Trying to make this gun competitive with the Tommygun, without putting either one out of business.
These changes give the weapon a more focused design. The behaviour of shots (piercing & area damage) will be more consistent and controllable. Players can aim and taujump more easily without needing to hold down the fire button...but they can still hold it down if they want to.
This will help us to manage pickup games. Captains can ensure that their team votes for useful research. The scoreboard can show when players are away or idle (so that games are not started prematurely).
The regen implants are now a larger time investment, and have a bigger impact on the game.
Since most damage goes to armor, health will usually finish regenerating long before armor. With Tissue Recycling, the unused health regeneration helps to recover armor more quickly. Recycling is also helpful against special damage sources like FEV and falling (e.g. recycle armor into health when armor is full).
Experimental server commands:
Added the +altweapon command:
| weapon_briefcase | cl_alt_colt |
| weapon_colt | cl_alt_briefcase |
| weapon_tommygun | cl_alt_shotgun |
| weapon_shotgun | cl_alt_tommygun |
| weapon_fleshgrenade | cl_alt_handgrenade |
| weapon_handgrenade | cl_alt_fleshgrenade |
| weapon_gauss | cl_alt_crossbow |
| weapon_crossbow | cl_alt_gauss |
| weapon_mindray | cl_alt_transistor |
| weapon_transistor | cl_alt_mindray |
| weapon_vomit | cl_alt_empcannon |
| weapon_empcannon | cl_alt_vomit |
| weapon_satchel | cl_alt_tripmine |
| weapon_tripmine | cl_alt_satchel |
| weapon_teleportkit | cl_alt_cloak |
| weapon_cloak | cl_alt_teleportkit |
| weapon_rocketpistol | cl_alt_rocketpistol |
New HUD:
Satchels redesigned:
This week, we have added 2 new techs to the game. The first is a cross between the tommygun and the tau cannon. The second is a device that can be used to teleport yourself or both you and your opponent.
Both new techs have placeholders for the models. They will be updated when we have new models ready.
We made lots of changes to simplify the ‘money’ part of the game and fix bugs in it.
We also fixed the issue which required people to install 1.1 before 1.2. Please remove your existing S&I installation, and unpack the new “Full Download”. If you want to keep your settings, make a backup of si/config.cfg and your si/userconfig.cfg and replace it after you install.
Adjusted the implant tech tree into two tiers instead of 3:
From Asker's trilogy of maps (si_guppy, si_turf, si_tube), to ThePrix's brilliant si_green, with everything in between. We are rolling out minimap, location and command menu support. Not every map will have this during the beta period.
Two scenic mountainside breweries face off in this map best suited for 5 vs 5. Originally inspired by the classic Quake 3 CTF map Japanese Castles, si_bavaria has a short distance between bases, but players can use the various routes are present to keep it interesting. It features a breakable which opens up an alternate path into the labs. The computer in each base can be used to change the conveyer belt direction.
A large map in a rocket facility featuring circular chambers in each base, multiple levels of action and a sprawling midfield. The rockets have stopped launching, but research into teleportation technology is opening up new avenues of travel.
The SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY adaptation of the classic Team Fortress map, Well.
Long range fights had a small, but still apparent random element.
We re-used the 'fixed spread' idea that was applied successfully in Warsow, TF2 and other games. The weapon is hopefully now more consistent and more skill-based. The previous version had too few pellets to get a consistent spread, and the randomness had too much of an effect. This is an area which is like to change after feedback (we will tweak the spread pattern). The maximum damage remains the same: 80 for single shot, 160 for double.
In a game where players have so many options for mobility minutes into the game, the accuracy spread made this weapon almost useless. Players with very good aim and positioning will now find this gun rewarding.
The rapid secondary fire has returned. We want it to compete with (but not eclipse) the shotgun for close range fights. Teams will be able to start the game with the tommygun rather than the shotgun, and not suffer tremendously for it.
Subpar model to the AFD tommygun. It was confusing to have different guns for each team which offer the same gameplay.
We want to reduce spam and encourage more restocking trips to the spawn.
We wanted to make the FEV secondary (adrenaline boost) more useable, and make the primary attack more skill-based and consistent. Its damage has been made less variable. FEV will also research faster, so it can be treated as a 'shortcut' to the tier 3 weapons (since it has less direct power than grenades).
FEV should be used to dissuade the enemy from using a particular route, or as a 'bet' when using adrenaline to carry a scientist or excel in combat.
The changes to crossbow are designed to make use of the bow less restricted, both in combat and during long lives. The time to reload 5 bolts remains the same, but a player can partially reload before switching away or firing.
We wanted to add some depth and variety to the rocket pistol, so we returned the secondary fire it had in older versions. We have also raised the skill requirements by removing the self damage reduction if you hit another player. No more point blank shots that are more beneficial to the user!
As an experiment, Secondary fire rockets travel faster than Primary fire rockets in the beta. Let us know what you think!
