Comrades, today we have a treat for you. Fire up your terminals, I am Seth and this is your Development Diary for November 18.
Saving the System
The Strategy Mill team is interested in player feedback, and the community has motivated a lot of the work that has gone into Terminal Conflict since release. Presented last week as an update feature, hosted multiplayer (non-ranked) games can now be freely saved and resumed, on PC, Mac and Linux, regardless and independent of platforms.
A much requested feature, we felt the ability to save during a multiplayer match would add flexibility and even showcased it during last week’s Terminal Thursday. Make sure to check it out here:
[previewyoutube="rNuzncEiS-A;full"]
Modding
As in any worthy strategy game, the modding system in Terminal Conflict allows you to do so much more. One of our testers created the Korean War decision chain and then implemented it into the full game. You can create new focuses, leaders, leader abilities, or why not edit decisions or change most values in the game? It truly is an all-encompassing mod system that we are continually expanding upon. Give us your feedback on what tools you would like implemented in the future.
To work on your own mod, launch into the Mod Editor from the main menu and copy the base game data. This creates a fresh copy of the current version of the game in it’s base form. Once you have done that, you can load and edit that data as you wish.
Diving in by editing, a menu will be made available for you to access all the different areas of the game, even including new images and sounds.
Want to add your favorite Dune themed cold war characters? It certainly could be done… Duke Leto and the battle pug await!
Why not tell your own history, or the experiences of your parents or grand parents? Talking of which, the streamer team known as The Mug Club, comprising the brilliant husband and wife team, Nordicmonkey and Hazzieandsof, shared some of their personal Cold War stories during an absolute of a blast of a co-op stream of Terminal Conflict. Playing as the US and a thriller from the start, what was on everyone’s lips was, would they survive for victory and would the Space Race finally be completed?
For those that are wondering, pencil in Tuesday Nov 23rd at noon PST for their Soviet play-through.
I am really excited about our upcoming community announcement where I talk about Cold War Turkey (not the country). You seriously don’t want to miss this one. Autumn Steam Sale, Thanksgiving Announcement and so much more coming up. On that note and as ever, stay safe and try not to cause tons of radioactive fallout before we meet again.
Fixed Wargames showing wrong list when clicking on Host > Launch Mod > New Game
FOCUS
Renamed The Latin American Reds to Ñancahuazú Guerrilla to better clarify the historical connection
Removed an incorrect condition from The Return of the King that would falsely state that the player failed the Focus
Updated the filters for The Return of the King to declare PEACE in Greece if the US gain at least 3 Influence in the region
POLICIES
Replaced COMECON policies with three new COMECON policies with the following effect: Gain 3 USSR INFLUENCE in a WESTERN EUROPEAN/EASTERN EUROPEAN/SUB-SAHARAN AFRICAN region with USSR PRESENCE.
NEW COMECON WEST Triggers: 1) At least 1 region in WESTERN EUROPE with presence AND 2) USSR GOVERNMENT at least 5
NEW COMECON EAST Triggers: 1) At least 1 region in EASTERN EUROPE with presence AND 2) GOVERNMENT at least 5 OR 3) ELITES at least 5 AND Supreme Commander DLC active
NEW COMECON AFRICA: 1) At least 1 region in SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA with presence AND 2) USSR GOVERNMENT at least 5
Updated Wargames with the latest Policy implementation
DECISIONS
Fixed an issue where Unexpected Difficulties for the USSR would incorrectly cause an exception for missing imagery
Fixed a typo in the USSR A Clean Bill of Health
Updated the Soviet Decision The Tools of War with an improved second options to distribute the weapons
ENCYCLOPEDIA
Updated text for Logistics Planning to contain information about Surface Fleets' convoying ability
UI
Added an explanation to focus selection clarifying that each round of selection by your faction reduces remaining focuses by 3
Uploaded a new screen for Save game Draw
Savegame header UI display
Fixed an issue where the wrong text padding was added to titles screens
Fixed space race researched incorrect opponent faction icon color
Trick Or Treat and your Apocalypse Terminal
Hello commanders!
Welcome to your Coldwartober briefing! Today we are hunkered down in the war room preparing for the Steam Halloweens sale which starts today and we will be there with some sweet discounts on the base game and all the DLC, now is a great time to pick it up for a -30% discount. Get your friends a copy so you can play them. You only need 1 copy of the DLC if you do this!
Having grown up as a teenager in the early 80s, the threat of nuclear annihilation was a constant fear in the background of everyone’s mind. I can only imagine what it was like in the 60s with our children doing duck and cover exercises in school. We lived in 4 decades of a constant fear in the back of our heads that any spark in the geopolitical situation could erupt in the world's extinction 8 times over. It was pervasive in the culture; it was everywhere in the news.
Photo by Strahil Dimitrov/Getty Images
The entire team hopes that you get some outstanding treats for you and your families. Then you can sit down and throw some eggs at the trick or traitors (misspellings don’t happen here in the war room).
New Apocalypse Themed Terminal
Facing the Apocalypse? Do so with our themed terminal! Make use of the cypher and decrypt the Halloween Falcon punch code: WULFNRUWZMIBKIVLS. MIRVIN can help you with the rest, be sure to catch the decryption school from today’s live stream for further clues.
