Update #48 brings a major rule change to the game about how, when and where you can extract from a level. The new individual extraction rules add new flexibility and excitement to your extraction choices, at times let your squad "scatter" for their exit and more. We cover the full rule set below. This update also includes a new proc-gen map and objective combo (Sewers + Kill 3), as well as secondary objectives for all proc-gen missions, better rules for Legwork's XP bonuses, an update to the time and cost of healing Wounds, a series of tutorial improvements and fixes for the bugs in Shock Mines and Nano Stimkits. It's a huge update, packed to the brim so let's look at each item!
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Extraction Rule Update
We're very excited to roll out the new individual extraction rules for all levels. While previously, the game required your entire team to gather in a single location to exit the level, now each merc is allowed to extract when they reach the extraction point -
Once your character reaches an extraction area, you can click Extract in their button bar. All players will get a one-time warning about this rule change in the game to help reduce confusion about the new rules.
Each extraction is individual extraction - this means when your merc reaches the exit point, a button in the to bar next to Yield enables. This button is the Extraction button.
- It is a one-way exit from the level. When the merc clicks the button, they immediately disappear.
- once extracted you don't have to skip that merc's turn anymore, no one can shoot you, and you can't be spotted by enemies. You're completely gone from the level.
- Once you leave, you cannot come back. If another merc who hasn't extracted is in trouble, you've already left and can't come back to help.
- However, you don't have to click it. You can hang around the extraction point if you wish until the team is closer or it is the right moment to leave.
- If all living mercs are extracted, you win.
- If at any time, all living mercs who have not yet extracted are in the extraction point, you win.
Individual extraction supports multiple exits not all levels will support multiple extraction points but some do, For example, the Aug-Clinic Rooftop has a single extraction point (the elevator) but Forward Op allow your mercs to go to "scatter" in separate extraction points to each find their best exit from the heist.
This is a big win for speed of play and injects new excitement into multi-exit levels where you can now consider splitting your team or sending off one merc on their own to risk an objective and hope they can make it all the way to the exit point.
New Proc-Gen Objective + Map
With Update #48, we've added a new combination of objective type and map. The power of proc-gen continues to be in the crossing of these two entities, and this release adds the ability for the sewers map to send you hunting 3 gang leaders to gain your payday.
While this is a small add in scope for the number of proc-gen mutations, we're in progress testing the next objective type (playing bodyguard on the go) and a new map as well which, combined, will be a very nice sized expansion to the scope of proc-gen today.
New Proc-Gen Secondary Objectives
All proc-gen missions have now gained secondary objectives that offer additional XP and money rewards for completing missions under certain thresholds. These extra incentives may give you are reason to push a little faster or quieter.
Currently, the supported set of secondaries focuses on completing missions under certain Sec Level or under a certain Turn limit but more types will be coming.
Tutorial Improvements
We've continued to listen close to feedback and adjust the tutorial. With this update, we've refined a lot of the text of the prompts, seeking to make them short and clear. We've also moved the lootbox so that it is more easily accessible and less time is spent just running around.
Security Tally Clarity
There have been a number of F10s about unexplained Security Tally appearing. We've found that these are almost exclusively from dead body timers running up. To help, as a first step, we've added a log entry to the combat log when a timer expires and listed exactly how much Sec Tally is added. The further step here will be to get the Tally to show up in yellow in the Sec Tally bar on the Turn it will happen so you can be pre-warned about upcoming Escalations correctly.
We also fixed a few places where secondary objectives were listing their Security Level maximums ("less than Sec Level 2") in Sec Tally ("less that 36 Sec Tally") which is just confusing.
Shock Mine and Nano-Stimkit Fixes
Both of these items were bugged and now both are fixed! A bug crept in during January that caused Shock Mines to be far more powerful than intended and honestly very OP. If thrown as a grenade, they would shock all enemy targets instead of just one. We've fixed the bug and updated the description to be more clear it is a single target. We will try to catch up with the VFX to show a single arc of electricity striking a single target.
Nano-Stimkits were bugged as they only refused to stim up any character who had HP damage even though they don't do any healing themselves. Now fixed!
XP for Legwork
We've adjusted the calculating used to provide Experience for attempting, failing and passing Legwork. Before this was randomly generated off a static range of XP, now we are granting a range of XP equal to a % of your next level's XP. The range goes from 2% to 6% of the XP needed to gain the next level. This is a great boost for Legwork which now grant a meaningful amount of XP - in the best case, success - regardless of your level.
Wound Healing
The price and timeline for healing wounds has now increased from the bottom-barrel values it started at. For a while, there was no wound healing, so when we added it to the game, we gave a 2 month grace period to get that pile of wounds healed up cheap. If you haven't then now you'll be paying the price.
v1.3.9 - 2/7/2024
- All extraction converted to individual extraction rules - extract by button in team bar (top left)
- Added pop-up for all players (one time) and into end of tutorial explaining new extraction rules
- Proc-gen raid and Kill 3 missions all gain randomized secondary objectives (Sec Level, Turns for extra XP or profit)
- Internal rules changes to secondary Sec Level objectives may result in some missions with "less than 36 Sec Level" objectives
- Moved lootbox in tutorial to be easier to directly access
- Further improved tutorial dialog and prompts
- Combat log now includes entry for when a dead body's body timer expires and +2 Sec Tally is added
- Increased time and cost of healing wounds to more reasonable values
- Increased XP rewards for Legwork up to 4-6% of next level requirement for successful Legwork, 2-3% for failed
- Improved and increased naming variety for proc-gen missions and stages
- Removed nonsense 2% Default Crit Chance from accuracy breakdown
- Fixed additional cases where enemy could waste 1 turn "Security in my ear"
- Fixed bug with Soldier's Recoup Talent that could activate even on misses
- Fixed issue where Soldier's Roll With It Talent upgrade 5 was causing -10% Optimal Range (wut?)
- Fixed issue where Nano-Stikmit refused to activate unless the merc was wounded (but it doesn't heal!)
- Fixed bug / updated description of Shock Mine to highlight that it never hits more than 1 target
- Fixed some enemies spawning inside crates in Sewers proc-gen levels
- Fixed issue in Cube Run where trying to abort the mission still went forward into stage 2