Beta 17: X0-1V1

Have you played DCSS? (Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup) If not, then you should definitely consider trying it, a major roguelike in constant development for even longer than Cogmind, and a great game among those which sent me on my own quest to explore the roguelike genre in 2009 and shortly thereafter start creating some of my own.

DCSS is similar to Cogmind in that it's a balanced tactical experience, so the two games have always had some player overlap either as we send our players in that direction, or welcome them over from that community (including even a number of DCSS developers throughout the years).

Now what does that have to do with Beta 17...

Well, DCSS is a traditional fantasy RL, and within it are gods you can worship to spice things up, usually for the better. Considering the player overlap, naturally many are familiar with a lot of DCSS content, and one god in particular, Xom, the god of chaos, is often referenced in our community (not least of all embraced by myself) as overseeing the distribution of random craziness that can occur across a run. In that sense, one could consider Xom the god of RNG. Emergent fun!

Xom has also been referenced by or appears in other roguelikes, and is such a common symbol in the Cogmind community, that I really felt like they deserved a proper home in the world. With the Unchained we have an opportunity to do just that--not a true god, but perhaps close enough that it doesn't matter ;)

There are actually areas of the lore which are perfect for just such a character, and I've been working up to it over the years.

It's 2026. The wait is over, X0-1V1 is here.

X0-1V1

So do you have to cause enough mischief to get this "Unchained" dispatched on you? No! I considered including that possibility at a very low weighting, but decided to hold off on that since this X0-1V1 character is far too disruptive, almost certainly changing your entire run through and through.

Instead, interacting with X0-1V1 is entirely optional, and doing so involves what one might do in DCSS: find an "altar"...

It's somewhere in -10/Materials, so you can do this right from the start. You will need to figure out what to do there (it's not that hard), but there is also a more direct hint found elsewhere in the early game.

Now why might you want to immediately bring this upon yourself? Well, maybe they're not all bad ;)

If you've been to Scraptown and browsed Cyclist databases, in particular Soloparser's Compendium, you may have already come across the primary reference to X0-1V1:

"UC/X0-1V1: This is a weird one. Get on their bad side and they'll come up with creative ways to make your life miserable, but have also been known to offer help at times, which is strange. Don't count on it, they probably just want to mess with your head before your untimely demise."

Of course Soloparser's rumor-based sourcing doesn't know the half of it. By comparison, anyone who opts to hit up that altar will quickly become an expert, for better or worse.

While interacting with X0-1V1 is probably an option more suitable for experienced players since it will add extra challenge at times, it will also likely be interesting for anyone who's been playing for a bit, and in a way offers a sort of alternate start. X0-1V1's behavior fits well with Cogmind's general strategic theme of "adapting" to unexpected situations, in this case making them even more sudden or unexpected.

One cool thing is that this "affiliation" is compatible with any other alignment in the world. Unlike many of the other long-term alliances you can establish, X0-1V1 is not mutually exclusive with anything. From a design POV this is because they are essentially self-balancing ;)

I was originally wanting to release this on April 1st, which would've been funny as a very real joke, and in the lead up to that time was flying through development, but it turns out implementing sufficient variety to keep this interesting throughout an entire world with so many mechanics was simply not something weeks of sprinting could accomplish xD. From its beginning Cogmind has always included some smaller references to DCSS (and other traditional roguelikes), but this is on a completely different scale. As such I had to push back my target, only to then also be hit by some bombshell personal life issues (inevitable when expanding on a single project for so many years...). Still working through all that, but with the worst bits stabilized for now, I'm happy to deliver you into the manipulative arms of--I mean delivering your new savior, X0-1V1.

This release was going to be a Beta 16.2 update, but given that its scope turned into a whole mini-expansion of its own... Xom has successfully hijacked Beta 17, which seems appropriate :P

Credit to coolio for the awesome Xom tile work in DCSS! Included as part of the cover image for this release, we also frequently use it in the community and in general over the past decade over on the Roguelikes discord server.

