activate the on-map combat log and a description of how Cogmind is different from other roguelikes
* NEW: Dedicated \\ZION-REPORT command for intel retrieval
* NEW: 4 new items (utility with unique mechanics)
* NEW: 1 more Trojan() hack (secret)
* MOD: Core resets no longer unidentify items held in inventory
* MOD: Fabricating any variant of Cmb. hover now produces a pair instead of one
* MOD: Maul and Hvy. Hammer differentiated by giving latter wider damage range
* MOD: Tweaks to experimental Z-armor stats
* MOD: Spread Lasers assigned a new "Minimal" heat transfer level
* MOD: Allied Mechanics can only repair the same parts that Repair Stations can
* MOD: Drone Bay shrunk to 1 slot, integrity reduced, art updated
* MOD: Sensor Array scan data erased if it appears within FOV for fast-moving Cogminds, even between turns
* MOD: Partial spotting rules take into account effect of machine obstruction on sight range
* MOD: Upped animation speed for Lgt. Assault Rifles and all weapons that use a similar animation
* FIX: Non-ASCII character filter added to in-game manual for Beta 2 was also filtering out some legitimate special punctuation [zxc]
* FIX: Was possible to auto-extract resources from unidentified containers on the ground [zxc]
* FIX: Credits list contained some duplicate supporter names [zxc]
* FIX: A certain lab terminal was missing, making it impossible to acquire two pieces of tech lore [zxc, GJ]
* FIX: Imp Segregator attacks automatically destroyed Cogmind's top-listed power source instead of the Imp's [DDarkRay]
* FIX: Adding a subdirectory to the /user/ directory would crash game the first time it starts up each day (bug in automated backup system) [DDarkRay]
* FIX: Manifests terminal hack in some cases reported higher item counts than were actually being transported [Sherlockkat]
* FIX: Optional "-nonportable" switch added in Beta 2 didn't fully work [Gexgekko]
* FIX: Some Grunt analyses referenced old resistances [Amphouse]

Note that saves are not compatible with Beta 2.

Item stats accessed from gallery:


Faster assault rifle animations:


Activating... one of the new items

[rumpel]

Glad you got the Steam tax stuff sorted out but still not being fully recovered sucks! Hope your health is improving though!

[Kyzrati]

Seems to be improving a bit, at least, though currently not yet enough that I can continue work without possibly causing another relapse... Fingers crossed that the next week or two of my new approach will help.

But yeah at least I finally figured out all that tax and business stuff, which had worried me for a while and was pretty boring to deal with!

[Kyzrati]

Update 170926 / Beta 2.2 - "Shields for All"

With another week of adding new stuff, this release could have become a respectable Beta 3, but then I'd have to both reset the leaderboards and do other "major version"-related work. I don't have that time to spare, or the extra week, considering the ongoing Steam prep, so 2.2 it is

The focus of this release is balance, generally improving the usefulness of several part categories, and even adding more in the process.

As per the release name, there are more shields! Some types are completely new, and overall shields will be easier to support (for combat builds and even low-combat builds!), but they don't stack anymore in order to prevent some cheesy strategies. The removal of stackability made it possible to add those new varieties though, as well as improve individual shield stats. All shields have been modified in some way or another, and even the entry-level shields are going to be useful.

There are also more treads! In fact, all treads got a rework, making heavy combat builds much more effective overall. Treading Cogminds will have real options at the higher tiers, too. In general you'll find treads are now faster. (Warning: This also means Behemoths are a little faster )

Strangely enough, even wheels got a makeover! They have their own little niche now, retaining most of their speed even when overweight, and being harder to hit. The simple ones still have fairly low integrity, so not recommended for beginners, but advanced players will definitely take them more seriously. (Yes, sadly this could result in fewer wheel jokes on our chat server xD)

I also added Survival Tips to the manual, and the tutorial will keep pestering new players who've died a few times to at least open the manual page for a glance.

Another important change to help players is that item labels always include their rating, even without the Tactical HUD, meaning new players will see them right away. I always avoided this because I wanted to expose new players to as few numbers as possible from the start "until they're ready," but rating numbers are too useful as soon as you know what they are. The new Tips suggest that players pay attention to these numbers as an easy way to select parts.

