Cyber Knights: Flashpoint News

Update #87 continues to press on community F10s, quality of life requests and bug reports. We've got some major things cooking back at HQ and some milestone items coming up, but for now we're making sure everything in the latest massive base building update is working as it should be. We've fixed a number of issues, improved the matrix to prep for the tutorial and made some much needed changes to the UI pattern in dialog to ensure that confirm-is-confirm.

If you're enjoying the pace of updates, please consider leaving a review. Thank you!

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[h2]Hacking YouTube Tutorial[/h2]
As we are still working on getting everything ready and done for the proper in-game Matrix Tutorial, we've taken a moment to record a brief and focused YouTube tutorial for anyone looking for help here.

Learn to hack to drop the alarm level, control security devices, get valuable paydata, and complete CPU spike missions.


[h2]Confirm to Advance Dialog[/h2]
With Update #87, we've fixed the longstanding issue where TAB was by default used to advance dialog instead of the regular UI confirmation, spacebar. This issue stemmed from the regular concern over controller and keyboard players hitting space rapidly and accidentally selecting the first dialog option without realizing it in a rush of mashing buttons. To address this, we've moved the selection for keyboard and controllers to a prompt above the choices - so, hit (A) or (space) to advance the dialog and when a choice comes, you can't make a choice until you use your D-pad or arrow keys to navigate down.


In the same vein, there is a dead spot on the screen that refuses to accept "click to advance" clicks during dialogs. This area is the area where the choices will appear and is there to prevent you from spamming clicks into an area where dialog choices are going to be shortly, and then accidentally mashing your way through a choice. The dead zone is now highlighted in a darker color to make it clear so you can click elsewhere.


We've also added an attribution arrow to the last line of shown dialog to help it be more clear as the speaker jumps back and forth between sides.


[h2]Hacker Details in HUD[/h2]
We've improved the hacker's details in the top left of the matrix HUD with Update #87. This includes breaking out Cyberdeck Shield and Cyberdeck Armor to give them their own own icons, hovers and space above the 3 health bars for your hacker (HP, Cyberdeck, Connection Health).

We've also added a set of new hovers to cover these re-organized fields.


[h2]Safehouse Leverages[/h2]
If you were using the Field Ops or Hacking Station rooms in your safehouse to gain additional leverages, you might have found that a few of them were not working as advertised. In some cases, they were but were giving no indication to the player. Regardless, we've fixed the lot of them, including Pemex Doubler, RIPR DX and Bespoke Deck Armor.

We've also fixed an issue where the passive on-first-turn type of Leverages were not being shown in the Command HQ when you returned there to finish your mission planning. This was making them feel even less likely to be useful.

Please F10 any additional issues you have, but we're seeing the whole set working and displaying better now.

[h2]Underworld Hub: Legwork Hustle Up[/h2]
The Legwork Hustle Up capability of the Underworld Hub in your Safehouse was not working. A math error with rounding things off to whole numbers snuck in near the end of testing and set everything back to the same duration it had before! This is now fixed.

We are working on better feedback for using tokens, but the first priority is to crush any bugs in the actual mechanical parts before getting some dialog in there from the Face.

[h2]Double IO Bug[/h2]
We fixed a bug that was sometimes causing IO buffs from Programs or Talents to be counted twice or to reapply on the following turn. IO is so important and comes from many sources - your deck, your cybernetics, your Talents and your programs - so getting every point counts.

[h2]Targeting Click and Cancel Bug[/h2]
We fixed an old bug that could cause the click to target an enemy to instantly cancel the attack targeting. In this case, the target circle would flash on screen and then disappear. This is now resolved, hurrah!

