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251
Announcements / Progress Update: April 21, 2016
« on: April 21, 2016, 08:16:52 AM »
The meat of Alpha 8 is mostly complete. Not much to show you, though, because as you probably know by now I like players to have the opportunity to discover things for themselves. Lots of fun new stuff on the way 
The release would ideally be next week, though I've been slowed a bit due to a bike accident and the resulting repeated doctor visits this week (basically: bikers coming at me on my side of the path insisted on blocking my way, and I swerved at the last second to avoid them and wiped out, ripping much of the skin off the outside of my lower left leg
).
Regardless, the next announcement will be the usual release preview, once I'm pretty sure of the date. I still have to finish some of the new branch content, then decide whether there's enough time to add a few more of the items from the general feature list. I'm still looking at next week, but it'll depend on how smoothly the next couple days go, and how much I try to cram in at the last minute
Meanwhile, over on the blog I posted an article about FOV Aesthetics. Spoiler-free, so check that out if you're interested in some technical and design discussion, with of course a bunch of images. For example, this demo of a new optional feature: FOV fade-in
Okay, now I've got some robots to code
The release would ideally be next week, though I've been slowed a bit due to a bike accident and the resulting repeated doctor visits this week (basically: bikers coming at me on my side of the path insisted on blocking my way, and I swerved at the last second to avoid them and wiped out, ripping much of the skin off the outside of my lower left leg
).Regardless, the next announcement will be the usual release preview, once I'm pretty sure of the date. I still have to finish some of the new branch content, then decide whether there's enough time to add a few more of the items from the general feature list. I'm still looking at next week, but it'll depend on how smoothly the next couple days go, and how much I try to cram in at the last minute
Meanwhile, over on the blog I posted an article about FOV Aesthetics. Spoiler-free, so check that out if you're interested in some technical and design discussion, with of course a bunch of images. For example, this demo of a new optional feature: FOV fade-in
Okay, now I've got some robots to code
252
Ideas / Fabrication Overhaul Discussion
« on: April 11, 2016, 04:25:20 AM »
Update 160511: The new fabrication system has been implemented for the next release (Alpha 9), and I've posted a full overview on the blog. Many of the ideas were discussed in this thread--thanks to everyone who participated!
Update 160608:
Alpha 9 is ready!
Plans have been in motion to improve all the non-terminal interactive machines, as seen with the Recycling Unit in Alpha 7.
I'm not sure that Fabricators will be next, but we started a discussion on them here, and we've both passed the point where there is enough information to make informed decisions, and are nearing the point where changes to this system will be extra meaningful to the game given the new content (for example, schematics available for parts you can't even otherwise find).
First, a little background on fabrication's role in the design.
Cogmind is obviously a game about adapting to the situation. Even after you find some useful individual parts, or gather exactly what you need for a highly effective build, sooner or later it's likely that circumstances will turn against you and you'll lose something important (if not more than that). Moreover, you may also have an idea for a build but simply haven't come across one of the better parts it needs.
Enter fabrication.
The idea is that a limited number of times during a run, you'll be able to use fabrication to supplement a missing piece or two in a build, or just get something extra special out of it. Important considerations:
So what does the current fabrication process involve? (base list courtesy of Shobalk)
The original purpose behind the large number of restrictions was to counteract the old hacking system: Prior to the hacking overhaul, it was theoretically possible to hack forever until you got what you wanted. Now that traces can no longer be reset, unless you're an extremely good hacker, a single machine/Fabricator can only be used so many times.
Note: I don't intend for every Cogmind to be great at fabrication! That's another part of the balance equation here--it doesn't have to work equally well for everyone. In that sense requiring two separate Fabricator hacks is okay (the first has a high static chance, while the second is dependent on the part), and Terminals can be fairly reliable sources for schematics. Hackers, or at least part-time hackers with a little bit of hackware (or those who just luck out), should be able to make some use of fabrication, while others don't necessarily have that option.
To me the most annoying restriction is the level restriction on schematics, so I want to remove that entirely. It's very opaque and complicated, and there is a much better approach to differentiating Fabricators of different ratings: Time. Any Fabricator should be able to build anything if you have the schematic (and matter), it simply takes longer at lower-rated machines. So the schematic data will show XXX/YYY/ZZZ, indicating the time required at each of the three Fabricators, where higher levels are more difficult to hack, as expected, but can finish your schematic much more quickly, further rewarding anyone capable of actually hacking those. (Side note: The lifting of all level restrictions should also apply to Repair Stations and Scanalyzers as well, for the same reasons.)
Time as a restriction has the advantage of already having a cost associated with it, in the form of Programmer dispatches and increasing security level from confrontations, and is therefore tightly coupled with the rest of the game's mechanics.
I'll probably further reduce the difficulty of the schematic loading hack (right now the base chance is 70%).
To facilitate the waiting period for a build to finish, I'll be implementing a new command, Alt-w (or shift-RMB on the machine), to wait as long as necessary to finish.
To recap, here's a summary of player opinions expressed in the other thread:
I'm not yet decided on whether to remove the matter container requirement. I think it's probably best to implement these changes in stages anyway, to see how the results of the ones mentioned above play out before taking further actions, but I wouldn't be against that one if it's necessary.
Consuming containers is quite an interesting idea, though technically you can fabricate more containers as necessary
And besides, I think a time requirement is important to the whole system, and an auto-wait feature resolves any negative effects of that.
That's the extent of my notes on this topic for now. If you have anything to add (or want to change your positions
), go ahead and continue the discussion here!
"Oh yeah, and Robots!"
Throughout this post I've been talking purely about fabrication of parts, ignoring the other important half of the system that enables you to build friends. I do eventually want building robots to be a thing, but it's secondary to part fabrication, as it's not as difficult to balance given the obvious impact on the security level looming over you in that case. Whatever changes are made to part fabrication will also be applied there, along with perhaps further tweaks if necessary because it's robots instead of parts. They're less important for this discussion.
Update 160608:
Alpha 9 is ready!
Plans have been in motion to improve all the non-terminal interactive machines, as seen with the Recycling Unit in Alpha 7.
I'm not sure that Fabricators will be next, but we started a discussion on them here, and we've both passed the point where there is enough information to make informed decisions, and are nearing the point where changes to this system will be extra meaningful to the game given the new content (for example, schematics available for parts you can't even otherwise find).
First, a little background on fabrication's role in the design.
Cogmind is obviously a game about adapting to the situation. Even after you find some useful individual parts, or gather exactly what you need for a highly effective build, sooner or later it's likely that circumstances will turn against you and you'll lose something important (if not more than that
). Moreover, you may also have an idea for a build but simply haven't come across one of the better parts it needs.Enter fabrication.
The idea is that a limited number of times during a run, you'll be able to use fabrication to supplement a missing piece or two in a build, or just get something extra special out of it. Important considerations:
- The system shouldn't be tedious (like it is now).
- Fabrication conditions should be neither too difficult nor too easy to satisfy.
- Fabrication cannot be obviously superior in every situation, a real danger with a system where you can always get what you want. The benefits cannot always outweigh the costs.
So what does the current fabrication process involve? (base list courtesy of Shobalk)
- Acquire a schematic. (Terminals, Scanalyzers.)
- Acquire a container and fill it with matter. (Found, Workers.)
- Find a fabricator of high enough rating to build the schematic. (Found, Terminals.)
- Hack to load the schematic. (May fail.)
- Hack to start the build process. (May fail.)
- Wait for the build process to complete.
The original purpose behind the large number of restrictions was to counteract the old hacking system: Prior to the hacking overhaul, it was theoretically possible to hack forever until you got what you wanted. Now that traces can no longer be reset, unless you're an extremely good hacker, a single machine/Fabricator can only be used so many times.
Note: I don't intend for every Cogmind to be great at fabrication! That's another part of the balance equation here--it doesn't have to work equally well for everyone. In that sense requiring two separate Fabricator hacks is okay (the first has a high static chance, while the second is dependent on the part), and Terminals can be fairly reliable sources for schematics. Hackers, or at least part-time hackers with a little bit of hackware (or those who just luck out), should be able to make some use of fabrication, while others don't necessarily have that option.
To me the most annoying restriction is the level restriction on schematics, so I want to remove that entirely. It's very opaque and complicated, and there is a much better approach to differentiating Fabricators of different ratings: Time. Any Fabricator should be able to build anything if you have the schematic (and matter), it simply takes longer at lower-rated machines. So the schematic data will show XXX/YYY/ZZZ, indicating the time required at each of the three Fabricators, where higher levels are more difficult to hack, as expected, but can finish your schematic much more quickly, further rewarding anyone capable of actually hacking those. (Side note: The lifting of all level restrictions should also apply to Repair Stations and Scanalyzers as well, for the same reasons.)
Time as a restriction has the advantage of already having a cost associated with it, in the form of Programmer dispatches and increasing security level from confrontations, and is therefore tightly coupled with the rest of the game's mechanics.
I'll probably further reduce the difficulty of the schematic loading hack (right now the base chance is 70%).
To facilitate the waiting period for a build to finish, I'll be implementing a new command, Alt-w (or shift-RMB on the machine), to wait as long as necessary to finish.
To recap, here's a summary of player opinions expressed in the other thread:
- Happylisk: remove containers, reduce hacks from two to one, keep time requirement
- Decker: remove containers, remove time requirement, add some other limitation on fabricator use
- Shobalk: get rid of level restriction, reduce hacks from two to one, keep containers, keep time requirement
- Sherlockkat: remove time requirement, scale matter costs by item rarity and consume the containers (indirectly reintroduces time requirement)
I'm not yet decided on whether to remove the matter container requirement. I think it's probably best to implement these changes in stages anyway, to see how the results of the ones mentioned above play out before taking further actions, but I wouldn't be against that one if it's necessary.
Consuming containers is quite an interesting idea, though technically you can fabricate more containers as necessary
And besides, I think a time requirement is important to the whole system, and an auto-wait feature resolves any negative effects of that.
That's the extent of my notes on this topic for now. If you have anything to add (or want to change your positions
), go ahead and continue the discussion here!"Oh yeah, and Robots!"
Throughout this post I've been talking purely about fabrication of parts, ignoring the other important half of the system that enables you to build friends. I do eventually want building robots to be a thing, but it's secondary to part fabrication, as it's not as difficult to balance given the obvious impact on the security level looming over you in that case
. Whatever changes are made to part fabrication will also be applied there, along with perhaps further tweaks if necessary because it's robots instead of parts. They're less important for this discussion.
253
Announcements / Progress Update: April 11, 2016
« on: April 11, 2016, 02:29:57 AM »
Progress is good! Feels great to have all the cave foundation work done in Alpha 7, so Alpha 8 and 9 can be about more new content than anything else
Alpha 8 is about 50% done--there's still another whole new map to do, and I should probably do another blog post soon because it's been a while since the last one. Actually, here on the forums I haven't yet mentioned that latest post, which discusses how Cogmind generates and populates caves. It's spoiler free so check it out if you're curious about some of the technical and design decisions.
You might've seen elsewhere that I did a fun April Fools joke about "Cogmind as an RTS."
It was made using some debugging features I use to stress test the game before releases.
Well, that joke got me thinking about some things, and something serious came out of it. So as of Alpha 8 we'll have real-time FOV updating. Your field of view will be updated as each obstruction is destroyed, especially meaningful for explosions so you can better see them expand:
The original behavior, if you'd noticed, is to update only after a single animation or action is completed, as seen here (same scene):
Back to work!
