Pre-Alpha DevBuild 0.39

**Status:** Released 26 Dec 2023

**Update 1:** Released 7 Jan 2024

## Maker of Mechs Pre-Alpha DevBuild 0.39: Rubicon

This update introduces Rubicon Protocol, a significant feature that adds a thrilling race-against-the-clock element to each playthrough, where you inventory carries over. There is a 30-minute initial time limit for existing saves. This time limit can be extended by achieving Phase Agency milestones, and X-52 offers a way to jump to new timelines faster. Additionally, the update brings a new consumable, Fertilizer, which enhances production at the Lumberjack. Gameplay improvements include changes to NPC introductions, zone sizes, mech movement, and resource extraction preferences. The World and User Experience sections see various adjustments, such as story cost changes, quest modifications, and interface improvements. Flux Upgrades are now more specifically tailored for different buildings, while Balance changes include cost adjustments for storage, upgrades, and deals, aiming to streamline and enhance the overall gaming experience.

### Rubicon Protocol

Race against the clock and take what you can with you to the next timeline. Each playthrough now has a time limit which can be extended by meeting Phase Agency milestones. Existing saves start with 30 minutes before Rubicon Protocol triggers. X-52 can short circuit this process for you and take you further.

### Fertilizer

A new consumable has been introduced:

* 1.5 Foliage + 1 Water + 0.5 Mushrooms = 2 Foliage at the Mech Workbench
* It is now the source of |Production Boosts at the Lumberjack
* Fertilizer grants 3 Production Boosts at the Lumberjack.

### Gameplay

* Flux Crystals now take time to install at facilities.
* The sequence in which NPCs are introduced to the player has been reworked to be more valuable early on.
* The starting zone is now much smaller to allow for faster traversal.
* The further away from the starting point you head the larger zones become.
* The mech will now start to turn slightly faster, making movement that bit faster.
* When travelling with Signs you are now more likely to land on a road than on another open tile around the sign.
* Resource extraction facilities will now prefer terrain that have the most of their resources when being placed.

### World

* Most story chains now have a larger upfront favor cost that is coupled with a guaranteed reward.
* Main story characters will demand beer less frequently.
* Leegnash Pitmaster no longer offers 20 Charcoal as a storyline reward.
* Sadhiek Toothers no longer offers 20 Copper Ore as a storyline reward.
* Sergeant Cornwall no longer offers 5 Reinforced Plates as a storyline reward.
* Improved the flavor text for Yellow Tonic.
* Hundreds of zone names have been added.

### User Experience

* Fixed an issue where starting a new universe would prevent the main menu from pausing the game for the rest of the session.
* The first quest will now ask you to "Find Lady Zorion at the Lumberjack" (was "Find The Mayor").
* Quests will now tell you to wait for something instead of telling you that it is in progress.
* Tsi-Lu will no longer send you to the Mech Workbench twice.
* Tsi-Lu will no longer ask you to help him build a livestock camp.
* Deals will now show your inventory level for each of their inputs.
* Game Logs are now much cleaner.
* Flux Crystals will now correctly indicate a 1 000 limit per building.
* The crafting option at the mech workbench is now closer to the top.
* After successfully buying or selling items you will now be returned to the home page instead of to the buy/sell pages.
* Buildings will now change minimap icons when they change recipes.
* The inventory window now has categories.
* H'arbek Courier sound effects now pause when the main menu is open.
* When below minimum resolution (e.g. in a small window) the game will now attempt to maintain aspect ratio and keep the full screen in view.
* Upgrade sliders now have a limit for the amount per interaction to make it easier to control their precision:
	+ Warehouse upgrade sliders are now limited to 90 upgrades at a time.
	+ Primary Factory Upgrades, Flux Upgrades and H'arbek Bay upgrades are now limited to 10 at a time.
* Jump Sprocket Upgrades will now only show at the Mech Workbench once a Jump Sprocket has been installed.
* Tooltips now have a 500ms delay before opening.
* Deals now show you how much time is left before they complete.

### Flux Upgrades

Installing Flux Crystals into buildings is now referred to as a Flux Upgrade. Flux Upgrades now have varying cost per building.

