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15.5.1 has been finalized and will be hitting the live servers on Tuesday, June 9th. Let's take a look back on the larger changes from this update.
Combat tweaking has continued as we work our way towards shaping its status for launch. We've added new stances for Healers and Pet types. Pure pet types have a variety of new abilities to help aid you in that role. There are new abilities which can only be used when Dual Wielding, new area based healing abilites, and AI pathfinding improvements. We also spent quite a bit of time restructuring skill ranges, accentuating weapon differences, and adding additional abilities. Dazes and aggro range reducers such as Unthreatening Approach are now much more effective.
We've added Storage Units to the housing system. You can use these like a bank but attached to your home. Players can upgrade the number of slots available using in game credits. Player Shops have also been improved in a number of ways. Shops are now included when you store or unstore homes, can now be searched, and use a new flagging system. The structure and furniture window is also better sorted now into many different categories.
The mission system also saw some major improvements in this build. At the forefront of these is a new and improved long range marker system which allows you to view mission locations from throughout the region. In addition to this a good number of missions can now be shared with other players of your group. If a mission can be shared its Share button will be clickable when you view its full details (right click from the Mission Tracker). A variety of new tutorial, storyline, and mastery missions were also introduced, and a new hidden ability was also added. This includes new tutorials for the recently implemented Diplomacy Minigame, and new Haggling minigames which are initiated by numerous missions.
Work also continues on improving the User Interface, including numerous improvements to the Crafting, Harvesting, and Surveying interfaces. A new high end dungeon was opened in Timbertol on the OWON side. PvP damage numbers were tweaked and buff/debuff durations can be different in PvP as compared to PvE. Roads were improved on the FPR side, many bugs have been squashed, and much more. You can read the full build notes below.
Adversarial Camps
Added adversarial camp opportunities to Galloway.
AI
Significant improvements have been made to NPC pathfinding to avoid situations where NPCs path into or through walls. Paths are also better smoothed client side.
Auctions and Work Orders
The Auction Search Category (Items, Fittings, Crafting Components) is now remembered each time you open the window, within the current play session.
Audio
Tracking now features a beeping audio which beeps faster the closer you are to your target. This is useful when you are in a three dimensional space where maps and arrows do not accurately reflect NPC position.
The pub jukebox music is now better occluded.
Racers now have varying audio levels based on speed.
Crawlers and some other types of robots have new sound effects.
Combat
We've made another round of combat tweaks. This goal of this round of tweaks was to take better advantage of openings, and to make it easier for weapon lines to chain off their own abilities, while trying to accentuate the differences between various weapon types.
Improved action mode's support of friendly self only or group abilities.
Improved determination of healer contributions to combat. They should see the "That would be stealing" message less often.
Combat effects which can stack will no longer give the full value for multiple stacks. Each additional stack will instead add 33% of the original value.
The Defense Conscious debuff which is activated from numerous melee abilities is now treated as an opening which other abilities can be enhanced by.
NPC's of Above Average or higher difficulty ranks have received a hit point boost. This is small at lower ranks and grows significantly for bosses and raid bosses.
Dazed entities are no longer able to move.
Improved how dispelling effects work so that some of them can dispel an unlimited amount of effects.
There is now greater variety to NPC damage types.
Dens
Added new Lesoo tent models to several Lesoo dens, and adjusted their spawn locations to accommodate.
Reduced the respawn rate of Lesoo and Lurker Scout and Raid camps.
Engagements
Bandits have begun to grow brave in various areas, placing barriers on the roads and ambushing travelers. There are new engagements in numerous areas revolving around this.
The F.S. Supply Post will now respawn guards more quickly after the Lurkers have been cleared out, and lurker raids are less frequent.
Graphics
Added 74 new ability icons. Unarmed, Entertainment, and Thrown weapons received the largest number of updates.
Added 4 new lesoo tent models.
Composite Armor is now a flat grey color to make it easier to dye properly.
The Vendetta Armor Set now has correct color tinting regions.
Updated numerous older icons which had no background to include one.
Improved occlusion and thus frame rate in Freedomtown.
Housing
Flagging is now working for player shops. There are a variety of different flags with more to be added later. For non grade flags you need to have 50% of your inventory to quality for the flag. The grade flags require 75% of your inventory to quality. Flags are automatically assigned. You can see your flags on the shop at the bottom of the Management tab on the Shop Window. When searching from the Search Shops tab in the Trading Window the shop must match *ALL* selected flags.
Vendors now are properly stored with the housing data if the housing unit is stored (or archived). Once unstored the housing vendors will be placed in their reference position like structures are and the vendor will be ready for use again. Vendors that are "stored" with a housing unit cannot be accessed.
There is a Search Shops tab in the Trading Window. This allows you to search a shop by character name. It needs to be the exact character's name (it is not case sensitive though). You will get a list of vendors that the character has and you can view the inventory by clicking on the shop. You can right click to subscribe to the shop (then you can use the normal Shops tab to perform shop actions).
You can purchase storage units in the housing window. There are a total of 10 of them and they increase in price starting at a few thousand and growing into the millions. Once a storage unit is purchased you will be able to assign it to a specially marked Storage Structure. Each structure has a certain amount of slots so we can have better structures with more slots, each structure assigned will consume a storage unit. Once the Storage Unit is assigned you can then interface with the structure like you would the bank structure to access the stored items.
