Cyber Knights: Flashpoint News

Welcome to all the new Knights who joined this week during the sale - the New Boston Zone is here to chew you up and spit you out if you don't keep your cards right. Exciting to see so many new players piling in, posting, and hitting F10 for everything you'd like to see in the game. To that end, we've got a big update here with #43 - a rewrite and clarification about the rules for CPU and APU Spiking in the matrix, now allowing duplicate program builds for your Cyberdeck, new proc-gen matrix host templates, improved safehouse UI for story conversations, timeline event icons to help read the timeline better and more.

Thanks to everyone leaving a review! Remember you can always edit your review, so if you feel like we're heading the right direction (and at the right pace!) with 43 updates, please drop a review to let us know!


[h2]Spiking CPU and APU[/h2]
Update #43 improves and clarifies the rules around spiking CPUs and APUs.

• Every Matrix Host has a CPU, the heart of the system. Spiking it can complete mission objectives, will result in a reduction of the Q-Sec Level by 50% (Q-Sec Level 4 becomes 2) and a zeroing out of all current Q-Sec Tally. This reduction likely takes the Q-Sec Tally below an Escalation that has already happened (you Escalated at Q-Sec Level 4, spiking the CPU takes you back to Sec Level 2, Tally 0) then the Escalation will not be repeated (to your advantage).
  
• Matrix Hosts that have APUs are directly tied into the Sec AI's brain. Spiking an APU will reduce the Sec Tally by 10 points immediately. If this reduction takes the Sec Tally below an Escalation that has already happened (you Escalated at Sec Level 2, spiking the APU takes you back to Sec Level 1, Tally 5) then the Escalation will not be repeated (to your advantage).
  

[h2]Duplicated Program Builds[/h2]
With Update #43, we've fixed the limitation (and bug) that prevented you from installing exact duplicates of the same program on a matrix cyberdeck. Previously, installing Attack I twice over would make the second one impossible to use during a hack. This issue has been unwound and now your hacker builds have more freedom than before to develop new strategies.

[h2]More Proc-Gen Matrix Hosts[/h2]
We've completed the design and testing for another 2 matrix host templates for proc-gen hacking missions, continuing to expand the digital catalog of missions you can end up on. The meatspace proc-gen mission catalog is next up for an expansion.


[h2]Safehouse Story Conversations[/h2]
With Update #43, we've updated the result when clicking directly on a character in the safehouse. If there are story conversations available, they now display immediately in a pop-up window for easy access to chatting. The window has a hotkey and clickable option to proceed to their Roster entry. If there are no story conversations to be had, then we skip you into the Roster immediately.

We've been holding off a bit on safehouse story conversations with characters until we could get this update done, as the click > roster > find conversations list was not the most comfortable flow. We've also improved that flow a bit, adding a matching icon and story conversation count to this area in the roster so that you can visually match it to the conversation icons in the safehouse and timeline to help reinforce the connection.


[h2]Timeline Event Icons[/h2]
It may look minor at a distance, but updating all the timeline icons to a specific type icon - healing, cyberware, mission, legwork, etc - is a very nice change for the safehouse timeline. When checking out a larger list of icons - especially once the details are "below the fold" - its nice to have some instant visibility into what type of events we're talking about here.

[h2]F10 Round up[/h2]
We also completed a big round-up of your F10s -

• Vanguard's Refract was too short to block a lot of Security Cameras, now taller!
  
• Sometimes dead mercs persisted in the Mission assignment screen. Zombie sighting confirmed!
  
• Weapon mods were not clear enough (using + and -) whether adjustments to Reload AP cost were good or bad
  
• Sometimes we used Armor Crit % and sometimes we used Armor Shred %, now clearer
  
• Added a missing combat log when we are fired on by enemy overwatch
  

And certainly more! Check the full change log for everything.

