Dev Diary #49: OCI Rework

Today, we will show you all the ins and outs of the upcoming OCI rework!

The update will refund the OCI points you have already spent, so you can keep playing your existing savegames. However, the update changes progression and balancing quite a bit, so we highly recommend starting a new run!

Note: The large OCI Rework will go live Tuesday the 14th of July.

OCI Rework

We treated the current OCI system as a sort of placeholder for the more detailed and complex system we always had in mind. The OCI rework is the biggest change to the game during Early Access so far and will open up a whole new level of customization, decisions, and replayability.

In the new OCI system, there are still three basic OCI slots on the Impetus, but we renamed them to better include certain OCIs.

Each of these slots can hold a variety of “base OCIs” that are always unlocked. These are very basic upgrades that cover all the essentials players need without requiring the unlocking of certain trust-based faction OCIs.

OCI slots and their base upgrades:

Bridge:

• Command Room (+1 Squaddie per Mission)

• Intelligence Center (+1 Intelligence)

Hull:

• Quarters (+20 max squaddies, +10% Squaddie Rescue chance)

• Garage (Repairs 1 defect and 10% vehicle HP after each mission)

Armament:

• Main Battery (Main Battery Salvo ability)

• Armed Dropship (MG Strafing run)

• Support Module (Supply Drop)

Additionally, the Impetus itself starts out with +1 Squaddie per mission and a 15% Squaddie Rescue chance.

From now on, players will unlock faction OCIs that have to be installed over the base OCI and will replace it. Note that non-ability OCIs will usually keep the effect of the base OCI, so installing an intelligence center upgrade will keep the +1 intelligence bonus.

Additionally, each unlocked OCI comes automatically with an upgraded version that is usually more expensive to install. This upgrade is often a better version of the OCIs, but in many cases it can fundamentally change what an OCI does, so be careful of when to upgrade or not.

Factions now come with 12 OCIs to unlock and 12 trust levels instead of the 8 they previously had.

For a better overview, we now have an OCI-tree for each slot on the impetus that instantly shows which OCIs are available and installed.

OCI Armament

OCI Bridge

OCI Hull

Offmap Ability changes

Offmap abilities see quite some changes in how they work. Most importantly, their uses are no longer on a per-mission basis, but on a per-operation basis. That means you can use all 3 uses in one mission or use one in each mission. Just be careful not to waste your offmap support too early!

Orbital vs Airpower Abilities

Orbital offmap abilities now work very differently from the dropship-based Airpower ones. While orbital abilities are called in from the impetus, airpower ones are based on dropships that deliver their payloads directly to the battlefield.

Orbital abilities therefore usually have a long delay of 2 turns until they reach the battlefield; however, they are usually more impactful than dropship/airpower based ones.

Airpower abilities need you to call in the aircraft, which will reach the battlefield after 2 turns. Once the ship is close to the battlefield, its off-map ability can be used and triggered immediately. That means a gun run hits right when you select the tiles it should target.

However, dropships have limited fuel supplies, and they can only loiter near the battlefield for one turn until they have to return to base or the impetus for refueling. That means once a dropship airpower ability is ready to be used, it has to be used within one turn or the dropship flies off, and the use is wasted.

Airpower Example: Show of Force

SHOW OF FORCE The recon dropship flies a risky maneuver close to the ground right over the target area. It both reveals the area as well as suppress and demoralize any nearby enemies.

[AREA OF EFFECT] • [AIR POWER]

Is limited to 5 more uses per operation

Delay: 2

Loitering Time: 1

Alright, that's it for now! Be sure to let us know what you think.

Engage, Explore, and Stay Informed

You can find us on Discord, BlueSky, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and Reddit for discussions, updates, and feedback. You can also subscribe to our monthly MENACE newsletter on our website.