Reduced the default scale of the structures 'Calibrite Harvester' and 'Silo' as they were overly large.
Categorised all Structures into logical groupings.
Improved the category support for housing structures, bots, and furniture items. The new system allows us to better define categories to make it easier to wade through structures.
Fixed what we believe was causing the rent not to be displayed if you had an existing housing unit. It should now properly update the central area with the rent data and the player checks in the data when first logging in (as well when it is updated by paying rent).
Items and Fittings
The price of the vendor purchased Standard Battery has been significantly increased.
Added more items to NPC loot tables.
XG-57 is now more common.
Reduced the vendor price of Vehicle Software Development Kits.
Implant fittings will now take damage like other fitting types.
Fixed a bug which could prevent players from using abilities.
Significantly reduced the range bonus of Stable Hands stims.
Improved equip weapon behavior when double clicking on an icon from your inventory or bank. New behavior will always try to equip the item, swapping existing item(s) as needed.
Fixed several issues with the /gearswap command. It should behave much better now with different weapon combinations.
Improved behavior for equipping weapons via drag/drop. For example, you can now drop a 2H weapon onto the primary slot, resulting in two dual-wield weapons from the primary and secondary slots to be automatically unequipped, instead of receiving an error message.
If you use /gearswap to swap several items, while in combat, but end up out of combat before it is finished, the remaining items will equip much quicker, rather than taking 6 seconds each.
For non dual wield weapons, the tool tips, info cards, and the game database will now show if the weapon is one or two handed.
Equipping items via the action bar now works in a similar manner to double clicking icons from your inventory or bank, and similar to drag/drop from the same. Note, you can only equip items via the action bars for items in your inventory, or in an open bank.
Minigames
Introduced new Haggling minigames which are launched by missions.
Diplomacy Minigames can now optionally be unrepeatable.
Added support for minigames to complete mission goals on expiration. This allows them to have optional branches based on if a character doesn't respond in time.
Diplomacy Mini-game Plush Room Auditions has been set up on Lola Layetta, waitress and co-owner of the Plush Room in Sept Falls. Use your entertainment skills to impress Lola with your performing talents. She is looking to put performers of all levels on to her books.
There will now be options to choose when trying to Intimidate scared NPCs.
The Hacking minigame tip now provides more in depth information.
EMP Viruses can now be created using the Hacking Minigame.
You can now fish in the ponds of Searchers Valley.
Miscellaneous
Improved internal metrics systems.
Beer brewers may now earn achievements for crafting Widgie Beer, including the Brewmaster title.
Removed Thicket Overwatch and Plymouth Control Center as starting options for the time being as they are being revamped.
Missions
Mission markers can now list for for away locations. Currently they can stretch as far as the current region your in.
Some missions can now be shared. If a mission is shareable the button to share will become selectable when you select the mission in your Journal ('L' key). Pressing the share button will share with everyone in your group.
Mission rewards can now utilize custom scripts in special case situations. This is useful for things like the bounty collections where a user can turn in variable amounts.
Increased mission credit rewards.
Made it easier for missions to give specific abilities without creating a card.
Placed a hard cap success ratio of 90% on mission based skill checks.
Mission based skill checks now have a minimum 3% chance of success for those far below the threshold.
Adjustments were made to the success ratio on mission Skill Checks so that players well over grandmaster would have their chances diminish more quickly.
Tutorial mission "Psychology 101" is now available from Psychologists. The tutorial explains how to initiate and use Diplomatic Mini-Games with the "Interact" ability. Those who complete it are awarded with the "Interact" ability.
New cross area diplomatic mission "Hard Bargainer" takes you from Laredo Waystation to Ingalls Terminal. Brandi Howell is known to be a hard bargainer. A haggling diplomatic mini-game will give you the choice of social skills to influence Brandi to pay the price she originally agreed to.
"Cooking Teacher: Basic Cooking": help a solider that's been appointed to kitchen duty to learn the basics. And, if you are skilled enough, how to brew a beer!
"I Need to Speak to You, Soldier": reports of your talents to train soldiers with melee weapons may reach Carter Dayton, Plymouth Control's Security Officer, who may be curious on why, exactly, are you trying to do his job.
Two more missions in the Chemistry Teacher chain: impart the complex chemistry secrets of "Acid Dissociation Constant" and "Molecular Diffusion"; moods & dilemmas will swing depending success, failure, or refusal to teach what you know.
"Vet Med Mentor": a three-mission chain in which you can attempt to instruct your faction's soldiers on how to tend to, cure and heal their pet friends; success, failure or refusal could swing the NPCs moods and dilemmas across seven different outcomes.
"Cooking Teacher: Advanced Cooking": somebody needs to prepare a romantic dinner... without having much clue how to. The help of an above average cook will be greatly appreciated!
New Mission in Plymouth: Battery Cell Breakdown. You'd never believe how much trouble they can be.
New Mission in Plymouth Control: Setlang Supplies. New mission launched from "Report to Rory Crittenden". Helping out with some basic supplies.
New mission "Troop Assignment Negotiations" at Red Hot Supplies in Scorched Gorge. The next one in the chain for Professor Szaranev. This time he wants you to play diplomat at Scar's Wall.
