The release of Phoenix Point is just over a week away! All departments at Snapshot are in full swing to make sure the delivery is as smooth as possible. We want everyone to be able to dive into the full release on December 3.
Now that the final research options and story mission content has been added, most of the work we're doing now is balancing, polishing and bug-fixing, along with finalizing the cinematics, and getting the last few pieces of recorded dialogue added.
Balancing
We've been going through feedback from our forums, in-game reporting tool and Discord server, and have been making gameplay tweaks based on what the players have been telling us.
A few of these include:
- A complete rework of faction weapon stats. Weapons from the three factions will feel more like an upgrade than just a slight variation, and weapons that require research to acquire will be much more powerful.
- A reduction in the frequency of Haven attacks. This will make it easier to explore without having to return to defend Havens too often. Havens can still get attacked more frequently if they're in the operating range of multiple Pandoran nests and lairs, so you will still have to keep them protected.
- Stamina loss based on mission length. In Backer Build 5, soldiers lost 10 points of stamina after every mission, eventually requiring them to return to base to rest. We wanted to find a way to reward players for pushing forward in missions, without being a punishment for those who like to take their time. Now, soldiers lose 1 point of stamina for every turn the mission takes, but can still only lose a maximum of 10 per mission. If your squad is involved in a quick fight, they're not going to be as tired.
- Aircraft now have pathfinding and can automatically plot refuelling waypoints on their way to the destination, which removes the need for the player to leapfrog between points of interest.
- The fumble mechanic has been limited to melee weapons - so there will no longer be a chance of wasting an action on trying to fire a ranged weapon which fumbles (you can still miss though).
- Missile and launcher based weapons now have some inaccuracy, so they're less overpowered. If you use them near your own squad you run the risk of hitting friendlies. Grenades haven't been affected by this change.
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