A smarter AI
In today’s patch, the AI has received some nice fixes and updates. For one, there has been a rebalancing on when and how the AI evaluates launching its nukes. Paying to a larger extent attention to threats, such as a faction being close to completing the Space Race but being weak in nuclear capacity. Or taking to a larger sense advantage and not backing down when having superior forces. Fortune favors the bold and the AI has just become a lot bolder.
We also updates its focus selection making it more fair and balanced after feedback from the community. We thank you all for the feedback!
The Terminal Conflict Community
There has been some flurry of recent activity of reviews, playthroughs, tutorials for this scariest month of the year:
Reaching for the hall of fame? No indie game is complete without a Beta Tested review! Full analysis and in depth testing on a level everyone should aspire for. We loved your attention to the finer details!
MartinQ took a 6 hour dive through the tutorial and the big picture with our lead designer Gellert, and me in the chat cheering him on and answering his questions. The stream was interesting, as a lot of his talk was being analytical about games, history, and design. Ever wished for spying dolphins? Then you want to check this stream out and perhaps pick up the EYES ONLY DLC.
Speaking of DLC
Ever wondered what the difference is between the bundle and DLC packs and how to get what you are looking for? I got you covered! I have written up an award-winning explanation (no, seriously, someone gave it a Steam Award!). Check out this thread in the discussions.
This has been a fun time, and I hope you enjoy your Halloween. Let me know if you solve the cypher and feel free to show off your new Apocalyptic terminal.
Mighty Cheers and Happy Halloween! Please, try not to extinguish life on the planet as we know it. Seth
I) New Soviet Military interests system II) Policies are getting rolled out with each new patch.
CHANGELOG
AI
Re-balanced the AI's focus selection - AI will now be more balanced when selecting focuses
Increased the AI's nuclear options to be more likely under conventional circumstances - the calculations for nuclear war has been extensively updated
Will to a higher extent calculate the ability of their opponent to complete the Space Race when selecting a nuclear option
Adjusted the impact for decision making based on the units the AI discovered and their potential range
GAME
Fixed various smaller bugs
UI
Now nuclear estimation screen displays and takes into account your own delivery units, their ranges and their locations
Fixed an issue where the Archive was incorrectly showing
Added a text to display where you can update the Seasonal Terminal
SEASONAL
Added a Halloween Treat - Trick Or Treat Apocalypse Terminal
OTHERS
Fixed some typos
The Soviet Elites and Tabletop Fest
Sir, we have something urgent to discuss… the elites seem to be upset at your latest decision and have been applying political pressure in other areas, forcing us to counteract their moves and spend resources we need elsewhere. We have seen an increase in security events around your last meeting…
Welcome to today’s Dev Diary. it’s Seth here and I hope you are having an excellent October. We have a great one today, as I hinted in the last diary, we are going to talk about the changes to the Soviet Elites and the mismanagement system. After we have something fun to talk about.
Interests Management
In Terminal Conflict, you are constantly using your interests, the social groups within your nation. These resources: Finance, People, Elites, Military, and Government are your currency to pay for events, focuses, and influence and will rise and fall as you spend them or as effects of different actions. Too many (10) or too few (0) and you enter mismanagement.
The role of Elites
In the game's context, we would use Elites for intelligence missions and alignment changes. Abstracting communist collaborators in Washington, they obviously were up to some no-good spying. Selecting elite based focuses will help your intelligence game.
They also garnered sympathy and the humanization of the enemy, so there would be some shift in the opposing population's thinking. A feeling of empathy that reveals failed enemy missions and gains us advantages.
Soviet Elite Mismanagement
In today’s change, you can lose the game if you enter mismanagement now on all 5 of the domestic interest groups. Each round the chances get worse until the 3rd where there is a 50% chance to loose the game. How unfortunate that would be, but if you stay in power through that 3rd round, the cycle will reset.
We have also made it easier to see where you are in the chain and what the chances are of an unfortunate, totally accidental, unplanned and very sad outcome.
A balancing act will, of course, have to be considered. Sometimes, you cannot take the actions you want, in others, you may not want to. Each turn, you are in mismanagement, another worsening event fires. The challenges of life as a leader.
Hopefully, you will weather the storm and re-balance your resources. Should you survive, remember that this can also be used in moderation in times of need. Just be careful not to take it too far.
Tabletop Fest
The Steam tabletop fest starts today and Terminal Conflict is there with a nice 30% discount. Tell your friends, foes or complete strangers!
Let me start off with my favorite board and computer wargame, The Rise and Fall Of The 3rd Reich, Harpoon, and Command Modern Operations. I also enjoy things like COIN games such as Fire in the Lake, Labyrinth The War On Terror, and Twilight Struggle.
Gellert, the man behind Terminal Conflict and Strategy Mill, of course, listed Terminal Conflict but also Twilight Struggle, Balance of Power, DEFCON, and Papers Please in the Cold War time period.
In fact, we talked with the community about what their favorite tabletop games were:
A few of our members consider Cataclysm: A Second World War a masterpiece and Pandemic Legacy got some praise. Rebel Inc. and Dominions 5 made the lists as winners. Let’s not forget about Field Of Glory 2 and Field Of Glory Empires. Someone even brought up This War Of Mine which is certainly a masterpiece of a game.
I hope you can find some awesome deals on the tabletop games during the sales. I have a bit of a list to fill. Look me up on @TheStrategyInf1 on Twitter for my picks or chime in below and let us know which games you love. Should you prefer, join the discord to find some like-minded players.
No time to waste! I bid you a fantastic tabletop sale and keep those Elites in line!
