Chaos Chain
Attention, freelancers!
Hi everyone,
I'm releasing the update that I've been steadily working on over the past several weeks. As you know from my development status updates, the release was delayed due to some serious computer issues I experienced.
I've also had an extremely busy few weeks with family events, health-related issues, and other obligations. So, I've decided to release what I have completed for now and will continue working on the remaining features intended for this update. The only item not fully ready is one quest, which I've temporarily disabled but is mostly in the game files already. I expect to finish it within a few days and release it next week.
This update includes numerous improvements, expanded gameplay options and variety through dialogue actions, a visual order gauge indicator in combat, and a new Shadow system to enhance the visual appeal of environments, especially interiors. I hope you enjoy this update. Now that things are settling down for me, I plan to resume releasing updates and patches much more rapidly, and I apologize for the significant delay since the last major update.
While it is NOT NEEDED, it IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to start a new playthrough for this update. I have not required a restart in almost a year, but this update brings A LOT of changes, so it would be better to be safe than sorry to prevent bugs!Thanks for your patience and understanding.
*Please note that these changes are not in any particular order.*
[h2]BETA Update 1.68.0 Changelog:[/h2]
Bug Fixes:
- FIXED auto transfer system not accounting for some of the new weather patterns added a few updates ago
- FIXED low profile armor giving 95% resistance to explosion damage instead of giving 5% (Numbers were reversed)
- FIXED a light placement in the Street Side Diner area
- FIXED several tileset pathing issues related to windows in interior areas
- FIXED the wall appearance in the Bazaar: Backrooms area (You could see their edges)
- FIXED a dialogue inconsistency in Ashen Row
- FIXED some NPC blocking issues for the player
- FIXED paydata item being usable in combat (To no effect)
- FIXED an issue with victory processing if the entire enemy team (Drones mainly - other enemies are immune to the state for various reasons related to combat flow - they attempt to retreat) had the Drained status (No morale)
- FIXED an issue where when traveling FROM Piker Cemetery, getting a random encounter even with combat could result in lock ups (The random combat event list for the area was bugged)
- FIXED a bug where one skill check awarded Drako EXP instead of the player's character
- FIXED some variables not resetting when intended
- REMOVED a leftover testing event
Changes & Additions:
- EXPERIMENTAL feature addition: order gauge in combat (This script had a lot of bugs in my testing - I fixed many of them but some may still be here - I don't know if I'll be keeping this addition as I don't know how to feel about it quite yet)
- Reduced background opacity for the messages displayed in combat slightly
- All characters and enemies now have an experimental order gauge icon
- Interaction improvements to the side quest "Shady Dealings"
- Added optional objective text to the side quest "Blood Feud"
- Updated side quest description for "Blood Feud P2"
- Added "Turncoat" new side quest for the Free Slade Militia (Also counts as a quest to get Lace as a companion) (THIS QUEST IS TEMPORARILY DISABLED WHILE I FINISH WORKING ON IT)
- Added "Forgotten Funds" new side quest (We needed some more hacker action)
- Added "Separated Self" new companion side quest (Vex)
- Added "Separated Self P2" new companion side quest (Vex)
- Added Old Arcade area (Inside Warehouse Alley)
- Added Service Tunnel area (Plot related - Inside Piker Cemetery)
- Added Columbarium area (Plot related - Inside Piker Cemetery)
- Slowed interior rolling fog effect by roughly 60% (It shouldn't look like there's wind inside anymore)
- Added an in game temperature system (Just to give a little more added atmosphere and flavor - this appears in the PDA - the weather max temp F is 75 and the min temp F is 45 - whenever the weather shifts, the temperature can rise of fall a few degrees randomly at a time)
- Reserve party members now earn 66% experience instead of only 60%
- Added a bunch more random TV barks to the list (Total now 407)
- Increased base escape chance for random encounters by roughly 15%
- Increased successive escape attempt chance bonus by 50% (You get 50% more chance than previously on each failed escape from combat so you have higher chances the more times you try)
- Added Steam Achievements for visiting different city districts/sectors (Please note that these will only trigger on new playthroughs or for areas in which you haven't currently visited in your current playthrough)
- Added Steam Achievements for completing the introduction and chapter 1 of the main story (More of these will come obviously - current playthroughs that are past this point in the story will not be able to get them, but this gives you a reason to check out the changes I've made)
- Added Steam Achievements for the new quests
- Added color coded text to Data item description to make it more obvious what to do with the item
- Added new icon art for Paydata item
- Added a "+" inside the description for flaws that are upgraded (Companion quest completions with them present for the resolution)
- Added a question mark popup above the player's head when finding paydata after examining found data
- Added Sugegasa (Japanese conical hat - gives -3% target rate, immunity to damp status - I figured this fit the game theme pretty well)
- Added Edge status effect (Positive and only for player controlled characters - excluding drones - and companions --- given randomly at round start in combat --- recovers some mettle, action points, gives bonus to attack speed for the round, and adds shock immunity for the round --- Cannot be gained if the character is downed (obviously), panicked (an ally died this turn), has shock (took a big mettle hit), has burnout (ran out of mettle), or has trauma (wound))
- Added more randomized names for character creation
- Added Edge status animation
- Added several more lights to various areas
- Increased the brightness and contrast of all the light effects in game
- Updated some existing dialogues
- Updated some quests with some improvements and other minor changes
- Added new shadow effects to various interior areas to improve the overall aesthetic (The idea is to make the areas "pop" a little more - I added over 150 of these - You should be able to notice them in corners of rooms/wall corners, among rubble, in areas that are off to the side and innaccessible, etc)
- Updated the color of added state text popups in combat
- Updated the color of removed state text popups in combat
- Updated the color of resisted popups in combat to match armor text color
- Added a new glitch (Wildcard) that can occur during system hacking when failing a node takeover (Alarm toggle --- can be good or bad --- simply toggles the alarm on or off depending on if it's currently enable or disabled)
- Added some new unique NPCs to interact with
- Added new unique NPC graphics (Sprites + Faces)
- Added Self Contempt Flaw (Upgraded form of Self Hating for Vex) that removes the -5% critical evasion debuff when you complete Vex's personal quest with him present
- Added Redemption Passive (+3% Shock Resistance, +2% Instant Kill Chance) that is gained when you complete Vex's personal quest with him present
- Added a new boss (Plot related)
- Added new boss graphics (Face, sprite, battler)
- Enemies now give an additional 20% exp per level instead of 18.5%
- Cleaned up some icon art
- Added a new special boss weapon that can be obtained through defeating the new boss
- Updated Piker Cemetery area with more detail, lighting, and pathable tiles
- Darkened nighttime colors slightly
- Added some more environment decor to several areas
- Smoothed out some hacking related animations in combat
- Changed the system hacking background soundtrack
- Improved the quality and clarity of some item icon art
- Updated randomized container loot lists
- Updated several shop listings
- Added several new roleplaying opportunities to some dialogues (Skill checks, attribute checks, etc)
- Opportunity status (Granted to the player's character when alone in combat to give them a fighting chance) no longer shows a popup text when it is removed
- Various other adjustments and changes
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 ideas you'd like to share, please consider leaving a review for the game. 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 gone ahead and started an official
Patreon Page to help bring in financial support for the game going forward and you can also grab the support DLCs on the
DLC Page to get some extra in game goodies and help support the game's continued development!
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/
Official Links:
That's all for now, enjoy!
Stay Alert. Stay Armed. Stay Alive. Don't lose your humanity.-
Cryptic ːCStudiosː