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CLOCKWORK EMPIRES BETA 55: ONWARD! FOR QUEEN AND EMPIRE

Beta 55 of Clockwork Empires, "ONWARD! FOR QUEEN AND EMPIRE", is now available on Steam.

Major player-facing additions this month:

  • implemented an Office Supply system to replace the upkeep system
  • added biome unlocking
  • redid guns & ammo (pew pew)
  • added madness and enraged states
  • and made enormous improvements to UI all over the place

Begin the full Beta 55 changelog!

UI

  • text input boxes now have a caret
  • keybinding widget now works in Configuration screen
  • added Serpent Bell icon
  • UI for all offices has been given a polish
  • UI for all offices now has various alerts for reasons why work cannot be performed due to lack of overseer/modules/supplies
  • mine UI now displays more information
  • added visual cue to indicate that a module must be affixed to a wall
  • all recipes should now grey out correctly depending on your materials
  • all modules in the game now have sort IDs and will display in the Modules Menu in a much more logical order
  • added/improved tooltips on a large number of constructions and buildings
  • renamed some office UI to try and make it a bit more clear
  • added more info to character panel tooltips
  • fixed order strings so they now also work on the filter buttons on the module placer UI
  • added randomized start backgrounds
  • added command tooltip details
  • did polish changes to where tooltips show up
  • made improvement to tutorial controls image
  • did major update to all tutorial text
  • redid a number of building tutorial images
  • wrote all Colonial Handbook help files
  • removed a mysterious sound that played when nothing happened
  • workshop button now turns red when commodities are unavailable for a production that is set for a job
  • area designation stamps now highlight what objects can be selected
  • “Designate Building” dialog now attaches to blueprint for confirmation once it is drawn out
  • lack of booze for Public House will generate alerts
  • Fishperson-related alerts should have sounds more consistently now
  • added product listing to mine tooltip
  • failure states for workshop jobs now show properly
  • added parent container code for office UI buttons
  • Quality of Life is now a first class element in the character info panel
  • Combat tooltips pared down significantly
  • building quality display improved
  • can now add widgets to the front of a container’s stack
  • scrollbar track clicks are now more useful (sorry track clickers, i never do it, didn’t realize what a sorry state that was in)
  • improved nametag code, incorporated alert icons into nametags
  • made interactive objects like rocks and trees have tooltips that are anchored and show up instantly rather than being on the cursor and having a delay. Some new players weren’t seeing them at all, so this should improve their visibility.
  • all instances of “work crew” have been changed to “overseer” to make difference between LC/MC chars clearer
  • you will now be alerted if you build a building with no door
  • FIXED: static buttons for work crews
  • FIXED: finally fixed our scrollable vert boxes so they don’t do weird things with scrolling too far and their padding isn’t horrible. Finally. After i think 2 years of this bug.
  • FIXED: edge cases for the building confirmation window
  • FIXED: offset so that modules menu isn’t below the screen
  • FIXED: progress bars with “0” percent in them still showed some percent
  • FIXED: lock up in character screen when character had maxed out skill tree or zero skill
  • FIXED: bug where unassigning an overseer wouldn’t immediately update the window.
  • FIXED: Tutorial FYI text boxes can now expand properly.
  • FIXED: tooltips being basically everywhere.
  • FIXED: image buttons not pushing their size appropriately
  • FIXED: gameSimRequireGameObject not working correctly for requirements; various other graying behaviours not working correctly
  • FIXED: a bunch of bad button typecasting
  • FIXED: a number of bugs in production menu grey-outs
  • FIXED: loading bay door claiming to add -1 quality in tooltip
  • FIXED: scrollbars not sizing correctly on OS X
  • FIXED: a number of buildings that displayed the wrong cost in the buildings menu have been fixed
  • FIXED: long-standing issue with wrapped text
  • FIXED: janky scrollbar movement while the game is unpaused
  • FIXED: wacky QoL tooltip offset
  • FIXED: workplace limit display not being reset properly on save/load
  • FIXED: crash in stamp area designation mode when an interactive object in the area is deleted (such as, say, setting fire to a mushroom)
  • FIXED: discrepancy of carpentry icon in command button vs. module category

