Cyber Knights: Flashpoint News

Knights and mercs, we've been holding to our weekly map release schedule now for 18 weeks now and counting - but we're coming up on the full release, so why not hop-skip and pick up the pace? Today we have a second new map for the week, joining the proc-gen lists: Cyber Research Clinic. We've also polished up the animation back-and-forth that can occur between Overwatcher and attacker when counter-fire is invoked (your under Overwatch, try to attack, the Overwatcher misses, you shoot back!) and fixed a host of reported map bugs, improved some props (red couches!?) and more.

If you're enjoying the relentless pace that we are keeping to expand and improve the game, please take just a moment to leave a review. We need everyone and remember, you can always edit later.

[h2]Double Weekly Map: Cybernetic Research Site[/h2]

Another week, two new maps!? Get it, choppa! Cybernetic Research Site is a large but highly compressed facility with maze-like hallways, offices and research areas. It will not be a place to take your Sniper but can be a playground for a fast and sneaky Vanguard or shotgun-toting Scourge.

Cybernetic Research Site can also feature a Gold Key (loot) and Blue Key (shortcut), depending on the objective and map setup.

The second map this week kicks the map total for proc-gen missions up to 31 and adds an additional +11 proc-gen combos. With this extra icing on top, we're now at 232 total combos, including a rapidly growing pool of maps that match with the newest objective types, including Exfiltrate, Infiltrate and Download, and Hardened Target.

We've just recently completed 3 new objective types (Exfiltrate, Infiltrate and Download, and Hardened Target), so we've turned the burning laser beam of focus back to weekly map releases for the moment. The next thing in objective land will be building out new premises for Contacts who are Compromised. Then we'll be switching back for a few final objective types before release to round out the set and really blow up the numbers!

[h2]Map and Prop Fixes[/h2]

We've fixed a ton of reported map issues - thank you for your F10s! You can no longer walk through the couch lux couch props and a number of other props have had their colliders adjusted. Also, we keep working on enemy spawn positions to ensure they all have a clear physical reason - a door, elevator, ladder, etc - that can explain and pre-warn of their arrival point.

Thanks to everyone playing and posting F10s!

[h2]v1.9.171 - #227: Double Weekly Map - 3/22/2025[/h2]
- Added new proc-gen map "Cyber Research Site": a labyrinthine, cramped mess of hallways and laboratory rooms and participant holding rooms, supports +11 new proc-gen combos (Heist a CPU, Steal 3 Files, Scavenger, Kill 3 Captains, Bodyguard, Assassinate VIP, Siege, Alpha Strike Infiltrate and Download, Hardened Target, Exfiltrate)
- Improved timing and animations for Overwatch counter-fire (attempting to shoot someone in Overwatch)
- Fixed map bugs and open field spawns
- Fixed issues with props and colliders
- Fixed reported dialog typos - thank you!

Knights and mercs - we've got new street styled outfits coming online, the new and enhanced photo mode feature from the roadmap, big upgrades to high Power Level milsec and corporate enemy allocation, better Exfiltrate VIP locations, a Trait improvement and more F10 fixes. It's Update #226 - let's take a look.

But first, if you are enjoying the relentless pace of updates, we hope you'll consider leaving a review to thank the small team of 3 working on game dev for Cyber Knights: Flashpoint!



[h2]Enhanced Photo Mode Complete![/h2]
Everybody loves a good roadmap kill - so let's start with the newly Enhanced Photo Mode! The new and improved photo mode offers some cool new options to get action screenshots and a lot more flexibilty to get exactly the shot you want. A big thanks to @jotwebe and others for always using Photo Mode to show off the game - we can't wait to see what you'll do next.

• - When switching to photo mode (P) you get a little control menu. Hit (P) again to toggle it off for the best screenshots.
  
• - You can switch to free fly camera which allows you to take the camera anywhere you like, including out of bounds, high in the sky or below the ground. Yes, you can find some odd looking things, but we preferred giving you full freedom here instead of trying to hide the realities of the 3D game world which doesn't always look good from every angle and position.
  
• - You can save and load up to 3 positions during a mission.
  
• - You can set a photo mode position to be used for the next action camera. This means the next time you make an attack, this position is used, letting you get cool action shots!
  

