The expansion DLC is out!
The game is about to get a new mini-expansion: "The Trickster's Arsenal". The details of what's inside are still being worked on, but I can announce some new combat abilities.
The DLC is going to add 7 new powers, kind of like the chopper strike, but with different effects. For example, one ability is STASIS FIELD - you can fire it at a hive and freeze everything in the area. The hive can't take damage, but it also can't do anything to you. Good for splitting up enemies. Another one is OVERDOSE - you lose some health, but your marines go into a frenzy.
The abilities allow you to fight in new ways, like teleporting across the map to deal with an emergency.
At least some parts of the DLC will be free to everyone who owns the game. For example, I didn't want to split the leaderboards between DLC and non-DLC, so the new abilities are unlocked for everyone if you're playing a leaderboard map.
Here are the patch notes:
DLC FEATURES
- New ability menu with 7 commander powers
- Mutator structure poses strategic dilemmas
- Hive crawler alien in Ironman and Hunt missions
- Extra-challenging Ironman skirmish mode and weekly challenge
- Campaign integration for abilities and hunt missions
MAJOR
- Commander powers can be used by everyone in weekly challenges
- Mutator structures appear for everyone in weekly challenges
- Revised Tension mission to be easier
- Added patrol command
- Made life support shared damage affect shielded marines
- Tweaked costs of several items
- Made minigunner more vulnerable
- Changed ammo supply not to drop as much ammo
- Fixed bug with infested turrets that was making them useless
- Halved fire rate of infested turrets (compared to marine turrets)
MINOR
- Made mimic eggs slightly more vulnerable to grenades
- Made infested marines higher priority targets
- Made medi-pods higher priority targets
- Reduced infested officer inspiration duration
- Improved target selection for burrowing hive
- Made spore mines unable to respawn if hive is damaged
- Increased respawn time of spore mines
- Reduced damage of spore mines
- Buffed Assassins mutation with infested snipers
- Removed Assassins mutation from easier difficulties
- Made minigunners less effective against barriers
- Added speed and armour bonus to inspired flamers
- Made respawn happen even at points with dead bunkers
- Changed AI and infested marines not to switch targets if they already have an important one
UI
- Added game option to hide idle unit alerts
- Added game option to reduce size of announcements
- Added visual indicator for which marine will be tasked with building
- Added tips to important entities
- Made all random missions point to marine spawn at the start
- Added tooltips to custom level menu
- Removed "Command Cancelled" message for chained commands
- Added double-click "by type" marine selection
- Added shadow to tech station icon to help recognition
- Added ammo number to the UI
FIXES
- Stopped marines from getting stuck as much
- Fixed campaign mission UI on extremely wide resolutions
- Fixed crash issue that happened if switching resolutions during a game
- Fixed UI issue with ammo upgrade and switching resolutions
- Fixed date display issue for daily challenge at end of year (if week # warps over)
- Removed OpenAL32.dll from game folder. Steam should install its own version
- Optimised bug swarming slightly
- Fixed bug with guardian mouse-over
