[h1]Auto-Explore[/h1] This was the big focus for October. Maybe it seems like a small thing to devote a month to, and maybe it only took 2 weeks to perfect, but it was sorely needed! [i]It was so unreliable, I actually had this warning the first time you used it:[/i] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38088504/079a2604c3d8d6bbca8cd96fbbcd0457fe0349ee.png[/img] Thanks to (your) patience and (my) hard work, it has been more than repaired, it's actually pretty amazing now. And there are 3 settings: calm (default), terrified, and reckless. It won't fight for you, but it also won't get you killed. Check it out: https://youtu.be/KwlOXdv4rtA [h1]Artifacts[/h1] Firaxughinian ("Firax") artifacts are probably the most sought-after items in the whole game, and not just by the player. They are powerful, mysterious, and difficult to obtain. But they've always had the same green icon, and no description beyond a cryptic name. No more! There are now 59 different artifact images, each with its own description that gives you a deeper look into the insanity they invoke in whoever possesses them. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38088504/9d7a6fa569dafc4e0779caec5d7804c68ba9bf9d.png[/img] Something else to note about artifacts: They used to have a screen in the infinipedia as well as being available in the inventory. [b]They are now *ONLY* in the Inventory, under "Miscellaneous".[/b] [h1]Maximum Effort![/h1] Every once in a while a player would find themselves stranded, often do to the changeable nature of terrain (like you blew up the door of the tiny room you walked into, a water-monster pulls you onto an island, or a cave-in places debris in the only path). Now if you find yourself unable to return to the exit, the away team will be capable of super-human feats, like swimming (through acid) or clearing obstructions even without the proper equipment. There will be some damage, and quite possibly oxygen loss. But you shouldn't lose an away team or an entire run because of it. [h1]Away Team Combat[/h1] Away team combat (monster HP and damage) use to scale much faster than space combat, and often faster than your equipment could keep up. That is no longer the case, since I have rebalanced the entire away team combat side of the game. That includes all suits, guns, melee weapons, grenades, [b]and all 170+ creatures[/b]. [h1]Bluesky[/h1] I have finally abandoned the hellscape and discovered the beautiful blue skies of...well... I'm on Bluesky now. If you're there too, come say 'hi'! If you haven't made the move yet, I encourage it. https://bsky.app/profile/ibol17.bsky.social [h1]Other changes[/h1] I had 2 solid weeks to tackle random issues, so here are the highlights: [list] [*] The Herbarium (Infinipedia sub-screen) is no longer "coming soon"... It's here! [*] You can now mod installed items with no penalty. Electrocution warnings be damned! [*] Shotgun now does hybrid damage instead of piercing [*] The Beamer (away team gun) can no longer be dodged (except by one creature). [*] Subspace Inverter (ship weapon) now does +50% damage at range 6+ [*] "Life Support" can now be built via a consumable, in case a shipwreck deck doesn't have one. [*] I introduced the "corrupted transmitter": a computer-like object on shipwrecks. If you destroy it, it will destroy all cyberghasts on the level. [*] I increased the prevalence of 2- and 3-weapon reactors! [*] Stations now sell more items in early sectors. [*] I fixed a bug where items crafted were not being tracked for the Achievement. [*] I created a Code: "Crafting Achievement Bugged" in case you crafted those 50 items but haven't gotten the acheivement or the scrap hound unlocked. (Obviously anyone can use it, it's up to you.) [*] Rescue missions from shipwrecks will now allow you to leave without rescuing everyone. [*] Game now auto-saves when leaving stations [*] "Auto-Saved" added to message log when appropriate. [*] "Trade Beacon" device now detects both stations and warp points. [*] Got rid of "warp point detector" device. [*] Added "Quicker Picker" away team device that picks up all loot adjacent to the away team. It can be installed into suits. [*] I removed "varieties" from monster names (like basher and thrasher for gnasher). They're all just gnashers now. [*] I made a lot of fixes and changes to Whitespace. [*] On the active effects screen, if you're on an away mission, away team powers will appear first (instead of space/ship powers) [*] I added level 3 to Navigator's "Gravitic Interpolation" skill, which grants "ion tracker" power every 25 turns, revealing ships. [*] You disperse ash piles when you walk through them again (IDK when this was lost) [*] You can now push tables (?!) [*] Inventory screen now remembers the last tab (ship, away, consumables, misc, etc.) and opens there next time. [*] Crafting screen also has "tab memory". [*] Last monster viewed in bestairy is now saved, and it automatically opens to that monsters. [*] Added "Present" to bestiary sort methods, meaning only the monsters you've encountered on this away mission so far. [*] Previous bestiary sort method also stored [*] When surveying a planet, if it's 100% explored but you still can't survey it for some reason, if the is a hidden reason, it will tell you this: "Conditions beyond your control prevent surveying this planet right now." [*] More events will now create captain's log entries that you sometimes find, referencing your previous runs. [/list] [h1]Next[/h1] I need to address more options and story for the Asteroid Base faction.