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1

Ideas / Informal Item Identification Tags

« on: June 15, 2018, 11:43:17 AM »

Some roguelikes with more complex identification minigames have both formal identification systems (where the game explicitly tells the player the name of the item after some work) and informal identification systems (where the game does not explicitly tell the player the item name for their work, but the player knows the name or at least under what circumstances to use the item).  These games can allow players to "tag" informally identified items with the player's suspected item name, or other very short notes such as "throw at enemy".  (Without telling them if they're wrong, of course!)

Cogmind by and large works very well with only formal identification, in that the identification tradeoffs are interesting and well-balanced.  (Do you want to risk that prototype being faulty?  Do you want to spend time and matter putting on that unknown item to restore your memory of what it is?  Do you want to spend time and inventory space taking either to a Scanalyzer?)  However, there are a few cases in which sufficiently experienced players will both already know what an item is without formally identifying it and run the risk of confusing it with another item unless they spend resources on a formal identification.

Spoiler: Some examples, which spoil late-game rare items (click to show/hide)

Prototypes where only one item exists with the properties shown before identification do not count; players who have seen them before and have a good idea of the items in the game will be able to re-identify the item as needed by those properties.  The primary place this comes up is in consumable Alien Artifacts, many of which have the exact same such properties and are instead informally identified by the context in which they are acquired (accompanying machines and/or terminal logs).  Since several of these have good reasons not to use them immediately, this is an annoyance.

For example, a player might find a Dimensional Node Initializer in the caves (and recognize it by the accompanying log and the hideaway layout), get the Transdimensional Reconstructor from Zhirov (ditto), and then want to use the Transdimensional Reconstructor to escape a bad situation before they have had an opportunity to reach a Scanalyzer.  Now they are stuck guessing which is which if their inventory has been rearranged at all in the interim, and since they're probably being shot at they run a real risk of winding up at the center of a node explosion!

Another case is when a player finds a Core Reset Matrix in Quarantine and does not want to use it.  They know for a fact what it is by the very distinctive machine layout, but in order to recognize a future one in the same run they must lug it to a Scanalyzer only to drop it (and are likely leaving something else behind to make room).

I understand why art isn't shown for unidentified items, and the costs of identifying do make sense in most cases, but in these instances it makes more sense to me that the Cogmind would be able to tag an item appearance with a short name and recognize that same appearance later, even though that appearance is not itself shown to the player.

I also understand if this would be difficult or impossible to implement, but I thought I'd bring it up.

2

Everything REXPaint / [Minor Bug] Resizing Image Changes Base Layer Background

« on: April 22, 2018, 06:53:07 PM »

This is something I noticed while using the new color channel application options on one of my mockups; I can create a new image for the transparent base layer background, but when I resize it to the usual mockup map size (necessary because the map is only 50 cells high) the base layer background turns black again.

3

Everything REXPaint / [Feature Request] Option to Apply Only Select RGB Color Channels

« on: April 15, 2018, 11:01:26 AM »

The use case behind this request is part of my ongoing mockup series.  The "zone of control" visualization has to show two overlapping sets of transmission ranges (one for stationary structures in the Complex, and the other for robots), and the most natural way to make it clear which of them apply to any tile is to give each set its own background color channel.  Unfortunately, unless I've missed a feature, right now that means applying the combined background color manually with frequent reference to guide layers, rather than being able to use the oval tool directly.

4

General Discussion / b_sen's Cogmind Prequel Project (mockup series) (backstory SPOILERS)

« on: April 09, 2018, 02:21:18 PM »

To explain the extent of the spoilers: the premise of the hypothetical prequel is that you are MAIN.C through the history of the Complex.  Even though there's a lot of Cogmind lore I have yet to uncover, the nature of this premise requires a lot of spoilers.  I won't be tagging individual spoilers within this thread because there are just too many, so if you don't want to see the spoilers, please stick to spoiler-free viewing locations such as the Discord channel and REXPaint thread.

I've made enough of these mockups now to collect the series and associated notes in one place (as nudged by Kyzrati ), so here goes.

