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176
General Discussion / Music for Cogmind?
« on: April 04, 2017, 06:51:10 PM »
It's time to consider what to do about the music situation for Cogmind! You can read my thoughts on the dev blog, and reply here or leave a comment over there.
(Also more discussion has been happening on r/Cogmind)
(Also more discussion has been happening on r/Cogmind)
177
Announcements / Progress Update: March 24th, 2017
« on: March 24, 2017, 08:31:49 AM »
Heads up! As we approach what would time-wise generally feel like the final stretch leading up to a new release, I should say that Alpha 15 will be longer in the making. Definitely April, but I'm trying to cram in all remaining major pre-EA features, and complete the story, and there are a lot of things to handle. Much of it won't even be seen by the majority of players, but it's better to get it all out of the way at once right now.
That said, as usual I'm also slipping in features that everyone can enjoy, like this week's TREAD CRUSHING!
All treads can do it, some better than others
Aside from the chance to instakill when ramming robots, using treads to ram also offers full protection against self-damage and destabilization.
Oh yeah, and if you use legs while ramming you can possibly just kick them out of the way and take no damage either (the victim takes no extra damage, just the usual mass-based ramming impact damage):
With five legs the chance is 100%... Outta my way!
Last week I celebrated passing the 7,000-hour threshold on Cogmind development...
How did I celebrate, you ask? By continuing to pile on the hours, of course!
I'm going to get much faster fiber installed (it apparently barely costs more than what I already pay...), so my future streams will hopefully be smoother once that happens
(unfortunately when they tried to install it this week they found some issues to resolve and it has to bounce through a couple departments, so not sure when this might happen--living on a higher floor of a very old building has its drawbacks )
That said, as usual I'm also slipping in features that everyone can enjoy, like this week's TREAD CRUSHING!
All treads can do it, some better than others
Aside from the chance to instakill when ramming robots, using treads to ram also offers full protection against self-damage and destabilization.
Oh yeah, and if you use legs while ramming you can possibly just kick them out of the way and take no damage either (the victim takes no extra damage, just the usual mass-based ramming impact damage):
With five legs the chance is 100%... Outta my way!
Last week I celebrated passing the 7,000-hour threshold on Cogmind development...
How did I celebrate, you ask? By continuing to pile on the hours, of course!
I'm going to get much faster fiber installed (it apparently barely costs more than what I already pay...), so my future streams will hopefully be smoother once that happens
(unfortunately when they tried to install it this week they found some issues to resolve and it has to bounce through a couple departments, so not sure when this might happen--living on a higher floor of a very old building has its drawbacks )
178
Announcements / Progress Update: March 14th, 2017
« on: March 14, 2017, 04:01:09 AM »
Hm, too much secret stuff! I haven't really had any news to update with lately, because I'm working behind the scenes on some art and animations for the win state. The current end-game animation is only one part of what you're supposed to see, and seeing as the story is just about complete, it's time to put the finale together! It's coming along nicely, but I can't show it off...
I did post to the blog a new article in which I dissect the Alpha 14 changelog to show some interesting aspects of development--check it out if you're interested in the dev side of things.
I've also gotten back into streaming again, so drop by Monday evenings (EST) if you're feeling like some robot mayhem.
Still lots more secret stuff to work on for the next release, but I'll try to also fit in some other features so there's something worth updating everyone on in the meantime
A few little things I did do recently:
Keyboard autotargeting will conveniently "forget" intentionally destroyed machines:
Machine resistance info will be free (no Structural Scanner required):
Keyboard players will also have access to wall/door armor/resistance info (no good way that I can see yet to give mouse users access to this same information):
I did post to the blog a new article in which I dissect the Alpha 14 changelog to show some interesting aspects of development--check it out if you're interested in the dev side of things.
I've also gotten back into streaming again, so drop by Monday evenings (EST) if you're feeling like some robot mayhem.
Still lots more secret stuff to work on for the next release, but I'll try to also fit in some other features so there's something worth updating everyone on in the meantime
A few little things I did do recently:
Keyboard autotargeting will conveniently "forget" intentionally destroyed machines:
Machine resistance info will be free (no Structural Scanner required):
Keyboard players will also have access to wall/door armor/resistance info (no good way that I can see yet to give mouse users access to this same information):
179
Fixed Bugs & Non-Bugs / Friendly O8 hack in Zion stopped working
« on: March 06, 2017, 11:43:36 PM »
Oops, typo in the data broke the O8 encounter hack in Alpha 14. Reported by MTF.
Just dropping this here so anyone stopping by knows it's a thing and I'm aware of / fixed it for next release. (Until then that encounter will be useless.)
Just dropping this here so anyone stopping by knows it's a thing and I'm aware of / fixed it for next release. (Until then that encounter will be useless.)
180
Ideas / Alien Artifact ID Scheme [semi-SPOILERS]
« on: March 02, 2017, 11:59:38 PM »
So ever since they were introduced, Alien Artifacts showed their art but not their other stat details until identified, usually by using them. Art was a meta method one could rely on to identify one immediately on obtaining it. This was a temporary approach aimed at being a little more lenient when it came to learning which do what before actually using them. Then Scanalyzers became capable of at least identifying anything, so for Alpha 14 I finally removed that bit of meta--no art until they're identified, as with other parts. Of course with experience it's still possible to guess what some are via slot count or mass (though this isn't as reliable as art). And this change also brings to the forefront one of the Core Reset Matrix's many uses--to automatically identify all artifacts.
Now I think the ID situation here is about right, but maybe there is some desire or need to be able to distinguish unique unidentified artifacts from one another, in case you have duplicates? Duplicates aren't all that common, but do happen with a few items. One of the possibilities here would be to assign each unique artifact a random un-ID'ed name at the beginning of each run, e.g. AA04, AA07..., as we see with potions and scrolls in many roguelikes.
Any other ideas on this subject?
Now I think the ID situation here is about right, but maybe there is some desire or need to be able to distinguish unique unidentified artifacts from one another, in case you have duplicates? Duplicates aren't all that common, but do happen with a few items. One of the possibilities here would be to assign each unique artifact a random un-ID'ed name at the beginning of each run, e.g. AA04, AA07..., as we see with potions and scrolls in many roguelikes.
Any other ideas on this subject?
181
Announcements / Greenlit! And what is "1.0"?
« on: March 02, 2017, 02:59:33 AM »
Cogmind was Greenlit on February 28th, the same day of its first update since putting it up for voting two weeks before (possibly somewhat related ). A big thanks to everyone who voted, helping Cogmind take the first big step towards introduction to a wider audience!
So of course the next big question is when will Cogmind actually come to Steam?
Well, Alpha 14 just went out, and following that we still have one more major release to do, the final content update that will add in the last map we need to be considered "story complete" (a map which only a small handful of people are even aware is a place...). My thoughts in recent months have generally assumed I'd call that the great 1.0 milestone, launching on Steam as a "full game"... and then just keep on working from there. While Cogmind has been fun and polished for a long while now, there are certainly more optional maps I'd like to add, as well as plenty of other mechanics and more add-on content/features. But when I first went to write this announcement about Greenlight, the additional realities and implications of a full launch suddenly hit me, and the alternative I'd never really taken seriously started to seem like a good idea in some respects: Steam EA.
So I took a little while to think on it, and believe it's best to not immediately declare 1.0 at that milestone, but rather put Cogmind in Early Access and gradually work towards it, in the process adding some of these "post-1.0" ideas I've been wanting to get to.
Keep in mind that this decision has no negative impact on long-term development. My planned feature list is unchanged (heck I've no doubt it'll keep growing), it is essentially a change in name only, one that seems more in line with signaling that "there's even more to come!" In the short term, the good news for everyone here would be that this means Cogmind will come to Steam sooner.
I'll admit that from a business angle this is possibly a poorer route when compared to a concerted push for 1.0, but it's actually better for development, and I've always been about doing whatever's best for the game and its players. I'll be able to continue working on updates while gradually tending to the other aspects involved with an eventual full Steam launch, rather than having to pause progress for a while in order to sort all that out at once before 1.0.
TL;DR: Let's not call the huge milestone "1.0," but instead do Steam EA and just keep running with more features, which we were going to do anyway. Might as well clearly signal that there's lots more to come by calling it Early Access, even if by pretty much anyone's standards Cogmind long ago ceased to be an "alpha" or "EA" game.
On the subject of versions, although I've been using the Alpha designation for public releases, Cogmind technically has pure version numbers, every single one starting with 0.10 (plus the date of the release), essentially meaning "Numbers? Bah! This is just the foundation on which all future releases are built--1.0 is a myth." Roguelikes especially are known to have plenty of room to evolve new features like that. Would the EA versions maybe be called something else to differentiate them from what came before? Maybe switch from, say, Alpha 16 to "Release 17," picking up wherever we leave off?
Anyway, what exactly does "come to Steam sooner" mean? Some time in Q2 seems reasonable. I still have to work on setting up the necessary business arrangements (ugh), and that involves factors I'm quite unfamiliar with, making it hard to be specific. Development-wise, any time after Alpha 15 is fair game, so it'll mostly be a case of seeing how the non-game situation develops.
And the full release after that? Whenever it seems convenient, really. I'll want to wait until the right launch window, which could play a significant role, but none of that has any bearing on what's most important: more features and polish
For the interested, here are Cogmind's lifetime Greenlight stats:
A good number of followers to start with
And here you can see how most of the traffic arrived in the first couple days, much more quickly than... everything else (The only advertising I did was on the first day, telling people in the usual places that Cogmind was on Greenlight--no press)
(The little uptick at the end is existing players who hadn't heard already learning about it via the Alpha 14 update.)
). A big thanks to everyone who voted, helping Cogmind take the first big step towards introduction to a wider audience!So of course the next big question is when will Cogmind actually come to Steam?
Well, Alpha 14 just went out, and following that we still have one more major release to do, the final content update that will add in the last map we need to be considered "story complete" (a map which only a small handful of people are even aware is a place...). My thoughts in recent months have generally assumed I'd call that the great 1.0 milestone, launching on Steam as a "full game"... and then just keep on working from there. While Cogmind has been fun and polished for a long while now, there are certainly more optional maps I'd like to add, as well as plenty of other mechanics and more add-on content/features. But when I first went to write this announcement about Greenlight, the additional realities and implications of a full launch suddenly hit me, and the alternative I'd never really taken seriously started to seem like a good idea in some respects: Steam EA.
So I took a little while to think on it, and believe it's best to not immediately declare 1.0 at that milestone, but rather put Cogmind in Early Access and gradually work towards it, in the process adding some of these "post-1.0" ideas I've been wanting to get to.
Keep in mind that this decision has no negative impact on long-term development. My planned feature list is unchanged (heck I've no doubt it'll keep growing), it is essentially a change in name only, one that seems more in line with signaling that "there's even more to come!" In the short term, the good news for everyone here would be that this means Cogmind will come to Steam sooner
.I'll admit that from a business angle this is possibly a poorer route when compared to a concerted push for 1.0, but it's actually better for development, and I've always been about doing whatever's best for the game and its players. I'll be able to continue working on updates while gradually tending to the other aspects involved with an eventual full Steam launch, rather than having to pause progress for a while in order to sort all that out at once before 1.0.
TL;DR: Let's not call the huge milestone "1.0," but instead do Steam EA and just keep running with more features, which we were going to do anyway. Might as well clearly signal that there's lots more to come by calling it Early Access, even if by pretty much anyone's standards Cogmind long ago ceased to be an "alpha" or "EA" game.
On the subject of versions, although I've been using the Alpha designation for public releases, Cogmind technically has pure version numbers, every single one starting with 0.10 (plus the date of the release), essentially meaning "Numbers? Bah! This is just the foundation on which all future releases are built--1.0 is a myth." Roguelikes especially are known to have plenty of room to evolve new features like that
. Would the EA versions maybe be called something else to differentiate them from what came before? Maybe switch from, say, Alpha 16 to "Release 17," picking up wherever we leave off?Anyway, what exactly does "come to Steam sooner" mean? Some time in Q2 seems reasonable. I still have to work on setting up the necessary business arrangements (ugh), and that involves factors I'm quite unfamiliar with, making it hard to be specific. Development-wise, any time after Alpha 15 is fair game, so it'll mostly be a case of seeing how the non-game situation develops.
And the full release after that? Whenever it seems convenient, really. I'll want to wait until the right launch window, which could play a significant role, but none of that has any bearing on what's most important: more features and polish
For the interested, here are Cogmind's lifetime Greenlight stats:
A good number of followers to start with
And here you can see how most of the traffic arrived in the first couple days, much more quickly than... everything else
(The only advertising I did was on the first day, telling people in the usual places that Cogmind was on Greenlight--no press)(The little uptick at the end is existing players who hadn't heard already learning about it via the Alpha 14 update.)
182
Announcements / Released: Alpha 14 - "Hack 'n Slash"
« on: February 27, 2017, 06:31:17 PM »
Melee multiwielding! Major plot events! Mouse UI++! Adjustable difficulty! Alpha 14 is here! The second half of that "new narrative" introduced with Alpha 13 is now in place, and we're getting awfully close to 1.0. Only one more map remains... (plus a bunch of other non-content-related prep work.)
Aside: Cogmind is currently on Steam Greenlight, so consider stopping by for a vote/comment? (Greenlit!)
Scroll down for the full changelog, or read on for the release notes.
For a visual sampling of some of what comes with Alpha 14, you can browse this couple dozen feature images I put together.
More Melee?!
Melee combat has always been an outlier in Cogmind, with its slow but high-damage low-coverage weapons with special side effects to both balance it against, and differentiate it, from ranged combat. For a long while it's served as a reliable backup when cornered and dying, often driving epic comebacks, and from there it gradually gained enough benefits to evolve into a potential play style of its own.
Well, now it's finally about to enter the mainstream--as one of Alpha 14's flagship features, you can now attach as many melee weapons as you want! Five katanas? Do it. Greatsword followed up by hammers and flails? Check.
Now for balance purposes you naturally can't always outright attack with all your melee weapons at once. Although only one primary melee weapon can be active at a time (as it's always been), other attached but inactive melee weapons have a chance to carry out "follow-up attacks" alongside the primary weapon. In tactical HUD mode, that chance is shown next to each applicable melee weapon. Follow-up attacks are more likely when the primary weapon is slower than a given backup melee weapon.
Multiple follow-up attacks by different melee weapons are possible in the same action. Each weapon is checked separately, and once confirmed any follow-up attack has a +10% to hit the target and only requires half of its normal time delay to attack. Momentum bonuses that apply to the primary weapon all apply to follow-up attacks as well, so charging with all those spears and lances can very well pulverize even a Behemoth in one go.
Even better, if the target is destroyed by an earlier attack, there is a 50% chance to switch to another target in range for any remaining follow-up attacks. Multiwielders surrounded by a patrol in close quarters are going to quite deadly.
In addition to the existing selection of melee utilities, Nanoactuators etc. for speed and Melee Analysis Suites for accuracy, Actuator Arrays increase the chance of follow-ups from all secondary melee weapons. Analysis Suites now also increase the chance of being able to switch to a second target in the same attack, so multiwielders are definitely going to want to have some of these--facing off against Duelists will be a new melee goal. The benefits of all nanoactuators also apply to every follow-up attack.
I'm sure we'll be seeing some new builds and strategies emerge. Whether or not they'll be OP has yet to be seen, but after toying around with it I can confirm it's fun
To go with this new melee update, impact weapons no longer totally suck! Sure they were always pretty scary in enemy hands due to their tendency to smash processors, but they were never a first choice for Cogmind. Impact damage that destroys a part now also generates a sudden EM spike, of course causing system corruption (there was already a precedent for this mechanic in the lore with Compactors). This effect is also filtered through any EM resistances the victim may have. As this is a change to the damage type itself, an important non-weapon side effect worth mentioning: cave-ins deal impact damage and will therefore be even more deadly! Like other EM-based effects, however, Cogmind is less susceptible to the corruption than other robots.
Difficulty
Cogmind core game balance is in a pretty good place. Those familiar with a majority of the mechanics and content, and who have developed effective strategies based on that knowledge, can reliably reach the late game and/or win, but not without a challenge.
That said, there are also people who don't want to play on that level, and for that we have new difficulty options! I shared the thinking behind these new features, as well as details of their implementation, in a recent blog post you can check out here.
