Exciting news, agents! With Deadlink drawing ever closer to the finish line we want to invite you to join the closed beta!
The beta test will run from July 13th to July 20th. You can join our closed beta testers team through our official Discord. Look for the announcement in the 📢announcements channel!
Can't wait to have you all on board!
Combat Shell Deep Dive #3 - Engineer
We approach our third Combat Shell Deep Dive and it's time to talk about the CSA's venerable field hacker frame. That is, of course, the Engineer submitted as a blueprint by hacker turned CSA Electronic Intelligence Expert, Maria Argentea.
The Engineer represents a middle ground between firepower and sigint. Its abilities are aimed at zone control and tactical area denial. Prominently visible on the Shell is the sting of its Wormlink Breach.
Through this direct link the Engineer hacks cybernetics and electronics, using the cable as a conduit to deliver a software payload incapacitating enemies.
Key to its area denial capabilities is the Lawbringer Turret. While its battery life is limited, it's chock full of sensors and IFF subroutines and has room for additional elemental mods for some deadly force multiplication.
As with other Shells, the Engineer hardly wades into battle emptyhanded. Your armaments, should you pick this Shell, are comprised of the flechette-firing Gauss Rifle that combines respectable fire rate with good recoil control, and the Tarball Grenade Launcher packed with sticky bombs by default.
So how do you like Maria Argentea's gift, agents? Is it your favorite, or do you think the talented hacker just went for a blatant self-insert into the Protocol? Share your destructive Engineering experience in the comments below!
Deadlink 20% off for the Summer Fest!
You read that right, agents! We are celebrating Steam Summer Fest with a 20% discount. From June 29th to July 13th you can pick up Deadlink for the special price and enjoy the first person cyberpunk mayhem!
In Deadlink Protocol CSA and, by extension, you operate a variety of Combat Shells from the tried and true to risky and experimental. Today's deep dive is about the Hunter.
Stealthy, deadly, more precise and refined - those were the words Rumiko Usagi used to describe the Hunter when first pitching it. This Combat Shell represents an option for those operatives looking for more finesse in their operations.
Don't let the light armor of the Hunter deceive you - both weapons it's armed with pack a significant punch.
The Tora Peacekeeper variable-caliber hand-cannon makes up the Hunter's primary weapon, ideal for landing precise headshots. The Hunter's secondary weapon is an unorthodox energy weapon prototype, the ARC Cannon, generating a wide scalar arc that hits multiple enemies. Through elemental mods, it can also be transformed into a laser, particle accelerator or weaponized matter converter.
The Hunter is the lightest Combat Shell in terms of armor, which means it relies on mobility and deception to survive and maximize enemy casualties. One of its tools used to this end is the experimental Switchback Translocator, swapping places with a target and applying a mark to it in the process. The other is the IFF Decoy that simultaneously projects a false image of the Hunter while also cloaking the actual Shell with an optical camouflage.
Have you made good use of the Hunter on your mission, agents? Did you master its armaments, or did you end up preferring one of the more robust Shells? Let us know about your Hunting experience. We are looking forward to hearing from you in the comments!
Combat Shell Deep Dive #1 - Soldier
In the Deadlink Protocol you are the brain but your variable brawn are the Combat Shells you connect to. Humanoid frames of armor, servos and circuits piloted by a copy of your consciousness into the thick of the fight against corporate greed.
We are sure you would like to know your arsenal, and so it's time to take a deep dive into one of the combat shells at your disposal. This will include a summary of their arsenal, and a look at some behind-the-scenes WIPs that they evolved from into their current place in Deadlink!
The Soldier Combat Shell was among the first developed (both in-universe and out of it!), but don't mistake it for a grunt. This shell fits a combat specialist like a glove and is a tried and true tool of destruction.
Fittingly, it is armed with weapons just as firmly associated with destruction: a shotgun and a variable rocket launcher.
Aiding in its mobility and adding control to range of engagement is the GripWire Rappel. This PMC-grade nanotech grappling hook does more than just close the distance - it stuns opponents and tags them. Constructor Balls are just as valid a target for this useful tool.
Furthermore, the Soldier packs a highly disruptive punch in the form of the Scrambler. This EMP-like attack will produce a cone of superfine magnetic particles, leaving opponents marked and, in most cases, incapacitated.
The Soldier Combat Shell may be your first tool, but it's certainly one with a lot of use and potential for mayhem.