I) New Soviet Military interests system II) Policies are getting rolled out with each new patch.
CHANGELOG
AI
Improved the calculation when assessing nuclear targets
GAME
Fixed an issue where the resources lacked would be incorrectly displayed as "need" instead in buttons
Fixed an issue where Intelligence and Theater statistics were not correctly displayed at the start of "The Big Picture" grand campaign
Fixed an issue that would cause the Editor to display an error
Fixed an issue where highlighting for policies was not working as intended
DECISIONS
Updated the entire decision chain for USSR Elites Mismanagement
Faces on the Water, White Swans, The Storm, The Clouds and The Sun, now all exchange Elites for Victory Point
The Magician and the Blue Flower have had their options revised and rewards updated to a trade off between 4 Elites or 2 Soviet Influence in Eastern Europe and 1 Victory Point.
The Magician and the Blue Flower both now correctly state that they carry a 50% Risk of Defeat.
Updated the Balance of Power Head to Head game to reflect the new USSR Elites Mismanagement chain
Fixed an issue where the Fourth Estate decision was shown incorrectly
Updated an issue where description of the Phantom Limbs decision was too long
ENCYCLOPEDIA
Fixed Regions and Theaters
UI
Fixed an issue that was causing the decision and narrative decision texts to be incorrectly displayed
Added various tool tips for the editor
EDITOR
Added the ability to set a mod type in the editor
OTHERS
Fixed various smaller bugs reported by the community
Fixed an issue where the Editor would show an incorrect value when editing a mod
Patch notes Version AN/GSQ-235(V)984
CHANGELOG
GAME
Updated the setup of wargames to better reflect the Scenario types
Improved the UI for Tutorial and Scenario selection
Added tool-tip in the Editor for Game type
Updated the Game Modes to be I) Head to Head, II) Tutorial, III) Scenario
Fixed the text for military units to be correctly shown
Fixed an issue where the coloring of Soviet mods would be incorrectly colored blue
Updated the tool-tip for Game Types to reflect the types available
Updated the Game Type for the Editor to show game type
Implemented the updated Elites Decisions into Balance of Power
OTHERS
Fixed various typos
New Player Experience
Hello Cold War strategist! As the game is growing and reaching a lot of new players, today we are launching a much-anticipated update of the in-game Encyclopedia. Join me, Seth, as you boot up game version AN/GSQ-235(V)982.
The New Encyclopedia
Like any grand strategy game, Terminal Conflict is a dense game with lots of information to remember. One of the most requested feature is by new players to decrease their learning curve. Over the last year, we have worked towards improving the new player's experience. Our goal has been to update the tutorial methodology, uncluttering the display of information, and our latest change. Let me present to you our improved encyclopedia system!
The system is a drill-down group of menus accessed by the Information icon at the top right of the screen. It’s organized to give you the information on your finger; I mean mouse tips. Here you can find details of all the different aspects of the game broken down by updated categories and items.
Let's look at getting to one of my favorite entries, Nuclear Weapons. You choose the option “Developing Technologies and Research” it's the one with the cute beaker icon. Then drill down to “Nuclear Weapons” and you will see all the options for items in your terminal associated with nukes.
All the entries with a > bracket before them are categories, while all the items with a dot before them are individual information pages. Selecting “Launching The Apocalypse”, you will see how to do it and the effects it will have. Perfect for us that are MAD about nukes!
We’ve put all the topics into the new encyclopedia to help you out when you get started or when you just need a reference. Simply remember to click the info :info: button to get to it at any time.
YouTube Beginners Guide
Speaking of getting started. Check out our beginner’s guide to the game. This is a great resource if you’re interested in how to get a good start and or want a friend to check out the game. It will help you get up to speed on the inside scoop on how to play from the designers.
[previewyoutube="xNEAq8SlKf8;full"]
For those more advanced, catch up on Terminal Thursday’s Multiplayer challenge Videos on the same channel, another way to learn some great strategies for Cold War world domination.
One More Thing
I wanted to let you in on a secret. We have revamped the Soviet elite system to be better in line with the changes that we made to the US system. I promise details about that in the next diary. Intel might stop by with some tips on how to make the most of these changes.
Of course, we love hearing from you. Let us know in the comments, the Discord, or even on Twitter how you feel about the changes. Do you feel we left something out of the Encyclopedia or something that needs more clarity in explaining, voice your opinion on what you would like to see. We would be glad to consider it.
Until we meet again! Seth signing off. *********************************************************
Upcoming Development
I) New Soviet Elites interests system II) Development continues for Contras in Latin America. III) Policies are getting rolled out with each new patch.
CHANGELOG
GAME
Updated game engine to Unity version 2020.3.10.0f
Updated Visual Studio package to version 2.0.11
Updated the sprite sheet to reflect the sprites
Fixed issue with text mesh pro sprites were not being masked outside of a view area scroll view
Fixed an issue where the MAC iOS version was incorrectly giving an error
Fixed an issue where highlighting for policies was not working as intended
Fixed an issue where if you have 0 People Interests you cannot move units into focus theaters
Fixed an issue where the US grand campaign could sometimes result in the tutorial being soft locked
COMBAT
Fixed a bug that would occur when doing a Carrier Strike against a Reorganizing unit that incorrectly displayed the unit being lost instead of being set to withdraw.