"Bad Train Day: Need a Constructive Story": Some combat mentor wannabes have been telling soldiers they can improve their weapon skills... and spectaculary failing to deliver. Time for Entertainers to lift the irritated soldiers' spirits! (or turn it for the worst by failing...) NPCs mood & dilemma will swing according to degree of success or failure.
Through the seven missions of the "Defense Mentor: Melee Weapons" chain, mentor your faction's soldiers on how to avoid and endure being bashed, chopped and slashed by attempting to train them in Axe, Blunt Weapons or Bladed Weapons defense; your success, failure, or your refusal to train them will swing the NPCs' moods and dilemmas accordingly.
Through the medical seven-mission chain "Med Mentor: Field Medic", help your faction's soldiers to improve their first aid abilities, from setting a bone in place to saving the day by pulling off an emergency overload at the right time; the NPCs mood & dilemmas could be shifted to seven different outcomes depending sucess, failure or refusal to train the soldier.
Iona Amato, Plymouth Control's Education Officer, has taken note of your talents for teaching OWON troops the right way to bash, hack and slash a foe's limbs. In "Could We Have a Chat?", she'll inquiry your motivations for doing so.
New Mission in Plymouth Control: "Safety Inspection". Launched from "Report to Rory Crittenden". Helping out the facilities and engineering departments.
New Missions in Banshee's Hollow: The Secret of Melanko Serum. Six short missions and inquiries giving more information about this rhyldan plant.
Thicket Overwatch's Defense Rep, Gloria Barbour, will take an interest in your gun mentoring prowess during "We Need to Talk". She'll probably complain a bit about lack of training funds for Thicket, but may commend your efforts after she finds out your motives.
Email text for "Rock Samples" has had the directions to the rock sample updated.
A new chain of seven missions: "Combat Mentoring: Handgun Tactics". Mentor your faction's soldiers all the way up to Elite and Master Gunslinger... although their mood may change for the worse if you fail to train them properly.
"Cooking Teacher: Skilled Cook": a group of high ranking officers will arrive for an official visits soon and the official cook needs to organise a dinner for them... and wants to learn a new dish to make sure he causes a good impression.
Modified the description of the All Apologies generated mission template to be more generic about the cause of apology and to provide additional information on the NPC selected.
Major Noren will ask you why are you training the Thicket Overwatch soldiers in the use of mauls, swords and axes in "Can We Talk?", and may commend you if he likes what he hears.
Aerosol Weapon has its own seven-mission "Combat Mentor" chain: teach your faction's soldiers how to improve their smoke screen into a smoke wall, how to knock their foes off their feet, and how to make it rain fire; NPCs moods and dilemmas will change to one of seven possible outcomes depending your degree of success or failure.
"Combat Mentoring: Sniper"; through a chain of seven missions, show your faction's soldiers all things rifle, from critical rifle work to Zedkay's favourite Rifle Fire Storm; your degree of success (or failure...) will swing NPCs moods and dilemmas to one of seven possible outcomes.
Freedomtown: in "Need a Word with You", the Defense Representative may like to have a chat, if you mentor enough soldiers in the use of Melee Weapons.
Expanded mission "Keeping Busy" so that you are sent to talk to Iona Amato in Human Resources about your career opportunities if you start from Plymouth Control Centre. This will lead on to many other missions that give a flavor of what the various OWON Departments do.
Seven new chained Combat Mentoring missions: "Automatic Weapons". Share with your faction's soldiers some tips in the fine art of spraying your foes with laser shots and convincing them not to abandon cover; NPCs moods will swing depending your degree of success or failure.
"I'd Like a Word with You": word of you mentoring Freedomtown's soldiers in the use of guns may the ears of Hunting Representative Gwen Oulopathis, who may commend you for your efforts.
Teach soldiers all about equilibrium constants or (if you really think you can...) mass balance equations in "Chemistry Teacher: Dynamic Equilibrium". Sucess or failure will swing the NPC's mood & dilemma accordingly.
New Mission in Plymouth Control: Deactivate Malfunctioning Robot. OWON Facilities Recruits may receive this mission.
2 more missions in the Bad Training Day chain: "Spooky Story" and "Uplifted Story". Soldiers irritated by the lousy lessons of fake combat mentors will need some good story to improve their day. Share with them spooky urban legends about Tiq Sennu and Greyfriar, or the uplifting deeds of Remi Ducatti's flight saga and Kjell's End of Journey speech.
"I Need a Word with You, Soldier!": Train enough Plymouth soldiers in the use of guns, and they will happily drop a good word about you to Morale Officer Jennie Kush.
Combat mentor wannabes running amok can ruin a soldier's day... and they will "Need a War Tale" from you. Share the story of how Hudson's forces samkyled the Slow Water Clan at Blair Ridge to improve the soldier's day (or screw up and you'll turn their moods and dilemmas for the worse).
Amended "Crafting Basic Tutorial Purifying Water" so that the amount of water and purification tablets given fits with the new stack sizes and purified water output.
"Defense Mentor: Gun Defense": in this seven-mission chain, teach your faction's soldier how to avoid becoming easy targets for enemy snipers, gunslingers and shockgunners. You will be able to attempt to train them in Rifle, Automatic Weapons, Shockgun or Handguns Defense; your degree of success or failure will swing the NPC's moods and dilemmas accordingly.
