Cyber Knights: Flashpoint News

Update #24 comes alive in just the last days of November with some important balancing changes for Matrix, sweeping improvements to the class tree icons and upgrades for clarity, better timeline calculations for healing wounds and injuries and level fixes as well. We're still gunning to get the first iteration of proc-gen out during November, so stay tuned for more soon!

If you're enjoying the pace of updates, please drop us a review and share the game with a friend!


[h2]Matrix IC HP Drop[/h2]
With Update #24, we've made adjustments to the HP totals for Matrix IC of all kinds to help improve the Attack program meta within the game. You'll find that IC have lost HP across the board and more types can be single hit by an Attack program. As the Matrix Hosts and IC power levels increase, these totals will go up but the starting IC are now better in line with the starting Attack programs, making the entire experience -- and especially spiking the CPU -- less difficult and multi-turn.


[h2]Class Tree Upgrade[/h2]
With Update #24, we've done a major sweep across the class trees to simplify and fix all upgrade icons and Talent quadrants for the upgrades. The icons are a bit larger and simpler and we've also used some automation to ensure that the icon always matches the effect (if its duration, the icon is duration). We've also applied similar automation to then putting the right pip in the right quadrant around the Talent on the main class tree so you can see what you've trained and also easily share your exact class build with a single screenshot through the preview screen.

Part of this process was to fix all of the Talent upgrades that incorrectly had 2 effects. In many cases, we've split these out into a new upgrade node entirely to maintain the same options, such as in Marker Sights, Glasswalker and others. In a few other places, we've just fixed mismatches or incorrect update data.



[h2]Safehouse Medical Treatment Time[/h2]
After the last update where we added medical options to recover from your Wounds, there were a few mismatches in the time offered during the purchase process and the time that appeared on the timeline in the end. We've made the necessary adjustments to be sure the right time is shown and carried all the way through to the timeline.

Healing Wounds is notably still very cheap and very fast - so, get in there and get healed now!


[h2]Comparing Full Auto Weapons[/h2]
We fixed an issue when comparing the Ballistic Damage of Full Auto weapons, the second weapon's damage was not filled in correctly.

[h2]Salvage Breakout Fixes[/h2]
We've fixed a number of issues with the first level of Salvage Breakout. There was an odd truck you could walk through (now you can walk on it). And there were some ghost security devices that weren't visible but showed up only when you were trying to establish a target with your Talent. All resolved now.

[h2]v1.1.19 - 11/28/2023[/h2]
- Improved calculation of IC Hit Points to buff Attack program strategies
- Improved duration calculations for Wound Healing and Treatment contact services in safehouse
- Improved look, scaling and simplicity of Talent upgrade icons in class trees
- Corrected all icons for all Talent upgrades in all class trees - now fully correct
- Fixed all pips surrounding Talent nodes in the trees to match buff/duration/range/charges upgrades - now fully correct
- Fixed all Talent upgrade nodes that had 2 bonuses (buff + recharge rate)
- Fixed 2 bonus issue for Talents including Centering, Red Dot, Covering Fire, Marker Sights
- Adjusted upgrade balance for Marker Sights, Coordinated Charge, Glasswalker added new upgrade nodes
- Fixed issue in comparing 2 weapons with Full Auto firing mode, second one's damage was blank
- Fixed some cover and sight lines in Forward Op mission
- Added correct descriptions for a number of keybindings like / and + etc
- Fixed issue with truck you could walk through in Salvage Breakout
- Fixed issue with strange invisible cameras in Salvage Breakout you could target with security talents
- Fixed a heaping pile of typos

Today we're rolling out Update #23 which includes the key feature to heal longterm Wounds that your characters accrue, improving the data shown when purchasing medical services of any kind, adding contact filtering, fixing a sneaky memory leak and more.

Because Proc-Gen will let you play forever, Wounds stepped in front of Proc-Gen as a priority. You'd play forever and slowly kill your groups with more and more Wounds. This update is giving you a chance to prep, buy down any Wounds you have and be ready for the next update -- the first wave of Proc-Gen missions.

If you're enjoying the pace of updates and constant improvement, please leave a review and share the game with a friend!


[h2]Healing Wounds[/h2]
You can now pay for doctors to help resolve Wounds that have developed due to injuries. These long term Wounds are Traits, which can become worse on their own if untreated, eventually reaching Level 4 with major penalties. At first, they are minor and -- in isolation -- could be ignored for a while with the merc still pulling active duty.

Because these have been sneaking up on a lot of your groups and you've had no way to deal with them, we're running a fire sale on healing them. They are healing in about 2 days for about $6K. This will not be the longterm pricing or timeline but for now, we encourage you to get them healed quickly for cheap.