[h2]v1.6.19 - 5/21/2024[/h2]
- Improved dialog and story choice display - confirm (spacebar by default), attribution arrow, smooth scrolling
- Improved Hacker HUD in the top left corner to show Cyberdeck Shield and Armor separately
- Fixed reported issues with Safehouse-driven Leverages
- Improved Command HQ's mission planning by showing Passive Leverages on a mission
- Fixed RIPR DX, Pemex Memory Doubler
- Fixed issues with matrix Armor buffs like Bespoke Deck Armor not reducing damage correctly
- Fixed issue with IO Speed buffs sometimes being double-applied
- Fixed issue with Underworld Hub not correctly reducing Legwork duration
- Fixed issue that could cause game to ignore clicks on enemy targets or immediately cancel targeting

Down in the Belly under the New Boston Dome, Update #86 has touched down. We've got a lot of exciting new things with this one - new bonuses for the Tech attribute, improved display for APU/CPU spiking, new milsec items you can purchase, all the Hybrid-Utility programs can now be installed and used and more. Let's dig into the details!

We're busy with Early Access - lots of updates, lots of milestones coming up quick. We hope you are enjoying the pace of fixes, improvements, hotfixes and new content. If so, please take a moment to leave a review of any length - every one helps! And remember, you can always edit your review at any time.
 

[h2]New Hacker-Only Tech Bonuses[/h2]
The Tech Attribute has gained a big (needed) boost for Hackers, now adding Matrix-specific bonuses. If you have the Hacker class (as your primary or multi-classed) you will gain +1 Matrix AP per 1 Tech and +1 Cyberdeck Armor per 5 Tech, which protects both the Hacker and the cyberdeck. This makes the choice to go after extra Tech points in different class trees more interesting and firmly pushes Tech into the realm of being the Hacker's key stat.



[h2]Load Up those Hybrid-Utilities![/h2]
In Update #85, we fixed all the issues that were nagging Hybrid-Utility programs and now we've rolled out a new set of Program Ratings that allow some of them to be used in existing decks. So, check the new Ratings and consider juggling some of your programs around to make space for these new biggies - they're powerful and interesting options in your digital kit.


[h2]Unique Milsec Items Return[/h2]
The different MilSec and Brave Star contacts you can connect with throughout the game now (once again) have more unique offers for consumable items that they can sell, including Dazzlers and Concussion Grenades. This opens up some new angles for building out your item load out, so check out what you might want to swap around.


[h2]Clear Display of APU/CPU Spiking[/h2]
While APU and CPU spiking have been working correctly for about a month, they were lacking any helpful UI support to indicate what they had done. This has been causing a ton of F10s and confusing players, as it simply seems like they don't do what they promise or what is reported in the logs.

The big Sec Level or Q-Sec Level value in the HUD will now immediately react to an APU or CPU Spike. It will gray out indicating that it is below the real level of the Sec Level and no Escalations will occur until the Sec Level exceeds the old Sec Level. For example, if your Q-Sec Level is 8 and you Spike the CPU, then the Q-Sec Level will drop to 6 and the Matrix Host can't take an Escalation action until the Q-Sec Level reaches 9.

This is also all shown in the hover over the grayed out Sec Level, so check that out too for specifics once you see it in game.

[h2]More Matrix Hovers[/h2]
As we've mentioned, we're hard at work on the matrix tutorial now. In order to make it the best it can be, we're sprucing up the matrix in general. With this update, we've added and improved a number of hovers through the Matrix screen - especially around the Q-Sec Level in the top right and all the deck details in the bottom left (IO, Active Mem, Storage).

We hope it's helpful!

[h2]Armors Debuffed[/h2]
As we build out the full progression of armor and weapons for the game, we've adjusted some of the early game armors to have a bit lower protection ratings. These have dropped anywhere from 2% to 5% for some armors, especially Power Level 1 armors. Take a check through your gear and see if you want to upgrade today.

We've also simplified the armor categories in this update, crushing everything down to Light, Heavy and Stealth. There will be distinct groups within those based on stats and styles, but they don't each need their own high level category in the filter.

[h2]V-Chip Contact Fixes[/h2]
We resolved an issue where the Contacts you gained through a V-Chip were not appearing in the initial conversation. While everything else was functioning correctly, this made them harder to track down in your list of Contacts and to recognize them as they appear in the newly offered services.


