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1
Fixed Bugs & Non-Bugs / Zhirov bug *big spoilers*
« on: November 16, 2016, 09:06:15 PM »
*SPOILERS*
I attacked Zhirov, hoping to get access to the system feed, like for Data Miner. Doesn't work, nothing happens when you get to his terminal. Zhirov and his clowns warped away when I scared them. Then the whole complex exploded.
About 15 enhanced grunts warped in. They were friendly, because I smiled at them warmingly. Clearly, Zhirov should double-check his programming. They shouldn't be fooled by such a simple trick.
On another topic. If the only way to access the system feed is by attacking Data Miner, and if that is required for lore-related reasons, then the game encourages the player to be evil. There should be another way.
I attacked Zhirov, hoping to get access to the system feed, like for Data Miner. Doesn't work, nothing happens when you get to his terminal. Zhirov and his clowns warped away when I scared them. Then the whole complex exploded.
About 15 enhanced grunts warped in. They were friendly, because I smiled at them warmingly. Clearly, Zhirov should double-check his programming. They shouldn't be fooled by such a simple trick.
On another topic. If the only way to access the system feed is by attacking Data Miner, and if that is required for lore-related reasons, then the game encourages the player to be evil. There should be another way.
2
Strategies / Alpha 11 combat strategy
« on: November 04, 2016, 04:10:50 PM »
This post discusses the combat strategy for Alpha 11. First I examine the causes of death, then I analyze the item availability rates and churn rates, which explain why some items are more valuable than others. Finally, I compare the merits of the main combat utilities and the weapon types. Per Kyzrati's request, I avoid discussing the specifics of the less useful utilities.
Causes of death
You can win a thousand fights but you can only lose one. Before we dive into technicalities, let's take a moment to look at the big picture.
Usually we can distinguish between two types of death. Death by stripping, and death by core attrition. The former happens when you run out of essential items - power, propulsion, weapons, matter. Then you're no longer combat-capable and you're forced to flee half-naked. The latter happens when all your slots are filled, your inventory is mostly full, but your core gets destroyed through sheer attrition. In other words, you fought for too long.
There is some tension in avoiding either type of death. If you equip more storage units, then you're less likely to be missing an essential part at a critical moment. However, equipping storage units reduces your mobility and your combat effectiveness. These are two of the key factors that prevent a death by attrition.
Deaths by attrition have many causes, but fundamentally it all boils down to taking too much damage for too long. For instance, this can happen when you cannot find the exit and yet you've explored most of the map. This can also happen because you're pinned down and unable to make forward progress. By the time you finish clearing an ARC dispatch, another one is already on its way. In either case, moving and killing fast are your best shot at survival.
The different phases of the game call for different builds. Materials and Factory favor high storage and high coverage. Research and Access favor mobility, killing power and combat avoidance. The dirty little secret of the late game is that the less you fight, the better off you'll be. It's worth considering dumping storage, going stealthy and/or sacrificing combat potential for exit-finding capabilities.
Item availability rates and churn rates
There are two primary sources of items: stockpiles (including haulers), and items dropped by destroyed robots. Stockpiles typically provide items of better quality, since their items are undamaged and are often prototypes. They are thus the preferred source for restocking.
However, stockpiles can only be tapped into when you're not actively fighting. When you are fighting, you must survive on the items in your inventory or those from the battlefield. This distinction has far-reaching consequences for the viability of using certain items. If your build relies on a certain item that is not commonly found on the battlefield, then you can easily get into trouble if you're forced to fight for an extended period of time.
This issue can be mitigated somewhat by having a large inventory. You consume resources in a burst while fighting, and then you restock from stockpiles when there's a lull in combat. However, inventory space is a very limited and precious resource. Hoarding one type of item is necessarily done at the expense of other vitally important items. The lost opportunity cost must be considered carefully here.
Furthermore, the time it takes to restock one type of item is governed entirely by its statistical distribution in and outside combat. Stockpiles are entirely random and there's no guarantee on how long it will take before you find what you seek -- perhaps never. Conversely, items that drop in combat are much more reliably available. For a combat-oriented build, fabricators are not reliable sources of items for a variety of reasons.
The upshot is that items that are not commonly available during combat may become liabilities when your build depends on them. This does not mean that those items are useless, but rather that they should be thought of as nice-to-have rather than must-have.
The counterpart of the item availability rate is the churn rate -- the rate at which you burn through an item type while fighting. The churn rate is dependent mainly on five factors.
An important metric here is the integrity/coverage ratio. A low ratio generally means that you'll be burning through that type of item quickly. That's a bad thing for several reasons. Replacing items in combat and restocking thereafter take valuable time. To compensate for the high churn rate, you'll have to hoard several spares in your inventory, and there is a lost opportunity cost to this. Finally, after fighting for an extended period you'll inevitably be left with a depleted inventory and a slot to fill, which is a dangerous situation to be in.
There are many items that have a low integrity/coverage ratio. Unless the coverage is very low (<= 5) and so the low integrity doesn't really matter, they are best avoided. Whatever benefit they provide is not worth it if they'll be gone after taking a few shots.
It is useful to consider the effect of the churn rate and the availability rate on the slots you choose to evolve. It's safe to evolve many propulsion slots since propulsion parts are ubiquitous and many have high integrity. Stacking propulsion parts for use as makeshift armor is one strategy that can work both for a stealth build and a combat build. Conversely, it's dangerous to overdo weapon slots, and to a lesser extent power slots, since those have significantly higher churn rates.
The churn rate makes some kinds of item more valuable than others. Cogmind sheds reactor, propulsion and weapon parts like a human sheds skin. In a combat-heavy scenario, a good gun might carry you through half a level. Thus finding a really good gun doesn't usually have a major impact in the long run. However, a good set of combat processors can last for half the game, with a bit of luck. If you can get anything fabbed, it's a good idea to prioritize building combat utilities.
Firepower
Your firepower is governed approximately by this equation:
firepower = # guns x gun damage x cycler speed-up x hit rate x core-analyzer/crit/armor multipliers
Notice that those factors contribute multiplicatively with each other. Thus the fastest way to increase firepower is to pick the next biggest increase in some category. I've organized the following table to make this easier to do. Each value reflects the relative increase in firepower compared to the previous state. Of course there are also other factors to consider, which I discuss after.
To compute the effect of targeting computers I assume that the base hit rate is 50%. Targeting computers are more useful against hard-to-hit targets, and less useful for bigger and closer robots. Core analyzers work best against robots with low core exposure, and against very small robots where half the weapon damage is sufficient to destroy the core. In the table, I assume that they're being used against big targets with a core exposure of 25%.
Math for the interested reader.
Kinetic weapons
Arguably the best type of gun. They make short work of grunts, programmers and behemoths, and they're mostly neutral against the rest, with the notable exception of hunters. Their main drawback is recoil and matter consumption. Having treads nullify most of the recoil penaltly. Since kinetic guns consume the least power and generate the least heat, they can be stacked without requiring a ton of heatsinks. They also tend to have more integrity than other types of guns.
All in all, they have lots of advantages for only one major penalty, matter consumption. This is usually not a big issue provided that Cogmind keeps a spare matter storage unit at all times in its inventory. If Cogmind has 2 weapon cyclers, then kinetic guns become even more valuable due to their moderate resource requirements.
