Hey all, we've got out first post-Steam EA patch for you all! We appreciate all the feedback and new voices in our community, we're taking notes and making plans for the next couple patches of content based on user feedback. In the meantime, we've been working to bring new adjustments, improvements, and optimizations to the game.
Dedicated Linux Branch
Now that we've properly launched and better understand steam release architecture, we're pleased to announce a native Linux branch is launching alongside 1.6.2. This native version runs on Vulkan, has less overhead, and should hopefully help remedy performance issues encountered while running Procelio through Proton or other wrappers.
1.6.2: A Grand Day Out
Optimized the dynamic blast doors on Icarus North.
Optimized the dynamic spotlights on Deimos Nexus and Icarus North.
Fixed side-slip correction causing planes to retain too much energy and drift weirdly instead of stalling.
Fixed Arcshield M7 CoM Offset.
Added a reminder for players to check out the requisitions tree if they load into the garage with enough money to afford unlocking a new item.
Fixed CAS Cutter clientside hit detection not working in online matches
Fixed Nova / Cerberus AoE going through terrain.
Fixed CAS Cutters firing through blocks.
Matchmaking screen displays an error message if it's unable to connect to the server
Matchmaking screen how has a "don't backfill into existing matches" toggle
Wheels apply a bit of downforce when in contact with the ground to help maintain contact over bumps and turns.
Fixed a bug where recharging secondary weapons would drain extra ammo based on how long it was since you last took damage (faulty heal multiplier).
Team players counts are now based off of stats data, not matchmaker registration data - should be more accurate to who's actually in match, albeit slower to update when new players are assigned.
Rivet Rifle gains inaccuracy based on your recent speed- to be tuned
Tank gear toggle in control settings now properly displays modified value on reload of settings page- should no longer "recheck" itself.
Flux and base healing is 1/4 as effective if you've been damaged in the past second.
Potentially fixed bug causing last COM bots to not be removed on reaching sufficient in-match player counts.
Added HUD element indicating when you're on serverside physics
Optimized duration of remaining on serverside physics while ClientDrivenHybridPhysics is enabled
Fixed music thruster exhaust taking normal AMPs instead of Cosmetic AMPs.
Fixed multiple missing and wrongly assigned localization strings.
Updated out of date module descriptions in the inventory.
Fix outdated tip in the Chassis Block logbook entry.
Fixed map names and locations not being translated.
Fixed map and gamemode names in the transition slides being offset when using non-English characters.
Adjusted position of Invite Via Steam button on the Friends List.
Fixed gizmos HUD elements not being translated.
Fixed advanced build mode HUD elements not being translated.
You can now exit the Friends List by clicking behind it, as with other popups.
The console text on the death screens can now be translated fully.
Killfeed joined and left messages can now be translated.
Fixed credit and chip explanation messages not scaling properly.
Fixed non-English characters disappearing from requisitions tree components .
Fixed several non-translatable strings from the requisitions tree.
Balance Tweaks
Arcshields (ALL)
Increased recharge delay (5s > 6s)
Large Arcshields (M5, M6, M7, M9)
Reduced Max Shield (3,000 > 2,500)
Total HP+shield reduced (4,500 > 4,000)
Total Shield builds have been a prominent lately, especially when it comes to nimble craft that can more easily slink away after taking damage. There's been a lot of discourse regarding how to handle balancing Arcshields, but I believe our first step is slightly reducing the max total HP for large shields. Ideally, Arcshields should be good at shrugging off distributed damage and try to break line of sight (either with cover or with rotation) to absorb damage. Gauss was left with a bit of the short end of the stick due to being unable to punch through shields, with lining up followup shots on moving targets being difficult. We'd like to see if decreasing the HP threshold of shields to be just at Gauss damage makes these kinds of craft less unilaterally-powerful, by giving them an active threat to watch out for. We may tinker with this number some more going forward, especially since these had a very high total HP to AMP ratio.
Thruster M1 & M1-B
Reduced max thrust (15,000 > 10,000)
As it stood, M1 thrusters were simply too AMP > kN efficient compared to all the others. This change preserves the idea of thrusters becoming more AMP efficient in power the larger they are, without bricking active builds by increasing AMP costs.
Rivet Rifle
Falloff end range reduced (1,200 > 900 [400m > 300m])
Inaccuracy added while moving fast (coming 1.6.2).
Rivet Rifle has been one of the most consistent weapons across the board at all ranges, speeds, and altitudes. We'd like to keep its consistent accuracy when moving slowly, but somewhat dial back its performance on fast-moving bots and aircraft. The increased spread while moving will need tuning after its introduced, but will require bots to slow down to hit long-range shots or otherwise commit to medium-close range interaction. We're reducing its falloff range by a bit as well, as it was a little bit extreme just how far you could plink someone for max damage. We'll be seeing how rivet feels after these changes and making adjustment afterwards.
To-do (1.6.3+): Tune inaccuracy. Give Rivet Rifle a better visual bullet tracer design. Would let us keep it longer-range with more confidence.
Nova Cannon & Cerberus UMRL
Fixed explosions piercing shields, full blocks, and terrain.
A simple 1.6.2 bug fix for explosive weapons piercing shields and blocks unintuitively and also being able to hit users through terrain and bridges. We'll see if this change necessitates any damage changes going forward, since there will be less instances of Nova and UMRL randomly hitting internals through outer layers without breaching armor first.
All Primaries (Except Gauss Rifle)
Increased HP (1,300 > 1,500)
A minor bump to gun HP (bringing all guns in line with Gauss Rifle). This shouldn't change much in the way of damage thresholds, but is an experiment to increase gun survivability at longer ranges as well as when dealing with AoE damage and absorption.
CAS Cutter
Increased HP (1,000 > 1,250)
CAS Firing though blocks / shields has been fixed, and they'll require more consistent exposure to use. As such, we're also giving them a minor health buff. As a heads up, CAS is going to get a physical remodel in a future update that might give them an additional connection point and be a bit physically larger, we'll be reevaluating their entire stat lineup more at that time.
Future Plans - URP Branch
To touch on some future plans: performance is a commonly cited issue and we're looking to make a big change to help improve that: switching from HDRP to URP within Unity. There's a whole Unity Engine history lesson about why this project was in HDRP and not URP, but that's a tale for another time and place (like our Discord server). We've been running a test development branch switching the rendering engine to URP, and initial conversion and lighting revamps have been successful. Massive FPS gains and stability improvements in-Editor (let alone Client), without missing much in terms of looks or features. We've just a lot of manual handiwork left to do.
We can't give an exact date as to when URP will be available at this time, but we plan to get it out in the coming weeks if possible under an Experimental Branch in Steam. If the URP branch is stable and shows the performance improvements we're projecting it will have, it will become the new default going forward.
Thanks you for playing and thank you for reading this far! We know we've got lots to improve upon, and we're looking forward to keeping development moving forward as we tackle new feedback and bug reports.
See you on the Martian frontier,
Ironshell Studios