You can check out this quick demo of some of photo mode's features and using it to capture 2 actions shots.
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Using Free Fly mode you can get some pretty awesome atmospheric looks and show off levels and spaces from angles you've never been able to before.


We can't wait to see what you'll create and share!

[h2]New Outfits[/h2]

With Update #226, we've rolled out two new outfits that might be of interest to your Scourge or any other merc on the team. Each has a full range of color customization as usual. We also fixed a mistake with Update #225 where the Cybernetics category was left marked as "developer only". It is now visible and available!

This adds another 2 cosmetics to the game, stepping us up to 43/50 on our roadmap goal for cosmetic additions. We're looking forward to hitting and exceeding it.



Finally, we've updated the appearance UI so that more of the categories zoom in on your character's face while you are making a selection.

[h2]Improved Patrols for Milsec and Corp[/h2]
A few release back, we improved the progression of enemies spawned at the start of any level -- the "patrollers" - for Gangs and Syndicate factions. With Update #226, we've certified that this new approach was good and expanded it to the more dangerous factions - Milsec and the Megacorps. You may now see harder enemies like shocktroops, suppressants, Divergents and even - in some cases - mecha infantry drones on patrol routes as your Power Level keeps climbing.

[h2]Exfiltrate Locations[/h2]
We've improved how Exfiltrate VIP locations are picked to further reduce the chance that they are immediately near an exit. This should improve the overall setup of the missions to ensure that they are tense, fast-paced and really require you to rescue the VIP, not just watching them run out the door!

[h2]Mega Fab Trait[/h2]
We've fixed an issue with the Mega Fab trait adding Strength and Kinetic Damage. It now correctly adds Tech along with its bonuses to crafting and XP.

[h2]v1.9.169 - #226: Toxic Styles - 3/19/2025[/h2]
- Added 2 new outfit options for your mercs - where those Scourges at?
- Completed Enhanced Photo Mode roadmap item!
- Engage free-fly camera in photo mode to get perfect shot
- Save up to 3 positions while exploring photo mode
- Fixed photo mode behavior on first time toggling it on
- Fixed missing Cybernetics cosmetic category
- Adjusted enemy patrol spawning groups for all factions now to increase in power and variety as Power Level ramps up
- Fixed issue with Mega Fab Trait - now adds Tech instead of Strength and does not add Kinetic Dmg
- Improved VIP locations for Exfiltrate missions - less chances to be near the exit
- Added missing mission art board for Rooftop Hoverport
- More appearance options zoom in on character's face

Knights and mercs, heists across the New Boston Zone are dropping onto a new, dangerous rooftop map with Update #225. We've added a new map, added new cosmetic options, added new facial cyberware options (limited but ready to grow), improved some weapon and mod balancing, map bugs, and fixed every F10 that had the word "typo" in it!

We're hard at work expanding and improving the game from every angle - so please take a moment to leave a review and share the game with a friend.

[h2]Weekly Map Release: Rooftop Hoverport[/h2]

Another week, another map! Rooftop Hoverport is the open-air top of a towering skyrise, and is positively dripping with hovertruck landing zones. It has dangerously wide open sight lines - making it both a playground for your Sniper, but difficult to prevent enemies from returning fire, as well as the risk that reinforcements might come from any of the hovertruck drops at any minute. Due to the challenging nature of this compressed-but-open map, Rooftop Hoverport only appears at Power Level 4 or higher.

This week's new map brings the map total to 30 for proc-gen missions and adds an additional +8 proc-gen combos to raise the total now to 222! It is exciting to see the Rooftop Hoverport immediately crossing the latest objective types, including Exfiltrate, Infiltrate and Download, and Hardened Target.

Having just completed a 3rd new objective type (Exfiltrate, Infiltrate and Download, and Hardened Target), we are turning our attention back to the weekly map releases as well as how these new objective types can be looped into the Power Play and Compromised system for Contacts. Then we'll be switching back for a few final objective types before release to round out the set and really blow up the numbers!

[h2]New Glasses + Cybernetics Cosmetics[/h2]

With Update #225, we've added a few new options for your character's appearance and opened a very exciting new category - cybernetics - even if it is still a bit empty today!