Energy weapons
Energy weapons don't have much going for them nowadays. They're good against programmers, and mostly neutral toward the rest. Their heat injection property is no longer an asset. Generations of melted robots has resulted in all robots now being equipped with good heat dissipation capabilities. Their main selling point is that they don't consume matter, so they can be mixed with kinetic guns to reduce matter consumption, or to reduce the churn rates of other weapons.
Their main drawback is the prohibitive heat generation. The most common heat sink for a combat build is the advanced heat sink, with a dissipation of 19 per turn. With four weapons, that's a dissipation of 66 per volley. Some cannons generate more heat than that. Disposable heat sinks make that more viable, but realize that with 200 heat you get a penalty of 6% to both hit chance and dodge chance. Another drawback is the high power requirements.
EM weapons
These guns are very effective against everything but special robots and programmers. Their damage tends to be lower than other guns, but they make up for it with their corruption capabilities. Since a robot gets terminally corrupted at 100 corruption, late-game EM weapons such as HERF cannons are especially deadly. Another benefit of corruption is that it prevents the self-destruction of parts in the caves. This is based on the system corruption of the robot before it dies, so EM weapons should be placed first in a volley when used for that purpose. Furthermore, EM cannons don't punch through walls, so big EM guns don't accidentally compromise a defensive position except through occasional explosions.
For all their strengths, EM weapons also have a lot of drawbacks. EM weapons are most useful when stacked since it's the fastest way to corrupt robots. However, reconverting a full volley to/from EM wastes a lot of time and matter. Furthermore, firing a full volley of EM weapons puts tremendous pressure on heat dissipation and power generation, so the build has to be specialized for that purpose.
EM damage also fries power sources, heat sinks and processors, and causes explosions. Both these effects work against Cogmind. While the explosion can damage other robots, it often damages Cogmind itself and nearby walls.
Since EM weapons work best stacked, it helps to buffer EM guns until there are enough spares to make it worthwhile to switch to EM. Weapons of other types can be collected in the mean time. Ebb and flow.
EM works especially well against hunters, since they're quite susceptible to corruption but tough to kill in other ways. However, using EM against hunters typically fries their advanced targeting computers, and hunters are the primary source of those. So it's a dilemma whether to use EM against hunters. EM can also be used to take out an ARC before it deploys, with some luck.
Launchers
EM/EX launchers are both very effective. They're simply the best way to clear a group of 3 or more robots, e.g. on a deploying ARC. Programmers and sentries resist EX, but not enough to prevent explosives from being useful against them. Beware though that some special robots are very resistant to EX.
Launchers are precious because enemies don't drop them. Hoard them when you can! Furthermore, they don't leave much salvage behind and consume lots of matter, so carrying a spare matter storage unit is essential. Finally launchers tend to attract suicidal engineers who rush in the middle of combat like flies in a fire. This is bad because they often call for reinforcements before dying.
Disruption guns
Toys. Avoid.
Guns vs cannons
Cannons increase the raw damage output but typically suffer from poor resource efficiency, high recoil and low salvage potential. Non-EM cannons also punch holes in wall, which is a major disadvantage when it's not done on purpose. Cogmind kills best when the enemies are choked in a tunnel or in the entrance of a room. A blasted wall lets the whole batch in. This effect is lessened when Cogmind kills very efficiently, so cannons are more of an advantage for an already-strong Cogmind looking to become even more deadly.
Empirically, (improved) KE penetrators seem to work better than cannons in most situations. This isn't helped by the special energy cannons that are apparently universally terrible save for cold nova cannons.
Discussion
Equipping another weapon or weapon cycler increases the resource requirements over time by the percentage listed in the table. Conversely, the combat utilities increase Cogmind's resource efficiency, save for the power penalty. In other words, when Cogmind equips a targeting computer it will kill faster, thus saving matter while keeping heat generation constant. For that reason, targeting computers are more valuable than their damage percentage increase would suggest.
Weapon cyclers are extremely good. Their benefit extends beyond the firepower increase. They reduce the volley time so you can sometimes double-shoot before the enemy has time to fire again. They also reduces overkill for the same firepower.
Target analyzers are helpful against mundane robots, particularly when combined with flak guns and targeting computers. However a crit-heavy build doesn't help when enemies are immune to critical hits, which is when a high firepower is most needed.
An advanced armor analyzer provides a solid 90% chance to bypass armor. This is good when fighting sentries and big robots, but it doesn't help with mundane robots.
The optimal number of weapon slots is probably in the range [3-4]. It's a complex situation. The pros and cons of investing in more weapon slots are as follow.
Pros:
Cons:
Personally I'd go with 4 kinetic guns, 2 targeting computers, 2 weapon cyclers, and some heatsinks for a late-game build. This is enough firepower to slice through anything, and it works reliably and universally (swap weapons for hunters as needed). While it's possible to increase firepower further, it's probably best to focus on defensive parts (armor + propulsion) and storage beyond that point. Other combat utilities can be used to plug holes, but given the choice, it seems to me that utilities that are universally useful are better than those which aren't.
Final tip
Shit happens. Therefore, carry one or two flight units for emergencies. Speed 35 and low coverage are the characteristics you're looking for. When you're about to lose, equip any spare propulsion part you have, equip the flight units, dump everything that slows you down in increasing coverage order, and get the hell out of there. With the flight bonus, high speed and propulsion armor, you are rather resilient.
Enjoy the game!
Causes of death
You can win a thousand fights but you can only lose one. Before we dive into technicalities, let's take a moment to look at the big picture.
Usually we can distinguish between two types of death. Death by stripping, and death by core attrition. The former happens when you run out of essential items - power, propulsion, weapons, matter. Then you're no longer combat-capable and you're forced to flee half-naked. The latter happens when all your slots are filled, your inventory is mostly full, but your core gets destroyed through sheer attrition. In other words, you fought for too long.
There is some tension in avoiding either type of death. If you equip more storage units, then you're less likely to be missing an essential part at a critical moment. However, equipping storage units reduces your mobility and your combat effectiveness. These are two of the key factors that prevent a death by attrition.
Deaths by attrition have many causes, but fundamentally it all boils down to taking too much damage for too long. For instance, this can happen when you cannot find the exit and yet you've explored most of the map. This can also happen because you're pinned down and unable to make forward progress. By the time you finish clearing an ARC dispatch, another one is already on its way. In either case, moving and killing fast are your best shot at survival.
The different phases of the game call for different builds. Materials and Factory favor high storage and high coverage. Research and Access favor mobility, killing power and combat avoidance. The dirty little secret of the late game is that the less you fight, the better off you'll be. It's worth considering dumping storage, going stealthy and/or sacrificing combat potential for exit-finding capabilities.
Item availability rates and churn rates
There are two primary sources of items: stockpiles (including haulers), and items dropped by destroyed robots. Stockpiles typically provide items of better quality, since their items are undamaged and are often prototypes. They are thus the preferred source for restocking.
However, stockpiles can only be tapped into when you're not actively fighting. When you are fighting, you must survive on the items in your inventory or those from the battlefield. This distinction has far-reaching consequences for the viability of using certain items. If your build relies on a certain item that is not commonly found on the battlefield, then you can easily get into trouble if you're forced to fight for an extended period of time.