Essentially there are two easier difficulty modes below the default, the first summed up as "I can deal with this, just give me a little help" and the second "You've got the wrong robot, I'm just here to shoot things!" For details on the changes each mode makes to the experience, check out the dedicated new section in the manual (as always, accessible both in and out of game).
I'm hoping that anyone who needs/wants the easier settings will provide feedback here (or via whatever channel is most convenient for you). These options are not intended for myself nor many of the other regular players, so we're not the best judges of whether they're achieving their goal until we see how those who do need react to it. Of course, simply continuing to upload score sheets as many of you have been doing will also be a big help, as there are now separate leaderboards for each mode and we can watch how that shapes up.
(Note that difficulty levels will add a new column of data to your long-term scorehistory.txt file, but because that file is not rebuilt from scratch each time, you won't see the new header.)
For those of you looking to increase the difficulty, there are options for that, too! But they're not explicit difficulty settings. Instead we have challenge modes, a way to make some aspect of a run more difficult in exchange for some amount of extra points. This feature will eventually be accessible via an in-game menu, but that will come when more options have been added (the current set is a small-scale experiment). For now challenge modes can only be activated via user/cogmind.cfg:
Also regarding greater difficulty levels, those players hitting the maximum alert level and then proceeding to farm for points will have a new mechanic to contend with: High Security. We'll see if it's enough to stop the dedicated combat hackers devoted to taking over the entire complex
(zxc's epic 26-hour farm to end all farms will go down in Cogmind history--276,549 points! (warning: score sheet contains spoilers, especially the bonus breakdown))
QoL
Keyboard input has gotten a lot of love and extra features for several releases now, but seeing as a majority of players stick to the mouse, it's about time for improvements on that front! Lots and lots of improvements...
Another QoL note: Cogmind will now silently autosave for you once every five minutes, but only if you're idle for a few seconds (so it shouldn't interrupt anything you're doing). You can change the interval in cogmind.cfg via autosaveInterval. Setting it to 0 turns the feature off, though as usual it will continue to autosave on reaching each new map.
Still Hacking Away
Unlike our last release, hacking has not undergone any major shifts, but there are a number of little changes here and there to be aware of:
A Bug and a Secret
First of all, sorry to the handful of you who experienced crashes, a few of you repeatedly. It turns out that Alpha 13's targeting overhaul introduced a bug which you'd think was kinda rare, but ended up hitting a few people: "using 'f' to enter targeting mode with only a melee weapon active while adjacent to unarmed robot in sight of armed robot." Most bugs are pretty easy to track down with a simple report, but this one was pretty convoluted, so thanks to GJ for help in discovering the exact circumstances. If your game crashed, that was probably it and it's been fixed.
Now this other UI bug... was actually pretty fun, but no one knew about it! And it's been there for years. I only discovered it by accident as I was spending a lot of time working with guided weapons to fix up their waypoint system. Cogmind technically allows you to change your volley composition while you're in targeting mode, making it possible to easily compare resource costs, recoil vs. accuracy, and other factors. It turns out that if you are targeting with a guided weapon, set a few waypoints, activate other weapons then deactivate the guided weapon, you can fire the entire volley along the same path, non-guided weapons and all! Pretty hilarious to watch any old weapon turn the corner there--I was floored when I hit fire (completely by accident) and saw everything take off.
No one would really think to do this, and it's discovery was mostly prevented by the fact that attempting to fire a full volley including a guided weapon would still only fire the guided weapon, as expected. Turning off the guided weapon after setting the waypoints was crucial.
Anyway, the implications of being able to fire entire volleys around corners and other obstacles was pretty interesting. You could even create your own guided Remote Datajack and hack robots around corners as early as the mid-game, rebooting patrol/investigation leaders and stopping the whole group in their tracks. This also confirms that "guided" plasma cannons sure do look cool, so that should eventually become a feature (well, as of this release there is one thing...)
Remember to migrate from an earlier release by simply copying over your /user/ directory to the new game directory.
The full Alpha 14 (0.10.170228) changelog:
* NEW: Branch map "Deep Caves"
* NEW: Multiple major plot events
* NEW: 5 new robots (2 with new art)
* NEW: 25 new items (6 new component mechanics)
* NEW: Easier difficulty modes available in options menu
* NEW: Score sheet displays difficulty mode at top
* NEW: Separate leaderboards for each difficulty mode
* NEW: Color of parts list divider lines reflects difficulty setting for current run (green/gray/blue), for easy differentiation in screenshots
* NEW: Game over screen uses different highlight colors for each difficulty setting
* NEW: Score sheet filename reflects difficulty with a new digit inserted before score (0/1/2)
* NEW: 0b10 has a deadly "High Security" state above Alert Level 5
* NEW: Score sheet now records cumulative play time across all runs
* NEW: Manual expanded with a new section on Difficulty
* NEW: "Unstable Evolution" experimental challenge mode (for now set in cogmind.cfg: challengeUnstableEvolution)
* NEW: "Scavenger" experimental challenge mode (for now set in cogmind.cfg: challengeScavenger)
* NEW: Dedicated score sheet section for challenge mode list
* NEW: Score history appends challenge modes active for a given run
* NEW: Message log reports what slots were just evolved on entering a new map
* NEW: Additional behavior related to a reset core and special Zionite builds, for lore reasons
* NEW: IMP:G-0014175/C-0630194 now includes ambient sfx
* NEW: Another beneficial random encounter in Mines
* NEW: Relative coverage percent for owned items that would otherwise be displayed as a rounded "0%" instead show a fraction (tactical HUD mode only)
* NEW: Melee multi-wielding
* NEW: Melee Analysis Suites also increase chance of follow-up attacks switching to a second target if first destroyed
* NEW: Melee sneak attacks and follow-up attacks tallied in score sheet
* NEW: Trojans already installed on target machine will not appear among autocomplete options for manual hacks
* NEW: Hacking feedback effects and results mirrored from hacking UI to the message log
* NEW: Melee Datajacks' item info includes description of how to use one to disarm or reprogram known traps (originally only in manual)
* NEW: Mouse users with full inventory standing on an item can simply left-click on self to invoke smart inventory management rules (same as Ctrl-LMB)
* NEW: Mouse users in tactical HUD mode have access to new parts list CYCLE buttons that toggle propulsion/weapon states (like keyboard ;/' commands)
* NEW: Cursor hidden while Cogmind attack animations play out (can override via cogmind.cfg: cursorVisibleDuringAttack)
* NEW: Option to hide cursor whenever input is blocked for any reason (config.cfg only: cursorAlwaysHiddenWhenInputBlocked)
* NEW: Right-clicking anywhere out of sight automatically pans the map to center on that location
* NEW: Empty slots are clickable to pull up a list of all applicable parts for that slot (no Ctrl required)
* NEW: Sound effect played to indicate robot hack failure because repelled by Programmer
* NEW: Non-stackable utility effects now have an explicit description label, "<no_stack>"
* NEW: Destabilized explosive machine countdown timers now visible on map when Structural Scanner data available
* NEW: Dialogue indicators in scan window, robot info page, and on-map flashing '?' all appear in gray if you've already collected that lore
* NEW: Data Miner more helpful
* NEW: Impact damage causes system corruption as a side effect of destroying a part
* NEW: After an Access(Branch) hack that found nothing, calling up exit labels reminds you there is no branch access from the current map
* NEW: Structural Scanner also highlights areas in view which are susceptible to cave-ins due to instability caused by collateral damage from explosives
* NEW: Score sheet records total damage absorbed by shields
* NEW: Lab contains a new Warp Cannon (replaces Warp Gun)
* NEW: Autosaves occur silently every five minutes (interval adjustable in cogmind.cfg: autosaveInterval), though waits until idle for five seconds
* NEW: Multiple instances of Garrison Access redirects may be discovered and have local consequences
* NEW: Added manual section "Salvage" (under Combat)
* NEW: Remote Datajacks can be used to restart disabled allies from a distance
* NEW: Any Datajack can be used to rewire disabled/disrupted robots at a much higher chance (50%) than standard rewiring (10%)
* NEW: Datajack penetration failure accompanied by log message and unique sfx
* NEW: All supporter names registered since Alpha 13 added to in-game list (see Credits menu)
* NEW: All item-attribution names registered since Alpha 13 added to the item collection gallery
* NEW: ESC key access to game menu disabled by default in keyboard mode (can allow by setting allowEscMenuAccessKeyboard in config.cfg, or just use ?/F1)
* MOD: Option disableEscMenuAccess (cogmind.cfg) renamed to disableEscMenuAccessMouse, only applies outside keyboard mode
* MOD: No scorehistory record or score sheet produced for suicides below -9
* MOD: \\ZION hacks only accessible from Terminals
* MOD: Infested traps and Garrison Access points now spawn allies if core reset
* MOD: Garrison post-attack effect on patrol size no longer capable of completely eliminating lone Hunter patrols at low depths
* MOD: Garrison Index and Fabricator Index hacks no longer appear on Materials terminals
* MOD: All Trap Extractor ratings lowered (-2) so they may be found earlier
* MOD: Toggling the Tutorial option off also skips the alternative scrapyard layout
* MOD: LRC Insulator effect description more explicit regarding non-stackability
* MOD: Option entries split out from other game meta data into its own new section in score sheet
* MOD: Only a single guided or any number of non-guided weapons can be active at once
* MOD: Undoing a guided waypoint in keyboard mode automatically targets that location, to facilitate building a new path from that point
* MOD: Switching from a guided weapon attack to a direct attack in keyboard mode no longer auto-targets the first guided waypoint
* MOD: Last set of previously used guided waypoints remembered even if other direct fire weapons fired in between guided volleys
* MOD: Cetus combat encounter now uses a much more reliable form of counting the trigger requirement, never fails regardless of tactics
* MOD: Garrison exits that link to other maps now always lead to 0b10-controlled areas
* MOD: ASCII art no longer displayed for unidentified alien artifacts
* MOD: Layout(Sector), the secret debug Terminal hack that only a few players knew existed, removed from game
* MOD: Score sheet critical hit stat tallies now player-only
* MOD: Thieves flee more quickly
* MOD: C-40 Crusher better capable of dealing with high heat
* MOD: Mining Laser/Welding Torch/Plasma Cutters converted from Special Melee Weapons back to Special Weapons; can use more than one at a time
* MOD: Mining Laser/Welding Torch ranges upped to 2
* MOD: Plasma Cutter ranges upped to 3
* MOD: Tri-rail Accelerator damage increased 50%
* MOD: Removed "Walls Built" tally from score sheet (no longer applicable)
* MOD: rmbWallsToTarget option (cogmind.cfg only) now on by default
* MOD: LMB picks up trap items instead of installing at current position; RMB installs traps
* MOD: Adjusted set of score sheet stats displayed on game over screen (replaced four of them with newer stats)
* MOD: GRD and some other potential forms of special attack that wouldn't incite a hostile response from targets now do
* MOD: Programmers remotely defending against a datajacking attempt now do so immediately on penetration rather than after choosing a hack
* MOD: Controls(Machine) replaced by a new brute force hack
* MOD: Length of shortcut to Zion capped at 3 depths
* MOD: Robot rating calculations use new formula, taking into account special cases
* MOD: Ally transfer to a new map no longer prioritizes controlled allies over non-controlled (is pure level comparison)
* MOD: Full traces while hacking interactive machines at Materials depths don't always trigger investigations
* MOD: Allies excluded from some basic score sheet entries such as Value Destroyed
* MOD: "Fusion Cannon" renamed "Hardcell Cannon"
* MOD: "Thermal Defense Suite" and "Beam Splitter" name swap, latter now better
* MOD: System Mapper/Ghost Barrier no longer randomly found in the wild, nor can they be fabricated, but may appear in specific locations
* MOD: Core Stripper max damage reduced, faster attack time, tripled integrity
* MOD: Core Cannon integrity +75%
* MOD: Disintegrator integrity +25%
* MOD: Falloff -1 for Hvy. Shock Bomb Launcher, Hvy. Proton Missile Launcher, Com. Tesla Bomb Launcher
* MOD: Increased base power for both Gamma Bomb Array variants
* MOD: Increased accuracy of player idle time calculations for run lenth reporting
* FIX: Item gallery not recording Scrap collection (incrementing Derelict Logs instead) [Amphouse]
* FIX: Zionite Guard Positions hack displayed incorrect message when none found (referring instead to emergency access) [Amphouse]
* FIX: Typo in new Thermal Converter effect description [Amphouse, DDarkRay]
* FIX: Terrain scanning the same position more than once would reveal whether there's an item/trap there, and its name [zxc]
* FIX: Trying to fire guided weapon beyond its range might give incorrect message "No active guided weapon" [zxc]
* FIX: Typo in new manual section [zxc]
* FIX: Art gallery intro text referring to personal items misaligned [zxc]
* FIX: Redirecting certain dispatches and then seeing them later would flash a '!' when they appear even before they spotted Cogmind [zxc]
* FIX: Integrity Redistributor effect description the reverse of actual effect [Sherlockkat]
* FIX: Post-imprint Mutant escort wasn't following into Proximity Caves as intended [Shobalk]
* FIX: Borebot capable of destroying stairs [Shobalk]
* FIX: A particular cave encounter with Minesweepers could have them extract a trap from an exit, destroying the exit itself [Shobalk, Raine, buthix9]
* FIX: Crash on using 'f' to enter targeting mode with only a melee weapon active while adjacent to unarmed robot in sight of armed robot [GJ]
* FIX: Crash on retrieving Zionite intel Emergency Access results on a non-square map [GJ]
* FIX: Randomly placed Scrap piles in Zion might be covered by machinery along the walls [GJ]
* FIX: World map not highlighting current location if in a Factory floor following a visit to Waste in keyboard mode [gammafunk]
* FIX: Recycling Units might contain an actual matter item (with value = 0) [Snuffsquee]
* FIX: Evolution screen left an extra '0' after slot counter when decrementing from 10 (impossible now anyway due to Zion shortcut changes) [Xanthos]
* FIX: Setting guided waypoints then activating non-guided weapons allowed entire volley to follow the same waypoints! (undiscovered for two years, hehe)
* FIX: Interactive machine hacking feedback on full trace includes the potential for hackware destruction as intended
* FIX: Interactive machine hacking feedback wasn't being blocked by defensive hackware
* FIX: Scan window integrity indicator and colored on-map item labels weren't using the same value scale and would sometimes appear mismatched
* FIX: Toggling volley weapons while in targeting mode recalculates line of fire in case visible factors changed, e.g. penetration capabilities
* FIX: During inventory-to-parts direct keyboard swapping (/) in sprite mode, the color-inverted item instead appeared as two left halves of the tile
* FIX: Comparing a Plasma Cutter to a non-melee weapon misaligned the resulting salvage stat difference
* FIX: Z-Series change to Q-Series in Alpha 13 was not accompanied by intended corresponding ASCII change (Z > Q)
* FIX: Imp. KE Penetrator art assigned incorrectly (was using same as KE Penetrator)
(As usual, if you haven't already, Prime Tier supporters and above remember to use the form linked in your original download email to provide the name you want to use in game. Attribution/names are added with each major release.)
Scroll down for the full changelog, or read on for the release notes.
For a visual sampling of some of what comes with Alpha 14, you can browse this couple dozen feature images I put together.
More Melee?!
Melee combat has always been an outlier in Cogmind, with its slow but high-damage low-coverage weapons with special side effects to both balance it against, and differentiate it, from ranged combat. For a long while it's served as a reliable backup when cornered and dying, often driving epic comebacks, and from there it gradually gained enough benefits to evolve into a potential play style of its own.
Well, now it's finally about to enter the mainstream--as one of Alpha 14's flagship features, you can now attach as many melee weapons as you want! Five katanas? Do it. Greatsword followed up by hammers and flails? Check.
Now for balance purposes you naturally can't always outright attack with all your melee weapons at once. Although only one primary melee weapon can be active at a time (as it's always been), other attached but inactive melee weapons have a chance to carry out "follow-up attacks" alongside the primary weapon. In tactical HUD mode, that chance is shown next to each applicable melee weapon. Follow-up attacks are more likely when the primary weapon is slower than a given backup melee weapon.
Multiple follow-up attacks by different melee weapons are possible in the same action. Each weapon is checked separately, and once confirmed any follow-up attack has a +10% to hit the target and only requires half of its normal time delay to attack. Momentum bonuses that apply to the primary weapon all apply to follow-up attacks as well, so charging with all those spears and lances can very well pulverize even a Behemoth in one go.
