Reality Break News

Reality Break Patch 2 has gone live as version 1.00.2.

Courtney's notes: By far the most substantial upgrade in this patch is for object spawning performance. It necessitated a comprehensive pass over the entire game's spawning pipelines for gameplay visuals and UI elements. This will especially help players using HDDs, but it also helps heavy combat run much faster on SSDs, including on my nine year old PC with a 970GTX.

Also, I have adjusted the balance for analysis, crafting, unique item drop rates, and more to address player feedback directly, as well as making chassis items drop from destroyed enemy ships.

I've included another set of improvements to quality of life, such as the frequently requested Story Skip option for players who have unlocked the true ending.

Players who wished for the "forced story breaks" to work differently - I have heard you, I understand, and I agree that these could feel unnecessarily punitive. I have addressed this in a way that preserves my vision for the surprise factor. When the timeline ruptures, you can now continue playing in a Severed Timeline for as long as you like. When you're ready to continue the storyline, you can enter the Chaos Vortex and resume the campaign. I hope this feels better, and I appreciate those who left this helpful feedback.

In addition, I have been thrilled to see some players take on the mantle of investigating modding the game (including a couple of super cool test mods already released in the discord, as well as a modding tool and a save file editor). I have added a small first pass at a modding section to these patch notes to reflect my continuing work to support that aspect of the game.

Finally, I am pleased to reveal a brief roadmap indicating where the game will likely go. Even though Reality Break isn't a live service game, I love working on this game and I love the community that has coalesced around it, so I want to give it some more love.



Thank you very much!
~Courtney


[h3]Performance[/h3]

• Implemented a massive overhaul to the game's handling of visual object spawning so that the vast majority of game visuals are now automatically pooled for faster creation. (dev note: I've been testing this extensively over the past week, but please keep an eye out for visuals that don't spawn correctly or that persist for too long and let me know)
• Greatly improved CPU and GPU memory usage across the board, with an emphasis on particle and UI texture memory.
  
• Greatly improved performance of Hurricane elite affix on planet-based maps.
  
• Improved performance of world pickups.
  

[h3]Stability[/h3]

• Added proper handling to prevent certain rare game crashes.
  

[h3]Quality of Life[/h3]

• If you have completed the Story Campaign and reached the True Ending, you can now skip all story content when creating a new pilot or breaking an existing one.
  
• Tutorial progress is now saved in the Reality Stream rather than per-Pilot, which means new Pilots created to try different Aptitudes or to restart Ironman runs will no longer be repeatedly taught the basics.
  
• Added a flyout when auto-looting a resource drop to make it more obvious it happened.
  
• Increased the default Resource stack size by 100%, and doubled all of the stack size Specialist Upgrades as well.
  
• When using Retrieve on an item in the Quantum Frame, automatically equip it if there's an empty equip slot.
  
• Added an indicator to show that the recurring villain had been defeated during the current cycle.
  
• Added gamepad cursor teleport when opening the side mission Challenge Level rewrite UI.
  
• Added Stash cursor sweep, allowing you to hold down the stash/retrieve input while sweeping across ship inventory items do move them in bulk.
  
• Reworked the story campaign flow so that, after the prologue, profile breaks are no longer forced by the story. Instead, you may continue playing indefinitely until you choose to go into the Chaos Vortex and continue the campaign.
  
• Demo profiles are now immediately imported into the full version without requiring Story Campaign completion.
  

[h3]Content[/h3]

• Chassis items of all rarities can now randomly drop from enemies once crafting has been unlocked. (dev note: until I add this to the loot filter UI, it can be disabled by setting LootFilterAllowChassisDrops in UserConfig.xml to false)
• Added a tutorial popup that explains how the recurring villain works.
  
• The Voi'ner capital ship now spawns on side missions located in Voi'ner Shipyards.
  

[h3]Balance[/h3]

• Increased the drop rate of Epic rarity items by 100%, and increased the drop rate of other unique items by 400%.
  
• Greatly reduced Crafting cost scaling with item level and affix category when applying affix fragments.
  
• Added item level scaling to Crafting budgets, increasing them beyond previous caps.
  
