The eight playable demo of ZEPHON will be available until June 27th (@ 12 pm CEST) on Steam.
The biggest change in this demo is the addition of tier 6 research, voiced leader reactions and diplomacy improvements. See the full changes below.
Come join us in celebration and let us know what you think of ZEPHON.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1481170/ZEPHON/
This is an early look at an in-development alpha version of the game. As such, there will be bugs, imbalances and missing assets.
The demo includes single player and multiplayer, but is limited to up to four players on a medium-sized map. 5 different leaders are available for selection and 3 NPC factions are present. Research progress is limited to the first 6 tech tiers.
The full version will contain larger maps, advanced game setup options, 8 leaders, over 50 units spread across 10 tiers of research, more terrain features and quests, an end-game grand finale, unlockable game modifiers, achievements, multiple languages as well as full workshop support.
Changes in Demo 8
## New
* Added tier 6 technologies (NOTE: Voice tier 6 units will hopefully be playable later in the event).
* Added voiced leader reactions to enhance immersion.
* Added Chayot Exterminator voice over.
* Added first story interlude.
* A lot of diplomacy actions now show the major impact on the decision.
* AI players will now condemn you for participating in the destruction of a city of theirs that isn't the last one.
* When unsuccessfully convincing an AI leader of terminating a peace treaty, trade agreement or alliance with a third party, they might report the attempt to the third party, which will then condemn the interference attempt.
* Research completed screen now has a button for select research.
* Show trait rank next to the small trait icons.
* Previous behaviour and extortionate nature will now be listed as major decision impact when appropriate.
* Added story interlude ambient audio.
* Hovering the mouse over a damaging trait icon like Bleed or Sandstorm now shows damage result for the selected unit.
## General
* Weapon icons of low power weapons, and heavy weapons on units that have moved, are now colored red.
* Non-native factions can now be asked for third party actions on native factions.
* How likely an AI is to offer gifts is now affected by their difficulty setting.
* Halved the standing change for praising and condemning traits.
* An AI's generosity characteristic no longer has an impact on them demanding tribute.
* AI now prefers other targets over those under the effect of Dream Prison.
* Renamed the Missile Team's Missile Launcher to Missile Bot.
* Unit response sounds now get less quiet with the camera's distance to the unit.
* Improved turn times.
* Traits are now only colored as Buffs and Debuffs if they are temporary.
* Made land generation more varied and natural.
* AI admit defeat dialogue is now sent to everyone, not just to enemies.
* When successfully convincing a player of terminating a peace treaty, trade agreement or alliance with a third party, your standing with that third party will now decrease.
* Removed that when the AI rejected a map exchange, trade agreement or alliance, it would result in a guaranteed rejection when asked again in the near future.
* Player abilities can now be used in quick succession.
* Abilities that spawn units now also say the description of the unit.
* Improved AI evaluation on when to gift.
* The Informant quest no longer considers a human player for the betrayal.
* Traits and weapons that come from upgrades are now colored blue.
* Concordat sell and buy button backgrounds are now more visible.
* Updated Anchorite voice over.
* Updated icons: Fallen Orolos, Kriteria Annihilator, Bio-Acid Spray, Poisoned.
* Adjusted colors to be more distinct.
## Balance
* Siege Cannon is now Heavy.
* Splash and Large Splash now hit additional group members with half accuracy.
* Increased Fragmentation Grenade damage from 1 to 1.5.
* Decreased Anti-Armor Grenade damage from 3 to 2.
* Increased Anti-Armor Grenade armor penetration from 2 to 3.
* Increased Bio-Acid Spray damage from 1.5 to 2.
* Increased Busters accuracy from 5 to 6.
* Shoch'itris Lair now costs 30 food and 15 algae.
* A newly constructed Bunker can no longer shoot in the same turn.
* Reduced Hymn of Decay attacks from 12 to 6.
* Hymn of Decay can no longer be cast on tiles that already have Hymn of Decay.
* Reduced Assassinate hitpoint damage from +2...+6 to +1...+3.
* Reduced Erelim Assassin armor from 6 to 4.
* Increased Commander armor from 4 to 6.
* Increased Whisperer of Goldrauch accuracy from 6 to 8.
* Increased Horrors of Space damage from 1.5 to 2.
* Increased Horrors of Space armor penetration from 2 to 3.
* Reduced Disintegrate damage from 16 to 12.
* Reduced Disintegrate armor penetration from 8 to 7.
* Anchorite is no longer more likely to gift.
* Chieftess is now a bit less aggressive as well as a bit more trustworthy and generous, to make befriending her more reasonable.
* Reavers and Busters bought from the Chieftess as support can now use Nomadic Life and Hijack.
* Added Ignores Cover to Hymn of Decay.
* Increased Bio-Acid Spray armor penetration from 2 to 3.
