Quasimorph News

Hello, Mercenaries!
Huge thanks to everyone who participated in the beta testing of the Meat Cage Update. Now it's time for its release!



[h2]Highlights[/h2]

• New mechanics: Augmentations and Implants
  
• Controller support and full keyboard-only control mode
  
• Combat log
  
• New locations: 4 new tilesets, 5 celestial bodies, 27 new stations
  
• 2 new story missions
  
• 4 new melee weapons, 9 ranged ones, 1 hat, 35 augments, 21 implants
  
• Faction items in barter
  
• A TON of bug fixes and balance changes
  

Let’s get into the details!
This patch has spent a long time in beta, and today we’re finally updating the main game branch to version 0.9.
Here’s what’s new:

[h2]Game Interface Overhaul[/h2]
Full support for controllers and keyboard-only controls.
Check out the control and hotkey settings! There, you can pick your preferred control scheme, tweak input delay, and assign a wide variety of keys and combos including full controller support.
We’re looking forward to your feedback and hope this will make the game more accessible to even more players.

[h2]New Locations[/h2]

• 4 new tilesets: industrial, Jupiter stations, Europa snow, Callisto tundra
  
• 5 new celestial bodies with 27 stations: Jupiter, Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto
  
• Bramfaturas will be introduced in future updates, but the first-stage soundtrack is already available!
  

[h2]Augmentations & Implants[/h2]

• Augmentations let you replace your clones’ body parts with components salvaged from robots (and not just them!) - from heads to drill arms.
  
• Human medicine won’t help fix them! You’ll need tools marked specifically for “Robots”
  
• Implants are slotted into operatives and provide anything from passive buffs (more armor, immunity to certain wounds) to active skills (enemy reveal, stun scream). We won’t spoil too much — experiment and find what works!
  
• Enemies can also have augmentations and implants! And yes, that’s one way to get your hands on them (you know what to do).
  
• The Augmentation Department on the Magnum is not available yet and will be added in future updates.
  
• Augmentations and implants are installed aboard the Magnum via a new menu in the Operative Management screen.
  

[h2]Combat Log[/h2]

Wondering who hit you, from where, with what, and how hard? Now you’ll know. We’ve added a text-based combat log in the bottom left of the screen, giving you more info about what’s happening during combat.

[h2]Extensive Balance Changes[/h2]
As always, we continue tweaking the balance based on your feedback and new ideas from development. This time, we focused on:

• Faction profiling for specific damage types and resistances - you should now have more strategic options when planning to attack a faction.
  
• Scientists, professors, VIPs, and assassination targets now have access to higher-tier gear than other units. Solid gear for solid lords.
  
• Line of Sight and Aiming algorithms reworked - no more “they see you and shoot, but you can’t see them” (hopefully).
  
• Adjusted mission difficulty balance:
  
  • Easy missions now give fewer reward points
    
  • Hard missions are slightly shorter
    
  • Escort missions give more reward points
    
  • Increased enemy count in Defense and Surveillance waves
    
• Item stats have been tweaked - from weight reductions to new properties (yes, that includes a pet spider).
  
• Multi-use items have been removed from Robbery mission objectives.
  
• Upgrade costs for the Magnum have been simplified.
  

[h2]2 New Story Missions[/h2]
“Men in Black”, continuing the “Community and Anarchy” storyline.
“From a Spark, a Flame”, continuing the “Manifesto” arc.
Whose side will you take in this conflict? Of course… there's always a way to work for everyone.

[h2]New Items[/h2]
4 new melee weapons, 9 ranged weapons, 1 hat, 35 augments, 21 implants.
Special thanks to Discord server members for contributing artwork: Lynchantiure, Disjunction Junction, Invictus!

[h2]Key Fixes[/h2]

• Thrown weapons now have a chance to pass through objects.
  
• Destroying a wall connected to a door now also destroys the door.
  
• Player and NPC fists now display correctly depending on which hand is used.
  
• New animations for quasimorphs dissolving upon death.
  
• Shuttle arrival skipping is now instant and fully skips the flight cutscene.
  
• Intro sequence updated when starting a new game.
  
• Barter system update: faction gear can now sometimes be found at stations - based on the faction’s Technology Level.
  

You can find the rest of the minor fixes here:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/2059170/discussions/0/505069214894162607/

Thank you once again to everyone who shared feedback during beta testing!