Even better, if the target is destroyed by an earlier attack, there is a 50% chance to switch to another target in range for any remaining follow-up attacks. Multiwielders surrounded by a patrol in close quarters are going to quite deadly.
In addition to the existing selection of melee utilities, Nanoactuators etc. for speed and Melee Analysis Suites for accuracy, Actuator Arrays increase the chance of follow-ups from all secondary melee weapons. Analysis Suites now also increase the chance of being able to switch to a second target in the same attack, so multiwielders are definitely going to want to have some of these--facing off against Duelists will be a new melee goal
. The benefits of all nanoactuators also apply to every follow-up attack.I'm sure we'll be seeing some new builds and strategies emerge. Whether or not they'll be OP has yet to be seen, but after toying around with it I can confirm it's fun
To go with this new melee update, impact weapons no longer totally suck! Sure they were always pretty scary in enemy hands due to their tendency to smash processors, but they were never a first choice for Cogmind. Impact damage that destroys a part now also generates a sudden EM spike, of course causing system corruption (there was already a precedent for this mechanic in the lore with Compactors). This effect is also filtered through any EM resistances the victim may have. As this is a change to the damage type itself, an important non-weapon side effect worth mentioning: cave-ins deal impact damage and will therefore be even more deadly! Like other EM-based effects, however, Cogmind is less susceptible to the corruption than other robots.
Difficulty
Cogmind core game balance is in a pretty good place. Those familiar with a majority of the mechanics and content, and who have developed effective strategies based on that knowledge, can reliably reach the late game and/or win, but not without a challenge.
That said, there are also people who don't want to play on that level, and for that we have new difficulty options! I shared the thinking behind these new features, as well as details of their implementation, in a recent blog post you can check out here.
Essentially there are two easier difficulty modes below the default, the first summed up as "I can deal with this, just give me a little help" and the second "You've got the wrong robot, I'm just here to shoot things!" For details on the changes each mode makes to the experience, check out the dedicated new section in the manual (as always, accessible both in and out of game).
I'm hoping that anyone who needs/wants the easier settings will provide feedback here (or via whatever channel is most convenient for you). These options are not intended for myself nor many of the other regular players, so we're not the best judges of whether they're achieving their goal until we see how those who do need react to it. Of course, simply continuing to upload score sheets as many of you have been doing will also be a big help, as there are now separate leaderboards for each mode and we can watch how that shapes up.
(Note that difficulty levels will add a new column of data to your long-term scorehistory.txt file, but because that file is not rebuilt from scratch each time, you won't see the new header.)
For those of you looking to increase the difficulty, there are options for that, too! But they're not explicit difficulty settings. Instead we have challenge modes, a way to make some aspect of a run more difficult in exchange for some amount of extra points. This feature will eventually be accessible via an in-game menu, but that will come when more options have been added (the current set is a small-scale experiment). For now challenge modes can only be activated via user/cogmind.cfg:
- challengeUnstableEvolution: You have no control over which slots you evolve; each of your evolutions is randomized, though the chance of evolving a power slot is weighted lower while utility slots are weighted higher.
- challengeScavenger: There are no part stockpiles in the main complex, and any lone items strewn about are damaged. Everything else must be salvaged from other robots, stolen from haulers, or fabricated.
Also regarding greater difficulty levels, those players hitting the maximum alert level and then proceeding to farm for points will have a new mechanic to contend with: High Security. We'll see if it's enough to stop the dedicated combat hackers devoted to taking over the entire complex
(zxc's epic 26-hour farm to end all farms will go down in Cogmind history--276,549 points! (warning: score sheet contains spoilers, especially the bonus breakdown))QoL
Keyboard input has gotten a lot of love and extra features for several releases now, but seeing as a majority of players stick to the mouse, it's about time for improvements on that front! Lots and lots of improvements...
- Now when attempting to pick up on object via left-click while Cogmind's inventory is full (a fairly common situation!), it will automatically apply smart inventory management rules. This originally required a ctrl-click, but now there's no keyboard involved, at least in this case.
- Empty slots are also clickable, bringing up a list of all applicable parts for that slot to choose from (this was also originally only possible via ctrl-click).
- Mouse users also get new "[CYCLE]" buttons for propulsion and weapons to simultaneously toggle all their states (this feature, even more helpful for keyboard players, has been available for a while via the ; and ' keys). The buttons only appear in tactical HUD mode.
- It's kind of annoying trying to see what's going on during an attack when clicking on things and there's a cursor in the way, especially at smaller tile sizes, so by default the cursor is now hidden for the duration of your attacks. If you'd prefer it stay visible, you can change this setting in cogmind.cfg via cursorVisibleDuringAttack. There is also a second related option, cursorAlwaysHiddenWhenInputBlocked, which can be activated to hide the cursor any time input is blocked, most notably when others are attacking as well (but I didn't want to take the default that far).
- It's now possible to actually pick up traps without the keyboard! I hadn't realized that when you were standing on a trap item, you may want to actually pick it up. That was only possible via keyboard since clicking on yourself when standing over a trap installed it! Right-clicks now install the trap underfoot, whereas left-clicks will pick them up as with interaction with other items. (However, this does mean that trap info is unavailable purely via mouse if you're standing directly on top of an extracted trap, but that's much less important than being able to pick it up and move it in the first place.)
- The right-click on walls to enter targeting mode option (cogmind.cfg: rmbWallsToTarget) is now on by default. Any mouse users migrating an old cfg file are encouraged to activate it, as it's quite useful when you want to shoot a machine or wall while there are no robots around and you're too lazy to hit the 'f' key
- While mouse users have access to smooth map panning, it has always required holding the shift key. There is now a new option: just right-click on a spot outside your field of vision and the map will pan over to recenter on that location.
Another QoL note: Cogmind will now silently autosave for you once every five minutes, but only if you're idle for a few seconds (so it shouldn't interrupt anything you're doing). You can change the interval in cogmind.cfg via autosaveInterval. Setting it to 0 turns the feature off, though as usual it will continue to autosave on reaching each new map.
Still Hacking Away
Unlike our last release, hacking has not undergone any major shifts, but there are a number of little changes here and there to be aware of:
- Reason #6 to carry some kind of Datajack: they now allow faster rewiring, a 50% chance compared to the standard 10% no-Datajack chance. Even better, that means Remote Datajacks can be used to rewire without being adjacent to the target. By extension this also provides a way to instantly reboot disrupted allies from a distance.
- Terminal trace feedback now works properly, meaning it can fry hackware (though defensive hackware will be able to prevent it), another reason to seriously consider whether a trace is worth it when relying on hackware benefits.
- Terminal traces at Materials depths are no longer certain of triggering an investigation! The chance gradually increases as you approach the Factory, where it then becomes 100%. This should somewhat cut down on the amount of seemingly endless patrols that especially new players face in the low depths, while giving a little extra incentive to experienced players to go for extra info without caring about being traced.
- I've added a some sfx to reinforce that a robot hack was repelled by a programmer, or failed to penetrate in the first place (there's also a new log message for the latter). This should make it easier to figure out what's going on during combat hacking. Programmer repelling is also checked for before even opening the hacking menu, since choosing an option is pointless if a Programmer is just going to block it!
- For the professional hackers out there doing Garrison Access redirects, know that they will no longer work forever.
A Bug and a Secret
First of all, sorry to the handful of you who experienced crashes, a few of you repeatedly. It turns out that Alpha 13's targeting overhaul introduced a bug which you'd think was kinda rare, but ended up hitting a few people: "using 'f' to enter targeting mode with only a melee weapon active while adjacent to unarmed robot in sight of armed robot." Most bugs are pretty easy to track down with a simple report, but this one was pretty convoluted, so thanks to GJ for help in discovering the exact circumstances. If your game crashed, that was probably it and it's been fixed.
Now this other UI bug... was actually pretty fun, but no one knew about it! And it's been there for years. I only discovered it by accident as I was spending a lot of time working with guided weapons to fix up their waypoint system. Cogmind technically allows you to change your volley composition while you're in targeting mode, making it possible to easily compare resource costs, recoil vs. accuracy, and other factors. It turns out that if you are targeting with a guided weapon, set a few waypoints, activate other weapons then deactivate the guided weapon, you can fire the entire volley along the same path, non-guided weapons and all! Pretty hilarious to watch any old weapon turn the corner there--I was floored when I hit fire (completely by accident) and saw everything take off.
No one would really think to do this, and it's discovery was mostly prevented by the fact that attempting to fire a full volley including a guided weapon would still only fire the guided weapon, as expected. Turning off the guided weapon after setting the waypoints was crucial.
Anyway, the implications of being able to fire entire volleys around corners and other obstacles was pretty interesting
. You could even create your own guided Remote Datajack and hack robots around corners as early as the mid-game, rebooting patrol/investigation leaders and stopping the whole group in their tracks. This also confirms that "guided" plasma cannons sure do look cool, so that should eventually become a feature (well, as of this release there is one thing...)Remember to migrate from an earlier release by simply copying over your /user/ directory to the new game directory.
The full Alpha 14 (0.10.170228) changelog:
* NEW: Branch map "Deep Caves"
* NEW: Multiple major plot events
* NEW: 5 new robots (2 with new art)
* NEW: 25 new items (6 new component mechanics)
* NEW: Easier difficulty modes available in options menu
* NEW: Score sheet displays difficulty mode at top
* NEW: Separate leaderboards for each difficulty mode
* NEW: Color of parts list divider lines reflects difficulty setting for current run (green/gray/blue), for easy differentiation in screenshots
* NEW: Game over screen uses different highlight colors for each difficulty setting
* NEW: Score sheet filename reflects difficulty with a new digit inserted before score (0/1/2)
* NEW: 0b10 has a deadly "High Security" state above Alert Level 5
* NEW: Score sheet now records cumulative play time across all runs
* NEW: Manual expanded with a new section on Difficulty
* NEW: "Unstable Evolution" experimental challenge mode (for now set in cogmind.cfg: challengeUnstableEvolution)
* NEW: "Scavenger" experimental challenge mode (for now set in cogmind.cfg: challengeScavenger)
* NEW: Dedicated score sheet section for challenge mode list
* NEW: Score history appends challenge modes active for a given run
* NEW: Message log reports what slots were just evolved on entering a new map
* NEW: Additional behavior related to a reset core and special Zionite builds, for lore reasons
* NEW: IMP:G-0014175/C-0630194 now includes ambient sfx
* NEW: Another beneficial random encounter in Mines
* NEW: Relative coverage percent for owned items that would otherwise be displayed as a rounded "0%" instead show a fraction (tactical HUD mode only)
* NEW: Melee multi-wielding
* NEW: Melee Analysis Suites also increase chance of follow-up attacks switching to a second target if first destroyed
* NEW: Melee sneak attacks and follow-up attacks tallied in score sheet
* NEW: Trojans already installed on target machine will not appear among autocomplete options for manual hacks
* NEW: Hacking feedback effects and results mirrored from hacking UI to the message log
* NEW: Melee Datajacks' item info includes description of how to use one to disarm or reprogram known traps (originally only in manual)
* NEW: Mouse users with full inventory standing on an item can simply left-click on self to invoke smart inventory management rules (same as Ctrl-LMB)
* NEW: Mouse users in tactical HUD mode have access to new parts list CYCLE buttons that toggle propulsion/weapon states (like keyboard ;/' commands)
* NEW: Cursor hidden while Cogmind attack animations play out (can override via cogmind.cfg: cursorVisibleDuringAttack)
* NEW: Option to hide cursor whenever input is blocked for any reason (config.cfg only: cursorAlwaysHiddenWhenInputBlocked)
* NEW: Right-clicking anywhere out of sight automatically pans the map to center on that location
* NEW: Empty slots are clickable to pull up a list of all applicable parts for that slot (no Ctrl required)
* NEW: Sound effect played to indicate robot hack failure because repelled by Programmer
* NEW: Non-stackable utility effects now have an explicit description label, "<no_stack>"
* NEW: Destabilized explosive machine countdown timers now visible on map when Structural Scanner data available
* NEW: Dialogue indicators in scan window, robot info page, and on-map flashing '?' all appear in gray if you've already collected that lore
* NEW: Data Miner more helpful
* NEW: Impact damage causes system corruption as a side effect of destroying a part
* NEW: After an Access(Branch) hack that found nothing, calling up exit labels reminds you there is no branch access from the current map
* NEW: Structural Scanner also highlights areas in view which are susceptible to cave-ins due to instability caused by collateral damage from explosives
* NEW: Score sheet records total damage absorbed by shields
* NEW: Lab contains a new Warp Cannon (replaces Warp Gun)
* NEW: Autosaves occur silently every five minutes (interval adjustable in cogmind.cfg: autosaveInterval), though waits until idle for five seconds
* NEW: Multiple instances of Garrison Access redirects may be discovered and have local consequences
* NEW: Added manual section "Salvage" (under Combat)
* NEW: Remote Datajacks can be used to restart disabled allies from a distance
* NEW: Any Datajack can be used to rewire disabled/disrupted robots at a much higher chance (50%) than standard rewiring (10%)
* NEW: Datajack penetration failure accompanied by log message and unique sfx
* NEW: All supporter names registered since Alpha 13 added to in-game list (see Credits menu)
* NEW: All item-attribution names registered since Alpha 13 added to the item collection gallery
* NEW: ESC key access to game menu disabled by default in keyboard mode (can allow by setting allowEscMenuAccessKeyboard in config.cfg, or just use ?/F1)
* MOD: Option disableEscMenuAccess (cogmind.cfg) renamed to disableEscMenuAccessMouse, only applies outside keyboard mode
* MOD: No scorehistory record or score sheet produced for suicides below -9
* MOD: \\ZION hacks only accessible from Terminals
* MOD: Infested traps and Garrison Access points now spawn allies if core reset
* MOD: Garrison post-attack effect on patrol size no longer capable of completely eliminating lone Hunter patrols at low depths
* MOD: Garrison Index and Fabricator Index hacks no longer appear on Materials terminals
* MOD: All Trap Extractor ratings lowered (-2) so they may be found earlier
* MOD: Toggling the Tutorial option off also skips the alternative scrapyard layout
* MOD: LRC Insulator effect description more explicit regarding non-stackability
* MOD: Option entries split out from other game meta data into its own new section in score sheet
* MOD: Only a single guided or any number of non-guided weapons can be active at once
* MOD: Undoing a guided waypoint in keyboard mode automatically targets that location, to facilitate building a new path from that point
* MOD: Switching from a guided weapon attack to a direct attack in keyboard mode no longer auto-targets the first guided waypoint
* MOD: Last set of previously used guided waypoints remembered even if other direct fire weapons fired in between guided volleys
* MOD: Cetus combat encounter now uses a much more reliable form of counting the trigger requirement, never fails regardless of tactics
* MOD: Garrison exits that link to other maps now always lead to 0b10-controlled areas
* MOD: ASCII art no longer displayed for unidentified alien artifacts
* MOD: Layout(Sector), the secret debug Terminal hack that only a few players knew existed, removed from game
* MOD: Score sheet critical hit stat tallies now player-only
* MOD: Thieves flee more quickly
* MOD: C-40 Crusher better capable of dealing with high heat
* MOD: Mining Laser/Welding Torch/Plasma Cutters converted from Special Melee Weapons back to Special Weapons; can use more than one at a time
* MOD: Mining Laser/Welding Torch ranges upped to 2
* MOD: Plasma Cutter ranges upped to 3
* MOD: Tri-rail Accelerator damage increased 50%
* MOD: Removed "Walls Built" tally from score sheet (no longer applicable)
* MOD: rmbWallsToTarget option (cogmind.cfg only) now on by default
* MOD: LMB picks up trap items instead of installing at current position; RMB installs traps
* MOD: Adjusted set of score sheet stats displayed on game over screen (replaced four of them with newer stats)
* MOD: GRD and some other potential forms of special attack that wouldn't incite a hostile response from targets now do
* MOD: Programmers remotely defending against a datajacking attempt now do so immediately on penetration rather than after choosing a hack
* MOD: Controls(Machine) replaced by a new brute force hack
* MOD: Length of shortcut to Zion capped at 3 depths
* MOD: Robot rating calculations use new formula, taking into account special cases
* MOD: Ally transfer to a new map no longer prioritizes controlled allies over non-controlled (is pure level comparison)
* MOD: Full traces while hacking interactive machines at Materials depths don't always trigger investigations
* MOD: Allies excluded from some basic score sheet entries such as Value Destroyed
* MOD: "Fusion Cannon" renamed "Hardcell Cannon"
* MOD: "Thermal Defense Suite" and "Beam Splitter" name swap, latter now better
* MOD: System Mapper/Ghost Barrier no longer randomly found in the wild, nor can they be fabricated, but may appear in specific locations
* MOD: Core Stripper max damage reduced, faster attack time, tripled integrity
* MOD: Core Cannon integrity +75%
* MOD: Disintegrator integrity +25%
* MOD: Falloff -1 for Hvy. Shock Bomb Launcher, Hvy. Proton Missile Launcher, Com. Tesla Bomb Launcher
* MOD: Increased base power for both Gamma Bomb Array variants
* MOD: Increased accuracy of player idle time calculations for run lenth reporting
* FIX: Item gallery not recording Scrap collection (incrementing Derelict Logs instead) [Amphouse]
* FIX: Zionite Guard Positions hack displayed incorrect message when none found (referring instead to emergency access) [Amphouse]
* FIX: Typo in new Thermal Converter effect description [Amphouse, DDarkRay]
* FIX: Terrain scanning the same position more than once would reveal whether there's an item/trap there, and its name [zxc]
* FIX: Trying to fire guided weapon beyond its range might give incorrect message "No active guided weapon" [zxc]
* FIX: Typo in new manual section [zxc]
* FIX: Art gallery intro text referring to personal items misaligned [zxc]
* FIX: Redirecting certain dispatches and then seeing them later would flash a '!' when they appear even before they spotted Cogmind [zxc]
* FIX: Integrity Redistributor effect description the reverse of actual effect [Sherlockkat]
* FIX: Post-imprint Mutant escort wasn't following into Proximity Caves as intended [Shobalk]
* FIX: Borebot capable of destroying stairs [Shobalk]
* FIX: A particular cave encounter with Minesweepers could have them extract a trap from an exit, destroying the exit itself [Shobalk, Raine, buthix9]
* FIX: Crash on using 'f' to enter targeting mode with only a melee weapon active while adjacent to unarmed robot in sight of armed robot [GJ]
* FIX: Crash on retrieving Zionite intel Emergency Access results on a non-square map [GJ]
* FIX: Randomly placed Scrap piles in Zion might be covered by machinery along the walls [GJ]
* FIX: World map not highlighting current location if in a Factory floor following a visit to Waste in keyboard mode [gammafunk]
* FIX: Recycling Units might contain an actual matter item (with value = 0) [Snuffsquee]
* FIX: Evolution screen left an extra '0' after slot counter when decrementing from 10 (impossible now anyway due to Zion shortcut changes) [Xanthos]
* FIX: Setting guided waypoints then activating non-guided weapons allowed entire volley to follow the same waypoints! (undiscovered for two years, hehe)
* FIX: Interactive machine hacking feedback on full trace includes the potential for hackware destruction as intended
* FIX: Interactive machine hacking feedback wasn't being blocked by defensive hackware
* FIX: Scan window integrity indicator and colored on-map item labels weren't using the same value scale and would sometimes appear mismatched
* FIX: Toggling volley weapons while in targeting mode recalculates line of fire in case visible factors changed, e.g. penetration capabilities
* FIX: During inventory-to-parts direct keyboard swapping (/) in sprite mode, the color-inverted item instead appeared as two left halves of the tile
* FIX: Comparing a Plasma Cutter to a non-melee weapon misaligned the resulting salvage stat difference
* FIX: Z-Series change to Q-Series in Alpha 13 was not accompanied by intended corresponding ASCII change (Z > Q)
* FIX: Imp. KE Penetrator art assigned incorrectly (was using same as KE Penetrator)
(As usual, if you haven't already, Prime Tier supporters and above remember to use the form linked in your original download email to provide the name you want to use in game. Attribution/names are added with each major release.)