SAVE GAMES
Fixed an issue where a wargame with a SelectedFocus set in WargamesMode.json triggered an exception when saving and reloading during any non-initial focus selection on the first timeline.
Fixed an issue where loading a savegame in focus selection state incorrectly selected the world overview menu instead of the focus management menu.
FOCUS
Fixed an issue where Oil Concession was missing IRAQ from the setup
Updated the triggers for Oil Concessions
Fixed an issue where the Berlin Blockade would not correctly deduct Finance from the United States
The Treaty of Lagos now grants 2 US influence in each of MAURITANIAN-SENEGALESE ZONE, MALIAN-NIGERIAN ZONE, WEST AFRICAN COAST ZONE and NIGERIA if the US has presence there instead of 1.
The Treaty of Lagos now activates the Sub-Saharan Scramble policy for the USA
FNLA Movement now grants 2 Elites to the US instead of 1.
Mining Concessions now grant 4 influence in Sub-Saharan Africa instead of 2.
An African Base now grants US military unit deployment for 0 Finance instead of 1 until the end of the focus.
POLICIES
Each factions five expansionist policies are limited to be implemented once per turn.
Fixed an issue where Nationalization of Wealth was not working as designed
PoliciesMenuPolicyImg object naming follows the policy name
Cultivate Relations and The Ascending Titan no longer ends the turn for the Soviet union when enacted
Managing Domestic Interests to Enact Policies sub-menu added
USA Sub-Saharan Africa:
NEW SUB-SAHARAN SCRAMBLE: Spend 3 VP. Gain 6 US INFLUENCE in Sub-Saharan Africa.
NEW AMERICAN CULTURALIZATION: Reduce US MILITARY ALIGNMENT by 1 to gain 8 VP.
DECISIONS
Updated Wirtschaftswunder decision chain and updated documentation for the same
Updated the Wirtschaftswunder for Balance of Power
Fixed an issue where some of the text in The Big Picture was corrupted
Fixed an issue that was causing the decision and narrative decision texts to be incorrectly displayed
Added Molotov's decision chains to Balance of Power scenario
Decision 31071 typo in image path fix
Updated Domestic mismanagement warning to clarify the issue for the China Card scenario
Renamed the German-Polish Border Deliberation to the German-Polish Border Wrangle and updated the text to clarify the role of the USSR
Soviet decision Concessions now grants 1 GOVERNMENT when triggered
Fixed an issue where Soviet Finance & Elites Mismanagement would in some instances not trigger properly
ENCYCLOPEDIA
NEW Implemented Initial Encyclopedia menu
NEW Updated the Encyclopedia with new icons
NEW Added a new Back button navigation system
Added two new requested entries for Factions and Regions
Implemented The Basics of the Gameplay
Updated some encyclopedia entries to reflect changes in the design document
Readjusted the Welcome Back greeting text
Fixed an issue where the Submarine Fleet menu would not launch correctly
Fixed capitalization not being standardized in the encyclopedia
Updated the state machine for MIRVIN Encyclopedia
Unified the subject titles
MAP
Fixed an issue where Land units in the Urals would be positioned incorrectly in the region
Fixed an issue where the Global Map button would not be available when entering the menu
ACHIEVEMENTS
Fixed an issue where completing the Space Race would not correctly triggers the Steam achievement.
Fixed an issue where Hail to the Chief would in some instaced not be correctly awarded
UI
Updated Text integrated Sprites with new sprites and compressed the sprite-sheet for better optimization on older machines
Sprite sheet character table glyph references fix
Fixed an issue where the Submarine Fleet Sprite would not be correctly shown
Fixed an issue where Intelligence Sprites would be shown incorrectly
CRT effect preset fix
Fixed an issue where the CRT effect would be shown incorrectly
Fixed an issue where sprites in the editor would be shown incorrectly
UILineRenderer fix
Updated the reflection animation
Fixed an issue where returning units to the Command Reserve was showing the wrong font type
Fixed a bug where the Sprite for Espionage and Infiltration was incorrectly switched in some instances
OTHERS
Fixed various typos
Meet Seth
You may have noticed a unique style in the last development diary. Maybe you have even seen some new brilliant tweets. Indeed, a new person has joined our PR and community engagement team. Meet our new veteran strategist, Seth!
Some of you may know me through my other project: The Strategy Informer, where I review and promote the discovery of strategy and strategy adjacent games. As an indie game industry veteran, I plan to work with the engagement and reach of Terminal Conflict.
Games are my passion. I remember being a 12-year-old boy, and my first board-game, Napoleon at Waterloo. Later I got to experience my first strategy computer game, Gary Grigsby’s Guadalcanal, on the Apple II. Who knew the impact it would have on my life? The early RPG Ultima was another major influence when I found the opportunity to work for Origin Systems / Electronic Arts on Ultima Online. Over the years, I have worked on board games, AAA titles, indie games, some through my own game company and I can’t wait to get started.
Look me up and send me a message as I got the keys to the Terminal Twitter account. Likewise, I plan to increase engagement in other areas, like the game steam forums. Keep a lookout for upcoming development diaries and the continued development of Terminal Conflict. Also, if anyone is interested in streaming or YouTube, I would be happy to tweet about it and get the word out.
Discord or the Strategy Mill Twitter account are the best way to reach me, so ask me pretty much anything. For those that prefer, the Steam forum is another place to get in touch with me. To get updated, if you have not yet followed the Strategy Mill Twitter, this is a great time to do so!
