We're reporting back to let you know that Patch 1.0.5 will be deployed by the end of the day (CEST). It's been another busy week for us, but we're extremely happy with all the feedback you've been sharing and your ongoing support.
Patch 1.0.5 details
This patch brings important progression-related fixes, changes to the Actor Perk, AI, XP gains, and many more.
Improvements:
the Actor perk decreases the range of recognition while in disguise (before: could never be revealed with said perk)
the Agent Overview window (before: Background) in the Crew Quarters facility now displays all abilities, including passive ones
improved generation of Hideout Candidate locations (prevents a selection of only the most expensive options, possibly leading to a bakruptcy loop, and other tweaks)
secret documents are only visible in the deployment phase after conducting Reconnaissance of the location
improvements and balancing of AI
experience gains balance
miscellaneous tweaks and improvements to animations
Bugfixes:
fixes an error which could lead to a progress block during the Undertow-related events (doesn't resolve the issue for save files with blocked progress)
fixes an error leading to icons on the World Map disappearing
fixes wrong damage values (and sometimes blocks) which could occur while shooting from overwatch mode beyond a weapon's range
fixes an issue which could lead to the disappearance of the top status bar in the strategic view after clickling Background in the Hire tab in the Crew Quarters
fixes an error which could under specific circumstances lead to a block when entering an enemy's overwatch area
fixes an error which could lead to a block when attempting to move in the area of effect of Blister Gas
fixes an issue with saving the game when a player ends the turn with a hotkey while aiming
fixes an error in Danger generation for agents captured by Beholder
fixes an error with previous abilities not being removed after changing Training
key bindings for alternative keys are working correctly
dodge cost modifiers now update correctly in the Crew Quarters interface
fixed an issue with launching the game on the main monitor on multi-screen setups
the misplaced M-16 weapon is back in the game :)
various minor tweaks and fixes
Developer Livestream
It's becoming sort of a tradition now, but once again some of us will be compromising their identities to play Phantom Doctrine live for you, walk you through the latest changes, anwer your questions, and attempt to influence you with some MK Ultra subliminal techniques we've been practicing lately in the shadows of our office.
Again, thank you very much for giving our work a purpose.
CreativeForge Dev Team
Phantom Doctrine Patch 1.0.4 + Dev Stream
Greetings, Agents!
A lot has happened since the launch of Phantom Doctrine last week, but one important thing can, and definitely should be said - we wouldn't have made it without your endless support, trust and positivity! For that, the entire CreativeForge Team wants to wholeheartedly thank you! You're incredible! :)
Patch 1.0.4 deployed!
We believe that with Patch 1.0.4, the significant majority of LoS/LoF, animation and combat system issues should now be solved. If necessary, we will keep further tweaking it to provide you with the best possible experience.
Major improvements:
weapon ranges and viewing distances rebalanced
new visualizations for characters leaning out of full cover (increasing visibility for the full cover sidesteps)
improved AI behaviors
revealing an enemy attacker in Fog of War for the duration of the attack
characters no longer perform unnecessary sidesteps
Bug fixes:
fixed a continuity issue with the Omikron Detention mission under specific circumstances
fixed a continuity issue with the Locate Lamster mission under specific circumstances
fixed an issue with icons disappearing from the world map in specific conditions
solved an issue where occasionally the campaign could be continued after failing a story mission
fixed an occasional issue caused by an operative shooting from within a gas cloud
numerous fixes to minor issues with collisions/visibility caused by objects on maps
Developer Livestream
Since from the very beginning our goal has been to stay as transparent with you as possible, we decided to organise a Dev Stream explaining and showcasing all the changes that we've made to the combat system in patches 1.0.3 and 1.0.4
Again, we truly appreciate your feedback, and we promise to keep supporting Phantom Doctrine, as we have so far.
CreativeForge Dev Team
Phantom Doctrine Patch 1.0.3 deployed!