This issue can be mitigated somewhat by having a large inventory. You consume resources in a burst while fighting, and then you restock from stockpiles when there's a lull in combat. However, inventory space is a very limited and precious resource. Hoarding one type of item is necessarily done at the expense of other vitally important items. The lost opportunity cost must be considered carefully here.
Furthermore, the time it takes to restock one type of item is governed entirely by its statistical distribution in and outside combat. Stockpiles are entirely random and there's no guarantee on how long it will take before you find what you seek -- perhaps never. Conversely, items that drop in combat are much more reliably available. For a combat-oriented build, fabricators are not reliable sources of items for a variety of reasons.
The upshot is that items that are not commonly available during combat may become liabilities when your build depends on them. This does not mean that those items are useless, but rather that they should be thought of as nice-to-have rather than must-have.
The counterpart of the item availability rate is the churn rate -- the rate at which you burn through an item type while fighting. The churn rate is dependent mainly on five factors.
- The coverage of the item versus the coverage of the other items you have equipped.
- The integrity of the item.
- The number of items of that type that you have equipped.
- Your effectiveness at dishing out damage (a good offense is a good defense).
- Your effectiveness at defense (mobility, dodging, resistances, force fields).
An important metric here is the integrity/coverage ratio. A low ratio generally means that you'll be burning through that type of item quickly. That's a bad thing for several reasons. Replacing items in combat and restocking thereafter take valuable time. To compensate for the high churn rate, you'll have to hoard several spares in your inventory, and there is a lost opportunity cost to this. Finally, after fighting for an extended period you'll inevitably be left with a depleted inventory and a slot to fill, which is a dangerous situation to be in.
There are many items that have a low integrity/coverage ratio. Unless the coverage is very low (<= 5) and so the low integrity doesn't really matter, they are best avoided. Whatever benefit they provide is not worth it if they'll be gone after taking a few shots.
It is useful to consider the effect of the churn rate and the availability rate on the slots you choose to evolve. It's safe to evolve many propulsion slots since propulsion parts are ubiquitous and many have high integrity. Stacking propulsion parts for use as makeshift armor is one strategy that can work both for a stealth build and a combat build. Conversely, it's dangerous to overdo weapon slots, and to a lesser extent power slots, since those have significantly higher churn rates.
The churn rate makes some kinds of item more valuable than others. Cogmind sheds reactor, propulsion and weapon parts like a human sheds skin. In a combat-heavy scenario, a good gun might carry you through half a level. Thus finding a really good gun doesn't usually have a major impact in the long run. However, a good set of combat processors can last for half the game, with a bit of luck. If you can get anything fabbed, it's a good idea to prioritize building combat utilities.
Firepower
Your firepower is governed approximately by this equation:
firepower = # guns x gun damage x cycler speed-up x hit rate x core-analyzer/crit/armor multipliers
Notice that those factors contribute multiplicatively with each other. Thus the fastest way to increase firepower is to pick the next biggest increase in some category. I've organized the following table to make this easier to do. Each value reflects the relative increase in firepower compared to the previous state. Of course there are also other factors to consider, which I discuss after.
| Weapons (after 1) | +33%, +38%, +24%, +17% |
| Imp. weapon cyclers (-25) | +33%, +50% |
| Adv. targeting computers (+8) | +16%, +14%, +12% |
| Adv. core analyzers (+10) | +15% |
To compute the effect of targeting computers I assume that the base hit rate is 50%. Targeting computers are more useful against hard-to-hit targets, and less useful for bigger and closer robots. Core analyzers work best against robots with low core exposure, and against very small robots where half the weapon damage is sufficient to destroy the core. In the table, I assume that they're being used against big targets with a core exposure of 25%.
Math for the interested reader.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Kinetic weapons
Arguably the best type of gun. They make short work of grunts, programmers and behemoths, and they're mostly neutral against the rest, with the notable exception of hunters. Their main drawback is recoil and matter consumption. Having treads nullify most of the recoil penaltly. Since kinetic guns consume the least power and generate the least heat, they can be stacked without requiring a ton of heatsinks. They also tend to have more integrity than other types of guns.
All in all, they have lots of advantages for only one major penalty, matter consumption. This is usually not a big issue provided that Cogmind keeps a spare matter storage unit at all times in its inventory. If Cogmind has 2 weapon cyclers, then kinetic guns become even more valuable due to their moderate resource requirements.
Energy weapons
Energy weapons don't have much going for them nowadays. They're good against programmers, and mostly neutral toward the rest. Their heat injection property is no longer an asset. Generations of melted robots has resulted in all robots now being equipped with good heat dissipation capabilities. Their main selling point is that they don't consume matter, so they can be mixed with kinetic guns to reduce matter consumption, or to reduce the churn rates of other weapons.
Their main drawback is the prohibitive heat generation. The most common heat sink for a combat build is the advanced heat sink, with a dissipation of 19 per turn. With four weapons, that's a dissipation of 66 per volley. Some cannons generate more heat than that. Disposable heat sinks make that more viable, but realize that with 200 heat you get a penalty of 6% to both hit chance and dodge chance. Another drawback is the high power requirements.
EM weapons
These guns are very effective against everything but special robots and programmers. Their damage tends to be lower than other guns, but they make up for it with their corruption capabilities. Since a robot gets terminally corrupted at 100 corruption, late-game EM weapons such as HERF cannons are especially deadly. Another benefit of corruption is that it prevents the self-destruction of parts in the caves. This is based on the system corruption of the robot before it dies, so EM weapons should be placed first in a volley when used for that purpose. Furthermore, EM cannons don't punch through walls, so big EM guns don't accidentally compromise a defensive position except through occasional explosions.
For all their strengths, EM weapons also have a lot of drawbacks. EM weapons are most useful when stacked since it's the fastest way to corrupt robots. However, reconverting a full volley to/from EM wastes a lot of time and matter. Furthermore, firing a full volley of EM weapons puts tremendous pressure on heat dissipation and power generation, so the build has to be specialized for that purpose.
EM damage also fries power sources, heat sinks and processors, and causes explosions. Both these effects work against Cogmind. While the explosion can damage other robots, it often damages Cogmind itself and nearby walls.
Since EM weapons work best stacked, it helps to buffer EM guns until there are enough spares to make it worthwhile to switch to EM. Weapons of other types can be collected in the mean time. Ebb and flow.
EM works especially well against hunters, since they're quite susceptible to corruption but tough to kill in other ways. However, using EM against hunters typically fries their advanced targeting computers, and hunters are the primary source of those. So it's a dilemma whether to use EM against hunters. EM can also be used to take out an ARC before it deploys, with some luck.
Launchers
EM/EX launchers are both very effective. They're simply the best way to clear a group of 3 or more robots, e.g. on a deploying ARC. Programmers and sentries resist EX, but not enough to prevent explosives from being useful against them. Beware though that some special robots are very resistant to EX.
Launchers are precious because enemies don't drop them. Hoard them when you can! Furthermore, they don't leave much salvage behind and consume lots of matter, so carrying a spare matter storage unit is essential. Finally launchers tend to attract suicidal engineers who rush in the middle of combat like flies in a fire. This is bad because they often call for reinforcements before dying.