Alpha 8 is about 50% done--there's still another whole new map to do, and I should probably do another blog post soon because it's been a while since the last one. Actually, here on the forums I haven't yet mentioned that latest post, which discusses how Cogmind generates and populates caves. It's spoiler free so check it out if you're curious about some of the technical and design decisions.
You might've seen elsewhere that I did a fun April Fools joke about "Cogmind as an RTS."
Spoiler: big.gif (click to show/hide)
Well, that joke got me thinking about some things, and something serious came out of it
. So as of Alpha 8 we'll have real-time FOV updating. Your field of view will be updated as each obstruction is destroyed, especially meaningful for explosions so you can better see them expand:The original behavior, if you'd noticed, is to update only after a single animation or action is completed, as seen here (same scene):
Back to work!
254
Announcements / Progress Update: March 29, 2016
« on: March 29, 2016, 10:25:50 AM »
Sherlockkat has discovered an unfortunate bug, where in rare cases the only cave exit from a given section could be rendered inaccessible by earth collapsing directly on top of it.
As an unfair game-ending event, this demands a hotfix, but I've decided not to release a 7c because it's a mere one-line fix to the code and doesn't break seed or save compatibility, so I've instead stealth-updated the official 7b download.
If you already have Alpha 7b, to update either re-download the game and migrate as usual, or take the easier route and just download the patch here and overwrite your 7b .exe.
(Clarification: Anyone who gets Alpha 7 via their download link after this post doesn't need to worry about updating!)
Thanks for the report, Sherlockkat!
I considered releasing the other content updates I've made in the past week as a true 7c, but decided against it since that's how we got 7b and this problem in the first place--releasing some really recent work without enough final testing (if you recall I rushed the end of Alpha 7 a bit to get it out a week early).
Anyway, Alpha 8 is in the works, moving towards filling in the missing cave content. Expect to see it in April!
As an unfair game-ending event, this demands a hotfix, but I've decided not to release a 7c because it's a mere one-line fix to the code and doesn't break seed or save compatibility, so I've instead stealth-updated the official 7b download.
If you already have Alpha 7b, to update either re-download the game and migrate as usual, or take the easier route and just download the patch here and overwrite your 7b .exe.
(Clarification: Anyone who gets Alpha 7 via their download link after this post doesn't need to worry about updating!)
Thanks for the report, Sherlockkat!
I considered releasing the other content updates I've made in the past week as a true 7c, but decided against it since that's how we got 7b and this problem in the first place--releasing some really recent work without enough final testing (if you recall I rushed the end of Alpha 7 a bit to get it out a week early).
Anyway, Alpha 8 is in the works, moving towards filling in the missing cave content. Expect to see it in April!
255
Announcements / Milestone Reached: 2,000 supporters!
« on: March 29, 2016, 08:08:59 AM »
This past weekend we reached a pretty big milestone, and I realized that by now this makes Cogmind one of the most funded ASCII roguelikes in history, along with ADOM, Caves of Qud, and Dwarf Fortress. And by comparison, all of those games have had a decade or more to build their following, compared to Cogmind's somewhat shorter lifespan (2.8 years of full-time dev, or 4 years since its inception as a 7DRL).
I never imagined this would happen, certainly not a few years ago before I had even started developing full time and was just doing this as a hobby. Of course, I'm still in debt at this point, but I think it's reasonable to expect that will change with time. Hopefully later this year when I'm planning the leap to Steam... Lots to do before then, though. What's more important is that Cogmind be awesome, and the next few months will be crucial!
THANK YOU ALL for your support so far! Cogmind is becoming an even better game than I planned time for, made possible due to the steady funding the alpha has been able to bring in.
Your grateful roguelike dev,
Kyzrati
I never imagined this would happen, certainly not a few years ago before I had even started developing full time and was just doing this as a hobby. Of course, I'm still in debt at this point, but I think it's reasonable to expect that will change with time
. Hopefully later this year when I'm planning the leap to Steam... Lots to do before then, though. What's more important is that Cogmind be awesome, and the next few months will be crucial!THANK YOU ALL for your support so far! Cogmind is becoming an even better game than I planned time for, made possible due to the steady funding the alpha has been able to bring in.
Your grateful roguelike dev,
Kyzrati
256
Announcements / Released: Alpha 7b
« on: March 23, 2016, 09:54:48 AM »
Many thanks to Sherlockat, the brave spelunker who discovered and reported the enemy superweapon, a well-placed CTD, so that others don't have to.
Specifics: A few of the Derelict Terminal records I threw in after the main batch (and after testing was complete), didn't follow the normal syntax rules. Fixed. (And I need to fix the fact that this new feature does not yet have script syntax error checking on my end... *facepalm*)
Also congratulations to Shobalk, our other eager spelunker who shortly after release likely became the first ever Cogmind to find an alien artifact.
(Saves are compatible with Alpha 7.)
The "full" Alpha 7b (0.10.160323b) changelog:
* MOD: Reduced maximum number of cave exits from Factory
* MOD: Signal Generator disappears when it runs out of power
* FIX: A few of the potential Derelict Terminal records could crash the hacking system [Sherlockkat]
* FIX: Pressing F3 to swap ASCII mode during startup would prevent the inventory window border from being drawn
For the real changelog regarding all the latest goodies, see the previous announcement.
Specifics: A few of the Derelict Terminal records I threw in after the main batch (and after testing was complete), didn't follow the normal syntax rules. Fixed. (And I need to fix the fact that this new feature does not yet have script syntax error checking on my end... *facepalm*)
Also congratulations to Shobalk, our other eager spelunker who shortly after release likely became the first ever Cogmind to find an alien artifact.
(Saves are compatible with Alpha 7.)
The "full" Alpha 7b (0.10.160323b) changelog:
* MOD: Reduced maximum number of cave exits from Factory
* MOD: Signal Generator disappears when it runs out of power
* FIX: A few of the potential Derelict Terminal records could crash the hacking system [Sherlockkat]
* FIX: Pressing F3 to swap ASCII mode during startup would prevent the inventory window border from being drawn
For the real changelog regarding all the latest goodies, see the previous announcement.
257
General Discussion / Alpha 7/7b Discussion/Feedback (spoiler-free)
« on: March 22, 2016, 10:07:43 PM »
Here's the place for general spoiler-free feedback and discussion about the most recent releases, if you want to talk about something that doesn't really warrant a dedicated thread.
Alpha 7 release notes and changelog.
(Plus the little 7b hotfix.)
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 7 release notes and changelog.
(Plus the little 7b hotfix.)
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.
258
Announcements / Released: Alpha 7 - "Spelunkerbots"
« on: March 22, 2016, 08:20:47 PM »
Whew! The longest dev cycle yet has come to an end.
Alpha 7 is ready.
As planned, work on this release was especially involved because it also had to finish laying the foundations for a completely different part of the world: caves. In that respect I've actually already gotten a good head start on Alpha 8, since its features are so closely intertwined with Alpha 7 that I had to skip ahead to work on that stuff for a bit.
Once again I've put together a collection of preview gifs and images you can browse to check out some of the visual features.
Scroll down for the full changelog, or read on for the release notes.
Caves!
All those locked exits in the Factory? Pretty much all of them are now open for business
That said, most of them don't yet lead all the way to their intended destinations. There are four cave branches in all, of which one has been completed. The other three will dead end at locked areas (from where you can still turn around and head back upward--you won't get stuck), but I've left them accessible for a couple reasons:
Specifically, there are two main types of caves leading away from the Factory levels: Lower Caves and Upper Caves. Upper Caves do not yet lead to accessible special maps, but Lower Caves accessed from either -7 or -6 (it's random) will lead to the one completed branch.
The caves themselves are also still a work in progress, to be further improved in Alpha 8 with more content. If you're looking to take a true tour of the caves, the next release will be much better for that, but caves are already helpful in their own right and come with a good number of encounters to discover, not to mention the new special map hidden out there somewhere... Do stop by
World Map
Cogmind 7DRL (and for the most part Alpha 1), began as a more or less straight shot upward from your subterranean starting point to the surface, but now we have a growing number of branches providing alternative routes.
We're at the point where taking certain routes will preclude others, so those players who want to attempt route planning will want to learn the rules behind how the world is structured, and making use of the world map is a good way to form that understanding over time.
Among the new features, there are also multiple methods to learn in advance where in the world certain areas are situated, important since they're not always at the same depths. This requires checking the map for a visual representation. Mouse users can click the new MAP button in the bottom right corner of the HUD to open it, and anyone can press Backspace or F9 to open/close it as well. (The Up/Down keys can be used to navigate the map display in kb mode.)
You can read more about the world map and the design process behind it on the dev blog.
Difficulty
Alpha 7 is more challenging than Alpha 6, reversing the general trend towards an easier game we've been seeing since Alpha 1.
For one, Hunters are back to their deadly selves again, plenty willing to shoot you through walls, and are even armed with a third weapon now. Terrifying.
And for the masochistic, if you can figure it out there is a new way to make the latter half of the game more difficult (or at least somewhat "different," because the difficult aspect is balanced against new advantages).
Those having trouble with the mid-game might find it a little easier because you'll be able to escape into the caves. The balance there hasn't yet been settled though, since they're incomplete, so it's hard to say whether this would definitely make progress easier. It will depend on player strategy, and luck, seeing as these are branches.
Recycling Units
The gradual revision of interactive machines has begun with Recycling Units.
You'll find them quite useful now, since you can hack or shoot them to retrieve parts hauled away by those thieving Scavengers. Of course using the shooty method is also likely to damage the goods (more so if you use powerful weapons).
Repair Stations, Fabricators, and Scanalyzers are all on the list to get a similar treatment, it's just a matter of when.
The UI Stays
After taking all the UI analysis feedback into consideration, I decided the best course of action for Cogmind is to keep the grid resolution as is rather than reduce it in order to enable larger fonts on smaller screens. To compensate, I did spend more time adding new fonts for Alpha 7, while also improving on some of the original ones.
The default text font has also been changed at all resolutions, and I'm growing rather fond of the new one. Of course all the old options still remain, so combined with the new ones there are a heck of a lot of choices (but yes we'll continue to get even more eventually).
Let me know what you think of the new fonts, especially Smallcaps!
The full Alpha 7 (0.10.160323) changelog:
* NEW: Branch maps "Lower Caves"
* NEW: Branch maps "Upper Caves"
* NEW: Branch maps "Proximity Caves"
* NEW: Branch map "[redacted]"
* NEW: World Map! (Backspace/F9/new "MAP" button) (examine your route, and possibly learn layout in advance)
* NEW: Score sheet contains list of complete route taken through the world, by depth and map
* NEW: New category of interactive machines: Derelict terminals
* NEW: More lore to uncover in dozens of terminal records
* NEW: Learn many forms of intel about areas before visiting them, including depth, zone layouts, trap/machine/guard locations and more
* NEW: New special item type akin to Data Cores: Derelict Logs (effect unrelated, though they are similarly auto-collected)
* NEW: New Trojan hack (secret)
* NEW: Some Trojans and brute force hacks can now be learned via in-game/in-theme methods, as can the access code to Recycling
* NEW: 1 new prototype robot
* NEW: 4 new Derelicts
* NEW: Several new types of drone bays, with corresponding unique drones
* NEW: A dozen new rare parts
* NEW: First alien artifact!
