Breachway News

Hey everyone,

[h3]Revamped Save Game System is Here![/h3]
After much extra testing, it's finally time to introduce the revamped save game system! This update aims to fix a major issue that could make the game unplayable: corrupted save files.

Previously, if something went wrong during the file-writing process, players could end up with corrupted data, rendering the game unplayable.

With the new system, we can detect corrupted saved data and provide an option to clear it. We've also made the data writing process much more robust, significantly reducing the risk of corruption in the first place.

Another concern we've heard from players is about bugs in the tutorial, which were also related to save data issues—specifically, not saving the game at the right time.

We’ve addressed this issue and streamlined the tutorial for a smoother experience. We know how important the tutorial is, and we underestimated its significance leading up to launch, so we’re committed to further improving in this area.

Here is a breakdown of what we'll cover in this post:

• Tutorial Bugs Addressed: Improved tutorial experience by fixing save-related bugs.
  
• Quality-of-Life Enhancements: Added features like double-click card play, map rotation toggle, and perk slot confirmation.
  
• Patch 10 Changelog: Detailed list of bug fixes and improvements, including save system overhaul and tutorial updates.
  
• Next Patch Plans: Memory leak and graphical crash fixes coming soon.
  
• Long-Term Improvements: Focus on run-end stats screen, event population rework, faction relationships, card readability, and difficulty curve adjustments.
  
• Ship Customization Progress: Core bugs being fixed, allowing more focus on ship customization and feature enhancements.
  

[h3]New Quality-of-Life Enhancements You Asked For[/h3]
We’ve also had the chance to add some quality-of-life features that you requested, such as automatically playing cards by double-clicking, making map rotation optional, and adding a confirmation dialog when starting a game without filling all your perk slots.

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[h3]Bug Reporting and Feedback[/h3]
If you have any issues to report, please use the bug reporting forum on Steam. You can also join our Discord and report your issues in our bug reporting forum. We also have a subreddit community found here.

[h2]Changelog[/h2]

• Reworked the save game system so it's more robust, minimizing the risks of data corruption
  
• Added detection of corrupted game files and an option for the user to clear them to make the game playable again
  
• Added popup informing you of starting a run without allocating perks
  
• Added toggle for map rotation in settings
  
• Added the option of double-clicking on non-precision cards to play them automatically
  
• Added the words: "Subsystem for: " before compatible weapon systems on subsystems to reduce equipment/subsystem confusion to new players
  
• Fixed Repeater Pulse not drawing support/tactical laser cards on cooldown.
  
• Fixed Honed Shot edge-case where it gives the player lots of ordnance
  
• Fixed Accelerant only returning attack cards to the draw pile but effect being consumed by any card, it now returns any first card played from hand into the draw pile
  
• Fixed Accelerant being killed off if a player gets overheated by playing this card
  
• Fixed Accelerant being killed off if a player plays a crew ability after playing this card
  
• Fixed text on Seebeck Shot to let players know this heat reduction triggers dissipate effects
  
• Fixed potential soft-lock some players experienced on reloading while in combat if certain cards were present (Supply Cache subsystem, Plasma Conduction subsystem, Flak Shell, Overwhelming Barrage, Barricade, Backlash, Overheat Weapons, Reset, Stall, Thermal Tick, Light Ion Missile, Battle Repairs)
  
• Fixed scorch having a misplaced precision effect on it.
  
• Fixed misleading text on Uranium Slug, letting the player know the extra equipment damage can also damage the targeted equipment
  
• Fixed a bunch of reported typos
  
• Made changes to the way the tutorial gets hidden and revealed to prevent issues when continuing the game while in the middle of the tutorial
  
• Updated tutorial to have the correct UI if leaving and returning in combat
  
• Fixed an edge case in the tutorial where the player would forget to pick up the equipment reward and would not have the necessary equipment to continue the tutorial
  
• Removed card drafting after the tutorial boss combat
  

[h2]The Plans Going Forward: Next Patch and More[/h2]
You can expect another patch in the next few days, addressing some additional core issues we've identified with your help. These include a memory leak and a potential graphical issue that could crash the game when an enemy ship explodes.

In the longer term (over the next few weeks), as mentioned in our last dev update, we’re working on several improvements based on your feedback that should greatly enhance the gameplay experience. Your input has highlighted some blind spots in our design, and we’re committed to addressing them.
Here’s what we’re focusing on:

• Run End Screen: We’ll add a screen displaying various stats at the end of each run, including the number of nodes visited, damage dealt and received, damage blocked by shields, and the highest damage dealt in a single turn, along with other fun statistics.
  
• Event Population on the Map: We’re reworking how events are populated on the map, so players will feel more in control of what happens during their run and can make informed decisions about which node to travel to.
  
• Meaningful Faction Relationships: We’ll enhance the faction relationship system, making it more impactful on events in the game.
  
• Quality of Life Improvements: We’re working on making cards easier to read and understand, along with refining the selection of items in the shop to show more relevant choices
  
• Difficulty Curve Refinements: We’ll further refine the difficulty curve by balancing enemy power with player progression.
  

