Greetings!

In the twilight's shadow dawn, we have the distinguished pleasure to announce today the latest upgrade to all terminals by the engineering department containing the following features:

• NEW Single Player Campaign - with a dynamic starting guide
  
• NEW in-game Encyclopedia - the MIRVIN button
  
• Improved game rules
  
• Updated and improved AI
  
• and last but not least, the Ranked Play and ranking system implemented and unlocked for play - for details see the past week's development diary here.

The Cold War is a historically rich era, and what particularly stands out are the impacts of the bravery of single individuals with enormous responsibility on their shoulders. What we wanted, is to share their story while creating a new type of Grand Campaign not found in many strategy games. Instead of facing just facing the traditional series of point and click scenarios (which we have created outside of the Grand Campaign and that explaining the very basics), we decided on a novel approach. The new Grand Campaign: The Big Picture is not a scenario or linear tutorial; instead what we have created is a system where you are playing the regular single player game and anchored to it are story elements that you can trigger as you play to win the Cold War.



This kind of storytelling is more difficult to design, but we felt it would be a lot more rewarding. Train as you fight - Fight like you train. Once you pass your mandatory presidential assessment, your terminal starts presenting you with information depending on what you select and as you encounter game elements for the first time.

Selecting Mainland Spain for the first time, for example, will bring up information about Regional Influence, and about Straits. The former for you selecting a region and encountering Influence for the first time and the latter as Mainland Spain has a Strait, and that is unique information tied to that region. You can thus focus on the strategy and MIRVIN can focus on teaching you how to play to your fullest.


Just like presidents and general secretaries of the era, all the game information you will find as you explore The Big Picture and unlock all the features of your terminal you can find through your trusted companion MIRVIN.

Access his knowledge through this memory bank by selecting the MIRVIN button and knowledge is at your fingertips. Structured and divided the same way as the game manual you can browse through the in-game Encyclopedia.



Covering the entire game, note that, any part you ask MIRVIN about in the Encyclopedia while playing the Big Picture he also automatically unlocks for you, preventing it from popping up again when selected. For example, should you read up on straits in the Encyclopedia before having selected a region with a strait for the first time in the grand campaign, he will not bother you again with that information when you finally do select Mainland Spain.
Improved game rules

There have been various minor changes, but the big change in this field is the streamlining of Arms Race posture. Previously Arms Race only allowed for declaration of War Zones in your Focus theater. Though this meant that action would be limited to one theater at a time, this was also creating an unfair drawback for certain styles of play in particular for the United States, feedback that the community also voiced. Analyzing the data and crunching the numbers; we have rebalanced the game and both Arms Race and Disarmament postures are now global instead of local to the selected focus theater.

If you discover a large buildup of Soviet Bombers in Iran but the Pacific is the Focus? Well, it’s time to visit Teheran and we love to see you do so.

MIRVIN not only provides better information, but he has also gotten an upgrade when considering unit deployment and uses Intelligence much better to gage where he puts out units on the map. Though still possible, it will be much more difficult to Ambush his units going forward. Not that you would do that to a friend? Right?

In closing, we have unlocked the Ranked Play ahead of time. Mentioned in last week's development diary, the feature has been fully play-tested during months of production and as we saw that we have gotten so good stability; we rolled it out for you to play. It’s our way of giving back to the quickly growing almost 1100 individuals strong Early Access community for supporting our project and development.

You, the unnamed and unsung heroes who make this happen and whom we meet through Discord messages, posts in Steam forums and not to mention all the emails, Facebook posts, and tweets sent to us. We are very grateful, and very privileged, to have such a fantastic community. A big thanks to you all!

Mighty Cheers

Gellert Keresztes, Lennart Berg and Davide Benedetti
******************************************************

I) KIM IL-SUNG: A Communist Ideologue and Supreme Leader will rise to power like the living Sun to establish a People's Republic like never seen before and the first Communist dynasty. Or will his life be cut short and his reign curtailed by US regional power? The rise of North Korea is in final BETA testing and receiving its finalized graphical assets.

II) Policies are getting rolled out with each new patch.

III) CONTRAS: TOP SECRET!

AI

• AI much better in judging unit deployment
  
• Further improvements made on how AI handles Ambushes
  
• Fixed an issue where the MRIVIN state would not play the sound
  
• Fixed AI simulation not being correctly stopped by Mirvin's skip turn

GAME

• Ranked Play enabled - First-ever Ranked Play Season started
  
• Updated Ranked Play ranks
  
• Implemented shared decision system and imagery for Encyclopedia
  
• Implemented a state machine for the Encyclopedia
  
• China Card now also works with Encyclopedia
  
• MIRVIN button enabled in non-scripted wargames
  
• Mirvin conversation now with proper transitions
  
• Tutorial Fixes and the start of Lore
  
• Disembark order in non-focus theater can now be issued.
  
• Fighter Commands and Bombers Command now allow non-focus action
  
• Fixed ability to launch apocalypse when not in focus
  
• Updated all the Theaters descriptions for Policies and Allies menus
  
• Fixed test game faction overrides not being cleared on normal games
  
• Fixed UI lagging behind logic when starting wargame
  
• Fixed a typo that would cause an error message to be given when launching Balance of Power
  
• Removed a file that was no longer used
  
• JSON error notification reported has been fixed
  
• Wargames can select to load the main game's decisions/policies as well
  
• Fixed an issue where the game would display a series of 9s instead of the turn counter

FOCUSES

• Exception fix in focus management

POLICIES

• Fixed an issue where policy description coloring would be incorrect
  
• Updated three Policies for Grand Campaign: The Big Picture
  
• Reconnect the West Wing: Increase DOOMSDAY to 5 to gain 3 VICTORY POINTS. Enables new policy 'Reconnect Congress'. HINT: Use MIRVIN's ENCYCLOPEDIA to unlock and learn more about the concepts related to the DOOMSDAY clock.
  
• Reconnect Congress: It will be a challenge but increase either your GOVERNMENT or your ELITES' interest ALIGNMENT to 2 to gain 9 VICTORY POINTS. Might take several timelines. Enables new policy 'Reconnect the National Security Council'. HINT: Use MIRVIN's ENCYCLOPEDIA to unlock and learn more about the concepts related to the INTERESTS.
  
