Dev Log #23: Expanding the Business; Balance Changes

[Styg]

Hey guys, here's an update on what's been happening since the Steam release.

It will be a while longer before a new version is ready, sorry. The reason for that is that I've been somewhat busy with trying to expand the business. The game did well enough on its Steam (pre-)release that I can now afford to hire some people now that will assist with content creation. Unfortunately, this means interviewing, office space hunting, taxes, logistics, and other stuff that's cutting into my development time. So while development is a bit slow until all this settles down, it will pick up pace and go even faster afterwards.

However, I did manage to add some more Lower Underrail areas and I also made a number of balance tweaks, bug fixes and the like:

• Changes
• Players will receive better armor at the start
• Added more meds, ammo and such to the starting areas
• Reduced explosive barrel health to 1
• AP cost of using light weapons (knives, pistols, SMGs or fist weapons) or unarmed attacks is reduced by 4% for every dexterity point above 5. This is very much subject to change depending on how it works out. I want to make high dexterity builds feel more rewarding and this is just the first step.
• Dogs now have 50% chance to apply Tackle effect on hit (down from 100%)
• Skill requirements for recycling items reduced
• Item durability increased, particularly for higher level items. This will make it less profitable (hopefully not profitable in most cases) to repair them for sole purpose of selling them. Also, crafters will be able to recycle them for more scraps them previously since the amount of scraps gained is based on current and max durability of an item. Rate of item degradation should remain about the same
• Mark 2 repair kits now fix 500 durability points (up from 400). Cost increased accordingly; repair kit crafting requirements and components remain the same
• Durability span of items looted from slain enemies increased to 5%-50% (up from 5%-20%)
• Bandits in the "package delivery quest" nerfed
• Minimal stealth requirements (below which player is automatically spotted) reduced
• Increased the amount of special ammo that can be found as loot
• Reduced the cost of amuples and syringes
• Reduced the amount of explosive required to craft traps (it's now same as grenade recipe)
• Increased chemistry requirements of Hexogen explosive to 50 (up from 22). Secondary explosives difficulty modifier in grenade and mine blueprint increased to 125% (up from 100%). Mark 3 grenades/mines are now crafted from 1 hexogen and mark 2 are crafted from 2 x TNT instead of vice versa. Reasoning behind these changes is that crafting high level explosives was way too easy and allowed you to obtain grenades that were meant to be used against level 20 enemies as soon as level 7 if not earlier.
• Player character will no longer obscure targets behind them when issuing offensive commands (such as attacking or invoking offensive abilities)
• Bug fixes
• Exporting a character while trading window is open will no longer crash the game
• Save/load window will no longer lose focus after deletion confirmation pop-up
• Fixed the bug that would cause optional components to give different crafting requirements depending on order they are placed in
• Galvanic vest added to random loot table (and hence the stores too)
• Added missing female riot gear spritesheets (sorry ladies)
• Fixed the bug that would cause the old man in GMS level 3 to repeatedly initiate dialog with you
• Fixed the bug in Abram's questline where you could give Garren information you didn't actually receive
• AP should now correctly be deducted when stacking up utility items during combat
• Other
• Added transition error log; it will be generated in Documents\My Games\Underrail every time there's a transition error. This should help us pinpoint any remaining transition problems
• Removed Media Player requirement by popular demand (you will no longer have to have media player windows feature installed in the next version of the game)

That's all for now. Be sure to let me know what you thought of the balance changes so far.

[Kaerius]

Looking good, I especially approve of the player no longer obstructing targeting of enemies!

[Eliasfrost]

Good stuff. This was actually faster than I expected! Man, I don't know where you find the time to keep up with all the forums/SoMe, expand your business and work on the game!

I have my suspicions, my most sensible theory is that Styg is in fact an android with game dev enhancements.

[UnLimiTeD]

So now he has to switch them out for Bizniz-Enhancements?
Nice to hear that you can get some help now! Don't expand too far, Two's a party, but ten....
Also a great list of changes, even if we have to wait for them for another while.
Very interesting idea on the Dexterity, this could make high Dex characters outright viable.
Well, or overly munchy, is the % additive or multiplicative? With feats and the like?

[Styg]

Very interesting idea on the Dexterity, this could make high Dex characters outright viable.
Well, or overly munchy, is the % additive or multiplicative? With feats and the like?