The Tau Cannon is the best gun in the game, so we mostly made 'quality of life' changes to it. It will probably continue to be enjoyed by all.
We made the throw speed change consistent across both grenade type weapons.
The changes to momentum allow players to accelerate with a series of jumps, or walljump from another weaponjump and keep moving fast. Please go fast.
We wanted to encourage researching this rare tech in a way that was more than just bigger regen numbers.
We wanted to make this tech a natural progression from Bionics, not just an HP boost.
We wanted to improve this tech with something more than bigger numbers, and something that would benefit defenders. Near midfield defenders will have the incentive to make trips back to the spawn as armor chargers fill faster with this researched.
Lab defenders will be able to get some armor back if they hit their use key on a scientist (in addition to the health they receive if regenerative biotechnology is researched). The amount given scales with the scientist's efficiency level. This gives defenders a new task to do between waves of attackers, and rewards good mindraying.
Defenders now have something to do with the radios they carry. A new activity will be in clearing enemy radios, while keeping your own in place. The sound-muffling mechanic will be useful in quiet situations (to help listen for attackers).
We wanted to make cloak not rely on third person to accurately show the player how visible they are. Allowing players to switch between primary and secondary cloak modes will open up new ways to use the device.
Mindray now gives attackers more incentive to use the device on an enemy scientist. Spying on the opposing company's research may lead to interesting counter research options. Defenders will benefit more from good mindraying when they receive medkits.
EMP is currently a popular choice for clearing radios, tripmines or satchels. The new primary fire will be able to briefly lock down chokepoints, or move quickly through the map.
The battery ammo type means that the weapon must be used sparingly without the support of ammo regen techs. With those techs researched, it becomes very powerful.
*inconspicuous whistling*
We wanted to reduce the number of satchels placed in a game. More care needs to be used when placing these. Players may need to resupply more frequently.
However, we also wanted to make satchels more reactive. Needing to waiting with the detonator out was a huge downside, but not anymore!
We wanted to reduce the number of tripmines placed in a game. More care needs to be used when placing these. Defenders will have to resupply more frequently.
We wanted to weaken this process financially, while still having it be useful on any map (even those without any breakables). Keep in mind this tech still increases the money made by each of your scientists, and reduces the time they spend unconscious.
We started work on this patch two and a half years ago, as something to help us stay sane while working at horrible day jobs. Having not yet discovered The Secret or reached OTVIII, we are still wage slaves.. but we almost have SI 1.2 ready for release! For a while, the project probably seemed like a fairytale I brought up whenever people needed some prodding to play in the Sunday gathers. I assure you it's real, and now you can see for yourself.
We set out to overcome some simple issues that were making it hard to run pickup games (custom maps, 'the entity limit crash'). We ended up tweaking most of the techs in the game, fixing a ton of bugs and adding some custom maps. I think it's going to be very good. However, there are a few things that we want your feedback on to make sure we get them right. Pay special attention to the shotgun, tommygun, rocket pistol and EMP cannon. Don't be afraid to tell us what you really think - the last time someone updated SI was 9 years ago and we have all been playing that version since! If this goes well, you can expect more cool updates to come (unless we get bought out and I move to Iceland with the cash).
Keep in mind that this is a first beta release to get feedback. The final release of 1.2 is still to follow. Hopefully it will have a nice installer and some better support for next-gen vomit technology. Maybe by the time we finish it, Smellovision will be available.
Thanks to everyone who contributed code, art assets, playtesting, ideas and all that jazz. Shoutouts to mumblecrew and #sciencecrew. It's really insane to think that people still care about this old game when there are such exciting alternatives as DOTA 2, Diablo 3 and Tropico 4. Please play SI responsibly. Welcome to our science facility.
I can finally say with confidence "not only am I the president...I'm also a client!" and that's really neat! It feels fantastic to give back to a community that I have been a part of for so long, to contribute to something that has been a part of my life for fifteen years. There's an obvious Half-Life joke here since it's literally half of my life, but I'll spare you and hang my head in shame.
This game has been something I have looked forward to playing each week, for the longest time. Sometimes to the dismay of friends and family. But I've met people through this game and they're some of the nicest people I know. Very soon I'll be finally getting to see the world through travel, and I can think of people in several countries that I would love to meet from this wonderful community. I can literally be the guy on the couch.
Anyways, I'm excited to present a joint effort between IE, who has become a dear friend during the development period, a few community members, and myself. This is our first update, and hopefully not our last.
I've finally been able to turn my passion for playing the game, into making the game better. I really can't wait to play bavaria and the rest of the new or lesser played maps.
I can't wait to see this shakes up the formula for the old time crew and entice in a wave of new players. Most of all, I can't wait for sunday.
Thanks to Twincannon for his hard work and map contributions. I guess I owe a Dystopia map! Endless, you've added in several awesome features, you rock! ConfusedJ00, thanks for your work and being an awesome guy to play with from the TF2 iTH days. Smooth, thanks for the absurdly long nights listening to me rant about breakables on urban.