* NEW: A couple dozen more encounter types
* NEW: One more story-related major NPC encounter (new NPC robot class)
* NEW: Target robot system corruption increases chance of hacking success (+X/3%)
* NEW: Minor NPC dialogue now animates over the map itself, color-coded by relation w/speaker
* NEW: Scene descriptions no longer confined to the log, shown as cyan messages over the map
* NEW: Mouse users can pan map by holding Shift and simply moving cursor
* NEW: Stockpile intel from terminal hacks also provides item-specific map labels on request
* NEW: Attempting to move while severely overweight will give a warning before the first such move in a while
* NEW: Four new size 12 font options (720p): "Tall", "Smallcaps", "Fuzzy", "Tallcaps" (8 total options at that size now)
* NEW: Smallcaps typeface manually scaled to 8 additional sizes in three variants (Cogmind includes over 100 font bitmaps now)
* NEW: Second variant of the 14/Terminus font, crisper with some glow to it
* NEW: Initial tutorial messages include a notice about changing the text font
* NEW: 24 more score sheet entries (total = 434)
* NEW: Added Ctrl-PrtScn as duplicate command for PrtScn, for players with PrtScn already assigned to an external program
* NEW: More Recycling Unit features, including component storage and hack or shoot to retrieve stored components
* NEW: Mining Claw may on rare occasions rip parts from target and put them directly into your inventory (or drop if space insufficient)
* NEW: All hover propulsion gives a +5% to dodge when not overweight or in stasis (e.g., hover now has half the flight bonus)
* NEW: All supporter names registered since Alpha 6 added to in-game list (see Credits menu)
* NEW: All item-attribution names registered since Alpha 6 added to the item collection gallery
* MOD: Hunter armament buffed--they're scary again
* MOD: Nerfed high-level Targeting Computers, Melee Analysis Suites, Target Analyzers (too easy to stack now); buffed entry-level variants
* MOD: Nerfed high-level Sensor Array and Terrain Scanner ranges; buffed entry-level variants; all energy costs slightly lowered
* MOD: Coverage of all Storage Units halved
* MOD: Drone Bay integrity and coverage tweaked, now doubles as makeshift armor
* MOD: Exp. Signal Interpreters now more capable than Advanced variant
* MOD: Adv. Signal Interpreters can no longer detect H-88 Terminators (requires Exp. level)
* MOD: Momentum damage modifier cap for melee attacks doubled from 20%/40% to 40%/80% (non-piercing/piercing)
* MOD: Dormant, unpowered, disabled, and broken robots outside view can now only be discerned by Exp. Signal Interpreters
* MOD: Default font changed from "Cogmind" to "Smallcaps" w/glow variants (former renamed to "Cog")
* MOD: Shift-LMB to center map on cursor position works, but is now an undocumented command
* MOD: Inventory displays item sprites rather than ASCII when in sprite mode
* MOD: Intel overlays for stockpiles display item sprites rather than ASCII when in sprite mode
* MOD: Effects of Maneuvering Thrusters and Reaction Control Systems do not apply when overweight
* MOD: Behemoth core exposure reduced by 5%
* MOD: 50% increase to effect on alert level from destroying or jamming a garrison access point
* MOD: Improved visibility of projectile count on info page for multi-projectile weapons (was easy to overlook)
* MOD: Ramming non-combat robots counts as an aggressive action and they'll now flee and send out distress calls as with regular attacks
* MOD: Machine serials that used unique letters derived from the current map name now always use the first letter of that name (cosmetic)
* MOD: Garrison Access terminal seal animation improved (also fixed issue where it might not finish playing on slow machines)
* MOD: Size 10 font "All Caps" renamed to "Smallcaps"
* MOD: Some glyphs in all Terminus fonts modified
* MOD: Terminus (non-bold) fonts given a faint glow at sizes 18, 20
* MOD: Added slight anti-aliasing to 12/Terminus font to further improve readability (especially on smaller screens)
* MOD: Help screen commands for keyboard control of allies more clearly indicates how to enter required mode
* MOD: Drone Bay ASCII art tweaked
* FIX: Crash on Tab-cycling targets after causing time to pass by swapping parts before original target destroyed by another actor without having exited look/fire mode [Sylverone]
* FIX: Score sheet missing Garrison Status hack tally, throwing off the dozen hacks listed after where it should be [zxc]
* FIX: Score sheet recorded turns spent in Hub_04(d) to Armory [Sherlockkat]
* FIX: Score total for prototype IDs didn't account for those learned via hacking or Component Analysis Suites [Enno]
* FIX: Jamming a Garrison Access point via brute force hacking now applies same Programmer dispatch reduction as sealing/destroying it
* FIX: Crash on replacement of attached Processors or Hackware direct from ground while inventory full
* FIX: Basic/Imp. Signal Interpreter indicators remained on map even in view if moving multiple spaces per turn
* FIX: Overlapping simultaneous explosions could not affect the same robot more than once (Gamma Bomb Arrays etc. will be more effective now)
* FIX: Hunters could no longer track targets through walls (Alpha 6 regression)
* FIX: EMDS missing projectile name in penetration message text
* FIX: Toggling sprite/ASCII modes from the option menu (instead of via hotkey) didn't update previously seen areas until seen again
* FIX: Fullscreen successful win animation might not play out on slow machines
* FIX: Botnet trojan success text used incorrect plurality when value is 1
* FIX: Typo in new offensive hackware effect description
* FIX: 20/Terminus text font missing integrity block glyph
* FIX: Size 8 mini font wasn't grayed out in the option menu's font list while tileset active
* FIX: One line-junction glyph in the size 8 mini CP437 font misaligned
(As usual, if you haven't already, 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.)
Alpha 7 is ready.
As planned, work on this release was especially involved because it also had to finish laying the foundations for a completely different part of the world: caves. In that respect I've actually already gotten a good head start on Alpha 8, since its features are so closely intertwined with Alpha 7 that I had to skip ahead to work on that stuff for a bit.
Once again I've put together a collection of preview gifs and images you can browse to check out some of the visual features.
Scroll down for the full changelog, or read on for the release notes.
Caves!
All those locked exits in the Factory? Pretty much all of them are now open for business
That said, most of them don't yet lead all the way to their intended destinations. There are four cave branches in all, of which one has been completed. The other three will dead end at locked areas (from where you can still turn around and head back upward--you won't get stuck), but I've left them accessible for a couple reasons:
- If you want to head out that way now you can start to familiarize yourself with what is located where.
- Those caves can still serve as helpful early exits from the Factory when necessary, and even though they don't link up with their branches yet, the caves themselves of course have their own content.
Specifically, there are two main types of caves leading away from the Factory levels: Lower Caves and Upper Caves. Upper Caves do not yet lead to accessible special maps, but Lower Caves accessed from either -7 or -6 (it's random) will lead to the one completed branch.
The caves themselves are also still a work in progress, to be further improved in Alpha 8 with more content. If you're looking to take a true tour of the caves, the next release will be much better for that, but caves are already helpful in their own right and come with a good number of encounters to discover, not to mention the new special map hidden out there somewhere... Do stop by
World Map
Cogmind 7DRL (and for the most part Alpha 1), began as a more or less straight shot upward from your subterranean starting point to the surface, but now we have a growing number of branches providing alternative routes.
We're at the point where taking certain routes will preclude others, so those players who want to attempt route planning will want to learn the rules behind how the world is structured, and making use of the world map is a good way to form that understanding over time.
Among the new features, there are also multiple methods to learn in advance where in the world certain areas are situated, important since they're not always at the same depths. This requires checking the map for a visual representation. Mouse users can click the new MAP button in the bottom right corner of the HUD to open it, and anyone can press Backspace or F9 to open/close it as well. (The Up/Down keys can be used to navigate the map display in kb mode.)
You can read more about the world map and the design process behind it on the dev blog.
Difficulty
Alpha 7 is more challenging than Alpha 6, reversing the general trend towards an easier game we've been seeing since Alpha 1.
For one, Hunters are back to their deadly selves again, plenty willing to shoot you through walls, and are even armed with a third weapon now. Terrifying.
And for the masochistic, if you can figure it out there is a new way to make the latter half of the game more difficult (or at least somewhat "different," because the difficult aspect is balanced against new advantages).
Those having trouble with the mid-game might find it a little easier because you'll be able to escape into the caves. The balance there hasn't yet been settled though, since they're incomplete, so it's hard to say whether this would definitely make progress easier. It will depend on player strategy, and luck, seeing as these are branches
.Recycling Units
The gradual revision of interactive machines has begun with Recycling Units.
You'll find them quite useful now, since you can hack or shoot them to retrieve parts hauled away by those thieving Scavengers. Of course using the shooty method is also likely to damage the goods (more so if you use powerful weapons).
Repair Stations, Fabricators, and Scanalyzers are all on the list to get a similar treatment, it's just a matter of when.
The UI Stays
After taking all the UI analysis feedback into consideration, I decided the best course of action for Cogmind is to keep the grid resolution as is rather than reduce it in order to enable larger fonts on smaller screens. To compensate, I did spend more time adding new fonts for Alpha 7, while also improving on some of the original ones.
The default text font has also been changed at all resolutions, and I'm growing rather fond of the new one. Of course all the old options still remain, so combined with the new ones there are a heck of a lot of choices (but yes we'll continue to get even more eventually
).Let me know what you think of the new fonts, especially Smallcaps!
The full Alpha 7 (0.10.160323) changelog:
* NEW: Branch maps "Lower Caves"
* NEW: Branch maps "Upper Caves"
* NEW: Branch maps "Proximity Caves"
* NEW: Branch map "[redacted]"
* NEW: World Map! (Backspace/F9/new "MAP" button) (examine your route, and possibly learn layout in advance)
* NEW: Score sheet contains list of complete route taken through the world, by depth and map
* NEW: New category of interactive machines: Derelict terminals
* NEW: More lore to uncover in dozens of terminal records
* NEW: Learn many forms of intel about areas before visiting them, including depth, zone layouts, trap/machine/guard locations and more
* NEW: New special item type akin to Data Cores: Derelict Logs (effect unrelated, though they are similarly auto-collected)
* NEW: New Trojan hack (secret)
* NEW: Some Trojans and brute force hacks can now be learned via in-game/in-theme methods, as can the access code to Recycling
* NEW: 1 new prototype robot
* NEW: 4 new Derelicts
* NEW: Several new types of drone bays, with corresponding unique drones
* NEW: A dozen new rare parts
* NEW: First alien artifact!
