PATCH NOTES - 1.4.79 - 19-JUL-2016
Greetings MechWarriors,
The Viper has arrived, and is now en-route to the MechBays of eligible MechWarriors. While relatively under-armed and under-armored for its weight, this fast and maneuverable 40-ton Clan Medium boasts a low profile and impressive jump capabilities. Like its namesake, the Viper excels at quick strikes and constant maneuvering. In the right hands, the Viper can be a powerful force on the battlefields of the Inner Sphere.
With the introduction of the Camo Spec Decal system in this patch, a new era of player customization begins. This initial release includes 93 Decals in total with which to deck out your 'Mechs with some unique flair. We are very excited to see how you all choose to make your 'Mechs stand out on the battlefields of the Inner Sphere! It must be said, of course, that Decal placement is subject to adherence to the Code of Conduct....
The release of the new Supply Cache system in this patch will provide a new opportunity for winning and receiving bonus content from your winning matches. At the end of each Quick Play and Faction Play (Invasion Game Mode) match, one player from the winning Team will be randomly awarded a Supply Cache. Purchasing a Supply Cache Key from the in-game Store will allow you to unlock a Supply Cache you've received for the chance at awesome loot! Supply Caches themselves can also simply be sold in-game for 50,000 C-Bills each if you do not wish to unlock them. Check out the Supply Caches section of these Patch Notes for all the details.
Informed by the feedback received in our recent Feedback and Thoughts thread, Viridian Bog has received a traversal, gameplay, and beautification pass in this patch. The primary focus here was to improve traversal throughout the map and improve the balance of central terrain features between the two Team spawns. We also took this opportunity to implement some improvements to Viridian’s aesthetics. Check out the Viridian Bog Update section of these Patch Notes for all the details.
The base variants introduced as part of the 2015 Loyalty Program are now available for purchase in the Gift Store! While these variants do not include the C-Bill Boost and unique Loyalty Pattern of their Loyalty counterparts, we know everyone is still looking forward to jetting around in the CDA-3F. These variants will be made available for in-game purchase starting in August.
The system for saving changes to your 'Mechs has undergone a significant technical overhaul for this patch. Save times will be drastically reduced for players with large Inventories of 'Mechs and Equipment. This overhaul also tackles some long-standing Invalid 'Mech issues that could be caused by saving errors under the original system. Check out the Save System Improvements section of these Patch Notes for a detailed rundown!
The Jenner, King Crab, and UrbanMech are receiving Pattern retrofits in this patch, with Faction Pattern support for the Jenner and standard Pattern support for the King Crab and UrbanMech. More Pattern retrofits for remaining 'Mechs will continue to arrive in future patches!
Rounding out the patch we have some quality of life improvements to the in-match chat system, the introduction of a toggle for the display of Faction Play Call To Arms notices, the addition of a Call To Arms section to the Faction Play Planet Finder, a Quirk pass for fifteen 'Mechs, a slight improvement to 'Mech texture brightness under certain lighting conditions, and an array of quality of live improvements for maps, 'Mechs, MechLab, and more.
Read on for all the details, and we'll see you on the battlefield!
- The MechWarrior Team