First up, there are two cool new eyewear options - some larger, glowing circular glasses as well as a new type of chrome eyeband that fits very tightly and has some cool tinting options.

Second, we've moved the forehead jack cybernetic out of the Hats category (why was it there?) and into its own Cybernetics category. We've fixed it so that you can adjust the color tinting of the light and also added a second option that allows you to pick your side (left or right) for the jack. And if you're really ambitious, just go left AND right. That is the way to do it, you elite hacker, you.

With the cybernetics category now opened, we'll be pushing to add other plates, jacks, eye cybernetics, and other things to this group that will help you get your mercs properly dripping in chrome. Stay tuned!

[h2]Weapon / Mod Adjustments[/h2]
We've completed a round of rebalancing for the noise reduction stats for rarer AR Suppressors including the Stormstrike, Proxium and Deathspitter, each one reduce a bit more noise than before. In addition we've fixed an issue with the UAR Torch XL not doing Pure Damage in Full Auto and adjusted the balance of the E-Blades Atomic W2 and Atomica M2.

[h2]The "DialogQuip.XYZ" issue[/h2]
If you were running into any issue with dialog being replaced with a codename for a specific quip, this was fixed in a hotfix between releases. Sorry for the issue - it is one of the final small bugs caused by our preparation for pushing the translation process forward.

We also did a major drive on typos, fixing every F10 that had the word "typo" in it. That took a few hours and triggered a number of large-scale grammar and spelling checks on the game dialog, so hopefully things are in better shape now. As always, thanks for your F10s!

[h2]v1.9.167 - #225: Rooftop Hoverport - 3/18/2025[/h2]
- Added new proc-gen map "Rooftop Hoverport": the open-air top of a building dripping in hovertruck landing zones, the Hoverport offers dangerously open sight lines and the risk of reinforcements touching down from any direction at any time and supports +8 new proc-gen combos (Heist a CPU, Steal 3 Files, Scavenger, Kill 3 Captains, Bodyguard, Infiltrate and Download, Hardened Target, Exfiltrate)
- Added 2 new eyewear options: new pair of sunglasses and chrome eye band
- Split forehead jacks into start of the cybernetics category, allow color change, allow control of left and right or both
- Improved noise reduction on rarer Level 1-3 AR suppressors: Stormstrike Suppressor, Proxium Suppressor, Deathspitter Suppressor
- Improved UAR Torch XL, AR Ironsides and 3 Blades: Splicer, Atomic W2 and Atomica M2
- Fixed camera bound issues in River Street and A12 Sea Platform
- Fixed issue with "DialogQuip" replacing dialogs in certain parts of the game
- Fixed issues with areas you could Glitch into walls on some maps
- Major typo and dialog cleanup - thanks for all the F10s!

Knights and mercs, its Saturday and it's another big update day for Cyber Knight: Flashpoint! We've dropped another exciting type of proc-gen objective on you, rebalanced some of the Knight's signature Talents a bit, improved the animation for damage previews, made it easy to toggle on all enemy sight cones, increased the size of your merc's Edit Notes field, and completed a really nice pass of polish on the game camera behavior.

This relentless pace of update is carried by the 3 of us doing gamedev, story writing and all the rest. If you're enjoying the game and how it has grown, please take a moment to leave a review for our team!

[h2]New Proc-Gen Objective: Exfiltrate[/h2]
In our press to release new maps and new objectives into the proc-gen pool, we are very excited to drop a brand new proc-gen objective, Exfiltrate! In this challenging objective type, a valuable human asset has been trapped behind enemy lines and needs you to perform a rapid extraction. Unlike a regular Escort where the VIP starts with you, this VIP is isolated and far away. You're on the clock to reach them before they're found by enemy patrols and then need to get that VIP to the extraction point.

This higher challenge type of mission is only available at Power Level 5+.

Don't let your VIP come to an end like this!

The new Exfiltrate objective is supported on 16 proc-gen maps currently, which adds a total of +16 new proc-gen combos, bringing the game's total of combos (map X objective) to 213 - vastly exceeding the original goal of 80! And while we've hit the first 16, we're excited to double this in the coming weeks.

