- Fixed the bug that was stopping Guardian IC from being destroyed (finally).
- Fixed a bug that was inflicting a $1200 debt for getting demoted at rank 1. It's been adjusted to $135.
- Fixed a bug with the Daily Ledger that would falsely flag the quota as failed.
- Fixed the Root Access tutorial that stated "Confidential Files" instead "Personnel Files", and added the Log Editor command to the Knowledge Base.
- Updated the old "Demotion" and "Make quota for the first time" emails to the new system. They will now be sent instantly.
- Removed a couple debug strings I accidentally left floating around in the User Information Node.
- Added the program lockout to the Bank Account widget. This will prevent you from firing programs if you type in the account number.
>//:System.Hack
Patch #32
Quick Fix
Change Log
- Fixed a bug preventing the Admin account from appearing after searching for it.
- Added a temporary fix for a bug for Download contracts that would prevent you from attaching the file. Download jobs are now flagged as complete as soon as you download the file.
Note: I have released several other quick patches in addition to this one to address serious bugs that were reported.
Update 31: Ravencore and the Living World
I don't want Ravencore to be "the thing you have to do before you can start a company". I want it to be a valid, rewarding, and fun play-style choice. This update bring Ravencore more in line with that vision, although future updates will most assuredly bring more upgrades.
One of the biggest changes is The Living World. It's a complex mechanic I designed, which allows me to easily track everything the player does and create appropriate reactions. It will primarily be used to help build a complex world-state and the branching main-story. It also houses the functionality for side-quests, multi-step contracts, and pretty much anything I want it to. It can be affected by, and referenced by anything in the game world. You (the player) won't experience this upgrade directly, but it makes the content creation significantly easier.
As always, there could be some bugs and balancing issues. Please let me know if you find anything. I usually spend the next few days patching after a big update like this =)
Change Log
- The career info screen now shows a progress bar to the next rank.
- When players exceed quota, the excess is applied to their rank progression. If a player fails to make quota, the deficit is removed from this progresson. Players will no longer be demoted until the progression to the next rank is negative 50% of their current salary. This will help mitigate the issue of catching a string of low-paying jobs, especially if progress has already been made towards the next rank.
- Ravencore now has 6 attributes: Wealth, Tech, Security, Intel, Support, and Network. As these increase, benefits will be unlocked for the player.
- Certain Ravencore benefits are now locked behind upgrade levels. For example: Players will no longer earn bonuses when ranking, up until the Wealth rating of Ravencore is 2+
- Ravencore employees will be offered Operations. Operations are jobs for Ravencore (not a third party client). They pay no money, but will reward the company with attribute XP, which in turn will increase one of Ravencore's attributes in time. There is only a small offering of Operations at this time, but more will be added in future updates. Operations are checked every 6 hours, and do not refresh by changing levels (like the contract list does).
- Dropped the DJ into the System Generator. There is now music during runs.
- The "normal log" items now has a lifespan of 8 seconds, up from 5 seconds. Gives the player a better chance to read everything.
- The normal log will now automatically focus on the last entry.
- Passing through a checkpoint without the triggering it, will display a message in the normal log explaining what happened, instead it looking like the checkpoint was broken.
- Reworked the way Heat is handled. Masking and Stealth no longer suppress Heat when it generates. Instead Masking and Stealth create a Heat Threshold. The alarms are based off current Heat levels as a percentage of the Heat Threshold (as opposed to a flat percentage). Passive Alerts (25% Heat) will increase all difficulty levels within the system by 10%. Full Alert (50% Heat) increases level difficulty by 25%. Critical Alert (75% Heat) increases level difficulty by 50%, and of course reaching exceeding the Heat Threshold will get you booted from the System. The most significant difference this will make is that the use of programs will always generate Heat. This will be closely monitored and will more than likely require some re-balancing.
- The Ghost Perk now increases the Heat Threshold granted by Masking and Stealth by 33%. This will only affect new games.
- Rescaled Firewalls to increase Heat by ~5% per tick, assuming the player's Stealth and Masking are at an equal level to the Firewall. The old way had Firewalls becoming increasingly more dangerous, as the Heat they generated would increase per rank, but the maximum Heat remained the same.
- Reworked Avatar Cooldown to scale better into the higher levels. It is now calculated at (((IC Level + SPAM) / (Response))
- 2.5), with a minimum of 1 second and a max of 5 seconds. This is changed from (((IC Level +2) - Response) + SPAM) with a minimum of 1 second and a max of 5 seconds. A 5 point difference before meant you would always have a 1 second cooldown. Now a 5 point difference means less and less as your level increases. For example a Response of 40 vs a rating 35 IC would give you a cooldown of 2.18 seconds, effectively making you half as dangerous as you would have been with the old formula.
