High firerate weapons get attention this week adding the Bunker Cannon Type II and overhauling the gatling cannon. The Type II fires long range shots akin to the Type I but trades an explosive AoE for rapid fire. The Type II shares the shape and stats of the original so it can easily be swapped to on any ship already fitted for Type I.
The gatling overhaul this update aims to remove what makes the weapon specialized and challenging to use in exchange for power. The new gatling now matches the range of the blast cannon and no longer uses the magazine mechanic. While its range may be extended, the gatling is still a close quarters weapon and suffers faster and harder damage drop off as range increases when compared to other weapons. Additionally, the visual effects of the weapon have been updated to better match existing assets.
Major Features
Added the bunker cannon type II.
Minor Features
Overhauled the gatling cannon.
Added unique firing audio for the bunker cannon type I.
Added random pitch variation to some ship weapon firing sounds.
Changing difficulty will reset research and quest progress and the stockpile.
Added 3 achievements for completing all research on different difficulties. These achievements are not awarded retroactively and you must reset your progress and unlock each research again to complete them.
Bug Fixes
Fixed bunker cannon side connection points being incorrectly configured on the surface mount variant.
Fixed the bunker cannon using an incorrect amount of pressure.
Fixed a bug where the "You Died" message did not appear if your original homeship was completely destroyed.
Airmen 1.19.7: Bunker Cannon
This week's update introduces a new class of adjustable weapon: the bunker cannon. The bunker cannon and its future variants clock in at a massive 7000 firepower. The Type I cannon works just like a battery cannon with longer range, higher fire rate and a bigger blast radius. Remember to keep your bunker turrets crew repair accessible as their massive size makes them easy targets.
Autoturrets receive a massive buff this update allowing them to follow the full selection of captain orders. Alongside converged adjustables these old weapons could no longer compete. Since targeting weapons is generally the best option, this has been made the new default. Remember that splitting firepower between adjustable and non-adjustable weapons is a great way to take advantage of the high accuracy of low firepower adjustable arrays without sacrificing overall damage output.
1.9.7
Major Features
Added the bunker cannon type I.
Minor Features
Converging guns now focus a point 0.25 meters behind the target point.
Converging adjustables will now adjust for drop.
Multiple tool drop actions can be queued into one drop animation.
Tool equip actions can be queued into drop animations.
Autoturrets will now obey all crew commands instead of just target engines, crew, deployables, and hold fire.
Turret targeting will default to target weapons.
Increased mech leg hitpoints from 3000 to 4000.
Bug Fixes
Improved the equip/unequip animation system to prevent tools appearing while on screen.
Airmen Update 1.19.6: Ship Chunk Shifting
Many hangar systems receive under-the-hood overhauls this update adding one new visible feature: ship chunk shifting. Now, when looking at a chunk of your ship disconnected from others, pressing the ship shift keys will shift only that chunk. Once that chunk connects with another, only undoing the shift will separate the two. The entirety of the ship can still be shifted by pressing the shift buttons while no parts are moused over.
Skull bounties also receive a major quality of life change. When the entirety of a skull bounty carrying crew leaves the server without extracting, their skull bounty will be passed out as if destroyed. This change should make the system a lot easier to profit from without worrying about a second ship showing up to spoil your spoils after the battle is won.
Added the ability to shift individual chunks of a ship in the hangar.
Minor Features
Allying another team will clear any damaged-by flags previously set between the two teams.
A ship's skull bounty will be distributed if its entire original team leaves the server without extracting.
When the mirror ghost part would block placement with the original ghost part, the mirror ghost will be hidden so you know which part orientation will be placed.
Improved mech leg handling to better go down slopes without falling over backwards.
Added a ship shifting guide.
Removed the activation channel to open the redeploy menu.
Bug Fixes
Fixed not being able to undo shift operations.
Fixed being able to place parts inside themselves on the mirror line.
Fixed propeller spin speed being dependent on frame rate.
Fixed the ship delete confirmation appearing in the wrong place.
