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2776
Stories / Re: I did a run for the first time in ~8 months
« on: May 22, 2016, 08:18:20 PM »
Operators and Watchers can be tough to properly strip, true, especially if you're only after one specific part.
Overall the situation could change with fabrication, which was intended to fill that potential gap. We shall see!
Overall the situation could change with fabrication, which was intended to fill that potential gap. We shall see!
2777
Competitions / Re: Weekly Seed #41 [Alpha 8] [Seed: Pinned Down]
« on: May 22, 2016, 08:13:50 PM »
Yes, the fancy one, and yeah it's just an escape tool, one that I ended up never needing but it's nice to carry just in case 
. Technically there are terminals indirectly linked to the artifacts that describe what they do and imply that particular one shouldn't be attached right away, but in a case of bad decision-making I made it so you encounter those terminals shortly after getting the artifacts. I was trying to make the area look interesting... but I've been wanting to go back and adjust the layout to improve the design--terminal then artifact.
. Technically there are terminals indirectly linked to the artifacts that describe what they do and imply that particular one shouldn't be attached right away, but in a case of bad decision-making I made it so you encounter those terminals shortly after getting the artifacts. I was trying to make the area look interesting... but I've been wanting to go back and adjust the layout to improve the design--terminal then artifact.
2778
Competitions / Re: Weekly Seed #41 [Alpha 8] [Seed: Pinned Down]
« on: May 22, 2016, 09:56:02 AM »
Happy to have gotten an Alpha 8 win under my belt; now I can fool around a bit more again!
...okay a lot of times, but that's where Cogminds can really feel alive, in that uncertain space between life and death!
Hehe, it's one of the few known but unresolved bugs--I have absolutely no idea why that's happening :/. Seems to be completely random, but I'm sure there's a specific resolvable cause in there...QuoteAverage Core Remaining (%)
Depth 4 Exit 144 <=====I demand an urine test!
SometimesQuoteAlso, my build only ever had a single Lrg. Storage UnitHah! However I couldn't help noticing that you had some slots conspicuously empty after a fight
...okay a lot of times, but that's where Cogminds can really feel alive, in that uncertain space between life and death!
2779
Competitions / Re: Weekly Seed #41 [Alpha 8] [Seed: Pinned Down]
« on: May 22, 2016, 06:55:01 AM »
No bottlenecks in sight? 
There was certainly a distinctive lack of AOE. I found three the entire game, and two of those were shortly before the end. I ended up almost never using them, though, for fear of running out of matter and other salvage.
I did the splat last week, and played more carefully this time as a result. To fairly good effect. The closest calls were in the caves--scary place, sometimes!
There was certainly a distinctive lack of AOE. I found three the entire game, and two of those were shortly before the end. I ended up almost never using them, though, for fear of running out of matter and other salvage.
I did the splat last week, and played more carefully this time as a result. To fairly good effect
. The closest calls were in the caves--scary place, sometimes!
2780
Fixed Bugs & Non-Bugs / Re: Can't drag items from inventory
« on: May 22, 2016, 02:47:29 AM »
UNBELIEVABLE! Found it, and I can't believe this bug hasn't been reported before considering how basic it is and how long the game has been out
Apparently continuous border effects like the red glow on critical core integrity were putting the inventory window in a state in which it was specifically unable to handle drag-drop commands, but was otherwise unaffected.
I've uploaded a hotfix/patched exe here [Alpha 9 already has a permanent fix] that you can overwrite your current one with--that should solve the problem for good. (I've also merged this fix with the current Alpha 8 download so that anyone who gets a fresh copy of Cogmind after the date of this post doesn't have to worry about the hotfix.)
Thanks for your help, seafrank!
Apparently continuous border effects like the red glow on critical core integrity were putting the inventory window in a state in which it was specifically unable to handle drag-drop commands, but was otherwise unaffected.
Thanks for your help, seafrank!
2781
Stories / Re: I did a run for the first time in ~8 months
« on: May 21, 2016, 11:48:35 PM »
Terrain scanners can be a good way to find an exit, but yeah just one of many, whatever works depending on the parts you've found.
Lots of good advice from Decker there, though as expected I can't help but disagree on at least one bit
He likes to carry tons of spare parts, but also eschews armor in favor of other forms of non-armor protection, even though armor has significantly better coverage, and using it means less of a need for replacement parts. Armor is 2-4x more likely to protect other parts from damage compared to treads and legs (ignoring the special armors which also give damages resistances to all parts on top of that).