* NEW: A couple dozen more encounter types
* NEW: One more story-related major NPC encounter (new NPC robot class)
* NEW: Target robot system corruption increases chance of hacking success (+X/3%)
* NEW: Minor NPC dialogue now animates over the map itself, color-coded by relation w/speaker
* NEW: Scene descriptions no longer confined to the log, shown as cyan messages over the map
* NEW: Mouse users can pan map by holding Shift and simply moving cursor
* NEW: Stockpile intel from terminal hacks also provides item-specific map labels on request
* NEW: Attempting to move while severely overweight will give a warning before the first such move in a while
* NEW: Four new size 12 font options (720p): "Tall", "Smallcaps", "Fuzzy", "Tallcaps" (8 total options at that size now)
* NEW: Smallcaps typeface manually scaled to 8 additional sizes in three variants (Cogmind includes over 100 font bitmaps now)
* NEW: Second variant of the 14/Terminus font, crisper with some glow to it
* NEW: Initial tutorial messages include a notice about changing the text font
* NEW: 24 more score sheet entries (total = 434)
* NEW: Added Ctrl-PrtScn as duplicate command for PrtScn, for players with PrtScn already assigned to an external program
* NEW: More Recycling Unit features, including component storage and hack or shoot to retrieve stored components
* NEW: Mining Claw may on rare occasions rip parts from target and put them directly into your inventory (or drop if space insufficient)
* NEW: All hover propulsion gives a +5% to dodge when not overweight or in stasis (e.g., hover now has half the flight bonus)
* NEW: All supporter names registered since Alpha 6 added to in-game list (see Credits menu)
* NEW: All item-attribution names registered since Alpha 6 added to the item collection gallery
* MOD: Hunter armament buffed--they're scary again
* MOD: Nerfed high-level Targeting Computers, Melee Analysis Suites, Target Analyzers (too easy to stack now); buffed entry-level variants
* MOD: Nerfed high-level Sensor Array and Terrain Scanner ranges; buffed entry-level variants; all energy costs slightly lowered
* MOD: Coverage of all Storage Units halved
* MOD: Drone Bay integrity and coverage tweaked, now doubles as makeshift armor
* MOD: Exp. Signal Interpreters now more capable than Advanced variant
* MOD: Adv. Signal Interpreters can no longer detect H-88 Terminators (requires Exp. level)
* MOD: Momentum damage modifier cap for melee attacks doubled from 20%/40% to 40%/80% (non-piercing/piercing)
* MOD: Dormant, unpowered, disabled, and broken robots outside view can now only be discerned by Exp. Signal Interpreters
* MOD: Default font changed from "Cogmind" to "Smallcaps" w/glow variants (former renamed to "Cog")
* MOD: Shift-LMB to center map on cursor position works, but is now an undocumented command
* MOD: Inventory displays item sprites rather than ASCII when in sprite mode
* MOD: Intel overlays for stockpiles display item sprites rather than ASCII when in sprite mode
* MOD: Effects of Maneuvering Thrusters and Reaction Control Systems do not apply when overweight
* MOD: Behemoth core exposure reduced by 5%
* MOD: 50% increase to effect on alert level from destroying or jamming a garrison access point
* MOD: Improved visibility of projectile count on info page for multi-projectile weapons (was easy to overlook)
* MOD: Ramming non-combat robots counts as an aggressive action and they'll now flee and send out distress calls as with regular attacks
* MOD: Machine serials that used unique letters derived from the current map name now always use the first letter of that name (cosmetic)
* MOD: Garrison Access terminal seal animation improved (also fixed issue where it might not finish playing on slow machines)
* MOD: Size 10 font "All Caps" renamed to "Smallcaps"
* MOD: Some glyphs in all Terminus fonts modified
* MOD: Terminus (non-bold) fonts given a faint glow at sizes 18, 20
* MOD: Added slight anti-aliasing to 12/Terminus font to further improve readability (especially on smaller screens)
* MOD: Help screen commands for keyboard control of allies more clearly indicates how to enter required mode
* MOD: Drone Bay ASCII art tweaked
* FIX: Crash on Tab-cycling targets after causing time to pass by swapping parts before original target destroyed by another actor without having exited look/fire mode [Sylverone]
* FIX: Score sheet missing Garrison Status hack tally, throwing off the dozen hacks listed after where it should be [zxc]
* FIX: Score sheet recorded turns spent in Hub_04(d) to Armory [Sherlockkat]
* FIX: Score total for prototype IDs didn't account for those learned via hacking or Component Analysis Suites [Enno]
* FIX: Jamming a Garrison Access point via brute force hacking now applies same Programmer dispatch reduction as sealing/destroying it
* FIX: Crash on replacement of attached Processors or Hackware direct from ground while inventory full
* FIX: Basic/Imp. Signal Interpreter indicators remained on map even in view if moving multiple spaces per turn
* FIX: Overlapping simultaneous explosions could not affect the same robot more than once (Gamma Bomb Arrays etc. will be more effective now)
* FIX: Hunters could no longer track targets through walls (Alpha 6 regression)
* FIX: EMDS missing projectile name in penetration message text
* FIX: Toggling sprite/ASCII modes from the option menu (instead of via hotkey) didn't update previously seen areas until seen again
* FIX: Fullscreen successful win animation might not play out on slow machines
* FIX: Botnet trojan success text used incorrect plurality when value is 1
* FIX: Typo in new offensive hackware effect description
* FIX: 20/Terminus text font missing integrity block glyph
* FIX: Size 8 mini font wasn't grayed out in the option menu's font list while tileset active
* FIX: One line-junction glyph in the size 8 mini CP437 font misaligned
(As usual, if you haven't already, 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.)
259
Announcements / Upcoming Features (Alpha 7)
« on: March 21, 2016, 09:29:54 AM »
I'm somewhat undecided on when to release Alpha 7, since it's been mostly ready for a while, but I'd prefer to have a little more time with it since some of the content I'd like to add is still incomplete. That said, due to my unexpected move this month I haven't had quite as much time as planned for what has been (as expected) a very busy dev cycle.
Right now we've reached the 8-week deadline I set for this release back in January, and one more week would be perfect, but it's been uncomfortably long since the last major release so I'm going to see if I can get it out by mid-week anyway! I was going to skip this week outright since I can't make my normal Tuesday release day, but I'll settle for Wednesday if possible.
This is the biggest release yet (more time = more big), and among the main features we have some new maps, the world map UI, and an upgraded dialogue UI. Much more news to come with the release notes!
Below is a collection of some of the more showable features ready for Alpha 6:
There are yet more fonts to choose from, especially at the smaller sizes. The default font has also been changed for now:
(click for full size--this is the 768p version)
You can finally see the world map as you explore it! (Or even... before?)
Hacked stockpile intel is now labeled along with other items.
Attempting to move while severely overweight will give you a warning before the first such move in while.
Dialogue is now shown over the map.
As are scene descriptions (though there aren't a whole lot of those).
There's a new type of interactive machine...
(At which you'll be able to do more than open doors)
More than a dozen rare parts to find.
(Among them is the first alien artifact!)
Free map panning for mouse users.
Recycling Units are quite useful now, allowing you to re-acquire loot lost to those blasted Scavengers.
Tiles mode uses item sprites rather than ASCII in the inventory window (same for intel stockpile markers).
Multi-projectile weapon indicators are now easier to distinguish.
(And as usual, I'm not spoiling the new maps--and new robots!--you can discover those on your own!)
Right now we've reached the 8-week deadline I set for this release back in January, and one more week would be perfect, but it's been uncomfortably long since the last major release so I'm going to see if I can get it out by mid-week anyway! I was going to skip this week outright since I can't make my normal Tuesday release day, but I'll settle for Wednesday if possible.
This is the biggest release yet (more time = more big
), and among the main features we have some new maps, the world map UI, and an upgraded dialogue UI. Much more news to come with the release notes!Below is a collection of some of the more showable features ready for Alpha 6:
There are yet more fonts to choose from, especially at the smaller sizes. The default font has also been changed for now:
(click for full size--this is the 768p version)
You can finally see the world map as you explore it! (Or even... before?)
Hacked stockpile intel is now labeled along with other items.
Attempting to move while severely overweight will give you a warning before the first such move in while.
Dialogue is now shown over the map.
As are scene descriptions (though there aren't a whole lot of those).
There's a new type of interactive machine...
(At which you'll be able to do more than open doors
)More than a dozen rare parts to find.
(Among them is the first alien artifact!)
Free map panning for mouse users.
Recycling Units are quite useful now, allowing you to re-acquire loot lost to those blasted Scavengers
.Tiles mode uses item sprites rather than ASCII in the inventory window (same for intel stockpile markers).
Multi-projectile weapon indicators are now easier to distinguish.
(And as usual, I'm not spoiling the new maps--and new robots!--you can discover those on your own!)
260
Announcements / Progress Update: March 7, 2016
« on: March 07, 2016, 12:58:33 AM »
Okay, don't want to go too long without an official update here, so here's how things stand:
As expected, the past week of development has been fairly slow what with moving and all. Here's my entire wardrobe in a single suitcase
Last week I also set up my new workstation--okay, it's all the same aging hardware I've been using for years, but it's in a new location with inspirational shades of green outside!
How's that for an office window view?
At this point (actually a week ago), the upcoming Alpha 7 changelog has already reached a length that satisfies my personal conditions for a "major release" on par with the previous ones, but I've been aiming to avoid breaking up the new areas into too many separate releases, which is why I haven't released it yet.
But in the interest of getting a new release out there, I'll finish what more I can over the next couple weeks then release Alpha 7 regardless of the state of the content. In short, you'll find that a major new branch has opened up, but you'll only be able to partially explore it, and that area of the world will have less variety than you'll eventually encounter there.
As usual, before Alpha 7 comes out I'll post a preview with whatever I can screenshot without spoiling too much
As expected, the past week of development has been fairly slow what with moving and all. Here's my entire wardrobe in a single suitcase
Last week I also set up my new workstation--okay, it's all the same aging hardware I've been using for years, but it's in a new location with inspirational shades of green outside!
How's that for an office window view?
At this point (actually a week ago), the upcoming Alpha 7 changelog has already reached a length that satisfies my personal conditions for a "major release" on par with the previous ones, but I've been aiming to avoid breaking up the new areas into too many separate releases, which is why I haven't released it yet.
But in the interest of getting a new release out there, I'll finish what more I can over the next couple weeks then release Alpha 7 regardless of the state of the content. In short, you'll find that a major new branch has opened up, but you'll only be able to partially explore it, and that area of the world will have less variety than you'll eventually encounter there.
As usual, before Alpha 7 comes out I'll post a preview with whatever I can screenshot without spoiling too much
261
Announcements / Progress Update: February 23, 2016
« on: February 22, 2016, 08:48:04 PM »
This dev cycle is longer than the usual, so here's a second progress report!
The content of the next several releases is quite different from prior Alphas, so I'm still busy laying foundation work for them. On that front there's been lots of unshowable progress (spoilers and all...), but last week I took a little dev detour to implement a simple UI feature so I could at least show you something
That would be the new on-map dialogue display:
I've written a blog post examining that and the other dialogue-related UI features, including a bit of the decision-making behind the newest one.
Also, some weeks back I discovered a pretty annoying crash bug associated with a specific command, but decided it was so specific and avoidable that it wasn't worth releasing a whole new version for. Since right about now we've passed up the regular cycle duration between new major releases, rather than keep you all waiting on that I've uploaded a hotfixhere (no longer applicable), and updated Alpha 6 itself (with no version change!) to include the fix, so that anyone who downloads the game after 2/21 automatically has it. Thanks to Shobalk
Tuesday 2/23 10:30 PM EST I'll be doing my last stream for a couple weeks (because I'm moving next week), in which I'll take on the weekly seed. And it's called "Creepy Cave" so yeah we're gonna brave the mines (Though in Alpha 7 we get real caves rather than just mines!)
But right now it's time for another day of Alpha 7 work
The content of the next several releases is quite different from prior Alphas, so I'm still busy laying foundation work for them. On that front there's been lots of unshowable progress (spoilers and all...), but last week I took a little dev detour to implement a simple UI feature so I could at least show you something
That would be the new on-map dialogue display:
I've written a blog post examining that and the other dialogue-related UI features, including a bit of the decision-making behind the newest one.
