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1

General Discussion / Cogmind Dataminer Scoresheet Viewer

« on: October 27, 2021, 08:26:08 PM »

(Posting this here for posterity and reference. Previously posted on Discord.)

Cogmind Dataminer is an online scoresheet viewer for your public end-of-game scoresheets. It takes raw data from your scoresheet and makes many pages of pretty graphs and charts of your adventure. You can also view scoresheets of any other player's game on public record.

The app:
https://leiavoia.net/cogmind/dataminer/

The code:
https://github.com/leiavoia/cogmind-dataminer

How to find your scoresheets:
https://leiavoia.net/cogmind/dataminer/help.html

Example game (mild spoilers)
https://leiavoia.net/cogmind/dataminer/?osF59nAns4warikxj

The app is written entirely in JavaScript, so it runs directly in your web browser. You can access any scoresheet that is automatically uploaded by Cogmind when your run ends (you need to enable this in your settings). You can also manually upload .json scoresheets if you have those.

This app was written for data available in Beta 10.2 and may be updated as data formats change for newer versions of the game.

2

Ideas / Non-Interactive Machine Improvements

« on: October 18, 2021, 11:37:58 PM »

Non-Interactive Machines (NIMs) are mostly for color and ambience. However, they could be made slightly more interesting using existing game mechanisms (i.e. easy task!). Here's a few notes i jotted down. Feel free to use or ignore.

Area-of-Effect Effects:
Machines can have some effect in their own immediate vicinity, either while active or when destroyed. This might influence routing and pathing decisions of the player and other bots too. Machines might be color coded to indicate to player danger or opportunity. Effects might include:

• Increases corruption %
• Causes corruption effects
• Corrupts parts on ground
• Evaporate matter - matter generated in the area disappears.
• Heat spike
• Heat reduction (cryo chamber)
• Reduced accuracy (per weapon type?)
• Engine blowout
• Disable equipped processors
• Self destruct parts on the ground (fry - like in caves)
• Disable / jam / break weapons equipped.
• Reduce weapon range.
• Reduce optical visibility (smoke?)
• Scramble sensors.
• Slow travel speed
• Amplify EM damage
• Reduce weapon damage (like stasis traps)

Servers / Wire Closets
High value machines with special support roles. Usually guarded, shelled, or barriered. Big alert spike when destroyed. Generally best if avoided. High risk when using EX and penetrating weapons nearby. Not all types of servers are available on all floors.

• Data Servers <per type> - Serve data to Terminals, Fabricators, Recyclers, Scanalyzers, and Repair Stations. Destroying data servers takes the corresponding network offline (e.g. Destroying a Scanalyzer Server takes all Scanalyzers offline).
• Security Server - Takes random machines offline or reduced functionality. Increases your odds of getting hacking on the current floor. Kind of like a mini-Hub.
• Mapping Server - Provides support data for bots tracking you. Knocking one out reduces enemy tracking ability but increases patrols.
• Greenbot Coordination Server <per greenbot type> - Provides central oversight for greenbot classes. Disabling a greenbot server disables, inhibits, or reduces corresponding greenbot activity (e.g. disabling the Engineering server hampers Engineering ability. Ditto for transport, recycling, cleaning, etc.)
• Non-Interactive Machine Server - Turns other NIMs on/off.

Utilities

• Energy - controls doors, powers other machines.
• HVAC - Controls ambient temperature (we already have this).
• Lighting - controls optical visibility.
• Garbage - Already have this too.
• Plumbing / Pumps - ?? Pump matter into a big pile?
• Electrical - Provides local energy taps. Battery room?

3

General Discussion / My One Big (Constructive) Criticism

« on: December 28, 2020, 09:57:50 PM »

<light spoilerage follows>

First, thanks again for this wonderful game. I've put more than 100+ hours into it. Its been very entertaining. I look forward to whatever happens in the future.

Now I have one big constructive criticism. Please hear me out:

I have no idea why things are happening.

This is a consistent issue throughout the game. There's guys bursting out of walls, allies from nowhere, allies from somewhere, backstabbing traitors, ambushes, assaults, and machines that do... stuff? While all of this interesting and entertaining, I don't understand it. When i don't understand cause and effect, i can't act on it. I am powerless to influence events.

I understand that revealing lore is a big part of the game, but many events that should have obvious cause and effect are not obvious. I frequently find myself googling game stuff after the fact to figure out what any of it is. Examples:

I got A7 to the Cetus Mainframe and we did the G-00 code. And it does... what? What is it supposed to do? What was the point of that? I got a Steam achievement but i don't understand what i achieved.

I'm in [C] and allied dudes start coming out of the room next door and fighting for me. Cool! Why is this happening? Was this my doing or is this a random event?

There's a giant bore-bot running amok in Research for ... reasons. Is this the thing i saw in Warlord? I don't know.

R17 ... have met him several times. I have talked with him, killed him, ignored him... I still have no idea what any of that did, does, or will do. Should I?

On a winning run, I nuke 0b10 from orbit, because ... yeah

In places where it is appropriate, I would like to have the dialog or narration give me a more on-the-nose explanation of events. A7 needs to tell me what G-00 does and what i should expect. Dudes from Zion need to thank me for doing <action> in [C]. Warlord needs to tell me what he will do for me if i do whatever for him. I need to be told that Mr Alien Man here knows how to up-blow stuff from space and that is why it is blowing up. Etc.

Again, this is meant to be constructive criticism, and i look forward to continued cogmind stuff down the road.

Thanks for reading!

4

Strategies / Win After Limping into Command?

« on: November 28, 2020, 12:45:49 PM »

I made it into Command on a recent run, but only after getting shot to bits running up the stairway. I tried a half dozen times to win by any means but could not make it work.

On this run, the only goody i had was heavy regenerative armor. I was on treads with additional armor and basic weapons picked up off the ground.

Generally speaking, is there any way to make it out alive if i don't arrive in decent condition?

I feel like having some launchers would have made a difference, but i had none and could find none.

Thanks for the tips!

5

Ideas / Scrap Heap Fun

« on: November 15, 2020, 03:43:53 PM »

First, thanks for creating this wonderful gem of a game. Please consider my humble and easy to implement suggestion.

Consider adding one or two random "fun items" to the starting scrap heap besides the stock parts. This would give each game an ever-so-slight difference in starting condition to provide some initial direction and make this part of the game worth not skipping.

Also consider adding an unusually high level, broken item to the scrap heap. This does three things:
- Gives players an interesting decision to make at the start (leave it, or lug it around in hopes of fixing it)
- Provides a fun early game side-quest (getting it fixed).
- Makes use of chronically underutilized Repair facilities at the beginning of the game.

thanks for reading!