What's being worked on for the next update?
The next update will take some time before it's fully released. This update will add a lot of new features and content. It will be released in several parts over the next 4 to 6 months. Expect to see the first part released in the next 10 weeks or so. This dev diary series will be published weekly (or at least close too) to keep you up-to-date on what's being developed.
Management View
A new UI is being added that'll allow for storing, retrieving, and using of items / equipment.
There will be a local item storage where you'll have a large inventory space. But also a remote storage where you can transfer item scripts to the mainframe before a run. There will be a hotbar that you can scroll through using the number keys or the d-pad. Also, equipment chip blueprints can be found, then fabricated, and installed into local memory.
Item scripts allow for one time use effects that can help even the odds during a run. Temporary shields, time dilation, additional armor, stun and healing effects are all possible.
Equipment chips provide specialized processing that allow bonuses to attributes:
Attributes
- Luck (drop rates and attribute rolls)
- Engineering (mini-game difficulty)
- Cool (charge up loss over time)
Along with other possible more permanent effects for; defensive shields, additional armor, health regen and more.
Equipment chips can be installed for an avatar's; head, chest, hands, and legs.
Items and equipment will consume power unless they provide a net power bonus.
Weapon Switching
In part one of the next update, instead of having power consumption the same no matter the number of weapons installed, weapons will now consume power individually.
The new management view will allow turning individual weapons on and off. This will allow you to pick and choose what weapons, items and equipment to have active at any one time during a run.
Need the whip program to pierce walls but don't want to give up your extra shields? Turn off the basic shot weapon script and any other ancillary scripts. That way you'll have more power to draw over successive weapon fires.
Picked up and installed a new weapon but now your power draw is greater that your power recovery? You can turn it off to keep fighting.
This will lead to a lot of strategic thinking, along with many weapon, item, and equipment combinations.
Next Week
Next week's dev diary we'll discover medium rezz gameplay, encrypted corridors, and transforming areas.
