Chaos Chain News

Attention, freelancers!

So, I've been reading a lot of feedback lately about how it's still quite difficult to quickly raise a lot of money in the game to start really upgrading your team. Partially intentional, it's not meant to be overly difficult or annoying, just meant to feel like you're actually earning something instead of being handed it without any struggle. That said, I went ahead and made some changes that I think will be widely well-received based on what I've read.

This includes making more vendors accept trade instead of only selling stuff (they act as fences who buy and sell stolen or otherwise looted stuff), credsticks give off a bit more money by default, and loot is a little easier to find.

I'm planning to introduce another update within the next few work days as well which will include a new loot type - luxury items. These will be generally higher quality and worth significantly more than the average random loot item. They will be rare obviously, but should provide a nice incentive to check loot containers more often and will give you a nice bump in crypto-credits when you sell them off. I got this idea from some of the games that I've personally been playing lately and I absolutely loved the idea of it. I already sort of had items in the game like this, but nothing specifically that made you a good chunk of money at once to the point where it felt really rewarding. I aim to fix that.

I also plan to have at least one more pretty large update out by Christmas with new content, so stay tuned for that! :-)

Check out the full change log below!

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

[h2]BETA Update 1.88.0 Change Log:[/h2]

Bug Fixes:

FIXED a bug that caused Zick (Greywater merchant) to not be able to buy anything from you if you selected "Weapons" on his list of available categories


Changes & Additions:

Updated a few of the new dialogues which were added in the last update
Optimized some ongoing variable trackers
Further optimized the three largest outdoor districts (Crescent Strip, Industrial Zone, and Ashen Row)
Balancing pass on thug enemies (All of them got a slight health and mettle nerf --- the idea is that random street scum is not supposed to be as tough or organized as actual gangs)
Reduced the file size of the rain drop splash images to help with optimization for those using the setting (The setting is on by default as I don't have issues in my testing with it, but you can disable it if you don't like how it looks or if you find that the game lags when it's raining)
Neko (Weapons Dealer in the Basement of The Eclipse in Crescent Strip) now doubles as a fence (You can trade/sell stuff to him)
Cairo (Bartender/Owner of The Descent in Ashen Row) now doubles as a fence (You can trade/sell stuff to him)
Syn (Techie who runs Ex Machina in the Industrial Zone) now accepts trades (You can trade/sell stuff to him)
Updated some dialogues for the characters listed above to mention that they can buy stuff from you
Datamine Chip now gives +5% to all evasion during system hacking and +5 mettle instead of giving extra Cred from Credsticks (It had issues the way it was setup so it couldn't stack and now has more of a clear use)
Credsticks can now give up to ~30% more Cred by default
Cassia now starts out with a Datamine Chip instead of an ECM Link (Fits her character better and further improves her hacking abilities)
Special loot lists for things such as meds/drugs/ammo/grenades/improvised weapons and gear/etc are now more likely to actually drop items from those lists (The percent amount varies based on the lists, but this means that looting will be a little more rewarding in general for lootable containers)
Scavenger skill had issues the way it worked so now it gives you a 66% extra chance to find scrap in containers (It could cause lag when generating lootable containers, sometimes it would cause "blank" objects to appear, etc --- this change makes it so you'll be much more likely to find scrap which is a good source of additional income and also needed for crafting many items)
Data Dealer skill now can award up to 20 extra Cred instead of only 10 extra Cred per data given to a fixer
A few other quick tweaks and changes

Please let me know of any bugs or issues you 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!

Official Links:

• Corrosive Studios Steam Store Page
• Chaos Chain Steam Discussion Forums
• Corrosive Studios Discord Server
• Official Patreon Page

That's all for now, enjoy!

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

-Cryptic ːCStudiosː

Attention, freelancers!

Just a quick patch to fix a problem with the update from yesterday.

Check out the change log below!

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

[h2]BETA Update 1.87.1 Change Log:[/h2]

Bug Fixes:

FIXED a bug causing using certain items/skills from the menu screen to not work


Changes & Additions:

Converted a system added in the update from yesterday into a better and more efficient version

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

Official Links:

• Corrosive Studios Steam Store Page
• Chaos Chain Steam Discussion Forums
• Corrosive Studios Discord Server
• Official Patreon Page

That's all for now, enjoy!