• Reconnect the National Security Council: Land on the MOON before the USSR does so to gain 12 VICTORY POINTS. HINT: Use MIRVIN's ENCYCLOPEDIA to unlock and learn more about the concepts related to the SPACE RACE.
  
• Encyclopedia decisions enable UI elements
  
• Fixed an issue where the policy menu scroller was cutting off 3rd row's names
  
• Wargames now have StartingPolicies - all other policies deactivated on startup

NUCLEAR WAR

• Fixed an issue where Nuclear Apocalypse would crash due to UI order change
  
• New border traces for nuclear world wrap around
  
• Fixed an issue there the Apocalypse would cause the screen to fill with hostile nuclear icons

DECISIONS

• Fixed image references in SCN1
  
• Added missing image for A Swift Response
  
• China Card possible breakdown fix
  
• Decisions grammar fixes
  
• Duplicate ID fix

MAP

• Updated Naming and Notifications for Global Maps
  
• Updated an issue where Spain had an incorrectly sized overlay

CHARACS

• Characs now correctly lose 1 POWER each timeline
  
• Favoring characs hurt mutually exclusive characs by 1 power

MULTIPLAYER

• Fixed cross-OS OOS due to Directory.GetFiles() retrieving files in different order between *nix and Windows implementations

OTHER

• Updated name displaying the UI to COMMAND USER INTERFACE
  
• Updated the definition the TRANSIT unit ability
  
• Updated definition for cross theater maneuvers
  
• Fixed small UI bug with space race research dialog
  
• Added missing audio and updated sound clip for Theater map buttons
  
• Added tooltip notification for Focus Objective
  
• Fixed footer bar not resizing in the world overview

With a steadily growing player base, we wanted to upgrade your terminals with a simple system for multi-player games. Coming to you at release on the 24th of September, we are announcing the development of Ranked Play.


Ranked Play is a seasonal tournament system where you select your faction to be automatically match made with an opponent within two (2) ranks of your level. Should none be available within 180 seconds, you will be able to connect to play against an AI in tournament mode instead.




Unlike Challenge Mode, this tournament mode features time management and timed turns. This means that games are snappier as we introduce a format that takes about 45-90 minutes to play for you to test your Cold War terminal skills.

Also noteworthy is that in this mode, the amount of GOVERNEMNT interest you keep, as in real life, affects your frame of action. For each GOVERNMENT below or above five (5), your timer decreases or increases respectively by 10 seconds. User your time wisely!




Ranked Play is seasonal, each season will lasts three (3) months and your rank will not decay once attained.



See you on the battlefield!

Mighty cheers!

******************************************************
Upcoming Development

I) NEW tutorials are in productions!

II) NEW Ranked Play Mode is in Beta testing!

III) KIM IL-SUNG: A Communist Ideologue and Supreme Leader will rise to power like the living Sun to establish a People's Republic like never seen before and the first Communist dynasty. Or will his life be cut short and his reign curtailed by US regional power? The rise of North Korea is in final BETA testing.

IV) NEW in-game Encyclopedia in production.

Boot up your terminals strategy fan! With a rollout planned for September, we are today presenting a brand new combat screen, updates to the Nuclear Launch system, and for the modders in the community, we are announcing brand new additions to the Game Editor.

Having a top-notch retro terminal, masses of conventional forces at the touch of your fingertips, and the threat of nuclear annihilation, we wanted to improve your ability to make the right choices. Selecting a friendly unit, now shows the full range of that unit's movement also across theater boundaries - displayed with a lit-up theater name on the map.


Having a friendly military unit selected also indicates potential enemies within range, blinking to indicate which enemy unit they would most likely combat if issued with an attack order. Once an attack order has been given, an animation plays indicating the current status and the projected end result.


US units are always shown on the left and USSR units on the right and naturally, you can enable/disable the combat screen from the Options menu.


Unknown units are also simulated but to bring clarity in the outcome make sure to use intelligence, Recon or Infiltration will do the trick!


What would a Cold War game be without the potential of a nuclear twilight, but to avoid a fate of needles desolation, we have improved the information at your disposal. The nuclear map mode now lights up potential targets your nuclear forces will hit, in the order, they are prioritized for an attack while at the same time estimating potential targets your military suspects the enemy will target - indicated by an enemy faction colored nuclear symbol.


The projected results shown at the bottom account for the current victory points accumulated so far in the game; the difference in surviving influence, the backlash of your people for launching a first strike, and the difference in military casualties. Thus this attack on the face of it seems doomed to failure.

Worth to mention is that we have re-balanced the impact of the PEOPLE as the VP backlash is now directly proportional to your PEOPLE interest level. If at MAX level the backlash is 0 VP, though having an interest level that high carries its own risks. If you on the other hand disregard the interest of the people and the level is at nothing, the backlash is -90 VP - one for each missing PEOPLE interest level. Thus, your domestic politics has a bigger impact than before so make sure to account for that if you are planning a first strike.

In closing, we hope you enjoy the changes and updates our hard-working team has made to the game editor. With the UI/UX update and many other easy to use features implemented feel free to create your own mods, test out making your own decisions, focuses or policies, or just swing by and play some Tic-Tac-Toe with MIRVIN.


We hope you enjoy the updates to the interface and the improved functions both for editing files and the improved search function to find decisions or elements you are looking for or creating.

Mighty cheers!

******************************************************

I) NEW tutorials are in productions!

II) NEW Ranked Play Mode is in production and Beta testing!

III) KIM IL-SUNG: A Communist Ideologue and Supreme Leader will rise to power like the living Sun to establish a People's Republic like never seen before and the first Communist dynasty. Or will his life be cut short and his reign curtailed by US regional power? The rise of North Korea is in final BETA testing and receiving its finalized graphical assets.

IV) Policies are getting rolled out with each new patch.