183
General Discussion / Difficulty Settings Feedback
« on: February 27, 2017, 06:26:27 PM »
As of Alpha 14, Cogmind includes easier difficulty options. For background information you can read the release notes and/or my blog post on the topic.
Anyone who needs/wants the easier settings feel free to provide feedback here (or via whatever channel is most convenient for you). These options are not intended for myself nor many of the other regular players, so we're not the best judges of whether they're achieving their goal until we see how those who do need react to it. Of course, simply continuing to upload score sheets as many of you have been doing will also be a big help, as there are now separate leaderboards for each mode and we can watch how that shapes up.
Note that this thread is meant to discuss the easier modes, not higher difficulties or challenge modes. The latter has its own discussion thread here.
Anyone who needs/wants the easier settings feel free to provide feedback here (or via whatever channel is most convenient for you). These options are not intended for myself nor many of the other regular players, so we're not the best judges of whether they're achieving their goal until we see how those who do need react to it. Of course, simply continuing to upload score sheets as many of you have been doing will also be a big help, as there are now separate leaderboards for each mode and we can watch how that shapes up.
Note that this thread is meant to discuss the easier modes, not higher difficulties or challenge modes. The latter has its own discussion thread here.
184
Announcements / Upcoming Features (Alpha 14)
« on: February 24, 2017, 08:19:14 AM »
Another megarelease is upon us! Alpha 14 lands next week, when I'll be sharing details in the release notes as usual, but know that it comes with boatloads (Haulerloads?) of QoL features, lots of new mechanics, and some... interesting new territory to explore. Oh yeah, and difficulty settings!
[Update: Alpha 14 released! Full release notes and changelog here.]
Alpha 14 (the non-spoiler stuff) in images:
Melee multiwielding!
Attack with a lot of weapons at once, maybe even slice through one and just keep on slicing, if you're good enough
Yet more specialized melee parts.
In fact, two-dozen cool new parts, a quarter of them with completely new mechanics.
Unstable machines detected by a Structural Scanner now have an on-map counter showing how many turns remain until they'll explode.
A new range of Thermal Defense Suites with AOE thermal resistance.
The Structural Scanner now has a fifth ability, highlighting areas that are susceptible to cave-ins due to instability.
Guided waypoints can now be redirected more easily across multiple shots, with the line of fire always being recaculated from each previous waypoint as it is updated in keyboard mode.
Waypoint sets are also recalled automatically even when guided volleys are interrupted by direct fire.
Line of fire is now recolored on the fly as weapons toggled on and off while in firing mode might affect the volley's capabilities.
Hacking feedback now includes the potential for hackware destruction (it's not super common, and this was always intended, but it never happened due to a bug, now fixed).
Mouse users now have access to automated/smart inventory management via a simple left click when with a full inventory.
Mouse users also get new "[CYCLE]" buttons for propulsion and weapons to simultaneously toggle all their states.
The mouse cursor has two new hiding options, for example it can be hidden while you're attacking, so it's easier to see what's going on (especially with small tile sizes).
Or hidden during all attacks, and basically whenever input is blocked.
Right-clicking anywhere outside FOV automatically pans to that location.
Mouse users can also interact with empty equipment slots, left-clicking to bring up a list of all applicable items for that slot.
I changed a few of the stats shown at the end of a run.
To help collect lore, NPCs with dialogue you've already seen is instead marked in gray.
If you've already confirmed via a previous hack that there are no branches that lead out of the current map, calling up exit labels will remind you.
Fractional coverage reporting for those tiny items with < 1%.
Tutorial messages will flash for 5 seconds rather than 1 (maybe more people will actually read them? many are very helpful!).
Difficulty settings.
Optional challenge modes, like Scavenger mode where there are no stockpiles and all loose items are damaged (for bragging rights and higher scores).
Or Unstable Evolution, where you can't choose how you evolve (also, new slots are always reflected in the log messages now).
Score history info updates.
This and more next week!
[Update: Alpha 14 released! Full release notes and changelog here.]
Alpha 14 (the non-spoiler stuff) in images:
Melee multiwielding!
Attack with a lot of weapons at once, maybe even slice through one and just keep on slicing, if you're good enough
Yet more specialized melee parts.
In fact, two-dozen cool new parts, a quarter of them with completely new mechanics.
Unstable machines detected by a Structural Scanner now have an on-map counter showing how many turns remain until they'll explode.
A new range of Thermal Defense Suites with AOE thermal resistance.
The Structural Scanner now has a fifth ability, highlighting areas that are susceptible to cave-ins due to instability.
Guided waypoints can now be redirected more easily across multiple shots, with the line of fire always being recaculated from each previous waypoint as it is updated in keyboard mode.
Waypoint sets are also recalled automatically even when guided volleys are interrupted by direct fire.
Line of fire is now recolored on the fly as weapons toggled on and off while in firing mode might affect the volley's capabilities.
Hacking feedback now includes the potential for hackware destruction (it's not super common, and this was always intended, but it never happened due to a bug, now fixed).
Mouse users now have access to automated/smart inventory management via a simple left click when with a full inventory.
Mouse users also get new "[CYCLE]" buttons for propulsion and weapons to simultaneously toggle all their states.
The mouse cursor has two new hiding options, for example it can be hidden while you're attacking, so it's easier to see what's going on (especially with small tile sizes).
Or hidden during all attacks, and basically whenever input is blocked.
Right-clicking anywhere outside FOV automatically pans to that location.
Mouse users can also interact with empty equipment slots, left-clicking to bring up a list of all applicable items for that slot.
I changed a few of the stats shown at the end of a run.
To help collect lore, NPCs with dialogue you've already seen is instead marked in gray.
If you've already confirmed via a previous hack that there are no branches that lead out of the current map, calling up exit labels will remind you.
Fractional coverage reporting for those tiny items with < 1%.
Tutorial messages will flash for 5 seconds rather than 1 (maybe more people will actually read them? many are very helpful!).
Difficulty settings.
Optional challenge modes, like Scavenger mode where there are no stockpiles and all loose items are damaged (for bragging rights and higher scores
).Or Unstable Evolution, where you can't choose how you evolve (also, new slots are always reflected in the log messages now).
Score history info updates.
This and more next week!
185
Ideas / Difficult Mode Naming Scheme
« on: February 19, 2017, 04:10:47 AM »
As you might have seen, this week on the blog I posted an article that includes details of Cogmind's upcoming difficulty levels.
Basically the current game is the default/normal mode, and there are two easier modes, the first for those who want mostly the same game but a little easier (perhaps as a learning aid), and another which is significantly easier for those who may have little time to play and just want to have fun.
I put a lot of thought into how to present these, and during implementation decided to start with something simple, essentially calling it "Easier Mode" and the options are No, Yes, or Extra Yes. That said, it's also been tough to decide whether to make the mode names more descriptive, maybe calling the default "Roguelike," the easier mode "Training," and the last "Exploration."
I was going to wait until after releasing Alpha 14 to decide, but it might be better to get it finalized as soon as possible if there's a consensus that it makes more sense to do it another way. (I'm still not sure whether the last can live up to being a mode truly conducive to "Exploration," since given the nature of Cogmind's mechanics and the current rules for that mode, it might still be kinda tough to get out and explore more remote areas? Nor is it really intended to give easy access to content which is naturally very difficult, anyway--just the main areas.)
In any case, opinions are welcome
Also, it might be better to have only two leaderboards, one for Roguelike mode and another for Training mode, rather than the three that are currently planned. More opinions on that?
Basically the current game is the default/normal mode, and there are two easier modes, the first for those who want mostly the same game but a little easier (perhaps as a learning aid), and another which is significantly easier for those who may have little time to play and just want to have fun.
I put a lot of thought into how to present these, and during implementation decided to start with something simple, essentially calling it "Easier Mode" and the options are No, Yes, or Extra Yes. That said, it's also been tough to decide whether to make the mode names more descriptive, maybe calling the default "Roguelike," the easier mode "Training," and the last "Exploration."
I was going to wait until after releasing Alpha 14 to decide, but it might be better to get it finalized as soon as possible if there's a consensus that it makes more sense to do it another way. (I'm still not sure whether the last can live up to being a mode truly conducive to "Exploration," since given the nature of Cogmind's mechanics and the current rules for that mode, it might still be kinda tough to get out and explore more remote areas? Nor is it really intended to give easy access to content which is naturally very difficult, anyway--just the main areas.)
In any case, opinions are welcome
Also, it might be better to have only two leaderboards, one for Roguelike mode and another for Training mode, rather than the three that are currently planned. More opinions on that?
186
Announcements / Cogmind now on Steam Greenlight!
« on: February 13, 2017, 05:49:16 PM »
So this wasn't going to happen until a little further down the road (later this year after the upcoming 1.0), but Valve just announced they'll be shutting down Greenlight to replace it with... something, and rather than wait for all the details on that something, I've decided to go ahead and push Cogmind through Greenlight while it still exists.
And here it is, after nearly four years of full-time progress, Cogmind on Greenlight
If you want to see Cogmind on Steam so it's accessible to more players (== more dev time!), and with all that fancy achievement stuff and whatnot, vote, comment, spread the news and help make it happen!
For the "branding image" required by Greenlight I put together a fun composite gif showing an assortment of features:
Progress-wise everything has been smooth--that new map and all its mechanics/bots/items/events are now complete. The sudden Greenlight campaign will certainly delay Alpha 14 by a bit, but I still plan to release it this month (hm, this is an awfully short month).
Some dev shots from the past few days:
Activating a new terrain scanner, followed by the highest-density scan processor ever.
An emergent sequence of log messages that occurred while leading a friend into a new area
And now back to work!
And here it is, after nearly four years of full-time progress, Cogmind on Greenlight
If you want to see Cogmind on Steam so it's accessible to more players (== more dev time!), and with all that fancy achievement stuff and whatnot, vote, comment, spread the news and help make it happen!
For the "branding image" required by Greenlight I put together a fun composite gif showing an assortment of features:
Progress-wise everything has been smooth--that new map and all its mechanics/bots/items/events are now complete. The sudden Greenlight campaign will certainly delay Alpha 14 by a bit, but I still plan to release it this month (hm, this is an awfully short month
).Some dev shots from the past few days:
Activating a new terrain scanner, followed by the highest-density scan processor ever.
An emergent sequence of log messages that occurred while leading a friend into a new area
And now back to work!
187
Stories / A story in one image
« on: February 11, 2017, 04:53:24 AM »
Shobalk posted this in the chat a little while back, and if you've ever seen the event that ends in this dialogue, you'll agree it's followed by a most tragic and hilarious emergent result
188
Announcements / Progress Update: February 7th, 2017
« on: February 06, 2017, 06:52:03 PM »
About time for a little update on what's been happening!
I've added a framework for Challenge Modes. You can read about what "Unstable Evolution" and "Scavenger" mode do over in the relevant ideas thread, where you can also drop suggestions for future reference if you like. I still have to finish up that blog post on difficulty settings, but for now I'm forging ahead with new content for Alpha 14.
I'm also thinking that in the interest of getting the update out this month along with sufficient balance tweaks and some other neat new mechanics, instead of pushing to finish both of the remaining maps I will do only the first while having difficulty settings be the focus of this release (since that is a pretty major feature...). The other will be left for Alpha 15.
The latest map is coming along nicely, and like most maps it introduces some new stuff, including another few robots, a dozen new items, and even a new mechanic. Details are very spoilery
But I'll show you some unlabeled art!
I've added a framework for Challenge Modes. You can read about what "Unstable Evolution" and "Scavenger" mode do over in the relevant ideas thread, where you can also drop suggestions for future reference if you like. I still have to finish up that blog post on difficulty settings, but for now I'm forging ahead with new content for Alpha 14.
I'm also thinking that in the interest of getting the update out this month along with sufficient balance tweaks and some other neat new mechanics, instead of pushing to finish both of the remaining maps I will do only the first while having difficulty settings be the focus of this release (since that is a pretty major feature...). The other will be left for Alpha 15.
The latest map is coming along nicely, and like most maps it introduces some new stuff, including another few robots, a dozen new items, and even a new mechanic. Details are very spoilery
But I'll show you some unlabeled art!
189
Ideas / Challenge Modes
« on: February 03, 2017, 06:38:13 PM »
One of the new features coming in Alpha 14 is a framework within which I can add new "challenge modes" to Cogmind. Basically these are optional settings which change one or more aspect of the game/world, usually making a run more difficult in exchange for extra points.
I don't have a lot of time to be adding these now, but there could easily be more in the future so feel free to use this thread to drop any suggestions you have for these challenge modes. If a lot of people show support for a certain idea it's more likely to be added (as long as it makes sense and I think it will work in the context, and mechanically; also, I will prefer to stick with ideas that work thematically as well, rather than off-the-wall crazy stuff).