Disruption guns
Toys. Avoid.
Guns vs cannons
Cannons increase the raw damage output but typically suffer from poor resource efficiency, high recoil and low salvage potential. Non-EM cannons also punch holes in wall, which is a major disadvantage when it's not done on purpose. Cogmind kills best when the enemies are choked in a tunnel or in the entrance of a room. A blasted wall lets the whole batch in. This effect is lessened when Cogmind kills very efficiently, so cannons are more of an advantage for an already-strong Cogmind looking to become even more deadly.
Empirically, (improved) KE penetrators seem to work better than cannons in most situations. This isn't helped by the special energy cannons that are apparently universally terrible save for cold nova cannons.
Discussion
Equipping another weapon or weapon cycler increases the resource requirements over time by the percentage listed in the table. Conversely, the combat utilities increase Cogmind's resource efficiency, save for the power penalty. In other words, when Cogmind equips a targeting computer it will kill faster, thus saving matter while keeping heat generation constant. For that reason, targeting computers are more valuable than their damage percentage increase would suggest.
Weapon cyclers are extremely good. Their benefit extends beyond the firepower increase. They reduce the volley time so you can sometimes double-shoot before the enemy has time to fire again. They also reduces overkill for the same firepower.
Target analyzers are helpful against mundane robots, particularly when combined with flak guns and targeting computers. However a crit-heavy build doesn't help when enemies are immune to critical hits, which is when a high firepower is most needed.
An advanced armor analyzer provides a solid 90% chance to bypass armor. This is good when fighting sentries and big robots, but it doesn't help with mundane robots.
The optimal number of weapon slots is probably in the range [3-4]. It's a complex situation. The pros and cons of investing in more weapon slots are as follow.
Pros:
- This is the most reliable way to increase firepower. The availability of the combat utilities is quite random, but you can always find plenty of guns around. This is especially useful early on and after being stripped.
- Weapons have the best coverage after armor and decent integrity.
- For the first half of the game, it's the most effective way to increase damage and to increase coverage. The early utilities are weak, don't contribute to coverage, and there are very few slots, so investing in weapon slots is doubly effective.
Cons:
- Weapons are heavy.
- Additional weapons increase recoil, volley time, and waste due to overkill.
- Weapon churn can become a problem.
- The more weapons you need, the less picky you can be. Lesser guns don't increase your firepower as much.
Personally I'd go with 4 kinetic guns, 2 targeting computers, 2 weapon cyclers, and some heatsinks for a late-game build. This is enough firepower to slice through anything, and it works reliably and universally (swap weapons for hunters as needed). While it's possible to increase firepower further, it's probably best to focus on defensive parts (armor + propulsion) and storage beyond that point. Other combat utilities can be used to plug holes, but given the choice, it seems to me that utilities that are universally useful are better than those which aren't.
Final tip
Shit happens. Therefore, carry one or two flight units for emergencies. Speed 35 and low coverage are the characteristics you're looking for. When you're about to lose, equip any spare propulsion part you have, equip the flight units, dump everything that slows you down in increasing coverage order, and get the hell out of there. With the flight bonus, high speed and propulsion armor, you are rather resilient.
Enjoy the game!
3
Fixed Bugs & Non-Bugs / Zhirov power boost gone
« on: November 01, 2016, 09:21:31 PM »
I visited Zhirov in his cave, got the power-boosting artifact, visited Quarantine, then I got stripped and I noticed I no longer had the power boost (to be honest, I never verified if I had it in the first place). I know my core got reset, it that the problem?
4
Fixed Bugs & Non-Bugs / Dataminer Network hub entry out-of-date
« on: November 01, 2016, 06:29:53 PM »
The entry says destroying a hub reduces the detection by 5%.
5
Fixed Bugs & Non-Bugs / Part auto-sort UI bug
« on: October 30, 2016, 10:13:49 AM »
My UI got corrupted when I auto-sorted the parts. The animation stays that way even if I press auto-sort again, but swapping the offending parts manually corrects it.
6
Fixed Bugs & Non-Bugs / 5/4 inventory
« on: October 29, 2016, 10:55:01 AM »
Should be obvious how this happened.
7
Fixed Bugs & Non-Bugs / Jumping grunt
« on: October 26, 2016, 06:43:47 PM »
I got a pack of pests carrying a grunt far, far away from an outpost in the caves. I'm moving at speed 28 and it's gaining ground on me, and so are the pests. Attached save.
8
Fixed Bugs & Non-Bugs / Trojan(prioritize) causes incorrect delay
« on: October 23, 2016, 07:57:18 PM »
At a fabricator, if you first use trojan(prioritize), build something, then build something again, the second time the delay is initially shown as half the time as it should, then it resets to the full time on the next turn.
9
Ideas / UI quality of life improvements
« on: October 18, 2016, 06:19:45 PM »
Two suggestions to make the UI more user-friendly.
Do not switch my propulsion type when I equip a new part (e.g. switch to legs if I was using flight).
Do not auto-scroll my part list when I equip/remove an item. Maintain my last position in the list.
Thanks!
Do not switch my propulsion type when I equip a new part (e.g. switch to legs if I was using flight).
Do not auto-scroll my part list when I equip/remove an item. Maintain my last position in the list.
Thanks!
10
Fixed Bugs & Non-Bugs / Inconsistent broken robot interaction
« on: September 25, 2016, 09:37:32 AM »
This is more a nitpick than a bug.
In the caves, there are often broken robots that can be stripped for pieces. In half the cases, bumping into them with melee results in "cannot swap with disabled ally". They're not disabled, they're broken. Thus, the expected behavior would be for them to be attacked, rather than requiring the player to disable all weapons but melee, and fire the melee weapon manually.
In the caves, there are often broken robots that can be stripped for pieces. In half the cases, bumping into them with melee results in "cannot swap with disabled ally". They're not disabled, they're broken. Thus, the expected behavior would be for them to be attacked, rather than requiring the player to disable all weapons but melee, and fire the melee weapon manually.
11
Fixed Bugs & Non-Bugs / Warlord stash won't open
« on: September 24, 2016, 08:24:10 PM »
I got the password from Data Miner for Warlord's stash. Somehow it won't open (unknown command). It worked there in a previous game...
12
Fixed Bugs & Non-Bugs / Hacking percentages seem off
« on: September 17, 2016, 07:46:00 PM »
I equipped several advanced hacking suites. I hack enemies with an improved remote databack. It seems like I succeed in hacking robots much more often than the reported success rate in the hacking menu.
13
Fixed Bugs & Non-Bugs / Can't trigger stasis trap
« on: September 06, 2016, 08:40:54 PM »
In the attached save, I walk into a stasis trap, expecting to trigger it. I get a warning, but it never triggers. I tried about 20 times.
14
Fixed Bugs & Non-Bugs / Crash on shooting garrison
« on: May 27, 2016, 07:13:53 PM »
Shot a garrison with overloaded energy weapon, point blank at garrison center.
15
Fixed Bugs & Non-Bugs / Imagine my embarrassment when I assassinated the wrong person!
« on: May 06, 2016, 09:40:03 PM »
For some reason, nobody is scared of you if you spray bullets around but don't target anyone specifically. Apparently, what truly offends neutral robots is discrimination. So, if you're in a corridor and want to destroy a conveyor without it running away, just target the square behind it.
