Breachway cover
Breachway screenshot
Genre: Strategy, Indie

Breachway

Hotfix #4 - Perk progression

Hi everyone,

Last night, we rolled out a sizable patch that fixed several issues with save game data. However, it seems we unintentionally introduced a new issue—progression towards unlocking perks wasn’t being saved correctly. This hotfix should resolve that, and meta progression should now be saved properly.

We apologize for the large file size of the hotfix. Rebuilding the addressable game data caused the detected changes to be much larger than expected.

We've also noticed a few other bugs that we’re investigating now, such as crew abilities not being usable for some players. These may or may not be related to yesterday’s changes, but we're looking at fixing those next.

Thank you for your patience as we get everything sorted out.

Patch #10 - Save Game & Tutorial Fixes

Hey everyone,

Revamped Save Game System is Here!


After much extra testing, it's finally time to introduce the revamped save game system! This update aims to fix a major issue that could make the game unplayable: corrupted save files.

Previously, if something went wrong during the file-writing process, players could end up with corrupted data, rendering the game unplayable.

With the new system, we can detect corrupted saved data and provide an option to clear it. We've also made the data writing process much more robust, significantly reducing the risk of corruption in the first place.

Another concern we've heard from players is about bugs in the tutorial, which were also related to save data issues—specifically, not saving the game at the right time.

We’ve addressed this issue and streamlined the tutorial for a smoother experience. We know how important the tutorial is, and we underestimated its significance leading up to launch, so we’re committed to further improving in this area.

Here is a breakdown of what we'll cover in this post:


  • Tutorial Bugs Addressed: Improved tutorial experience by fixing save-related bugs.
  • Quality-of-Life Enhancements: Added features like double-click card play, map rotation toggle, and perk slot confirmation.
  • Patch 10 Changelog: Detailed list of bug fixes and improvements, including save system overhaul and tutorial updates.
  • Next Patch Plans: Memory leak and graphical crash fixes coming soon.
  • Long-Term Improvements: Focus on run-end stats screen, event population rework, faction relationships, card readability, and difficulty curve adjustments.
  • Ship Customization Progress: Core bugs being fixed, allowing more focus on ship customization and feature enhancements.


New Quality-of-Life Enhancements You Asked For


We’ve also had the chance to add some quality-of-life features that you requested, such as automatically playing cards by double-clicking, making map rotation optional, and adding a confirmation dialog when starting a game without filling all your perk slots.



Bug Reporting and Feedback


If you have any issues to report, please use the bug reporting forum on Steam. You can also join our Discord and report your issues in our bug reporting forum. We also have a subreddit community found here.

Changelog



  • Reworked the save game system so it's more robust, minimizing the risks of data corruption
  • Added detection of corrupted game files and an option for the user to clear them to make the game playable again
  • Added popup informing you of starting a run without allocating perks
  • Added toggle for map rotation in settings
  • Added the option of double-clicking on non-precision cards to play them automatically
  • Added the words: "Subsystem for: " before compatible weapon systems on subsystems to reduce equipment/subsystem confusion to new players
  • Fixed Repeater Pulse not drawing support/tactical laser cards on cooldown.
  • Fixed Honed Shot edge-case where it gives the player lots of ordnance
  • Fixed Accelerant only returning attack cards to the draw pile but effect being consumed by any card, it now returns any first card played from hand into the draw pile
  • Fixed Accelerant being killed off if a player gets overheated by playing this card
  • Fixed Accelerant being killed off if a player plays a crew ability after playing this card
  • Fixed text on Seebeck Shot to let players know this heat reduction triggers dissipate effects
  • Fixed potential soft-lock some players experienced on reloading while in combat if certain cards were present (Supply Cache subsystem, Plasma Conduction subsystem, Flak Shell, Overwhelming Barrage, Barricade, Backlash, Overheat Weapons, Reset, Stall, Thermal Tick, Light Ion Missile, Battle Repairs)
  • Fixed scorch having a misplaced precision effect on it.
  • Fixed misleading text on Uranium Slug, letting the player know the extra equipment damage can also damage the targeted equipment
  • Fixed a bunch of reported typos
  • Made changes to the way the tutorial gets hidden and revealed to prevent issues when continuing the game while in the middle of the tutorial
  • Updated tutorial to have the correct UI if leaving and returning in combat
  • Fixed an edge case in the tutorial where the player would forget to pick up the equipment reward and would not have the necessary equipment to continue the tutorial
  • Removed card drafting after the tutorial boss combat


