KickStarter Cyber Knights: Flashpoint - the latest tactical RPG from Trese Brothers - now available on Early Access

[cyborgboy95]

Update #36: Bristling Armory

Update #36 is more bristling than most - full of good balance changes, upgraded weaponry, reworked medical items, easier to use Lure, helpful new 0 AP display for Talents, improved Tutorial and some key upgrades to the enemy agent reactions to grenades and spotting dead bodies. Exciting progress on so many fronts - so let's dive in!

Want more updates? Leave a review! Remember, you can always update your review later but if you feel like we are on the right track a helps immensely!

Gun Runners Refreshed
With this update, we're starting to round out a big package of updates and improvements to the strategy/underworld layer for the game. The first focuses on weapon upgrade balancing and Gun Runner contacts.

The main improvement is that Gun Runners now sell a clear upgrade path with Power Level 2 weapons. Overall, a few weapons were removed (for the moment) from circulation (until you Gun Runners can upgrade their weapon services) including weapons like the hromehawk AR, Warthog, Nine-Edge, Stumwhelger M23, K37 Mauler, AutoMag. If you happened to have purchased these before, you'll find they've been upgraded to Power Level 3 weapons, so well done.

For those weapons that are still actively for sale, there is the Power Level 1 tier -- which includes some of your starting weapons -- and a clear upgrade to Power Level 2 weapons. Power Level 2 upgrades are not fancy, they are functional and valuable -- the weapons add to their Damage types, some increase Armor Crit %, others add more Full Auto shots. With more Damage comes more Recoil.

We're glad to have left the previous set behind -- those weapon upgrades were trying to be too fancy, offering lateral upgrades and trade-off specializations. For upgrades from Power Level 1 to 2, this was overkill -- that will be great for Power Level 5+ variations, but for your first weapon upgrade, you want a clear step up.

Still, in terms of combat gear progression, we expect to keep seeing players first upgrade Weapon Mods as the first go to.

Medical Supplies and Items Rebalanced
There have been some key changes to Item rules in Update #36. First and perhaps largest change is that all Items require at least 1 AP. This is a key ground rule -- especially for low Power Level Items -- that will allow cool flexes with cybernetics, Talents and high-powered Items later on. We have established a better floor with the rule, from which we can make cool exceptions. This includes changes to -- all Combat Drugs, Bio-Stitch Bandages and one type of IO-Charger. We know you may be screaming nerf, but this is the best for the future item and item-modifier meta for the long-term.

Second, we've upgraded First Aid kits -- increasing both their HP healing values and granting 2 charges for the Power Level 4 and 5 variations. Alongside the nerf of Bio-Stitch Bandages to require 1 AP, the medical item balance is much better off now. Some of the next steps in this department will be to high Power Level Bio-Stitch options available that grant 4+ charges while still keeping to lower heal-per-charge values.

Enemy Decision Improvements
A few improvements to the enemy agent decision trees have been added to Update #36 to continue to tune up enemy response. First, we fixed a gap where enemies would only spot the body of a dead ally when their Turn came around in the Initiative Timeline. Now, enemies will immediately spot and report dead bodies.

The second set all deals with grenades and Shock Mines. If an enemy is Damaged or Debuffed by a grenade they will correctly upgrade to aggressive (as they have been attacked) instead of standing around confused. If a Shock Mine is thrown like a Grenade (thrown at the feet of an enemy and immediately going off) then they respond as if it was a Grenade and go into aggressive mode. If an enemy walks into a Shock Mine used like a mine (left there and they trigger it while moving) they will upgrade to Alerted (knowing their are intruders but unsure where they may be).

Talent / Item AP Always Shown
Previously, Talents and Items that cost 0 AP did not show any icon or value for AP. This hid their power in a way and also left some confusion about their activation requirements versus other Talents. Now, all Talents show their AP but those with 0 AP cost have a grayed out, easier to ignore version of it. This helps them really stand out -- Talents like Tactical Surge, iron Grip, Marker Sights -- all bring a special extra level of power to the table simply for their surge capability, using at the very end of your Action with 0 AP left or used back to back without cost to gun, grip, aim and gun again.

Clearer Lure
Lure continues to be a Talent that has some confusion when players first try to use it, so we're working to improve that situation still through basic UI cues. With Update #36, a small red circle now appears under an enemy agent who would be affected by the Lure, helping reinforce the idea that the inner circle that follows your mouse is the area that the Lure will draw from and help make it clear if an enemy is near the border of the Lure's area, whether or not they will be targeted. In short, it's very similar to Grenades but without the damage indicator.

Tutorial Upgrades
With Update #36 we've made another round of improvements to the tutorial and the Gameplay Basic sections.

First, in the tutorial we've started to push the guiding text into highlights of actual HUD elements instead of through more clunky character dialog that doesn't play at the same time as the UI. The first prompt suggesting Jamkit be used to knock out a security camera is now explained with Jamkit directly highlighted. If this improvement pans out, we'll be sweeping the rest of the tutorial to move everything into HUD highlights.

Second, we've added annotated images to and updated the Gameplay Basics section on Action Points. For any players checking the Gameplay Basics for help, this section provides a ton more very clear and pointed explanation.

