Chaos Chain
Salutations, dwellers...
Here is the next GIANT update for the game, as promised. There are a TON of changes in this update, so it is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to start a new game if you have an old save. They will likely still work just fine, but there will be inconsistencies and may be problems.
Let's discuss some of the highlights.
First, you can now go directly to the Steam update news for the game from the main menu. You can also see the new greenish coloring of the selection box here.
Next, the resistances page has been better organized by side, and you can also see that electronic damage is now called interference. This is because the FIRST VERSION OF THE COMBAT HACKING SYSTEM IS NOW IN GAME.
A preview of the first two combat hacks. Bypass and Exploit.
The techie now begins the game with a hackpad (pretty much a cyberdeck) as seen here.
Next, the PDA now tells you what soundtrack is currently playing and has a shuffle option in the overview submenu. Lots of new soundtracks have been added.
Another major change to show off is two handed weapons and heavy weapons now have a "Heavy" trait which makes them require two hands. Making it so you cannot use a gadget at the same time. This does mean that for melee weapons with Heavy, they get some benefits as described in the change log below.
Beyond that, there are an absolute TON OF OTHER CHANGES, ADDITIONS, AND IMPROVEMENTS.
Check out the change log below!
Please note that these changes are not in any particular order.
Update 1.2.8 Change Log:
Bug Fixes:
- Fixed a bug where companions could still be removed from the party if they were dead/broken but healed/recovered
- Fixed Bull still being present outside The Eclipse after completing "Head in the Clouds P2" (Saves that are at this point won't automatically make him leave, but it isn't a huge deal - You don't really have to see him leave, it's just inferred he's doing investigating on his end too - This wasn't really a bug but more of something I wanted to add)
- Fixed world modifiers array displaying some of them in the middle of the screen and some at the bottom
- Fixed Anti Toxins spawning so frequently in loot containers (Moved them to the random drug/medicine list)
- Fixed dialogue with Tara where you offer to help her showing Tanya's face graphic momentarily
- Fixed Flak conversation not having a loop to the top after you buy equipment from him, which resulted in floating labels getting stuck off and forcing you to re-enable it
- Fixed an unintentional setting in the "Shady Dealings" side quest where the quest related area (No spoilers) was still able to be entered after the quest was completed (Old saves will still be able to go in there one last time before it automatically closes, but it's not a big deal - This was just an oversight)
- Fixed battlebackgrounds not having any battle motion (They are supposed to shift ever so subtly)
- Fixed tilesets with metal fences (Chain link) not being evenly aligned properly with their vertical bars
- Fixed enemies not using their full array of combat skills if their dedicated attack skill had too high of a priority (This was a bug that I did not realize existed until now, but was introduced in the update where I made regular attacks much more frequent... too frequent - I ran 30 rounds of combat and watched 5 enemies just repeatedly do their standard attack on my guy as I kept dev healing - that's 150 attack actions and no other actions chosen - After the fix, they immediately started using other skills instead)
- Added a failsafe to protect against a rare crash when picking world modifiers in an old save in specific circumstances
- Fixed Grady boss having some extra stat benefits that he wasn't meant to have (Extra evasion and initiative)
- Trip and Lights Out abilities no longer adds your weapon stats to the attack
- Heads up balloons are now closer to the character they originate from and better centered
- Fixed a bug with the randomized protestor dialogue playing a line twice in one case
- Fixed a bug with the confused status effect not lasting the correct amount of turns
- Added a failsafe to prevent incorrect damage calculations in certain circumstances
Changes & Additions:
- Added some new Steam Achievements
- Finished "Relief Recovery" side quest (This quest has several different outcomes and several different ways to complete it)
- Added an "Update News" option to the main title menu (Opens the Chaos Chain update feed on Steam)