[hr][/hr][h2]Ship Customization Progress & Upcoming Features[/h2]
Additionally, the ship started customization, and the system is gradually coming together. We’ve had to dedicate most of our time to fixing core bugs that could significantly impact some users, but that list is shrinking daily. Soon, we’ll be able to focus all our attention on enhancing what’s already in the game and adding new, exciting features.

[h3]A Heartfelt Thank You to Our Community[/h3]
As always, I want to thank all of you sincerely. Although we’ve been focused on fixing issues as quickly as possible and haven’t been able to interact as much as we’d like, your support means the world to us. Launching the game in Early Access has been an eye-opening experience, and the fantastic feedback and suggestions we’ve received are invaluable. We truly believe the game wouldn’t evolve as effectively without this trial by fire and the encouragement from our community.
[h3]Thank you for being with us on this journey![/h3]

Hi everyone,
We’ve been quiet over the past few days because we’ve been focused on resolving some core issues with how the game saves data. Communication is critical during Early Access, so we want to inform you about what’s happening.

[h3]Why Refactoring the Save System is Important[/h3]
Refactoring the save system is critical, requiring careful testing to avoid missing any edge cases or issues with different hardware configurations. Any missteps could lead to progress loss, which we’re working hard to prevent.

[h3]Preventing Data Corruption[/h3]
Our ongoing work should also significantly reduce—if not entirely remove—the risk of data corruption if something interrupts the saving process. Some players have experienced this issue, which made the game unplayable until the corrupted save data was manually deleted.
[hr][/hr][h3]Current Progress & Next Steps[/h3]
The results are promising, but we need to do more testing internally and with our play-testers (who have been an invaluable help so far!). You can expect an update on this very soon.

[h3]Addressing Feedback: Game Mechanics & Clarity[/h3]
We’ve also reviewed your feedback to identify areas where game mechanics aren't clearly explained. Given the game's many interrelated systems, ensuring everything is easy to understand is crucial for a smooth player experience.
[hr][/hr][h3]Tutorial and UI Updates[/h3]
As a result, we’re updating the tutorial, tooltips, and UI to enhance clarity while also simplifying specific mechanics that just added complexity without adding depth.
[h3]Upcoming Patch Timeline[/h3]
We hope to roll out a patch that addresses these issues within the next few days and will keep you posted on our progress.
[hr][/hr][h3]Future Plans: Meta-Progression and Content Expansion[/h3]
Once the foundation is solid, we’ll expand the meta-progression system and add more content. We can't wait to reach that stage and continue developing Breachway with your feedback and suggestions.

Thanks again for all your support—it means a lot to us! Please continue sharing your feedback and thoughts in Steam reviews. It's the best way to let us know what you like, what you would like changed, and much more.

Hi everyone,

It's been a long week, and we're so happy our work fixing all the various issues you pointed out has been appreciated. Before we take a much-needed weekend off, we've got one more update to ship, with many fixes in card and event interactions. (We'll still keep an eye on this thread just to make sure nothing slipped by.)

We’d also like to update you on the saved data rework. Last night, we finished refactoring the save code and spent all day stress-testing it to ensure stability. So far, everything looks solid, and it seems the data loss issue is resolved. We’ll continue testing over the weekend, and if all goes well, we plan to push the fix to the main branch on Monday.

We can’t express how excited we are to have the most severe issues resolved finally — or very close to it. This means we can start focusing on adding features you’ve suggested, improving readability, and generally making the game more user-friendly.

Next week, we’ll focus on one of the most requested features: ship customization. Many of you have asked for more meta-progression and more ways to tweak your starting ship, experiment with different equipment, and explore new combos.

We’re also working on enhancing the end screen to make it more satisfying. You’ll soon be able to see detailed stats of your run, including enemies defeated, missions completed, nodes traveled, unlocks, and more.

We’ll keep you updated throughout next week on progress and what you can look forward to in the near future.

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[h3]Bug Reporting and Feedback[/h3]
If you have any issues to report, please use the bug reporting forum on Steam. You can also join our Discord and report your issues in our bug reporting forum. We also have a subreddit community found here.

On to the patch notes.

[h2]Changelog[/h2]

• Changed Draw Power's mass cost from 5 to 3
  
• Fixed Draw Power not having its cost affected by active Blueprint effect
  
• Fixed Stripmine edge case where, if production is maxed, playing it makes you lose one production as well
  
• Fixed Stripmine being able to leave the player with 0 mass production capacity
  
• Fixed Forced Draw edge-case where it adds extra heat despite you running out of cards in your draw pile
  
• Fixed Focus Blast precision attack dealing no equipment damage.
  
• Fixed targeting reticles on Focus Blast
  
• Fixed Strike Assembly effect being removed by enemy playing missile card
  
• Fixed Strike Assembly being able to cause a soft lock in certain edge cases
  
• Fixed Strike Assembly not animating on entering/exiting
  
• Fixed Strike Assembly not communicating properly when no missile is drawn (on turn end, if no slot is available to add a missile card, the active icon will turn to a disabled state, reenabling itself at the start of the next turn)
  
• Fixed Several Railgun Cards being tagged as belonging to the resource bay family instead of railgun (Draw Power, Impetus, Shatter Rounds, Battery Surge)
  
• Modified escape pod events so AI crewmembers are automatically uninstalled and added to the cargo bay if there are no more empty slots on your ship
  
• Fixed issues with contraband events, where engaging in combat would send you into another combat encounter on winning. Along with the issue of sometimes skipping nodes if carrying contraband.
  
