Cepheus Protocol News

Weekly Development Rollup

During major events we will be bringing in special guests to discuss their experiences they have had in Cepheus Protocol for future podcasts. If interested contact a Moderator

We will be live on Twitch and in our Discord AmA channel for those wanting to listen in on voice. You can partake in the live AmA either on Discord AmA channel/Twitch Chat.

https://www.twitch.tv/halcyonwinds
Discord

Segment 1: Dev roundtable 15 mins - a discussion between the developers on the current state of the game and current content released

Segment 2: General discussions/questions 20 mins - Host will be picking out most prominent questions and discussions made in the discord for the week

Segment 3: Live QNA 20 mins - opportunity for the community to ask questions directly to the developers

Segment 4: Closing discussion 5mins - discussion between the developers on the upcoming content for

Patch - 1.1.15.1

[h2]Last two Podcasts[/h2]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AfUgBfXTUg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DwKVi2vPUA

Patch Notes

(Click Show details for a full breakdown of the changes)
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Fixed an issue with the Idle Engineer button not properly allowing movement commands if you use it to select an idle engineer
Improved checks for showing the Idle Engineer button to prevent some situations where it may permanently become unavailable
Fixed up the SHIFT keybinds not working (return to mouse rotate/flip wall, for example)
Fixed slow motion not deactivating during the transition to Operator when toggling to the Operator (it would properly 'turn off' when the transition completed, but that's not nearly early enough)
Move/Follow commands from the Operator will now shut off 'Run Override' on units, allowing them to walk/run as needed (instead of potentially doing run/stop/run/stop if following while walking): this should also clean up some situations where ordered units would fail to shoot until they reached their target
Updated the 'move command' to utilize Trace_Bullet (instead of Visibility) on the crosshair target, so you can properly give attack orders as Operator, again
If a move order is a 'run command' but one unit isn't in Run Mode (for whatever reason), no longer will he slow down the entire group
Units following the Operator when the player is in Third Person mode will always try to run if the Operator is also running
Fixed the Capture Truck's 'unit icon' erroneously switching to 'deployed mode' if you try to deploy it in a fully-infected zone
Improved the unit's Overhead Widget to also respect 'unit icon' changes (the Unit Card already did this, but the overhead widget did not)
Improved 'Are you sure you want to destroy/refund' popup text querying to be more accurate
Fixed the 'building' Damage Resist type having immunity to melee attacks
Adjusted the Generator's interaction points on its corners to hopefully prevent infected swinging 'too wide' and just missing
Various Main Menu scene optimizations and fixes to improve performance
Improved weapon-hiding handling to use a 'Check' function in more areas (rather than just flatly trying to manually hide/unhide at certain times). This helped track down a toggle that didn't need to occur, which was causing civilians (and the new armed Chelsey LTs) to sometimes appear to be holding no weapon, even when they had one
Implemented a fix for the FormationMoveHandler breaking patrol orders that consist of only one unit
Improved Building 'radial spawn' logic to do a trace+height check on the spawn location, to try to prevent spawning units too high/low (such as on buildings, on the Power Plant island)
Fixed unit's 'overhead widgets' displaying empty reserve ammo as 600
Fixed Spotlights to no longer check for activating their light before unfold animation (and power registration) completes
(fixes bug with spotlights built at night turning on immediately, even if there's no power)
Operator can now control vehicles and order them around.
Cannot A,D,S disabled when in operator vehicle
Boosted 'enemy nearby, threat boost' logic for units to have a range of 650 (instead of 250), to better mirror the old Overlap Radius setup
Infected invisible structures bug should be fully resolved
CERC target acquisition more reliable towards Infected structures
Fixed grenades not being able to damage the unit that threw them
Night Vision added
Overall Night Time Darkness values normalized amongst video options. Higher settings had a more visible nighttime.
Fixed MP5SD sounds
Turn adjustments improved for various characters
Updated HUDWidget so the lower-right visuals will render 'over' the center-popup visuals
(for resolving things like this: https://discord.com/channels/469412014427602944/986144869590368256/1006974885794435114 )
Adjusted the save icon to appear 'above' the Idle Engineer button (instead of to the 'right' of it), to try to prevent minimap 'scale bump' issues
Updated nav modifiers around the Helipad to make traversing it easier for soldiers (should help situations where soldiers get 'stuck' trying to climb onto or exit the helipad by foot)
Ammo Runners should no longer ignore the Operator in some situations when Operator is in third-person mode
Juggernaut rock/car throw- Improved projectile to properly 'explode' on hitting the ground, instead of just rotating in place for a bit
Juggernaut rock/car throw- Removed the 'speed limit' on the projectile, so the Juggernaut's throws won't be woefully short
Juggernaut rock/car throw- Fixed his aerial aim (had too much 'up offset'), so he should be much better at hitting helicopters
Adjusted retainer setup on the unit overhead widget to no longer 'cut off' part of the healthbar/gasoline meter/etc. display in some cases (which could make things look full when they were
not)
Various VRAM reductions to bring overall requirements down. We are still working to lower VRAM requirements.