* 0.05 at Lumberjacks, Quarries, Iron Mines and Water Pumping Stations.
* 0.10 at Brickeries and Charcoal Plants.
* 0.15 at Copper Mines.
* 0.25 at Silicon Mines.
* 0.50 at Copper Furnaces and Glassworks.
* 0.85 at Wiring Plants.
* 1 at Charcoal Plants, Coal Liquefaction Plants, Concrete Mixers, Copper/Iron/Gold Furnaces, Electronics Plants, Reinforced Plate Factories and Mech Factories.
* Harvesting Flux Crystal now yields an average of 0.1 (down from 1.0)

### Balance

* Storage Area Floors now have a base cost of 0.1 Concrete (down from 1).
* Storage Area Walls now have a base cost of 0.24 Brick (down from 1).
* All Jump Drive Cooling upgrades now costs 50% less.
* 10 Mechs are now required to gain 10 Flux Crystals from the war on Flux Prime (down from 50 for 50).
* The Electronics deal now costs 200 Glass to unlock (down from 400).
* It now takes 2.5 minutes per Electronics or Reinforced Plate deal (up from 30 seconds).
* It now takes 2 minutes per Reinforced Glass or Wire deal (up from 30 seconds).
* It now takes 1.5 minutes per Crude Oil deal (up from 30 seconds).
* It now takes 1 minutes per Concrete, Glass or Copper Bar deal (up from 30 seconds).
* Upsizing the Brick deal now costs 100 Concrete (up from 12).
* The Concrete deal now requires 0.43 Symcoin (down from 0.59 SymCoin).
* The Reinforced Plate deal now needs 0.55 SymCoin per Reinforced plate (up from 0.30).
* The Reinforced Plate deal now costs 100 Electronics to unlock (down from 400).
* Tripled the boosts granted by Favor at factories.
* Tripled the boosts granted by Red and Green Tonics at factories.
* Electronics snacks now grant 4 Favor (up from 2).
* Reduced to 3 rushed deals for 2 favor or tonic (down from 10).
* Halved the cost of compressors at the Charcoal Plant.
* Reduced the unlock cost of Coal Liquefaction Plants to 15 Glass (from 30).
	+ Reduced the base cost of Liquifier upgrades to 15 Glass (from 60).
* Reduced the base cost of Mixer upgrades at Concrete Mixers to 20 Iron Bars (down from 40).
* Reduced the unlock cost of Copper Furnaces to 15 Brick (down from 30).
	+ Reduced the base cost of Copper Furnace Upgrades to 15 Brick (down from 40).
* Reduced the unlock cost of Electronics Plant to 20 Glass (down from 40).
	+ Reduced the base cost of Assembly Lines at Electronics Plant to 20 Glass (down from 80).
* Reduced the unlock cost of Glassworks to 12 Brick (down from 15).
	+ Reduced the base cost of Kilns at Glassworks to 12 Brick (down from 30).
* Reduced the base upgrade cost of Gold Furnaces to 30 Brick (down from 60).
* Reduced the base upgrade cost of Iron Furnaces to 10 Brick (down from 20).
* Increased the base upgrade cost of Iron Mines Furnaces to 2 Iron Bars (up from 1).
* Reduced the unlock cost of Mech Factories to 10 Crude Oil (down from 20).
	+ Reduced the base upgrade cost of Mech Factories to 10 Crude Oil (down from 40).
* Reduced the unlock cost of Electronics Factories to 5 Electronics (down from 10).
	+ Reduced the base upgrade cost of Electronics Factories to 5 Electronics (down from 20).
* Reduced the base upgrade cost of Silicon Mines to 8 Iron Bars (down from 10).
* Reduced the unlock cost of Wiring Plants to 6 Gold Bars (down from 8).
	+ Reduced the base upgrade cost Wiring Plants to 6 Gold Bars (down from 16).

### Update 1 (Released 7 Jan 2024)

* Disabled shadows on the landing smoke of ships at the H'arbek Bay.
* Disabled shadows from the lights at the Quarry, Lumberjack, Copper Mine and Brickery.
* The option to craft Red Tonic is now available again.
* Fixed a bug where loading a broken save could prevent the mouse from interacting with tiles.
* Updated to Unity 2022.3.16f1.