Cepheus Protocol News

[h2]April 26, 2020 Patch Notes[/h2]
-Reduced some 8K and 4K assets to 1K and 2K which will greatly help run and optimize the build.
-Horde System revamp (they're back!).
-Improvements to Pod Tech (added additional texturing and more visual feedback correlated with damage output to pod).
-Defense Teams that can move in-between owned zones.
-Remade Main Menu and Option screens.
-More Graphics options & Tweaks to Maximize your performance (More are on the way)
- Various Crash fixes.
-Chelsey will now destroy Ammo Crates if you land them on her.
-Airstrikes have a cool-down.
-Flamethrowers Deadly to Infection Towers (plus new VFX).

[h2]April 24, 2020 Patch Notes[/h2]
-New numbers for zones, and set the tick rate to 10 sec instead of 1 min.
-Command post minimap icons have been updated (swapping it out on color based on ownership): only shows ammo/med if those are unlocked for player, and icon sizes.
-Airstrike cooldown of 20 secs (w/ cooldown visuals on button).
-Proximity callin for ammo boxes (no more ammo forts - we know who you are!).
-If Ammo box overlaps Chelsey, they get destroyed.
-Manual reload key.
-Disabled horde (for now).
-Formation button updates.
-Added new Ammo Truck button.
-Added new ammo overlap actor, with new overlap-zone showing logic, new logic to spawn the actor, new management array for cleanly managing their showing/disappearing, and logic to prevent ammo from being drop-able in an existing ammo's no build zone.
-Mouse widget appears when attempting to drop ammo where it is overlapping.
-Ammo preview turn red when it's not droppable.
-Hid the team name text for the Defense Team tab (since it was messing w/ DNA display at some resolutions).
-Dropped grenade prices to $75.
-Dropped fire-damage-to-kill-pod time even lower - it's quite fast now.
-Created logic in the InfectionZoneManager for getting InfectionZones with active spawn nodes.
-Created logic in the InfectionZoneManager for getting the nearest zone(s) that are owned by a faction other than the infected (and not unclaimed).
-Began creating foundation logic for new command-post attacking hordes.
-New look to Reload button.
-New icon for tower 2 button.
-New icon for "Ignore Structures" firemode button.
-New ROE tutorial screen.
-Fixed a wallbuilder "close via right click" issue that was failing to hide building 'no build red auras'.
-Adjusted Barracks spawn position to hopefully prevent spawned units from getting 'stuck' on it.
-Added navblockers/obstacle to several areas based on playest playthroughs.
-Fixed the volume slider 'reset' logic in the options widget - now options menu re-opens accurately to where the player left it.
-Prop placements and landscapes have been further optimized.
-Turned off shadows on all roads which should further help the optimization.
-Blood decals and vehicles have been cleaned up which were previously set to "hidden in-game".
-Further optimizations are being made to map grids including the stadium area.
-Offset buildings have been fixed, additional placement of props have been updated.

[h2]April 22, 2020 Patch Notes[/h2]
-Made gun ammo updates on the Team Panel direct – they grab the values from the Gun instead of merely reading the delegate data.
-Tweaked flamethrowers to be able to detect structures.
-Created a new 'Aggressive' flame particle for structure burning.
-Added flame damage logic to structures and also included logic for structures that we want to ignore fire.
-Made infected pods not fire proof, and gave them massively increased damage from flames.
-Created a 'pod burning' system: Multiple burn points for the pod, When the pod takes fire damage, it reads the amount of burn it has left and spawns fire effects at burn points (up to 6, depending on how much fire damage is stacked on it), pod will also spawn flames on its death if it still had flame effects when it was burning.
-Made structure damage from flames “tick” off heavily but more slowly, making for a more dramatic appearance.
-Implemented new icons for Vaccine unlock, Command Post Ammo, Med trucks, and Shredder Rounds.
-Split the Med and Ammo upgrades for the Command Posts.
-Set the Hospital's value to 0, so it won't display a value for capture (so player is less likely to think it's capturable).
-Added an animation that plays on unlocking a Command Post building.
-Updated hover tips for Med/Ammo truck unlock buttons
-Fixed player units who succumb to infection to no longer have TeamLogic enabled and to prevent them from getting 'skipped' by player gun traces.
-Updated PC with new HUD-update function when setting targets or ordering firemode, to ensure consistency of button presses.
-Unequipped the weapon on infection succumb, so players don't get shot by an angry infected was-soldier. Result: Player units can now turn and be put down.
-Cleaned out some outdated loading screen tips, and cleaned up others.
-Updated zone connection for defense team logic.
-New “cylinder” look for area markers.
-Added a new Civilian walkway between the pier and mainland.
-Added a 'ToggleThermalVision' hotkey, hooked it up to the HUD, and made dynamic text on the HUD that grabs the current hotkey setting for display (in case the setting get changed later).
-Added a 'ZoneValue' integer to each InfectionZone for displaying how much money the player gets from owning that zone every ZoneTickLoop in the InfectionZoneManager.
-Added a new ZoneTickLoop in the InfectionZoneManager, with default interval of 60 seconds (easily customizable from the InfectionZoneManagerBP in the Zone0SpawnNodes map).
-Fixed an outdated enum ref that was preventing zone colors from properly updating.
-Cleaned up some targeting logic in the AIController.
-Increased delay on the 'delayed update zone check,' replaced some zone updates with delayed checks, and made the delayed check get called in the ZoneMarkerManager's beginplay (to ensure accuracy).
-Updated FireMode to have a new 'NoStructures/Units Only' variation: when in NoStructures/Units mode, soldiers will ignore enemy structures.
-Updated SeenList to store if the target is a structure, to allow for quick ignoring of structure targets w/o casting.
-Updated AI to drop any structure in the seen list during threat update if in NoStructures mode.