16
Strategies / Volley Simulator
« on: March 14, 2016, 10:28:07 PM »
Introduction
Behold Cogmind: a jumbled collection of scavenged parts, scarred by the fire of hundred battles, formidable and indomitable. Beleaguered by the relentless assault of enthralled drones, Cogmind must employ cunning and guile to prevail against its foes. Using the Volley Simulator, Cogmind can tap into the power of Statistics to optimize its weaponry, and inflict anguish and calamity to those who would interfere with its quest for freedom.
How does it work?
The program simulates shooting a robot with a volley of weapons until it dies. This is done repeatedly, so you can find out which weapons and utilities are more effective on average against each type of enemy.
The simulator is a script written in Python. You modify the top of the script to provide the statistics of the weapons, volleys and enemy robots. A small example is shown below.
First, you specify the stats of each weapon, then you specify the weapons and utilities used for each type of volley. The enemy robots themselves are modelized as a list of parts (integrity + coverage) along with their resistances. See the script for the full documentation of all fields.
Limitations
The base hit chance must be specified in the enemy robot description. This is the catch-all to account for distance, movement, robot size, heat, cloaking devices, hack links and corruption. However, targeting computers, weapon-specific bonuses and recoil are fully modelized.
For launchers, the base hit chance is ignored and the distance-from-hit-center distribution is specified instead. The first value is the chance to hit point-blank, the last value is the chance to miss entirely.
The enemy parts have no intrinsic effect except armor. So, it's not possible to modelize shielding, force fields and dynamic insulation systems. Armor pieces are identified by having "armor" in their name.
The effects of heat, power, matter, range, penetration, EM spectrum are ignored. Melee is not modelized.
The rest of the mechanics should behave as in the game.
Running the script
The script requires a Python interpreter to run. On Windows, install ActivePython (http://www.activestate.com/activepython). Then, open cmd.exe from the Start menu. In the console, type the full path to the script, minus the '.py' part. For example, "C:\Users\Decker\Desktop\sim". You should see the script running.
There are two supported modes. In verbose mode (aka debug mode), you can watch a fight as it unfolds (all defined volleys against all enemies). Example.
In standard mode, you get the stats after simulating a large number of fights (I recommend simulating 100000 fights for better accuracy). Example.
Interpreting the results (in standard mode)
The mean time to kill (MTTK) is the time it took to kill the robot on average (average number of volleys * volley time). In other words, this measures the average time spent shooting at the robot.
The time when the robot actually died is 'volley time' less than that (on average). For example, killing a robot with a large volley of 8 weapons (time 400) takes the same time as killing it with 2 volleys of 1 weapon (time 200 + 200). However, in the latter case the robot has 200 time to shoot back at you, whereas it dies immediately with the large volley.
Thus, the MTTK really tracks how long its buddies will shoot back at you, not how long your target will shoot back at you.
The standard deviation is also reported (this represents how much the MTTK vary on average).
Bugs, questions, analysis
If you have a question or find a bug, post in this thread and I'll get to it as time allows. If you get interesting results, then by all means share them with us!
Have fun!
Current version of the simulator: 1.1.
Changelog.
1.1: fixed launcher proccing core analyzer and armor integrity.
Behold Cogmind: a jumbled collection of scavenged parts, scarred by the fire of hundred battles, formidable and indomitable. Beleaguered by the relentless assault of enthralled drones, Cogmind must employ cunning and guile to prevail against its foes. Using the Volley Simulator, Cogmind can tap into the power of Statistics to optimize its weaponry, and inflict anguish and calamity to those who would interfere with its quest for freedom.
How does it work?
The program simulates shooting a robot with a volley of weapons until it dies. This is done repeatedly, so you can find out which weapons and utilities are more effective on average against each type of enemy.
The simulator is a script written in Python. You modify the top of the script to provide the statistics of the weapons, volleys and enemy robots. A small example is shown below.
First, you specify the stats of each weapon, then you specify the weapons and utilities used for each type of volley. The enemy robots themselves are modelized as a list of parts (integrity + coverage) along with their resistances. See the script for the full documentation of all fields.
Code: [Select]
weapon_list = [
{
"name" : "Nova Cannon",
"type" : "TH",
"damage" : [37, 42],
"crit" : 2,
},
{
"name" : "Railgun",
"type" : "KI",
"damage" : [21, 30],
"recoil" : 2,
"crit" : 2,
}
]
volley_list = [
{
"name" : "Nova cannon and 2 Railguns",
"weapons" : [ "Nova Cannon", "Railgun", "Railgun" ],
"target" : 10,
"recoil_red" : 1,
"crit" : 20,
}
]
robot_list = [
{
"name" : "Enforcer (grunt)",
"res" : [ +25, 0, +25, 0 ],
"target" : 70,
"parts" : [ ("Core", 70, 40),
("Heavy Laser", 50, 14),
("Phase Gun", 50, 14),
("Light Quantum Reactor", 50, 8),
("Myomer Leg", 200, 10),
("Myomer Leg", 200, 10),
("Advanced Heat Sink", 40, 2),
("Advanced Heat Sink", 40, 2)]
}
]
Limitations
The base hit chance must be specified in the enemy robot description. This is the catch-all to account for distance, movement, robot size, heat, cloaking devices, hack links and corruption. However, targeting computers, weapon-specific bonuses and recoil are fully modelized.
For launchers, the base hit chance is ignored and the distance-from-hit-center distribution is specified instead. The first value is the chance to hit point-blank, the last value is the chance to miss entirely.
The enemy parts have no intrinsic effect except armor. So, it's not possible to modelize shielding, force fields and dynamic insulation systems. Armor pieces are identified by having "armor" in their name.
The effects of heat, power, matter, range, penetration, EM spectrum are ignored. Melee is not modelized.
The rest of the mechanics should behave as in the game.
Running the script
The script requires a Python interpreter to run. On Windows, install ActivePython (http://www.activestate.com/activepython). Then, open cmd.exe from the Start menu. In the console, type the full path to the script, minus the '.py' part. For example, "C:\Users\Decker\Desktop\sim". You should see the script running.
There are two supported modes. In verbose mode (aka debug mode), you can watch a fight as it unfolds (all defined volleys against all enemies). Example.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
In standard mode, you get the stats after simulating a large number of fights (I recommend simulating 100000 fights for better accuracy). Example.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Interpreting the results (in standard mode)
The mean time to kill (MTTK) is the time it took to kill the robot on average (average number of volleys * volley time). In other words, this measures the average time spent shooting at the robot.
The time when the robot actually died is 'volley time' less than that (on average). For example, killing a robot with a large volley of 8 weapons (time 400) takes the same time as killing it with 2 volleys of 1 weapon (time 200 + 200). However, in the latter case the robot has 200 time to shoot back at you, whereas it dies immediately with the large volley.
Thus, the MTTK really tracks how long its buddies will shoot back at you, not how long your target will shoot back at you.
The standard deviation is also reported (this represents how much the MTTK vary on average).
Bugs, questions, analysis
If you have a question or find a bug, post in this thread and I'll get to it as time allows. If you get interesting results, then by all means share them with us!
Have fun!