AI

• AI will now handle Ambushes much better
  
• AI checks next move instead of current location when evaluating possible moves

GAME

• Added Quick Access buttons on all theater maps - Arms arrows disabled as they are now obsolete
  
• Transiting military units through friendly regions should properly show combat estimate
  
• Transit now show all possible movements for a selected military unit
  
• Transit blocked through regions with leaders (ARMY COMMANDS only) and where max number of units is reached
  
• Military units with blocked movement and destination not adjacent to source region (due to Transit) will bounce back
  
• Movement animations will not show unit's own region as possible choice
  
• Enemy target units now blink to indicate conventional attack target
  
• Combat preview blinks the correct unit types
  
• Added elements for CombatWarnDialogue
  
• Fixed an issue where the mockup for CombatWarn was incorrectly set to "Victory" instead of "Success"
  
• Air attacks are correctly simulated
  
• Combat simulation takes into account all unit types (sea & land) in case of air attacks
  
• Combat simulation properly simulates unit vs leader combat
  
• Combat warn menu checkbox can be enabled/disabled in Options menu
  
• Withdrawn military units do not blink when showing combat estimates on map
  
• Fixed an issue where the Victory Conditions needed to be clarified further
  
• Fix for GetCurrentName() exception

NUCLEAR

• Nuclear Authorization Screen Rework and Nuclear warning screen update
  
• Interests enabled while in nuclear mapmode
  
• Nuclear mapmode button color now matches nuclear button in theater com
  
• Nuclear mapmode button uses same notification as nuclear button in theater com when press + held 2 seconds
  
• Fixed projected estimate calculations in nuclear mapmode
  
• Nuke Simulation added showing target priority and added nuclear opponent icons for estimated enemy strike
  
• Fixed World overview exception when > 144 estimated nukes apply
  
• Nuclear range circle fix no longer causes ranges to mismatch
  
• Fixed estimate for surviving influence for nuclear apocalypse
  
• Various fixes for nuclear combat to prevent out of sync
  
• Nuclear warning now says minor defeat instead of incorrectly displaying a draw

MILITARY UNITS

• Unit ability buttons should now print out reason when clicked & unavailable
  
• Ability DisembarkTransportedNotCombatReady tag fixed
  
• Fixed an issue where an exception could results in the game ending when a unit gets deployed
  
• Blinking combat previews now stops when selecting Rebase
  
• Fixed deployment positioning offset for maneuvering circle displaying unit movement

INTELLIGENCE

• Updated Operation Cylinder to match Softcoding
  
• Operation Cylinder no longer targets submarine fleets and updated the wording for Eyes Only Cylinder and Gold Intel Missions to convey that Submarine Fleets are exempt

MAP

• Added unique names to all Ocean regions
  
• Identified reorganizing and engaged military units stay visible for the duration of their status
  
• Fixed an issue where backgrounds were not correctly shown
  
• Updated all Theater maps and added missing elements where needed
  
• Theater borders no longer disabled in logistics mode

ARCTIC

• Exception fixes when adding movement animations to Arctic from theater not adjacent to Arctic
  
• Small optimization when selecting unit that can move to Arctic
  
• Fixed exception on clicking Allies button in the Arctic
  
• Combat warning properly disabled when a unit enters the Arctic

FOCUSES

• Fixed a typo in Berlin Blockade focus

POLICIES

• Added cool-down function to UI for policies in policy menu
  
• Updated policies activated by Red Dragon Rising

DECISIONS

• Fixed that narrative decision could be triggered during the apocalypse
  
• Fixed an issue where the Clifford Elsey Report had the incorrect Focus wording
  
• USA People mismanagement decisions Priority set to 100
  
• Creating a new decision in the Editor sets its priority to 100 by default

LEADERS

• Fixed Leader supply ability Out of Sync due to taking into account local faction's adjacent units and not leader's faction
  
• Added ability to Ho Chi Minh - The Great Pillar of Asian Communism
  
• MAO ZEDONG no longer has leader ability Consolidate
  
• Fixed an issue where the image size of some Leader abilities was incorrect

CHARACS

• Inactive historical characters no longer shown in allies menu

GAME EDITOR

• Fixed an issue where the wrong header image was used and the font size was incorrect for Audio Select
  
• Option button added in editor
  
• Beautifier can now handle different data types that implement the IJsonFile interface
  
• Beautifier now displays name of file being processed
  
• Focus menu no longer beautifies json when pressing BACK button
  
• Beautifier now beautifies focus file
  
• Focuses.FocusTimeLines is now correctly processed by beautifier
  
• Filter texts pixel nudging
  
• Filter text placeholders now say "Type to filter"
  
• Theater/region selection dialog now takes up the whole screen
  
• Media selection dialog buttons coloring fix
  
• Game editor decision option menu Description field takes up two rows now
  
• Editor dialog screens pixel nudging
  
• Editor focus menu color update on faction update
  
• Deleting a focus now prompts a confirmation dialog first
  
• Leader abilities menu standardized button design
  
• Updated various UI elements in the Editor

RANKED PLAY IMPLEMENTATION

• Added a printout of Opponents name and rank when game begins in Ranked Play
  
• Player v Pplayer notification now includes faction icons and names

OTHER

• Added Game Version to screens with official JETDS designation and versioning for the correct AN system
  
• Standardize the colors of the message log entries
  
• Fixed an issue where the background line would not properly cover the background
  
• Fixed savegame UI exception
  
• Savegame/load now takes into account correct timer
  
• Set the save list in an inverted date list so the last one appears first and savegame list takes into account last date modified
  
• Fixed an issue where the divider would be incorrectly placed
  
• Build date included in game logs
  
• MediaSelectionBtn btns font size set to 40
  
• Fixed various smaller audio issue for MIRVIN
  
• Removed race condition check flag on game end + added logging

Hello there brave Cold War strategy fans!

We are happy to announce that Terminal Conflict is officially set towards release as scheduled this September. Expect an announcement of the release date, events and more in the coming weeks.

We could not have done it without the hard work of our veteran team and the wonderful feedback from all of you in the growing Terminal Conflict community. As of today, that community on Steam has passed 1 000 members and in honor of that, we will be presenting an updated set of Focuses and Policies.

Much of the success of a good Cold War strategy game is about the proper balance between paranoia and excitement. Be it domestic policy or foreign policy, you are playing a set of historically plausible struggles where factions alternate choosing a focus. Each has a particular set of circumstances it will provide. This keeps your opponent second guessing what situation you will be focusing on.

With this update a lot of previously general and repeatable focuses have become unique as we felt we wanted to make the choices even more distinct. These Focuses are now unique and once played cannot be repeated that game allowing for a lot more variation:

• Mujahideen - USA: Gain 3 ELITES. Increase success chance of RECONNAISSANCE, FALSE FLAG and IN-Q-TEL PROGRAM by 15% during this focus.
  
• Khmer Rouge - USSR: Set INFLUENCE in INDOCHINESE ZONE to 0. Gain 2 MILITARY.

