Update v0.3.0-beta.10 | Available on Experimental

[p]Hello everyone![/p][p]A new experimental patch is now available for testing! You can access it on the experimental branch by following the instructions below if you wish to get access to the changes and fixes now. [/p][p][/p][h3]How to opt into experimental:[/h3]

1. [p]Locate Vectorio in your Steam library[/p]
2. [p]Right click and go to "properties"[/p]
3. [p]Find the "betas" branch[/p]
4. [p]Using the dropdown, select "Experimental"[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Experimental Info:[/h3]

• [p]Testing Cycle: ~1 week[/p]
• [p]Experimental Saves: Disabled[/p]
• [p]Backwards Compatible: Up to v0.3.0-beta.5 (however, recommend starting a new save)[/p]
• [p]Update Type: Experimental Patch[/p]
• [p]Contains Spoilers: Yes[/p][p][/p]

[p]Questions? Comments? Concerns? Let me know below or on our Discord server: [/p][p]https://discord.gg/vectorio[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Patch Notes[/h2][p][/p][p]The following is a list of changes pushed to the experimental branch. While changes are usually tested beforehand, please note that some may require further testing to validate.[/p][p][/p][h3]TETHERS:[/h3][p]A new mechanic designed around adjusting expansion mechanics to be more in line with the tower-defense / resource management systems in the game.[/p][p][/p][p]Here's how it works:[/p]

• [p]When you purchase a sector, a new type of building is placed inside of it called a Tether[/p]
• [p]Tethers require upkeep, needing resource deliveries in order to continue functioning[/p]
• [p]If resources are not delivered to the Tether, the sector will eventually enter a Quarantine. (this is still a WIP, currently the sector is lost)[/p]
• [p]During a Quarantine, there are heightened attacks and buildings (including the tether) degrade[/p]
• [p]If the Tether is destroyed, either from degrading or by being attacked, the sector is lost[/p]
• [p]In the case a connecting sector is destroyed, all sectors not connected to the hub also enter Quarantine, and will eventually degrade if a connection is not re-established.[/p]

[p][/p][p]Why I'm adding it (deeper-dive):[/p][p] Currently, there is no real threat to you or your base. You may lose little bits here and there but you are not at any risk of losing major progress unless you've done something terribly wrong. There is also an abundance of resources, making conquered sectors of cyberspace feel empty and plentiful. My goal is to try and introduce more interesting & strategic decision making into expansion & defending. Grabbing a new sector should not be as simple as "oh I can afford it", it should be an actual impactful decision you have to make, and then deal with the consequences of. (good & bad)[/p][p][/p][p]IMPORTANT: This is still WIP and I am looking to gather feedback at this stage; there will likely be large sweeping changes to this, including the implementation of Quarantines, as I try to nail it down. If it ultimately does not accomplish what I sent out to do, it will be removed.[/p][p][/p][h3]NEW CONTENT:[/h3]

• [p]Re-enabled the following research techs...[/p]
  • [p]Ammo Forge[/p]
  • [p]Pulsar (now with a new unique mechanic)[/p]
  • [p]Plasma Round[/p]
  • [p]Nitrium[/p]
  • [p]Artillery (now with a new unique mechanic)[/p]
  • [p]Artillery Shell[/p]
  • [p]Osmium[/p]

[p][/p][h3]AMMO CHANGES:[/h3][p]Ammo has been re-enabled in this build for Pulsar & Artillery, but with some significant changes![/p]

• [p]Turrets will now automatically pull ammo from your containers, no drones required[/p]
• [p]Any turret that uses ammunition must now abide by the following 2 rules...[/p]
  • [p]1. Has some sort of unique function that no other turret has AND[/p]
  • [p]2. Is good at dealing with specific unit types or resistances[/p]
• [p]If a turret does not abide by BOTH of these rules, it will not require ammo[/p]

[p][/p][h3]XP & LEVELS:[/h3][p]Enabled XP gain and level tiers on the following buildings...[/p]

• [p]Cargo Port[/p]

[p][/p][h3]QUALITY OF LIFE:[/h3]

• [p]Added a new pinning feature to track XP & level progress more effectively[/p]
• [p]Added numerous tooltips across multiple UI panels, helping newer players understand what buildings do at a glance and hopefully partially eliminate early-game confusion.[/p]
• [p]Added a lowres entity renderer, which visualizes entities using a glowing square; useful for seeing enemy patterns and drone setups from a distance.[/p]
• [p]Added the ability to click the heat tracker on the upper-right hand side of the screen to open the heat panel. making it more accessible[/p]
• [p]Re-enabled the ability to open the pause menu with escape, using proper context management to correctly identify when to open, and more importantly, NOT to open the menu.[/p]
• [p]Added a new notification system; this is currently only used by Tethers and Quests, but will eventually encapsulate all major gameplay systems.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]BUG FIXES:[/h3]

• [p]Fixed power incrementing between region switches; this was due to the faction being reset before the module is reset, causing power to not be taken from the player faction.[/p]
• [p]Added an internal epoch signature to events. This blocks events from previous regions executing on a different region. This should not only improve warp time, but fix some minor issues that could arise during that warp process that may have gone unnoticed in prior builds.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]CORE TECH:[/h3]

• [p]Removed the Drone entity entirely, instead delegating ownership of this logic to the port. Fundamentally, this doesn't change how drones work whatsoever, the only difference is that this logic now lives on the port directly, eliminating the annoyances of these two entities relying on each other. This makes things like XP & Upgrades signficantly easier to implement. It may also very subtly improve performance and load times.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]MODULE PROFILING:[/h3][p]While performance has improved substantially on the v0.3 branch, there is still much work to be done. In order to better pinpoint modules that are causing performance issues, a new /profiler command has been added. This can be enabled at anytime to track the performance of updating modules.[/p][p]This is still a WIP as module function can vary in scope & complexity.[/p]