Please note the following going forward (Restart your game/steam to get the update if needed
[/expand]

Known Bugs

(Click Show details for a full breakdown of the changes)
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We are aware of some structures being purple at certain heights we are investigating this

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[h3]New Versioning Number system[/h3]
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We are changing the way we do version numbers to simplify them going into the future. The one will represent a "release" version and the octet following it will the title update or major patch version we are on.
1.2.1
1 = Release version
2 = Title Update (Major Update)
1 = Minior Fix/bug fixes etc
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[h3]Letter from the Producer[/h3]
https://steamcommunity.com/games/979640/announcements/detail/3186869726433966739
[h3]New Roadmap system [/h3]
We now have a new system for our community to follow along on development. This website will break down all the major systems that are coming each patch. It will not include hotfixes/bug fixes. Sections inside TBD can be included randomly if we are ahead of schedule
Trello and the old picture Roadmap system will be removed going into the future.
https://www.notion.so/cepheusprotocol/Cepheus-Protocol-31f1b25ce00148d6844825f4a0c0bc08

[h3]Cepheus Protocol Anthology[/h3]
Experience the outbreak of the Pangu Virus from multiple perspectives across as the brave heroes of the Center for Epidemic Research and Control battle tirelessly to stop the spread of a cataclysmic alien virus that has mutated innocent people into monstrous creatures of unimaginable power
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https://store.steampowered.com/app/1707120/Cepheus_Protocol_Anthology_Season_1/
[h3]First 40 Minutes of Cepheus Protocol Anthology Season 1 [/h3]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eWbDibGMrU
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[h3]Swag Store [/h3]
The Halcyon Winds Store is now live to support development and profits go towards expanding the team. This is in response to several requests I've gotten quite a few times about those that don't want to do patreon but want to support via merch.(Posters, Jackets etc) Check it out we'll add more over the next few weeks-months! :WinterSmile: Link here

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Patch - 1.1.15 [ Community Opinion/Poll ]

How was Patch - 1.1.15?
Did it fix performance for you, fix critical bugs? Tell us your thoughts so we can plan accordingly for next week!

Its our goal to transition towards 1.2 sometime this coming week so we can finish civilians in August and move onto Faction in September.

If not tell us more in 🔧pb-bugs(Discord) in the comments on the straw poll or just on Steam as comment to this article.

Thanks!
https://strawpoll.com/polls/40ZmdvEk4ga

Patch - 1.1.15

[h2]Patches included in this public release[/h2]

https://steamcommunity.com/games/979640/announcements/detail/3383911090958935367
https://steamcommunity.com/games/979640/announcements/detail/3372651457294815461
https://steamcommunity.com/games/979640/announcements/detail/4966924542602570168
https://steamcommunity.com/games/979640/announcements/detail/3369272491237192348
https://steamcommunity.com/games/979640/announcements/detail/3346752589127785880
https://steamcommunity.com/games/979640/announcements/detail/3346752589123707741

[h2]Last two Podcasts[/h2]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AfUgBfXTUg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DwKVi2vPUA

Patch Notes

(Click Show details for a full breakdown of the changes)
[expand]

Horde counter not working fixed
Faction Horde crash fixed based on user feedback from Discord
Touch-up of former bridge locations on Treasure Island
Chelseys LT Ai were tweaked to have better controls for guns/melee
Fixed logic so anti-helicopter jump attacks no longer break shooting logic (or vice-versa)
Updated the Doctrine Button's text display to use a Retainer instead of Invalidation (invalidation was making it unstable)
Removed the invalidation box around the Objective button's text (was breaking things)
Fixed unit's interaction widgets disappearing if units enter a garrison, then leave
Updated the Doctrine Button's text display to use a Retainer instead of Invalidation (invalidation was making it unstable)
Removed the invalidation box around the Objective button's text (was breaking things)
Added more menu prompts for video options
View Distance models for the city vastly improved
Auto configure graphics added to advanced options
Fixed an old enum reference in Base_PlayerStructure that broke to reference 'none' instead of 'Juggernaut' for squish-related logic (so pilots, minigunners, etc. should no longer squish barbed wire now)
Fixed the 'tower garrison display' not properly setting the Weapon image on the tower occupant display when opening the widget afresh
Updated logic for weapons, so a weapon can manually define its suppressor-attach-transform without relying on sockets to fix suppressors sometimes floating
Improved some snappoint logic (for wall construction points) to respond better when loading saves (not use the wrong mesh, etc.)