• American Aid - USA: Gain 1 FINANCE and at the end of this focus, if USA CONTROLS IRAN, IRAQ, SAUDI-KUWAITI ZONE, EMIRI-OMANI ZONE or YEMENI ZONE, gain 1 USA INFLUENCE for each in the Middle East.
  
• Israel Defense Forces - USA: Gain 2 ELITES and increase success chance of ASSASSINATE by 5%.
  
• Popular Baa'th Party - USA: Gain 5 USA INFLUENCE in Middle East and 1 GOVERNMENT. | USSR: Gain 3 GOVERNMENT.
  
• Tudeh Party of Iran - USSR: Set INFLUENCE in IRAN to 3. Gain 2 PEOPLE. | USA: Gain 1 ELITES.
  
• Mapam of Israel - USSR: Gain 1 ELITES and at the end of this focus, if USSR CONTROLS the LEVANTIAN ZONE gain 5 USSR INFLUENCE in the Middle East.
  
• Free Officers Movement - USSR: GAMAL ABDEL NASSER spends 1 POWER. Gain 2 GOVERNMENT and at the end of this focus, if USSR CONTROLS EGYPT gain 7 USSR INFLUENCE in the Middle East.</color>
  
• Socialist Ba'ath Party - USSR: Gain 3 USSR INFLUENCE in EGYPT, 1 USSR INFLUENCE in LEVANTIAN ZONE and gain 1 GOVERNMENT. | USA: Gain 3 GOVERNMENT.
  
• Polisario Front - USSR: Set INFLUENCE in MOROCCAN-WESTERN SAHARIAN ZONE to 0. Chance +20% for Islamist Jihad (INFLUENCE set to 0 in one USSR CONTROLLED region in the Middle East). | USA: Reduce GOVERNMENT ALIGNMENT by 1.

Being an essential part of your strategy, all focus effects are permanent unless stated otherwise and making the most of their bonuses is one path to victory.

With this patch we have also put a lot of focus on expanding the policy side of the game. These are activated unique policy ideas usually attached to your or your opponents focuses. They are objectives to achieve and usually grant you Influence or Victory Points when completed. Here we put specific emphasis on Western and Eastern European policies updating and adding 20 in depth policies for you to achieve. Let’s look at five of these and how strategies can be built up with them:

• Marshall Plan (USA Conditions: Doomsday at least 3 AND USA FINANCE at least 7) - USA Effect: Spend 2 FINANCE, 2 PEOPLE and 1 GOVERNMENT, gain up to 8 USA INFLUENCE in WESTERN EUROPE, restricted to regions without USSR PRESENCE.
  
  This is a way to quickly establish a US foothold in Western Europe by laying down some much needed influence in the theater.
  
  
• Founding of NATO (USA Conditions: Available from game start) - USA Effect: Set all USA CONTROLLED regions in WESTERN EUROPE to USA DOMINATED.
  
  Combined with Marshall Plan, this can be a good way to convert the US CONTROLLED regions you can gain by making use of the extra influence from Marshall to convert those regions into dominated ones.
  
  
• Finlandization (USSR Conditions: INFLUENCE is 0 in SWEDISH-FINNISH ZONE, with peace and no USA/USSR LAND/AIR units deployed there) - USSR Effect: Gain 1 VP for each USSR LAND/AIR unit deployed in MAINLAND NORWAY and NORTHWESTERN RUSSIA.
  
  With power projection towards the Swedes and Finns, we can hold them up as an example of good neighborly cooperation.
  
  
• Molotov Plan West (USSR Conditions: Doomsday at least 3 AND MOLOTOV’s Power at least 1) - USSR Effect: Spend 2 PEOPLE and 1 GOVERNMENT, gain up to 7 USSR INFLUENCE in WESTERN EUROPE restricted to regions with USSR PRESENCE.
  
  The Soviet equivalent of the Marshall Plan devised by Foreign Minister Molotov. The USSR doesn’t require finance investment but in turn provides a smaller influence bonus and only in regions where the USSR is already established. Yet, don’t underestimate it’s impact.
  
  
• COMINFORM (USSR Conditions: USSR at least 1 region with PRESENCE in WESTERN EUROPE AND ELITES at least 7 AND USA MARSHALL PLAN not enacted) - USSR Effect: Gain 3 VP and 1 USSR INFLUENCE in each region with USSR PRESENCE in WESTERN EUROPE.
  
  As long as the Marshall Plan is not enacted, the USSR can combine the COMINFORM with the Molotov Plan West for maximum effect. French, Italian and Spanish communists unite!

Our engineers have been busy adding a brand new Eyes Only suitcase terminal. To enable your Intelligence bragging rights, (1) start the game and select Options in the top right corner, then (2) Switch the Terminal Screen to the M-103X-Suitcase.


In summary, we hope you grab a few awesome focuses and policies with this update and remember the words of John F. Kennedy - "Domestic Policy can only defeat us; foreign policy can kill us". Enjoy!

Mighty cheers!

*******************************************************

I) NEW tutorials are in productions!

II) NEW Ranked Play Mode is in production and alpha testing!

III) KIM IL-SUNG: A Communist Ideologue and Supreme Leader will rise to power like the living Sun to establish a People's Republic like never seen before and the first Communist dynasty. Or will his life be cut short and his reign curtailed by US regional power? The rise of North Korea is in final BETA testing and receiving its finalized graphical assets.

IV) Policies are getting rolled out with each new patch.

AI - MIRVIN

• Fixed an issue where an error would sometimes be shown at AI focus selection
  
• Fixed an issue where the AI would score 0 for theater selection
  
• AI now favors slightly more policies when making choices
  
• Fixed options being covered by MIRVIN by changing the visual hierarchy
  
• AI logs are now more detailed to identify AI action taken for those that want to track AI behavior
  
• Get AI Score will no longer stall the AI

GAME

• Decision or Policies that block opponent's next policy are not shown when enabled for desired effect
  
• Updated the wording for Technology and Research
  
• Policy enactment dialog conditions now printout instantly
  
• Policy conditions automatically are shown when entering to enact a policy
  
• Current Focuses Description is now correctly displayed when selected and now shows local faction posture
  
• Fixed an issue where interests icons would be missing from the mismanagement warning
  
• Influence value displayed for Central Turkey has been repositioning

MULTIPLAYER

• Network log no longer sends false positive due to disconnecting from Photon when quitting the game even in offline mode