The Plans Going Forward: Next Patch and More


You can expect another patch in the next few days, addressing some additional core issues we've identified with your help. These include a memory leak and a potential graphical issue that could crash the game when an enemy ship explodes.

In the longer term (over the next few weeks), as mentioned in our last dev update, we’re working on several improvements based on your feedback that should greatly enhance the gameplay experience. Your input has highlighted some blind spots in our design, and we’re committed to addressing them.
Here’s what we’re focusing on:

  • Run End Screen: We’ll add a screen displaying various stats at the end of each run, including the number of nodes visited, damage dealt and received, damage blocked by shields, and the highest damage dealt in a single turn, along with other fun statistics.
  • Event Population on the Map: We’re reworking how events are populated on the map, so players will feel more in control of what happens during their run and can make informed decisions about which node to travel to.
  • Meaningful Faction Relationships: We’ll enhance the faction relationship system, making it more impactful on events in the game.
  • Quality of Life Improvements: We’re working on making cards easier to read and understand, along with refining the selection of items in the shop to show more relevant choices
  • Difficulty Curve Refinements: We’ll further refine the difficulty curve by balancing enemy power with player progression.


Ship Customization Progress & Upcoming Features


Additionally, the ship started customization, and the system is gradually coming together. We’ve had to dedicate most of our time to fixing core bugs that could significantly impact some users, but that list is shrinking daily. Soon, we’ll be able to focus all our attention on enhancing what’s already in the game and adding new, exciting features.

A Heartfelt Thank You to Our Community


As always, I want to thank all of you sincerely. Although we’ve been focused on fixing issues as quickly as possible and haven’t been able to interact as much as we’d like, your support means the world to us. Launching the game in Early Access has been an eye-opening experience, and the fantastic feedback and suggestions we’ve received are invaluable. We truly believe the game wouldn’t evolve as effectively without this trial by fire and the encouragement from our community.

Thank you for being with us on this journey!


Dev Update #1 - What We're Working On

Hi everyone,
We’ve been quiet over the past few days because we’ve been focused on resolving some core issues with how the game saves data. Communication is critical during Early Access, so we want to inform you about what’s happening.

Why Refactoring the Save System is Important


Refactoring the save system is critical, requiring careful testing to avoid missing any edge cases or issues with different hardware configurations. Any missteps could lead to progress loss, which we’re working hard to prevent.

Preventing Data Corruption


Our ongoing work should also significantly reduce—if not entirely remove—the risk of data corruption if something interrupts the saving process. Some players have experienced this issue, which made the game unplayable until the corrupted save data was manually deleted.

Current Progress & Next Steps


The results are promising, but we need to do more testing internally and with our play-testers (who have been an invaluable help so far!). You can expect an update on this very soon.

Addressing Feedback: Game Mechanics & Clarity


We’ve also reviewed your feedback to identify areas where game mechanics aren't clearly explained. Given the game's many interrelated systems, ensuring everything is easy to understand is crucial for a smooth player experience.

Tutorial and UI Updates


As a result, we’re updating the tutorial, tooltips, and UI to enhance clarity while also simplifying specific mechanics that just added complexity without adding depth.

Upcoming Patch Timeline


We hope to roll out a patch that addresses these issues within the next few days and will keep you posted on our progress.

