Breachway News

Hey everyone.

It's been almost a week since our last official update, but this is a meaty one.
We've broken the changelog into several categories to highlight the changes we added over the last week.

[h2]Game Design Updates[/h2]
On the game design side, we've simplified some of the systems in the game, giving you more freedom in making decisions on how to equip your ship. For example, the crew now directly determines your card slots (number of the crew + 1 base card slot) and whether they operate equipment. Equipment items now always add their cards to your draw pile, whether operated by the crew or not. This allows more leeway in your ship's setup; you can have a fully equipped ship with only a few crew or a fully crewed boat with only a few pieces of equipment.

Additionally, we've implemented a limit to how much fuel you can buy from stores (3 per store currently), which is a better way to add some fuel scarcity without increasing the price. We've also improved the odds of getting subsystems that are actually relevant to your current loadout, enabling more natural power scaling that is less reliant on RNG.

[h2]Technical Updates[/h2]
On the technical side, we've eliminated a handful of nasty bugs that resulted from our combat save system. However, this also required us to disable saving during combat (at least for now) as it created more edge cases than our programmer could handle in a limited amount of time (there are a lot of cool additions we want to work on).

Additionally, we've improved performance in some cases by addressing a memory leak and reducing some texture sizes that had to be written for the ship damage system.

[h2]New Features[/h2]
We've also had some fun and added a ship-renaming option in the hangar as some of our players suggested. It has no effect, but we'll soon have people referring to the ship by its name at events.

[h2]Run Reset Notification[/h2]
With these latest technical bug fixes behind us, we hope the game is stable enough for you to enjoy without any issues. This will also allow us to proceed with all the cool features and content we want to add.

Due to the sizeable changes in this patch, your current run progress will be reset (meta progress will not be affected). We've tried to avoid this, but there's no way around it when we make fundamental changes to the game.

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[h3]Bug Reporting and Feedback[/h3]
If you have any issues to report, please use the bug reporting forum on Steam. You can also join our Discord and report your issues in our bug reporting forum. We also have a subreddit community found here.

On to the change log:

[h2]Patch 11 Changelog[/h2]
Stability and Performance Fixes

• Combat Stability: Fixed issues where leaving combat on the enemy's turn could result in a soft lock.
  
• Turn Resumption Fix: Fixed issue where leaving combat on the enemy's turn could result in the enemy playing cards on your turn when you resumed.
  
• Texture Optimization: Reduced the damage map texture size for the first two enemies, as some people reported the game crashing when they exploded.
  
• Memory Leak Fix: Added a new fix for a reported memory leak (save file massively growing in size as you played).
  
• Combat Save System Update: Modified the combat save system to only save at the start of combat.
  

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Card Fixes and Balance Changes

• Diffraction Field Adjustment: Modified diffraction field to require targeting your ship, not the enemy ship; increased its cooldown from 2 to 3 turns.
  
• Tinker Card Cost: Reduced the cost of Tinker from 2 Mass 2 Energy to 0, as the card depletes and takes 3 turns until its effect activates.
  
• TEG Enhancer Duration: Reduced duration of TEG Enhancer to 4, as stated on the card.
  
• Art and Display Fixes: Removed placeholder art from Dead Heat and removed variable from the card display.
  
• Tutorial Card Fix: Fixed the wrong tutorial cards shown if you leave/continue between fights.
  
• Heat Shift Bug: Fixed bug where Heat Shift could result in negative heat for the player.
  
• Tutorial Expansion: Added a new tutorial node for getting your 4th crew member.
  
• Exhaustive Card Mechanics: Added an icon for exhaustive cards (both on the card and in the keyword) and a tutorial panel explaining them in the 4th fight.
  
• Light Flak and Flak Barrage Changes:
  
• Light Flak Barrage cooldown increased from 2 to 3.
  
• Flak Barrage cooldown increased from 3 to 4, minimum damage increased from 3 to 4.
  
• Endothermic Reaction Fix: Fixed Endothermic Reaction not giving its bonus shield in certain edge cases.
  