⠀⠀     How did it feel to pilot the Soldier, agent? Did you stick to your tried and true guns for long, or quickly find yourself seeking out more specialized tools offered by the other Combat Shells? Share your comments and battle experience in the comments!
Our release date trailer from the MIX
Eagle-eyed agents (or eagle-eye augmented agents) may have already noticed it, but we are here to ensure all of you are informed and excited! Not only does our exclusive trailer from the MIX serve another dose of Deadlink's trademark gameplay - it's also got the date of our full release!
Be ready for a detailed briefing on a brand new hostile corporation and more new features coming to Deadlink on July 27th.
Deadlink at The MIX
It’s that time again, agents! The MIX Guerrilla Collective Showcase is here and we’re happy to say we're taking part. Hope you dive in and enjoy all the hot Summer spotlights. And while you do, keep an eye out for Deadlink! We have prepared some big news for you that we know you won't want to miss.
Hotfix - April 2023
đź’¬ Dev comment: Waltuh, the game got buggy and turbo OP after yesterday's update. We need to cook a hotfix!
Changes
Player can now buy a maximum of 3 random implants per encounter when visiting Chuck's shop
Removed Max HP and Max Shield buffs from Carls's experiments
Debuffs taken from Carl will last for at least 3 arenas (was 2)
Heavy Weapon reward screen should no longer contain a weapon of the same rarity that you have equipped
Fixes
Fixed broken implant handling on controllers
Fixed implant tooltip card being stuck on the viewport
Fix occasional crashes when loading game
Prevent multiple active effect icons from being displayed when using certain implants
Fix RMB for details option not working on the implant card
Fix a bug where weapons would deal billions of damage after taking a specific buff from Carl
Fix Irène not showing up when having weapon debuff
Text tweaks and typos fixes
Friends In Odd Places update
The megacorps may want you to think the whole world is nothing but corporate mooks, but that is a lie. Sadly, nor is everyone a top class specialist in the employ of a cutting edge federal agency. In this minor update we are adding more characters that will expand the world of Deadlink and serve as some faces from outside CSA who you don’t have to hold at gunpoint. You will be able to meet them in the passageways leading from one combat room to the next.
Read on to find out all about them and other changes in Deadlink!
What’s new?
"📢" marks the changes suggested by the Deadlink community
From the streets...
They may not be the first people you’d consider an alliance with, but hear them out. In the neon-lit future these independent thinkers have worked out a niche for themselves. Even the poor and downtrodden can afford to add some metal to their bodies. And seeing as you could always use new metal for your bodies, the expertise of these two might prove unexpectedly useful.
Chuck (The Maker)
Take a 3D printing enthusiast. Now give him possibilities that match his enthusiasm. All that he owns he makes by himself, be it food or somewhat amateurish biohacked implants. Still, that's the price to pay to live on the outskirt of the general corporate society. These days this tinkerer and lifehacker is dedicated to the hobby of producing counterfeit matter with cracked C-Balls. Despite C-Ball lockdown procedures introduced in order to stop the likes of him from causing a grey goo event, he finds a way to make use of them and will help you reap some of the benefits.
Rutger (The Collector)
"Cyberhobo" isn't a very flattering name. He prefers Collector, vintage tech enthusiast at the point of being a tech pariah, unable to integrate with “modern” society. His insistence that newer doesn’t mean better dooms him to live a life disconnected from most existing comforts. Corporate anti-consumer practices make it impossible for you to log into the net without only the latest hardware and software, (regardless of the worsening user experience, missing features or blatant invasion of user privacy). Thus the Collector is without a bank account, a job or even an ability to buy groceries at most chains. He roams the streets of the CORE, looking for discarded tech, disassembling it for his own needs and sometimes reselling jailbroken computers, implants and phones to likeminded, yet more fortunate individuals. Sometimes he finds an odd modern implant that’s useless to him that he’ll happily gift to you.
... And from corporate confines
These two may be employed by Watts, but are not on CSA’s target list. That said, either one would love for you to target the other. Talk about a lab rivalry gone sour. Hear them out and see what you can obtain from these brilliant minds locked in conflict.
Irène & Carl (The Rivals)
Both are geniuses in the fields of gene splicing, protein design and piezoelectric interfaces, their work bringing millions to the company, and the small trickle of knowledge making it into scientific journals deemed as nothing but revolutionary. Doesn’t stop them from being petty and sabotaging each other’s research. Neither one seems especially concerned about the long term ramifications of trusting an outside party to destroy the property of the very corporation that pays them.
