v.0.79.0
Patch Summary
This patch adds the ability for players to re-draw cards in their starting hand, adds a number of new cards, removes the concept of maximum HP for entities, tweaks the difficulty curve as well as adds some visual updates and bug fixes.
Overview
Mulligan
This patch adds the ability for players (and of course the AI) to re-draw cards in their starting hand at the beginning of the battle. There has been some player frustration with the starting hand as it can be a very important factor in the way that the early battles play out, much more so than in StS-style card games where the hand is re-shuffled every turn.
This change should give players more control in the strategy at the start of the battle and allow them a chance to get more ship defenses up if they wish to do so. The selected cards are shuffled in the back of the deck and are replaced with new cards from the top of the deck. If the player deck is 4 cards or less, this stage doesn't happen.
Maximum HP Removal
Up until this patch, units and mounts had a maximum HP, which was defined by their card, so all HP gain actions were limited by this maximum HP. Some cards and actions changed the maximum HP and also healed by that amount, making for long and somewhat confusing wording. This patch simplifies all HP increase interactions by removing the concept of maximum HP and letting any HP gain to happen infinitely, regardless of the original HP specified on the card.
HP display on the map will now be colored green if it's above the original HP or red if it's below it. This same visual language is also added to damage and power number displays on the map.
Further difficulty curve changes
The difficulty curve got some more tweaks and some new low level ships were added to increase ship variety at the beginning of the single player run.
Detailed Change List
Gameplay
Added a mulligan stage at the start of each battle, allowing players to re-draw cards in their starting hand.
Removed the concept of max HP for entities. HP can now increase infinitely.
Tweaked difficulty curves, added more variety to low level ships.
Cards, Ships and Balancing
Added cards: Gunner, Cybermage, Portable Catapult, Thermal Scan, Voidling, Medevac, Barrage, Shield Dust Collector.
Added ships: Minicube, Cargo Pod, Orca, Trawler
Crystal Growth now spawns a new Cyrstal Growth instead of cloning itself.
Breach now costs 2 power.
Recall now costs 1 power.
Auto Turret is now 2/1.
Bioweapon now 1 move range.
Incinerate now does 2 damage instead of 3.
Medbot now heals all adjacent friendly units.
Medpack now fully heals unit up to its original HP.
Heaven Beam now has a 2 turn charge.
Remote Control no longer fragile.
Plasmoid Worshiper now 1 move range.
Graphics and Visuals
Added a new ship skin for low level ships.
Mounts with 0 power requirement now do not show their power requirement on the map.
Entity HP, damage and power displays on the map now colored green or red depending on whether they are above or below the original value.
Rollover card preview now shows the original damage, power and HP values.
Bug Fixes
Fixed enemy decks in singleplayer run being generated with 0 cards in certain cases.
Fixed AI getting stuck in an infinite loop while thinking in some cases.
Fixed path to the final exit node on the overworld bypassing the final boss fight in some cases.
Fixed enemy AI shooting taken over shipmounts inside their own ship.
Fixed rare crash on battle victory.
Fixed Mining Laser description not showing updated damage.