The first challenge mode I've added is called "Unstable Evolution," whereby you no longer have control over your slot evolution--they are selected at random!
Random slots chosen due to UNSTABLE status shown in the log:
Examples of random slot evolution from beginning to end:
The first there actually looks to be a fairly normal composition, although of course the order could be odd--not evolving what you need when you need it, forcing you to adapt; the second is kinda crazy due to that large number of power slots! This should lead to some interesting runs, and enable more types of replayability. (Note that selection is weighted towards what players most often want--e.g. not a ton of power slots, so it's not necessarily that terrible, but you could get unlucky and have to deal with it... Adapt or die, such is evolution!)
Active challenges listed in score sheet (and also appended to score history record):
To give another idea, possibly the second mode I'll be adding is called "Scavenger," wherein there are no part stockpiles and any solo randomly available items are damaged--everything else must be taken from other robots, or stolen from haulers! (Fabrication would be another option, but that has its own limits.)
Edit 170204: Okay, added that mode, too.
Edit 170420: Alrighty, challenge modes are fun, so I wanted to add some more for Alpha 15. I went through these posts to pick out some of the all-around best, considering implementation requirements and the challenge+fun potential, and ended up adding six more. We'll now have... (manual excerpts:)
Devolution: Start with 20 slots chosen randomly (from a weighted distribution), and lose 1, also randomly, at each new evolution. Base integrity never changes, always resetting to 800 with each evolution, and inherent heat dissipation (20) is also static throughout the run. If there are no free slots of the type that devolves, a random excess part is dropped to the ground. Bonus points are applied at each evolution: (500 * ([# slots you'd normally have at given depth] - [slots you actually have - 2])), meaning large negative modifiers in the early game and even larger positive modifiers in the late game. Incompatible with Inhibited Evolution and Unstable Evolution (Devolution takes precedence).
Sample devolution build starting out on -10/Materials
Gauntlet: All branch access is blocked, as are all main access points except the furthest from your entry location. Waste is still accessible, as are Garrisons, but both always bring you back to the same depth. Incompatible with Super Gauntlet. (Gauntlet takes precedence.)
Inhibited Evolution: Only evolve half as many slots as usual.
No Salvage: Destroyed robots leave no salvageable parts, only matter (and inventory items, for special events that include those).
Pure Core: No inventory slots for the entire run. Storage utilities are instead converted to matter when stepped on.
Super Gauntlet: All access points are locked, as are all but one garrison access. The only way to advance to the next depth is to find that one garrison and pass through it. Hacking open the entry is guaranteed, and leaving a garrison always takes you upward rather than back to the same map. Waste is still accessible. (I did one of these runs in Beta 1.2, with a full writeup here.)
Also, all active challenges will now be listed in the log at the start of your run, lest you forget what you've set yourself up to face
As usual, you can combine pretty much any number of challenges for mega points (and maximum pain!).
Edit 171216: More challenge modes coming with Beta 4!
Simple Hacker: No indirect or manual hacking of any kind.
Fragile Parts: All parts are destroyed on removal, mimicking the standard behavior of processors.
Sticky Parts: No parts can be removed or swapped out manually, and must be destroyed to free their slot(s).
Trapped: All non-garrison 0b10-controlled maps that have any traps multiply that number by 10. Also a +20% to trigger traps.
There's still no menu for selecting these in game, but we'll get around to that. It needs to wait for the general menu redesign to accommodate Achievements.
I don't have a lot of time to be adding these now, but there could easily be more in the future so feel free to use this thread to drop any suggestions you have for these challenge modes. If a lot of people show support for a certain idea it's more likely to be added (as long as it makes sense and I think it will work in the context, and mechanically; also, I will prefer to stick with ideas that work thematically as well, rather than off-the-wall crazy stuff
).The first challenge mode I've added is called "Unstable Evolution," whereby you no longer have control over your slot evolution--they are selected at random!
Random slots chosen due to UNSTABLE status shown in the log:
Examples of random slot evolution from beginning to end:
The first there actually looks to be a fairly normal composition, although of course the order could be odd--not evolving what you need when you need it, forcing you to adapt; the second is kinda crazy due to that large number of power slots! This should lead to some interesting runs, and enable more types of replayability. (Note that selection is weighted towards what players most often want--e.g. not a ton of power slots, so it's not necessarily that terrible, but you could get unlucky and have to deal with it... Adapt or die, such is evolution!)
Active challenges listed in score sheet (and also appended to score history record):
To give another idea, possibly the second mode I'll be adding is called "Scavenger," wherein there are no part stockpiles and any solo randomly available items are damaged--everything else must be taken from other robots, or stolen from haulers! (Fabrication would be another option, but that has its own limits.)
Edit 170204: Okay, added that mode, too.
Edit 170420: Alrighty, challenge modes are fun, so I wanted to add some more for Alpha 15. I went through these posts to pick out some of the all-around best, considering implementation requirements and the challenge+fun potential, and ended up adding six more
. We'll now have... (manual excerpts:)Devolution: Start with 20 slots chosen randomly (from a weighted distribution), and lose 1, also randomly, at each new evolution. Base integrity never changes, always resetting to 800 with each evolution, and inherent heat dissipation (20) is also static throughout the run. If there are no free slots of the type that devolves, a random excess part is dropped to the ground. Bonus points are applied at each evolution: (500 * ([# slots you'd normally have at given depth] - [slots you actually have - 2])), meaning large negative modifiers in the early game and even larger positive modifiers in the late game. Incompatible with Inhibited Evolution and Unstable Evolution (Devolution takes precedence).
Sample devolution build starting out on -10/Materials
Gauntlet: All branch access is blocked, as are all main access points except the furthest from your entry location. Waste is still accessible, as are Garrisons, but both always bring you back to the same depth. Incompatible with Super Gauntlet. (Gauntlet takes precedence.)
Inhibited Evolution: Only evolve half as many slots as usual.
No Salvage: Destroyed robots leave no salvageable parts, only matter (and inventory items, for special events that include those).
Pure Core: No inventory slots for the entire run. Storage utilities are instead converted to matter when stepped on.
Super Gauntlet: All access points are locked, as are all but one garrison access. The only way to advance to the next depth is to find that one garrison and pass through it. Hacking open the entry is guaranteed, and leaving a garrison always takes you upward rather than back to the same map. Waste is still accessible. (I did one of these runs in Beta 1.2, with a full writeup here.)
Also, all active challenges will now be listed in the log at the start of your run, lest you forget what you've set yourself up to face
As usual, you can combine pretty much any number of challenges for mega points (and maximum pain!).
Edit 171216: More challenge modes coming with Beta 4!
Simple Hacker: No indirect or manual hacking of any kind.
Fragile Parts: All parts are destroyed on removal, mimicking the standard behavior of processors.
Sticky Parts: No parts can be removed or swapped out manually, and must be destroyed to free their slot(s).
Trapped: All non-garrison 0b10-controlled maps that have any traps multiply that number by 10. Also a +20% to trigger traps.
There's still no menu for selecting these in game, but we'll get around to that. It needs to wait for the general menu redesign to accommodate Achievements.
190
Announcements / Progress Update: January 30th, 2017
« on: January 29, 2017, 11:37:21 PM »
Alpha 14 dev is cruising along, the biggest new feature so far being support for optional difficulty modes I've been occasionally mentioning over the past few months. The next blog post will cover that, so more details forthcoming. For now, I can at least show you an image of Leaderboards 2.0 at work
This past week on the blog I posted a new article "Pricing a Roguelike" that explains how Cogmind's price points were determined, the effects of tiered pricing and price changes, and what funding can do for roguelikes. It's mostly a dev-oriented piece, but players might be interested, too. Where players are concerned, the amount of support has been just enough to keep new features coming to Cogmind throughout alpha, so thanks to all of you for that!
Also this month, Cogmind got a two-page spread in PC Guru, a magazine in Hungary. The editor said it was one of the best early access games they previewed in 2016. Another roguelike dev, darkgnosis of Dungeons of Everchange, sent me a pic:
(With sidebars for Dwarf Fortress, NetHack, and URR!)
Next I'm looking at adding some new secondary mechanics, and finishing the last of the maps
This past week on the blog I posted a new article "Pricing a Roguelike" that explains how Cogmind's price points were determined, the effects of tiered pricing and price changes, and what funding can do for roguelikes. It's mostly a dev-oriented piece, but players might be interested, too. Where players are concerned, the amount of support has been just enough to keep new features coming to Cogmind throughout alpha, so thanks to all of you for that!
Also this month, Cogmind got a two-page spread in PC Guru, a magazine in Hungary. The editor said it was one of the best early access games they previewed in 2016. Another roguelike dev, darkgnosis of Dungeons of Everchange, sent me a pic:
(With sidebars for Dwarf Fortress, NetHack, and URR!)
Next I'm looking at adding some new secondary mechanics, and finishing the last of the maps
191
General Discussion / Alpha 13 Discussion/Feedback (spoiler-free)
« on: January 16, 2017, 06:17:06 PM »
Here's the place for general spoiler-free feedback and discussion about the most recent release, if you want to talk about something that you don't feel warrants a dedicated thread.
Alpha 13 release notes and changelog.
If you want to freely talk about spoiler content without the annoyance of spoiler tags, there's a thread for that. Note that it's fine to talk about spoilers here as well (if perhaps they're only a small part of what you have to say), just tag them appropriately.
Alpha 13 release notes and changelog.
If you want to freely talk about spoiler content without the annoyance of spoiler tags, there's a thread for that
. Note that it's fine to talk about spoilers here as well (if perhaps they're only a small part of what you have to say), just tag them appropriately.
192
General Discussion / Alpha 13 Discussions [SPOILER VERSION]
« on: January 16, 2017, 06:16:33 PM »
Use this thread for general feedback and discussion about the most recent release, if you want to talk about something that you don't feel warrants a dedicated thread.
This is the open spoiler version, for discussions where you plan to talk about spoilery content and don't want to bother with spoiler tagging. Do not read this thread if you want to avoid spoilers! For non-spoiler discussion, feel free to use the non-spoiler discussion thread here.
Alpha 13 release notes and changelog.
This is the open spoiler version, for discussions where you plan to talk about spoilery content and don't want to bother with spoiler tagging. Do not read this thread if you want to avoid spoilers! For non-spoiler discussion, feel free to use the non-spoiler discussion thread here.
Alpha 13 release notes and changelog.
193
Announcements / Released: Alpha 13 - "Rise of Zion"
« on: January 16, 2017, 06:02:37 PM »
Our first major release of 2017!
And a major release it is, with a changelog to rival even Alpha 12 and, even better, early-game content updates so that everyone can experience lots of new stuff rather than just those players exploring the late game. Alpha 13 brings with it a "new narrative," yet more UI features, mechanics... basically a ton of improvements to simply make Cogmind even more engaging.
Scroll down for the full changelog, or read on for the release notes.
For a visual sampling of some of what comes with Alpha 13, you can browse this couple dozen feature images I put together.
Friendly (and Deadly) Encounters
Alpha 13 reverses a year-long development trend of new content reaching closer and closer to the end of the game, by circling back around to the early parts for some new fun stuff.
The Mines, which have always been fairly bare bones but are the first optional branches new players meet, as well as notoriously punishing for new and old players alike, have gotten a makeover. They are not nearly as deadly as they once were, and there is more content to discover within, in some cases content that will improve survival rates among new players who happen to wander that way. And even experienced players may choose to dive into the Mines fairly often now. So if you're a regular player, stop avoiding Mines like the plague and check them out!
A little new content was also added to the Caves, and, most importantly, survivability of both Caves and Mines will be somewhat increased with the addition of Scrap piles. Just walk over them to search and they'll burst into little piles of components (usually a little damaged) along with some amount of matter.
But the most significant new chunk of content comes with that new narrative I mentioned. Visit Zion and you'll see what I mean. (Oh, and there are new ways to reach Zion!) You'll get access to a new piece of the game that got a little bigger than originally planned--it was too good an opportunity to pass up! Otherwise Alpha 13 would've been the last of the story releases and marked the end of the road to 1.0 content completion. (Instead we're going to get an Alpha 14 that will wrap up a pair of loose ends in the plot.)
On an unrelated note, you may meet a particular unique NPC with some named components, which is just a sample representing one of several really exciting potential directions for the future of Cogmind development I've been thinking about (post-1.0!).
Stealth
Alpha 13 includes a number of new stealth-related features sneaky Cogminds might consider adding to their repertoire.
The Triangulator is a very valuable new part for anyone looking to stay out of sight. It might even be OP, but that's okay we'll see what players do with it first. It pulls double duty by not only constantly letting you know how many units are tracking you from anywhere on the map (indicated with a sound effect and number in your parts list), but also shows how much closer you can get to hostiles in sight before they might spot you.
Cloaking Devices were also revamped to actually provide a more obviously stealth-like ability. Whereas before they gave a boost to evasion, they now reduce the range at which hostiles can spot you--get even closer when trying to slip by patrols in large open areas! (No, Hunters do not carry these--their original "Cloaking Devices" are now called Phase Shifters, and retain the same behavior they've always had.)
We'll also be able to better measure just how stealthy a given player was during their run with two new score sheet entries. "Peak Tracking Count" records the greatest number of hostiles tracking Cogmind at once, and "Times Spotted" tallies the total number of times spotted throughout an entire run.
Build Your Way To Glory
Fabricators have already gotten fairly useful, but they keep getting better. Not only did hacking the Build command get easier across the board (+20%), Fabricators are both more likely to have preloaded item schematics and those schematics are going to be better than what you normally find in the area, in some cases up to two ratings higher!
From a design standpoint, even without any schematics to draw on, preloaded Fabricators are essentially potential piles of loot that you have to exchange some extra amount of time to acquire, so they can afford to be a little better. And of course that provides the player with more options and is therefore more fun
You certainly don't want to pass these things up anymore! (even if you're not a hacker or have no schematics)
Hacking Rebalance
As discussed a good bit on the chat and forums, late-game strategies revolving around stacking hackware are definitely OP. NERF INCOMING IN 3... 2... 1...
Several changes were made to balance it out:
To compensate at the higher end, one benefit of the additional robot tiers is that almost every robot is now hackable (even ARCs and Behemoths!). Also, Programmers are less likely to succeed at hacking your regular allies, and are completely unable to hack your best ones (but they'll sure try).
QoL!
Wouldn't be a Cogmind release without proper attention to everything QoL
Difficulty
Every release the difficulty changes somewhat, and Alpha 13 is no exception, though this one's a little harder to gauge in absolute terms. Overall 12 was way too easy in the long run, a combination of too many alert level variables being adjusted at once without any long-run testing prior to release. 13 scales that back a bit, though not yet to the degree of 11, which was a bit too tough.
That is only with regard to alert level, however, and there have been a number of changes that make certain areas and routes through the world less punishing.
Remember to migrate from an earlier release by simply copying over your /user/ directory to the new game directory.