• Rebalanced Analysis: durations have been slashed by around 10x, Credit costs have been upped by the inverse. (dev note: This will serve as a better foundation for future changes, provide a Credit sink and make targeting currency gains worthwhile, and facilitate far more Discoveries. As usual, I'll be monitoring feedback.)
• Specialist Upgrade Resource costs are now also reduced by the Aetheric Negotiation talent. (dev note: Credit cost reductions are fixed as well.)
• Extracted affix fragments that were already boosted via the Vibrant Formulation talent now cost +100% to apply to new items.
  
• Map enemy levels are now either the story mission level or the side mission Challenge Level. Enemies are then also upgraded based on the selected Omen level. Reward scaling has been adjusted.
  
• Station and trader inventory item levels are now increased to the last completed side mission Challenge Level.
  
• Shielded enemy ships now scale their shielding with Omen level.
  
• Affixes that are guaranteed on unique items, such as Engine Thrust on most Propulsion and Stabilizer items, can no longer gain an Affix Type rewrite or the bonus from the A Beautiful Cortex talent.
  
• Reduced chassis bonus budget multiplier from 2 to 1.5, and added a cap that scales by +3 with item rarity.
  
• Haste scales less strongly with item level and more strongly with rarity.
  
• The aptitude trait Exponential Programming has been reduced from +20 item level to +8, and the Accessory Overlord trait has been increased from +100% to +400%.
  

[h3]Polish[/h3]

• Improved the description string for the Multiplex Analysis talent to clarify that its effect is automatic.
  
• Improved multiple description strings for the Timespace Cache talent to clarify its restrictions.
  

[h3]Modding[/h3]

• Added various crafting variables to ScientistSettings.xml: CraftingBaseBudget, CraftingBudgetFromRarity, CraftingBudgetItemLevelScalar, CraftingBudgetChassisMultiplier, CraftingFragmentPrimaryAffixCost, CraftingFragmentFateAffixCost, CraftingFragmentItemLevelCostScalar
  
• Data-driving for item definition XMLs: BaseAnalysisCostLevelExponent, BaseAnalysisCostRarityExponent
  
• Custom defined items can now point to existing icons using IconName in their XML definition.
  
• Added fallback display for defined item's UniqueDescription if there isn't an entry in the string table.
  
• Neutral Propulsion inputs also trigger abilities on the player ship's equipped items.
  

[h3]Bug fixes[/h3]

• fixed certain translated strings not using the correct formatting, leading to improper display in East Asian languages (dev note: This included over a hundred instances of improperly formatted strings, mostly in Japanese, but across all East Asia languages. My apologies for not catching these sooner. I have implemented automated error detection so that future problems will be caught immediately.)
• fixed Skills flagged to scale with total ship damage output double-dipping into critical damage
  
• fixed possibility of applying both Compressed Fabrication and Vibrant Formulation subtalents of the advanced crafting talent Diversified Assembly on the same item by backing out to the main menu between acquiring a chassis and applying fragments (dev note: if an existing item has enough unapplied fragments to reduce the remaining budget below 0, it will not be possible to apply fragments to that item until enough have been removed to bring it within budget; and previously unapplied crafting budgets will be reinitialized using the new math)
• fixed showing Equip Boost line on item tooltips before it was unlocked on that character
  
• fixed Favored Affix multiplier display string causing color bleed to subsequent affix strings
  
• fixed ship rotation for tank controls not respecting delta time
  
• fixed Favored Stat bonus not being updated after rewriting an Affix Type to/from the relevant affix, or if the relevant affix was added due to rewriting an item's rarity
  
• fixed certain buffs from equipped items not hiding correctly when the player ship is warping through a jump gate
  
• fixed cost discount from Aetheric Negotiation talent not working on Specialist Upgrades
  
• fixed items like Resources and Affix Fragments having higher priority than Equipment items when sorting various inventories
  
• fixed untranslated character dialogue text appearing in speech bubbles after the player has unlocked the Booming Reformulation talent later in the game
  
