Intro

This patch represents the culmination of almost all previously received feedback. Unlike 0.11.00, this update focuses a lot more on quality of life and balance changes based on both user feedback, and what I’ve learned from watching how players are interacting with the various systems. There’s more to do, of course, Early Access only started 6 days ago, but I’m already really happy with progress.

If you’ve reported something and I haven’t addressed it yet, I haven’t forgotten it (there’s still time for me to do that), I just didn’t prioritize it yet. It’s on the list.

I’m now shifting focus toward getting the big Utility update ready for testing. This should strengthen various build paths and open up a couple new archetypes. As previously mentioned, these utilities are not chance-based, so for those of you over the %chance to trigger text, this ones for you.

One final note: I’m keeping an eye on pacing/difficulty, and watching various stats and achievements, to see how these things might be adjusted in the future. I don’t want to rush to make any sweeping changes here because the Utility and (especially the) Symbionic updates are going to significantly change build power.

I can’t stress enough how much is going to change and grow as Early Access goes on. This is just version 0.12.00...It’s a long way to 1.00.00. And if sales and reviews are strong, there’s no reason we can’t take this baby all the way to 2.00.00! See you all at the next patch!

Patch 0.12.00 – Polished Edges

Features

• Mouse: You can highlight popup menu options now and click the options that way. Previously they worked for mouse like keyboard and gamepad, indicating which button to press for each option and not requiring you to select them. A lot of people didn’t seem to realize (I blame myself).

• Gamepad/Keyboard: Pop-ups now work similarly to the mouse menu update. Selecting an option first. You can still quick cancel out of them with the menu cancel button.

• UI: I’ve added a new popup that explains that you have a dodge ability when you start a new run. Too many players skip the tutorial and don’t check the controls.

  • This shows up in your first couple games even if you don’t use the tutorial

  • It goes away when you phase shift or leave the starter area

  • It will only show up for the first couple of games you play

  • It also always shows up in the tutorial when you reach that part of the dialog

• UI: You can now see how many copies of a utility you have in the choice pods as well as your inventory below

• UI: You can now see the version number of the game in the inventory and upgrade menus to better help with bug reporting, or questions (so I know what version you’re on in screenshots). It can be found below the Synergy menu button.

Visual Updates

• UI: Pilots and NPCs now have animated portraits during events

• Utilities: Afterstrike has a visual effect now

• Items: Added a new Hull Repair effect

• Utilities: Sunsetter Explosion recolored and adjusted

• Utilities: Bombsolesence has a visual effect now

• Utilities: Blast Core has a new visual effect

QoL

• UI: Certain Pop-up menus are now dynamically positioned based on where in the menu you’ve selected something to make mouse selection quicker.

• UI: There’s a new menu highlight effect when a settings option is currently selected. Note: Another change is coming to make it easier to see selected options when the option is not active.

• UI: Updated damage popups now properly show plasmic and electric damage, and are color coded for clarity

• UI: Upgrades that apply effects but no damage will not trigger 0 damage popups

• Text: Reworded the description of “Boom Bots” because several players expressed confusion about how it worked.

• Save/Resume: Post game stats and upgrade rankings will properly resume from where you left off when returning to a saved game. Note: There may still be some lingering issues with how damage is tracking. Some upgrades may still be over-represented in the post game stats.

Balance

• Weapons: Plasma Bomb has been updated. The targeter now extends and retracts as you move up and down the battlefield. Allowing you more precise control over its aim.

• Upgrades: Standardized all electric damage to have a base 10% chance to trigger chain shock, unless otherwise stated. Note: This change doesn’t actually affect that much, most electric upgrades have their shock chance listed, and it’s higher than this.

• Upgrades: Rare and uncommon upgrades have slightly lower base drop odds. Note: These were set before there were items that could improve the drop rates

• Utilities: Afterstrike remake – Common – When a missile deals critical damage, it creates a secondary explosion that deals 2 damage for every 20 damage the missile dealt. +5% crit chance for missiles. Additional Copies: +2 damage, +2% crit chance for missiles.

• Utilities: Gasolier now affects Bombikaze as intended, allowing the bomb to keep charging after you leave the area

• Masteries: Artemis’s mastery now has a 1.5 second cooldown that can not be reduced. Note: Artemis will likely get some additional fine-tuning later on.