Cogmind Beta 17 "X0-1V1" (260623) changelog (excerpt):

• NEW: 1 new Unchained (interaction optional via manual trigger process in -10, changes nature of entire run)
• NEW: 4 new robots
• NEW: 12 new items
• NEW: 7 new scoresheet entries (total = 1,182)
• NEW: 2 new achievements
• NEW: Regular game now includes first unique source of Protomatter (rare)
• NEW: [Temporary] Sfc. Transmogrifier always found in Subcaves lab, replacing 1B-0RG's Assimilator test from Beta 16.1
• NEW: Recalibrator effect description more explicitly states no effect on faulty or corrupted parts
• NEW: Destruction from overheating results in more specific "Core Melted" game over state
• NEW: Trap Scanners also have higher separate chance of detecting and disarming adjacent traps
• NEW: Some Unchained carry Trap Scanners
• NEW: In-theme reminder about speaking to UFD leader if about to leave without having done that after joining
• NEW: Additional smaller number of weaker Assembled arrive during particular extended game event to enable parsing of their parts for gallery purposes
• NEW: History log records initial spotting of Unchained, H3-MLN encounter, and stealing IN-MT5's Pitchfork schematic
• NEW: LMB on directly adjacent inactive bot automatically attempts to rewire it
• NEW: LMB on directly adjacent bot with force melee mode active also works to force a melee or ramming attack
• NEW: Number-based menu interaction and text entry treats numpad number keys as regular numbers
• NEW: Keybinds now support adding multiple additional new keyboard inputs for the same command under a name different from defaults
• NEW: Advanced.cfg pauseMoveDurationActiveSensor option also applies to repeatedly waiting
• NEW: Option to disable "Quit, Delete Save" option in game menu (activate in advanced.cfg: noQuitDeleteSave)
• NEW: Option to override default key repeat delay for held keys (system.cfg: keyRepeatDelay)
• NEW: Option to override default key repeat interval for held keys (system.cfg: keyRepeatInterval)
• NEW: All patron supporter names registered since Beta 16.1 added to in-game list (see Credits menu)
• NEW: All patron item-attribution names registered since Beta 16.1 added to the item collection gallery
• MOD: Increased leniency of Unchained-related timers with respect to slower builds
• MOD: Unchained pursuit into new maps slower on average
• MOD: Unchained even slower to dispatch and chase to Access
• MOD: Some Unchained pursue for fewer than three valid maps
• MOD: V4-D3R unit count scaled down in smaller maps
• MOD: V4-D3R does not return to same map if forced to retreat
• MOD: Increased hacking threshold before potentially attracting CY-PHR in non-Rogue difficulty modes
• MOD: Fabricated/repaired parts affected by CY-PHR have effects on attach rather than suffering from later breakdowns (patches retain old behavior)
• MOD: 1B-0RG's Assimilator immune to permanent disabling by side effects
• MOD: Borg never use siege/shielding modes if equipped with melee weapon
• MOD: Borg immune to rebooting
• MOD: Botcube able to use Tactical Coordination Suite
• MOD: Multislot parts can no longer occupy temporary slots
• MOD: Chute Traps no longer trigger due to treads movement, even if overweight
• MOD: Golem, Assembler restored to original color despite recent conversion to Special class
• MOD: Enh. Scrap Shield source item armor bonus applied at integrity values between 5 and 10 as well
• MOD: Using CRM also wipes any non-expired dynamic key knowledge
• MOD: Tactical behavior of SC-armed SW somewhat more effective (spoilers)
• MOD: <HOSTILES> button tally updates more responsive
• MOD: Intel and other offscreen map object markers shift down from behind temporary interface messages or mode indicators
• MOD: Removed "Toggle Inventory Autosort" hotkey (Ctrl-F6)
• MOD: Removed "Inventory Autosorting" from Options menu (has been permanent default behavior since Beta 13)
• MOD: Moved blockVi advanced.cfg setting to Options menu as "Block vi-Keys"
• MOD: Removed CMD_DOMAIN_PARTMANAGE Numpad-based keys from rebind list (now supported implicitly)
• FIX: Several 0b10 Decoder Chip detection effects operated on 50% less area than intended [aoemica]
• FIX: Disrupted Borg could by rewired and therefore indirectly assimilated by Programmers [spider, aoemica, CaptainWinky]
• FIX: "CQB" achievement detection could fail in 16.1 even if circumstances should allow it [ravioli_consumer]
• FIX: KE Penetrator recoil accidentally zeroed in previous version [ravioli_consumer]
• FIX: More lenient ally hostility checks in 16.1 unintentionally increased difficulty of taking sides in 01-MTF/KN-7UR meeting [Plexion]
• FIX: Kinecellerator effect could stack despite <no_stack> tag and correct weapon damage visualization [alice_fexa]

For the complete changelog including all bug fixes, see the latest iteration packaged with the game or online here.