• fixed being unable to cycle loadouts while the cursor was hovering an item
  
• fixed weapons and drones occasionally not firing if multiple ones of the same type were simultaneously equipped and the frame rate was lower than their adjusted cooldown rate
  
• fixed missing icons for Max Shields and Blast Radius affix types
  
• fixed certain indicator icons on Rewrite Dialog being clickable
  
• fixed various layout issues with Aptitude selection UI
  
• fixed incorrect formatting in Skill tooltip when displaying an altered maximum level cap
  
• fixed needing to restart the game before an unlockable Aptitude's modification to Skill cooldowns took effect
  
• fixed text label for credits gained from selling scrap potentially overflowing the station dialog UI
  
• fixed Asteroid Barrage entities not playing destruction fx when they expire
  
• fixed being unable to chain-cast Negate Existence and Asteroid Barrage with fast enough Skill cooldowns
  
• fixed improper visual scale for pooled ability effects that modulate their visual size with ability level, stats such as Blast Radius, and other multipliers
  
• fixed a certain Aptitude being able to chain-cast Ship Regeneration for free
  
• fixed Vibrant Formulation talent granting a 200% boost to Fate Affixes instead of 100% (dev note: it always said "up to 200%" but was granting 200% no matter what)
• fixed certain entities still appearing on radar even if their root visual was hidden
  
• fixed beam type weapons spawning their beam fx visuals in the wrong direction if overlapping a collision trigger, such as for a interactive object
  
• fixed shields up effect playing when player ship was hidden while jumping in after death and respawn
  
• fixed sorting of inventory item UI scrap and locked indicators
  
• fixed text outline coloring on Codex set names
  
• fixed speech bubble dialog being locked at a high scale factor no matter the screen setup
  
• fixed more visual effects not being hidden when player ship is hidden, such as when jumping to a different map
  
• fixed mission CL rewrite cost displaying incorrectly when first shown
  
• fixed codex set bonus name outline coloration by rarity
  
• fixed rewritten UI fx interaction with pooling
  
• fixed current side mission not auto-abandoning when beginning the story-mode fracture mission
  
• fixed input bug if abandoning the fracture side mission before the waves had begun spawning
  
• fixed always skipping story on broken profiles
  
• fixed completed mission objective text locking to incorrect scale
  
• fixed speech bubble dialog being locked at a high scale factor no matter the screen setup
  
• fixed enemy health bars occasionally getting stuck on-screen without being anchored to anything
  
• fixed the Foe Undermine talent applying twice
  
• fixed Through The Looking Glass skill not incorporating Tactician bonus
  
• fixed astronomical collision damage inflicted on the player's ship at higher map levels
  
• fixed Superheated preventing pickup of world drops while afterburning
  
• fixed Voltaic Fortifier unique description string not dynamically changing when Unique Mod Type was rewritten
  

Reality Break Patch 1 has gone live as version 1.00.1.

Courtney's notes: This is the first Patch for Reality Break. The distinction between this patch and the hotfixes I released previously isn't black and white, but mainly: I will use hotfixes if something needs an urgent fix, and stick to a somewhat regular patching schedule for other improvements to the game.

I'm excited to announce that Reality Break got the official Steam Deck Verified badge from Valve! My work on performance and UI legibility isn't done, but at the very least the game now has a solid foundation for handheld play. Thank you to everyone who sent feedback! Please keep it coming.



I've also overhauled the Mission Challenge Level rewrite UX to address multiple areas of confusion and to improve clarity via layout and tooltips. Hopefully this will improve the experience for players, especially those who didn't realize there was a dropdown there in the first place or that challenge levels could be increased past CL11.

Performance is now better in heavy combat scenarios due to configurable per-object caps on visual effects for various abilities. This patch also includes four unique new items, including a Shields item to help complete an item set as well as three Epic drone items. And, I've done another pass on reducing the large size of certain UI elements after the recent legibility pass, and revamped the Aptitudes dialog UI to improve legibility on handheld devices.

I'm still diagnosing an issue experienced by a few players that can cause save file corruption on system power loss. Until I find out what's happening, I've implemented two different kinds of profile backups. They are described in the Stability section below.