This patch was a huge undertaking: we spent a long time perfecting controller support, and augmentations turned out to be a far larger and more complex feature than we originally planned. But it’s done and now it’s in your hands.

We’re excited to hear your thoughts and as always, please report any bugs you encounter!

Good luck on your raids, mercenaries!
All the best, Magnum Scriptum Team.

[h2]Hello, Mercenaries![/h2]
The first phase of Beta testing has wrapped up, and the second phase we announced a couple of months ago is now nearing its end. It’s time to sum things up and tell you all about the content coming in the next major game update — Patch 0.9.

And it’s going to be a big one: augmentations, implants, new locations, a combat log, weapons, and much, much, much more!

[h2]Augmentations & Implants[/h2]
Augmentations are robotic devices that can be installed into different parts of the body to change their functionality. It’s time to break the limits of your meat cage: augmentations let you replace an arm with a machine gun or a drill, install a leg that gives you more AP or makes you harder to knock back, or swap in a head that boosts your vision.



Implants are a natural extension of the augmentation system, offering a slightly different function. They can be slotted into various body parts to give additional bonuses — from increased armor and faster reload times to increasing your melee damage by the amount of current pain.

As with augmentations, it's not all upside: both augmentations and implants come with drawbacks. Bonuses stop working if the body part is wounded! Repairs also require special items. Installation happens aboard the Magnum, in a new menu accessible via the Operators Management screen.



This system had been delayed several times and even became one of the main reasons the patch release was postponed. We tested it heavily in the Beta branch and gathered tons of feedback to make sure the new tools feel powerful and interesting—while still having clear trade-offs. The system has grown significantly but ended up being an exciting expansion of character customization.

[h2]New Locations: Jupiter and Surroundings[/h2]



We’re continuing to expand the operational zone of PMC Magnum. In this update, you’ll be able to visit five new celestial bodies: Jupiter, Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.



The update includes 27 new stations and three new location sets-like the snow-covered terrain of Europa or the coniferous tundra of Callisto. Unique biome-specific bramfaturas aren't ready yet, but we’ll get back to them later.



[h2]Combat Log[/h2]
“Where did that hit come from?”

Now you can find out. We’ve added a text-based combat log in the lower left corner of the screen, which tells you exactly who did what, from where, with what, and how hard it hit. More tactical clarity = better decisions.



[h2]Controller Support[/h2]
Controller support is getting a major overhaul. We’ve reworked a lot under the hood and hope it now feels much smoother and more accessible to a wider group of players. Your feedback is more important than ever — controller support will continue to evolve.

Also, a treat for the true old-school crowd: we’re adding more improvements to let you play Quasimorph using only the keyboard, no mouse needed.

[h2]Numerous Balance Changes[/h2]

• As always, we’re tweaking and tuning the balance based on your feedback and new ideas that emerge during development. This time, we focused on:
  
• Faction profiling for specific damage types and resistances. You should now have more meaningful tactical choices when prepping to assault certain factions.
  
• Scientists, professors, VIPs, and assassination targets now have access to higher-tier tech compared to standard units. Solid gear for solid gentlemen!
  
• Reworked Line of Sight and Targeting algorithms. You should no longer experience the frustrating “they see me but I can’t see them” moments (fingers crossed).
  
• Adjusted mission difficulty balance:
  • Easy missions give fewer reward points.
    
  • Hard missions are now slightly shorter.
    
  • Escort missions now give more reward points.
    
  • Enemy count in Defense and Control waves has been increased.
    

[h2]When’s the Patch?[/h2]
Right now, we’re planning to push it to the main branch late next week. The exact date will be announced alongside the final patch notes at the end of the week, but you can tentatively expect it around April 11.

Huge thanks to everyone who shared feedback during Beta testing. Magnum will not forget your suffering. We’ll be back very soon with new tests and updates!

But for now, as always:
Happy hunting, mercenaries!

Hello everyone!

As we mentioned in our devlog, starting from the 14th, we are transitioning to a new testing format. Today marks the launch of the first phase of testing, which will run for approximately a month.
Please leave your feedback in our Discord and in the dedicated discussion thread on Steam.

Beta test participation is open to all players, but please be aware that we cannot guarantee game stability or save compatibility when exiting the beta.

The beta test is available via a separate branch, which can be switched in the game's properties.