• Properly fixed the increasing fuel cost on the base difficulty
  
• Standardized card add/removal costs between the store and the maintenance ship event (still varies by faction relations for the maintenance ship event)
  
• Updated the card drafting view so it looks more consistent when there is a single card drafting option
  
• Modified Tyrant combat event so it is counted as a destroyed enemy if you have the mission of destroying six enemies in the first sector
  
• Fixed Colony Defender participants losing their correct portrait after the first battle battle,
  
• Fixed Colony Defender edge-case soft-lock if the player is allied with the pirates and attacks the Free-roamer ships exclusively during this event
  
• Fixed potential soft-lock on the second turn reload when fighting the investigator's ship during the Starkin Espionage effect,
  
• Fixed potential soft-lock on the second turn reload when fighting the research ship that discovered your hack during the Starkin Espionage effect
  

[h3]Thank you! We deeply appreciate the incredible community that is forming around Breachway. Your bug reports, suggestions, and reviews are keeping us motivated and helping us pinpoint issues, fix them, and expand the game into something that has the potential to truly special. We couldn’t do this without your support! [/h3]

Hi everyone,

We've managed to track down and solve the issue with the soft locks happening on the second sector boss and fix some minor events-related problems.
Thank you for your patience while we fixed the save game data issues. We've pinpointed the issue and are working on a permanent fix.

Regarding balance, we've moved the fuel cost increase to the first escalation level, as it was too punishing for a new player. Additionally, we've changed some cards on the Marauder's starting loadout to make them more synergistic with the associated resource types.
The game's balance is an ongoing process, so thank you for all your feedback. If the game's launch has proven one thing, it's that you can be blind to many obvious things if you've worked on something for long enough.
[hr][/hr]
[h3]Bug Reporting and Feedback[/h3]
If you have any issues to report, please use the bug reporting forum on Steam. You can also join our Discord and report your issues in our bug reporting forum. We also have a subreddit community found here.

On to the patch notes.

[h2]Changelog[/h2]

• Fixed a soft-lock issue on the second boss if quitting and resuming battle after the first turn
  
• Fixed an issue with the second boss where he would play the Command Center card again if reloading combat after the first turn
  
• Moved fuel price scaling from the default difficulty to the first Escalation level
  
• Changed icons for space stations from a credit icon to a more descriptive space station icon
  
• Added missing text to the Scavenging Remains event when resuming the scavenge after being attacked by a hostile ship
  
• Updated the text on the Neutral Gunship event to reflect the actual morale change based on your choice
  
• Set Recycle card cooldown from 0 to 6
  
• Fixed NPC portrait mismatch in Solarii station on allied dialogue
  
• Replaced Flash shields with Hasty defense on the Marauder's starting shield
  
• Replaced Ordnance surge with Asteroid Ore on the Marauder's starting resource bay
  
• Replaced Mass surge with Ordnance surge on the Firebrand's starting resource bay
  
• Removed deplete from Palisade, set cooldown to 6 turns
  
• Removed Defense Protocol from shops until its issues can be fixed
  

[h3]Thank you. Please keep the comments and reviews coming; they are extremely helpful in locating and fixing bugs and design issues.[/h3]

[h2]The Hooded Horse Publisher Sale Has Arrived![/h2]
Now through October 10, explore the galaxy, assemble your crew, and customize your ship in Breachway! Prepare for your next spacefaring adventure and take advantage of incredible deals across all Hooded Horse titles during the sale.

Breachway is a turn-based tactical game where you command a starship crew, engage in strategic card-based battles, and navigate the complex relationships between space factions. Customize your ship, manage your crew, and prepare for high-stakes adventures in the stars.


[h3]Here's what is waiting for you in Breachway's Early Access:[/h3]

• Four Playable Ships: Each with unique layouts, synergies, and faction bonuses.
  
• Diverse Combat Systems: Lasers, missiles, railguns, flak, and hacking—all in strategic, turn-based combat.
  
• Over 300 Cards: Customize your ship’s loadout with a vast array of equipment.
  
• 60+ Submodules: Enhance your ship with submodules that unlock synergies and power boosts.
  
• 6 Recruitable Crew Members: Each with special abilities for combat.
  
• Challenging Enemies: Battle 40 regular enemies, 16 elites, and two bosses.
  
• 2 Star Systems: Explore unique systems with their events, enemies, and bosses.
  
• Meta Progression: Unlock and combine bonuses across runs for evolving gameplay.
  
• Escalation System: Master the mechanics and increase the difficulty for more significant challenges.
  
• Faction Events & Allegiances: Interact with 4 fully developed factions with unique events.
  
• Space Stations & Random Events: Discover new missions, items, and surprises.
  
• Epic Soundtrack: Immerse yourself in 19 space-themed tracks as you explore and battle.

Hooded Horse Publisher Sale 2024