Hover Priority
Up until now, attempting to hover over any interactive element -- a merc, enemy, terminal, lootbox, security device, etc -- would just give hover priority to the nearest element. With Update #36, we've improved the hovering situation to put priority on players and enemies. if an enemy is behind a Laser Mesh, the hovering will now prioritize the enemy's hover and focus over.

v1.2.21 - 12/30/2023
- Updated Gun Runners Diego and Origami Joe to sell clearer set of weaponry upgrades
- Street weapons for Sale Power Level 1 and Power Level 2 are clear upgrade, less weapons for sale, better offering
- Check your weaponry, some weapons have been upgraded to higher Power Levels
- Some weapons previously for sale (Chromehawk AR, Warthog, Nine-Edge, Stumwhelger M23, K37 Mauler, AutoMag) no longer immediately available
- Enemies now correctly spot a dead body falling into their sight cone, don't wait until their turn
- When damaged or debuffed by a grenade, enemies now correctly upgrade to aggressive
- Enemies getting hit by a Shock Mine will emerge in Alerted state
- Non-passive Talents always show AP cost even if it is 0 AP for clarity (of their high value)
- Improved and rebalanced Item Action Point costs - all items cost AP to use
- All Combat Drugs and Bio-Stitch Bandages now cost 1 AP to use
- First Aid Kits at Power Level 4 and above gain a second charge and higher HP healing totals
- Power Level 3 IO-Charger now costs 1 AP to use but adds a buff
- Fixed bug where Talents and Items targeting dead bodies could not next/previous targets
- Fixed bug sale prices with Bio-Stitch Bandages
- Added glossary entry explaining Pure Dmg Upgrade rules
- Fixed incorrect message about witnessed vs. heard grenade explosion

 

[Zanzoken]

Has anyone been playing since a lot of the new changes were made? Particularly the proc-gen missions?

I want to but all my gaming time has been devoted to Valheim lately.

 

[Parsimonious cook]

Same here - I am putting all the time into Rogue Trader right now, though I am planing to jump back into Cyber Knights sometimes this week to see the current state of affairs.

 

[cyborgboy95]

Update #37: The Almighty U-Dahs

It's Update #37 with a big set of improvements to looting, loot allocation, new things to loot and more money for your loot. Call 'em Digis, Credits, U-Dahs, U-Dubs, Dollars, Bucks, Creds, Lettuce - this update is all about loot and your money, your big stack. Update #37 also resolves all issues with empty lootboxes or data nodes, improves weapon pricing, fixes Heat generation for combat missions, adds a new journal entry, changes up the Combat Drug providers and hits a nice sized pile of your F10s!

If the steady stream of updates, rapid pace of advancement and quick turnaround on your F10s is feeling good to you, we hope you'll chose to leave a review to help us keep going. Remember, you can always update your review later but if you feel like we are on the right track a helps immensely!

Loot Overhaul + No More Empty Things
With Update #37, we've sunk significant time into improving the loot allocation, rules and results in both the physical world and in the matrix. First, we cleaned up a ton of mistakes and bugs that could lead to empty matrix data nodes and sometimes even empty lootboxes. Many were related to Team Power Level, so as your team progressed, the game would actually start to try up loot and matrix files. Not fun - now it is fun! Let the loot rain down.

Also, the loot that is generated is now more directly in line with the Power Levels of the missions you are running, so you'll see more exciting files, items and more the farther you play into the game. This helps overall make missions like the raid proc-gen missions more reliably profitable and if not always highly profitable at least discovering higher level Items that your team may prize for use instead of sale.

The good thing is - lots more expensive things to buy are coming soon :D

New Cred Chip Loot!
With the new loot overhaul, one of the major additions is a very nice, very smooth Cred Chip. That is hard cash straight into your vault at the end of the mission without any questions. The Cred Chips can range from $1K to $50K at this time and have a big impact on missions, especially helping to make raid missions more likely to turn a solid profit.

More types of new loot are also in the works that will further shake up what options you may find in physical lootboxes, so stay tuned.

Weapon Pricing
After the update of all of the Power Level 2 and 3 weapons from in Update #36, we've returned to this zone to slash some prices. About 20% has been taken off the top for Power Level 2 and 3 weapons, making them faster and more fun to upgrade once you are taking on some missions. All part of a healthy round of economic balancing tied into the loot to make the game smoother, line your pockets with U-Dahs and help you keep the underworld economy running hot.

Combat Drug Seller Swap Up
As we are working our way through the underworld contact and services matrix -- weapons, medical, balance, pricing, the works -- we've adjusted the two points of sale for combat drugs you can get out of the gate in the NBZ. They were previously swapped - the Vudu Doc was a better source of Combat Drugs than the Doper, which we've now flipped to even things out per their places within the underbelly of the city.

We've also fixed a mistake where the Legendary Medi-Cloud item was on sale for your basic Street Doc for a hot minute.

Straight Combat Missions
For those missions - like DEAD DROP - that are 100% combat, we've fixed the fact that they were generating Heat from an invisible Sec Tally kept in the background. Now these missions will generate a flat Heat score of +8.

Bio-Chipped Journal Entry
We've added a new entry to the journal next to Nano-Fabbing about Bio-Chipped weapons and the restrictions the UNA places on them and why jailbreaking them is such a big deal for a gun runner. We'll keep piling in more lore as we can with each release until those sections are overflowing with the world's lore.

F10 Catch Up
We have a lot of F10s to catch up on from the end of the year holiday season. We will be working through these as fast as we can and appreciate everyone taking the time to submit them.

We've fixed the broken sorting for High Edge in Roster - it was nonsense.

Thanks to everyone reporting the odd case where you could fall through the bridge in the Truck Stop proc-gen mission. A few AI even were spotted trolling around down there. This is now resolved! Also, in the Truck Stop, we've fixed a few exit trigger areas that had strange gaps against the wall or wouldn't activate if you were behind a shelving unit, etc.