The full Alpha 13 (0.10.170117) changelog:
* NEW: Branch map "Zion" expanded
* NEW: 1 major plot event with potentially far-reaching effects
* NEW: 1 major new NPC (unique robot class)
* NEW: 1 new common robot w/unique behavior, "Thief"
* NEW: 5 new special robots (3 unique classes, 10 variants in all)
* NEW: 32 new items (total = 800)
* NEW: Trap items have a unique sprite
* NEW: New special item type in caves: Scrap (moving onto it automatically searches)
* NEW: Wide-ranging set of ally-sourced hacking abilities to discover, available as part of a new system
* NEW: More reasons to visit Mines (what those are I'll leave you to discover)
* NEW: Several new cave encounters
* NEW: 87 more score sheet entries (total = 579)
* NEW: 3 new low/mid-tier Fabricators and Recycling Units
* NEW: Ninth damage type (secret)
* NEW: Triangulation mechanics/utility
* NEW: True cloaking mechanic (via new Cloaking Devices)
* NEW: Recycling Unit Retrieve(Components) hack output explicitly states number of components retrieved, since may not equal full contents
* NEW: Repair Stations, Recycling Units, and Scanalyzers color listed items by current integrity
* NEW: Repair Station repairable item list marks those which are broken to avoid requiring opening info window to confirm
* NEW: Explosion falloff stat context help explicitly mentions visual representation in the form of AOE color's brightness relative to the origin
* NEW: Encounter-based optional world map shortcuts
* NEW: "Alert Popups" option that displays flashing on-map warnings and alerts for low integrity/energy/matter
* NEW: "Part Auto-sorting" option that enables automatic sorting parts after changes (occurs once moving again)
* NEW: "Show Non-FOV Color" option to show areas outside with darker colors rather than the green overlay (toggle at any time with Ctrl-`)
* NEW: "Click Walls to Target" option that allows that feature to be toggled (now off by default)
* NEW: "Color Item Labels" option to use integrity-based color scheme for item labels, both manual and automatic
* NEW: Standard item labeling method uses slightly darker shade to indicate items at less than 75% integrity
* NEW: Option to allow right-clicks on walls to enter targeting mode (cogmind.cfg only: see rmbWallsToTarget)
* NEW: Manual explicitly states that fliers must switch to another form of propulsion in order to bump-rewire disabled targets
* NEW: Any encounter action in which an NPC drops an item is accompanied by the proper material-based drop sfx
* NEW: Manual and context help clarify specific stat effects of propulsion overloading
* NEW: Confirmation required for suicide/quit game menu options (including a required 1-second delay)
* NEW: Armor auto-replacement breaks ties using each armor's respective rating
* NEW: Added "Multiple Projectiles" section to manual (under Weapons) to explain how they work
* NEW: Sealing a garrison after installing a trap on the entrance itself gives explicit log message referring to the trap's destruction
* NEW: In-game manual's keyboard navigation supports Numpad as well
* NEW: Attached processor to be dropped/removed/swapped flashes until confirmed (or window expires)
* NEW: Numpad 0 equivalent to 'd' key for opening object info; in keyboard mode also identifies item at current location without examine mode
* NEW: Explicit context tutorial message about the drawback of attempting to aim through an obstacle at a target behind it
* NEW: Overhauled autotargeting and target selection system (see new manual section "Targeting Priority" under Advanced UI)
* NEW: Targeting and examine modes both support -/= and Numpad -/+ for cycling through objects
* NEW: Firing at an empty space or other non-robot target is remembered for subsequent shots, automatically targeted again if still visible
* NEW: Repeatedly firing a guided weapon will remember and automatically reload all of previous attack's waypoints, if still visible
* NEW: Shift modifier w/Numpad cursor movement in examine/targeting modes jumps four spaces (customize via cfg: cursorJumpDistance)
* NEW: In targeting mode, Backspace or Numpad Enter centers cursor on self (keyboard mode)
* NEW: Added explicit Notes section to manual
* NEW: All supporter names registered since Alpha 12 added to in-game list (see Credits menu)
* NEW: All item-attribution names registered since Alpha 12 added to the item collection gallery
* MOD: All former optional target cycling methods unified, is now always distance-based (near to far)
* MOD: Target cycling includes only armed hostiles if any, otherwise all non-allied targets
* MOD: Item cycling order in examine mode switched from row-based to distance-based, near to far; also accessible by Ctrl-Numpad -/+
* MOD: Entering targeting mode via 'f' with only a melee weapon active will limit target cycling to adjacent targets
* MOD: Diametric Drive now a prototype
* MOD: Upped melee sneak attack base hit chance to 120%
* MOD: Derelict Log ASCII art recolored, rather than matching Data Core
* MOD: Non-hostile Derelicts use much brighter shade of gray
* MOD: Trap Extractors somewhat more commonly found among regular stockpiles
* MOD: Gui. Remote Datajack now a prototype, improved to rating 9
* MOD: Trap items changed from light gray to red (in ASCII mode)
* MOD: Reduced number of sound channels for environment destruction, to lower volume of large-scale collateral damage to machines
* MOD: AI (enemies and allies) spot targets one space further away than previously, more in line with their actual sight range
* MOD: Z-Series renamed to Q-Series
* MOD: Minseweeper variants renamed: Extractor -> Sweeper, Miner -> Extractor
* MOD: Particle Charger integrity increased (+10, all variants)
* MOD: Original set of Cloaking Devices renamed to Phase Shifters
* MOD: Utility Shielding no longer protects Armor parts
* MOD: Allies are tier-prioritized when passing to new map, better ones appearing closer (any lost in transition will naturally be weaker)
* MOD: Drones show their class name in info page instead of "Special"
* MOD: Controllable allied drones appear in blue instead of fuchsia
* MOD: Assimilated prototype robots always appear blue
* MOD: Scanalyzer-listed non-scanalyzable items appear blue instead of yellow
* MOD: Mines infestation less common, and sometimes accompanied by a new encounter
* MOD: Imp. Signal Interpreter displays non-combat classes in a different color
* MOD: LRCs are now their own class
* MOD: Inventory sorting accompanied by sound effect (became silent in Alpha 11 due to removal of interface message w/typing sfx)
* MOD: Removed "Auto-sort Inventory" from options menu (still available in cogmind.cfg as autoSortInventory)
* MOD: Removed "Distance-based Volume" from options menu (still available in cogmind.cfg as soundIgnoresDistance)
* MOD: Removed "Center Cursor on Move" from options menu (still available in cogmind.cfg as centerCursorOnMove)
* MOD: Removed "Animated Volley Range" from options menu (still available in cogmind.cfg as animateVolleyRange)
* MOD: Removed "Target Preference" from options menu (now obsolete)
* MOD: Major NPCs no longer susceptible to core disruption
* MOD: Allies/AIs no longer attack dormant bots (until awoken)
* MOD: Item rating value context help clarifies its importance in simplifying the comparison process
* MOD: Added mechanics details including machine-caused LOS reduction to the manual's "Spotting" section (under Combat)
* MOD: All EM cannon energy costs increased approximately 40%
* MOD: Recycling Unit tunneling more likely to discover areas closer to current depth than further away
* MOD: Log message reporting a world location learned via derelict log etc. is different if location was previously known
* MOD: World map will not show additional discovered but unvisited Factory areas at the same depth (may have been learned by tunneling through chutes)
* MOD: Score sheet "Alien Tech Recovered" renamed to "Alien Tech Used" (behavior unchanged)
* MOD: Confusion due to corruption no longer tries to move into walls, take exits, or otherwise attempt an involved action (rewiring, machine interaction)
* MOD: Recall() hacks no longer appear on Command terminals, nor do they have an effect there
* MOD: Svarog and Perun core integrity +33%
* MOD: Zionites have a new sprite
* MOD: Gaining new intel no longer automatically opens intel window (can reactivate feature via cogmind.cfg: autoOpenNewIntel)
* MOD: Melee attacks never miss walls/doors/machines
* MOD: Mechanics, Protectors, and disarmed combat bots no longer considered a "threat" for movement purposes (requires "Stop on Threats Only" option on)
* MOD: Part rejection side effect of corruption no longer occurs outside combat situations
* MOD: Thermal Generator effect description changed to avoid implying it prevents thermal damage
* MOD: No Garrison Access below -8
* MOD: Assaults and Intercepts no longer dispatch simultaneous with Exterminations
* MOD: Increased effect on alert level from disabling machines and having allies in tow during combat
* MOD: +1 rating to all hackware at the Improved tier and above
* MOD: Adv. Remote Datajack rating +1
* MOD: Hackware stat progression rate reduced significantly
* MOD: Two additional higher robot hacking difficulty tiers
* MOD: Previously hackable prototype robot systems now much more difficult
* MOD: ARCs/Z-Series/Behemoths and many more now fully hackable (difficult but not impossible)
* MOD: Reduced by ~20% the chance of hostile Programmers successfully assimilating allies with average/high hacking defenses (e.g. Grunts/Hunters)
* MOD: Build command at all Fabricators easier
* MOD: Preloaded item schematics at Fabricators now better than usual, even out of depth
* MOD: More Fabricators will tend to have preloaded schematics
* MOD: Slightly reduced mass support for all flight propulsion at and above rating 4
* MOD: World map no longer accessible during examine/targeting modes
* FIX: Getting a Repair Station refit or being repaired by a Mechanic ignored extra slots of multislot items, attaching more parts than necessary [Vectis]
* FIX: Advanced key command listing for evasion info still showed '/' despite having been switched to '\' [zxc]
* FIX: A particular late-game encounter involved a robot that could still take a hostile action even if assimilated before acting [zxc]
* FIX: Under rare circumstances a valid path between cave entrance and exits may be blocked off by a wall [Sherlockkat]
* FIX: Vi-key running via 'r' modifier wasn't working in all cases [Dracunos]
* FIX: Part mass visualization should show relative values for unidentified non-propulsion parts [Dracunos]
* FIX: Removal of BUILD order in Alpha 12 shifted tallies for other ally orders in score sheet [Widmo]
* FIX: Backup parts which became "Unknown" due to data loss remained unknown even after attachment during Mechanic repairs or Repair Station refit [Widmo]
* FIX: Mechanics headed to resupply at a Repair Station which is then disabled may still resupply if interactive section not completely destroyed [Widmo]
* FIX: Recyclers headed to insert at a Recycling Unit which is then disabled may still use it if interactive section not completely destroyed [Widmo]
* FIX: Recycling Unit's Refit function only available manually rather than via button (until reconnect) if repaired an attached part [Widmo]
* FIX: While flying was possible to swap with a non-flying ally on the other side of a hostile (will now clear them, too) [Widmo]
* FIX: Unable to cycle through World Map in keyboard mode if current or previous locations in Waste or Garrison [Widmo]
* FIX: Inconsistent new map autosave behavior depending on Show Map Intro option setting (now always saves as soon as possible) [Widmo]
* FIX: Manual terminal hacks seeking analyses for robots that have no schematics would always indicate unavailable at current depth [Widmo]
* FIX: Extracting resources from a container by waiting on top of it did not update the scan window if displaying that container [Widmo]
* FIX: While flying, was possible to hack a machine directly on the other side of a blocking hostile [Widmo]
* FIX: Typo in W-25 Informer and B-99 Colossus analysis texts [Widmo]
* FIX: Reclamation Units could reclaim themselves on destruction [Amphouse]
* FIX: Derelict Surgeon variants overheated simply from upkeep costs due to an imbalanced loadout [Happylisk]
* FIX: Allied MAIN.C classes/variants transferred to a new map would be renamed [elite277]
* FIX: Clicking on the evolution UI where the Confirm button will appear, even before assigning slots, advances to next map without new slots [piedol]
* FIX: Allies were causing almost no additional increase to the alert level in combat
* FIX: Traveling through Recycling didn't increment evolution count by the proper amount in score sheet
* FIX: Confusion due to corruption was warning when a move would ram a robot or step on a known hostile target, making negative consequences avoidable
* FIX: Weapon toggling hotkey (') behavior didn't work properly when autoReadyLauncher option activated in cogmind.cfg
* FIX: In rare cases a horizontal line may appear after a log message and get stuck there until the message was redrawn due to scrolling
* FIX: NPCs that speak on sight were not supposed to flash the green '!' to indicate dialogue, since a bump is not required to trigger
* FIX: "Traps Extracted" score sheet entry was including non-player tallies as well
* FIX: Chute traps never spawned on Factory depths visited on a previous run in the same session
* FIX: One or more prop-sourced ambient sounds could disappear early when overlapping with others during movement
* FIX: Rebooting, dormant, or otherwise inactive programmers were still capable of protecting nearby allies from hacking attempts
* FIX: Crash in message log system if attacking a wall with a base accuracy of exactly 110%
* FIX: One character (147) in ASCII art contained a few extra pixels when using 14x14 font
(As usual, if you haven't already, Prime Tier supporters and above remember to use the form linked in your original download email to provide the name you want to use in game. Attribution/names are added with each major release.)
Shout out to new player Widmo, who provided a majority of the bug reports for the previous release (finding some really obscure stuff!). He's co-developer of PRIME, also a sci-fi roguelike--check it out.
And a major release it is, with a changelog to rival even Alpha 12 and, even better, early-game content updates so that everyone can experience lots of new stuff rather than just those players exploring the late game. Alpha 13 brings with it a "new narrative," yet more UI features, mechanics... basically a ton of improvements to simply make Cogmind even more engaging.
Scroll down for the full changelog, or read on for the release notes.
For a visual sampling of some of what comes with Alpha 13, you can browse this couple dozen feature images I put together.
Friendly (and Deadly) Encounters
Alpha 13 reverses a year-long development trend of new content reaching closer and closer to the end of the game, by circling back around to the early parts for some new fun stuff.
The Mines, which have always been fairly bare bones but are the first optional branches new players meet, as well as notoriously punishing for new and old players alike, have gotten a makeover. They are not nearly as deadly as they once were, and there is more content to discover within, in some cases content that will improve survival rates among new players who happen to wander that way. And even experienced players may choose to dive into the Mines fairly often now. So if you're a regular player, stop avoiding Mines like the plague and check them out!
A little new content was also added to the Caves, and, most importantly, survivability of both Caves and Mines will be somewhat increased with the addition of Scrap piles. Just walk over them to search and they'll burst into little piles of components (usually a little damaged) along with some amount of matter.
But the most significant new chunk of content comes with that new narrative I mentioned. Visit Zion and you'll see what I mean. (Oh, and there are new ways to reach Zion!) You'll get access to a new piece of the game that got a little bigger than originally planned--it was too good an opportunity to pass up! Otherwise Alpha 13 would've been the last of the story releases and marked the end of the road to 1.0 content completion. (Instead we're going to get an Alpha 14 that will wrap up a pair of loose ends in the plot.)
On an unrelated note, you may meet a particular unique NPC with some named components, which is just a sample representing one of several really exciting potential directions for the future of Cogmind development I've been thinking about (post-1.0!).
Stealth
Alpha 13 includes a number of new stealth-related features sneaky Cogminds might consider adding to their repertoire.
The Triangulator is a very valuable new part for anyone looking to stay out of sight. It might even be OP, but that's okay we'll see what players do with it first
. It pulls double duty by not only constantly letting you know how many units are tracking you from anywhere on the map (indicated with a sound effect and number in your parts list), but also shows how much closer you can get to hostiles in sight before they might spot you.Cloaking Devices were also revamped to actually provide a more obviously stealth-like ability. Whereas before they gave a boost to evasion, they now reduce the range at which hostiles can spot you--get even closer when trying to slip by patrols in large open areas! (No, Hunters do not carry these--their original "Cloaking Devices" are now called Phase Shifters, and retain the same behavior they've always had.)
We'll also be able to better measure just how stealthy a given player was during their run with two new score sheet entries. "Peak Tracking Count" records the greatest number of hostiles tracking Cogmind at once, and "Times Spotted" tallies the total number of times spotted throughout an entire run.
Build Your Way To Glory
Fabricators have already gotten fairly useful, but they keep getting better. Not only did hacking the Build command get easier across the board (+20%), Fabricators are both more likely to have preloaded item schematics and those schematics are going to be better than what you normally find in the area, in some cases up to two ratings higher!
From a design standpoint, even without any schematics to draw on, preloaded Fabricators are essentially potential piles of loot that you have to exchange some extra amount of time to acquire, so they can afford to be a little better. And of course that provides the player with more options and is therefore more fun
You certainly don't want to pass these things up anymore! (even if you're not a hacker or have no schematics)
Hacking Rebalance
As discussed a good bit on the chat and forums, late-game strategies revolving around stacking hackware are definitely OP. NERF INCOMING IN 3... 2... 1...
Several changes were made to balance it out:
- Adv. Remote Datajack and hackware ratings +1. This will raise the depth at which they can be fabricated, which is where most of the Ultimate Haxor's hackware comes from in the first place.
- Hackware stat progression dropped from +10/15/20/25/30/35 to +10/12/14/16/20/25. The main issue with late-game hackers is that they have not only more slots to allocate but also much better hackware, resulting in massive hacking bonuses--upwards of +200%, which can overcome... anything. In this case it's better to force even more of those slots to be used to get similar capabilities, which turns into a much more serious sacrifice. Let's see just how far these hackers are willing to go!
- Higher difficulty tiers for robot hacking defenses. The original set was designed before all the new prototype robots even existed (and back when I considered that they'd likely all simply be unhackable anyway).
To compensate at the higher end, one benefit of the additional robot tiers is that almost every robot is now hackable (even ARCs and Behemoths!). Also, Programmers are less likely to succeed at hacking your regular allies, and are completely unable to hack your best ones (but they'll sure try
).QoL!
