[h2]Hello, Mercenaries![/h2] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42894393/2b27cfe59c6c6afccf308142c2683362ea7cbdf1.png[/img] It's time to share our plans for the future. After the release of the latest patch, we decided to slightly re-plan the content of the upcoming patch to refine some existing mechanics and address issues identified by both us and our community. Today, we'll tell you what to expect in the upcoming patch and showcase what we're working on. Let's start with new content: [h2]Ship Upgrades[/h2] Ship upgrading is one of the major features of the upcoming patch. We want to make it valuable and interesting. [b]Upgrades should be defining improvements that influence the player's strategy in achieving their goals. [/b]The upgrades will visually alter the appearance of the Magnum. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42894393/e650d0dc267dbbe6a8058009860c98c50b14985f.gif[/img] As this feature is substantial, we might implement it in several phases. [h2]Expansion of the Teztclan Story Arc[/h2] The global threat of Teztclan and its legions should be a more evident generator of events, stories and fun. We aim to provide players with more narrative content and food for thought. Additionally, the story should influence the game mechanics and Solar System state. [b]Furthermore, some characters from the prologue and demo will reappear, and we'll introduce some new ones.[/b] [h2]Enemies AI[/h2] We understand that the AI of enemies requires a significant overhaul. Currently, many creatures operate within the same simple logic. Our goal is to make enemies more dangerous and "intelligent," introducing more variations in the behavior of human enemies, professional soldiers, zealots, fauna, and quasimorphs. We also want to experiment with adding small events related to the behavior of enemies or specific groups during missions. Finally, we aim to incorporate faction influence on character behavior, meaning, for example, station defenders would fight [b]not only players but also quasimorphs.[/b] [h2]Rework of Resistances, Medicine, Evasion, Accuracy, and Action Points[/h2] We've gathered numerous player suggestions and feedback on these key systems, and we believe we can significantly enhance the player experience interacting with these systems. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42894393/ddbb773621e4baf5c859d2bc6d93b8af5e37a70b.png[/img] We want to add more dependency effects from various drugs, new wound effects, and amputation effects depending on the type of damage.[b] Additionally, we plan to introduce positive effects from overlimits of certain character stats, such as accuracy or evasion.[/b] For instance, exceeding the accuracy limit may increase the critical hit chance. The Action Points system requires an interface and behavior logic overhaul to reduce player questions and eliminate some abuses of this system. [h2]Stock Exchange[/h2] We aim to make the stock exchange interface more informative and add clear goals and tasks for factions. The main idea is to make faction motivations clearer and more understandable. Currently, all corporations choose one of the basic strategies like Defense or Expansion. We want to develop this system so that strategies align with faction story motivations and arcs. [h2]Barter Rework[/h2] Barter needs serious improvement. We plan several enhancements, both in terms of mechanics and overall system convenience. [u][b]For example, we want to revamp the barter interface to display items that players can receive in the exchange.[/b][/u] The logic by which factions request items from players will also be reworked to make the demand and supply system slightly more logical. This will likely eliminate existing barter abuses but may introduce new ones. [b]The spice must flow.[/b] [h2]Display of Mission Difficulty Level[/h2] It's always helpful to know what challenges a player will face during a mission. [u][b]Therefore, we'll add a display of the mission's difficulty level in the mission start window.[/b][/u] This is an important and useful change that will help you choose tasks that are "within your capabilities." Moreover, we want to diversify internal conditions that affect the number of enemies, level sizes, and rewards for completing tasks. [h2]Content[/h2] In addition to adding new mechanics and reworking old ones, we will continue expanding your arsenal and enemy rotation. In the upcoming patch, you can expect: [list] [*] New types of lightning-shooting weapons [*] New sets of armor and weapons [*] New enemies [*] New stations [/list] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42894393/da3f5c92d0df81cdaa7d84aeed4e771c491c518b.gif[/img] Additionally, we will continue seeking community suggestions for improving the convenience and depth of the game: players provide us with a lot of useful feedback on interfaces and game logic. For example, to enhance readability, we want to redesign the graphics for characters with different statuses, such as burning, freezing, and shocking. [h2]Changes to the Roadmap[/h2] We want to inform you in advance about changes to our plans for the next patch. We've decided to postpone two features: [list] [*] Ranks System: Regarding ranks, we want to spend more time testing this system and will showcase our progress in one of the devlogs after the patch release. [*] Jupiter with Moons: In the previous patch, we began introducing new stations and satellites in the orbits of existing planets to expand the rotation of contracts in starting regions. Jupiter and its moons require a lot of work with new assets – we want planets and hazards on them to be significantly different. [/list] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42894393/bc6457c03a08fbe917402a40273104d592f33a1a.png[/img] While we plan to release both of these features within the first half of 2024, we'll keep you updated! [h2]Patch Release Window[/h2] Currently, it's challenging to specify the exact update release date, but we are sticking to the roadmap: you can expect the patch sometime [u]in March of this year[/u]. Join our community on [url=https://discord.gg/hb5QdAA4yN]Discord[/url] to be the first to hear game news and receive notifications when the release happens! Also, follow us on [url=https://twitter.com/quasimorph]Twitter[/url]! Thanks for your attention! Good luck on your ventures, mercenaries! [i]PS A small surprise for Supporter Pack owners: we are going to update the Magnum skin slightly to better complement the ship upgrades ;)[/i] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42894393/20c3a7c33c5dbeae72afdca1225746631e99c7e2.jpg[/img]