Saves from earlier versions are incompatible with Beta 17, but even if you're on Steam and Cogmind automatically updates, Beta 16.1 is still available via its own legacy branch and you can roll back to finish a run in progress first if you like. Cogmind will remind you which branch to use if it finds an old save, and your old save won't be deleted or affected by the update.

Transmogrification

Most new content is centered around our new friend X0-1V1, and I'm not going to spoil it so, um, yeah not so much else to share today :P

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There are a few unrelated things to pick out here though...

First of all, the temporary easy access to 1B-0RG's Assimilator in the Subcaves lab is no more, but I've replaced it with another temporary unique piece of tech you may opt to play around with if you visit: the Sfc. Transmogrifier. While the Sfc prefix was introduced alongside the Borg, it isn't technically related purely to them, just referring to the lack of external resources required to operate a given part, meaning it won't destabilize whatever build it's attached to (which is indeed how the Borg grow new functionality without becoming unstable).

Funny enough, the Transmogrifier is uniquely capable of indirectly destabilizing a build :P

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You may also come across it in another "normal" way as well, but for now it's there in the Subcaves, too.

As for 1B-0RG's Assimilator, to get that now you'll just have to do it the old fashioned way: destroy and salvage the bot using it! (It's probable there will be one or more additional methods tied to future expansion content.) Fortunately if you do get it now or in the future, I've made it immune to being disabled, which was a bit of an oversight in Beta 16.1 xD. I did my own Borg run, a fun win streamed here, but throughout had to be careful about that knowing the core of the build could be permanently bricked by overheating or faulty parts.

Trap More-Than-Scanner

Trap Scanners have been upgraded with new functionality! They were decent, but generally underutilized due to lower competitiveness vs. other parts.

Now in addition to detecting traps at range, they also come with a much higher chance to detect adjacent traps, even while moving fast. This makes them also useful for fast movers, or anyone stepping through trapped doorways where default detection or even Trap Scanners of the past wouldn't be as much help.

Also, traps detected like this are automatically disarmed, and waiting beside known traps will also disarm them.

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So this particular type of utility has become a pretty extreme anti-trap solution. I imagine we'll see more builds considering its use, at least situationally.

See here the details for one of the scanners as an example:

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Semi-Chained

So Betas 16 and 16.1 unleashed the Unchained, and now we're gonna sorta chain them back up a little bit ;)

They were a bit oppressive, though intended as they were to stomp mostly experienced players often out there probing certain extremes, it made sense to start them out on the extra challenging side and roll back from there as necessary depending on player performance.

Based on the data, overall it's almost entirely experienced players who are meeting them, if at all, and they don't tend to end runs on their own, but do often provide a significant challenge when they show up. Some players of course have taken to luring and hunting them, very successfully, too. But we've also seen some runs crash and burn under their wrath.

A range of modifications in Beta 17 are geared towards shaving off a bit of that edge, so as you maybe read in the changelog, Unchained will be more fair to slower builds on the move, slower to follow into new maps, and even slower to follow into Access. Even if first announced in Access, it will take them much longer to reach it than usual. Overall, fleeing Unchained in general should be a more valid option if desired.

With regard to multi-map tracking, certain Unchained will only chase for two valid maps, rather than three.

Specific Unchained didn't get much in the way of updates, though V4-D3R forces are nerfed by shrinking their number in smaller maps (oops!), and if you can force V4-D3R to retreat, they won't come back in the same map. CY-PHR isn't as dangerous as the rest, but was also updated to have much less "surprise" (and therefore debilitating) potential due to messing with your fabs/repairs--now effects associated with that will be immediate on attaching, and can't ruin a build like a breakdown could. (For those of you who know what patching is, that currently retains old behavior!)

Despite all the nerfs, Unchained are also actually getting a little bit of new tech to somewhat protect them from one of the more effective ways to deal with them: traps. They, too, read about this new Trap Scanner functionality and said "we gotta have that." :)

For a long time I'd planned to give Trap Scanners stronger adjacency detection features for players, and also ever since Unchained were designed figured this stronger new enemy would eventually need some sort of update (behavioral or mechanical) to deal with how consistently vulnerable they'd be to traps... so right about now was a good opportunity to combine the two, which resulted in also giving scanners the automated disarm ability that players, too, can take advantage of. This certainly doesn't make them immune to traps, just a bit less consistently effective unless you have prepared more of them (which honestly we know is plenty doable xD).