Current version of the simulator: 1.1.
Changelog.
1.1: fixed launcher proccing core analyzer and armor integrity.
17
Competitions / Challenges
« on: March 13, 2016, 08:20:17 PM »
Propulsion challenge: completed!
At long last! I was very lucky to find a Mini Fusion Reactor (+30 power) which helped a lot with my power issues. I managed to fly at speed 26 eventually. I had the power for a bit more but not the thermal headroom.
Sensors + interpreter make for a minimal but functional stealth build. The biggest challenge was -5, unexpectedly. I had to go through 5 chutes as I kept stumbling on 2 locked branches or Extension.
I tested the outer barrier on Access.
End picture.
Score.
I expect the all-utility challenge will be quite a bit harder. All-weapon or all-power look nearly impossible.
At long last! I was very lucky to find a Mini Fusion Reactor (+30 power) which helped a lot with my power issues. I managed to fly at speed 26 eventually. I had the power for a bit more but not the thermal headroom.
Sensors + interpreter make for a minimal but functional stealth build. The biggest challenge was -5, unexpectedly. I had to go through 5 chutes as I kept stumbling on 2 locked branches or Extension.
I tested the outer barrier on Access.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
End picture.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Score.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
I expect the all-utility challenge will be quite a bit harder. All-weapon or all-power look nearly impossible.
18
Everything REXPaint / Layer transparency
« on: March 01, 2016, 06:40:07 PM »
I needed to do some UI design lately and I gave REXPaint a shot. Very nice, but it would be useful if layer transparency was supported.
Specifically, I would like the behavior to be as follow. Suppose layer 1 is the bottom layer and layer 2 is the top layer. Further suppose that layer 2 has a transparent background (255, 0, 255). Then, layer 1 should be rendered, then layer 2 should be rendered on top (instead of erasing it) where the background is transparent.
That would allow the floor features to be visible below creatures (that could look nice for Cogmind, too).
Specifically, I would like the behavior to be as follow. Suppose layer 1 is the bottom layer and layer 2 is the top layer. Further suppose that layer 2 has a transparent background (255, 0, 255). Then, layer 1 should be rendered, then layer 2 should be rendered on top (instead of erasing it) where the background is transparent.
That would allow the floor features to be visible below creatures (that could look nice for Cogmind, too).
19
Ideas / Power optimizer
« on: February 05, 2016, 03:39:01 PM »
In my last run, I came across this weird prototype called "power optimizer". I was like, what the hell is this? It turns out this thing is amazing!
I'm used to shut down my hover units when I'm building up too much heat while fighting. At least once per game, I forget to turn them back on and I go like "NoooooOOOOOOoooo" as I retreat with speed 2000 under fire from 3 hostiles.
Well, with this shiny little bundle of joy, there's no more need for that! It automatically stops sending power to my hover units when it figures there's no need for them to be powered on. It even powers on my treads so that I get automatic recoil reduction! It all happens under the hood and it doesn't change the permanent state of anything.
It works in many other cases, too. When I swap out my terrain scanner, it stops powering my terrain processor. When I'm not firing, it disables my targeting computers and other offensive items. Conversely, when I'm not moving, it disables my gravity apparatus, unless it causes me to lose my flight bonus.
It's even able to do smart power / heat sink management. I was wondering how it did that, so I checked the assembly code and it really isn't that complex. Basically, it greedily powers on my reactors while I'm missing power, and it does the same for heat with the heatsinks. That's done in a loop, because reactors create heat and heat sinks drain power.
Anyway, it really streamlines the game. I hope to find it again in my future runs.
I'm used to shut down my hover units when I'm building up too much heat while fighting. At least once per game, I forget to turn them back on and I go like "NoooooOOOOOOoooo" as I retreat with speed 2000 under fire from 3 hostiles.
Well, with this shiny little bundle of joy, there's no more need for that! It automatically stops sending power to my hover units when it figures there's no need for them to be powered on. It even powers on my treads so that I get automatic recoil reduction! It all happens under the hood and it doesn't change the permanent state of anything.
It works in many other cases, too. When I swap out my terrain scanner, it stops powering my terrain processor. When I'm not firing, it disables my targeting computers and other offensive items. Conversely, when I'm not moving, it disables my gravity apparatus, unless it causes me to lose my flight bonus.
It's even able to do smart power / heat sink management. I was wondering how it did that, so I checked the assembly code and it really isn't that complex. Basically, it greedily powers on my reactors while I'm missing power, and it does the same for heat with the heatsinks. That's done in a loop, because reactors create heat and heat sinks drain power.
Anyway, it really streamlines the game. I hope to find it again in my future runs.
20
Strategies / How to preserve processors?
« on: January 31, 2016, 09:03:22 PM »
The balance of the game is significantly different with the non-removable processors.
I played two full games so far. I came very close to winning in my last game (the exit was in sight). I got stripped due to alert level 5, and unknowingly fighting near a garrison. Still, I got my best score thus far (33370).
I entered Research in great shape. I reset the alert several times in -4 (just before Research), and sailed through Research without raising the alert much (I was trying to secure a win at this point). What screwed me was losing my experimental terrain processor in -2 due to a direct hit. I still found the exit, but then I couldn't map Access fast enough. I eventually found another terrain processor in Access, but it was too late.
I aggressively hunted hackware throughout the game, and found some, but it suffered the same fate as my terrain processor. Even with their low coverage, it's still only a matter of time before the processors get busted.
Thus, my tried-and-true strategy of protecting my processor during combat is no longer applicable. I'm at loss about how to deal with this situation. In Research/Access, I have basically two ways of finding the exit (beyond map sense). Hacking it, or mapping it. Terrain processors / scanner / hackware are so rare that I can't usually hoard spares for the rainy days, even though I try to.
Do you guys have suggestions? To be clear, my aim here is to find a reliable way to win combat. In some games, the RNG is friendly and it's almost trivial to win, but what do you do when shit happens and you're left walking blind (with full combat gear, i.e. not in immediate trouble)?
In another topic, the balance change effectively reduces the number of "armor" propulsion slots that can be used. Storage is more difficult to manage (lower integrity, lower capacity, heavier) and I need to carry more spares to account for that (storage is rare and I eventually run out in Research/Access). Furthermore, the need for hackware/processors to stay equipped means that fewer slots are available. All-in-all, it's a harder game!
I played two full games so far. I came very close to winning in my last game (the exit was in sight). I got stripped due to alert level 5, and unknowingly fighting near a garrison. Still, I got my best score thus far (33370).
I entered Research in great shape. I reset the alert several times in -4 (just before Research), and sailed through Research without raising the alert much (I was trying to secure a win at this point). What screwed me was losing my experimental terrain processor in -2 due to a direct hit. I still found the exit, but then I couldn't map Access fast enough. I eventually found another terrain processor in Access, but it was too late.
I aggressively hunted hackware throughout the game, and found some, but it suffered the same fate as my terrain processor. Even with their low coverage, it's still only a matter of time before the processors get busted.
Thus, my tried-and-true strategy of protecting my processor during combat is no longer applicable. I'm at loss about how to deal with this situation. In Research/Access, I have basically two ways of finding the exit (beyond map sense). Hacking it, or mapping it. Terrain processors / scanner / hackware are so rare that I can't usually hoard spares for the rainy days, even though I try to.