[h2]v1.2.41 - 1/17/2024[/h2]
- Revised Matrix Hacking's APU and CPU Spike Routines
- CPU Spike reduces reduces Q-Sec Level for matrix host by half and zeroes out the Tally
- APU Spike reduces Sec Tally in real world by -10
- Hacker Cyberdeck can now use duplicate programs (Attack I and Attack I) without issue
- Added 2 more Matrix proc-gen host templates
- Added additional Combat Log entry for hostile overwatch attacks
- Added timeline event type icons to the timeline bar
- Increased height of Refract wall to better block cameras
- Upgraded story pop-up when directly clicking on a character (instead of defaulting to Roster)
- Upgraded roster's notation of story conversations to match icon and count from safehouse
- Fixed very short Legwork in new Southie Strut storyline
- Fixed Matrix Host attempting to unload unloaded programs
- Fixed "Armor Crit" vs. Armor Shred confusion
- Fixed issue always showing all characters as Level 0 in Legwork selection
- Fixed save slots bug when using default faces without customizing character
- Improved display of Reload AP to reduce confusion
- Fixed bug allowing hacking of some security devices even if not enough AP
- Fixed issue where recently dead mercs could show up in mission planning lists

Update #42 follows in the footsteps of #41: Kickbacks with a whole lot of F10s fixed, improvements, closing a final memory leak in appearance and more. Your Knights are descending on New Boston and playing a lot right now, so we're taking extra time to cater to your F10s right now.

If you like updates and you know it, leave a review!

[h2]Go Loud! Community Challenge[/h2]
Also - we are excited that @Liviana has just share the latest community challenge for Cyber Knights: Flashpoint. The previous challenge was swords-only and was a real exciting affair, a while ride of blood and keen edges. This one is a bit louder, boom, boom, go go go! Hope you'll join in the fun and share your team and after-action-reports!
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1021210/view/6770665671988890022


[h2]Appearance Updates / Close Memory Leak[/h2]
For a while, we have had reports of a memory leak in the appearance tab if a player worked in there for 10-15 minutes. It has finally bubbled up to priority and we found he offending textures that were being created and then leaked. This is now fully closed up and the memory bucket is no longer leaking! A big thanks for players hitting F10 on this one!

As part of the work here, we've improved the quality of the headshots for new game characters even if you are using lower Texture Quality. Unfortunately, before the face shots were getting pretty munged until you customized. Now, they're nice and clear.

Extra bonus, we fixed some lighting conditions between the New Game and Safehouse so that the headshots created in either screen will be consistently lit and presented. Finally, we've updated some of the lighting to get a better and cleaner look for all the portraits.

This feels like an eternal quest - we're just going to keep improving the character visuals and portrait captures. Some of the next items include a rim light shader tweak that will help punch them up more and better texturing for skin.


[h2]Proc-Gen Adds[/h2]
With Update #42, we've added another 2 hosts to the Hacking-only proc-gen missions. As the pool grows, your chances of encountering the same host multiple times is starting to slip into the shadow. We'll keep improving here until its a long forgotten memory.

For raid proc-gen missions, we've updated the objective to be more clear with its language between Lockbox (as seen in the hover) and lootbox (a meta hallucination). When raiding, you want to "Loot the
lockboxes" and "Extract your team" before it gets too hot.


[h2]Matrix Locker IC[/h2]
The Locker IC lost its powers after the big SCU update allowing you to re-up the security device disables. Now, its back with full force! If a Locker IC is present and enabled in a node, you will be unable to disable any devices until you've dealt with the troublesome little pest.


[h2]Weapon Mod Adjustments[/h2]
We're catching up on a few fixes from Update #40's new weapon mods. The Rostock Suppressor will now correctly slot into the barrel of your Sniper Rifle. The MaxCap Magazine mod is now correctly priced - it was so cheap!

While talking pricing, we've adjusted a few more cyberdeck prices to get everything where it needs to be.

[h2]Legwork 0%[/h2]
We've fixed a bug that was keeping Legwork chance shown at 0% when the merc was able to do the Legwork due to certain types of faction relationship or backstory tag.