Greetings, Agents!
As we're continuing our efforts to introduce all the necessary changes and fixes, we are now ready to deploy Patch 1.0.3.
The most important change is that enemies no longer take player's free sidesteps into account (player characters no longer have an 'extended hitbox' in LOF calculations). That should eliminate a huge majority of the instances where enemies would appear to be shooting through obstacles.
We're working on more tweaks to the entire system and we're aiming for Wednesday with an expanded patch that includes further improvements, animation changes and more enhancements to the LOS/LOF.
Full patch notes:
enemies no longer take player controlled agents' free side-steps (should eliminate a vast majority of enemies appearing to shoot through walls)
improved direction of leaning out from full cover
increased visibility of CCTV terminals and loot/secret file containers
by popular demand: lower dust storm density in CIA mission 01
fixes for the Italian, Spanish & French localization
fixed: specific cases where UI would lock up while transitioning from the IB to the map
fixed: a block caused by specific instances where air support couldn't target anyone upon arrival
fixed: campaign progression issues related to Undertow
fixed: New Identity screen now has the Confirm button visible in all screen resolutions
fixed: a Vigilant agent restoring CCTV operation will no longer cause infinite turns
fixed: moving from the IB to the world map using a hotkey after solving files is now safe
As always, feel free to get in touch on our Official Discord Server. Thank you for your support and, as always, we'll be awaiting your feedback.
CreativeForge Dev Team
LOS/LOF Patch BETA - Experimental Branch
tl;drWeekend patch on beta branch available now; expected general release tomorrow (Monday); bigger patch with more stuff expected Wednesday!
Agents, we've got good news at the end of the weekend! Based on the feedback of a significant part of the community, we worked all weekend on reviving a modified LOS/LOF model which was considered during development but ultimately shelved in favor of the originally released solution. Because of the impact on balance and pacing of combat, we are releasing this patch in a different way first: as an experimental beta branch. With that we're saying a couple of things: this LOS/LOF model is not final yet.
The most important change is that enemies no longer take player's free sidesteps into account (player characters no longer have an 'extended hitbox' in LOF calculations). That should eliminate a huge majority of the instances where enemies would appear to be shooting through obstacles.
We're working on more tweaks to the entire system and we're aiming for Wednesday with an expanded patch that includes further improvements, animation changes and more enhancements to the LOS/LOF. After a test of the current patch on the beta branch, we'll release it to everyone, most likely on Monday. Please let us know how you like the changes!
Because this is a beta patch, you should back up your save files before switching! You can find them at C:\Users\[user name]\AppData\Local\PhantomDoctrine\Saved\[steam id]\SaveGames
To switch to the experimental branch, right click the game in your Steam Library, choose the Betas tab and finally the experimental_branch.
Full patch notes:
enemies no longer take player controlled agents' free side-steps (should eliminate a vast majority of enemies appearing to shoot through walls)
improved direction of leaning out from full cover
increased visibility of CCTV terminals and loot/secret file containers
by popular demand: lower dust storm density in CIA mission 01
fixes for the Italian, Spanish & French localization
fixed: specific cases where UI would lock up while transitioning from the IB to the map
fixed: a block caused by specific instances where air support couldn't target anyone upon arrival
fixed: campaign progression issues related to Undertow
fixed: New Identity screen now has the Confirm button visible in all screen resolutions
fixed: a Vigilant agent restoring CCTV operation will no longer cause infinite turns
fixed: moving from the IB to the world map using a hotkey after solving files is now safe
As always, feel free to get in touch on our official Discord server. Thank you for your support!
Preliminary Patch Notes for Upcoming Two Updates [LOS/LOF]
Due to the balance implications, we're conducting additional tests of the Line of Sight system improvements. They also require modifications to the animation tree. Because of that, we'll publish the improvements in two stages. First the disabling of sidesteps for targets not in full cover (free sidesteps), then additional clarifications of LOS / LOF situations.