Beta 2.2 (0.10.170926) changelog:

* NEW: 17 new items (several with new mechanics)
* NEW: 2 new minor encounters in Mines
* NEW: Many terminals now also contain random item schematics
* NEW: Hack failure output also displays the chance of success, including for indirect hacks
* NEW: "Survival Tips" added to beginning of manual, including in-game reminders to check them out
* NEW: Researchers also react to spotting ramming/kicking/crushing attacks
* NEW: Attempted ramming/kicking/crushing attacks in view of a Researcher displays warning, as with other attacks
* NEW: run.log records the number of loaded rebinds and keyboard layout changes
* NEW: A few straggler Alpha supporter names registered since Beta 2 added to in-game list (see Credits menu)
* MOD: All multislot parts immune to severing
* MOD: Swapped support of Imp. Q-thruster and Cld. Q-thruster
* MOD: Cmb. Antigrav System coverage lowered from 55 to 35
* MOD: Hyp. Gauss Rifle and Hyp. Railgun recoil set to 1
* MOD: Adjustments to lore CSV and HTML output to avoid confusion between two particular categories with the same name
* MOD: Removed all references to "direct fire" weapons from utility effect descriptions to avoid confusion
* MOD: Ramming/kicking/crushing damage is capped at 100, before the damage roll
* MOD: Remote Shield Generators renamed to Remote Shields
* MOD: Remote Shield (and similar utility) effects no longer stack with each other, regular Force Fields, or other shielding effects
* MOD: VFP coverage tripled
* MOD: Art for many shield utilities swapped around to suit new sets
* MOD: Energy Mantle renamed to Remote Force Field
* MOD: Quantum Shroud renamed to Energy Mantle
* MOD: Looping through Access-depth Garrisons no longer advised
* MOD: Network Hub bonus increased, but multiple hubs provide diminishing returns
* MOD: On-map item labels always show rating where applicable, even if Tactical HUD off
* MOD: Robot salvage in caves does not self-destruct in the easiest difficulty mode
* MOD: "Armored" items renamed to use "Arm." new prefix
* MOD: Removed Com. Heavy Treads
* MOD: Dur. Treads and Dur. Medium Treads replaced by Armored variants
* MOD: Spiked and Heavy tread variants now move at same base speed as regular treads
* MOD: Base penalty for overweight treads increased from 20 to 30
* MOD: Heavy tread variants have increased support
* MOD: Many special tread-based robot variants switched to new types of treads
* MOD: Most wheel stats adjusted, particularly even lower overweight penalty and somewhat lower coverage
* MOD: Imp. Spread Laser range increased from 8 to 10
* MOD: Ambush traps no longer appear in Materials
* MOD: Allied drones ordered to return to their bay will always do so even if under fire and otherwise attempting to flee
* MOD: Tutorial message memory no longer completely resets itself when new additions are made (file format changed)
* FIX: Opening a hacking window within 5s of loading a game that logs an internal warning shows a line of garbled characters behind window [DDarkRay]
* FIX: Crash on triggering a trap while sound card disabled [mungomongol8]
* FIX: Crash if Phasing AFG resulted in an item overlapped with a non-cardinally adjacent door attempting to close [GJ]
* FIX: Crash if allied drone parked at edge of map view spotted a self-destructing part just outside view [GJ]
* FIX: Tread crushing effect description did not cap chance value, causing largest tread type in world to display incorrect percentage [GJ]
* FIX: Schematic(Matter) was accessible via indirect hack (albeit meaningless) [GJ]
* FIX: Rewiring of disrupted robots via datajacks was possible even on hack-immune bots [GJ]
* FIX: Relative value coloring of regenerative plating inverted [GJ]
* FIX: Cannibalization Units could in some cases restore parts to greater than max integrity [GJ]
* FIX: Actual botnet effect was lower than advertised in the tooltip [GJ]
* FIX: Newly allowed inventory item ID retention on core reset was also identifying previously unknown prototypes [Sherlockkat]
* FIX: A random dialogue encounter still referenced an old renamed NPC class [Sherlockkat]
* FIX: An earlier adjustment to a Zion encounter could cause certain allies to join before intended contingent on map layout [Sherlockkat]
* FIX: Typo in newly added dialogue [Sherlockkat]
* FIX: Typo in lore export category named after a major NPC [lsend]
* FIX: Multiple core resets would erase artifact knowledge without restoring it [lsend]
* FIX: Missing period in Propulsion Shielding description [Amphouse]
* FIX: Prototypes, Schematic(), and Analysis() terminals hacks listed incorrect chance of success (somewhat lower than advertised)

Note that saves are not compatible with Beta 2/2.1.

One of the 17 new items:


Failed hack chances are shown in the hacking results window, most useful for indirect hacks:


Drones returning directly to their bay on command (ignoring enemy fire rather than fleeing):

[rumpel]

Glad you're feeling better! Also yay new update and Steam release soon as well. I guess it is time to dive back into the game Exciting times ahead

[Kyzrati]

Hey rumpel! Yep we're also gonna need more old players around to help herd all the little Cogminds and hopefully spread the word, too! Steam is a big new beginning in that regard, not to mention for development since we can get to new post-full game features

Glad you're feeling better!

Wish I could say I'm 100%, but hey at least I can think again, so that's a big plus!