📢 Heavy Weapons Leveling and Rarities
Gun enthusiasts, rejoice! We heard your feedback, and we've implemented a new feature that takes heavy weapons to the next level, literally. With the leveling and rarities of heavy weapons, your arsenal just got a whole lot more powerful.
Our team has been paying close attention to the community's ideas and feedback about the weapons in the game. We drew a lot of conclusions and came up with a new system that we think you'll love. Each heavy weapon can now be leveled up to the max level 4. As you level up your weapon, you'll gain stat boosts, making it even more lethal in battle.
But that's not all. Each heavy weapon can also be of Common, Rare, or Legendary rarity. The Rare and Legendary weapons come with special affixes that significantly improve their viability in combat. These weapons are truly one of a kind and will give you a real edge on the battlefield.
When you receive a heavy weapon as a reward, you'll be presented with a choice. You can either level up your current secondary weapon or swap to one of two different, already leveled-up weapons. The choice is yours, and it'll help you customize your arsenal to suit your playstyle.
Please note that this system is still evolving, and we may change it in the future. But for now, we're excited to see how our community will use this new feature to dominate their opponents. Level up your heavy weapons, increase their rarity, and become a true force to be reckoned with.
Implants
Airburst Catalyst, Ora Empathy Inhibitor, and Myoactuator Enhancer stacks will persist between biomes
Units changed to meters in implant descriptions and Deadlink upgrades
Static Inference Generator - fixed leveling description, fixed Shock not taking effect on multiple enemies
Thermite Cartridge Coating - changed passive from "Extra 25 Fire Damage on both weapons" to "Both weapons have 25% chance to Ignite enemies hit"
Tooltip window updated to the new card view
📢 Added implant rarity sections in Codex Library
Implants are locked by default and must be found during the run to get their preview in the Codex Library
Implants sold in the shop will no longer appear on implant level-up selection
Defibrillator
This Deadlink upgrade proved to be more problematic than we thought. This is why it got a complete overhaul. The Defibrillator upgrade will now:
Clamp the player’s HP to 1
Refresh all ability cooldowns
Refill ammo in both weapons
Grant complete damage immunity for a short duration
Work only once per run
📢 Trinary Iskra iteration
Destroying electric pylons in Stage 1 damages the boss
Stage 4 will be activated automatically if all C-Balls are corrupted in Stage 3
Added various laser patterns for Stage 4
Other Changes
Additional optimization works for the whole game with a focus on the Interport performance
Added ability for Hound to grant armour for nearby enemies
📢 Prevented duplicates in the Starting Pack selection
📢 Added automatic inventory window display after selecting a Starting Pack
Apex intro reworked
Added new combat numbers system for better readability of the damage caused
Additional improvements for gamepad handling. Deadlink now has Full controller support.
Electric Grenade description now matches its mechanic.
Added unique crosshairs for all available weapons
Added ambiance sounds for combat arenas
Added enemy stun effect diminishing returns, so it won’t be that easy to stunlock enemies anymore
Intel XeSS version updated to 1.2.6
📢 Fixed the game timer not displaying the correct time when entering a new biome
Fixed elemental damage boost that was applied to any damage type
📢 Defibrillator post-process changed to not obfuscate the screen that much
Share your thoughts on our official Discord Server and social media. We’re keeping our eyes open and combing through your feedback! 👀
Corporate profile - Corporate Security Agency
What, you thought these profiles were all going to be about your enemies? You have friends as well, agent. Contrary to the name "Corporate Security Agency", you should know by now they don't deal in keeping the corporations secure.
The Corporate Security Agency is a newly formed federal body. Its sole purpose is corporate espionage and sabotage. If the government can't buy tech from a corp, it can be taken from them by force. If a company conducts illegal research on human subjects - that research (and its victims) can be destroyed with deniable military action, which costs a fraction of a court case.
The CSA was created as a response to a world where nation-states have become obsolete. Laws can't keep up with regulating the latest biochemical stimulants, the cops don't even know what counts as a cybercrime this week and the inertia of the bureaucratic machine is no match to the sleek, agile, AI-assisted decision-making of the latest zaibatsu front. The agency plays by corporate rules. It’s agile, flexible and ruthless, with a carte blanche allowing any and all actions on US soil; as long as it damages the hegemony of megacorporations, mitigating the risk they pose to the very existence of the United States.