But yeah if you want to play with the massive inventory approach, Decker knows how to do it best
@Decker: Ever use a good Salvage Targeting Computer? (Or make sure you aren't using cannons when in search of salvage.) Because that will make it significantly more likely that you'll get good stuff from your victims. Thermal guns with salvage targeting is the most effective way to strip a target cleanly at range. Up close of course melee weapons do an okay job, too.
Lots of good advice from Decker there, though as expected I can't help but disagree on at least one bit
He likes to carry tons of spare parts, but also eschews armor in favor of other forms of non-armor protection, even though armor has significantly better coverage, and using it means less of a need for replacement parts. Armor is 2-4x more likely to protect other parts from damage compared to treads and legs (ignoring the special armors which also give damages resistances to all parts on top of that).
But yeah if you want to play with the massive inventory approach, Decker knows how to do it best
@Decker: Ever use a good Salvage Targeting Computer? (Or make sure you aren't using cannons when in search of salvage.) Because that will make it significantly more likely that you'll get good stuff from your victims. Thermal guns with salvage targeting is the most effective way to strip a target cleanly at range. Up close of course melee weapons do an okay job, too.
2782
Competitions / Re: Weekly Seed #41 [Alpha 8] [Seed: Pinned Down]
« on: May 21, 2016, 11:21:31 PM »
Lots of good leg stashes in the first half of this seed. Fortunately I'd gone with my legged combat bot, aiming to focus on offense and use as many cannons as possible.
Oh I'll just sneak up on this Garrison and seal it... or not. First thing I did was overload one of my cannons and blast the access point.
I was basically taking every first exit I could find regardless of where it might lead, and ended up passing through some caves. Then I came across one of these scary outposts...
I got surrounded immediately, and then my power source was rejected AND my corruption forced me to move away from it, so I was suddenly without power :/.
Barely made it out of that one alive (finished almost all of them off with a single railgun after equipping my heavy armor).
Bad meeting after bad meeting in that cave...
Heading back towards 0b10. Now here's a scary looking place. I don't even remember what might be in there, and I'm not sure I want to find out... Times like this you *extra* wish you had sensors in the caves. Very useful for not dying and all
In -4, I immediately wired up a nice little Assassin friend, and even a shield to protect him. He did a great job of covering my back, and together we crushed about 15 bots in that one area. Unfortunately before the last of them went down, they called reinforcements from a nearby garrison, and one of those freaks brought a Hvy. Rocket Launcher. Still, we got that batch, too, and my Assassin only fell when we were taking the Garrison Access itself. By this point I'm already thinking I need to work on getting the alert level down, because I've too often been ignoring that while approaching the end game.
Interestingly, I'm already on -4, and I've only found a single rating-2 EMP Blaster by this point :/. I am still keeping it handy, however, just in case I run into Swarmers. It's already saved me a couple times. By this point I've got some decent hacking gear, and morphed into a half-combat/half-hacker, with zero armor :/
Here's what I looked like just coming into -2. Pretty weird build that's all over the place
And then here's what I, and the room, looked like after a Sentry, 3 Grunts and 2 Hunters walked in on me
And before I could even leave the room or fully rebuild, another Grunt-Rogue squad showed up with a pair of Hunters! Crazy start for -2... I'd probably have been dead if I wasn't jamming transmissions the whole time. (Also the Exp. Focal Shield, which helped keep the Hunters from shredding me too terribly, althogh I did finish the battle with no armament but a sword taken from the Rogue.)
Still hanging around in the same small area fighting battle after battle, and seriously underpowered now... but at least I have a Hauler buddy?. That and I just checked the security level, and it's still Low. Whew. Then I grabbed a Sentry buddy, too. Being underpowered is a good thing when disruption weapons take effect, because it means you haven't completely shredded a potential ally
Fortunately the exit wasn't too hard to find, and here's my build on entering Access. The main issue is I'd be worried about facing Programmers with these weapons, but I think I'll nuke them if I have to (finally just my second explosive weapon this entire run).
Overall a fun win, one that I don't think I would've gotten if streaming, because I probably would've made the wrong decision too quickly at a few critical junctures. (I should try to stream at least once in the coming weeks, though, before I'll be away from home for a few weeks...)