The first of the patches is expected during the weekend and should address a majority of the most confusing LOS situations. The second patch will require more work to bring it to the quality and stability we require so we expect it on Wednesday. Below is a preliminary set of patch notes for the two updates. We will incorporate as many as we can into the weekend patch, the rest and further improvemens will be released with the Wednesday update.
sidesteps for targets not in full cover removed [weekend patch: this will address a majority of reported LOF issues]
improvements in the clarity of sidesteps in full cover
weapon ranges reduced
increased visibility of CCTV consoles and loot / intel containers
the Blinding Laser ability now also reduces target awareness by 100
reinforcements no longer spawn too close to the player
corrections for the Italian, Spanish and French localizations
fixed: rare UI lock when transitioning from the investigation board to the world map
fixed: a block in specific circumstances while shooting in a cloud of gas
fixed: a sporadic progression error in specific instances during events related to Undertow
fixed: late completion of an optional objective in the KGB campaign now also yields a reward
map geometry improvements and fixes
various balancing tweaks and game improvemens]
improvements to dust storm effects
As always, your feedback and reports are greatly appreciated by the entire team. We're monitoring the forums and the official Discord server and offering support as quickly as we can. Thank you for all the kind words, good ideas and keen observations. Your input is very informative in prioritizing our work on improving the game.
Improving the Line of Sight Mechanic
While we work to improve the Line of Sight / Line of Fire mechanic, you may be interested in a blog post penned by our Lead Designer, explaining the logic behind the original design. We should have more news on that topic for you tomorrow.
Hello Agents! Patch 1.0.2 is deployed, here are the Patch Notes:
<*>Fixed: replaced placeholder lines in the Chinese localization <*>Fixed: civilians run away properly, no longer blocking doorways
<*>Fixed: the Distract skill should work properly in all cases
<*>Fixed: occasional issues with autosave files in Ironman mode
Improvement: characters in full cover lean out/turn towards an attacking shooter
The improvement above should address the first, small portion of LoS visualization issues. The process is ongoing for more radical changes in the Line of Sight/Line of Fire mechanics and we expect to deploy it soon.
We expect the remaining minor problems with other localizations to be fixed tomorrow, along with further improvements. As always, feel free to talk to us directly on our official Discord server.
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Phantom Doctrine Patch 1.0.1
Phantom Doctrine v1.0.1 Patch Notes:
Fixed: placeholder lines in the Russian localization
Fixed: disposing of bodies of enemy agents (including story characters) no longer causes a crash
Fixed: minor corrections in other languages
Thank you for all your feedback and support! We're working on more improvements and fixes. We expect to have all other languages in order tomorrow. We're also working to explain the "shooting through walls" perception and offer alternative designs for it.
Please keep in touch on our Discord: discord.gg/cfg
Phantom Doctrine | Day 2 Update | Game Manual
Greetings, Agents!
As promised, we're reporting back to share an update concerning our top priority fixes we're currently working on, and a basic roadmap.
Day 2 Update
There’s a localisation issue with a very small portion of the game’s text (less than 1%), unfortunately concentrated at the beginning of the game. The main languages affected are Russian and Chinese, with Spanish and French to a lesser degree. This is currently being remedied, and depending on the language, we expect a final fix no later than tomorrow.
Many players flag an issue with enemies shooting “through obstacles”. In most cases this is a problem of us not fully visualising how the sidestep system affects an actual line of sight which exists. It’s on us and we’re working on addressing both the visualisation and the way the system is engaged.
Mod Support
After these two crucial issues above are solved, along with other less frequently appearing problems flagged by you, we will start our work on mod support, which will be the first big addition to Phantom Doctrine.
Thank you for all the interest, support and feedback. Just like we always promised, we’ll continue to update, improve and expand the game. If you’d like to talk to us directly, you're welcome to reach us on our Discord Server.