Also, some weeks back I discovered a pretty annoying crash bug associated with a specific command, but decided it was so specific and avoidable that it wasn't worth releasing a whole new version for. Since right about now we've passed up the regular cycle duration between new major releases, rather than keep you all waiting on that I've uploaded a hotfix
Tuesday 2/23 10:30 PM EST I'll be doing my last stream for a couple weeks (because I'm moving next week), in which I'll take on the weekly seed. And it's called "Creepy Cave" so yeah we're gonna brave the mines
(Though in Alpha 7 we get real caves rather than just mines!)But right now it's time for another day of Alpha 7 work
262
Strategies / Tips and Strategy Guides
« on: February 17, 2016, 08:43:31 PM »
The spoiler-free "Survival Tips" section towards the beginning of the in-game manual (also included as manual.txt) is recommended reading for new players who are having trouble. It'll get you up to speed and vastly improve your early-game survival rate.
If you're having trouble getting past the first few floors, check out my video "Pwning the Early Game" (this also includes an intro to the UI and basic mechanics--see the YouTube description for timestamp links):
I stream runs (and talk strategy and answer questions) on Twitch (older runs are archived here). Most of the other expert players stream directly on Discord, where realtime help is also available in the Cogmind channels.
For lots more videos and topical written guides, check out the wiki front page.
If you're having trouble getting past the first few floors, check out my video "Pwning the Early Game" (this also includes an intro to the UI and basic mechanics--see the YouTube description for timestamp links):
I stream runs (and talk strategy and answer questions) on Twitch (older runs are archived here). Most of the other expert players stream directly on Discord, where realtime help is also available in the Cogmind channels.
For lots more videos and topical written guides, check out the wiki front page.
263
Everything REXPaint / Submit projects for REXPaint website showcase
« on: February 13, 2016, 01:04:55 AM »
There's now a dedicated page on the REXPaint website to showcase any projects that are using it. (Projects can be at any stage of completion!)
To submit your own project for inclusion (completed or works-in-progress okay) email me at gridsagegames@gmail.com, or post in this thread, to provide the following required info:
(The Projects page is for actual games, software, etc., as opposed to lone artwork/images, which are instead added to the gallery when I see something I like)
To submit your own project for inclusion (completed or works-in-progress okay) email me at gridsagegames@gmail.com, or post in this thread, to provide the following required info:
- Project name
- Link to project homepage, or at least somewhere to get updates (required, to show it's an actual project that interested visitors can find out more about and follow--a web page, blog, or whatever channel you're using to release information about your project is fine)
- A short description
- One image of your project (I'll convert it to a thumbnail as necessary, and link to the full-sized image as you see in the existing samples); note the image doesn't have to be anything in/from REXPaint itself, or even have anything to do with REXPaint at all, but is an image that simply represents or is somehow associated with your project!
(The Projects page is for actual games, software, etc., as opposed to lone artwork/images, which are instead added to the gallery when I see something I like
)
264
Everything REXPaint / Tips/donations how-to
« on: February 12, 2016, 09:05:50 PM »
I've recently put up a notice for how you can tip me for my work on REXPaint, as thanks (because no, it doesn't mean I will be releasing new versions any time soon, though yes that will continue to happen occasionally as I have time ).
You can read how to do that on the right side of the downloads page.
As usual, REXPaint has always been and always will be free! Sharing the cool things you do with it is as good as any tip. On that note, while we already have the gallery, I plan to also add a new "projects" page that showcases games and software that make use of REXPaint.
).You can read how to do that on the right side of the downloads page.
As usual, REXPaint has always been and always will be free! Sharing the cool things you do with it is as good as any tip
. On that note, while we already have the gallery, I plan to also add a new "projects" page that showcases games and software that make use of REXPaint.
265
Announcements / Progress Update: February 8, 2016
« on: February 07, 2016, 09:56:57 PM »
Alpha 7 is already looking better! (Of course, that's the only direction in which we develop around here )
As mentioned before this particular release will take longer to complete, so it's still too early to give an closer estimate on its arrival time like I normally might during a progress update. Part of the reason would be that it's a larger update than those before it, and another would be that we'll be moving to a different apartment at the end of the month. (Kid's getting bigger and our mini-apartment just isn't cutting it!)
Progress is looking good so far, however, with a completed world map UI that you can read about in the overview posted on the dev blog.
Also, because I decided the main UI will not be changing as per the proposals made here, I've spent yet more time improving some of the existing fonts and adding new ones.
I've also changed the default font to a completely new one for now:
We'll see how this goes over (I'll be watching usage data) and maybe later change it to Terminus for ultimate readability, though I'd prefer to keep something with a bit more sci-fi style before going that far. There are multiple variants available, and some of the existing Terminus fonts have been modified with improvements as well.
Next up is work on expanding into new branches, the Caves!
By the way, if you'd like even more frequent updates on mention-worthy progress made over a given week, I post updates for every Sharing Saturday over on /r/roguelikedev. (I leave only the big stuff for reporting here and on /r/Cogmind.)
That, in turn, is generally derived from whatever I've been tweeting during the week.
)As mentioned before this particular release will take longer to complete, so it's still too early to give an closer estimate on its arrival time like I normally might during a progress update. Part of the reason would be that it's a larger update than those before it, and another would be that we'll be moving to a different apartment at the end of the month. (Kid's getting bigger and our mini-apartment just isn't cutting it!)
Progress is looking good so far, however, with a completed world map UI that you can read about in the overview posted on the dev blog.
Also, because I decided the main UI will not be changing as per the proposals made here, I've spent yet more time improving some of the existing fonts and adding new ones.
I've also changed the default font to a completely new one for now:
We'll see how this goes over (I'll be watching usage data) and maybe later change it to Terminus for ultimate readability, though I'd prefer to keep something with a bit more sci-fi style before going that far. There are multiple variants available, and some of the existing Terminus fonts have been modified with improvements as well.
Next up is work on expanding into new branches, the Caves!
By the way, if you'd like even more frequent updates on mention-worthy progress made over a given week, I post updates for every Sharing Saturday over on /r/roguelikedev. (I leave only the big stuff for reporting here and on /r/Cogmind.)
That, in turn, is generally derived from whatever I've been tweeting during the week.
266
Fixed Bugs & Non-Bugs / [Alpha 6] Crash on swapping damaged Processor from ground with full inventory
« on: January 27, 2016, 01:07:18 AM »
Sir, I have a bug to report!
What is it?
The game crashes if you have a full inventory and attempt to swap a Processor or Hackware (destroy-on-remove) directly from the ground with a worse or more damaged one that is currently attached! I believe you already have a crash log on your computer.
Thank you very much for that report, it's been fixed for the next release. Until then, um, don't do that
What is it?
The game crashes if you have a full inventory and attempt to swap a Processor or Hackware (destroy-on-remove) directly from the ground with a worse or more damaged one that is currently attached! I believe you already have a crash log on your computer.
Thank you very much for that report, it's been fixed for the next release. Until then, um, don't do that
267
Announcements / Released: Alpha 6 - "Hacking a Dream"
« on: January 18, 2016, 07:39:51 PM »
Since the last release Cogmind has made a number of those Top Games of 2015/2016 lists that pop up around the turn of the year, keeping sales rolling along at a minimal pace, just enough to support perpetual development for now .
Once again, my thanks goes out to everyone for your support, since you're all an important factor in making Cogmind the best it can be.
And with that I bring you ALPHA 6!
Overall, if you haven't played for a while this is a good opportunity to jump in for a bit and check out the progress. (On a related note, I can also say that for a number of reasons the next release will take longer than usual to get to you--we'll be at Alpha 6 for maybe eight weeks as opposed to the usual four to six weeks between major releases.)
As usual, I recently posted a collection of preview gifs to provide a visual summary of some of the new features, though this time around there wasn't as much that could be visualized (without spoilers, anyway).
The full changelog is further below, but first let's cover some of the major features.
Extension branch complete!
Two new maps have been added, both a part of the Extension branch begun in Alpha 5.
You can now reach the end of that branch, which is quite long, but the rewards are worth it if you can manage. In Hub_04(d) you can essentially inflict permanent damage on the interactive machine network of the entire Complex 0b10
. Good luck escaping the Hub alive after pulling that stunt!
There's also the potential for some more plot to unfold out that way...
In the upper areas of the main complex, Factory and especially Research floors, you might notice that interactive machines (most notably, terminals) are more common. The map generation parameters for those floors have always tended to lack sufficient room for the desired number of machines, so now I'm simply having it embed them into walls if it can't find any suitable open areas. (Yes, you'll still see a portion of rooms which are completely empty--this is intended.) It looks good, and you might just have an easier time finding a system to hack, which will be important due to changes in the hacking system this time around.
Hacking
As discussed a few weeks ago, the hacking system has finally undergone a significant overhaul. Such an overhaul was planned from the start (hacking was not fully balanced with the rest of the game during pre-alpha), but it took time to collect enough information about player habits and preferences that could serve as a foundation to define appropriate rules.
The combination of changes in Alpha 6 is intended to make hacking a more viable long-term strategy. No more inventory fiddling to swap in hackware just to hack a machine, fewer hackware components, and no more trace resets or system familiarity mechanics mean a more tightly focused hacking experience without the tedium.
There's still more to do on the hacking development front. I couldn't fit it all into a single release, so expect new hacking features in the future, along with more changes, albeit specific ones rather than anything like the far-ranging adjustments seen in Alpha 6.
Although not a change in Alpha 6, I should also mention here that the manual was unclear on one point: It said that indirect hacking hacking incurs a -15% penalty--technically this is a -15% penalty per security level. So the penalty at a level 2 terminal is actually -30%, and so on! (Remember that those high-level terminals give you direct access to a wider range of hacks, anyway, and there is also now a huge of variety of methods to improve your hacking success rate.)
(Note that because some parts were removed in this release (hackware not converted over to the new system), a handful of you have been randomly reassigned new unclaimed art, if you had that reward and it was previously associated with hackware.)
Related to the hacking changes, all processors and hackware are now destroyed on removal (the reasoning is also discussed in that same thread). This and the fact that they are all much less likely to be hit (lower coverage) means you will often want to stick with some of your attachment-decisions a little longer, but they'll also be more reliable for it, allowing you to accumulate greater targeting and other bonuses without as big a fear of suddenly losing them all. In other words, it will be easier to stick with a unique play style supported by specific processors.
Propulsion
Some of you will already be familiar with the propulsion system changes, as they were released as an experimental build over the holidays. Reception was good, the math checks out, and my own test runs tell me that the whole experience is better overall.
In short, you'll generally be moving faster now, even as a heavy, and speeds are more predictable without any of the occasional quirks from the original slightly more complicated system. Wheels also no longer totally suck! (Remember: They were always intended to be sub-par, and even now still suffer from low integrity, but otherwise they will serve as a more reliable backup.)
The full Alpha 6 (0.10.160119) changelog:
* NEW: Branch map "Archives"
* NEW: Branch map "Hub_04(d)"
* NEW: 1 major plot event
* NEW: 1 more story-related NPC encounter
* NEW: 3 new NPCs (unique robot classes)
* NEW: 1 new prototype robot
* NEW: 2 new weapons
* NEW: 2 new terminal records
* NEW: New Trojan hack (secret)
* NEW: Various additional sound effects (total now at 711)
* NEW: Fourth way to enable access to final lift to surface
* NEW: Removal/replacement of attached processors and hackware destroys them, with unique UI animation/sfx
* NEW: Destroy-on-removal parts marked with a dark colon in parts list
* NEW: Drag-dropping a destroy-on-removal part from the attached parts list shows in red rather than white, to indicate it will be destroyed
* NEW: Disarmed combat robots shown at half brightness
* NEW: All Field Recycling Units vastly improved with new behavior, acting as "vacuums" that convert salvage to matter over time
* NEW: HUD matter readout displays Field Recycling Unit scrap storage and distribution rate when applicable
* NEW: Interactive machines may be embedded in walls
* NEW: Firing weapons in non-reinforced environments may cause cave-ins, where the chance depends on the class of weapon
* NEW: Mouse players can left-click on a wall to enter fire mode (so that force-attacking can be achieved without the keyboard at all)
* NEW: Manual entry of hacking commands is case-insensitive (including both the command itself and any optional arguments)
* NEW: Schematics and analyses already obtained are grayed out when hacking terminals
* NEW: Flying Cogminds can force-attack (Ctrl-Shift) adjacent robots to ram them when unarmed, rather than flying overhead
* NEW: New font size, 8, enabling 640x480p UI (purely for fun, was easy to add)
* MOD: Many propulsion stat values reworked!