[h2]Healing Injuries / Wounds Timeline[/h2]
We've also added specifics about the timelines for healing services to the offers in the purchasing pop up. Each contact is not only offering a unique price based on their Traits but also a unique timeline, so some are faster than others and now you can see that data with "$6K + 1d 6hrs". For example, you can now see that Doctor Shaduke's "Hack Saw" Trait makes him a faster, if more expensive, surgeon.


[h2]Contact Filtering[/h2]
You can now filter Contacts by their status and their major faction group, like Street Gang or Syndicate. For status, you can currently filter on Known Contacts, Enemy Contacts and Dead Contacts. As the Contact meta and the importance of using these screens continues to improve, we'll be adding more filters to this now useful UI.


[h2]Memory Leak in Appearance Tab[/h2]
There has been a memory leak in the appearance tab for a while. A huge thank you to the players who pointed it out and logged F10s about it and especially to @Sophismata on our Discord who provided the final clue to getting it fixed.

Also, in the appearance screen, we've fixed the hotkeys (A/D or right stick by default) so that they will continue to work to rotate your character even when focused on the face.

[h2]v1.1.15 - 11/24/2023[/h2]
- Added advanced Wound Treatment from the roster - currently cheap and fast, get it while it is hot
- Improved details in purchase offer for healing injuries to include time / discount %s
- Contact filters by Faction type (milsec, megacorporate, etc) are now working
- Rebalanced Contact Traits Face-Splice 1-4, Steady Hand 1-4 and Hack-Saw 1-4 to have more impact on price
- Fixed memory leak in changing character appearance, sorry for crashes!
- Fixed issue where hotkeys (right stick or A/D by default) were not rotating when face was focused

It's Update #22! We've done a lot of work in this update with targeting, targeting lines, best targets first and we've also fixed the "bodies disappear on reload" issue. Now, every bone and position of your slain enemies is remembered and restored dutifully.

If you're enjoying the pace of updates and how the game is improving, please remember to leave a review!

Before Proc-gen is ready, we just need to roll out healing wounds and then it is time!


[h2]Dead Bodies Visually Restored[/h2]
First -- because this perhaps our most popular F10 still standing -- dead bodies now restore! When an enemy goes down, their dead body becomes a liability. Someone is eventually going to come looking for them. Up until Update #22, if you reloaded a saved in the middle of a mission, the dead bodies (specifically, the ragdolls) would not appear. However, the bodies were there, you could hover them and other enemy agents would still see them.

With Update #22, we've finally resolved this reload issue and dead bodies are now going to appear in every game you reload. If it's a pre-Update #22 game, you might see a lot of enemies flopping around for a second at the start of your reload, but it's all expected -- we just need to get those ragdolls into their final resting place so we can remember it for the next reload.

Thanks to everyone F10ing to make this a hot issue - fixed and ready for the next step, dragging bodies.


[h2]Best Target First![/h2]
With Update #22, when you select your attack Talent we will now sort the list of targets by the highest accuracy to lowest. Previously, we were selecting the nearest target which could result in targets that were out of sight, low % accuracy or just not what you might want as your best default. Now, your best shot is always presented first, so if you like it you can take it but if you need something else for the tactical situation, it is also very clear what type of best accuracy chance you're skipping on to take the harder shot.
 

[h2]Melee Weapon Targeting Oddities[/h2]
With melee weapons there was a situation in which the "can attack" value in the bottom right corner would report a "1" but you'd be unable to attack the target. This mismatch in calculations has been resolved.

We've also fixed the issue where melee weapons could show a large number of gray lines to enemies when considering a movement destination, even if those enemies were out of sight.

[h2]Targeting Lines Update[/h2]
If you switch weapons now, the targeting lines immediately update. This is really helpful, you can now test a movement destination and swap back and forth between your weapons without having to change the destination just to get the lines to update.

[h2]Sword Only Talents Gray Out[/h2]
The sword-only Talents like Aegis and Deflection Field were not correctly graying out if you had a non-sword selected. These Talents now check this correctly and will indicate that they can't be used until you switch weapons.

[h2]Switch to Sprinting[/h2]
We've seen a few players recently miss the idea that you can change your movement mode to Sneaking or Sprinting altogether. This needs better coverage in the tutorial, but we've updated the UI text to try to further highlight that option.

[h2]v1.1.13 - 11/23/2023[/h2]
- Improved ordering of targets when selecting attack - highest accuracy now first
- Dead bodies for characters and enemies now correctly restore on reload
- Fixed issue where weapon numbers in corner would report a sword could attack but it really couldn't
- Targeting sight lines (gray, blue, red) update immediately when switching weapons
- Fixed issue with too many gray targeting sight lines when moving with melee weapon selected
- Fixed issue where Talents that require swords (Deflection Field) were not graying out when using other weapons
- Improved label for "Switch to Sneaking" and "Switch to Sprinting"

Welcome the Steam Autumn Sale! Come right in, merc - a new quantum rider in your spine is 20% off. Just be sure to meet Dr. Eckman at the Aug-Clinic after hours. Surgery starts at 2 AM, your extract from the rooftop as a newly minted Cyber Knight is scheduled for 0300.