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

-Cryptic ːCStudiosː

Attention, freelancers!

Here is the next MAJOR update for the game. In my previous post, I outline some of the big changes and additions. That can be found here: https://steamcommunity.com/games/1536730/announcements/detail/577149885755686983?

Some screenshots:

Screenshot Of Chronic And I On His Quest

Extended Display Of Current Location On PDA

World Map Current Zone (Bottom Left)

Check out the full change log below!

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

[h2]BETA Update 1.87.0 Change Log:[/h2]

Bug Fixes:

FIXED some text spacing in skill descriptions so that they didn't run off the screen
FIXED some tileset pathing issues
FIXED some shading on a few environment entities (Some spots were too dark)
FIXED a typo in a skill description
FIXED some inconsistencies in sprites for certain environment entities when they were copied into event sprite sheets (Ammo boxes for example - they were larger than the ones on the tileset sheets)
FIXED a tileset related bug with footstep sound effects (A setting was causing a conflict in certain locations)
FIXED a very odd graphical bug related to event positioning on the X-plane (When the camera shifted sometimes, it could cause events to appear a few pixels to the side of where they were meant to be - the fix seems to work fine, but let me know if you have any issues)
FIXED a leftover testing event being present and usable in one of the side quests
FIXED some background sounds being in the background music folder instead of the background sound folder
FIXED a broken quest reward related to Drako's personal side quest (One item was not properly added even though it said it was in the dialogue window - it was an extra that I added after writing the dialogue originally)


Changes & Additions:

