Jun 30, 2016

XCOM® 2 - Hinkle2K

A new patch for XCOM 2 is now live! The patch will automatically install when starting the Steam client. If it doesn't install automatically, restart Steam.

The XCOM 2 team continues to work to improve your XCOM 2 experience and have fixed a number of bugs in both the base game and the Alien Hunters DLC. New balance changes have been added including additional bonuses to swords to make your Rangers more effective in combat. Downloading this patch will also install the hooks needed for players to access the new SPARK class and narrative-driven mission in Shen’s Last Gift.

Stay tuned for more updates!

Gameplay – Base Game
• Fixed an issue where units would not have their mission starting abilities and Gremlins would not follow
• Fixed an issue with Wet Work where kills were not being tracked for the correct unit
• Fixed an issue where Burning and Poisoned damage was causing free kills
• Damage caused by Psi abilities will now ignore armor
• Faceoff may now only target units that are not mind-controlled (by the shooter’s team)
• Fixed damage preview for abilities that modify damage based on incoming damage amount
• Fixed an exploit where replacing a PCS would not always remove the value it gave when equipping
• Magnetic Swords are now referred to “Magnetic” rather than “Conventional”
• Fixed an issue where the unit flag would not properly show a unit as concealed when loading a save game
• Fixed a crash that could occur after selecting an AOE ability and then another (disabled) ability
• Fixed an issue where Proximity Mines were not damaging every unit in a group move situation
• Blademaster grants +10 Aim to melee and Hunter’s Instinct grants +15 to melee crit
• [MP] Matches will no longer immediately end for the user when winning during the transition before their turn

Gameplay – Alien Hunters
• Fixes instances of Alien Ruler soft hangs
• Avenger Defense no longer fails if a Ruler is in the evac zone
• Fixed an issue where the Skulljack objective caused MECs to stop appearing in tactical
• Fixed a crash that would occur after the Archon King completes an Icarus Drop
• Alien Hunter weapons have range bonuses/penalties applied
• Fixed an issue where Alien Rulers were missing health after increasing the difficulty during a playthrough
• Fixed an issue where Alien Hunter weapons would be lost after upgrading through GTS
• Central can no longer bleed out on the Nest mission due to it causing a soft-fail state
• Removed Freezing Lash’s minimum range of 3 tiles which prevented units from using the ability when standing next to an enemy
• Berserker Queen’s Faithbreaker ability no long targets robotic units
• Removed “Return to Resistance HQ” button from the Hunter Weapons POI complete popup to prevent players from getting into a state where project times are incorrect

Performance Improvements
• Fixed an issue with Effects being ticked twice a frame
• Optimizations to path solving memory footprint and performance
• Fixed an issue where unnecessary game states were created on the Geoscape

System Support
• Updates to allow Steam Workshop DLC to be enumerated before native script packages are loaded. Will allow mods that override XComGame.upk to work through Steam Workshop
Steam Controller
• Removed button labels in save/load list that are not hooked up to anything

Modding
• New flag bForceReselectAllGroupsForSpawn for use with multi-part mission schedules
• Armor hit rolls have been deprecated as the game treats armor as 100% chance to absorb damage
• Armor is now handled directly by ApplyWeaponDamage
• ApplyWeaponDamage now has a bIgnoreArmor flag so that psionic abilities properly ignore armor
• Tactical Quick Launch menu now supports the grenade slot correctly
• Debug command X2ShowFullObject to display a game state object’s data
• Bonus weapon ammo (e.g. Heavy Ordnance and Field Medic) is now handled through a delegate on ability templates: GetBonusWeaponAmmoFn
• X2DownloadableContentInfo has new hooks:
• AbilityTagExpandHandler, so new localization tags can be added
• FinalizeUnitAbilitiesForInit, which allows special manipulation of a unit's ability list before the abilities are created in a tactical match
• Effects now have the ability to be redirected from their initial target
• EffectShouldRedirect figures out who gets the redirected effect
• New character template flag, bDiesWhenCaptured
• Character templates can now have forced first, last, and nick names
• Character templates can implement the delegate GetPhotographerPawnNameFn so as not to be forced to use soldier pawns for pictures in the strategy game
• Countries can now be hidden from character customization
• Deprecated X2AbilityMultiTarget_SoldierBonusRadius (though it continues to work for now). Base classes X2AbilityMultiTarget_Radius, _Cone, and _Line now support increasing the AOE range based on passive abilities in a generic fashion.
• Effects may add projectiles to a volley conditionally by registering in the EffectsForProjectileVolleys array and implementing the function GetProjectileVolleyTemplate. Effects that are always on should still use the perk system, but this callback allows for game state checks to add or not add the projectile to a volley.
• X2Effect_GenerateCover can now generate cover for mobile units, instead of forcing it to disappear when the unit moves

