USC Counterforce

USC:CF v1.00.5a, build 240813BALANCE/GAMEPLAY CHANGESCampaign: further adjustments to alien reinforcements spawn rate in horde eradication missionsCampaign: the \"middle phase\" of the Campaign will now trigger sooner on \"Story\" and \"Normal\" complexity settingsNote: depending on the complexity setting, story progression to Dream #5 should now trigger after MP 13/23/33 at the latest (pass the MP a couple of times if you\'re already there and suspected a bug [not corfimed] before this update)Adjustments to alien reinforcements spawn rate in planet surface missions (Operations, Single Mission)Victory still requires that you kill (almost) everything, so if there are reinforcements spawning, you\'ll need to deal with them as well, even if there were 0 aliens left when ending the turn -- this is not a bug!Alien reinforcements were never and are NOT infinite, though--the rate of the remaining aliens spawning has been now increased significantly to speed up (and give more excitement at) the end of these missions (turn 11+)FIXESCampaign: fixed a critical bug where nests could \"grow infinitely\" and cause issues on starting a missionThe fix is retroactive; if you have encountered this bug, but have a save where you can select the sector to go on a nest mission, it will now behave properly!Note: use a save where you haven\'t yet tried to actually start the mission (not an ExitSave, etc. that were made after the game locked up partially)Campaign: fixed a potential ammo exploit where you could stock already used turrets and then get a brand new one with refilled ammo just by taking it from stock. You can no longer stock turrets that have been ever deployed.Campaign: fixed faction-exclusive items in the \"shop\" staying available/not becoming available when you didn\'t have actual access to the item, but removed/added one from/to stockCampaign: fixed faction-exclusive items that were only available in the \"shop\" due to being already in stock having their req./craft buttons & info misleadingly displayed (did not affect gameplay)Campaign: fixed the crafting material display on the Communications screen sometimes not being refreshed correctly after leaving Squad AssemblyCampaign: fixed sector info panel displaying only half the actual Deothonit yield for mining sites since the last update (did not affect gameplay)Campaign: fixed a bug where you couldn\'t save the game on the Squad Assembly or Communications screens (in non-Hardcore)Campaign: map screen music will now properly stop before playing the dropship cutsceneFixed an extremely rare critical bug where the game would lock up on \"Alien nest activity\" [speculative/preventive fix while we\'re waiting for report details/repro]

Defend the Base! Patch notes -- v0.30.0a (b230821) New game mode: Defend the Base!New feature: Weapon PrototypesPrototypes are weapons with enhanced base properties that cost both Squad Points and crafting materials. They can be further improved with weapon upgrades.They are awarded in Single Mission mode for completing a mission within Turn limits, and are available from a separate tab in Squad Assembly.The quality of a prototype depends on mission difficulty and Performance Score. This determines the amount, type, and value of the random improved properties it has.If you don’t want a prototype at all, you can sell it for an amount of crafting materials. This can’t be undone, although prototype weapons already in your inventory remain functional and unchanged (until sold).New items with new mechanics: scanners!The structure scanner can reveal Fog of War in a 90-degrees angle within a range of 7.The biosign scanner reveals the position and threat level of aliens (whether they are visible or not) in a radius of 10, and scans visible ones for exact Health/Armor/AP values (and Health loss expected) within a range of 5 (this exact data is available until the next Turn).Both are available to buy at a fairly high Squad Point cost, but can be also crafted!GAMEPLAY CHANGESChanges to the mission deadline (Turn limit) system:In Single Mission mode, all deadlines are now only “soft”, meaning you can complete all types of missions outside the Turn limit, but that will incur a Score and rewards penalty. Item unlocks (when available) are granted either way. Weapon prototypes are only awarded if you can complete the mission within the Turn limit, though.In Operations, deadlines remain mandatory (it’s about in 50% of all sub-missions), as they are much needed for the corresponding tactical situation and narrative to be interesting and engaging. However, Turn limits are now increased by a substantial amount (+50%, +35%, +25%) for Beginner, Standard, and Hard difficulties, respectively, allowing for more tactical choices (Ultimate remains unchanged.).In the future Campaign mode, we don’t plan to have hard deadlines for any mission, but, of course, some situations will have a sense of urgency, enforced by other gameplay mechanics.Increased base Score for “Data acquisition” and “Reach extraction point” missions by 25,000Reworked some RMG rules for Mission #1 of the “Escape the mines!” Operation to be more consistent in terms of playability and challengeThe last selected path for a unit will now be removed (“forgotten”) when entering Defense modeInsertion/Extraction zone markers are now always visible on corresponding grids (for example, the starting elevators in Single Missions)