* MOD: Simplified propulsion mechanics and all known calculation oddities at very high speeds and overweight situations ironed out
* MOD: Ground-based propulsion (wheels/legs/treads) no longer slows with each additional module
* MOD: Airborne propulsion (hover/flight) no longer has a per-part limit on max speed (is type-based)
* MOD: As a side effect of propulsion changes, most hostiles slightly slower
* MOD: Wheels have an advantage now, but still suffer from low integrity
* MOD: Backup Propulsion I/III/VII nerfed
* MOD: Tread recoil dampening effect reduced to 1 per active tread slot
* MOD: Hunter-class Slayer/Assassin/Terminator variants' firepower reduced
* MOD: Reactive armors reduced in size; mass significantly increased to compensate
* MOD: Removed Fabricators from Materials floors
* MOD: Interactive machine placement weights use unique values for each machine, causing some to be more likely, or only, found in rooms
* MOD: Complex 0b10 rooms are slightly less likely to be empty
* MOD: Complex 0b10 contains more interactive machines, especially terminals, in Factory and Research floors
* MOD: Non-combat robots no longer allowed to spawn in hidden corridors used by combat robots
* MOD: Cave-ins caused by explosions are postponed for one or more turns after the explosion occurs, and are also more common
* MOD: Explosions, especially more powerful ones, are more likely to cause cave-ins
* MOD: "Go naked" command (Shift-Alt-q) switched to Shift-Alt-p, to avoid conflicts with non-Windows OS commands
* MOD: Removed item "durability" stat; all slots have equivalent coverage for purposes of determining impact damage location
* MOD: Removed system familiarity mechanic for both machine and robot hacking
* MOD: Removed Footprint Analyzers and System Mapper hackware
* MOD: Spectral Analyzer energy upkeep dropped to 0
* MOD: All processor mass dropped to 0 (44 parts including all interpreters, analyzers, targeting computers, etc.)
* MOD: All processor and hackware coverage dropped by 88%
* MOD: Better hackware is available earlier, and also more consistently from Operators
* MOD: Merged both offensive hackware types (strength/tunneling) into a single type, where base type = Hacking Suite
* MOD: Merged all three defensive hackware types (stealth/evasion/defense) into a single type (base type = System Shield)
* MOD: Condensed 20 hackware parts into a new set of 12
* MOD: Removed terminal trace reset mechanic, and terminals no longer immediately test detection/tracing on reconnect (only after hacking)
* MOD: Active terminal info shows trace progress instead of countdown
* MOD: Manual updated to reflect all changes to propulsion, hacking, hackware, processors
* MOD: Processors and hackware immune to rejection due to system corruption
* MOD: Repair Stations can no longer repair processors or hackware if already attached
* MOD: Manual hacking buffer removes earlier matching entries when a new command is entered (previously only removed consecutive entries)
* MOD: Removed upkeep for malfunction blockers (e.g. Error Protection Suite), instead having it consume 20 matter on effect (if available)
* MOD: Running via keyboard stops on stairs rather than ascending (regardless of auto-ascend setting)
* MOD: Line-of-fire color no longer considers friend/foe relationship, just pure obstruction
* MOD: Datajacks and Stasis Projectors no longer display projectile/hit data in info window (no meaning since based on special effects)
* MOD: Field Recycling Units reduced to 1 slot, are heavier, and have both active heat and energy requirements
* MOD: Particle Gun (G-47 Trooper armament) stats adjusted: shorter range, lower energy cost, higher heat, greater damage range
* MOD: Removed Hcp. Storage Units, and mass of Lrg. units increase to 16 (+2)
* MOD: Further improved effect of Launcher Guidance Computers
* MOD: Hostile Grunt, Sentry, Specialist, and Programmer variants have better heat management
* FIX: Crash when an assimilated Spotter explored to the edge of the known map [zill]
* FIX: Crash on simultaneously destroying an entire array of ambush traps [Decker]
* FIX: Signal Interpreter secondary effect description did not clearly indicate adjacency requirement for identifying exits [Sherlockkat]
* FIX: Repair Station failure to repair an attached part which was broken in the process was not reflected in parts list [MJWkr]
* FIX: Broken power sources continued contributing to energy storage capacity [greymedicine]
* FIX: Alert(Check)-reported security level suffix was always 'Z', not A~Z as intended (to reflect progression towards next alert status)
* FIX: Art for Imp. Fusion Compressor contained a few miscolored glyphs
* FIX: Multi-tile doors played opening sound for every move along/through them, if move commands entered slowly
(As usual, if you haven't already, 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.)
News: While unrelated to Alpha 6, I should take this opportunity to again point out there is ongoing discussion of my analysis and proposal to enable slightly larger fonts on small screens. Anyone with an opinion one way or another is encouraged to check it out and provide feedback (relevant forum thread, though note that discussion is spread across many locations and no one happens to have posted on the forum thread yet). The responses and further discussion will determine whether any action is taken in the future!
.Once again, my thanks goes out to everyone for your support, since you're all an important factor in making Cogmind the best it can be.
And with that I bring you ALPHA 6!
Overall, if you haven't played for a while this is a good opportunity to jump in for a bit and check out the progress. (On a related note, I can also say that for a number of reasons the next release will take longer than usual to get to you--we'll be at Alpha 6 for maybe eight weeks as opposed to the usual four to six weeks between major releases.)
As usual, I recently posted a collection of preview gifs to provide a visual summary of some of the new features, though this time around there wasn't as much that could be visualized (without spoilers, anyway
).The full changelog is further below, but first let's cover some of the major features.
Extension branch complete!
Two new maps have been added, both a part of the Extension branch begun in Alpha 5.
You can now reach the end of that branch, which is quite long, but the rewards are worth it if you can manage. In Hub_04(d) you can essentially inflict permanent damage on the interactive machine network of the entire Complex 0b10
. Good luck escaping the Hub alive after pulling that stunt!There's also the potential for some more plot to unfold out that way...
In the upper areas of the main complex, Factory and especially Research floors, you might notice that interactive machines (most notably, terminals) are more common. The map generation parameters for those floors have always tended to lack sufficient room for the desired number of machines, so now I'm simply having it embed them into walls if it can't find any suitable open areas. (Yes, you'll still see a portion of rooms which are completely empty--this is intended.) It looks good, and you might just have an easier time finding a system to hack, which will be important due to changes in the hacking system this time around.
Hacking
As discussed a few weeks ago, the hacking system has finally undergone a significant overhaul. Such an overhaul was planned from the start (hacking was not fully balanced with the rest of the game during pre-alpha), but it took time to collect enough information about player habits and preferences that could serve as a foundation to define appropriate rules.
The combination of changes in Alpha 6 is intended to make hacking a more viable long-term strategy. No more inventory fiddling to swap in hackware just to hack a machine, fewer hackware components, and no more trace resets or system familiarity mechanics mean a more tightly focused hacking experience without the tedium.
There's still more to do on the hacking development front. I couldn't fit it all into a single release, so expect new hacking features in the future, along with more changes, albeit specific ones rather than anything like the far-ranging adjustments seen in Alpha 6.
Although not a change in Alpha 6, I should also mention here that the manual was unclear on one point: It said that indirect hacking hacking incurs a -15% penalty--technically this is a -15% penalty per security level. So the penalty at a level 2 terminal is actually -30%, and so on! (Remember that those high-level terminals give you direct access to a wider range of hacks, anyway, and there is also now a huge of variety of methods to improve your hacking success rate.)
(Note that because some parts were removed in this release (hackware not converted over to the new system), a handful of you have been randomly reassigned new unclaimed art, if you had that reward and it was previously associated with hackware.)
Related to the hacking changes, all processors and hackware are now destroyed on removal (the reasoning is also discussed in that same thread). This and the fact that they are all much less likely to be hit (lower coverage) means you will often want to stick with some of your attachment-decisions a little longer, but they'll also be more reliable for it, allowing you to accumulate greater targeting and other bonuses without as big a fear of suddenly losing them all. In other words, it will be easier to stick with a unique play style supported by specific processors.
Propulsion
Some of you will already be familiar with the propulsion system changes, as they were released as an experimental build over the holidays. Reception was good, the math checks out, and my own test runs tell me that the whole experience is better overall.
In short, you'll generally be moving faster now, even as a heavy, and speeds are more predictable without any of the occasional quirks from the original slightly more complicated system. Wheels also no longer totally suck! (Remember: They were always intended to be sub-par, and even now still suffer from low integrity, but otherwise they will serve as a more reliable backup.)
The full Alpha 6 (0.10.160119) changelog:
* NEW: Branch map "Archives"
* NEW: Branch map "Hub_04(d)"
* NEW: 1 major plot event
* NEW: 1 more story-related NPC encounter
* NEW: 3 new NPCs (unique robot classes)
* NEW: 1 new prototype robot
* NEW: 2 new weapons
* NEW: 2 new terminal records
* NEW: New Trojan hack (secret)
* NEW: Various additional sound effects (total now at 711)
* NEW: Fourth way to enable access to final lift to surface
* NEW: Removal/replacement of attached processors and hackware destroys them, with unique UI animation/sfx
* NEW: Destroy-on-removal parts marked with a dark colon in parts list
* NEW: Drag-dropping a destroy-on-removal part from the attached parts list shows in red rather than white, to indicate it will be destroyed
* NEW: Disarmed combat robots shown at half brightness
* NEW: All Field Recycling Units vastly improved with new behavior, acting as "vacuums" that convert salvage to matter over time
* NEW: HUD matter readout displays Field Recycling Unit scrap storage and distribution rate when applicable
* NEW: Interactive machines may be embedded in walls
* NEW: Firing weapons in non-reinforced environments may cause cave-ins, where the chance depends on the class of weapon
* NEW: Mouse players can left-click on a wall to enter fire mode (so that force-attacking can be achieved without the keyboard at all)
* NEW: Manual entry of hacking commands is case-insensitive (including both the command itself and any optional arguments)
* NEW: Schematics and analyses already obtained are grayed out when hacking terminals
* NEW: Flying Cogminds can force-attack (Ctrl-Shift) adjacent robots to ram them when unarmed, rather than flying overhead
* NEW: New font size, 8, enabling 640x480p UI (purely for fun, was easy to add)
* MOD: Many propulsion stat values reworked!
