NebuLeet News

This update brings lots of new content, balance changes, and new mechanics!

Featured changes:

• A research system. Many things are unlocked or improved via research tree
  
• A better flagship base building. Most modules are now upgradable (need to be researched first)
  
• Government quests - an extra source of missions if you have good reputation with a faction
  
• Pirate root - be their ally or make them your sworn enemy (an optional root with 2 paths)
  
• Artifacts - rare (hard to get) items that grant unique bonuses to your vessels
  
• A limit fuel combat mechanic
  
• New boss-like encounters with immobile enemies ("battle stations")
  
• A semi-automated trading with Market Monitor base module
  

Content additions include new equipment parts (weapons, wings, body parts, artifacts, engines), new missions, new base modules, new pilot traits, and more.

[h3]Research[/h3]

Research system allows a more gradual power growth. Instead of starting with all flagship modules (being overwhelming and obviously overpowered), you can research the ones you want one at a time.

It also provides new player boosts that were not available before. It partially compensates the ever increasing game difficulty (especially at higher difficulties).

The research system has some depth to it - you can pursue different branches and balance the amount of currently active research projects. More active projects is good in the long-term, but focusing on a single research can give you the desired technology much faster.

It also integrates with the world as you can use your superior tech level to boost one (or multiple) dominion factions tech level.



[h3]Artifacts[/h3]

Artifacts are a rare equipment parts that give different unique bonuses.

Some of them give a flat bonus, but other may adjust the existing equipment part stats. Some artifacts may even have a downside that usually allows for an alternative vessel build style.

You can get artifacts from boss battles, as a random (low chance) reward for some quests, and from some missions.



[h3]Quests[/h3]

The "contact the government" option on planets is now enabled. The new feature allows you to take quests at planets if you have a positive (+1 and above) reputation with them.

There are only a few quests added for now, but their amount will increase with the upcoming updates.

The rewards, conditions and even quest resolutions are randomized - some quests have several possible outcomes!



[h2]Changelog[/h2]

[h3]Programming:[/h3]

• Added an implicit YES/NO argument to num_targeters command
  
• Added fuel-related commands
  

[h3]New equipment:[/h3]

• 7 new weapons
  
• 4 new engines
  
• 4 new wings
  
• 6 new bodies
  
• 13 artifacts (a new category)
  

[h3]Campaign:[/h3]

• Start by designing a custom first vessel
  
• Hard difficulty is now even more brutal
  
• Implemented a game over screen - you can be defeated now
  
• Added many more vessel designs, factions evolve for much longer now
  
• Reworked the way missions spawn
  
• Cult spawns missions in a much more interesting and smart way
  
• Improved/expanded onboarding plot missions
  
• New planet events (e.g. Mercenary Duel)
  
• A "stalemate" combat can be restarted for free (0SP cost)
  
• Slow weapon on-hit effect is now cheaper
  
• Enemy pilots have slightly more variety in their behavior
  
• Added pirates-related events and missions (e.g. visiting a pirate station)
  
• A normal (unpgraded) hangar now has a vessel mass limit of 200
  

[h3]Rebalance:[/h3]

• Adjusted panic-based mechanics. Pilots without ammo retreat more reliably now
  
• Reworked Scavenger trait, it should be more useful now (esp. against larger vessels)
  
• Ion weapons deal more battery damage
  
• Engines rebalance
  
• Rebalanced production points generation
  
• Mercenary pilots are now more responsive
  
• Bolter weapons are buffed
  
• Firefly missile gets a slight homing ability
  

[h3]Graphics:[/h3]

• The fog of war in astroscape now reflects the nebula color
  
• Improved engine trails effect
  
• Added ghost effect to the arriving ("jumping") vessels
  
• Improved floating text alpha change
  

[h3]Pilot traits:[/h3]

• Removed Weapon/Navigation mastery traits, now INT controls the accuracy/movement instead
  
• Added new traits (about 5-6 of them)
  

[h3]Missions:[/h3]

• Many missions have different spawning/placement mechanics now
  
• A new mission - Cult Base
  
• A new mission - Cult Ritual
  
• A new mission - Cult Ceremonial Battle
  
• A new mission - VIP Protection
  
• A new mission - VIP Assassination
  
• A new mission - Caravan
  
• A new mission - Pirate Lord
  
• Added new options for some existing missions
  

[h3]Base building:[/h3]

• Most modules have a progressive cost now
  
• Added new modules (e.g. subhangar and more)
  
• Many modules can be upgraded now (Radar, Turbo, Computing Center, etc.)
  

[h3]Sound:[/h3]

• Added button click sounds for most UI elements
  
• Added extra combat music track
  
• Added impact sounds effects for most weapons
  
• Improved some weapon firing sounds effects
  

[h3]Misc:[/h3]

• "Credits" main menu button is now implemented
  
• Added a new tutorial elements (contextual info pins)
  
• Planet tooltip now shows ETA
  
• +1 vessel color palette
  
• Game tracks various stats now (shown at the "game over" screen)
  
• Pilots now have a faction associated with them (with some mechanics taking that into account)
  

[h3]UX:[/h3]

• Scouting (left-click without a mission targeted) now leaves a pseudo-marker for scouting
  
• Tab focuses the camera on player at astroscape
  
• An ability to disable autocamera in combat
  
• Added movement limit aura on astroscape (double-line circle)
  
• Made radar scan area effect more easy to understand
  
• Preserving new game settings between the re-runs
  
• Re-arranged UI elements in astroscape
  
• Added notification pins
  
• Added a ping effect when centering a camera around an object
  

Added extra on-pause UI:



This new interface allows several handy features:

• Jump to a vessel by clicking its button (0-9 hotkeys work as well)
  
• See vessel status - OK, Escaped, KIA, Arriving, HP level
  
• ETA time for the arriving vessels is displayed
  
• Browse a short vessel info (hover to get a tooltip)
  
• Can switch the team focused by pressing left/right arrow buttons (located at the top)
  
• Quickly check the ally/enemy status of the team by comparing their flags
  

Improved post-mission grade calculation. It now takes non-monetary goods into account (e.g. resources and score points).