Amended "Crafting - Adv. Tutorial: Ore Refining" so that the amount of sulfur and animal fat fits the reduced number of agents required for the ore refining recipe.
"Shockgun Tactics" now has its seven chained Combat Mentoring missions: Show your faction's soldiers how to shock and blast opponents in a maniacal killing spree; NPCs moods and dilemmas will swing depending your degree of success or failure.
In "Need a Gripping Story" and "Need a True Story", improve an irritated soldier's mood by telling about Tommy O'Doyle last words, how the Runt found the Golem, or the ambitions of the greatest storyteller in all of Rhyldan.
A scientist is having problems wrapping his egghead head around "Viscous Fluid Dynamics"; dazzle him by solving general equations of continuum motion in an inertial frame of reference... or if that's too difficult for you, just simplify it for incompressible fluids and arrive to the fundamental equation of hydraulics.
"We Need a Chat": Plymouth's Security Officer Steven Jackson will be highly impressed if you mentor enough soldiers in the use of melee weapons, and may ask you for your reasons in doing so.
Honor, duty, courage; that's the sort of story soldiers need after a irritating day. In "Need a Tale about Duty", tell them about the siblings who found themselves on opposide sides of the Sept Falls battlefield, or how Anne Tolley stood by her engines while the Star fell.
The local general store clerk wants to learn the very basics about chemistry; indulge him in "Chemistry Teacher: Molarity" by teaching how to calculate molarity, or explaining about the Avogadro number. Mood & dilemma will swing according to the results.
New Mission in Plymouth Control: Pharmaceutical Supplies. New mission launched from "Report to Rory Crittenden". Just a simple delivery job.
New Mission in Plymouth Control: Supply Run. Collect those snacks for hard-working OWONites.
Ever wonder why crafting needs so many heat sources? Some NPCs wonder that too; in "Chemistry Teacher: Exotermic Reactions", explain to them how a reaction is endothermic if it absorbs heat from the surroundings. Or you may take a stab at teaching Arrhenius equation, if your knowledge of chemistry is extensive enough.
"Defense Mentor: AoE Evasion": a seven-mission chain, in which you can attempt to instruct your faction's soldiers on how to evade those fragging grenadiers and flamethrowers bent on burning them to a crisp. Success, failure, or refusal to train them will swing the NPCs' moods and dilemmas.
Show mastery of chemical processes by giving a lesson on "Flow Patterns", explaning dimensionless parameters that predict similar flow patterns in different fluid flow situations, or (if you have the skills...) how a laminar layer will become turbulent after a certain length of flow.
New Mission in Plymouth Control: Time for Tea. OWON Supply Recruits may receive this important mission!
Some missions are now flagged as Epic which previously had the flag missing.
Shortened some abnormally long mission names.
Added new mission opportunities to Nido Cuervo.
Added new combat mission opportunities to the Bendigo Basin.
Added new combat mission opportunities to Batjac.
Added mission marker support to Timbertoc and The Sevens.
Improved the rewards of numerous missions.
Added mission markers to more hostile generated NPCs.
NPCs no longer need to be chatterboxes to have their moods, dilemmas, or causes changed by missions.
Added an extra Mood (for a total of four) and two Dilemmas to all Combat Mentor missions; NPCs will now chatter about your success or failure to train them.
Amended "Yaco's Secret" so the email mentions where Meredith Wayne hangs out in Freedomtown.
Polished a bit the dialogs and banners of the "Combat Mentor: Bladed Weapons" chain.
FPR, OWON and ROGUE Bounty missions have being updated and standarized to give same rewards and follow same dialog branches.
Nations
There is now a /nation joincity command so you can join a different city in your nation.
NPCs
Psychologists who give a tutorial for Diplomatic Mini-Games have been added to Sept Falls, Thicket Overwatch, Freedomtown, Plymouth City, and Plymouth Control Center.
Added new NPC personality traits which can be spoken of, inquired about, and manipulated through inquiries, missions, and the diplomacy minigame.
Increased the size of bosses in Feldroon to make them easier to see.
Reduced the rate at which NPC shaman can heal themselves.
Added new training based dilemmas.
Added new phrases of NPC mood and dilemma based chatter.
Hermits will now be even more elusive, with a number of new hidden locations added into their spawn rotation.
Brachura have been spotted in numbers recently in Galloway.
A herd of Calprates, as well as some other more dangerous camps have begun to appear in Aumi Valley.
A large Arrvor population has moved into Batjac. This includes a raid boss.
Yeoman Stingel can now be pick pocketed and can provide a long range mission marker.
Yann Livingstone is the new chatty security guy at City Hall in Plymouth replacing Steven Jackson (who has moved to the Peace keeper HQ).
Jae, the Metallurgist in Plymouth City has decided to open her shop 24 hours a day.
Steven Jackson has moved over to the Peace-keeper HQ in Plymouth, now that his work as OWON Community Protection Officer is tying him to a desk.
Phoebe Ahmed, one of OWON Engineering's Officers can now be found on the top floor of the Tech Plaza in Plymouth.