So it turned out completely different than I planned. I went lighter on the weapons, and transitioned from combat to a very hybrid approach that could even hack and evade pretty well, but still hold its own in a fight.
Also, my build only ever had a single Lrg. Storage Unit
Oh I'll just sneak up on this Garrison and seal it... or not. First thing I did was overload one of my cannons and blast the access point.
I was basically taking every first exit I could find regardless of where it might lead, and ended up passing through some caves. Then I came across one of these scary outposts...
I got surrounded immediately, and then my power source was rejected AND my corruption forced me to move away from it, so I was suddenly without power :/.
Barely made it out of that one alive (finished almost all of them off with a single railgun after equipping my heavy armor).
Bad meeting after bad meeting in that cave...
Spoiler: Semi-secret map reference (click to show/hide)
Heading back towards 0b10. Now here's a scary looking place. I don't even remember what might be in there, and I'm not sure I want to find out... Times like this you *extra* wish you had sensors in the caves. Very useful for not dying and all
In -4, I immediately wired up a nice little Assassin friend, and even a shield to protect him. He did a great job of covering my back, and together we crushed about 15 bots in that one area
. Unfortunately before the last of them went down, they called reinforcements from a nearby garrison, and one of those freaks brought a Hvy. Rocket Launcher. Still, we got that batch, too, and my Assassin only fell when we were taking the Garrison Access itself. By this point I'm already thinking I need to work on getting the alert level down, because I've too often been ignoring that while approaching the end game.Interestingly, I'm already on -4, and I've only found a single rating-2 EMP Blaster by this point :/. I am still keeping it handy, however, just in case I run into Swarmers. It's already saved me a couple times. By this point I've got some decent hacking gear, and morphed into a half-combat/half-hacker, with zero armor :/
Here's what I looked like just coming into -2. Pretty weird build that's all over the place
And then here's what I, and the room, looked like after a Sentry, 3 Grunts and 2 Hunters walked in on me
And before I could even leave the room or fully rebuild, another Grunt-Rogue squad showed up with a pair of Hunters! Crazy start for -2... I'd probably have been dead if I wasn't jamming transmissions the whole time. (Also the Exp. Focal Shield, which helped keep the Hunters from shredding me too terribly, althogh I did finish the battle with no armament but a sword taken from the Rogue.)
Still hanging around in the same small area fighting battle after battle, and seriously underpowered now... but at least I have a Hauler buddy?
. That and I just checked the security level, and it's still Low. Whew. Then I grabbed a Sentry buddy, too. Being underpowered is a good thing when disruption weapons take effect, because it means you haven't completely shredded a potential ally Fortunately the exit wasn't too hard to find, and here's my build on entering Access. The main issue is I'd be worried about facing Programmers with these weapons, but I think I'll nuke them if I have to (finally just my second explosive weapon this entire run).
Spoiler: End-game map, Access (click to show/hide)
I've got super awesome ECM and transmission jamming now, so looks like it's time to play hide and seek if I want to get out of here. I'm bad at hide-and-seek because I just want to blow everything away 
, but then there was so much debris in the area I accidentally exited to the surface while moving to pick stuff up. Oops, shoulda turned off auto-ascend!Spoiler: Score: 26,862 (click to show/hide)
Overall a fun win, one that I don't think I would've gotten if streaming, because I probably would've made the wrong decision too quickly at a few critical junctures. (I should try to stream at least once in the coming weeks, though, before I'll be away from home for a few weeks...)
So it turned out completely different than I planned. I went lighter on the weapons, and transitioned from combat to a very hybrid approach that could even hack and evade pretty well, but still hold its own in a fight.
Also, my build only ever had a single Lrg. Storage Unit
2783
Fixed Bugs & Non-Bugs / Re: Can't drag items from inventory
« on: May 21, 2016, 07:28:40 PM »
Man, this is crazy that it only happens to you, and with such regularity!
Many thanks for the extra details. Yesterday I was playing the first half of my seed run and all the while thinking of things that would have any connection to your issue. The only possibility I haven't mentioned yet is that maybe you're accidentally entering some different input-blocking mode with a key on the keyboard? (if you're even touching the keyboard during normal play...) When it happens try pressing Escape a few times then trying again. Does that help? (Unlikely given what you've said already, but with debugging everything related should still be checked to confirm.)