Future Plans: Meta-Progression and Content Expansion


Once the foundation is solid, we’ll expand the meta-progression system and add more content. We can't wait to reach that stage and continue developing Breachway with your feedback and suggestions.

Thanks again for all your support—it means a lot to us! Please continue sharing your feedback and thoughts in Steam reviews. It's the best way to let us know what you like, what you would like changed, and much more.

Patch #9 - Card, Event Fixes and Upcoming Content Plans

Hi everyone,

It's been a long week, and we're so happy our work fixing all the various issues you pointed out has been appreciated. Before we take a much-needed weekend off, we've got one more update to ship, with many fixes in card and event interactions. (We'll still keep an eye on this thread just to make sure nothing slipped by.)

We’d also like to update you on the saved data rework. Last night, we finished refactoring the save code and spent all day stress-testing it to ensure stability. So far, everything looks solid, and it seems the data loss issue is resolved. We’ll continue testing over the weekend, and if all goes well, we plan to push the fix to the main branch on Monday.

We can’t express how excited we are to have the most severe issues resolved finally — or very close to it. This means we can start focusing on adding features you’ve suggested, improving readability, and generally making the game more user-friendly.

Next week, we’ll focus on one of the most requested features: ship customization. Many of you have asked for more meta-progression and more ways to tweak your starting ship, experiment with different equipment, and explore new combos.

We’re also working on enhancing the end screen to make it more satisfying. You’ll soon be able to see detailed stats of your run, including enemies defeated, missions completed, nodes traveled, unlocks, and more.

We’ll keep you updated throughout next week on progress and what you can look forward to in the near future.



Bug Reporting and Feedback


If you have any issues to report, please use the bug reporting forum on Steam. You can also join our Discord and report your issues in our bug reporting forum. We also have a subreddit community found here.

On to the patch notes.

Changelog



  • Changed Draw Power's mass cost from 5 to 3
  • Fixed Draw Power not having its cost affected by active Blueprint effect
  • Fixed Stripmine edge case where, if production is maxed, playing it makes you lose one production as well
  • Fixed Stripmine being able to leave the player with 0 mass production capacity
  • Fixed Forced Draw edge-case where it adds extra heat despite you running out of cards in your draw pile
  • Fixed Focus Blast precision attack dealing no equipment damage.
  • Fixed targeting reticles on Focus Blast
  • Fixed Strike Assembly effect being removed by enemy playing missile card
  • Fixed Strike Assembly being able to cause a soft lock in certain edge cases
  • Fixed Strike Assembly not animating on entering/exiting
  • Fixed Strike Assembly not communicating properly when no missile is drawn (on turn end, if no slot is available to add a missile card, the active icon will turn to a disabled state, reenabling itself at the start of the next turn)
  • Fixed Several Railgun Cards being tagged as belonging to the resource bay family instead of railgun (Draw Power, Impetus, Shatter Rounds, Battery Surge)
  • Modified escape pod events so AI crewmembers are automatically uninstalled and added to the cargo bay if there are no more empty slots on your ship
  • Fixed issues with contraband events, where engaging in combat would send you into another combat encounter on winning. Along with the issue of sometimes skipping nodes if carrying contraband.
  • Properly fixed the increasing fuel cost on the base difficulty
  • Standardized card add/removal costs between the store and the maintenance ship event (still varies by faction relations for the maintenance ship event)
  • Updated the card drafting view so it looks more consistent when there is a single card drafting option
  • Modified Tyrant combat event so it is counted as a destroyed enemy if you have the mission of destroying six enemies in the first sector
  • Fixed Colony Defender participants losing their correct portrait after the first battle battle,
  • Fixed Colony Defender edge-case soft-lock if the player is allied with the pirates and attacks the Free-roamer ships exclusively during this event
  • Fixed potential soft-lock on the second turn reload when fighting the investigator's ship during the Starkin Espionage effect,
  • Fixed potential soft-lock on the second turn reload when fighting the research ship that discovered your hack during the Starkin Espionage effect



Thank you! We deeply appreciate the incredible community that is forming around Breachway. Your bug reports, suggestions, and reviews are keeping us motivated and helping us pinpoint issues, fix them, and expand the game into something that has the potential to truly special. We couldn’t do this without your support!