[h2]April 21, 2020 Patch Notes[/h2]
-Bug fixes to main menu/pause screen.
-Main Menu audio fixes.
-Intro Slides added.
-Fixed collision problem where units would get hit by infected and were thrown 10 feet up in the air.
-Grenades cost $150 (down from $200).
-Halved the supply amount stored in ammo crate.
-Ensured Heavies have a weapon market upgrade option.
-Added a grey background behind hotkey tips at the top left.
-Added the 'Select Team' button key bind to the hotkey tips at the top left.
-Set default percentage for construction meter to 0.0.
-We’re still looking into the Infection turning bug.
-More updates in the next day or so regarding the Passive income/Defensive units that can roam between owned territories and the adjusted Horde system.
April 19, 2020 Patch Notes
-Added new Intro video tutorial (skippable by holding Tab).
-Updated icons for captured control points.
-Now clearer than ever which upgrades players can buy.
-Music Manager was rewritten from the ground up to stop the action music bug.
-DNA samples now auto collect (players don’t need to bring DNA back to a medical facility anymore).
-Fixes to help Alt tabbing between different windows and game.
-Various performance tweaks.
-Console removed.
-T1-T2 Walls health doubled.

[h2]April 17, 2020 Patch Notes[/h2]
-Weapon rebalances.
-Cost of weapons from armory lowered.
-Cost of upgrades reduced.
-Notification Log added to better alert players of recent events in the world.
-Further optimizations to the world/map.
-Safety checks to stop the camera from breaking when inspecting the world.
-Construction Time of walls increased
-Music Manager tweaks to stop the combat music from breaking.
-Pillbox removed for the time being.
-Safety systems implemented to ensure Chelsey never gets stuck in or around structures.
-Assaults now by default start with the M4 instead of Scar. Players will notice some starting guns have been adjusted to their correct ones.
-Dreamhack removed from Main Menu- Freemode renamed to Pandemic Mode.

[h2]April 6, 2020 Patch Notes[/h2]
This new update will essentially remake/alter parts of the progression and introduce a permanent type of enemy (Chelsey/Patient Zero) that runs around the map commanding the infected, capturing zones to spread the infection and launching attacks on the compound. She is fully simulated and will be a constant threat throughout free mode. In order to fight and defeat her, the player will have to find research in order to get to the only ammo that can kill her.
We've been addressing performance issues and players will notice much better performance across the board.
-Chelsey Boss AI (present in world at all times, players win the game by killing her and will need to unlock the right ammo type over the course of the game).
-Capture Zones have been tripled and players will more often have a tug-of-war over zones vs. Chelsey and the player both attempt to capture and reinforce the zones.
-Assault classes will have more utility and will be able to construct sandbags and caltrops on demand in the field to fortify player locations as they wish.
-Capture Zone locations have been finalized as have spawn pod locations.
-Capture zones now allow players to place special structures inside them allowing mobile ammo restock or medical healing depending on their needs instead of being a blanket leveling system that is just paid for.
-The Hospital is now a permanent faction base that can never be taken and serves as Chelsey's base HQ for retreat.
-Base attacks have been tied to the infection pool, as it increases the frequency of attacks depending on the infected pool number and might come more often in mid-late game and they are less "gamey" requiring pods to be first built outside the base perimeter in the first stage . Second stage, the attacking pods start building infected/specials and eventually start launching attacks searching the player building area. The attacks don’t stop until the player seeks out and launches a counter attack on the pod locations and up to 10 pods can be created for mid-late game depending on the level of the infected and Chelsey's infection numbers.
-Player buildings can now be attacked and destroyed (previously only walls could be).
-Zones/Capture Zones have population #'s associated with them determine what zones players should prioritize to never let Chelsey overtake the map.