So until the next diary where I dive into the game, this is Seth signing off with a Ronald Reagan quote...
“Here's my strategy on the Cold War: We win, they lose.” -Ronald Reagan
West German Wirtschaftswunder
There is no choice between being a communist on 1500 calories a day or a believer in democracy on 1000. -General Lucius Clay
Welcome to the Miracle on the Rhine, the “Wirstschaftswunder”. Today we present a series of US financial decisions in the West German region. Battle the specter of Communism by gaining the hearts and minds of the German people.
Poverty brought on by the war is pushing more and more Germans towards Communist ideals, a fear described by the US Morgenthau Plan. American post-war policy towards Germany centers on demilitarization and de-Nazification. The emergence of the Cold War, therefore, makes the economic might of Germany pivotal against the USSR.
Some fear that revitalizing the German economy risks emboldening fascist and Nazi ideology. The pre-Cold War Potsdam Conference between the East and the West attempted to create an environment to minimize this from happening.
A Path Forward Out of Darkness
Wirtschaftswunder focus will gain you some finance and match Soviet influence in the East German-Baltic Zone (Eastern European Theater). Make sure this is beneficial to your plans. Remember that this cuts both ways.
Triggering the German Predicament provides finance at the cost of elites. Expect reform or push towards a solution closer to that of the Morgenthau Plan of de-Nazification. The third choice to claim reparations bypasses progressive action. Not revitalizing the German economy gains you influence with the elites.
Pushing Forward
The Government Aid and Relief in Occupied Areas (GARIOA) plan is a stop-gap method to prevent starvation and famine. American taxpayers footed the bill that lights the hope of a new beginning in West Germany.
U.S. Secretary of State James F. Byrnes promises a return to self-governance. Solidifying the new borders east of the Oder-Neisse line, which the Soviets promised to Poland. The Cold War fuels this progressive policy to put pressure directly on the new rulers in Europe.
Will the Soviets allow these changes at their front door?
I) Grand Campaign phase 3 is in development. II) Development continues for Contras in Latin America. III) Policies are getting rolled out with each new patch.
CHANGELOG
MAC
Fixed an issue where the latest OSX version was incorrectly giving an error
Fixed an issue where the game would sometimes not start properly in the latest version of OSX
GAME
Updated the game engine to a new generation
Fixed an issue that would cause a cheat with AIR units allowing them to attack invalid targets in some instances
Updated the notification for invalid AIR targets
Updated the setup of Wargames to easily assign Encyclopedia help in WargamesMode.json
Updated the SCN setup to untie them from their ID
Fixed an issue where the Decisions and Narrative Decisions icons in the editor were not properly shown
FOCUS
Updated the triggers for Oil Concessions
Fixed an issue where Oil Concession was missing IRAQ from the setup
POLICIES
Fixed an issue where Nationalization of Wealth was not working as designed
Coordinated policies with Balance of Power to match the grand campaign
Warsaw Pact now properly sets Soviet influence in the Aleutian Islands to 5 if controlled by the USSR
Added the choice of a more thorough tutorial for LAND COMBAT
Fixed an issue in THE BIG PICTURE where the tutorial for Policies would fire too early
Remove mention of non-existing policy
Fixed a linking issue with the animator in THE BIG PICTURE
DECISIONS
Clarified further US positions regarding West Germany for the Wirtschaftswunder
Removed War Zone declaration by Option 2 in The Speech of Hope. Instead it provides +1 Government.
Added Molotov's decision chains to Balance of Power scenario
Updated the Wirtschaftswunder for Balance of Power
UI
Fixed an issue where sprites in the editor would be shown incorrectly
Fixed issue with Text Mesh Pro sprites not being masked outside of a view area scroll view.
Fixed an issue where the Submarine Fleet Sprite would not be correctly shown
Updated the sprite sheet to the standard
Updated Text integrated Sprites
Updated the UI reflection effect to better harmonize with the game
Fixed an issue where the CRT effect would be shown incorrectly
Fixed an issue that was causing the decision and narrative decision texts to be incorrectly displayed
Updated the Excel files for decision text fix
Fixed an issue where some of the text in The Big Picture was corrupted
Fixed an issue where returning units to the Command Reserve was showing the wrong font type
Fixed an issue where Intelligence Sprites would be shown incorrectly
Research Decisions - Tank Weapons Programs
Guns and tanks and planes are nothing unless there is a solid spirit, a solid heart, and great productiveness behind it. - Dwight D. Eisenhower.
A deeper modernization is underway as we complete the new set of weapons program decisions. A warm welcome to this week’s development diary!
Research and Development
Unlike the Space Race and Nuclear Technology that is at your direct control, the military establishments does the conventional weapons development. They will recommend when needed, an overhaul of the tank models, represented by weapon focuses in your terminal, and grant you 1 alignment for selecting it. The aim with each program is to reach 100% completion and during the research time suspends procurement of Army Command.
In the US Tank Program Report decision you can track progress for each model. It even allows you to cancel the design should you need to.
For each tank design that completes its research, a new tank model successfully enters service at the end of the focus. More crucially for you and your administration, it grants you Victory Points and a Steam Achievement.
Research Breakthroughs
Naturally, along the development cycle of anything new, there is always the chance that you discover something magnificent, like an experimental power-train, turret, and many more.
These can upgrade your current design ending your turn or you can save them to provide 10% for a future tank design. Upgrading the design means getting an improved chance of a well-working model but sticking to the current design means your chances are the best for making it in time.