    Economy/Offices/Workshops

    • upkeep removed as-such; it’s being replaced with Office Supplies!
    • Naturalist’s Office now uses ammo for hunting, paper for surveying (scouting is free)
    • Foreign Office now requires paper to do bureaucracy
    • Foreign Office workers will prioritize use of modules that increase their work speed ie. Bureaucrat’s Desk
    • Barbershop now requires Medical Supplies to do healing; if Sulphur Tonic is available, it will be used to make healing more effective and more pleasant
    • Chapel now requires Iron Cogs as votive material to perform religious services
    • Academy now requires paper to do training; if ink is supplied, it will double speed of training
    • Mine now requires trusses to operate
    • Laboratory now requires Science Materials to perform research
    • added a number of new commodities and workshop recipes to support the new office overhaul
    • added sugarloaf to traders
    • added additional safety aborts to consume supply calls in fsms
    • made artifacts tradeable
    • added small vs. large stockpiles
    • added a new mining tech
    • clarified bric-a-brac display names
    • “Workbench” is now “Assembly Workbench” and is used only to make modules, except in the kitchen
    • added new module: Decor Workbench. Makes all relevant decor items for that workshop
    • removed module recipes from ceramics/carpentry workbench
    • removed decor recipes from all modules that aren’t Decor Workbench
    • Mine now caps depth if you don’t have modules required to dig deeper
    • removed basic brew, added back individual brewing recipes
    • added Workplace system
    • sulphur made more easily mined
    • naturalist now requires musket locker to hunt
    • “Explore” command now works (from Naturalist ui)
    • Naturalist’s Office can now do targeted “Survey” and “Hunt” commands
    • product of fishpeople butchering humans no longer (always) auto-claimed by player
    • balance: Chemical Works has been moved earlier in the game progression (for ammo)
    • balance: changed cost tiers of a vew buildings to streamline the early game
    • balance: lowered quality bonus from rugs since they don’t block walkspace and are therefore superior to normal decor
    • FIXED: incorrect Ceramics Workshop tech modifier display
    • FIXED: you may now place the Lower Class Rug
    • FIXED: foreign office error
    • FIXED: trade bool on dormant spore
    • FIXED: Boxed Macroscope constuction
    • FIXED: increased range of Naturalist survey for minerals job so they wouldn’t get stuck in the middle of the map doing nothing
    • FIXED: scientists will now only use equipment inside their own laboratory
    • FIXED: added check so traders won’t leave and never come back, forever
    • FIXED: Pub did not stock booze until ordered to
    • FIXED: sometimes modules would suddenly stop working until demolished and rebuilt
    • FIXED: Larch farms would grow orange cubes
    • FIXED: various cost/quality display on various modules
    • FIXED: Bureaucrat’s desks properly count as desks in the foreign office UI

    Characters

    • removed skill effects on tree chopping/foraging
    • added better feedback to early safety Quality of Life rating
    • made reactions to horrors more expressive
    • foreign civilians will properly flee from horrors
    • added “Cry over Body” job
    • made Occult Inspectors slightly more expressive
    • hunger emote now more expressive
    • balance: QoL effects adjusted to have more effect but not be completely extreme
    • balance: Immigration now takes longer between waves the later you are in the game (max immigrants increases as well, however)
    • balance: Chapel effects now emphasize lowering despair
    • balance: Pub effects now emphasize lowering anger
    • FIXED: attempt_emote.fsm
    • FIXED: scripterror in building name change
    • FIXED: some food was tagged as both overseer and labourer-preferred
    • FIXED: added check for scripterror when bandit group self-deletes

