Black Ice News

Real talk about game development: There's never enough hours to make all the things you want to make. When we released the Sol Fusion megacorp tower last year, there wasn't enough time to add the final boss: *absolute tons of lasers*. With each additional update to add the other megacorp towers, there was never enough time to go back to Sol Fusion. But we decided May 2024 would be Lasers Month.



This meant not only fixing all the bugged lasers throughout the tower by hand one at a time, but creating a new boss fight arena with tons of rotating laser sweeps. You can limbo under the lasers to stay alive or take risks to get them to sweep through the enemies. Let us know what's the best strategy!


Since this patch was all about improvement, we took the time to replace some of the Volcanyon terrain to make the new game experience a little smoother. That included replacing the Machiavelli's Pizza server with a better platforming experience and doubling the lava for the pizza ovens.

There have been some persistent bugs with the mission system and waypoints and this self-improvement / self-care patch fixed as many of those as we could find. Plus we may have fixed the bug with enemies getting stuck inside servers!


Just like a delicious pizza, sometimes good things take awhile to cook. Zheglov-Mang's trap-filled tower is going to take us a little bit longer to build. Stay ready!

[h2]0.9.214 - 6/14/24 Laser Boss Fight! Patch Notes[/h2]

• Added a new Laser Boss Fight to the Sol Fusion Megacorp tower!!
  
• Fixed misaligned Sol Fusion lasers throughout entire tower
  
• Replaced the Volcanyon Machiavelli's Pizza server with a better design
  
• New Volcanyon courier routes
  
• Enemies stuck under buildings, especially Aimbots, should respawn properly after a few seconds now
  
• Fixed the Edgerunner achievement being given incorrectly by some missions
  
• Fixed multiple bugs related to missions not completing or waypoints not clearing
  
• Fixed Dark Deeds/Volcano Throne waypoints displaying incorrectly
  
• Fixed the Server Security Encyclopedia exit button not working
  
• Rebalanced early game item drop levels to add more item diversity before level 10
  
• Terrain and layout fixes throughout the world
  

Stay safe, hackers.

- superdupergc & Nonadecimal

Deep in the mountains, the AI for a data mining facility has gone rogue! A lowly Scorporation has gorged itself on the volatile code mined from the Supermesh and become... well, a really big scorpion. You might even call it a Megascorporation.

In addition to its increased size, damage, and new attacks, it also still controls the mining facility. Be careful not to antagonize it... no way to tell what it might do.



[h2]Startup Valley[/h2]


The area where you first jack in to the Supermesh needed a little refresh. Streamlined to get you to main world faster, it also features some improvements to the Prank War servers.

[h2]Security Encyclopedia[/h2]
Ever wondered exactly what a Proxy server is? Or what Fire enemies are vulnerable to? Just check out this encyclopedia for all the server securities!

[h2]What's Next?[/h2]


You may have noticed that the Zheglov-Mang megacorp has a new outer shell. The surrounding area is also taking its final form with craters and cracks from an ancient war fought between Sol Fusion and Zheglov-Mang. Don't rush to explore it yet, we haven't added the servers and secrets. Those will come in the next major update! Also be careful you don't fall through any holes in the ground - it was a very busy week and not everything is polished yet.

[h3]Get the full patch notes here![/h3]
https://steamcommunity.com/app/311800/discussions/0/3844430784752116453/

Stay safe, hackers.

- superdupergc & Nonadecimal

(okay maybe a little spoiler)

Helices: a megacorporation known for genetic engineering, biotech, and prefab agriculture.



Everyone knows Helices engineered the factory crops and lab-grown foods that helped us survive the 21st century. Along with genetic engineering to make humans resilient against pandemics and food scarcity, Helices is now restoring wilderness and bringing many animal species back from extinction.

Although some say that the genetically enhanced aleph generation of designer babies was a step too far. Plus eliminating seeds from all crops so that they can only be purchased from Helices...



[h2]Sticky Situation[/h2]

Like Oshiro Orbital, Sol Fusion, and Quarkus, the Helices tower is an endgame dungeon with servers spanning levels 35 to 49.

Much like the toxic pollutants contaminating the GHZ, Helices is filled with toxic goo puddles. Watch out, they seem to have a mind of their own! It's a cramped, close-quarters fight as you spiral to the top of the helix. Might be good to bring a shotgun or some explosives.