Trouble down the barrel
Just as the Soviet projects, with a lot of eyes and ears, and potentially loose lips, will have your opponent trying to benefit from or sabotage your development. Preventing you from reaching 100% completion on your weapons program and forcing you to opt for a future model, that hope for them might never come.
As the enemy’s agents are at work, they have three crucial choices.
Should your enemy get hold of your blueprint, they will get up to 25% ahead of the competition at the end of the focus. All blueprint progress capture by an opponent converts into research for THEIR future tank weapon model.
Keep safe and will you have what it takes to victory laps for your new tank models? We hope you enjoy it!
I) Grand Campaign phase 2 is in development II) Development continues for Contras in Latin America. III) Policies are getting rolled out with each new patch.
CHANGELOG
GAME
Updated notification for focus selection DELAY to better reflect the bonuses and costs involved
Updated WARGAMES to the current version
Units In Command Reserve trigger type added
Added Remaining Turns Argument Type
Fixed an issue where sometimes you could receive an error for dividing by zero
Fixed an issue where MIRVIN would say an incorrect dialogue
FOCUS
Updated Tank Weapons Programs with Intel component for the opponent - each focus now grants opponent +15% success chance for Espionage until the end of the focus
Fixed an error that would occur when selecting a focus while the opponent ends a turn
Fixed an issue where Mexican Priistas was not awarding the correct amount of USSR influence when triggered
Added updates to the Weapons Program to the Big Picture
Intel success bonus was incorrectly hidden for weapons program focuses
Fixed an issue where the Espionage bonus would be shown incorrectly for focuses adding intelligence success chance
Fixed an issue where The Fate of West Berlin incorrectly stated that the USSR must spend 2 government interests if the USSR controls West Berlin. It now correctly states that this cost is spent only if the USA controls West Berlin.
Fixed an issue where the LITEMPO, Spy Network would incorrectly grant influence instead at the start of the focus instead of at the end
Fixed an issue where Cultural Exchange would incorrectly provide 1 bonus influence in ALL theaters instead of on Any one theater
POLICIES
Take Timelines into account when showing policies
Updated COMINFORM to provide USSR influence to regions in WESTERN EUROPE with at least USSR PRESENCE
Fixed an issue where Socialist Fraternity description was colored incorrectly
Fixed an issue where Corporate Ventures was incorrectly reducing Finance Alignment instead of People Alignment
Pan-Arabism now requires NASSER to be recruited and have at least 1 POWER and USSR CONTROL in either EGYPT, LEVANTIAN ZONE or IRAQ to be enacted.
Pan-Arabism now grants 5 USSR influence to be placed instead of 4 and 2 VP instead of 1.
Pan-Arabism is active for enactment from Timeline 2 instead of 1.
Fixed an issue where Ideological Synpathisers would not provide the correct amount of Soviet influence
Glasnost now can be enacted regardless of which faction holds control or domination in the region.
Glasnost now correctly provides the USA with 6 people interests when enacted by the USSR.
The regime of Peace and Love(USSR) in South Asia now requires the USSR to have at least 5 influences in Indochina OR at least 10 influences in South Asia.
Fixed some minor typos in policy names
Updated the Break Passive Containment policy. It now reads "(Enact this policy if you suspect the USA is blocking your next policy. The sovereignty of the Soviet Union shall never be in dispute!)
Fixed an issue where Consumer of Last Resort had incorrect triggers set up
Fixed an issue where the Five Year Plan would incorrectly compare the financial interests with the USA instead of the USSR Elites
Fifth International will assign VP correctly corresponding to the number of Soviet-controlled regions
Fixed an issue where conditions, where one faction should have a higher interest than the opponent, was displayed incorrectly as a copy of a previous alignment condition
Updated USSR Policy NORTHERN NEIGHBORS: Gain 1 USSR INFLUENCE and 1 VP in North America for every 3 unlit DOOMSDAY.
Updated conditions for Policies Molotov Plan East and Molotov Plan West to be more easily attainable
DECISIONS
Fixed an issue where if Nasser lost power without getting recruited Pan-Arabism would not properly be deactivated
Added Nasser's Funeral decision that disables the Pan-Arabism policy when his Power is lower than 1
Fixed an issue that did not properly launch the Weapons Program Victory parade
Fixed an issue where the Soviet tank modernization would incorrectly provide advancement to the US tank program instead of the Soviet one
Standardization of Wirtschaftswunder description texts
Already existing decision imagery applied, where it made sense
Fixed an issue where the tank program would not properly launch the final decisions in the set
Update of documentation
Minor bug fix for decision 2406
Fixed some wording for American and Soviet Weapons Program
Fixed an issue where canceling a Weapons Program would incorrectly continue delivering scientific breakthroughs
Minor fixes in localization for CIA and KGB decisions
Tank Modernization decisions now are conditioned to a fixed unit amount that is to be lost due to modernization from the Command Reserve
Added US Tank Program Report and Soviet Tank Program reports
Added USA and USSR decisions for tank modernization
Removed an incorrect need for a region control to gain the Weapons Program
Adjusted Decision Priorities
Canceling a weapons program limits production choices to be made to the Armed Services Committee
You can now attempt to gain the full Enemy blueprint with a small chance of success
Fixed a minor typo in the Greek Civil War Decision chain
Updated the description for The Percentage agreement to clarify the role of the British government regarding the greek king
Updated the description of Brotherhood and Unity to fix an issue where it was not pointing to TITO being available in the ALLIES menu after triggering
Updated the description of Tito's Ambition to clarify that Yugoslavia is launching military action in Greece
Updated the description of Successful KKE Operation to emphasize that the Greek king is defeated and fix an issue where the text would incorrectly overflow
Updated The Big Short decision
Fixed a typo in USSR decision Flashes in the Night
STEAM ACHIEVEMENTS
Added achievements for US TANK PROGRAM: M48 Patton, M60 Patton, M551 Sheridan, M1 Abrams, M8 AGS
Added achievements for SOVIET TANK PROGRAM: T-54/T-55, T-62, T-72, T-80, T-90
ENCYCLOPEDIA
Fixed a typo for Leaders in the encyclopedia
Fixed an issue where selecting to review information about the Command Reserve in the Encyclopedia would not function properly.