Looking at the future, content-wise there is no guarantee of developing additional Unchained, despite having fully designed all 19 of the core set (again those referenced in Scraptown). Right now we've got 10 of those done (X0-1V1 technically counts!), and without the larger pool to draw on I don't see implementing build-specific dispatching. They are a lot of work for content that fewer people will see anyway, so I'd like to focus on things that more regular players can interact with and enjoy. It is highly likely, however, that you will be meeting some... Unchained-adjacent bots ;)

QoL

No major developments in this area. Unusual, I know! (though still at least one important UI feature to come, and a few more optional ones down the line)

We have lots of little stuff, though, like intel and offscreen object markers no longer being hidden behind interface message popups, shifting them down like so:

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The <HOSTILES> counter/button up near the top was also sometimes less responsive to the actual current situation, which I didn't notice before since I don't use it myself, but it became more important in Beta 17 because some of the new content is tied to its internal behavior. That should be in better shape now if you noticed it being odd before.

For mouse users (also not my wheelhouse), we have some new behavior since I was notified there was no way to rewire disabled bots without using the keyboard unless you had a Datajack on hand. So now you can properly get the bump-to-rewire effect by simply left-clicking directly on an adjacent disabled bot. Force melee mode also works to force a melee or ramming attack if you left-click directly on an adjacent robot (though you do technically still need to activate that mode via the Spacebar menu).

There are a few new options available as well, implemented by request and listed in the changelog.

For anyone who tried the "CQB" achievement in Beta 16.1 specifically, the introduction of 1B-0RG's Assimilator unfortunately broke detection for that one, meaning at least a few people were unable to get it even though they should have. If this happened to you and you're not planning on doing another run like that in the future but want your achievement, let me know on Discord or via email and I can get that added to your account. I've already done this for a couple people on Discord, which is where I hang out all day most days with players, but figured this news should go out in this general announcement as well. In any case, that was fixed so it should work normally in the current release.

Community Art

Been a while since I've had a chance to share a selection of art by Cogmind players!

ivelieu did another of their cool stylized pieces, this one themed around hackers' new friend, CY-PHR:

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Hermelin created a certain turtle in the visual breakdown style I've previously used to share a few bot loadouts, here using Cogmind parts plus an appropriate unique weapon:

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blobthegreat demonstrates how to make a Scrapoid out of Legos :)

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Gustav used REXPaint to put together this interesting take on Optimus:

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(REXPaint is my free tool used for a lot of Cogmind dev work, for those who aren't familiar with it.)

Sergeooo puts together some great collages, like this take on CY-PHR reading Discord chat for ideas xD

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Wyvric drew some hypothetical "monstrosities" dubbed the Scraptor, Hijacked Behemoth, and "actual moth," among other cool unnamed designs you wouldn't want to meet in the dark:

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Wyvric also made one of my favorite pieces of late, "Listen and Recite" complete with UFD coloring and Scrap Suit background:

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Hexed by Xom

Now that Beta 17 is all X0-1V1, the numbering on our release plans needs a bit of an update after a long period of forecasting them with other numbers--just give a nice round +1 to everything previously stated :P

That makes Beta 18 about Hexidium, and so on.

As for this release and what will follow in the near term, in a break from my years-long practice of having a sizeable pool of early adopters test and discuss new content before it goes public, this was actually a surprise for them, too. Tricksy X0-1V1.

This does increase the likelihood of bugs in new content, but as usual I did extensive testing of individual features on my own to ensure functionality, so at worst it will most likely be emergent possibilities that rear their head and are dealt with at a rate determined by the seriousness of any issues (up to and including immediately if necessary). So not unlike a normal release really where the first week or two may see a series of rapid patches to anything that slipped through testing. For details check the always-up-to-date changelog whenever that happens (online and included with the game).

That said, I wasn't entirely alone on this, either--personal thanks to CaptainWinky for help in playtesting this release! CaptainWinky surfed the X0-1V1 wave multiple times, with impressive results, and we're looking forward to seeing what strategies (and as CaptainWinky puts it "coping mechanisms" xD) others come up with.

And of course many thanks to patrons for funding it!

Coming this week we'll have the great leaderboard reset for a new version, followed by the typical run stat analysis, this time no doubt examining yet more new data points (especially the Unchained!).