Please note the following going forward (Restart your game/steam to get the update if needed
[/expand]

Known Bugs

(Click Show details for a full breakdown of the changes)
[expand]

We are aware of some structures being purple at certain heights we are investigating this

[expand]

[/expand]

Patch - 1.1.14.4 [Experimental only]

These are patch notes for the newly "opened" Experimental Steam Branch. Experimental will operate as followed:

We have made new channels on Discord + Steam forums these channels are for users that like to live on the dangerous side of things and want to push feedback to us for upcoming patches. Whenever there is a patch it enters that experimental build for 1-2 days minimum if nothing fatal is found it will be pushed public.

The testing and feedback for Experimental is open to anyone to help based on their preferred engagement system Steam or Discord. This is an effort to help squash more bugs and hopefully our bug fixes that cause other issues can be caught and fixed within this time period.

We will be having 2 more batches of Experimental before we switch to civilians in 1.2! We hope to have done both "batches" by early next week but it just depends on how stable these two tests go.
#1. Further Optimization / Operator Finalization
#2. Medium Atlas Tower / Revised Weapon Buying information Window

[h3]How to use Experimental [/h3]
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Discord Steam Forums

Experimental will stay open at all times going forward.

How to Opt-in

New Operator is now in

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Patch Notes

(Click Show details for a full breakdown of the changes)
[expand]

New graphics settings were added for Medium-Low end machines please tweak them ASAP to get the best performance. Global Illumination should be lowered for lower end machines as with Shadows Quality. You should see huge gains depending on your hardware
Fixed some nav issues with gates
Updated the construction actors to dynamically spawn their 'construction progress meter' instead of always having it even when there's no construction progress
Updated the progress widget and 'autofiling progress widget' to no longer use retainer roots (since retainers were 'breaking' them and making them almost always look 'full')
Further fixes to stop units from getting stuck on constructed objects
Invisible barrier issue for walls is fixed(Floating units)
Fixed Turrets in any capacity eating frames and making overall performance worse
Grenade Throw Crash should be resolved
New LT models added (Pending some new AI)
Death Gibbing added with an initial 20% chance to occur on death
Map has been vastly improved when zoomed out in terms of quality will be tweaking this further
Main Menu performance/Overall Performance should have been boasted another 10-20% depending on your hardware
Silencer Damage graph added for all weapons to give some kind of "Fall back" for being silent
Overall Recoil for TPS operator refined when shooting
Rotate in place added for when firing in a new direction for TPS Operator
Spitter health changed from 435 to 260
Fixed Freelook having 'pan enabled' while the mouse cursor is invisible (mouse should return to center of screen while freelooking, now)
Pod threat lowered so units don't always shoot them over normal infected
UI performance tweak across the board
Fixed the ActiveDenialSystem not properly showing its power status when selected
Fixed the Turrets not properly showing their need for power if constructed without being near to sufficient power
Fixed the ADS's 'power wire connection spot' being too high
Fixed the ADS not properly showing its power widget if it's constructed with no access to sufficient power
Adjusted power widget position for generator
Fixed the Operator 'intercepting' B-key presses: toggling to Operator should now only work if you select the Operator and hit the appropriate key
(toggling out of Operator is still B)
Fixed up the Wall healthbar to use an invalidation box (instead of a retainer, which was breaking the percentage)
Fixed up the Wall healthbar to properly update when loading in
Death Animation system improved so units no longer "pop" upwards when they die anymore and perfectly transform to the ragdoll state.
Operator Updated ironsight code so it doesn't zoom camera out when reloading + added a new face rotation system for when shooing hipfire
Added it so when a single Helicopter is selected and you right click a Helipad built by you it will auto fly to the pad and land there correctly from user feedback from a AmA.
Added move-preview support logic to Helipad 'right click to move helipad to land' logic
BKP-50 given to the Swat Infected Operator
Silenced Pistol temp given to the Fenrir Infected Operator
Operator can no longer walk through allies
Shrunk the Distance Ammo Supplies from the Atlas will attempt to refill units based on Steam Community feedback threads
Fixed units having a 'mouse hover' effect around them if you were mouse-hovering the vehicle they were in when they exited said vehicle
Flare mapping issue resolved for Assaults
Charon HP increased from 500 - 1500
Merlin Increased from 600 - 1800
Shawnee increased from 160 - 1650
Updated the 'load game' menu to sort its entries by their save time (with latest played saves being
first)
Added a 'delete all saves' button to the Load screen (it still has a 'are you sure' popup, don't worry)
Updated the Pandemic Load menu to asynchronously load upon opening up, to show the loading taking place (rather than freezing up your game entirely when you hit Load)
CERC enemy Sharing logic turned off since our "detection" system changed recently causing a lot of issues where CERC would get their targets overridden by units near them.

Please note the following going forward (Restart your game/steam to get the update if needed
[/expand]

Known Bugs

(Click Show details for a full breakdown of the changes)
[expand]

We are aware of some structures being purple at certain heights we are investigating this

[expand]

[/expand]