- Added a set bool to off command to the beginning of the cyware/biware check functions (For determining what kind - if any - of augments the player character has implanted - this will help the game more efficiently keep track of player character status and avoid any unwanted situations relating to the system)
- Enemies are MUCH more likely to retreat now at either critical health or critical mettle (Morale)
- Reduced animation size of the enemy retreat skill
- Electronic damage renamed to Interference damage
- Updated item/equipment descriptions for the change above this one
- All characters by default (With no Cyberware) are 100% immune to the Glitched Status Effect (I had to do some reworking of the existing system, so old characters likely won't auto-update to this new setting)
- All characters by default (With no Cyberware) are 100% immune to the Interference Damage (From hacking/cyber attacks - I had to do some reworking of the existing system, so old characters likely won't auto-update to this new setting)
- Tasers, Stun Guns, and Shock Batons now do base (Default) damage instead of interference (This was an oversight when I implemented the cyberware system for how the damage was going to be calculated) but their damage formula has been reduced to account for this change
- Added the very first version of the Hack Pad system (Basically cyberdecks to avoid any confusion - They require a processor implanted to be usable)
- Added Ice Breaker Hack Pad (Gives Bypass and Exploit cyber attacks - First one is used to status effect the enemy and cripple them, second one is to crush them - THERE ARE NOT MANY ENEMIES TO USE THESE ON YET - THIS IS ONLY THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS GETTING THE SYSTEM IMPLEMENTED)
- Glitched status effect now increases damage taken through interference damage by 20%
- Added Bypass cyber skill and animation (3-9 Interference Damage, +70% Glitched, +10 Initiative On Use)
- Added Exploit cyber skill and animation (7-13 Interference Damage, +5 Initiative On Use, +5% Glitched)
- Techie character background now starts with the Ice Breaker Hack Pad instead of the infovisor
- Processors now allow use of hack pads, hack pads now allow use of cyber skills
- Updated Glitched status effect animation
- Enemies will now use their full array of combat skills (As long as necessary conditions are met such as low health for bandaging, etc)
- Added some new randomized main character names to the list (We're over 270 now)
- Increased player-message interaction sound cues by 5%
- All Plot related items are now marked with a "*" before their name so they are immediately recognizable
- Version info will now only display on the main (title screen) menu and the in game menu interface
- Choice selection color is now a faint green instead of the pink/red and the outline box has been updated to be more clear
- Slightly increased all window background opacities
- Updated difficulty selection tooltip to explain world modifiers
- Default character name is no longer blank so you're forced to either enter a name or randomize it (The default names are the old Victor/Victoria, but you can still enter your own or randomly generate one - This is just so it doesn't start off completely blank in the box)
- Adjusted EXP rewards on some side quests
- Updated the journal description for "Head in the Clouds P3"
- Added a new hint for the "Relief Recovery" side quest
- Added Condemned Apartments: Basement area
- Added Condemned Apartments: Storage area
- Added new battle background graphic"Grungeinterior2"
- Slightly reduced delay between randomized sound effects playing
- Added helicopter flyby sound effect to the randomized sound effects lists
- Added 5 more glass breaking sound effects to the randomized sound effects lists
- Added 2 more wood breaking sound effects to the randomized sound effects lists
- Added randomized earthquakes to the randomized sound effects list (It's a slight screen shake and sound - very rare, just for extra atmosphere)
- Added randomized blackouts to the randomized sound effects list (The screen will fade to very dark and play a sound for a moment, then recover the screen and play another sound - very rare, just for extra atmosphere)
- Damage values are now rounded to the NEAREST integer instead of the integer in which they are a part of (3.6 will turn into 4 instead of 3, 2.2 will turn into 2)
- Added proper immunity checking to certain damage type handling to account for the extra random damage roll added onto all damage (If immune to a damage type, no extra damage will be added and the attack will fail - Example: Cyber attacks against a sewer rat probly won't do much..........)
