Midsummer Mini-Update - COND/MP (Patreon)

Heya! Hope you've been keeping cool! (Or, better yet, COOL+50).

A few rapid-fire updates, mostly to say "yes, work is still progressing".

COND Rework Preview

COND represents the "condition" of cybernetic parts. It's basically its HP bar.

I'm not satisfied with the current state of COND.

It never feels consequential.

It's hard to interpret what the number means. (How much "HP" is 817? Is that a lot? How much damage will -thing- do? Who knows?)

It's hard to tell when it gets low. (Tiny bar, yo.)

It's hard to understand when/why you get it back when making repairs. ("Wait you get COND back when making repairs?")

A quick insight into why COND is currently 'a number usually in the 100s':

COND is effectively a second type of HP. I didn't want it to be similar to Vitals, which is a percent.

There were essentially two choices:

A smaller number, akin to a MISS Limit.

A larger number, akin to HP seen in a lot of RPGs. That, and...

From Armored Core IV.

A MISS Limit has been done before, so I decided to try the larger number. I also figured having that level of precision it might make it feel more... "precise" and machine-like. Why, yes, this cybernetic device indeed has 5445 HP!

Yeah, uh, I don't think anyone really paid attention to COND, nor did they have any reason to.

Therefore, I have reworked COND into MP, or Machine Points.

It's a MISS Limit.

...Okay, there is more nuance to it.

Most discrete sources of damage will deal -1 MP. They'll generally make sense:

Dropping a resistor onto a 'netic.

Messing up a SLED hack.

Not resetting a malfunctioning leg before it impacts.

There are also things that will cause partial MP damage:

Overheating solder.

Over-tightening a screw attached to a fragile part, such as a circuit board.

Letting fluids sit on electronic components too long.

You can see the partial damage in the example. Partial damage doesn't count as losing MP until the entire bar is depleted.

Unlike a MISS Limit, there are ways to recover MP.

Completing component repairs.

This can also raise MP cap, represented by the outlined bar.

Using a NAIL.

Recovering MP will not only give you +1 MP, but it will also "fill" up any partial MP damage you've taken beforehand.

Using the screenshot as an example, starting at 6 1/2 MP (which counts as having 7) and gaining +1 MP would leave you at 8 full MP bars (rather than 7 1/2).

I've also added effects to help with understanding your MP. For example, taking MP damage will cause a yellow flash, both in general and also on the MP bar.

Development Status

Chapter 3-6 will soon be released as an Alpha Build. It will include the MP rework.

After collecting feedback, I'll likely release an updated Steam demo build that includes it, as well as all of the improvements the game's received since the original demo launch. (Improved tool handling, proper touch controls, pointer stabilization, etc. etc.)

Chapter 4 is currently in development; it's about halfway complete. (There will be six chapters.)

Events

CE:ROM will be at SGDQ next month! I'm hoping to garner more attention for the game there.

I mean, it is a good game for speedrunning, right?

CE:ROM will also be at Open Sauce. I should probably announce that...

Music

I really should get on that, shouldn't I?

Check the announcements for a form in the Discord if you're interested.

Other Stuff

I added a 'cybernetics' section to briefings.

Now you'll be able to preview how messed up a patient's part(s) are. You'll also be able to actually see the EMF chart that Technicians will start referencing in later chapters.

It's likely the game will be pushed back to early 2027. The next Steam Next Fest is in October, which is ... pretty soon.

I don't anticipate it will be delayed any further than that, however. Like I said, this game's getting finished.

I am excited to work on Chapter 5. I snuck in one of the gimmicks into the code early, actually.

Thanks for your support!Okay, bye for now, I'm hungry.