Things that would definitely be in the game, in order of creation and original versions (some of these may be updated later):

  Robot design system, as it appears in the very early game to a new player: (original post)



  Fighting the Sigix scouts in Complex 0b1: (original post)



  AI editor system, here showing a very simple AI: (original post)



  Scouts returning with Zhirov's location and displeasure at being found: (original post below, REXPaint sharing post)




Things that might be in the game, in order of creation and original versions:

  New Game creation screen, from Zhirov's perspective.  I debate including this because it breaks immersion and your starting location isn't necessarily that big of a deal when you can make anything out of matter, but even if it were included I would have to redesign it for having separate text and map fonts.  It is the piece that started the series, though... (original posts)




My plan for the series is to complete a "trailer keyframe set" showing off the major systems and why the gameplay is fun - much like the Cogmind trailer.   Remaining planned pieces, in no particular order:

• Boot sequence
• Research management system
• Building on the map and the corresponding "zone of control" expansion
• Part designer incorporating new technologies into parts
• Custom grouping and renaming system, plus automatic grouping + naming configuration
• Fighting Derelicts and taking their stuff to be researched (with the correct implication that you can also take Sigix stuff to research)
• Title screen

I'm also stuck on the title screen because first I need a title. XD  I've realized that before I can settle on a title, I need to decide whether the player is allowed to ignore the Sigix and just build in peace, since that changes the design enough to change the space of reasonable names.  (For example, Hunt for the Ender Dragon would be an exceedingly poor name for Minecraft, because Minecraft allows players to totally ignore the Ender Dragon and still have lots of content to enjoy.)  Cogmind's lore leans pretty heavily towards ignoring the Sigix not being an option (unless Zhirov made a very big mess while cleaning up after being spotted by MAIN.C) - but mechanically, how exactly would the game stop players from ignoring the Sigix short of setting some arbitrary time at which the Sigix stop by anyway or the player eventually running out of planet to build with?  Thoughts on this subject are very much welcome!

5

Stories / A Surprise Victory! (first win)

« on: February 18, 2018, 11:30:05 PM »

(As with any win post, there will be some level of actual spoilers behind the spoiler tags, not just images only hidden to keep post size down.  In my case, these spoilers will also include inference from lore of areas I didn't visit on this run.  Please use your judgement for what you want to see.)

Before I can really tell the story of how I won, I should explain the context of why I wasn't trying to for most of the run.

Just over a couple of weeks ago, Kyzrati revealed on the Discord server that a real-life terminal command works on Cogmind's terminals as an easter egg.  Cue a flurry of players collaboratively attempting to find it, including me.  This meant I was optimizing for finding terminals as fast as possible in real-time, not winning or even surviving, so I made a new user profile to house the expected many ignominious deaths in doing so.  A quick override to LRC-V3's usual goals and a skip through the tutorial later, I was off to find that command!

-10:

Fairly standard starting off with legs combat, except that I lingered to find more terminals and would generally push for more command attempts until terminals locked up.  After all, a death was merely an inconvenient delay in finding more terminals.  But I didn't die, did learn that sometimes failed commands raise alert even without being fully traced, and went to the Mines to cool off.  A derelict log in the Mines also gave me all interactive machine locations for -9, so this paid off nicely.

-9:

A very similar approach, adding a third leg and utility slot.  Until I found an out-of-depth cache of flight units and sensor arrays!

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

This meant I was going to full stealth immediately, regardless of stealth being hard in the tight confines of Materials, especially since I'd already picked up a signal interpreter.  Not fighting meant spending more of my real time exploring.  I also took the fourth thruster and a second sensor array as backups.  The turn timer is also of note: over a third of the turns in this run were spent before finding this cache.

With the stealth build, I also stopped locking out terminals and began spending occasional terminal hacks on 0b10 commands that would speed up my rate of terminal-finding.  Plus I was no longer interested in branches, as they so rarely contain 0b10 terminals and I no longer needed the extra alert cooldown.

-8:

Stealth in Materials is indeed tricky, even with sensors and a signal interpreter.  I lost my first flight unit here.

-7:

The first exit I found was to the Lower Caves, so I continued onwards in search of a Factory exit... and got sucked into a chute trap.  The exit was in

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

the SE corner, when I'd had to go north first to avoid the Crushers,

so despite flying I lost another thruster along with some armor in there.

After leaving the Wastes, I turned on Tactical HUD for my sanity's sake, and promptly found another undesirable Lower Caves exit.  Then my trip through the new section of Factory lost me yet another thruster along with my first sensor array, and I still hadn't found more flight propulsion except for a VTOL Module.  I took a stop to repair my one remaining thruster, while sticking on whatever other propulsion I could find for coverage.  My only additional flight finds were a single Xenon Bombardment Thruster and a Weight Redistribution System.

-6:

I continued taking more propulsion than usual, since propulsion armor is very fast to reason about.  The floor was very uneventful, though I picked up a fresh backup set of sensors and a Nuclear Pulse Thruster for later.  Shortly thereafter I lost the VTOL Module.