• Arbalest's Starting Laser Update: Added an extra Pulse Laser card to the Arbalest's starting laser.
  
• Crew Ability Adjustments:
  
• Force Production: Cost increased from 2 CP to 3 CP, cooldown increased from 3 to 4.
  
• Overload Cannons: Cooldown increased from 3 to 4.
  
• Cheap Shot: Cooldown increased from 2 to 4.
  
• Reload: Cost increased from 2 CP to 3 CP, cooldown increased from 2 to 4.
  
• Tune Generator: Cooldown increased from 2 to 4.
  
• Emergency Shielding: Cost increased from 2 CP to 3 CP, cooldown increased from 2 to 4.
  

[hr][/hr]
Crew and Equipment Changes

• Card Slot Allocation: Each crewmember always adds 1 card slot to your ship, regardless of whether they operate equipment or not.
  
• Crew Abilities: Crewmembers need to operate equipment to use their ability.
  
• Ability Activation Feedback: If crew can't activate their ability, a message explaining why is displayed next to their ability text.
  
• Equipment Functionality: Equipment now adds cards to your deck even if not operated by the crew.
  
• Cooldown Adjustment: Cards from equipment without a crewmember operating it have +2 cooldown.
  
• Card Management Flexibility: Cards can be drafted or removed from equipment while not operated by crew.
  
• Subsystem Operation: Subsystems function normally on equipment not operated by crew.
  

[hr][/hr]
Shop and Fuel System Changes

• Fuel Availability: Each station now has three fuel available for sale.
  
• Crew Ability Usage: Crew abilities are limited to once per station.
  
• Subsystem Availability: Greatly increased the odds of having subsystems for your loadout on sale in shops.
  
• Weapon Subsystem Frequency: Increased the chance of having weapon subsystems appear in stores.
  
• Shop/Hangar Interaction Fix: Fixed issue where entering and exiting the shop and/or hangar would reset the card removal and addition option.
  

[hr][/hr]
Miscellaneous Changes and Additions

• Ship Renaming Feature: Added the ability to rename your ship in the ship selector screen (to be later implemented in events whenever someone refers to your ship).
  
• Tutorial Expansion: Extended the tutorial by adding an extra node that introduces a new character, showing that crewmembers are tied to card slots.
  
• Exhaustive Card Explanation: Added a new tutorial panel in the 4th fight explaining exhaustive cards (still needs localization for languages other than English).
  
• Exhaustive Card Icon: Added a new icon for the exhaustive card mechanic, making it more visible and adding it to the keyword.
  
• Transponder Sell Price Adjustment: Modified the transponder sell cost from 50 to 20 (as the item itself costs 35).
  
• Notification Icon Addition: Added a notification icon next to your ship status panel when you gain reactor power or receive a missile launcher in the weapon picker event.
  
• Shield Mk.I Equipment Price Increase: Increased the sell price on shield Mk.I equipment to make it easier to buy higher-level equipment.
  

[h2]Future Development Plans[/h2]
From now on, we should have more time to work on the features we discussed in the last dev update and patch notes.

[h2]Roadmap Update[/h2]
We’ve also listened to your feedback regarding the presence of too much RNG in the game, and we’re currently reworking the Flak weapon system to reduce the excessive RNG while keeping its core identity intact. You can read more about the changes in the upcoming dev update next week.
We're also working on a roadmap, but it will take longer. We want to ensure we present you with a clear and accurate development plan for Breachway.

[h3]To the Community[/h3]
Thanks again for all of your suggestions and words of encouragement. They're a big help in improving the game and a great motivator that keeps us going! We're genuinely excited about what the future will bring for the game and can't wait to share more details with you.

As always, we encourage you to continue sharing your thoughts and feedback. Every review and suggestion helps us improve the game, and we're genuinely grateful for each one!

Hi everyone,

Last night, we rolled out a sizable patch that fixed several issues with save game data. However, it seems we unintentionally introduced a new issue—progression towards unlocking perks wasn’t being saved correctly. This hotfix should resolve that, and meta progression should now be saved properly.

