This is a big one Pilots! We are excited to present to you the [b]Nova Update[/b]! Expect an amazing new assortment of weapons to add to your Mechas arsenal, a brand new Patrols map with massive improvements to increase replayability, and many quality of life improvements. [h3]General Gameplay & Balancing:[/h3] [list] [*] Gear Collection: Rangers III introduces many new pieces of Gear to collect - including the first Superior and Elite rarity weapons. [*] Max Pilot Level has been increased from 15 to 20, meaning the max Power Level has risen from 75 to 100. [*] General weapon balancing tweaks. [*] Sniper weapons are back, rebalanced and available to all mecha classes. [*] Tutorial revisions have been made for the latest gameplay changes. Note that some new lines have not yet had VO recorded, and will have no audio currently. [/list] [h3]Player Experience:[/h3] [list] [*] New player stat bars have been added to the Mecha tab: Pilot XP Levels, Mecha XP Levels, and Power Level. [*] New Daily Login prizes. Log in each day to claim your prize. [*] ‘Enter World’ has been changed to ‘Play’ on the main menu. [/list] [h3]Fixes & Improvements[/h3] [list] [*] New weapon SFX, VFX and icons for all weapon types. [*] Updated combat UI: new Health, Shield and HEAT bars, as well as abilities and active perk display. [*] Updates to dodge - increasing speed and distance, as well as adding forward and backwards dodge. [*] Dodging backwards in starship form will transform to mecha, while forward dodge in mecha form will transform to starship. [*] Dodge has now moved from ALT to SPACE. This can be remapped if you prefer the previous way. As before, double-tapping W/A/S/D still works also. [*] Reticule display has been improved. [*] The ‘Bounty Terminal’ has been renamed to ‘Ranger Terminal’. [*] Additional fixes to controls, settings, and sensitivity. [*] Multiple mission fixes - including resolving the mission loop in ‘Search and Destroy’. [*] Fixed respawns and ‘Game Over’ screens not operating correctly. [*] Fixes to issues with Bounty tracking and XP gains. [*] Improvements to chat display, and additional information on how to use the chat. [*] Various QoL and performance improvements. [*] [/list] [h3]Patrols[/h3] [list] [*] New dynamic Patrol type. This addition brings one expansive new level, filled with many randomised objectives to provide more replayability. [*] Solo patrols! Unable to find a fellow Ranger? If matchmaking is unable to find additional players after a short duration, you will be able to enter the Patrol by yourself. Come prepared, as without fellow Rangers to help you, it can get tough. [*] You can now abandon a Patrol in progress through the Warp Gate. Approach the Warp Gate and follow the prompt to abandon your Patrol. This won’t affect other players in the Patrol - apart from being a Ranger down, so watch the salt back in Halberd-001. [*] Moved the Patrol terminal to the left of the Launch Center. (still found in Halberd-001) [*] Two new Xannora enemies, the Madman and the Hellfire. All current Patrol enemy types have also been renamed. [*] Enemy Power Level now increases as the Patrol goes on, meaning stronger enemies at later stages. [*] New Bonus Rewards will be given based on team points achieved. [*] A Revival system has been implemented, allowing you to assist your downed teammates. Teammates unable to reach you? Self-destruct to go out in a final blaze of glory - and then respawn to do it again. [*] Audio improvements. [/list] [h3]Known Issues:[/h3] [list] [*] Left-ALT is now used to Move Up instead of Space Bar. When using the Hacking Drone, however, this is not yet updated - so this manoeuvre is still mapped to the Space Bar. [*] The Patrol objective ‘Defend the Base’ may occur and cause an unexpected Mission Fail even if you have time left on the clock. To avoid any premature failures, once you complete this objective, head to the Warp Gate to complete the Patrol. You should do so even if you have optional objectives remaining, or risk a failure once the objective timer (not the Patrol timer) reaches 0:00. [*] Some radar and satellite arrays have incorrect collision boundaries. As such, there are some confined areas in the new Patrol level where you will encounter unintended invisible walls. It is intended that you move slowly around these areas, but if you find yourself bouncing around a lot, chances are there is a satellite on the asteroid. [*] In fixing an issue with ‘Game Over’ screens not operating correctly, it was fixed only for ‘You Died’ game over screens, and not special mission specific game over screens such as ‘You Were spotted’ etc. As such the button will likely still not work in these situations. [*] With the Daily Login prize, rewards are displayed for the Avatar that claimed it. If you then login with another Avatar, the login prize will appear as missed as the Avatar you are currently playing did not claim that prize. This is visual only as the rewards are account based. [*] [/list] As always we appreciate the support of every single one of our players and we look forward to hearing your feedback. For any technical support please contact our [url=https://blowfishstudios.zendesk.com/]Zendesk[/url] and to join the conversation jump onto our [url=https://discord.gg/phantomgalaxies]Discord[/url] to chat with our amazing community and give feedback to our team.