[h2]Hid Loadout Button[/h2]


[h2]v1.6.17 - 5/19/2024[/h2]
- Improved Tech attribute - for hackers now grant +1 Matrix AP per 1 Tech and +1 Cyberdeck Armor per 5 Tech
- Adjusted Hybrid-Utility program ratings to work with existing decks available in the underworld
- Improved Sec Level UI response to spiking CPU or APU to gray out Sec Level when an escalation will be skipped
- Improved Sec Level hover to include exact details of when Escalations will resume for spiked CPU or APU
- Improved hovers in matrix for IO, Deck Storage, Q-Sec Level
- Down balance on starting armors, dropping 2% to 5% protection - consider upgrading your armor
- Simplified Armor category filters (Light, Stealth, Heavy)
- Fixed issue with missing milsec items for sale from Milsec and Brave Star Contacts
- Fixed bugs with V-Chips having conversations where the new contact did not show up and name was blank

Down in the underbelly of New Boston, welcome Update #85! We've got a small bump to the level cap, new Matrix program types (Hybrid-Utilities), and tons of matrix improvements. We've also improved the display and text shown with accounts, and fixed the mostly highly reported 2 game locks that occur during missions.

One of our next major milestones is the matrix tutorial, so we're pressing hard on a few feature adds, bug fixes and improvements on the entire Matrix to make sure we're tutorializing the best foot we can put forward. Check out the latest!

If you're enjoying the pace of updates, please take a moment to leave a review!

[h2]Level Cap Bump for Extra Talent[/h2]
When we raised the Level cap to 25, it was a nice +5 level points for all of our mercs and Knights out there but it fell 1 level short of the mathematically determined milestone for a new Talent limit point. That is not the most fun result - so we've bumped the max Level cap by +1 to make it 26 and let max level characters train into one more Talent or Passive.


[h2]Hybrid-Utility Programs[/h2]
The newest type of program has arrived today which is a Hybrid-Utility. While these programs have Program Ratings that are too high to install on any existing deck and they have large memory footprints to boot, they are both a Utility (granting a buff as long as they stay in active memory) and regular active programs (allowing active use, like Attacking or Sleazing).

These program types can currently only be achieved by minting File Sets of code files, compiling new high-power programs like Attack III (FAS) and Nuke II (HOT). If you have previously compiled these programs, check out your Deck Mgmt, the programs will now appear as they should.

Each type of Hybrid-Utility comes in a series like FAS or HOT (with QCK, HWD and RIP to follow). FAS Programs are IO accelerators that make it easier to load other programs, at the cost of connection health. HOT Programs are damage boosting programs that make it easier to destroy, at the cost of hacker health.

We're excited to see how HOT and FAS programs play into your hacking strategies. One straightforward way to use these Hybrid-Utilities is to load-and-hold them for as long as you can, using them only as a last resort so that you can get as much benefit from the Utility side of their hybrid nature as possible.


[h2]Matrix Buff / Debuff Visibility[/h2]
All Matrix buffs on your Hacker are now clearly visible in the top left corner along with the turn duration for each effect. This is a big help tracking the buffs of Utility and Hybrid-Utilities, as well as your Talents and buffs from Leverages as well.


[h2]Hacking Leaking to Meat-space[/h2]
We fixed 2 big issues with Hacking and returning to meat-space. The first is that some of your Hacking AP might come with you and you could actually increase meat-space AP by hacking. This is now fixed, and your resulting Action Points after hacking are equal to whichever is lower of the two:

• (AP you started the Hack with) - (Hacking AP spent / 10)
  
• (AP you started the Hack with) - 1 AP
  

So, at minimum a Hack will cost you -1 AP or more if you take action in the matrix host.

Also, we fixed issues with the AP hover on the character going a big crazy after hacking where it would show very large numbers.

We also fixed a class of bugs about disconnect / reconnect in the same Turn for hackers.


