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== Roadmap == | == Roadmap == | ||
[[File:Roadmap Season 3.webp|400px|thumb]] | [[File:Roadmap Season 3.webp|400px|thumb]] | ||
Each week leading up to '''Season 3''' will contain more information from the development team and will be presented in the below order. CW means Calendar week for each information | Each week leading up to '''Season 3''' will contain more information from the development team and will be presented in the below order. CW means Calendar week for each information release. | ||
*CW 4 - Giving a fair chance to everyone | *CW 4 - Giving a fair chance to everyone | ||
| Line 33: | Line 33: | ||
The state of The Cycle will have several large changes in the near future along with the release of '''Season 3'''. Listed below are some of the major ones, what they mean and how it will impact the game moving forward. | The state of The Cycle will have several large changes in the near future along with the release of '''Season 3'''. Listed below are some of the major ones, what they mean and how it will impact the game moving forward. | ||
The game will no longer have forced wipe after each season. '''The last global wipe will happen on March | The game will no longer have a forced wipe after each season. '''The last global wipe will happen on the 29th of March''' along the release of '''Season 3''' and several things are being looked into to accommodate this change. | ||
=== No forced wipes === | === No forced wipes === | ||
| Line 47: | Line 47: | ||
** Some new recipes will be added for attachments. | ** Some new recipes will be added for attachments. | ||
** New recipe for a grenade using howler materials. | ** New recipe for a grenade using howler materials. | ||
* Ammo will be split into | * Ammo will be split into new types and rarities, and each weapon will require one of these (instead of the usual Light/Medium/Heavy) and may require scrips. | ||
* Key usage will change and some keys will be available in the shops. | * Key usage will change and some keys will be available in the shops. | ||
** New key available: "Progenitor Corridor Key". | ** New key available: "Progenitor Corridor Key". | ||
| Line 58: | Line 58: | ||
A large part of the quests are being reworked, with some new quests, some removed, as well as entirely new questlines. | A large part of the quests are being reworked, with some new quests, some removed, as well as entirely new questlines. | ||
Badum will also offer | Badum will also offer his own questline. | ||
=== | === Mark I and Mark II weapons === | ||
'''Season 3''' will add | '''Season 3''' will add variants of existing weapons, these will be of a different rarity than the original weapon, with separate stats and modding capabilities. | ||
* MK I Weapons will be weapons that are of a lower rarity than their original counterpart and will allow players with less progression to attain and test high-end weapons with less risk. | * MK I Weapons will be weapons that are of a lower rarity than their original counterpart and will allow players with less progression to attain and test high-end weapons with less risk. | ||
| Line 75: | Line 75: | ||
All these changes will be done through changing and adding additional parameters into the matchmaking and should hopefully result in a better experience for everyone. | All these changes will be done through changing and adding additional parameters into the matchmaking and should hopefully result in a better experience for everyone. | ||
=== Changes to starter | === Changes to starter packs === | ||
How starter packs | How starter packs work will be changed. | ||
More information on this is expected in the near future from the E-commerce team at Yager. | More information on this is expected in the near future from the E-commerce team at Yager. | ||
| Line 83: | Line 83: | ||
A public test server is available from 2nd of March until 6th of March. Separate client download is required. | A public test server is available from 2nd of March until 6th of March. Separate client download is required. | ||
Content in the PTS is not final | Content in the PTS is not final. Some planned features might be missing while other existing features might be a work-in-progress. Players should expect bugs and issues to occur. | ||
=== Howler === | === Howler === | ||
| Line 91: | Line 91: | ||
Using sound for locating and attacking prospectors from a distance, this new menace will provide new challenges and tactics for both low and high-tier prospectors. | Using sound for locating and attacking prospectors from a distance, this new menace will provide new challenges and tactics for both low and high-tier prospectors. | ||
The howler will require more effort to bring down compared to the already existing creatures, but will not be the only risk involved as other players will hear and see the fight from afar, forcing anyone brave enough to take on this flying beast to also keep an eye on the ground. | |||
The Howler boasts from a number of different attacks, both melee and ranged. These ranged attacks can get stuck on terrain and act as area-denial mines. | |||
==== Howler Nests ==== | ==== Howler Nests ==== | ||
[[File:Howler-nest-BS-01.jpg|360px|thumb]] | [[File:Howler-nest-BS-01.jpg|360px|thumb]] | ||
Scattered throughout Fortuna | Scattered throughout Fortuna are the Howler's nests containing dangerous eggs. These nests will slightly alter the area they occupy, making some of the already well-known places of interest more exciting, and giving new reasons to explore them again. | ||
While a good source of loot, prospectors need to be careful when approaching the eggs in a nest and be prepared to relocate and heal when necessary. | While a good source of loot, prospectors need to be careful when approaching the eggs in a nest and be prepared to relocate and heal when necessary. | ||
| Line 103: | Line 103: | ||
Anyone entering the area of a howler nest will need to stay alert and be able to adjust their plans accordingly as the eggs will protect themselves. | Anyone entering the area of a howler nest will need to stay alert and be able to adjust their plans accordingly as the eggs will protect themselves. | ||