- The "casting time" on several IC subroutines have been adjusted.
- The Dead End IC has gotten a new look.
- The Passbreaker puzzle can now be driven with the numberpad on your keyboard. The enter will commit, if 5 numbers are entered, and the backspace will clear the entries. With less than 5 numbers input, the enter key will open the Root Access.
- Resized the Hall sections in the System Generator to facilitate AI navigation. Having AI companions was going to be in this update, but it was already running long. Expect to see them in a future update.
- Fixed a bug where you couldn't skip the log-in movie. It can now be skipped with the enter key again.
- The Random_Date_Generator used when generating random files has been rebuilt from scratch. This change allows files to now be sorted chronologically.
- Players now leave a "footprint" in the system log. If you re-enter the Net from the System Access, your connecting address in the next system you visit, will be the address of the last system you were in. There isn't much built in with this yet (so don't worry about wiping your logs).
- Added the "Run [log_editor]" command to the root access, allowing players to modify logs within the System Log node.
- The game now autosaves when accepting an operation, and when opening emails for completing contracts or operations.
- Accounts in the Financials Node are locked with a puzzle. The puzzle is relatively simple, giving the player limited tries before it fails, Heat is generated, and the player can try again.
- Money can now be transferred between accounts, and every account is a permanent account. That means if you transfer 10k into an account and a week later, you find that account in the Financial node of a different system, there will still be the 10k that was transferred, as well as the transaction detailed from when you transferred the funds.
- Rebalanced Program Grinding. It no longer grants Programming XP, and the payout is now ((total Processor Thz, capped by (your Programming Rating
- 16)
- 1.25). These changes will prevent an exploit that allowed players to Program Grind themselves into billionaires.
- Fixed an issue that was causing IC to spawn strangely, and not changing the Avatar's location when combat started.
- Added a continous check that will kill Guardian IC if the player is not in combat mode.
- The install command for Turtle Dove has been transferred to the Root Access and is no longer a command entered in the CPU slave. I will be looking at migrating most slave commands to the Root Access in the future. Thematically, the Root Access allows hackers to "tap" into the system, bypassing the normal user interface, and issue commands directly to the system functions. These changes will be more inline with that vision.
State of the System #3
It's been a little over a month since my last update (seems just like yesterday), and although I'm not dropping an update with this announcement, I thought I would keep everyone in the loop with what's going on.
I had plans to release the current update mid-way through August. Not only did it turned out to be larger than I imagined, but my better half decided to spring a surprise vacation on me! It was nice to get away for a while, but alas it did delay this update. Rest assured, I'm back at home and working hard (but the darn cat won't leave me alone).
Here's a little teaser with what I've got done for this upcoming update:
- Overhaul of the Ravencore Mechanics. Not only will players still earn promotions, they will be given quests that will help Ravencore grow and improve. As Ravencore improves, the player will earn special benefits. I have also reworked the quota and rank-up mechanics. Players will not be demoted for missing quota, instead the difference will be deducted from their progress towards their next rank. If you have no progress, you are still at risk for demotion.
- The Living World. This is a stupidly complex mechanic that tracks global variables, fires events, handles quest progressions, and tracks factors in the world state. It can be referenced and affected by everything in the game world. On the small scale it will allows for quests and multi-step contracts. On the large scale it allows for an extremely complex game world, with far-reaching repercussions for every action and decision, as well as a branching story.
- Players now leave a "footprint" in the System Log. As do other users...
- Players can now edit System Logs. Although this is currently only for certain quests, the underlying functionality will allow for this to be expanded in the future.
- Financials Node has been upgraded. Accounts are now locked, and must be cracked open. Once open, players can now see an account balance and transfer money out of the account. For now this is only related to some quests, however the underlying functionality will allow for this to be expanded in the future... such as letting the player transfer money to their own accounts.
- The functionality has been added, allowing NPCs to join you in Systems. It was tricky getting the AI navigation working in the randomly generated Systems (especially the grav-lift), but now it's working like a dream.
- Passbreaker can now be done with the keypad on your keyboard. Let me tell you, this upgrade is a lot more amazing that it sounds. Typing in numbers directly instead of clicking buttons, using the backspace to clear the entry, and using the enter key to submit your guess. So simple, but so much better.
- As you may have guessed, not only are there a few more quests to do, but the framework is completed for me to start working towards completing the main story.