FOCUSES

• Updated the focuses text to better clarify where INFLUENCE was changed when selected
  
• Red Telephone now has the correct effect wording
  
• Fixed an issue where the Grandma Yacht Expedition did not correctly activate Castro
  
• Fixed an issue where Mau Mau rebellion had the incorrect Interest icon
  
• Updated USA focus Red Dragon Dancing from Military to Government to better reflect the relations
  
• with Chiang Kai-shek
  
• Turkish Straits Crisis is no longer a Government supported focus and instead is supported by the Military
  
• Mujahideen is now Unique
  
• Khmer Rouge is Unique
  
• American Aid is now Unique
  
• MAAG Vietnam was correctly set to Indochina
  
• Clarified the description for Guddo Thermal Plant
  
• Israel Defense Forces is now Unique
  
• Popular Baa'th Party is now Unique
  
• Socialist Ba'ath Party is now Unique
  
• Free Officers Movement is now Unique
  
• Polisario Front is now Unique
  
• USSR Focus Tudeh Party of Iran is now Unique and fixed an issue where the wrong Region was references instead of IRAN
  
• Mapam of Israel is now Unique and fixed an issue where this focus would rarely be triggered
  
• Corrective Revolution is no longer a Finance supported focus and instead is supported by the Elites

POLICIES

• Fixed an issue where Hellenic Resistance Policy was incorrectly set up and wouldn't fire
  
• Added, updated and fixed: Rehabilitation of Germany, Marshall Plan, American Culturalization, Founding of NATO, European Communities, Molotov Plan West, Fifth International, Finlandization, COMINFORM, Conventional Superiority, COMECON, Eastern Rapproachment, Venona Project, Sierra-India-Oscar-Papa, Rollback, Purging the Apparatchiks, Molotov Plan East, Conventional Superiority and Regime Of Peace And Love

DECISIONS

• Fixed an issue where VP loss in mismanagement notification would incorrectly have a # in the decisions

LEADERS

• Fixed an issue where Tito had four abilities instead of three

GAME EDITOR

• Fixed an exception given when trigger groups are deleted
  
• Disabled NONE and ALL options for Faction in Policies editing
  
• Policies will automatically have a DisplayTheater
  
• Policies without display image will display a placeholder image instead of nothing
  
• Fixed Leaders not taking into account custom timeline in case of starting timeline is set via the editor
  
• Fixed exception due to ending turn with having used the debug menu
  
• NEW ArgumentType InfluenceInTheater added
  
• NEW ArgumentType UnitTypesInTheater added

OTHER

• Added NEW Terminal-M-103X-Suitcase Eyes Only DLC Terminal (cosmetic)
  
• Added in-game description of the DLCs
  
• Added in-game DLC imagery
  
• Updated the DLC screen
  
• Updated the test decisions suspending a test decision blocking policies
  
• Policy buttons in menu have the VP outlined
  
• Fixed the wording for LOGISTICS notification
  
• Updated the wording for Global Map
  
• Updated Victory Point notifications
  
• Added nuclear apocalypse logging message
  
• Logger is now thread safe
  
• Log files report timestamp once again - both global and current match's if available; compatible with Out Of Sync checker
  
• Fixed a rare exception caused by the Audio manager

Hello there and a warm welcome to the update of your terminal!

This weeks development has been focused on mainly three things. (1) The continued improvement of the AI where its decision making ability has been enhanced even further and (2) the confirmation of the improved game balancing, in particular with regards to the focuses and policies. (3) Prepared the new content for the rollout with the next Sprint. We have also introduced a few new policies as part of this new update.

Thank you for your patience and for all the community feedback and support!
A special thanks to all of you whom participated in Terminal Thursday. What a treat!

*******************************************************

I) NEW tutorials are in productions!

II) KIM IL-SUNG: A Communist Ideologue and Supreme Leader will rise to power like the living Sun to establish a People's Republic like never seen before and the first Communist dynasty. Or will his life be cut short and his reign curtailed by US regional power? The rise of North Korea is in final BETA testing and receiving its finalized graphical assets.

III) Policies are getting rolled out with each new patch.

AI

• Fixed an issue where an AI would get stuck on theater selection
  
• Fixed AI causing exception when picking focus where best option has a negative score
  
• Readjusted AI's preferences when launching policies
  
• Tweaking of AI scores to enable the AI a more accurate selection for interest resource use
  
• Fixed AI simulation affecting world overview War Zones UI
  
• AI now evaluates more effects and is even better at strategizing in depth
  
• Improved AI use of EYES ONLY DLC Intelligence missions
  
• Game no longer prints out incorrect War Zone messages when AI is running a full world simulation potentially giving away it's plans

GAME

• Fixed an issue that would cause nuclear research to be displayed as faulty when launching a nuclear apocalypse
  
• Updated wording for Surface Fleets' Convoying Ability
  
• Updated military unit abilities to clarify when the passive abilities are available
  
• Fixed an issue where the theater was incorrectly displayed
  
• Added updates for Eyes Only to SCN10 Balance of Power
  
• Updated policies for SCN 10 Balance of Power
  
• Improve the automatic Victory Point gain log message to clarify when you or the enemy gains VP
  
• Fixed an issue where the wording incorrectly suggested the ELITE interests are to set to 9 instead of the alignment

MULTIPLAYER

• Updated multiplayer server connection to a new version to fix an issue where sometimes multiplayer games would get incorrectly timed out and disconnected

INTELLIGENCE

• Updated notification for Intelligence implementation that End Turn on failure

POLICIES
USA

• NEW HELLENIC RESISTANCE: Gain 2 VP for each USA INFLUENCE in GREECE.

USSR

• NEW POPULAR REVOLUTIONS: Gain 3 VP. Trigger a WAR ZONE in 2 target regions.
  
• NEW FIFTH INTERNATIONAL: Gain 1 VP for each USSR CONTROLLED region in MIDDLE EAST.
  
• NEW FIFTH INTERNATIONAL: Gain 1 VP for each USSR CONTROLLED region in WESTERN EUROPE.
  
• NEW FIFTH INTERNATIONAL: Gain 1 VP for each USSR CONTROLLED region in SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA.