[h2]Fixed Overwatch Freeze and Movement Glitch[/h2]
A huge thanks to everyone reporting F10s! In Update #84, we improved the situation with Overwatch, squeezing out cases that could cause a freeze, but it's clear we didn't catch all of them. Thankfully, we also added a ton of extra checks and logging so we could get a handle on this difficult bug in production. With the newest crop of F10s that have come in since Update #84, we've found and fixed the root issue. Hopefully, #85+ will no longer see possibility of freezes during intense Overwatch gunfights.

Finally, we fixed a movement glitch that could sometimes result in a character suddenly moving a distance after targeting an enemy and canceling it to test out a move. Thanks to everyone who found and reported this odd issue with an F10!

[h2]v1.6.13 - 5/17/2024[/h2]
- Increased Level cap to 26 to grant +1 Talent Limit
- New type of Program - the Hybrid-Utility grants an active program ability (Attack, Nuke, Scan, etc) AND a buff as long as it stays loaded
- Compile source code through File Sets to create new Hybrid-Utility programs
- Hybrid-Utilities of HOT type boost damage while loaded
- Hybrid-Utilities of FAS type boost IO speed while loaded
- All matrix buffs are now visible in top left of the Matrix HUD with hovers and turn duration
- Improved handling of Utility and Hybrid-Utility program buffs when force unloaded by IC or host
- Fixed Matrix bug where possible hacking AP leaks back into meat-space or meat-space character hovers
- Fixed Matrix bug where some buffs could persist and double-up during connection and disconnect cycles
- Increased price penalties for Contact Traits Fast-Splice and Hack-Saw
- Accounts stolen after this update will include lore name and description
- Fixed issue where ignored recruits might hang around on the roster, inactive but visible
- Fixed bug where movement could suddenly glitch after targeting enemy and move merc
- Fixed bugs with Overwatch reaction to Full Auto attacks, bugs that can cause Overwatch to freeze game

Exciting times ahead as we come roaring out of the major safehouse base building milestone and careening back into the regular order of updates, improvements, new content and more! With Update #84, we've raised the level cap by 5 levels, added 2 new Power Level 3 armors for sale from the newest contacts, improved Soldier's Blast Radius, and fixed a huge heap of F10s from the community!

A big thanks goes out to everyone reviewing, playing and posting. Hit F10 if you see anything odd, we are hard at work improving and fixing.


[h2]Level Cap Rises[/h2]
With Update #84 and the big expansion of the safehouse, it is the right time to lift the level cap to 25. You'll gain an additional +1 Level Point per level. The next cap raise will include additional Talent LImit allowance.

For those players who have been grinding past the current cap, you will find that your XP is kept and used. You may suddenly find your mercs are Level 22 or even Level 25 if you've played out enough missions. Enjoy the new points!


[h2]Blast Radius Buffs[/h2]
The Soldier's Blast Radius Talent has had its upgrade tree simplified a bit to be a single row updates and gained some additional buffs. The new improvements push the max range you can gain for any type of thrown grenade, medi-cloud or shock mine to +8m up from +6m. Also, the total damage buff is increased by extra +20%.

Those who invest their Level Points in grenades ... go BOOM.

[h2]New Armors[/h2]
We've added 2 new Power Level 3 options - one Heavy and one Light - for armor. These can currently be purchased from your new Fixer Contact. The heavy armor features 3 Protection Points, making it awfully hard to chip down to its low %s and the Light armor keeps the same 2 Protection Points but shifts its max and min Protection % upwards.

Check out the Underworld Hub to meet some new power players and expand your available services.


[h2]Safehouse Improvements[/h2]
If a room generates Tokens and it has the maximum number on the shelf, the tag for that will go green now, making it easier to spot. This makes it easier to know where you've got room to spend.


We fixed a bug with the Simstream Trainer that was adding more than +10% Stress pre use. When a merc goes in, now they get a flat +10% Stress. They gain a percentage % of XP of all missions run while they are in the trainer, so it is to your benefit to stick them in there and then run as many missions as you can for the +10% Stress.

