v1.0.9.0 Now Live

Fellow Commanders, With the winter holidays upon us, we're happy to announce the next major update to the game! As always, it is Ducky approved ;-). Read on for detailed information about the new features and minor changes, as well as for a peek into what the next update will bring.

Revamped HD interface

The interface of USC was originally designed with low-res displays in mind for compatibility with smaller laptops and older systems: main elements always fit in a smaller area so that all functions are accessible. But now the time has come to upgrade the interface to much better accomodate the needs of HD and full HD displays! An option in the Settings menu is now available to set the scaling of all the main GUI elements (all dialogues, control panels, and the ATAC) to 1.0x (original), 1.2x, 1.4x, 1.5x or 1.6x factor. All GUI textures have been re-rendered to provide a pixel-sharp look even on the greatest scaling. While (almost) all functions remain unchanged, you can now set the GUI to fill in almost the entire screen, making it more easier to read text in upscaled fonts, click buttons, view the minimap, etc. A few remaining elements (item & weapon icons) will be updated to full HD resolution later. IMPORTANT! Remember that you can switch to the secondary in-game GUI containing the minimap and the combat log by pressing the TAB key if they don't fit under the main ATAC controls due to screen size/scaling settings. You can also toggle the scaling factor with the numeric + and - keys while in-game. If you encounter any problems or doesn't need/like the new looks at all, you can force the game to use the legacy GUI by adding the following line (case and space sensitive) under the

[Interface]

section of the USC.cfg file in the game's main folder:

disableResizing=1

Further recommendations and reports of issues about the interface are more than welcome on the forum under the new 'Interface & controls' category.

New interface functions

1.) The ready/holster weapon (engage/disengage attack mode) and the defense mode/reload/unload functions on the ATAC now both have a separate, orange button displaying the AP cost. Clicking this button is identical to the legacy right-clicking on the corresponding function. To switch attack modes/support functions, just left-click on the info area as before. A few display elements have been changed: ammo cost now only reads as "x[N]" (not "Ammo: x[N]"), "range:" as "r:", and "tranquilization:" as "t:". Remember that you can always use [SPACE] to toggle attacking, "D" to initiate defense mode, "R" to reload and "U" to unload if you don't want to always use the mouse. 2.) Instead of right-clicking, you can now also use the new "Use" button in the inventory to activate/use (or deactivate) the selected item with an appropriate function. 3.) Only in Campaign mode, there's now a button to field salvage the selected item.

Field salvage feature & considerations on inventory space

We've received a fairly large amount of constructive feedback about the (lack of) inventory space, mostly in regard to picking up loot or crafting materials. We took the time to carefully re-evaluate this question, and we decided to introduce the "field salvage" option ONLY in Campaign mode. What does it do? Simply enough, field salvage lets you to instantly salvage any item (weapon, ammo or equipment) currently not in use for 25% of its normal Credit