Version 1.2

Contributors: Tulip

Welcome to another huge update! A lot going on here.

First, the range increase. Hopefully this feels a little better to play with and leads to more gunfights than chases. These numbers aren’t set in stone - I’ll keep an eye on them and run more playtests to see if they need further tweaking. Let me know how the new numbers are feeling. 

One of the most significant changes here is the adjustment to defences. I think a smallish increase to the mass of armour shouldn’t affect lower-level bots too much, but mean higher level tanks can’t stack HP quite as much. I’ve also taken this opportunity to nerf shields a second time. When shields and armour were first designed, balance wasn’t a consideration at all, and in terms of how much health they provide for their cost it wasn’t even close. Shields have been outclassing armour since day 1. The last change lowered the points provided by shields, but were still 1.5 to 2 times as effective as the same complexity of armour. I have now rectified this. Shields are still a smidgen more effective, but it's much closer. This is a pretty huge nerf, and most shields are about twice as expensive as they were in 1.1.2.

I’ve been meaning to overhaul how the turret and drone work for a while and I know they have some fans waiting for them to be usable. I’ve put some work into structures as a new system and hopefully they are at least playable now. I expect to do some balancing work in upcoming updates and continue to add more options. Walkabout has been reworked to bring it in line with these changes.

Another change is to ammo capacity. Ammo capacity is now separate from grenade capacity and the new structure capacity. Some new hardware supports this change.

Administrative Changes:

• Added a section to equipment for Structures and moved some things into it
• Added a section to the rules for terminology
• Slightly changed how the changelog is written

Balance Changes:

• Buffed Range across the board
  • Increased the range of all lightweight ranged weapons 
    • 3 Range > 7
  • Increased the range of all normal ranged weapons
    • 5 Range > 7
  • Increased the range of Long-Range Scope
    • +1 Range > +2
  • Increased the range of the Anti-Air Kinetic Gun
    • 6 Range > 8
  • Increased the range of the Ignitor
    • 3 Range > 7
  • Increased the speed of the Missile
    • 5 Speed > 7
  • Increased the range of the Oil Spray
    • 3 Range > 7
  • Increased the range of the Sniper Kinetic Gun
    • 8 Range > 10
• Buffed Stance: Evasive Movement
  • Speed gained doubled
• Buffed Stance: Stand Ground
  • +5 Accuracy > +10
• Changed all defenses, and brought shields a little closer to the effectiveness of armour
  • Buffed Armour III: Interference Plating
    • 10 Mass > 9
    • 15 Armour Points > 20
  • Changed Shield III: Regenerator
    • 2 Mass > 3
    • -10 Power > -25
    • 20 Shield Points > 30
  • Nerfed Armour I
    • 5 Mass > 6
  • Nerfed Armour II
    • 7 Mass > 8
  • Nerfed Powered Armour I
    • 3 Mass > 5
    • -4 Power > -6
  • Nerfed Powered Armour II
    • 6 Mass > 9
    • -7 Power > -10
  • Nerfed Shield I
    • 1 Mass > 2
    • -5 Power > -10
  • Nerfed Shield II
    • 1 Mass > 2
    • -8 Power > -17
  • Nerfed Shield III: Interference
    • 2 Mass > 3
    • -13 Power > -25
  • Nerfed Shield III: Melter
    • 2 Mass > 4
    • -12 Power > -25
    • 25 Shield Points > 20
• Nerfed Lightweight Kinetic Gun I
  • Mass 5 > 6
  • Ammo capacity +4 > +3
• Nerfed Lightweight Energy Gun I 
  • Mass 5 > 6
  • Power -5 > -6
  • Reserve Power Effect Cost 3 > 5
• Nerfed Produce Ammunition stance

Clarifications & Tweaks:

• Altered Grenade Launcher
• Capitalised all instances of Complexity
• Capitalised all instances of Hull Points
• Capitalised all instances of Killbot
• Capitalised some actions and stances
• Fixed some small errors
• Fixed some spelling
• Made Processor Power incompatible with other Processor Power (no mixing complexity to avoid limits)
• Removed the “You can’t take this if it would reduce your Prepared to less than 0.” on some equipment, and added it to the rules on Prepared.
• Removed throwing grenades from Special Action
• Renamed Drone Bay to Drone
• Renamed Combat Computer Objective Focused to Objective Focused A
• Renamed Combat Computer Support Focused to Objective Focused B
• Replaced the word “throw” in reference to grenades in favour of launch
• Reworked default Chassis designs
• Reworked Energy Turret and Drone Bay
• Reworked Walkabout Stance
• Tweaked some Chassis abilities

New Additions:

• Gave all Chassis a Level 6 unique stance
• Gave Grenades and structures capacity independent of ammunition
• New Action: Utility Action
• New Combat Computer Support Focused
• New Defense: Powered Armour III
• New equipment type: Structures
• New Grenade: Grenade II (passivity virus) 
• New Hardware: Fire-Retardant Plating
• New Hardware: Grenade Storage
• New Hardware: Lightweight Structure Storage
• New Hardware: Matter Collector
• New Hardware: Structure Storage
• New Power: Processor Power II
• New Power: Small Repurposed Processor II
• New Power: Repurposed Processor II
• New Stance: Matter Collection
• New Structure: Barricade I
• New Structure: Grenade Mine I

On my mind for the future:

• A second concept mission
• Diagrams for range in the rules
• Maps available for download
• Missile tweaks
• More enemy designs
• New Chassis (in progress!)
• Software updates