Offering new loot for prospectors, one should not only be wary of the nest itself, but also of other prospectors, coming to discover the new secrets that these | Offering new loot for prospectors, one should not only be wary of the nest itself, but also of other prospectors, coming to discover the new secrets that these areas may hold. | ||
=== Loadout presets === | === Loadout presets === | ||
| Line 114: | Line 114: | ||
This Free Loadout Run allows players to land on the surface without the risk of losing any gear, while still being allowed to evac with anything they can carry. | This Free Loadout Run allows players to land on the surface without the risk of losing any gear, while still being allowed to evac with anything they can carry. | ||
The feature is aimed to help | The feature is aimed to help prospectors that are low on gear and resources, as well as to allow players to try out new weapons, without having to worry about losing money in the process. | ||
In order to mitigate | In order to mitigate the impact on the economy these free items could have, the loadouts' randomization is limited to a maximum of Rare (blue) items, and a cooldown period must pass before you can use another free loadout. For those that do not like their random loadout, they can re-roll it once every 24 hours. | ||
=== Changes to the station === | === Changes to the station === | ||
| Line 125: | Line 125: | ||
More NPCs will be added around the station in order to make it appear more lively and give it a more natural feeling, along with busy robots and drones roaming the station to handle its needs. | More NPCs will be added around the station in order to make it appear more lively and give it a more natural feeling, along with busy robots and drones roaming the station to handle its needs. | ||
The key | The key changes that can be expected are as follows: | ||
* Facelift on the shops and faction headquarters. | * Facelift on the shops and faction headquarters. | ||
* More buildings and more compact layout of the surrounding parts of the station. | * More buildings and more compact layout of the surrounding parts of the station. | ||
Revision as of 15:09, 4 March 2023
 |
Please keep in mind that this is a community-driven article that is based upon publicly available posts and interpretation of said post. Yager is not involved in the writing of the information contained within, nor does it reflect their internal planning and release-schedule. Anything contained in this article is subject to changes or misinterpretation. We strive to keep it updated with sources that we can verify, but even Discord-posts from CM's may not always turn out as expected. As such, always view any info within as rumors and speculation and then make your own conclusions based on the sources provided. |
| Release Date | March 29 |
|---|---|
| PTS Begins | March 2 |
| PTS Ends | March 6 |
Announcement Video
Roadmap
Each week leading up to Season 3 will contain more information from the development team and will be presented in the below order. CW means Calendar week for each information release.
- CW 4 - Giving a fair chance to everyone
- CW 5 - A new menace
- CW 6 - Technical updates
- CW 7 - Prospect Station upgrades
- CW 8 - Visions of TC:F
- CW 9 - Public Test Server
- CW 10 - Pass of the Fortuna kind
Fundamental changes
The state of The Cycle will have several large changes in the near future along with the release of Season 3. Listed below are some of the major ones, what they mean and how it will impact the game moving forward.
The game will no longer have a forced wipe after each season. The last global wipe will happen on the 29th of March along the release of Season 3 and several things are being looked into to accommodate this change.
No forced wipes
No more global wipes does not mean that players themselves cannot initiate a wipe.
- Manual Wipe for players
- Players will be able to manually wipe (prestige) their progress, rather than have a forced wipe. This allows anyone to start fresh at any time (exact requirements, if any, to be able to wipe haven't been revealed yet), while not forcing anyone who does not wish to do so.
- Potential rewards will be handed out for players that prestige.
Economy changes
A large part of the Economy will change with Season 3, outlined below are some of the changes.
- Weapons will have their costs changed.
- Crafting will have its cost and recipes changed.
- Some new recipes will be added for attachments.
- New recipe for a grenade using howler materials.
- Ammo will be split into new types and rarities, and each weapon will require one of these (instead of the usual Light/Medium/Heavy) and may require scrips.
- Key usage will change and some keys will be available in the shops.
- New key available: "Progenitor Corridor Key".
- Rarity of some keys will change.
- Loot rooms will be overhauled with new appearances and different loot.
- Loot rooms that have their keycards' rarity increased will have more and better loot.
- Quest rewards will be reworked.
Quests
A large part of the quests are being reworked, with some new quests, some removed, as well as entirely new questlines.
Badum will also offer his own questline.
Mark I and Mark II weapons
Season 3 will add variants of existing weapons, these will be of a different rarity than the original weapon, with separate stats and modding capabilities.
- MK I Weapons will be weapons that are of a lower rarity than their original counterpart and will allow players with less progression to attain and test high-end weapons with less risk.
- MK II Weapons will be weapons that are of higher rarity than their original counterpart and will give players the possibility to use a weapon that they are comfortable with, further into the progression.
- Original weapons will be MK I or MK II depending on the new weapon added.
- Only MK I weapons will be available in shops, regardless if they are original or new versions.