Nick Austin, one of OWON Engineering's Officers can now be found in the Workshop in Plymouth.
Pets
Improved pet pathing when in water.
Some pet abilities (such as the new Command line) can be flagged to work on all forms of pets but to only work on pets.
Added a new Animal Handling ability, Command: Defend. This ability boosts a single pets defensive capabilities for a short period of time. Only one command can be active, and it requires you to be using the Handlers Focus stance to use.
Introduced a new Animal Handling ability: Handlers Focus. This toggled ability will significantly reduce your personal offensive capabilities but will enhance the effectiveness of your pets.
Added a new Animal Handling ability, Command: Attack. This ability will boost a single pets attack capabilities significantly for a period of time. Only one command can be active on any single pet at any given time, and Handlers Focus must be active to use this ability.
Introduced a new Animal Handling Ability, Command: Aggression. Similar to other commands this can only be use when Handlers Focus is active, and only one command can be active at a time. This command causes the pet to generate increased aggro while active.
Implemented a new Animal Handling ability, Order: Chase. This will order all of your pets to chase after your target, boosting their movement speed for a short period of time. It can only be used while Handlers Focus is active.
Added a new animal handling ability, Order: Kill. This ability orders all your pets to kill, increasing their offensive potential for a short period of time. It can only be used while Handlers Focus is active.
Introduced a new Robotics ability: Energy Transfer. This ability transfers energy from yourself to a robot pet.
Veterinary Medicine has received a new ability: Encourage Animal. A successful attempt will increase a pet's damage capability.
You should no longer receive line of sight failures with the Feed Animal or Tend to Animal abilities (Animal Handling).
Increased the range on medical bot ranged heals over time.
Increased the recharge time on Lesoo Healer healing abilities.
Pet ability bars #2-4 will now properly save their positions.
Corrected an issue which was causing the healer pet Heal Over Time abilities from firing in some cases.
A bug was found in the NPC recharge system which was affecting how quickly some abilities could be reused. This has been addressed and a number of NPC ability cooldown times have been tweaked to take advantage of it. This has had the effect of drastically reducing Lesoo Healing pets heal effectiveness which were bypassing the intended timers.
Discovered and fixed a bug which was allowing pets to damage their owners in some cases.
Player vs. Player
Tracking of other players now uses an algorithm which checks their Stealth skill vs. your Tracking skill. This was always intended to be the case but a bug in the calculation was not applying it properly.
Some abilities now have different durations based on if they are used against a PvP or PvE target.
Reduced the damage done in Player vs. Player combat to lengthen the duration of PvP encounters.
Resources
The survey and node extraction windows will now show a grade range instead of a single grade for harvest regions. The lower grade indicates the node spawn grade. The higher grade indicates the highest grade to which the node can be enhanced or the region can be enriched. For the extraction window, the spawn grade is to the left of the enrichment progress bar, and the max enhancement grade is to the right of the bar.
The initial extraction grade of corpses and their maximum enhancement grade has been changed, in a similar manner to the grades of harvest regions (whack-a-nodes).
Modified how harvestable regions determine the spawn grade of (whack-a) nodes, resulting in generally lower spawn grade values. In addition, the nodes now spawn with a variable maximum grade value for enhancing. Previously this value was always B9, while the spawn grade could be higher than that, meaning high grades could be harvested with no skill checks. With this update, the spawn grade will always be lower than the max enhancement grade, with a possibility of that max enhancement being as high as A9.
During resource extraction, the extraction window will now close automatically if you reach the maximum enhancement grade without having 4 failed enhancement attempts.
The number of harvesters that you can place in the world is now limited, based on your skill level for each of the harvest types.
Slightly modified extraction quantities for whack-a-nodes, so that there is always a little randomness in the results.
Resource quality in and around starter areas has been altered to keep the values in line with the low-risk nature of these zones.
Adjusted the relationship between harvest skills and the ability to enhance a node. A higher skill is needed to enhance lower grade nodes than before.
Lowered the replenish rate of many regions of overpopulated resources.
Increased the harvest rates for Alluvium and Maeglium resources to reduce extractions with no results.
Added generated resources to Aumi Valley.
Added generated lumber, ore and plant resources to Galloway.
The Placebo region in Longshot Ridge should now be easier to access.
Added generated lumber resources to Batjac.
Skills and Abilities
General
NPC Perception radius reductions such as Unthreatening Approach should now be much more effective. Not only should it reduce the radius properly, but it will also reduce the chance that this NPC assists if it is in range when another mob is attacked.
Abilities can now require a specific type of armor to use.
Increased Duration ability enhancements now grant a 10% increased duration rather than a flat increase.
Abilities can now require you to be dual wielding.
Abilities can now boost weapon or armor energy specifically, and can give it in an instant boost where previously it was always over time.
Adjusted the Parry rate to make it more effective as you gain skill. Parry now scales and caps significantly higher than was previously the case (about double).
Many effects such as broken limbs or blindness have had their durations decreased in PvP.
Added a new hidden ability: Feign Death. This can not be trained or earned through cards, players must discover how to unlock it on their own.
Aerosol
Increased the Spread radius of numerous Aerosol abilities.
Added a new Aerosol Tactics ability: Searing Blast. This heavy blast not only deals AoE damage, but has a chance to send opponents blinded by smoke into a panic.
