Beta 9 "Wizardry" Early Prerelease (X6) w/Abominations Mode (Patreon)

Whew, the data server is up and running, and the deadline for releasing Beta 9 fast approaches, so we're going to do it without leaderboards since at least we'll be properly collecting the data for later!

Next week Beta 9 will release publicly, so before then the goal is to make sure there's nothing wrong with the uploaded stats (and of course the release in general :P). I've been testing it in recent days and fixing anything I find, but maybe others will notice something else.

There has been some other work on Beta 9 since X5 (see the attached a simplified changelog that only shows most of the differences between X5 and X6), but the big focus is on the server connection features. We've now got reuploading of scores that failed to upload, and assuming your score upload succeeded, then the scoresheet will also be appended with its online URL for both the TXT and JSON (new!) format.

The JSON format in particular is important because it represents the new database's internal structure for storing run data. So if you've got some time in the next few days and happen to do a run or two, it'd be great if you could check the JSON contents and compare to what actually happened in your run (in particular the non-stat sections) to make sure everything is recorded correctly. A mistake here could really mess things up xD

For anyone interested in the complete underlying structure of the data, which is actually transferred and stored as a Protobuffer, I've also attached the corresponding scoresheet.proto file. (Obviously this file contains a few spoilers in the form of stats tied to mechanics you might not know about, or the names of maps you haven't visited before, so be aware of that if you're spoiler-averse.)

Technically the URLs are also found in the run.log for the current run:

As you can see in the changelog, the new crit immunity reductions are mostly permanent, becoming a new kind of immunity specifically to "Coring" (because there were a couple special bots that still needed full Critical immunity (SW!), and being more specific with the immunity name for bots that only have core immunity is less confusing anyway).

X6 saves are not compatible with previous releases, so consider first finishing up any in-progress run. 

On Steam, Beta 9 X6 is located on the new beta branch "beta9wizardry6," or if you don't have Steam and need the DRM-free version, send me an email at gridsagegames@gmail.com.

For Steam players, remember that if you switch to the new branch to play, and then later switch back to an old/main branch to play again, you may lose some newer Beta 9 meta data that doesn't apply in an older version.

A special mode for Halloween 2019!

This prerelease also comes with Halloween mode! I've decided that officially this mode will not be released with Beta 9, but instead as Beta 9.1 the week after release, but you are welcome to try it now. Please do, even, to see if there's anything wrong with it and tell me what you think--I've also been lonely playing it all by myself in secret for the past couple days :P

In Beta 9 X6, force the mode by using this command line parameter: "-forceMode:Abominations"

Please don't spread any details about the mode outside patrons (this includes not streaming it yet), since I'd prefer it not distract too much from the Beta 9 release itself (any more than it already will after the fact anyway xD). The Halloween fun can come the week after, with an official announcement and the release of Beta 9.1 (which could technically include and Beta 9 week 1 fixes if anything important is found).

So what is Halloween mode...? Well you can totally enjoy exploring it yourself spoiler-free, if that's your thing, in which case STOP READING NOW.

Otherwise scroll down and I'll be going over some of the details...

!!! ALERT: HALLOWEEN MODE SPOILERS !!!

Unlike previous special modes, this one isn't about special parts you get, but instead about unique new challenges you'll face. And there are quite a lot of them!

A new attack interpreted by MAIN.C as a "virus" is centered around power sources which are being haunted by some kind of quantum beings unleashing havoc across 0b10.

The resulting "Abominations" are capable of attracting and absorbing any nearby parts for their own use, so yeah you could be facing some seriously scary opponents--or comically weak ones depending on what was around at the time! Still, the better the power source, the bigger and more dangerous the Abomination since they have better integrity and can attach even more parts.

Abominations that absorb additional power sources may also then use them to shed Anomalies, which come in 14 different varieties and randomly wander the map causing special effects dependent on their type, from freezing everything around them, to polymorphing, destroying terrain, blowing things up, electrifying nearby robots, randomly warping objects around them...

I'll maybe add a full list later for the official announcement, but there's some pretty interesting stuff out there, including a number which can even be beneficial for you, if not always reliable, and of course the negative effects of Anomalies don't actually impact Abominations, so be careful.

Overall there's a cascade of effects across the map as each 0b10 area descends into chaos, with MAIN.C forces trying to fight off invaders, and neither side happy to see you.

Branches are completely off limits in this mode--not even Waste or Garrisons are accessible, so it's a straight shot to the surface. There is, however, a new boss found in a hidden new map, but I won't spoil that part yet. You'll have to figure out how to access it, though it's probably not too hard.

Go kick some Abomination butt!

P.S. This mode is also a good chance to see what it's like to frequently engage randomized builds, which is an occasional question/request from players, but a system that I intentionally avoid in Cogmind's design because it's a very different kind of experience.

P.P.S. The Abomination death sound will be familiar to anyone who's played X@COM ;)

EDIT 19 October: The Steam X6 branch was just switched over to the final official build of Beta 9, presumably the same one that will release next week. It just includes a few fixes made over the past couple days. Saves are compatible with X6. (I also emailed a link to everyone who has the DRM-free version of X6.)

With regard to Halloween mode, technically Beta 9 is also capable of doing it, but don't talk about this outside the patron community because it won't be an "official" part of the game until Beta 9.1 is released the week after Beta 9! The 9.1 changelog will include Halloween stuff, and anything else which needs changed after the first week of Beta 9, like... I dunno, bugs that slipped by all of you? ;)