Black Ice News

Hi everyone! I just did a quick bugfix patch that was on the indev patch, but I figured y'all would want on live. I say it's a bugfix patch, but there are some nice quality of life improvements and a couple of new item variants too. Check it out!

Next up, we're working on bounties! We've got them mostly working on our development version and hopefully we'll have something to test on indev in a few weeks.

• Added some fire-based executables, with punny names. I won't tell you all of them here!
  
• Added a new unique EMP, Halt and Catch Fire
  
• Sniper weapons now have a wider range of firing rates (some are slower now)
  
• Fixed several bugs in the overpass area (thanks o-goncho and others!)
  
• Minions now prioritize the player's damage taken over their own when deciding aggro
  
• Dark enemies now have a grey outline to differentiate them more when highlighted
  
• Fixed an issue where Remote exploits would not properly detonate
  
• Aimbots now have
• much* faster projectiles at high level, (15 scaling to 50 in NG++)
  
• Spidermines should properly reacquire targets if their first target dies now
  
• Reduced Mine damage
  
• Servers leveling up from killing players or other servers is now called Upgraded and can spawn in the world as a regular security affix. Level is +3 on top of the sector's max level instead of server level
  
• Fixed Upgraded server not removing skulls when taken over sometimes
  
• Hostile takeovers can no longer be from one server to that same server
  
• Fixed an issue where ranged enemies could get stuck and ignore things when not finding cover positions
  
• 
  
• NOW FOR THE MOST REQUESTED:
  
• Escalating servers now cap out at 5x power
  
• Scopes now reduce aim sensitivity when used
  

*checks notes* Yep, Biggest Black Ice Patch Ever. Everything is getting bigger and better, which is why this patch is called Escalation. Also, the game is on sale for the Steam Summer Sale, so jump in!

It's been a while since I've updated the live version of the game 😅, but don't think that we haven't been hard at work! We've actually done over 45 weekly patches of the game on the Indev version, and now it's time for everyone to see all the new stuff! First, a preview:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6S-kbHAvhz4

We've overhauled the entire world, adding new areas to the Supermesh, starting with a central hub called The Arcade. Explore intricate new combat areas like the overpass, alley and scar sections, as well as traversal areas like the Forest. And we're not done yet! We'll be adding stories, servers, and scorporations (and other enemies) into many of these areas soon!

Not only are there a lot of new places to see in the world, there's also a new event that happens periodically as you wander around. Corporate servers will try to perform a Hostile Takeover and hack another server! Will you choose to swoop in and clean up both servers, or will you let them fight and watch as one server takes the other over, gains an ally, and grows more powerful in the process?




Corporate security has had a huge upgrade. Not only can Swarm and Dark servers be found anywhere, but also there are now Evading, Escalating, Regenerating, and Explosive servers - a dozen security types in all! And if you thought I'd go easy on you and have only one security type per server, they definitely stack. Have fun with that Ice + Mines + Swarm server. :webcrawler:

To help you prepare for the new servers, the info terminals have been updated to corporate logos, color commentary from Ouroboros (written by Nonadecimal). The terminals even include which types of items that server is more likely to drop, which is great for when you need to upgrade that one piece of software.




Speaking of upgrades - I have so many new items for you to hunt for! Details:

• Pulse Rifles, which are a fourth modular weapon type which can use the dozen or so modular projectiles
  
• Executables, spell-like abilities with longer cooldowns that can be used instantly to fire a burst of projectiles without swapping to the item, allowing for a new type of build we call "Wizard"
  
• Exploits, a subtype of Executables that have a bonus ability that triggers when they hit debuffed enemies - like a huge explosion, a burst of projectiles, or calling in a mortar strike
  
• Barriers, which are tough summonable shields to defend from projectiles
  
• Specialized Mods and Scopes, which focus specific stats
  
• Micromissiles and Seekers, which are new types of projectiles with wobbly and homing behaviors
  

On top of that, I've got more than a dozen new Super Duper unique items to find and create new character builds around, all with punny names because, well, a good pun is its own reword. :LazyThunk:

Weapons and gear are more variable and interesting than ever, with new six new bonus affixes and more affixes in the new customized drop pools. These pools ensure that items don't drop with affixes that don't apply to them, which results in more power for you! Additionally, I've added an important new item mechanic called Charges, which allows items like Executables to store up multiple uses over time.