    Jobs/Assignment

    • construction assignments will now always be prioritized over other work assignments
    • rewrote all flatten terrain code. flatten terrain jobs are now not listed in a giant bulky mess at the start of the assignment, but are assigned first-come-first-serve. this fixes lurching performance issues when a user has a lot of flatten terrain jobs selected, as well as… works…
    • moved flatten terrain to assignment beacon, so it can be cancelled etc.
    • Flatten terrain target height now displays in tooltip
    • added a safety check for if you removed a worker from the academy while they were working
    • removing forageables can be done via left-click, per object
    • FIXED: assignment beacon drop zones now only show those beacons visible for the current selection mode
    • FIXED: assignment beacons now correctly encompass all objects inside (Although it is a little conservative)

    Biomes

    • added new ore distribution – varies based on climatic zone
    • added locking and unlocking of embark locations by biome type
    • removed the Alone loadout
    • added details for unlocking biomes
    • balance: added more high ground in temperate swamp biome
    • balance: added more guaranteed starting surface clay/stone

    Military/Combat

    • Barracks now displays weapon stats & otherwise has a useful UI
    • Barracks now used to supply ammunition to soldiers; different weapons use different types of ammo. If ammo runs out, soldiers will default to using pistol
    • weapon power/damage/range rebalanced
    • military may now do “cull troublesome animal”
    • Steam Knights made more reactive to threats
    • gave better icons to most military techs
    • updated/improved costs of all gun lockers (can now build “Improvised Muskets” in Carpentry Workshop, can build “Ceramic Tripistols” in Ceramics Workshop)
    • “Rally” command now works (from Barracks ui)
    • balance: fishpeople made weaker
    • balance: bandits given worse weapons
    • FIXED: obeliskian_melee error
    • FIXED: military culling of bad animals
    • FIXED: civilians will now only consider melee/ranged attacks if they are not within some distance (X) of a military character

    Events

    • balance: increased starting food amounts
    • a huge number of events now trigger sounds on firing
    • made significant improvements to Meteor Shower event arc
    • fix to Event Arc-related science jobs
    • fix to Event Arc-related selenian AI
    • added airdropcrate pos test
    • minor cosmetic improvement to Artist event arc
    • added more cult stuff
    • improved more cult stuff
    • added additional safety checks to Rogue Stahlmarkian start
    • supplies requested via the foreign office will now take a bit of time to arrive
    • balance: changed arc point build + some arc mindays + costs
    • FIXED: added safety check for scripterror in fishperson cult arc
    • FIXED: added safety check for scripterror in rogue stahlmarkian
    • FIXED: Mysterious Ore drop position
    • FIXED: issue in tutorial that prevented it from progressing
    • FIXED: player didn’t get ownership of bar of gold gift
    • FIXED: incorrect action text on bandit spawn FYI alert
    • FIXED: incorrect Novorusian text
    • FIXED: bug where minimum number of immigrants could be 0
    • FIXED: crashed airship event weirdness
    • FIXED: dead cultists will no longer offer assassination services

    Engine/Renderer

    • crash DMP reporter now correctly reports crashes when triggering MSVC internal error or SIGABRT
    • rewrote assignment beacon rendering code to fix floating outline ugliness
    • added terrain decal scene graph to render assignment beacons and other “zone-like constructions” after terrain but before objects
    • FIXED: crash deleting a stockpile
    • FIXED: crash deleting a house
    • FIXED: crash deleting a workshop
    • FIXED: in the event that the game didn’t crash while deleting a thing, it would appear with a graphical artifact glitch
    • FIXED: on rare maps, all characters and everything in the world will suddenly start sliding into the lower left corner of the screen
    • FIXED: disappearing modules
    • FIXED: crash deleting farm and building new farm
    • FIXED: misc other crashes
    • FIXED: crash deleting modules (again)

    As always, the full development report is available on http://www.clockworkempires.com - feel free to give us feedback on our forums at http://www.gaslampgames.com/ or here on Steam.

    No Time for Love, Dr. Jones,

    -- Gaslamp Games