Now with Update #21, it is possible that the new Soldier, Aitana, (or your newly personalized and created character) will be waiting on the rooftop for your Knight. With this update, we've also made a big pass upgrading the Mission requirements to be clearer in all their many cases, fixed some nagging issues with the HUD and improved controller defaults and keybinding display around the appearance tab.

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

 
[h2]New Game Option: Aitana[/h2]
One of our goals for the new game team selection is to ensure that each class group has a number of compelling, cool and well setup characters for you to customize as your starting point. Each new character brings their own backstory (Aitana is an ex-Blue Ox striker), Traits (new Muzzle-Face Trait added here), unique tags (Aitana is a member of the Old Hammer Church, a small group of believers who recognize the entities that humans claim are the Artificial Consciousness they created in the 23rd century are actually timeless entities that humans have always known and were once named by a parade of old world civilizations as the old gods), unique Contacts (Aitana's has stayed close to her old Blue Ox Gang Boss and her beliefs have led her to be friends with Doc Shaduke, a street doc and Old Hammer Church member as well) and their own starting equipment (Aitana can lay down some devastating Full Auto punishment on the rooftop with her UAR).


So, Aitana (or whoever you create) comes from a stranger and more spiritual underside of New Boston than you've encountered with other characters. Her presence, unique Tags and Contact connections will feed into different story expressions than Aaron, with his more straightforward milsec connections and mother who might want him dead.

Down the line in the roadmap, we'll be letting you pick Traits for them as well and we are in discussions about stat buys for your Attributes too. We're going to keep working on this new game experience until it is overflowing with awesome options.


[h2]Mission Requirements Get Simpler[/h2]
There are 3 prevalent types of mission requirements that show up in missions today -- having the right number of mercs for the job, bringing a merc with a specific class (such as Cyber Knight or Hacker) and bringing a specific character (such as Emille, etc).


Before, these were all a bit confusing. Sometimes the requirement (like 4/4 mercs) would disappear as soon as it was satisfied. In multiple missions, the text for the specific character required didn't have the character's name. Other times, we were just too wordy for our own good.

We've now resolved all of these cases to use simple, clear, single items. If a Knight is required, it says "Knight" and indicates if you've got one going along with a checkmark. If you need Zasha, well - it jus says "Zasha". And the merc counter now is just always there be it 0/4, 2/4, 4/4 or 7/4.

[h2]Fixing HUD / Talent Display[/h2]
With Update #21, we've fixed two minor issues that crept into the HUD. First, an odd X was appearing at the center of every Talent targeting element. This wasn't needed for all sorts of Talents, so it is now correctly hidden. Those Talents that target a specific point on the floor and affect an area around that point use this X, such as Vanguard's Lure, Cyber Knight's Lookahead and Sniper's JTAC. Also, all types of grenades have a blast mark that appears in the same way - in the exact point on the floor that wlll be targeted.

Finally, there was a strange issue with the word "Button" appearing on screen after unpacking an Item like a medkit in the HUD. This is now resolved.

 
[h2]Rotating Character in Appearance / Mission Pop Up[/h2]
For a little while, the rotation keybindings in appearance have shown "NO NO" instead of anything useful. This is now resolved (defaults to A/D) and the controller default is now nicely setup (right stick) as well. This also carries over into the character and enemy pop ups in the mission map, giving you easy access to rotation and the correct keybindings. Of course, you can also click and drag the model to spin it to your little cyber heart's content.

[h2]v1.1.11 - 11/23/2023[/h2]
- Added additional Soldier character option to New Game - Aitana with Urban Assault, new Traits, Ex-Blue Ox Backstory & Contacts
- Improved mission requirement display for merc count (4/4 Mercs), now always visible even when satisfied
- Improved mission requirement display class requirement (Knight, Hacker) to be simpler and clearer
- Fixed issues with mission requirement for specific character not correctly listing their name
- Fixed odd floating text "Button" after browsing item backpack
- Fixed confusing X appearing at the center of all Talent targeting
- Fixed issues with unlisted keybindings in appearance customization screens for rotating character (click and drag, or use keybinds)

Update #20 is another big patch full of important fixes and improvements straight from the forges of your F10s! We're clearing the decks as best we can because we've got some exciting changes coming in over the weekend - more options in New Game and the next major roadmap milestone - the first wave of Proc-Gen Missions!