All these new knobs to create items are accessible to players with the updated modding support, which makes it easier than ever to create and share new items with your friends. The tutorial is built into the csvs, which are now included with every patch in a built in Mods folder! It would actually be possible to enable Steam Workshop support for these types of item mods, so please let me know in the comments if you'd like me to enable that!

One more little thing that I love: dead enemies no longer block shots, which means that a single shotgun blast can take out a whole group of enemies. As you might expect, this feels AMAZING. See below:




As always, I am focused on enabling more ways to build your character. To that end, I've added a new perk - Braincase - which heals the player for a percentage of their max health every time they get a headshot.

On top of that, I've overhauled six of the perks which were previously locked you into specific weapons. Now, these perks still apply to those weapons - but also to *all* of your weapons. This means you can now use the Double Data Rate perk which doubles projectiles with a machinegun, or the Aimhax homing perk with a pulse rifle - or both! "I Expect You To Die", the lasgun piercing perk, now adds piercing to *all* weapons, which can be fantastic if you are also running Drunken Master with its dizzy ricocheting projectiles.




Enemies now understand how to find cover positions, which means that ranged enemies will climb up on servers to snipe at you, while the melee enemies come at you from all directions. This has a huge difference on game feel!




And now for the lightning round, a huge list of other small things that we've worked on to improve quality of life, many in response to player suggestions (so keep suggesting things please!)

• Tons of new sounds, including unique sounds for each enemy and item rarity on pickup
  
• The Hack Radius has been completely redone - it animates and reacts to what you're doing. Gorgeous, if I do say so myself.
  
• UI updates, including a death report, fancy damage numbers and chat, and inventory updates
  
• Visual upgrades including Fog, Depth of Field, and Camera Tilt when strafing
  
• Explosions now show their radius, to help aim
  
• Players can now change their name and color in multiplayer, see allied players through walls, and share full XP
  
• And of course, we've spent a ton of time on bug fixes and performance improvements
  

Thanks for reading all that. We've been working extremely hard on the game, and we're very proud of what we've accomplished. Looking ahead, I'm planning on working on Bounties next, while Nonadecimal will be working on stories and new areas! Let me know what you're excited about, either here or on the discord.

Thanks a bunch,
Super Duper Garrett Cooper

Reports are coming in

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And then only 🐱?! Console jockeys, you'd better investigate!

Hi everyone! Super Duper Garrett Cooper here. Just wanted to let y'all know that Black Ice is 25% off for the Winter Sale, including the 4-Pack and the Soundtrack! Now's a great time to tell your friends about the game!

We're working on some awesome new stuff, like a Volcano zone and a bunch of new hack types - which you can preview on the Indev build right now!

I wanted to wait until we got the volcano done, but I figured y'all would want all these other fixes I've been working on since February. So without further delay,


So above there - you can see the new Mor.tar.gz enemy, who denies a big area for several seconds. They're pretty easy to take down at close range, but they can ruin your day if you're not paying attention. The Popup also has a whole new look, and the Aimbot is actually animated now. Additionally, all enemies now can be staggered by doing enough damage to them, which allows for some great close-ranged gameplay.

Also: CC resistance, smoother pathing, minion following improvements.




One of my goals is to encourage people to play multiple characters with different builds. To that end, I've created a cross-character Hacker Cache, placed near shops throughout the world, which allow you to easily transfer items between any of your characters. You can also upgrade their storage size with bitcreds. In your inventory, you can now mark items as Favorite to exempt them from the "Sell All" button.

Choice Cubes are a new mechanic, which offer a choice of three items when opened. They drop from Arena servers like Portcullis, and can also be purchased from shops. They can contain unique items!

Also: Self-damage on explosives, new uniques for disc and mine, new EMPs/Discs, ChanceToDebuff affixes.




A full FIVE new perks, with all sorts of new combinations! Also - Aimhax has been changed to affect machineguns instead of snipers, to reward accurate sniping. Sniper rifles can still drop with Homing on them, however!




You should see a *huge* increase in framerate in this patch. I've updated through two major versions of Unity, added Occlusion Culling, and now de/respawn enemies/powerups with distance.

Also: Tons of balancing changes, PVP updates, bug fixes, on-hit sound!



Please let me know if you like all this stuff. We've been working really hard on it, and we've got some Really Neat Stuff coming very soon (Volcano/Arcade/etc!) Anyway, go have fun!

(Full detailed notes for 0.8.102 - 0.8.119 are here)