Xenonauts-2 Closed Beta Build V15.3 Hotfix Released! (Experimental Branch)

[Chris]

This is the third hotfix for Beta Build V15 that we released last week - lots of fixes here, plus a rework of the training system so it actually functions properly now. You'll need to be on the Experimental Branch to access the build.

We will likely be releasing a fourth hotfix for V15 next week but we're going to slow the pace down a bit now and limit our changes specifically to bugfixes rather than also including gameplay improvements and new content like we have in these three hotfixes. Aside from an issue with planes flying the wrong way near the edge of the map (which will be fixed in the next hotfix), we've fixed all the major bugs in the game that we know about. Things should hopefully be relatively stable and playable now.

EDIT - there's actually one specific bug we need help tracking down. Please read the additional details at the bottom of the post to see how you can help!

Bugfixes:

• Fixed an issue where red error text flashes up in the bottom left corner every time the player moved a soldier in the tactical combat.
• Fixed an issue where teleporters wouldn't work in the tactical combat.
• Fixed the bug where certain role loadouts would become empty if a soldier with that role died in battle.
• MARS / ARES is no longer invisible.
• More heavily armoured versions of the ARES no longer use the placeholder Hyperion asset from X1.
• Attribute numbers on the Soldier Equip screen now correctly increase as soldiers improve their stats.
• Strength is now correctly increased by training.
• The engineering projects that require an Alloy Forge now function correctly when you build one.
• Shipping containers now correctly block shots entirely (previously they only had a 50% block chance, allowing you to shoot through them).
• Alenium Reactor now displays the correct image when constructed.
• Fixed some mis-set text in one of the UFO bombing run geoscape log anomalies.
• Sebillian Brutes should hopefully now fire their weapons much more often, as they barely fired them at all before.

Gameplay Updates:

• Base Defence missions have been disabled because there's a bunch of issues associated with them we haven't had time to fix, the most notable one being that you'll lose any workshop-constructed weapons or armour that you use on that mission. We'll bring them back in V16 once we have them working better.
• Soldier stats are now capped at 100.
• Updated the text on the Region Panic Critical and Region Lost notification pop-ups on the Geoscape.
• Unit dropshadows should now show inside UFOs.
• Gun Drones now cast shadows onto the tile they are actually in, rather than an adjacent tile.
• Fixed a couple of small issues with the floor tiles for the Scout and Destroyer UFOs.
• Engineering screen now defaults to the first valid project category rather than displaying all of them.
• The base defence turret upgrade engineering projects now have a clearer name.
• Desert, UFO interior and alien base ground tiles now correctly display the damage overlays when they take damage.
• Added a few more aliens to each standard Alien Base mission.
• Andron plasma cannon projectile now has a plasma explosion graphic rather than a standard explosion.

Balance Changes:

• Training experience is now gained much more slowly, and all attributes are increased via training at an equal rate. Your soldiers won't all be Colonels six weeks into the game any more.
• The relationship between weapon penetration and armour hardness has been simplified a little, at least for now. This should make aliens like Androns and the Sebillian Brute a bit less resistant to basic Ballistic weapons.
• The range of grenades has been increased by 3 tiles.
• The Accelerated Cannon (Aircraft) now consumes Alien Magnets to build like other Accelerated weapons, rather than Alien Alloys.
• Platesuit (Undersuit) now weighs 4 instead of 10.

EDIT BUGFIX: The bug that we're struggling to fix is an issue that happens in the tactical combat where the shroud will not clear when your soldiers look at it. This starts to happen part-way through a mission and players can work around it by saving the game and loading the save, after which the shroud will work normally. The problem for us is that because loading a save game fixes the problem, it's very hard for us to reproduce the bug.

If any players encounter this issue then please give us the following things:

• The save game from the end of the previous turn
• The save game from the start of current turn
• The output logs
• A quick description of which soldier you were using when you first noticed the problem, and what actions you had performed that turn before the bug appeared

Hopefully with that information we can reproduce the issue and fix it!

[odizzido]

Cool Thanks for the patch notes.

[Alienkiller]

Yep, cool for that next Hotfix for Version 15. Then we can make an next Test for the Game this Weekend.

 

[geno]

Just want to point how the music perfectly fits the game. Kudos to your musician.

[geno]

I've noticed a weird behavior (well, not exactly) with the AI. I was assaulting a UFO and the aliens overwatched instead of shoot to me, which made them kill a bunch of civilians what were moving in their turn. It's not a bug but it feels kinda stupid how they kill civilians instead of my soldiers, specially when they're already at close range.

[Chris]

Yeah, the AI is very dumb at the moment. It's something we'll start working on once the game is stable and we've ironed out the worst of the usability issues!