[h2]v1.2.39 - 1/16/2024[/h2]
- Fixed memory leak in Appearance customization
- Improved quality and lighting of headshots during Appearance customization
- Improved quality of default headshots for new game characters if your settings are lower, not using Best Texture Quality
- Improved clarity of raid proc-gen mission Objectives, fixed language around Lockbox vs. Lootbox
- Added 2 more Matrix proc-gen host templates
- Fixed bug with Locker IC not preventing security device disabling
- Fixed odd visual overflow of Matrix AP near the Connect/Scan button
- Added Message Icon / Count in the Roster screen to help highlight character messages there
- Fixed bug causing Rostock Suppressor to attach to scope mod slot
- Fixed pricing for MaxCap Magazine Mod
- Fixed Legwork success chance displayed as 0% when using a faction background/relationship
- Fixed cyberdeck pricing oddity that made Nikklon Cylor 11.0 the cheapest of all

[h2]End of Month Wrap Up[/h2]

(Description of challenge below)

Hello, Knights! Over the last month you all have been sharing pictures and stories as you "Go Loud" on your heists in New Boston. If you would like to catch up on the fun, you can check out the Steam discussion thread and hop over to our Discord to check out #go_loud_challenge.

A few highlights from the month:

Dheran wrote up detailed and fun After Actions Reports including serving up one big meanie extra crispy with their energy rifle!

gear_head went loud by tossing grenades to take all multiple guards all at once. A good strategy to open your path and allow you to move quickly as the reinforcements are coming!



And a shout out to val whose sniper left behind *quite* the body count as they picked off enemies from a distance.

Thank you to all of you who shared about your how your Knights and team of mercs made it while forgoing stealth in New Boston! Though this challenge is over, feel free to tackle it any time and share how it goes for you!

Stay tuned for more community events in the future!

-------




Hello, Knights! It's time for another CKF Community Challenge. Last time we challenged you to go quiet using only Swords to get through your heists. This time we are going the other way and want you to go in guns blazing in our "Go Loud" challenge.



There are two requirements for this challenge:

- Complete a mission (or missions) going loud by turn 2 (going loud means using guns, grenades, anything that makes noise).
- No silencers or suppressors are permitted.

You can use swords and any other weapons, but you must make noise with a loud weapon by turn 2 at the latest.



As always, we want to see and hear about your adventures tackling the challenge so here are some ideas for what we’d love to see:

- Screenshots of squad during the mission, the guards after you are done with them
- After Action Reports of your missions, challenges you faced
- Your strategies for telling with going loud immediately in a mission
- Any other creative ways you want to share to tell us about the operating in the underbelly of New Boston with only loud boom-boom: memes, interpretive dance, gifs, etc



No matter what you choose to share, please share at least one screenshot of your squad mid-mission so we can see what they got up to!

We’ve opened up a discussion here on Steam in the General Discussion forum for aIl of your posts. If you post in our Discord, head to #go_loud_challenge to join in on the conversation!

After a big story Update like #40, it always feels best to kickback a major quality and F10 fixer like Update #41: Kickbacks. This one fixes stats on the Sniper rifle mods -- including improving the default suppressor noise reduction (cheers!) -- remembering filters in the market, adding Heat and Headhunter display to mission planning, fixing Ironman issues with Restart Mission and Retry Turn, fixing the defective Take All button, and melee-says-one-target bug (again!) and more. It's a huge pile of F10 fixes straight for your posts, roundtripped through our team and kicked back to you in the form of glorious fixes and improvements. So, let's take a look!

If the rapid pace of development feels good, if having your F10s directly addressed is nice -- it makes us warm and fuzzy inside to get reviews! If we're doing Early Access right, consider 👍 - you can always edit it later and add more as the game continues to develop.

[h2]Sniper Mod Improvements[/h2]
With Update #41, we've fixed some issues with the new sniper weapon mods that you can get through the Southie Strut storyline and improved one of the basic mods you can get on the first day of the game. First, the XCAN Suppressor for Sniper Rifles now reduces sound by another -5m. Second, the new Rostock Suppressor is even better by an additional -5m. And finally, we fixed the Vector R-Driver to ensure it doesn't reduce sound, it just increases range.

[h2]No More Slidey-Slide[/h2]
We've applied another round of fixes to the enemy's decision making and movement rules. This set should completely eradicate all cases where the enemy or character doesn't move correctly but instead of just "slides" across the floor.