We simplified the filters in the Inventory / Equipping / Market screens to be more fitting to the task you are doing. We're working toward further simplification that will help focus the screens specifically on the task at hand. Previously, these screens were trying to each do everything and it was making them much harder to use. We're excited for this big step forward and to keep pushing these into better shape. Also, this resolves a number of bugs about different Programs not appearing in inventory.

[h2]APU / CPU Spike Clarity[/h2]
We've improved the text around APU and CPU spiking to be more clear about which one affects which. APU affects the real-world meat-space Sec AI while CPU affects the Matrix host's Q-Sec Tally. We know we still have work to do here as the actual displayed Sec Level in the HUD in both meat-space and matrix does not reflect the drop in Tally, so this is going to keep confusing players until we improve the UI. Coming soon hopefully.

[h2]Recruit Durations[/h2]
We've double the duration on all recruit offers from story and Sibling Job. You'll have more time if you need to make adjustments to your Barracks now to accommodate these new mercs. Furthermore, we've added an option to continue to delay your recruit choice after the Sibling Job if you had to delay directly after the mission was over.


[h2]Overwatch and Targeting[/h2]
We're working on some of the most populous F10s in buckets. This update fixes a ton of minor issues with targeting, movement destinations and Overwatch. We have fixed some inconsistencies with targeting, the character's reaction and rotation after targeting not being consistent and the attack Talent sometimes not always being selected correctly.

Also, we've fixed issues where the direction of your Overwatch cone could shift when taking reaction shots. With this bug fixed, Overwatch correctly keeps to the exact range and direction you set and never changes during reaction shots.

Finally, we've made some progress crushing down on the bug that can cause the game to get stuck in slow motion during an Overwatch reaction shot. We've found 2 possible causes, patched them and added additional logging so that any future F10s about the issue will help us pin it to the wall.

This was actually related to the same reason that sometimes unarmed characters or prisoners would loop for a while and then suddenly go into a T-Pose. That's fixed now too!


[h2]Hates and Desertion Tags[/h2]
If you were having any issues with Hates or Deserter backstory tags preventing you from going on missions that seemed to make no sense, this is resolved.

[h2]Sticky Toggle Highlights[/h2]
Your choice of playing with highlights on or off, by default using the (H) key, is now remembered between levels and level retries. Thanks for the F10s!

[h2]v1.6.9 - 5/15/2024[/h2]
- Increased Level cap to 25
- Added 2 new Power Level 3 armors available from new Fixer Contacts
- Increasing benefits of Soldier's Blast Radius grenade buffs: extra +2m range available, extra +20% Dmg
- Fixed Soldier's Blast Radius upgrades to be a single progression, last upgrade costs 2 points
- Fixed/improved matrix text for APU / CPU Spiking to be clearer about each (APU=real world Sec Tally, CPU=Matrix Q-Sec Tally)
- Fixed issue with Desertion or Hatred sometimes blocking a character from an inexplicable mission
- Double duration on all story-based recruit offers including Sibling Job
- Added continued delay option when considering recruit from Sibling Job at safehouse
- Simplified/improved filters in inventory and market, removed duplicate "Can Sell" filter vs. "Ready to Equip/Sell"
- Corrected icon for Reaction attribute boosts in Class skill tree to match roster Attribute
- Fixed issue with Simstream Trainer adding too much stress, adds +10% Stress per use, run more missions for more XP per Stress
- Fixed price displayed in file set grid to show the base price of the possible file set result
- Fixed log for group buffs misreporting number of buffed by -1
- Fixed bug where Overwatch cone could change rotation after each attack
- Fixed issues with prisoners or other unarmed characters randomly going into T-Pose
- Fixed level issues where you might be able to see a skybox beyond edge of level

Last week, we snuck Update #81 and #82 into the big safehouse update new post but now we're getting back to regular order and we're going to have a lot of patches and new things coming this week. The safehouse base building roadmap item is complete and it's time to roar the engines on to the next thing!