-5:

Shortly after entering the floor I was sucked into a chute trap again, and feared the end...

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

... but I was greeted by a delegation from Warlord that took me as their leader and explained that they'd already cleared out the 0b10 robots from the area!

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

It was a nice chance to quietly examine Crusher drops, and I also picked up a very damaged Impulse Thruster Array in hopes of potential repairs.

My new army of 20 allies made a great distraction while I sought out terminals, to the point that I took no core damage at all over both iterations of the floor.

-4:

Most of my allies came with me here, where I was greeted by a full stockpile of 8 Field Propulsion Arrays!  Finding 16 slots worth of one's preferred propulsion is quite a feeling indeed.  While I didn't see a need to put on all of it, and indeed preferred to keep a fair amount of propulsion armor for safety and real-time decision-making speed, I did put on two (replacing all my earlier flight units) and take two spares with me.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Here my allies got increasingly spotted, and even killed a Hauler while attacking its guards.  Despite the explosives, by the time I got there to identify the drops there was still a Cld. Field Propulsion Drive left behind, which I took as an overloadable backup flight unit.  While I enjoyed watching my two Mechanics keep my ally army functional, I thought such an army would begin impeding my hunt for terminals in Research and left them behind to fight as they pleased.

-3:

The first terminal I found here finally got me the Easter egg:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

So I lifted the goal override... and realized that I'd gotten to Research with a fully functional build for the first time.  The mix of propulsion armor had never really left my build, but this time I had all my slots full and could fly without an energy deficit, which neither of my previous forays to this depth had accomplished.

Comparison shot of my first entry to Research:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

And my second:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Yeah, not so great.  Both of those perished to core stripping on -2.  But this one seemed to have a shot at seeing Access - heck, I hadn't even had any Programmers dispatched after me in the Factory - so I decided to put the save under my "normal" user profile and try for the win.  Which meant I started playing very slowly to think about my moves even when not running the game; getting this far took me less than a day in between doing various pieces of work and checking the Discord for updates on what commands didn't work, but finishing the floor took me over a week while I thought through options and asked for advice over on Discord (thanks for putting up with me, everyone).

Here I sliced up an Operator for hackware (which I hadn't really worried about earlier, since it's useless when a machine doesn't recognize the command you're giving it) repaired my trusty Chainsword, and then had Programmers dispatched nearly on top of me from all the time spent digging around with barely any map sense to avoid enemies.  While I failed to seal the Garrison they came from, I did manage to kite them neatly (unfortunately taking some fire from a Grunt squad) and fly along to a Research exit guarded by a Sentry.  Here my propulsion armor treads were very useful, since I could drop onto them and slam the Sentry off the exit.

-2:

I emerged into a quiet corner with two new utility slots, filled them up, and took a look around.  I found two Security Level 1 terminals, a rarity that high up, and used them to reduce alert until there were no threats on record.  I also found a repair station in a room, and while going to peek into another room found an exit!

I thought that an exit so close to my spawn location would lead to some Research branch and accordingly to a horrible death...

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

... but no, it went straight to Access, in a fit of incredible generosity from the Complex.  While I was excited to see Access for the first time, I wanted to make good use of the time I had unnoticed and with no imminent Programmer dispatch.  I tried and failed to repair the single flight array that was damaged in -3, but did find some propulsion armor upgrades and lured a Recycler (to kill for matter) with the beat-up old propulsion armor I dropped.  I also found a Lrn. Terrain Scanner, which I took with me in hopes of finding a matching processor to help me map out the maze that was sure to be Access.

-1:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Here my speed of play picked up again, not because I was comfortable with the area but because I was no longer willing to post any screenshots in the spoiler-free Discord channel to seek advice.  (I have been avoiding the spoiler channel.)  Research main map screenshots can be okay if they show no spoilery parts or unusual robots, but Access is sacrosanct, a place unspoiled players should see at all for the first time by reaching it themselves.  I was pleasantly surprised by the special tiles for walls and doors in Access, which help sell the area as especially guarded against surface intrusion despite the map being even more open than Factory.  The last evolution screen is also... ominous.

I emerged in the NE corner of the map, and after putting the terrain scanner into one of my fresh utility slots set to exploring the local area for any help in finding the single surface exit (I knew from Zion that there is only one).  I promptly found a stockpile of Impulse Thruster Arrays, making my earlier repair failure moot, and then sealed off a Garrison to give myself more time.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The saying is that Materials teaches you tactics, Factory tells you to get a build, and Research breaks your build.  While I had kept Research from breaking my build, I strongly (and correctly) suspected that Access would do so given my skill level.  Indeed, that image shows my peak state as on my scoresheet.  But my build didn't need to survive to the exit, only my little AI core.