I've also included some catch-up patch notes for improvements and fixes that weren't listed in the notes for prior hotfixes. These are listed in a separate section at the bottom.

I love working on this game, so thank you all so much for making my dream a reality! A reality break, if you will!

[h3]Performance[/h3]
Note: the UserConfig.xml file referenced below can be found in the game's installed files under your Steam root game directory at Reality Break\Reality Break_Data\StreamingAssets\Config\UserConfig.xml, where you can also find additional instructions for each setting.

• spawning of auto-pooled visual effects is now capped per effect, configurable in UserConfig.xml via AutoPoolingPerObjectMaximum (dev note: for example, projectile launch and impact effects)
• filling the object pools can either be done over time or all at once, configurable in UserConfig.xml via FillObjectPoolsOverTime (dev note: this is mainly for players on HDDs who want to let the game load more up front rather than have it stutter while filling the pools over time after startup)
• added an experimental setting that turns on auto-pooling for almost all ability effect objects, which you can enable in UserConfig.xml via EXPERIMENTAL_AutoPoolAllAbilityEffects
• added an experimental setting that decreases the chance an auto-pooled object will spawn if the current proportion of spawned objects relative to the hard limit exceeds the EXPERIMENTAL_ReducePooledSpawnChanceThreshold setting in UserConfig.xml (dev note: (this means objects with capped pools will gradually decrease their spawn rate by default as they approach their hard cap rather than just shutting off when the limit is reached)

[h3]Stability[/h3]

• the game now creates a backup of the current pilot save file before it proceeds with a profile save
  
• in addition, the game creates session backups the first time the Reality Stream or any pilot are loaded successfully after a fresh launch of the game (dev note: if something happens to your profile, you can check %localappdata%low\Element Games\Reality Break for save file backups)
• fixed game getting into a bad state if it tried to import a demo profile but a demo folder did not exist
  
• fixed instability if an Analysis timer was reduced below the minimum possible value for DateTime via Inspection Point rewards for already-completed analysis
  

[h3]Quality of Life[/h3]

• the Mission Challenge Level rewrite UI has been revamped to make it more obvious that different levels can be selected by the player as well as to teach various additional concepts via layout and tooltips, including showing the enemy difficulty increase as well as the improved rewards from higher CLs
  

[h3]Content[/h3]

• added "Premium Cycler" unique Shields item, Screen specialization
  
• added "Sudden Followthrough" unique Drone item, Targeter specialization
  
• added "Evasion Protocol" unique Drone item, Orbiter specialization
  
• added "Voltaic Fortifier" unique Drone item, Transformer specialization
  
• improved legibility of Aptitudes dialog on handheld devices
  

[h3]Balance[/h3]

• the Sublimation affix has been adjusted: its baseline potency, minimum increment, and scaling with item level, rarity, and ship class have been reduced (dev note: this affix was an extreme power level outlier, contributing in large part to some players being able to trivialize CL99 enemies and even the Overlord; I will be doing an Aptitude balance pass in the future that will aim to bring everything closer together, at which point this and other unique affixes will be adjusted further)
• the Ambush affix has been adjusted: its scaling with rarity has been increased
  
• the Devastator affix has been adjusted: its minimum increment and scaling with rarity and ship class have been reduced
  
• Affix Fragments are no longer blocked from installation by matching affixes on the target item, except for a crafted fragment with a matching affix that is already installed in that item
  
• reduced damage output of Federation Destroyer by 60%
  

[h3]Bug fixes[/h3]

• fixed various affix and stat calculation inconsistencies by removing order dependencies (dev note: among other things, this fixes interactions between affix multipliers and other bonuses based on the order in which items were equipped)
• fixed the Aptitude dialog showing portions of UI for undiscovered Aptitudes
  
• fixed certain labels not using localized strings on Aptitude dialog
  
• fixed Superlaser weapons not being flagged as Beam weapons
  
• fixed rewriting Unique Modifier Type not updating the item's internal UniqueModifier for later use
  
• fixed certain Affix values being applied both to the additive and multiplicative components of the bonus calculation
  
