Cogmind Beta 15 Feature Voting

Feature voting is back!

I originally said I wanted to wait until getting past the UFD arc before doing this again, in the interest of focusing on completing that and its rather extensive related feature list, but Beta 13 and 14 together have already been a pretty big success, and already comprise a majority of that arc.

Even more relevantly, my recent foray into the 450-page-deep TODO list led me to further expand the potential list of optional features, many of which I'd really like to implement but can't possibly do all of right now, so may as well let you pick which one to start with.

So yeah these are all features that ideally would happen eventually, but altogether it's a lot of stuff on top of the many guaranteed bits already planned, meaning technically none of these options are guaranteed to ever happen and voting for them to be done sooner is the best way to ensure they happen at all. The top-voted feature from this list will be worked on immediately hereafter, to be included in Beta 15:

• Heat map overlay: Toggleable visualization mode for the map view displaying your movement over time, thus brighter areas where you stayed longer or moved more. This could also offer other highlights depicting areas of combat and destroyed targets, depending on what's needed or works best in addition to just movement patterns. This is a good feature for reviewing or sharing your progress, and if active the highlight could even be included in map exports for a wider view. This update would also include an expansion for the visual SFX system, including marking doors that have only been heard, probably a way to recall the previous sources of sound effects on the map, and maybe more related features (ex: tweakable SFX visualization duration).

• Screenshot mode: A better mode for sharing one's current state in a single image, including full inventory, build tag (even if that feature is not active). As part of this feature I'd also look into adding a way to upload various types of screenshots to our #cogmind-activity channel on Discord from right in the game, like a normal screenshot, a crop of your HUD, screenshot mode output, etc.

• Item database: Although the current item gallery provides access to discovered item info, it was originally intended purely for ASCII art viewing (the first versions didn't even allow the info window!), thus it isn't great for quickly looking up info about items since that wasn't what it was designed for (although note that you can hit the first letter key of a target item's base name to skip to that section in the gallery!). A new interface would make it much easier to explore known items, or see where you may be missing things. (This feature may be less needed now considering aoemica built the amazing Cog-Minder, but I'll leave this on the list in case you want to express support for it.)

• Melee mechanics expansion: Adds a small chance of time-free attacks of opportunity against enemies making movements past you/a melee-armed bot. At least some melee weapons would likely get inherent projectile deflection capabilities. Having more melee weapons, or Melee Analysis Utilities, can increase the effectiveness of new mechanics.

• New alien artifacts: A package of new artifacts mostly found in the types of places one might expect. At least four or so would be added. Some example names from among those already designed: Subspace Repair Module, Slipshell, Core State Harmonizer, Integrated Deceleration Field, Matter Reconcentrator, Sigix Lance.

• Overmap: View a much larger area of the map at once. Basically like a minimap but takes up your entire screen :). It has a few related features as well, and I've written about this before on the blog.

• Scanalyzer expansion: Adds new functionality to Scanalyzers, allowing you to use them to "study" a particular item's design and in doing so improve some predetermined aspect of its functionality. For example improving your accuracy with a specific type of weapon (e.g. Gauss Rifles), or improving the energy output from a particular engine type. Such items would be known to you as "Gauss Rifle+". It could also be possible to obtain such "item analyses" via other non-Scanalyzer means as well, as seen with Schematic Archives.

• Drone PIP: Picture-in-picture views of drone FOV, as described in the relevant blog post, along with some other relevant features.

• Drone bay rework: Redesign drone bays to enable the construction of new drones, while also enabling them to remember the state of retrieved drones. This would also entail a redesign of drone stats/loadouts in general to ensure they are balanced.

• Bothacking expansion: A multi-feature package surrounding all things RIF-related. Some new RIF abilities including for example Dispatch Diversion, Process Snooping, Tracking Disruption, and Algorithmic Interface. Some new hacks including for example map_machines, disband_escort, system_surge, locate_parts. Also additional bothacking effect indicators to reflect state modifications due to active hacks.

• In-game score history data and leaderboards: Instead of scorehistory.txt (which is now ancient and most people probably don't know about or use it, or just use the website...), basic stat overviews of future runs would be available via a new interface in the Records section  (including sorting by score rank or time). With this I'd also try to add a measure of in-game global leaderboard support.

• Make Player 2 canon: A way to work with P2 in the regular game?! They would be somewhat different thematically speaking, but the relevant mechanics would be quite similar, with a possibility that you could choose to gain them as an ally very early on in some seeds. There is actually a way to fit it into the expanded lore where it makes some sense.

• Full mouse UI for machine hacking: A set of mouse-driven menus would be added giving keyboard-free access to every single machine hack, including all (known) manual Trojans/brute force hacks. Technically this menu system would also be available and of use to keyboard players as well, listing every option explicitly.

• Expanded manual: The in-game manual would be expanded to support more than 26 sections, with new sections added on various topics including alert/influence, the scoring system and its calculations, all the context help normally available only in context-relevant areas of the game, and more.

• Legs++: A package of multiple new higher-level legs from rating 6 through 9. There would be two new categories, naturally with their own niches, including a sort of specialized siege mode (of course with different mechanics, however).

• Encounters package: At least 10 new encounters across multiple branch maps, including especially caves and Research branches.

• Player-submitted item/mechanic: Can't say what this would be, since this is a bit of a longer process involving all of you submitting ideas for a new item or mechanic followed by me vetting them for feasibility then another round of voting for which one everyone prefers.

• Revamped combat log: Haha just kidding this isn't really on the voting list, but it was on there for so long before it took first place and got the overhaul that led to a lot more details as we have in it's current form. I guess it's okay :)

Everyone is encouraged to vote for more than one option. Voting is open and ongoing until I cut it off at some point, at least a week from now, whenever it seems like most everyone who is participating has completed their submission.

Remember that anything that fails to take the top spot might still become part of the game one day, it'll just either take longer or can perhaps be voted for at a later point.

And note this is for voting and discussions among patrons, so please do so here or use the patron channels on the Discord server, not the public channels!

Beta 15 is well underway, with a significant changelog as is, though technically so far comprised purely of QoL, balance tweaks, and fixes. Still got a whole new map to build, as well as multiple events and the new ending, plus whatever comes out of this voting, so there's still a good chunk of time to go... At least it won't be as crazy as Scraptown itself, with so many new mechanics and that ridiculous amount of lore xD

Update 241011: Poll is over after a full week has passed and voting had pretty much trickled to a stop recently. I'll be posting about the results and more info on what's to come soon.