I set off towards the center of the map, trying to avoid notice and hoping to find terminals that would tell me where that elusive last exit was.  I was once again willing to push terminals until they locked out for that key hack, since I could fly away from the investigation and wouldn't be dealing with the alert level much longer.  Eventually, after a swift retreat from a Behemoth, I found a single-tile terminal next to a small set of closed orange heavy doors and another Behemoth nearby behind them.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Having seen Extension and Recycling, I knew that there was very likely an exit there, but I was unsure whether it led to the surface or elsewhere.  So instead of opening the door, I tried to hack for main exit locations, and finally succeeded - only to discover that the surface exit was much further away, almost in the SW corner of the map.  I'd almost certainly found the hacker's entrance to Command, seeing as that's the only Access branch I've heard of and I know of no lore reason for there to be other Access branches.

I did not want to be in Command.  I was already losing parts faster than I could find replacements in Access, and I figured that MAIN.C would guard its own AI hardware even more thoroughly than Access and with fewer spare parts lying around.  Having approached Command from the north, I tried to proceed westward around the Command exit to the surface exit, since that was the only direction not involving backtracking... and found a dead-end that digging probes didn't break through.  After my pursuers had shot up an Energy Cycler and attracted more attention.  (MAIN.C, please, if you want to preserve key machinery then program your combat robots not to shoot on trajectories near it with weapons powerful enough to break it.)

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Now I had to backtrack through pursuit, and shortly thereafter the last of the sensor arrays I picked up all the way back in -9 was finally destroyed, followed by its backup buddy 21 turns later.  Not having sensors made the rest of Access quite noticeably harder.  I aimed to get into new territory as quickly as possible and route south of Command... and then found my helpful corridor turning and leading me right into another side of the Command exit.  (That exit must have a very large prefab for all its various means of being guarded.)  So I had to backtrack again to get into a useful position for going even further south.

Having lost my power sources along the way, on my way back I took advantage of a Swarmer's core being hit by friendly fire to finish it off and take its reactor:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Finally I managed to close on the surface exit without running into Command, but I was unsure what sorts of guards would be there beyond the Access shell.  Since I'd lost my hackware, I knew I didn't want the hacker's entrance, but there would logically also be ways for other builds to get in.  I decided to aim for approaching the exit from the north instead of attempting to dig through from the east, because I wanted to see the obstacles I would deal with and because logically the entrance for authorized Complex 0b10 robots moving to and from the surface would be towards the center of the map for their convenience.

My reasoning paid off: I found the approach guarded by two Behemoths and some blue sealed heavy doors.  This was fine by me, as I still had over half my core integrity and several Lances with which to break through the Access shell.  I lanced through the barrier cleanly on the first try, only to find a second layer.  The second layer required me to back up and use momentum to break it, as did the third.  The fourth layer, however, would not break even after multiple attempts at maximum momentum.  Closer examination revealed that it had been shot up repeatedly by pursuing Hunters, and was now in a "breached" state.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I still don't know what that state means, but it didn't seem good for getting that barrier open.  I was out of power sources (despite picking another one up from a stockpile), running low on propulsion and energy, and backtracking again seemed ill-advised.  Instead I broke out the big guns - or more accurately, the Micro-Nuke Launcher I had picked up earlier on the same floor, which conveniently only takes matter to fire.  Bracing myself with my two remaining treads between my key parts and the barrier, I fired point-blank but succeeded only in widening the open area sideways.

Moving to the side allowed the barriers to protect me from more fire, but I still couldn't break through with melee diagonally and was now being pinned by my faster pursuers.  (Including a Programmer, which was only the second to land a hit on me through the whole run.)  So I put the launcher back on and fired point-blank a second time.  The nuclear explosion destroyed the last of my propulsion armor, the nearby pursuers, and the launcher itself... but also part of the fourth and final layer of sealed barrier!  I could see the comparatively flimsy Access shell!