Some of the toughest characters didn't always start the Rooftop level at 100% HP and now they do! Also, if you received cyberware during a break between missions, you're sure to always start the next mission with the right HP.

v1.2.25 - 1/4/2024
- Major overhaul to looting allocation rules - better loot is being dropped, better matched to mission Power Level
- New Cred Chip loot type immediately converts into $1K, $5K, $10K all the way up to $50K
- Fixed issues with empty lootboxes and empty matrix nodes as your team gained in Power Level
- Improved profitability of raid missions coming out of proc-gen or story
- 20% reduction for all weapon prices in Power Level 2 and Power Level 3 ranges
- Missions that are forced combat like Dead Drop just add +8 Heat flat
- Adjusted Vudu Doc / Doper Contacts offering of Combat Drugs - Doper now has more options, Vudu Doc less
- Fixed bugs with Combat Drugs that could yield extra AP/MP on Retry Turn
- Fixed issue with Medi-Cloud Power Level 3, 4 and 5 were being sold by Contacts, not intentional
- Fixed issues with single firing mode weapons (pistols, snipers) sometimes getting odd data printed after attaching a mod
- Fixed issue with Dead Drop job not correctly displaying its client
- Fixed Roster sort by High Edge not working
- Fixed movement bugs in Truck Stop proc-gen level that might cause you to fall through the bridge
- Fixed some of the exit areas in Truck Stop proc-gen which were uncomfortably placed or sized
- Fixed issue with some character's HP not being 100% at start of rooftop level
- Fixed last 3 placeholder icons in appearance for short shave beards
- Added journal section about bio-chipped weapons

 

[santino27]

Has anyone been playing since a lot of the new changes were made? Particularly the proc-gen missions?

I want to but all my gaming time has been devoted to Valheim lately.

I'm waiting for it to leave early access. It's getting harder with each new content update though.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

I played a bit and liked what I saw. I'd lief wait for the origins and shit to be implemented.

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1021210/view/6770665671972207389

Update #39: Dancing in the Datastreams
Major Matrix improvements, improved AI decisioning, new cyberdecks, better proc-gen hack missions, rebuilt Stress/Hype

Update #39 comes roaring in with major matrix improvements, important shifts to the enemy agent thought process while pursuing suspicious events (and fixes!), updates to proc-gen for hacking only missions, updated Cybernetics, 2 new cyberdecks for sale, better save slot read out and an improved roster UI for Stress and Hype (renamed from Edge). Obviously that's a lot but there is even more, so let's get looking!

If you're enjoying the pace of improvements, the style of the game or how we do Early Access - please take a moment to leave a review to help our efforts continue!

Enemy Improvements
We've fixed a number of issues with the enemy agents - such as stopping the random case where an enemy who heard your gunfire would teleport right next to you. We've also fixed a number of cases that could cause enemy agents to just stand around and do nothing for a few turns after starting to investigate some event.

Overall, enemies are better at prioritizing what events they know about which are most important for them to investigate. They are willing to hunt longer near an event if it is higher priority and won't give up looking so quickly. Overall, their reaction to suspicious events is improved and smoothed out and you will hopefully see less questionable behavior.

New Cyberdecks and Neural Toner Cybernetic Update
Two new Cyberdecks have gone up for sale with this update, expanding your options for Hacker's build and programs. Along with the boosted I/O Speeds, Active Memory and Storage, these two beastly new decks offer Cyberdeck Rating 5 and 6.

The Neural Toner -- sold by a street doc after the Clinic Investment story has been completed - has received an upgrade that helps focus it more squarely on Hackers. The Toner now adds +10 Matrix AP boost and +100 I/O Speed. Ask your Cyber Knight for their credit card, Hackers!

Matrix Updates: Q-Sec AI Tuning, Proc-Gen Variations, New AP Rules
Just like the meatspace Sec AI, each Matrix host has its own Q-Sec AI that determines what reactions it can take to Security Escalations. With Update #39, we've started the process of improving these Q-Sec AI's to have more variation from each other. The first step is to remove some of the higher powered responses from lower powered Q-Sec AI like those in Green and Blue hosts - which can no longer teleport your hacker or slash your Connection % with a massive Degrade action.

We've also majorly expanded the options for proc-gen hacking missions. Be careful, all proc-gen hacking missions before featured Blue hosts with Mild Response. The proc-gen system can now generate from Blue to Red and from Mild to Wild response systems. The pricing and XP of the missions follows the risk that you're being asked to take but know that you may find some of these missions suddenly a bit more stiff of a challenge than they were before Update #39.

Finally, we've added pop-ups to warn you and about the actions the Q-Sec AI is taking against you like relocating your avatar, re-activating all IC in the host and more. These should help demystify the Q-Sec AI's actions and make Hacking less opaque as we work toward an improved UI to show the back-and-forth battle in the digital streams.

We've tightened up the rules about connecting to the matrix, matrix AP boost and the cost of exiting the matrix with Update #39. This helps avoid a few exploits and oddities about the matrix cycle:

• You can only connect to the Matrix if you have at least 1 AP.
• You only gain the Matrix AP boosts from your deck, Traits and other sources once per Turn. Disconnecting and reconnecting no longer grants these bonuses again.
• When disconnecting from the Matrix, you are guaranteed to exit with at least 1 AP less than you connected. Previously, it was possible - with enough boost - to hit a matrix host, hack your boost AP and exit without any real-world cost which just isn't right.

Hacking Security
If you've reached an SCU (Security Control Unit) with your Hacker's avatar and are ready to smash some security devices, you've got even more options and power after Update #39. You can now target disabled devices and kick them back to the full disabled duration. This lets your Hacker backfill for other characters - if a Vanguard hit the camera for 2 Turns disabled, your Hacker can still come by and knock it out to 5. And also it gives the Hacker a potential play of hanging near the SCU to re-up their security smashing -- hit all the devices out to 5 Turns, go to loot some data warehouses and then stop back by the SCU before leaving two Turns later to knock the devices back from 3 Turns to 5 Turns again.