Introduced a new Aerosol Defense ability: Stop, Drop, and Roll! This ability can be used to extinguish flames from yourself, but will cause you to roll forward and consumes a small amount of momentum.
Increased the chance that Smoke Wall (Aerosol) will confuse opponents who cross through it, and increased the duration of the Blindness effect slightly.
Focused Spray (Aerosol) now has a chance to Discourage affected targets, creating an opening and making them more vulnerable to future debuffs.
Increased the AoE Radius and damage on Self Sacrifice (Aerosol). If opponents are Discouraged it can set them into a panic for a short period of time. It does however consume more Momentum than was previously the case.
Increased the chance that Gust (Aerosol) will fling opponents backwards.
Increased the AoE radius and damage of Make It Rain (Aerosol).
Increased the chance that Smoke Screen (Aerosol) will blind opponents, as well as its spread radius.
Increased the damage of Spray (Aerosol).
Increased the knockdown chance and damage of Wide Sweep (Aerosol).
Increased the Knockdown chance and damage of Focused Sweep (Aerosol).
Increased the range and damage of Spray Cone (Aerosol).
Increased the damage and knockdown chances of Heavy Gust (Aerosol).
Focused Sweep and Maximum Release (Aerosol) have had their skill requirements reduced to even out skill progression.
Automatics
Introduced a new Automatic Weapons ability: Opportunistic Assault. This wide radius AoE attack is most effective against Confused opponents, slicing them up with a chance to cause Massive Bleeding.
Covering Fire (Automatics) now has a chance to reduce the combat effectiveness of targets in its radius.
Concealed Burst (Automatics) had its damage slightly increased, but more importantly it now has a chance to Startle opponents. It had its recharge time slightly increased, however.
Increased the damage and AoE radius of Discouraging Assault (Automatics).
Increased the AoE radius and damage of Pelt Area (Automatics).
Dig in and Fire and Dig in and Spray (Automatics) now each grant a small bonus to your Stealth ability while dug in.
Increased the chance that Aim High (Automatics) will knock opponents Off Balance.
Increased the AoE radius and damage of Spraying Fire (Automatics).
Increased the AoE radius and chance of Stopping Power (Automatics) to cause leg injuries.
Increased the AoE radius of Frenzied Fire (Automatics). If targets are Startled it will cause them to become defensively conscious, reducing their offensive capabilities and creating another opening.
Increased the potency and momentum cost of the Dialed In buff (Automatics).
Increased the damage of Panicked Spray (Automatics).
Increased the amount of diminishing returns on skill speed so that you gain skills more slowly at high skill levels.
Increased the damage of Spraying Assault (Automatics).
Reduced the skill requirement of Dig in and Fire and Flanking Assault (Automatics) to make way for new abilities.
Axes
Widened the angle of the cone of attack on numerous Axe Fighting abilities. This is a measure being done help Axes maintain their edge as the best AoE melee weapon.
Surprising Assault (Axes) now has a chance to create a Startled Opening, which also debuffs your target, making it difficult for them to hold aggro, concentrate or deal maximum damage.
Hurricane Slice (Axes) now has an increased chance to knock down targets, and those which are already off balance will have their speed and attack speed reduced for the next 7 seconds. In addition its damage was slightly increased.
Twirling Trip (Axes) now has a chance to cause Leg Injuries.
Increased the attack speed bonus and duration of Fury (Axes).
Cleave (Axes) is now more effective on opponents who are Defense Conscious, slicing them for additional bleeding damage.
Increased the range and chance of Face Shot (Axes) to confuse opponents, as well as the duration of that confusion slightly.
Increased the chance that Leg Slash (Axes) will cause a Leg Injury, but reduced the duration of those injuries.
Increased the chance that Cripple Legs (Axes) will break the legs of opponents already suffering from an Injured Leg.
Axe Trip (Axes) now has a chance to cause Massive Bleeding if the target is already bleeding.
Cranial Swing (Axes) had its range and radius slightly increased.
Whirling Axe (Axes) had its damage slightly increased.
Reduced the initial damage of Axe Flurry (Axes) but it now causes bleeding, creating an opening for other abilities to feed off of.
Bladed Weapons
Increased the accuracy of numerous bladed weapon abilities.
Feign Stab (Blades) now has a chance to knock your opponent Off Balance, in addition to its previous debuff.
Slightly increased the Momentum cost of Open Wound (Blades).
Springing Thrust (Blades) now reduces Physical Resistance rather than armor specific resistances.
Increased the chance that Hamstring Slice (Blades) will cause a leg injury, and added a chance for it to cause a Bleeding effect, as well.
Increased the damage and chance of Disarming Slash (Blades) to Disarm opponents.
Back Slash (Blades) is now enhanced if your target is Defense Conscious, reducing their willpower. Its recharge time has been increased, however.
Significantly increased the duration and effectiveness of Disabling Thrust (Blades).
More than doubled the chance that Quick Slash (Blades) will cause targets to bleed.
Increased the knockdown chance of Sweeping Slice (Blades).
Lethal Thrust (Blades) now gives a bonus vs. Physical Penetration rather than armor based penetration.
Kidney Puncture (Blades) now does a small amount of endurance damage instantly, in addition to its drains over time.