• fixed being unable to scroll certain lists by grabbing and dragging their scrollbar handles
  
• fixed being able to equip drones into phantom slots after using alt compare on a drone tooltip and then switching to a pilot without as many slots unlocked
  
• fixed being able to extract an Affix Fragment from the Fate Core
  
• fixed mission rewards showing CL 106 as required for next Aptitude rank
  
• fixed regression with camera shake and screen edge effects option toggles no longer functioning
  
• fixed overly small labels on pilot profile UI
  
• fixed visual effects being offset and scaled after antialiasing was turned off, until a game restart
  

[h2]Previously[/h2]

• clarified the Unique Bonus description for Epic Gatling weapon The Shredder to make it obvious that its projectile damage boost degrades in flight
  
• toned down flashbang of Nexus capital ship destroyed debris
  
• toned down flashbang brightness on one of the Epic Gatling weapon's unique bonus visual effects
  
• Reinforced Coffers are now guaranteed to drop at least an Epic item
  
• treasure crates with additional Bonus Equipment now get extra loot quality and drop at least Rares, but cost 3x
  
• fixed Rewrite dialog background sorting against bright Navigation map mission node UIs
  
• fixed Rewrite dialog not making its rewrite entries operable if fate pulses were picked up while it was open
  
• fixed Codex dialog being partly cut off at certain screen aspect ratios
  
• fixed Nucleic Injector projectiles not spawning their impact fx on collision
  
• fixed Haste region mod entries not displaying as percentage
  
• fixed inventory sort not segregating different item types correctly, such as Equipment vs Resources
  
• Armor value on ship dialog UI now uses large number formatting if necessary
  
• reduced the delay before you can skip the first line of dialogue in a story conversation from 900ms to 300ms (dev note: it's there so players don't accidentally miss the first line if clicking rapidly; for advanced users, it is configurable in Reality Break\Reality Break_Data\StreamingAssets\Proto\Settings\GameSettings.xml via InputCooldownForFirstStoryIndex)
• reduced the delay before you can dismiss a tutorial popup from 900ms to 500ms (dev note: confgurable in GameSettings.xml via DefaultTutorialDismissDelay)
• renamed Shield Capacitor to Factory Capacitor so that it matches the Expert Goal's naming
  
• fixed miscellaneous bug with Rare set item names not matching the item that was acquired for that set item slot
  

Reality Break v1.00.0 hotfix 6 has gone live.

Courtney's notes: This hotfix includes a substantial overhaul of the game's UI text presentation, the first pass at improving text legibility across the board with a particular focus on comfort when playing the game on handhelds such as Steam Deck.

I've been made aware of two fixes related to graphics drivers that allowed players to resolve big performance problems:

1. if you're on Nvidia driver v572.16 and experiencing extremely poor performance, please try reverting to an older version or upgrading to a newer one. v572.16 has been reported by various players as causing a host of massive problems in various games.
   
2. if you're using an AMD graphics card, one of my players who was experiencing a repeatable crash to desktop when jumping into a mission has reported that updating to the February 20th Optional AMD Drivers fixed the problem.
   

In addition, I'm tracking the following performance problems for a fix:

1. stuttering on high refresh rate monitors: I've ordered a 180Hz monitor so I can diagnose the problems in my dev environment.
   
2. players on HDDs as opposed to SSDs: I've implemented a few improvements for the game hitting the hard drive unnecessarily, and have also ordered an HDD so I can test this myself.
   
3. high enemy density: more improvements will be coming here over time.
   

This update also includes a smattering of other fixes and improvements as requested by the player community - thank you for letting me know what you'd like to see in the game!

[h3]Performance[/h3]

• reduced the impact of object pool initialization when starting the game by amortizing it over time more effectively
  
• added more effects to object pool
  

[h3]Quality of Life[/h3]

• tripled the auto-pickup radius for currencies dropped in space as well as for health, energy, and supercharge drops
  
• Resource drops are now automatically collected at the same distance as currencies. If ejected from your ship's inventory, they will not be auto-collected again until you leave and re-enter their auto-pickup radius.
  
