Shield generators receive a major rework this update, overhauling them into a full defensive option now called barriers. Barriers block damage like before but can now be sustained for longer periods of time while building heat. Their cooldown has also been massively reduced to make them a reliable part of your builds.
Barriers should be capable of supplanting your dash as your main defensive tool at the cost of a module slot. While barriers are now as powerful as mobility, they have their own set of weakness that will shift your target priority. Melee attacks can be deflected but a single hit will put the shield on a longer than normal cooldown. Enemies utilizing sustained fire will also demand longer shield activation, incurring greater heat build up than a single dash would.
Remember that barriers are unlocked and added to the loot pool by completing Millennium Horizon (Campaign 2). If you decide to give them a try, let me know how they feel. Ideally, they are just as capable as a mobile set of legs while being a easier to use.
Additionally, a number of new difficulty settings have been added. Now that every existing function of difficulty can be controlled, settings that affect the game as a whole are the focus. The new Loss Effect setting allows you to replace permadeath with a reload from the start of the last rest. Ammo Usage allows you to crank down the resources management aspects of the game and reduce or completely eliminate the need for ammo in your campaign.
2.8.0
Major Features
Reworked the shield generators and renamed them to barriers. Barriers now have a far shorter cooldown and apply heat while active. Barriers are active for a longer period of time and holding the control group can keep them active longer.
Added a new difficulty setting, Loss Effect. This setting allows you to choose if losing the campaign allows loading from the last save or if the campaign must be restarted.
Added a new difficulty setting, Ammo Usage. This setting allows you to increase or decrease the amount of ammunition used by firing weapons. At 0%, ammo is never expended and not required to fire.
Added a new difficulty setting under Friendly Fire. Friendly fire can now be enabled for all attacks instead of just AoEs.
Added a target dummy to all rest areas that can take unlimited damage and be locked on to.
Minor Features
Added a tier 1 and tier 4 BB Bubble barrier.
Added a new barrier variant to all tiers. The BH Halo series barriers lack top coverage but can remain active for a longer period of time.
Added a new tier 4 barrier variant, the DB04 Sanctuary. The DB04 Sanctuary barrier has a longer cooldown and higher heat cost but projects a massive barrier than can protect multiple Granvir.
Added a tier 1 barrier to the starting parts for all pilots in Millennium Front (Campaign 3) if Millennium Horizon is complete.
Improved barrier visuals.
Added a flaring effect when barriers take damage.
Added sound effects for barrier a
Added a pitch changing sound effect to barriers that indicates how much longer the barrier can be active.
Added an indicator in the inventory that a hand is supporting another weapon.
Added a loot tier to the listed loot level when inspecting a region.
Added a crosshair notification when toggling auto-targeting weapons on and off.
The height of a Granvir's hitbox now varies based on the legs and torso used. Granvirs with long upright legs have gotten taller and Granvirs with short quadruped legs or tracks have gotten shorter.
Added a module ports stat to torsos.
Balance
Added a small cooling rate bonus to some of the less mobile leg options and the tracks.
Fixes
Fixed being able to apply part enhancements to parts that already have a higher tier enhancement in the same category.
Fixed being able to reduce a part's mass below zero with lightweight modifications. Lightweight modifications that would reduce a part's mass below zero can no longer be applied.
Fixed projectiles fired by a remote user's handheld weapons and armatures visually phasing through targets if the projectile hit a target very shortly after being fired.
Fixed being unable to reload weapons in testing grounds without loaded ammo.
Fixed the final boss reinforcement phase appearing on Hard instead of Extreme in Millennium Horizon (Campaign 2).
Fixed hull and armor not recalculating when modifying a damaged part.
Fixed the BD02b Angel Torsos having no special module port.