GAME EDITOR

• Exclamation mark showing excess in interests is not visible when you give the opponent interests

OTHER

• Top Left text uses background color in case of Monofonto-glow
  
• Fixed typos in Narrative Decisions
  
• Updated War Zone wording to clarify its meaning
  
• Fixed an issue where the overlay of MIRVIN and Options can overlay each other

Hello there! What a wonderful reception of the new Eyes Only DLC and we are naturally doing our part at the battle-stations.

We got initial reports that the AI was not performing as intended and for this reason as you might have seen we have delayed the publishing the full change-log until we had found the AI issue and fixed it. It turned out to be a small issue that was needlessly causing the AI to mismanage its resources. We also saw, that there was a need to further tweak the balancing of the intelligence operations and instead of losing interests with a particular interest holder in society for failing a top secret missions, failure by your intelligence services will instead remain unknown to the public end will instead end your turn.

With the AI fix patched and testing done, we are now ready to roll out the full change-log and take you through the wonderful updates made during this development cycle. The manual is being updated to reflect these changes and some other minor changes and we will be rolling its first draft out this Terminal Thursday 18:00-20:00 CEST. Thank you for your patience and for all the community feedback and support to the guys laboring away searching the bug during the weekend.

A special thanks to all who have made this possible and for those who would like to enjoy the epic battle between our chief game designer Gellert Keresztes and Lemuel Sora for the release stream.


*******************************************************

I) NEW tutorials are in productions!

II) KIM IL-SUNG: A Communist Ideologue and Supreme Leader will rise to power like the living Sun to establish a People's Republic like never seen before and the first Communist dynasty. Or will his life be cut short and his reign curtailed by US regional power? The rise of North Korea is in final BETA testing.

AI

• AI has enhanced Focus selection abilities and is much more strategic in making its choices when selecting where to focus
  
• Combat ability has been improved and will now to a larger degree exploit favorable map positioning
  
• AI recognizes hidden costs of intelligence and sets longer term deployment plans
  
• Improved further the AI’s ability to chose nuclear strike targets

GAME

• NEW DELAY button added to Focus Selection that is available after the first round of focus selection where you spend 2 PEOPLE to gain 2 ELITES and reduce friendly focuses by 3 TURNS.
  
• NEW Forcing an enemy military unit to WITHDRAW now provides half its value in VP.
  
• NEW End Turn button introduced for when you want to pass the initiative or have selected a strategy that does not require you to take further actions this turn
  
• NEW Alignment, now represents the growth of ideas in your domestic politics. Your alignment value is provided to you at the start of each timeline allowing you to build a proper interest engine.
  
• NEW Victory conditions can now be Minor or Major and both faction surviving without nuclear war past 1991- will be rewarded with mutual Minor victory
  
• NEW Interests are no longer given 1 per Turn. Instead interests are collected by selecting a Focus that provides resources according to their description text
  
• NEW Nuclear Mapmode implemented to get a preview of the apocalypse and the ranges of your delivery systems. Select the blinking mini-map icon and chose the nuclear icon to see a nuclear strike range simulation map
  
• Logistics of military units no longer cost turns to deploy and instead requires FINANCE
  
• Replaced the old menu navigation system with a new one displaying buttons for Decisions, Policies, Allies, Units, Research, Intel, Space Race and Nuclear Authorization
  
• Removed the narrow bonuses provided by controlling or dominating certain percentages of a theater as it incorrectly was providing incentives to reach brackets of target values instead of spreading your factions sphere of influence

UX/UI

• NEW Victory conditions now has a separate screen. Review it by selecting the button housing your VP
  
• Finalize decluttering of the screens by removing elements that are not in use or are not primary to the task at hand
  
• Add further clarity to the screens by the use of color and highlighting to direct the attention of the player
  
• Added an updated notification for buttons - accessed by PRESS + HOLD 2 sec over most active buttons
  
• Added a simple DLC activator where you can turn on/off to play with DLCs you own
  
• Enhanced Message Log to give you a better overview of actions taken by you and the opponent. Select the space where messages are printed out at the bottom of the screen or select directly a message to access it
  
• You can now use units with TRANSIT ability to move to a friendly region and use the Map Arrow to transport it the final step
  
• Historical Characters can now be properly viewed in the same Allies menu as Leaders and can be FAVORED from there to activate a particular one in a target theater
  
• New animations added for smoother experience
  
• Disarmed unit notifications no longer printed on map

SPACE RACE

• NEW System for space race has been fully restructured to make space missions and bonuses easy to overview and launch

RESEARCH

• NEW System for research to display the proper bonuses in one easily manageable screen
  
• You can now see which unit types a research impacts directly in the screen as part of the overview

INTELLIGENCE

• Updated costs of intelligence missions to better match the balancing
  
• Some Intel missions will add interest alignment if successful
  1) Infiltrate (+1 Military)
  2) Espionage (+1 Finance)
  3) Counter-Intelligence (+1 Government)
  
• Added the ability to see enemy interests that can be updated by the use of Espionage and where accuracy decays over time

FOCUSES

• Reworked the focuses to now provide bonuses, each particularly tailored to their historical counterpart and translated into game terms

DECISIONS

• Updated the Return of the King and Chinese Civil War decision chains
  
• Re-balanced the values of several decision chains to better match their respective historical setups
  
• Timed decisions with player-driven influence deployment now auto-place points when turn ends instead of those getting lost

POLICIES

• Policies are now activated by Focuses and become available to accomplish for the rest of the game providing rewards when completed.
  
• Reworked all policies to serve as the main goals in the game providing VP and Influence when achieved
  
• You can now review your opponents Policies in the policy screen

LEADERS

• Leader recruitment dialog now shows interest mismanagement warning
  
• Updated Khimati's ability
  
• Historical Characters powers no longer shows negative value when a character is dead
  
• Leaders are no longer immortal when using timeline cheat
  
• Leader death dialog now comes after leader recruitment dialog to make it more useful to the player to understand what has taken place especially if leaders are contesting one another
  
• Recruiting a leader now plays their costume made sound as they enter the fray

MAP

• Fixed an issue where South American regions where not properly connected
  
• Adjusted positioning for East Asian and Middle Eastern units
  
• Updated Land positioning in Greenland
  
• Fixed an issue where GUAM was lacking its influence number
  
• Renamed Southern Antarctic to Kerguelen Islands

MODDING

• NEW DEBUG menu available when running the game from the editor that gains you the ability to:
  
• Cheat for most values such as interests, influence, VP, Doomsday Clock, Arsenal and more.
  