• if you have two or more equipped weapons that are either all Primary or all Secondary, pressing either the Primary or Secondary fire input will fire all of them
  

[h3]Balance[/h3]

• increased proc chance of Laser debuff from 10% to 50%, and increased its potency from +100% to +200% Secondary Weapon damage taken
  
• increased refund chance for the Vibrant Acuity talent from 50% to 75%
  
• increased the Armor multiplier from the Fortify Skill from 20% to 50% per level, and made it scale with all enemies within 200 meters instead of 100
  
• reduced the damage scaling for Pilot Skills that use Total Damage Output to bring them closer to weapons (dev note: This affects Superheated, Negate Existence, and Asteroid Barrage. For example, Negate Existence was being used as a pure dps Skill that outpaced any possible weapon combo even without factoring in the Execute bonus. However, I'm continuing to monitor this heavily and will adjust as needed, in particular making sure that all Aptitude Ranks are achievable.)
• increased Resource drop rates from Asteroids by 100%
  
• increased Resource drop rates from enemies by 900%
  
• dramatically increased spawn chance of recurring antagonist at higher story campaign completion levels during a given cycle (dev note: leveling your pilot past lv10, equipping Epics/Artifacts, and progressing the story will all increase the chance that this antagonist warps into your mission - as long as you're surrounded by several enemies)

[h3]Bug fixes[/h3]

• fixed being unable to click on 'X' button to close the Navigation dialog
  
• fixed display strings for rewards from side missions that would rank up an Aptitude if completed at a higher Challenge Level
  
• fixed weapon damage scaling from the following affixes: power source (e.g., Energy-based vs Ammo-based), specialization (e.g., Phaser vs Launcher), and subspecialization (e.g., Primary vs Secondary) (dev note: this fix represents a buff to weapon damage, in some cases a substantial improvement if you were running many such affixes)
• fixed loss of ship and UI control inputs if Navigation dialog was open during a jump sequence
  
• fixed various consistency issues when displaying numerical bonuses from certain Affixes in various contexts, such as weapon type damage bonuses in item tooltips and the Stat Details panel
  
• fixed extra visual fx spawning and not being cleaned up for the ship buff applied by one of the unique Launcher weapons
  
• fixed not being able to Abandon Mission in the Chaos Vortex
  

Reality Break v1.00.0 hotfix 5 has gone live.

Courtney's notes: More performance fixes along with progression and gameplay blockers are included in this hotfix.

A note about balance: I am continuing to evaluate this with the community. Once the overall landscape reaches a more stable state, I will evaluate whether more sweeping changes are warranted. Thank you for continuing to post balance feedback.

Also, this hotfix reworks the penultimate mission so that players who defeat the recurring antagonist during the first cycle that's possible don't miss critical story exposition that explains much of the game's plot, and so that they don't the final rank for one of the main Story Talents. In addition, this enables the final two mission skips that those players were missing, including by far the largest skip in the launch version of the game.

The launch for Reality Break exceeded my expectations, and I will continue improving the game over the coming weeks and months. Thank you all again for joining me on this journey!

[h3]Performance[/h3]

• substantially improved the performance of the game's asteroids, including updating, damaging, and destroying them
  
• improved the performance of spawning impact/hit fx caused by standard attack abilities as well as beam type abilities
  

[h3]Progression[/h3]

• story campaign mission The Reality of the Situation now includes additional exposition dialogue from a separate timeline branch if the player arrives at that mission after having defeated the recurring antagonist during the first cycle that's possible to do; this also makes sure to upgrade the relevant Story Talent to its maximum rank, and unlocks two more mission skips
  

[h3]Quality of Life[/h3]

• show oversized item Ship Class rewrites differently depending on whether the player can afford them, and show "Fighter" as the ship's label in the ship dialog UI header (dev note: this is to increase tutorialization for the Ship Class rewrite feature since it continues to be missed by many players)

[h3]Balance[/h3]

• Region Mod Type and Region Mod Value mission rewrites now generate more reasonable values that scale with mission Challenge Level
  

[h3]Bug fixes[/h3]