Target Wound (Blades) now has a 100% chance to upgrade Bleeding effects to Massive Bleeding.
Reduced the global cooldown time on Blade Flurry (Blades).
Head Slash (Blades) now has a 100% chance to Daze opponents for a short period of time, but has had its stun component removed.
Triple Strike (Blades) had its damaged slightly reduced, but can now bolster the defense of the character using it.
Blunt Weapons
Increased the accuracy of numerous Blunt weapon abilities.
Introduced a new Blunt Weapon ability: Pound. This ability will deal additional bleeding damage to opponents who are knocked down.
Added a new Blunt Weapons ability: Knock Senseless. This ability is most effective against Stunned targets, reducing their attack speed for a period of time.
Implemented a new Blunt Weapons ability: Disheartening Onslaught. This ability unloads two quick attacks at the target, and is most effective when used against opponents who are already being Knocked Back. It can cause those targets to panic momentarily.
Increased the chance that Disarming Pummel (Blunts) will Disarm targets, and reduced its Momentum cost.
Significantly increased the endurance drain of Sternum Shot (Blunts). In addition to this if your target is Off Balance it will reduce their Reflexes for a short time as they try to regain their balance.
Increased the damage of Lunge (Blunts).
Increased the chance that Overpowering Attack (Blunts) will knock down your opponent. Also improved the debuff when used on Off Balance targets.
Smash Generator and Whirling Pummel (Blunts) had their skill requirements adjustment to make way for new abilities.
Increased the amount of endurance sapped by Stop Momentum (Blunts).
Dual Wielding
Implemented a new Dual Wielding grandmaster ability: Run and Gun. Where Deflecting Waltz was intended to boost up defensive capabilities of dual wielding melee types, Run and Gun improves the mobility and offense output for those dual wielding pistols. It increases your movement speed and boosts minimum and maximum range damage. It consumes momentum and has a longer recharge time, however.
Introduced a new Dual Wielding ability: Reckless Flurry. This can only be used when dual wielding, but will substantially increase your attack speed at the expense of defense for a period of time.
Added a new Dual Wielding grandmaster ability: Deflecting Waltz. This ability will impair your ability to attack but drastically increase your chances to parry or riposte incoming attacks for a period of time. It consumes a high amount of momentum and requires you to be dual wielding a melee weapon.
Defensive Knowledge
Added a new Defensive Knowledge ability: Stabilize Shielding. This ability consumes a moderate amount of Momentum to provide an instant boost to your Armor Energy for shielding.
First Aid
Introduced a new First Aid ability: Support Stance. This stance will improve your healing effectiveness and usage times, at the expense of making your more vulnerable defensively and reducing your offensive damage output. It can not be used at the same time as other stances.
Introduced a new First Aid ability: Replenishing Nano-field. This ability creates a field of regenerative nano-bots which will restore the energy and endurance of friendly players who stand within it for the next thirty seconds.
Introduced a new First Aid ability: Regenerative Nano-field. This ability creates a field of regenerative nano-bots which will heal friendly players who stand within it for the next thirty seconds.
Added a new First Aid ability: Repulsive Cloud. This ability emits a biochemical cloud which can cause targets who are already repulsed by Biochemical Spray to run and leave the area for a short period of time.
Energy Overload (First Aid) now features an instant boost to energy, as well as the previous energy over time effect. It has had its skill requirement raised somewhat to balance out ability progression, but this will not affect users who already have the ability.
Only a Flesh Wound (First Aid) is now gained earlier than was previously the case. This was done to smooth out the ability progression.
Extinguish Flames (First Aid) can now extinguish up to two burning effects at a time.
Just a Scratch (First Aid) is now gained slightly later than was previously the case. This will not affect players who already have the ability and was done to smooth out ability progression.
Handguns
Added a new Handgun Tactics ability: Cover Fire. This ability consumes Momentum to unleash an AoE attack which does low damage but debuffs and angers opponents caught inside of it, lowering their maximum range and damage capacity.
Improved the Body Blast (Handguns) ability in a couple ways. First the endurance drain was slightly increased. More importantly if your target is suffering from a Leg Injury (such as Leg Shot) it has a high chance of Discouraging them, an opening which will make them more vulnerable to future debuffs from yourself and other players. It's recharge time was increased slightly, by one second.
Increased the chance that Leg Shot (Handguns) will cause a leg injury, as well as increasing the duration of its leg injuries.
Increased the chance that Stinging Shot (Handguns) will knock an opponent off their feet, though it is still a low chance.
Increased the attack speed bonus of Pistoleer (Handguns).
Reduced the energy consumption of Stopping Shot (Handguns).
Flanking Attack (Handguns) now has a chance to cause Panic in opponents who have already been Startled.
Increased the damage of Scatter Shot (Handguns).
Penetrating Shot (Handguns) now has a chance to cause Startled opponents to Bleed, doing damage over time and creating an opening.
Increased the Knockback chance but slightly reduced the damage on Double Shot (Handguns).
Increased the damage component of Shield Shot (Handguns).
Warning Shot (Handguns) now has a chance to Startle opponents, in addition to its stun effects. This is an opening which affects damage and concentration.
Adjusted the skill requirement of Cover Fire, Startle Shot, and Overwhelm (Handguns) to smooth out progression.