- EMP Grenades now deal interference damage as they should have originally but I was waiting for me to get some of the hacking system work done
- Added some new character graphics
- Added several new enemy graphics (Sprites and battlers)
- Added thug slicer enemy
- Added thug shooter enemy
- Added thug vandal enemy
- Added thug punk enemy
- Added some new enemy groups
- Added new bandit/thug boss (No spoilers - He is heavily cybered though and a perfect target for the new hackpad system)
- Enemy pain/hurt sounds are now set to 80% volume instead of 100% because many of them are pretty loud
- The resistances panel in the character record now lists all element resistances on one side and state resistances on the other to be more uniform (They were mixed previously)
- Both cyber-based resistances (Glitched Resistance and Interference Resistance) are now listed at the bottom of the resistances panel to be easier to find and side-by-side to be more obvious that they go together
- Further tweaks to the interface color/contrast settings to make it easier to read
- Added some new special NPCs to interact with and talk to
- Added multiple new generic NPCs to several areas
- Added NPC blockers to a few areas to prevent them from getting in the way
- Shields now count as armor but still equip just as before (Everything will still work the same way, this is just to help with easier classification)
- Targeting Assisted Bracers now equip to the support slot and count as gear instead of a gadget
- All Long Guns now prevent use of a gadget at the same time (Two handed)
- Some Small Guns now prevent use of a gadget at the same time (Two handed - Examples are shotguns and sub-machine guns)
- All Ordinance Weapons (Grenade launchers, rocket launchers, machine guns, etc) now prevent use of a gadget at the same time (Two handed)
- Categorized Melee Weapons based on how they may be used (Some of them will now prevent using a gadget at the same time due to being Two Handed - Examples: Sledge Hammer, Fire Axe)
- Added "2H" to all descriptions of weapons that require two hands
- All heavy (Two handed) melee and exotic weapons now give a new status effect on their target to make them more impactful given that they cannot be used with gadgets (Shaken - this lasts for 1 turn and gives: -2% to hit, -2% critical chance, -3% mettle, -3 initaitive)
- Added "Heavy" to all melee and exotic weapons that require two hands and give the "Shaken" status
- Updated enemies using heavy melee weapons with the above status application
- Added some rust spots to trash cans to give them more detail
- Updated some of the graphics for trash and clutter with more detail
- Added a few more loot containers spread around some areas
- Added some more clutter to a few areas
- Slightly reduced overall chance of loot spawning in containers
- Slightly increased chance of ammo spawning in containers
- Added "Stranger" title for everyone
- Added "Chromed" title for anyone who gets cyberware installed (For old saves, you'll have to wait until you get more cyberware)
- Added "Altered" title for anyone who gets bioware installed (For old saves, you'll have to wait until you get more bioware)
- Added enemy abilities to use drugs in combat to give them an edge (Usage is rare)
- Added enemy "Grace" drug skill
- Added enemy "Twitch" drug skill
- Added enemy "Voodoo" drug skill
- Added enemy "Zeal" drug skill
- Added drugs (Grace, Twitch, Voodoo, Zeal) to enemy drop lists
- Enemy gutter rats now have a very small chance to drop rotten food, rags, and bobby pins (3%/3%/1%)
- Added 15 new battle soundtracks
- Added 29 new exploration soundtracks
- Added 19 new title screen soundtracks
- Added several new gun sound effects (For use later)
- Added 5 more random soundtracks to the player apartment
- Renamed "Your Apartment Key" to "Your Apt Key"
- Updated some item descriptions
- Added a song switch in the intro between the world background and the foreword
- Soundtracks will now save between maps so that the game does not reselect a new track every time you switch maps (UNLESS THE MAP HAS A SPECIFIC SOUNDTRACK SET - In which case, the music track will change while in that specific map and then go back to the previous track when you leave)
- Slightly increased duration of soundtracks playing before switching
- Added some new roleplay dialogue options
- Added A LOT of new dialogues with various existing characters and new characters
- Data Item/Lore Item is now listed as special instead of plot
- Added Soundtrack submenu to the Overview menu in the PDA
- Added Shuffle Soundtrack option to the PDA Overview -> Soundtrack submenu
- Updated fast travel (Metro) background sound effect
- Updated the map icon art in the menu (It's a map ping now instead of intersecting metro lines)
- Removed specific soundtracks for several general areas (Now, only very specific special areas have set soundtracks - this may make certain areas/situations feel out of place with the currently selected soundtrack from time to time, but I think this way is better - if you feel differently, please explain your feelings on the subject - also, if you find any soundtracks that really seem out of place or feel like they don't fit the cyberpunk vibe enough, please tell me)
- Blinker Flash special ability is now listed as an ability instead of a cyber skill
- Added 1 more empty row between each line in the intro to allow more reading time
- Updated some item icon art
- Very slightly reduced the base movement speed
- Added some new quest related special events
- Rewrote the randomized additional damage on attacks code to make it more efficient
- Optimized some systems and processes to be more efficient
- Cleaned up more old/unused code
- TONS of other minor tweaks, improvements, and changes all throughout the game
NOTE: You DON'T need to start a new game, but it is always recommended. Especially if you encounter any odd issues after a large update.
Please let me know of any bugs or issues you may encounter. The update will be available shortly.
For more info on the game, visit the store page below!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1536730/Chaos_Chain/
That's all for now, enjoy!
-Corrosion ːCStudiosː