Here's another batch of bug fixes. There are a few bugs I'm still working on, but these ones are the ones that were the most pressing and easily fixed.
Change Log
Fixed a bug causing a duplicate HUD.
Fixed a bug causing the program library to open on transition after visiting the merchant in Haven.
Redesigned the way system generation is handled, which circumvents a potential conflict, and seems to have fixed the system generation bug.
Added a check in place preventing the security sweep from spawning if you weren't in a hacking level.
Redesigned the way music tracks are selected and played, fixing the bug causing tracks to overlap.
Fixed a bug causing you to rubber-band back to the spawn point if you skipped the dump-shock animation.
Quick Fix
Change Log
Fixed a bug that was preventing systems from loading properly, causing missing nodes.
Fixed a bug that was preventing the action bar from loading properly.
Quick Fix
Just a couple more bug fixes to get out of the way.
Change Log
Fixed a bug that was showing your pay in emails to be $0.
Fixed a bug that was prevenint new contract from showing up.
Patch #46
There are a few outstanding bugs I'm working on, but here a few of the more critical fixes.
Change Log
Fixed a bug that was not unloading system assets, when entering the Net from inside a system.
Added a "Stop" command to the music on the loading screen to prevent music from a previous level from stacking with the new level.
Fixed a bug allowing the player to control their avatar in the Net level.
Fixed a bug when using BruteForceAttack, preventing it from working sometimes.
Fixed a bug preventing the program library from appearing when trying to sell programs.
Fixed a bug preventing the combat log from populating on combat.
Fixed a bug with the processor list not factoring in the Hardware Engineer perk.
You will now need to wait a minimum 3 seconds between couch uses in order for the passage of time to process from the previous rest.
Rebuild Patch
Time for some real talk. When I started this crazy adventure I felt like I knew what I was doing. However, over the last year or so, my skills have grown considerably, and looking back at how I did things in the beginning I can only shake my head with wonder at how bad I really was. And it's not just my programming skills, but absorbing all the feedback, good and bad, has expanded by skills when it comes to game design in general.. and I have you guys to thank for that!
The purpose of this update was primarily to "fix" some major design error I made back when I first started building >//:System.Hack. Not only has these poor design choices help the proliferation of bugs, they slowed down the build process. Now that I have the skills to build it properly, it seemed like a good time to strip-away and rebuild before I start work on the Corruption Update.
I have played-tested this update a ton, but as always I can never find or encounter everything. So there may be some new or crazy bugs (hopefully not), and if you see them, please let me know so I can tackle them. On a less fun note, due to the major changes, there could be some unforseen issues with existing games (fingers crossed).
Don't forget if you guys love what you see (or not I suppose), please leave a review. Every one goes a long way!
Change Log
Redesigned the level structure. The game will no longer "hard load" levels but instead now employs level streaming (like an open world game). This has drastically cut down on load times, and fixed several issues.
Redesigned the way the game handles the passage of time, fixing all the bugs related to the day not ticking over.
Rebuilt Gunter's dialogue to use the newer dialogue mechanic.
Re-added the ability to create your handle during character creation.
Fixed a bug that could prevent the PC and NPC bank accounts from generating properly at character creation.
Player can no longer quit Ravencore if they have any outstanding loans.
Spending money from the corporate account now functions properly.
Upgraded the UI for the Company.
Fixed a bug allowing players to circumvent the initial Kaiser conversation by jumping over the trigger box.
Program Elements will now function properly outside of combat.
Fixed the day 1 salary to be $400 instead of the old default of $270.
Fixed Equipment Rebates not being paid out properly.
Fixed Ravencore Training not working properly.
Upgraded the Ravencore Training UI
Fixed the Elevator Control commands in Root Access not working.
Fixed a broken path in Cobra's dialogue that could cause a soft lock.
Cleaned up the final page of character creation so everything fits better.
The message window now reappears after combat without having to hover over the status screen.
Patch #45
Hey everyone, finally got this patch out. There are a few outstanding bugs I haven't been able to squish yet, but instead of delaying the fixes I have made, I decided to release this as-is and keep working the other problems.
Change Log
Borrowing and repaying money now works properly.
Proper mouse focusing should now occur after leaving the Message Center and Oracle, fixing the double-click bug to make buttons on the home screen work.
Fixed the Ravenmark bond not being able to be purchased.
Added a sweep every 3 second when not in combat that checks for all actors flags as IC and destroys them. This gives IC that die properly to play their animations, but also ensures if IC glitch when defeated, they will still be cleaned up.
Tweaked a function in the contract generator that may have been responsible for the odd blank mission. I haven't been able to reproduce it, but I did find something anomalous that could cause it... so fingers crossed.
Fixed a bug preventing Hardware Engineer from properly apply it's discount for Motherboards.
Cleared up some UI elements that weren't functioning properly in the Motherboard screen.
Temporarily disabled resolution and screen type changes in the video options. The old way was incompatible with the new version, and is going to require a significant rebuild. The resolution defaults to 1920x1080, but resolution scale can still be used to increase performance.
Removed the wall around the top of Grav lifts, except where you would be able to bypass the level checkpoint by jumping to a nearby hallway.
Migrated most of The Net loading level functionality into the Home level, cutting down on load times. You will no longer go from Home level, to the Net level, to the System level. You will go straight from Home to the System. However leaving a System still takes you to the Net Level.
Patch #44
Thanks everyone for the feedback and bug reports! I got almost all of them that were posted, but one or two I'm still trying to reproduce and resolve.