Heavy Armor
Introduced a new Heavy Armor Tactics grandmaster ability: Thick Skinned. This ability can only be used when you are wearing primarily Heavy Armor. It lasts indefinitely, but will cancel if you switch armor types. It increases your resistances to stuns, dazes by a significant amount.
Added a new Heavy Armor Tactics ability: Propelled Slam. This ability consumes Momentum and energy to charge at your opponent, and slam into them using your armor as a weapon. It works as a gap closer with a high chance to stun your target, but can only be used while wearing Heavy Armor.
Light Armor
Added a new Light Armor Tactics ability: Adrenaline Rush. It gives the user a chance to break free from restrictive movement debuffs, and increases the user's speed, attack speed, and dodge chances for a short period of time. It can only be used when in Light Armor and has a Momentum cost associated with it.
Added a new Light Armor Tactics grandmaster ability: Nimble. This ability can only be used when you are wearing primarily Light Armor. It lasts indefinitely, but will cancel if you switch armor types. It increases your resistances to knockbacks, knockdowns, and balance attacks.
Medium Armor
Added a new Medium Armor Tactics grandmaster ability: Battle Hardened. This ability can only be used when you are wearing primarily Medium Armor. It lasts indefinitely, but will cancel if you switch armor types. While it does not provide the large bonuses that the grandmaster Heavy and Light Armor abilities provide, it provides a smaller bonus to knockbacks, knockdowns, balance attacks, dazes, and stuns.
Introduced a new Medium Armor Tactics ability: Propelled Tackle. This ability uses momentum to rush at your target and attempt to tackle them. It will always knock them off balance and has a high chance to knock them down as well. It can only be used while wearing Medium Armor, however.
Protection
Increased the radius and effectiveness of the Humiliate Enemies taunting effect (Protection).
Increased the taunt strength of the Humiliate ability (Protection).
Rifles
Increased Duration ability enhancements now work on Rifle based buffs.
Added a new Rifle Tactics ability: Emergency Recharge. This is a toggled ability which will drain Momentum while active and use it to rapidly recharge your energy. Movement or attacking will cancel the effect. Due to rifles high energy consumption this ability can be useful in longer fights.
Added a new Rifle Tactics ability: Pick Off. This ability requires you to be kneeling or lying prone, but deals good damage. If the target is panicked it has a chance to cause Massive Bleeding.
Snipe (Rifles) now has a chance to cause Massive Bleeding to opponents who already have an open wound.
Rifle Monkey (Rifles) now increases your attack speed by 20% for its duration.
Increased the duration of Critical Rifle Work (Rifles).
Increased the duration and effectiveness of Locked In (Rifles).
Increased the damage of Flesh Wound (Rifles).
Locked In and Got Your Back (Rifles) are each obtained slightly earlier than was previously the case, where Disarming Shot and Impactful Rifle work are now gained later, to make room for new abilities.
Increased the damage of Rifle Fire Storm (Rifles).
Increased the chance that Head Shot (Rifles) will confuse your opponent.
Impactful Rifle Work (Rifles) now gives Energy Penetration instead of armor based penetrations.
Slightly increased the duration of fear on the Panic Shot ability (Rifles).
Got Your Back (Rifles) now has a chance to Startle affected targets.
Shields
Added a new grandmaster Shield Tactics ability: Emergency Override. This ability consumes a large amount of Momentum but gives a large and instant boost to both armor and shielding energy. It also increases your aggro generation for a short period of time, but reduces your speed and attack speed while active.
Reduced the skill requirement of the Shield Tactics ability: Unbreakable Defense.
Shockguns
Added a new Shockgun Tactics ability: Chain Lightning. This spreading AoE will deal additional electrical damage to opponents who are already paralyzed in shock.
Slightly increased the cone of fire angle, distance, and damage of the Stunning Blast ability (Shockguns).
Increased the knockback chance, damage and recharge time of Jolting Shock (Shockguns).
Increased both the knockdown chance and endurance damage of Chest Shot (Shockguns).
Increased the damage of Stun Shot (Shockguns).
Increased the AoE radius and damage of Maniacal Rampage (Shockguns).
Increased the Knockdown chance of Impact Shot (Shockguns) and it now further affects Off Balance opponents by placing a debuff on their Balance stat for a period of time. Its recharge time was increased, however.
Increased the damage of Static Discharge (Shockguns).
Increased the chance that Balance Shot (Shockguns) can not an opponent Off Balance, as well as slightly increasing the duration of that effect.
Increased the damage and PBAoE radius of Maniacal Kill Spree (Shockguns). In addition to this if your target is Off Balance it now has a chance to temporarily paralyze opponents who are already stunned.
Increased the chance that Melon Shot (Shockguns) will knock your opponent down.
Increased the spread radius of Momentum Swinger (Shockguns).
Increased the momentum cost and damage of Overcharge (Shockguns).
Improved the Take Them Down! (Shockguns) ability so that when allies damage the affected target they will gain more endurance per hit.
Slightly reduced the skill requirements of Chest Shot, Double Click, Melon Shot, Angle Shot, Momentum Swinger and Stun Shot (Shockguns) while slightly increasing the requirement of Shock, Obliterate and Overcharge to even out progression.
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