CONSOLE
Added console commands - Press ~ to access console or press the console button in the debug menu (available only when run from the in-game editor)
Console command allows Get Flag Value(string) command added
NOTIFICATIONS
Fixed an issue where Delaying focus selection would not properly display that action
Units In Command Reserve notification fix
Fixed an issue where Army Commands in effects were displayed incorrectly
Updated tooltip for Pursued Policies
Updated tooltips for Characs not available to be favored
Updated a tooltip for a full display
EDITOR
Fixed a typo in the editor description for unit procurement
Decision Effect Is Hidden now applies to focuses as well
Standard checkbox size fix
UI
Updated US Dark coloring from #075375 to #075E85 for better color contrast on certain screen types
Added Console button image and fixed console debug button
Fixed an issue where the missile range was not properly displaying in km
Updated the tool-tips for nuclear research
Updated the clarification for researching missiles
Updated the order in which nuclear capabilities are shown for Ballistics Missile Research for a better overview
Fixed an issue where some of the text would incorrectly cut into the border of the tooltip
Finalized new options menu
AUDIO
Lowered the volume of the background ambiance
OTHERS
Fixed minor typos in various decisions
Policies - A goal in Pursuit
John Quincy Adams once said, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader”. With his words in mind, our engineers have created new tools for your terminal to allow you to do just that. Become a leader, and make better choices as today we talk about how you can aspire to pursue policies.
Before you enact
Is a policy not available to be enacted? This has never stopped you before, and it certainly won't in the future. With our patented solution and simple overview, you can now select to pursue and track a policy you are interested in.
With its conditions prominently displayed, you might see the need for your nation to implement such a policy and pursue it. Though pursuing does not add a particular bonus, it provides a tool for you to decide the course of your nation. Like a compass, it makes it easier to keep that course to do more and become more. Be relentless, fearless, and pursue the policies you want to achieve.
How to pursue
To pursue a policy, begin by selecting the policy button in the main menu.
Once there, select the desired policy you would like to pursue, where you do not already fulfill the conditions to enact it (displayed in a darker hue).
Select the policy you would like to pursue and press the PURSUE button.
Your terminal will notify you that you are now pursuing that policy. When you return to the theater view, notice that the conditions are displayed.
Should you wish to review the Focus effects, press the Focus button to alternate in between the two. We hope you will enjoy this feature and the other improvements in this update.
I) Weapons Program decision chain in final testing. II) Development continues for Contras in Latin America. III) Policies are getting rolled out with each new patch.
CHANGELOG
GAME
Finalized new options menu and added new options to toggle Fullscreen Window ON/OFF in Options Menu
Implemented an updated UI to the Options
FOCUSES
Updated Finno-Soviet Treaty that will now correctly deduct Government for US units deployed during its focus
Updated several focuses where you need to now attain at least Presence
Updated definition of many Focuses to make them easier to overview (Polynesian Movement, LITEMPO, Spy Network, Caribbean Legion, Mexican Priístas, The Return of the King, Western Reconstruction, Eastern Reconstruction, Island of Freedom, Berlin Airlift, The Fate of West Berlin, Soviet Armed Forces, Treaty of Zgorzelec, Berlin Blockade, American Aid, The voyage of Missouri, Turkish Straits Crisis, Oil Concessions, Mapam of Israel, Eastern Anatolian Claims, Free Officers Movement, Polisario Front, Mining Concessions, UNITA Forces, Treaty of Lagos, Sud-Afrikaanse Weermag, RENAMO Forces, Congo Crisis, Somali coup d'état, FRELIMO Movement, Sri Lankan Development, MAAG Vietnam, Cultural Exchange, Viet Minh, Saur Revolution, Taiwan Strait Crisis, Red Dragon Dance, Dengism, The Red Dragon Rising, Joint Declaration, ASEAN Declaration, Polynesian Movement)
POLICIES
NEW Implemented a Policy Pursuit system
Updated USSR Policy NORTHERN NEIGHBORS: Gain 1 USSR INFLUENCE and 1 VP in North America for every 3 unlit DOOMSDAY.
Fixed an issue where the Molotov Plans in Eastern and Western Europe would not deduct People interests correctly
Updated conditions for Policies Molotov Plan East and Molotov Plan West to be more easily attainable
Reverted policies not printing out overflow text
DECISIONS
Fixed a typo in USSR decision Flashes in the Night
INTELLIGENCE
Fixed an issue where US Intel Mission Operation Coldfeet had too low of a chance to succeed. Base chance increased from 35% to 65%.