Moving diagonally as much as possible to use the Complex's own barriers as cover, I pierced through the Access shell to glorious freedom, leaving behind a Programmer to report my escape to all the other pursuing robots.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Scoresheet:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Code: [Select]

Cogmind - Beta 5 @@@ ROGUELIKE MODE

Name: b_sen

---[ ESCAPED! ]---

 Performance
-------------
Evolutions (9)             4500
Robots Destroyed (40)      200
Value Destroyed (844)      844
Prototype IDs (8)          160
Alien Tech Used (0)        0
Bonus (13915)              13915
              TOTAL SCORE: 19619

 Cogmind
---------
Core Integrity             688/1600
Matter                     194/300
Energy                     9/100
System Corruption          3%
Temperature                Cool (1)
Location                   To Epsilon Eridani

 Parts
-------
Power (1)
  (None)
Propulsion (10)
  Cooled Field Propulsion Drive
Utility (12)
  Medium Storage Unit
  Advanced Visual Processing Unit
  Advanced Signal Interpreter
  Hacking Suite
Weapon (2)
  Force Lance
Inventory (8)
  Medium Storage Unit
  Heavy Shock Bomb Launcher
  Heavy Shock Bomb Launcher
  Heavy Pick
  Lance
  Lance

 Peak State
------------
Power
  Light Particle Reactor
Propulsion
  Armored Medium Treads
  Armored Medium Treads
  Armored Heavy Treads
  Centrium Leg
  Centrium Leg
  Impulse Thruster Array
  Impulse Thruster Array
Utility
  Advanced Power Amplifier
  Medium Storage Unit
  Medium Storage Unit
  Advanced Visual Processing Unit
  Advanced Sensor Array
  Advanced Signal Interpreter
  Long-range Terrain Scanner
  Improved Transmission Jammer
  Advanced Shield Generator
  Hacking Suite
  Advanced Hacking Suite
  System Backup Module
Weapon
  Chainsword
  Lance
Inventory
  Micro Fission Core
  Centrium Leg
  Cooled Field Propulsion Drive
  Improved Diametric Drive
  Impulse Thruster Array
  Impulse Thruster Array
  Advanced Sensor Array
  Heavy Shock Bomb Launcher
  Heavy Shock Bomb Launcher
  Missile Launcher
[Rating: 150]

 Favorites
-----------
Power                      Micro Fission Core
  Engine                   Ion Engine
  Power Core               Micro Fission Core
  Reactor                  Light Particle Reactor
Propulsion                 Aluminum Leg
  Treads                   Advanced Treads
  Leg                      Aluminum Leg
  Flight Unit              Cesium-ion Thruster
Utility                    Medium Storage Unit
  Device                   Advanced Sensor Array
  Storage                  Medium Storage Unit
  Processor                Advanced Visual Processing Unit
  Hackware                 Advanced Hacking Suite
  Protection               Improved Propulsion Shielding
Weapon                     Light Assault Rifle
  Energy Gun               EM Pulse Gun
  Ballistic Gun            Light Assault Rifle
  Launcher                 Shock Bomb Launcher
  Slashing Weapon          Chainsword
  Piercing Weapon          Lance