Jun 30, 2016

XCOM 2 June 2016 Patch

XCOM® 2 - Hinkle2K

May 12, 2016

Alien Hunters DLC and May Update Now Live

XCOM® 2 - Hinkle2K

Alien Hunters, the second DLC pack for XCOM 2, adds exciting new gameplay content to your campaign. Available now for $9.99 or as part of the Reinforcement Pack, Alien Hunters features a narrative-driven mission, new weapons and armor, a new “Hunter’s Lodge” update to the Avenger’s Armory, plus three new “Ruler” alien units to combat.

These new Rulers, including the Viper King, are quite formidable, Commander. They will show up at random in your campaign, once you’ve completed the new narrative mission, and each will have their own unique behavior and tactics, so don’t expect them to act like their subordinates. If you can’t take out a ruler quick enough, the alien will escape to fight another day. We believe these rulers are incredibly intelligent and are pursuing your soldiers across the globe.

You won’t be without help in this new fight, however, as Alien Hunters also includes four new one-of-a-kind weapons: the Bolt Caster, a high damage single-shot weapon; the Hunter’s Axe, a powerful new blade weapon that can be thrown at enemies or used to dispatch foes at close range; the ShadowKeeper pistol, which has the Shadowfall ability that is guaranteed to hit and will place its user in concealment if the enemy is killed; and the Frost Bomb grenade, which is able to temporarily freeze targets. Chief Shen has asked us to point out that each of these weapons is a prototype, so if a soldier equipping any of these weapons falls in battle, be sure to physically carry them to the Skyranger or else you’ll lose the weapons forever.

On top of the new weapons, there are also three new suits of armor that can be unlocked in Alien Hunters. Each armor set is created from the corpse of a Ruler alien, and provides unique tactical abilities for the wearer. Each unique armor set also strikes fear into the subordinate alien caste. For example, the Icarus Suit is outfitted with powerful boosters that allow its wearer to fly around the map for maximum mobility.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_mr3TBZd_Y
Alien Hunters also includes a compatibility patch for XCOM 2. This patch will include authentication for Alien Hunters, as well as general bug fixes, balancing in the single player, performance optimizations and a rebalanced multiplayer experience for the base game.

Alien Hunters requires XCOM 2 to play and is available now for $9.99. If you already own the Reinforcement Pack, do not purchase this DLC separately as you will be charged for it.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/433090/

XCOM 2 May Patch

A new patch for XCOM 2 is now live! The patch will automatically install when starting the Steam client. If it doesn’t install automatically, restart Steam.

Downloading the patch introduces new bug fixes, balance tweaks, and performance optimizations on top of a rebalanced multiplayer experience and new modding functionality. Hop into a few MP games and let us know what you think of the new ability loadouts and point values!

The XCOM 2 team is continuing their work on improving the experience for everyone. Stay tuned for more updates and news!

Gameplay

Fixed an issue where the doom countdown timer was refilling after the Avatar bar filled up
Repeater no longer triggers after Stock damage or damage done over time
Mimic Beacons can no longer be reanimated
Mimic Beacons can no longer be targeted by Aid Protocol
Zombie Soldiers count towards “Soldiers Dead” counter
Evac zones can no longer be placed on a soldier
Fixed an issue where XCOM units were hitching after pod reveals
Fixed an issue where armor was not resetting properly after restarting the Avenger Defense mission
Fixed a crash that would occur after opening an ADVENT garage door
Soldiers equipped with the Hazmat Vest will no longer be affected by Acid Burn when pathing over Acid
Fixed an issue where loot was not being given to the player after killing an enemy next to a soldier with a hacked turret
Fixed multiple issues that would occur when a Gatekeeper is killed while affected by Chryssalid poison
Specialists can no longer receive the Phantom ability through the Advanced Warfare Center
Fixed an issue where certain AOE attacks could be used when selected while the unit was in movement
Grenade damage rebalance
- Plasma Grenade Dmg: 5-6 -> 4-5
- Acid Bomb Dmg: 5-6 -> 4-5
- Fire Bomb Dmg: 6-7 -> 5-6
- Gas Bomb Dmg: 5-6 -> 4-5
- Proximity Mine Dmg: 8 -> 6
- Gas Grenade Radius: 5 -> 4
- Gas Bomb Radius: 6 -> 5
- Proximity Mine Radius: 5-> 4
- Volatile Mix Ability no longer grants grenade radius bonus

