[img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36740530/3530487447711966d5281d9589345ccbc8ffe77c.jpg[/img] Mercs and Knights - Update #198 is a short one with a focus on getting us back on track for our Weekly Map Release schedule! We have a new map - Broken Highway - and two other small improvements to deliver today with better objectives in your bodyguard missions, improved Sec AI rules about buffing their forces and a fix to how Ignore Recoil is formatted for armor and cyberware. Also, we fixed a huge number of minor typos and issues in story and lore text, so thanks for all of your F10s! If you like the [i]constant[/i] stream of new, improved, polished and added during your Early Access, please remember to leave a review! [h2]New Weekly Map: Broken Highway[/h2] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36740530/879ea41f8d07f74109daa5859afdb81fa8cb4ee6.png[/img] We missed a week over New Year's due to vacation and flu, but we're back on track now, and the maps will flow. Our 10th weekly map release is Broken Highway, a long stretch of open highway where warring factions constantly trade hands and soak in blood. A warning—the highway is wide, cuts through the map, and provides no cover! Stay off the road if you can, working its edges and crossing it quickly when you must. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36740530/54fcc481d180ffbf05de76e94647622862ba7f34.png[/img] With all the new maps - and Broken Highway - we are dedicated to supporting every proc-gen objective (all 8) with absolute maximum variation inside each option (there are more than 32 ways to play this level!!) The new 8 proc-gen combos offered with this map brings the total to 121 proc-gen combos and represents another 6% increase in map variety. Broken Highway also includes support for the Assassinate VIP objective which brings the mission maps supported for that objective type up to 10 and is no longer really an underserved objective type (victory day!). [h2]Objective Update for Bodyguard Missions[/h2] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36740530/c8bc34a25bcf635ff26c0959a2a352f9d0d6aebc.png[/img] The bodyguard missions needed a small update to their objectives to properly indicate when the escort had successfully Extracted from the map. This tweak is now delivered to all bodyguard missions, present or future. [h2]Ignore Recoil Bonus Correction[/h2] There was a mistake in the display of the Ignore Recoil stat when it was shown on Armor or Cybernetics, where it would read as +0.3 which doesn't make sense in the Recoil system. When properly formatted, it should read as Ignores Recoil +3 which means that the armor or cybernetic grants an immediate 3-point reduction to Recoil all the time - making moving or firing a little less impactful to your next shot. [h2]Sec AI is Picky[/h2] Previously, if the Sec AI ran an Escalation that buffed their team, these buffs could be applied to Head Hunters, any enemy faction on the map as well as the local faction forces. We have adjusted these rules to ensure that only the local faction that the Sec AI is supporting is buffed. [h2]v1.9.77 - 1/10/2025[/h2] - Added new proc-gen map "Broken Highway": a wide open stretch of dangerous highway constantly contested by warring factions that supports +8 new proc-gen combos (Heist a CPU, Steal 3 Files, Scavenger, Kill 3 Captains, Bodyguard, Assassinate, Siege and Battle Striker - Fixed display for Recoil bonus on armor and cybernetics incorrectly using +0.3 instead of +3 - Improved objectives for all bodyguard missions to correctly mark when VIP is safely extracted - Sec AI buffs will not help enemy factions or Head Hunters - Fixed one missed controller guidance in the tutorial for Steam Deck