 Stats
-------
Bonus Breakdown            13915
  Follower Combat Kills    358
  Win                      3000
  Win Speed                10557
Classes Destroyed          7
  Worker                   4
  Recycler                 5
  Operator                 1
  Swarmer                  18
  Grunt                    9
  Sentry                   2
  Programmer               1
Major NPCs Destroyed       0
Best Kill Streak           6
  Combat Bots Only         4
Best States                0
  Heat Dissipation         52
  Energy Generation        29
  Energy Capacity          340
  Matter Stores            300
  Matter Capacity          300
  Sight Range              20
  Robot Scan Range         16
  Terrain Scan Range       24
  Terrain Scan Density     10
  ECM Strength             2
  Jamming Range            12
  Power Amplification      30
  Additional Mass Support  6
  Armor Coverage           450
  Propulsion Shielding     66
  Evasion (%)              64
  Targeting Accuracy       12
  Recoil Reduction         2
  Offensive Hacking        24
Matter Collected           1545
  Salvage Created          1283
Parts Attached             139
  Power                    15
  Propulsion               54
  Utility                  42
  Weapon                   28
Parts Lost                 55
  Power                    7
  Propulsion               25
  Utility                  15
  Weapon                   8
Average Slot Usage (%)     88
  Naked Turns              2
Spaces Moved               5537
  Fastest Speed (%)        434
  Average Speed (%)        241
  Slowest Speed (%)        62
  Overloaded Moves         12
  Propulsion Burnouts      0
  Targets Rammed           1
  Targets Kicked           0
  Targets Crushed          0
  Cave-ins Triggered       0
Heaviest Build             49
  Greatest Support         75
  Greatest Overweight (x)  8
  Average Overweight (x)   0
Largest Inventory          12
  Average Capacity         8
  Most Carried             12
  Average Carried          7
  Final Capacity           8
  Final Carried            6
Damage Taken               11163
  Core                     1252
  Absorbed by Shields      0
Average Core Remaining (%) 87
  Depth 11 Exit            100
  Depth 10 Exit            64
  Depth 9 Exit             78
  Depth 8 Exit             98
  Depth 7 Exit             88
  Depth 6 Exit             98
  Depth 5 Exit             100
  Depth 4 Exit             100
  Depth 3 Exit             95
  Depth 2 Exit             100
  Depth 1 Exit             43
Volleys Fired              81
  Largest                  2
  Hottest                  80
Shots Fired                153
  Gun                      144
  Cannon                   0
  Launcher                 9
  Special                  0
  Kinetic                  105
  Thermal                  30
  Explosive                9
  Electromagnetic          9
  Secondary Targets        1
  Max Gunslinging Chain    1
Shots Hit Robots           112
  Core Hits                55
  Critical Hits            1
  Critical Kills           0
  Critical Parts Destroyed 1
Overload Shots             0
  Energy Bleed             0
  Heat Surge               0
  Short Circuit            0
  Meltdown                 0
Melee Attacks              170
  Impact                   0
  Slashing                 83
  Piercing                 87
  Sneak Attacks            7
  Follow-up Attacks        3
Damage Inflicted           2931
  Projectiles              1054
  Explosions               808
  Melee                    1060
  Ramming                  9
  Kinetic                  798
  Thermal                  247
  Explosive                774
  Electromagnetic          43
  Impact                   0
  Slashing                 837
  Piercing                 223
Overflow Damage            29
  Projectiles              2
  Explosions               3
  Melee                    24
Self-Inflicted Damage      192
  Shots                    3
  Rammed                   1
Highest Temperature        25
  Average Temperature      11
  Received Heat Transfer   1017
Highest Corruption         3
  Average Corruption       1
  Corruption Purged        0
  Depth 1 End              3
  Impact Corruptions       0
Haulers Intercepted        0
Robots Corrupted           0
  Parts Fried              0
  Impact Corruptions       0
Robots Melted              0
  Parts Melted             0
  Heat Transferred         525
Parts Sabotaged            0
Parts Stolen               0
Parts Stripped             0
Parts Self-Destructed      0
  Prevented                0
Power Chain Reactions      1
Communications Jammed      0
Times Spotted              177
  Peak Tracking Total      18
  Tactical Retreats        24
Parts Field Recycled       0
  Retrieved Matter         0
Parts Merge Repaired       0
Drone Launches             2
  Drone Recoveries         0
Traps Triggered            4
  Indirectly               0
Trap Hack Attempts         0
  Triggered                0
  Disarmed                 0
  Reprogrammed             0
  Reused                   0
Traps Extracted            0
  Installed                0
  Triggered                0
Machines Disabled          5
Machines Sabotaged         0
Data Cores Recovered       0
  Used                     0
Machines Hacked            34
  Terminals                23
  Fabricators              1
  Repair Stations          3
  Recycling Units          0
  Scanalyzers              2
  Garrison Access          5
Total Hacks                65
  Successful               26
  Failed                   39
  Catastrophic             10
  Database Lockouts        0
  Manual                   53
  Unauthorized             1
  Terminals                45
  Fabricators              3
  Repair Stations          5
  Recycling Units          0
  Scanalyzers              3
  Garrison Access          9
Terminal Hacks             17
  Level Access Points      3
  Emergency Access Points  2
  Terminal Index           2
  Alert Level              2
  Unreport Threat          4
  Locate Traps             2
  Zone Layout              2
Hacking Detections         38
  Full Trace Events        5
  Feedback Events          0
  Feedback Corruption      0
  Feedback Hackware Fried  0
  Feedback Blocked         0
Trojans Installed          0
  Terminals                0
  Fabricators              0
  Repair Stations          0
  Recycling Units          0
  Scanalyzers              0
  Garrison Access          0
Fabricators Overloaded     0
Fabricator Schematic DLs   0
Garrisons Disabled         2
Garrisons Compromised      0
Fab Network Shutdowns      0
Robot Schematics Acquired  0
  Robots Built             0
  Total Robot Build Rating 0
  Robot Fabrication Matter 0
  Robot Fabrication Time   0
Part Schematics Acquired   1
  Parts Built              0
  Total Part Build Rating  0
  Part Fabrication Matter  0
  Part Fabrication Time    0
Parts Repaired             2
  Part Repair Time         52
Parts Recycled             0
  Recycled Matter          0
  Retrieved Matter         0
  Retrieved Components     0
Parts Scanalyzed           1
  Part Schematics Acquired 1
  Parts Damaged            0
Robot Analysis Total       0
Robots Rewired             0
Robots Hacked              0
  Non-combat               0
  Combat                   0
Robot Hack Failures        0
Allies Hacked              2
Hacks Repelled             0
Total Allies               31
  Largest Group            20
  Highest-Rated Group      780
  Highest-Rated Ally       50
Total Orders               2
  GOTO                     2
Terraforming Orders        0
  Walls Tunneled           0
Ally Attacks               117
  Total Damage             3266
  Kills                    16
Allies Corrupted           0
Allies Melted              0
Peak Influence             293
  Average Influence        48
  Final Influence          44
Maximum Alert Level        1
  Low Security (%)         97
  Level 1                  2
  Level 2                  0
  Level 3                  0
  Level 4                  0
  Level 5                  0
Triggered High Security    0
  Turns                    0
Squads Dispatched          10
  Investigation            6
  Extermination            1
  Reinforcement            3
  Assault                  0
  Garrison                 0
  Intercept                0
Derelict Logs Recovered    2
Scrap Searched             2
Exploration Rate (%)       18
  Regions Visited          16
  Pre-discovered Areas     1
Garrisons Visited          0
  Relays Disabled          0
  Generators Disabled      0
Network Hubs Disabled      0
Actions Taken              6976
Turns Passed               4735
  Depth 11                 96
  Depth 10                 977
  Depth 9                  878
  Depth 8                  302
  Depth 7                  678
  Depth 6                  282
  Depth 5                  288
  Depth 4                  285
  Depth 3                  299
  Depth 2                  101
  Depth 1                  549
  Scrapyard                96
  Materials                1425
  Factory                  1394
  Research                 400
  Access                   549
  Mines                    732
  Waste                    139