Right after it happens, you could also attach a run.log here (a text file in the main game directory) and I can see if any errors start showing up that might have more info.
There is no special behavior when your Storage Units are being damaged. This is an odd UI issue and
One more question: Has this ever happened when you didn't have a core alert? If not then that's definitely a strong clue to go on.
Many thanks for the extra details. Yesterday I was playing the first half of my seed run and all the while thinking of things that would have any connection to your issue. The only possibility I haven't mentioned yet is that maybe you're accidentally entering some different input-blocking mode with a key on the keyboard? (if you're even touching the keyboard during normal play...) When it happens try pressing Escape a few times then trying again. Does that help? (Unlikely given what you've said already, but with debugging everything related should still be checked to confirm.)
Right after it happens, you could also attach a run.log here (a text file in the main game directory) and I can see if any errors start showing up that might have more info.
There is no special behavior when your Storage Units are being damaged. This is an odd UI issue and
One more question: Has this ever happened when you didn't have a core alert? If not then that's definitely a strong clue to go on.
2784
Stories / Re: I did a run for the first time in ~8 months
« on: May 21, 2016, 09:47:27 AM »
Ha, you and most everyone else
I've just added it to the list for consideration at a later date after the fabrication situation becomes clearer, so don't start hoarding them just yet!
I've just added it to the list for consideration at a later date after the fabrication situation becomes clearer, so don't start hoarding them just yet!
2785
Stories / Re: I did a run for the first time in ~8 months
« on: May 21, 2016, 02:47:54 AM »
Good story! Thanks for writing that up. I almost always run combat builds and "don't have room for" sensors and the like, but the couple times I end up with them I feel a heck of a lot safer. Yeah they take up potential armor slots, but then they're kinda like the equivalent of armor because you probably won't be getting into as many confrontations.
I'm worried that being able to fab whatever you want might imbalance the game, but we'll worry about that once Alpha 9 is out there. Maybe not.
Hacking and hackware were overhauled, so the latter is more rare because there are no longer six types, only two! (Thus there are fewer related items for placement.) Read the new descriptions on the hackware and you'll find the indirect hacking bonus was folded into standard hacking suites--all offensive effects are enhanced by a single type, and all defensive effects by the other.
Trojans and brute force don't have a -X%, no, and some are fairly likely to succeed, but it's generally still advised to have some hacking boost before using the better ones. Botnets can help there.
There haven't been any pursuit AI changes, no.
I'm worried that being able to fab whatever you want might imbalance the game, but we'll worry about that once Alpha 9 is out there. Maybe not.
Hacking and hackware were overhauled, so the latter is more rare because there are no longer six types, only two! (Thus there are fewer related items for placement.) Read the new descriptions on the hackware and you'll find the indirect hacking bonus was folded into standard hacking suites--all offensive effects are enhanced by a single type, and all defensive effects by the other.
Trojans and brute force don't have a -X%, no, and some are fairly likely to succeed, but it's generally still advised to have some hacking boost before using the better ones. Botnets can help there.
There haven't been any pursuit AI changes, no.
Right now I always seek an expanded inventory, but I dunno, guaranteed storage units in a game as procedural as Cogmind strikes me as strange. =P I look forward to seeing how the fabrication changes impact storage unit availability.Well I don't have an confirmed changes on that yet, it was only your comment that had me thinking now that we'll have better Fabricators (and the Huge storage was removed, and those that you do get last longer), getting rid of guaranteeing storage could fit the game better in its current state. That feature was added back when it made more sense, and storage often became an issue, but those issues are probably either resolved or less significant now, and I'd be in favor of reintroducing the need to acquire storage through one of the other means.
2786
Fixed Bugs & Non-Bugs / Re: Can't drag items from inventory
« on: May 21, 2016, 12:39:12 AM »
Wow, quite frequent... Bugs are always my top priority because there shouldn't be any
Noticing the red border is a good start, though theoretically that's purely a cosmetic thing which wouldn't impact the input capabilities of the window. I wonder if it could have anything to do with the resolution, since 1440p isn't too common among the players, but still that's quite unlikely a factor as I see it.
So Alt-Tabbing had no effect?
Another quick test to do: When it happens, try using the keyboard commands to drop an item from the inventory (Alt-#), or attach one (Ctrl-#). If that also doesn't work then we'd know it has something to do with the game input logic itself, and not something particular to the mouse, which would be a step towards confirming the where the problem might be.
