Hello, Chroma Engineers!
The effort to make this game better continues.
Only thanks to all your reports and feedback!
Patch Notes - Version 1.9.4
GLOBAL
Fixed Bug: Fixed a white screen on startup when offline or behind a firewall.
Added: A copyable error screen now appears on a crash instead of a blank screen.
Changed: The Bug Hunter achievement now unlocks by opening the report window, so you no longer need to submit a ticket to earn it.
NULL / VOID HUNT
Added: A Stats button on the Void Hunt start and pause screens shows your loadout, trap stats, and lifetime totals. Hover any upgrade to see what it does.
Added: Depth-run achievements for reaching Void Hunt level 25, 50, and 100, each with its own icon.
Added: Pulse ability in Void Hunt. It starts locked - unlock it with the Pulse Capacitor (permanent) or Pulse Bank (run) upgrade. Once unlocked, release the trap to fire a shockwave that clears nearby chaos and vents exposure. It charges over time and faster as you capture dots, shown as a ring around the trap.
Added: Pulse upgrades - Pulse Bank (run) and Pulse Capacitor (permanent) unlock and bank multiple Pulses, and Pulse Range (permanent) widens the blast.
Changed: The trap-size upgrade is reworked. It no longer grows the trap (which raised chaos exposure and made it a bad pick). It is now Field Tuning: +10% attraction field and -6% capture time per level.
Added: Chaos evolves at depth. From level 20 chaos merge into bigger, slower, deadlier Greater Chaos; from level 30 stationary Chaos Orbs grow in place as zones to avoid; from level 40 Hunter chaos relentlessly chase your trap. Use the Pulse to manage them.
Added: Chaos Nullifier - a recharging charge (Chaos Nullifier run upgrade, Nullifier Core permanent upgrade) that auto-destroys the next chaos to touch your trap.
Added: Rare green Split Dot, unlocked by the Verdant Signal permanent upgrade. Capturing it instantly doubles every white dot on screen.
Changed: Golden dots now circle the screen instead of vanishing off the edge, so they are catchable again (still one at a time).
Added: When starting Void Hunt at a higher checkpoint you can now choose a starting-upgrade option: None (free), Random (some Null Essence), or Choose your own (more Null Essence). Cost scales with how many levels you skip.
Fixed Bug: Releasing the Quantum Trap no longer drains Chaos Exposure for free.
Changed: The Chaos Exposure bar now stays on the trap (and gently pulses) while exposure remains, even after the trap is released, so frozen exposure is easy to notice.
Fixed Bug: Max NE now shows the correct value, including Stage 9 Act 3 storage.
Fixed Bug: Void Hunt no longer loses unlocked stages when reopening the game.
STAGE 1
Fixed Bug: Auto-Purchase now buys White Convergence as soon as it is affordable.
Changed: Locked compression levels now show a hint and tooltip explaining they unlock via Star Chart upgrades.
Balance: Compression now gives much more total Light at higher levels (up to 7x at 25x compression), so it is finally worth using. Previously most levels gave no benefit.
STAGE 4
Added: You can now pan the realm map with WASD or the arrow keys, not just click and drag.
Fixed Bug: Enemy structures can no longer spawn on your Nexus Command Center and cause an instant loss.
STAGE 5
Fixed Bug: The Home World background image now loads correctly.
STAGE 8
Fixed Bug: The Origin Essence label in the Collision Chamber is now readable on every theme.
Thank you again for all the feedback, bug reports, and patience while I continue improving Project Chromata.
Don't forget to join the Discord to share your progress, report issues, and help shape the next updates!