[h2]Heat and Headhunters[/h2]
While the significant impact of both Heat and Headhunters are still pending, they're importance will be growing over the following weeks as we keep improving on the strategy layer. They are now visible from within the Mission planning screens, as that is one of the times they will be most important once they start kicking.
 
[h2]Outline, HUD and Hover Updates[/h2]
With Update #41, we've ensured that the distance to an enemy target in their hover is updated as you try different movement positions.

We've improved the rendering of character and enemy outlines to be smoother and cleaner which is a nice boost. We've also fixed some issues where sometimes an outline would get stuck on someone, like on a weapon and just hang around for a long time.

Finally, after 3 attempts at fixing it (and fixing some part of it), we believe we've put the bug where your melee weapon in the corner says you can attack 1 enemy but when you click on them it says they are Out of Range. These are now better synchronized to use the exact same set of checks.


[h2]Market Filter Memory[/h2]
We've improved the market to remember basic filter types like Rarity when swapping between types of equipment that are sold -- weapons to weapon mods, for example. Now if you pick things you Can Sell or exclude Common goods, that will be remember whenever you return to the market and swapping between equipment types.

[h2[Neural Toner +10 Matrix Action Points[/h2]
To all the excited mercs who laid on the cyber surgery table and had the Neural Toner installed for the extra +10 AP.... we are truly sorry. This one may not be for you. Neural Toners are a Hacker's implant and grant +10 Matrix AP...


[h2]Buttons: Restart Mission and Take All Fix[/h2]
We had to fix or remove a few buttons in Update #41. If you're playing on Ironman difficulty, we've now correctly removed your option to Restart Mission. And, while the Take All button appeared in Lootboxes even with 1 item left a few updates ago, it is now correctly functioning.

[h2]v1.2.37 - 1/14/2023[/h2]
- Improved / fixed stats for Sniper mods: XCAN Suppressor, Rostock Suppressor, Vector R-Driver
- When switching categories in the market, filters like Rarity are kept
- Heat and Headhunter Threat/% now displayed in all mission planning screens
- Fixed bug allowing Retry Turn and Restart Mission even in Ironman difficulty
- Fixed "Take All" button to work at Lootbox with only 1 item
- Distance to enemy is updated in hover when checking different movement locations
- Fixed matrix bug where repeating scan on an already scanned 2/2 node would still increase Q-Sec Tally
- Fixed (again!) bug causing melee range mismatch when trying to attack versus count you can attack in bottom left
- Fixed bugs where some movement warnings (pressure plates, laser fences, motion detectors) could be left on screen incorrectly
- Fixed odd appearance of movement warnings sometimes near a rotated laser fence or pressure plate
- Fixed bug allowing you to attempt to yield if next merc only has 1 Initiative
- Fixed typos in difficulty descriptions, new story dialog
- Fixed bug where sometimes the red or green outline would stay incorrectly on player or enemy weapons when outlines disabled
- Fixed Neural Toner displaying +10 Action Points when it is +10 Matrix Action Points
- Fixed issue where some parts of red/green outline would stick around incorrectly
- Fixed monsters sliding around the place at start of move or randomly when surprised by something
- Improved text overflow display in mission victory screen for payments
- Improved text overflow display in timeline events

Tonight with Update #40, we're excited to be dropping a new storyline, with an optional new mission type the Live-Wire Negotiation, and a bunch of cool rewards that can expand your options in buying weapons and weapon mods. We've also rebalanced the Matrix missions for proc-gen (last update, they got a little ... out of hand), repriced cyberdecks and a number of weapon mods, fixed Secondary Objectives that were related to Sec Level to be clearer, plus we fixed a nice sized pile of your F10s.

If you're enjoying the pace of updates and new content added, please leave a review! Remember you can always update a review, so if we're headed in the right direction, please drop a 👍is highly appreciated now.