We apologize for the large file size of the hotfix. Rebuilding the addressable game data caused the detected changes to be much larger than expected.

We've also noticed a few other bugs that we’re investigating now, such as crew abilities not being usable for some players. These may or may not be related to yesterday’s changes, but we're looking at fixing those next.

Thank you for your patience as we get everything sorted out.

Hey everyone,

[h3]Revamped Save Game System is Here![/h3]
After much extra testing, it's finally time to introduce the revamped save game system! This update aims to fix a major issue that could make the game unplayable: corrupted save files.

Previously, if something went wrong during the file-writing process, players could end up with corrupted data, rendering the game unplayable.

With the new system, we can detect corrupted saved data and provide an option to clear it. We've also made the data writing process much more robust, significantly reducing the risk of corruption in the first place.

Another concern we've heard from players is about bugs in the tutorial, which were also related to save data issues—specifically, not saving the game at the right time.

We’ve addressed this issue and streamlined the tutorial for a smoother experience. We know how important the tutorial is, and we underestimated its significance leading up to launch, so we’re committed to further improving in this area.

Here is a breakdown of what we'll cover in this post:

• Tutorial Bugs Addressed: Improved tutorial experience by fixing save-related bugs.
  
• Quality-of-Life Enhancements: Added features like double-click card play, map rotation toggle, and perk slot confirmation.
  
• Patch 10 Changelog: Detailed list of bug fixes and improvements, including save system overhaul and tutorial updates.
  
• Next Patch Plans: Memory leak and graphical crash fixes coming soon.
  
• Long-Term Improvements: Focus on run-end stats screen, event population rework, faction relationships, card readability, and difficulty curve adjustments.
  
• Ship Customization Progress: Core bugs being fixed, allowing more focus on ship customization and feature enhancements.
  

[h3]New Quality-of-Life Enhancements You Asked For[/h3]
We’ve also had the chance to add some quality-of-life features that you requested, such as automatically playing cards by double-clicking, making map rotation optional, and adding a confirmation dialog when starting a game without filling all your perk slots.

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[h3]Bug Reporting and Feedback[/h3]
If you have any issues to report, please use the bug reporting forum on Steam. You can also join our Discord and report your issues in our bug reporting forum. We also have a subreddit community found here.

[h2]Changelog[/h2]

• Reworked the save game system so it's more robust, minimizing the risks of data corruption
  
• Added detection of corrupted game files and an option for the user to clear them to make the game playable again
  
• Added popup informing you of starting a run without allocating perks
  
• Added toggle for map rotation in settings
  
• Added the option of double-clicking on non-precision cards to play them automatically
  
• Added the words: "Subsystem for: " before compatible weapon systems on subsystems to reduce equipment/subsystem confusion to new players
  
• Fixed Repeater Pulse not drawing support/tactical laser cards on cooldown.
  
• Fixed Honed Shot edge-case where it gives the player lots of ordnance
  
• Fixed Accelerant only returning attack cards to the draw pile but effect being consumed by any card, it now returns any first card played from hand into the draw pile
  
• Fixed Accelerant being killed off if a player gets overheated by playing this card
  
• Fixed Accelerant being killed off if a player plays a crew ability after playing this card
  
• Fixed text on Seebeck Shot to let players know this heat reduction triggers dissipate effects
  
• Fixed potential soft-lock some players experienced on reloading while in combat if certain cards were present (Supply Cache subsystem, Plasma Conduction subsystem, Flak Shell, Overwhelming Barrage, Barricade, Backlash, Overheat Weapons, Reset, Stall, Thermal Tick, Light Ion Missile, Battle Repairs)
  
• Fixed scorch having a misplaced precision effect on it.
  