Airmen 1.19.5: In-Game Guides
This week's updated adds an in-game guides menu loaded up with some basic breakdowns of building mechanics. Since all guides are building related, they can be accessed from the building UI on the bottom right. All 11 guides added are text based with some pictures when relevant. New guides related to expedition and other building concepts will be added over time. If you struggled with any mechanics not covered in the guides leave a comment so the most helpful guides can be prioritized in future additions.
Added a guides menu with some building related guides.
Minor Features
Added a list of relevant guides at the bottom of the selected part's stats.
Added a new achievement for opening the guides menu.
Removed the tutorial board since all of its information now exists elsewhere.
Updated the UI of the challenges menu.
Updated the UI of the cosmetics menu.
Bug Fixes
Fixed the search bar of the change ship menu being unusable if the chat is hidden.
Fixed the parts list thumbnails of the cargo bailer and hopper looking slightly different than other parts.
Airmen 1.19.4: Contract Complications
Contracts receive a small complexity boost this update adding a few possible complications to the objective. Hunts and captures may attempt to flee or appear with backup for example. The goal of the complications is to add an occasional break in the routine that increases the difficulty of completing the contract or tests a skill that usually isn't involved. The complications of a contract are invisible at contract select so you'll always need to be prepared.
A few updates ago, a visibility blocking layer was stealthily added to the ocean so any ship sufficiently deep would be invisible to autotargeting effects. Since this change hasn't had any serious effects, a small quality of life feature is being added to cut its most time consuming side effect. AI ships sufficiently underwater will now have their engines slowly destroyed so you'll no longer need to dive to finish off any hunt quarries or artifact transmutations.
1.19.4
Major Features
Added a small chance for hunt and capture contracts to spawn with a backup ship.
Added a small chance for hunt and capture contracts to spawn attempting to flee until caught.
Added a small chance for an enemy ship to spawn attacking a rescue.
Added a small chance for an enemy outpost to spawn at delivery points.
Minor Features
Updated all smoke effects to match the cloud and steam effects.
Multiple destination deliveries will choose additional destinations by proximity to the previous instead of proximity to the origin.
Delivery contracts cost gold on hard difficulty.
AI ships deep underwater will slowly take damage to their engines.
Bug Fixes
Fixed non-airship non-watercraft ships with no land propulsion parts spawning irregularly.
Fixed lava bubbles always looking blurry with motion blur enabled.
Airmen 1.19.3: Cargo Bailer and Hopper
The pneumatic cargo tube systems further expand this update adding bailers and hoppers. Bailers attach to cargo tubes and drop cargo from the attached system when their weapon group is active. Hoppers are a fort exclusive part that add any cargo dropped into them to the attached system. A combination of hoppers and bailers should trivialize the transfer of cargo between ships and forts.
A new weapon tag has also been added this update to directly incentivize the widely neglected broadsiding strategy. Weapons with the new "broadsider" tag gain 600 additional hitpoints when placed to face the sides of a ship. The new tag has been added to fixed/adjustable blast cannons, fixed/adjustable gatling guns, and double auto turrets to help raise up the power of their broadside placement to better compete with their frontal placement.
Reduced the physical size of the pickupable cargo parcels.
Increased blast cannon damage by 5.
Marked fixed/adjustable blast cannons, fixed/adjustable gatling guns, and double auto turrets as "Broadsiders". When placed to fire sideways on a ship these weapons gain an additional 600 HP.
Increased gatling cannon HP by 200.
Made a small optimization to how physics properties are recalculated when a part is destroyed.
Opening the contract, resupply, or redeploy menu resets the scroll bar to the front.
Bug Fixes
Fixed the compass jittering when piloting with "Pilot Free Look" enabled.
Airmen 1.19.2: Auto Refineries
Auto-refineries arrive this update allowing builders to link their cargo tube systems up to each variant of resource refiner. Auto-refineries will pull from a cargo system on their "input side" and output into a cargo system on their "output side" over time. Remember you can set your fort as your homeship to extract all cargo on board it from the teleporter terminal. Auto-refineries are unlock by completing each base refinery's research and the "Pneumatic Transport" research.