[h2]March 22, 2020 Patch Notes[/h2]
The new build is now live and features the following additions below. This is a major change in the way the early game is handled and the first of a few efforts before release to address the fun factor.
- Infected and Special infected now properly give money upon death (HUD animations as well).
-We are aware the Bounty near the water tower sometimes malfunctions and fails to attack - we are looking into this.
-The Power station has been marked as inaccessible and will be introduced post launch as an end-game event for highly geared players at max level.
-More UI elements and tool tips have been added.
-Bug fixes to the collision for player structures.
-Quality roll up of all new textures and layers for the grids (Grid 05 and Grid 02 have been updated quite a bit with better collision).
-More environmental story telling (lots of dead bodies).
-We have made the day and night lighting conditions considerably brighter to account for accessibility.
-Major Change: Infected Pods and Nodes now spread 3.5X as fast increasing the chance of encountering special infected and normal infected (this will make the build considerably harder moving forward).
-Chelsey's Villa has been updated.
-The final level of Infected zones has been unlocked and grids can now go fully "Red".
Note: We know there is build optimization issues and are looking into resolving these over the next 2 weeks

[h3]Game Beats[/h3]


A lethal virus has infected Treasure Island, San Francisco. It is up to Captain Winter, a U.S. Army soldier working with the Center for Epidemic Research and Control (CERC), to stop the mysterious and deadly Pangu Virus from spreading to the mainland. The Cepheus Protocol is an independently developed top-down RTS inspired by XCOM, Company of Heroes, and Parasite Eve.

Level Design

The Level designers worked across the level to get the last aspects of polish and attention to detail in the levels from water, debris and car crashes. Check them out below!










Read more about on our progress this week on Indiedb!!

A mysterious virus of alien origin is sweeping through San Francisco. It is up to the Center for Epidemic Research and Control (CERC) to track down and find Patient Zero before it is forced to enact the Cepheus Protocol. Command your squad, save civilians, and stop the Pangu Virus before it is too late.

Main Objectives:

• Train and level a single squad of up to 8 members as you search the city for Patient Zero.
  
• Build, train defenders, and safeguard your base from the Pangu Virus’ victims.
  
• Manage your squad as you attempt to control the spread of the virus.
  

Before we get into our monthly dev update, we wanted to announce that we've decided that in order to provide you with the best game possible, we need a little bit more time to work on it.
Our team members all around the world are working diligently to put in all the finishing touches. Thank you for all of you support and we can't wait for you to play it!



We're also super excited to tell you more about the game mode you'll be able to play during Early Access. In Free Roam, you'll battle Chelsey Trader (Patient Zero) as she tries to overtake Treasure Island. In a back and forth, chess-like battle, you'll fight the infected as Chelsey gets stronger.

In this mode, you'll be able to take advantage of the open world by fighting Chelsey and her infected whichever way you'd like. Continually upgrade your squad and their equipment in order to eventually face off against Patient Zero herself.

The map is split up by "grids" in which you'll have to keep the infection at bay. Depending on your fight style, the infection AI changes based on how you're playing the game - it'll always keep you on your toes.

We'll share more information as we get closer to the Early Access release, but know that saving Treasure Island and capturing Chelsey will be no easy task.



In late February, we attended Dreamhack Anaheim to show off the game! It was such a wonderful time meeting people - seeing everyone play the game was such a great feeling! Check out a couple of pics below from our booth!




Our Art team has been working really hard on a new version of Chelsey Trader (Patient Zero) on Reallusion's Character Creator. She's looking really amazing!




Lots of progress has been made on the UI including new icons on the command widget (bottom right) and on the soldiers so that you can easily tell the Sniper over the Assault class. What do you think?


New icons have been added to the command widget as well!




Our Level Designers have been knocking it out of the park with some amazing buildings and structures. Since it’s an open-world, you’ll be able to see these for yourself in May!



Thank you for joining us on our development journey! Make sure to wishlist us and join our Discord to stay in touch with us. See you in the next dev update! 👋🏽

Come say hi and meet our team at booth #I-626 at Dreamhack Anaheim! You'll be able to find us in the Indie Playground near the Halo Tournament Area.

Below are the Expo Hall hours:

• Fri: Noon–8PM
  
• Sat: Noon–8PM
  
• Sunday: 11AM-7PM
  

We have a jam packed demo that we'll be showcasing in which you'll have the chance to get a feel of the mechanics in the game, meet some of the characters, and get a taste of what it's like to battle the Pangu virus!

We look forward to seeing you!