Topic: Random assignments testing
-> How to access the test server.
The first public test of the new random assignments is now available on the test server.
Here's what you need to know about it.
Timeline
General mechanic testing.
Balancing pass. (Assignment payouts, relation rewards, objective difficulties including NPC rank/numbers, artifact radiuses, transport item quantities, etc.)
Once we determined that the random assignment structures have the right numbers and distances, place and block all of them into their final locations.
Populate/rework Attalica and Daoden. (Once we see that everything works right, this will go relatively fast.)
First live patch. (<- You are here)
Do the other islands. (Order is Alpha1, Alpha2, Beta1, Beta2)
New features and changes
Random assignments
Random assignments are generated specifically for you when you request one, and the actual objectives will be determined randomly based on the assignment template, the request location, the assignment level, and the surrounding facilities.
Currently we have 27 different assignment templates in 8 categories.
The old Combat, Industrial, and Transport categories have been split up into more specific ones, so you won't face enemies in transport assignments, or have to search for artifacts in pure combat assignments anymore.
There is a fancy new window when you complete an assignment, detailing the outcome.
Assignments in squads
You don't have to decide anymore whether you want to do an assignment in a squad or not. This happens automatically: if you are in a squad, the assignment will appear for all available squad members too.
The assignment owner/provider has to be online and present in order to do it. Otherwise the assignment will be put on hold and no objectives can be completed as long as this is the case.
Everyone present and in the squad can contribute to any objective and complete any assignment that is shared through the squad. Objectives that require multiple kills or multiple items can be cooperated on freely.
The "Complex production" assignment category is specifically meant for squads as it features objectives which can be done in parallel. (Though this is also true for some of the other templates too.)
Field terminals
Scattered around the islands, these provide the following services:
Secure, permanent, private storage, just like in a base. Their contents are also visible through the "all items" tab of your private storage.
Re-equipping your robot right there on the terrain. You can use modules both from your cargo or the field terminal's own storage. Can only be used while all of your modules are turned off.
You can request new assignments from them (which will start near them), so no need to return to the main base after every assignment.
Return teleport
A 5-minute return teleport option is provided after every successfully completed assignment, which will put you right next to the main terminal or outpost of your choice, within the island. It expires immediately when you enter a base or teleport to another island. You only get this after random assignments and training assignments. Old assignments don't give it due to exploit concerns.
Rework of teleport and highway networks
This is currently done only for New Virginia yet, but it should give you a good idea on how the other islands will look like.
The main guidelines behind the rework are:
Speed up traffic between main terminals, outposts, and teleports, by providing uninterrupted highway routes.
Practically you don't have to step off a highway if you're travelling between islands and their terminals.
Where possible, route inter-island traffic through outposts, which are currently underused.
Other new features and changes
Assignment specialist extensions have been reworked a bit. The old Combat/Industrial/Transport combo changed to Combat (Combat, Combat exploration), Fieldcraft (Mining, Harvesting, Exploration), Transport, and a new extension for Production (Production, Complex production). They also do not provide a bonus to relation rewards anymore, only for NIC.
Fixed the Contract negotiation extension, as it made negative bonuslevel bonuses even worse instead of reducing them. Increased the extension rank to 8. Reduced its prerequisite level in specialist extensions from 4 to 3. This and the specialist extensions will be reimbursed during the live patch.
Brought back the Diplomacy extension. It now reduces the negative relation hit towards competing megacorporations and when aborting assignments. (And only that, it does not increase positive relation rewards like in the past.)
Objective letter markings are now properly placed on and connected to NPCs and buildings, not just floating around somewhere near them.
Assignment NPCs and geoscanning targets now drop the required items into special separate blue-colored loot containers.
Your active assignment list has been split down from the assignment request window and the small assignment objectives window is now also available inside terminals.
This, and the squad window button have been moved under a dropdown button, so it is now more consistent with how it works outside.
Added a deliver button into the assignment objectives window and into the right-click menu of assignment items in a storage.
Island progress
■ New Virginia
■ Attalica
■ Daoden
■ Hershfield
■ Tellesis
■ Shinjalar
Known issues
*fixed* Deploying field containers doesn't work/gives server error.
*fixed* Can't exit the tutorial zone (server error).
*fixed* The assignment return teleport seems a bit random regarding the selected destination and where it actually puts you.
*fixed* Crash when you confirm assignment abortion while the assignment window is closed.
*fixed* Item volumes are wrong while they are in loot/field containers.
*fixed* Structure objective markers sometimes don't appear, rendering the assignment practically uncompletable.
*fixed* Fixed spawn NPCs on NV are still dropping the items for the old assignments.
*fixed* Despawn timer for assignment NPCs might be too long now. - Set to 15 minutes, which is reset when you aggro them.
*fixed* Mass-aborting assignments in a squad might be used for griefing. - Fixed by giving negative relations and bonus level decrease only to the assignment owner.
*fixed* The visibility of assignment structures is currently too low. - Masking reduced from 450 to 200.
*fixed* You get the "Can't use this while modules are active" error when trying to unstack or destroy items in your cargo, even when not near a field terminal.
*fixed* When you complete assignments at field terminals, the "Private storage" and "Assignments" buttons will get cut off. The more assignments you complete, the more gets cut off. http://i.imgur.com/uTKyGq5.jpg
*fixed* "In progress" assignment boxes appear only at the location where you requested them.
*fixed* Completing the last delivery objectives in an assignment might sometimes wrongly tell you that not all objectives have been completed yet.
*fixed* The base/terrain version of the assignment objectives window currently store their status/position/size separately. We're working on this to give them a common status.
*fixed* Assignment artifacts don't have proper names yet.
*fixed* Manufacturing objectives will always require you to do exactly 1 production cycle, regardless of the number of items that have to be produced. This is intended, but not apparent on the UI yet. - Products per cycle is now shown in CTs and in the factory.
Random assignment structures and field terminals don't have blockings yet.
Updates
Feedback is welcome in this topic, or feel free to make new ones if you want to discuss a larger issue separately.
Last update: 2015-07-19 23:25
Sorry if I did.
