It’s been in the works for a few months now, but the Character Class update is finally here! We wrote down some details about it and covered the initial five classes in this blog post. We’ve also brushed up the UI again for this build, as our artist Sebastien (@vakerics) has done some spiffy new icons for the character and weapon classes, plus for icons that are used in other places in the UI. This Build was pretty complex, as you can tell by the version number, as we did 7 revisions to the initial Build 38. I think that is our most ever.
Unfortunately, this update resets save data but we think it’s worth it to start over and experience the new classes! Read on for all the details
Mike (@mikest34)
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First, let’s talk about the skills that can be unlocked in these five new classes first. Each class has 3 skills that can be unlocked when the stat value for the class is upgraded to a particular level.
Assault
- Snap Shot - Take a shot without using an action with reduced hit chance
- Hit and Run - If moved and shot results in a kill, get another movement action
- Close Combat - Attack on enemy within 2 tiles doesn't cost an action
Deadeye
- Sentry - Bonus to damage and aim if firing on first action
- Vigilance - Character will enter overwatch after moving twice
- Kill Shot - If shot results in a kill then get another shot
Saboteur
- Low Profile - If in cover, first attack per turn does no damage.
- Shadow - Does not trigger overwatch when moving
- Sneak Attack - Deal double damage if not spotted by enemies
Soldier
- Item Master - Use an item one extra time per mission
- Close One - If killed, revive once per mission with 1 health
- Double Tap - Take two shots with aim penalty on one action
Wildcat
- Itchy Trigger - Fire 2 extra bullets if on first Action
- Bullet Hell - Fires all remaining bullets at random enemies in range
- Combined Arms - Fire on enemies in range that are fired on by allies
Nobody clears a room like the Assault class
The Deadeye strikes before you even see them
The Saboteur keeps a low profile when in cover
We have two more character classes and four enemy classes that can also be unlocked in the course of the game. We have these planned out but don’t want to share too much yet. Here are some high level details on the next set of classes.
Equipment and Loot
All equipment will be grouped into tiers, which will help us show you at a glance in the UI whether an item is an improvement over the one currently equipped. There are several other behind the scenes uses for these tiers as well, for example, calculating the store prices.
Indicators now tell you if that new piece of equipment is right for your character
Another detail we mentioned in the Classes blog post are the new Weapon Classes. To sum up, each Character Class is associated to at least one weapon class. Equipping a “non class” weapon will mean a penalty. Some weapons can’t be equipped except by a member of their class but most just have a reload penalty.
Enemies now drop any “tiered” equipment (greater than tier 0) that they have plus a few credits.
Other Changes
We’ve done a bit of an mini-overhaul to the game UI. New icons for classes plus a few design refinements.
We’ve also revamped the Screen resolution settings to hopefully better support your monitor and, when in windowed mode, enforce 16x9 resolution. For you Linux players with multi-screen setups, we’re trying to improve on a bug reported recently, but you might need to switch to windowed mode. If you have issues with full screen, please submit a bug report with a screenshot and some details on your setup to help us figure this out.
Other Balancing changes
- Cost of fuel increased
- Credits as a primary Loot (in a locker, box) increased
- Cost of equipment, weapons and armor increased (pretty significantly)
- Cost of level 0, 1, 2, 3 level Mercs are the same, but level 4 and 5 are higher (when they can be recruited)
- Merc starting (default) weapons are based on their starting level
- Level 1 class weapons are the “rusty” variants
- Tougher enemies will be showing a little later than they appear currently
So what’s next?
We’ll be trying to post more regularly (at least once a week) between builds about our upcoming plans. For now, here’s a quick roadmap of what we have left to do before launch (just major items):
- Base and Objective UI’s
- Bleeding system
- Additional Class Skills (mostly testing)
- Gamepad support
- Unlocks and various other UI’s
Looks great!