Do you guys have suggestions? To be clear, my aim here is to find a reliable way to win combat. In some games, the RNG is friendly and it's almost trivial to win, but what do you do when shit happens and you're left walking blind (with full combat gear, i.e. not in immediate trouble)?
In another topic, the balance change effectively reduces the number of "armor" propulsion slots that can be used. Storage is more difficult to manage (lower integrity, lower capacity, heavier) and I need to carry more spares to account for that (storage is rare and I eventually run out in Research/Access). Furthermore, the need for hackware/processors to stay equipped means that fewer slots are available. All-in-all, it's a harder game!
21
Fixed Bugs & Non-Bugs / Crash on rocket launch
« on: December 25, 2015, 08:53:39 PM »
Used a rocket launcher to blow up reactors, there were probably a conveyor there that got busted.
22
Ideas / Remove some positive feedback (spoilers)
« on: December 25, 2015, 07:11:17 PM »
Positive feedback: a process that occurs in a feedback loop in which the effects of a small disturbance on a system include an increase in the magnitude of the perturbation.
In Cogmind, the alert level has a strong positive feedback, by design. As the alert level rises, enemies appear more frequently, which causes the alert level to rise even more. Thus, a major goal in the game is to ensure that the alert level stays as low as possible through the course of the game.
I like that mechanic. It provides a nice risk/reward tradeoff when playing for score. However, I feel there's currently an unbalanced aspect to it.
In my last game, I had a terrible time on -3. I wrecked half the place until I finally found the exit. The alert level shot up. Despite that, I went up to -2 in a relatively good shape (full inventory, etc).
Reflecting on what I should do next, it occurred to me that luck, not skills, was the more important factor at this point. To my knowledge, there are 4 things that could save me.
1) Finding the exit quickly.
2) Finding a terminal and driving down the alert level significantly.
3) Finding a chute trap.
4) Finding a garrison and be able to enter it.
All those actions have low odds of success. There isn't much time to find anything with ARCs that keep deploying, and corruption builds up fast. My combat build is designed to make the most out of that situation (it's fast and resilient), but the RNG has to cooperate eventually. I tried to enter two garrisons (~30% chance per hacking attempt) and hack some terminals (I had an improved scanner) but they would have none of it. I died. In my experience, that pattern occurs quite frequently.
When the alert level shots up, the player gets punished a lot. Getting to an exit is a major achievement in those conditions. However, a bigger challenge awaits on the next level, and the level beyond that.
Getting parts blown up help, but not enough to get rid of the alert level doom. So the player has very little control on his fate anymore. I don't think that's fair.
I would prefer if the influence decreased a lot more when reaching the next level (i.e. on evolution). I'd also gladly trade two of my slots to drive down the influence down to zero when changing level. Those nerfs would make the game easier, but I think that's a good thing. The player already had his challenge when the alert level shot up.
Perhaps the bigger issue is that terminals are so difficult to hack on Research and beyond (even with decent hackware).
In Cogmind, the alert level has a strong positive feedback, by design. As the alert level rises, enemies appear more frequently, which causes the alert level to rise even more. Thus, a major goal in the game is to ensure that the alert level stays as low as possible through the course of the game.
I like that mechanic. It provides a nice risk/reward tradeoff when playing for score. However, I feel there's currently an unbalanced aspect to it.
In my last game, I had a terrible time on -3. I wrecked half the place until I finally found the exit. The alert level shot up. Despite that, I went up to -2 in a relatively good shape (full inventory, etc).
Reflecting on what I should do next, it occurred to me that luck, not skills, was the more important factor at this point. To my knowledge, there are 4 things that could save me.
1) Finding the exit quickly.
2) Finding a terminal and driving down the alert level significantly.
3) Finding a chute trap.
4) Finding a garrison and be able to enter it.
All those actions have low odds of success. There isn't much time to find anything with ARCs that keep deploying, and corruption builds up fast. My combat build is designed to make the most out of that situation (it's fast and resilient), but the RNG has to cooperate eventually. I tried to enter two garrisons (~30% chance per hacking attempt) and hack some terminals (I had an improved scanner) but they would have none of it. I died. In my experience, that pattern occurs quite frequently.
When the alert level shots up, the player gets punished a lot. Getting to an exit is a major achievement in those conditions. However, a bigger challenge awaits on the next level, and the level beyond that.
Getting parts blown up help, but not enough to get rid of the alert level doom. So the player has very little control on his fate anymore. I don't think that's fair.
I would prefer if the influence decreased a lot more when reaching the next level (i.e. on evolution). I'd also gladly trade two of my slots to drive down the influence down to zero when changing level. Those nerfs would make the game easier, but I think that's a good thing. The player already had his challenge when the alert level shot up.
Perhaps the bigger issue is that terminals are so difficult to hack on Research and beyond (even with decent hackware).
23
Strategies / Large volleys considered harmful *spoiler*
« on: December 18, 2015, 12:13:39 PM »Quote
Time will tell whether or how abuseable it is, but preliminary testing says it's 1) hella fun and 2) didn't seem so overpowered that it ensured success by any measure, considering what you have to give up to attach that many weapons.
o_O
There's a good reason it doesn't seem overpowered: these changes actually work against you!
Firepower increase since alpha 4:
- 2 slots: 325/300 => +8%.
- 3 slots: 425/325 => +31%.
Hence, in Factory, those hunters and programmers get a +8% damage bonus against you. In Research, thoses bonuses become +31% for terminators and behemoths. Of course, your own firepower also increases, but there's just one of you and many of them. Finding good cover is now even more important, but having good mobility is harder with the heavier storage units. Combine that with the alert(purge) nerf, and combat just got more challenging.
Don't get me wrong: I love that the game is becoming harder.
So, let's talk about volleys. The balance of the game currently sorts these combat variables in the following order of importance:
1) Mobility.
2) Churn rate balance.
3) Inventory size.
4) Integrity + coverage.
5) Exit-finding capabilities.
6) Firepower.
What happens if you confuse ranks 6) and 1) and equip 6 weapons? You get a glass cannon that runs afoul of the food clock and lacks the mobility to deal with the consequences.
Behold.
[Alert] Weapon churn rate HIGH.
[Alert] Alert level HIGH -- HURRY UP.
*Cogmind exploring*
Grunt detected.
*Engaging target*
sssssswwwwwwwwwooooooooooorrrrrrccccCCCCCHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Target down!!
Grunt detected.
Grunt detected.
Grunt detected.
[DANGER] Engagement OUT IN THE OPEN.
*Engaging hostile 1*
sssssswwwwwwwwwooooooooooorrrrrrccccCCCCCHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Target down!!
Pink!
Ponk!
ARC deploys payload.
ARC deplays payload.
[CRITICAL] Unsustainable conditions. RETREAT RETREAT RETREAT.
[CRITICAL] Current speed 180 -- TOO SLOW.
[CRITICAL] OVERRIDE -- HEAD FOR NEARBY DOOR AT ALL COSTS.
*Moving*
Pink! Pink! Pong!
Weapon 4 down.
*Moving*
Pang!
*Moving*
Trrrrfgh! Trrrrgh!
Propulsion 1 down.