• Fixed misleading text on Uranium Slug, letting the player know the extra equipment damage can also damage the targeted equipment
  
• Fixed a bunch of reported typos
  
• Made changes to the way the tutorial gets hidden and revealed to prevent issues when continuing the game while in the middle of the tutorial
  
• Updated tutorial to have the correct UI if leaving and returning in combat
  
• Fixed an edge case in the tutorial where the player would forget to pick up the equipment reward and would not have the necessary equipment to continue the tutorial
  
• Removed card drafting after the tutorial boss combat
  

[h2]The Plans Going Forward: Next Patch and More[/h2]
You can expect another patch in the next few days, addressing some additional core issues we've identified with your help. These include a memory leak and a potential graphical issue that could crash the game when an enemy ship explodes.

In the longer term (over the next few weeks), as mentioned in our last dev update, we’re working on several improvements based on your feedback that should greatly enhance the gameplay experience. Your input has highlighted some blind spots in our design, and we’re committed to addressing them.
Here’s what we’re focusing on:

• Run End Screen: We’ll add a screen displaying various stats at the end of each run, including the number of nodes visited, damage dealt and received, damage blocked by shields, and the highest damage dealt in a single turn, along with other fun statistics.
  
• Event Population on the Map: We’re reworking how events are populated on the map, so players will feel more in control of what happens during their run and can make informed decisions about which node to travel to.
  
• Meaningful Faction Relationships: We’ll enhance the faction relationship system, making it more impactful on events in the game.
  
• Quality of Life Improvements: We’re working on making cards easier to read and understand, along with refining the selection of items in the shop to show more relevant choices
  
• Difficulty Curve Refinements: We’ll further refine the difficulty curve by balancing enemy power with player progression.
  

[hr][/hr][h2]Ship Customization Progress & Upcoming Features[/h2]
Additionally, the ship started customization, and the system is gradually coming together. We’ve had to dedicate most of our time to fixing core bugs that could significantly impact some users, but that list is shrinking daily. Soon, we’ll be able to focus all our attention on enhancing what’s already in the game and adding new, exciting features.

[h3]A Heartfelt Thank You to Our Community[/h3]
As always, I want to thank all of you sincerely. Although we’ve been focused on fixing issues as quickly as possible and haven’t been able to interact as much as we’d like, your support means the world to us. Launching the game in Early Access has been an eye-opening experience, and the fantastic feedback and suggestions we’ve received are invaluable. We truly believe the game wouldn’t evolve as effectively without this trial by fire and the encouragement from our community.
[h3]Thank you for being with us on this journey![/h3]

Hi everyone,
We’ve been quiet over the past few days because we’ve been focused on resolving some core issues with how the game saves data. Communication is critical during Early Access, so we want to inform you about what’s happening.

[h3]Why Refactoring the Save System is Important[/h3]
Refactoring the save system is critical, requiring careful testing to avoid missing any edge cases or issues with different hardware configurations. Any missteps could lead to progress loss, which we’re working hard to prevent.

[h3]Preventing Data Corruption[/h3]
Our ongoing work should also significantly reduce—if not entirely remove—the risk of data corruption if something interrupts the saving process. Some players have experienced this issue, which made the game unplayable until the corrupted save data was manually deleted.
[hr][/hr][h3]Current Progress & Next Steps[/h3]
The results are promising, but we need to do more testing internally and with our play-testers (who have been an invaluable help so far!). You can expect an update on this very soon.

[h3]Addressing Feedback: Game Mechanics & Clarity[/h3]
We’ve also reviewed your feedback to identify areas where game mechanics aren't clearly explained. Given the game's many interrelated systems, ensuring everything is easy to understand is crucial for a smooth player experience.
[hr][/hr][h3]Tutorial and UI Updates[/h3]
As a result, we’re updating the tutorial, tooltips, and UI to enhance clarity while also simplifying specific mechanics that just added complexity without adding depth.
[h3]Upcoming Patch Timeline[/h3]
We hope to roll out a patch that addresses these issues within the next few days and will keep you posted on our progress.
[hr][/hr][h3]Future Plans: Meta-Progression and Content Expansion[/h3]
Once the foundation is solid, we’ll expand the meta-progression system and add more content. We can't wait to reach that stage and continue developing Breachway with your feedback and suggestions.