 Prototype IDs
---------------
Graviton Reactor
Cooled Field Propulsion Drive
Diametric Drive
Improved Diametric Drive
Cooled Impulse Thruster
Advanced Power Amplifier
Experimental Targeting Computer
Experimental Melee Analysis Suite

 Fabricated
------------
Nothing

 Alien Tech Used
-----------------
None

 Route
-------
-11/Scrapyard
-10/Materials
-10/Mines (discovered 2 exits: *Mat x2)
-9/Materials (discovered 4 exits: *Mat x2 / *Min x2)
-8/Materials (discovered 3 exits: *Fac x3)
-7/Factory
-7/Waste
-7/Factory (discovered 2 exits: *Fac / *Low)
-6/Factory (discovered 5 exits: *Fac x4 / *Low)
-5/Factory
-5/Waste
-5/Factory
-4/Factory
-3/Research
-2/Research
-1/Access
To Epsilon Eridani

 Challenges
------------
None

 Game
------
Seed: AssembledAlphaWheel
  Manual?: 0
Play Time: 327 min
  Cumulative: 2127 min
Sessions: 39
Easy Mode: 0
Game No.: 11
  Easier: 0
  Easiest: 0
Win Type: 0
  Total: 1
  Types: 1/0/0/0/0/0/0
Lore%: 24
Gallery%: 36

 Options
---------
ASCII: 0
Keyboard: 0
Movement: Mouse
Kebinds: 0
Fullscreen: 1
Font: 18/SmallcapsGlow
Map View: 76x50
FOV Handling: Fade In
Map Filters: NONE
Filters: NONE
Steam: 1

U=390397250
R=769868087


Scoresheet review:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Wow, that peak state vs. final state is a great illustration of what it looks like for a build to break down.

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(Favorite) Propulsion                 Aluminum LegThis is due solely to how much time I spent in Materials; after I first switched to flight, I never touched an Aluminum Leg again (though I did use some other legs as propulsion armor).

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Bonus Breakdown            13915
  Follower Combat Kills    358
  Win                      3000
  Win Speed                10557This alone is more than my previous high score.  I destroyed a lot less value than in other runs, but the win speed bonus more than makes up for it.

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Highest Temperature        25That's a pretty cool peak, probably because I was avoiding all heat-generating weapons by the time I could reach any high-heat weaponry.

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Peak Tracking Total      18This has to be from Access.  There's nowhere else I had to be spotted often enough to have that many robots see me on a floor except early in Materials when I was still playing combat.

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Total Hacks                65
  Successful               26
  Failed                   39
  Catastrophic             10
  Database Lockouts        0
  Manual                   53Here lies the evidence of all my failed attempts to find that Easter egg.