Organized all maps by ID into individual arrays that now return the name of the current district (or subdistrict) that you're currently in, so when you open your PDA, it will now tell you the current area that you're inside of as well as the area of the city (Example: "The Eclipse - Crescent Strip", this is to help with navigation and it's something that I've been wanting to implement for a while)
Greatly improved the readability for the world map image (Much better contrast between colors for labels of districts and subdistricts, increased vibrancy to make it look nicer and less "flat", spaced out some locations a bit more on the map, and a few other changes)
Added some new info to the world map image (Direct links, new area names)
Added automatic display of current area on the world map screen (Bottom left, gold text - Example: "Current: Piker Cemetery")
Added an alarm triggered background music to play during system hacking
Added a successful system capture background music to play during system hacking
Added a failed system capture (system locked) background music to play during system hacking
Redshift now starts with edge in the beginning of combat in Blood Feud
Added some more lights to the Sewer Tunnels location in the main storyline to help act as a guide for where to go
Enemy drones now have the cyber icon next to their name during combat to show that they can be affected by combat hacking (It's just a visual reminder but also for consistency)
Enemy drones now have ~15% chance to drop an overcharged battery pack in their loot drop list
Added a new Steam Achievement
Added new unique NPC graphics (Sprite, Face, Battler)
Added a new smuggler npc sprite
Expanded several dialogues with unique NPCs and added new lines to some of their responses for both extra flavor/lore and detail
Swapped a few of the smuggler sprites with the new one
Added a new plot related enemy boss (He should put up a pretty good fight - his stats are fairly unique with how he's set up)
Added a new plot related enemy troop composition (Boss and subordinates)
Added a new unique "magic" weapon
Added some new item icon art and updated some old item icon art
Increased rewards for some of the more difficult quests (Slightly more experience, some of them also give a bit more reputation points for fame/infamy)
Made the first and second fight in the main storyline VERY slightly easier (The enemies now begin with the shock status - reducing their initiative and decreasing some of their mettle - due to the ongoing situation at that point in time)
Added "Bad Business" companion personal side story for Chronic
Added "Bad Business" side quest
Added "Bad Business" P2 side quest
Added dialogue for Chronic when he joins the squad about his personal quest
Added Chop Shop area (Plot related - inside Central Canal Crossing)
Added Brutal Efficiency unique passive skill for Chronic after you complete his personal quest with him present (+1% Instant Kill Chance, +5% Bleeding Chance)
Added Flaw: Blind Fury (Blind Rage upgraded form for Chronic that he gets after you complete his personal quest with him (Removes the extra 10% stress damage taken)
Updated Chronic's sprite (He now looks like he's wearing a grey armored vest and he has grey armbands tied around his biceps instead of just wearing a grey tank top --- I made his sprite back before I had better cosmetics for the characters)
Chronic now starts with 8 buckshot shells instead of 10 pellet shot shells (Much better shells but slightly less of them)
Buffed companion unique passive skills earned after doing their personal quests (With them present)
Removed some extra visual effects/lights, and events that are beyond visual/playable range in a few areas (I originally had them in there just because it felt weird not adding them, but since they don't do anything, I removed them)
Added more lights to several areas to brighten them up and make them look more active/lived in
Updated The Eclipse: Basement area with more detail (Made Neko's armory look more like an armory and less of a mess inside the armory cage)
Reduced default volume of background music in game slightly
Updated map heirarchy settings for a few other the special plot related areas (Just making note of this for myself in case of any issues but everything seems to run just fine)
Expanded range for both the grey factor and randomized color hue for the randomized environment light system based on time of day (7 - 9, 11 - 13)
Updated some areas with more details and remade a few areas by replacing their layouts of scattered clutter and objects in the environment for easier pathfinding
Thunderstorms now have randomized dynamic lightning strikes (Indoors, there are no flashes and the sounds are muffled, but outdoors the screen will flash and the sounds will be clear)
The random sound system can still randomly (quite rarely) play thunder sound effects but will no longer flash the screen for outdoors sound events
Added a few new randomized sound effects to the random sound effect system lists for both outdoors and indoors
Added new visual effects to Freight Haven Free Slade Militia Buildings (Lights, shadows, etc)
Updated the Metro Station areas (All 3 currently in game) to show less of the metro train on either sides of the entry ways (It looked weird that you could always see the entire thing)
Updated the background sound effect for several interior areas for more variety and to better fit the specific area
Improved shadows in several areas
Added some new environmental entities (Scrap metal/junk piles, floodlights, tool chests, and a few others)
Added new environment details to several areas
Updated several face portraits to be more unique
Cleaned up the database of several old/outdated entries
Removed some music tracks from the randomized track list as they either didn't fit or sounded too upbeat (The soundtracks are still in the game files as they are used in certain locations such as bars/lounges/etc)
Added glow effect to metro lights (Showing red for metro being down and green for it running)
Updated the scene immediately after character creation with a bit of camera movement and reorganized some of the processing for the start of the game
Remade the metro train car graphics (Darkened, added some grime, dirt, rust, graffiti - basically just made them look more fitting)
Added some crows to fly around Piker Cemetery
Added new randomized metro event "Passed Out"
Added a new distant gunfire randomzied sound effect
Slightly reduced the chance of randomized sounds playing (Just increased the max to the rolls so the chances are about 5% lower)
Increased max time between randomized indoor sounds playing
Updated some randomized metro events with new variants and better descriptions
Added some official guide web links to the game files (Character Creation, System Hacking, Custom Portrait Importing)
Removed some old events that are no longer necessary
A LOT (And I want to emphasize A LOT) of other misc tweaks and changes across the entire game to improve the quality of the overall project

Please let me know of any bugs or issues you 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!

Official Links:

• Corrosive Studios Steam Store Page
• Chaos Chain Steam Discussion Forums
• Corrosive Studios Discord Server
• Official Patreon Page

That's all for now, enjoy!

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

-Cryptic ːCStudiosː

Wanted to stop by and mention that some fellow indie devs are doing some good work over at Hardwired Studios and working on a game called Carbon, an action RPG in a cyberpunk/biopunk world!

Similar in theme to my current project, Chaos Chain, Carbon caught my eye immediately and it looks like it's going to be awesome! Great graphics, lots of customization, endless replayability, and more! I personally plan to grab and play this when it releases!

They're currently doing a kickstarter with about a week left but already past 75% of their goal.