Thanks again for all your support—it means a lot to us! Please continue sharing your feedback and thoughts in Steam reviews. It's the best way to let us know what you like, what you would like changed, and much more.

Hi everyone,

It's been a long week, and we're so happy our work fixing all the various issues you pointed out has been appreciated. Before we take a much-needed weekend off, we've got one more update to ship, with many fixes in card and event interactions. (We'll still keep an eye on this thread just to make sure nothing slipped by.)

We’d also like to update you on the saved data rework. Last night, we finished refactoring the save code and spent all day stress-testing it to ensure stability. So far, everything looks solid, and it seems the data loss issue is resolved. We’ll continue testing over the weekend, and if all goes well, we plan to push the fix to the main branch on Monday.

We can’t express how excited we are to have the most severe issues resolved finally — or very close to it. This means we can start focusing on adding features you’ve suggested, improving readability, and generally making the game more user-friendly.

Next week, we’ll focus on one of the most requested features: ship customization. Many of you have asked for more meta-progression and more ways to tweak your starting ship, experiment with different equipment, and explore new combos.

We’re also working on enhancing the end screen to make it more satisfying. You’ll soon be able to see detailed stats of your run, including enemies defeated, missions completed, nodes traveled, unlocks, and more.

We’ll keep you updated throughout next week on progress and what you can look forward to in the near future.

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[h3]Bug Reporting and Feedback[/h3]
If you have any issues to report, please use the bug reporting forum on Steam. You can also join our Discord and report your issues in our bug reporting forum. We also have a subreddit community found here.

On to the patch notes.

[h2]Changelog[/h2]

• Changed Draw Power's mass cost from 5 to 3
  
• Fixed Draw Power not having its cost affected by active Blueprint effect
  
• Fixed Stripmine edge case where, if production is maxed, playing it makes you lose one production as well
  
• Fixed Stripmine being able to leave the player with 0 mass production capacity
  
• Fixed Forced Draw edge-case where it adds extra heat despite you running out of cards in your draw pile
  
• Fixed Focus Blast precision attack dealing no equipment damage.
  
• Fixed targeting reticles on Focus Blast
  
• Fixed Strike Assembly effect being removed by enemy playing missile card
  
• Fixed Strike Assembly being able to cause a soft lock in certain edge cases
  
• Fixed Strike Assembly not animating on entering/exiting
  
• Fixed Strike Assembly not communicating properly when no missile is drawn (on turn end, if no slot is available to add a missile card, the active icon will turn to a disabled state, reenabling itself at the start of the next turn)
  
• Fixed Several Railgun Cards being tagged as belonging to the resource bay family instead of railgun (Draw Power, Impetus, Shatter Rounds, Battery Surge)
  
• Modified escape pod events so AI crewmembers are automatically uninstalled and added to the cargo bay if there are no more empty slots on your ship
  
• Fixed issues with contraband events, where engaging in combat would send you into another combat encounter on winning. Along with the issue of sometimes skipping nodes if carrying contraband.
  
• Properly fixed the increasing fuel cost on the base difficulty
  
• Standardized card add/removal costs between the store and the maintenance ship event (still varies by faction relations for the maintenance ship event)
  
• Updated the card drafting view so it looks more consistent when there is a single card drafting option
  
• Modified Tyrant combat event so it is counted as a destroyed enemy if you have the mission of destroying six enemies in the first sector
  
• Fixed Colony Defender participants losing their correct portrait after the first battle battle,
  
• Fixed Colony Defender edge-case soft-lock if the player is allied with the pirates and attacks the Free-roamer ships exclusively during this event
  
• Fixed potential soft-lock on the second turn reload when fighting the investigator's ship during the Starkin Espionage effect,
  
• Fixed potential soft-lock on the second turn reload when fighting the research ship that discovered your hack during the Starkin Espionage effect
  

[h3]Thank you! We deeply appreciate the incredible community that is forming around Breachway. Your bug reports, suggestions, and reviews are keeping us motivated and helping us pinpoint issues, fix them, and expand the game into something that has the potential to truly special. We couldn’t do this without your support! [/h3]