* MOD: Simplified propulsion mechanics and all known calculation oddities at very high speeds and overweight situations ironed out
* MOD: Ground-based propulsion (wheels/legs/treads) no longer slows with each additional module
* MOD: Airborne propulsion (hover/flight) no longer has a per-part limit on max speed (is type-based)
* MOD: As a side effect of propulsion changes, most hostiles slightly slower
* MOD: Wheels have an advantage now, but still suffer from low integrity
* MOD: Backup Propulsion I/III/VII nerfed
* MOD: Tread recoil dampening effect reduced to 1 per active tread slot
* MOD: Hunter-class Slayer/Assassin/Terminator variants' firepower reduced
* MOD: Reactive armors reduced in size; mass significantly increased to compensate
* MOD: Removed Fabricators from Materials floors
* MOD: Interactive machine placement weights use unique values for each machine, causing some to be more likely, or only, found in rooms
* MOD: Complex 0b10 rooms are slightly less likely to be empty
* MOD: Complex 0b10 contains more interactive machines, especially terminals, in Factory and Research floors
* MOD: Non-combat robots no longer allowed to spawn in hidden corridors used by combat robots
* MOD: Cave-ins caused by explosions are postponed for one or more turns after the explosion occurs, and are also more common
* MOD: Explosions, especially more powerful ones, are more likely to cause cave-ins
* MOD: "Go naked" command (Shift-Alt-q) switched to Shift-Alt-p, to avoid conflicts with non-Windows OS commands
* MOD: Removed item "durability" stat; all slots have equivalent coverage for purposes of determining impact damage location
* MOD: Removed system familiarity mechanic for both machine and robot hacking
* MOD: Removed Footprint Analyzers and System Mapper hackware
* MOD: Spectral Analyzer energy upkeep dropped to 0
* MOD: All processor mass dropped to 0 (44 parts including all interpreters, analyzers, targeting computers, etc.)
* MOD: All processor and hackware coverage dropped by 88%
* MOD: Better hackware is available earlier, and also more consistently from Operators
* MOD: Merged both offensive hackware types (strength/tunneling) into a single type, where base type = Hacking Suite
* MOD: Merged all three defensive hackware types (stealth/evasion/defense) into a single type (base type = System Shield)
* MOD: Condensed 20 hackware parts into a new set of 12
* MOD: Removed terminal trace reset mechanic, and terminals no longer immediately test detection/tracing on reconnect (only after hacking)
* MOD: Active terminal info shows trace progress instead of countdown
* MOD: Manual updated to reflect all changes to propulsion, hacking, hackware, processors
* MOD: Processors and hackware immune to rejection due to system corruption
* MOD: Repair Stations can no longer repair processors or hackware if already attached
* MOD: Manual hacking buffer removes earlier matching entries when a new command is entered (previously only removed consecutive entries)
* MOD: Removed upkeep for malfunction blockers (e.g. Error Protection Suite), instead having it consume 20 matter on effect (if available)
* MOD: Running via keyboard stops on stairs rather than ascending (regardless of auto-ascend setting)
* MOD: Line-of-fire color no longer considers friend/foe relationship, just pure obstruction
* MOD: Datajacks and Stasis Projectors no longer display projectile/hit data in info window (no meaning since based on special effects)
* MOD: Field Recycling Units reduced to 1 slot, are heavier, and have both active heat and energy requirements
* MOD: Particle Gun (G-47 Trooper armament) stats adjusted: shorter range, lower energy cost, higher heat, greater damage range
* MOD: Removed Hcp. Storage Units, and mass of Lrg. units increase to 16 (+2)
* MOD: Further improved effect of Launcher Guidance Computers
* MOD: Hostile Grunt, Sentry, Specialist, and Programmer variants have better heat management
* FIX: Crash when an assimilated Spotter explored to the edge of the known map [zill]
* FIX: Crash on simultaneously destroying an entire array of ambush traps [Decker]
* FIX: Signal Interpreter secondary effect description did not clearly indicate adjacency requirement for identifying exits [Sherlockkat]
* FIX: Repair Station failure to repair an attached part which was broken in the process was not reflected in parts list [MJWkr]
* FIX: Broken power sources continued contributing to energy storage capacity [greymedicine]
* FIX: Alert(Check)-reported security level suffix was always 'Z', not A~Z as intended (to reflect progression towards next alert status)
* FIX: Art for Imp. Fusion Compressor contained a few miscolored glyphs
* FIX: Multi-tile doors played opening sound for every move along/through them, if move commands entered slowly
(As usual, if you haven't already, 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.)
News: While unrelated to Alpha 6, I should take this opportunity to again point out there is ongoing discussion of my analysis and proposal to enable slightly larger fonts on small screens. Anyone with an opinion one way or another is encouraged to check it out and provide feedback (relevant forum thread, though note that discussion is spread across many locations and no one happens to have posted on the forum thread yet). The responses and further discussion will determine whether any action is taken in the future!
268
Announcements / Upcoming Features (Alpha 6)
« on: January 15, 2016, 08:21:52 AM »
Next week Tuesday it's Alpha 6 time! This will of course be the latest and greatest Cogmind. I mean, that's what progress is all about, right?
We'll get into the details with the release notes, but know that the main focus of this version is revamping two important sets of mechanics, propulsion and hacking. Everything flows even more smoothly now
I've also added two new maps (one more than planned), some more plot stuff (yes, I'm being vague there as usual), and bunch of other little enhancements and tweaks, many related to propulsion or hacking as a "while we're at it" kind of thing.
Below is a collection of some of the more showable features ready for Alpha 6:
You'll notice more interactive machines, especially in the mid- and late-game, because there has never been enough room to place all those I wanted, but now they can be embedded into walls.
Processors and hackware are now destroyed on removal, so they needed a new color for their drag-drop box as a warning, and are also indicated with a faint colon to the left of their letter. (And of course there's a new animation and sfx for their removal.)
Quality of life: All manual hacking commands are now case-insensitive!
Double your quality of life: All fully-disarmed combat robots are shown at half brightness.
All Field Recycling Units now have completely different behavior. They basically suck up parts from the ground and convert them to matter for you over time. You'll see new indicators on your HUD matter readout when you have one active as well--you can essentially generate matter!
Hcp. Storage Units are no more! Wave goodbye! You can certainly still achieve large inventory sizes, but will have to sacrifice a little more slot space to do so.
Just for fun, the new smallest font is no longer size 10--it now goes down to size 8 and allows the game to be played in a 480p window.
(As usual I can't spoil the new map areas, otherwise there would be some much more awesome stuff to show here)
We'll get into the details with the release notes, but know that the main focus of this version is revamping two important sets of mechanics, propulsion and hacking. Everything flows even more smoothly now
I've also added two new maps (one more than planned
), some more plot stuff (yes, I'm being vague there as usual), and bunch of other little enhancements and tweaks, many related to propulsion or hacking as a "while we're at it" kind of thing.Below is a collection of some of the more showable features ready for Alpha 6:
You'll notice more interactive machines, especially in the mid- and late-game, because there has never been enough room to place all those I wanted, but now they can be embedded into walls.
Processors and hackware are now destroyed on removal, so they needed a new color for their drag-drop box as a warning, and are also indicated with a faint colon to the left of their letter. (And of course there's a new animation and sfx for their removal.)
Quality of life: All manual hacking commands are now case-insensitive!
Double your quality of life: All fully-disarmed combat robots are shown at half brightness.
All Field Recycling Units now have completely different behavior. They basically suck up parts from the ground and convert them to matter for you over time. You'll see new indicators on your HUD matter readout when you have one active as well--you can essentially generate matter!
Hcp. Storage Units are no more! Wave goodbye! You can certainly still achieve large inventory sizes, but will have to sacrifice a little more slot space to do so.
Just for fun, the new smallest font is no longer size 10--it now goes down to size 8 and allows the game to be played in a 480p window.
(As usual I can't spoil the new map areas, otherwise there would be some much more awesome stuff to show here
)
269
Ideas / An Alternative UI? (Moving away from 4:3 to get larger fonts)
« on: January 11, 2016, 08:26:06 PM »
It's finally here, a dedicated blog post looking at the history behind Cogmind's 4:3 UI, and considering whether and how to provide a separate layout more suitable for smaller screens (so that we can increase the font size a bit).
Anyone who has trouble with the fonts being too small on their screen should check it out.
And technically everyone else, too (), because as discussed this proposal would impact everyone.
Edit/Update: This issue is now closed, and you can read about the final decision and reasoning in the following posts:
http://www.gridsagegames.com/forums/index.php?topic=389.msg3591#msg3591
http://www.gridsagegames.com/forums/index.php?topic=389.msg3619#msg3619
(The thread is still open if you want to continue dropping comments, though! Just know that the decision has been made and will not be changed for this project.)
Anyone who has trouble with the fonts being too small on their screen should check it out.
And technically everyone else, too (
), because as discussed this proposal would impact everyone.Edit/Update: This issue is now closed, and you can read about the final decision and reasoning in the following posts:
http://www.gridsagegames.com/forums/index.php?topic=389.msg3591#msg3591
http://www.gridsagegames.com/forums/index.php?topic=389.msg3619#msg3619
(The thread is still open if you want to continue dropping comments, though! Just know that the decision has been made and will not be changed for this project.)
270
Support / Before you Buy: UI Previews by Resolution / Font
« on: January 06, 2016, 07:15:12 AM »
Depending on your eyesight, or the size of your preferred gaming machine's screen, Cogmind's UI might be a little too dense (small/medium-sized laptops can be a problem for some).
As a reference for those who haven't bought yet, I've prepared a new page through which you can see what Cogmind's current* version will look like on your screen of choice, allowing you to even preview all the available font options for a given resolution.
This new guide is linked from the buy page, but I think a dedicated post for it here on the Support board would be useful as well.
*Note: "Current" because there are changes under consideration that could somewhat increase the font size restriction imposed on each resolution.I'll be exploring that topic in the next blog post. That blog post is now here.
As a reference for those who haven't bought yet, I've prepared a new page through which you can see what Cogmind's current* version will look like on your screen of choice, allowing you to even preview all the available font options for a given resolution.
This new guide is linked from the buy page, but I think a dedicated post for it here on the Support board would be useful as well.
*Note: "Current" because there are changes under consideration that could somewhat increase the font size restriction imposed on each resolution.
271
Announcements / Progress Update: January 3, 2016
« on: January 03, 2016, 12:14:27 AM »
It's a new year!
And what's in store? ...Pretty much an entire year of Cogmind development!
This year we'll see Cogmind mostly completed, though it's hard to judge the exact time since I haven't set a hard deadline. The goal is to make an awesome game, so when opportunities present themselves to add something beneficial that wasn't exactly planned from the start, I take them even if it means extending the final release. Progress is nonetheless always forward, and always flowing along smoothly!
That said, I've also begun to focus more closely on completing the core roadmap seen in the FAQ, rather than have releases completely overtaken by new features (traps and garrisons come to mind). Every major release from here on out should include new maps, because that's where the majority of the remaining work lies.
Also, when I can resist the temptation, some optional features might be postponed until after 1.0 (or at least after a Steam release).
But this post is mostly meant to be an interim progress update to let you know the status of Alpha 6, so let's get to that. Its major features include:
I wanted Alpha 6 to be done for next week, but I have an important blog post to write, and family visiting this week for the holidays, so I don't think I can rush that fast. As such, I'll probably wait until the following week so I can fit in more stuff, and that's also about a month after the Alpha 5 release, which is an optimal amount of time for a major version.
And what's in store? ...Pretty much an entire year of Cogmind development!
This year we'll see Cogmind mostly completed, though it's hard to judge the exact time since I haven't set a hard deadline. The goal is to make an awesome game, so when opportunities present themselves to add something beneficial that wasn't exactly planned from the start, I take them even if it means extending the final release. Progress is nonetheless always forward, and always flowing along smoothly!
That said, I've also begun to focus more closely on completing the core roadmap seen in the FAQ, rather than have releases completely overtaken by new features (traps and garrisons come to mind). Every major release from here on out should include new maps, because that's where the majority of the remaining work lies.