Thanks for the feedback so far, and sorry for the inconvenience! I'm very curious what could be behind such weird behavior.
Noticing the red border is a good start, though theoretically that's purely a cosmetic thing which wouldn't impact the input capabilities of the window. I wonder if it could have anything to do with the resolution, since 1440p isn't too common among the players, but still that's quite unlikely a factor as I see it.
So Alt-Tabbing had no effect?
Another quick test to do: When it happens, try using the keyboard commands to drop an item from the inventory (Alt-#), or attach one (Ctrl-#). If that also doesn't work then we'd know it has something to do with the game input logic itself, and not something particular to the mouse, which would be a step towards confirming the where the problem might be.
Thanks for the feedback so far, and sorry for the inconvenience! I'm very curious what could be behind such weird behavior.
2787
Stories / Re: I did a run for the first time in ~8 months
« on: May 20, 2016, 11:54:06 PM »
Hey Adraius, great to see a run from you to compare from the early days.
You can analyze machines/environmental objects now if you have a Structural Scanner, and learn what their weaknesses/strengths are, if any. Getting in a fight near a Garrison Access is very dangerous, more so if you think you can blast them with explosives
Treads are quicker now, for sure, now that the stacking slowdown was removed. Propulsion got better across the board a few releases ago.
Guaranteed Storage, along with the other boosts to it, really helped improve the overall enjoyment. Some people simply want to regularly play with a bigger inventory, and it's not very fair to easily or suddenly take that away, nor is it fun to make those players have to seek out (or build) their storage every single game. So yeah, lots of tweaks to Storage. Now that you mention it, maybe under the upcoming new fabrication system, guaranteed storage units aren't so necessary since you'll be able to build them without too much difficulty... Of course, we'll see if/how the system is potentially abused in other ways first
Glad the new hackware coverage worked out for you, despite your concerns. It's similarly nice to have things like Targeting Computers last nearly forever--or until you lose all your armor. Combat builds do certainly rely on their armor a lot now, though more propulsion slots can help with that, as can a lot of weapon slots (assuming you have lots of spares for either), since they provide better coverage than utilities.
Hunters have gone through several phases of modifications, yeah. Now they have somewhat worse weapons, but are still quite deadly because they have that third gun, yep. I kinda like where they are in terms of difficulty now. (Grunt loadouts haven't changed, though; it's just that later in the game top-tier Grunt variants can be leading intermediate variants.)
Extension doesn't allow you to skip, no. There's currently only one place in the game you can skip an entire depth. You'll see that the score sheet now includes even more stats than it did last year, and among those, at the end, it shows the route you took through the world. I see from your sheet that you did go through -3/Research, just pretty quickly (only 544 turns).
Were you avoiding the caves on purpose? Or did you just happen to always find regular Factory exits?
You can analyze machines/environmental objects now if you have a Structural Scanner, and learn what their weaknesses/strengths are, if any. Getting in a fight near a Garrison Access is very dangerous, more so if you think you can blast them with explosives
Treads are quicker now, for sure, now that the stacking slowdown was removed. Propulsion got better across the board a few releases ago.
Guaranteed Storage, along with the other boosts to it, really helped improve the overall enjoyment. Some people simply want to regularly play with a bigger inventory, and it's not very fair to easily or suddenly take that away, nor is it fun to make those players have to seek out (or build) their storage every single game. So yeah, lots of tweaks to Storage. Now that you mention it, maybe under the upcoming new fabrication system, guaranteed storage units aren't so necessary since you'll be able to build them without too much difficulty... Of course, we'll see if/how the system is potentially abused in other ways first
Glad the new hackware coverage worked out for you, despite your concerns. It's similarly nice to have things like Targeting Computers last nearly forever--or until you lose all your armor
. Combat builds do certainly rely on their armor a lot now, though more propulsion slots can help with that, as can a lot of weapon slots (assuming you have lots of spares for either), since they provide better coverage than utilities.Hunters have gone through several phases of modifications, yeah. Now they have somewhat worse weapons, but are still quite deadly because they have that third gun, yep. I kinda like where they are in terms of difficulty now. (Grunt loadouts haven't changed, though; it's just that later in the game top-tier Grunt variants can be leading intermediate variants.)