You've invested a lot to be in there at that SCU, and this gives the Hacker the right level of power for that.

Talent / Item Blockers
There were a number of minor issues hampering certain Talents from working as expected:

• The Vanguard's Projection can now be used even if you have less than 3 AP. This Talent allows you to move
  up to
  that amount of AP, but you can make shorter moves too.
• The Cyber Knight's Unflinching Stare now works correctly even if during enemy Overwatch or their Turn.
• Medi-Cloud items are working correctly again after a short outage. They display the correct grenade toss arc, can be bounced like grenades. Like a grenade's damage, the healing nano is not intelligent and will heal friend or foe within the radius.

Map Tweaks
A big thanks to everyone posting minor issues they've found with different mission maps. We've fixed some sight line blockers around the pit in the Carnivore Chem-Factory Front and some barricades that couldn't be jumped over in the Sibling Breakout Cargo Field.

v1.2.31 - 1/10/2024
- Improved Stress/Hype (was Edge) display in Roster with hover and display of Loyalty as well
- Improved Neural Toner cybernetic implant, adds focus on Hacker stats
- Improved enemy hunting behavior around suspicious events, fixed multiple cases that could lead to standing around doing nothing
- Proc-gen hack only missions now feature variety of Sec Level (Blue to Red) and Response Rate (Mild to Wild) with price impacts
- Fixed bug causing Leverages like Suppress Reinforcements to never end
- Added new matrix hosts to proc-gen generation capabilities
- Reduced appearance of "Relocate" and "Degrade" Host response on Blue Hosts
- Improved warning pop-ups for major Matrix events like Teleport
- Starting to hack a matrix terminal requires at least 1 AP
- Hacker only gets bonus Matrix AP from buffs and deck once per turn (avoids repeat connection loop)
- Added two new Cyberdecks for sale
- Hacking can now target disabled security devices to increase their disabled duration
- Revised "Attack III" and reduced Program Rating to 6
- Fixed misnamed Matrix Program AOE Attack 2 to Nuke II
- Improved sound processing for AI that are fully alerted, less meaningless alerts
- Loot All option now always appears in Loot Boxes
- Highest and Lowest Game Turn Save Slots are labeled to make picking your slot easier
- Reversed order of timeline event log so newest events appear at the top
- Fixed bug preventing Medi-Cloud items from healing at range
- Fixed bug preventing use of Vanguard's Projection Talent with less than 3 AP
- Fixed bug preventing Cyber Knight's Unflinching Stare passive Talent to activate
- Fixed bug where enemy might suddenly teleport upon hearing gunfire
- Fixed sight line issues in Chem-Factory Front in Carnivore job
- Fixed non-jumpable concrete barricades outside of prison in Sibling Breakout job

 

[ropetight]

Has anyone been playing since a lot of the new changes were made? Particularly the proc-gen missions?

I want to but all my gaming time has been devoted to Valheim lately.

I'm waiting for it to leave early access. It's getting harder with each new content update though.

Have they announced full release date yet?
Doesn't matter, in practice.
If we will wait for them to stop updating content, best mark our calendar for at least 2029.

Star Traders: Frontiers, Trese Brothers previous game, still has couple updates each month after 5 years.
Latest update has number 336 and nobody knows when will they stop with the updates.
It is one of the most content rich and polished indie games I have ever seen.
So, we will have to bite the bullet and try Cyber Knights sooner or later, because they will not stop adding content, fixing and balancing in the near future.

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/335620/view/3964923007145285541?l=english

 

[Parsimonious cook]

Ayo what up nigguhz? Got back into this to see whats new.

First big change is the introduction of the "era" mechanic that you might remember from the Star Traders. Basicaly there are some major events that happen along the timeline and introduce some specific changes to the city with impact on you. For example a new German megacorp comes to the New Boston and starts a new era, which opens up new missions/contacts and also should change the market prices of some goods.

Hax0r missions are now in

This is a great addition that allows you to make money without taking as much physical risks with normal runs - I guess I will maintain a haxor in my crew who will specialise in these missions while the other one will acompany the rest on the physical runs. It also helps that various paydata you can find while going through the target system can make you lots of cash in addition to the main contract payment.

The new missions I have seen so far seem to be the handcrafted ones, Imma keep yall posted about the progen stuff once I run into it.

In any case, shit is extremely cash.

 

[Harthwain]

This is a great addition that allows you to make money without taking as much physical risks with normal runs - I guess I will maintain a haxor in my crew who will specialise in these missions while the other one will acompany the rest on the physical runs. It also helps that various paydata you can find while going through the target system can make you lots of cash in addition to the main contract payment.

Is the hacker mission type an actual mission or just a way to farm cash with a certain class?

 

[Parsimonious cook]

It is a mission like any other in terms of how you get it and plan it. You get these missions from your contacts, there is a back story to it etc. The difference is that you can only select a single hacker for the mission (while normal missions can take 1-4 characters). The hacker is then taken to another safehouse with a computer and has to exfil through an exit when he is done with the h4x0r stuff.

 

[santino27]

Has anyone been playing since a lot of the new changes were made? Particularly the proc-gen missions?

I want to but all my gaming time has been devoted to Valheim lately.

I'm waiting for it to leave early access. It's getting harder with each new content update though.

Have they announced full release date yet?
Doesn't matter, in practice.
If we will wait for them to stop updating content, best mark our calendar for at least 2029.