All adjustable weapons will now converge when camera-aimed rather than match the look direction. The convergence range is based on the distance of the ship part or terrain beneath the crosshair. This major change is made possible thanks to the transparent part collision layer added with the third person camera and the effects of accuracy scaling preventing a large number of converged guns super-stacking their damage. This change should greatly benefit low firepower adjustable arrays and take spread-out gun layouts from a bad idea to at least viable.
Completing a research will also complete its shortcut challenge if it is not already done.
Updated the revolver models.
Improved firearm particle effects.
Adjustable weapons now aim to converge at the first target under the crosshair instead of matching camera direction.
Slightly increased the effects of accuracy scaling to balance out adjustable convergence.
Bug Fixes
Fixed being able to place corner cargo tubes inside each other.
Fixed harpoons not applying torque to their own ship.
Fixed harpoons not hitting glass.
Airmen 1.19.1: Pneumatic Cargo Tubes
Pneumatic cargo tubes arrive this update allowing ships consolidate their cargo access down to a single point. By linking the new pneumatic cargo cages together with cargo tubes and cargo tube entries, all cages in the system can be accessed as if they were one. While it is already possible to load cargo as fast as it can be picked up, the new cargo tubes should increase the accessibility of the action especially on large ships. The cargo tubes and cages can be unlocked with the "Caged Cargo" and "Pneumatic Transport" researches.
The new cargo tubes work simply by locally choosing a cargo pad within the system to interact with. If people like using the new cargo tubes it is possible expand their functionality to interact with new parts such as special variants of resource refineries.
Improved mech leg animations and handling on slopes.
Tweaked redeploy selection buttons to feature the region name at the top.
Crew and captain share preferences are saved between sessions.
Changed the default captain/crew share distribution to 1/1 considering captains no longer incur any risks on easy mode..
Added a tool tip with a brief description of the share system.
Added 10 damage reduction to all auto turrets.
Improved the readability of challenge entries with long names and big progress numbers.
Added text to the splash screen indicating when a quest reward can be claimed.
Bug Fixes
Fixed a bug where if the captain leaves while crew loads in, the crew is not disconnected.
Fixed AI turrets ignoring transparent parts when checking for a clear shot.
Fixed angled walker legs not matching ship color selections.
Airmen 1.19.0: Mech Legs
Mech legs arrive this update to round out the selection of land-based propulsion systems. Mech legs are a medium-speed high-mobility movement component that should comfortably fit on light landships in a way the spider legs could not. Mech legs are unlocked alongside their spidery counterparts as part of the "Pressure Actuation" research.
This week's update also opens up a new axis of customization allowing airmen to choose from one of three wood colors that applies to their ships and airman cosmetics. Each currently available wood color is rather mundane so you can choose from any of the three with no requirements.
Improved ship leg turning to drift less when there is no input.
Added two cosmetic options for ship wood color.
Added two new cosmetics and challenges related to transmutation loops.
Bug Fixes
Fixed the box balloon tall begin placeable within itself.
Fixed the spyglass not making sound on a hit.
Fixed right clicking while zoomed with a spyglass expanding the crosshair.
Airmen 1.18.7: Transmutation Loops
The first new expedition activity since the new map arrives this update with the Transmutation Loop event. The Transmutation Loop event is a no-rules race through a circuit of charging rings scattered across the mainland. The event is finished when one ship completes a circuit through all the active rings. Each participant receives a reward of up to three random resources whose size increases based on the number of rings passed before the circuit is completed. Rewards and challenges related to Transmutation Loops will roll out next update when the activity is guaranteed to be running stable.
Each race is announced with a three minute countdown and can be started from any ring in the circuit to ensure everyone looking to participate can redeploy and be ready when it starts. Remember there are no special mechanics protecting the sanctity of the race. Installations, Synthesizers, Random AI spawns and enemy players can all appear along your route as they would normally so be sure to balance speed with durability to maximize success.