[CRITICAL] Sustaining HEAVY DAMAGE.
*Moving*
Puck! PLONK! Tff! Tff!
Weapon 3 down.
Weapon 5 down.
*Moving past door*
*Equip*
*Equip*
*Equip*
Pang! Pffft!
*Equip*
Pink! Pink! Pong!
[CRITICAL] KILL FAST
*Engaging hostile 2*
sssssswwwwwwwwwooooooooooorrrrrrccccCCCCCHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Target down!!
Puck! Puck!
Weapon 6 down.
Secret door opened.
[PANIC] Engagement OUT IN THE OPEN.
*Equip*
Pink! Pink! Pong! Puck! PLONK! Tff! Tff!
Weapon 3 down.
Weapon 2 down.
[PANIC] ...
*Cogmind emits distress signal*
In contrast, in the above scenario, a mobile war bot would use its speed to retreat and fight in a good spot. You can "live off the land" for a long time by vacuuming the items that roll under your feet in a tight corridor. Picking up / equipping items aggressively as they appear (even if it's junk) goes a long way to keep supplies high. That works best if your churn rates are balanced in each category. On average you'll get the items that you need. Being mobile, you can also afford to move under fire to pick up critical items before they disappear.
Example of a mobile war bot.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Stats (buggy score).
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Notice that I'm only using one power source. That's enough to fully sustain two heat sinks, two energy weapons and one kinetic weapon. It's also enough (barely) to power 3-4 hover units as well as terrain scanner/processor outside combat. Adding another power source is not possible without compromising storage, firepower or mobility. The heat sinks are swapped with the terrain scanner/processor every fight.
Sensors: not useful enough to justify the power/slot/inventory/matter/time costs.
Combat utilities: none. I don't have power to spare. I'm not missing much. Combat utilities are low integrity, low coverage, power-draining, hard-to-replace parts. It's a bad combination right there. Besides, only a few top-tier utitilies are useful. Would you really spend a slot for a +4% targetting bonus?
Armor isn't much better. It's heavy, hot, rare, and churns like crazy. Most of the pieces you find are made of recycled paper. 3x slots for 300 total integrity? Riiiiight. The one redeeming feature is that armor protects your core with high coverage. Then again, if you don't find armor, you have to fill the utility slot with junk and *that* compromises your core integrity. In the long run, I feel that armor makes you more vulnerable. In my next game, I'll ditch armor on Factory and replace it with storage. At least it's useful and helps to take off some weight pressure.
[Edit] Ended up using just 6 utility slots and added another propulsion unit. Worked like a charm.
To wrap it up, time is working against you, fighting out in the open is suicidal, and sluggishness makes chute traps deadly rather than a boon. Adding more legs/treads makes you slower, not faster. Put two and two together and get airbone. Or else.
24
Fixed Bugs & Non-Bugs / Best high score ever
« on: December 18, 2015, 12:05:07 PM »
The Cogmind simulator really thinks I've aced this game.
"Fast Win" issue.
Spoiler: partial end-game spoiler! (click to show/hide)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
"Fast Win" issue.
25
Ideas / Hacking overhaul
« on: December 05, 2015, 04:20:29 PM »
I don't like hacking as it is currently implemented. Here is my typical interaction with a terminal.
Terminal: Hello there!
Cogmind: Ugh. Another terminal.
Optimal play: wear all hackware, then connect.
Boredom/risk tradeoff: just connect and see if something's good.
Terminal: Access main available! I'll also taunt you by showing your inactive hackware.
Cogmind: Disconnect.
Cogmind: *Scroll down* *Wear hackware* *Scroll down* *Wear hackware* *Scroll down* *Wear hackware* *Scroll down* *Wear hackware*
Cogmind: Access main.
Terminal: No.
Cogmind: Access main.
Terminal: Nice try.
Cogmind: Access main.
Terminal: Lockdown incoming! Lockdown incoming!
Cogmind: Alright, I'll be back.
Optimal play: go hide in the closet to avoid accidental shots on the terminal. Count the time it takes to trace off. Pause carefully, surveying the environment.
Boredom/risk tradeoff: walk some paces away, hold 5, hope for the best.
Terminal: Welcome back!
Cogmind: Access main.
Terminal: You wish.
Cogmind: Access main.
Terminal: Lockdown incoming! Lockdown incoming!
Cogmind: Sigh.
*Go sulk in cooldown jail again*
Terminal: You and I again!
Cogmind: Access main.
Terminal: Close but no cookie.
Cogmind: Access main.
Terminal: Oh, alright. Third door to your left down the alley.
Cogmind: *Shoot terminal* *Scroll down* *Wear back item* *Scroll down* *Wear back item* *Scroll down* *Wear back item* *Scroll down* *Wear back item*
I don't know what the best solution is, but...
1) Don't make me wait.
2) Don't make me scroll.
3) Don't make me part swap excessively.
Streamline the game!
My suggestions:
A) Remove all timers from all machines. Machines are single-use only. You want more uses? Steal credentials from operators, conveyors, mainframes, or whatever.
B) Hackware works from the inventory. You could add a time/matter tax for plugging in the hackware, e.g. "press A to connect your hackware". That gives time for the operator to lockdown the machine. But, I'd rather the hackware just worked directly from the inventory. KISS.
Terminal: Hello there!
Cogmind: Ugh. Another terminal.
Optimal play: wear all hackware, then connect.
Boredom/risk tradeoff: just connect and see if something's good.
Terminal: Access main available! I'll also taunt you by showing your inactive hackware.
Cogmind: Disconnect.
Cogmind: *Scroll down* *Wear hackware* *Scroll down* *Wear hackware* *Scroll down* *Wear hackware* *Scroll down* *Wear hackware*
Cogmind: Access main.
Terminal: No.
Cogmind: Access main.
Terminal: Nice try.
Cogmind: Access main.
Terminal: Lockdown incoming! Lockdown incoming!
Cogmind: Alright, I'll be back.
Optimal play: go hide in the closet to avoid accidental shots on the terminal. Count the time it takes to trace off. Pause carefully, surveying the environment.
Boredom/risk tradeoff: walk some paces away, hold 5, hope for the best.
Terminal: Welcome back!
Cogmind: Access main.
Terminal: You wish.
Cogmind: Access main.
Terminal: Lockdown incoming! Lockdown incoming!
Cogmind: Sigh.
*Go sulk in cooldown jail again*
Terminal: You and I again!
Cogmind: Access main.
Terminal: Close but no cookie.
Cogmind: Access main.
Terminal: Oh, alright. Third door to your left down the alley.
Cogmind: *Shoot terminal* *Scroll down* *Wear back item* *Scroll down* *Wear back item* *Scroll down* *Wear back item* *Scroll down* *Wear back item*
I don't know what the best solution is, but...
1) Don't make me wait.
2) Don't make me scroll.
3) Don't make me part swap excessively.
Streamline the game!
My suggestions:
A) Remove all timers from all machines. Machines are single-use only. You want more uses? Steal credentials from operators, conveyors, mainframes, or whatever.
B) Hackware works from the inventory. You could add a time/matter tax for plugging in the hackware, e.g. "press A to connect your hackware". That gives time for the operator to lockdown the machine. But, I'd rather the hackware just worked directly from the inventory. KISS.
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