Star Traders: Frontiers, Trese Brothers previous game, still has couple updates each month after 5 years.
Latest update has number 336 and nobody knows when will they stop with the updates.
It is one of the most content rich and polished indie games I have ever seen.
So, we will have to bite the bullet and try Cyber Knights sooner or later, because they will not stop adding content, fixing and balancing in the near future.

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/335620/view/3964923007145285541?l=english

Oh yeah, they're justly legendary for their post-game support and continued content creation. I just want a critical minimum of content (the newly introduced eras, for example) and a certain level of stability before I dive in, and with multiple patches arriving every week, I don't think we're there just yet.

I backed the game on KS, so it's just a matter of when I decide to take the leap.

 

[udm]

I know I criticised the game before for its weak mechanics, but these last few updates have really made me want to try it again.

 

[ropetight]

Has anyone been playing since a lot of the new changes were made? Particularly the proc-gen missions?

I want to but all my gaming time has been devoted to Valheim lately.

I'm waiting for it to leave early access. It's getting harder with each new content update though.

Have they announced full release date yet?
Doesn't matter, in practice.
If we will wait for them to stop updating content, best mark our calendar for at least 2029.

Star Traders: Frontiers, Trese Brothers previous game, still has couple updates each month after 5 years.
Latest update has number 336 and nobody knows when will they stop with the updates.
It is one of the most content rich and polished indie games I have ever seen.
So, we will have to bite the bullet and try Cyber Knights sooner or later, because they will not stop adding content, fixing and balancing in the near future.

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/335620/view/3964923007145285541?l=english

Oh yeah, they're justly legendary for their post-game support and continued content creation. I just want a critical minimum of content (the newly introduced eras, for example) and a certain level of stability before I dive in, and with multiple patches arriving every week, I don't think we're there just yet.

I backed the game on KS, so it's just a matter of when I decide to take the leap.

Already 33 updates for Cyberknights. :D

I tried it a bit last night.
Still rough and quirky AF, but core gampelay, especially stealth is solid.
They introduced simple mechanisms like murder counter, no matter how you dispose of the body, after some time other guards will be alarmed because one of them is missing.
And there is general AI (in game, probably just couple of rules in code) that is supervising security, and is reacting if something "weird" starts to happen.
Probably bunch of thresholds (if you have many cameras disabled, guards go into "hunt" mode), but still.
Lots of clever little things to prevent you from feeling complacent.
https://cyberknightswiki.tresebrothers.com/Quick_Tips

If they manage to make quest/heist generation not stupid, and have solid story just to make it look like it is not just another roguelike, it will be glorious.
Still probably half a year before it is ready for serious session.

 

[Harthwain]

Already 33 updates for Cyberknights. :D

It's still in Early Access, so I wouldn't count that.

If they manage to make quest/heist generation not stupid, and have solid story just to make it look like it is not just another roguelike

What's wrong with it being a roguelike?

 

[ropetight]

Already 33 updates for Cyberknights. :D

It's still in Early Access, so I wouldn't count that.

If they manage to make quest/heist generation not stupid, and have solid story just to make it look like it is not just another roguelike

What's wrong with it being a roguelike?

Not really my cup of tea.

 

[Parsimonious cook]

I wouldnt even call it a rogue like at this point - you have four slots to save your game, you can save on missions and also in the safehouse, you can also retry turns during the missions or restart missions.

 

[normie]

rogue-unlike

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

rogue-unlike

Keep that tag in mind.
We might need it someday.

 

[cyborgboy95]

Update #40: New Story / Missions

Tonight with Update #40, we're excited to be dropping a new storyline, with an optional new mission type the Live-Wire Negotiation, and a bunch of cool rewards that can expand your options in buying weapons and weapon mods. We've also rebalanced the Matrix missions for proc-gen (last update, they got a little ... out of hand), repriced cyberdecks and a number of weapon mods, fixed Secondary Objectives that were related to Sec Level to be clearer, plus we fixed a nice sized pile of your F10s.

If you're enjoying the pace of updates and new content added, please leave a review! Remember you can always update a review, so if we're headed in the right direction, please drop a is highly appreciated now.

New Story / 2 Possible Jobs
With Update #40, we're excited to roll out another storyline, this one continuing to fill in the Treat of '31 story era with additional storylines rising from the arrival of the Warner-Braun megacorp in New Boston. I won't go into much detail about the story - but you need to be above Power Level 2, the Treaty of '31 Era must have started and you'll get word from a Gun Runner contact. This is a story that will get cooler and deeper as more character and recruit options open up to players, so looking forward to how you are able to see it from different angles even now.

The results of the story are pretty variable based on your choices, who might be in your crew, and how the job goes. One possibility runs through a new type of mission, a Live-Wire Negotiation that sees your meeting face to face with a powerful underworld contact to cut a deal on the fly or decide to try to fight your way out.

If you play your cards right, you can gain access to multiple new Power Level 3 Weapons and Weapon Mods, including new types of SMGs and Shotguns with new special rules. Scrapfor it, Knight!

Matrix Revamp v2
With Update #39, we released a revamp of how proc-gen hacking only missions were generated. Pretty quickly, we heard a lot from players that this hadn't hit the mark and it lacked progression and felt like too much RNG. With Update #40, we've fixed a lot of the RNG elements and pushed the proc-gen mission creator to create a more smooth (but still surprising at times) progression of challenge in the hosts that your hacking. This also has resulted in some increases in the Turn Limits for the hacking missions, where a regular hack only mission might have stipulated 2 Turns only, against a Red Sec Level with Wild Response Level, you could see 4 Turn maximum, etc.