Patch #8 - Second Boss Fight and Many More Bug Fixes

Hi everyone,

We've managed to track down and solve the issue with the soft locks happening on the second sector boss and fix some minor events-related problems.
Thank you for your patience while we fixed the save game data issues. We've pinpointed the issue and are working on a permanent fix.

Regarding balance, we've moved the fuel cost increase to the first escalation level, as it was too punishing for a new player. Additionally, we've changed some cards on the Marauder's starting loadout to make them more synergistic with the associated resource types.
The game's balance is an ongoing process, so thank you for all your feedback. If the game's launch has proven one thing, it's that you can be blind to many obvious things if you've worked on something for long enough.


Bug Reporting and Feedback


If you have any issues to report, please use the bug reporting forum on Steam. You can also join our Discord and report your issues in our bug reporting forum. We also have a subreddit community found here.

On to the patch notes.

Changelog



  • Fixed a soft-lock issue on the second boss if quitting and resuming battle after the first turn
  • Fixed an issue with the second boss where he would play the Command Center card again if reloading combat after the first turn
  • Moved fuel price scaling from the default difficulty to the first Escalation level
  • Changed icons for space stations from a credit icon to a more descriptive space station icon
  • Added missing text to the Scavenging Remains event when resuming the scavenge after being attacked by a hostile ship
  • Updated the text on the Neutral Gunship event to reflect the actual morale change based on your choice
  • Set Recycle card cooldown from 0 to 6
  • Fixed NPC portrait mismatch in Solarii station on allied dialogue
  • Replaced Flash shields with Hasty defense on the Marauder's starting shield
  • Replaced Ordnance surge with Asteroid Ore on the Marauder's starting resource bay
  • Replaced Mass surge with Ordnance surge on the Firebrand's starting resource bay
  • Removed deplete from Palisade, set cooldown to 6 turns
  • Removed Defense Protocol from shops until its issues can be fixed


Thank you. Please keep the comments and reviews coming; they are extremely helpful in locating and fixing bugs and design issues.

Hooded Horse Publisher Sale 2024

The Hooded Horse Publisher Sale Has Arrived!


Now through October 10, explore the galaxy, assemble your crew, and customize your ship in Breachway! Prepare for your next spacefaring adventure and take advantage of incredible deals across all Hooded Horse titles during the sale.





Breachway is a turn-based tactical game where you command a starship crew, engage in strategic card-based battles, and navigate the complex relationships between space factions. Customize your ship, manage your crew, and prepare for high-stakes adventures in the stars.


Here's what is waiting for you in Breachway's Early Access:



  • Four Playable Ships: Each with unique layouts, synergies, and faction bonuses.
  • Diverse Combat Systems: Lasers, missiles, railguns, flak, and hacking—all in strategic, turn-based combat.
  • Over 300 Cards: Customize your ship’s loadout with a vast array of equipment.
  • 60+ Submodules: Enhance your ship with submodules that unlock synergies and power boosts.
  • 6 Recruitable Crew Members: Each with special abilities for combat.
  • Challenging Enemies: Battle 40 regular enemies, 16 elites, and two bosses.
  • 2 Star Systems: Explore unique systems with their events, enemies, and bosses.
  • Meta Progression: Unlock and combine bonuses across runs for evolving gameplay.
  • Escalation System: Master the mechanics and increase the difficulty for more significant challenges.
  • Faction Events & Allegiances: Interact with 4 fully developed factions with unique events.
  • Space Stations & Random Events: Discover new missions, items, and surprises.
  • Epic Soundtrack: Immerse yourself in 19 space-themed tracks as you explore and battle.