Extension doesn't allow you to skip, no. There's currently only one place in the game you can skip an entire depth. You'll see that the score sheet now includes even more stats than it did last year, and among those, at the end, it shows the route you took through the world. I see from your sheet that you did go through -3/Research, just pretty quickly (only 544 turns).
Were you avoiding the caves on purpose? Or did you just happen to always find regular Factory exits?
2788
Fixed Bugs & Non-Bugs / Re: Can't drag items from inventory
« on: May 20, 2016, 11:05:19 PM »
Strange. Yeah I play (and develop) on Win 7, mostly windowed mode but sometimes fullscreen for testing, and despite all the hours have never seen this. Something very weird going on, unless you have greater than 10 items and are trying to click-drag one of the scroll buttons that's an item name, but I imagine that's not the case
Sounds like you may have found a real bug, but it's amazing no one has run into this before given that you spend much of the game fiddling with the inventory!
Sounds like you may have found a real bug, but it's amazing no one has run into this before given that you spend much of the game fiddling with the inventory!
2789
Fixed Bugs & Non-Bugs / Re: Can't drag items from inventory
« on: May 20, 2016, 10:44:28 PM »
Hm, haven't heard of this happening to anyone before--it's likely going to be something with your OS. I assume you're using Windows? Are you playing in fullscreen mode? Or windowed?
When this happens can you still drop from your parts list to the ground, and/or from the parts list into your inventory?
Does the mouse not work properly in any other way? (You can still click to move normally, etc.?)
One possible way to fix this without a restart (just a guess that could indicate it's something with your OS) is to trying Alt-Tabbing out of the game and back in. See if that works.
Thanks for the report and we'll get this sorted! (The most important thing here is that it's repeatable, so try and see if there's anything similar about what you're doing each time before it starts happening, since that could indicate the cause if it happens to be something in the game itself, though I'd be surprised since no one has encountered this before in the past year, and it's a pretty basic thing...)
When this happens can you still drop from your parts list to the ground, and/or from the parts list into your inventory?
Does the mouse not work properly in any other way? (You can still click to move normally, etc.?)
One possible way to fix this without a restart (just a guess that could indicate it's something with your OS) is to trying Alt-Tabbing out of the game and back in. See if that works.
Thanks for the report and we'll get this sorted! (The most important thing here is that it's repeatable, so try and see if there's anything similar about what you're doing each time before it starts happening, since that could indicate the cause if it happens to be something in the game itself, though I'd be surprised since no one has encountered this before in the past year, and it's a pretty basic thing...)
2790
General Discussion / Re: Initial Impressions
« on: May 18, 2016, 10:43:41 PM »
Thanks for playing! Was fun to see someone play it almost completely fresh, and describe it to others
And "not a very good robot" is how pretty much everyone starts out. Need to carry some spare parts there so you don't suddenly find yourself without any armament or propulsion!
And "not a very good robot" is how pretty much everyone starts out
. Need to carry some spare parts there so you don't suddenly find yourself without any armament or propulsion!
2791
Announcements / Cogmind Alpha 1-Year Anniversary
« on: May 18, 2016, 06:31:07 PM »
Today marks the end of Cogmind's first year of Alpha Access. And that's pretty much the only thing it's the "end" of since we're still chugging along and releases are continuing all the same.
The past year has been great, and I wrote a summary over on the blog including basic player and revenue data, a breakdown of development time, and a quick look at the rest of 2016.
To celebrate, for now I've added a new $24.99 no-perk tier to the buy page. I'm curious if this will spur any more sales, and as development moves into late-game content, it's about time to occasionally make this offer available.
The website has also just been updated, with lots of adjustments to the text, revamped screenshots, and a completed set of over 100 UI preview images in different fonts and sizes. The website hadn't been updated nearly at all for the past year, so it was about time to do that
Unfortunately the website is mostly screenshot-based, so I won't be including this destructive bad boy I recently put together:
The past year has been great, and I wrote a summary over on the blog including basic player and revenue data, a breakdown of development time, and a quick look at the rest of 2016.
To celebrate, for now I've added a new $24.99 no-perk tier to the buy page. I'm curious if this will spur any more sales, and as development moves into late-game content, it's about time to occasionally make this offer available.