Update Cleanup
We've fixed a number of misses from Update #39 as well -

• While Neural Toner did in fact add the bonuses, they were not showing correctly. Now they do.
• The new cyberdecks were insanely expensive! Now fixed.
• Security Devices disabling from the matrix wasn't reliably allowing you to re-disable. It also wasn't disabling the number of turns the device was disabled in the matrix which was making the whole situation more opaque. Now the Turns remaining are displayed right with the Security system's title so it is nice and clear.

Backstories and Relationships and Missions
With Update #40, we've added the first set of rules -- which will continue to expand -- as to how your backstory and relationships affect missions. The first set of improvements here are to block mercs from going on certain missions given their backstory and relationships.

• Mercs who hate a certain faction will refuse to go on a mission for that faction. In future updates, they will get angry if you work for that faction and happier if you snub them.
• Mercs who are strongly loyal to a certain faction will refuse to work against that faction. In future updates, they will get angry if you work against the faction and happy if you support it.
• Mercs who are deserters from a faction and are in hiding will refuse to go on a mission against that faction in order to avoid revealing they are still alive.

There is so much exciting ground here to work with between faction and personal relationships, so this is an area to watch develop! Stress, Hype, Loyalty and more will start to build up from tags, relationships and backstories.

And of course more as well - check the full changelog below!

Thanks for your support and reviews :D

v1.2.33 - 1/12/2024
- Added new Treaty '31 Era storyline "Southie Strut" with 2 possible missions, new allies/enemies
- New mission type Live-Wire Negotiation sees you cutting a deal on the fly or fighting your way out
- Storyline can unlock new Power Level 3 Weapons and Weapon Mods
- New types of SMGs available, new shotgun special rules available
- Character faction relationships (Loves/Hates/Deserter) may now block mission deployment (Emille Hates Matsumoto and won't work for them)
- Rebuilt Matrix proc-gen difficulty - better progression of Sec Level and Response Level
- Higher Sec Level and Response Level in proc-gen Matrix missions increase Turn Limit for hack
- Number of turns a Security Device is disabled is shown in matrix SCU clearly
- Increased Recoil on E-Rifles, Increased Full Auto Arc for SMGs across Power Levels
- Repriced all weapon mods, some increases
- Repriced all cyberdecks, fixed extremely high prices
- Fixed bugs mission final XP did not always match the displayed XP + bonuses
- Fixed issue where secondary objectives with Sec Level used large numbers like 36 instead of Sec Level 3
- Fixed issue with Neural Toner not displaying its stats correctly
- Fixed brother/sister confusion in some cases in Sibling Breakout storyline
- Fixed report typos and map bugs

10 Rate up

 

[cyborgboy95]

Update #41: Kickbacks

After a big story Update like #40, it always feels best to kickback a major quality and F10 fixer like Update #41: Kickbacks. This one fixes stats on the Sniper rifle mods -- including improving the default suppressor noise reduction (cheers!) -- remembering filters in the market, adding Heat and Headhunter display to mission planning, fixing Ironman issues with Restart Mission and Retry Turn, fixing the defective Take All button, and melee-says-one-target bug (again!) and more. It's a huge pile of F10 fixes straight for your posts, roundtripped through our team and kicked back to you in the form of glorious fixes and improvements. So, let's take a look!

If the rapid pace of development feels good, if having your F10s directly addressed is nice -- it makes us warm and fuzzy inside to get reviews! If we're doing Early Access right, consider - you can always edit it later and add more as the game continues to develop.

Sniper Mod Improvements
With Update #41, we've fixed some issues with the new sniper weapon mods that you can get through the Southie Strut storyline and improved one of the basic mods you can get on the first day of the game. First, the XCAN Suppressor for Sniper Rifles now reduces sound by another -5m. Second, the new Rostock Suppressor is even better by an additional -5m. And finally, we fixed the Vector R-Driver to ensure it doesn't reduce sound, it just increases range.

No More Slidey-Slide
We've applied another round of fixes to the enemy's decision making and movement rules. This set should completely eradicate all cases where the enemy or character doesn't move correctly but instead of just "slides" across the floor.

Heat and Headhunters
While the significant impact of both Heat and Headhunters are still pending, they're importance will be growing over the following weeks as we keep improving on the strategy layer. They are now visible from within the Mission planning screens, as that is one of the times they will be most important once they start kicking.

Outline, HUD and Hover Updates
With Update #41, we've ensured that the distance to an enemy target in their hover is updated as you try different movement positions.

We've improved the rendering of character and enemy outlines to be smoother and cleaner which is a nice boost. We've also fixed some issues where sometimes an outline would get stuck on someone, like on a weapon and just hang around for a long time.

Finally, after 3 attempts at fixing it (and fixing some part of it), we believe we've put the bug where your melee weapon in the corner says you can attack 1 enemy but when you click on them it says they are Out of Range. These are now better synchronized to use the exact same set of checks.

Market Filter Memory
We've improved the market to remember basic filter types like Rarity when swapping between types of equipment that are sold -- weapons to weapon mods, for example. Now if you pick things you Can Sell or exclude Common goods, that will be remember whenever you return to the market and swapping between equipment types.

[h2[Neural Toner +10 Matrix Action Points[/h2]
To all the excited mercs who laid on the cyber surgery table and had the Neural Toner installed for the extra +10 AP.... we are truly sorry. This one may not be for you. Neural Toners are a Hacker's implant and grant +10 Matrix AP...