[h2]New Story / 2 Possible Jobs[/h2]
With Update #40, we're excited to roll out another storyline, this one continuing to fill in the Treat of '31 story era with additional storylines rising from the arrival of the Warner-Braun megacorp in New Boston. I won't go into much detail about the story - but you need to be above Power Level 2, the Treaty of '31 Era must have started and you'll get word from a Gun Runner contact. This is a story that will get cooler and deeper as more character and recruit options open up to players, so looking forward to how you are able to see it from different angles even now.

The results of the story are pretty variable based on your choices, who might be in your crew, and how the job goes. One possibility runs through a new type of mission, a Live-Wire Negotiation that sees your meeting face to face with a powerful underworld contact to cut a deal on the fly or decide to try to fight your way out.

If you play your cards right, you can gain access to multiple new Power Level 3 Weapons and Weapon Mods, including new types of SMGs and Shotguns with new special rules. Scrapfor it, Knight!


[h2]Matrix Revamp v2[/h2]
With Update #39, we released a revamp of how proc-gen hacking only missions were generated. Pretty quickly, we heard a lot from players that this hadn't hit the mark and it lacked progression and felt like too much RNG. With Update #40, we've fixed a lot of the RNG elements and pushed the proc-gen mission creator to create a more smooth (but still surprising at times) progression of challenge in the hosts that your hacking. This also has resulted in some increases in the Turn Limits for the hacking missions, where a regular hack only mission might have stipulated 2 Turns only, against a Red Sec Level with Wild Response Level, you could see 4 Turn maximum, etc.


[h2]Update Cleanup[/h2]
We've fixed a number of misses from Update #39 as well -

• While Neural Toner did in fact add the bonuses, they were not showing correctly. Now they do.
  
• The new cyberdecks were insanely expensive! Now fixed.
  
• Security Devices disabling from the matrix wasn't reliably allowing you to re-disable. It also wasn't disabling the number of turns the device was disabled in the matrix which was making the whole situation more opaque. Now the Turns remaining are displayed right with the Security system's title so it is nice and clear.
  

[h2]Backstories and Relationships and Missions[/h2]
With Update #40, we've added the first set of rules -- which will continue to expand -- as to how your backstory and relationships affect missions. The first set of improvements here are to block mercs from going on certain missions given their backstory and relationships.

• Mercs who hate a certain faction will refuse to go on a mission for that faction. In future updates, they will get angry if you work for that faction and happier if you snub them.
  
• Mercs who are strongly loyal to a certain faction will refuse to work against that faction. In future updates, they will get angry if you work against the faction and happy if you support it.
  
• Mercs who are deserters from a faction and are in hiding will refuse to go on a mission against that faction in order to avoid revealing they are still alive.
  

There is so much exciting ground here to work with between faction and personal relationships, so this is an area to watch develop! Stress, Hype, Loyalty and more will start to build up from tags, relationships and backstories.

And of course more as well - check the full changelog below!

Thanks for your support and reviews :D

[h2]v1.2.33 - 1/12/2024[/h2]
- Added new Treaty '31 Era storyline "Southie Strut" with 2 possible missions, new allies/enemies
- New mission type Live-Wire Negotiation sees you cutting a deal on the fly or fighting your way out
- Storyline can unlock new Power Level 3 Weapons and Weapon Mods
- New types of SMGs available, new shotgun special rules available
- Character faction relationships (Loves/Hates/Deserter) may now block mission deployment (Emille Hates Matsumoto and won't work for them)
- Rebuilt Matrix proc-gen difficulty - better progression of Sec Level and Response Level
- Higher Sec Level and Response Level in proc-gen Matrix missions increase Turn Limit for hack
- Number of turns a Security Device is disabled is shown in matrix SCU clearly
- Increased Recoil on E-Rifles, Increased Full Auto Arc for SMGs across Power Levels
- Repriced all weapon mods, some increases
- Repriced all cyberdecks, fixed extremely high prices
- Fixed bugs mission final XP did not always match the displayed XP + bonuses
- Fixed issue where secondary objectives with Sec Level used large numbers like 36 instead of Sec Level 3
- Fixed issue with Neural Toner not displaying its stats correctly
- Fixed brother/sister confusion in some cases in Sibling Breakout storyline
- Fixed report typos and map bugs