[h2]CONTENT[/h2]
1. Controller Support
We have reworked the game’s UI for controllers and are looking for feedback.
In addition to controller support, we have also refined older interfaces, including support for keyboard-only play (old-school mode).

2. First Iteration of Augmentations
Preparatory changes to character and enemy body part properties.
All enemies now have limbs corresponding to their body type.
Cybernetic body parts now grant passive properties (making robots more dangerous).

3. Industrial Tileset
New visual updates for some older locations and new environmental objects for this tileset.

4. Balance Improvements
Adjustments to enemy class and items distribution among factions.
These changes aim to further specialize factions, making fights against AnCom feel more distinct from battles with RealWare.

[h2]GENERAL[/h2]

• Second iteration of controller support and "keyboard-only" mode. This is still not the final implementation - we're looking forward to your feedback.
  
• Key bindings and control settings have been split into two separate sections in the settings menu.
  
• Changes to Pacts:
  • Transformation duration is now measured in turns instead of AP.
    
  • After returning from Baron form, all positive and negative effects will be reset, and health will be fully restored.
• AI Improvements, enemies now consider their fire and poison resistances when pathfinding.
  
• Turret and mine deployment now triggers negative status effects for "action wound" mechanics.
  

[h2]UI / UX[/h2]

• Mod icon added to the main screen - hovering over it will show active mods.
  
• Option added to select the current control scheme.
  
• Option added to disable radio chatter sounds during flight.
  
• Option added to disable mob notification icons (! and ?).
  

[h2]BUG FIXES[/h2]

• Multiple fixes to AI logic and pathfinding.
  
• Fixed: Softlock when throwing weapons through multi-tile environmental objects.
  
• Fixed: Quasimorphs/Possessed breaking doors at floor start.
  
• Fixed: Allies attacking the player if they attacked a mob that later transformed into a Possessed.
  
• Fixed: Mobs appearing outside the level when transferring between floors.
  
• Fixed: Items with an Expire timer could be restored to full duration via stack manipulation.
  
• Fixed: Game would lock up if interacting with an ally while in Baron form.
  
• Fixed: Allies standing in fire or acid would not yield their position to the player.
  
• Fixed: Ally armor values in inventory would only update after reopening the inventory when swapping armor.
  
• Fixed: When attacking a door via the context menu, the attack and block buttons would disappear.
  
• Fixed: NPC resistance was not affected by the difficulty selected.
  

[h2]KNOWN ISSUES[/h2]

• Unloading ammo in a dead body or ally inventory doesn’t refresh the visual ammo counter in that weapon.
  
• Some functions are not possible to do in Keyboard-Only/Controller modes.
  
• Tutorial texts aren't adapted for Keyboard-Only/Controller modes.
  
• To bind a combination of 2 keys for an action you have to press them at the same time.
  

That’s all for this update! Thank you for testing, and we look forward to your feedback! 🚀

Hey, folks!

Today, we’d like to share our plans for the near future: changes to how the beta works, upcoming game updates, and preparations for version 1.0, which we plan to release this year.

[h2]Changes to the Beta-testing[/h2]
We've decided to take a more structured approach to delivering new versions and managing the beta branch:
1. Every month, we’ll update the beta branch to experiment, make intensive changes, and gather feedback.
2. Every three months, we’ll prepare a major patch that consolidates our experiments. This approach remains mostly unchanged—we're still aiming for one big patch per quarter—but we want to start collecting feedback earlier.

And we’re starting right now! The next beta update will be on February 14, followed by another on March 14. The next major 0.9 patch is planned for release in the main branch towards the end of March.

[h2]First Beta Update (February 14)[/h2]

1. Controller Support
We’ve reworked the game’s UI for controllers and are looking for your feedback.
Along with controller support, we’ve refined older interfaces, including support for keyboard-only play (old-school mode).

2. First Iteration of Augmentations
Preparations for changes to body part properties for both player characters and enemies.
All enemies now have limbs corresponding to their body type and melee attacks with matching icons.
Cybernetic body parts now have passive properties (robots will become more dangerous).

3. New Industrial Tileset & Environmental Objects
Some older locations now feature an industrial tileset, along with new environmental objects.


4. Improved Enemy Units Balance & Faction Item Distribution
These changes aim to further specialize factions, making fights against AnCom feel more distinct from RealWare battles.

