What's being worked on for the next update?
The quests update will take some time before it's fully released. This update will add a lot of new features and content. It will be released in several parts over the next 4 to 6 months. Expect to see the first part released in the next 7 weeks or so. This dev diary series will be published weekly to keep you up-to-date on what's being developed.
Player Tendency
Normally, a player can do a run on a mainframe when they have secured a contract from the operator. This allows the player to access the 'frame with little effort and defend it from incoming viral attacks. It takes time to gain a contract during which the virus can spread.
Reputation is used to secure contracts. If no rep is available then no new contracts can be secured.
Players can engage in off-contract runs where data is sifted to provide access to a 'frame. This effectively uses Data instead of Rep to acquire access. Using data doesn't require a contract and the time it takes for contract setup. If the run is successful, the player gains reputation and double the data back. If they lose, they lose the data. If awarded, additional data can be used to purchase new avatars, upgrades, and weapon programs.
Off-contract runs affect the tendency of the player character. Tendency is a scale that goes from white to gray to black. Each time the player engages in an off-contract run their tendency will progress from white to black. Conversely, each time an on-contract run is successful the tendency will progress back towards white.
Some mainframe operators will not allow the player to gain a contract if they have the wrong tendency. NPCs may treat the player character differently depending on the current tendency. A military or police NPC may not like the fact that the character does "less-than-legal" runs (gray or black tendency) but gang members or hack&/ groups might be impressed.
Tendency will play a role when deciding the player character's path to stem the tide of the virus in the cybernet.
Next Week
Next week's dev diary we'll discover new environment obstacles to challenge the player along with the addition of hack&/ mini-games.
Any questions, comments, or suggestions? Please feel free to discuss here, on the Steam discussion forums, or our official Discord server.