* Toxic Spearhead now causes Poisoned (-2 hitpoints next turn) to biological units instead of increasing attacks against biological units.
* Units On Fire now lose 2 hitpoints per turn instead of taking On Fire weapon damage.
* Changed Shoch'itris Lair cost for Dark Vassael from 30 food and 15 algae to 20 algae.
* Reduced Baneful Omen attacks from 2 to 1.
* Reduced Cr'la's Gambit attacks from 2 to 1.
* Rebalanced advanced resource values and their production buildings.
* Increased Tachyon Ray damage from 2 to 4.
* Increased Tachyon Ray armor penetration from 3 to 5.
* Decreased Tachyon Ray attacks from 2 to 1.
* Weakening now also affects large enemies (but not titans).
* Increased Dark Vassael armor from 0 to 2.
* Increased Surthodai's Embrace armor from 2 to 4.
* Increased Fallen Orolos armor from 2 to 4.
* Increased Blighted hitpoint loss from 2 to 4 per turn.
* Decreased Blighted duration from Fallen Orolos from 3 to 1.
* Decreased Pestilence cooldown from 3 to 1.
* Increased Orolos Cannon armor penetration from 6 to 7.
* Increased Surthodai's Hand armor penetration from 5 to 6.
* Decreased Tune duration from 3 to 1.
* Reduced Aranean Cloak cover damage reduction from 33% to 17%.
* Abyssal Rage no longer increases damage taken.
* Dark Caress now only works on biological units, but also restores 1 hitpoint each turn, including to the Surthodai's Embrace and units in its cargo.
* Cry of Contrition now only works on biological units, but sacrifices 2...6 hitpoints instead of 3...9.
* Increased max morale of headquarters from 8 to 10.
* Removed extra damage taken from Frenzy.
* Halved Choral Celerity influence cost.
* Accuracy is now capped at 12 (100%).
* Increased attacks of Bleed and Fire from 3 to 4.
## Bug Fixes
* Fixed Valhalla sometimes not increasing when a unit dies if there are multiple Valkyrias being used.
* Fixed Valkyria's Gugnir damage going crazy with Valhalla active.
* Fixed units with NPC advancement giving too much experience.
* Fixed traits affecting unit costs not working.
* Fixed missing Well-Fed trait icon.
* Fixed explosions not showing on high animation speeds.
* Fixed explosion sounds sometimes not playing.
* Fixed Hashamllim Host being a transport.
* Fixed loading tips sometimes being cut off.
* Fixed an issue when playing streamed sounds like ambient and music.
* Fixed Dance of the Erelim being usable without adjacent enemies.
* Fixed Tactical Visor not working when adjacent to more than 1 Ishim Enforcer.
* Fixed Frenzy not working when adjacent to more than 2 enemies.
* Fixed AI leaders not researching new infantry units and infantry upgrades (How did no one notice?).
* Fixed dust showing when weapons on fortifications rotate.
* Fixed a bug that resulted in AI heroes not using many of their abilities.
* Fixed research filters not being stored for clients in multiplayer.
* Fixed Experimental Drugs (Berserk) end not changing to the correct player.
* Fixed diplomacy and quests screens flickering out-and-in in multiplayer due to ping delay.
* Fixed a second incoming call from the same player showing in multiplayer even if the second incoming call has already been closed.
* Fixed crash in multiplayer when you re-call a player you were just in a call with and before they close their call.
* Fixed blocking a caller in multiplayer also making sure to block condemns already pending.
* Fixed a rare map generation crash.
* Fixed capturing a unit not collecting the cache on the tile.
* Fixed "Leashed" text appearing when capturing an unleashed unit.
* Fixed Chieftess never founding new cities.
* Fixed Assassinate above level 1 not applying Crippling properly.
* Fixed some building trait upgrades not showing in the hint.
* Fixed Evasive Maneuvers not having a duration of 1.
* Fixed quest screen sometimes getting stuck.
* Fixed wrong production turn duration in hints of not queued actions.
* Fixed NPC advancements not increasing production cost.
* Fixed thrown grenades not being visible and not rotating with flight curve.
* Fixed units forgetting their rally target when moving out after being produced.
* Fixed Shoch'itris Lair, Bunker and Tessera Core not playing appear sounds.
* Fixed hitpoints sometimes being incorrect when a unit is taken over.
* Fixed Bleed Cultivation allowing construction of defensive structures on Bleed even outside of cities.
* ZEPHON blacksite quest now uses ZEPHON's instead of Fallen Soldier's HQ unit model.
* Fixed Smoke Screen from Vanquisher lasting forever.
* Fixed an issue with units sometimes starting a wrong path when coming out of production.
* Fixed issues with planting Bleed with Construction Yard.
## Modding
* Deep and shallow water color are now specified in Environment.xml. Note: The environment parameters can be reloaded while the game is running by pressing Ctrl+R.