[h2]Second Beta Update (March 14)[/h2]
1. Second Phase of Augmentations – Implants
Different limb types now have implant slots.
Implants grant both passive and active abilities.
Tactical and strategic diversity will now come from a mix of mercenary talent, class, limb replacements, and installed implants.


2. New Locations: Jupiter
Fresh environments to explore.

3. New faction items to fill in missing gaps
Some factions lacked unique gear, and we’re gradually fixing that.

4. Economy & Barter System Improvements
More specialized production chains at stations.
Production cost dependency based on component prices.
Stations may now offer more consumables, weapons, armor, and exclusive faction items.

[h2]End of March – Patch 0.9[/h2]
1. Two new story missions AnCom vs. Civil Resistance Civil Resistance vs. AnCom

2. New Ship Upgrade Module – Augmentation Department
A significantly different system from current weapon & armor upgrades.

3. Combat Log
A text-based event log to track everything happening to the player—first iteration.

System Events, Pact Improvements & a New Hexarch - these will be moved to intermediate patches after 0.9.
Augmentations are a major feature, and we want to develop them thoroughly. We know they’ve been long-awaited, and we’re committed to delivering a deep and satisfying system.

That’s all for now! We’ll see you soon with the next beta patch release. Join our Discord and follow us on X to stay updated and never miss the latest news!

Happy hunting, mercenaries!

Hello, mercenaries!

We are excited to announce that patch 0.8.5 is moving to the main branch of the game.
A huge thank you to everyone who helped us during the open beta testing.

We will continue improving controller support and get back to you with a new version later.
We also want to issue a warning:

• Saves from version 0.8 are not supported.
  
• Saves from the open beta 0.8.5 will work correctly.
  

So please do not update if you want to continue playing on older saves.

Now, onto the final patch notes!

[h3]General[/h3]

• Killing the Baron now sets the minimum Quasimorphosis level on the mission to 100, and it cannot be reduced by any means.
  
• 3 new asteroids with 10 new stations.
  
• A new extended track for the first phase of the Martian Bramfatura (when Mars is still asleep).
  

[h3]Migration to Unity 22[/h3]
The engine has been upgraded to Unity 2022.3.50f1, opening up new opportunities for further optimization and game expansion.

[h3]New Data Table Structure[/h3]
! Saves from version 0.8 are not supported. ! ! Please turn off mods until they are updated to the current version of the game ! ! Saves from the open beta 0.8.5 will work correctly. !

• Nearly 250 new items: from weapons and armor to new medical supplies. A significant amount of new content, including 40 new armor sets was added since the last open beta patch.
  
• Enemy unit and squad generation has been revamped to offer much greater variety. Loot generation logic for missions has been improved—for example, in some cases, the type of station where a mission takes place will have an even greater impact.
  

[h3]Medical System Update[/h3]

• The medical system has been reworked. The initial chance of treating a stabilized wound is now 5%, but all medical supplies have increased treatment chances.
  
• Pills now provide a temporary buff that increases the chance of healing specific types of wounds.
  
• Many medkits and repair kits have multiple uses now.
  

[h3]Repair Items[/h3]

• Repair equipment types have been unified.
  
• Equipment descriptions (especially for armor) now specify their repair type.
  

[h3]AI and Interaction[/h3]

• Enemy AI logic has been reworked.
  
• Procedural squad generation has been improved, and squads may now have a leader that enemies will not stray too far from.
  
• Patrol behavior and switching fire modes have been added. Be prepared for heavy fire from military units.
  
• You can now set ally behavior (follow - stand, attack at will - attack prohibited), change their equipment, and even heal them.
  
• However, don’t expect Quasimorphs to obey your commands!
  

[h3]New Enemy Rendering[/h3]
Enemy rendering has been significantly improved: more combinations of items and weapons are now available for different enemy types.

[h3]Quality of Life[/h3]

• Alerts above enemies’ and allies’ heads when a suspicious sound or enemy is detected.
  
• Some medical supplies now reduce pain over several turns.
  
• Robots, turrets, and mines can now be placed on a selected tile.
  
• Food consumption is allowed on the Cargo Hold screen in Magnum (when an operative is selected).
  
• Faction barter is now allowed with an empty trade stash.
  
• Characters will now stop moving upon any input command.
  
• The stack sizes for almost all types of ammo have been increased.
  

Once again, thank you so much for your support!
See you very soon!