Multiplayer

MP balance changes (more details below)
ADVENT and Alien units with weapons have been given range bonuses/penalties
Fixed an issue where squads would be deleted when saving and editing Loadouts
Fixed an issue where new squads were not being created upon selecting “Save As New Loadout” in the Edit Loadouts Menu
Fixed an issue where weapon customizations were not saved when created in the Squad Loadout
Fixed an issue where the Stun Lancer’s charge attack was causing players to desync

Gameplay/Visualization

Fixed an issue where Skulljacked units floated too high in the air
Fixed an issue where weapons inappropriately remained in the hands of soldiers
Fixed an issue where grenades were causing environmental damage on their way to the target
Fixed an issue where XCOM soldiers and Psi-Zombies were able to share the same tile
Fixed multiple animation issues caused when carrying an unconscious unit
Fixed an issue where a soldier remained bound by a Viper’s Bind and Crush ability after killing it
Fixed an issue where explosions would occur early

Performance

Removed a hitch that would occur when building visibility is disabled/enabled
Fixed an issue causing lighting to appear dark when launching the title on specific AMD setups

Systems

Fixed an issue where the default setting for the Anarchy’s Children slider in the options menu was inconsistent between platforms
Fixed an issue where enemy weapons would continuously ragdoll after a unit was killed
Fixed an issue where the Loadout screen music plays after loading a Strategy save mid-mission
Fixed a crash that would occur when accessing the ADVENT Broadcast Network mission while mods were active on the Geoscape

Implemented a ‘Select All Mods’ button
Extended the character length for bios
Adjusted some prewritten soldier bios
Fixed an issue where users could access locked customization options
Fixed an issue where the wrong options were sometimes appearing in the Gameplay tab in the Options menu
Fixed an issue where tooltips would not show when viewing the Options menu

Modding/SDK

Game state classes can now be overridden
The ‘static’ scope keyword now works with override classes, allowing static functions to be overridden
The X2DownloadableContentInfo class has been extended to provide many new hooks for events such as mission start/end
The X2DownloadableContent class can now route ‘exec’ functions (console commands) allowing mods to implement their own cheats

Multiplayer Balance Changes:

ADVENT:

Trooper:

HP: 3->4
Aim: 65->70
Flank Crit Chance: 33->40
Officer:

HP: 12->7
Aim: 75->78
Flank Crit Chance: 33->40
WpnDmg: (6-7)->(3-4)
GrndDmg: (3-4)->(2-3)
Stun Lancer:

HP: 6->7
Aim: 65->70
Mobility: 12->14
Flank Crit Chance: 33->40
Shieldbearer:

HP: 6->8
Aim: 70->75
Flank Crit Chance: 33->40
MEC:

HP: 7->9
Aim: 75->78
Flank Crit Chance: 33->40
Defense: 0->10
Aliens:

Sectoid:

HP: 8->10
Aim: 75->78
Flank Crit Chance: 33->40
Psi Offense: 90->100
WpnDmg: (3-4)->(3-5)
Armor Shred: +1
Cost: 800 -> 1000
Faceless:

HP: 10->14
Aim: 75->80
Regen: 2->4
Mobility 14->15
MeleeDmg: (3-4)->(3-6)
Cost: 1000->800
Viper:

HP: 8->10
Aim: 75->78
Flank Crit Chance: 33->40
WpnDmg: (3-5)->(4-5)
Armor Shred: +1
Cost: 1500->1200
Muton:

HP: 8->10
Armor: 1->2
Flank Crit Chance: 33->40
Codex:

Teleport now has 1 turn cooldown
Clone now only triggers off of enemy attacks
Armor Shred: +1
Berserker:

HP: 18->20
Aim: 75->80
Can now travel 2 moves before using Devastating Blow
Archon:

Aim: 75->78
Flank Crit Chance: 33->40
Cost: 1750->2000
Blazing Pinions now has 3 turn cooldown
Armor Shred: +1
Chryssalid:

Aim: 75->80
Burrow now has a 2 turn cooldown, cooldown starts on unborrow.
Cost: 1250->1200
Andromedon:

Flank Crit Chance: 33->40
Sectopod:

Cost: 6000->8000
Gatekeeper:

Cost: 5000->6000
Armor Shred: +1
Spawned Units:

Psi Zombie:

HP: 6->8
Aim: 65->75
Can now travel 2 moves before using melee attack
Andromedon Robot:

Can now travel 2 moves before using Fist Strike
XCOM:

Phantom Ranger:

Removed Conceal ability, still starts out match concealed
Cost: 3000 -> 3200
Blademaster Ranger:

Conventional Sword->Arc Blade
Cost: 2500->2800
Sniper Sharpshooter:

Gunslinger Sharpshooter:

Cost: 2500->3000
Heavy Gunner Grenadier:

Cost: 2500->3200
Demo Expert Grenadier:

Cost: 2500->3200
Battlefield Medic Specialist:

Cost: 3000 -> 2800
Combat Hacker Specialist:

Aid Protocol defense now same as Battlefield Medic
Cost: 3000 -> 3200
Psi Operative:

Mind Control cooldown increased from 3 to 5
Items:

Mindshield:

Cost: 250 -> 200
Battle Scanner:

Cost: 600 -> 400
Tracer Rounds:

Cost: 300 -> 100
Hellweave:

Cost: 400 -> 200
Stasis Vest:

Cost: 600 -> 400
Hazmat Vest:

Cost: 300 -> 100
Smoke Grenade:

Removed

May 12, 2016

Alien Hunters DLC and May Update Now Live

XCOM® 2 - Hinkle2K

XCOM 2 May Patch

Fixed an issue where the doom countdown timer was refilling after the Avatar bar filled up
Repeater no longer triggers after Stock damage or damage done over time
Mimic Beacons can no longer be reanimated
Mimic Beacons can no longer be targeted by Aid Protocol
Zombie Soldiers count towards “Soldiers Dead” counter
Evac zones can no longer be placed on a soldier
Fixed an issue where XCOM units were hitching after pod reveals
Fixed an issue where armor was not resetting properly after restarting the Avenger Defense mission
Fixed a crash that would occur after opening an ADVENT garage door
Soldiers equipped with the Hazmat Vest will no longer be affected by Acid Burn when pathing over Acid
Fixed an issue where loot was not being given to the player after killing an enemy next to a soldier with a hacked turret
Fixed multiple issues that would occur when a Gatekeeper is killed while affected by Chryssalid poison
Specialists can no longer receive the Phantom ability through the Advanced Warfare Center
Fixed an issue where certain AOE attacks could be used when selected while the unit was in movement
Grenade damage rebalance
- Plasma Grenade Dmg: 5-6 -> 4-5
- Acid Bomb Dmg: 5-6 -> 4-5
- Fire Bomb Dmg: 6-7 -> 5-6
- Gas Bomb Dmg: 5-6 -> 4-5
- Proximity Mine Dmg: 8 -> 6
- Gas Grenade Radius: 5 -> 4
- Gas Bomb Radius: 6 -> 5
- Proximity Mine Radius: 5-> 4
- Volatile Mix Ability no longer grants grenade radius bonus

Multiplayer

MP balance changes (more details below)
ADVENT and Alien units with weapons have been given range bonuses/penalties
Fixed an issue where squads would be deleted when saving and editing Loadouts
Fixed an issue where new squads were not being created upon selecting “Save As New Loadout” in the Edit Loadouts Menu
Fixed an issue where weapon customizations were not saved when created in the Squad Loadout
Fixed an issue where the Stun Lancer’s charge attack was causing players to desync

Gameplay/Visualization

Fixed an issue where Skulljacked units floated too high in the air
Fixed an issue where weapons inappropriately remained in the hands of soldiers
Fixed an issue where grenades were causing environmental damage on their way to the target
Fixed an issue where XCOM soldiers and Psi-Zombies were able to share the same tile
Fixed multiple animation issues caused when carrying an unconscious unit
Fixed an issue where a soldier remained bound by a Viper’s Bind and Crush ability after killing it
Fixed an issue where explosions would occur early

Performance

Removed a hitch that would occur when building visibility is disabled/enabled
Fixed an issue causing lighting to appear dark when launching the title on specific AMD setups