It's additive, though there's only one feat that affects weapon AP cost currently and that's Gunslinger which has a flat modifier. The flat modifier is applied at the end.

[seb sky]

yay i've been playing it all day glad its moving along nicely another hub area would be nice also a toaster reference  but the new stuff looks good

[UnLimiTeD]

It's additive, though there's only one feat that affects weapon AP cost currently and that's Gunslinger which has a flat modifier. The flat modifier is applied at the end.

Lightning Punches
Just sayin

[Kaerius]

I might have a go at extreme gunslinging when I get home... 11 dex + gunslinger should take plasma pistol down to 25 AP, 9mm hammerers and acid blob guns to 16, I forget, but I think 7.62mm hammerers should drop down to 11-12 (4 shots per turn). Also need less points into lockpick/traps as I usually do, saving enough skill points to invest in an additional skill at slightly reduced capacity(giving me 5 picks apart from the must haves to work with).

3 str, 5 con, 3 agi, 11 dex, 8 per(+2 just in time for sharpshooter at lvl , 5 will, 5 int, or something like that, for starter stats. Pick up psychokinesis because extra stuns synergise so well with pistols(opportunist, execute, kneecap shot). Some throwing wouldn't go amiss either, being a dex skill and all...

[Styg]

It's additive, though there's only one feat that affects weapon AP cost currently and that's Gunslinger which has a flat modifier. The flat modifier is applied at the end.

Lightning Punches
Just sayin

Right, forgot about that one.

I might have a go at extreme gunslinging when I get home... 11 dex + gunslinger should take plasma pistol down to 25 AP, 9mm hammerers and acid blob guns to 16, I forget, but I think 7.62mm hammerers should drop down to 11-12 (4 shots per turn). Also need less points into lockpick/traps as I usually do, saving enough skill points to invest in an additional skill at slightly reduced capacity(giving me 5 picks apart from the must haves to work with).

3 str, 5 con, 3 agi, 11 dex, 8 per(+2 just in time for sharpshooter at lvl , 5 will, 5 int, or something like that, for starter stats. Pick up psychokinesis because extra stuns synergise so well with pistols(opportunist, execute, kneecap shot). Some throwing wouldn't go amiss either, being a dex skill and all...

Keep in mind these changes won't go live until next content patch.

[Kaerius]

Oh right, d'oh! I thought it was already patched!

As for opinions on the balance changes, looks good on paper, we'll see how it is in practice. The increased chemical skill for hexogen is a little bit painful, mainly because skillpoints are so scarce and crafting takes up so many of them. (I liked how fallout for comparison has just science and repair, ok survival too for cooking, still less than underrail). It looks like it's on a more correct skill requirement, but it compounds the lack of skillpoints. We really could do with one more skill worth of points(15 more at chargen, 5 more per level). And dodge/evasion should probably be merged to one skill, since dodge/evasion builds are less reliable than heavy armor builds anyway(which requires no skill, only attribute points). I'd argue that chemistry and biology should probably be merged too.

[UnLimiTeD]

Well, the skill things can be fixed on the skill things, now can't they?
Add 5% extra synergy, and suddenly you need a bit less.

[Kaerius]

Not 5% doesn't really fix anything, there's more craft skills than you have points to invest in, after you take the bare essentials. Even a pure crafter can't afford to take them all, and means you're not taking a bunch of other powerful/useful skills.

Honestly I'd like to pare them down to 2-3, instead of 5. At minimum merge mechanic and electronic (new name suggestion: engineering), and chemistry + biology (subsume biology into chemistry).

[Elhazzared]

I had already sugested that the problem with crafting was the need for multiple skills given that we are already severely limited in what we can take then having multiple crafting skills needed to do mostly everything just makes it really problematic. This sugestion do is a little bit better than mine, mine was simply just just make nothing use multiple skills. all guns just use mechanics and go on into that perspective. Still this one does looks good too. It would allow the usage of one single skill for some stuff and a mix to get a rather good deal of stuff. To get all would require specialisation that would hurt you a lot elsewhere but would be more feasable.

[MetaSieg]

Changes look good, I'm especially fond of the nerf on the bandits during the package quest. For some characters that fight is just brutal and not in a fun and challenging way. Good luck with the business expansion as well. 

[Spambot]

Looks really good! By increasing minimal dodge, does it mean you will be spotted easier or harder?