Wouldn't be a Cogmind release without proper attention to everything QoL
- Item Label Coloring: On-map item labels now have another mode which colors them based on their integrity using the normal scheme (green > yellow > orange > red). This mode also remembers the last-known integrity of items outside FOV (which are also colored with a darker shade). It does have a couple small drawbacks compared to the original gray scheme, namely the main reason I hadn't used a color-based scheme to begin with: individual pop-up autolabels may not always be immediately distinguishable from some robot labels by color alone. There is also no way aside from name to differentiate common item labels from those for prototypes and artifacts (which normally standout quite clearly). I was going to wait and see, but yesterday after a couple of pre-release test runs I decided it's just too awesome and needs to be the default. So it's the default. The old mode is still available in the options menu (and also has a new feature: darkening labels for items at < 75% integrity), though it turns out that in practice the robot-item confusion is not a serious consideration, and in the next release I'll address the prototype/artifact differentiation issue, although even now the item icon coloring and/or shape itself is of course different. Overall a Good Feature!
- Current Item Data: Because Alpha 12 added a modal drop system for keyboard players triggered by 'd', they/we lost the ability to single-key identify the item at the current location (it required using examine mode: x, d). I've assigned that command to Numpad 0 (Ins) so it's still available and convenient at least for Numpad users.
- Options Shuffle: A number of little-used options were removed from the menu to make room for better new ones, though all old ones are still accessible in the config file, as listed in the changelog. (Later I'm going to put together a full descriptive list of the special config-only options, but I'm waiting for it to reach a final 1.0 state.)
- Targeting Overhaul: The examine and targeting UI behavior underwent a major overhaul, most of which only matters for keyboard players.
- Of relevance to both categories of players, guided weapon waypoints are remembered for subsequent firings, so that you don't have to re-enter them when firing along the same path, a fairly common need.
- There is now only one targeting priority system. There used to be a bunch of them, relics from the 7DRL nearly five years ago when I went on a UI options spree and implemented all kinds of different ways to cycle. It was unnecessarily confusing for most players, and the new always-prioritize-by-distance approach is more effective. There is also the added benefit that it will only cycle through armed hostiles if any are visible, otherwise only then does it switch over to cycling through unarmed non-allied robots. (Examine mode still cycles through all robots, however, and the fact that you can switch directly from examine to targeting mode while keeping the same target is a trick to allow you to cycle to an unarmed robot even when armed robots are present.)
- Three different pairs of keys are all valid for cycling forwards and backwards through the target list: Tab/Shift-Tab, -/=, and Numpad -/+.
- Targeting always prioritizes the last target if still valid, regardless of current distance, and now "last target" can even include non-robot solid targets and empty spaces! Blow through those walls faster than ever!
- Backspace and Numpad Enter can be used to recenter the cursor on your position, a new shortcut in case the targeting puts your cursor on another/previous object but you'd like to fire at something nearby like a wall or blocking non-combat robot.
Difficulty
Every release the difficulty changes somewhat, and Alpha 13 is no exception, though this one's a little harder to gauge in absolute terms. Overall 12 was way too easy in the long run, a combination of too many alert level variables being adjusted at once without any long-run testing prior to release. 13 scales that back a bit, though not yet to the degree of 11, which was a bit too tough.
That is only with regard to alert level, however, and there have been a number of changes that make certain areas and routes through the world less punishing.
- Mines got their own big update mentioned earlier, much of which is friendly.
- Scrap found in Mines and Caves alleviates some of the pressure experienced in those areas.
- The lone Garrison Access was removed from both -10/Materials and -9/Materials, where it made the already sometimes congested tight corridors of those maps all that much more dangerous to low-integrity Cogminds, especially new players. Getting caught by one or more patrols that were then reinforced by a nearby garrison is a tough experience, especially for new players. There's really no need to make the first couple floors quite that deadly, especially when deadly or not experienced players can get out pretty easily. Might as well still be challenging yet fun for the new players. Allowing entry into garrisons that early is also just another new player trap, as they're generally too dangerous and not worth it at such early depths, anyway.
- Secret adjustments
- One of the major new additions, which alone took literally two weeks of development but I haven't mentioned a single word about, is potentially big enough to lead to new play styles, some of which could be easier, or at least help tackle the more difficult challenges...
Remember to migrate from an earlier release by simply copying over your /user/ directory to the new game directory.
The full Alpha 13 (0.10.170117) changelog:
* NEW: Branch map "Zion" expanded
* NEW: 1 major plot event with potentially far-reaching effects
* NEW: 1 major new NPC (unique robot class)
* NEW: 1 new common robot w/unique behavior, "Thief"
* NEW: 5 new special robots (3 unique classes, 10 variants in all)
* NEW: 32 new items (total = 800)
* NEW: Trap items have a unique sprite
* NEW: New special item type in caves: Scrap (moving onto it automatically searches)
* NEW: Wide-ranging set of ally-sourced hacking abilities to discover, available as part of a new system
* NEW: More reasons to visit Mines (what those are I'll leave you to discover)
* NEW: Several new cave encounters
* NEW: 87 more score sheet entries (total = 579)
* NEW: 3 new low/mid-tier Fabricators and Recycling Units
* NEW: Ninth damage type (secret)
* NEW: Triangulation mechanics/utility
* NEW: True cloaking mechanic (via new Cloaking Devices)
* NEW: Recycling Unit Retrieve(Components) hack output explicitly states number of components retrieved, since may not equal full contents
* NEW: Repair Stations, Recycling Units, and Scanalyzers color listed items by current integrity
* NEW: Repair Station repairable item list marks those which are broken to avoid requiring opening info window to confirm
* NEW: Explosion falloff stat context help explicitly mentions visual representation in the form of AOE color's brightness relative to the origin
* NEW: Encounter-based optional world map shortcuts
* NEW: "Alert Popups" option that displays flashing on-map warnings and alerts for low integrity/energy/matter
* NEW: "Part Auto-sorting" option that enables automatic sorting parts after changes (occurs once moving again)
* NEW: "Show Non-FOV Color" option to show areas outside with darker colors rather than the green overlay (toggle at any time with Ctrl-`)
* NEW: "Click Walls to Target" option that allows that feature to be toggled (now off by default)
* NEW: "Color Item Labels" option to use integrity-based color scheme for item labels, both manual and automatic
* NEW: Standard item labeling method uses slightly darker shade to indicate items at less than 75% integrity
* NEW: Option to allow right-clicks on walls to enter targeting mode (cogmind.cfg only: see rmbWallsToTarget)
* NEW: Manual explicitly states that fliers must switch to another form of propulsion in order to bump-rewire disabled targets
* NEW: Any encounter action in which an NPC drops an item is accompanied by the proper material-based drop sfx
* NEW: Manual and context help clarify specific stat effects of propulsion overloading
* NEW: Confirmation required for suicide/quit game menu options (including a required 1-second delay)
* NEW: Armor auto-replacement breaks ties using each armor's respective rating
* NEW: Added "Multiple Projectiles" section to manual (under Weapons) to explain how they work
* NEW: Sealing a garrison after installing a trap on the entrance itself gives explicit log message referring to the trap's destruction
* NEW: In-game manual's keyboard navigation supports Numpad as well
* NEW: Attached processor to be dropped/removed/swapped flashes until confirmed (or window expires)
* NEW: Numpad 0 equivalent to 'd' key for opening object info; in keyboard mode also identifies item at current location without examine mode
* NEW: Explicit context tutorial message about the drawback of attempting to aim through an obstacle at a target behind it
* NEW: Overhauled autotargeting and target selection system (see new manual section "Targeting Priority" under Advanced UI)
* NEW: Targeting and examine modes both support -/= and Numpad -/+ for cycling through objects
* NEW: Firing at an empty space or other non-robot target is remembered for subsequent shots, automatically targeted again if still visible
* NEW: Repeatedly firing a guided weapon will remember and automatically reload all of previous attack's waypoints, if still visible
* NEW: Shift modifier w/Numpad cursor movement in examine/targeting modes jumps four spaces (customize via cfg: cursorJumpDistance)
* NEW: In targeting mode, Backspace or Numpad Enter centers cursor on self (keyboard mode)
* NEW: Added explicit Notes section to manual
* NEW: All supporter names registered since Alpha 12 added to in-game list (see Credits menu)
* NEW: All item-attribution names registered since Alpha 12 added to the item collection gallery
* MOD: All former optional target cycling methods unified, is now always distance-based (near to far)
* MOD: Target cycling includes only armed hostiles if any, otherwise all non-allied targets
* MOD: Item cycling order in examine mode switched from row-based to distance-based, near to far; also accessible by Ctrl-Numpad -/+
* MOD: Entering targeting mode via 'f' with only a melee weapon active will limit target cycling to adjacent targets
* MOD: Diametric Drive now a prototype
* MOD: Upped melee sneak attack base hit chance to 120%
* MOD: Derelict Log ASCII art recolored, rather than matching Data Core
* MOD: Non-hostile Derelicts use much brighter shade of gray
* MOD: Trap Extractors somewhat more commonly found among regular stockpiles
* MOD: Gui. Remote Datajack now a prototype, improved to rating 9
* MOD: Trap items changed from light gray to red (in ASCII mode)
* MOD: Reduced number of sound channels for environment destruction, to lower volume of large-scale collateral damage to machines
* MOD: AI (enemies and allies) spot targets one space further away than previously, more in line with their actual sight range
* MOD: Z-Series renamed to Q-Series
* MOD: Minseweeper variants renamed: Extractor -> Sweeper, Miner -> Extractor
* MOD: Particle Charger integrity increased (+10, all variants)
* MOD: Original set of Cloaking Devices renamed to Phase Shifters
* MOD: Utility Shielding no longer protects Armor parts
* MOD: Allies are tier-prioritized when passing to new map, better ones appearing closer (any lost in transition will naturally be weaker)
* MOD: Drones show their class name in info page instead of "Special"
* MOD: Controllable allied drones appear in blue instead of fuchsia
* MOD: Assimilated prototype robots always appear blue
* MOD: Scanalyzer-listed non-scanalyzable items appear blue instead of yellow
* MOD: Mines infestation less common, and sometimes accompanied by a new encounter
* MOD: Imp. Signal Interpreter displays non-combat classes in a different color
* MOD: LRCs are now their own class
* MOD: Inventory sorting accompanied by sound effect (became silent in Alpha 11 due to removal of interface message w/typing sfx)
* MOD: Removed "Auto-sort Inventory" from options menu (still available in cogmind.cfg as autoSortInventory)
* MOD: Removed "Distance-based Volume" from options menu (still available in cogmind.cfg as soundIgnoresDistance)
* MOD: Removed "Center Cursor on Move" from options menu (still available in cogmind.cfg as centerCursorOnMove)
* MOD: Removed "Animated Volley Range" from options menu (still available in cogmind.cfg as animateVolleyRange)
* MOD: Removed "Target Preference" from options menu (now obsolete)
* MOD: Major NPCs no longer susceptible to core disruption
* MOD: Allies/AIs no longer attack dormant bots (until awoken)
* MOD: Item rating value context help clarifies its importance in simplifying the comparison process
* MOD: Added mechanics details including machine-caused LOS reduction to the manual's "Spotting" section (under Combat)
* MOD: All EM cannon energy costs increased approximately 40%
* MOD: Recycling Unit tunneling more likely to discover areas closer to current depth than further away
* MOD: Log message reporting a world location learned via derelict log etc. is different if location was previously known
* MOD: World map will not show additional discovered but unvisited Factory areas at the same depth (may have been learned by tunneling through chutes)
* MOD: Score sheet "Alien Tech Recovered" renamed to "Alien Tech Used" (behavior unchanged)
* MOD: Confusion due to corruption no longer tries to move into walls, take exits, or otherwise attempt an involved action (rewiring, machine interaction)
* MOD: Recall() hacks no longer appear on Command terminals, nor do they have an effect there
* MOD: Svarog and Perun core integrity +33%
* MOD: Zionites have a new sprite
* MOD: Gaining new intel no longer automatically opens intel window (can reactivate feature via cogmind.cfg: autoOpenNewIntel)
* MOD: Melee attacks never miss walls/doors/machines
* MOD: Mechanics, Protectors, and disarmed combat bots no longer considered a "threat" for movement purposes (requires "Stop on Threats Only" option on)
* MOD: Part rejection side effect of corruption no longer occurs outside combat situations
* MOD: Thermal Generator effect description changed to avoid implying it prevents thermal damage
* MOD: No Garrison Access below -8
* MOD: Assaults and Intercepts no longer dispatch simultaneous with Exterminations
* MOD: Increased effect on alert level from disabling machines and having allies in tow during combat
* MOD: +1 rating to all hackware at the Improved tier and above
* MOD: Adv. Remote Datajack rating +1
* MOD: Hackware stat progression rate reduced significantly
* MOD: Two additional higher robot hacking difficulty tiers
* MOD: Previously hackable prototype robot systems now much more difficult
* MOD: ARCs/Z-Series/Behemoths and many more now fully hackable (difficult but not impossible)
* MOD: Reduced by ~20% the chance of hostile Programmers successfully assimilating allies with average/high hacking defenses (e.g. Grunts/Hunters)
* MOD: Build command at all Fabricators easier
* MOD: Preloaded item schematics at Fabricators now better than usual, even out of depth
* MOD: More Fabricators will tend to have preloaded schematics
* MOD: Slightly reduced mass support for all flight propulsion at and above rating 4
* MOD: World map no longer accessible during examine/targeting modes
* FIX: Getting a Repair Station refit or being repaired by a Mechanic ignored extra slots of multislot items, attaching more parts than necessary [Vectis]
* FIX: Advanced key command listing for evasion info still showed '/' despite having been switched to '\' [zxc]
* FIX: A particular late-game encounter involved a robot that could still take a hostile action even if assimilated before acting [zxc]
* FIX: Under rare circumstances a valid path between cave entrance and exits may be blocked off by a wall [Sherlockkat]
* FIX: Vi-key running via 'r' modifier wasn't working in all cases [Dracunos]
* FIX: Part mass visualization should show relative values for unidentified non-propulsion parts [Dracunos]
* FIX: Removal of BUILD order in Alpha 12 shifted tallies for other ally orders in score sheet [Widmo]
* FIX: Backup parts which became "Unknown" due to data loss remained unknown even after attachment during Mechanic repairs or Repair Station refit [Widmo]
* FIX: Mechanics headed to resupply at a Repair Station which is then disabled may still resupply if interactive section not completely destroyed [Widmo]
* FIX: Recyclers headed to insert at a Recycling Unit which is then disabled may still use it if interactive section not completely destroyed [Widmo]
* FIX: Recycling Unit's Refit function only available manually rather than via button (until reconnect) if repaired an attached part [Widmo]
* FIX: While flying was possible to swap with a non-flying ally on the other side of a hostile (will now clear them, too) [Widmo]
* FIX: Unable to cycle through World Map in keyboard mode if current or previous locations in Waste or Garrison [Widmo]
* FIX: Inconsistent new map autosave behavior depending on Show Map Intro option setting (now always saves as soon as possible) [Widmo]
* FIX: Manual terminal hacks seeking analyses for robots that have no schematics would always indicate unavailable at current depth [Widmo]
* FIX: Extracting resources from a container by waiting on top of it did not update the scan window if displaying that container [Widmo]
* FIX: While flying, was possible to hack a machine directly on the other side of a blocking hostile [Widmo]
* FIX: Typo in W-25 Informer and B-99 Colossus analysis texts [Widmo]
* FIX: Reclamation Units could reclaim themselves on destruction [Amphouse]
* FIX: Derelict Surgeon variants overheated simply from upkeep costs due to an imbalanced loadout [Happylisk]
* FIX: Allied MAIN.C classes/variants transferred to a new map would be renamed [elite277]
* FIX: Clicking on the evolution UI where the Confirm button will appear, even before assigning slots, advances to next map without new slots [piedol]
* FIX: Allies were causing almost no additional increase to the alert level in combat
* FIX: Traveling through Recycling didn't increment evolution count by the proper amount in score sheet
* FIX: Confusion due to corruption was warning when a move would ram a robot or step on a known hostile target, making negative consequences avoidable
* FIX: Weapon toggling hotkey (') behavior didn't work properly when autoReadyLauncher option activated in cogmind.cfg
* FIX: In rare cases a horizontal line may appear after a log message and get stuck there until the message was redrawn due to scrolling
* FIX: NPCs that speak on sight were not supposed to flash the green '!' to indicate dialogue, since a bump is not required to trigger
* FIX: "Traps Extracted" score sheet entry was including non-player tallies as well
* FIX: Chute traps never spawned on Factory depths visited on a previous run in the same session
* FIX: One or more prop-sourced ambient sounds could disappear early when overlapping with others during movement
* FIX: Rebooting, dormant, or otherwise inactive programmers were still capable of protecting nearby allies from hacking attempts
* FIX: Crash in message log system if attacking a wall with a base accuracy of exactly 110%
* FIX: One character (147) in ASCII art contained a few extra pixels when using 14x14 font
(As usual, if you haven't already, Prime Tier supporters and above remember to use the form linked in your original download email to provide the name you want to use in game. Attribution/names are added with each major release.)