Systems

Fixed an issue where the default setting for the Anarchy’s Children slider in the options menu was inconsistent between platforms
Fixed an issue where enemy weapons would continuously ragdoll after a unit was killed
Fixed an issue where the Loadout screen music plays after loading a Strategy save mid-mission
Fixed a crash that would occur when accessing the ADVENT Broadcast Network mission while mods were active on the Geoscape

Implemented a ‘Select All Mods’ button
Extended the character length for bios
Adjusted some prewritten soldier bios
Fixed an issue where users could access locked customization options
Fixed an issue where the wrong options were sometimes appearing in the Gameplay tab in the Options menu
Fixed an issue where tooltips would not show when viewing the Options menu

Modding/SDK

Game state classes can now be overridden
The ‘static’ scope keyword now works with override classes, allowing static functions to be overridden
The X2DownloadableContentInfo class has been extended to provide many new hooks for events such as mission start/end
The X2DownloadableContent class can now route ‘exec’ functions (console commands) allowing mods to implement their own cheats

May 11, 2016

Take One More Turn in Civilization VI

XCOM® 2 - Hinkle2K

http://www.civilization.com/en/news/2016-05-take-one-more-turn-in-civilization-vi

We’re excited to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Civilization franchise by announcing Sid Meier’s Civilization VI, the next entry in the award-winning turn-based strategy franchise. Be sure to follow the Steam Community group here and add the game to your Steam wishlist!

http://store.steampowered.com/app/289070
Sid Meier’s Civilization VI, set to launch on PC on October 21, 2016, offers new ways to interact with your world, expand your empire across the map, advance your culture and compete against history’s greatest leaders to build a civilization that will truly stand the test of time. Your story begins later this year!

Sid Meier’s Civilization VI includes:

EXPANSIVE EMPIRES: See the marvels of your empire spread across the map like never before. Each city spans multiple tiles so you can custom build your cities to take full advantage of the local terrain.
ACTIVE RESEARCH: Unlock boosts that speed your civilization’s progress through history. To advance more quickly, use your units to actively explore, develop your environment, and discover new cultures.
DYNAMIC DIPLOMACY: Interactions with other civilizations change over the course of the game, from primitive first interactions where conflict is a fact of life, to late game alliances and negotiations.
COMBINED ARMS: Expanding on the “one unit per tile” design, support units can now be embedded with other units, like anti-tank support with infantry, or a warrior with settlers. Similar units can also be combined to form powerful “Corps” units.
ENHANCED MULTIPLAYER: In addition to traditional multiplayer modes, cooperate and compete with your friends in a wide variety of situations all designed to be easily completed in a single session.
A CIV FOR ALL PLAYERS: Civilization VI provides veteran players new ways to build and tune their civilization for the greatest chance of success. New tutorial systems are designed to introduce new players to the underlying concepts of Civilization so they can easily get started on a path to victory.

Join the conversation on social media by using the hashtag #OneMoreTurn, and be sure to follow the Civilization franchise on social media to keep up to date with the latest news and information on Sid Meier’s Civilization VI.

http://twitter.com/civgame
http://facebook.com/civ
http://youtube.com/civilization

May 11, 2016

Take One More Turn in Civilization VI

XCOM® 2 - Hinkle2K

EXPANSIVE EMPIRES: See the marvels of your empire spread across the map like never before. Each city spans multiple tiles so you can custom build your cities to take full advantage of the local terrain.
ACTIVE RESEARCH: Unlock boosts that speed your civilization’s progress through history. To advance more quickly, use your units to actively explore, develop your environment, and discover new cultures.
DYNAMIC DIPLOMACY: Interactions with other civilizations change over the course of the game, from primitive first interactions where conflict is a fact of life, to late game alliances and negotiations.
COMBINED ARMS: Expanding on the “one unit per tile” design, support units can now be embedded with other units, like anti-tank support with infantry, or a warrior with settlers. Similar units can also be combined to form powerful “Corps” units.
ENHANCED MULTIPLAYER: In addition to traditional multiplayer modes, cooperate and compete with your friends in a wide variety of situations all designed to be easily completed in a single session.
A CIV FOR ALL PLAYERS: Civilization VI provides veteran players new ways to build and tune their civilization for the greatest chance of success. New tutorial systems are designed to introduce new players to the underlying concepts of Civilization so they can easily get started on a path to victory.