Buttons: Restart Mission and Take All Fix
We had to fix or remove a few buttons in Update #41. If you're playing on Ironman difficulty, we've now correctly removed your option to Restart Mission. And, while the Take All button appeared in Lootboxes even with 1 item left a few updates ago, it is now correctly functioning.

v1.2.37 - 1/14/2023
- Improved / fixed stats for Sniper mods: XCAN Suppressor, Rostock Suppressor, Vector R-Driver
- When switching categories in the market, filters like Rarity are kept
- Heat and Headhunter Threat/% now displayed in all mission planning screens
- Fixed bug allowing Retry Turn and Restart Mission even in Ironman difficulty
- Fixed "Take All" button to work at Lootbox with only 1 item
- Distance to enemy is updated in hover when checking different movement locations
- Fixed matrix bug where repeating scan on an already scanned 2/2 node would still increase Q-Sec Tally
- Fixed (again!) bug causing melee range mismatch when trying to attack versus count you can attack in bottom left
- Fixed bugs where some movement warnings (pressure plates, laser fences, motion detectors) could be left on screen incorrectly
- Fixed odd appearance of movement warnings sometimes near a rotated laser fence or pressure plate
- Fixed bug allowing you to attempt to yield if next merc only has 1 Initiative
- Fixed typos in difficulty descriptions, new story dialog
- Fixed bug where sometimes the red or green outline would stay incorrectly on player or enemy weapons when outlines disabled
- Fixed Neural Toner displaying +10 Action Points when it is +10 Matrix Action Points
- Fixed issue where some parts of red/green outline would stick around incorrectly
- Fixed monsters sliding around the place at start of move or randomly when surprised by something
- Improved text overflow display in mission victory screen for payments
- Improved text overflow display in timeline events

 

[cyborgboy95]

​

Update #42: Street Code

Update #42 follows in the footsteps of #41: Kickbacks with a whole lot of F10s fixed, improvements, closing a final memory leak in appearance and more. Your Knights are descending on New Boston and playing a lot right now, so we're taking extra time to cater to your F10s right now.

If you like updates and you know it, leave a review!

Go Loud! Community Challenge
Also - we are excited that @Liviana has just share the latest community challenge for Cyber Knights: Flashpoint. The previous challenge was swords-only and was a real exciting affair, a while ride of blood and keen edges. This one is a bit louder, boom, boom, go go go! Hope you'll join in the fun and share your team and after-action-reports!
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1021210/view/6770665671988890022

Appearance Updates / Close Memory Leak
For a while, we have had reports of a memory leak in the appearance tab if a player worked in there for 10-15 minutes. It has finally bubbled up to priority and we found he offending textures that were being created and then leaked. This is now fully closed up and the memory bucket is no longer leaking! A big thanks for players hitting F10 on this one!

As part of the work here, we've improved the quality of the headshots for new game characters even if you are using lower Texture Quality. Unfortunately, before the face shots were getting pretty munged until you customized. Now, they're nice and clear.

Extra bonus, we fixed some lighting conditions between the New Game and Safehouse so that the headshots created in either screen will be consistently lit and presented. Finally, we've updated some of the lighting to get a better and cleaner look for all the portraits.

This feels like an eternal quest - we're just going to keep improving the character visuals and portrait captures. Some of the next items include a rim light shader tweak that will help punch them up more and better texturing for skin.

Proc-Gen Adds
With Update #42, we've added another 2 hosts to the Hacking-only proc-gen missions. As the pool grows, your chances of encountering the same host multiple times is starting to slip into the shadow. We'll keep improving here until its a long forgotten memory.

For raid proc-gen missions, we've updated the objective to be more clear with its language between Lockbox (as seen in the hover) and lootbox (a meta hallucination). When raiding, you want to "Loot the
lockboxes" and "Extract your team" before it gets too hot.

Matrix Locker IC
The Locker IC lost its powers after the big SCU update allowing you to re-up the security device disables. Now, its back with full force! If a Locker IC is present and enabled in a node, you will be unable to disable any devices until you've dealt with the troublesome little pest.


Weapon Mod Adjustments
We're catching up on a few fixes from Update #40's new weapon mods. The Rostock Suppressor will now correctly slot into the barrel of your Sniper Rifle. The MaxCap Magazine mod is now correctly priced - it was so cheap!

While talking pricing, we've adjusted a few more cyberdeck prices to get everything where it needs to be.

Legwork 0%
We've fixed a bug that was keeping Legwork chance shown at 0% when the merc was able to do the Legwork due to certain types of faction relationship or backstory tag.

v1.2.39 - 1/16/2024
- Fixed memory leak in Appearance customization
- Improved quality and lighting of headshots during Appearance customization
- Improved quality of default headshots for new game characters if your settings are lower, not using Best Texture Quality
- Improved clarity of raid proc-gen mission Objectives, fixed language around Lockbox vs. Lootbox
- Added 2 more Matrix proc-gen host templates
- Fixed bug with Locker IC not preventing security device disabling
- Fixed odd visual overflow of Matrix AP near the Connect/Scan button
- Added Message Icon / Count in the Roster screen to help highlight character messages there
- Fixed bug causing Rostock Suppressor to attach to scope mod slot
- Fixed pricing for MaxCap Magazine Mod
- Fixed Legwork success chance displayed as 0% when using a faction background/relationship
- Fixed cyberdeck pricing oddity that made Nikklon Cylor 11.0 the cheapest of all

 

[Serious_Business]

If they manage to make quest/heist generation not stupid, and have solid story just to make it look like it is not just another roguelike, it will be glorious.

What? That's a shit opinion. You like your solid story in X-Com or something? This is a tactical game, man, not even a roguelike. If anything the story will get in the way. We need some fucking random gen maps and missions ; some proc-gen baby! This is the new shit (I don't even know what proc-gen means but I'm 100% behind it)!