But for a little longer, we're hitting all the bugs and quality of life improvements we can from your Steam posts and your F10s.

If you like the latest improvements, big feature adds and pace of updates, please support our Early Access efforts by leaving a review. Remember - you can always edit it later.



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[h2]Safehouse Room Fixes[/h2]
We've hit a bit list of most popular F10 issues in the safehouse with Update #83.

• If you were having screen freezing using the Inject Matrix Loot leverage option, that is now all working correctly.
  
• The Counter-Intel Pods now show the HUD details for Heat and Head Hunters, which is pretty important info for the types of actions you can take there.
  
• You can access the Command HQ even if there are no missions, so you can get to the build/upgrade screen. Keep mind, any time you want to jump directly to the build/upgrade screen, hold down the [R] key (or whatever you have bound) while clicking on the room in the safehouse. This jumps you straight to build/upgrade. Not well documented, but we'll work on that. Save a click, hold [R].
  
• For token offers that have lists in a pop up like recruits and contacts, if the offering is not available it is correctly styled and darkened row.
  
• Some old saved games showed a 3rd utility that doesn't exist. Fixed!
  

[h2]Custom Difficulty: Game Speed[/h2]
Game Speed in your difficulty settings now correctly applies to all safehouse tasks. We've also improved the text/hover for both story and game speed to be clear that increasing the value (from 100% to 125%) makes things go faster. So, if you want shorter build times, you want to raise the value to 125%.


[h2]Lock on Level Start with T-Pose[/h2]
Some players were getting games into certain states that could result in a mission being loaded with their characters in T-Pose and the game hard locked. These games will now just resume and play forward under Update #83. Apologies for the hard-lock pause, but you're back on track!

[h2]Cybernetics[/h2]
We had a few issues with cybernetics, all fixed now. We've improved the implant for MatrixLink 2 and also you can now correctly upgrade any cyberware that is required for a class, such as from MatrixLink to MatrixLink 2 for the Hacker.

Also, putting mercs into the Simstream Detox was causing them to show that they had an invalid cybernetic called "Implant.Name.-1", now fixed.

[h2]File Set Minting[/h2]
When you Mint a File Set, the result is always a new File. Then you can chose to Use that file to call in its special action, like creating a mission, compiling code for a Cyberdeck Program or connecting with a Contact by their V-Chip. But, this is a separate Use action because you can also chose to Sell that more expensive resulting file.

The file that is created is now marked as new with a nice yellow dot to help you find it.

Also, we've fixed issues with the Inventory back button and other parts of the Ui locking up after attempting to create a Hacking Mission from a file.


[h2]Tutorial Improvements[/h2]
We've continued to make improvements to the tutorial text and how it picks when and what to offer as advice. We've improved the system never to offer advice if you're at your maximum tasks, so it won't pester you if you can't do anything. A number of prompts received additional clean-up and clarification.

Also, if you don't want the safehosue tutorial, just disable it either with a new game or through the options menu directly.

[h2]v1.6.7 - 5/13/2024[/h2]
- Fixed issue using "Inject Matrix Loot Accounts" Leverage locking up screen
- Improved MatrixLink 2, fixed bug preventing upgrading to this new implant
- Files that are newly minted from a set get the "New" yellow dot
- Counter-Intel Pods displays Heat and Head Hunters details in the HUD
- Even if you have 0 missions, you can enter Command HQ in order to upgrade it
- If a token offer for recruiting or contacts is not available, the row style is grayed out correctly
- Fixed issue where level could lock up before HUD is loaded, mercs in T-Pose
- Old saved games that were showing a 3rd type of Utility on Command HQ no longer have this bug
- Fixing invalid implant ("Implant.Name.-1") appearing on characters who were in Simstream Detox
- Reduced possible Safehouse HUD overlaps on certain resolutions and UI scales
- Improved safehouse tutorial prompts
- Fixed reported typos - thank you!