[h2]Encyclopedia!![/h2]

Now you can look up every item type and specialty SuperDuper gear in the Encyclopedia! This will help you find the items you don't have and collect the ones you want. Plus, now the Recycle Bin prioritizes the items you haven't found yet.



[h2]Root Access[/h2]

If you're still reading, watch out for a surprise new enemy at the top of Helices tower!



Get the full patch notes here!
https://steamcommunity.com/app/311800/discussions/0/3844430784752116453/

Stay safe, hackers.

- superdupergc & Nonadecimal

Einar's final resting place beneath the volcano is now fit for a king! Decked in gold, the new boss fight arena offers more platforming and routes to evade the swarm as you battle the Mother of Spiders. With the new boss fight HP bar, you can focus on the objective before you're overrun.

We've also streamlined the early stages of the game to help you get through the volcano faster. More routes, better waypoints, rebalanced enemy progression. We will continue improving the early game with a reworked tutorial area soon!


A small taste of what's coming next, we added 2 new missions while streamlining the other 100 story emails already in the game. Tangle with Baba Yaga (again?) in the Forest, then help some Quarkus employees stage a coup in Act 3.


Stay tuned for the next update bringing the Helices megacorp tower.

Full patch notes below!

[h2]0.9.207 - 12/20/23 Gilded Rage[/h2]

• Remade Einar's Throne Room (Volcano Boss Arena)
  
• Major navigational improvements to the Volcanyon and Volcano
  
• Added a new shop in the Volcano
  
• Quarkus improvements, including boss attack telegraphing
  
• Overhauled mission waypoint system to be more readable and useful
  
• Added Courier Story Missions (including one to take you to the top of the Volcano)
  
• The first character on an account will now always get a free heal in the Cache
  
• Added two new unique items as rewards for the Quarkus and upcoming Helices fight
  
• Added two new missions between level 25-35
  
• Edited and improved all previous missions
  
• After you complete a mission, the active waypoint will automatically switch to the next active mission
  
• Players now run a lot faster on the Information Superhighways
  
• Heal Over Time items now automatically enable when the player logs in or respawns
  
• Rebalanced hack speed to make it less punishing if you fall behind on icebreaker upgrades
  
• Added Hack Timer calculation in the Full Stats UI
  
• Added Time To Kill calculation in the Full Stats UI
  
• Added a Boss HP bar for dungeon bosses and Lockout enemies
  
• Increased Flat Damage affix scaling at the low end, but also reduced drop rate
  
• Made Lockout GUI and in-game particles easier to see
  
• Lockout enemies now slow the hack down drastically instead of completely stop it
  
• Added a video option to reduce the sky intensity
  
• Reduced sky star size for stars closest to the player
  
• Added a green cooldown indicator for items with charges to show when charges will cd
  
• Fixed terrain hazards like lava doing increased damage in multiplayer
  
• Evading servers no longer appear in the Volcano
  
• Reduced Charge.bat damage
  
• New unique Sprint which applies Frictionless
  
• Items now have full charges when equipped for the first time, and remember both charges and cooldowns when you unequip them, which you can now do at any time.
  
• Many bug fixes, including waypoints, missions, etc.
  

Stay safe, hackers.

- superdupergc & Nonadecimal

Quarkus: a megacorporation known for quantum computing and data at every scale.

The biggest search and social media monopolies of the 21st century merged to form Quarkus. While its CEO Grafton Bayles never completed his vision of a "metaverse", Quarkus dominates the Supermesh with their quantum computing infrastructure.

Although some say all of Quarkus' innovation was stolen from Supermesh founder Rachana Joshi and the other megacorps...

[h2]By their powers combined[/h2]

Each of Quarkus' four towers wields the powers of ice, fire, corrosion, and laser... Almost like they were copying their 4 megacorp competitors. Equip the right gear to deal with each one!



[h2]Dissect their networks[/h2]

Like Oshiro Orbital and Sol Fusion, the Quarkus tower is an endgame dungeon with servers spanning levels 35 to 49.

But the Quarkus servers are all connected. Follow the arrows to know which server is protecting another. Hack them in the correct order or risk them all joining forces to defend the hack!



[h2]The W.O.R.M Returns[/h2]

After testing their newest AI atop Rachana's tower, Quarkus has redeployed the W.O.R.M. with upgrades.

Watch out, they look ready for revenge...



Stay safe, hackers.

- superdupergc & Nonadecimal