[h2]Knight Talent Rebalance: Tact Surge, Rewind, Atomic Stutter[/h2]

With Update #224, we've completed another round of Talent rebalancing for the Knight. We're continuing to work through the entire Talent set making improvements - both nerfs and buffs - to smooth out the power curves, and make sure all Talents are interesting.

With this update, we've dinged the power of Tactical Surge a bit and increased its cost to fully upgrade. The default cooldown time on Tactical Surge has stretched to 6 Turns from 5 Turns (meaning you can, at best, get it down to every 4 Turns fully upgraded) and also increased the cost of the +1 Move Point upgrade node to 2 skill points. It is still the rawest powerhouse Talent around, but it is more expensive to make it peak powerful now.

We've moved the bonuses to Initiative and Move Speed off of Rewind's starting Talent, letting it focus on its unique and ultra ability to add charges back to Talents. These bonuses have been shifted into the upgrade node.

Finally, for Atomic Stutter, we've increased the total amount of Crit Vulnerability possible to +25% and dropped the "hang on" +5% Armor debuffs that were in that upgrade node. This makes the upgrade nodes cleaner with better organization and easier for you to choose if you want each or not.

[h2]Improved Damage Preview Animation[/h2]

Weapon damage in Cyber Knights is 75% guaranteed and 25% randomized - therefore if your gun does 100 Dmg, then you deal 75 + D25 Dmg before armor reduction. The animated damage preview used to just animate a preview of 87.5% Damage (the average Damage) but that was not giving you players the best information on the spot.

We've upgraded the damage preview to now show 75% of the Damage (after Armor reduction) in white and 25% of the Damage in flashing animated red, which is the variable part of the damage. This can help you spot that the enemy is guaranteed to die (all white) or might die (the end of their HP bar is flashing red).

[h2]Toggle all Sight Cones[/h2]

If you use the H (or left stick click) key to toggle outlines on, you can now hit the key again to toggle on all outlines AND all sight cones. This can help you plotting moves when working around enemy patrols and make your stealth turns faster. Hit H again to cycle back to no outline and regular sight cones. Thanks for the F10s!

[h2]Larger Merc Notes Area[/h2]

We've expanded the notes text box for your mercs by 400%! The max character limit and size of box have all blown up, making it far easier to use for multi-line notes and the like. Thanks for the F10s!

[h2]Game Camera Polish[/h2]
We're excited to be doing some big rounds of polishing on the little tiny specifics of gameplay as we get closer and closer to release. We've improved a number of things with how shot cam and regular camera works with Update #224.

For action shot cams, we've made sure they don't repeat (which never feels great) and we've made sure that all the HUD UI elements stay hidden during the shot cam and only re-appear the right time (during a kill shot, they were showing up too early, ugly!).

Also, after the action shot cam is done, we've adjusted the camera rules to ensure that the camera cuts back to exactly where it was before you started the attack. This prevents a lot of small panning or camera shifts that would slow you down during play.

Also, we've increased the snappiness and feel of the automated panning on the map, saving you a critical second here and there. But it makes the whole game feel more responsive!

Finally, we've fixed issues with Stun VFX and other VFX not disappearing immediately when an enemy dies.

[h2]Merc Status Paging[/h2]

While you are checking out a merc's status pop up, you can now page through your entire team rapidly using hotkeys or buttons show at the bottom of the status (default to tab / shift). Thanks for the F10s!