• fixed Backup Plan item regression alternating its shots instead of firing both simultaneously
  
• fixed Negatron Collider item cooldown reduction bonus not working
  
• fixed homing weapon projectiles not tracking Hazards or Structures, such as Launcher missiles not acquiring lock on Volatile Anomalies and Colossus Pulsers
  
• fixed remaining Analysis time getting stuck at 0 seconds if the analysis was completed via the bonus from the Multiplex Analysis talent
  
• fixed various visual and calculation problems with the Region Mod Type and Region Mod Value mission rewrite
  
• fixed campaign story missions locking their level at 1 for newly-created pilots when other pilots have already completed other timelines for the Reality Stream
  
• fixed Talent Tier 2 bonus to Loot Quality not applying
  

Reality Break v1.00.0 hotfix 4 has gone live.

Courtney's notes: This hotfix lands with a variety pack of upgrades, including increased projectile combat performance, fixes for a couple of progression blockers, resolution for a few areas of broken balance or outright exploits, improved UX clarity, and other fixes!

Thank you again for posting all the bug reports and feedback - I'm continuing to work through them to address the highest-priority issues, and I will eventually get through them all.

Also, one thing I'd like to address is the player feedback about larger-sized items, such as Warship class items. Those items are not for larger ship types. Take a closer look at a large item's tooltip after you have unlocked Rewriting and you'll discover something powerful you can do with it!

[h3]Performance[/h3]

• implemented the first pass at an Auto-Pooling system, currently just for projectiles as well as their launch fx and impact fx, which aims to reduce the performance impact of projectile combat dramatically throughout the game
  
• disabled generic fx spawned unnecessarily by projectile impacts that were critical hits since there's a separate and far more performant system for spawning those
  
• non-Epic Swarmer firing rate has been reduced by 33% because it was way above other Swarmers (its dps has been counterbalanced)
  
• disabled impact fx triggering impact sounds that would follow the object, which was an unnecessary expense
  
• reduced max particle counts on Rakeris boss encounter by 90%
  
• optimized the terrain on the Rakeris encounter map, reducing its memory and render requirements
  
• added support for disabling terrain decals during the Rakeris encounter (dev note: this is currently bound to the HD Clouds setting in the Options dialog until the next batch of localization goes through)

[h3]Progression[/h3]

• if the player's ship is destroyed during the story mission "Gathering: The Magic", the protective barrier granted by the mission is now correctly reapplied
  
• restored the Into the Vortex button functionality on a lategame end-of-cycle popup
  
• don't spawn recurring antagonist as early in any given cycle
  
• the crafting NPC no longer becomes inoperable if certain missions are skipped and then the campaign is completed
  

[h3]Quality of Life[/h3]

• the Loot Filter now has three additional toggles that allow items meeting certain criteria to bypass the filter's standard logic (Rarity rewrite, Affix Type rewrite, and Codex set completion) (dev note: this exposes functionality that already existed under the hood and defaulted to on, but that behavior was confusing to many players, so these Loot Filter bypasses now default to off.)

[h3]Balance[/h3]

• rebalanced RP multiplier scaling from Expert Goals by bringing it in line with other RP multipliers instead of being wildly out of balance when incorporating the Strive for Excellence and/or Finesse talents
  
• substantially improved the recurring antagonist's loot table
  

[h3]Bug fixes[/h3]

• fixed item loss resulting from dragging an equipped item onto another item in the ship's inventory that was not currently equippable in the source slot
  
• fixed certain rarity rewrites of common weapons resulting in a Selbar weapon
  
• fixed exploit in the Chaos Vortex that allowed for risk-free survival time in the miasma with the Walking With Ancients talent
  
• fixed exploit with repeatedly boosting an Affix Fragment while the Vibrant Formulation subtalent is active
  
• fixed equipped Drones firing too many shots in certain circumstances
  
• fixed gaining phantom Drones above the currently unlocked # of slots when rewriting an equipped Drone's rarity to Epic or higher
  
• fixed certain Expert Goals tracking instances of damage taken by player ship outside of the correct story mission map