- Many more misc. updates and bug fixes!
The timeline on this update is tricky, but I'm hoping to have it out soon! If it takes too much longer, I may have to leave a few items "not-finished", and complete them in a future update.
Sorry for the delay!
Happy Hacking,
~Southwind
Update 30: Improved Combat
Change Log
General Changes
- New Subroutine: NUKE. Deals 7.5x the damage of a same-rating Disruption subroutine, but costs significantly more Heat. Using a NUKE will lock the assigned slot from being used for 20 seconds. You can slot multiple NUKE programs.
- Defense subroutines now have an internal, and independant, cooldown of 25 seconds per use. They will now be used as a means of trying to defend against enemy NUKEs, opposed to spamming them for "basic" attacks. Due to the greater cooldown, a single Defensive program cannot be used effectively to suppress repeated NUKES. You can slot multiple Defense programs.
- The Overdrive subroutine now has a 10 second duration, and an internal 20 second cooldown.
- Adding a duplicate program into the action bar will now lockout the slot for 20 seconds to prevent abuse of the internal cooldowns.
- Switching a program with an internal cooldown to a new slot will lock-out the new slot for 20 seconds, and unlock the old slot (assuming a normal program is switched into it). If two programs with internal cooldowns are switched, both new slots will be locked for 20 seconds.
- Natural Hardening now grants IC Shell of (Hardening
- 2.5), with the Shell strength without the perk being (Hardening
- 2). This will only affect new players, so existing characters may have a more powerful version of Natural Hardening,
- Updated several icons.
- Overwatch difficulty has been increased, and is based off an average of your Hardening, Response, and Masking. It does not factor in your Processor, skills or your programs. This creates a dynamic where you are able to "out-power" the difficulty of a run by increasing stats it doesn't factor in, and level up the run difficulty by increasing the stats it does factor in.
- Radically increased HEAT SINK power from (rating*1) to (rating*4). Firewalls generate (rating*2) heat. The HEAT SINK is supposed to nullify the danger of the Firewall temporarily, and give them some time to make some head-way against the IC, not always falling behind.
- Reworked MISDIRECTION subroutine. It will no longer add a delay to the trace equal to (2seconds + program_rating/2). Instead the delay is calculated at (program_rating / IC_rating)
- 4seconds). This allows Misdirection scale into the higher levels.
- Updated the Knowledge Base with relevant changes.
Combat Changes
- Reduced the Code Shell strength of the Player and all IC by ~50%.
- Reduced the Matrix Cohesion of the Player and all IC by ~33%.
- Code Shells now regenerate to full strength, 5 seconds after being breached.
- SHUNT now prevents natural Code Shell regeneration for as long as it's active.
- Viruses will continue to affect IC even after their Code Shell regenerates.
IC Changes
- New IC subroutines: NUKE 1 and NUKE 2. Each deals 7.5x Disruption damage, and has a 20 second cooldown. NUKE 2 is on a seperate cooldown from NUKE 1, allowing certain IC to run two NUKEs back-to-back.
- IC with Deflect will no longer use to prevent your basic Disruption attacks, but will instead hold them in reserve to stop incoming NUKEs.
- BURN Subroutine now functions similar to a Virus. The IC needs to breach your shell to activate, but the DoT will remain even after your Code Shell regenerates.
- Rework Repulsion Field IC. Removed the Repair Subroutine (which was broken anyway), drastically reduced it's Matrix Cohesion, and drastically increased it's Code Shell.
- Guardian MK2 no longer has DEFLECT, but now has NUKE 1.
- Guardian MK3 now has NUKE 1.
- Firewall no longer has BURN subroutine.
Bug Fixes
- Fixed an Overwatch bug that was defaulting the starting "team wait time" to 1 second for the first step. It now starts at 120 seconds, and gets 10 seconds less per step. This means you have less-and-less time to perform the tasks.
- Fixed an Overwatch bug that was penalizing the player far greater than it should have for incomplete tasks.
- Fixed a possible exploit in Oracle where the %chance of success wasn't resetting after compiling. This would allow player to spend bits once, and "use" them multiple times by compiling repeatedly.
- Fixed several subroutines that displayed a blank image in the que.
- Fixed a bug where your running company costs and income weren't being saved/loaded between levels.
- Fixed an issue with Overwatch, where if you were in the target System before 11, and logged out after 11, you would be flagged as "dumped" and the run would end (even though the run never actually started). Note: the run won't begin unless you log-into the system between 11pm and 12am. Sitting in the system until the clock strikes 11 will not trigger the run to begin.