If you're interested in checking out the game, you can check it out here to learn more:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3012300/Carbon/

So, if you're looking for more cyberpunk action, consider giving them a hand or at least keep an eye on it!

That's all for now!

-Cryptic - Corrosive Studios LLC ːCStudiosː

Hey everyone!

It's been a little while since my last development status update, so I wanted to provide a quick check-in on the game's progress.

[h2]Immediate Future[/h2]

My immediate goals for the next few weeks are to finalize the companion personal side quest storylines. After that, I'll continue working on new maps for the city districts and then resume development on the main quest now that we've significantly expanded the game's world with more side quests and content.

Companion personal quests have been a highly requested feature in my previous games, and they are also a top request for Chaos Chain. I'm committed to making them happen. Even if the quests aren't massive, I believe they add significant background and character development to these companions, giving them more depth beyond being loyal followers.

As some of you may know, a couple of the in-game companions already have a small personal quest line, but others do not. Completing these quests with the companion present grants them a small boost, including an extra skill and a reduction in the severity of their flaw. Currently, only a few companions benefit from this, making others feel comparatively weaker after those quests, so I aim to rectify this imbalance.

[h2]Next Update: Better Navigation[/h2]

Yesterday, I focused on improving player navigation. Based on significant feedback across this game and my previous titles, a common critique is that the world can be so large it's easy to get lost, and the engine's limitations prevent a robust world map system. While I've tried to make it as straightforward as possible, I realized there was more I could do. Now, both the PDA screen and the world map screen will display the current zone you are in.

PDA Screen With Extended Current Location Details

When you enter a new area, the exact area name is shown at the top center of the screen in large purple letters, but it typically doesn't specify the broader zone or district. This hasn't changed, but now you can see your current zone on the PDA screen, and opening the world map will also display your current location. My hope is this will make navigation easier, reducing the need to rely on memory or to exit your current area just to check which district you are in.

New World Map Image - Current Location Marked Bottom Left And Higher Visibility

This system is integrated with every area currently in the game; each map ID has been assigned to an array with a corresponding zone tag that will be displayed on the PDA and world map. Some areas, particularly those related to the main plot, are special cases and will display "Unknown" for the zone.

Another thing I've done is fixed every single last bug that I currently am aware of. That feels AMAZING to say. Like a breath of fresh air. The next update (coming in a few days) will have the fixes included.

[h2]Current Workplan[/h2]

Chronic - Contract Killer Companion In Chaos Chain

Getting back to the companion quests, I've been working on Chronic's personal backstory. He's my favorite companion character because he's just brutally honest, only cares about himself and making money, and is meant to be a bit of comic relief in a blunt sort of way.

Chronic Being Chronic

When you first meet him, he mentions he's lying low due to running a lot of tough jobs lately and you'll get to help him resolve that. I'll continue working on his quest today until it's ready, then move on to the next companion quest until all are complete. Going forward, any new companions I add will include their personal quest right from the start to avoid future backlog work.

Meeting Chronic

I plan to release this new update ASAP, I'm just finishing up the remaining work that I have on it, will test, and then release.

I know this game has been a long time in development, and there's still a lot of work ahead. However, I hope you can see that I'm genuinely trying to incorporate community feedback and requests to deliver a great final game. Honestly, this project has been exhausting and a bit of a roller coaster, both mentally and emotionally, especially with personal life challenges. But I've stuck with it this long, and I plan to see it through. If you're willing to continue your support, please stick around; I won't let you down.

[h3]Crazy Halloween Portraits![/h3]

Created by community moderator and volunteer assistant AceHangman, here are eight crazy Halloween themed portraits that you can freely use in game (or any of my games for that matter now that they all allow custom portrait importations) for your character's avatar!

Portraits credit to AceHangman!

You can also find the community artwork link here:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3596238281

Guide to help you get started importing custom portraits:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3239267834

[h3]Closing[/h3]

Be Careful Out There!

I couldn't do any of this without your support, so thank you all very much for everything! I'm going to wrap this up here since it's becoming a book and I've got work to do! Thank you for reading!

-Cryptic ːCStudiosː