Hooded Horse Publisher Sale 2024

Hotfix #3 - Wolf Escape Pod Fix

Hi everyone,

We’ve just pushed a hotfix to resolve the soft-lock issue reported when finding the escape pod with the crewmember Wolf inside while playing as the Marauder.

I appreciate your patience.

If you have any issues to report, please use the bug reporting forum on Steam. You can also join our Discord and report your issues in our bug reporting forum. We also have a subreddit community found here.

Patch #7 - Scaling fuel price

Hi everyone,
We've got another patch packed and ready to ship! This update primarily focuses on fixes, including some that address potentially game-breaking bugs.

The main balance adjustment is to the fuel system. Based on your feedback, we realized the fuel prices were too cheap, trivializing the fuel system to some extent. To address this, we've introduced a scaling cost system. Now, each time you purchase 1 unit of fuel from stations, the price increases by 5 credits (10 credits on escalation level 5+). This change should keep fuel accessible while discouraging farming the entire map.

changelog




  • Fixed a bug which could cause bloat of player inventory save file data as well as act as a memory leak.
  • Fixed Backup Shields interacting with crew abilities
  • Fixed Provisional Slot event losing its extra slot to a repeating laser beam attack
  • Fixed Combat Readiness also removing 2 ordnance production while in effect
  • Fixed Combat Readiness missing it's reticle when dragging
  • Fixed Pacify not disabling the correct weapons on SK D04
  • Fixed Selective Ionization removing the wrong card pips on SK D04
  • Fixed issue with Draw Power resulting in player taking 5 HP damage per turn.
  • Fixed Denial sometimes not applying its effect if targeting directly on the ship equipment and not enemy card UI
  • Fixed Raised Firewall not returning to the players draw pile when played
  • Fixed Raise Firewall having its original cost affected by active security in drafting screen
  • Fixed Force Draw adding more heat than the card says
  • Fixed issue where Flak Mk.I price was 200 instead of 100
  • Fixed a soft lock if you were on a combat node belonging to a hostile faction in the first 7 nodes traveled on the map
  • Fixed micro charge having 0 cooldown, increased to 6, reduced price from 2E/5M to 2E/3M
  • Fixed build-up having 0 cooldown, increased to 6
  • Fixed an error in the weapon picker event that made random choices 2 and 3 always be the same when playing the Firebrand.
  • Added some more guardrails for damage render texture issues and some more logging in case it keeps happening
  • Added in some missing/mismatched UI sounds


We'll be keeping a close eye on your feedback for this patch, to quickly catch any potential bugs that might have slipped through.

As always, we encourage you to continue sharing your thoughts and feedback. Every review and suggestion helps us improve the game, and we're truly grateful for each one!

Hotfix #3 - Marauder Weapon Choice Fix

Fixed an issue where players would get stuck on the second node when playing the Marauder.



Thank you for your feedback and reports! We're carefully reviewing the Steam forums, Discord, Reddit, and Steam reviews. Please continue sharing your thoughts in a Steam review, and we'll continue improving Breachway!

See the latest patch here:
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2118810/view/4691151906596268401

If you have any issues to report, please use the bug reporting forum on Steam. You can also join our Discord and report your issues in our bug reporting forum. We also have a subreddit community found here.


Patch #6 - Addressing RNG, and more balancing

Hi everyone,

We're excited to bring you another patch that addresses reported issues and enhances your overall experience with the game. We focused on the randomness (RNG) elements causing frustration this time. One common concern was the second node of the first map, where players choose a weapon for their run. Some options were significantly less viable than others, leading to unnecessary restarts.

If you have any issues to report, please use the bug reporting forum on Steam. You can also join our Discord and report your issues in our bug reporting forum. We also have a subreddit community found here.