- Removed several debugging strings that would appear when transitioning levels.
Quick Fix
- Fixed a bug where the player was still flagged as "employed" after the run completion.
- Added a fix for characters that pre-dates the Perk update that should populate their Perk list.
- Updated the Overwatch tutorial to include the Kill the Lights task.
- Updated the OVerwatch tutorial to mentions that Prep-Work has to be returned to Spook in Haven.
- Tweaked Spook's dialogue to be more clear regarding what needs to be done with Prep-Work.
Quick Fix
- Fixed a bug where contract info was being blanked for Ravencore employees.
- Re-balanced program grinding to be based off of your processor bank, and capped by your programming skill. This puts more value on upgrading your Processor Bank.
Patch #29 is Live!
- Fixed a bug causing you to gain 1500 Neural Stress instead of 15 when jacking out via the System Access.
- Added a one-shot fix that will cause anyone with Neural Stress higher than 500%, to get their Neural Stress set to 50%. This is will help anyone afflicted with the above issue.
- Fixed a bug where the Run's target system wasn't loading.
Update 28: Overwatch
Your duties as the resident hacker including performing Legwork to dig up info before the run, and Prep-Work to soften up the target. Once the runs begins, you will need to enter the system and begin Overwatch. While in Overwatch you will dynamically assist the team with any obstacles they face. The team stuck at a locked door? Hack the MagLock Control node, and open up the door for them. The team spotted by the enemy? Hack the Electrical Control node and kill the lights. The team will switch to low-light and thermals, giving them an advantage in combat.
Runs are available every 7 days (give or take how badly the team was injured in the last run), and pay significantly better than normal contracts. However you don't get a second chance at a run. The system kicks you out, and the team has to fumble through without you. Runs also have a lot more work involved, often encompassing 5-6 actual runs, and can take upwards to half an hour from start-to-finish.
Change Log
- OVERWATCH.
- Logging out from the System Access will allow players to travel back to the Net, or Jack Out. You will still suffer 15% Neural Stress, which won't affect you until the next time you attempt a log-in. Note: you will need to first exit the System Access and re-enter for it to register you are within it.
- Added a "Dismiss" button to your employee's profile so you can trim the fat if you need to. Fired employees, or employees who quit and added back to the pool of hackers you can hire, at the end of the list.
- The end of combat no longer closes all windows, only the Analyze window.
- Company Job Info Display now properly displays the Net Pay.
- Fixed a bug when upgrading your Processor that caused an extra slot to appear temporarily.
- Programs now sell for 50% less.
- Fixed a bug with the "Ravencore Processor" variable not saving properly between levels. This caused the value to revert to default, regardless of rank. If this is currently affecting you, the changes won't take place until your rank changes.
- Added an extra condition to the Program Fire function that prevents programs from firing when you're not actually in the Net.
- Fixed a bug with employee post-mission statements, where there would be an extra statement about training being successful..
- Fixed a bug with employee names sometimes not being displayed properly.
- Fixed an issue where contracts wouldn't refresh if assigned to an employee.
- Removed a check that could prevent Guardian Mk2 and Mk3 from being destroyed if they were in the middle of an animation when their cohesion was reduced to 0.
- IC is no longer affected by gravity. Normally this won't make much difference, however in those instances where the IC spawns slightly off of the path, they will still be visible instead of falling to the bottom of the level.
- Fixed an issue where the meet with Gunter was still set up if you started your company via email. This allowed you to go talk to him again, and pay him once again, and reset the clock until the company is formed.
- Changed to delay on the confirmation email from Gunter to 6 hours, down from 24. It is still 24 hours if you pay him when you first meet.
- Increased the size of the Contract List, and Contract Information (Company) windows.
Let me know if you find any bugs and I'll try and fix them up right away! And if you feel like throwing some extra support my way, do me a solid leave a review! Still need a few more to get that aggregated score!
Happy Hacking!
Patch #27 is Live!
- Added a Scroll box to the job info window so work with the bigger descriptions.
- Reworked the logic for removing hallways in generated systems. Should resolve the issue of the wrong hallways disappearing sometimes.
- Fixed an error in the employee salary mechanic. It's now properly charging the right salary.
- Fixed a glitch that was causing employee ratings to increase exponentially everytime their profile was opened. I had to reset all the employee ratings back to their default of 5 to correct the issue this caused. Sorry for the inconvenience (looking at you topkek).
- Removed a check that would stop an IC actor from being destroyed if it was in a certain temporary state when the kill command was issued. Hopefully this resolves the rare occurrence of IC not disappearing when being defeated.