• Masteries: Locke’s homing mastery now has a faster seeking speed toward enemies.

• Masteries: CRT’s Mastery’s ability to exceed the Drone maximum on Drone Swarm has been capped to 200% of its normal limit.

• Skills: Volley's Bullet Buffet is capped at 6 charges. Note: This wasn't even triggering in the most recent update, so it's actually a buff, haha.

• Items: Data Decoders now add only 3% bonus to rare drops, but still grant 5% to uncommons

Simulator Updates

Still a bit more to do before this goes from Alpha to Beta, but it’s coming along thanks to some great feedback on the Discord. Mostly bug and usability fixes, but there’s enough to justify its own category in the notes.

• Equipping: The upgrade in the 11th slot of the simulator can now be unequipped in the Simulator. Note: This weird bug was caused by the game expecting your starter weapon to be in this slot

• Equipping: You can no longer equip locked upgrades in the Simulator

• UI: If you have an upgrade highlighted and exit the loadout screen, the text will now properly clear upon reopening the Simulator menu.

• UI: When selecting a synergy, the highlight cursor now follows properly at all times.

• UI: Selecting the synergy menu jumps to the last selected synergy in the Simulator.

• UI: When exiting the synergy selection sidebar in the simulator, you will now be placed on the first upgrade in the library menu.

• Misc: You can now force the boss to be destroyed if you turn boss spawning off after you spawn a boss.

  • Note: There are still conflicts with fighting the same boss twice without restarting/resetting the simulation. One of the downsides of adding a major unplanned feature is getting it to play nice with systems that weren’t designed with it in mind.

• Misc: If your ship is destroyed in the simulator, the simulation will now restart after your ship explodes

• Misc: After re-opening and closing the simulator menu, gems and items no longer stop scrolling

• Misc: The phase shift will no longer trigger if you use the shortcut to exit the Simulator. Note: It’s not deja vu. This bug was reintroduced when I made changes to how the phase shift triggered in general.

Bugs

• Keyboard: Fixed a critical bug preventing keyboard rebinding

• Keyboard: Fixed an issue where you sometimes would need to press a key twice at the start of the mission menu

• Mouse: The "Accept" prompt in the mission menu will now properly update to left mouse when mouse controls are active

• Utilities: Drones will no longer gain infinite stacking damage if you equip the utility “Bot Blade”

• Utilities: Fixed a bug that could allow “Pulse Field” to stack with itself, creating infinite lasers and crashing the game.

• Utilities: Blitz Bomb should no longer cause various bomb type upgrades to sometimes get stuck on screen

• Utilities: Lucky Lancer removed from pool temporarily, will return with the Utility update

• Utilities: Fixed an issue preventing Flak from triggering

• Utilities: Bombsolesence is now consistently triggering

• Skills: Fixed a bug caused by a recent change that prevented Volley’s Bullet Buffet from triggering.

• Augments: After triggering the augment “Perfect Fit” if you get a beacon before your next level up, the infinity symbol will no longer still be visible briefly

• Weapons: Cross Bolt bullets does not trigger Chain Shock nor mark enemies for Shock Collar.

• Data Beacons: In the rare event 2 or more beacons show up on screen and you’re able to charge them side-by-side, they will now properly queue two upgrades

• Data Beacons: Rerolling a replicator beacon purchased from an NPC should no longer leave you stuck with an empty shop

• UI: The achievement progress meter should no longer briefly exceed its frame

• UI: Data Decoders picked up (not purchased) will properly add to your inventory

• UI: Fixed the incorrect Pilot portrait showing up at NPC events

• UI: Collected items are no longer misaligned in the item inventory Note: this was likely caused by a recent fix to other, not entirely related issues

• Text: Fixed a typo in the replicator description in NPC events

• Achievement: Fixed an issue with the Boosted Achievement, where depending on which achievements were still incomplete, it would be disabled.

• Boss: Fixed an issue that could cause the Sting King to get stuck doing nothing in level 3 boss fights

• Boss: Sting King Targeting Cursors should no longer get stuck on screen after his invulnerable phase

• Misc: Fixed a small memory leak where duplicate upgrade icons were not being removed from memory when stacking