Now, let’s dive into the patch notes:



Fixes:



  • Fixed Hot Reload Perk consuming its active buff of no ordnance cost with a free repeating beam attack at the beginning of the player's turn
  • Fixed Player not getting a new Crewmember because of AI-filled slots in the outcome of the Colony Defender event. If the player has a whole crew and AI installed, the AI will be uninstalled, and an AI Core item will be placed in his cargo bay, thus allowing for the new crewmember to come on board. If the player has a whole crew and is all human, the Colony Defender character will not offer to join your crew but will give you the other rewards.
  • Fixed Advantage card Reactor Boost giving just +1 Reactor power instead of 2
  • Fixed a potential soft lock on defeating an enemy caused by the explosions on death


Balance Changes



  • Modified the weapon selection on the second node to offer 3 options instead of 2 , this should lead to less restarts to get the desired weapon. Also removed some anti-synergistic weapons from it.
  • Arbalest: removed the Light Flak and Quad flak equipment from the selection pool in the second node weapon pick event
  • Arbalest: added the Coil-gun to the selection pool in the second node weapon pick event
  • Marauder: removed the Beam laser and Coil-gun from the selection pool in the second node weapon pick event
  • Lancer: removed the Beam laser and Light Flak from the selection pool in the second node weapon pick event
  • Lancer: added the light laser to the selection pool in the second node weapon pick event
  • Firebrand: removed the Ion cannon and the Beam laser from the selection pool in the second node weapon pick event
  • Firebrand: added the Light Flak from the selection pool in the second node weapon pick event
  • Heavy Flak: reduced ordnance cost from 5 to 4, increased cooldown from 4 to 5
  • Titanium Shells: reduced 0rdnance cost from 4 to 3, increased cooldown from 3 to 4
  • Reckless attack: reduced energy cost from 2 to 0 , increased cooldown from 3 to 4
  • High explosives: reduced mass cost from 3 to 0, increased energy cost from 2 to 4
  • Overwhelming Barrage: reduced mass cost from 3 to 0 , increased cooldown from 4 to 6
  • Retribution: reduced mass cost from 4 to 3
  • Bombard: fixed bug where discarding or playing it would consume the card
  • Localization was added to the "Press tab to lock on screen" text in the equipment inspector, and it was made more evident by animating it.
  • Localized an escape pod event that was omitted
  • Improved Lancer's defense capability by fixing the drafting table of Suppressor Console Mk II.
    Changes exclude cards like:

    • Leech Defenses, Defiant Arms, Sap, Waylay, Diminishing Hack, Compromise Weapon and include previously missing cards such as:
    • Neutralize - Disable a random enemy Weapon each turn for 2/4 turns player turns (depending on security)
    • Missile Jamming - Delay incoming missiles by 1 + Security
    • Glitch - Disable targeted enemy equipment for 1 turn. Consume 1 security also to remove a pip
    • Wipe - Remove a Hack debuff
    • Reset - Discard a card from 1 random disabled enemy equipment. If not available, disable a random equipment
    • Stall - For 2 turns, enemy playing a card removes 1 pip from another random card. Consume 1 Security: +2 duration
    • Discharge - Remove 1 pip from all disabled equipment pieces
    • Denial - Disable targeted enemy equipment for 2 turns. Consume 1 Security: Return card to hand.
    • Security Bypass - Steal enemy’s security.
    • Pacify - Disable all enemy weapons for 1 turn.
    • Reboot - Disable enemy equipment for 1 turn after it plays a card.
    • The previously removed cards can still be found in the drafting tables of other hacking equipment, such as the Corruptor Consoles, which can be found in shops.

    While it may sound like a broken record, thank you again for all the support and goodwill you've shown us. We sincerely appreciate it, and it has motivated us to work hard through the launch week and address issues as quickly as possible.

    The patch cycle will slow down as we move forward in the coming days. We'll be taking some time to rest and recharge before returning with renewed energy.

    As always, we encourage you to keep sharing your thoughts and feedback. Every review and suggestion helps us improve the game, and we’re grateful for each one!