Greetings Captain!
Due to an unscheduled delay, our previous diary time was skipped. However, development continued in the background, and we're happy to return to our diaries with something to show! Today, we'll have a short and sweet introduction to our support powers system!
First of all, say hello to the F4F Wildcat, the second fighter and third aircraft to enter the USN roster! Compared to the Corsair, the older Wildcat is a more commonly available aircraft that is nevertheless quite effective in both air combat and in supporting you with various armaments.
Those of you with sharp eyes might notice that it is carrying bombs in the picture. Naval aircraft of the war, particularly those used by the USN, were generally fighter-bombers, capable of carrying rockets and bombs to be used against surface targets when they were not required to achieve air superiority. Therefore it stands to reason that they will also be capable of doing that in Boat Crew.
Speaking of armaments, here's the first visual on our card-based support powers system. Support powers are randomly generated as purchasable cards, using the resources made available to you throughout the Campaign based on your progression. These cards can be exhausted; and have a limited amount of charge that can be used. The inherent randomness of type and payload, among other parameters, is meant to simulate the ever changing conditions and uncertain availability of support on the frontline.
Each card is freely placeable on any one of the slots, which is effectively a power and cost multiplier for a support ability. This multiplier also affects how much charge is drained from the card per use of the ability, so the total utility of a card to you will always be the same regardless of which slots you prefer to use it on.
We still have our heat-based system, and you will still need to generate heat by fighting off enemies, preferably getting combos in the process. The power level of a support power, which is seen on the top right of each card is always a number from 0 to 100. This power level is determined by the supporting craft, its payload and the crews' veterancy.
When you use a power, you will always have to pay the full heat cost for that slot, but any remainder power you get will be refunded after the conclusion of the ability, as denoted by the gray bar you see. For example, suppose you had an ability with a power rating of 80 and used it in slot 3, consuming 3 bars of heat. After the ability is concluded, you would be refunded (100-80)/100 x 3 = 0.6 bars of heat. This ensures that you never have to worry about whether a power would be worth it in a given slot.
There will be non-aircraft related support powers as well, and the artillery barrage/PT support from the existing system will be revised to fit within this new system.
That's all for now, Captain!
T.T.