If you're enjoying the pace of improvements and the game itself - please leave a review and share Cyber Knights: Flashpoint with a friend.


[h2]Matrix IC Actions[/h2]
We've taken a big pass through the text describing when IC take action and what the result is to help clear up lingering questions about the causes-and-effects during Matrix hacking. Programs that act whenever you take an action (such as loading a program, downloading a file, using an Attack program) state that clearly. Other programs that are triggered only by specific actions like loading a program are more clear about their trigger and resulting action. We've got a lot of work to do to increase the visibility of all the action around ICs and what they are doing as you take your actions (see the log, the details are there) but it needs to be much more visible.


[h2]Matrix Looting[/h2]
For those of you hacking, the files, blueprints and accounts you've been stealing from Matrix hosts were not showing correctly in your mission victory screen. This is now resolved and they appear under a Matrix Downloads list so you can gloat over your ill-begotten riches.

In matrix land, we've further smoothed out zooming in and out on the map. And, we've fixed a bug where once you used the Show button to inspect a door or security devices in an RCU or SCU, the lines would stay on screen after you left hacking.


[h2]Splitting UARs[/h2]
Urban Assault Rifles (shorter range, Full Auto focused) have slipped out of the bonus category for Assault weapons and joined the close-quarters combat bonus. Traits that used to give +3% Accuracy to Assault Rifles and Urban Assault Rifles are now only +3% Accuracy for ARS and instead, you can end up with +3% Accuracy for Close-Quarters Weapons (UAR/Shoguns/E-Rifles). This is letting us achieve a more interesting break in the weapon categories and Traits that are built around them.


[h2]Default Keybindings / Remove Controller[/h2]
With this update we've fixed some issues that were plaguing customize keybindings and multiple controller support. You can now reset the defaults in each context (mission map / safehouse) nicely and get immediately back to the default settings Then tweak away!

Also, for anyone who has a controller plugged in that is giving the game a tough time like a pedal, you can now correctly remove the controllers from the registry on the keybinding screen.

[h2]Overwatch Locks[h2]
There were quite a few overwatch lock ups caused in the game last week and reported with F10s. These mostly resulted in unlikely timing and a race condition from killing multiple targets at once (not overwatch) or getting in an overwatch duel (shooting someone using overwatch) or when an overwatch character would miss. We've fixed what looks like all of them but there may be more cases floating around out there -- so please F10 if you hit any other snags.

Also, we fixed an issue with enemies and characters who are Stunned being able to fire Overwatch reaction shots - that's exactly the kind of action you can't take when you're Stunned!

[h2]Disappearing Hovers[/h2]
We tracked down an odd bug that could cause all hovers to suddenly stop working in the safehouse. It was caused by different screen transitions and ordering. Now press F, its gone and hovers reign supreme.

And so much more - check out the full list of improvements below!

[h2]v1.1.9 - 11/21/2023[/h2]
- Fixed customize keybinding/controller functions "Reset Defaults" and "Remove Controller"
- Improved text for all Matrix IC actions, clearer when they act and what they do
- Adjusted bonuses for Close-Combat Weapons to include Urban Assault Rifles (UAR), removed from bonus to Assault Rifles
- When finishing a mission, all files, blueprints and accounts downloaded from matrix are correctly listed in loot summary
- Improved hovers in matrix over End Action for Turn button
- Fixed program display in market and cyberdeck management to correctly show max uses under program icon
- Fixed issue with utility programs having the wrong icon once you reach Matrix hacking
- Fixed issue with Overwatch duels or killing an enemy on Overwatch that could lead a soft lock in UI
- Characters/Enemies who are stunned cannot attack with Overwatch
- Fixed issue with Q-Endpoint objective in Haven Smokeout - larger trigger area and character will finish movement before triggering
- Fixed outfits to have better tint areas, improved skin color support for body to match face, reduced over-shiny outfits
- Fixed issues with starting Soldier outfit (Aaron) not tinting with colors correctly
- Fixed minor mismatch in XP shown in victory screen
- Fixed issues with class tree icons for Faked Vitals, Downed Shields, Rampage
- Improved faction assignment during new game, less duplicate tags about faction allegiance
- Fixed bug with newly spotted guard not immediately becoming highlighted when toggle highlight is on
- Removed programs from Cold Storage as they already appear in Market
- Improved zoom smoothness on Matrix hacking
- Fixed bug where Matrix hacking inspection lines would stay on screen after looking at a security device or door
- Fixed bug where hovers would stop working suddenly in the safehouse
- Improved hotkeys for training so that the hotkeys never swap around based on trained/untrained
- Removed duplicate hotkey use of H (default) in appearance for both remove (stays "H") and rename (now "T")