The website has also just been updated, with lots of adjustments to the text, revamped screenshots, and a completed set of over 100 UI preview images in different fonts and sizes. The website hadn't been updated nearly at all for the past year, so it was about time to do that
Unfortunately the website is mostly screenshot-based, so I won't be including this destructive bad boy I recently put together:
2792
General Discussion / Re: Alpha 8 Discussion/Feedback (spoiler-free)
« on: May 16, 2016, 11:53:51 PM »
Yup, good analysis. While fabrication was the last big non-streamlined part of the game, there are still things I can think of that would be nice to address, like a need for a way to explicitly display composite defensive bonuses. But that is a localized issue, most of which Cogmind handles already.
Cogmind is about facing unknowns and dealing with unexpected situations, even more so than other roguelikes due to attrition and the part loss core mechanic, plus the presence of an overarching AI you aren't always sure about. So yeah that can be tough on players who have that urge to analyze and optimize.
My goal has been to ensure the mechanics and world are flexible enough that it's possible to do quite well even without optimal play, but players of course have their own style regardless!
Cogmind is about facing unknowns and dealing with unexpected situations, even more so than other roguelikes due to attrition and the part loss core mechanic, plus the presence of an overarching AI you aren't always sure about. So yeah that can be tough on players who have that urge to analyze and optimize.
My goal has been to ensure the mechanics and world are flexible enough that it's possible to do quite well even without optimal play, but players of course have their own style regardless!
2793
General Discussion / Re: Alpha 8 Discussion/Feedback (spoiler-free)
« on: May 16, 2016, 10:58:05 PM »
Hey Adraius, was recently wondering where you were as I was thinking of those who have helped out in the past. The Alpha Challenge last year was the height that tapped out a lot of the earliest players . Lots of new stuff since, and once the new fabrication mechanics are released, the remainder is mostly content and late-game additions, though I should probably still fit in some early/mid-game improvements so that those who can't reach the late game continue to have new stuff to play with. But yeah as you say there is more and more stuff to learn for anyone just now jumping in (or again after a while).
Have fun with Stellaris! (Wait a minute, isn't Stellaris the same thing?!)
. Lots of new stuff since, and once the new fabrication mechanics are released, the remainder is mostly content and late-game additions, though I should probably still fit in some early/mid-game improvements so that those who can't reach the late game continue to have new stuff to play with. But yeah as you say there is more and more stuff to learn for anyone just now jumping in (or again after a while).Have fun with Stellaris! (Wait a minute, isn't Stellaris the same thing?!
)
2794
Competitions / Re: Weekly Seed #40 [Alpha 8] [Seed: Hauler Hunter]
« on: May 16, 2016, 10:49:44 PM »
Garrisons are freaking scary, especially the ones you don't notice until it's getting too late. And to think, the game didn't even have them until several alphas in (although back then there were more enemies in general, too).
Those images--haha, you got three Sentries on you? Definitely more common in Storage due to its high security density.
Those images--haha, you got three Sentries on you? Definitely more common in Storage due to its high security density.
2795
Everything REXPaint / Re: Show off your REXPAINT creations
« on: May 16, 2016, 06:44:52 AM »
Hm, yeah, sure I can add that. New feature discovery is pretty poor at the moment since you have to look at the manual to see most of the special commands
2796
Competitions / Re: Weekly Seed #40 [Alpha 8] [Seed: Hauler Hunter]
« on: May 16, 2016, 12:45:09 AM »
Hehe, yeah that happens--sometimes you run with whatever you can find, though before long you'll be experienced enough to also seek out victims for certain parts. Like if you want to run with legs, grunts and hunters can supply you with plenty (and always carry spares). Once you figure out the strategies, it's not too difficult to go through the whole game with any single form of propulsion.
2797
Everything REXPaint / Re: Show off your REXPAINT creations
« on: May 15, 2016, 08:37:16 PM »
Always love that embossed border effect . And I can see how female variations would be pretty tough. I guess it takes mostly unique hair, and other kinds of accessories. Part of the problem is the dots you're using to smooth the edges of the face can also be perceived as stubble
. And I can see how female variations would be pretty tough. I guess it takes mostly unique hair, and other kinds of accessories. Part of the problem is the dots you're using to smooth the edges of the face can also be perceived as stubble
2798
Competitions / Re: Weekly Seed #40 [Alpha 8] [Seed: Hauler Hunter]
« on: May 15, 2016, 04:24:58 AM »
Nice job, rumpel. This felt like a really tough seed, and you certain outlived me!