• View and change Opponents core values
  
• Allows to advance Turn, Focuses, Timelines
  
• Select starting Timeline to do your test run
  
• Select a Quick AI mode if you do not want the AI to strategize about choices
  
• Fire any Decision or Focus by inputting their ID
  
• Enable tooltips to see detailed information about game elements on the map
  
• Enable 100% success chance for intelligence missions
  
• Modify and test Logistics
  
• Standardized all the modding elements that target an enemy to be defined as ‘Opponent’
  
• THIS function now works with RegionPolNumber and TriggerType
  
• ArgumentType now has THIS

MULTIPLAYER

• Fixed various issues that would sometimes disconnect a multiplayer game
  
• Fixed a minor issue that would sometime result in a de-sync between the Leader Power of the Client in multiplayer games

OTHER

• Fixed various typos
  
• Added various smaller missing assets
  
• Implemented a sound priority system that takes into account which sounds are playing and sets their priorities depending on what the player should focus attention to
  
• Added a soundtrack to Central America
  
• Updated the soundscape and Equalized sounds that were not properly on the same sound level
  
• Updated the retro printer sound to match more closely to the proper terminal old terminal soundscape
  
• Fixed an issue where positioning ow World Overview Sprites were incorrectly placed
  
• Pixel nudging

Hello there! We challenge you to Global Thermonuclear War!

A well-placed spy can change the destiny of a nation. The risks are great, and the rewards are even greater. When the fate of the world is on the line, what was once inconceivable can suddenly become a reality.

Boot up your terminal on Tuesday 9th of June, on the official Terminal Conflict Twitch channel at 18:00-20:00 CET.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can also make sure to get your voice heard on our Twitter , Facebook , Reddit and join our Steam Community. We'll always notice a fun, well written post anytime.

Welcome to the briefing! Aggressive agents might be tempted to trigger the missions of EYES ONLY without careful consideration, but never forget – the enemy excel at exploiting such eagerness. Poor planning may lead toward diplomatic disaster, and ultimately push the world into the arms of Armageddon. Before moving forward, you should review all the relevant factors.

When unlocking a mission from the Special Operations Division, think carefully about when and where to deploy it. These powerful programs are far from a done deal, and intelligence indicates that many have at most a 30 – 60% of success. You literally have only one shot at this, so it had better count.



If you should fail, there’s a good chance that the enemy will get wind of it. Hell, even if you pull off the operation perfectly there's still a real risk of being revealed.



A responsible agent will always remember this sobering fact: Every mission performed raises the chance of detection. The silence of the enemy should never be taken as a sign of safety. Analysts predict that the enemy will probably proceed in one of several ways.

1. They might seek to solve the matter via back-channels, but their love of lies and anarchic antagonism makes this unlikely.
   
2. Instead, they'll try to play the victim and create a scandal at the United Nations, or may strike directly at our forces with a cowardly counter-blow.

Consider also that covert missions can be saved for use at the time of your choosing – and vitally, can be chained together in ways that are deceptively devastating.

After significant planning and preparation agents have successfully managed to execute Operation Gold in Western Europe.

US forces gain a 20% chance of infiltrating each enemy unit in the theater - and the story revealed was well worth the risk. The Russians have positioned their units for a secret strike against US influence in the theater. If we immediately deploy our forces near the invasion point this can be countered. However, it might be judicious to let the ravenous Reds make the first move.

The Stargate program may have been publicly discredited, but the truth is that we have been hiding its true results. We now have new tools are our disposal that are both fantastic and frightening, ones that the propaganda weakened minds of the Soviet soldier will prove most vulnerable to.

They shall launch their “surprise” strike across the Rhine, and then we'll hit them with the full power of Stargate.



The enemy units will be stopped in their tracks, dazed, and open to a crippling counter-offensive. If we have a leader on-hand in the right region we might even be able to drag them over to the cause of freedom. Either way, we'll catch them completely flat footed.

Even if the Soviets create an international incident, they will find their options limited and if the enemy pushes the Doomsday clock to midnight – all the better. With a few well placed US Bomber Commands, the fearless forces of United States shall be baptized and reborn in the nuclear fire of righteousness.

No matter what happens, the machinations of the malevolent Soviet tanks will grind to a halt when faced with the magnificence of America's air power. Victory shall surely side with the soldiers of Democracy.

The tools we've provided in EYES ONLY are there to be used at your discretion, but are best deployed carefully. Masterful strategy is what matters most. If you can wait for the proper moment and exploit the weaknesses of your enemy, the voices of victory shall be yours.

- Agents Greatexperiment and Thinking Waffle

********************************************************

I) NEW tutorials are in productions and the official MANUAL is in print! Expect the first rollout in the coming weeks!

II) KIM IL-SUNG: A Communist Ideologue and Supreme Leader will rise to power like the living Sun to establish a People's Republic like never seen before and the first Communist dynasty. Or will his life be cut short and his reign curtailed by US regional power? The rise of North Korea is in BETA testing.

III) Finalize UX/UI overhaul and optimization:

1. Finalize decluttering of the screens by removing elements that are not in use or are not primary to the task at hand
   
2. Add further clarity to the screens by the use of color and highlighting to direct the attention of the player
   
3. Complete testing of the designs and validate that they have the impact we seek

Welcome Comrades! Having previously presented the clandestine missions of the USA, we pull back the anti-capitalist iron curtain guarding the secret programs of the Soviets!


Every facility has a weak point, and who better to penetrate it than the most handsome of secret agents. The feeble-minded secretaries of the decadent European bourgeoisie are unable to resist a well-trained seducer. If we find ourselves behind in the technological race, for the price of true love, the Revolution will gain one free nuclear technology.



Westerners worship profit above all else, and so are prime targets for this form of corruption. An inebriated mole can thus be recruited at a certain naval facility to leak details of important enemy plans, revealing their submarine placements around the world.

The American government is constantly touting its close relationship with its slathering barons of industry, shoveling money into their greedy mouths while trusting them to aid in their schemes. Too bad that they haven't spent any of their larder on security. Gain entrance, and learn valuable data on the military fighters in development, allowing the noble Soviet to gain a free fighter for each American fighter command deployed worldwide.

Much has been made of the interconnection of the USA and its disparate and disorganized allies. Where they see strength, the KGB sees opportunity. One by one they shall fall into disorder, and all to the glory and strength of the Soviet forces. Their networks cracked asunder, revealing how to temporarily defeat various enemy intelligence missions for several turns.