Shout out to new player Widmo, who provided a majority of the bug reports for the previous release (finding some really obscure stuff!). He's co-developer of PRIME, also a sci-fi roguelike--check it out.
194
Announcements / Upcoming Features (Alpha 13)
« on: January 13, 2017, 09:11:45 AM »
As mentioned in the latest update, Alpha 13 will be released on January 17th. [Update: Alpha 13 released! Full release notes and changelog here.]
It's, um, not small. Another huge changelog and plenty of fun new stuff--stuff which is not at the end of the game. Most of the additions and changes can be experienced in the lower half of the world, so it's cool that a majority of players will have a chance to check it out. As usual there's a bunch of QoL, too, and a continuation of the balance work begun with Alpha 12.
Overall it's just better (a good direction to go in), more about which I'll discuss in the full release notes.
And without further delay, I bring you a collection of Alpha 13 feature images!
Part sorting is now fully automated! (you can turn it off or adjust the delay in the options)
Scrap piles will no doubt save a few players from impending doom in the Mines and Caves.
An example of searching Scrap.
Item lists at interactive machines are color-coded by integrity.
Broken items are marked as such directly in a Repair Station's target item list.
Default item label colors are darkened for items with less than 75% of integrity remaining.
Option to color labels by item integrity.
(animated version)
Dozens of new parts.
And among them are some new mechanics, like the Triangulator.
Viewing how close hostiles are to spotting you (Triangulator).
Indicating how many enemies are currently tracking you (Triangulator).
Activating a Triangulator.
Cloaking Devices really cloak now, effectively reducing the distance at which you can be spotted.
Darkened HUD borders while cloaked, for that super sneaky feel
Refit option becomes available immediately at Repair Stations if they take your last power source or other replaceable part.
Glow effect when the next action will confirm destruction of a processor.
Imp. Signal Interpreter differentiates between known non-hostile classes (green) and potentially hostile classes (red) for faster visual parsing.
Run-ending options require confirmation to help prevent unintended suicide.
Option/toggle to persistently use darker regular colors rather than the green overlay for areas outside FOV.
Near-to-far armed-hostiles-only keyboard cycling (with three pairs of valid keys).
Automatically re-targeting the same space again (for obvious nefarious purposes).
Auto-recall previously used waypoints for subsequent guided weapon firing.
Item near-to-far examine (although in most case it'll still be more efficient to just move or jump the examine cursor, or use the popup labels).
Said jumping is here--cursor jumping a customizable distance via Shift-Numpad (sorry, no vi/arrow support for this one).
Never miss that you're running low on resources again, with flashing on-map indicators for matter, energy, and... integrity.
Of course Alpha 13 also includes a bunch of stuff that we wouldn't want to spoil here!
...okay, here's a neat new effect that doesn't tell you what's coming, but only hints that something is very very wrong... or very right? Might depend on your point of view...
It's, um, not small. Another huge changelog and plenty of fun new stuff--stuff which is not at the end of the game
. Most of the additions and changes can be experienced in the lower half of the world, so it's cool that a majority of players will have a chance to check it out. As usual there's a bunch of QoL, too, and a continuation of the balance work begun with Alpha 12.Overall it's just better (a good direction to go in
), more about which I'll discuss in the full release notes.And without further delay, I bring you a collection of Alpha 13 feature images!
Part sorting is now fully automated! (you can turn it off or adjust the delay in the options)
Scrap piles will no doubt save a few players from impending doom in the Mines and Caves.
An example of searching Scrap.
Item lists at interactive machines are color-coded by integrity.
Broken items are marked as such directly in a Repair Station's target item list.
Default item label colors are darkened for items with less than 75% of integrity remaining.
Option to color labels by item integrity.
(animated version)
Dozens of new parts.
And among them are some new mechanics, like the Triangulator.
Viewing how close hostiles are to spotting you (Triangulator).
Indicating how many enemies are currently tracking you (Triangulator).
Activating a Triangulator.
Cloaking Devices really cloak now, effectively reducing the distance at which you can be spotted.
Darkened HUD borders while cloaked, for that super sneaky feel
Refit option becomes available immediately at Repair Stations if they take your last power source or other replaceable part.
Glow effect when the next action will confirm destruction of a processor.
Imp. Signal Interpreter differentiates between known non-hostile classes (green) and potentially hostile classes (red) for faster visual parsing.
Run-ending options require confirmation to help prevent unintended suicide.
Option/toggle to persistently use darker regular colors rather than the green overlay for areas outside FOV.
Near-to-far armed-hostiles-only keyboard cycling (with three pairs of valid keys).
Automatically re-targeting the same space again (for obvious nefarious purposes).
Auto-recall previously used waypoints for subsequent guided weapon firing.
Item near-to-far examine (although in most case it'll still be more efficient to just move or jump the examine cursor, or use the popup labels).
Said jumping is here--cursor jumping a customizable distance via Shift-Numpad (sorry, no vi/arrow support for this one).
Never miss that you're running low on resources again, with flashing on-map indicators for matter, energy, and... integrity.
Of course Alpha 13 also includes a bunch of stuff that we wouldn't want to spoil here!
...okay, here's a neat new effect that doesn't tell you what's coming, but only hints that something is very very wrong... or very right? Might depend on your point of view...
195
Ideas / Targeting Overhaul
« on: January 11, 2017, 02:39:11 AM »
The targeting system is very old, like added almost five years ago from 7DRL times old, and it really needs to be brought up to the same quality as the rest of the UI. I'd like to try to fit this in for Alpha 13.
I thought about it for a long while today and the best solution I could come up with involves the following changes and new functionality. Directly from my notes:
I'll probably be implementing it tomorrow.
Edit: Spent most of today doing all this and more. All ready for smooth keyboard targeting action as you can see below
Near-to-far armed hostiles cycling:
Automatically re-targeting the same space again (for obvious nefarious purposes):
Auto-recall previously used waypoints for subsequent guided weapon firing:
Item near-to-far examine (although in most case it'll still be more efficient to just move or jump the examine cursor, or use the popup labels):
Oh yeah, the jumping is here--cursor jumping a customizable distance via Shift-Numpad (sorry, no vi/arrow support for this one):
(and more I didn't record)
Edit 2: All this and more is in the latest release, Alpha 13.
I thought about it for a long while today and the best solution I could come up with involves the following changes and new functionality. Directly from my notes:
- remove all targeting options (unified/singular behavior)
- if any armed hostiles in sight, tab/shift-tab cycle through those, nearest to furthest (unarmed/non-hostile ignored)
- otherwise if any non-allies in sight cycles through those
- will also add "+/-" keys (-/=) to do the same thing as tab/shift-tab
- will always prioritize previous target if still in view and start targeting again
- if fired at a space instead, entering firing mode will again target that space (if in view)
- if fired a guided weapon and firing again, will recall/reload same waypoints (if all of them still in view)
- if enter targeting mode via 'f' with only a melee weapon active, autotargeting will only select from among adjacent targets
- item cycling will also change to use near-far order, to match targeting behavior
Edit: Spent most of today doing all this and more. All ready for smooth keyboard targeting action as you can see below
Near-to-far armed hostiles cycling:
Automatically re-targeting the same space again (for obvious nefarious purposes):
Auto-recall previously used waypoints for subsequent guided weapon firing:
Item near-to-far examine (although in most case it'll still be more efficient to just move or jump the examine cursor, or use the popup labels):
Oh yeah, the jumping is here--cursor jumping a customizable distance via Shift-Numpad (sorry, no vi/arrow support for this one):
(and more I didn't record)
Edit 2: All this and more is in the latest release, Alpha 13.
196
Announcements / Progress Update: January 7th, 2017
« on: January 06, 2017, 08:51:44 AM »
As I mentioned in the previous update, a little longer and I'd have a clearer picture of when Alpha 13 will hit. I can report that the picture is now clear, and as of this writing your ETA is approximately 10 days, 10 hours, and 10 minutes. In easier terms, that's the morning of 1/17 (well, in my time zone ).
I was going to shoot for next week, but it would require an even crazier schedule, I'd have to postpone some features, and I hope to leave enough time for actual playtesting before this release.
All new Alpha 13 content was completed this week! A sneak peak at some of the new items:
So with content already in the changelog, this next week will be about resolving outstanding bug reports, little feature requests, and a bunch of balance tweaks and other small adjustments. Two feature requests I took care of earlier today:
There's an option to keep areas outside the FOV colored (albeit darker) rather than use the green overlay:
And less a chance of misclicking/mistyping on the game menu now that the buttons require confirmation:
Next weekend or so will be the Alpha 13 preview!
).I was going to shoot for next week, but it would require an even crazier schedule, I'd have to postpone some features, and I hope to leave enough time for actual playtesting before this release.
All new Alpha 13 content was completed this week! A sneak peak at some of the new items:
So with content already in the changelog, this next week will be about resolving outstanding bug reports, little feature requests, and a bunch of balance tweaks and other small adjustments. Two feature requests I took care of earlier today:
There's an option to keep areas outside the FOV colored (albeit darker) rather than use the green overlay:
And less a chance of misclicking/mistyping on the game menu now that the buttons require confirmation:
Next weekend or so will be the Alpha 13 preview!
197
Fixed Bugs & Non-Bugs / Non-hostile researchers may appear yellow on sensors
« on: January 05, 2017, 11:54:36 PM »
Sherlockkat reported this as a possible bug via chat (see attached image).
I've determined the cause, a side effect of the system that allows larger maps to start up faster by delaying AI initialization. Unlike other bots, Researchers don't set their proper alignment until their first turn, so for a moment they will appear yellow if you entered the floor with active long-range sensors.
This is fine since you probably want to be more aware of their nearby starting locations anyway
Just posting it here to have this record (and let others know).
I've determined the cause, a side effect of the system that allows larger maps to start up faster by delaying AI initialization. Unlike other bots, Researchers don't set their proper alignment until their first turn, so for a moment they will appear yellow if you entered the floor with active long-range sensors.
This is fine since you probably want to be more aware of their nearby starting locations anyway
Just posting it here to have this record (and let others know).
198
Ideas / Dealing with the Hackware Snowball Effect
« on: January 05, 2017, 10:38:50 PM »
This has been a hot topic on the chat, and it would be more valuable as a forum discussion where we can get a wider variety of opinions and leave a better record of any arguments.
There is a potential balance issue with the so-called "hackware snowball" being a rather OP strategy for those who can get it rolling. As early as half way through the game we have Cogminds stacking half a dozen or more powerful hackware, essentially owning terminals and, more importantly, other robots.
To start off the discussion, here are some of the potential approaches that have come under varying levels of serious consideration:
Note that this is mostly with reference to robot hacking, because machine hacking is pretty balanced as is, with much less harm in allowing god-tier hackers to practically own the machine network.
That it's focused on robot hacking might suggest some alternative solutions:
I don't like to take power and options away from the player, and do like the idea that players can become extremely effective hackers, but it seems a little overboard when Cogmind can destroy or assimilate practically anything without worry.
In any case, the response to this will probably be gradual, starting with the adjustments most directly targeting the combat-hacking strategy, but maybe some of you have other input?
Edit: Several of these changes, most importantly including the hackware progression nerf discussed later, were made in Alpha 13, as detailed in the release notes.
There is a potential balance issue with the so-called "hackware snowball" being a rather OP strategy for those who can get it rolling. As early as half way through the game we have Cogminds stacking half a dozen or more powerful hackware, essentially owning terminals and, more importantly, other robots.
To start off the discussion, here are some of the potential approaches that have come under varying levels of serious consideration:
- Hackware integrity is very gradually lowered over time as a result of successful hacks. (Not as easy to explain thematically, but that's not too important here.)
- Increase mid/high-tier hackware ratings, thereby raising the depths at which they can be fabricated (fabrication being the most common way to obtain hackware).
- Using multiple hackware has diminishing benefits (i.e. each additional hackware's effect is reduced more than the last). (This puts a general cap on what is possible and makes high-end hacking that much easier to balance.)
- Hacking gets harder across the floor as more of it is successful, essentially introducing another form of clock. (This one's pretty in theme.)
Note that this is mostly with reference to robot hacking, because machine hacking is pretty balanced as is, with much less harm in allowing god-tier hackers to practically own the machine network.
That it's focused on robot hacking might suggest some alternative solutions:
- Make some of the very high tier special robots non-hackable (as Behemoths are now). (<-already planned for Alpha 13)
- Add at least one more higher difficulty tier for robot hacking. (<-already planned for Alpha 13)
- Put a hard cap on overload and assimilation chances, regardless of hacking capabilities.
I don't like to take power and options away from the player, and do like the idea that players can become extremely effective hackers, but it seems a little overboard when Cogmind can destroy or assimilate practically anything without worry.
In any case, the response to this will probably be gradual, starting with the adjustments most directly targeting the combat-hacking strategy, but maybe some of you have other input?
Edit: Several of these changes, most importantly including the hackware progression nerf discussed later, were made in Alpha 13, as detailed in the release notes.
199
Announcements / New Year's Progress Update, Version 2017
« on: January 01, 2017, 04:59:15 AM »
It's here! 2017! The year Cogmind finally reaches 1.0!
Alpha 13 already has plenty of fun new content, which I'll get to talking more about with the actual release, but it's about time for a general update.
Normally by now I'd be about ready to do a major release, but because we're deep into late alpha, for the remainder of development I'm no longer sticking to my regular cycle, focusing less strictly on time-based milestones and trying to instead gauge it so that all the remaining pre-1.0 features fit in the next few releases. So this release is taking longer as I try and hack away at the list of remaining fundamentals and balance work. No ETA on Alpha 13 yet, but I'll have a much clearer picture by the end of this week, after seeing how much of this massive TODO list I can get done
But here's a sneak peak at some of the things coming...
Cloaking Devices now actually have a real cloaking effect--rather than increasing evasion, they now reduce the distance at which enemies can spot you, shown here being toggled in tandem with a Triangulator:
With a Cloaking Device active, the HUD borders are darkened:
Lists of items at interactive machines will now show them colored by integrity:
And Repair Station lists will show a marker for any parts that are broken:
Something is causing this terminal scrambling effect. What could it be?
Recently for fun I also put together a visualization of AIs taking turns pathfinding across a Materials map:
Or seen here with the map visible:
(Various stills: 1, 2, 3, 4)
Have an ASCII New Year!
Alpha 13 already has plenty of fun new content, which I'll get to talking more about with the actual release, but it's about time for a general update.
Normally by now I'd be about ready to do a major release, but because we're deep into late alpha, for the remainder of development I'm no longer sticking to my regular cycle, focusing less strictly on time-based milestones and trying to instead gauge it so that all the remaining pre-1.0 features fit in the next few releases. So this release is taking longer as I try and hack away at the list of remaining fundamentals and balance work. No ETA on Alpha 13 yet, but I'll have a much clearer picture by the end of this week, after seeing how much of this massive TODO list I can get done
But here's a sneak peak at some of the things coming...
Cloaking Devices now actually have a real cloaking effect--rather than increasing evasion, they now reduce the distance at which enemies can spot you, shown here being toggled in tandem with a Triangulator:
With a Cloaking Device active, the HUD borders are darkened:
Lists of items at interactive machines will now show them colored by integrity:
And Repair Station lists will show a marker for any parts that are broken:
Something is causing this terminal scrambling effect. What could it be?
Recently for fun I also put together a visualization of AIs taking turns pathfinding across a Materials map:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Have an ASCII New Year!
200
Announcements / Year 3 of the Cogmind
« on: December 19, 2016, 06:07:43 PM »
Having clocked a cumulative 6,383 hours of work over more than three years now, Cogmind is ever so close to completion. A look at 2016, and the future: http://www.gridsagegames.com/blog/2016/12/year-3-cogmind/
For a visual take on the past year, as usual I've compiled the annual Dev Collage
For a visual take on the past year, as usual I've compiled the annual Dev Collage