I only got 1,041 :/
Worst performance in a while (died in the early game o_O), but I'm pretty sure it's because I played this seed a lot less cautiously than I normally would... way overconfident there. (You can sorta tell I was playing on the edge with a 2-weapon evolution right off the bat.)
The seed has a pretty tough start with having to pass close to a garrison and also mostly concentrated thoroughfares without a lot of side paths in the first couple maps.
My standard philosophy has always been that the most important goal in the early game is to simply escape, and with that strategy I'd never die early. You can worry about gearing up (and earning points) later, while it's very easy to get caught up in combat and die from the deadly combination of low coverage and low integrity at the start. Going everywhere guns blazing in Materials is playing with fire
@rumpel: That's an interesting first shot you've got there--you're quite slowed by all the armor and weapons. A flying combat build? Not easy to do! You're so overweight that you don't really get much benefit from the flight capabilities except hopping robots. I think hover can work as a fast combat build, but flight is better for stealth or fleeing.
I only got 1,041 :/
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
The seed has a pretty tough start with having to pass close to a garrison and also mostly concentrated thoroughfares without a lot of side paths in the first couple maps.
My standard philosophy has always been that the most important goal in the early game is to simply escape, and with that strategy I'd never die early. You can worry about gearing up (and earning points) later, while it's very easy to get caught up in combat and die from the deadly combination of low coverage and low integrity at the start. Going everywhere guns blazing in Materials is playing with fire
@rumpel: That's an interesting first shot you've got there--you're quite slowed by all the armor and weapons. A flying combat build? Not easy to do! You're so overweight that you don't really get much benefit from the flight capabilities except hopping robots. I think hover can work as a fast combat build, but flight is better for stealth or fleeing.
2799
Strategies / Re: How do I survive Waste, hopefully intact?
« on: May 13, 2016, 08:19:58 AM »
@mathSq: Congratulations! Note that you'll be able to outmaneuver them with most forms of propulsion, even legs as long as you're not overweight. Only super slow builds have much to worry about, or due to the width of the tunnels if you attract too many at once they can pin you in and make it harder to escape without taking a hit or two, which can be nasty.
Also, it's true they have a fairly low ID number compared to their ability, but they are technically a non-combat robot (and happen to be the one with the highest number). Their actual threat rating (an internal number that determines robot shade or color and threat targeting priority) is 4, which is the second to highest level (5).
I fell down there not too long ago with a weapon-heavy build with a bunch of cannons and punched right through them, so that definitely works if you've got the resources.
Once you've got the Waste survival tactics down, getting sucked down there isn't too bad unless your core was already low at the time and you have to head back to the Factory and can't find another exit quickly enough.
One of the other methods to avoid traps that wasn't mentioned: If you get an Operator ally they will instantly identify all traps that come into view.
The thing about treads is, they have a 100% chance to trigger traps, so if you're going to drive around as a battle tank, just expect that it's inevitable you'll eat some explosions and other unexpected effects along the way.
Note that you'll be able to outmaneuver them with most forms of propulsion, even legs as long as you're not overweight. Only super slow builds have much to worry about, or due to the width of the tunnels if you attract too many at once they can pin you in and make it harder to escape without taking a hit or two, which can be nasty.Also, it's true they have a fairly low ID number compared to their ability, but they are technically a non-combat robot (and happen to be the one with the highest number). Their actual threat rating (an internal number that determines robot shade or color and threat targeting priority) is 4, which is the second to highest level (5).
I fell down there not too long ago with a weapon-heavy build with a bunch of cannons and punched right through them, so that definitely works if you've got the resources.
Once you've got the Waste survival tactics down, getting sucked down there isn't too bad unless your core was already low at the time and you have to head back to the Factory and can't find another exit quickly enough.
One of the other methods to avoid traps that wasn't mentioned: If you get an Operator ally they will instantly identify all traps that come into view.
The thing about treads is, they have a 100% chance to trigger traps, so if you're going to drive around as a battle tank, just expect that it's inevitable you'll eat some explosions and other unexpected effects along the way.
Low inventory builds are overratedI heard that
2800
Everything REXPaint / Re: Show off your REXPAINT creations
« on: May 13, 2016, 03:13:58 AM »
Ah I see. As a kid I wanted to learn how to use a tracker, but I had never even studied music before and it was a slow process without anyone to learn from, so I never got far into it.