Changes to Matchmaking
Several changes as tweaks for matchmaking is planned for season 3 in order to ensure longevity and allow players to manually wipe, without putting themselves in a bad spot, changes will be made to the matchmaking.
Work is also being done in order to further ensure that players get the best experience possible, with fairer matchmaking, but also making sure to keep the mix of tension and excitement of not knowing who you will run into.
All these changes will be done through changing and adding additional parameters into the matchmaking and should hopefully result in a better experience for everyone.
Changes to starter packs
How starter packs work will be changed.
More information on this is expected in the near future from the E-commerce team at Yager.
Public Test Server
A public test server is available from 2nd of March until 6th of March. Separate client download is required.
Content in the PTS is not final. Some planned features might be missing while other existing features might be a work-in-progress. Players should expect bugs and issues to occur.
Howler
The Howler will freely roam the skies of Fortuna, changing how Prospectors approach each area.
Using sound for locating and attacking prospectors from a distance, this new menace will provide new challenges and tactics for both low and high-tier prospectors.
The howler will require more effort to bring down compared to the already existing creatures, but will not be the only risk involved as other players will hear and see the fight from afar, forcing anyone brave enough to take on this flying beast to also keep an eye on the ground.
The Howler boasts from a number of different attacks, both melee and ranged. These ranged attacks can get stuck on terrain and act as area-denial mines.
Howler Nests
Scattered throughout Fortuna are the Howler's nests containing dangerous eggs. These nests will slightly alter the area they occupy, making some of the already well-known places of interest more exciting, and giving new reasons to explore them again.
While a good source of loot, prospectors need to be careful when approaching the eggs in a nest and be prepared to relocate and heal when necessary.
Anyone entering the area of a howler nest will need to stay alert and be able to adjust their plans accordingly as the eggs will protect themselves.
Offering new loot for prospectors, one should not only be wary of the nest itself, but also of other prospectors, coming to discover the new secrets that these areas may hold.
Loadout presets
Prospectors will have the possibility to save up to 3 different loadout-presets in order to more quickly get back on the surface for further prospecting.
Free Loadout Runs
When dropping onto Fortuna III, prospectors will be able to select if they want to use their own gear or use a random faction-based loadout for free.
This Free Loadout Run allows players to land on the surface without the risk of losing any gear, while still being allowed to evac with anything they can carry.
The feature is aimed to help prospectors that are low on gear and resources, as well as to allow players to try out new weapons, without having to worry about losing money in the process.
In order to mitigate the impact on the economy these free items could have, the loadouts' randomization is limited to a maximum of Rare (blue) items, and a cooldown period must pass before you can use another free loadout. For those that do not like their random loadout, they can re-roll it once every 24 hours.
Changes to the station
The station is getting a rework for Season 3, overhauling the experience a prospector will have on Prospect Station.
The overall feeling of the station will be more of a dirty, gritty place in lack of space. More things are in temporary storage along the walls and areas, etc.
More NPCs will be added around the station in order to make it appear more lively and give it a more natural feeling, along with busy robots and drones roaming the station to handle its needs.
The key changes that can be expected are as follows:
- Facelift on the shops and faction headquarters.
- More buildings and more compact layout of the surrounding parts of the station.
- Some new objects will be added and some will be removed.
- Most grass, trees and flowers will be removed.
- Some of the signs will get a makeover.
- New NPCs with additional behaviours.
- Roaming drones that fly around the station.
- New building for Osiris.
- Captured creatures and samples of dead creatures scattered around the station.
New skins and archetypes
As always new skins and archetypes are slated to come with season 3 and we got a sneak-peak on some of those during Frosty Frontier Fest.
-
New archetype coming in season 3 called 'Unbound Synth'
-
New archetype coming in season 3 called 'Artillery'
-
New Advocate skin coming in season 3
Weekly updates and developer media
Below is a list of official articles and media released, covering content and changes for Season 3.
Articles
- Giving a fair chance to everyone by providing Free Loadout Runs for players, reworking the matchmaking and planning for the future.
- A new menace, Howler is coming in season 3, along with minor map-changes, new loot, quests and more.
- The war on cheats is continuing on all fronts. A lot has been done but more is on the horizon and Yager is dedicated to reduce the impact from cheaters.
- Prospect station overhaul will give a new face to the station, making it feel more alive, but also represent the constraints of living in space.
- MK I and MK II weapons are coming in Season 3, giving the weapons we have come to know, new utility and broader usage.
- Season 3 Public Test Server is available from March 2'nd until March 6'th.
Media releases
Youtube videos
Livestreams
Unconfirmed content
Below is content that is hinted or rumoured, but not yet confirmed as part of S3-launch. This could appear before or after the start of season 3 as well.
- Audio improvements appear to be coming in S3 according to the Frosty Frontier Fest Livestream.
See also
References
- ↑ Feralus, Discord Message: "What exactly of it? The code part, yes absolutely." was stated in response to "If I had to guess the Frosty Frontier Fest was a systems test for S3 things. This is all wildly speculative though"
- ↑ Yager, thecycle.game website: "Events"