What's New

This week has been spent on updating a bunch of small things. Improving the user experience, fixing some bugs and small issues, stuff like that.

I also started playing around with a beam type weapon. This sonic beam turret will eventually be available in Scandav, along with some other sonic weapons.

Patch Notes

• Allow agents to spawn docked to stations.
• Reduce cluttering of sonar contact widgets by hiding some information when crowded.
• Added click sound effect to UI buttons.
• Added news and rumor tab to bars, with the first batch of rumors.
• Fix crash related to skipping intro.
• Adding reputation limits to torpedoes, minisubs, submarine hulls, and modules.
• Allow campaign introduction to be skipped with escape.
• Fix for "orbital torpedo" bug
• Fix for towed array throwing errors when extending.

What's Next

There's a few things left for the "Small Fixes". I want to add some more rumors, update the itch.io page, and update the Hellstorm turret to be more comparable with the other high level turrets.

The next major piece I'm planning on tackling is Temporary Bases. This will cover a range of features, with new mission types, new gameplay, and I'm going to fit Henchsubs in there as well.

Temporary Bases?

These are going to be a new class of object in the game, representing small outposts that aren't as permanent and established as the stations. Initially these will just be used for missions, with several different objective types such as "locate base and return", "destroy a base", and "defend a base from attackers".

The same logic will also be used for placing wrecks for missions, allowing several types of missions around locating wrecks and salvaging.

Lastly, Temporary Bases are going to feed directly into mining.

Mining

Mining is going to be a new gameplay loop involving temporary bases. Mining will be a 6 stage process:

1. Find a mineral node.
   1. Mineral nodes are detected by sonar, and there will be some sonar (and towed array) systems better at locating minerals than locating submarines.
2. Prospect the mineral node.
   1. This is done by dispatching a prospector diver to the node.
   2. The ores present in a node will depend on location, using the same logic currently driving station mineral production.
3. Place an automated extractor on the mineral node.
   1. This will require an internal module, as well as dive teams to assemble it.
4. Wait for extraction.
   1. Extractors in hostile waters may need to be defended.
   2. You can also use this time to find other mineral nodes, and place other extractors.
   3. Extraction will be tracked by a generated mission, and you'll be updated when it's complete.
5. Collect the extractor and it's minerals.
   1. This will again require dive teams working outside the sub.
6. Sell the minerals for profit.

AI subs will also engage in the mining process, giving you an opportunity to "jump their claim" if you wish, and steal their extractor and minerals. Missions will also be generated around mining, ranging from "prospect area for minerals" to "destroy a hostile mining operation".

Henchsubs

Add NPC mercenaries to the world that can be hired from stations to act as escorts. For now this will be limited to small-medium battlesubs, who will follow your submarine around and attack anyone who attacks you. Henchsubs will handle their own repairs and resupply, but can be given some orders.