3/3/24 - BIG Chaos Chain Update 1.40.0

Attention, freelancers!

Here is the next update for the game. Check out the full change log below!

*Please note that these changes are not in any particular order.*

[h2]BETA Update 1.40.0 Changelog:[/h2]

Bug Fixes:

FIXED an attack sound effect volume that was too low for rat attacks
FIXED some grammar errors
FIXED a bug with the Panic status being added to player controller characters in combat (Sometimes it was added at the beginning of combat even when no characters were dead)


Changes & Additions:

Added new Steam Achievements
Added "Mouth of Madness" side quest
Added a new plot related area
Sprinting speed increased by 25% (I saw that this was a common complaint that it wasn't fast enough and while the game is not meant to be fast paced AT ALL, I understand that some players don't want to be so slow)
Added torrential storm weather variant (Seriously heavy rain)
Slightly lowered the minimum and slightly boosted the maximum for weather change durations
Balanced several enemies (Many of them got some nerfs)
Removed Shaken status popup when removed (Only lasts 1 turn)
Stunned status can now last only 1 turn instead of always lasting 2 turns
Default accuracy for all characters and companions (Player controller) reduced by 5% (There are so many ways to increase your to-hit chance and it becomes too easy too quick the way it was)
Shake It Off ability got nerfed a bit (Went from 5 AP Cost, +15 Mettle, and -5 Init on use to 3 AP Cost, +7 Mettle, -3 Init on use - This ability was a bit too powerful for how cheap it was to learn and often upset the balance of combat)
Enemy Bosses (Special named enemies) can now receive the Drained status effect (Normal enemies have never been able to do so because it caused a lot of problems with how combat works, so they will instead try to retreat - Bosses do not retreat)
Drained status (Out of Mettle) now gives affected characters and enemies -15% target chance but also lowers critical evasion, ranged evasion, and melee evasion by 5% each (This is to make it easier for Drained characters to go down in combat like intended, but they'll be lower priority for enemies to target)
Updated gameover screen image
Rewrote part of the code that makes enemies act in combat to have them use a bit more variety of skills
Added new item icon art
Added Juicer Pack backpack gear (Inv: 6/+12, Pack, Gear, Init: +4, +1 Muscle, +1 Toughness, +1% Mettle Regen, +1% Action Point Regen) (The idea of this pack is that it is filled with chemicals like stimulants, steroids, etc that boost the performance of the wearer)
Added "Jaw" new enemy boss (Side quest related)
Added a new unique weapon to unlock from defeating the new boss
Renamed some enemy types
Updated some existing dialogues related to quests
Moved the staircase area transitions in Hab Block 13 so they are uniform with other maps (They were at the bottom of the stairs instead of up one tile)
Added cockroach sprite
Added cockroaches to various maps for added atmosphere
Added chemroach (Giant cockroaches) sprite and battler image(Thank you Acehangman!)
Added chemroach enemy type
Added chemroach hurt sfx
Added chemroach battle callout list
Added roach leg creature misc item
Added toxic chemroach sprite and battler image (Same as above but GREEEEEEEN!)
Added toxic chemroach enemy type
Added roach bite attack skill and animation
Added roach pounce attack skill and animation
Added chemroach enemy troop lists
Added new randomized road travel event (Chemroach nest - 2 variants)
Updated random encounter lists for fast traveling
Added some new unique character sprites
Added some new unique character faces
Added some new unique characters to interact with
Updated some shop lists
Usable player portraits have been given a glow effect for their optical implants (If present)
Adding/withdrawing stashed money now plays the same sound as buying/selling an item instead of a coin sound (This was an oversight)
Improved shading on some environment entities
Added a brief delay (1/6 of a second) between multiple event pages that start before battle to give them a bit of processing time to resolve sequentially
Maxed and near maxed inventory text color is now orange instead of the hot pink color to be more noticeable
Tweaked screen transition times from menu to map and map to battle (1/4 sec to 1/2 sec to allow more time to clear and dispose of bitmaps and sprites)
Replaced the mattress with a bed in the player apartment area (You're really movin on up in the world! - but seriously, I felt that it needed to get swapped)
Replaced some background sounds for certain areas to better match the size and content of the location
Resting in your apartment area will now restore more mettle than elsewhere (Comfort bonus)
Adjusted text size in combat for solid hits and grazes (1.5x damage/0.5x damage) to be slightly larger and the same with criticals but even larger in that case
Tweaked the color of the image behind faces to have a bit more green for added contrast to the name text
Lowered the opacity of the image behind faces
Removed an loop in combat logic that was no longer needed (I believe this may have been causing a stack issue as well but I cannot be 100% sure)
Consolidated multiple pages worth of game logic used at the start of combat into one giant method that will run in sequence instead of several smaller methods which all try to run at the same exact time (This should keep things running smoothly)
Simplified some advanced combat logic related to toxic weather being active at the same time (Did this to avoid potential issues)
Updated the game.exe file icon art to be the new version of the main game artwork
Removed a lot of leftover and unused graphics
Removed some extra development events that are no longer necessary
Countless other small tweaks and adjustments

Please let me know of any bugs or issues you may encounter so I can fix them. This update will be available for download shortly.

A friendly reminder: if you're enjoying the game so far or have critiques you'd like to share, please consider leaving a review for me. This not only helps with much needed visibility, but also gives me important feedback for the game to help it become a better final product. Also, if you have questions, concerns, or requests, please visit the official Chaos Chain Steam Forums or join the official Discord Channel! I've also gone ahead and started an official Patreon Page to help bring in financial support for the game going forward.

For more info on the game, visit the store page below!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1536730/Chaos_Chain/

There's even a demo to try the game out!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2324430/

Stay Alert. Stay Armed. Stay Alive. Don't lose your humanity.

That's all for now, enjoy!

-Cryptic ːCStudiosː