Divide and conquer, a maxim Washington should well remember. It proclaims to believe in the liberty of all men with one hand, but with the other exploits their labor and bends them toward slavery without mercy. As Russia stands to liberate all the workers of the world, it can entice the downtrodden to denounce the contradiction of capitalism and its so-called democracy. In doing so, the USA's People interest will crumble to a point just short of total anarchy.


Never forget that it is essential to defeating whatever the enemy throws at you. Implementing a program to effectively block western counter-espionage efforts will ensure Soviet operational dominance for several turns, and surely make the Americans think twice before attempting to make light of the KGB.



The world knows that American values are a sham. Underneath every rock, there is the slimy and wriggling reality of western capitalism. What harm is there in enhancing and promoting what is transparently true? With international opinion turning against them, block the next enemy policy and set the Soviet peoples' interest to 5.

It is not merely the politics and ethics of the Soviet that is superior. The people themselves are stronger, faster, and full of untapped potential far above that of those confined by the conventions of the bourgeois sciences. Russian brilliance and daring can unlock this potential through Psychotronic advancements, paving the way for a new Soviet man to take to the fore – and even potentially learn to stop an enemy invasion in its tracks.



A network of shell companies created in the West would bring back to us some innovations that the Capitalists now hoard for themselves. These valuable discoveries by right belong to the workers, and so the Soviet Union shall seize them on their behalf. This, in turn, would potentially grant the Revolution many victory points, depending on the level of American reaction.

With these missions, the USSR will be able to deftly handle anything that the USA can throw at them. However, even if the tide of history seems to side with the Revolution, one must not slacken their efforts – take these tools and use them with skill and prove Soviet superiority. Only then will you triumph!

-Agents Greatexperiment and Thinking Waffle


********************************************************

I) NEW tutorials are in productions and the official MANUAL is in print! Expect the first rollout in the coming weeks!

II) KIM IL-SUNG: A Communist Ideologue and Supreme Leader will rise to power like the living Sun to establish a People's Republic like never seen before and the first Communist dynasty. Or will his life be cut short and his reign curtailed by US regional power? The rise of North Korea is in BETA testing.

III) Finalize UX/UI overhaul and optimization:

1. Finalize decluttering of the screens by removing elements that are not in use or are not primary to the task at hand
   
2. Add further clarity to the screens by the use of color and highlighting to direct the attention of the player
   
3. Complete testing of the designs and validate that they have the impact we seek

Sharpen your Curare tipped umbrellas, set your camera watches on standby, and sit back with another secret update from the Hearts of Iron: Road to 56 team. Having worked hard, we’re happy to bring you all the details about the United States' dastardly and dubious intelligence missions!

We wanted to create intense and highly rewarding clandestine operations for the player to perform, spanning every era of the Cold War. As with all the content in EYES ONLY they are unique, powerful, and delightfully challenging to perform.



Operation: Gold
From the very start of the game in 1946, the United States can infiltrate the Soviet borders and run tunnels underneath the feet of unsuspecting enemy soldiers. If successful, you will gain a 20% chance to infiltrate each enemy unit in the theater!

Operation: Luna
Should you find yourself behind the Soviets in Victory Points, this mission will allow the US to capture and study a Soviet Lunik probe. If your agents pull off this daring feat, you will be rewarded with a new Space Race technology.

Operation: Coldfeet
The USSR is plotting something in the far north. Launch a clandestine operation to investigate an abandoned base before it is consumed by the ice! Gather valuable intelligence and force up to two USSR submarine fleets back to port from the Arctic.

Operation: Ivy Bells
Tapping into underseas communication cables is no small feat, but with a little luck you will learn the secrets of Soviet allies. Turning their power against their nuclear-crazed overlords, you will reduce the USSR's arsenal by 0.5 for each deployed leader’s power.

Operation: Azorian
Recently the Soviets lost contact with one of their experimental vessels, which they believe it to be safely buried at the bottom of the ocean. Perhaps the most daring mission of all, you can attempt to retrieve the enemy vessel. If successful, for one turn, you are guaranteed to break their encryption and lift the fog of war for enemy submarine fleets.



These are broad-scale initiatives meant to enhance the United States' power on native soil. While they might sometimes be ethically questionable, they can result in tremendous advantages and even lead to additional decisions and discoveries!

Program: Shamrock & Minaret
The US government can decide to engage in the mass intercept of domestic communications. This allows for the temporary halting of any Soviet counter-intelligence operations for several turns, and perhaps even opening up for the possibility to recruit certain feline spies.



Program: Mockingbird
A free press is core to the values of the United States, but sometimes the media needs a little nudge in the right direction. Performing this program sets the People's interest to 5 and blocks the next enemy policy. Crossing this threshold ethically, you will get the option to launch a false-flag operation on domestic soil later. If we are taking risks, we might as well go all the way!

Program: Stargate
The Soviets have been rumored to be working on the creation of super-human abilities using paranormal phenomena and body-altering substances. Naturally, the US must not be left behind! If successful, it stops an enemy invasion in its tracks and may lead to an entire research program where the United States can engage in a clandestine effort to fully expand the limits of human potential.

Program: In-Q-Tel
The relationship between corporations and the Elites in America has always been a cozy one. Manage the spy game better than the Soviets, and those bonds can be made even stronger, potentially granting a significant Victory Point bonus.

We hope that you'll enjoy the tools contained within EYES ONLY and all the challenging options and strategies they provide. Remember to use them at the right time and the Soviets won’t stand a chance. Date for release of the DLC will be announced soon for Q2 2020.

-Agents Greatexperiment and Thinking Waffle

********************************************************

I) NEW tutorials are in productions and the official MANUAL is in print! Expect the first rollout in the coming weeks!

II) KIM IL-SUNG: A Communist Ideologue and Supreme Leader will rise to power like the living Sun to establish a People's Republic like never seen before and the first Communist dynasty. Or will his life be cut short and his reign curtailed by US regional power? The rise of North Korea is in BETA testing.

III) Finalize UX/UI overhaul and optimization:

1. Finalize decluttering of the screens by removing elements that are not in use or are not primary to the task at hand
   
2. Add further clarity to the screens by the use of color and highlighting to direct the attention of the player
   
3. Complete testing of the designs and validate that they have the impact we seek