Also, when I can resist the temptation, some optional features might be postponed until after 1.0 (or at least after a Steam release).
But this post is mostly meant to be an interim progress update to let you know the status of Alpha 6, so let's get to that. Its major features include:
- Two new maps. They're not huge, but you'll find some new NPCs, new robots, and new strategic choices therein. These finish off the Extension branch. (Already done.)
- Propulsion rebalancing as discussed here. (Already done, and you can get an advance preview patch in that thread.)
- Hacking overhaul as discussed here. I haven't started on this one yet, but it's coming up next.
I wanted Alpha 6 to be done for next week, but I have an important blog post to write, and family visiting this week for the holidays, so I don't think I can rush that fast. As such, I'll probably wait until the following week so I can fit in more stuff, and that's also about a month after the Alpha 5 release, which is an optimal amount of time for a major version.
272
Support / Cogmind OSX Test Build Feedback (5c)
« on: December 31, 2015, 08:21:50 PM »
As per the announcement, we now have an OSX test package (.dmg) available for Alpha 5c. This is the place to discuss it if you have any feedback.
(Again, thanks to alaska for helping with this!)
(Again, thanks to alaska for helping with this!)
273
Announcements / Cogmind OSX Test Build Available (5c)
« on: December 31, 2015, 08:21:13 PM »
If you'd like to test out the latest Alpha 5c on OSX, email me at gridsagegames@gmail.com from your original Cogmind-registered email account. (If you have an alpha supporter badge on the forums, you can also choose to PM me here instead, whatever's convenient for you.)
It comes as a custom .dmg which should make it extremely easy to use. There shouldn't be any difference content-wise or in how the game performs, it's just a more straightforward way to get it on your Mac
This offer might expire within the next day or so depending on the response (it's just a test!), at which time I'll update this post. Until then feel free to contact me! Edit: Okay, no longer available, though eventually there will be official support, and before there is official support we may have some more "unofficial" OSX package releases. However, if you have the 5c test release, it's possible to simply replace the game files with new versions and it will work all the same.
If you have any feedback, you can provide it directly to me, or feel free to post in the dedicated thread in the Support board.
(Big thanks to alaska for helping put this together.)
It comes as a custom .dmg which should make it extremely easy to use. There shouldn't be any difference content-wise or in how the game performs, it's just a more straightforward way to get it on your Mac
If you have any feedback, you can provide it directly to me, or feel free to post in the dedicated thread in the Support board.
(Big thanks to alaska for helping put this together.)
274
Ideas / Hacking Overhaul: Alpha 6 Feature Discussion
« on: December 26, 2015, 08:06:08 AM »
Edit: As of Alpha 6, all of these changes have been added to the game. This thread has been locked and further discussion can be continued in the Alpha 6 Discussion thread, if necessary.
I'm planning on tackling the hacking system for Alpha 6, and I'd like to let everyone know what direction I'm considering after going through all the relevant discussions again and thinking on it. None of this has been implemented yet because it's going to be a good bit of work and I want to address this system (in such a big way, anyway) only once, so I'll just submit the ideas themselves for feedback before taking any action.
The plan is to:
1 - Drop all processors and hackware to zero mass. Okay the latter actually already have zero mass, but this first change is one of several listed here which will affect both processors and hackware, as these are really just two names for the same general category of part. (This change would extend even to the better Targeting Computers, which have always been a bit heavier.)
2 - Significantly reduce the coverage of all processors and hackware, making them quite unlikely to be destroyed once attached. (Still a danger: Impact weapons.)
3 - Removing/replacing a processor or hackware part destroys it. We could consider this a free action.
4 - Remove trace resets. Once a trace begins, it will always retain its progress and pick up where it left off if you connect again. Reconnects do not immediately test for trace progress, however, only resuming once you start hacking.
5 - Remove system familiarity as a mechanic, and all related hackware.
6 - Because the above changes still don't fully address what I see as a crucial issue, Is it ever worth continually dedicating one or more slots to hackware instead of other parts?, I also propose combining the five remaining hackware types into only three. Strength (Hacking Suites) and Tunneling (Deep Network Scanners) will remain as is, while the third type will be a combination of all Stealth, Evasion, and Defense modifiers. Note that these latter modifiers will also become much more important in an environment where traces do not reset.
Together I think these changes will result in a much better hacking system.
The one aspect I'm still not 100% keen on is the removal = destruction mechanic, but without which this fix doesn't solve everything. As Happylisk says it's not very Cogmind-like, but for now I see it as the best way to forcibly curb the tedium that is hoarding hackware and swapping it in only for short durations. (No, I'm not going to let them work from the inventory.)
The alternative solution I came up with, permanent hacking/core upgrades, is even less Cogmind-like and presents numerous other issues.
As for visual reinforcement, the drag and drop box could appear in a different color if removal will destroy the part, such parts will somehow be marked differently in the attached parts list, and removal by keyboard command will require confirmation.
Let me know what you think, and this thread may at some point get an experimental preview build like I did for propulsion.
Note: This thread is an official continuation of the Hacking Overhaul thread. Thank you Decker and everyone else who contributed to that discussion.
I'm planning on tackling the hacking system for Alpha 6, and I'd like to let everyone know what direction I'm considering after going through all the relevant discussions again and thinking on it. None of this has been implemented yet because it's going to be a good bit of work and I want to address this system (in such a big way, anyway) only once, so I'll just submit the ideas themselves for feedback before taking any action.
The plan is to:
1 - Drop all processors and hackware to zero mass. Okay the latter actually already have zero mass, but this first change is one of several listed here which will affect both processors and hackware, as these are really just two names for the same general category of part. (This change would extend even to the better Targeting Computers, which have always been a bit heavier.)
2 - Significantly reduce the coverage of all processors and hackware, making them quite unlikely to be destroyed once attached. (Still a danger: Impact weapons.)
3 - Removing/replacing a processor or hackware part destroys it. We could consider this a free action.
4 - Remove trace resets. Once a trace begins, it will always retain its progress and pick up where it left off if you connect again. Reconnects do not immediately test for trace progress, however, only resuming once you start hacking.
5 - Remove system familiarity as a mechanic, and all related hackware.
6 - Because the above changes still don't fully address what I see as a crucial issue, Is it ever worth continually dedicating one or more slots to hackware instead of other parts?, I also propose combining the five remaining hackware types into only three. Strength (Hacking Suites) and Tunneling (Deep Network Scanners) will remain as is, while the third type will be a combination of all Stealth, Evasion, and Defense modifiers. Note that these latter modifiers will also become much more important in an environment where traces do not reset.
Together I think these changes will result in a much better hacking system.
The one aspect I'm still not 100% keen on is the removal = destruction mechanic, but without which this fix doesn't solve everything. As Happylisk says it's not very Cogmind-like, but for now I see it as the best way to forcibly curb the tedium that is hoarding hackware and swapping it in only for short durations. (No, I'm not going to let them work from the inventory.)
The alternative solution I came up with, permanent hacking/core upgrades, is even less Cogmind-like and presents numerous other issues.
As for visual reinforcement, the drag and drop box could appear in a different color if removal will destroy the part, such parts will somehow be marked differently in the attached parts list, and removal by keyboard command will require confirmation.
Let me know what you think, and this thread may at some point get an experimental preview build like I did for propulsion.
Note: This thread is an official continuation of the Hacking Overhaul thread. Thank you Decker and everyone else who contributed to that discussion.
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Ideas / Propulsion Rebalancing: Experimental / Alpha 6 Feature Preview
« on: December 24, 2015, 08:46:29 PM »
Edit: As of Alpha 6, all of these changes have been added to the game. This thread has been locked and further discussion can be continued in the Alpha 6 Discussion thread, if necessary.
For the end of the year let's try something a little different!
As per our original discussion (there are 3-4 other threads that touched upon it as well), I've rebalanced all the propulsion, done a little testing, and I think overall the new state of things is a big improvement. Overall the mechanics are a bit simpler, there shouldn't be any more oddities, and some strategies might change.
So rather than wait for Alpha 6, if you'd like to try out the new and improved propulsion mechanics you can do this now by modifying your copy of Alpha 5c!
All you need to do is download this experimental patch (3 MB) and copy the contents over your current installation.
Here's the experimental build changelog compared to Alpha 5c:
* MOD: Many propulsion stat values reworked!
* MOD: Simplified propulsion mechanics and all known calculation oddities at very high speeds and overweight situations ironed out
* MOD: Ground-based propulsion (wheels/legs/treads) no longer slows with each additional module
* MOD: Airborne propulsion (hover/flight) no longer has a per-part limit on max speed (is type-based)
* MOD: As a side effect of propulsion changes, most hostiles slightly slower
* MOD: Wheels have an advantage now, but still suffer from low integrity
* MOD: Backup Propulsion I/III/VII nerfed
* MOD: Tread recoil dampening effect reduced to 1 per active tread slot
* FIX: Crash when an assimilated Spotter explored to the edge of the known map [zill]
Any scores uploaded from this build won't go to the high scores list, but I'll have the record sheets for reference if need be. Saves are not compatible. Seeds are. Also, the game will tell you your version is wrong/old, but you can just ignore that.
The idea is that you'll now have to work for speed (no low-propulsion slot fast movers), and at the same time won't be penalized much for having a heavy ground-based build. With heavier/combat builds the overweight threshold is a lot more meaningful than it was because there is no speed penalty until you pass it! Overall heavy Cogminds will be moving faster now, and almost all other robots in the world got a little slower (among them the biggest change was your most common foe, Grunts, which are now 20% slower!).
Any feedback is appreciated!
For the end of the year let's try something a little different!
As per our original discussion (there are 3-4 other threads that touched upon it as well), I've rebalanced all the propulsion, done a little testing, and I think overall the new state of things is a big improvement. Overall the mechanics are a bit simpler, there shouldn't be any more oddities, and some strategies might change.
So rather than wait for Alpha 6, if you'd like to try out the new and improved propulsion mechanics you can do this now by modifying your copy of Alpha 5c!
All you need to do is download this experimental patch (3 MB) and copy the contents over your current installation.
Here's the experimental build changelog compared to Alpha 5c:
* MOD: Many propulsion stat values reworked!
* MOD: Simplified propulsion mechanics and all known calculation oddities at very high speeds and overweight situations ironed out
* MOD: Ground-based propulsion (wheels/legs/treads) no longer slows with each additional module
* MOD: Airborne propulsion (hover/flight) no longer has a per-part limit on max speed (is type-based)
* MOD: As a side effect of propulsion changes, most hostiles slightly slower
* MOD: Wheels have an advantage now, but still suffer from low integrity
* MOD: Backup Propulsion I/III/VII nerfed
* MOD: Tread recoil dampening effect reduced to 1 per active tread slot
* FIX: Crash when an assimilated Spotter explored to the edge of the known map [zill]
Any scores uploaded from this build won't go to the high scores list, but I'll have the record sheets for reference if need be. Saves are not compatible. Seeds are. Also, the game will tell you your version is wrong/old, but you can just ignore that.
The idea is that you'll now have to work for speed (no low-propulsion slot fast movers), and at the same time won't be penalized much for having a heavy ground-based build. With heavier/combat builds the overweight threshold is a lot more meaningful than it was because there is no speed penalty until you pass it! Overall heavy Cogminds will be moving faster now, and almost all other robots in the world got a little slower (among them the biggest change was your most common foe, Grunts, which are now 20% slower!).
Any feedback is appreciated!