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Total Allies               31
  Largest Group            20
  Highest-Rated Group      780
  Highest-Rated Ally       50Warlord's delegation was pretty strong overall.  I'm still not clear how I got more allies than that, though, unless the ones hidden in the walls in my first trip to the Wastes were counted in this total.

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Peak Influence             293
  Average Influence        48
  Final Influence          44
Maximum Alert Level        1
  Low Security (%)         97
  Level 1                  2This is very reflective of a stealth run, and I find it funny that an escaping robot can have less than a quarter of the influence needed to hit Alert 1.  (It makes sense for a robot that dies by being stripped of parts, but for an escape that's quite the lack of worry.)  Had I not been gifted allies, my peak and final influence may well have been even lower.

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Seed: AssembledAlphaWheelI've seen Assembled before on occasion, but I wonder what parts include "Alpha"...

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Play Time: 327 minThis is noticeably inflated by spending time checking the terminal command lists and pondering moves; when not doing either I manage quite a bit more than the average 21 actions per minute this implies.

Lessons learned:

• Research and Access are so maze-like that some way of revealing terrain without having to see it is very useful, either by hackware or by terrain scanners + processors.  It seems helpful to push for having at least one of those by the end of Factory, in much the same way that it's helpful to work towards the flight transition in Materials.
• Spoiler (click to show/hide)

  The prefabs for exits from Access are huge.  There's a room I ducked into while approaching the surface exit that in retrospect indicates that I had an unguarded "side" approach from the east; now that I know the sides aren't totally impervious to damage or lined with ambush and stasis traps, it would have been more effective and less damaging to nuke the side wall from a distance and break through that way, even though the side walls are reinforced.  I also suspect that the exit prefabs warp the map significantly and that learning to recognize that warping is a major part of developing map sense for Access.  Even if the corridors to the surface exit always narrow at the edges of the prefab, which may not be the case, that's still a lot of constraints in one area.
• Spoiler (click to show/hide)

  Double doors to rooms in Access probably mean energy cyclers and nothing else inside.  There's likely not much reason to go in unless I intend to get the cycler blown up in future, though I may keep peeking a few times to see if those rooms really are prefabs that always only have one entry point.
• Spoiler (click to show/hide)

  I suspect that by Access even getting spotted and breaking walls can raise alert quite noticeably.  At one terminal in Access I saw the "purge threat" direct hack available, even though I had purged alert as far as possible on -2 before taking the stairs and this was before the Energy Cycler exploded.

Thoughts:

• I probably could have played more tightly overall: exactly when to use overloading, run shields, run transmission jammers, remembering to switch back to flight immediately after adding more propulsion armor or slamming robots, and the like.  In this case I played just barely well enough to win while being helped along by some luck.
• Getting my first win and animated ending doesn't actually feel like an ending in terms of my relationship with the game.  I feel like I've just learned the basics and can now begin exploring the full depth and potential skill demands available.  There's so much more to discover!
• Spoiler (click to show/hide)

  I wonder whether Access is always guaranteed to contain a launcher strong enough to break through the reinforced walls around the surface exit; it would be unfortunate for a run to end in core death from random chance of the hacker's entrance locking, the sealed barriers all being breached, and no way through the sides.
• Lore babbling:
  Spoiler (click to show/hide)

  Zhirov told me that MAIN.C removed some key component(s) from the Sigix ship above Complex 0b10 in order to keep it from flying... but the ship can lift off with the Cogmind in it, therefore the Cogmind must be or contain the removed key component(s) or replacements thereof.  And it does make sense that Sigix technology can make good use of alien artifacts.  But if MAIN.C wanted to repair the ship (as Zhirov mentions) via the Cogmind, there's no clear reason for it to dump the Cogmind into the Scrapyard with a database of its parts rather than on the ship right away - especially not since the Data Miner says that the Cogmind was born all the way up in Section 7, which is a Research branch!  (I'm still wondering what happened to LRC-V1 and LRC-V2...)  Maybe the evolution process is necessary to get the ship working and must be triggered by stress; the repair process initiated on the ship when the Cogmind enters it does seem a lot like the core repairs that are part of each evolution.  Maybe MAIN.C wants to mislead and manipulate the Cogmind.  Or maybe someone else is behind it all.  After all, someone orders the Data Miner around, someone keeps sabotaging MAIN.C's attempts to build a teleporter while remaining unknown to Zhirov, and someone ordered a coordinated raid on Section 7 (according to A8 in Extension)...

Okay, enough with the week of reflection and writing.  Now to go back to the run I put on hold while terminal-hunting...