New weapons:

• Avalancher missile launcher - long-range guided missile that deals damage proportional to the distance it travels
  
• Howitzer - an improved, much more accurate version of the Flak weapon
  
• Vorpal Slinger - somewhat similar to Chaos Gun, but its blade-shaped projectiles form a perfect circle and spin around the location for longer
  

There was also a Hydra missile launcher weapon that almost made it into the demo, but I still need to improve the way bots use it. More information will be available when it's released.

Other new equipment parts:

• Subquasion Engine
  
• Micropulse Engine
  
• Mini Spacepaddle Wing
  
• Crusader Body
  

New pilot trait: Ambitious. +1 INT when set as leader, -1 ATK otherwise. Also decreases the mission fee by about 10% (regardless of the leader slot status).

Added 3 new, higher-level bosses (the list of bosses hits 9 - each with its unique design and behavior). They are significantly more challenging than previously existing ones. For instance, they use an experimental feature: destroying enemy missiles with a Zapper weapon. This tactic will be more achievable for players when the Tracker bridge is made available (it's in the game, but can't be obtained in the campaign yet).

Here is a video demonstration of one of these new bosses:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUgz7qsIDzA

The Repair Bay flagship module is replaced by a new module - Blast Lab. This module increases the damage dealt by missile-based weapons (Firefly, Hound, Avalancher, Torpedo Launcher). It allows for a basic damage-armor tradeoff when configuring your hangars. More options will come later.

Balance changes:

• Improved Photon and Plasma bolters "effective DPS" calculation, the price is lowered by ~30%
  

The main change of this patch are persistent bosses. They will exist on the map until you defeat them.
Unlike other enemies, they don't have a randomized behavior - they have a special program written for every one of them, just for their vessel. For now, there are 6 types of bosses (more to come!)

I tried to make them challenging and interesting to fight. Just don't hesitate to press the "restart" button and retreat from combat if you've tried to attack them too early - they're very tough.

This update includes a few changes suggested by the players. I am going to try including at least a couple of these every now and then.

Programming changes:

• Increased "radar count" command max range from 400 to 500
  
• Sysvar command gets a new mode - "arena radius" to query the arena size
  

Other changes:

• Added warlord squads - travelling boss markers
  
• Reworked post-combat equipment damage calculation (it's more forgiving now)
  
• 0% condition equipment now has reduced stats
  
• Made chaos gun and ice dagger lighter
  
• Increased missile projectiles' hitbox area
  
• Added "repair all" button to the vessel design screen
  
• Player movement on the map is now smoother and avoids the star (most of the times)
  
• Added combat rating text (should give new players a hint about the restart feature)
  
• Added weapon sub categories (e.g. Kinetic Weapon, Thermal Weapon, ...)
  
• Added a way to restart a combat before its finished (hit Esc and press "restart")
  
• All in-test links now have square brackets
  
• Hovering over the pilot's mission fee label gives a helpful tooltip
  
• Added shopping "have unbought items" window, no accidental unequips should happen from now on
  
• Added pseudo traits to androids - programmable and uncommandable; hover on them to learn move
  
• Added mission goals to the combat (hit "?" in the bottom-left panel)
  
• Added weapon facing icon (a small yellow triangle near the item slot, in the inventory)
  

Flagship changes:

• Flagship tiles are now brighter (hopefully, it's easier to distinguish between the tiles now)
  
• Can move flagship modules even if they're in the process of being moved
  

Bug fixes:

• Velocity Direction's mode for operator now works properly
  
• Sandbox arena combat now includes the pause/fast forward buttons
  
• Fixed a bug when "the last chance" event would trigger after leaving the planet (should be post-combat only)
  
• The 4th vessel button in the vessel designed was half-clickable (invisibly obstructed), now it's fully operational
  

I am going to go LIVE in about one hour, give or take :D

The stream agenda is quite simple:

• Make a somewhat efficient space vessel design
  
• Program it to become competitive
  
• Then create a manually-controlled vessel and try to beat it
  

The programming part of the game is one of the least covered parts right now. I am going to address this issues today!

The stream will (hopefully) be accessible from the game's Steam page. I will probably upload it to YT later as well.

[p]The game has a Creative Mode now, so it's time for us to have a vessel design contest![/p][p]Create your vessel designs in the game, then share them as screenshots:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/3024370/discussions/0/591773574503651985/[/p][p][/p][p]☑ If you need more than 1 instance of a certain part, right-click and "clone" it[/p][p]☑ You can rotate/mirror/paint the vessel parts![/p][p]☑ You can post more than one screenshot[/p][p]☑ The vessel doesn't have to be fully functional and/or pragmatic

1. Run the game[/p][p]2. Play->Creative mode->Vessel Editor[/p][p]3. Design a vessel of your liking[/p][p]4. Press F12 to take a screenshot of your vessel[/p][p]5. Make that screenshot public (press "share on Steam")[/p][p]6. Obtain a link to that screenshot (copy a URL)[/p][p]7. Post that URL here; an optional comment for your vessel design is welcome[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p]