Change Log
Fixed a bug with character creations priorites being inverted for some selections.
Fixed a bug with job completion emails being blank.
Fixed a bug where exiting the Workboard without selecting a contract would make all contracts un-selectable.
Fixed a bug/exploit where exiting Oracle with bits on the slider would give you the code bits.
Fixed a bug preventing Ravencore Operations from appearing.
Fixed a bug preventing the introduction to Spook, the Mirage Quest chain from starting, and the ability to quit Ravencore.
Tweaked the contract and enter-net buttons to respond quicker to mouse clicks, and now hold focus.
Added a 1 second delay to buffer loading of the Net level, which seems have made the loading much smoother.
Update: A New Beginning
Hey everyone, this update is long overdue, but I think it was worth the wait. The focus of this update was to overhaul the beginning of the game, improve new user experience, and lay the groundwork to integrate the story. While I was under the hood I performed several other upgrades which I think everyone will enjoy!
I play-tested as best I could, but I'm sure a bug or two slipped through. Please post anything you find in the discussion, as I'll be in bug-killing and support mode.
Important thing to mentions: Due to the nature of the update, a new game is recommended, but your current game will only be a little broken. The Q missions are "unplugged". If you are in the middle of them, you won't be able to finish, nor will you be able to start them (yet). They will be woven into the story a little differently in a future update. The ECHO missions should be working fine.
Change Log
Changed character creation. Instead of the long interview players can choose 1 of 4 premade characters, or custom build their own character.
Added 11 new Perks which can only be gained at character creation.
New tutorial level, which is a normal level where you ware assigned a variety of tasks. In this level you cannot be crashed or booted from the system so there is ample time to play around. The contextual tutorial buttons still appear.
Redesigned the safehouse to make it seem more like a hidden underground bunker, than a basement-suite apartment without windows.
Changed the look of the RIG to be a portable cyberdeck opposed to a large bed.
The menu to updrade RIG Hardware can now be accessed from your computer desktop.
Brand New UI for the Contract List, now called the Workboard.
Brand New UI for the Message Center and emails.
New Chat mechanic so you can converse with NPC's while hacking. This will be crucial for the story update in the future.
Cleaned up and improved several UI elements.
Moved the contract payment logic from the email to the job turn-in button, preventing several known issues.
Fixed an issue with Player Reputation for Freelancers that was preventing it from increasing.
Fixed an issue with IC reaction speed not factoring Response increases from Mods and Perks.
Fixed a bug with Ravencore bonuses, preventing the player from recieiving the money.
Fixed a bug with Network Operations not being generated.
Shed unused assets and saved almost 5GB on the install size.
Replaced the jarring dumpshock noise, and tied it into the sound effect volume setting.
There are a few items that were on the list to-do, which never made it due to time constraints and deadlines, but will be rolling out in future updates.
As always please leave a review, and let everyone know what your thinking of the game. The more visibility this little indie title can get, the better. If you have an issue or some feedback, hit me up in the discussions and we can see what we can do to fix it up or improve things!
The upcoming update...
Just checking in to let everyone know where we're at, and what's been worked on. The update will hopefully be out next week, and there are a few key things to look forward to.
Brand new character creation
I have done away with the interview, which bogged down the early game. Now the character creation is similar to a certain pen-and-paper game that I have drawn inspiration from.
Players can now choose one of four pre-made characters, the Programmer, the Engineer, the Hacker, or the Academic. These are designed so new players can hit the ground running.
Players are also able to build their character from scratch. New characters will have 5 "priorities": A, B, C, D, and E. They also have 5 aspects, Money, Skills, Hardware, Software, and Traits. The first step in the character creation is to assign an aspect to each priority, with A being the best and E being the worst. From here players assign values to their skills, and choose their traits.
Traits are perks that are only available at character creation that help define you character's backstory and their abilities. There are good traits, such as "Genius" which lower the XP required to raise skills, and bad traits such as "Bad Scripting Habits" which doubles the time it takes to build programs. The previous 4 starting perks have been converted to traits, and I have created 11 more to give a total of 15 unique perks available only at character creation.
Custom character appearance is not implemented yet, sorry!
Brand new safehouse
The small basement apartment has been replaced by a large underground bunker, with several areas. Currently it's mostly empty or filled with junk and clutter, but there is room to stretch your legs. In a future update, I'm hoping to add the ability to sink money into it to upgrade and clean it up.
New RIG design
The large bed design has been replace by a classic rendition of a cyber-deck, with a VR headset. This change was made because in the next title in the series, players will be able to bring their RIGs with them, hacking devices and systems on the fly, and the bed design made wouldn't work.
I still have some work to do to get the new tutorial level finished, as well as updating all of the early game missions and goals. Once I have that complete, along with my list of bugs to squish, the update will be ready to go!
Patch# 43
Change Log
Fixed a bug when talking to Headhunter where he would display your company funds before you started a company.
Fixed a bug giving new companies $10,000,000 dollars.
Fixed a bug preventing the log in movie from playing.
Added a sound effect when a tutorial pops up.
Added a sound effect when your journal is updated.
Fixed a bug with the Ravencore Transfer operation preventing completion.
Increased crash timer to 20 seconds. This is in-line with the tutorial.
Fixed an outdated tutorial regarding jumping to lower levels. This will only affect new games.
Fixed a bug that was preventing the Analyze visual effect from firing.