[Enter the german kid lamenting about the decline of morals and hand-crafted scenarios, boo boo boo]

Yeah okay cry some more. Proc-gen baybay! AI distopia in my cyberpunk disponian setting, here we go!

Seriously though I need X-Com type of games. I need them. Otherwise, everything is sad, especially the sight of my fellow men

 

[Zanzoken]

I don't think a game like this needs a lot of pre-written storylines. Instead I would focus on implementing system-based reactivity where the game responds to what the player does.

Like if you target a certain organization, they start to hate you and will eventually try to hunt you down in retaliation. Or make it so that the way you approach missions (i.e. guns blazing vs stealth) influences your reputation and the type of gigs that are offered to you. Etc etc.

 

[cyborgboy95]

Update #43: Chatter-Chatter

Welcome to all the new Knights who joined this week during the sale - the New Boston Zone is here to chew you up and spit you out if you don't keep your cards right. Exciting to see so many new players piling in, posting, and hitting F10 for everything you'd like to see in the game. To that end, we've got a big update here with #43 - a rewrite and clarification about the rules for CPU and APU Spiking in the matrix, now allowing duplicate program builds for your Cyberdeck, new proc-gen matrix host templates, improved safehouse UI for story conversations, timeline event icons to help read the timeline better and more.

Thanks to everyone leaving a review! Remember you can always edit your review, so if you feel like we're heading the right direction (and at the right pace!) with 43 updates, please drop a review to let us know!

Spiking CPU and APU
Update #43 improves and clarifies the rules around spiking CPUs and APUs.

• Every Matrix Host has a CPU, the heart of the system. Spiking it can complete mission objectives, will result in a reduction of the Q-Sec Level by 50% (Q-Sec Level 4 becomes 2) and a zeroing out of all current Q-Sec Tally. This reduction likely takes the Q-Sec Tally below an Escalation that has already happened (you Escalated at Q-Sec Level 4, spiking the CPU takes you back to Sec Level 2, Tally 0) then the Escalation will not be repeated (to your advantage).
• Matrix Hosts that have APUs are directly tied into the Sec AI's brain. Spiking an APU will reduce the Sec Tally by 10 points immediately. If this reduction takes the Sec Tally below an Escalation that has already happened (you Escalated at Sec Level 2, spiking the APU takes you back to Sec Level 1, Tally 5) then the Escalation will not be repeated (to your advantage).

Duplicated Program Builds
With Update #43, we've fixed the limitation (and bug) that prevented you from installing exact duplicates of the same program on a matrix cyberdeck. Previously, installing Attack I twice over would make the second one impossible to use during a hack. This issue has been unwound and now your hacker builds have more freedom than before to develop new strategies.

More Proc-Gen Matrix Hosts
We've completed the design and testing for another 2 matrix host templates for proc-gen hacking missions, continuing to expand the digital catalog of missions you can end up on. The meatspace proc-gen mission catalog is next up for an expansion.

Safehouse Story Conversations
With Update #43, we've updated the result when clicking directly on a character in the safehouse. If there are story conversations available, they now display immediately in a pop-up window for easy access to chatting. The window has a hotkey and clickable option to proceed to their Roster entry. If there are no story conversations to be had, then we skip you into the Roster immediately.

We've been holding off a bit on safehouse story conversations with characters until we could get this update done, as the click > roster > find conversations list was not the most comfortable flow. We've also improved that flow a bit, adding a matching icon and story conversation count to this area in the roster so that you can visually match it to the conversation icons in the safehouse and timeline to help reinforce the connection.

Timeline Event Icons
It may look minor at a distance, but updating all the timeline icons to a specific type icon - healing, cyberware, mission, legwork, etc - is a very nice change for the safehouse timeline. When checking out a larger list of icons - especially once the details are "below the fold" - its nice to have some instant visibility into what type of events we're talking about here.

F10 Round up
We also completed a big round-up of your F10s -

• Vanguard's Refract was too short to block a lot of Security Cameras, now taller!
• Sometimes dead mercs persisted in the Mission assignment screen. Zombie sighting confirmed!
• Weapon mods were not clear enough (using + and -) whether adjustments to Reload AP cost were good or bad
• Sometimes we used Armor Crit % and sometimes we used Armor Shred %, now clearer
• Added a missing combat log when we are fired on by enemy overwatch

And certainly more! Check the full change log for everything.

v1.2.41 - 1/17/2024
- Revised Matrix Hacking's APU and CPU Spike Routines
- CPU Spike reduces reduces Q-Sec Level for matrix host by half and zeroes out the Tally
- APU Spike reduces Sec Tally in real world by -10
- Hacker Cyberdeck can now use duplicate programs (Attack I and Attack I) without issue
- Added 2 more Matrix proc-gen host templates
- Added additional Combat Log entry for hostile overwatch attacks
- Added timeline event type icons to the timeline bar
- Increased height of Refract wall to better block cameras
- Upgraded story pop-up when directly clicking on a character (instead of defaulting to Roster)
- Upgraded roster's notation of story conversations to match icon and count from safehouse
- Fixed very short Legwork in new Southie Strut storyline
- Fixed Matrix Host attempting to unload unloaded programs
- Fixed "Armor Crit" vs. Armor Shred confusion
- Fixed issue always showing all characters as Level 0 in Legwork selection
- Fixed save slots bug when using default faces without customizing character
- Improved display of Reload AP to reduce confusion
- Fixed bug allowing hacking of some security devices even if not enough AP
- Fixed issue where recently dead mercs could show up in mission planning lists