[h2]v1.9.165 - 3/15/2025[/h2]
- Added new proc-gen objective: Exfiltrate VIP from behind enemy lines - VIP starts separated from your mercs, often in danger
- Exfiltrate appears at Power Level 5+ and has 16 new maps available for Exfiltrate, +16 total proc-gen combos
- Knight's Tactical Surge cooldown bumped out 6 Turns (+1 Turn), increased +1 MP upgrade node to 2 level point cost
- Knight's Rewind moves bonuses to Init and Move Speed out of main Talent, only available through upgrades
- Improved Knight's Atomic Stutter to deal +25% Crit Vulnerability once upgraded, dropped the last -5% to armor
- Enable Highlight (H or left stick click by default) now toggles on outlines, then toggles on all sight cones, then turns off both
- Improved damage preview in target Health Bar - white for guaranteed damage, animated red slice for rolled Damage
- Merc's Record tab no longer shows achievements that have not been accomplished (don't always show that my Soldier didn't achieve Melee Kills)
- Hovering over an offered Blueprint reward in mission planning will show its details
- Prevented Recruits from showing/counting tags like "Training Ready" in the roster or barracks summary
- Fixed bug where you might be floating in the sky off a rooftop when starting Wreckspire map
- Added hotkey/button to cycle through mercs while looking at character status mid mission
- Improved rules for Cybersword's Preempt - melee Overwatch is more careful about your final destination, avoids putting you "out of bounds" or in walls
- Increased the size and max length of the merc notes text field
- Polishing: HUD hovers and other elements no longer reappear too early during an attack that kills target
- Polishing: avoid repeated action shot cams during attacks in play
- Polishing: increased automated panning speed of camera and better easy for a snappier feeling
- Polishing: improved camera behavior after attack, returns to exact location it was at before action shot cam
- Polishing: VFX of dying characters/enemies (such as floating stars of Stun) disappearing instantly on death

Knights and mercs - we've got Street Sweeper, Update #233 tonight landing with a bunch of bug fixes, map improvements, resolving story issues and invisible contacts! It's a big update that sweeps up and tidies up, cleaning out the F10 bin from this week, especially around the Daedalus Bloc retirement storyline. Let's dig in!

If you're enjoying the Early Access and relentless pace of updates (more coming!), please take a moment to leave a review. We are a tiny team and every review counts so much for us!

Also - did you see the release date news?
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h2]Daedalus Bloc Fixes[/h2]

The 10 mission storyline for Daedalus Bloc is the largest one we've released yet, and it has had its fair share of content bugs to iron out. Nothing that has left any saved games permanently hung, mostly just interruptions in your ability to play on in the storyline. Tonight we've hit a few big patches for Daedalus:

• You might be stuck in an infinite conversation about CLUSTER DROP mission - this will not continue!
  
• You might be stuck on the first map of the CLOCKWORK RESCUE mission with a broken terminal. If you are, next time you load your game, you'll find yourself back in the safehouse with the story leading up to the mission about to start (again).
  
• If your Quant disappeared in the second mission of GOVERNANCE DUST-UP, you should be good to go. You can either play through the level as is, or restart the level and the quant will appear correctly at your starting location.
  

[h2]Invisible or Missing Contacts[/h2]
Another bug resulted in some Hardened Target and Infiltrate and Download missions being offered by an invisible contact. This was confusing and not great - now it is fixed. If you already have a conversation or mission offered by such a contact, that will be the case until it is finished and the next one will be normal.

[h2]Black Site Lab Bridge[/h2]

If you've been hitting any issues with the bridge in the new Black Site Lab level, this update will fix them up for you. The bridge terminal is working and once raised it can officially be crossed.

[h2]Nuke II (FAS) and Others[/h2]
There have been some longstanding issues with some of the Nuke programs having wires crossed. This included Nuke II (FAS) and we've now unwound these. The program shows its special stripes and should load correctly during hacking now.

[h2]Endless Map Fixes[/h2]
We're constantly working to keep up with little tweaks and fixes to maps. We fixed some oddly floating can props, some open field spawn issues, some places where cover shields didn't appear correctly, and more.

[h2]v1.9.157 - 3/13/2025[/h2]
- Fixed issue with Black Site Lab bridge terminal causing level to lock, bridge impassible
- Fixed infinite loop bug in Daedalus Bloc storyline to accept CLUSTER DROP mission
- Fixed issues with Quant not appearing in GOVERNANCE DUST-UP second stage, restart stage or mission
- Fixed issue with mission stuck for CLOCKWORK RESCUE in Daedalus Bloc - you will return to safehouse with mission coming again soon
- Fixed issue with invisible or non-existent contact offering Hardened Target or Infiltrate and Download proc-gen missions
- Fixed issue with Nuke II (FAS) not showing its special Hybrid-Utility rules
- Fixed description of "The Loud One" Achievement - complete mission with 9 Sec Level or higher
- Fixed open field spawns in some maps, odd cover locations, floating soda cans
- Improved lighting in Urban District HQ map