Fixed an issue where Cold Feet would incorrectly not be available on the Aleutian Islands
EDITOR
Fixed ArgumentTypes UnitTypesInRegion and UnitTypesInTheater ignoring the Target
Now correctly supports #ICON and #NUCLEARICON icons in the description text fields when modding
OTHERS
Updated a tool-tips for full display
Fixed some issues in localization
Fixed a small typo i Leaders.json
Focus management focus text notification now implemented
Fixed a typo for updating the game variables in the game editor
Fixed an issue where Probopet text was incorrectly formatted
Celebrating Lunar New Year
Good fortune is coming your way! We kick off the Lunar New Year with this brand new development diary and announce that we will take part in Steam’s Lunar New Year Sales! Pick up your terminal, or one for a friend for a 33% discount on Terminal Conflict starting February 11th at 10:00 am Pacific.
Bring me the News
Zip zap, your terminal might boot up quick, but we focused this past two weeks on developing the menus to better identify when new tools are at your disposal. Decisions, policies, allies, units, intelligence, research, or space race, all systems have been updated by our engineers. While previously unlocking fresh additions to your tools to wield executive power, with the new system in place, your various departments will now mark when new available actions with a simple white marker.
Global actions
This recent addition to the terminal system operates on multiple levels, and it forwards information to you from all theaters. Should for example new policies be activated in several theaters, you can get an overview neatly de displayed to you.
Review to Dismiss
Have you activated several available actions? Fear not! By selecting the buttons and reviewing the new actions, the terminal will automatically notify your departments with no further input, so you can focus on leading your nation to victory.
These changes have also been implemented in the Grand Campaign and all the scenarios as well. We figured train like you fight and fight as you train, and we hope you will enjoy this improvement to the overview in your terminal.
US GRAND CAMPAIGN
All of this has also been part of the improved THE BIG PICTURE. It contains more elements to shine a light on the Domestic Interests, your nation’s domestic politics. Explore and achieve ten new policies, many more new decisions all integrated with the in-game Encyclopedia.
We have also made the Grand Campaign dynamic, meaning no two games will be the same. The AI will seek different strategies instead of applying the same moves every time, policies implemented might differ in the final effect, and the game will develop depending on context rather than scripting.
With this, we are introducing a brand novel way to create tutorials/scenarios, where instead of playing a boxed in lesser version, you play the actual game but with the information unlocked as you go. The terminal will react to what actions you are taking and in which order, providing you information and learning rather than being a scripted and linear affair. We hope you will enjoy it as much as we did making it!
I) Weapons Program decision chain in final testing. II) Development continues for Contras in Latin America. III) Policies are getting rolled out with each new patch.
CHANGELOG
GAME
NEW Menu indicators added for Decisions, Policies, Allies, Units, Intelligence, Research, and Space Race
NEW Updated the notification for the Current Focus Effect to state that Focus effects are permanent unless stated otherwise and updated the Notification Tooltips to better explain the functionality of the Current Focus Effects
Fixed a memory leak, and also removed the cause of the allocation in the first place
The Alignment animation is now playing correctly when Set Alignment is previewed for interests that are set to 0
Updated the Animator to optimize it further
Added a warning when using a function that requires the Steam Client but not being connected
GRAND CAMPAIGN: THE BIG PICTURE
NEW Setup MIRVIN speech about Domestic Interests
Adding synced highlighting of the interests when MIRVIN is talking about them
Fixed an issue preventing THE BIG PICTURE from progressing as intended
Added framework for Alignment with the ‘Aligning the State’ inside the Grand Campaign before the second timeline focus selection if it hadn’t been fired yet
Reconnect the West Wing adapted for these changes as it activating too soon and updated Policy text for Reconnect the West Wing
Suspended activation of Nuclear Button in the early stages of THE BIG PICTURE
Added the decision A Change of Focus to support players in understanding Focus selection
Removed duplicated voice-over
Suspended incorrect mouse over function for Domestic Interest
Corrected the flow of THE BIG PICTURE
ENCYCLOPEDIA
NEW Updated the Encyclopedia imagery for Current Focus Effects
Updated the Encyclopedia with further improved Logistics information
Added a new image in the encyclopedia to display the Logistics Capitals
Updated the Current Focus Effect field to its own solo element inside the Focus category
Fixed missing color tags
FOCUSES
Fixed an issue where The Treaty of Lagos would incorrectly increase USA Government interests to 3 instead of setting them to 3
POLICES
Fixed that the Marshall Plan was firing when selecting Marshall Plan, instead of after enacting it.
Rio Treaty now requires USA GOVERNMENT ALIGNMENT to be at least 3
Fixed an issue where Anti-Communist Programs in South America were referencing the wrong theater
Fixed an issue where the Reconciliation of Spain policy would reveal more information to the USSR than it should
Updated triggers for Molotov Plan West
DECISIONS
Updated the USA People Mismanagement Decisions bonuses
Fixed an issue where some USA People Mismanagement decisions were too long
Updated the setup for USSR People Mismanagement Decisions
Fixed an issue where the USSR would incorrectly have a 2x higher chance to lose to People Mismanagement
Fixed an in issue with Push to Win that would sometimes cause an error
LEADERS
Fixed an issue where USSR Viet Minh Focus would not properly deduct 1 People from the USA when having a presence in Indochina
INTELLIGENCE
Counterintelligence now only shows infiltrated unit in success notification
