New mechanic, new items!
Last time we got a bit of a kinetic buff with the introduction of knockback, but this is a decidedly more significant boost for KI combat builds. Kinecellerators are especially effective when combined with multikinetic volleys, although they could also be useful combined with certain cannons.
As with other weapon modification utilities, while active their effects are reflected in the info mode summary.
And of course there are better ones, too ;)
Hack the UI
But most of the week was spent on the robot hacking system, which is coming along nicely. As a further improvement on the earlier hacking interface samples I've been sharing, the header for any Relay Coupler hacks now highlights the remaining value to make that clearer.
I had noticed the potential issue while creating the original mockup, but didn't see any immediate fixes so decided to leave it like that for the time being. And of course as soon as I started sharing gifs there was already a comment about that value not being clear enough, so... yeah, I put some more time into finding a decent solution :)
Automatic removal of newly-depleted Relay Couplers also comes with its own animation in the parts list.
Hack the Bots
As for the hacks themselves, I was finally able to start implementing them this week, and have finished about one-third of the total. Here are a few samples of what's to come in Beta 7...
"generate_anomaly" attracts all nearby hostiles, in case you need some company (or have other nefarious purposes)
Like other enemy alert situations, in the easier difficulty modes this also highlights the position of any notified bots.
"generate_echo" is basically an instant one-off long range sensor.
Map walls? map_walls!
Overall, I'd say robot hacking allows for some fun stuff :P
If you've missed some previous SITREPs, or are looking for a one-stop overview of the new hacking system, check out the latest blog post.
As a reminder to anyone playing Beta 6, the next weeks will be your last chance to play with the current robot hacking system before it's completely replaced by the new one. So consider doing a run where you build up a massive amount of hackware, reboot everything that's a threat, and eventually in the late-game start assimilating many of the more powerful bots to serve you :D (the new system will still include assimilation, but you won't be able to amass an army of extremely powerful bots like you can now)
Aside: Don't worry about robot hacking achievements, though--I imagine we'll eventually be getting more of those related to the new system, and the old ones will either carry over or be replaced with more relevant options. There are only a few anyway.
There may be other relevant discussion of this SITREP on the GSG forums.