v.0.84.0
Patch Summary
This is a large update that introduces a card leveling mechanic, a new Scrap mechanic, a new Challenges mode, improved AI, card deck themes, and new cards and special events.
ATTENTION: This patch is incompatible with the previous version's save files. If you wish to continue a game from the previous version, please use the version selector in Betas and choose the previous version!
Overview
Hello, gamers! Apologies for the update radio silence. There were a few smaller updates in the pipeline that were supposed to come out sooner, but they got a bit tangled up together and I decided to release them all as part of one larger update. Because of this, we're jumping 3 whole subversion numbers up! Let's take a look at the changes!
Card Leveling and Scrap
This update introduces a card leveling mechanic in both the single player run and in multiplayer / AI versus modes. Almost every card in the game can now be upgraded up to 2 times, and each card defines its own logic for how the upgrades impact it. Some increase their damage output or increase HP, some reduce cost or timer delays and some have a whole different special depending on their level.
In the singleplayer Vortex Run, cards can be upgraded at stations by visiting the new Junkyard section and using a new resource called Scrap. You get a little bit of scrap when defeating enemy ships, but you can also scrap cards at stations and use the scrap you get to upgrade other cards. A number of special event map nodes related to these new mechanics have been added.
In multiplayer / AI skirmish modes, you can freely upgrade each card when making your deck, but it doubles the card's cost with every level.
Challenges mode
A new singleplayer mode called "Challenges" has also been added in this update. It is a curated list of fun and challenging battles to test your mettle. If you win a challenge, the cards in your deck will become available to use in skirmish / singleplayer deck drafting.
For now, there are 5 challenges to try, but more will be added with each subsequent update!
Deck Themes
While there have always been different themes and units types in the game, I wanted players to have total freedom in how they build their decks and allow them to experiment with mixing the different base types to create novel and interesting synergies. It became clear, however, that many players were feeling lost in the options and were unsure of what they should focus on.
With that in mind, this update introduces explicit deck themes to guide players. Each card is now explicitly marked as belonging to a specific deck style (Fungaloid, Plasmoid, etc.), which is reflected in the card's frame art as well as being used in the automatic deck generation logic. Some cards, which don't fall into any particular theme, remain generic.
In the singleplayer Vortex Run, station shops will now mostly have cards of the starting deck theme. They will still contain the occasional generic card and you can of course get all manner of themed and generic cards as rewards from defeated opponent decks.
Ships available to buy at stations are now also themed to the starting deck only.
The logic for which 3 of your opponent's cards you get to pick from has also been reworked to take your theme and deck configuration into account.
A number of new Crystalloid and Fungaloid cards have been added.
Crystalloid Rework
The crystalloid mechanics got another major rework in this update. The original design of the Crystalloid Growth wanted to evoke a feeling of a crystal growing from one ship to the other, but the automatic growth mechanics never felt quite right and players felt like they didn't have enough control over the direction the growth happened.
With this in mind, crystalloids have been reworked to no longer grow automatically. Instead, now, any crystalloid units and mounts can only be placed adjacent to another crystalloid unit or mount with most crystalloid units now marked as "Infiltrator". This keeps the general flow of a single crystal mass growing from one ship to the other while giving the player full control of where the units are placed and extending the growth mechanic to a wider array of crystalloid units. It also makes crystalloid vs. crystalloid fights a lot more intersesting as placing any units give your opponent new options to place theirs. A number of new cards that give the player Crystalloid Growth cards have also been added.
Improved AI
Further optimizations of map state copying and improved action heuristic calculation have made the opponent AI faster and smarter yet! It can now think further ahead and make more interesting decisions and should avoid damaging its own units just for the hell of it. One side effect of the latest changes is that if the situation is hopeless for the AI, it will sometimes just give up and make no moves at all. I am considering adding a way for the AI to surrender in situations where it sees no winning moves and just skips its turn.
Other Changes
Ships are now repaired automatically and for free at stations. It was always very cheap to contrast the more expensive repairs you can do after battles and encouraging players to take risks not repairing between stations and players almost always repaired at stations, so it made sense to make it automatic and reduce the cost to 0.
Stations no longer have all sections available at all times. The amount of choice at stations was already overwhelming for many players and with the addition of the Junkyard section, it became even more so. The first station the player encounters now only has a Cargo Bay so players can take on a delivery contract without being overwhelmed by options they cant partake in.
Detailed Change List
Gameplay
Added a new singleplayer "Challenges" mode.
Added a card leveling mechanic.
Added a Scrap resource in the Vortex Run.
Added Junkyard to stations where you can scrap and upgrade cards.
Stations now have different configurations of sections. and the first station you encounter now only has a Cargo Bay.
Added ability to upgrade cards in multiplayer / skirmish modes.
Ships are now repaired automatically at stations in the singleplayer run.
Ships for sale at stations in the singleplayer run are now themed to the starting deck only.
Improved AI speed and efficacy.
Reworked logic for choosing the 3 card reward choices after battle.
Scrap reward for healing mechanic has been removed.
Cards, Ships, Events and Balancing
Cards added: Crystal Dart, Crystal Needler, Crystal Splinter, Crystal Vat, Brittle Column, Scatter Prism, Force Prism, Fracture, Shatter Impulse, Piezo Crystal, Fungal Pathogen, Mold Infestation, Infected Ration, Waste Vent, Toxin Cloud, Toxin Spray, Acid Puddle, Acid Weep, Cordyceps, Mycelium Filament, Mycelium Printer, Mount Infestation, Infested Mount,
Modified every existing card except for Expansion Chips to have card leveling properties and balanced many cards in the process.
Added some new special events.
Thorn Shot now poison damage.
Breach/Recall now Interphase, pick non-teleporter tiles.
Posession 2 → 3, Crystal Pillar cost +1, Voidling 1/1 + Boosted
Portal 4 HP, Fed Grunt random tiles 7, Turret 5, Vulkan Cannon 6
Fuel Bot HP 4 → 3
Crystal Stalagmite special every other turn.
Crystal Core now gives a Crystal Growth card every 2 turns.
Graphics and Audio
Units standing on a teleporter tile will now be clearly marked with arrows to indicate that they will teleport next turn.
Cards have special effects based on their theme.
Different shields now have unique visuals while blocking.
Bug Fixes
Fixed crashes resulting from some entity add/remove.
Fixed action application order to fix some death effects to not be triggered.
Fixed decks duplicating cards when loading a skirmish save.